How Was 2–2–22 For You?

Many people believe that numbers have meaning beyond the mathematical. Spiritualists believe that they are actually messages from our angels.

I don’t see repeating numbers very often, but I know some people do.

I know that there were some who had great expectations for yesterday. After all, it was 2–2–22! The number 2 is said to represent peace, love, harmony, and the manifestation of prayers.

I hadn’t really put too much thought into it. My days are typically very busy and I have ADHD, both of which make it tough to focus on spiritual matters.

When I woke up early in the morning we were in the grips of an extremely cold -36 Celsius. I rushed out to check on my goats. I have been on baby watch since the end of November. I usually breed to have babies arrive in mid-March, but I had a very persistent escape artist in my herd last year. That means I have had to be ever vigilant through our coldest weather.

There didn’t seem to be anything going on in the goat pen. The girls were all comfortably sleeping.

I went back to the house to get on with my day. Thank heavens I have a good view of the goat pen from my kitchen window! Just as I was putting a batch of meatballs into my pressure canner (canned meats are handy to have in the pantry during kidding and calving season) I looked out the window to see a young goat with afterbirth hanging from her.

Wet newborns freeze quickly in those cold temperatures, so I grabbed some towels and rushed outside. 2–2–22 had kicked off with a first-time mom delivering twins. I chuckled at the irony. It’s not uncommon for goats to have twins or even triplets, but usually, they only have one the first time around.

I brought the babies in and got them warmed and fed, then moved their mom into a pen in the chicken coop where there’s power to plug in a heat lamp. I got everything set up and made sure the babies were fed, warm, and strong then took them to their mom.

By the time I got them settled and returned to the house, my phone said it had warmed up to -32.

On my way out to check on the new arrivals and do my other chores after lunch, I noticed a second goat in labor. She delivered her 2nd of a set of twins at 2:00 pm.

I suppose that if you believe that numbers represent messages from angels, then I should have some pretty fantastic things coming my way!

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. We delivered 14 goat kids in just a little over 48 hours. There were 4 sets of twins and 2 sets of triplets and only two of the goats that have kidded so far were experienced moms. That means we’ve had 4 first-time Mamas have multiples in just a couple of days, one of which even had triplets!

We did lose two. One was trampled by its mom, the other was likely stillborn. The losses are hard, but there’s been no time to be sad. We’ve been far too busy making sure everybody is healthy and being looked after. Last night, I had 8 goat kids in a playpen in my living room for overnight feedings.

Thankfully, it’s warming up, so the babies should be able to spend most of their time frolicking outside, as baby goats should.

There were no new arrivals overnight. I’m hoping that means I might just get a little bit of a breather. Perhaps I’ll even get time to snuggle with some of these sweet, sweet babies!

This piece was originally published on Medium.