The Stockings Were Hung

Not by the chimney but rather by the old cardboard fireplace that my parent's have set up every year that I can remember. It's getting a little more rickety and a little more faded but it only adds to the charm. So the fireplace is set up in a nook by the steps and the stockings were hung from nails on the stair treads. At home, our stockings are hung with care from a shelf or simply tossed on the back of the couch. Not a chimney in sight there either. Not having a chimney, however, has not prevented Saint Nick from finding my stocking. This year, as in all prior years, he found filled it with surprises. Mrs. Claus sent two pairs of cozy warm socks while her husband added the usual deodorant and toothpaste since hygiene has always been high on his list of priorities, a new audio book to help pass the several hour drive home tomorrow, and (best of all) a sample of the new laminate flooring that will (hopefully) soon cover the floor of our new addition. Santa was certainly generous this year.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year to everyone!

Wishing you all the best in this holiday season.

P.S. To those who sent us a card and didn't get one back (and a certain couple way up north who are patiently awaiting their Christmas gift) I will have them in the mail as soon as we get back from our holiday weekend vacation. If you still don't get one, I apologize and wish you a happy holiday season since I probably forgot to add your name to my Christmas card list...again... Maybe next year...

Holiday To Do List

1. Make Christmas cookies even though L will grumble. It's just not Christmas without cookies!
2. Get a tree and decorate it. Need to make sure it's up high so V doesn't un-decorate while I'm decorating.
3. Find presents for everyone. My secret hiding places idea backfired and now it's a scavenger hunt to find where I hid my gifts.
4. Make squeaky cheese. (Special request from my Dad since we are heading to my parent's home for the holidays)
5. Finish making and/or assembling gift baskets.
6. Finish any other gift projects.
7. Order pictures for Christmas cards. Wait, make that figure out how many pictures I need first. I am bound and determined to get my cards out before New Year's this year!
8. Make sure everything is ready for our holiday trip to my parent's for Christmas.
9. Keep V out of mischief while accomplishing the above tasks in a timely manner.
10. Wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!

Baby's First: Tooth and Standing Up

Okay, well it's not exactly his first standing up but he's getting better at doing it on his own. He also mastered crawling forward. It's hilarious. He either can't get a bent leg out from under his belly or he does his inchworm imitation. V can get around everywhere in the house which means I am now on Red Alert when the woodstove is lit (which is all day now that it's winter), busy keeping little fingers out of everything they shouldn't be in, and constantly picking dust bunnies off of his clothes. Honestly, he finds all the dust that I somehow miss. I should just stick Swiffer cloths to his clothes and let HIM do the dusting! :) The tooth makes for interesting exploration as well. Everything he can get his hands on goes into the mouth. For some reason, V thinks that he has only three senses-touch, sight, and taste. First he spies a toy and after hurriedly scrambling to get it, he pokes the object of interest with a finger to ascertain if it moves. Then he grabs it, bangs it on the floor in exuberant fashion, and pokes some more. Finally, V decides the last thing to do is to stuff it in his mouth and slobber all over it. Oddly enough, he won't chew on the things he's allowed to-teething rings, chew toys, pacifier... It's everything else.

Speaking of chewing, I'd better go rescue the stuffed animal from Jaws right now.

Giving Thanks

Not that long ago, I read a column in the paper on counting your blessings. The columnist wrote that she had a bit of trouble getting the list started but it wasn't too hard to find 100 things to be thankful for. I took that as a challenge and decided to see how hard it was for myself. Being that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it seemed like the time to write my own list of 100 things to be thankful for.

