Tomatoes and other Weekend Adventures

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Thanks to our super awesome neighbours we have four Tomatoe plants in full bloom all ready and some are even producing fruit! All are now out on our south facing fence in their new containers my husband built out of old barrels! South facing for maximum sun exposure means they’ll have to be watered every night, they are so beautiful and I can’t wait to start enjoying the fruit they produce!!

It has been a wonderful weekend, spent with friends and family and working hard on our farm! Much of the graden is now weeded and we are feeling like we have a handle on the weeds this year, it’s still early in the season but I hope it’s not going to get away on us as it has in the past!

The kids all got some much needed outside time, helping with chores before play time! Finding eggs in the chicken coop is always a fun game and playing in their vary own farm based sensory bins, chicken feeder and water trough! On the farm there is little need to spend too much money to build sensory bins or set up activities as such, although I’ve looked at lots and have liked the ideas! The girls got some riding time in on their horse and “fell off” a few times (controlled of course by dad) they both learned to hang on after the second time hitting the ground! And Henry had some great lounging time under the tree in the back yard Morgan even brought him a worm!

We enjoyed a yummy Father’s Day cheese cake today chocolate chip cookie cheesecake! Stay tuned for the recipie!

It was a great night for a BBQ and we all enjoyed out meal and dessert on the deck!

Have a happy week!!

16Jun2016

Farm Floods 2016

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Our farm yard has flooded! Luckily the sows have been moved to the barn and away from the danger of the flowing water thru their pen! The little creek that flows thru the barn yard has come up so high it’s now running over the walking path and into the feeder pigs pen too! Steve went out and moved their food to higher ground last night and as their pen is so large there is still a lot of space that the water hasn’t taken over! The horses are not overly impressed with the falling rain and have taken to standing under the shed while the weather is bad!

All in all things are ok here and much worse in some of the nearby communities but there certainly is a lot of water!

Stay dry!!

10Jun2016

This Week on the Farm!

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

It’s been a busy week here! Steve has been working really long hard hours and the kids and I have been holding down the fort! I finally got my floors washed tonight!

All the animals are doing well, the horses are especially loving their time out on the front lawn again! We have moved the pigs in to their pens in the barn! The piglets will be arriving soon, we are all very excited to meet he new little ones! When we got them they were already bred and so we are not 100% sure when they will have piglets but we are ready now for them whenever they decide to come!

The chickens have been amping up their laying and we are now getting around 4 eggs per day! Prior to selling our pairs of chickens at a recent auction sale we were getting about a dozen a day! By fall I expect our new baby chicks will be laying and we should be back up to that number again. For now I’m enjoying collecting just enough for what we need in our own home! We should be getting our extra fridge back and set up by the end of the summer! Yeah! More room to store eggs, which will make it easier for collecting and storing more than what we go thru a day!

It’s been raining for the past couple days on and off with a few sunny breaks which has allowed our garden to explode with green. Not all the green I would like to keep so once it dries up a little I’ll be heading out to remove much of he weeds that have set up camp in my pretty little garden! Our amazing neighbours stopped by this week with some huge well developed tomato plants! They are beautiful and already starting to produce fruit!!

7Jun2016

Baby Sleep!

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

So I don’t usually post “controversial topics” but I do like the idea of sharing what works for me with those out there reading along. There are some topics I’d like to write about that some might consider “controversial”

Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 11.55.18 AM I’d like to start with my ideas on sleep training. I must say however that in no way am I judging those out there who do it differently than what I am about to share, I am a firm believer in doing what works for you and your family and I’d also like to note that I most certainly am not an expert in the subject of baby sleep or sleep training. We didn’t co-sleep, and we did use a cry it out method for all our children. I know this is not everyone’s cup of tea, many of my good friends have done it differently and I certainly do not judge them for their methods! This is purely a “what worked for us story!” That being said, I will not be offended or sad if you stop reading now because what we did doesn’t align with your methods or beliefs!

Sleep Training our Twins and Singleton!

I’ve recently spoken with some new moms and new moms to be who asked about my sleep training methods. I believe because we (not exclusively) have great sleepers they want to know how we did it! Our son heads to bed around 5:30pm and our girls’ head to bed between 6:30pm and 7:00pm and Mr. man awakes between 6:30am – 7:00am, and the girls between 7:30am – 8:00am.

Note: Henry is still only 4.5 months old and wakes to eat thru the night generally only 2-3 times but then some nights up to 5 times, when he wakes he is changed fed and laid back down. We have struggled with naps recently but we will continue to work on that!

How did we get here?

It was a journey; it was tough, we all cried – well maybe not Steve!

I read a lot, I read blogs and if I could remember in my haze of new baby sleep deprivation I would surly share those other moms and dads stories with links but much of it is a blur. So my apologies and thanks go out to those who paved the way before me and left breadcrumbs of suggestions in form of their own blogs!

