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Merry Little Tree Christmas

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Check out Judah in all his Christmas-y glory!

Dang! Too cute.

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Merry Little Tree Christmas

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Filled with Joy

"I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High" (Psalm 9:1-2).


We have SO much to be thankful for! This little baby is a constant reminder of God's faithfulness, provision and adoration. I love that our little guy is kicking and moving all the time--it makes it very difficult to forget the wonderful gifts that the Lord has given us! I pray that our son would be a worshiper of Christ and that the Holy Spirit is already molding him to be a follower of Jesus. He's very active during church and I find myself wondering if he is praising God in his own little way already :). It reminds me of the story of John the Baptizer leaping for joy in the presence of Christ--even while they were both in their mothers' wombs!


"A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, 'God has blessed you above women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honoured, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said'" (Luke 1:39-45).


I am determined to spend these next couple of weeks remembering God's blessings, his faithfulness, his GOODNESS in our life! Instead of moaning that the baby still isn't here yet, I want to follow the example of Mary, who worshiped the Lord with singing:


"Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever" (Luke 1:46-55).


We 
    are
        so
           Blessed

Officially full term!

Woo hoo! As of tomorrow I am officially full term! Way to go, Squirrel, for cooking happily in my belly this whole time! The weather has been very hot and muggy but oh so lovely. It definitely helps that my aunt and uncle graciously let us swim in their pool every day. Usually I'll walk to the pool (and get all hot and sticky on the way) and meet David there when he's finished work. It's a great system and a huge blessing! Our little guy seems to love it when I swim as he kicks up a storm and tries to poke limbs through my skin. I always find it entertaining that he is swimming in me while I'm swimming in the pool--albeit, I'm not swimming in my own pee ;). We are all ready to have this little guy. You hear that, Squirrel? You can come out now; your daddy and I want to meet you!! The carseat is in, the hospital bags are packed, the freezer is stocked, the nursery is set up, and the Braxton Hicks contractions are happening frequently. I suck at waiting. But it's been a marvelous summer! Besides all the sun, sleep and social time I've been getting, David and I have had a number of fun special date times. Last week he took me to the Boathouse for a lovely dinner followed by a walk around Rocky Point. I touched a Canadian Goose! ... She didn't seem to care :). David got Friday off at the last minute, so we went and saw "The Dark Knight Rises" in IMAX with David's dad, and then today I was able to surprise David with AMAZING foot massages! We've been so grateful for all the special times together we've been able to enjoy--we know that it might be a while before we can do date-y things! We spend most evenings going for long walks or playing board games. He's so good to me! And boy, he is going to make one heckuva great dad! So come out, little one, and meet your daddy--he can't wait to finally hold you! We thank the Lord every single day for you and the joy you already bring us!

Here are those pictures I promised you! I thought I would include newborn(ish) ones of both David and myself, and then ones when we're toddlers. It seems very likely that our little boy will have dark hair when he comes out!

(Less than) Six Weeks to Go!

Well, the countdown is on! Apparently I can go into labour at any point and my midwife won't attempt to stop it. So come, baby, come! But we actually can't deliver in Maple Ridge until I'm at 36 weeks, and that would be ideal... so... give it 11 days and then come, baby, come!

Last week I started having some pre-term labour symptoms, so I had to go into the hospital to be checked out. This is the second time I've had to go in there and be assessed during this pregnancy (the first was when I broke my wrist), and to be honest, it's kind of nice getting to know some of the maternity nurses before I am in actual labour :). I didn't think I was in legitimate labour, but I was excited nonetheless. David, on the other hand, kept saying, "We're not ready! We don't have our labour kit packed!" It was cute, but totally untrue. We (actually HE) has been ready for weeks and weeks, and with the exception of diaper practise, David is 100% on the ball and ready to help get this baby out, fed, loved, and home. I feel like he's done all the work so far! Someone remind me of that point when I'm in active labour. Or don't. I still do karate.

