From Our House to Yours!

baby

gone gone gone so long

It's been so long since I posted that I had to pop by and read my own blog today just to remember the last thing I said!

Lame.

Not much new here. Luke and I are hanging out a lot and I'm trying to cram in lots of snuggles before I head back to work at the beginning of November. That will be a sad day, but at the same time I'm happy that my new work schedule is now confirmed and I will only be in the office 3 days per week! Things just seem to work out they way they need to and I'm feeling very blessed.

This has been a busy month. Casey is finished with the fire season but it is now hunting season. The deer hunt yielded some venison for the freezer, and hopefully the upcoming elk hunt will do the same. It is 11 pm and I can hear Casey and his dad in the garage packing up gear and scheming about tomorrow mornings' start to the shenanigans. This is the first big pack trip with the mules we now "co-own", and much hair pulling is going into the planning to make sure it is, indeed, a hunting trip and not a disastrous rodeo. We shall see....

Here's a picture of a practice run in the pasture:

Luke News

For those near and far, here is a little update on our baby boy. Luke is growing like a weed - 10lbs, 9.5 oz and 23" long at his one month appointment, and probably much more by now. He will be 2 months on the 28th. He is outgrowing outfits with great speed!

He is starting to coo and smile and interact with us, but he still hasn't figured out that his hands belong to him. I think he wonders what these things are that keep smacking him in the face! He has amazing vocal cords, is very strong, and is already very capable of sustaining a temper tantrum for a long period of time. Yikes!

He is very game to jaunt around the countryside with me on errands and such. He has gone camping, hiking, was in his first car accident at 8 days old (scary, but minor...and not our fault), and attended his first golf tournament today. He seems to enjoy his Auntie Jody's singing so we listen to her CD in the car all the time.

I have many, many, many pictures, but will just post a few.

On a hike to jump crick with Mom & Auntie Becky

Just being cute

Sad face

Oh Canada (obviously dressed by Mommy)

What is he trying to say here? Surely not a comment about his shirt!?

Smiling at Daddy

Belated Baby Announcement

WELCOME

LUKE MURRAY EAGER

Born 7.28.08
8lbs., 6oz.
21" long
Cute as a button

He's generally a pretty agreeable little guy. He's growing a lot and developing more personality every day. We love him to bits and are amazed that he is finally here!

Here he is, meeting the rest of the family...

And snuggling with Daddy after a bath...

And hanging with Mom at the beach on his first camping trip...

Man at Work

Although I wouldn't trade careers with my husband for even a day (I like regular showers, A/C, sleeping in an actual bed, and would rather admire the dirty, sweaty, hot, endless work from afar) I must admit that I'm a little jealous of the "office(s)" in which he works!

It's a bit tough, though, to find anywhere to vacation in the western states that he hasn't already seen! Oh well - I guess that makes him a well qualified guide for someone like me who has so much yet to see.

Around Here

Count down to baby continues. Just a couple weeks left and I'm trying to tie up projects at work and get "ready" for baby's arrival. At home, the baby room is ready, baby's bag is packed, and my bag is empty but sitting on the floor with a pile of things around it, ready to be filled.

Meanwhile, I've been keeping busy battling weeds in the yard, keeping the new trees thriving in the heat, and taking care of a couple of new additions.


They are meant to help with the weed problem, but they are only 3 months old so their appetites aren't quite up to the volume of the job. They are twin nubians, and very sweet little girls. I would like to keep them for milkers, but this is my first goat experience so I'll just wait and see how goats and I get along. Their names are Willa (on the left) and Milly (right) after my two favorite female authors, Willa Cather and Mildred Walker. A goat needs a good name.

The garden is coming along despite the late planting date. I'm looking forward to green beans, peas, tomatoes, etc., etc. Today I used my first garden produce in the kitchen - basil leaves in a pasta salad, and red leaf lettuce in a turkey/avacado sandwich. Yum!

The yard is very obviously in it's beginning stages, but it is coming along very well and we are spending a lot of time outside enjoying it. On July 4th I hosted family and friends for a backyard BBQ, bocce, horseshoes, etc. It was the first "event" for our yard and it was fun to share it with friends. The heat let up and it was a beautiful day full of food and conversation. The kids, dogs, and goats exhausted each other, and it was a great day all around.