Many of my expectations had to be modified along the way! The girls were the toughest because we had no idea what we were doing or what it should look like all I knew was I was bound and determined to have them sleeping in their cribs in their own room. I was and still am a firm believer that our bed is ours and that children should have their own beds. This was the expectation I went in with. My modification was that many nights Steve and I did not spend together nor did we sleep in our own bed! Couches became our sleeping space, waiting for the next cry to feed or change. Much of the night spent trekking between the couch and the nursery and some nights just the couch in the nursery was as far as we could get. Sleeping in shifts and tending to the needs of our newest additions! Time went on and so did the sleepless nights until I knew something had to change. We couldn’t continue to jump at every squeak, squawk, and noise coming from the nursery; we needed sleep just as much as our babies needed sleep! So we began “cry it out” my mom tells me this was just the “way” when I was a baby, that there was no special title for it but today we know it as cry it out. It is hard, it hurts the heart, but in the end we are all better for having gone thru it. Steve and I slept, and eventually the girls did too. Once they started going to sleep on their own at bedtime they started sleeping longer and falling back asleep immediately after changes and feeds. The girls continued night feedings until 11 months at least once a night in the end but because they were great at going back to sleep and I had “perfected” our feeding and changing routine by then it was a quick intermission from my own sleep, and actually enjoyed the quiet time with them!

Henry was different, for one there was only one baby,shortening the time it takes to feed and change. But I made mistakes with him too in my tired zombie like state; twice I even attempted to co-sleep. However waking up tired and terrified quickly modified that choice for me, and back to the bassinet he went! For 5 weeks I tended to his every need the second he needed it, I slept on the couch in the nursery – this time it didn’t bug me as much because I had modified my expectation of sleeping in my own bed with my husband right off the get go. Finally at week five I’d had enough of the daytime tired toddler tending and decided it was time to start the cry it out method. The girls were heading for a sleep over with grandma and grandpa so I knew I wouldn’t be disturbing their sleep and we used the couple nights they were gone to get started. It was so much easier with Henry, I could see the end result (how well the girls sleep) and I knew we were starting to work towards some good nights sleep.

What Cry it out looked like for us – perfected to our tastes after the third child!

Not every night was as effective, not every step did I follow perfectly, I am human, I struggled, I broke my own rules but it worked best when I stuck to it; that’s when I saw the results!

Nighttime routine! We complete our night time routine, of which I wont go into full details on, everyone’s nighttime routine will look a little different, whats important is to have one! We didn’t do things like have a bath because that wasn’t something I wanted to commit to doing every night before bed. We wanted something that was short and sweet but indicated to the children that it was time for bed! Once they were lying down awake, drowsy but not fully asleep. It would begin!

I must add these are only used on nights where they didn’t go to sleep right away, of course this was most nights in the begining, but some nights they would fall asleep right away and so these techniques weren’t needed!

Once baby starts crying I set timer for 10 minutes. Baby cries for 10 minutes. I enter nursery and check for dry diaper and extra burp needed? Calm baby lies back down.

Once baby starts crying I set timer for 20 minutes. Baby cries for 20 minutes. I enter nursery and check for dry diaper and extra burp needed? Calm baby lies back down.

Once baby starts crying I set timer for 20 minutes. Baby cries for 20 minutes. I enter nursery and change feed burp then calm baby lies back down.

Repeat these steps until baby falls asleep!

Night 2,3,4,5 and so on I would adjust my time according to my findings, was baby typically gassy and needing a burp after the first ten-minute interval? I would keep the first ten minute interval as is then add more time to the subsequent intervals. Was baby typically wet at a certain point? Keep those times. How about hungry, was baby needing to eat at the hour mark? Adjust the times according to what they need! Then as the days go on allow more and more time to pass before intervening allowing baby to self-sooth, until baby is able to go to sleep when laid down with little to no intervention.

What Worked?

1) Distinguishing night and day. Early on in life my children all napped in the living room with the drapes open on the big south facing windows, which began the process of distinguishing between night and day. Then after naps in the brightly lit living room changes feedings and playtime are interactive with lots of chatter, singing, eye contact, and play. Nighttime was dark; I used only a nightlight or dimmer switch to guide me. Changes and feedings were silent with little interaction, talk, or eye contact helping to indicate that it is sleep time and not play time.

2) Naps. Lots of naps during the day hours, (Although now Henry would strongly disagree with this! Haha) the more sleep my babies got in the day the better they slept at night. I’ve read it many times and I’ll say it here too, keeping a baby awake to “tire” them out for the night will only create over tired babies who cannot go to sleep or stay asleep at night! And over tired babies become chronically over tired babies, and that starts to pose health and developmental risks so nap, nap, nap, and nap some more during the day and then go to bed early!

3) Sleep Consultant! Check in with a sleep consultant if you are feeling hesitant on your techniques, I touched base with one when I was still putting my girls to bed “early” I was catching slack about the bed time and starting to feel pressured to move it back, instead of caving to pressure I checked in with someone I knew to be an expert in the field and she eased my mommy mind knowing I was doing my babies good and right. There are two main reasons I choose an early bedtime:

Happy well rested children
Time for me

I know early bed time = happy energetic wonderful children the next day so I stopped feeling guilty about putting my kids to bed early and had some me time, a glass of wine, a bath, or a movie night with Steve. Then we all felt better the next day!

I know that some people have told me putting their children to bed later has them sleeping in later, this was never the case for any of my children; they wake at the same time every day regardless of what time they go to bed. There are nights they got to bed later than “bedtime” because we are out or something is happening that moves it back a bit. I find that when this occurs if it is sporadic doesn’t effect moods too badly!

What didn’t work?

