Loving Life

Today I love being pregnant. I feel happy and content (rather than moody, tired, and huge...) and loving the connection I have with our little daughter growing in my belly. Pregnancy really is a miracle, a life growing and developing inside of you. Everyday I can feel her getting bigger, she wakes me up in the morning when she is ready for breakfast, and gets excited with a flurry of movement when I eat sugary foods. She gets upset when Joey gets up for work and isn't snuggling us anymore. I already adore her. :) I can't wait to get to know her better.

Summer Update

Getting close to a month of chicken ownership! The chicks have moved into the garage - way too dirty to stay in the house, plus with the warm temperatures it was no worry to keep them warm enough.  Joey built them a chicken tractor and they spend their days roaming for bugs and other goodies in it, but still return to the "nursery" at night . I am very much looking forward to them having a coop with a run so I don't have to try and herd them back and forth. They can be very stubborn. They are also still 'babies'. The other day it started pouring rain and they ran out of their shelter because the didn't like the sound of the loud rain on the roof, but then they were getting soaking wet. Instead of seeking shelter they stood in the rain trying to get through the chicken wire... silly babies! :)  They are growing like crazy, sometimes they look bigger just from morning to evening, and they are eating like crazy. Their favorite foods include apples, tofu, tomatoes, swiss chard and bugs. It has been so fun watching them develop personalities and personal preferences.

Speaking of growing like crazy Ocean, Raine and Layke are getting ready to head back to school. Ocean is going into 8th grade, Raine 6th, and Layke 4th. Ocean is only a smidge shorter than me, and still growing, with Raine not far behind... Layke's Birthday is coming up and she is turning 10! I can't even believe it!

My pregnancy has been going well, no complications. I have been slowly collecting baby gear, and the shopping list is slowly shrinking. I have been hit with a very strong nesting urge, I want to have everything bought and set up... but I still have 12 weeks to go so I'm trying to keep reminding myself that. :)  I have been sewing up a storm, figured I'd utilize the time since work has been slower. I have sewn bibs, burp clothes, diaper covers, booties, a hooded towel and matching wash mitt, a doll and a stuffed hen and chicks and I have lots of projects in the making. Today was too humid and hot to even sew... We have decided to invest in an air conditioning unit, after dragging my feet and doing fine last summer I am ready and excited!

Joey has been promoted at work, and being trained with Walgreens as a foreman. Yay for promotions, Boo! to being gone more... He has been working out of town not only Monday through Thursday, but many Fridays too.  and sometimes he has to leave Sunday night. I feel like I never see him.  Ok I don't! :) But I'm glad he is working steady and is being promoted. There is a big job coming up in Asheville and he is looking into the details of that to see if he can get on it.   What would it be like to have him here? I'm excited at the possibility!   

Well I think you are about fully updated now...  Thanks for reading!

Chickens: End of week one

Well we have officially concluded the first week of chicken ownership. It has been so fun watching them grow, and getting to know each chicken's personality. We have already had to move them from the original brooder we took them home in. They were already flying out. A couple of days ago I heard a very distressed little chick peeping and peeping, when I went in the chick was all alone on the floor out of the brooder, and very unhappy.   I could have just put a top on it but felt like they could use more room anyways. So we are using a plastic kiddie pool and the guinea pigs wire fencing (we use to let them roam in the grass) So far no one has flown out. We have also added sticks for perching which they seem to enjoy.

Their tastes are expanding. In addition to corn on the cob and swiss chard, they love cucumber, meal worms, and radish greens. I just give them small amounts at a time so they can try different things, with out upsetting their digestion.

There was a house fly cruising around their brooder and they chased it around and tried to catch it. I am so impressed with their instincts. :)

Already I have left them alone for a whole day. Some work friends of Joey's were camping near by and we went to meet them for the evening, we ended up staying that night and most of Saturday until some one mentioned something about my chicks... and I suddenly had visions of tipped waterers, loose chicks, and hungry chicks and we got home that evening. I rushed in to check on them, and they were all snuggled down for a group nap, excited to see me as I am the barer of all things tasty, but otherwise perfectly content.

The kids have been a bit disappointed the chicks no longer enjoy being held and snuggled like on that first day, and really get distressed by being separated from each other, peeping loudly until they are back with the others. I think we will need to get a snugly kitten next :)