The end of November

 

 

 

 

I can't believe it's been a month, but it has.  It feels like November has been spent simply being pregnant, but looking over the last few weeks, I remember the other highlights:

 

-Greg finished the outhouse I started so many months ago!  I started building with logs in the saddle style, but after my return from Alaska to 100 degree weather here, picking up the chainsaw and chiseling away at logs while pregnant seemed to be the last thing I wanted to do.  Thank goodness for Greg to finish my projects. :)

-A brief foray into skinning animals came to a rather abrupt halt for me when the great idea I had (salvaging roadkill to sell the furs; probably not even legal), turned out to be a bit harder than I thought due to misjudging how long a certain fox had actually been on the side of the road.  I just have to laugh about that one, but I will spare you the details... 

-We had a very nice, if brief Thanksgiving with Greg's family in Winston-Salem, the town where Greg attended high school, and where his grandparents and uncle and aunt still live.  It was so nice to see everyone and share a meal.  Knowing this was the last time we would see almost all of them until we became parents was a wierd realization!

-We had our first peek at our baby this week at the midwife's house.  She wanted to see the baby on the ultrasound machine to be sure it was the size it should be.  I was measuring about 6 cm behind on my growth at 37 weeks, and she was a bit concerned (although how concerned she didn't let on until after the sonogram).  We met with a doctor friend of hers who read the ultrasound and found out that evrything is just fine. :)  We'll have a little baby, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Thank the Lord...

 

 

 

On that note, our house is slowly being taken over by stuff I am not used to seeing!  Wipes and creams and pads...little gifts for someone we're still waiting to meet!  The strangest are the things for the homebirth...cord clamps, and iodine, and plastic sheets...blood tests, powders, and the teeniest clothes just waiting for that big day (or night!).  It all helps me get used to the idea that soon enough we will be parents, never again to be just the two of us.  That is something that the child in me is still getting used to.  I guess for me, normal is a crazy rollercoaster of emotions that I never expected, being at the same time so excited, and yet feeling completely unprepared. 

The closer it gets, the more surreal it seems until I just want the day to be here so we can find out what our new reality holds.  I'm going to blame it all on the hormones, I guess, and simply carry on.  My luxurious days of taking 3-hour naps, and still feeling exhausted enough to fall asleep at 9p.m. are surely numbered, and I wonder how on earth one does this when they already have a toddler to care for.  I guess in a few years we will find out.  Maybe the next post I write will be about our little one...crazy to think!~

The end of October

 

After giving our previous, asthetically pleasing stove more tries than it deserved in every way we could think of, we finally decided it wasn't cutting the mustard.  We upgraded with another find from Craigslist, and were luckily able to sell the old woodstove within 12 hours at a small profit.  The new behemouth in the living room may not be as pretty, but has instantly won my affections, as it works like a good stove should.  Night number one got down to 29 degrees, and the yurt stayed in the mid-60's with minimal midnight stokings.  We also reheated our cornbread and chili on the top, while still able to keep water humidifying the room.  I just love practicality! 

 

The last of the sunflowers.  They are all dead and withered now, but maybe still feeding the birds.

 

 

 

I called them "tarts" and Greg called them "bearclaws," but I don't think they are really either.  Leftover pie crust stuffed with blueberries and cranberries (from Alaska last fall!) and a little sugar and flour.  Next time I would cook down the berries and sugar a little before stuffing the crust to minimize the delicious berry juice leaking out too much!

Had to include a photo of my Halloween costume this year.  I was inspired by my growing belly, and chose a mother earth theme.  After almost giving up on this idea, and Halloween altogether (things seem to cost a lot more energy these days!), I was excited to find everything I needed for under $20 at Goodwill.  It was a sign.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a  picture of Greg and I together, as he picked his Viking costume up at camp on the way out to the Halloween party.  We had a fun night, and I was glad to rinse off the glittter and paint when it was over.~