July 29

We finally got ourselves to the California State Fair, and such lucky timing for us too.  As we came into the livestock nursery this mama stood up to have her baby!  Of course it wasn't as quick as all that.  The whole process only took about an hour though.  I think we stayed for about a half hour afterwards just to watch as she cleaned the calf (baby girl) and the calf tried repeatedly to stand up.  Eventually mama lay down next to the cow, and that's the portrait that I caught here.  Many photos taken of this event, but needless to say they're a little graphic!  She did get some assistance from one of the vets, but only after the front legs were already out.  A cow's gestational period is nine months, same as a human.  And the mama isn't called a cow until after she's given birth.  Before that she's a heffer.  I don't know how much the little calf weighs, but we thought she was sligthly bigger than Clover, who weighs about 60 lbs.  I wish we could have stayed longer and seen her finally stand, but I feel so lucky that we got to see her born!