1. Faith
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Good Food
5. My health
6. A working vehicle with heat
7. My 'auto-start' button for the van (aka my husband)
8. A baby that has slept 9+ hours a night since he was 3 months
9. The ability to lift 40+lb calf milk buckets with minimal huffing and puffing
10. Finding out even unexpectedly sad times can lead to good things
11. A roof over my head
12. A woodstove that keeps me cozy warm all winter
13. Fleece blankets
14. And a comfy recliner
15. with a cup of homemade hot cocoa to sip
16. while reading a good book on a cold snowy winter day
17. Knowing that despite the miles in between, family is only a phone call away
18. A mother's hug
19. My 'auto-fire starter' (aka my husband)
20. Learning that I can smile through my tears and mean it
21. "This too shall pass." is really true
22. Improving my aim when using hammer and nails (banging a thumb will do that...)
23. My house addition-to-be
24. Healthy, happy cows
25. A successful harvest season
26. Farm equipment that doesn't break down (very often)
27. My prolific vegetable garden
28. Dropping pounds
29. And being able to keep them off!
30. Trying on a pair of pants only to find out they are too big
31. Garage sales
32. Fuzzy slippers
33. My minivan
34. A chest freezer full to the brim
35. Being able to find homes for all of my dog's puppies
36. That feeling you get after you finish cleaning the house top to bottom
37. "I love you."
38. "Will You Marry Me?"
39. "I Do."
40. "It's a Boy!"
41. "Mama"
42. The smell after a spring rain (as long as the guys haven't been spreading fertilizer in the fields behind the house)
43. Waking up and realizing it's my Sunday off
44. Afternoon naps
45. My college degree
46. Going on vacation
47. And coming back home
48. Pasty, coleslaw, and chocolate milk
49. Ooey, Gooey, Chewy Brownies
50. Being done with chores for the day
51. A clean kitchen
52. My clotheslines
53. Wild roses
54. Homemade bread warm from the oven
55. Daisies
56. My dog Mindy (who keeps the rabbits out of my garden but lets the neighbor dog visit)
57. Homemade applesauce
58. All my prior jobs-I might not have liked them all, but I learned something from each one
59. My automatic dishwasher (aka Me but someday it'll be a machine...)
60. My 6-qt crockpot
61. Cloth diapers
62. A filled woodbox
63. Plenty of kindling
64. Bonfires, good company, and toasted marshmallows
65. Growing up within 10 miles of Lake Superior
66. Snow Days (even though I don't get them anymore...)
67. Snowmen
68. April Showers when they bring May Flowers
69. My comfy jeans
70. Hoodie sweatshirts
71. Flip-flops
72. Flannel Sheets
73. Wool socks
74. Catching snowflakes on your tongue
75. Going swimming on a hot summer day
76. Not having to worry about what I'm going to be when I grow up
77. Knowing that even the best laid plans can go awry but still turn out somehow
78. Buttercups
79. Snowshoeing
80. Being able to finish my Pilates workout without having to stop halfway through to catch my breath
81. Running Water
82. Indoor Plumbing
83. Having a hubby who is willing to crawl under the house in sub-zero weather to unthaw a frozen water or sewer line
84. Raw milk cheese
85. Reminiscing about the younger years with family and friends
86. Cinnamon rolls
87. Newborn calves
88. Weaning calves
89. Walking on a crisp autumn afternoon
90. Cross country skiing on a moon-lit evening
91. Springtime
92. Squeaky Cheese
93. Funny pictures of everyone but me
94. My son's smiles and goofy grins
95. All the little things my hubby does to show he cares
96. Having all of this kidney stone business over with
97. Apple pie
98. Making Christmas cookies with my nieces and nephews
99. Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream
100. A good game of Scrabble or Rook

Now that it's written, I can see that the writer was right. It can be hard to get started but once you do, it's easy to find things to add. I could easily add to this list but I'll stick to 100 for now. How about you?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend!

I never want to do THAT again...

DRINK YOUR WATER!

It's become my motto of late. And I can't tell people to do it enough. Why, do you ask? What is the purpose of my proclaiming that you need to drink more water?

Simple.

It's the number one, quick and easy, painless, and cheap way to help prevent kidney stones.

After being in the ER twice with severe back pain, I have been diagnosed as having a VERY large kidney stone in my right kidney. I was in agony, L tried to get me there ASAP while still obeying speed limits, and we discovered that V has this uncanny ability to wake from a sound sleep as soon as we enter the ER doors. (I got pain meds that made me loopy, L got no sleep, and V got to watch all kinds of new people and new things. At least someone got some enjoyment out of those nights...) It's not an experience I want to repeat. Trust me on this. I would rather go through childbirth again (and I did it without pain meds) than go through kidney stone pain a third time. Not to mention this last week of being half asleep and sick due to the medications necessary to manage my pain. It's only been the last two days that have been relatively pain-free.

Now, I have to go to a hospital two hours south of my hometown in order to have it removed. In order to do this, I had to find a babysitter for V, and L and I both have to take more time away from farming duties to make the trip.

I had very little risk for developing a kidney stone, but I did. It could be one of any number of things (though the chiropractor thinks it is most likely a pH imbalance that he recently discovered), but drinking more water certainly wouldn't have hurt me. So, I am going to go all Mother Hen on you people out there reading my blog and remind you once again to DRINK YOUR WATER!!!

Baby's First: Crawling and Talking

Yep, my little nine month old boy is crawling. It's so cute because he pushes his bum up in the air to get on his knees and then 'inches' like an inchworm. What makes it especially hilarious is that he can only go backwards! The look of puzzlement when he finds himself backed up into a corner gets me giggling every time. He can also scoot forwards on his belly and while sitting up if he has something to grab onto. His latest trick is to attempt to pull himself up using the furniture. This has resulted in a few tumbles and bonked noggins, but that doesn't deter my intrepid little man.

He's also so very proud of his ability to talk. His extensive vocabulary includes lengthy words like Mamamamamamama and Dadadadadada and AAAAHHHHHHHHH! The latest addition to V's word bank is Uck or Ucka (as in Yuck) and he will proudly proclaim "Uck" before wrinkling his nose and snorting. It's his latest trick and he does it to make Mommy laugh. Seriously though, since most of his babble is still just babble, I've been working on baby sign language with him in hopes that some of it will stick. He sees me sign Milk when I give him a bottle (open and close one hand into a fist as if milking a cow) but it's like working with Pavlov's dogs... I sign Milk and he starts smacking his lips...

The Fourth Go-Round

Seven weeks ago, I was eight weeks pregnant.

Six weeks ago, I wasn’t.

