Surprise!

Remember this picture? Well, if not, this is our Gracie Girl. When Brenna got her lamb, Casey, we had to have a companion animal for her b/c sheep are herd animals and cannot be solitary. We went to our friends' house who also have sheep and picked out Gracie.

Since then, the two have become best friends and can't be out of each others site for a minute without baaaaa'ing all over the place.

If you know me at all, you know that my animals live well. My husband says they live better than he does, which may or may not be true (it's true), but the point is, they live very well. Yes, in fact, they are a little spoiled.

Well, Gracie has been with us since October. Recently, when I've gone out to do chores, I have noticed that she might be putting on a few pounds. Surely it has nothing to do with all the extra grain I give her or that extra flake of hay or that apple slice for a special treat b/c she is so cute. John went out and did chores the other day and when he came inside he said, "That sheep we got from Justin is pregnant." I reply: "No, she isn't, there is no way, there were no rams in with them." He replies: "I'm telling you, she is pregnant." I reply: "It's probably all the stuff I give her to eat, she is just getting fat." (sorry, Gracie, but you are a little 'plump'!)

So, I start paying closer attention and upon inspection this morning, I think maybe John is on to something. I came in the house and called Justin to see if this was even possible. His reply? "Oh, yeah, the ram did get loose once, but I didn't think he got any of them."

Needless to say, those rams are quick and potent. We have a vet coming tomorrow just to be sure, but John is right, she is pregnant. We are so excited! Baby lambs! Is there anything cuter in the world?

There are a few drawbacks. We have NO idea when these babies will come due to the fact we have no idea about conception dates (nice going, Justin!). Also, from the way her udder is looking, it could be as soon as 4 weeks and our weather is not really conducive to baby lambs right now (-7 degrees right now). Third, we are going to be gone for 4 days in 4 weeks for the Farming Conference, something we cannot reschedule and can't skip. There are are few details we need to work out, but still - BABY LAMBS!! Justin says Gracie has always had twins or triplets in the past, so we'll see what she brings this time. Did I mention BABY LAMBS?? We are so excited.