Miscellaneous News

I called in pregnant to work today so am at home having a day for myself and relaxing a bit, which means I have time for a blog post. It will have no theme, so pardon the collage of unrelated bits.

First, a happy photo that Casey took in our front yard the other day--our pot of gold:

With hubby back in the swing of the wildfire season, 'tis the season to fill my days with company and visiting and catching up with friends. A girlfriend and her two little boys spent 4 days here last week. Hard to say who enjoyed the company more - Katie, or me! At least I know she'll love having a little boy to play with when ours is old enough to toddle around. I enjoyed the visiting as well as having a 2-year-old assistant in the garden.

More company to come this week when Littlest Sis arrives for a few days in town for a friends' wedding. Looking forward to a visit with her!

In other news, I was spoiled to bits again at a baby shower hosted by wonderful Aunt Bon last week. What a blessing to have such family and friends! One very important friend was missing though, having just delivered a baby the day before, and another friend barely made it - she went into labor 3 days later! I swear that gestation is not required to be my friend...it only seems like it lately! Many thanks to everyone who attended. Baby Eager is a lucky fellow to be so "showered" with gifts already!

In other news, we have a skunk. Yuck. It is a baby, thank goodness, which means his scent is not mature yet. This is lucky, because Katie hasn't yet learned that skunks are to be avoided and tried to make friends. She came away with a stinging eye and a light perfume which is (thankfully) already gone today. I'm planning to encourage the skunk to find a new home before he reaches his full aromatic potential.

Junior

I am now 32 weeks and 4 days pregnant...alarmingly close to motherhood! It is exciting and scary at the same time, but I'm not in any rush to hit the 40 week mark yet. There is a lot to be done to get ready for Junior (nope, no name yet).

This weekend some wonderful friends from church hosted a baby shower. We all (nearly 40 of us) enjoyed scrumptious cake with strawberries and whipped cream, good company and "oooh-ing" over little boy outfits and baby gear. I was spoiled! Last night, kept awake by this new and unwelcome phenomenon, heartburn, I stayed up late organizing the baby room and sorting through new and used items that have come my way from so many generous friends. Here is a glimpse of the organization in progress, and a belly picture from today (shared somewhat reluctantly).

Good-bye Sweets

I'm saying a sad farewell to goodies. It's now official, after 2 rounds of testing, that I have gestational diabetes and will need to make a few changes to control it properly.

This (hopefully) isn't going to be a huge deal, because I've been making it a habit to eat frequently, consume a lot of whole grains and proteins, and generally try to have very balanced eating habits. Still, it will mean that the occasional indulgence in very generous slices of home-made pie at the truckstop down the road should probably be avoided for the next two-and-a-half months! I'm looking forward to meeting with a dietician and nurse very soon to learn all I need to know so I can keep baby and me as healthy and happy as possible.

I'm just praying that I'm not one of the few who decides to hold onto this dear affliction after giving birth! The longing for a nice dark beer and a lovely piece of sour cream lemon pie (although not together) could become an obsession soon!

Playing in the Dirt

There may be no other day of the year that is as eagerly anticipated as branding day - at least for me! It's an event for the whole family - from the toddlers to great grandma. There is a lot of dust, a little cursing, and it finishes up with a great potluck spread.


It may not be as much fun for the mamas and babies, briefly separated here while the doctoring and other shennanigans go on in the calf pen. It's a noisy day as they talk back and forth to each other across the fence.

My husband, the baby of the family and the one with the fewest injuries (currently), is the chief calf wrestler. This year his pants remained intact. Not so last year when I had to sew his jeans back together using twine and a few holes poked with a pocket knife. Now that's sewing I can handle!

Katie is awfully interested in the cows, but doesn't quite have a handle on when to work them and when to leave them alone. Here a horse lead rope has found a new use as a dog leash to help her remember to stay nearby until she hears "OK". We've got some work to do later, but she's just a pup for now.

The main dish at the end of the day is - what else - steaks on the grill.

Blog Slacker

Wow! I haven't bogged in weeks! This won't be much of a post, but more of a little "hello" to let you know that I am still here.

I'm happy to share that I've crossed a few very simple items off my list! Both #31 and #32 are now complete. At Nicole's suggestion in her comment, I created a very simple compost area using a circle of chicken wire partly buried in the ground (this to keep the puppy and other marauders out). So far it has been dog safe, but whenever something goes in that smells good to her, Katie lies on the ground next to it with her nose up to the wire and whines pitifully!

