Valentine's presents...

Okay, I know that I frequently insinuate that a person might be psychologically disordered if they try to keep a 100 grown goats plus babies and work two other jobs...but this time I really mean it!!!
What were we thinking!!! We have had 50 babies in 2 1/2 weeks and we have at least 20 does to go!!! That translates to close to another 40 babies and with the rash of triplets we've had this season...maybe more! The big barn is full, maternity barns are full, and even the small shelters are overflowing! Oh wait! And I forgot to mention that we have 5 bottle babies in the house!
We are so sleep deprived we are stumbling around like zombies. I'm pretty sure it is impossible to hit REM sleep with kids crying and mamas complaining through the always-on baby monitor. However, it sure is nice to be able to hear when the mamas need help rather than going down to the barn on an hourly basis and still finding popsicle kids!
At this rate we will be begging for people to buy the Nov 2009 kids as soon as they are weaned!
I remember when we first got goats; reading an article by a woman who talked about keeping her bottle babies in the house in playpens and another article about a woman who had been known to tuck a sick baby right up in bed with her! I shook my head at the folly of "some people".
Yes, I confess I have become the "people". Now, my bed is mostly off limits but I have had a sick one on it wrapped in towels and old blankets..didn't find that it did anything special for the baby goat...but at least I was able to doze and still keep a hand on it to make sure it was still breathing. Oh, and the playpen! Well just check back for photos of the babies correlled in their playpen, too bad they don't make the big ones anymore!!! The playpen was Richard's Valentine Day's present and he couldn't have been more excited if it had been gold!