So as I was leaving the church parking lot I was flagged down by another parent. He asked if we still had sheep. Anyway, he was looking for some sheep for his boys to practice on for the mutton busting down at the rodeo later in the week.
I thought about it and then said, well, we can try Charlie. At the very least they can pet him and see how he feels.
So they came over and had on their full 4 wheeler gear. Helmets and pads including a chest pad thing.
The first boy was easy. He came over to Charlie and pet him with me and his dad right there. I fed Charlie some leaves that he couldn't reach on his own and the Dad plopped his son on Charlies back over the front legs and hanging on at the neck.
Charlie took a few steps and then dropped down to his front knees. He proceeded to do this the next 2 times with this boys younger brothers. Well we decided to try for a 2nd ride for everyone.
This time Charlie wasn't as easy to get. But he couldn't resist those tasty leaves. The father put the son on Charlies middle and boy did he get a ride! He went about 20 feet before falling off. But 20 feet and a fairly quick speed! So it was fun. We were able to do that one more time for the next son. It was pretty funny to watch!
It didn't work so well with the 3rd son since Charlie was to skittish now. We gave up after Charlie ran out from under the boy.
All in all it was a lot of fun and I wish I had gotten pictures. A few days later Charlie was bothering the girls so I decided to make him skittish by putting a girl on his back. Strangely though, A wouldn't cooperate. :) So I climbed on. It didn't work so well and really there was no way I was going to pick my feet up off the ground and risk injury. Anyway though I kind a sat on his back and that made him skittish enough to the point he left me and the girls alone for the rest of the chicken feeding session. :)
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Big things happening over here!
So, we sold the sheep.
I've been thinking over this decision for the past month. Ever since my shearer said he had some great fleeces he'd sell me for $5. Well that sounded to good to be true. Probably meant $5/lb. I know most people sell fleece for about $7/lb.
So a few weeks after that I get a call from the shearer who has some colored fleece for me and will be in the area. I had told him my budget was $25 so thought I might be lucky and get 2 but at the very least 1.
He showed up with 3 nice fleeces. 2 were great and the 3rd was slightly less soft. more of an outerwear or bag fleece. I asked him the prices. Its a little vague now (this was a few weeks ago) but I gave him a $20 bill and got about $4 change and came away with 3 fleece.
Now, to raise 4 sheep for one year you have to pay for feed, shots, deworming, and shearing.
They go through about 1/2 ton of alfalfa per winter. So its around $40-$60 depending on the quality and market. Lets go with $40 for our calculations.
Shots are not that expensive. you pay about $20 for enough supplies for around 3 years. So lets say $5 for a nice easy number to work with.
Deworming cost is really really low. You pay about $7 for a tube of ivomectin (sp?). This is a horse dewormer. We've had the same tube for about 3 years. Lets say $2.50
Shearing costs $30-$35/year.
so it was costing about $$77.50/yr on the low end to raise 4 sheep for a year.
I can buy fleece as good as or better than those fleece for around $20.
But sheep are food storage on the hoof. They eat down the pasture. They are fun to have and easy keepers. Yes to all of those statements.
But I couldn't get over my actual costs.
So I put them on Craigslist for my dream price. $100 each. And said if you take all 4, I'll give you a deal. I was still reluctant to see them go so I wasn't all that bummed when I didn't have any responses.
That was a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I got a response. He said I'm interested in all 4, what kind of deal did you have in mind. I said all 4 for $350. I paid either $60 or $65 for them at a few months old, and now they were 4.5 or so years old. Sheep can live to 15 or so with a good shepherd, so their lives were 1/3 over.
At $350 it comes to $87.50 each.
Well this morning the guys came to look the sheep over and I said they had lovely fleece and they said they looked yummy. Yes, they intended to eat them. And then proceeded for the next 45 min to offer $300 over and over.
I stuck to my guns at $350. Which wasn't hard. It was hard to think of them being eaten. Such great fleece. I made sure to let them know that they weren't hair sheep (which ironically is what they call sheep with no fleece, intended for eating). I made sure they knew that the girls could be bred. I made sure they knew that they were sired by Buzz Lightyear, a registered Cormo.
By the time they left they told me (or lied. who knows) that they would keep the girls for breeding and eat Charlie.
I told them what a great pet Charlie was and how much fun he was. How he was nice and fun to pet.
Anyway, in the end after much dickering, And pointing out that they weren't for eating, I finally accepted the $350. I had to walk away from many many offers. The guy even showed the cash and tried to hand it to me. I just kept walking away.
Did I mention he was not American? I think he was just bartering with me like they do over in Turkey. But I think he may have been Czech.
Anyway, after rounding the sheep up for a teeth inspection ( I had to hear that one is looking a little old over and over) We helped them load the sheep into a trailer much like dads. We dragged Charlie into the trailer and the 3 girls jumped into the trailer on their own after much coaxing.
Its the end of an era.
I've been thinking over this decision for the past month. Ever since my shearer said he had some great fleeces he'd sell me for $5. Well that sounded to good to be true. Probably meant $5/lb. I know most people sell fleece for about $7/lb.
So a few weeks after that I get a call from the shearer who has some colored fleece for me and will be in the area. I had told him my budget was $25 so thought I might be lucky and get 2 but at the very least 1.
He showed up with 3 nice fleeces. 2 were great and the 3rd was slightly less soft. more of an outerwear or bag fleece. I asked him the prices. Its a little vague now (this was a few weeks ago) but I gave him a $20 bill and got about $4 change and came away with 3 fleece.