Item #32 was easily acheived by buying a pair of plain old men's black rubber boots (taller than the cute ladies' boots and therefore much better for wading through the creek) for $8. However, on the same day, in the same store, my husband dropped $465 for a pair of special order Whites boots, so our average purchase price rose substantially! Note that this is not a complaint, though, simply an exclamation over the fact that it is even possible to spend that much on boots! But, they will hike many many dirty, smelly, sooty, miles all over the western states this summer and are quite vital to his livelihood. I'll stick to my creek wading, thank you!

Straight Story

What a neat movie we watched last night. It moves very slowly and has little "action", but is a lovely (based on a true) story. Plus, it stars "Matthew" from Anne of Green Gables, who has such an enjoyable voice.

Where was the camera?

We are becoming bonafide acreage people! Last night we were out in the yard digging up our perfectly good well to take out an existing pipe and plumb in a new one to attached the sprinkler system that is soon to come. By "we" I mean that Casey was doing all the digging and hard work and I was sitting nearby, handing over tools, and keeping track of all the shiny parts and tools that the dog was dragging off and/or trying to eat. It was great fun involving a lot of dirt and not even any cursing this time!

About halfway through the project, our cheering section (ie., Katie the Pup) streaked off across the yard barking. Not far in front of her was a very healthy fox with a tail bigger than the whole rest of her body. They got halfway across the pasture, then stopped, squared off, and had a staring contest. We watched, wondering if we were going to have to come to Katie's rescue, but then the fox turned tail and trotted away. Katie ran home, obviously very proud of her brave defense of her territory. It was quite entertaining! Casey's dad (who is our next-door-neighbor-across-the-pasture) says they have seen this fox quite frequently, but this was my first close-up look at her.

Should I rethink the chickens (since I want the kind that are free to roam around the yard freely most of the day)? And how do I make sure that the dog doesn't think they are meant for her dining pleasure? We shall see!

Nothing Like it in the World

Yes, I admit to stealing that title from Stephen Ambrose, but I promise not to write about the transcontinental railway here, so he should be ok with me borrowing it.

The moment that brought the phrase to mind was just a little quiet piece of life. Last night Casey and I sat around on the back step playing fetch with the puppy, talking about where the garden would grow, and looking out at the pasture full of momma cows and baby calves. It had been a rainy day, so it smelled like fresh, wet, dirt (ahhhhh). The clouds had darkened the sky prematurely to a deep, steely blue/grey, but cheeky little bits of light where sneaking through the curtain of clouds in the west proving that there was still a glorious sunset going on somewhere. The wind had died down and the air was still and cool - a just right temperature for sweatshirt and jeans. There we were--a husband, a wife, a dog, and a itsy bitsy baby growing and turning flips inside of me. I didn't want to move.

It's nice to have a few moments like that to file away.

A Work in Progress

It takes a lot to build a place from scratch! It's exciting to start fresh with a clean slate, even though that clean slate is 2 acres large and it will be a bit of a job...and an expensive one! In the next couple of weeks we need to fence a horse pasture, design and install a sprinkler system, get a start on the lawn, layout a garden spot that works with the irrigation design, maybe lay pavers for a patio, buy a commuter car. Oh yes, and I volunteered to plan a ladies' event for church.

Then there are the things we would like to do, but might have to delay for awhile, like plant trees, build a chicken coop and get some chickens, build a deck, install another water hydrant, install a water softener, build some flower beds and plan some landscaping. I think I should be starting some seedlings for the garden soon, too. Did I mention that all of this costs money?? Truly, the opportunity to be building our home is so exciting, not daunting like it might seem if we weren't finally living what we've been dreaming about since we were first dating. And watching Katie (our puppy) run around and chase birds and steal tools is very entertaining and makes the work more fun.

Christmas in February

Finall! As promised, some photos of the completed cradle by Heather:

And the lovely lunch tote by Nicole:

Thank you so much, ladies! Home-made gifts are such a treasure to me! These will be used and enjoyed for years!

Playing Vet

Reasons that it is difficult to doctor a puppy:

• they squirm. A lot.
  
• one person doesn't have enough hands to hold down a puppy and keep an ice-pack firmly applied.
  
• they will try to eat the ice pack. I don't think the chemical contents of the ice pack are fit for canine consumption.
  
