Happy Star Wars Day to us!

We've been literally sitting on the edge of our seats for a week waiting for Dreamer to have her kids.  

Last Saturday, the plan was to go to a wedding, but that morning, Dreamer's tail ligaments were noticeably looser. After checking on her every hour or so, we decided to go to the wedding anyway. She wasn't progressing beyond the initial signs. How would we feel if we stayed home and she didn't kid? We'd miss the wedding and look like... well... anti-social wanna-be farmers. (Yeah, we're total beginners at this whole dairy goat thing - we haven't the slightest idea of what we're doing)

And all week she didn't get any closer to telling us that 'it's time.' Even though we checked on her about four times a day. Is this what it feels like to be a first time parent?

Why all the fuss about this goat? Well, long story short... last year, she kidded early, one of the twins was a still born, the other kid died a few days later, etc, etc, etc... You can read more of the story here.

Needless to say, we've been on pins and needles and praying that everything would be okay. 

Well, fast forward to yesterday morning. She didn't want her morning grain. Or apples. And she snubbed the ever-coveted raisins. Since when did the bubble goat not eat raisins? Oh my word. It might be the day! 

We checked on her at lunch. Nothing new.

Are we really being over anxious with this whole thing?

I checked on her again later that afternoon. Oh, what's that? She's alone. Softly bleating (she's usually a very quiet goat). In the corner. In a... nest? I felt her ligaments - almost non-existent. And her udder had bagged up considerably. Hopefully she would kid before midnight. ;)

So we got her all set up in the kidding stall.

If you want to teach an 8 year-old patience, have him watch a goat in labor. He was about to throw in the towel and have his computer turn when mama goat started having serious contractions. He was glued to the straw bale from that point on. With plenty of questions, of course.

Before the sun set, we had twins. A scrawny little boy and a hearty little girl. Both a gorgeous black with some white and brown spots.

A round of 'aww...'s later, it was time to get the chores done. Life marches on. 

But the little boy was having a hard time figuring out the whole nursing thing, so Mom and I stayed out in the barn 'til after 10:30 pm trying to get some food in him. 

I would have posted this all last night, but I was whooped and didn't have any good pictures of the kids.

As for names, Luke and Leia Skywalker is the obvious choice considering the day that they were born. But Mom's not that into Star Wars. ;)

Little Mister under the heat lamp

Me and the little miss. 

PS - do you know how hard it is to get amniotic fluid and colostrum smell out of your hands?