Now, to raise 4 sheep for one year you have to pay for feed, shots, deworming, and shearing.
They go through about 1/2 ton of alfalfa per winter. So its around $40-$60 depending on the quality and market. Lets go with $40 for our calculations.
Shots are not that expensive. you pay about $20 for enough supplies for around 3 years. So lets say $5 for a nice easy number to work with.
Deworming cost is really really low. You pay about $7 for a tube of ivomectin (sp?). This is a horse dewormer. We've had the same tube for about 3 years. Lets say $2.50
Shearing costs $30-$35/year.
so it was costing about $$77.50/yr on the low end to raise 4 sheep for a year.
I can buy fleece as good as or better than those fleece for around $20.
But sheep are food storage on the hoof. They eat down the pasture. They are fun to have and easy keepers. Yes to all of those statements.
But I couldn't get over my actual costs.
So I put them on Craigslist for my dream price. $100 each. And said if you take all 4, I'll give you a deal. I was still reluctant to see them go so I wasn't all that bummed when I didn't have any responses.
That was a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I got a response. He said I'm interested in all 4, what kind of deal did you have in mind. I said all 4 for $350. I paid either $60 or $65 for them at a few months old, and now they were 4.5 or so years old. Sheep can live to 15 or so with a good shepherd, so their lives were 1/3 over.
At $350 it comes to $87.50 each.
Well this morning the guys came to look the sheep over and I said they had lovely fleece and they said they looked yummy. Yes, they intended to eat them. And then proceeded for the next 45 min to offer $300 over and over.
I stuck to my guns at $350. Which wasn't hard. It was hard to think of them being eaten. Such great fleece. I made sure to let them know that they weren't hair sheep (which ironically is what they call sheep with no fleece, intended for eating). I made sure they knew that the girls could be bred. I made sure they knew that they were sired by Buzz Lightyear, a registered Cormo.
By the time they left they told me (or lied. who knows) that they would keep the girls for breeding and eat Charlie.
I told them what a great pet Charlie was and how much fun he was. How he was nice and fun to pet.
Anyway, in the end after much dickering, And pointing out that they weren't for eating, I finally accepted the $350. I had to walk away from many many offers. The guy even showed the cash and tried to hand it to me. I just kept walking away.
Did I mention he was not American? I think he was just bartering with me like they do over in Turkey. But I think he may have been Czech.
Anyway, after rounding the sheep up for a teeth inspection ( I had to hear that one is looking a little old over and over) We helped them load the sheep into a trailer much like dads. We dragged Charlie into the trailer and the 3 girls jumped into the trailer on their own after much coaxing.
Its the end of an era.
Friday, July 15, 2011
interesting
How I choose a cutting board (or bowl or whatever)
"Ho Hum, I need a cutting board to put this bread dough on. "
opens drawer
"What? Only the huge cutting board is clean? The one that won't fit in the dishwasher? That stinks."
How it feels like other members of my family choose a cutting board (or whatever)
"Hey cool! The big cutting board is here!"
"Ho Hum, I need a cutting board to put this bread dough on. "
opens drawer
"What? Only the huge cutting board is clean? The one that won't fit in the dishwasher? That stinks."
How it feels like other members of my family choose a cutting board (or whatever)
"Hey cool! The big cutting board is here!"
Does it bother you when other people post large amounts of pictures of you and your family on facebook?
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Memories
Ahhh Highway to Heaven. The reason I am always on the lookout for a snake in the toilet.
Did you know its on locally on that Retro TV station? I found it by accident the other day.
And if you are bored and ready for a light silly LDS romantic comedy, check this one out.
Did you know its on locally on that Retro TV station? I found it by accident the other day.
And if you are bored and ready for a light silly LDS romantic comedy, check this one out.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
sleep?!?!
Baby E is over his cold and seems to be fond of a good night sleep once again.
For the past 2 nights he has slept 7 hours in a row. I don't know if I should be hopeful that this is going to continue, or thank my lucky stars for 6 hours in a row of good sleep.
Now I just need to get smart and go to bed at the same time he does.
YAY for the 3rd baby miracle!!!
For the past 2 nights he has slept 7 hours in a row. I don't know if I should be hopeful that this is going to continue, or thank my lucky stars for 6 hours in a row of good sleep.
Now I just need to get smart and go to bed at the same time he does.
YAY for the 3rd baby miracle!!!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Blessing day
I forgot to blog about baby E's blessing day last week.
He was dressed in the latest fashion from Mommys Crochet hook. It was a really cute sweater and pants made out of a white yarn (kind of off white I decided after it was done. oh well) that had a little bit of elastic in it to help it stretch. I would have loved to find normal pants for him to wear instead of the ones I crocheted, but I couldn't find any to buy. I guess white pants for babies aren't the norm :) .
He was much admired at church and many people laughed at how he had his arms raised to the sky during the blessing. It was really very cute!
After church we went home to change. Grandma B did the honors and during the diaper change Baby E pooped while his diaper was off. While Grandma tried to clean that up and Daddy tried to help, he decided to potty. That landed all over Baby E's face. I was in the other room where I heard "help!". I went in to help but there was nothing I could do. There were already 2 people cleaning up the mess. Poor Baby E was crying because of his suddenly wet face! It was pretty amusing. Especially because this is the first time that has happened. He is a very polite little boy who hasn't had many of those accidents.
After changing we all went over to Grandma W's house for a family get together and lunch. It was a very nice time. We visited and ate. The kids played. It was fun to see everyone.
