Almost there. . .

Went out to the barn this mornin' to find Frankie actin' peculiar. She's pawing at the ground and definitely uncomfortable. I wouldn't say restless, but uncomfortable. I'm lookin' for restless. Her discharge has stopped, BUT her back end is softening up and lookin' like it is preparing for kidding. I've been staring at her so long and so often I can't tell if the baby (or babies) have dropped and her udder filling up. I swear it looks different, but I might be "willing" that, lol. I checked her ligaments (kinda where the tailbone meets the hip bone, sorta) and she's still attached/tight. So that means no babies right this second. But that can change quickly, so I don't depend on that for a time frame. I'm so excited. I keep reading and rereading all the kidding information I can get my hands on. She's close. I talked to Melinda, from Left Foot Farm and she was bred the first go round on Septmeber 1st, so that would put her at her 147th day today. Average gestation is 150 days. Maybe this weekend??? As you can see in the picture, she hasn't lost her appetite, lol! (That would be a labor sign, too, if she was off feed.)

Goat talk.

So Frankie is setting up for delivery. She's got mucous coming out her vagina. She's losing her plug. This can happen anywhere along the pre-delivery process, but usually for several days before she'll actually deliver. At least that's what I've read. I don't really actually have the experience to say, lol. But I've got numbers on hand to call if I need any help.

She's big, huh?

Yay for hearts!

I was at the store today and I was pleasantly surprised by the shelves full of red and pink and hearts, chocolates, cards, flowers--Valentines Day is right around the corner! I love it! I know, I know, there are you joy-killers out there who jump on the "I hate forced holidays" bandwagon. But I love it. It marks an anniversary of sorts for me & Scott and frankly, it tells me that spring is also right around the corner! Yay for government-created holidays! :D With that being said, I won't tell my reminiscent story of Scott and I until it's closer to Valentines Day. But I will share some vintage Valentine favorites that remind me of my hunny:

Poor Nina!

Nina had four teeth extractions done this morning. Those teeth just popped right out, no problems at all! And then to top it off, she had to go to the orthodontist and have brackets put on her eye teeth and wires put back in (they were taken out for the extractions). Initially, she was drooling all over the place, but four hours later and she's taking it like a champ! No more drooling and so far, not too much pain. I've pumped her up on motrin, so we'll see how that goes. Who said braces were fun? They may straighten out your teeth, but you earn them in the process!

Surgery date.

So, I went to the surgical doc yesterday afternoon (thank you Michelle and Emma for going with! You're super-fantastic!) for my bariatric surgery options and surgery date. I talked with Dr. Haque, (who, incidentally, is very cute and has very nice bedside manners) about the options and what I wanted to do. I have the option of going with the Roux-En-Y (I might be spelling that correctly) or the Sleeve. He suggested the sleeve because the roux-en-y redirects some of your digestive tract and with my bipolar meds, they won't absorb as efficiently and thus, they wouldn't work as efficiently. Which is a big deal. The sleeve only cuts your stomach into the size of a banana (the average stomach is the size of two liters) and does not redirect any of your guts. So the normal digestive stuff happens. I was originally leaning towards the roux-en-y because it has a smidgeon higher of a success rate. But the doc said that's only 5-8% higher. So, sleeve it is.

The surgery consists of five incisions, kinda dotted along the tummy like a pentagon shape. He will go in and recut my gallbladder incision and then smaller cuts for the other four. They will stick a tube down my throat. . . I asked about that specifically, lol. I just wanna know, lol. I find out more details about the surgery time, recovery time, hopsital stay, etc. when I go to my pre-op appointment.

My surgery date is set for March 8th. I was a wee bit disappointed with how far out it is. But I know God has a hand in this, so I am going to go with the flow and know that God orchestrates His purpose and timing for a reason. I think, actually, that it is good timing because the kids (baby goats) are due end of January/beginning of February and that gives me over a month to adjust to the new arrivals. Also, I think I was disappointed because things lately have been so fast-paced and constant that I thought the surgery would be a part of that hub-bub of things to do. I believe that the date given will allow me time to get ready for it, knock off some to-do's, and be during a quieter season of our lives. (Yeah, right, lol!) Actually, Dominic starts soccer then, Scott is coaching, and Nina will have dance AND practice for Copelia (by the way, Nina auditioned for Copelia at her dance school and we find out Wednesday what part she got). I don't think we ever really slow down in this season of our lives and on a philosophical note: we just gotta enjoy the moments!

The haps.