Anyway, we obviously did NOT have a baby on June 23rd. I was a-ok and so was our little dude.  He missed the memo though and was mighty active during the non-stress test; it took TWO HOURS for him to be still for FIVE MINUTES so they could get his baseline heart rate. The nurse and midwife kept giving us pitying looks. I'm pretty sure they think we're screwed. Meh, I can deal with active babies. I think if he was really inactive I wouldn't know what to do!

We had an ultrasound last week to follow up on the position of the placenta. It's at least 4 cm away from the OS so they are not concerned at all--thank you, Jesus! Baby is growing and happy too, so it was a wonderful day of celebration.

I've been looking at some of David's baby pictures to get an idea what our little guy will (probably) look like. I've heard that most babies look like their fathers when they come out; however, my brother's little girl looked like her maternal uncle at first, so I guess the theory isn't foolproof! I would upload a picture of David as a baby, but blogger is being a booger and won't let me. I'll try to remedy that for next time.

And I'm off! The sun IS here and it DOES look like it's going to stick around! Huzzah!! It's swimming and tubing and beach-bumming for me!

The sun has come, the sun has come! I know it's not supposed to stick around, but I can't afford to think like that... this weather too fickle!

The last few weeks have been oh so wet and rainy, but it's given me a chance to get a lot done around the house. For example...

-I finally finished the curtains in Baby's room!
-I filled our freezers with meals for when Baby comes;
-The garden (a.k.a "green things in pots" as the yard will soon be torn to pieces) is looking happy (although it'd be a lot perkier if the sun would show up more often);
-The chicken coop gets cleaned at least every other day;
-We've acquired everything on our "Need to Get Before Baby Comes" list;
-David has started organizing everything on aforementioned list (this involved him re-organizing what I thought I had successfully organized... but my work clearly wasn't up to Hildebrand standards. I stand corrected. And grateful that I married someone who quivers with excitement in the presence of containers, label makers, drawer organizers, closet space savers... wooo... I almost fell asleep there.)
-LOTS of visiting with friends--yay!

All that is left to do is pre-wash our cloth diapers (this needs to be done a few times in order for them to meet their maximum absorbency) and pack the bags for the hospital. Oh. And there are a few more baby books that I need to finish reading so I understand what David's talking about when he mentions sleep patterns, doing the "shuffle" and the risks and rewards of co-sleeping. He's on the ball!

But there are like seven-ish weeks left. Possibly more. [Insert wide eyed "what to do" expression here].

BUT! If the weather does decide to switch into summer mode I have LOTS of bucket list things I still really want to get done! Such as...

-going to Barnston Island at least once for a nice walk or bike ride;
-picking strawberries and raspberries and (if harvest time cooperates) blueberries;
-tubing down the river;
-swimming in the pool a LOT;
-visiting different farmers' markets;
-hiking;
-going to the lake

Let's hope that sun sticks around! I still have my cast tan--and that thing came off a month ago!

Happy Vitamin D Day!

Quote of the day...

From "Today's Parent" article called "In your dreams": In another [dream], the doctor presented her with a pair of bundled-up hairbrushes instead of an infant. "I remember thinking, 'I just went through pregnancy and all I have are hairbrushes.' I was so sad, but I didn't want the hairbrushes to know how I felt."

She laughs at the time to come

Our karate grading to become green belts: we passed!

Awesome Hubs working hard on The Coop

The Coop!

I realized last week that I have 12 weeks left of being pregnant. It seems like so many!--but also so few when you start scheduling things. So I made myself a little Excel spreadsheet (I know, sooo not like me... but David and Nicole would be proud of my attempt at organization!) of the next 12 weeks and included categories such as House, Garden, Chickens, Social Events, Baby Prep, Appointments, Prayer List, Exercise, DIY/Crafts and Bucket List. The idea was so that I didn't spend my entire medical and maternity leave biking to and from the ranch, friends' houses and the lake. I mean, that's all I want to do... but I'm grateful for this extra time when I can sew curtains for the baby's room and make some freezer meals for when he gets here.

Left to right: Mrs. Fluffernutter, Sue and Lady Peepington

First strawberry from our garden!

Bottom seam has gone haywire!