On another subject, I'm very excited for my sister to have her baby girl. She is 37 or so weeks now and soon to have her baby any day!
He was dressed in the latest fashion from Mommys Crochet hook. It was a really cute sweater and pants made out of a white yarn (kind of off white I decided after it was done. oh well) that had a little bit of elastic in it to help it stretch. I would have loved to find normal pants for him to wear instead of the ones I crocheted, but I couldn't find any to buy. I guess white pants for babies aren't the norm :) .
He was much admired at church and many people laughed at how he had his arms raised to the sky during the blessing. It was really very cute!
After church we went home to change. Grandma B did the honors and during the diaper change Baby E pooped while his diaper was off. While Grandma tried to clean that up and Daddy tried to help, he decided to potty. That landed all over Baby E's face. I was in the other room where I heard "help!". I went in to help but there was nothing I could do. There were already 2 people cleaning up the mess. Poor Baby E was crying because of his suddenly wet face! It was pretty amusing. Especially because this is the first time that has happened. He is a very polite little boy who hasn't had many of those accidents.
After changing we all went over to Grandma W's house for a family get together and lunch. It was a very nice time. We visited and ate. The kids played. It was fun to see everyone.
On another subject, I'm very excited for my sister to have her baby girl. She is 37 or so weeks now and soon to have her baby any day!
Mothers Day 2011
I have enjoyed breakfast in bed, cards from the kids, and quiet time this morning.
I don't know if it can get any better than this.
Although, now that I think about it - a little chocolate and a nap would make this day absolutely dy-no-mite! :)
I don't know if it can get any better than this.
Although, now that I think about it - a little chocolate and a nap would make this day absolutely dy-no-mite! :)
Friday, May 6, 2011
Not responsible!
Its my opinion that new mothers shouldn't be responsible for things that happen when they are half asleep.
A couple of nights ago (Baby E has a cold) the baby wasn't sleeping so well. there was snot and lots of snorting. Well, hubby somehow wakes me up and says that he thought the baby would benefit from some bulb syringe suction. I then proceeded to hand him the bulb syringe which was on my nightstand. He then reminded me that he had to work in the morning and that I would need to do it. I don't remember much after that.
I think it all happened early in the night because boy was I sleepy. We had a good laugh over it the next morning.
A couple of nights ago (Baby E has a cold) the baby wasn't sleeping so well. there was snot and lots of snorting. Well, hubby somehow wakes me up and says that he thought the baby would benefit from some bulb syringe suction. I then proceeded to hand him the bulb syringe which was on my nightstand. He then reminded me that he had to work in the morning and that I would need to do it. I don't remember much after that.
I think it all happened early in the night because boy was I sleepy. We had a good laugh over it the next morning.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
wonder of all wonders
So last night Baby E had trouble settling down for the night. Every time I put him down it seemed he wasn't as asleep as i had thought. Finally around 10:30pm he went down.
I wasn't all that surprised when hubby went to work around 4:45 and he was still asleep. Baby E sleeps for 6 hours at night (yay!!!!). But I knew he would be up soon. He snorted a little here and there and kept dozing. but it wasn't until a little after 6 that he woke all the way up.
I count that as sleeping through the night. That is the first time I've slept through the night for a month. Feels great! So different from my other babies. They were a 2-3 time a night for 9 months project. I wonder if this will happen again any time soon?
I wasn't all that surprised when hubby went to work around 4:45 and he was still asleep. Baby E sleeps for 6 hours at night (yay!!!!). But I knew he would be up soon. He snorted a little here and there and kept dozing. but it wasn't until a little after 6 that he woke all the way up.
I count that as sleeping through the night. That is the first time I've slept through the night for a month. Feels great! So different from my other babies. They were a 2-3 time a night for 9 months project. I wonder if this will happen again any time soon?
Friday, April 22, 2011
Nickname
His nickname for now is Mr. Snorty McSnortypants. He likes to make all sorts of snorting noises when sleeping and when waking up.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
he's growing!
He's a whopping 7lbs even. He grew 1 inch longer and his head has 1/2" more knowledge in it that before :)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Confession time
I don't remember how to function on less sleep. And I'm really not that lacking in the sleep department. Baby E has been sleeping 6 hours at a time. But I notice that forming coherent sentences is a challenge. Sharing deep insightful thoughts seem to be beyond me. I am definitely impaired. Why don't they hand out a handicapped placard for new moms ? LOL
P.S. If you ever want to be amused, check out the 'stats' tab on your blog dashboard. Lots of fun stats to be found!
P.S. If you ever want to be amused, check out the 'stats' tab on your blog dashboard. Lots of fun stats to be found!
Surprise
Imagine my surprise when I found that after 6+ years, I've forgotten how to give an infant a bath.
Well, I knew the basics, but all of the practiced movements and tricks I used to know were gone.
And of course it didn't help that I had my husband and baby E's 2 concerned older sisters watching. Oh and he screamed the whole time. And for some reason, despite a relatively good nights sleep, I'm tired.
So yeah, Baby E had his first bath today. now he smells sweet again. But then he wet through his church outfit and spit up. What can a mother do? :) I guess I'll just have to accept that I can't control certain things, and give baby E more baths so that my baby bathing skills will come back. Help! Although, it was somewhat amusing to see hubby be the one who got soaked with overflowing diaper contents for once :)
Well, I knew the basics, but all of the practiced movements and tricks I used to know were gone.
