At least, she kinda looked like a piglet with that pink nose and those pink ears!

She looked less like a piglet once we dried her off, and boy were we surprised by the color!

Shortly after noon, Jezebel began “marching around Jericho” as Phil likes to put it–circling the pen and baa-aa-ing. She did that for a few hours and finally got down to business around 5:00. She looked like she was having a bit of trouble pushing this kid out, so I grabbed the feet and helped pull. Phil held Jezebel still after she jumped up and tried to run around the shed in circles with the baby’s legs hanging out, and between the three of us we delivered a healthy 9 1/2 lb. doeling!

She’s very strong. We haven’t had one this lively since Petunia was born. She was up and nursing almost immediately. She’s got a healthy set of lungs too! This one won’t quit talking! Now I only hope Jezebel has enough milk to keep up with her. She’s got a really good appetite, but Jezebel has only a small udder and it’s already been sucked dry. I’m going to have to keep a close watch to make sure this little one is getting enough to eat.

The babies love to “hide” under the table when we bring them into the house. I guess all kids love furniture forts, regardless of species.

First the eyes began to droop and the head to nod…

… and then he conked out completely. Office work is so boring!

We plan to sell these little guys for packgoats when they’re weaned, so I thought I’d set them up in front of a non-distracting background and get some good “ad” photos. I stood Hammer up in front of this nice, white wall and asked him to strike a pose. Boy did he deliver!

We fell apart laughing and never even managed to try to get Sledge to set up nicely for us. Oh well. Maybe another day.

Nubbin was as excited about the snow as Cuzco (that is, not much!), and she opted to stay indoors while Auntie Petunia took the kids out to play in their first snow.

Petunia adores these babies and I only hope she doesn’t start suckling them. So far she’s drawn the line on that one, but she snuggles up with them at night as if they were her own.

Daisy also loves babies… any baby and every baby is “hers” from the moment it’s born.

Even Papa Finn got in on the action when he helped his prodigy navigate the slick, snowy boulders.

I think this may become an annual tradition.

The weatherman predicted 3-5 inches of snow last night. He was a little off.

It’s hard to say exactly how much we got because by the time I went out there and started taking pictures it had slumped down to about 4-8 inches (depending on where you were standing). Phil said he thought it was close to 18 inches and still coming down at about 3:00 this morning when he peeked out the window, and I believe it. There are rivers and lakes of water underneath the snow in these pictures, and the stuff stuck to my feet like cement.

Finn thought if he stood on this rock he might avoid getting his feet muddy.

Cuzco wisely watched me from under shelter until he actually saw me going to the house to dish up breakfast. Unlike the foolish young goats, he wasn’t about to trudge all over the yard with me through snow and slush and mud while I puttered about my morning chores!

Jezebel is officially due any day, but she doesn’t yet look ready and I’m relieved. I’d like things to dry up at least a little before she pops those babies out!

Sputnik looks on in awe as Finn challenges Pac-Man to a duel.

Finn is very proud of himself for standing on this stump. Just look at that smug grin!

“It’s cold out here! Please let me in the house!” Sputnik begs.

Last night Phil got to hold TWO baby goats during the movie! I was holding the popcorn bowl in my lap and didn’t want to risk dropping it, so Phil got double the fun!  

The little guys are doing awesome, and Auntie Petunia is a great babysitter for them when Nubbin gets out for some “me time”.

Phil likes to take a baby goat to work with him these days. I’m not sure productivity is increased, but job satisfaction goes through the roof!

It’s funny how the herd dynamics change when new babies arrive. Nubbin and Petunia usually fight like cats and dogs, and Nubbin has always been bossy toward Jezebel and Delilah (everyone is–they’re bottom of the totem pole). But now that Nubbin is feeling the exhaustion that comes with motherhood, her whole demeanor has transformed. She and Petunia are all chummy now, and Nubbin left the babies in her care while she went and exchanged pleasantries with Jezebel and Delilah over in their shed. I think Nubbin is trying to get on everyone’s good side so she can beg babysitting favors. I only hope when Jezebel’s babies arrive that Nubbin is as sweet to them as Jezebel has been to Nubbin’s kids.