Well, the blogger site I am using will still not allow me to post a pic. It allows me to do everything else: post a link, post a picture already used, post a url picture. . . but NOT post a picture from my computer. What's up with that? I guess you seeing Scott in his robe with a kitten hanging out his robe pocket just wasn't meant to be. ;)

So, (buttons on my underwear) this is Day 5 of my eleven days without Scott. Knock on wood, but things are going pretty good. So far, the only time I have really been in a foul mood was when the Seahawks lost yesterday. Argh. What didn't help was Dominic: he was rooting for the Falcons just to spite me and laughed when the Hawks lost. He was pretty rude and I let him know it. By time I was done chewing him out, he felt bad.

Anyhow, I am really pleased with myself and Scott's abscence. Oops, I didn't mean to say I am pleased that Scott is gone! What I mean is (am I babbling??), he's gone and I have been doing really good. I'm optimistic, keeping busy, kinda not really missing Scott yet. Usually I am wallowing by now. But I have stuff to look forward too, also. Like, the date we are going on when he gets back. We are gonna "window shop" the antique stores, go out to Berry Fields Cafe, AND see a movie (The Hobbit, if it's still playing)! I also have baby goats to look forward to at the end of this month (I am still a nervous wreck when I think about it). I have my bariatric surgery to look forward to within the next month. A lot is happening and changing, so I am too busy to wallow. It feels good. I need to reward myself, but I am not sure with what/how. Usually it's with food (I'm a an emotional eater and comfort food sorta gal). But I need to figure out what rewards me, that is not edible. Any ideas?

The kids are doing really well, too. They've kept it to their usual bickering and acting their ages. We've actually been having fun, too. I think my attitude has a lot to do with their attitudes. We are definitely working together as a family to get through yet another one of Scotty's trips. (Speaking of which, there is another trip scheduled for February! But so far, Scott's not on it. Yay!) I am really proud of the kids.

Having said all this, I hope I haven't jinxed us!

Oh forget it.

I am so mad at my computer right now. I'm trying to upload pictures for you so you can see Scott's vacation look while he was off from work for nine days. . . then his after look when he got ready to go back to work. (He looked like Wolverine in the Xmen movies, lol!) But noooooo, my computer is having an "issue". It's as tempermental as my teenager!

Meanwhile, I prepare heart, body, and mind for Scott's eleven day departure while he's working in Cali again. Every month now since October he's been doing this thing called work. In places other than here. What's up with that? It's driving me crazy! Well, although I do miss him terribly, I cannot complain: he's not deployed. I guess I should count that blessing more often. I tend to wallow in self-pity. "Oh, what a world, what a wretch-ed world" (you know, from Wizard of Oz. . . the wicked witch. . . ? No?) Actually, it's not that bad this time; I have more optimism than usual! I am just a bit weary of the passes he'll go through because of snow. Grants Pass is first as he heads into Cali and then there's another pass as he heads into Paris Valley. Please pray for his safety. Thankfully, he's the one driving the truck and trailer; I know he's a good driver. I just don't trust other drivers.

Also to mention, Frankie--the she-goat--is doing really well with her pregnancy thus far. I'm on pins and needles tho, expecting drama at any given moment. She's got three weeks left and I am a wreck now??? What will I be like when she's giving birth? I think I am just nervous because it's my first time and on New Year's Eve, when we went to Left Foot Farm, I was informed she had a difficult kidding experience her first freshening. I guess baby was just a smidgeon big. So this time, I am not feeding grain to Frankie the last two weeks like one might normally; this is an effort to keep the baby at a decent size. Maybe I'll feed her a handful of grain each day, as a treat. . . it's hard to not feed grain to these adorable creatures; you just wanna love them and feed them and pet them and kiss them. . . at least I do!

Anyhow. I leave all this to God or I won't get any sleep tonight. I am a Worry Wart without Him. Night!

New Year's Countdown. . .

 For New Year's Eve we went to the Kolibas Klan and had a great time. We stuffed our faces with pizza, buffalo dip, hummus, chips, veggies, and of course I brought something sweet for the kiddos. . . mini cinnamon rolls (from Costco, not homemade, lol).

 Above is Jillian, Dominic, and Glenn.

 Gavin and Grant are crazy about Nina and love to play with her. She is so good with them. Another couple of years and she's gonna make an awesome babysitter!

 It is almost a sin to go to the Kolibas' and NOT have a Nerf Gun War. It was dad's against boys. All I knew was I an innocent bystander that got shot multiple times. What did I do, lol?

 Look at these natural-born-nerf-gun-shooters!

 At the New York time of New Year, we headed outside to light sparklers for the kiddos. It was COLD!

After the kids were settled down with a movie, moms and dads played Monopoly. I won, of course. Seriously, I did! And I didn't cheat! It was such a good game that it was twenty after before we realized that the New Year had rung in, lol! Or should I say, it was such a competitive game that we didn't notice the time, lol!

I do wish you all a Happy, Healthy, and Blessed New Year!