• they try to eat you.

And minimal exercise and leash confinement for 5 days??! Are you kidding? Five days in the dog run will have to suffice, poor baby. But she's already feeling much better.

The Doc, Houseguests, and Presents!

Never have I so looked forward to trips to the doctor's office! My little Doc is such a sweet lady. So far I have enjoyed each appointment, and am looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat again today. Just three more weeks until the next ultrasound! Thoughts of baby names are taking over my brain.

Heather and Trevor were here last week and brought the completed cradle! What a lovely gift! We had overnight guests last night--the Hampes, down from the mountain to spend a day in the city and have a visit with friends. Baby Kray test drove the cradle and pronounced it fit for Baby Eager! Thanks again, Heather! I'll post pics soon. The Hampes also brought our second official baby gift - a lovely baby book, lots of reading material and a handful of teensy onesies. Such fun!

And the gifts pour in! A package arrived this weekend from a crafty cousin...I'll let her share the first photos of the lovely lunch tote and contents since her photos are always so wonderful. It has been used daily and brightens my morning with its cheerful colors as I head off to work. Thanks, Nicole! It was such a treat to find that in the mail box!

Time Fast

It is the season of lent once again. Many people within our church family and community are making a personal commitment to fast and refocus. I meant to post about my commitment to this a few weeks ago, but have been a bit under the weather and out of sorts battling a raging flu without the benefit of symptom-altering drugs to get me through the day. My only tool to battle this has been sleep, lots of water, and more sleep. Needless to say, blogging, housework, laundry, etc. all fell victim to this sleep schedule and I'm a bit behind.

Now in week 17 of pregnancy, I've already given up caffeine, alcohol, and miscellaneous poor eating habits for obvious reasons. My diet is actually quite sensible and full of fruits, whole grains, protein, and plenty of bran and other helpful fibres! That said, I didn't feel like a dietary change would be a good fasting choice this year. After thinking about it a lot I realize that the thing I guard most jealously and without flexibility is TIME. So, I've decided to give up some time in hopes of creating a new habit.

It's only 15 minutes, but it's significant to me. I'm now setting my alarm for 5:30 (getting up at 5:45 after the usual 3 snooze hits) and spending 15 minutes to read some scripture and pray. I've enjoyed it, and it has gone well with the exception of last weeks sick/fevered haze that had me in bed at every spare second. I plan to select a couple of passages for memorization too. Ideally, this will become such a part of my day that it will continue indefinitely. I'll keep you posted.

Dirty 30s

Since the big 3-0 is coming up this year, I took a moment this morning to read through my list of "Things to do Before 30". It was fun to see that there are now a few things that I can cross of the list...but still many that just might still be on there when I hit that milestone birthday 10 months from now. I've decided to make it achievable and adjust my deadline...it is going to become my list of "35 Things to do Before 35".

Here is the original list:
1. Paddle in the San Juans
2. Go steelhead fishing and actually catch something
3. Get a dog - done! Katie is making life more fun and inspiring me to take more walks and play outside in the snow.
4. Live outside of the city limits - done! We moved onto our acreage mid-December of 2007
5. Travel to some place that involves crossing the ocean
6. Plant a garden and actually harvest something out of it
7. Reupholster my couches
8. Go to the dentist again at least once (maybe even twice)
9. Learn to sail (ie., take a single sailing lesson or even be a passenger on a sailboat)
10. Learn to play tennis
11. Become a little less apathetic & uninformed about politics
12. Read something by Tolstoy
13. Finish writing in my "Sisters" memory diary that Becky gave me for Christmas a long time agon.
14. Organize/archive/purge my many boxes of photos
15. Take a trip on the Sikumi
16. Visit Alaska
17. Learn to make Tamales
18. Give copies of my wedding photos to the people who were actually in my wedding party...I have them...I even found them the other day.
19. Shoot a deer...elk...bear...anything, and improve my wild game cooking skills.
20. Have a baby - IN PROGRESS!
21. Own a piano
22. Make goat cheese
23. Buy a pair of slippers (because that's what grown ups do) - done! I bought some pink fuzzy slipper/boots that my husband hates!
24. Make baklava
25. Go to an NFL game
26. See the Hoover dam

Now to make it 35 items:

27. Own my own horse
28. Be able to make baking powder biscuits from memory without peeking at the recipe
29. Visit Crater Lake
30. Snowshoe in and spend a night at a Yurt
31. Start a compost pile
32. Own a pair of rubber boots again and play in the mud in the spring
33. Collect eggs from my own chickens
34. Start sketching again
35. Buy my husband a new paint job for his old pick-up

We'll see how this goes....

