Overdue and Anxious

I'm not sure who's more anxious- me, or every other person who knows I'm pregnant. Answering all the texts and calls asking if we've had the baby yet are getting old. We are not going to keep the birth a secret, afterall! Haha!

 

I've decided that he will come when he's ready and there is just no way to get around that fact. We are all excited about his upcoming arrival, and I'm sure we won't be waiting too much longer.

 

Here's my most recent belly-shot, and probably the last one I'll be doing (unless of course, there are pictures taken while I'm in labor).

 



Any Day Now...

With my due date being a mere two days away, we've been busy making sure we have everything ready for Baby W's arrival. I have had increasingly more uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contractions the past few days and I'm hoping that they are at least helping my body prepare for the birth.

This will by my third homebirth, and I am really hoping that once real labor begins, it will go fast and smooth. My previous births were all uncomplicated and easy, and my only complaint was that they were all long-ish labors- with the last one being a whopping 34 hours of "real" labor, with about 4 days of pre-labor symptoms ahead of that.  

 

We've got all sorts of fun things organized and ready-to-go for when the time comes. I can't wait!

 



Lounging Around

Kayla Update: 4 Weeks

It's been just over four weeks now, and Kayla is definitely showing improvement. Her ribs are just barely visible anymore, the pits on the sides of her hip-bones have filled in, and her crest/neck area has really shown a lot of growth. Her topline is still a bit rough, but we're hoping that will start filling before long. She's been a super sweet mare on the ground- and is showing us what she knows as far as lunging, etc.

 

 

To see all of Kayla's posts, click here!

 



Countdown to Baby!

My due date is in exactly two weeks. I'm getting SO excited to have my little guy in my arms, and am very anxious to see how this labor and delivery goes. You know how they say that your first labor is the hardest, and each one after that gets easier and easier? Well, that's the opposite for me. My first labor was the fastest, and each one thereafter got progressively longer and longer. I am holding out hope though, that THIS one will be different.

 

Here's a terrible self-portrait of me with Lizzie...

...who thinks my belly is very comfortable to sleep on.

 

And here's a shot of my view while in the car.

I have almost no room left between my belly and the steering wheel! 

 

Everything is going very well and baby is currently around 9 or 10 pounds. I may get my "record breaking" baby when it's all said and done. I'm shooting for 11 lb, 1 oz, but honestly, if he's not that big, and I have a feeling he will NOT be, I will be A-OK with that, just as long as he's healthy!

 

Kayla: 2 Week Update

I realize there seems to be a serious case of Kayla, Kayla, Kayla going on over here at 12 Acres. I assure you life does NOT revolve around her. We are actually counting down the days until our new little one arrives... I am due in just 19 days. And with seemingly every day being filled with something or another, that time will fly by before we know it.

And then all you'll see on here is Baby, Baby, Baby!

 

Here's Kayla's 2-Week Update. She is definitely looking better, though still has a ways to go.

 

 

For Kayla's other posts, click HERE



Z & Z Meet the Neighborhood Superheroes

Zander and Zorro met Spiderman and Captain America today during our morning chores. They thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

 



Kayla: Day 10

Kayla is starting to look a tiny bit better, we think. She is putting on a little weight... her "hollows" between her bones are not quite as prominent as they were. We're increasing her feed gradually as we don't want to over-do it and make her sick.

 

 

She gets so mad at the chickens when they get too close to her bucket. She pins her ears back at them and stomps her foot. Silly girl!

 

For more posts on Kayla, click HERE.



The View

Kayla, day 3

Today marks Kayla's third day with us, and she is settling in nicely. She LOVES all the attention and the yummy treats and hay we give her. We have her started on a deworming program, so hopefully before long we'll start seeing some difference in her weight.

 



Kayla is Here!

Quite the adventurous day we had today when we got our newest horse, Kayla. After the looooong drive, the rough dirt roads, the contractions that inevitably ensued, the truck/trailer getting stuck in the mud and having to be pulled out... we finally were able to take a look at Kayla.

