Finally!

Finally! My goat Quasar gave birth to two baby girls.  Since I didn't know the exact due date, I checked  on her obsessively compulsively all last week.  The same happened when I was pregnant with my own first child.  I was convinced he would arrive at least two weeks early.  Alas, he was three weeks late.  So in essence, I woke up every morning for five weeks, brightly exclaiming, "Today is the day!" A watched pot never boils.
But it did happen today!  Quasar did it very sneakily.  I think I had freaked her out all week, checking on her all the time, standing there and staring at her rear end for hours.  I bet she thought I had gone soft in the head.  She didn't give me too many signs of impending labor, although I did notice her full udder and softened ligaments.  When I checked on her at 4 am, she didn't tell me she would have babies five hours later.
All of my three children were present when she pushed out her babies.  What a delight to grow up watching animals being born, being splattered in amniotic fluid, and fetching things for your mother trying to clean up baby animals.
If these pictures are too graphic for you, just scroll down.  There will be pictures of blooming things and stuff.

Two feet come first, then the head, often with the tongue sticking out.

First born, Mama licking off all the goo.

Look at all my helpers welcoming the new life!

Here is the second one coming.  Another hoof showing.  And lots of goo.  It's messy business!

Nothing signifies spring more than goat babies.  And a sore back.  And sore arms.  And a sore neck.  I am gardening like our lives depend on it.  They kind of do, come to think of it, since I grow a lot of our food.
This week, I planted potatoes and transplanted all the onions I started from seed two months ago.  There is a lot of double digging of soil going on, and crouching down in one position for hours.  I'm also weeding the flower garden to make sure things don't get too much out of control for August, when our good friends will get married at our place.  It's a good thing my boys are homeschooled.  They know how to work and help their Mom when she is too wimpy to dig another shovel full of heavy soil.

Spring is very busy here on the homestead.  Goat babies, weeding, transplanting, digging, cheese making, homeschooling, harvesting nettles for pesto, keeping the cat out of the catnip, house cleaning.  Is it any wonder that I feel crazy in April?   But, oh!  It's so gorgeous here, and after months and months of grey weather and non-stop rain, we revel in baring our naked arms and faces to the sun.  We are filling up on Vitamin D whilst adoring cherry blossoms, hummingbirds, and emerging flowers.  I even manage to knit every now and then.