And of course it didn't help that I had my husband and baby E's 2 concerned older sisters watching. Oh and he screamed the whole time. And for some reason, despite a relatively good nights sleep, I'm tired.
So yeah, Baby E had his first bath today. now he smells sweet again. But then he wet through his church outfit and spit up. What can a mother do? :) I guess I'll just have to accept that I can't control certain things, and give baby E more baths so that my baby bathing skills will come back. Help! Although, it was somewhat amusing to see hubby be the one who got soaked with overflowing diaper contents for once :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The baby
I'd forgotten how sweet a baby smells. He has such soft hair and the kids just love coming over to pet it and give him kisses all over his forehead. He loves to stare at things with deep blue eyes. I wonder what color they will end up being?
He has hubby's feet and my toenails. I didn't realize this until I saw a picture of his feet. I just assumed all baby feet were the same. Then I realized that his were different than A and C's feet. I love baby feet! They are so sweet.
He sleeps all the time, but is having more and more times where he is awake. He gets up about 2x per night, but yesterday only got up once. That was a nice day.
I really don't know how I'm going to get back on schedule, getting the girls up for school after long nights. But luckily there are only about 6 weeks left before summer vacations.
He makes such sweet noises all the time. He gets such an earnest look on his face when he eats.
A big thank you to Hubby for staying home and taking such good care of us for the past 2 weeks. He has done everything from keeping the kitchen clean to feeding all of the animals every day to starting a fire during this weird cold and then warm springtime. And he's been watering the greenhouse as needed. He also cooked all the meals. And did 100 other things that I won't mention. I have been truly spoiled. I'm so thankful to have such a loving and thoughtful husband.
He has hubby's feet and my toenails. I didn't realize this until I saw a picture of his feet. I just assumed all baby feet were the same. Then I realized that his were different than A and C's feet. I love baby feet! They are so sweet.
He sleeps all the time, but is having more and more times where he is awake. He gets up about 2x per night, but yesterday only got up once. That was a nice day.
I really don't know how I'm going to get back on schedule, getting the girls up for school after long nights. But luckily there are only about 6 weeks left before summer vacations.
He makes such sweet noises all the time. He gets such an earnest look on his face when he eats.
A big thank you to Hubby for staying home and taking such good care of us for the past 2 weeks. He has done everything from keeping the kitchen clean to feeding all of the animals every day to starting a fire during this weird cold and then warm springtime. And he's been watering the greenhouse as needed. He also cooked all the meals. And did 100 other things that I won't mention. I have been truly spoiled. I'm so thankful to have such a loving and thoughtful husband.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
He's here!
Baby E, 6lbs 2.5 oz arrived this past Wednesday.
I was a bit stunned because I was only 37 weeks 2 days. I was getting ready to bunker down and prepared to carry him past 40 weeks.
(Don't read any further unless you want the FULL and LONG birth story. I'm writing it down here before I forget all of the details)
But THEN. I had some pretty regular contractions on Friday. They were regular in that they kept coming. But they were coming at weird intervals. Every 5 min. Then 10 min. Then 4 min. Then 15 min. Then around bedtime they stopped. I was pretty uncomfortable, but was happy they stopped. I knew they had to be Braxton Hicks and could not possibly be real labor. So after a quick prayer that they would leave me alone during the night, I went to bed. I slept great and no more contractions! We had a great weekend and I was looking forward to my doctors appointment on Monday. I was going to be checked and was hoping to be dilated to a 1 or more!
At my appointment I gained 2 lbs (ugh!) but was a 2 1/2 and 60% effaced!
I was excited and crossing my fingers to go into labor at 38 weeks! (I was hoping just like any other pregnant woman!)
Hubby had a short week at work and went back on Wednesday morning. He told my tummy to wait until next weekend please. Well about 8:00 I realized that I was having more labor pains. I started writing them down in order to track how long in between and realized that they were coming every 3 min without fail. But they weren't bad. So after an hour or so of doing this and that (the girls were home on spring break and just watching shows in the family room) the labor pains were still coming regularly. I thought they were about the same, but maybe getting just a little bit worse. I called mom and let her know. I tried to get hold of Hubby and he was not around. I sent him a quick e-mail.
I still wasn't convinced it was labor so I took a shower. Because if it was labor I was going to be clean and have my hair done and teeth brushed. And hey, I was fine. It wasn't really bad. Just regular.
After a shower and getting ready I decided after a few phone calls to Mom and finally getting hubby on the phone that we should at least go to the hospital to be checked.
Dad took babysitting duty and watched the girls. Mom was nice enough to drive me to the hospital. The pain was getting worse the whole way there. I was still able to talk through the contractions and they really weren't all that bad.
Mom dropped me off at the hospital where hubby was waiting. We walked to the labor and delivery doorway and they let us in. We were ushered to a room where they had me change into a gown and hooked me up to a few monitors. They also checked me and found I was at a 3 1/2 now.
Well, after monitoring me for about an hour (or less, I don't remember) our nurse informed me that they weren't sure this was it. That since I was only 37 weeks they wouldn't do anything like break my water to ensure delivery. Basically our only option was to walk for about an hour and then they would monitor and check me and if there was change they would keep me.
I had forgotten to eat breakfast that morning so we stopped by the patients pantry for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I also kept drinking apple juice that they had provided me with while I was being monitored.