Yes, I have had another miscarriage. Labs, an ultrasound, and talking to the doctor revealed that it was a ‘false pregnancy’. It started out normally but something happened and the pregnancy just stopped developing. There’s no way to tell what went wrong but the doctor is confident that I will have a normal one the next time round though she recommended I go back on the progesterone pills.

In the recent weeks, as a way to keep my mind occupied, I’ve researched possible causes of progesterone deficiency in hopes of finding a way to fix it. I discovered that I am severely deficient in zinc and iodine. Along with my struggle to lose weight and three prior miscarriages, this points to a possible thyroid problem which is a leading cause of hormone imbalances. I am currently working with a nutritionist and my doctor to see if a diet change and the addition of some new multi-vitamins will correct the problem. So far, I am seeing positive results after only a month. I feel more energetic, I’m eating better, I’ve lost weight, and I sleep better at night. I feel hopeful that we found the cause of my hormone issues. It’s encouraging to me and I can only hope that this keeps up.

For the moment, I am focusing on me and getting healthy, figuring out a lifestyle that works best, and drawing up plans for our house addition. It’s enough for now.

Baby's First: Creeping

Yep, my little man is scooting around now. He can't quite get to his hands and knees but V still manages to move around the house. Time to baby-proof the bookshelves and sweeping the floor multiple times a day. Time to figure out how to keep V away from the door and the bathroom and from under the bed. Time to wonder where the last eight months have disappeared. He is no longer content to stay in one place. All too soon, he'll be walking. 'Dada' is his favorite person at the moment (unless Mom has a bottle in her hand) and the dog is a really interesting animal that he can watch for hours. He loves his oatmeal and banana for breakfast, eats more than I do some days, and is already what's on Mom and Dad's plates tastes better than his own food. Today he's creeping and scooting and almost, but not quite crawling. I just hope he's not walking tomorrow.

P.S. For those who are interested, his last doctor's visit showed that he is following his growth curves for height and head circumference but had a VERY large jump in weight. Doctor was quite pleased.

Out of the loop

Sorry for not posting in ages but our computer is so virus laden that it takes five minutes to load pages and I just don't have that kind of time. So, until our new modem arrives (the old one was fried, again, during a thunderstorm) and our computer is virus-free, I will be on sporadically when I am at the library.

Quick update on everything else:
-V is 7 months old! Yikes, where did that time go? Summer is nearly over, Fall Freshening is fast approaching, and I am the mother of a little boy who can roll over, sit up, and babble.

-I started my first canning project. 8 pints of bread-and-butter pickles are now in the cupboard and I own my very first canning pot. I still have one more batch of pickles to put up and tons of other garden produce to finish putting up.

-Green beans (2 gallons so far) are in the freezer and carrots are next. My garden is doing awesome this year! I have so much produce and we did better on the weeds than we have ever done. I am loving this. Nothing like sweet corn fresh from the garden for supper.

Bye Bye Bossy

Because I grew up in town, even though I now live in the country, I still tend to look at animals as pets rather than just animals. I'm getting better and certain aspects of farm life no longer phase me. It's just that I get this little pang for awhile when we send a cow to the sale barn.

We sent one just this morning. She was one of the older cows in the herd, had developed a slight limp, had a high SCC number, wasn't bred, and wasn't producing as much milk as she used to. Still, for some reason, I've become attached to that particular cow.

Perhaps I was attached because she was one of the first ones I could always pick out when I first started milking. She just stood out in my mind. Maybe it was her placid temperament. (In other words, she went into the parlor first without complaint, had a nice big bag with large straight teats, and didn't kick at you or the milker.) It could just be that I liked that cow for no reason at all. For whatever reason, it was still bittersweet to say goodbye.

You know it's time to weed when...

The pigweed no longer counts as a weed because it's the size of a small sapling. It took me an hour, but I finally found all of my onions in the garden and thinned my carrots. Unfortunately, I also accumulated pricked fingers because my garden is not only producing a bumper crop of veggies but also an even bigger crop of thistle plants. I can usually get them early enough that they don't have any pickers but a few managed to sprout several inches tall and now have terrible spines on them. It was just my luck that those few were also the ones hidden in the copious amounts of quack grass that is also quite abundant in my garden this year. Still, it's a gorgeous day, V slept the hour I worked in the garden, I got five rows weeded, and a gallon of baby carrots so the poked fingers are worth it.

Baby Daze

V is SIX months old now!!! Yikes!!! Where did that time go? My little man is able to eat some food (sweet potatoes are a fave), is constantly practicing his sit-ups, knows how to roll over and scoot a tiny bit, is teething, and grabs everything he can get his hands on. My baby is growing up.

From Our Farm: Part 2

This is a milker. When the cows come into the parlor, we wash their udders with an iodine-based solution to clean off anything that might be on the teats. Then we put the milker on. The milkers are designed to mimic (as closely as a machine can) the action of a calf suckling in order to get the milk out of the cow.


