Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Big Surprise!

Every fall we try to fatten up the horses a bit to better withstand the harsh Nebraska winters.  This year was no exception, in fact it was probably the worst winter these horses have ever seen.  But come spring, it's time to cut back on their grain and start trimming  them back to their ideal body condition. 

Since I've been on maternity leave from my horse chores I haven't spent much time with the horses over the past several weeks.  On Tuesday of this week I was out at the farm and noticed that one of the horses still seemed way too heavy compared to the others so I became concerned. At first I thought she must be stealing grain from the others, after all, she is the "boss mare".  Then I wondered if she was eating too much hay and getting "pasture belly" but since none of the others seemed bloated I started to wonder.  I wondered.....could it be?? So I approached the horse and reached under her belly and found two very bagged up teats full of milk!!  Unbeknownst to anyone, this horse was about to have a baby!

They say when a horse "bags up" she is very close to delivering but I didn't know just HOW close! This morning as I was helping the farrier trim another horse's hooves, I looked over and noticed a large sac hanging out of the back of Jules!  Without a single sound from the mother, this little stud colt had just entered the world!

So we counted back 11 months and recalled one evening when all the horses got out, causing the stallion to jump his fence.  No one saw anything....but it had to be the day right?   The kids want to call him "Wonder" but Aunt Karen will have the final say in that matter!


So fresh he hasn't even stood yet!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Do You Have a "Pot" in Your House?

An outhouse exteriorImage via Wikipedia
This morning Luke was trying to get into the bathroom to wash his hands but just as he opened the door Gracie yelled ,"I'm in here!"  Seeing that Gracie wasn't actually "on" the toilet, Luke roared, "But you're not even ON THE POT".  I had to chuckle when it suddenly occurred to me that referring to the toilet as "the pot" was a reference which had been passed down through several generations and across many states. 
My mother grew up with no indoor plumbing so to avoid going to the outhouse in the middle of the night, they literally used a metal stock pot!  Then they would replace the lid and some unfortunate soul would have to haul it to the outhouse for emptying the next morning.  I actually remember using "the pot" while visiting the home of my great-grandmother in West Virginia during the 70's and 80's!

I guess it will forever be a reminder of my humble roots.  Do you have a "pot" in your house?

Nyla-Two Weeks Old

Nyla turned 2 weeks old yesterday.  We're getting lots of little smiles but have yet to catch one in a photo.  She continues to be a very easy baby. She even forgot to wake me up last night and slept for 8 1/2 hours!  If she were 8 weeks old that would be great news but at 2 weeks it just messes up my milk supply.  I think we were both worn out from a busy day.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Nyla-One Week Old!

Wow! An entire week has just passed?  Nyla has been incredibly easy so far.  She's even giving me 4 hour stretches of sleep during the night!  Some people say you must wake them every two hours to eat at this age....I say after 5 kids...."Let them sleep! You can catch up during the day."

She is a precious girl who loves to be close to her mama and that's great because I've discovered a new baby carrier by "Baby K'Tan" which is incredibly comfortable. It's like a Moby without all the material and fuss to get on.  I hope to "wear her" for many months to come!

Tomorrow we take our first step back toward the normal routine as Scott returns to work.  Thank God Maria is here.....thank you, God!

Look at that hair!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

We're Dropping The "h" in Nylah

After 4 days of contemplation, just before leaving the hospital Scott and I decided to drop the "h" off of Nylah. So now, her official name is Nyla Nicole Seevers.  Here are some of our early favorite photos:
There's a 9 lb. baby in there!



Home At Last

Scott picked me up from the hospital on Saturday at about 1:30pm. He dropped me off at home and then rushed over to see Gracie and Gemma recieve their ribbons at Concordia University's "Gathering Of The Talents".  Both girls received very high marks on their artwork and piano solos.  What great preparation for today's piano recital!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

5 Hours Old

Look at that chubby face!

Nylah Nicole Seevers

Nylah arrived safely at 7:44 this morning. She weighs 9 lbs and is 21.5 inches long. We feel blessed that she seems healthy and that Danna is also doing fine! --Scott

Ready to go!

Danna is in good spirits as she readies for arrival of baby.  It doesn't hurt that this maternity center is more like a posh hotel than a hospital!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter

Wow!! Lent seemed really long this year. Partly because I was counting down the days until my due date and partly because I gave up Facebook for 6 weeks!  (For those of you who kept emailing me about being on Facebook....my blog posts automaticaly cross-post over to my Facebook "notes", so even though it looked like I was posting, I never openened Facebook).  In the past I've given up TV, sweets, alcohol, etc.....but I think Facebook could rank as the toughest yet.  How scary is that?

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.  I have so much to catch you up on from the last 6 weeks! I've decided to start with Easter and work my way backwards.  We had a wonderful weekend that was kicked off by the safe return of Grandma and Grandpa from their trip to Arizona, then the arrival of two new horses at the farm (to be introduced later), the arrival of our friend Maria Yoder who will be staying with us for a month (also to be introduced later) and finally, a full day of celebration of the RISEN CHRIST!! 

Now with just about 24 hours to go before checking into the hospital, I'm frantically tying up last minute loose ends, packing my bag and saying prayers for the safe of arrival of our new baby girl!  With my new DROID, I'm hoping to keep you updated every step of the way!  Here are some fun photos from Easter morning.....