1) Putting Baby to Sleep Before Lying Down AKA Rocking to Sleep! This is a bad idea! I laugh as I write this because of course I did it with all three, and what parent hasn’t. It was around the 4 week mark with Henry that I read a blog and again I apologize for not being able to promote these other bloggers because in a haze of sleep deprivation I was simply reaching out to the search engines for some sort of answer, typing in obscure things like “why wont my baby sleep” so I know I cant take credit for the analogy because it is one that I couldn’t have said better!

“When a baby awakes after being laid down asleep it is like us going to sleep in our warm comfy beds and awaking in our back yards.”

How true right! Warm and cozy in my arms my children would fall asleep then I would lay them down and moments or even hours later they would awake in a different place all alone. Yes, disorientating for sure! So I advise to lay the baby down drowsy but also not fully asleep, not only do they learn the all-important self-soothing techniques but also awake in the same place they fell asleep in!

2) Sleep associations. Henry hasn’t ever taken a soother, it wasn’t something he liked right from the beginning so although I’m happy I’m not going to have to wean soothers there are some days where I think it would be nice to have the option! The girls both took soothers until 5 months when they just became uninterested. I am a fan! Trust me this is not an anti-soother tip! In the beginning though for the girls soothers were sleep associations and because they were so little they couldn’t put them back in when they fell out, it became one more reason for me to go in and “rescue” them when they woke up or were trying to fall asleep. Eventually I had to let them self soothe after the soother fell out or I would have been doing the soother dance all night! Sleep associations can be anything, a blanket, a stuffy, or a soother, whatever is helping soothe baby to sleep! And they can be great tools as long as they don’t start to disrupt sleep! Both my girls have their favorite sleeping blanket and stuffy now but when they were younger, not only does it increase the risk of SIDS to have those things in the crib but I didn’t want those things to be the only way they could go to sleep! Henry has a stuffy he loves to chew on, but that’s a daytime thing and we play together with it right now!

Other tips!

1) Phone a friend! Have someone come sit with you, don’t try to be alone, listening to your baby or babies cry can make time stand still. Having someone to talk to was crucial during this time. Someone to talk about the weather, celebrities, the upcoming holidays, his or her own lives, or mundane trivial things was so important. This allowed me to listen to the children’s needs but stay distracted enough for the time I’d chosen to wait without getting too upset.

2) Set a timer. Chose an amount of time that works for you I outlined above what worked for me but maybe that’s too long or too short a period of time again its all about using your parental instincts to determine what you and your baby needs. But once you choose a time stick to it (unless an emergency occurs – obviously!) if you choose to wait 10min of crying wait the full 10!

Why sleep is important

Sleep is important not just for mom and dad but for babies and toddlers too. Growth happens during sleep and not just height and weight, developmental growth too, sleep is good for the brain!

I know there are a great many articles, blogs, and researches conducted on development and the negative effects of the cry it out method. But for us it worked, it created some great sleepers and some happy healthy toddlers!

Happy Sleeping!

24May2016

Painting with Toddlers!

Posted in Crafty, family, Life by livinthecountrylife

Ingredients:

Water, Flour, Food Coloring, Canvas (or other desired painting surface), Painter’s tape

1) Mix water and flour together until it reaches a desired consistency (I chose to make mine a little extra runny) separate into color containers and add food coloring to desired brightness!

2) Use canvas or some other painting surface and painters tape to tape off the word or design desired.

3) Go wild, we used the kitchen floor for our art space and I didn’t bother to put down plastic, the floor was slippery enough on its own! The paint doesn’t stain or stick and so was easily mopped up after. It was super fun! The girls tasted it and didn’t like it! Many recipes I found suggested kool-aid and other yummy flavored items to color the toddler paint and I didn’t want to encourage eating the paint for when we can move to acrylics and such so putting it in their mouths was short lived and they spent most of the time focused on painting and mashing it around! I also liked that the paint colors didn’t blend well – this is a good thing with toddler paints as there is a lot of moving paint around and I find more often than not when this happens the only color left at the end of the day is a gross browny yellowy icky color and its all that you see. This paint didn’t do that, it held its own! Of course we had to run the tub after as the girls used their whole bodies to paint, feet, hands, and diapered bottoms. I will say washing the dried paint off the girls was the most challenging part of this activity but well worth it as they had so much fun and in the end my sister and I got some lovely art work we both display proudly in our homes!

11May2016

Arrival of Twins

Posted in family, Life by livinthecountrylife

Our babies arrived happy and healthy September 19th 2014 and we have already since celebrated their first birthday – a big party with friends and family!

The end of my pregnancy went very well! I was nervous and scared to have a c-section but the risks outweighed the gains of having a natural delivery here and so looking back I’m so happy with the way it all happened!

I had an amazing doctor who was with me for my entire pregnancy from day one through delivery, and I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Side Down Week 38

The morning of the surgery I awoke to the power being out at our house!

Of course! Why not, right!

Our well water runs on an electric pump system that when it’s pressured up is just enough to have a quick shower in the dark! Or so I learned so early in the morning! The power was back on right before we left so we were able to see as we left the house and double check our bags before loading up the truck! I braided my hair knowing that lying on my back for an extended period of time with a ponytail didn’t sound fun!

When we arrived at the hospital the morning of the scheduled c-section we entered thru emergency because it was so early in the morning! My dad had made the trip to town early and met us at the hospital to give hugs before I was admitted!