I'm already behind. BUT in my defense, my sewing machine started acting up and last week was WAY too nice to be inside trying to troubleshoot thread and needles and bobbins and tension. However, this week is cold and wet. So I guess this is where I learn discipline :). And it's great! I seriously do love that I get to nest and do Martha Stewart-y things! I just have to remind myself sometimes that I won't suffocate if I spend more than half an hour inside at a time. Today at the ladies' group I attend at our church, one of the leaders got up and read from a passage in Proverbs that her husband read to her during her birthday meal last night.  It goes something like this:

¹⁰  An excellent wife who can find?
    She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
    and he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good, and not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She seeks wool and flax,
    and works with willing hands.
¹⁴ She is like the ships of the merchant;
    she brings her food from afar.
¹⁵ She rises while it is yet night
    and provides food for her household
    and portions for her maidens.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She dresses herself with strength
    and makes her arms strong.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
    Her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ She puts her hands to the distaff,
    and her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰ She opens her hand to the poor
    and reaches out her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid of snow for her household,
    for all her household are clothed in scarlet.^[f]
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
    her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the gates
    when he sits among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them;
    she delivers sashes to the merchant.
²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing,
    and she laughs at the time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷ She looks well to the ways of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
    and let her works praise her in the gates.

I pray that I might be a wife and mother of noble character, an ever-helpful friend, and a blessing to all I come in contact with! Hold me to it :). 

Karate Mum, signing out!

USA, Baby!

Last week David and I (and Baby, of course) went to the States for a last hurrah before two officially becomes three. We switched vehicles with my parents so we could sleep in the back of their SUV (which was brilliant and saved us hundreds of dollars--and was super fun!). On Thursday we headed down to Tacoma and spent the night at a sketch town motel. Seriously. The best part was that the shower head was less than five feet tall and their "continental breakfast" consisted of bananas and prepackaged cheese pastry things. But you can't complain about fresh fruit and hot showers, right?!

That night, after we checked in, we decided to head back to the outlet mall we passed in search of baby items. 

That's where the trouble began...

We went into a Carter's first and were delighted that their already-cheap baby clothes were a whopping 50% off! But as we walked in we noticed a very distinct boy section to our right and girl section to our left. I asked an employee where their gender neutral items were and she directed me to one measly little rack that had maybe three different yellow articles of clothing hanging on it. David and I looked at the rack in silence for a minute and then he blurted out something along the lines of, "This is crap! We're finding out the gender of the baby." 

Thus began the weekend of hemming and hawing about "peeking" once we were back in Canada. It didn't take much to convince me that, yes, it was a grand idea. So we found out! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The next morning we took our bananas (multiple bananas. Perhaps five or six. Hey. What's a pregnant girl to do?) and headed west and then north to Sequim, WA, where we visited the Olympic Game Farm. If you have a chance, GO! You drive your vehicle right through the animals' living quarters and feed them bread from your car window. Friendly elk, stubborn zebra, waving bears, pushy bison, lazy lions and an assortment of other wildlife poked their noses/snouts/muzzles through our windows to eat the loaves of bread we purchased for them (Note: the more "toothy" animals were behind other fences and we tossed them bread. I didn't get to pet the Siberian Tiger. Next time.). 

We then drove through Port Angeles and Forks, both of which were a huge disappointment. I mean, I didn't see any vampires or werewolves and we drove really slowly through the town to make sure we didn't miss anything. Drat.

We drove along the beautiful west coast and stopped at an amazing beach to walk the sea shore and run in the sand. David climbed a big rock; you can make out his minuscule figure in the picture below.

That night we made it all the way to Seaside, Oregon, and camped in a Home Depot parking lot. It was fun!

Our Tahotel!

The next morning we headed into Seaside and Cannon Beach to take in the sights, sounds and smells. Did you know that every other store in Seaside is a candy shop?! I looked in every one before I decided what I wanted to go back and get. I gotta be picky these days when it comes to sugar... and let me tell you that I had terrible sugar cramps after the candy store day :).

We picnicked on the beaches, wandered the streets, played Dance Dance Revolution, hiked Ecola State Park, and were pleasantly pooped for the day. 

Candy!

