I am always projecting human qualities onto our animals. And, I feel that as the mom in our household, I'm especially equipped to commiserate with our poor bloated mommas-to-be in the backyard.

1. They've mastered the pregnant waddle. I try not to make them feel self-conscious, but I just can't help but laugh when they I see them waddle away from the feed trough and head for the field.

2. They can't get enough to eat. John commented the other day that he didn't think it would matter how full he filled the hay trough; they'd just stand there eating all day until it was empty.

3. They love a good massage or scratch. I was in the field to do something else but the mommas just kept following me around. And, it wasn't to eat my clothes. What did they want? I realized as I began to scratch them behind the ears and rub their backs what it was they were after. They'd close their eyes in satisfaction or move a little as if to say, "just a little to the left, please. Oh, yes, that's the spot that's been bugging me all day." Once I realized how much they were loving the attention, I determined that I had time enough to scratch them until they lost interest. But, they NEVER lost interest. Once my hands were tired, I had to move on with my day.

4. They're getting spacey. I remember from my pregnant days (a decade ago -- whoa, where does the time go?) how I'd find myself standing in front of the pantry, just zoning out. I'd have no idea how long I'd been standing there and no idea what I might've been after in the pantry. That's what I caught Razz doing today in the field. Goats are very social and fairly active creatures, so a scene like this doesn't come along that often. I watched her through my kitchen sink window for about 5 minutes. She just stood there, zoning out. I guess pregnancy does weird things to all of us.

By our best calculations, we could be within weeks of kidding! I can hardly wait! In the meantime, though, I'll keep up the scratching sessions and try to keep my waddle-induced snickering to a minimum. Poor things. Pregnancy can be rough.