One Month Already!

Dallin is one month old! He already weighs around 10 pounds.
Look at his cute little hand:

He got somewhat upset with us when we tried to take some one-month photos. He eventually calmed down, but we still didn't get a super great glamour shot.

Here he is with his loving siblings:

This is his birthday Dutch apple pie made by Mom and Dad. Everyone needs a good excuse to eat a pie, right? We forgot to take a photo before devouring it, however.

After engaging in a photo session, playing with everyone, and watching the family eat pie, Dallin was pretty tired.

We love having Dallin in our family.

Whatever Happened to the Hawk?

We realize that most of our readers are probably wondering about the fate of the Swainson's hawk. We didn't allow it to self-release this time around, rather we ended up stressing it out so much that it quit eating. Before Dallin's birth, we took it to some fields a couple of times for flight practice. We attached jesses to the legs and a longer string to the jesses so that it couldn't get away from us. The following is a short clip showing part of a practice session:

After the two flight practices, the hawk stopped eating well for us for a few days. We called the vet to tell her, and she asked us to bring it in for a medical evaluation. Everything checked out o.k. (we were relieved we hadn't accidentally injured it), and once it resumed eating they left the mew door open and allowed it to leave when it was ready. It stayed around for a couple of days and then flew off. So once again we didn't have the gratifying experience of watching a hawk release into the wild. Maybe next year? For now, the hawks are migrating south for the winter.

Meanwhile...our mouse breeding population needs to recover to meet the demands of all our customers.

Another Pet!

This Post by Megan

Last week, I got a rabbit! I named her Sylvi, and she is a very nice rabbit. Sylvi is a Dutch rabbit, and she is 1 year old. I built her cage almost all by myself.

Me with Sylvi

Sylvi is very sweet. Her fur is really soft!

Sylvi in her cage

The Boy Dislikes Baths but Loves Music

Dallin is three weeks old today! We had a pretty rough night, and Mom and Dad ended up sleeping in until 8:30 when Dallin woke again to eat. Then we didn't get our breakfast until 10:00, so we had a slow start to the day.

Dallin needed a bath due to his pungent sour milk smell. Baths are not Dallin's idea of a good time. He gets a good workout, and our neighbors get serenaded by loud screams.

Once he is dried, oiled, dressed, and all snuggly warm again, he is a happy boy.

Especially when he gets hugs from his big brother.

Erin wanted us to include this silly picture of her with Dallin. They spent quality time listening to music.

Two Weeks Old

Hi! I'm Dallin, and I'm two weeks old today! Mortality is great so far. I get lots of love from my family.

I like being held by my big sister Megan.

I get kisses from my Dad--his beard is just a bit scratchy.

I can already do many things.
I can yawn.

I can wave!

I can lift my head--I've been doing that since I was 2 days old.

And I can just be cute!

Domestic Goodness

Post-partum canning projects take two or three times longer than usual this year, with frequent breaks for pumping (yes, we're having a few nursing issues which we hope will be resolved soon), feeding baby, playing with baby, changing baby's diaper, etc. Nevertheless, Megan and Ian have been wonderful assistants. They had a blast dipping the peaches in boiling water and removing the skins. Ian thought it was great that Mom trusted him with a knife and let him help cut up the fruit. Unfortunately we lack photos of the production process since we're usually very sticky while working and therefore haven't taken out the camera. Here are some of the finished products: bottled peaches and pears, peach jam, peach fruit leather, and dried pears.

We try to get the bulk of the work done during Dallin's nap times. He is so thrilled that we are putting away food storage that will serve as his baby food in 6 more months. Here he is napping in his Amby hammock, courtesy of Grandma & Grandpa. We have it set up in the living room so he is close by.