Once the milk is in the milkers, it is pumped through a pipeline, a holding tank or 'jar', and our plate cooler (which cools the milk down) before ending up in our bulk tank. (This one is in our winter barn.) The bulk tank is essentially a very large cooler with a paddle inside. It keeps the milk between 35 and 38 degrees while the paddle stirs the milk to help keep the milk at a constant temperature.

From Our Farm: Chore Time

Twice a day, we bring our cows into the barn for milking. We have two barns-one is a stall barn with an attached parlor used in the winter and the other is just the milking parlor on our 90-acre irrigated summer pasture.


This is our winter parlor. This parlor is a Double 7, meaning we can milk seven cows on each side with a milker for each. We bring the cows in from the holding pen through the two doors on the right. The cows face away from the center aisle or 'pit'. The chore people stand in the pit and put the milkers on between the cow's legs. Once done milking, the cows are sent out the far door and back out into the barn where they are fed hay bales and TMR (a mixture of grain, minerals, and corn silage) in the feed lane. They also have access to the winter pasture.


This is our summer parlor. We bring the cows in through the system of gates you see at the far end of the parlor. As you can see, this is a much bigger parlor. It is a Swing 14, meaning we can put 14 cows in on each side but swing the milkers from side to side as the cows finish milking. The exit doors are not pictured. The cows go out of the parlor and walk back to their pasture until the next milking. We feed the TMR out in the pasture.

From Our Farm: Calf Chores

When a calf is born, we usually separate it from the mother shortly afterward. Because we do not allow the calf to nurse on the mother, we need to bottle feed our calves twice a day for 8+ weeks. We feed them a gallon of whole milk per day and introduce hay as early as possible. We also free-choice (leave out for them to eat when they want to) whole oats at least a week prior to weaning. Kelp and sometimes minerals are given with the oats.


This is a calf bottle. It holds 2 quarts of milk. That's a pretty big bottle.


This is a mob feeder. We can feed 2-5 calves with this feeder. After being bottle-fed for a while, we usually train our calves to drink out of this. They still get the same amount of milk but we will begin free-choicing water when the calves are using these.

At a minimum age of 8 weeks (and able to eat a fair amount of hay and grain), our calves start weaning. We give them 2 quarts of milk once a day for two weeks and then stop giving milk altogether. Once weaned, we keep the calves for another month or so just to make sure they are eating hay and grain well before sending them over to our custom calf raiser.

From Our Farm: A Calf is Born

For those of you who have never been on a dairy farm, here is a peek into our farming life.


Step 1-A calf is born. Our calves are bottle-fed whole milk for 8+ weeks before being weaned. Once weaned, we will keep the calves on the farm until they are 3-4 months old before sending them to our custom calf raiser. They will stay there until they are old enough to be bred.


Step 2-The calf grows up. We bring the next batch of heifers (cows that have not had their first calf yet) back to the farm when they are about a year old to be bred by our breeding bull. After being bred and having a calf, we bring the cow into the milking herd.


Step 3-In order to produce milk, a cow has to 1. have a calf and 2. eat, eat, eat. We feed hay, corn silage, and a mixture of grains and minerals during the winter months. This is taken in the feed lane at our winter barn.


Step 3(cont.)-From mid-May to mid-October, our cows are on our summer pasture. We move their paddocks twice a day to allow for fresh grazing and feed corn silage and a grain/mineral mix. There is nothing lovelier to me than seeing the cows grazing contentedly on all that lush green grass.

Why is it that....

when things seem the worst, something always happens to make it better?

Crabby baby had Mommy up half the night.
Calves didn't want to cooperate during feeding.
Cranky, hungry baby wanted Mommy ALL DAY LONG.
Garden in need of planting, weeding, and watering but baby not happy about being outside.
Mommy ate too many carbs, didn't drink enough water, and WAY behind on dishes/laundry/housework/etc.
Mommy REALLY didn't want to do chores but had to.
Mommy was very tired and just as crabby as baby.

Just when it seemed like it would never end, baby looked up at Mommy and grinned...right before sticking his tongue out and going Pllllbbbbbbb (accompanied by copious amount of baby drool) It's V's newest trick and he's so proud! Suddenly my bad day didn't seem so terrible anymore. (Besides, shortly after Daddy came in and took pity on Mommy. He held baby and fed him a bottle.)

Sorry, it's been a while...

Yeah, I know... It's been some time since I posted. Life just got in the way I guess. In fact, here is a little peek into the 'life' that's been keeping me busy of late.



This little man is 4 months old tomorrow! Ye gads!! Where did the time go?



My Mindy is going to be a Mommy again soon. Puppies are on the way! (anyone want one?)



This handsome Rascal is the most likely father, but no one knows for certain. I think I need to give Mindy a curfew or something...

Homeschool Teacher

I taught a session on writing stories to two of my nieces this past week. They are both being homeschooled and I jumped at the opportunity to see how homeschooling feels. I had a great time though I kept finding myself 'telling' them how to write and had to remind myself that they needed to learn for themselves. I think this would get better as time goes on and have offered to do more with writing and english with the girls in the next school year. I am brimming with new ideas and can't wait to do it again. It's getting me excited about homeschooling even though V won't be in school for five more years.

