Progress and patience

I feel like Chy and I are making real progress.  Not only has she let me pet her but now she's letting other people as well.  This morning 6 year old Maggie Anne came over and I was very cautious about letting her approach Chy but probably made more of it than I should have.  Maggie Anne pranced over, chatting away, and Chy didn't mind a bit as she petted her face or anywhere else.  She even put her face close to Maggie Anne like she wanted to be close to her. 

Later this evening James had his chance to pet her.  She stood there very calmly as he ran his hands down her neck and then she ate crabapples out of his hand.  She looked like this was old hat to her and not the least bit nervous. 

Now about patience.  All of you who have been reading my blog during goat births know how obsessed I become when I think one of them is going to kid anytime.  I do lots of staring at goat bottoms day and night, night and day.  I was told Chy was due to foal in December but possibly sooner.  Welllllllll, today I thought her teats looked full and shiny.  She also looked more hollow around the top of her tail and her stomach looks so much bigger.  I grabbed The Donkey Companion to see what it said about impending birth.  I had read this 300 plus page book (in one day) and had already memorized the signs but wanted to be sure I remembered it all.  I had myself convinced she could have this baby this weekend but now that it's dark, quiet, and I've had more time to think about it I'm wondering if I'm imagining things.  I told Susan I wish I had taken pictures of her behind, udder and teats the day I got her so I could compare them to how they look now and she laughed at me.  One day when her sheep are pregnant this will all come back to her and I'll be laughing at her obsessing about them.  Tomorrow I'll take pictures of her so I'll have something to compare later pictures to.   Just in case I'm not crazy, though, I'm going to keep a close watch on her.

Tonight I may dream of names for baby donkeys.  I may be doing this for 4 more months.  I watched a few donkey births on Youtube just to get myself more excited.