I took Daphne to the beach two weeks ago. I took my big professional camera, so these photos got “lost” on the CF card until I got around to processing the stuff on it.

She loves playing at the beach. She thinks writing in the sand is an awful lot of fun, but her favorite thing is to throw rocks at the ocean. There weren’t many rock on the beach we went to, so she decided to take up throwing sand!

Doesn’t she look like she is having fun?

Writing in the sand.

The Olympic sand toss.
Super smiles.
My favorite!

While Papa was here visiting last, we spent some time blowing bubbles with Daphne.

I love the Gymboree bubble wand because Daphne can make the bubbles herself.

We even played with a St. Patrick’s Day hat!

Mama helps with the bubble blowing.

When was the last time that you thought that the bathroom door needed a good scrub? You see, this whole pregnant nesting/spring cleaning thing has gotten out of hand lately, and my commitment to clean and organize our house thoroughly has been taken WAY farther than I thought it ever would go.

Jared and I have different philosophies about cleaning. I tend to believe that things need to be cleaned and set up and then everything get organized, but not before it is cleaned. Jared believes that things should go kind of where they belong and then get organized at some point in the future. HIS viewpoint makes me feel nuts. The problem is that my method of cleaning has every other area except the clean areas trashed until they too get to be cleaned and organized. MY viewpoint drives him nuts. Isn’t that what being married is all about?

Today I finally got around to getting the bathroom handled. Of course that meant scrubbing the bathtub and the walls. I even got down on my hands and knees and got the floor scrubbed (they say it’s good to do that while pregnant).

I managed to go through all our cupboards and medicine cabinets in the bathrooms and get everything nice and clean.

When I looked at the door of the bathroom, I couldn’t help but see yet another thing that had to be done. It was covered in fly specs and other weird yellow stuff. It took a good 10 minutes of scrubbing time, which in the 3rd trimester adds up to about a half day of hard work for a normal person.

All this was done so that I could get the bathroom floor mats off the floor of the baby’s room, which was my next real target. Jeez. Where will this neurosis take me to next?

When I sold the goats I begged the new owners for an update with some photos. I was curious to see what the kids would look like and how the kidding went. I got an email this morning that she had her kids on Friday morning! That’s less than 24 hours after I sold her. I am told that she had a fairly easy time kidding and that she had two beautiful babies, a boy and a girl who are now being bottle fed by the human kids of the family.

I was sent this photo. The goats look just like their mama. How wonderful!

I am excited to get an update at the end of the month to see how Milky does.

Last March all the stars were aligned right and I finally sorted everything out so that I would be able to have a goat to milk and take care of. I had been looking to do the project for a very long time, but getting all the circumstances right really was difficult. I finally found the perfect partner where we were of equal use to each other. I boarded my goats at his house and helped out with things here and there. It was the perfect mutual relationship, especially considering that his wife was pregnant. I was able to take up any slack in a baby being born in the middle of the milking season.

I didn’t update about the project as much as I should have, but I definitely loved doing the project. I spent the spring, summer and fall making cheese and yogurt and putting goat milk in almost everything that I could. Daphne and I got to drive up to the farm every day and hang out with the goats, and it was the perfect situation.

The more I started doing with the goats this year, the more clear it became that this was going to be a tough project to manage being pregnant. The drive seemed longer the more I did it on dirt roads with a 7 month pregnant belly. Hauling grain and hay around is getting tougher and tougher. Even getting down to clip the udders of the goats was a challenge after they kidded.

I decided that I was going to sell my 2 goats, Milky and Fawn and see how it went. I was contacted by a very lovely lady who had sold her herd in another state and was helping start up locally. She thought the goats sound fantastic and wanted to come look at them. It all happened in such a whirlwind.

I met her today up at the farm and we went over everything with the goats. They absolutely LOVED them and were happy to take them. Fawn was looking INCREDIBLY close to kidding, so it’s a good thing we didn’t wait any longer to transport her. They decided to take the goats on the spot. It turned out fabulously. I’m happy to see them go to a new home, and I’m excited to see photos of what the kids will look like.

I have mixed feelings about ending the project. It was the joy of my summer last year, but I keep telling myself that at 25, these will not be the only goats I will own, that’s for sure. More goats are in my future. So I look froward a little sad but happy that I had the sanity to do the right thing.

Though I’ve had a fair bit of experience with larger animals over the span of my life, I’ve got quite a learning curve with the chickens and the rabbits around here.

