Ten Fingers and Ten Toes, Unless You're a Chicken

Last Tuesday, we got to see Norman Jr. on ultrasound! He/she has grown so much since our 8 week ultrasound!



The ultrasound technician verified what my midwife had guessed - I do have an anterior placenta, which is why I haven't felt Norman Jr. much. I have been feeling him/her more now, and Ray even felt him/her on Thursday night!

Babies seem to be the theme of the month of April. My dad has been wanting a new farm critter ever since Silky died this winter. He finally settled on twelve new farm critters:

They're cute now, but they'll be ugly chickens in just a few weeks! I think my dad called them "jumbo fryers", so that tells you a little about their fate :( My mom is pretty excited about having organic chicken this fall!

As if a dozen baby chicks weren't cute enough, Daisy out at my parent's place wasn't about to be left behind. Four more cute babies arrived this week!


Babies everywhere!

22-Week Bump and Cloth Diapers

I feel like my belly has gotten a lot bigger these past two weeks:


Ray thinks Charlie's belly has gotten bigger:


We also made the final decision to go with cloth diapering. I guess I'm really becoming a hippy: using a midwife instead of an OB, planning to give birth at home, drinking organic milk, and now cloth diapering!!! At least we're not planning on joining a commune (although....) ;)

Anyway, I have a Craigslist search saved for cloth diapers and was able to get a really good deal on these used ones:


I'm pretty excited because cloth diapers can get expensive! I know it will save us money in the long run no matter what, but I still like the idea of trying to minimize the upfront cost.

My plan is to get one or two of a bunch of different kind of diapers and see what works for us once Norman Jr. is born. Then, I can stock up on what I like and re-sell anything that doesn't work for us.

I've also started going to rummage sales. I haven't had great luck yet, but I'm excited that I have the whole summer ahead of me to search out those deals!

North Carolina Trip 2010

Ray and I went to visit Tom in Raleigh again this year. We had a great time, as always, though Ray started getting sick on Saturday. Then, after getting home this week, he lovingly passed his cold onto me!

Our Raleigh trip this year was a little more low-key than previous years, mostly due to Norman Jr. Still, Tom had plenty planned to fill our days!

On Friday, we went to Duke University. The guys loved seeing where all of the big-name NCAA ballers play, and I loved the gardens.

Ray and Tom at the Duke University basketball court.

I LOVE wisteria! I really want to plant some, I just need to get Ray to build me a pergola!

We then met up with Tom's sister, Mary, her husband Matt, and their daughter Kalina, at Tom's dad's house. The men talked men talk and watched Kalina while Mary gave me the 411 on cloth diapers. I had asked her ahead of time if we could do that on this trip, and I'm so grateful she was willing to take the time to share her wisdom with me.

Friday night we went to a real symphony! It was a first for Ray and I. They did a beautiful Beethoven piece.

Saturday morning we left for the ocean! We first went to tour the WWII ship, USS North Carolina. After that, we went to the beach. This is the point where Ray started feeling sick. Ray laid on the beach while Tom and I went for a walk. It was a bit chilly to go in the water, but it was gorgeous!

Tom, Me, and Ray at the front of the USS North Carolina

On Sunday, we went out to Bald Head Island by ferry (a short, non-choppy ferry ride, thank you!). We didn't have much time, but we took a walk up the lighthouse (which was not recommended for pregnant women, hah) and enjoyed a fantastic view!

Luckily, Ray was feeling better on Sunday, because Tom had talked up Ray's basketball skills to his Raleigh friends. They had a great time beating some college kids on the UNC basketball courts.

The victory walk after beating kids 10 years younger than them!!!

That night, Tom called up an acquaintance who showed us the view of downtown Raleigh from her high-class downtown apartment building. We met some people who probably have a lot more money than we will ever have! It was very interesting :)

View of the Capitol building

A great time was had by all, as always. I doubt we'll make it back to Raleigh again next year (maybe Ray will???), but we'll definitely have to get back there SOON. We always have such a wonderful time.

20 Weeks!

We're halfway there!


Can you tell I have a limited maternity wardrobe?!? :)

Right on Schedule

I had my monthly midwife appointment today and everything's looking great! I took my mom along this time, which Mom really enjoyed. She got to meet my midwife (one of them), check out the office and birthing rooms (though I won't be using them, they are sooo nice!), and, most importantly, hear Norman Jr's heartbeat (currently 156 bpm).

