Laritta- a beautiful, wonderful, first pregnant/milking doe. A couple of days before my 12 birthday, Mom asked me if I would like a pregnant Nubian doe. I am sure that you could guess my answer-YES!!! I had been at a friend's house and when their milking time came around, I was able to sit down and milk.-slowly, and sometimes missing the bucket, and cramps in my arms if I went too long- but I was milking! On my 12 birthday these same friends came over to our house while their parents went to check out the goat. I was anxiously waiting for the crunch of wheels on our gravel driveway, signifiying that they were here with the goat or not. At about 3:oo they called, saying that they were on their way back to pick up their kids & that there was a goat in their back seat! I was so thrilled- they couldn't get here fast enough! When they arrived I hurried around to the back of their car & when they opened the back door Laritta jumped out. I spent all my spare time with her, petting her, talking to her, & just being with her. I couldn't tell if she was for sure pregnant, but one day after we had just arrived home from some errands, I ran back to her pen to see if she had had her baby. (we didn't know what the due date was & I wasn't experianced enough to watch for the signs that they show beforehand) She hadn't had it, but the baby was pushing hard against her stomach and when I called Mom over, she said that it was indeed a baby pushing on her!
On September 17, 2003, I ran outside to check on Laritta. The day before the udder felt different, but I was too ignorant to know that what I was feeling was milk. I looked in one of the sheds & there she was looking uncomfortable. I thought she might be in labor & Mom confirmed my guess. While she went to get towels, camera, & bottles, I stayed so that I could keep an eye on Larrita. Soon after Mom had left, Larrita began pushing. I was nervous thinking that her birth would be as difficult as the Pygmy's had been. She however pushed Rose out with no problem. At first I wasn't sure if the baby was okay, because when it wasn't moving, but when I stepped over to it & picked it up, I could see that it was just fine. We raised Rose basically in the house. We always say jokingly that Rose learned to play the piano & wash dishes. One thing that we didn't know not to do was to play butting games with goats. We ended up ruining Rose because of it. She thought that she was stronger than us & could be dominant over us. She never did try to butt me, but Corbin got butted a couple of times before we sold her. Larrita then had a year later, two boys & a girl. I sold the boys, but kept the girl, which I named Birch.