DDR - We both sucked at this

That night we drove into Portland and a kindly pastor permitted us to camp in his church's parking lot. He invited us to attend the service the next morning, which was followed by a spaghetti feast, but we had other plans in Portland so had to decline. We woke up and immediately went to the East Portland Community Center for a swim and a hot shower as we hadn't bathed in two days (I know. We're gross. Get over it.), but when we arrived we were informed that public swim didn't start until 11:00... and it was 9:00. And the super cool rock wall that was advertised on their website wasn't available. Bummer. But we passed a Target on the way and thought we'd check out more baby stuff and then return to swim. The receptionist seemed to feel pretty badly about everything so she gave us two free passes for when we came back--how nice!

After our lovely swim and shower we went to the Japanese Gardens in Washington Park (which is in Oregon. I know it's confusing, but try to keep up). They were lovely! This is where David realized that he was made to bonsai. Er, made to do bonsaiing. Uh... made to be a bonsaier? I need to use a lifeline on that verb-slash-noun.  But seriously, David spent close to 45 minutes standing still in one spot watching a man take tiny cuts from his bonsai. DAVID. STOOD STILL. For 45 MINUTES. I have way less patience than he does, and I think I looked at the rest of the bonsai display sixteen times before he was finished absorbing this particular artist's work. I should have known what was coming after that and mentally prepared myself for the seven hour ride home in which David gushed about his newfound love of bonsai and the art of doing bonsai(ing?), but alas, I was probably thinking about lunch or horses or the chicks at home by this point. I managed to convince him to just buy the mini starter bonsai kit at the gift shop instead of the really big (read: expensive) one but I knew he'd started on something that wasn't going to be quelled quickly... which honestly, I love! He's so passionate about everything and he loves life more than anyone I know. Some people are overwhelmed by his exuberance but he's seriously the happiest, funnest, craziest, coolest man I know. When David was a little boy he used to get so excited about going on plane rides that he would work himself into a tizzy--and then puke everywhere.  He even once did this while sitting in first class on an airplane! The entire front section had to evacuate while the stewards replaced the carpet. That is how excited he gets! And thankfully he's managed to control his puking thing now... but as a boy...

Oh sweet Moses. I willingly created another one... 

Anyway, David has decided to forego his bonsai endeavours for now in lieu of becoming Super Dad! I get daily text messages from him about the baby's development; he's created lists and lists of items we need and schedules and what to do once labour starts; and he's devouring books on sleep habits. I accept! He's already the world's best husband; he'll easily become the world's best dad! And we're having a BOY!!!!! It's gonna be great :).

