John put in a few hours of work around the backyard yesterday afternoon. Among other things, he readied the goat pen closest to the house for use as the maternity ward. We're now within a month of kidding and need to ramp up the grain for the expectant mommas.

Razz, one of the mommas-to-be, is an experienced Momma and milker She's showing quite a bit more than Honey right now.

Here's a view from above. That lump on the left in the photo is where I think I've been able to feel some movement lately.

This brings me to one of the great things about goats. I absolutely love being able to put my hand on a belly and feel the new life inside. I've had pregnant friends/sisters who've been pretty indulgent and allowed me a quick feel now and then of the kicks they detect. But, I'm too self-conscious to ask them if I can just leave my hand there while we watch a show or carry on our conversation. I mean that would just be weird. But, Razz doesn't seem to care a bit. Maybe, since I've spent so many early mornings pulling on her teats, she feels we're beyond being self-conscious around one another. Anyway, so long as I give her enough head-scratches, she'll let me stand, pressing my hand all over her swollen belly for long stretches at a time. It's great!

I told John that I was tempted to feed the gals some orange juice. I remember when I was pregnant with Girl 1, that always seemed to really get her moving. I could tell by his reaction that he disapproved of the idea, so I'll try to restrain myself.

The shed -- all cleaned out and ready for birthing.

Here's Honey. She's not nearly as filled out yet. Hopefully, she'll put on some weight in the coming weeks.