On Thursday, April 3rd the very anticipated first cria arrived.....in a major thunderstorm. As I had waited around the farm for two days, I decided that I needed to run an errand. Alpaca like to have their cria in private and especially not when you are hovering over them. Phedina had all the signs - for two days - of being in labor so I headed out for my errand. I was on my way home when the sky opened up and the lightening struck. I was five miles from home and my phone rang. It was my closest neighbor, closest to the girl paddock too. 'You have a baby in the yard and it's pooring down rain! She's not getting up! What do we need to do?" I asked if they could jump the fence and bring her in the barn, I'd be right home. I got home and the storm had subsided. In the barn, wrapped in a towel in my neighbor's arms was a beautiful, patterned girl cria. She was accompanied by the cria's dam and my guardian dog, Peaches. My neighbor told me that Peaches herded all the other girls back out of the barn and into the rain. The amazing little cria was about to drown before it was rescued. I gathered the baby up and profusely thanked my neighbor for all her help. Seeing that she was cold, I took her and her mom to the back patio so I could get the blow dryer and heating pad out to warm her. While I dried her, Phedina enjoyed the much deserved extra bowl of grain. It took me about 2 hours to dry her off and get her core body temp up so that her first time at the 'milk bar' would be successful, another two hours before I could get her walking. It was a cold April, so this pair spent the next three nights in the 'nursery' or my garage. I named this baby girl Gale Warning. She is the most friendly cria I have had born on the farm. She follows me everywhere and nibbles on me whenever she can. :-) On a sunny day, Thursday, May 1st the second cria for the year was ready to appear. After pacing the fence, watching Montenegra as she was in the throws of labor (up and down and roll and poo pile), I saw her start to deliver. I watched from my lawnchair, always having the feeling that I needed to be here for her delivery. I saw the bubble of the first presentation. It was not the right parts. Feet should be first. I had already scrubbed up and trimmed my nails, I was ready. I had to help this momma. Into the paddock I went. I noticed it was baby nose, not feet. I found the feet! Baby had tried to dive for the exitway but forgot to point it's toes. :-) I righted the feet and placing the nose between them, gently pulled baby to the ground. A beautiful true black boy! He was barely born and he was already trying to stand. He was born with a full bladder. Poor little guy stood in about ten minutes and christened the ground with a puddle. This little guy was named Atticus by my daughter from our favorite book, To kill a Mockingbird.