My favorite, wild daisies from the yard. I am still trying to figure out how she can be so sweet one minute and a holy terror in the next.
Reverting Backward? Taking up the pacifier that she never liked as an infant now she likes because Baby Brother likes his... and playing with rattles I took out for Leo too.
Bouncing Baby Boy. Literally bouncing by Big Sister's hand, we had to make sure he wasn't being catapulted.
Felted Hat. Made this hat in almost 3 days for my mom... but then Leo arrived and I ran out of red yarn.
Then I went to let the chickens out of their coop. Gromit is checking out the corn I threw in the grass, he's nuts. NOTICE: The freshly cut grass! Yes, Lulu slept for about 1 hour and 45 minutes on Tuesday so I mowed the lawn... and proceeded to break off the middle blade on the lawn mower, gosh just when I think I am helping Gerry I actually gave him more work to do! He picked up new parts for the mower yesterday after work.Gimpy Girl
Meet the last bird in the pecking order, I call her Henrietta. One day in Feb/March the other birds singled her out and pecked her to a bloody mess. I quarantined her and until she could fend for herself again. I think an animal must have attacked her because her foot is messed up, see how she folds her talons under? She's a smart bird though, fights of the other girls now, for the most part, she waits in the coop until the others are out. I give her a special scoop of corn and she hangs out awhile until the coast is clear then she goes to the lilac bushes and hangs out by herself mostly.
A big "Thank You" for Les my 'muddin' friend. He makes cool wood stuff, and while he was chicken sitting for us one week he make us this really cool egg basket. Which is really a great help.
I planted them this year, for whatever reason they didn't come back last year. Pays to buy a larger plant. The chickens don't eat these or the peonies.
Also known as Lulu... she was being super cute. But honestly who am I kidding she's always super cute even when she's screaming at me. We had a really rough day yesterday. It was the heat I think? She was exhausting all day. Oh well, only 18 more years of fun, fun, fun. Good thing I love her with every fiber of my being!
Our first 2 week appointment was Wednesday with our PC... we're going to skip a pediatrician. Lulu now weighs 9 lbs 16 oz, and she has good ears, good eyes, good heart beat, good lung sounds.... now I need to start reading more about immunizations.
Although I brought a camera for pictures of the checkup (at least one) I didn't manage to snap a single picture.
She was sleeping a lot yesterday and today, but wants to be with me, near me... which is sweet but somewhere in my mind I know I am setting myself up for problems if I don't put her down once in awhile (maybe tomorrow?).
The rain has been great for the flowers, what little survived the winter and the chickens! After all the work digging out rock, putting down mulch and planting perennials... only the peonies arent bothered by the chickens and cold. Granted this bush is on the side I hadn't moved rock, but the chickens don't seem to bother the peonies on either side. My latest plan is to build raised beds around the area and put up a little chickenscwitz fencing... but I think I may have to design and weld my own because I can't find anything sturdy enough for chickens to stay out. Anyhow, I couldn't do anything while preggo... so now I hope as the summer gets going and baby Lulu has some sort of routine I can get some things done. PLUS, Daddy Gerry is buying us a baby monitor today so that will help too!
Daddy's Weigh-In
On Lulu's 4th day we went for our 2 week weigh in at the doctor's office. It seems that somehow our records are messed up and everyone keeps telling use Lulu was born with a fever; however, being that we were both in the room and they said she was normal everything and an 8-9 APGAR score they are just plain wrong. Anyhow, I will take that up with her pediatrician after I pick one this week. In any case we stripped the poor child to her birthday suit to weigh her and she was 7.15 so hadn't in 4 days gained her birth weight back. The hospital was about 105 degrees and the baby was hungry so I fed her, after about a 10 min feeding on one side (because it was so hot she fell asleep) the doctor had us strip her down and see if she gained a 1/2 oz! I don't know what I was thinking just going along with what the doctor said. After she saw Lulu hadn't gained anything she asked if I would come back in 2 days! Good greif! I said no, and she made it sound like I was inconvenienced driving into town to check on the wellness of my baby... not that we're about 10 days early for a 2 week appointment because someone messed up our records... and dragging a 6 day old infant to a hospital 16 miles away where sick people go didn't sound so good to this new mom! I can understand if there was something wrong with the little one, but she's been eating well and sleeping well... granted on her own schedule but considering her short duration living outside the womb she's doing pretty darn great!
Gerry decided he wanted to see how much weight she was gaining (this picture was Father's Day). She weighed just over 9 lbs minus the 1/2 oz of clothes she was wearing. YES he did weigh the clothes, you know Gerry!