Stuck

I'm looking back on the past few weeks and it seems that I took the entire month of January off from the world. Is this OK? I'm going to work, and making most of my basic social obligations, but otherwise I've been a motionless lump on the couch. Apparently, this is a result of my current gestational condition, but it feels very strange to me. I've always been quite active and social, but right now I've got nothing! I even forgot about and slept right through our niece's birthday party yesterday afternoon! I'm a horrible human being!

I'm also feeling guilty because many mom's-to-be are chasing around after the rest of their children while they're feeling this way. I, on the other hand, am doing nothing. Does this mean I'm less equipped for the demands of motherhood? I'm telling myself that listening to my body is good...and that since I'm tired and have the chance (perhaps for the last time in this stage of my adult life) I should be resting guilt-free for a little while. The word is that my energy will improve in the next week or so, so until then I'm vowing to loose the guilt, kick back with my feet up, and watch a few more episodes of McLeods Daughters, Season 2.

Ok, Ok!

In response to Chatty's last two comments (she caught my little hint from last week in the "currently reading" section of this blog), I am finally making this post. Yep - there's going to be one more addition to our family - and not a puppy this time. We're expecting a baby right around the end of July! It is exciting news for us! We found out on my birthday at the end of November (that is a birthday I will never forget) and we've been celebrating ever since! It has definitely been a time for new things - the house, puppy, baby news...life is full!

So far I'm feeling great - no morning sickness, just finding that naps sneak up on me without warning. Since I'm at the very end of the first trimester it appears that I may have escaped morning sickness altogether...hopefully that is true!

Thanks to all the books, advice, birth stories, piles of maternity clothes, and the opportunity to be present when a friend's child entered the world this fall, I'm beginning to feel a bit more prepared for the months to come. What a wonderful gift to have such friends! What an even greater gift to have a wonderful husband who is always so good to me and is looking forward to fatherhood with great enthusiasm. I can't even imagine how much our lives are going to change, but we're as ready as we're ever going to be!

I think I'll call her ???

Tonight we went to look at some puppies. The plan was to just go and see if we wanted one. If yes, we would buy puppy stuff tomorrow and then bring one home. Ha ha. Casey, usually the voice of reason, decided that it would just be easier to bring her home tonight. She puked in the car, but she's darned cute! She is a little rotund, and has no name, but she's smart and cute and has already stopped whining and gone to sleep!

(The nieces stopped by to meet her)

Oh, how I've missed you!

If anyone is still reading this blog, my apologies for the long absence! I promise to be back with new enthusiasm in January. There are many pictures to post and stories to share, but here are a few highlights from the last few weeks:

• We've moved! We got the keys to our brand new house on Dec 13th and then it was a mad scrambled to get moved-in, new appliances/furniture delivered, and (partially) un-packed before...
• Our Christmas company arrived in the wee hours of the morning on 12/22. Dad, Diane, and Rob arrived and went promptly to bed after a 22hr marathon drive. They stayed with us and together we ate much food, played games, and went cross-eyed over jig-saw puzzles until they headed home on 12/30.
• We, in our enthusiasm to share our new home with family and friends, happily played host and hostess to many a guest! It was lovely! In the hectic moving period I managed to produce a small smorg of Christmas baking that expired only just as the last guest left! I swear that it was not unlike the loaves and fishes story! We were happy that the new kitchen and living areas passed the entertainment test, and the maiden voyage of the brand new septic system went without issue. Teehee. We celebrated on Christmas Eve with Casey's family--breakfast for dinner, lots of people, and many kids squealing and running around the house. Later that evening Jody and Nate & Becky came out to spend the night (Lance was sickly and joined us the next morning). It was lovely to all be together to share Christmas morning breakfast casserole and exchange gifts. Becky's in-laws joined us for dinner, and number of other guest popped by throughout the evening to visit. It was a long and wonderful day!
• We are puppy shopping...or at least talking about it! That's a first step!
• It was a white Christmas, and our yard still looks crisp and clean in its blanket of snow! Such a treat.

That's all for now! More to come when I can post some pictures!