Hubby walked with me. I felt like I was walking way to fast for a lady in labor. We kept walking around the labor and delivery unit and then around the postpartum unit. Around and around. We would go one direction and then go the other the next time around. My contractions kept getting a little harder and a little harder. It got to the point that it was more comfortable to walk slower during them. And then it was easier to just stop at a window or painting and be still during them. A little after this development we looped around to the Labor and delivery unit again and I noticed my midwife. I waved and she said hi and then we went in to be monitored and checked again.
Well this time I was at 4 1/2. They were keeping us! My midwife came in to talk to us and told us that she was surprised to get the phone call. To clarify, she was surprised that the phone call was for me. She thought for sure it was for another patient who was 4 days overdue! Ugh. That poor woman!
Anyway, we talked. I confirmed I was going for the epidural. She said that as soon as I got that she would come and break my water.
I was still feeling fairly good so I put the epidural off. The nurse started the IV and the penicillin because I was strep B positive. She said that it had to be in my body for a certain amount of time for it to be safe for the baby. The safe time was 5:15 or so. Funny thing was that I had never had a labor as long as that. 8 hours for my first and 6 for the second. 5:15 would make this a 9 hour labor.
Anyway the nurse got all of that started and left us alone for a while. We talked for a little bit and the pain was getting worse. The next time the nurse came in, I said that the epidural was sounding awfully good and she made the arrangements. I don't know that the pain was all that bad though. I probably could have gone a bit longer without the epidural. But she was already making the arrangements and it did sound good.
The nurse (Amanda) pushed the rest of my saline in (they have to have a bag in for blood pressure reasons) and called the anesthesiologist.
Awhile later they showed up. For the record, the epidural worked like a champ. The pain receded quickly in my left side, but took a little longer in my right. Although, it made it better in the right. I don't remember getting an epidural hurting like that before though. Weird.
Anyway, after the epidural, Amanda checked me again and said I was at a 7. Nice. We then relaxed and watched some TV. Hubby and I got sleepy and were thinking about a nap. My midwife came in and broke my water. There wasn't much water in front of the baby's head though, so my thought was that it probably wouldn't make a difference.
A while later Amanda checked me again and I was still at a 7. I was worried that my labor had stalled, and Amanda just had me roll to my other side. She said it could make a difference. And she added an electrode to the baby's head to monitor the baby's heartbeat. Because I had skipped breakfast it was a little worrisome earlier in the day and I was being a worrywart about it. So it helped me calm down. But I think I was hiding the worry pretty well :). Amanda also told me to let her know when I started feeling pressure.
After about an hour of getting sleepy and watching TV, I started feeling pressure. It wasn't the "This is it!" pressure, but I let Amanda know and she made some notes in my chart (And probably called my midwife)
A little bit after that I felt the "This is it!" pressure and Amanda came in and checked me. Complete! Luckily my midwife was just outside (nice!) and after a little visiting and getting set up we decided to push with my next contraction. One push and his head was crowning. We paused there for some stretching and I visited a little with the nurse and my midwife said something about me having another contraction because the baby was out to his ears. Wow! So I gave another push and he was out! So fast and quick! He was in a hurry! But! He came around 5:30. so the penicillin had had enough time and it was my longest labor yet. Strange huh?
I felt great and he was healthy. the girls came with Grandma and Grandpa later and visited. We also had a visit from Aunt B and her hubby.
After a long not very restful night in the hospital, we went home the next day. He is a handsome fellow and so sweet. We love him very much.
I was a bit stunned because I was only 37 weeks 2 days. I was getting ready to bunker down and prepared to carry him past 40 weeks.
(Don't read any further unless you want the FULL and LONG birth story. I'm writing it down here before I forget all of the details)
But THEN. I had some pretty regular contractions on Friday. They were regular in that they kept coming. But they were coming at weird intervals. Every 5 min. Then 10 min. Then 4 min. Then 15 min. Then around bedtime they stopped. I was pretty uncomfortable, but was happy they stopped. I knew they had to be Braxton Hicks and could not possibly be real labor. So after a quick prayer that they would leave me alone during the night, I went to bed. I slept great and no more contractions! We had a great weekend and I was looking forward to my doctors appointment on Monday. I was going to be checked and was hoping to be dilated to a 1 or more!
At my appointment I gained 2 lbs (ugh!) but was a 2 1/2 and 60% effaced!
I was excited and crossing my fingers to go into labor at 38 weeks! (I was hoping just like any other pregnant woman!)
Hubby had a short week at work and went back on Wednesday morning. He told my tummy to wait until next weekend please. Well about 8:00 I realized that I was having more labor pains. I started writing them down in order to track how long in between and realized that they were coming every 3 min without fail. But they weren't bad. So after an hour or so of doing this and that (the girls were home on spring break and just watching shows in the family room) the labor pains were still coming regularly. I thought they were about the same, but maybe getting just a little bit worse. I called mom and let her know. I tried to get hold of Hubby and he was not around. I sent him a quick e-mail.
I still wasn't convinced it was labor so I took a shower. Because if it was labor I was going to be clean and have my hair done and teeth brushed. And hey, I was fine. It wasn't really bad. Just regular.
After a shower and getting ready I decided after a few phone calls to Mom and finally getting hubby on the phone that we should at least go to the hospital to be checked.
Dad took babysitting duty and watched the girls. Mom was nice enough to drive me to the hospital. The pain was getting worse the whole way there. I was still able to talk through the contractions and they really weren't all that bad.
Mom dropped me off at the hospital where hubby was waiting. We walked to the labor and delivery doorway and they let us in. We were ushered to a room where they had me change into a gown and hooked me up to a few monitors. They also checked me and found I was at a 3 1/2 now.
