Settling Into a Routine

My husband and I are settling into somewhat of a routine. A routine that will change dramatically when the doelings are fully grown and milking, but we have a way to go before we get there (thank God). For the past week we've been getting up and making our coffee and going out and opening up the barn and sitting with our new family members.

Unlike the beagles, who would make a break for it if we opened up the door of the house, the kids prefer to stand around with us, getting their heads scratched and munching hay from our hands. The outside world isn't really calling them -- they're homebodies. Adorable little Ruth has taken to nibbling our fingers if we stop petting her, kind of like how a dog will bump your hand if he wants attention. Boaz and Ruth, who are more similar in size, butt heads now and then. And when I was talking to Boaz after a sip of coffee I got the most amazing expression from him. His face was merely inches from mine and his top lip curled up while he stared directly into my eyes.

Now, a little research revealed that this could be a moderately alarming development. Goats, horses, and other animals display the flehmen response, which is a curling back of the upper lip, as a way of better examining scents. ALSO, it is displayed when a goat detects the smell of urine and is checking out the scene for a little hanky panky. Boaz was staring at me, more specifically my mouth, when he did the flehmen.

Okay. Ew.

Is our little guy starting to feel "the urge?" Or is he trying to tell me that my morning breath scented with coffee smells like a toilet?

Both options are disturbing. The first possibility could be a problem for us as we don't want Boaz getting ideas before he undergoes snippy-snippy at the vet next week. We won't be breeding Boaz with his cousins as they all share the same grandfather. Plus there's that stinky buck thing I already mentioned. The second possibility spells peril for my husband who must face me each morning before I brush my teeth.
I'll start brushing my teeth BEFORE visiting the new babies and see if I get better results.

I think the kids are also settling in because instead of bawling when we left them to get ready for the day they just quietly wandered out into the field and started browsing away.