After months of waiting, I can finally focus my attention back on organic chemistry and genetics: April has FINALLY given birth!
For those who don't know who April is, she is a giraffe from the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, that has been pregnant for 16 months. Yes, 16. And we think nine is bad. A livestream of April has consumed viewers, including myself, for the past several months as viewers anxiously awaited the birth of April's child. Millions of animal lovers kept a watchful eye on the pregnant giraffe, who is now a proud mom. 
A zoo spokesperson announced Saturday morning, April 8, that April was in "active labor" and the zoo's team was assembling to assist in the long-awaited birth. Livestream hits recorded over a million views of people watching as April gave birth to her baby giraffe. The baby giraffe was expected to weigh about 150 pounds and was estimated to be about 6 feet tall.
The livestream of April has finally been taken down after months of viewers consistently watching. On Friday, April 15, at 4:30 p.m. C.T., the livestream subsided and a part of my heart did as well. All of us committed viewers grew a bond with April as we watched her struggle through labor pains and patiently await the calf's birth. Officials posted "We will all be there to say goodbye" to Facebook on Thursday, April 14 as that was their plan all along.
"The decision was made to allow us to focus on the park and our opening," Animal Adventure Park posted on Facebook.
The calf has yet to be named, which is just even more of an anxious wait for us April the Giraffe enthusiasts out there. However, plans will be announced this week regarding the calf's name and how the new addition to Animal Adventure Park will affect the overall atmosphere. 
Until your wait is over, you can subscribe to text alerts to stay in the know and receive photos sent straight to your phone. You can also keep connected to the calf by voting for his name. The front runners, right now, include "Apollo," "Patches," "Peter," and "Noah" (but don't vote if you aren't voting for "Apollo").
