Surprise!
I missed my usual Sunday update. Because something quite surprising happened…
The week started fairly normally. Went to see the goats on Monday and Tuesday. They were let out on grass and it was lovely to see the kids running around and having fun. It was less nice to see Bob tied down after most of his life spent without a collar. Freedom ain’t what it used to be. We got a brief hailstorm too. The goats didn’t like that much. Neither did I.
I staid home on Wednesday. Normally I would then go again on Thursday. But because of scheduling issues (blabla) I staid home then too. Thursday evening I got a call from Bodil. News from the playground. Mia had a baby.
What?! I know. If you think you’re surprised… I was pretty shocked. As were we all. That came completely out of the blue.
Actually, the thought had crossed my mind. I thought her teats were a little more pronounced maybe. I even, on Tuesday, put my hand on her belly to feel if there was something there. But I didn’t REALLY feel. Because it seemed preposterous. I just laughed it off. But yup. She gave birth on Wednesday. It’s pretty crazy. She’s too young to have a baby, no doubt. Her body isn’t quite ready for it. Her udder isn’t very big at all. And she’s not producing a lot of milk. Other than that she is doing well, though. And the baby is coming along. Sigrid told me that she had been very worried about him. It’s a him, yes. When I got to see him on Friday he spent most of the time lying down. Resting. But he did get up for a little, and even went outside with momma too. And he was eagerly trying to drink from her. On Saturday and Sunday I went to check up on them. Good thing I have my own key now. And the baby seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. On Sunday he was up a lot. Jumping around like a good goat baby. That was a relief to see. He’s still small. Skinny. Not sure on his feet. But he’s a fighter. And he still spends a lot of time trying to drink from Mia. At least he’s getting something. And he started nibbling on my pants too, so maybe he’ll be going for solid food soon. I didn’t go see them today, for more scheduling issues, but hopefully he’ll still be doing well when I see them tomorrow. We have all been very concerned of course. Because Mia really is too young for it. But she’s doing a great job. Very attentive and concerned. She made worried noises when people came in. But when it was just me, she calmed down. Cleaning and fussing over the baby. He’s a really beautiful boy. He’s black all over except for his head and a few small spots. So pretty. He looks like a mini-Bob! But Bob can’t have kids. Preben is the father. And also Mia’s father. That’s obviously not ideal. But it not a disaster. As long as it’s not something that’s allowed to go on unchecked. But so far so good.
He was born on Wednesday. Sigrid told me that some kids had called for her, saying that there was a birth. And she had said that that couldn’t be right, that was a month ago. But it was Mia. She was outside in the pen. Good thing it happened during work hours so the staff could help out afterwards. I imagine it must have been a shock for Mia too! But it’s so sweet to watch her with the baby. She’s a natural.
Meanwhile Mia’s brother and sister are doing great. Jolly big and fun. Fingers crossed everything will keep going well for everyone.
Now it’s late and I’m late. On with a load of pictures!
The boy looks a lot more like Bob than like Preben. Funny how that worked out!
Medium and Large saying hello to their… cousin?
And Mio saying hello. She’s a grandma now!
And videos. First a quick yawn from Mia. I do love the goat yawns.
And the babylog from Friday. My first day with the little boy.
And babylog from the weekend. The baby livelier and fun.
Also, a couple of goatlogs from before the baby arrival. Monday: youtube.com/watch?v=Pm-3GFcHRds. And Tuesday, with the hail: youtube.com/watch?v=Pm-3GFcHRds. As I said, the boy was born on Wednesday. Look at that video from Tuesday. Can you believe Mia was a day away from giving birth? Crazy.
And we’ll just finish off with a picture of Bob in the hailstorm.
Aw Bob.
Fingers crossed that this week will be good. I have an eye doctor appointment tomorrow and then hopefully good goat times with the babies and the babies’ babies.
May 22nd, 2013 at 2:30
Oh my! Oh Mia! Oh Mia mio! A baby goatzie! What a surprise that must have been. Poor girl, she’s just a little goatzie herself. He is really sweet and has such long legs.
His black coat is sure pretty with the little white spots here and there and on his leg. What a handsome boy he is.
Mia seems to be really good with him, too. All the other goats were anxious to meet the new arrival. Of course Mia calmed down when you showed up. She thinks of you as her brother goat (the one without a fur coat) and she knows that good things happen when you’re around her.
Gonna have to watch that Preban a little bit closer, I guess. Silly old goat.
I’m sending you a little surprise in the mail tomorrow, so be watching your mailbox in the next 7 to 10 days. Hint, hint: It’s smaller than a breadbox and larger than a mouse’s ear.
Hee, hee. That doesn’t tell you anything at all does it?
It’s so sad to watch the news about the tornados in Oklahoma. We’ve had some wind and rain in our area, but nothing like that. We did have a big tree blow down out in the pasture where the cattle are. It was outside our bathroom window, but was far enough away that it wasn’t even close to the house or the nearby shed.
All the new baby calves and their mother’s seem to think the tree laying down was for them to eat. I told our landlord if they wanted to see the tree, they’d better come over before the cows ate it! It’s fairly big, so it will have to be cut up with a chain saw before it can be hauled away.
Reminded me of your goats and the post-holiday consumption of the Christmas trees at the playground. Cows do love those green tree leaves. Even our goats were trying to stick their noses under the fence to snag a branch or two. Silly goats!
May 22nd, 2013 at 22:23
Big surprise! For everyone. He’s so pretty. And soft like silk. And like I commented on facebook, he is very skinny with long legs. I think he wants to be a model!
Mia is doing a great job. It’s amazing how their instincts work. She knows just what to do. Our very own teen mom!
Can’t wait to see what you’re sending me! More surprises! It’s not another goat, is it?! Not sure I have room for more!
Maybe money doesn’t grow on trees, but food sure does! Speaking of calves, there was a girl at the playground who was saying that Mia’s boy was a calf! And Sigrid said something like “yes, it depends on what their face looks like when they come out, if they’re a goat or a calf!”. I forget what she said exactly, but it was quite amusing. Imagine Mia having a calf. Now THAT would be a surprise!