BABIES

We woke up this morning to 2 baby goats; Javier and Jorge.  They are absolutely adorable.  Tammy had checked on their mama, Nina, at about 3am and she was “moany” but she has been like that for a few days.  Well..we headed out to the barn at around 8am and there they were.  She had already cleaned them and everything.  I tied off their umbilical cords and they were ready to go.  They have been very cold so I put the boys’ PJ tops on them; and it looks pretty darn cute J

Well..if Nina continues to act aloof with them..Tammy and I will officially be foster parents again…feeding them bottles every 4 hours and the whole bit.  Nina is a first time mom, so this is not really unusual behavior.  But she is, at least, letting them cuddle with her, so we do hope that she is coming around.  We went to Tractor Supply this morning, just in case, to purchase some colustrum and bottles. 

I had gone to the grocery this morning, so Sawyer asked if I had stopped and bought them while I was out.  We told him that Nina had them, and the questions have begun...good grief...hadn't thought about this part of farming...Sawyer aka "Preacher" is very confused.

Tammy is nesting....

So..we are getting ready for our first baby goat(s).  Nina, who happens to be our star, is about to deliver for the first time.  We got Nina and Katie back in February when they were only a few weeks old.  It has been quite a learning process; learning how to care for them as babies, and a year later, attempting to educate ourselves on how to “birth” a goat.  We have been looking at a lot of websites, including crazygoatlady.com..reading lots of books;  “Goats for Dummines” among many others..and attempting to figure out how to tell when she is getting ready to deliver, and how to help her in case she needs it.  We think that we are about as ready as we can be.  We are gathering items for the birthing kit and Tammy is building a kidding pen for her. 

I got home today and the house had been cleaned, the dishes done, the laundry done…Tammy is certainly nesting.  J

A thoughtful gift

My girl turned 46 this week.  She appears to have decided that this has kicked her into another life stage and has decided that we need a definite “life plan” at this point.  This has been both negative and positive for us…It is a motivator, but a little stressful as well. 

This photo was taken of the birthday gift that Robert gave Tammy.  It was very thoughtful and helps us to remember what a good kid he really is; despite our daily battles regarding his future and high school biology.  J  Robert realizes how much we do cherish Lexington on so many levels.  We love him very much and are incredibly proud of the young man that he is becoming. 

The Man of the House

One day this week while I was at work, a man came to the door.  When Tammy answered he told her he wanted to speak to the man of the house.  Really?????  Do people still say these things…well obviously they do.  It caught her a bit off-guard and she replied “well I guess that is me.”  He continued talking and then went on his way.  Apparently he lives down the road from us; but we are out in the country, and certainly don’t know many people who live out here….

Even though it was a few days ago, I am still shocked that he asked this question.  Families look so incredibly different and diverse than they used to; but I guess that there are still some people who anticipate that a family will include a man, woman, and their 2.5 children….and how do you change this??  My kids will tell ANYONE that they have 2 moms and they have no qualms about it.  And they will also tell you that some families have a mom and a dad, some have one mom, some have 2 moms, some have one dad, and some have 2 dads.  They also have friends who are being raised by grandparents, etc., and I really do think that they have an appreciation of all different types of families.  I believe that this is due to a multitude of factors….we were a foster home for 7 years and our family looked different week to week, they do have 2 moms, all but one of them has never lived with a dad, and they spent the first part of their lives in a culture where “anything goes.” 

Boy oh boy do I miss the diversity….I had forgotten how “un-diverse” it was here in the Bible belt….