Last week recap

Ahhh, the life of a girl on medical maternity leave!  Well, it's only been a week--and a very fun-filled week at that--but this is what not having a job is all about, right? My last week at Timberline was extremely eventful. That weekend was Mother-Daughter Camp and it was by far the smoothest and most fun camp I have been a part of since working at TR.  I had a dozen volunteer wranglers come in for the weekend to help run activities in the barn; with the exception of us letting most of the horses out accidentally on Saturday night and chasing them haphazardly around the property and across the main playing fields during the dinner banquet, I would vote that the entire camp was a happy success.  The following day we had a guest group in, so it was a day filled with trail rides. My other wranglers had worked six days straight, so I gave everyone Tuesday off. It was my intention to come in for the morning, feed and do a few chores, and then come back for the afternoon.  I had a few hour banked hours I needed to use up anyway, so the planned seemed perfect. However,  Tuesday was a horrible-awful-sad day.  After loading the tractor bucket with hay I proceeded to feed the herd stationed in what we call the dirt field. As soon as I opened the gate and drove into the field, I saw a sight that caused my heart to nearly stop: Bailey, one of our older, true blue horses, was caught in amongst the fence, some green metal paneling and a cement barricade. Her legs were  rigid, her breathing was labored, and the flies were settling on her blood-crusted wounds. I called for help from one of the maintenance guys, as all my wranglers were off that day. Unfortunately Bailey was already in shock by the time I found her, and even though we chainsawed the fence boards apart to pull her from the mess, we were too late. Needless to say, it was a terrible experience.  I'll never forget the  look in Bailey's eyes as I gently pulled her head and neck free, and how quietly she passed while still in my arms.  The rest of the day passed in blur of phone calls and doing the things that need to be done in a barn, regardless of circumstances.  Brooke and Phil graciously offered to do the afternoon feeding for me, so I left at lunch after what felt like a day that lasted an eternity.  I had Wednesday off but the poor girls in the barn had to deal with the loss of one of everyone's favourite horses during their regular work day on Wednesday. Our pre-planned ride up to Golden Ears and Allco Park for Thursday was a much-needed escape after a grueling few days, and we all appreciated having a "fun day" to look forward to. Thursday truly was a gift from the Lord! The ride was everything we had hoped for: good weather, safe horses, great scenery and fun gallops through the parks! It took nearly four hours to get to Allco because a bridge was closed on one of the main trail routes.  After some genius maneuvering by Kim and Nicole we were able to make it home in two and a half hours AND we found an alternate trail route for future day-long rides. Yippee! Friday presented us with amazing weather so we elected to bathe and photograph two horses that we've put up for sale. After lunch we had my last staff meeting (*sniff!*) where the ranch presented me with a gift card and a fruit bouquet (in lieu of cake, which I cannot digest these days)! I wasn't excepting anything and was extremely touched by their generosity and kindness.  By the way, fruit kicks cake's butt any day. Strawberries, melon, cantaloupe, blueberries and pineapple on skewers? Heck. Yes. I was sad to leave, but I'm grateful for these three months before Little One gets here--and besides, I can visit the ranch lots and lots and lots :). On Saturday David and I went up to Hiker's Beach for lunch and general lounging. I really enjoy lying on my stomach when I'm in the sun, but that doesn't seem safe or pleasant for Babe... So I dug a small hole in the sand, lay my towel over it, and presto!--a perfectly comfy belly hole! :) That evening we had friends from Kamloops and Abbotsford come over for dessert and visiting.  It's always great seeing old friends and it always seems like the time shared is too short. Sunday was my first Mother's Day! We walked to church (as is our custom now--yay!), came home for lunch and gardening, and then biked to Timberline to visit the petting zoo. What a hot day! But it was lovely. We then biked to my parents' house for a joint Mother's Day-slash-birthday for Paul with the siblings and kids. It was a super weekend and a great way to step into mat leave!

No day is complete without a stampede, right?

I only have four more days left of work--FOUR! It's crazy and sad and I don't feel ready for it at all... But I'm very much looking forward to working in our garden, getting handy on my sewing machine, editing the book written for our church's centennial, and spending lots of time being active outside and with friends as summer approaches! This weekend at the ranch we have a Mother-Daughter camp. It's great seeing these moms and their girls connect over riding, rifelry, rock climbing, archery, vaulting and just hanging out in the petting zoo. Today was an eleven hour work day but it always seems to go quickly when we have non-stop activities all day. However, at 5:30 when the hay is thrown down and the herd is anxious to get to the fields for their much-deserved dinner, no one anticipates that an un-closed gate will catch the eye of a particularly observant horse who will in turn lead the rest of the team away from dinner and out to the open playing fields and roads around the ranch at a break-neck pace. Oops. Thankfully my wranglers are extremely capable and willing to take "all hands on deck" to a new level; Brooke even vaulted over a fence with the agility and ease of a gazelle as she sprinted after the thirty stampeders! All in a days' work. And in the days to follow our work will certainly consist of filling the hoof holes around the ranch with sand :). Next week the full time wranglers and I are going on a "send off" trail ride up to Golden Ears. A whole day in the saddle and the weather is supposed to be glorious--I can't wait! We'll pack picnic lunches and the only interruptions will be the countless times we'll need to stop so I can empty my bladder :). Also next week we have our very good friends from Kamloops coming down for a few days! David is competing in the Spartan Race with his buddy, Phil, in North Van, and then we'll celebrate Kari's birthday that evening. Fun times! As promised last post, I have created a baby pool for friends and family to guess when Baby will be born and other stats. There is a very real and very awesome prize for the winner! You can make your predictions here: www.bebepool.com/janellekristine. Good luck!