Well, after monitoring me for about an hour (or less, I don't remember) our nurse informed me that they weren't sure this was it. That since I was only 37 weeks they wouldn't do anything like break my water to ensure delivery. Basically our only option was to walk for about an hour and then they would monitor and check me and if there was change they would keep me.
I had forgotten to eat breakfast that morning so we stopped by the patients pantry for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I also kept drinking apple juice that they had provided me with while I was being monitored.
Hubby walked with me. I felt like I was walking way to fast for a lady in labor. We kept walking around the labor and delivery unit and then around the postpartum unit. Around and around. We would go one direction and then go the other the next time around. My contractions kept getting a little harder and a little harder. It got to the point that it was more comfortable to walk slower during them. And then it was easier to just stop at a window or painting and be still during them. A little after this development we looped around to the Labor and delivery unit again and I noticed my midwife. I waved and she said hi and then we went in to be monitored and checked again.
Well this time I was at 4 1/2. They were keeping us! My midwife came in to talk to us and told us that she was surprised to get the phone call. To clarify, she was surprised that the phone call was for me. She thought for sure it was for another patient who was 4 days overdue! Ugh. That poor woman!
Anyway, we talked. I confirmed I was going for the epidural. She said that as soon as I got that she would come and break my water.
I was still feeling fairly good so I put the epidural off. The nurse started the IV and the penicillin because I was strep B positive. She said that it had to be in my body for a certain amount of time for it to be safe for the baby. The safe time was 5:15 or so. Funny thing was that I had never had a labor as long as that. 8 hours for my first and 6 for the second. 5:15 would make this a 9 hour labor.
Anyway the nurse got all of that started and left us alone for a while. We talked for a little bit and the pain was getting worse. The next time the nurse came in, I said that the epidural was sounding awfully good and she made the arrangements. I don't know that the pain was all that bad though. I probably could have gone a bit longer without the epidural. But she was already making the arrangements and it did sound good.
The nurse (Amanda) pushed the rest of my saline in (they have to have a bag in for blood pressure reasons) and called the anesthesiologist.
Awhile later they showed up. For the record, the epidural worked like a champ. The pain receded quickly in my left side, but took a little longer in my right. Although, it made it better in the right. I don't remember getting an epidural hurting like that before though. Weird.
Anyway, after the epidural, Amanda checked me again and said I was at a 7. Nice. We then relaxed and watched some TV. Hubby and I got sleepy and were thinking about a nap. My midwife came in and broke my water. There wasn't much water in front of the baby's head though, so my thought was that it probably wouldn't make a difference.
A while later Amanda checked me again and I was still at a 7. I was worried that my labor had stalled, and Amanda just had me roll to my other side. She said it could make a difference. And she added an electrode to the baby's head to monitor the baby's heartbeat. Because I had skipped breakfast it was a little worrisome earlier in the day and I was being a worrywart about it. So it helped me calm down. But I think I was hiding the worry pretty well :). Amanda also told me to let her know when I started feeling pressure.
After about an hour of getting sleepy and watching TV, I started feeling pressure. It wasn't the "This is it!" pressure, but I let Amanda know and she made some notes in my chart (And probably called my midwife)
A little bit after that I felt the "This is it!" pressure and Amanda came in and checked me. Complete! Luckily my midwife was just outside (nice!) and after a little visiting and getting set up we decided to push with my next contraction. One push and his head was crowning. We paused there for some stretching and I visited a little with the nurse and my midwife said something about me having another contraction because the baby was out to his ears. Wow! So I gave another push and he was out! So fast and quick! He was in a hurry! But! He came around 5:30. so the penicillin had had enough time and it was my longest labor yet. Strange huh?
I felt great and he was healthy. the girls came with Grandma and Grandpa later and visited. We also had a visit from Aunt B and her hubby.
After a long not very restful night in the hospital, we went home the next day. He is a handsome fellow and so sweet. We love him very much.
Friday, March 25, 2011
I can't get myself going!
Today I can't get myself going! I've lazed around and lazed around some more. I've slept and sat.
I'm 36.5 weeks pregnant. I've started to waddle. You know, that unpleasant state where instead of walking forward, you sort of walk side to side/forward-ish. :)
I had a wonderful baby shower last weekend. My Mom and Sisters put it on for me at Mom's house. It was SO MUCH FUN. The food was fun. the company was comfortable and easy. And it was just fun.
I usually get a little uptight because I'm not very social. but about 45 minutes into it I was relaxed and comfy. It was fun greeting the guests as they came in and talking about babies and sharing stories about our kids. I really feel like I got to know a few people in our ward better. In fact there were a couple I wish I could have visited some more with.
In All, I think a wonderful time was had by all. Thanks again to my Mom and sisters for the awesome party!
----
Just got back inside from feeding the animals. It was sprinkling when we started and a full on hail storm when we finished. the girls helped me get wood inside for a fire and now we are getting toasty and drying off.
I'm 36.5 weeks pregnant. I've started to waddle. You know, that unpleasant state where instead of walking forward, you sort of walk side to side/forward-ish. :)
I had a wonderful baby shower last weekend. My Mom and Sisters put it on for me at Mom's house. It was SO MUCH FUN. The food was fun. the company was comfortable and easy. And it was just fun.
I usually get a little uptight because I'm not very social. but about 45 minutes into it I was relaxed and comfy. It was fun greeting the guests as they came in and talking about babies and sharing stories about our kids. I really feel like I got to know a few people in our ward better. In fact there were a couple I wish I could have visited some more with.