Bad Hair Day

I have been hunting high and low for the American Girl doll my parents got me when I was a young girl. I thought I had brought her in the house but worried I had accidentally stuck her in a donations bag that went to a local thrift store. Last week, I was in our 'storage shed' (aka the remains of the trailer) digging through a box of junk and what do I find? My doll! Only a mouse had decided to take a nap on her head...*Sigh* Anyone got a good way to clean mouse poo from doll hair?

Diaper Duty

I've been using clothies on V for just over month now and thought I would share what I've learned during that time. I do the old-fashioned tri-fold diapers fastened with Snappi's and plastic pants/diaper covers at home and use the bumGenius brand diapers on V for town trips and chores.

-bumGenius 3.0 All-In-One pocket diapers are awesome! They are the only diaper (to date) that can contain V's 'explosions' when he is in his car seat. The only downside is that they are a pretty bulky diaper. Still, a bulky bottom looks cute on a baby.

-Snappi's are pretty cool. I love that it's 1-2-3 and the diaper is on without any pricked fingers. Daddy would prefer diaper pins but since Mommy does 98% of the diaper changes, she gets the final say.

-I don't feel bad about changing four diapers in five minutes anymore because I am not thinking about the expensive diapers that are being wasted and added to our landfills.

-V is happier in clothies. Perhaps they are softer and/or more comfy than disposables? Not sure.

-Old-fashioned tri-fold diapers aren't all that hard to change. I was intimidated at first, but after doing them for a few weeks, it's not that hard.

The one thing I have yet to do is bring my clothies on a road trip. I am heading out of town for a vacation this weekend and am doing disposables. It's going to be at a jam-packed house and I am not sure of how much room is in my ride for diaper pails and my diaper bin. At least that's my rationale-that it's just easier to do disposables. I feel bad not bringing my cloth diapers but I don't feel comfortable enough yet to bring them. Maybe the next trip...

Baby's First: Sleeping through the Night

Well, that 7 hour night was a one-time-only deal thus far but a greatly enjoyed one for me. At least his 'short' nights are in 4 hour stretches and I am not getting up every two hours anymore. Now if only he would let me put him down more during the 'awake' periods during the day. So far today-20 minutes in the swing and five minutes on his infant gym. Such is Mommyhood I guess.

A Big Hug From Mommy and Baby

Whenever I've mentioned that V has been a slightly fussy baby (especially of late) and not wanting to sleep really well if I am not holding him, I've been advised to check out the book "The Happiest Baby On The Block". I requested it from the library on Wednesday. After yet ANOTHER late, late night with a cranky baby who didn't want to go to sleep, I caved in and bought the book at a local bookstore. AM I EVER GLAD I DID! Last night and so far today, V has slept like...well, a baby. It's simply blissful and it's SO easy to get him to calm down now. The five (well, six actually) S's are so simple to follow and they really do work. Swaddling, laying baby on Side/Stomach, Shushing, Swinging (V prefers a light bounce), and Sucking on a plug or nursing certainly do lead to Sweet Dreams! So Thank You Thank You Thank You to every Mom out there who suggested I look into getting this book. Me and my no-longer-so-crabby baby appreciate it! (I'm thinking of getting a few copies for baby shower gifts, I love this book that much!)

I think I am part werewolf...

This has been one of those days where I just CANNOT wait until my hubby gets home from chores to help calm baby down. V has been fussy-not really hungry but wanting to nurse, VERY much in need of a nap but fighting it, and just cranky all around. I have put him down and let him fuss but he cries until I pick him up (whether it's five minutes or a half hour). Not gassy, no diaper rash, just plain old crabbiness. He slept ALL DAY LONG yesterday (it was BLISS!!!) and is making up for it today. What is it about these crabby baby days that make me just want to prowl outside in the dark and howl at the moon?

Baby's First: Road Trip!!!

Headed to the UP with my sister for the weekend because I didn't want to spend the weekend alone while the hubby headed west for a ski trip. (I would have joined him but figured the other gals going along wouldn't appreciate a crying baby at 4am and I don't downhill ski.) V was pretty good for the trip-pounded down 5oz bottle AND nursed (twice) before we left but slept til Duluth. Ate then slept til Houghton. Wish he slept that long and that well at home.:) Sister's kids were fairly good, too, so the trip went by quick. Hope the return trip is as good.

Baby's First: Chore Time & Snowshoe jaunt

Yep, I did chores for the first time last night. It was kind of fun to be back out in the barn again. I am quite rusty with dipping, wiping, and putting milkers on though I can still take milkers off reasonably quickly. Now, I bet you are all wondering what about Vern. Well, he was out there with me. Before I get shocked expressions from everyone reading this, I did have him fairly bundled up. Three layers of clothing, four layers of cozy blankets,and he was in his car seat in a playpen set eight feet away from the cows. He loved it! Slept right up until his daddy walked in to help with milking. He woke up because he was hungry so I went in and fed him. Worked out well all around. I am hoping to get back into the swing of things now that I know Vern will tolerate the noise of milking but I do have some limits. I won't take him out in the barn if it's below freezing and I am not doing morning chores yet. It will be a while before I am doing chores more than a few nights a week, but with Spring fieldwork and planting right around the corner, it won't be long before my help will be much appreciated.