Disclaimer: this post may be brief as it is extremely hard to type with a cast on. I had my appointment at RCH a week and a bit ago and GREAT news: no mores placenta previa OR tachycardia--HURRAY and praise God! The specialist actually seemed kind of bored and he jokingly mentioned that he expected my case to be more dramatic. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support! The little foal lives! He's a feisty little guy and we decided to call him Leo, after Leonidas, the Spartan hero-king who survived nights in the wild fighting off wolves when he was just a little boy. Our Leo spent his first night in the world very cold, hungry, alone and taking beats from other horses in the herd, thus proving his natural strength and perseverance. And also, Leo's mama's name is Sarabi (Simba's mom in "The Lion King") so we wanted to stick with a lion-esque theme :). Baby doesn't stop moving. Ever. Baby is active when I'm eating, when I'm riding, doing karate, walking, sitting, standing, lying down and carrying groceries. I told David the other day that if this constant activity is an indicator of Baby's future habits we will never get any sleep! It sure is fun though :). The cast specialist put a real cast on (yay!) and it's scheduled to come off in less than three weeks. I have to wrap it in vet-wrap every day to keep the barn and pony dirt off if it and to hopefully keep it from getting smelly--so far so good. My last official day at Timberline is May 12; I'm actually super bummed about having to leave so early. Buuuuut it's probably for the best. We're planning a "send off" ride up to Golden Ears one sunny day and that will be such a great way to end things. I'll miss it there so much! I don't know what things will look like after Baby comes but if I go back to work Timberline would be my first choice--and Baby (then Toddler) could even come with me on certain days! But I digress... ... And I don't really have anything else to say :). We haven't bought any baby stuff for a few months and we still are searching for some bigger items. A trip to the good ol' US of A might be in order! I'm going to start a baby pool! Stay tuned and get your predictions ready :). Forewarning: if any of you predict that Baby will be over 9 pounds we can no longer be friends.

Welllllll... It's been a long April! There isn't anything new on the baby front--which is excellent because I'm not sure I could handle any more surprises right now :). Quick run-down:

Good Friday - broke my wrist toppling off my bike

Easter weekend - fun! Sunny! No complaints

This past Tuesday - we had to put down MacGyver, our awesome cat :(. Sad, sad day for us. Cricket is having a difficult time adjusting... Poor kitty.

Today - I arrived at the ranch to find that Sarabi delivered her foal overnight--two and a half months earlier than the vet told us she was due! Unfortunately she delivered him in the field with 42 other horses. By the time I got there she had rejected him completely and he was following Asia around, thinking she was his mummy. I managed to move him and Sarabi to a boxstall but she was intent on attacking him. After hours of milking the mare, bottle feeding the colt, and having half a dozen people help restrain Sarabi, the baby was finally able to nurse on his own. However, she is still trying to injure him when he gets too close so they will need to have 1-2 wranglers in the stall with them overnight and possibly much longer. Oi. This is a busy week with trail rides and guest groups too. We are all praying for strength and energy!

In spite of the stressful day it was very cool to be the first human to handle Little Colt and to have him snuggle up all over me. I had no experience with day-old foals, so today was pretty unbelievable. We had to find the placenta and examine it. Kathryn from the kitchen came down to help and she offered to carry the after birth out of the field for us. Her reasoning: "I'm a chef; meat is meat." So. Gross. :)

But anyway, Little Colt is a fighter and I'm in love already!

I really, really hope this little guy lives. I can't bear to see two animals die in one week :(.

Didja miss me? I know it's been a bit since I've posted... I was just waiting for something update-worthy to crop up :). And it did!

We have been referred to Dr. Farquarson at RCH and I have my first ultrasound with him on April 19th. Woot! So until then we've just been carrying on, business as usual: I'm working; we're beautifying the house and starting to make a dent in the landscape and garden projects; Baby is happy; the sun is shining!