In All, I think a wonderful time was had by all. Thanks again to my Mom and sisters for the awesome party!
----
Just got back inside from feeding the animals. It was sprinkling when we started and a full on hail storm when we finished. the girls helped me get wood inside for a fire and now we are getting toasty and drying off.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I wanna
I wanna clean the kitchen, Catch up on laundry, scrub the bathrooms, Vacuum througout the house.....
But a nap sure sounds great right now.
But a nap sure sounds great right now.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
whoa
I haven't posted real news in so long its pretty embarrassing. I don't have any excuses. Except maybe that life has been busy. But when is it not?
I'm 34 weeks pregnant with a little boy. I can't remember if I put the gender on here or not. But anyway, a little boy will be an adventure. The kids are more than a little excited about everything and most of all about having a brother in the house. The other morning he got the hiccups and the girls were able to feel him moving around in my tummy. We've tried before, but the baby just wouldn't cooperate.
Hubby is in Las Vegas right now. He is a big BYU sports fan. The basketball team is really having a great season this year and so he really wanted to go to a game. The game that he ended up choosing was the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas. He flew down on Thursday just in time to see them win their first game. Yesterday (Friday) they beat New Mexico for the first time this year (I think New Mexico was the only team they had lost to this season) and tonight they get to play San Diego State. They've beat SDSU 2 times already this year, at home and away. Anyway, I thought that was a very good thing and would bode well for the game today - but hubby has informed me that there's a saying in sports about how its really hard to beat a team 3 times in one year. Oh Well. I still think its at least got to be a morale booster. Go BYU! Hubby will be home on Monday and I won't have to feed the cows anymore, well at least for 2 days! YEAH!
C is doing great at school. She reads anything she can get her hands on. She recently finished the First Diary of a Wimpy kid, and has talked about checking out the next one. She is a great speller and consistently gets 100% on her weekly spelling tests. She loves school and I have to admit that a lot of that is due to a truly wonderful teacher whom she loves. C's whole class is excelling under this teacher.
A is loving Kindergarten. She also has a wonderful teacher who is so patient and kind. I don't know how she does it. A has quite a few challenged kids in her classroom this year and that on top of the every other full day schedule are quite a challenge for the kids and teachers. I am still all for a government run program (like schools) being fiscally responsible, but after this year I'm starting to wonder if saving $250k/yr was worth this crazy kindergarten schedule. I guess we'll see.
Both of the girls are doing great in their piano lessons with Grandma. They both love going to grandma's house for lessons where there are lots of treats and praise. I've also been treating them each day that they practice. I ran out of Jolly Ranchers a few days ago though, so I'll have to stock up. Its been really interesting seeing how this practice incentive has really made them remember to practice instead of me having to nag them. There are many Saturday mornings where the first thing I hear from A is how she needs her jolly rancher for practicing. And how waiting until after breakfast has become acceptable to her :)
We've got seedlings coming up in the greenhouse. They were a little slow to come up, but that was our fault. The soil looked wet and we just didn't keep it wet enough initially. Once we figured that out and corrected it, our seedlings are starting to pop out of the soil. Its great to see. This year we outfitted the greenhouse with shelves that we found at Walmart. They look great and really make the most out of the greenhouse space. I can't wait to have each shelf full of plants. I just hope we can keep up with it after having a baby!
The animals are all doing well. The cows are getting fatter and bigger all the time. unlike cows of the past, these guys aren't crazy and haven't exhibited what I would call teen cow behavior yet. They are respectful of the electric fences however will not respect non-electrical fences. But they are skiddish of us and stay away. I like that because I feel like we can enter the pasture without fear. Its like we have an agreement. We feed them and they don't bother us. Its been kind of funny this year as we've fed them. We stupidly bought some alfalfa that turned out to be really low low quality this year, along with some that turned out to be great quality. We got about 1/2 of each. Just the way it turned out. So we feed them half good and half ok alfalfa every day. You would think they would prefer the good stuff. But no. Its always amazing to me how they clear the ground of the bad stuff and get picky with the good stuff. The good stuff is all alfalfa leaves and stems and the bad stuff is mostly grass and weeds.
The sheep are doing well. they eat the not so great alfalfa. They like it just fine. but it has so many weeds in it that I'm really afraid for their wool this year. If enough weed gets into the wool, it will basically be ruined. So cross your fingers with me that I'll be able to use lots of it still.
We have 3 full pens of chickens right now. My regular chicken pen has 11 chickens in it. 10 hens and a rooster. They are giving me about 6-7 eggs every day. Hubby has been selling about 2 dozen eggs/week at work, but they are slowly overtaking my fridge.
the second pen of chickens is my banty crew. Right now I have 2 silkie hens, 1 Cochin hen and 1 silky rooster. I'm also hoping for another black silkie from a lady at church (whom I still need to return her incubator to!!). I'm excited for the chickens to start going broody. I'd also love for them to hatch me some banty chicks this year. That would be fun. But I'm a little worried about the banty rooster and how he'll react to chicks in the coop. I may have to put him in bachelor quarters for part of the summer. Hmmm, I'll have to think about this.
The last pen of chickens is my yearly hen hatch. Each fall I do a hatch in a borrowed incubator and then raise them to sell in the spring as young layers. In years past they have sold for $15ea. I have 15 hens, so I should make around $225. I always say that this pays for the food for the whole flock for winter. Well, this year I am actually keeping an accounting to see if this is really true. If not, I guess I'll stop the yearly hatch. But I would miss the entertainment of raising chicks.
