Update on Jody

Two months ago the bred heifer, Jody, came up limping horribly.  We had a hunch she had "done the splits" on muddy ground, and didn't expect her to improve.  Some days she seemed to be walking better, others, not so well.  Three weeks ago, I scheduled her to be butchered at the local butcher shop, because if she got so bad she couldn't walk, the butcher shop wouldn't take her.  I figured it was time to cut our losses.  
On the day before her expected demise, Cliff and I noticed she was getting around better, and he said, "If that were MY cow, I would wait and see if she makes it until she has her calf."
I cancelled the appointment.  
So we've watched her limp along behind the rest of the cows.  A couple of weeks ago I posted a video of her limping past my window.  
I'm not usually a negative person, but the truth is, I didn't think I could stand to see my hopes dashed, so I assumed the worst.  That way I am prepared to be hurt.  I really love that heifer.  

I've had her since she was three days old, raised her on the bottle, and halter-broke her at a young age.  She is my pet.  
For the past week, her limp has been nearly gone.  You can see her right hind foot turns out a little more than it should, but she's walking almost normally.  It's three months until her calf is due, and now I am beginning to hope that perhaps she will not only deliver her calf, but maybe even live to raise it.  I've been taking her for walks, letting her eat the tender grass in the yard.  Today I nabbed Cliff for a photo shoot.  

   Yes, she really is that docile.

She's cuddly, too.  

At one point she got tired of posing and started rubbing her head against me.  

Sure would be nice to see her have a Jersey heifer calf on Valentine's Day.  
In case you are wondering why Cliff cut my feet off in all these pictures, he didn't.  I cropped my feet out of them, and sometimes that meant cropping Jody's feet out also.  
Why?  

Just look at my high-water britches!  Actually, the sweats aren't that short, but I didn't think about pulling them down over my socks.  I never think about how I look!  

Anyway, here's hoping.  She has shown improvement before and then gotten worse.  I will admit that I'm glad Cliff talked me into letting her live.