 

She was SO much worse off in person than she was in the pictures- very thin, and older than expected. But she has the sweetest disposition!

 

We believe she is closer to 20 than 15, and is very badly infested with worms. But she seems to have no other issues. Good feet, good teeth.

 

This is the farm she came from:

Her health issues do not stem from a lack of funds. They don't stem from anything being physically WRONG with HER. There is no excuse for her to be in such bad shape. This farm had money practically laying around. Trucks, tractors, big barns full of hay and an outrageously beautiful home. And all she lacked was a decent worming program- and they couldn't even do that.

 

She traveled very well. Better than I did! 

So thin! 

And hungry.

Just LOOK at those bones!

 

I am sure once we get a handle on her worm issue, that she will start putting on weight. She is such a sweet, laid-back mare that I'm very excited about seeing her bounce back!

 

For Kayla's other posts, click here!

 

 



A New Horse!

This sweet looking mare will be coming home to us this weekend. She badly needs some weight put on her, and lots of love... and I'm sure she'll get plenty of both here!

 

 

Will post more pictures this weekend after she is here. The above photo was from her ad.



Treasures Around Every Corner

One of the things I love about living out here is the history, and in particular, the towns that are no longer here. Our farm is situated between two such "towns"... Cincinnati, first settled in the 1830s, and the little community known as Wedington. One standing remnant is this building, the Wedington Grocery, just 2 miles down the road from us.

 

It was here that I spotted some treasures.

After having my eye on these beauties for over a year now, we finally talked to the owner and he said we could have them. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with them! They are SO much bigger than they looked leaning up against the old building!

 



Frog on a Fence

This big guy surprised me the other morning. He was sitting on the gate to one of the goats' pens and just about scared me to death when I reached down to open the latch and there he was.

 



A Porch with Personality

I'm so excited to share with you the new decor on our front porch. I say "new," but once you see the pictures, you'll realize it's more like "old junk that I found lying around the farm."

 

 

Obviously not *everything* was old- the mums I just bought ON SALE at Lowe's, and the "Welcome" sign I made (using left-over paints and an old salvaged piece of wood).

 

I think it came together rather nicely and I'm very pleased with it. What do you all think?

Giant Outdoors

We patched any of the openings in the goat fence that we thought Giant might be able to squeeze through, and he is now being housed in there with the goats.

 

We figured he would enjoy being back with some livestock, and out of the house. He's been mainly inside since his surgery, and I don't think that's been the best thing for his overall health.

 



Update on the Puppies

We couldn't keep the puppies without first checking with all our neighbors to make sure they didn't belong to someone and somehow had wandered off and got lost. And our hunch was right... our neighbors back behind us were missing two of their puppies when they had followed one of the older dogs through the neighboring pasture and down the road. The older dog found his way back home, but the puppies got lost.

 

With heavy hearts we returned Ollie and Stella, who's real names were Sampson and Hilda, to their rightful owners. I felt so much better about it when I saw just how HAPPY the little fur-balls were to get back with their mother and siblings.

 

It was fun fostering them while we did, and we know that they are well-loved where they are now. But I will miss those adorable teddy-bear faces!

 

 

 



Furry Friday

This edition of Furry Friday will show off Ollie and Stella. To read their actual story, click here. For this post, here's some images of their cuteness:

 

 

With a house full of kids, there is no shortage of cuddles:

 

These guys definitely know how to sleep. They just crash down and pass out pretty much anywhere.

\

 

Getting Ollie all cleaned up:

 

They had SO many fleas all over them, and ticks in their ears.

Stella is more people-loving than Ollie. While they are both super sweet and friendly, Stella wants to be near you all the time. She cries if she thinks you've left her.

Hanging out with Giant, who's learning to be patient with them.
He definitely doesn't like sharing though.