Also a first for Vernon-snowshoeing. Lanny and I went out for a short stroll (stroll being an understatement) this afternoon. Lanny had Vern bundled up in the frontpack and zipped his jacket around both of them. It was a funny sight to see him all bundled up like that! (Shoulda taken a picture...) Even though I've been taking walks on nice days, I was stunned at how terribly out of shape I am! I had trouble keeping up with Lanny even though he had the bigger snowshoes AND Vernon strapped to his chest! Still, it felt SO good to get out and enjoy the warm weather. It was nearly 40 degrees and the snow was just about perfect for snowshoeing. I can't wait to go again!

Chiropractor Appointment: Round Two

Well, Baby V was crankier than all get out yesterday and this morning but I had another chiro appointment for him so I just waited it out. The chiropractor was happy to see that the tense spot in his hip is gone and his cranial bones are slowly (but surely) moving into place. Baby also got a micro-current protocol (a painless electrical frequency treatment) to help with sleeplessness. Worked like a CHARM! V slept for the next three hours, nursed for an hour, and back to sleep for four hours! Longest he's slept in three days.... After V got his adjustments, the chiropractor adjusted my neck, back, and hips as well as running a micro-current protocol on me for inflammation in my belly. This after finding out that V has suddenly been spitting up ALOT (normal-no spit up), very gassy and fussy, and not sleeping. Turns out my stress levels (we are doing books for our tax accountant appointment on Monday), food choices, hormones, and lack of sleep are all contributing to V's colic spell. I have to bring us both back for follow-up visits in a few weeks to see if anything has changed. I wasn't expecting an adjustment on myself, but I do have to admit that I feel much better now.

Tidbits

-The much anticipated baby swing arrived today (a whole 2 days earlier than expected!) and Daddy got it all set up in time for Baby to take it for a test drive. Works like a charm! It takes up alot of space, doesn't fold up so nicely, but I don't know who likes it more-Me or Baby.

-Taxes are slowly but surely getting done in this house. I always promise myself that I will do a better job of sorting/filing/entering tax info during the year instead of during the final week before our accountant appointment, but this year I really mean to follow through. It's too hard to try and get things done when one has to nurse a fussy baby pretty much all day long.

-Baby is a little piggy. Nursed for a half hour and polished off a 2 oz bottle in no time! I am so lucky that he takes a bottle really well and that Daddy doesn't mind feeding it.

-Left Baby for the first time today. Ran some quick errands in town and was gone about an hour. Heavenly not having to haul that carseat out at every stop! Still, it was nice to get back home again to my little boy.

-I swear our laundry multiplies like rabbits! Laundry bags were all (nearly) empty end of last week and now they are brimming! Grr... Now that I have my baby swing, I think I need to focus on getting a new washing machine.

-I miss doing chores because I miss the cows, the company of my milking partner, and getting out of the house. I feel so out of the loop with what's happening in the barn, but I like not having to do chores because Baby still gets me up 2+ times a night, I get to sleep in (rarely anymore but enough to count) in the mornings, and I know I will be back in the swing of things soon enough.

Baby's First: The Chiropractor Appt

Things I Learned Today:
-Baby is capable of sleeping through my appointments

-Baby is wonderfully silent and cooperative when being undressed in a Dr. office

-Baby is interested in room decor until range of motion is checked. (Note to self: Bring earplugs next time...)

-Baby settles down on drive home until car is possessed by the electrical demon and stalls out. (Note to self: Feed baby as close to appt time as possible and try to keep car in motion at all times. Also, bring baby Tylenol to next appointment just in case.)

-My worries that Baby isn't getting enough to eat are unfounded. He is 7lb 9 oz and ~21 inches long. He gained 11 oz and grew ~1 inch in 11 days. Must be doing something right after all. :)

Understanding: Kicky Cows

After having my baby nurse off and on for 12+ hours yesterday (not kidding!), I now understand why the cows can sometimes be kicky when being milked.

I also totally understand why they always say "Rest when your baby does!" (and REALLY mean it) as most of that 12+ hours was during the night. Poor little guy has a stuffy nose and can't sleep comfortably unless he's being held. I also think he is going thru a growth spurt, which would account for the near-constant nursing.

