37 Week Ultrasound

Today Jacob and I went for my 37 week ultrasound.  Everything checked out nicely and we got to see some whisps of hair.  Too bad ultrasounds aren’t in color!  I find that I can’t even imagine her, not knowing what her hair color will be :)  All my measurements and her heartrate appeared healthy.  Our visit with Dr. Million was short.  As soon as we were called back, she was called to deliver a baby, so while we stayed there for 2 hours, we respected her rush and tried to be easy and fast for her.  We’ll go back in one week!

Here’s a picture of Hannah’s head that is currently facing downward and pressing on my bladder!

35 Week Appointment

I had a check up with Dr. Million last week and it appears all is well, though I had to get a vaccine and other routine test, but I was brave :)  The baby’s heartrate was between 138 and 142 bpm and my weight and measurements were fine.  She continues to be head down, so we are primed and ready to go…eventually.

We are continuing to stretch out my appointments, so I go back in 2 more weeks at which point we will have an ultrasound.  At that point I’ll be 37 weeks and in the real countdown!  It’s pretty crazy that she’ll be here so soon.  It dawned on me this morning that I’ve been telling everyone that we have over a month, but as of 2 days ago, we only have a month.  Now less!

Except for the purchase of a few basics, we are more or less ready…now that I’ve made a large Amazon order this week, including a car seat, that is.  Now I need some small stuff like diapers and pacifiers and we’ll be all set.  At least we’ll be set to bring her into this world.  To do it well and in an organized fashion requires quite a bit more work and I’m pretty sure we won’t have all that stuff that I had hoped for finished.  I’ve been working hard at my job and Jacob has been working non stop to prepare bees for OH.  He leaves tomorrow for at least 10 days.  Such is life.  She better be adaptable when she arrives!

32 Weeks–The Countdown Is On!

This week I had my 32 week OB appointment with Dr. Million.  Everything appears to be fine and this little girl is cooperating by being in a head down position.  I’m measuring right as I should, gaining weight (perhaps too quickly!  I need to improve my eating habits, for sure!), and her heartrate was in the 150’s.

I’ve made little progress in the last month in preparing for this little girl.  I’ve purchased some fabrics to make some things, but have yet to follow through.  I’ve also gone through the clothing we have, but haven’t yet organized it to know what is still needed.  There’s plenty to do, but I’m planning on tackling it starting this weekend.

The next important task is to solidify a name.  We think we have it.  We have all along, actually, but I’ve wanted to toss around ideas before committing.  Jacob, however, has only ever had ears for one name.  Maybe we’ll disclose it soon, though I think most people already know :)

The next appointment is in about 4 weeks and while last time Dr. Million said it would be an ultrasound, it sounds like that will be put off one more appointment.

Final Trimester? Really?

Well, despite the fact that I can’t seem to keep up with the weeks flying by, it appears we have arrived at the third trimester!  I thought I was a week or two away, but apparently I can’t count. 

My visit with Dr. Million went well.  The baby’s heartrate was strong and in the 140’s, as it has been all along, I’m gaining weight (yay), and my labs look good, though I’m mildly anemic.

I’ll go back in a month, then the next visit will be my final ultrasound.  At this stage she often starts to see patients every 3 weeks, but apparently I’m “so experienced” that she’s not concerned that I won’t notice if things aren’t going well :)  I’m an old hag!

It looks like we better get on top of a few things.  I want to decorate the bedroom a bit, sew a few things,  purchase a few key items, dig out the baby items we already have, and finish moving kids to the appropriate rooms along with all their clothing.  One thing at a time!  Oh, we should probably also solidify the name!

Springtime Swarming

Tis the season for swarming in the life of a beekeeper.  This time of year as the hives get stronger, they tend to want to split themselves and if the beekeeper doesn’t stay on top of them they can lose a large number of bees.  Some loss is to be expected, but as part of the husbandry, efforts are made to make conditions prime in the hives.

Swarming happens when the bees take the queen and they all congregate in a clump on a tree (or somewhere) and prepare to take flight to find a new home.  These bees are so focused on their task at hand that they aren’t aggressive or dangerous, so you can get close without issue, but I personally still use some caution!  Jacob does not.

Jacob has taken most of his hives to the orange groves where they have done really well in honey production this year.  That flow is almost over now, but in the meantime he left several weaker hives that were recently split and nuk boxes in our pasture.  As they have strengthened, some of them have begun to swarm.  It’s not uncommon for us to be outside and happen to find one in a tree.  That was the case today when Josiah, Jacob, and I were hanging out in the pasture talking and enjoying the gorgeous day and Jacob noted 2 swarms gathering in the nearby trees.  I’ve watched Jacob catch swarms before, but I think this is the first time I took the time to get the camera to document it.

First swarm:Jacob uses his bobcat to do all kinds of things.

Second swarm:Josiah always loves to help and he’s actually really useful!

Yes, he is in fact a nut.

Triple A Farm

Lee Albritton started mentoring Jacob in beekeeping several years ago.  (Jacob says its been about 7 years, but I find that hard to believe!) Since then he’s become a family friend and part time boss as he and Jacob have developed a good relationship.  Jacob often goes out to Mr. Lee’s farm for various reasons and he’s taken the boys a number of times, but this particular time I went along and took some pictures.  They aren’t the greatest because it was such a bright clear winter day, but I think the boys will probably go there from time to time as they age, so I figured they’d like to see the pictures of them playing there later.

Playing on top of the round bales:Sigh, he’s running and jumping between bales with Joshua in his arms fully confident that he won’t fall.  I think I only watched long enough to get a picture.

The boys greeting Tall Man.  He’s also an old man and is no longer a working horse, but the boys enjoyed greeting him:

Tall Man was hanging out in the cow pens.  I’m not sure why I didn’t take pictures of it, but the boys’ favorite part was running through the chute and head catch.  They did it for the longest time and we finally had to drag them away.

Feeding the cows.  Elijah was poised and ready to help as though he could manage on his own:

Hot wire!One of these days these boys will learn to NOT  do everything their Daddy tells them to do.  It turns out touching wet grass to a hotwire will pop your fingers!  No worries….it was mild and they liked it enough to repeat it and experiment further.

I’ve Got The Jitters!

Last week I went for my 16 week OB appointment.  They asked the routine question of if I feel movement yet and of course said I’m not supposed to feel anything at this point, but the next day I started thinking I was feeling a little flutter.  It was a pretty definite feeling and quite a surprise  After a few days I’ve become convinced that it’s our little GIRL I’m feeling!  This is the earliest I’ve felt movement in a pregnancy and I thought I’d make note of it.  Pretty cool!