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Time is a flyin'

I can't believe 2009 is almost out of the door. This year has FLOWN by at speeds unheard of. So fast that I haven't even had time to blog lately. I guess....I'll need to be catching up on my life.

In the meantime, I'd like the share this toooo cute pic of my babies:

My Babies!

It's been 12 days....

GottaGetGoing
Oct 27, 2009
8 comments

12 days ago I went from being mother of 1 to being mother of 2....WHAT A TRANSITION!

On October 15th, after 5 hours, I gave birth to this little 7lb 3oz 20" long miracle:

Terrell Xavier is his name and I'm absolutely IN LOVE.

It's been 12 days....

12 days ago I went from being mother of 1 to being mother of 2....WHAT A TRANSITION!

On October 15th, after 5 hours, I gave birth to this little 7lb 3oz 20" long miracle:

Terrell Xavier is his name and I'm absolutely IN LOVE.

Last week was my DH's birthday. My twelve year old Aspie said to him, "I hope you got condoms for your birthday." I told him that was not really appropriate to be concerned about and he said, "I don't want any more siblings." So my H says to him, "Too late, your mom is already pregnant again and due in May!" (I'm actually not) and the twelve year old responds with , "God Bleep it! (he actually said bleep) Just in time for school to let out."

Needless to say I had to explain to him YET AGAIN, that my reproductive organs and their activities are none of his business.

This Blog Has Moved!

annaliisa
Oct 24, 2009
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Anna Liisa's adventures can now be read on WordPress:

http://annaliisa.wordpress.com/

After school conversation with my oldest

Mamma Bear
Oct 16, 2009
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I grumble about the kids often enough, especially the oldest because he can be so frustrating. However it isn't always bad. Sometimes it is just... Odd.

Just as we are pulling into the parking lot to the store we pass a small traffic circle with a statue of a man on a horse.

Son: *bursts into hysterical laughter*

Me: What on earth is so funny?

Son: That horse has a weiner!

Me: *sigh* ... Why is that so funny?

Son: I don't know! It just is!

Me: Is it funny that you have one?

Son: No!

Me: *boggle* You know both genders are required for horses and many other creatures to produce offspring, it is only natural. Horses are not sharks, they cannot produce with just a female.

Son: Sharks can have babies with no male?

Me: Yes, it is kind of like cloning, only they go through pregnancy.

Son: What would happen if they made a copy of a copy of a copy?

Me: Just like using a photo copy machine to make a copy of a copy of a copy, it would degrade eventually. Only it is more complicated because genetics are involved.

Son: It is complicated to make a copy if you think about it scientifically. Positrons are sprayed and a beam of light has to hit your picture and be reflected back. And then it has to make your copied image...

Me: ... Yes I can see how that is probably a bit more complicated than I had thought.

Son: Fire is Beautiful... I think that is why I like angry women.

Me: *sigh* You think so?

Son: Yes. Maybe someone can do a study about why guys think girls are so cute when they are mad.

Me: Yes, I suppose that would make a good study... *thinking the old man could take part in that study*

Frustrated....annoyed....and plain old miserable.....

GottaGetGoing
Oct 12, 2009
2 comments

BE FOREWARNED- THERE'S A LITTLE TMI HERE.....

Well, Friday morning I began having contractions that were very consistent and coming every 7-10 minutes apart...then on my last bathroom trip, I had some a big gross blob of mucousy, bloody discharge and became a bit concerned. I called my midwife and she said it was probably my mucus plug, but to go to Labor & Delivery for monitoring(she thought maybe my water had broken) because I was probably in labor.

SO...we went in and the midwife on staff didn't seem convinced that I was having contractions because I was calm through them. THIS pissed me off royally, because I was the same with my daughter at 8cm and almost ready to go. The contractions were registering, but not very strong....then they tapered off to 20 mins apart...They sent us on a walk(which by the way, I thought it was just "off" that the radiology department is on the same floor as L&D- ie radioactive areas + pregnant women). We returned with stronger more frequent contractions- then they stopped. SO...I was sent home.

I'm STILL having contractions every 10, 15, or 20 mins, and now just absolutely miserable as a result. WALKING isn't helping them to be more regular and I nearly killed poor Andrew with just a look for suggesting that we do anything else to get these contractions more organized.

Technically, I've officially been laboring for 3 days and I'm getting really tired of it. I guess the only good thing that has come of this is that I've been able to get a few good meals and some rest in before the "big event"(though I'm convinced I'll be pregnant forever and still be carrying around a teenager in utero).

OK...I'm done, I just needed to vent a bit.

Additions to the Fraudulent Farmstead (or, not exactly news)

Yes, yes, I'm a terrible blogger; yes, I've kept you all waiting; yes, OK, you want pictures of chickens. Have we covered all the bases now? I apologize for the wait; we had some camera issues, and some work issues, and some (let's be honest here) laziness issues. But I'm back!