Old Barns and Old Farms

There is something about those old dilapidated weathered buildings you see on old farmsteads that calls to me. Those graying boards, missing windows, and empty rooms all hint at a simpler life in simpler times. My great-grandmother lived for many, many years on a small farmstead in rural MI, only leaving when her health declined. My grandmother and her two siblings were raised there and my dad, his siblings, and cousins all helped out with chores and fieldwork during their childhood summers. It was a small farm with a few cows, a bull, a very mean rooster (or was it a goose?), some chickens, a few horses (I think) and a tame skunk that came to the door to be fed and once to show off it’s family. The farmhouse was an old log cabin (that porcupines adored eating) with three rooms downstairs and a small upstairs for bedrooms and a homemade weaving loom. The kitchen housed the wood cook stove that took up an entire wall and, if I remember right, provided heat for the small home. I don’t remember much about that house except that the wooden shingle siding had already acquired the grayed, antiqued look long before I was born. I remember the cook stove being a big black, cast iron thing with the perpetually percolating coffee pot keeping warm in a back corner. (My dad claims the grounds were rarely emptied so you ran the risk of getting coffee that ranged from a decent cup’o’joe to high-octane tar.) I remember the bare lonely bulb hanging in the changing room of her sauna and eating raspberries off the bushes as I walked back to the house after washing up. I remember the cracked vinyl on the 70's era floral-print toilet seat cover displayed in proud prominence in the outhouse (even in her later years, my great-grandmother refused to get indoor plumbing). Mostly, though, I remember her barn. It was massive to my little kid mind, rising tall in the twilight hours when the bats would fly out of the rafters to catch the mosquitoes buzzing about. Though long empty of farmyard animals, it was still home to the bats, some birds, and I am sure the occasional wild barn cat. It, like the house, had long ago turned to the faded gray of aged wood and was starting to sag around the edges though it was still used for storage. I always wondered what it was like inside when the animals were still there. I imagined the smell of bedding, cows, and horses. I pretended that light filtering in through the cracked window panes transformed the dusty bare floor into a blanket of golden straw. I could hear the sound of cows chewing their cud, the ‘whoof’ and stomp of the bull as he shifted in his stall, the meow of a hungry barn cat. To open my eyes would be to admit it was just an empty old barn. In my mind, I was transported back 30 years, to a time before I was born, when it was home to those animals. I fell in love with old barns and buildings as a young girl visiting my aging great-grandmother but to this day, I can’t drive past an old farmstead without wondering what stories those old homes and barns could tell. Perhaps that's partly why I ended up out here milking cows for a living...

I know he passed his hearing test but...

Scene: Mom stoking the fire, which wasn't cooperating and sending copious amounts of smoke billowing up to the ceiling. Baby sleeping quietly after a marathon hour-long nursing session.

Mom (whispering fervently to fire): Please start already. Please don't set off the smoke alarm. I just got him to sleep. Pretty Please...Please, Please, Please.

Smoke Alarm: BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Baby: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Mom: Whew!

Scene: Fast forward five minutes. Smoke alarm has been turned off, Fire is lit, and exhausted Mom is climbing back into bed.

Mom: (Pulls back sheets to lay down) *small Sigh of Relief as tired head meets pillow and Mom relaxes*

Baby: WAAAAHH! WAAAAHHH!

Our Little One

Meet Vernon Lanny Salmen, all 6lb 3oz and 18.75in of him. He was born just before 1am on Saturday after putting his mommy through 19 hours of labor and morning chore duty.



Can you tell I've only had about 7.5 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours? And doesn't Lanny look like such a proud papa? I love this picture aside from the fact that I am wearing the oh-so-chic pink hospital nursing gown.



I am still in awe that this little guy is really here! He was a surprise all around since he came nearly three weeks early on the one weekend in January when the in-laws were either out of town or working. Thankfully, we managed to find extra chore help and everything turned out okay. Now, His Majesty is calling for his supper so I am going to go attend to his needs.

The Green-Eyed Monster

My younger sister had a pretty, petite little girl in the early, early AM hours. (FINALLY...My sis has been ready to have her baby for ages!) I have to admit to being a proud auntie for the third time on my side of the family. She's adorable and looks just like me (if I do say so myself) when I was a newborn. ;) I was there visiting this afternoon and I am so jealous because I've still got about three weeks (more like five I'm guessing though) to go but I am getting so ready to have this baby! :P I never thought I would be this anxious but I am. It seems like the weeks can't go by fast enough but at the same time I don't want to be done being pregnant. Does that make sense? I am ready to have my belly back to myself but this baby is so much more managable when it's still in there. No crying babies, poopy diapers, or midnight feedings to worry about yet, but seeing my niece made me yearn to hold my own baby and count those little fingers and toes and babble baby nonsense and all those cute little things you do with newborns. And it would be nice not to wake up in the middle of the night because the baby has the hiccups and keeps nudging nerves in my back.

Also jealous because now my sister can start working on taking off her 'baby weight' (after a waiting period of course.) Had a Dr appointment yesterday and everything still looks good, though my total weight gain jumped to 24 pounds. So I didn't make my 20 pound goal but I am accepting that and proud that I didn't let myself gain this much weight up until this point. It's a disappointment but that's life. I am also disappointed because I haven't had any 'true' contractions yet (although I did have a REALLY ouchy B/H contraction this evening) so my Dr said she wasn't going to check me even though there are strong indications that the baby has dropped and my Braxton/Hicks contractions are getting stronger. (It's really nice to be able to breathe again but not so nice having to pee like every five minutes...) Grr... I was hoping that I would get checked and she would tell me that signs are pointing to me going early. Oh well...I should know better than to get my hopes up. Now I know why they say pregnant women dread the last few weeks...

And the Countdown Starts...

