Titan of Tomorrow

Okay, for all of you that have been asking and wondering what was going on here, here goes.

On Sunday our 6 month old cria Titan passed away. He was the first cria ever born here at Tomorrow Farm and was beloved by all who knew him.

His arrival is still a fun story that gets tossed around a lot, but for those that haven't heard it, let me share it with you.

We purchased his mom, Sally, back in January. She is the sweetest alpaca you will ever meet. She also was very patient with us. We would spend time everyday watching her baby move and feeling it kick. We didn't realize at the time that not every momma shows her pregnancy off so well. We were lucky.

Sally was due near the end of May. She had a history of going a little early so we kept a close eye on her. Well, on gloomy Saturday morning we went to check on her before leaving for the kids soccer game (11:30 am). She was happily munching on hay and showing no signs of impending birth (at least as far as I could tell being new at this and all). We left for the game and then came back about 2 1/2 hours later.

The driveway we park our cars in is on the opposite side of the house from the barn so we couldn't see the barn when we pulled in. We got our stuff and headed in the house. First order of business was the bathroom for me (I hate the porta-potties at the game). I had barely sat down when Lizzie starting screaming hysterically. I thought she was being attacked or something.

I pulled up my pants and ran for the kitchen. No blood anywhere, but off in the pasture we saw a wee little paca. Sally had apparently waited 'til we left to have her cria. I called my husband who was at work and took off for the barn. He was completely dry and happy to greet the world. We went through our new cria checklist and an hour later I was finally able to use the bathroom. :o)

Now Titan was always a quiet boy. I just assumed he took after his mom. He loved to eat and gained weight steadily so we had no worries. It seems though that his quiet nature was due to a weak, underdeveloped heart. He died quickly of a heart attack right in his favorite spot at the hay box.

I'm not sure who is having a tougher time with this...me or the kids? For all of you with alpacas, give your crias an extra hug from us tonight.

Rest in peace Titan. We will always love you.