Waiting Is a Hard Thing

It really is a fact of life, waiting that is. We all have to wait for one thing or another just about every day. Some are simple waits while others are more challenging. For instance, we wait for the coffee to make, wait in line at the store, wait for the red light to change, wait for the return of our family, wait for a favorite program on TV, wait for dinner to get ready, wait for a turn in the bathroom and a multitude of waits longer than I have time for. I am sure each of us have certain waits that are not a big deal to us and another list that will make us climb the wall or just go a little nutty. One that most moms can relate to is the 9 month wait we have gone through in order to hold our precious children in our arms. For the first time mom it goes by about the speed of molasses in the winter time. Those who have little ones already, the wait goes by way to fast to be ready for the next little blessing to arrive. Such is life. Much of it is a hurry up and wait game that is repeated over and over.

You would think that a 5 month pregnancy is nothing compared to a 9 month or even an 11 month one (that's another story). A "piece of cake", "in no time at all, really", "fly by before you know it" are some frequently used phrases we have either said ourselves or have had spoken to us at one time or another. Well, let me tell you waiting for my sons to be born was a piece of cake and flew by quickly, as I enjoyed both of my "waiting times" for them. On the other hand waiting these last 5 months for some baby goats would have turned my hair grey if it wasn't already so. It has been a struggle for me.

Anna' relaxed, so why aren't I?

Waiting on a mom who doesn't speak your language and does things her own way (not by the book) is an act of sheer frustration for this first time goat owner. Anna has been due to kid by our best guess since Christmas eve. Not knowing when she became pregnant left us at a disadvantage in knowing when she would actually deliver. By all accounts from the previous owners she was with "kid" when we bought her from them. WRONG! She has now surpassed those delivery dates and a few more. That was almost a month ago!

Amber & Sugar

Needless to say at the time she joined our family, we were more focused on the breeding of the two does we already had. So we didn't watch her as closely, after all she was already pregnant, right? Anna was the first to show off her new bulging figure, so she must be pregnant. Anna gave us some early signs of impending births; pelvic ligaments gone, belly dropping, losing the mucus plug (Jan 1st), hollowing out on her sides, udder filling and a few subtle ones I just happen to see. So she is really close. Right? Added all up it spoke of her being near her "time" and the waiting was over. Wrong again.

(Yes, that is my shadow in the picture, not to good at taking them, huh?)

Everyday since before Christmas we have been doing the maternity watch. Looking for signs of early labor contractions. I have been watching so closely, my eyes are tired from looking. We have family members calling every few days asking "do we have babies yet"? Nope! We were beginning to think maybe she really wasn't pregnant after all, just a little fat around the edges. We even put her in the kidding pen over 2 weeks ago, because she must be close. Look at all the signs the books and others have said to watch for. I just let her out this past Wednesday as there doesn't seem to be any indication that she will kid soon. Plus I needed to freshen it up for when she does go into labor. I keep telling every one that I think she has her legs crossed on purpose.

Her udder taking shape

I think she is toying with me, by giving a tiny sign here and another one there. Saying in earnest that even she doesn't know for sure when the kids will make their entrance. Like today, she has been acting weird like every other day, so I frequently look out the windows to check on her where abouts. Even through the binoculars I can tell she looks like she has a fuller udder and paws at the ground some (2nd day in a row). So I go down to check on her, maybe she is having the start of labor contractions. She stands there and looks back at me with a "So?". But as I watch, I see something I haven't seen in weeks, movement, small protrusions on her side, rolling against the skin. Babies, I see babies moving. So she is pregnant! Not that I really doubted it, just got tired of waiting. I marvel at the wonder of it all and think about their arrival some day soon (I hope). Then I think does she feel the movement within her and instinctively know that it's her babies moving? Or pardon my bluntness, does she just let the movement pass by and figure it was just gas. (No pun intended). We as humans can marvel at the life within us when we are pregnant, we long to hold that child that flutters under the surface of our bellies and our hearts, we feel a connection to our unborn. As I sat and watched her for a few minutes I realized it makes the waiting worthwhile, but oh so much harder. I have been following some other goat owner's blog of lately and get excited and dare I say a little jealous at their new arrivals. If you want to see some cute newborns go check out Granny's Best at http://grannysbest.blogspot.com/2010/01/kidding-myrtles-surprise.html. She has new, as in less than 24 hours old nubian babies. Hope ours are just as cute as Myrtle's are.

It is all in God's hands and nature follows a beat set by Him alone. So the waiting will continue and I will have to exercise patience in it.

Deborah

P.S. When putting the girls to bed for the night, I noticed Anna's udder is filling up more. Can now be seen protruding from behind her legs. Nothing like the picture above taken a couple of days ago. This means she is making lots of yummy milk to nurse her babies with. Soooooo, does this mean they will be here soon? Before morning? Tomorrow? This weekend? So much for waiting with patience.