Once we went through the admitting process we got ourselves set up in the room we’d be staying in for the next few days! Our nurse came in and began the process of getting me ready for surgery; our nurse was magnificent, in fact all our nurses were! So helpful, informative, and caring! I got changed into my “operation outfit!” a fantastic little garment in light blue paisley print, free flowing, and very airy! Steve in a matching blue number even managed to fit the booties over his big work boots he chose to wear that morning!

They were ready for us… We were wheeled into the surgical area and met the anesthesiologist Doctor S who settled one of my biggest fears, not remembering the birth for being too drugged up. He told me he didn’t like “groggy moms” so if I needed pain medication I could get some after but during he would just be freezing me. What a remarkable doctor! He even had time to snap some pictures in the operating room for us!

We were taken to the operating room where I pulled off what everyone in the room told me was some amazing yoga moves. Apparently the yoga classes paid off!! I leaned forward and Dr S started the freezing process. I crawled onto the operating table and the drapes were hung. Steve was brought in and the surgical procedure began!

Dr S told Steve he could stand up and tell everyone what the genders were as our babies were delivered. Steve stood and announced:

It’s a girl, as Jordan arrived!

Then he stood again a moment later and announced:

It’s a girl, as Morgan arrived!

Now I have to give a disclaimer, Steve and I have chosen to respect the privacy of our children, and as such, pictures of them will not be posted until such time as they are old enough to give consent!

Jordan was wrapped up and snuggled in when Morgan arrived. Morgan took a little longer to join us cuddling because she needed a bit of oxygen to get her apgar score up! During the wait I began to panic! Steve helped keep me composed and in no time she was settled in with us and all four of us were together!

It was time for the girls and Steve to head out; I of course stayed to be sewn back together, not like I could have moved if I wanted to!! What an amazing job she did, one is barely able to tell I had the surgery!

I was taken to recovery still unable to move my legs and most of my body. While waiting for feeling to come back the recovery nurse kept asking me to lift my legs, “ah nope still can’t,” I said over and over wondering when I would be able to! My good friend and NICU nurse arrived with my babies! She received permission from her superiors to come in and assist with breastfeeding while I was in recovery! I couldn’t be more grateful for this experience. My girls were latched and eating for 20min within 45min of being in the world!

For anyone in this position if you can arrange to have your babies or baby brought to you while you are in recovery I highly recommend it!

From the time I arrived in recovery and then for the next 12 hours I threw up, constantly and violently, nothing seemed to help and although they assured me they were giving me everything they could to settle my stomach, nothing seemed to help. Finally that night I was able to keep down a ginger ale and some fruit salad!

The feeling eventually returned to my legs, although I don’t think it really took as long as it felt, lying unable to move, waiting with nothing to do, and staring at a wall while I waited to be reunited with my babies and husband was almost claustrophobic. At last I was able to lift my legs, the recovery nurse allowed me to return to my room and join my new family! Once I was situated and the floor nurses checked me over the rest of our families joined us well. There were four extremely excited Grandparents and some aunts and uncles who were eager to hold the two new bundles of joy. My friend joined us again and once more assisted the girls in latching. After that we felt confident that we could continue on our own and she headed off to Vegas! (She returned a few weeks later and with her visit brought some really cute outfits for the girls!)

We had many visitors while we were in the hospital, friends and family keen to meet the new babies, and delighted to share in our joy. My doctor checked in and was happy with my progress but I was still required to stay put until Sunday. Once my vomiting subsided I was able to get up and have a shower, ahhhhh I cannot illustrate adequately the feeling of the first shower after a surgery, one that left me bed bound unable to move for 12 hours. I was clean, I was refreshed and awake, and ready for sleep! The girls had a wonderful first night, they slept so well, and we doubled them up in one “container” better known at the hospital as a bassinet, for the two of them! Steve even got his own bed in our room; and we all got some much needed sleep that night.

The girls were put thru a battery of tests before they could leave, some were not pleasant and involved tears on all our parts, and some were quick and painless routine checks. The pediatrician made his way in and gave us the go-ahead to take them home as soon as I was discharged!

Home

Home sweet home, we were all so pleased to get there. The drive was bumpy and felt extra rough after an operation but overall it didn’t take long before Steve was carrying our two new babies up the stairs and into our own home!

Of course I cried, I cried a lot, I cried when we left the hospital, I cried when we got home, and I cried at everything happy, sad, or in-between, for then next few months. Emotions come with the territory of being pregnant and giving birth I suppose!

We settled in, or settled down I should say, I had some hands on help for the next week or more from my mom, she stayed, and when she was about to leave I cried so she stayed a little longer! Mom’s rock! I am one now so I know this to be true!

I was lucky that Steve was able to take the first 8 weeks off to be at home with us, there were a few quick trips to the office for minor things but outside of that he was at home with us for the full period of my recovery, and then some! I needed it, I don’t think he will ever fully understand how much I needed and am grateful for his being with us for that time, even if I cried!

Of course adding two new little ones to our previously quiet home, and becoming four from two changed our lives in an instant. Although these changes all come with its challenges and nothing will be the same again I wouldn’t change any of it!

8May2016

Mother’s Day

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

Today was a great day! Today I did some laundry, washed dishes, blew runny noses, kissed better bumps and bruises, played blocks, had a dance party and read the best story ever, “Hat.” Today I was a mother!