The spring weather called David and I outside yesterday (I had to work but came home in the middle of the day for a bit... 'cause I can do that on Good Friday when there ain't a fellow soul on the ranch ;)), and we decided to go for a lovely bike ride around town. Splendid! We found the only gas station left in the world with FREE AIR, filled our tires generously, and headed out.

About 30 minutes in we decided to cut through the mall parking lot. David was in front of me and he gracefully demonstrated how to jump the curb. I attempted to follow suit, but ended up performing a pretty awesome wipe out RIGHT in front of the mall entrance. I'm so cool.

David made it to my side in a millisecond and examined my road rash--it started at my foot and touched down on my ankle, calf, thigh, wrist, jaw, cheekbone, temple and ear. Within minutes Baby started ninja-kicking, so we were relieved that he or she was a-ok! We got back in the saddle, made a few stops for groceries, and headed home.

Twenty four hours later... The colour and pain in my wrist had escalated so I popped into the clinic, where the Doc recommended a trip to Emerg.

So here I am. Yay! Happy Easter Eve...

The nice thing is that they sent me up to Maternity for a full stress test and everything came back great. Baby was dancing around, both our heart rates were normal, and I'm measuring exactly where I should be.

... So now it's just waiting to get in for X-rays. It's sad that there are only two of us in the waiting room, that we've been here over an hour, and that the same two of us are still here. Seriously?! I guess that's the payoff for free health care...

I wish I could post pics on here so I could show you the technicoloured piece of art that is my wrist-slash-hand...

Halfway there!

Baby is about the size of a banana and weighs roughly 300 grams. Baby's organs are continuing to develop, and teeth are forming. Baby can swallow (mmm, amniotic fluid-slash-urine... So tasty) and hiccup!

Baby likes: horseback rides, long walks, kicking Mummy, fruit, lemon water and hearing people speak to him or her through Mummy's belly.

Baby dislikes: wheat, dairy, chocolate, sugar (sometimes), and being stationery for too long.

Looks like Baby wants to go outside in the rain! Meh, works for me :).

I spoke with my lovely midwife today about my ultrasound results from last week--I love my midwives! They're so sweet, helpful and encouraging.

She confirmed that I do indeed have complete placenta previa, as far as can be seen from the scan pictures. She said that there is a *chance* that the placenta might move to a better position as the pregnancy progresses. I have been referred to an ultra-specialist type obstetrician at Royal Columbian and he'll schedule the ECG and further scans to monitor the placenta. BUT the great news is that I get to stay with the midwives! I thought that once they passed me along to a doctor that they'd be through with me, but evidently that's not the case! Apparently I will split my monthly appointments between the OB at RCH and the midwives AND they will actually be there for the delivery, even if it ends up being a scheduled cesarean! So great! I'm also able to deliver at Ridge Meadows instead of having to go out of town--yay!

She warned me though that if I start bleeding at any time I will need to go to the hospital immediately and will most likely be on bed rest until the baby comes. Yikes! Prayerfully that isn't the case :).

We bought a heart rate Doppler on Craigslist yesterday to listen to Baby, but it's pretty fuzzy. Apparently Baby is the size of a banana now--so, so big!

We had another ultrasound on Thursday (19.5 weeks), and even though this was the fourth scan we've had, it never gets less exciting to see our little one swimming around :). The technician was able to determine Baby's gender but we don't want to know; surprises rule!

However, there was some less-than-exciting updates that will require us to continue to be monitored. Firstly, the tachycardia is still present with Baby's heart rate being around 179 bpm. This means that Baby will most likely need an echocardiogram done in utero in the next few weeks to determine if there's an issue there.

Secondly, I currently have placenta previa, which means a guaranteed cesarean section unless the placenta moves (unlikely). Boo! Buuuut, obviously whatever is best for the baby we will do! Thankfully I haven't had any of the regular previa symptoms, which is great because that would result in being on bed rest and hospitalisation and possibly delivering the baby quite early. We're praying that the placenta moves in the next few weeks as the cervix is currently completely covered. We would appreciate your prayers for that too!

... So maybe a July baby..?

