It’s fall, y’all! While everyone else is enjoying pumpkin spice and getting ready for Halloween, here on our homestead, we have THREE does due in approximately sixteen days!
I’m hoping all three deliveries go smoothly, but if I’m being honest, there’s one thing I’m really hoping for this time: I want to be there when those babies arrive.
During spring kidding season, I missed two of our does giving birth. Thankfully, both mamas did wonderfully, but I was still disappointed to miss those moments.
There’s something special about watching new life enter the world. Seeing a mama clean her baby for the first time, watching those tiny legs wobble as the baby tries to stand, and witnessing those first few steps toward mama. Those are the moments that never get old.
Meet Our Expecting Mamas!
First up is Temperance, our Mini Nubian and a first-time freshener, bred to Gabriel, our Mini Nubian buck. I’m expecting one kid, but my daughter is convinced we’re getting twins.
Mom says one. Daughter says two.
I guess Temperance is the only one who knows who’s right!
Next is Belladonna, our Nubian, who was also bred to Gabriel. She’s a first-time freshener, and I’m excited to watch her become a mama. She’s come a long way since arriving on our homestead, and seeing her grow more comfortable with us makes this next chapter even more special.
Then we have Selene, our Mini LaMancha, bred to Frank, our Nigerian Dwarf buck. She’s a second freshener, making her the experienced mama of the bunch.
Of course, she’s still a goat, and experience doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll follow anyone’s schedule!
The Waiting Game Begins!
With three does due around the same time, the next couple of weeks will be busy. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the girls and making sure everything is ready for their new arrivals.
After missing two births in the spring, I’m really hoping to witness all three this time. Unfortunately, goats aren’t exactly known for respecting calendars or accommodating our plans.
And if these girls decide to hold out a little longer, we could end up with Halloween babies!
Forget haunted houses. We could have a spooky goat nursery full of tiny hooves, bouncing babies, and little troublemakers trying to climb everything in sight. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty good Halloween to me.
The Moments That Make It All Worthwhile ❤️
Homesteading comes with plenty of hard work. There’s feeding, cleaning, preparing, worrying, and always something else that needs doing. Some days are exhausting, and things don’t always go according to plan.
But then there are moments like these that remind me why this life means so much to me.
For me, it’s not just about having baby goats running around the homestead. It’s about being there when they take their first breaths, watching their mamas care for them, and witnessing the very beginning of their little lives.
Maybe that’s why I was so disappointed to miss those births in the spring. I was grateful that the mamas and babies were doing well, but I still wished I’d been there to see those first precious moments for myself.
Homesteading isn’t about having a perfect property or knowing exactly how every day will turn out. It’s about showing up, doing the work, caring for the animals who depend on you, and learning to roll with whatever the day decides to throw at you.
It’s about celebrating the good days, getting through the hard ones, and finding purpose in the ordinary work that makes this life possible.
Sometimes, that purpose looks like a barn full of chores. Other times, it looks like standing in the barn, watching a tiny, wobbly baby goat take its first steps toward mama.
Those are the moments I want to hold on to when homesteading gets hard. Not because everything went perfectly, but because I was here. I was part of it. I was building a life that means something to me, one day and one tiny hoofprint at a time.
So here’s to three healthy mamas, wobbly little legs, tiny first steps, and hopefully a front-row seat to all three births this time.
And if these girls decide Halloween is a better time to make their appearance? Well, I suppose the goats have never been particularly concerned about my plans anyway.
Thank you for reading! Please share and follow!
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