I’m a mother everyday but today I reflected a lot on what being a mother is and thought a lot that Mother’s Day isn’t a day to stop being a mother! After all I wouldn’t be celebrating this day if it weren’t for my amazing and wonderful children. Don’t get me wrong I’m happy to have had breakfast made for me, but I’m even happier that I got to sit down and enjoy it with my children and my husband! I am thrilled I was able to take a nap when all my children were napping this afternoon, a luxury I don’t often treat myself to, but I’m even happier to have heard those small voices say “hello”and see those big smiles and sparkling eyes when we all woke up! I loved so much the beautiful handprints and foot prints the children all helped make for me, but love even more to hold those hands in my own, to tickle those feet and hear the giggles erupt from low in their bellies! I’m so lucky to be a mom!

I have some really great examples of mothers to lead the way for me and all that I aspire to be, my own mother for starters and Steves mom too are pretty fantastic ladies! And I have some amazing friends and neighbors who I look up to and admire their mothering styles!

Steve and I have spent a lot of time talking about the kind of parents we want to be drawing from those parenting styles of our own moms and dads and those of our close friends and family!

So today as I reflect I’m happy, and I know it was a good day because I dried tears, prepared food, practiced shapes, sang songs, and hugged, kissed, and loved my children!

I look forward to tomorrow and the tomorrow’s to come because I get to be a mom and all those days feel like Mother’s Day!!

Happy Mother’s Day do all those amazing moms out there, wherever they may be!!

4May2016

Return to the Screen

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

I’ve taken some time away, as many of you know I was pregnant with twins last I wrote and as life would have it I gave birth to two beautiful baby girls who are now 19 months old. Less than 16 months later I gave birth to a handsome baby boy who is now almost 4 months old. So as you can imagine life has been busy, hence the hiatus from the screen. We have had a great deal of fun raising our little ones and have a lot of plans for our future as a family of five!
It’s sad taking this long of a break, because I really enjoy writing, I enjoy putting my thoughts down on paper or computer as it so happens to be. I love the therapeutic activity of writing; my thoughts seem to slow as I write and what’s really important finds its way through my fingers! So I am so delighted to be back at it. I’ve set some goals with my blog, and as time goes on I hope to reach those goals and continue creating new ones. Goals that allow me reach out to more and more people who share similar interests or lifestyles as we do here on our little farm!

A quick catch up!

I wont go into the full details just yet with all that has gone on at the farm here today but will over the coming weeks add in some bonus posts to update and introduce all the new additions including our three beautiful children.
Disclaimer: those who don’t know me personally will not see pictures here of my children, Steve and I have decided to respect our children’s privacy and not post pictures of them anywhere online.

HOME!

We have done a great deal of renovations in our home since moving in, it has taken a lot of paint screws and mud to make this house a home, not to mention the blood sweat and tears our family and friends have put into helping us along the way! The next project is the basement, we are all upstairs right now and although the children all share a large bedroom with lots of room for them and their things, we hope to give them their own space once they are all a little older!

ANIMALS!

We have had so much go on here with our animals too. Our goats have found new homes, loving ones where they will continue to be pets which makes me extremely happy, I was hesitant to even sell them but as the winter came to an end and plans for a new project emerged we realized we just couldn’t keep them any longer. We also acquired a new horse that spent the winter with us and then was sold this spring, he was a nice and well-mannered horse just not one we would be able to use as a family. My wild inside cat has moved part time outside, although thru the winter he kept himself warm and cozy by the fire inside! He enjoys his time outside now that the snow has melted again, chasing mice and teasing the dog! Our Dog is also still with us keeping watch over all the animals and is happy and as full of energy as ever. The girls got bunnies for Easter this year “Oreo” and “EB” and they are enjoying their space in the barn as the weather warms up, the girls love going out to feed their bunnies and visit with them! Once it is warmer in the summer we will move them to the outside “chicken tractor” which will become the “bunny tractor” so they always have access to fresh food but also safety from the dog!

We have made a decision to farm pigs, a small operation that we will ease in to but nonetheless have decided that it’s what we really want to do with our land. We will continue to have our horses for riding and chickens for eggs but our pigs will be our main farming focus! We have had many animals here over the years, some our own and others guests and as I did not grow up on a farm I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to work with these animals I have had the pleasure of having cows, sheep, goats, quail, guinea fowl, donkey, rabbits, horses, chickens, and pigs reside here. I have learned that I really enjoy raising pigs! We have acquired two bred sows and they are due to farrow in June, we also have three feeder pigs we have been raising for the whole winter. We will keep one of the sows to breed next. I’m excited to see how it all goes and excited to meet the new little piglets in a couple months.

GARDEN!

We have worked hard to maintain a garden over the years and although we took a break and container gardened the year the girls were born we are starting to get a real handle on the amount of weeds and have had really great crops. We still have the weeds get out of control at times but have had some really great food fresh from our own ground. We plan to work the garden up and plant in late May again this year. We are also still working on our greenhouse but are hoping to start planting by next spring in it!

It has been a lot of work to keep the farm going thru two pregnancies and the birth of three children but with the teamwork of Steve and I we have managed to keep it all up!

25Jul2014

A New Story

Posted in Life by livinthecountrylife

A New Story

The story has grown here on our little farm and as it is currently pouring down rain outside, stopping me from heading out to complete anything productive in the outside world, I thought this would be a good time to sit and write.

Many things have changed here in the last few months and some “new additions” will be arriving soon to the country life!