Baby sure is active these days! I know it's early but I'm very much feeling the unmistakable movements of our little one..! It has gotten to the point where whenever I sit down (which is, admittedly, not that often--mostly just at meal times, haha!), within a minute or so Baby has started his or her karate (or soccer or tap dance) regiment. AND David has been able to feel Baby move too, which is a super cool experience for both of us. Keep dancing, little babe!

So as most of you know, I am the barn manager at Timberline Ranch, a Christian horse camp in rural Maple Ridge. Being pregnant hasn't really posed too many issues in the barn, except for the following:

-I no longer ride the young and green (read: unpredicable) horses;

-my Q-Baby Wrangler jeans are now held together by an elastic band connecting the zipper and the button.

One of my fellow wranglers told me sweetly today that she thinks I have 3-4 more weeks in these jeans before I have to shelf them until post-partum. I think that's really, really pushing it, especially considering how much I've popped these past couple weeks..!

One of the Fjord mares in the barn is pregnant and also due in the summer. The campers this week have gotten a real kick out of the fact that Sarabi and I are both soon-to-be mamas. Sarabi's foal moves like crazy in the afternoon and it's so cool to see her belly swell and collapse with each movement. The campers gather around her, fighting to fit their hands somewhere on her abdomen. Admittedly I don't envy her the overwhelming physical attentions :).

I've been feeling Baby move a ton since last week, and David got to experience it last night, too! He or she is already pretty active and strong... And only half a pound. Lord, have mercy.

We're going skiing this weekend... Well, David will ski and I'll leave my snowboard at home to avoid temptation. I am SO GLAD that I have a pair of cross country skis and snowshoes to keep me occupied! The sun is supposed to be out all weekend, so it should be a fantastic trip :).

So far all of this is fun!

Ok, I've clearly been absent for far too long! It's been my intention to blog about my pregnancy (and beyond), but because we haven't had access to a laptop or desktop computer for the past 3ish months, and the fact that I couldn't fathom the idea of doing any significant amount of writing on my iPhone, the idealistic goal of blogging each minute of my pregnancy has fallen to the wayside. Now that we've moved into our new house and are starting to feel somewhat settled, I am now determined to blog more often--if only for my own records!

So, where to begin? I was 19 weeks yesterday (what?! That flew by!) and have been through a plethora of happy baby symptoms. I'll do a super quick instant replay of the past few months for you...

(Note: we're dealing with pregnancy here. Not always a lot of elegance. At times I will provide too much information. You've been warned.)

November 21st: life begins!

November 22nd: our specialist tells us that we can probably start "trying" again in the new year (ha ha... Little did everyone know!)

December 10th: Six pregnancy tests confirm what I had been suspecting for a few days--baby is coming! I'm nearly 5 weeks and due August 13th. We decide to use the local midwife clinic as our healthcare providers.

From week 5-14 I feel pretty nauseous and discover I've developed a pregnancy-induced wheat sensitivity. Yay... But to be honest, I don't even care--we're having a baby!

Week 10: first ultrasound! Baby's heart rate is high so we return at weeks 13 and 16 for further monitoring. Each time the heart rate has been lower, with it being around 170-180 at week 16.

So that's the dealio so far! We have another ultrasound later this week and I can't wait to see how our little squirrel has grown! I've begun to feel Baby move and it's the coolest feeling ever :).

David received a very old copy of "The New American Baby Book", published in 1954, as a gag gift for his birthday. Reading through it has proven to be quite the treat, so I will conclude these posts with quotes from this, erm, outdated model of perfect pregnancies and happy families. Enjoy!

"You will want to look your best when in the hospital. After the baby is born a party atmosphere prevails. Relatives and friends come to see you at visiting hours, and you will remember this time as the happiest and gayest of your life.

"During the months of waiting you will have done some sewing for yourself as well as the baby, an the result may be several becoming bed jackets, a delicate nightgown or two, and a bathrobe or dressing gown. Some women prefer to wear pajama tops instead of nightgowns and bed jackets. If you can 'sew a fine seam' there is no telling what dainty garments you may have designed for yourself. Some women go so far as to bring to the hospital their own hand-embroidered coverlets and pillow slips for the bed."

I'm on it!