36 weeks. That's what I am at today. *Only* four weeks left to go. (Well, if I stay true to Salmen tradition, I will go over by two weeks and have a hefty baby.) I honestly never thought I would get to this point. It seems so surreal in a way. Even my doctor had to ask at my last appointment, "So, did you expect to make it this far?" Nope. Miscarriage is a very scary, very emotionally draining experience and it has colored everything I've gone through with this pregnancy. I kept expecting it to happen but it never did. And here I am, looking like I swallowed a beach ball, ready to have my baby anytime in the next six weeks. (I'm going with six so that I am not disappointed when the baby doesn't come early.)

It's really hitting me hard these days-in about a month, I am going to be a MOM. How did this happen? (That is a rhetorical question, not a literal one...) I had a dream a while back about losing my baby at someone's house and it got to me. I worry that I am not ready for this responsibility. I wonder what life will be like when it's not just Lanny and me, if I can handle the middle of the night feedings and crying, colicky fits and the teething and everything that goes along with raising kids. I can't keep my own head screwed on straight these days so am I going to do something dumb like leave my baby at home when I go to town? I know these are all questions built upon the typical first-time-mom anxieties, but I still worry. I know I won't forget my baby somewhere and that Lanny and I will somehow manage to raise this child despite the sleep deprivation and stress because other parents have done it before us. I know that I will find the fortitude to navigate the path of motherhood. I just can't get that darn dream out of my head.

The Truth about Chores

Here's a secret...I don't actually mind doing chores. Even at 8 months pregnant, I don't really mind doing chores. Despite the bone-chillingly cold temps we have had recently, I don't mind doing chores. It's crazy but it's true. I am tired of having to pull on three layers of long johns, undershirts, T-shirts, pants, wool socks, sweatshirts, and jackets that no longer close over my belly. I am tired of having to go bathroom before we leave for chores, before I start chores, during chores, before I leave the barn, and when I get home from chores. I am tired of having to crawl out of my nice cozy flannel sheet-covered bed on chilly mornings only to have to put on barn clothes that seem to shrink with each wearing and venture out into sub-zero temps to deal with poopy, temperamental bovines.

But chores, themselves...It's relaxing. There is this almost poetic rhythm that becomes second nature once you've been milking for a while. You move from cow to cow dipping, wiping, putting milkers on, taking them off. There's the soothing click of the pulsators that sound out the steady heartbeat of the milking system, the swish of milk through the hoses, the clunk of the pump turning on, the metallic *clink* of the milkers being hung up. It's music, after a fashion, with harmonies of swatting tails, tip-toeing hooves, and the 'whoof' of a cow coughing up her cud. The beauty of milking is that it's never the same. Different people milking, different cow order, added cow pie cleanups, etc. all add to the musical elements of chores. It's a randomly precise choreography that varies in texture each time yet with the same results in the end-a large increase in the milk level in the bulk tank.

Perhaps I am just crazy, in a sane sleep-deprived way that is, but I really don't mind chore duty. I just wish I could do chores without having to wedge my burgeoning belly into too-tight barn duds and brave the chilly, icy outdoors to get there.

Lanny's New Toy

Lanny bought this last month. He claims it was purchased to make sure that I get to the hospital on time when the baby comes, no matter what the weather is like outside.

Brrr...It's Cold Out There!

We got down to -31 degrees last night. That's cold. I was pretty happy to be able to sleep in this morning as it was -18 (I think) when Lanny left for morning chores. I don't milk if the temp is -20 and I guess he figured it was close enough. Chores this evening will be chilly but they shouldn't be too bad. It's those more extreme negative temps that cause problems. At -15 degrees, everything starts freezing in the parlor. Hoses freeze, hands and feet get chilled, boots get slippery, and anything wet that hits the floor freezes within a short amount of time (not instantaneously but it sometimes seems that way...)It makes for some treacherous walking if one isn't careful about spreading ashes or sawdust on the icy patches. Still the cows prefer to be outdoors rather than in the barn. They come in with frosty 'beards' on their chins, snot-sicles the size of baby carrots, and frozen manure blobs hanging from tails but still they would prefer to be out on the manure pack. I'll stay indoors and leave the frozen noses to the cows.

Only On This Farm...

We were doing morning chores yesterday and Lanny came to interrupt for a few minutes. He had something to show me in the doghouse. The in-laws had two dogs, Rascal and Ruffin. For some reason, the black one (Ruffin) disappeared a few weeks ago. (Interestingly enough, the neighbors have also had a black dog disappear right around the same time.) Anyhoo, Rascal has been awfully lonesome since his buddy disappeared. Since he doesn't have a buddy to play with anymore, he makes do with the animals he can find. Lanny discovered that Rascal was sharing his doghouse with none other than a real live....pigeon. You could peek in and the bird would just look at you, fluff it's feathers and settle back into the straw. Rascal left it alone (amazing to me since Mindy would have devoured it in seconds) and it wouldn't bother him either. Guess he's a bird dog and we didn't even know it!

In other news, the baby is no longer breech according to the doctor. Yay! Had a checkup yesterday and everything looks good. Measuring right on schedule, weight gain around 16 pounds, all my baby clothes are washed and ready to go, and only 5 weeks left!