We are Expecting!!!

We are 30 weeks now and soon we will go to our local hospital and our doctor will deliver two babies!

Yes I said it 2…

It’s Twins!!!

This has been an adventure unto itself over the course of the last 30 weeks and continues as we get closer to the date…

As this has been kept under wraps from everyone but our friends and family, and has not crept onto the Internet world, I felt it time now to write a post about the journey that has been “Pregnancy with Twins” over the last 30 weeks…

Pregnancy with Twins

January 28^th Positive Pregnancy Test!

After a few days of “running late” I decided that it was time to head to the drug store and pick up one of those fancy sticks that increase heart rate and produce sweaty palms as anticipation, excitement, and a mix of emotions run through ones body. Time slows down and the two minutes wait with blurring eyes seems like an eternity!

Finally it began to show the second pink line faint at first and then glowing almost red in front of my eyes yes it is true we are pregnant!

Elated I phoned Steve who happened to be working when I took the test. How could I let it sit in a box in my car after purchasing it waiting unknowingly if there are one or two pink lines to display? I couldn’t and didn’t! … So phone call of excitement is what Steve heard after the everlasting 2-minute wait.

After talking to Steve I called my Doctor immediately and asked what the first steps would be; she booked me an ultrasound and appointment for February and asked me to start taking pre natal medication!

February 19^th Ultrasound and Follow-up 1^st Doctor Visit!

Steve and I headed to the Diagnostic imaging center (which happened to be across the lot from my Dr’s office! – How convenient!) and we waited… both of us a bundle of nerves and me with a full bladder; I never realized how full my bladder could feel when competing for space with the butterflies fluttering around in my tummy at the same time.

Was everything going to be okay? Were we going to get to see the soon to be bouncing baby? Would the heartbeat be strong enough to register yet… so early on? What would the doctor say after seeing the ultrasound? So many questions filled our heads as we sat silently in the waiting room.

Finally my name was called and we followed the tech who motioned to another row of chairs; a second waiting room – No No No, I have to pee please don’t make me wait any longer; I want to see my baby!

“Dad you wait here, mom comes with me.” The tech lead me to a small room with dim lighting, a bed, and computer, I lay on the bed and the process began…

Giant glob of ultrasound goo on my tummy and a magic want to peer inside and see how things are progressing!

Finally and impatiently I said “can you tell me if there is a heartbeat, and a baby in there?” – yes to both! Elated and much calmer now, even the urge to run to the bathroom had passed (a little), I relaxed into the process imagining what our soon to be little bundle of joy would be.

After the exam portion was all complete the tech went out to the second waiting room and brought Steve in, motioned to the end of the bed and said “stand down there I’ll turn the screen so you both can see!” The screen rotated and after more goo the magic wand produced a picture on the screen that we could now both see clearly, hmmm, I don’t see a baby; although early I was expecting a little more of something. I just didn’t remember human anatomy enough to figure out why there was three black spots… the tech pointed to one of the black spots, “the bladder,” showing how truly full it was. “Now what do you see?” the tech said.

“Oh my, there are two” I managed to get out before my jaw dropped too wide to speak. The Tech nodded and I felt Steve’s hands tightened around my feet, I looked down to him, barely able to see through my joy filling eyes; he stood holding my feet in complete awe of what he was seeing on the screen. We stared at the monitor for what felt like a lifetime in complete shock and awe. Finally the tech took the wand away and the screen faded back to a black pictureless monitor. The tech left and I stood wiping the goo away from my abdomen, after I was goo free I looked up at Steve, tears now streaming down my face in total elation and we just stood holding each other amazed at the journey we were about to embark on, this was so much more than either of us had hoped or dreamed of and we were both immediately more than ready for this new life adventure.

After receiving the documents from the center to take with us, we walked across the parking lot to the doctor’s office both repeating “I can’t believe it” over and over again with huge smiles on our faces. I just wanted to see the screen again, stare at it, soak it all in; I wanted longer with the three black spots so I could believe it, really believe it!

When we got in to the waiting room it was jam packed with many women in multiple stages of their own pregnancy journey. I gave the doctors nurse, Jo, the paper work from the diagnostic imaging center with a huge smirk on my face, she smiled back asking how it went? “Good, its twins” was all I could muster through my grinning face as I began to laugh and feel as giddy as a toddler on Christmas morning. She joined right in on my excitement screaming out in the small waiting room with delight. Jo checked me in and sent me to the bathroom for a “sample” which I was more than obliged to give as in the short span of time from using the washroom in the center across the lot my bladder felt very full again! One of the joys of drinking that much water in such a short time! I came back from the washroom; Steve had found us seats to begin the first of many waits for the Doctor. Jo came back from around the corner and told me from across the room that she and the Doctor had just been bouncing up and down with excitement for us. She went back to her work after chatting but the elation stayed with Steve and I as we continued to wait.

We were called to the exam rooms after a while and met with Dr. D. She is amazing, and that doesn’t even begin to describe how remarkable she really is. From the first visit I had with her until even now I have just been in awe of her wonderful doctoring abilities.

She informed us as we sat there that multiple births are her specialty and as such we could see her through the entire pregnancy right to delivery via C-Section! We were delighted to hear this news as the thought of changing doctors half way through really did have me worried. She sat with us for a while chatting about procedures and plans for the upcoming months and although I went in with a whole gamete of questions written down none seemed as relevant as “is it really twins?” We left with a stack of paper work and requisitions for more testing as well as another booked Ultrasound and Doctor appointment for a month later!

