Day 1: The Egg Came First

There's an age old question that goes something like, "Which came first, the duck or the egg".   In my case, the answer is the 'egg'.  For sure.  Because my life started in an egg:

I Pipped!!

Thats me, right next to the thermometer, with my first attempt at breaking out of my shell!  That was just three days ago and A LOT has already happened since then as you'll see.  I need to first tell you the story from the beginning ...

I arrived at my new home along with 11 other little eggs from a farm in Virginia.  They sent us through the mail!  Can you believe it?  We were all swaddled in a cushy wrap, placed amongst some fluffy paper strips in a box and mailed to Texas!   We all made the trip safe and sound and soon found a nice, warm and cozy box (*incubator) to wait out the time until we were ready to make our appearance, 28 days later.  There was a lot that had to happen in that time.  We needed to grow from a little speck to a four inch hatchling in that time!  Along the way, the others dropped out  - just not able to make the journey.  That's okay - that's Nature.

But on day 26 (I'm a bit precocious!) I started pipping my way out.  It was really hard work and I worked at it for almost a whole day without making much progress.  I was very tired and about to give up.

 But then,  I got a little help with with all from a nice lady and I was on my way again!  By the next day, I was out.

Hatched: April 7, 2011

I was really tired and once I was clear of that shell, I just wanted to rest.  I stayed in the nice warm box for a few hours and then I was moved to another, larger box.  It was warm there too and had a super nice pillow for me to cuddle up next to and take a nap.  The rest of the day is kind of a blur, but I do remember seeing a face that looked really happy to see me.  I'll remember that face as long as I live...I remember thinking....'Are you my mother?   I must take after my dad!'

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