They aren't breeding, but they are multiplying

Shane greeted me in the garage as I got out of my car Friday (6/3). 

"Hi Dad! Do you like surprises?" Shane asked. 

"You realize you gave away there's a surprise by asking that, right?" I replied.

Shane's eyes widened. "Don't tell Mom I let it slip!"

I went inside and Shane said, "Ta-dah! Look at all the cleaning Mom did!"

It was a good recovery. There really was A LOT of cleaning done! 

"Are you trying to butter me up for something?" I asked Carrie.

"No, the house just really needed it," said Carrie.

She wasn't wrong. It put me at ease, but a clean house wasn't the only thing Carrie was waiting to drop on me.

"What...is...that?"

A better question might have been, "Why is it in our house?"

Bunsen is a pygmy dwarf Netherlands rabbit. "Bunnies don't do well solo, so I got Hopkins a companion. I was always planning on it," Carrie said.

"What happened to no more animals?"

"This is it! I swear!"

Which seems to be what I've heard most of the other times.

Carrie set Bunsen up in the 'bunny air-lock' that keeps Hopkins in the office. "They can't go in together?" I asked. "Aren't they supposed to be companions?"

Apparently, no. It takes time. Hopkins tried to attack Bunsen through the cage when he realized another bunny entered his territory. He didn't mind cats or dogs, but his long-eared, hopping, rodent 'friend' was a different matter.

I asked Carrie why we couldn't just get a bunny from the yard. We have tons! I see them all the time even if Loki doesn't!

Oblivious dog is oblivious.

Loki still didn't spot the bun even as I crept forward to get better pictures!

Shane's on Carrie's side, of course.

He's been going on that baby bunnies are cuter than puppies (False).

All the other animals have taken it in stride. Aria sniffed Bunsen once as she made her way through to Hopkins territory.

It's like they're all used to Carrie's Dr. Doolittle ways.

I'd be more annoyed, but the bunnies will literally stay in the office together and I don't go in there. I have no chores related to taking care of either of them, so it's one more long-eared, hopping, rodent that's out of my sight and out of my mind ("They're not rodents!" -Carrie).

Bunsen made for some good photo ops and a blog post, too. 

Don't worry, Loki. You're still my favorite.

Bunsen's borderline small enough I thought a cat's hunting instincts could awaken, but so far I've been wrong.

Will Bunsen truly be the last animal to enter our house? I hope so.

I've been saying no to a second dog, but I wouldn't put that past Carrie at some point. She's talked about Loki needed a girlfriend. His developing allergies might've cooled her on that, though.

Maybe.

Foaling Around: Kitsune is home

Eowyn and Kitsune are home.

Carrie was stressed about bringing them safely, but all Eowyn cared about was how much hay there was!

Baby and Mama came home together in the trailer. Carrie removed the divider to allow them to be together.

When Carrie led Eowyn out, Baby followed.

With a leap!

I was on standby if Kitsune didn't follow Mama, but he hung close.

Mikayla snapped some pics of her own!

Ernie was the first horse to run up all excited. Others would soon follow.

But the task at hand was to guide Eowyn back to the baby lot. Kit followed her right up to the barn.

And then stopped. Entering a barn was new and scary.

Carrie stopped Eowyn and called to him. Eventually, he worked up the nerves!

There was no drama from Eowyn. She was content to be led.

But Kit didn't know what fencing was yet. He walked straight into the lines and pushed up against him.

Which gave him a shock and a fright.

He tried again and walked right into the fence. Carrie brought Eowyn back to the opening to help guide Kit in.

We were all relieved when he figured it out! You wouldn't think finding an opening required much learning, but Kit was less than a week old.

Unfortunately, the fence post was toast. We'd jury-rigged it after Eddie kicked it over years ago and Kit pressing into the lines used up its final hit points.

But it was irrelevant at the moment. Carrie shut the gates and locked Baby and Momma in the stall.

It was stocked with water, hay, and would be their home overnight (Carrie wasn't about to risk baby dealing with fence lines in the dark!).

Meanwhile, the other horses went nutty. Especially Abby (Mikayla was wise to come out to ride before baby arrived. She'd guessed her horse would lose her mind for the rest of the day!).

Everyone was curious about the new baby.

Except Indy. He never stopped eating.

Most of the horses adjusted quickly, but Abby lurked.

And watched.

Not that Eowyn cared. She just wanted to eat.

The stall was big enough to allow Kit room to romp around while Eowyn did her thing.

Kids of all species seem to have boundless energy!

Whee!

Carrie had me bring her a bucket, so she could sit in the stall and watch. Eowyn was convinced she had treats and where Mama went Baby soon followed!

Which Carrie loved.

Kit can be a little flighty when it comes to people. He had a low white blood cell count after being born and the medicine must have tasted bad! 

Carrie demanded a "good touch" before she ever left the stall. 

Within a few days, Carrie was allowing Eowyn and Kit out on a limited turn out.

She hung a piece of rope around the fence lines to make it more visible for Kit. The goal was to give Kit time to learn the boundaries.

Eowyn was always easy to bring back in: Just give her food.

Kit's been finding Mom's food and water buckets fascinating. He doesn't have a ton of teeth yet, but he likes to play with things!

Wednesday, Meredith came out to work on everyone's feet. Kit was curious about her hat while she worked on Mom's feet!

The vet came out, as well, and cleared Kit from needing any more medicine. It was good news for me, because Carrie had me coming out before school to help hold him, so she could dose him. Week old horses are stronger than you'd expect! I don't have much experience with babies and was worried about being too forceful at first. The poor guy was a shivering and weak in the knees. 

Over the weekend, Carrie opened up the field to allow Eowyn time to graze. Her head when down immediately!

The grass scared Kit. He wasn't sure what to make of it at first. He trotted out with Mommy and then rushed back into the dry lot!

He paced back and forth at the opening. 

He made a few more attempts to rejoin Eowyn...

...with similar results!

Carrie moved closer which flushed him back into the pasture.

Eventually, Kit was either too afraid to be away from Mama or he worked up the nerve to experience 

He started to frolic around on the grass this time (and he showed an awareness of the fence line! Progress!).

Carrie made sure to get her good touches before she came in from the field.

Kit gave her a kiss for her efforts.

Eowyn's a calm horse mom. She eats, tolerates a high energy shadow, and will correct Kit every now and then when he gets too much in her business.

The hope is that Eowyn and Kit can work towards being in the pasture all day as long as the other horses don't go crazy. Financially, it would half Eowyn's hay consumption (an $8 bale/day) and it's where Eowyn wanted to be. She didn't want to be caught when Carrie tried to bring her in!

Carrie took Shane out to meet Kit while I was at school on Tuesday.

Of course, I swiped the pictures she took to post here!

All of Carrie's horse friends are excited about the baby. Ellie came by to drop off a saddle and brought Landie to say hi to Kit.

Sunday morning, Laura and Amy went out in the field with Carrie to greet Kit after chores.

A few times I've asked Carrie a question to realize she slipped outside. I caught her taking pictures of Kit resting next to Mommy in the field here.

She immediately posted her pictures online.

To say Carrie's excited is an understatement. She was playing the Sims at the window to keep busy while staring off into the fields keeping a watchful eye on Kit.

So far, things are off to a good start. The barn's adjusting, Kit's healthy, and growing. Carrie's going to have him on her mind all summer!