I'm 34 weeks pregnant with a little boy. I can't remember if I put the gender on here or not. But anyway, a little boy will be an adventure. The kids are more than a little excited about everything and most of all about having a brother in the house. The other morning he got the hiccups and the girls were able to feel him moving around in my tummy. We've tried before, but the baby just wouldn't cooperate.
Hubby is in Las Vegas right now. He is a big BYU sports fan. The basketball team is really having a great season this year and so he really wanted to go to a game. The game that he ended up choosing was the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas. He flew down on Thursday just in time to see them win their first game. Yesterday (Friday) they beat New Mexico for the first time this year (I think New Mexico was the only team they had lost to this season) and tonight they get to play San Diego State. They've beat SDSU 2 times already this year, at home and away. Anyway, I thought that was a very good thing and would bode well for the game today - but hubby has informed me that there's a saying in sports about how its really hard to beat a team 3 times in one year. Oh Well. I still think its at least got to be a morale booster. Go BYU! Hubby will be home on Monday and I won't have to feed the cows anymore, well at least for 2 days! YEAH!
C is doing great at school. She reads anything she can get her hands on. She recently finished the First Diary of a Wimpy kid, and has talked about checking out the next one. She is a great speller and consistently gets 100% on her weekly spelling tests. She loves school and I have to admit that a lot of that is due to a truly wonderful teacher whom she loves. C's whole class is excelling under this teacher.
A is loving Kindergarten. She also has a wonderful teacher who is so patient and kind. I don't know how she does it. A has quite a few challenged kids in her classroom this year and that on top of the every other full day schedule are quite a challenge for the kids and teachers. I am still all for a government run program (like schools) being fiscally responsible, but after this year I'm starting to wonder if saving $250k/yr was worth this crazy kindergarten schedule. I guess we'll see.
Both of the girls are doing great in their piano lessons with Grandma. They both love going to grandma's house for lessons where there are lots of treats and praise. I've also been treating them each day that they practice. I ran out of Jolly Ranchers a few days ago though, so I'll have to stock up. Its been really interesting seeing how this practice incentive has really made them remember to practice instead of me having to nag them. There are many Saturday mornings where the first thing I hear from A is how she needs her jolly rancher for practicing. And how waiting until after breakfast has become acceptable to her :)
We've got seedlings coming up in the greenhouse. They were a little slow to come up, but that was our fault. The soil looked wet and we just didn't keep it wet enough initially. Once we figured that out and corrected it, our seedlings are starting to pop out of the soil. Its great to see. This year we outfitted the greenhouse with shelves that we found at Walmart. They look great and really make the most out of the greenhouse space. I can't wait to have each shelf full of plants. I just hope we can keep up with it after having a baby!
The animals are all doing well. The cows are getting fatter and bigger all the time. unlike cows of the past, these guys aren't crazy and haven't exhibited what I would call teen cow behavior yet. They are respectful of the electric fences however will not respect non-electrical fences. But they are skiddish of us and stay away. I like that because I feel like we can enter the pasture without fear. Its like we have an agreement. We feed them and they don't bother us. Its been kind of funny this year as we've fed them. We stupidly bought some alfalfa that turned out to be really low low quality this year, along with some that turned out to be great quality. We got about 1/2 of each. Just the way it turned out. So we feed them half good and half ok alfalfa every day. You would think they would prefer the good stuff. But no. Its always amazing to me how they clear the ground of the bad stuff and get picky with the good stuff. The good stuff is all alfalfa leaves and stems and the bad stuff is mostly grass and weeds.
The sheep are doing well. they eat the not so great alfalfa. They like it just fine. but it has so many weeds in it that I'm really afraid for their wool this year. If enough weed gets into the wool, it will basically be ruined. So cross your fingers with me that I'll be able to use lots of it still.
We have 3 full pens of chickens right now. My regular chicken pen has 11 chickens in it. 10 hens and a rooster. They are giving me about 6-7 eggs every day. Hubby has been selling about 2 dozen eggs/week at work, but they are slowly overtaking my fridge.
the second pen of chickens is my banty crew. Right now I have 2 silkie hens, 1 Cochin hen and 1 silky rooster. I'm also hoping for another black silkie from a lady at church (whom I still need to return her incubator to!!). I'm excited for the chickens to start going broody. I'd also love for them to hatch me some banty chicks this year. That would be fun. But I'm a little worried about the banty rooster and how he'll react to chicks in the coop. I may have to put him in bachelor quarters for part of the summer. Hmmm, I'll have to think about this.
The last pen of chickens is my yearly hen hatch. Each fall I do a hatch in a borrowed incubator and then raise them to sell in the spring as young layers. In years past they have sold for $15ea. I have 15 hens, so I should make around $225. I always say that this pays for the food for the whole flock for winter. Well, this year I am actually keeping an accounting to see if this is really true. If not, I guess I'll stop the yearly hatch. But I would miss the entertainment of raising chicks.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Ice Cream
Anytime you feel like a failure as a Mother, just grab a bowl, spoon, and some ice cream. Scoop some ice cream into the bowl and for good measure drizzle Hershey's syrup on the top. Believe me, this helps with the "I'm not a perfect Mother " blues.
Of course, if you have these blues a lot, it could lead to the "I'm not skinny anymore!" blues. So use this remedy with caution.
Of course, if you have these blues a lot, it could lead to the "I'm not skinny anymore!" blues. So use this remedy with caution.
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