Meet Shelby

Ok, gush away! Sorry I don't have any pictures of just our little girl, they are all on my phone. So instead you get to admire pictures of the very excited big brothers.

Shelby Kay was born Thursday evening at 7:20PM. She weighed in at 5lb 7 oz and 19" long. She is perfect in every way. She even has a head full of red hair! So you want to read a good birth story? Well, read away...

I had my routine appointment Thursday morning. They've been a bit concerned about her growth, so I've been doing weekly ultrasounds for about the last 3-4 weeks. There were a few things that in and of themselves weren't concerning, but together my doctor decided it was better for her to be out than in. I was happy to oblige. So after my appointment I headed upstairs where they monitored me and baby for a while to make sure everything was ok. At about 2 they started me on pitocin. The contractions were getting stronger, but nothing unbearable. However, Shelby wasn't tolerating the meds very well. Her heart rate would periodically drop and we couldn't find a position for me that would keep it where it should be. So they stopped pitocin at about 4. My doctor came in at 5:30 and broke my water, then they started pitocin at the lower dose. The contractions were getting much stronger and more frequent this time around. They still weren't unbearable, but I knew they needed time for the epidural, so I rang for the nurse. When she came in, my contractions were right on top of each other and Shelby's heart rate was dropping again. So I ended up with 3 nurses in my room trying to situate me in such a way that was good for Shelby, but we weren't having much luck. At that point they decided to call in an OR team just in case. The plan was to take me down to the operating room and let me labor there but be ready just in case a c-section was needed. Shortly after 7 we made it down to the OR. The anesthesiologist started trying to get the epidural in, but it was too late. She got the catheter in, but when they flipped me over to my back, I was already pushing. We were in the OR for less than 10 minutes before our little girl made her appearance. She's small, but healthy. Pat finally got to cut the cord for one of our kids. He did really well through it all. The worst part for him was when they were trying to put the catheter in for the epidural. It certainly didn't go as planned, but it's over and she's here! I promise I'll post more pictures once I get home and settled.

Pink Slime

Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you've heard the big controversy over pink slime. This whole thing just enrages me. People are so far removed from knowing where their food comes from, yet believe they know best. This is equivalent to me telling you I don't like what you do or how you do it so I'm going to tell you how I think it should be done and then I'm going to spin the truth so that what you do and how you do it look not only irresponsible, but dangerous to me and the rest of the world. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. The worst part is, that people lost their jobs over this. All because some celebrity chef and mainstream news reporter said it's bad. Don't bother to find the facts, if the media says it's true, it must be true. When did we stop caring? When did we decide that the media knows best and everyone else must be conspiring against us? I'm sure that BPI's intent was to make a product that would harm everyone just to get rich and all those people working in the plant just went along with it because they didn't have a conscience. Does that really sound logical? Our country needs to start thinking for themselves and turning off the news. They've proven time and time again that they don't check facts, why should this controversy be any different. If you want the facts on pink slime, here is an excellent source. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think it's important to know where your food comes from. You should question it. I encourage it, but go straight to the source, not the internet, not facebook, and not the news. They are all looking for a story, not facts.

Cole's Obsession

I think I've mentioned before about Cole's obsession with putting up barn cameras. He's been saving every penny he finds so he can buy a camera. We looked into security cameras, but they wouldn't work due to the range and the cold. So we kind of gave up on it. We tried to tell him it wouldn't work, but he just couldn't let it go. It got really annoying. Then we got our taxes done and it turns out the dairy got a bit of a refund. Grandpa, being the sucker that he is, decided we should spend that money on, yep, you guessed it, a barn camera. So a couple of weeks ago the guys took some old cows to the sale barn and stopped at a vet supply store. Low and behold, the perfect camera. They had to order it and Pat told him it would be there the following Tuesday. I was hoping it wouldn't come via UPS since that truck doesn't usually come until about 5. I don't know if I could have survived the day without that camera. Luckily, it came via Speedy and was here by about 9AM. That left me just a few hours to listen to the incessant question, "When are we going to do the camera?" It actually wasn't too bad to put up, from what I hear. The best part, it works!

A few years ago, Pat's parents had bought a camera but they could never get it to work quite right. It certainly makes life a little easier, especially in the winter. Instead of Pat having to go out before bed to check the maternity cows, he just has to look at a screen.

In the first couple of days we had it running, we actually had a couple of cows calve. Unfortunately we missed them both. One happened while we were getting ready for school. The other was late in the afternoon when the lighting is bad and she was back in the corner.

This is what hangs in my kitchen. Aren't you jealous you don't get to watch cows calve while you are eating breakfast?

Kindergarten, Already?

Cole had kindergarten round up last week. Part of me is desperately ready to send him off to school on a daily basis, but part of me wants to keep him a little boy forever (a less annoying one would be nice).

He is definitely ready for kindergarten. Somehow, recently, he's figured out that he should have been in kindergarten this year and keeps telling everyone that. He doesn't seem upset about it, just very matter of fact. Everyone who questioned our decision to wait a year is definitely seeing the light now. He's come such a long way this year. He's starting to read and we're working a little bit on simple addition. I wouldn't have even attempted that with him last year. The only problem is that if it doesn't have to do with farming, he doesn't have much time for it. For example, he had a school project due this week. The kids were supposed to make a rainbow and be as creative as they wanted with it. No guidelines, just a rainbow. My son spent hours Tuesday afternoon drawing a milk plant. He spent 2 minutes on his rainbow and asked if he could be done.

Farmers Feeding...Pancakes

So, it's not really Friday. I've been getting sick about once a week for the last month and for some reason it seems to hit Thursday or Friday. You'd think I'm in my first trimester instead of my last. So without further ado, your Friday on the Farm...

Last Sunday our local FFA chapter had their annual pancake breakfast. Anytime we can go somewhere close for Sunday lunch that I don't have to cook, we're there. Even though Pat grew up on the farm, he was never a part of FFA at his school. I wasn't either. However, I fully expect my kids to at least try it when they get to be in 7th grade. Our school has a pretty strong ag program, which is unusual for a small school. It shouldn't be, but with budget cuts, the ag program is typically one of the first to go. At our school, they've worked hard to keep it.

Anywhoozle, while we were at the pancake breakfast, Pat was talking to one of the dad's who is involved with the FFA alumni group at our school. He was working hard at trying to get Pat involved. One of the things that a lot of kids don't have experience with is artificial insemination (AI). Pat being the sucker, I mean, good guy that he is, he told him to give him a call when they have their next meeting. I think it'll be good for Pat to be involved at school, especially with a group of kids who are interested in agriculture. A lot of the kids in FFA don't have much experience with dairy at all and I think it's really important to educate. If we get a chance to do that while they are in high school, then when they become adults they will be able to educate others.