I’ve never really raised either of them, and there aren’t a lot of resources available, especially on rabbits, ANGORA rabbits at that. I must say that I’ve had my fair share of losses. I lost a few meat chickens last year, 2 of my laying hens and 3 rabbits so far (all within 2 weeks of each other). The losses seem high and devastating, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ve learned from every one of them, and I’m a better mama because of it.

Sometimes I go out to feed and check on animals and come back in with a big sigh. Jared always knows these days by the comment I make when I walk in the door. Yesterday was such a day. You see, I bred my rabbit, Daisy to a new buck that I got last month. The gestation of a rabbit is 28-35 days, with the VAST majority of bunnies kindling on the 30th day. I put a nesting box in for Daisy on the 28th day and as she tore it apart, I realized she must not be bred. I left it in for her until day 37 when I took it out. That’s pretty normal and standard.

So I was completely taken by surprise when I walked out to feed again last night and saw that she had in fact kindled. The problem is that there was only one kit, and the kit had a serious deformation, and it clearly deceased.

The problem is that the medium breed rabbits usually have around 8 kits, so where were the rest of them? She was happily eating and drinking showing no signs that anything negative had happened.

I tried palpating her belly to see if I could feel anything else, but it didn’t seem like there was anything else in there, and she was happy.

After a LOT of research, I decided to bring her inside to watch over her. If there were any fetuses stuck inside, the could be expelled by rebreeding, so I took her out and put her with the buck last night and this morning. She still hasn’t had any more kits, but she seems happy.

I also gave her a very high dose of calcium to help. It’s a fantastic rabbit remedy to use.

I feel like I’m walking on pins and needles. If there are any stuck babies, they will surely kill my very favorite prized rabbit. At least I was able to act quickly and try to sort out the problem. I’ve done all I can do, and as many farmers will tell you sh#@ happens.

Until then, she looks lovely and happy, and I’ve marked the date for another kindling in 29 days.

I cut my hair when Daphne was born, and I’ve been growing it out ever since. It’s still only at my shoulders. I’d love to have this hair back. it was long and lovely in so many ways. If I can ever get it back to that length, I may never cut it.

This is a lesson we were doing while in Florence. We are evaluating the church and the feeling it has. Of course, I couldn’t help but sneak off some photos. The wondrous thing is that I know exactly what photo I was taking.

I was taking a bit of a walk down memory lane today, and I thought of this photo.

It’s a photo of me tossing a coin over my shoulder at the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

Legend says that if you do this, you will return to Rome, and I hope that legend is right.

I plan to have a VBAC water birth at the Portland Andaluz birth center.

If transferring is necessary, I would like to transfer to OHSU, and only in the case of emergency. Please discourage me from transferring if it is not an emergency.

I plan to have a doula for support who will also act as a photographer for the birth.

I would like my 2 year old daughter to experience the birth. She will be taken care of completely by my doula and my husband.

I feel that I will get enough support from the Andaluz midwives, so I desire that no family or guests attend the birth. If anyone shows up at the birth center they should be told to return home and wait for communication from my husband or myself.

We desire silence during contractions and the delivery for religious reasons.

If it is available, I prefer the Tierra room. If it is not available, the Solona room is my second choice.

I am eager to stay at home as long as possible during the labor. I am hoping to drive to the birth center when the contractions have become very intense, hopefully around 5-6 centimeters dilated.

I plan to have a water birth, however, if I need assistance in pushing, I am open to other positions on dry land.

I would like silence maintained during the delivery of the baby if this is possible, however gentle encouragement is also important to me.

I would like to try to catch the baby with the help and guidance of the midwife.

I would like the lighting as low as possible when the baby is born.

When my baby is born, please pass him or her straight to me unless there is an emergency. The first few moments of bonding are important to me without logistical interruption.

When the baby is born, I would prefer that the room stay silent and calm. It is especially important do that there are no comments made about the sex or the state of health of the baby.

I plan to have a natural third stage, allow the placenta to turn up in its own time. I would like the cord to stop pulsing before it is cut.

I would like to freeze the placenta and take it home with me.

If there is tearing, I am more inclined to have stitches than to not.

Please do not administer a Vitamin K injection to the baby. We plan to use the non-synthetic oral Vitamin K.

Please do not administer eye prophylaxis to my baby after birth.

We would like to do the newborn screening tests as two tests, the first occurring before we leave the birth center.

I have a separate plan should a transfer or a c-section be needed. It should be in my file accompanying this one.

I desire that a midwife accompany me until the baby has been born and we are both found to be OK. I understand that midwives do not have hospital privileges, but it does not stop her from advocating on my behalf as a “family friend.”