Thursday, May 1, 2008

Another new baby!

I stopped by the kidding barn for a second time just before I went to the office this morning because I had a feeling Hannah might be in labor. Hannah and her twin brother Martin were my very first goats and my very first bottle babies, and I have very special feelings for them as a result. Plus I think Hannah looks like Julia Roberts, but nobody else does.
Hannah was acting a bit strange this morning when we went to feed. She was being even more dramatic than unusual and making a lot of noise. We have never bred her before, because her fiber is just okay, but the acquisition of Buck Fifty in the fall inspired me to give it a try. After all, this may be the closest I come to grandchildren.
So I thought I was just take a quick peek in the kidding barn, even though I was all freshly showered and dressed for work. Hannah was making a terrible fuss that I could hear from inside the car before I parked, so I took my camera with. Good thing too, because this kid wasn't waiting for anybody. 
His little nose was just sticking out when I walked in the door and within 30 seconds he was in out. I've never been able to capture an entire birth on camera before and it was really exciting knowing that I could share it with you.
The pictures, however, are not for the faint of heart. So I'm posting them on in a special  flickr set and you can choose for yourself if you want to see them. They are pretty flippin' awesome though!
But for those of you who prefer your cuteness a little less slimy, here he is.


DSC_0153
His name is Mint.

16 comments:

A Crafty Lawyer said...

These posts are wonderful -- I almost feel as if I'm there! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

That is way cool!!

woolies said...

omigosh! I'm off to look at your flickr to see MORE!
ps come visit my blog, doing a neat fairy giveaway for a friend...

goodkarma said...

I've only seen human babies being born so seeing this wee one was especially fascinating! Welcome home little one!

Anonymous said...

Great pictures Susan... what a miracle you captured.

Mary, Mary... said...

Congrats on the latest addition!

Anonymous said...

amazing!

Jenny said...

Oh my god that is amazing! I'm so glad you caught pictures of it! How long does it take, from start to finish? Is it just a quick sloosh and he's out? Or is there a lot of stop and go and pushing and all that? Do you cry every time you watch it? I would.

Thanks for putting that link up!

Susan said...

Hey Jenny! From just his nose sticking out to finished was maybe 30 seconds. She had been fussy since about an hour before so I'm guessing she was laboring and uncomfortable, but the actual birthing part was so fast.

Quirkles said...

Susan: Your posts always make my day. The best ones have new babies! Thanks for including us in this! I hope your last day of work is a good one! Have a great weekend!
Jessica

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the news and photos. I feel like a proud.... aunt? It's so cool to feel connected to the whole process and the flock.
MY husband keeps laughing at me and "my" goats but my kids have been so excited to check out the new additions.

Tina

LiquidLace said...

Hi Susan, Congrats on the wonderful new babies! Thank goodness you had your camera and the presence of mind to keep clickling! Those shots of the birth are just amazing! And the ears on the new little one...cute and funny.

If you're still searching for a theme for names for the wethers--how about "weather" names? Clouds (Cirrus, Cumulus, Stratus, Nimbus, etc); Rain, Stormy, Sunny, Breezy, Snowy, Lightning, Thunder, Windy, and many others.
Carol

Scribble A Day said...

Great idea from LiquidLace for wether/weather names.
How long does it take the nanny to clean up her kid after birth?

Susan said...

I have to tell ya'll I was really leaning towards classical composers but "weather names" is just genius. Way to go. Liquid Lace. I will hold the composers for our next group, though, because it is a great suggestion too. Maybe we use it for the cormo lambs...

Hillary said...

Thanks SO much for posting the birth photos on Flikr! So interesting to see, and a good lesson for my daughters. They're only three and five years old, but they're always asking those "where do babies come from?" kind of questions. Now they know...sort of. And, my three year old was grunting while looking at the pictures. Somehow she knew instinctively that Hannah had to push to get Mint out!

Anonymous said...

Minty Fresh!