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Awaiting the birth of a giraffe

Aaaah spring! The beautiful season that brings new leaves, new grass and best of all, new babies.

I hear friends talking about calving time and lambing season and giraffes.

Yes, giraffes.

Literally tens of thousands of people all over the world are glued to their computers waiting for the birth of a new giraffe at a zoo in Harpursville, New York. The zoo is running a live feed on the Internet in anticipation of the blessed event.

The gestation period for giraffes lasts 15 months. I have to give giraffe mom’s kudos. Nine months for me was long enough.

And the weight gain? At least my son was just shy of nine pounds – baby giraffes weigh 150 pounds.

Our human bundles of joy come into the world kicking and screaming. A baby giraffe drops six feet to the ground where the “thump” on the floor clears their lungs and gets them breathing.

Alright, I’ll confess, I’m one of those people keeping an eye on the “giraffe cam” from the zoo.

In fact, my daughter and I have a system worked out so neither of us misses the joyous event. While she’s in class I keep the live stream up in the corner of my computer with express instructions to send her a text message if I see things getting started.

Honestly, with all the negative things we’re surrounded by -- politics, terrorism, natural disasters – it’s kind of refreshing to turn on the computer and watch a giraffe. There’s something calming about it. Something that makes you smile.

After all, how can you resist that adorable face?

 

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