Everyone has been sweet to these babies. Petunia was never an outstanding mother to her own kids, but I think she’s really enjoying Nubbin’s. She was snuggled up with them in their shed this morning while Nubbin went out to visit neighbors. Petunia must be like me–I love other people’s kids and am happy to play with them any time, but I have no desire for kids of my own. For one thing, they’re far too much work!

Nubbin left her babies in the shed and went to graze in the paddock last night, and since I couldn’t bear the thought of these sweet babies alone in a cold, dark world (or even a warm, dark shed), I put them in a box and brought them in the house to watch a movie with Phil and I. It’s soooo nice not to have to fight over who gets to hold the baby goat! I held Sledge and he held Hammer and we were all very cozy and content. It was a good movie too–Night Train to Munich. Gotta start these kids off right!

So you may be thinking, why “Sledge” and “Hammer”? Well, have any of you ever watched this show?

We’ve been watching it lately and, yeah, it’s awesome.

Personally, I’m not too attached to the names “Sledge” and “Hammer,” but since Phil has been threatening since last year to name Nubbin’s babies “Tubbin” and “Blubbin,” I’m actually thrilled that he picked these other names instead. Phil says it’s because they’re two boys, and he’d only name them Tubbin and Blubbin if it was a girl and a boy. I have a silly husband. 

Adorable, aren’t they?

Everyone did well through the night and our little guys are now tottering curiously around the yard on unsteady legs. The other goats were intrigued but left them to their own devices after a brief sniff.

These are definitely Finn’s babies! They look just like him, and not only in color. The have their daddy’s strong football player shoulders, long straight legs, and straight backs. Phew! I was hoping Finn’s genetics would come out over Nubbin’s in the conformation department, and so far so good.

Nubbin is very proud of her beautiful boys and is taking good care of them. I did not see her pass the placenta, so I’m hoping she cleansed last night and ate the evidence. I never saw even one contraction after she kidded and none this morning which seems rather odd, but she’s not acting “off” so hopefully she’s fine. Nubbin suddenly went very lame on her left hind leg yesterday and it’s still quite sore today. I’m guessing she just pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve while she was in pre-labor because I can’t find anything wrong with it.

We weighed our little guys this morning, and Sledge was 9 lbs. You can’t quite see it from this angle, but Sledge also has “Lilly spots” on both sides. That was something Lilly got from her father. Apparently he stamped every one of his offspring with a domino dot on at least one side (Lilly had them on both). She never passed them to her offspring, but it’s good to see one of her grandsons has them.

Hammer weighed in at 9.5 lbs. He’s definitely the more robust of the two. Both are as sweet and friendly as they can be, but Hammer seems to particularly love being picked up and held just like his daddy did.

Do you think Nubbin has enough milk? 

At least, that’s the aura Nubbin gave off this evening when she popped these two little boys out with no help and minimal effort. Meet “Sledge” and “Hammer”!

I was kind of rooting for the one with the doughnut on his forehead to be called “Dunkin,” but Phil overruled me.

Nubbin did great! She spent a great deal of time this afternoon pawing and nesting behind the house, and she would baa-aa softly every time I poked my head out the door. But after watching Petunia do this exact same routine for three days last year, I didn’t take Nubbin too seriously and went for a horse ride.

I got back just in time! Around 6:00 this evening, Nubbin got down to business, and she delivered these two beautiful boys with no help and minimal effort. Well, I’m sure it was quite a bit of effort (they’re big boys!), but Nubbin was very no-nonsense about it. Phil and I stood by and gave moral support, but no one had to pull. Nubbin couldn’t be happier and neither could I. After the tragedy of losing her babies last year, I was so hoping for Nubbin to be blessed this year. “Thank You, Lord!”