Havarti and Hero

During kidding season, there’s a rush of adrenaline every time the phone rings. Even before you answer, you’re already finishing whatever you were working on and getting ready to bolt for your coveralls. This time was no exception. I was in my office, responding to an email, when Mom’s face popped up on my cell phone.

“Hazelnut’s kidding,” she said when I answered.

“On my way,” I said, hanging up and putting the phone down.

I started pulling off my sneakers, and Emery’s face popped up on my phone.

“Hazelnut’s kidding,” he said when I answered.

“I know – I’m on my way,” I said, hanging up and reaching for my coveralls. I carry them with me during kidding season, so I don’t have to run back to the house for them.

Then Greyden’s face popped up on my screen. I chuckled as I answered it with an “I’m on my way.”

“Okay,” he answered, hanging up on me.

I pulled my barn sweatshirt on, then the coveralls, shoved my feet in my boots, grabbed my jacket and the camera, and bolted out of my office.

Not long after I got there, Hazelnut popped out her first baby! “It’s a girl!” someone cried, and we set to drying her off.

We decided to name her Havarti while we were waiting for Hazelnut to start pushing again.

A few minutes later, we had another baby on the ground – this one a boy, who we named Hero.

Now, normally when a mama goat is done, she’ll guzzle down the molasses water we bring her. Hazelnut wasn’t touching it. So we were convinced that she wasn’t done, that there was a third one. But she wasn’t pushing or doing anything, so we figured she needed a little break. We took some pictures of Havarti and Hero in the stall, then sent them into the milkroom to be dried down some more.

Greyden brought in a milk pail to milk Hazelnut so we could feed Havarti and Hero. He also brought an apple for himself, because it was way after lunch time, and none of us had eaten anything.

Then, we waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Eventually Emery checked her out and we decided there were no more babies and she just wasn’t drinking her molasses water. So I headed into the milkroom for a photo shoot with Havarti and Hero.