So, It’s Been a Busy Spring…

Life is twice as good as it was when I last posted. Eight weeks ago today, our second son joined our family. And as much as I hated to be induced, I’m grateful he came out when he did, because he was ten pounds even and 22 inches long!

OK, so just a condensed birth story, y’all. If it’s not your thing, just skip this paragraph. I was worried that an induction (and the epidural I ended up getting) would lead to a c-section, but as it turned out, labor only lasted 9 1/2 hours, and when he finally decided to make his appearance, it only took 9 minutes. In fact, when he was born, the doctor had just gotten into the room and wasn’t fully gowned and gloved yet. Ben said something funny, and I laughed, and the nurse said, “Don’t laugh too hard!” Still laughing, I thought, “What on earth is she talking about?” And then I heard her say, “Doctor! He’s coming now!” And the doctor ran over and caught him. I’m pretty sure being born in laughter has to be a good omen, right?

First snuggles with my little man.

Proud daddy.

Brothers.

First smiles.

I’m biased, I know, but he is a truly beautiful boy. As my sister says, Ben is well-represented in this one. His big brother adores him, and the feeling is definitely mutual. His eyes widen when he hears his brother’s voice, and he immediately turns his head to find him.

So while we’ve been busy falling in love with The New Boy (Boy Two? Little Boy? Any suggestions for his blog alias?), spring has sprung outside! Two weeks ago was my favorite part, when the leaves were tiny and brilliantly green against the grey tree branches. It was also wisteria season, which always goes by too quickly. The woods up the road from my parents’ house are full of it, but there’s none on their property or ours, so I just admire it when we’re out driving.

Things seem especially beautiful on my parents’ farm this spring. We’ve had lots of rain. so everything is a super-saturated shade of green. The Boy loves the chance to run around outside until he can’t run anymore. He also loves the horses, and they seem to enjoy his company, too.

I’ve had the chance to enjoy the farm on a regular basis over the past five weeks, because we’re in the process of weaning last summer’s foal off of Calypso, so she’s closed in the stable and has to be taken care of every day. To avoid dealing with this issue again, we had Admiral gelded earlier this month. He was a very sweet stallion, so I’m pretty sure that as a gelding, he’ll be trying to climb directly into our pockets.

And although I hadn’t planned to add any new chickens this year, somehow we’ve ended up with six Gold Stars and seven Easter Eggers. They followed me home. Honest.

It’s a beautiful spring. But best of all is definitely the little snugglebunny who’s currently gumming my shoulder and staring around the room with the biggest blue eyes you’ve ever seen.

Late Frosts, Party Prep, and “Maybe” Chickens

Well, a couple of nights ago we had that late frost I’d been afraid might hit. I saw it coming on the five-day forecast, so we hadn’t put anything in the garden yet. This is good and bad, because while nothing got zapped, the seedlings are dying (literally, in some cases) for more space. One more cold night last night, but now hopefully we’re in the clear.

The timing could have been better — our son’s third birthday party is tomorrow, so today was spent making buttermilk poundcake (to be served with some of the fresh strawberries which have come into season a month early!) and coconut-pineapple cupcakes, not to mention all the cleaning and decorating. But at some point soon, we have to get the plants in the ground. Wonder if anyone’s ever had a “let’s plant a garden!” party for a toddler?

The duck has gotten to spend the last couple of days outside in a nice safe enclosure with her own private pool, and she apparently enjoys it so much that she doesn’t even make a mess in her brooder at night! We seem to have struck upon a winning formula, at least until she can go outside for good. (Please note my optimism about her gender.)

The Buff Orps are feathering out really quickly now, and although their heads and necks still have that scraggly look, they’re getting the plump little mother hen body shape that I love about the breed.  The Ameraucana/Easter Eggers, on the other hand, are still mostly fluffy, fuzzy, and cute. I’m hoping I can combine them with the Partridge Rocks in one brooder provided the PRs arrive next week.

I called the feed and seed yesterday to confirm that the chicks would be there in a few days, and hung up completely unsure. There was talk of the order having been cancelled (by them, not me), and lots of confusion over what PRs were, and now I’m just hoping they’ll actually get here. I was also told that our Silkies are supposed to arrive on April 25 instead of in June. So basically I’m completely confused now.

This weekend, though, belongs to my boy. It’s amazing to think how quickly the past three years have flown by, and to be honest, I can’t remember what life was like without him. He lives joyfully, and he shares that joy with us every moment of every day. He also snatches coconut-pineapple cupcakes when he thinks no one is looking. 🙂