In the weeks and months to follow…

We have had and continue to have many Doctor appointments, Ultrasound appointments, and blood work appointments.

The most memorable assessment to date was the sugary concoction pass out juice! That would be the all and wonderful gestational diabetes test that thankfully came back normal so I didn’t have to go for another one! Whoo hoo! I sat in the lab after having drank the concoction only to begin to feel light headed… there were two other women in the lab who had also just finished the “juice” so I was feeling like maybe I was just wimping out when suddenly I knew I wasn’t I really was going to pass out and that would have been really embarrassing so I walked briskly so as to not startle anyone waiting for their turn and told the lab tech I was sorry to interrupt but I thought I might pass out… one look at me she grabbed my hand and lead me to a secluded room with a bed and laid me down to rest, after laying down I started to feel better, the stars had faded and apparently my face began to increase in color again, although I didn’t have a mirror to check that out! My blood work was done and they filled me full of juice, once I felt strong enough I went on my way digging out half my lunch as I sat in the parking lot eating and regaining even more strength!

With each test and appointment I know that we are one step closer to having the babies. We have been so lucky that Dr. D has an ultrasound machine right in her office so at each appointment we get a glimpse of the babies’ growth and development and the joy of hearing their heartbeats! Getting to see them on the screen so often has been such a wonderful experience!

We began thinking about how to tell people that not only are we pregnant but that we were having twins! We had previously opted to tell our parents right away that we were pregnant prior to our first ultrasound and doctors appointment as we wanted them to share in the joy from day one so although they were aware that we were expecting the splendid news of twins was new and going to be another exciting revelation. As my mom and dad live in another town we called my mom from the parking lot of the Doctors office right after the first appointment to tell her. Luckily she was only in a store purchasing work supplies so she was in no way taken aback or caught off guard when we told her as she stood in front of the store clerk! Steve had to head back to work so I called my dad shortly after and let him know that he wouldn’t have to worry about being referred to as a baby hog because there would be another to trade off with! I visited my sister at work to tell her in person and from the look on my face she guessed right away so I didn’t even have to say it! We made arrangements to tell Steve’s family at dinner that night, and after waiting for his sister to arrive we finally let the cat out of the bag to his mom and dad who sat with their jaws on the table not believing that we were able to sit and visit with them for so long with this kind of news kept secret! Finally his sister arrived home and we were able to tell her too, she bounced around elated at the idea of becoming an aunty; and to twins. Steve told his brother once he returned from his vacationing expedition and he was very excited for us as well! The joy from everyone radiated, it was such a feeling of support, exhilaration and delight as we told them all our happy news.

We opted to begin telling our extended family and friends after the 12-week mark which seems to be the magic number although with twins and being considered a “high risk pregnancy” I was still a little hesitant to tell the world. As such we decided to make phone calls to everyone who lived far away and get together with those we could who were close.

Steve headed off to the city to finish his final year of trade’s school at the beginning of May; he would be away for two months. As there were appointments that were booked for while he was away my mom and my mother-in-law were able to attend the ultrasounds with me, which helped ease my nerves as well as increase their excitement in the process as they were able to see the two new grand-babies on screen in real time. Steve was able to make it home all but one of the weekends – of which he stayed in the city to study for the final exams. On the weekends he returned home there was much progress with the babies, they began moving and he was able to start feeling them too. Feeling the babies’ move on the outside was good for me too, I felt a little less like I was mistaking gas for movement; which I am sure I did for quite a while! I was able to send Steve pictures and videos from the ultrasounds and of my tummy moving while he was away so he was able to keep up with what was going on for our babies too.

Renovations…

As things progressed we began the renos to our home, for the babies room and really as the back of our house has kind of been a construction zone since we moved in we were happy to have some help to finish it up, my parents were lucky enough to take some time and come stay with us to help with all the renos, plus my dad is a pretty handy carpenter; although never trained he can do some pretty amazing things. Steve’s family was able to come out and help a lot too which moved things along at a speedy pace. The back of the house (minus the flooring in the office) is now complete and I could not be happier, we have a space for the babies when they arrive that is not a construction zone, we have a linen closet so the babies room doesn’t have to house all our linens in a corner somewhere. We have a master closet in our bedroom so we do not have to live out of a tiny dresser and armoire any longer. The process building to this point has been a lot of work on many peoples part all of which we cant express enough thanks for!

Completing Work…

We also had to start thinking about when I would finish up with work and go on maternity/ parental leave and how to make it all work! Lucky for me I have an amazing leadership team at work and everyone was able to help me plan and brainstorm for my departure months ahead of time as well as give me a few weeks with my replacement for training.

I am officially off work now and on vacation until the middle of Aug at which point I will be able to apply for Maternity leave and then subsiquentialy parental leave after the babies arrive, it was a very relaxing way to leave work for a year and I am happy that it could go so smoothly as I know this is not the case for everyone. Being off work for my last trimester has allowed me to slowly start picking away at home projects in preparation for the baby’s arrival. I have also found a government funded program that allows post natal home support for families providing light house cleaning, cooking, and laundry, of which I will need help with for the first 6-8 weeks after my surgery.

