Buckling update

And Gabrielle named him........ Cornelius, the prince from Thumbelina :)

Cornelius has continued to do well thanks to Gabrielle's gentle care of him. He is still weaker than any we have had. Usually in the first day they change so much, walking easily, following their mom, nursing aggressively and they start bouncing. This little guy is doing some walking but he tires easily and although Gabrielle managed to get him on a bottle his suck is not strong enough to attempt nursing on his momma.

Gabrielle and Elijah have continued to try and bond him with the doe. They take Cornelius to her about every two hours throughout the day and they leave him with her for about 10 minutes before they bring him back in to warm him. It is still quite cold and his temperature does not stay consistent for any length of time. The doe has had a very hard time understanding what has happened. She nuzzles and licks him but has continued "looking" for the other baby and has not figured out yet that Cornelius cannot nurse on his own. When the kids bring him back in the house Odette paces the fence and cries; she runs around the little barn calling and looking for her babies. It is terribly sad :(

We are hoping that we can reunite Cornelius with her soon. The temps are supposed to come up mid-week and we are hoping he will be strong enough at that point to return to the barn. Poor Gabrielle is EXHAUSTED. I told her she is getting a full class course in being a new mom. Feeding every two hours really cuts into her sleep!!! I will try to post a picture of him today.