Shortly after my last post, the Chicken Man called me and told me I could pick up my birds! Amy F and her daughter Caroline accompanied me to the farm, which was jam-packed with birds, sheep, dogs, rabbits, and the ugliest freaking ducks I ever seen. (Seriously, they looked like they had leprosy, which is apparently exactly what Muscovy ducks are supposed to look like.) Chicken Man had six lovely little pullets corralled for me, so I could pick the five I wanted. I grabbed one, which freaked out, flapped at me, and ran away. My first act as a chicken rancher, and I failed miserably. I am so ashamed.

Caroline and I unload the girls

So while Chicken Man caught the pullet (it involved using a very long rod with a hook on the end that he snagged around the chicken leg) and loaded the rest into a box for me (because if I had to do it, he would spend the entire day chasing chickens), we checked out all the other animals. We fed baby goats (far cuter than pushy adult goats) and cuddled rabbits. Then we stopped at Tractor Supply for some extra bedding, and at Dunkin' Donuts to fortify ourselves.

Back at the farmstead, Caroline helped me unload the chickens from the cardboard box. They were just fine, even though they had made some pathetic noises while in the car. It turns out that freaked out chickens in a box = a lot of smelly liquid poop. The girls checked out their new digs, but we had to lure them out into the run with food trailed down the gangplank. Once they discovered the feeder hanging out there, though, nature took over.

Feeding time!

The girls were about ten weeks old when I got them. Today, they're about 26 weeks and considerably fatter than in this picture (taken by Mr. Roy). Rhode Island Reds are a large breed.

And also, tough to tell apart. Their names are Nettie, Belva, Esther Mae, Pearl, and Bernice, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you which is which. My mom suggested I paint each bird's toenails a different color so I could tell them apart. I told her I'd be happy to, if she was up for holding frightened, flapping chickens while I gave them a manicure.

Mostly I just call them "the girls" or "the ladies," as in, "Good morning, ladies; what is that god-awful racket you're making?"

Stretching their legs

Once the girls arrived, the daily question of "Do you have the chickens yet?" was replaced by "Are they laying eggs yet?" RIReds don't start laying until about 22 to 24 weeks of age. In the meantime, they mostly eat. A lot. I give them pelleted food, with weeds (we call pulled weeds "chicken salad") and sometimes overripe tomatoes from the garden. So far I haven't let them out to peck in the yard; they're still too excitable. I'm hoping that by next summer they'll calm down enough to be allowed out to forage when I'm gardening.

I'm happy to report that today all the girls are laying beautiful, brown eggs. They're pretty small; young chickens lay little eggs, while older hens lay bigger ones. But I'm getting on average four eggs a day, which translates to a lot of French toast and some happy friends and neighbors. The girls don't make a whole lot of noise, but when they're pissed off, they are very vocal--especially when I've opened the nest box door to collect eggs while one of them is in there. Then they give me a very "Do you mind?" look and scamper outside to squawk about the nerve of that girl.

Ferocious Fi

Our other addition here at the farmstead comes in the form of a black kitten. I did not need another cat. I did not want another cat. But Amy F and I were at Greencycle, where we dump all the organic matter from gardening to be turned into compost and mulch. Amy, duplicitous wench that she is, stuck her head out the office door and told me to come in. She was holding this tiny, tiny all-black cat. The kitten had come in when she was three or four weeks old on a semi full of pallets destined to be shredded for mulch; no one has any idea how she got on the truck. The lady in the office had been taking care of her, but she needed a home.

I held this little ten-week-old cat, who looked at me so seriously, and I knew I had to take her home. I named her Fiona. I later learned that Fiona means "fair" or "white," so let's just pretend that I meant to do that.

Baby Fiona

The other cats, not so thrilled. This sweet, quiet little kitten has become full-on ornery. She loves chasing Ace and Miss Kitty and climbing into places she's not supposed to be. She currently approaches everything with all her claws extended and fangs out. Ginny and I call her Ferocious Fee. But she's learning. She and Ace have come to a sort of agreement; they chase each other and wrestle all the time. Miss Kitty mostly does the cat equivalent of rolling her eyes. She will also whap Fi in the face repeatedly, as if dribbling a basketball, to remind her who is top cat. Miss Kitty and Ace are enjoying snacking on the kitten food, though.

So that brings you up-to-date on additions to farmstead. Updates as they occur. Or, you know, as I get around to them.

I Am Sooooo Team Voltaggio!

As you Frederick County folks probably already know, the Voltaggio Brothers from Frederick's own Volt Restaurant are appearing on Top Chef, and get this: the ladies over at the E! Channel online are swooning over the Voltaggios and not just because they know their way around a buerre blanc.

On second thought...a blog moves.

After chatting with some friends and reading a few articles today, I think this blog is going to be moving over to WordPress shortly, where it will be reinvented. Stay tuned...