I strongly suggest to anyone to look into what programs

like this exist in your own communities that might

benefit you and your family.

I do not want for my family to feel required to come over and wash floors and do laundry for me if there is a another way; knowing me I would just figure out a way to do it myself to not make those close to me feel obligated! Steve is still working out the plans for his time off and what that will look like once the babies arrive. I of course am hoping and wanting for a much longer period of time than what is realistic but hey I can dream! And I know that if it is necessary he will take all the time needed off!

Continuing Activities …

Although I have been taking it much easier this year I don’t feel as though life has stopped even with my ever growing belly, in fact it has made it that much more fun carrying the two little ones around with me everywhere and discovering new ways to tie undone shoes, climb in to vehicles, and pick up dropped items; or not!

I was able to keep up with things I was doing like coaching skating in our small community, complete an evening course I had enrolled in at the local college (prior to finding out about the babies!), and attend a yoga class I began taking with a friend who is also pregnant… although contorting my body did eventually become quite a chore with the twins and I have not registered for another class. Perhaps I will register again once the babies are born… the studio was quite happy to suggest I bring them both for mom/baby classes after they arrive!

We have attended and are still planning to attend a number of events this year including a family reunion, birthday parties, a lake trip, weddings of friends and neighbours, the local rodeo, a quading trip – where I learned that although I may have once had some abdominal muscles they seem to be lost somewhere in the abyss that is my growing belly now!

Thinking into the future…

We have been working on getting all the things together that we need for the first bit until the baby shower, of which my sister and close friend are planning, I know they have some awesome ideas so I am happy to leave it to them to do all that planning!

We have all the furniture put together and set up in the babies room now, there are a few finishing touches before I can post pictures like draperies, knobs for the dressers, and art for the walls but functionally the room is complete. We have opted for the babies to sleep in their own cribs in one nursery so as to begin sleep schedules right away, so it was important for me to have those pieces of furniture right away!

We have purchased a small number of outfits and items needed for the first few weeks, and Steve was sure to pick up the “going home outfits” already – In Camouflage!

I have also begun the task of preparing freezer meals for after babies are born for quick and easy meal prep. And although I was not able to plant a full garden this year many of my neighbours have offered food from their bounty to us for this fall as well. Another of the wonderful things about this small community!

I have packed a bag complete with all the things we will all need in the hospital including Steve’s things! And have now picked up car seats so we can bring the wee ones home when they are allowed.

As my sister and very close friend (who has had two children via c-section) are nurses I have been able to ask lots of questions and get medically sound information about the processes that are coming in the weeks to come, which has put my mind at ease and allowed my Dr. D question list to remain fairly short and sweet at each visit.

Pregnancy Itself…

I have been feeling well through the duration of the pregnancy, so far “normal” and not to intense symptoms.

Morning sickness – For me did not include multiple trips to the toilet which I count myself lucky for. I would describe the feeling as an ongoing hangover from which there was no “fun” the night before to warrant it!

Tired – Another “symptom” that has not faded; just tired all the time. Luckily I am able still to push through and compete tasks more often than not and now that I am done work I am able to take some time to have a nap in the afternoon – and not on my office floor, when I need one! Another part of tired is exhaustion – but even that doesn’t seem so bad when I remember that I am tired because I am growing two humans, so it still brings a smile to my face. I figure it’s for a short period of time, only like 25 years or more right! It’s all worth it to be starting our family!

Cravings – oddly enough and happily enough fruit and veggies have been my main go to through most of the pregnancy, I had a stint of candy early on – which is weird because I was never a big candy eater. I also along currently have a sweet tooth for baked goods, which I was also not much of an eater of in the past although I have channeled that into French toast and pancakes at breakfast that usually will do me enough that I can get the rest of my “sweets” with fruit for the remainder of the day.

Still sometimes you just have to order that Chocolate Brownie Alamode for supper – because there is not enough room to fit a meal and dessert in!

Aversions – Meat, the whole time has been meat, I can manage to eat meals with meat if there is a sauce or the meats are cooked in with other foods like in a casserole or stir-fry but plain pieces of meat on their own have not been my friend.

Getting in Enough Water – Some days are harder than others, I find that if I switch it up though by adding lemon or changing the bottle I use to drink from I can get back on track pretty quick, but I really try not to drink too many caffeinated, carbonated, or powdered sugar drinks. However during morning sickness first trimester ginger ale became my BFF.

The Best Part – Feeling babies move and knowing they are growing and developing healthily inside me. At night Steve and I just lay and watch my belly move up and down all over as they roll and tumble about inside. We laugh and talk about the people they will become, whose eyes they will have, whose personality they will take after, and hope they will be happy and healthy people as they grow in our world.

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4May2014

Snow Again…

Posted in Uncategorized by livinthecountrylife

Well spring hasn’t quite arrived yet… Hoped it would stick around but let’s face it! We really can expect bouts of the white fluffy stuff usually until the end of the month so I’m not sure why I am surprised or disappointed really!

I headed out on Friday morning to the city for meetings and a weekend conference the drive was great… But the one back might be less than desirable! Although I still have two more days before I head back to the farm, city life is always interesting. Steve starts school ( final year of trades!!) on Monday so he is here too and we are staying at the house he will be living at for the next two months it’s nice to stay in the city and not cooped in a hotel for so many nights!!! We headed out for dinner last night with some friends! Delicious food and great company!