Jill, one of my midwives, measured my stomach and said I am exactly on schedule. I've been a little annoyed with Norman Jr. because I still haven't felt him/her moving around in there, and Jill thinks I might have an anterior placenta. I'll find out if that's the case when we have our big ultrasound in about three weeks.

Jill is big on nutrition, and I proudly told her that I tried asparagus for the first time in my life... and it was pretty good! I've been doing really well with getting my vitamin C fruits/veggies in each day. Some days, I get my greens in (like when we ate asparagus), but I'd like to continue working on that.

She did say that since I drink so much milk, I should consider buying organic. It makes sense to me that the things I consume the most of should be as healthy and natural as possible, so I picked up a gallon today. I haven't tried it yet, but it cost $6!!! Yikes! I can't wait to hear what Ray has to say about that ;)

Next time, I'm finally scheduled with the other midwife, Marijke. Ideally, I'd see each midwife equally as often, but it just hasn't worked out like that. I'm really glad I'll be able to get to know Marijke a little bit better.

And on we roll to the halfway point. I plan to post a 20-week belly picture on Friday!

Baby Update: First Belly Picture

I've been putting this off, but I guess I'm ready to post my first belly picture! I still feel like it doesn't look like a pregnant belly as much as an "I've been pigging out on cookies" belly (which I haven't!). I feel like Norman Jr. is pushing up more than out. He/she is quickly going to run out of room in that direction, though, so it probably won't be too much longer before the belly looks more like a pregnant belly. I am 18 weeks, 4 days pregnant in this picture:


I also bought my first piece of baby clothing since becoming pregnant. I bought it at a thrift store, and it's from The Children's Place!

I figure when I find something cute and clean that's gender neutral, I'd better snap it up :)

Chicks Silouette June 5th, 1986 - February 20th, 2010

I've been putting off writing on this blog because I knew I couldn't write a post about anything else until I wrote about my beloved horse, Silky, whom we had to put down unexpectedly last month.

I received Silky (Chicks Silouette is her registered name) as a Christmas present (can you believe it?!?) in 1990. I had been bitten by the "horse-crazy bug" as a little girl and had been taking riding lessons for a year or two. I don't know how my parents scraped up the money, but that Christmas Eve they blindfolded me and drove to the stable where Silky was being boarded. She was the best Christmas present ever!

First picture of Silky and I, in 1990.

The following spring, Dad put together a barn for me and Silky came home, where she would live the rest of her life. Silky and I did the 4-H horse shows every year until I turned 18. We even made it to state twice!

Silky and I at the State Horse Show in 1994

In 1996, we bred Silky to a handsome stallion name Booker T Boss and the following spring, my little Diego was born. Unfortunately, late in the summer, Diego somehow broke his leg while he and Silky were out on pasture and we had to put my baby down.

Silky and Diego (one day old), 1997

Silky had a couple of barn mates over the years. My mom got interested in horses for a few years. Mom tried out a couple of horses, but her favorite was Sunny.

Mom on Sunny and Me on Silky, 2004

Then, last month, I got a call from Mom after work on Friday afternoon. She said that Dad came home, went out to feed Silky, and found her stuck lying on her side in her stall. She was caught next to the wall and wasn't able to get up. She had probably been like that all day. While Ray and I were on our way out to the barn, Dad and Mom got Silky up. We thought everything was going to be ok.

After monitoring Silky for a little while, we all went into the house. The neighbor called a couple of minutes later to say that Silky was lying flat on her side out in the snow. I ran out, and we got her to get up again. Something was obviously wrong, so we decided to call the vet.

The vet examined Silky and said she probably had a twist in her intestines, called colic. She gave us some options, and the best one for Silky seemed to be to sedate her and wait out the night to see if her intestines would untwist on their own. It was a really long night of checking on Silky every half hour (Ray did a lot of the checking).

By the next morning, it was obvious that Silky's intestines were still twisted. We made the difficult decision to put her down. I pet Silky's beautiful face and gave her tons of kisses while the vet gave her that last injection. Dad was able to find a good spot on the property where the ground wasn't frozen, and Dad and Ray laid her to rest on Sunday.

Silky's last walk with Ray and I on Saturday morning.

Silky had a great, long life, and I'm so thankful for that. Still, I had always envisioned my children sitting on her back in her senior citizen years. I can't help but feel a little cheated - with our first child due exactly 6 months after Silky died.

I'll never forget you, Silky-girl.