After a week of long nights (again on Lulu's schedule) we're all sleeping in a little... including Nana. As painful as that little position Lulu is in looks it's her position of choice. No one holding her lets her stay that way, but she mosies down off your shoulder in a matter of seconds to find that spot. She's such a sweetie. Nana and I got a 3/4 mile walk in yesterday after Grandma Schermeister bought us a Baby Bjorn (THANK YOU!) what great gear to own! Now to hope we have a little walk everyday... between the rain showers and t-storms.
I am 39 weeks along:Things that people say:
"Oh wait until you have heartburn" 9 mos and so far nothing, I am pretty sure the difference is our diets & lifestyle. It seems like everyone projects their least favorite pregnancy symptom on you as if you're pregnancy will be just like theirs was!?
"What have you been craving?" Not sure why it bothers me, I haven't been craving any one thing throughout the pregnancy. I seem to have less tollorance for things I normally enjoy like cauliflower, and for a few weeks I wanted Starbursts which is not my MO for candy... but nothing in particular.
"Is this your first?" Well, duh, do you see any little ones tagging along with me... hmmm, for the past 4 yrs? Ok, granted some people don't know me in this town still. I am just not sure what that question is leading up to, but guessing it's to hear about all their pregnancy/birthing experiences.
"Are you excited?" OMG - You don't get 9 mos pregnant and not be excited to have a baby! What kind of idiotic question is that! No, actually I am giving the child up for adoption to someone more excited! (Just kidding mom, don't pack your bags!). I am excited no one is going to ask me these questions after the baby comes.
"By how high you're carrying I think (or 'my mom would say') it's a girl." Why do people tell you these things? Because they're all experts? Everybody carries babies differently.
People keep telling me I haven't "dropped" but every doctor appointment since March when the baby WAS breech, the doctor has felt the baby's head and it's on my pelvic bone. Oh and trust me I feel it... and the pressure associated with moving my bones. I am not sure where people think the baby will drop to? How much lower than my cervix can it go before it pokes it's head out? Does anyone ever take into consideration the little one is probably LONG since both of us parents are tall? Or that when 'lightning'/'pelvic station' changes occur it may not be noticable since it's a matter of body type?
"Do you know what you're having?" Ok that's a common question, and one I would probably ask too... but I keep saying, only God knows! I think after you hit a certain number of months we just need to wear a pin that says, "I DON'T KNOW!" It answers it all! I don't know what the sex is, so no I haven't picked out a name either. I don't know much anymore because I get so little sleep and the baby is sucking all my glycogen stores. I don't know what I am going to do since I was laied off... I am guessing a lot of breastfeeding. I don't know if I should if I will stay in the technical field or make a career change.
No epidural for me! Found out Doctor said 'no can do' because medical concerns. I was planning natural but guess that really puts breaks on any alternatives. The only total bummer is if I have to have a C-section it means they have to put me completely out. No use worrying about it now, I have a "can do it natural" attitude and also an open mind knowing I will chose what is best for both baby and me... and so will Baby's Daddy*
NEXT project: In spite of having made the 4 baby rattles that I am selling on Etsy... I didn't want to give my baby any of those rattles but rather something more 'original' and my style if you will. I came up with it last night. Baby rattle will be an eyeball on the optic nerve... how neat will that be! Well I think so and so does Baby's Daddy* so guess that's all that matters.
My sister and I made a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a USANA International Convention. It was a blast, during our last morning in town we had 2 hours to walk around the city before out checkout time at the hotel. It was a very nice city, amazingly clean, and the buildings around the Mormon church were amazing. Of course I saw these amazing flowers, and I have not a clue what they are, but they'd look good in my yard I am pretty sure.
3 Team Northrup Members
We decided to try a new laying chicken breed this year, the Gold Star. Seems they lay about 1 month before the rest of the hens. It was just in time too, we actually had to buy a dozen eggs last week. We had older pullets, but we also have a fox who discovered the food supply, and ate all our layers, except one hen... but she doesn't lay eggs, just crows like a rooster (figures the fox didn't take her!). We call her Hen Who Crows and she may be dinner this summer. If she's going to crow like a rooster, she should protect like a rooster would too!
Our beans are growing well, which is awesome because they are my favorite. I know The Cultivator doesn't like when they are frozen, but I was thinking of blanching and freezing some so I can enjoy during the winter months. I will have to do some research on this.
I made a couple stops this weekend on my weekly grocery store run: the farmers market, the book store and the flourist.
This week I'm going to the NLO show to see The Cultivator fiddle.
... Thanks Laureen for showing me how to felt, now I have yet ANOTHER hobby that I absolutely am loving and not sure how much time I can spend to create the things floating around in my mind....and at least this is a flower I won't be destroying.
Status on my Clematis... not so good. I watered it yesterday and the vines that had grown up the topiary (and actually bloomed this summer) are dried and dead. There are some leaves at the base still green, I will get some dried manuer and try and make it better.
