As the sun was sinking slowly in the west, the buttermilk sky was glowing. Little did we know that Kristianna, first time mother and voted least likely to deliver first, was preparing to deliver her cria. We had all gone home for the night, eaten dinner, and settled into evening activities when Tracy decided to take an twilight stroll. She wandered over to watch the expectant moms eating and noticed that one of them was calmly eating out of the feedbag with a cria head and legs dangling out her backside! All Hands On Deck! We grabbed the novalsan solution to dip the umbilicus with when it emerged, got a coat for the cria and a towel to dry him off, Don bedded the warm room so mom and baby would have a place to stay warm all night while baby was wet, and cheered Kristianna on while she finished a beautiful, classic delivery (which I caught and moved to the grass before he hit the dirt). BTW-- no self-respecting alpaca delivers a cria on grass if they can help it. Dirt is much preferred. I've learned this over the years. Never mind the 1/2 acre of grass we keep alive for them! Nancy came by to see him the next day and visit with Italia. She is so excited about Italia's Max baby coming later this summer. Sundown is lucky we were there! Mothers who deliver in the cold hours of an Andes night or morning don't replicate themselves because the baby can't survive the cold. Natural selection over the centuries has created the natural pattern of birthing mostly between dawn and noon. A couple of Sunday mornings ago, Hillary Duff and her family came out to visit Ivan, their alpaca. Their almost-2 year old sweetie, Banks, was fascinated by the alpacas and the chick that Farmer Don showed her. Ivan was a model alpaca. He came over to see them the minute they arrived. I think he actually recognized them! He ate out of their hands and gave kisses. What a sweet boy. Alpacas love babies and children. Last time Banks was here she was 4 months old. For those of you who don't remember, Ivan joined their family a couple of years ago when Matthew surprised Hillary with an alpaca for Valentine's Day. Such a romantic gift. They hope to have their own farm someday with more alpacas. Maybe Ivan will even get to be a Dad someday. ?? We have had 10 crias altogether since Sundown was born (all in the daytime, thank goodness!). Here we are helping Lilac Rose with her first cria--a gorgeous rose gray female by The Admiral. And then there was Evangeline's little girl by Fromage. The cria I am most excited about at the moment is the one that Qasani is carrying. She is a Torbio granddaughter who has exceptional luster. I sent her to Sue King at Big Timber Alpacas last summer to breed to Jeremiah, and she is due any day. This is one of those times I am hoping for a BOY! Tina brought her grandkids out to visit Almond Joy the same day Hillary was here. They got to pet some of the babies, and take Almond Joy for a walk. Here is Kallie sitting with me while I watch the girls in OB. Rat Terriers apparently have a talent for catching flies-- who knew?? She's really good at it, so I take her with me when I'm going to sit anywhere for awhile. ?? She just turned a year old-- hard to believe! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking of females and crias, we have pregnant females and females-about-to-get-pregnant FOR SALE this summer. Not all of them are on the website yet, but I'll be happy to show them to you. I am offering a FREE 1-HOUR BUSINESS CONSULTATION on how you can Start Your Own Ranch even if you don't have your own property yet. CLICK HERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION: Just copy this into the email: "I want a FREE 1-HOUR BUSINESS CONSULTATION on How to Start My Own Ranch" We can consult in person at the ranch or on the phone, whichever is better for you. Let me hear from you soon! FREE 1-HOUR BUSINESS CONSULTATION Cindy Harris ~ Alpacas at Windy Hill ~ Somis, CA ~ [email protected] www.alpacalink.com ~ 805-907-5162