Farm Girl to Farm Mom

  So... I left out a part of the story the other day when I gave y'all the latest scoop. A bit more has happened. I just needed some time to think about telling that part.

  To say it bluntly, my friends: I'm pregnant.

 Yeah. For real. Like, there's a tiny, little human inside me. *insert slightly creeped-out look*

 This makes the first time to publicly announce it. I figured it was finally time, since I'm just hitting my second trimester and I'm starting to show. LOL. And yes, I really am excited! Although, I think the dear husband just might be more excited than me. We're both pretty tickled though. 

 And this is why the veal operation is waiting until next spring. 'Cause I'm about to get all fat and roundy, and then I'm going to have a little newborn to bring along everywhere before Christmas hits. A new farm business and new baby all in one fell swoop is even a bit much for this girl. But hey, next spring I WILL be setting up electric fence, and buying calves; it'll just be with a wee babe strapped to my back with a Moby wrap. ;) 

 I will admit that it's taken me quite awhile to become excited about this baby... My husband and I found out that we were pregnant way back in February, and I was over the moon with happiness. I felt great, still had energy, and we planned on popping the news during an upcoming family gathering. Three days before that gathering happened though... I miscarried. I was 5 1/2 weeks along. That crushed me. I had wanted that little baby so bad, and then I lost it. God was good though; and less than a month later, we were pregnant again (ahem). 

  I should have been excited when I found out about this new, sweet babe. But I wasn't. Still depressed over the loss of the first, scared to death that I would lose this one too, and constantly sick to my stomach, there was very little joy for many, many weeks. Through the faithful help of my sweet husband though, I began to rise; both physically and mentally. And I'm pleased to report that I'm now on day #5 of NO morning sickness! Folks, I haven't felt normal since mid-February, and have been on semi-bedrest since the beginning of March! Yesterday was a celebration of not just Memorial Day for us; but also that little ol' Caity ('le Me) is finally able to act like a normal human again. So we went swimming at the local pool (which we live two blocks away from right now), and had a hilarious round of road bowling with the family in the evening. Normal things perhaps; but for a girl who's been struggling to simply walk up and down stairs for two months, it was big.

 I'm still pretty nervous about becoming a mom in the very near future, but I guess I'll just roll with it and take it one day at a time. That seems to be what most moms do... ;)

 The Farm Girl is graduating to Farm Mom... Now there's a plot twist I wasn't expecting. LOL.

It's All So Crazy

  Well here's something I didn't think I'd ever do again; post on this blog!? But here I am anyway. Why? Because I've missed it. Simple as that. Yeah, I tried a new blog, but this one feels so much comfier (and finished. LOL.). I think I may start blogging here a bit more frequently, too. And with that announcement, I guess I owe y'all an update.

  So, where am I? What's new? Oh dear... It's a long story. I'm in Missouri, living with my husband. By some weird twist of fate, he got discharged from his dream job in the military. A few years ago, this wouldn't haven even been a possible happenstance, but for some reason the military is letting a lot of people go. And he was one of them. We. Were. Devastated. So he came home from California, and we were left wondering what on earth to do. We had no jobs, no house, no plans... But God was good. My husband's sister (who I was interning under) allowed us to spend a few months in the loft, where I had already been living for the last year until we found a more permanent situation, and his dad's boss just happened to be looking for another employee, working construction. 

  We spent the winter scouring Craigslist ads for a place to rent. The loft was great, but it cold... So cold. Every morning we'd wake up to the INSIDE of the house hovering around 25 degrees. It was so cold that we couldn't have running water. Heck, it was so cold that if you wanted to warm up, all you had to do was open the fridge door and stand there. But despite the hardships, that loft is still a pleasant memory in my mind. It might have been cold, but we had each other; and being together again was a true blessing.

  After weeks and weeks of searching, we found ourselves a place to call home. It's a small apartment (duplex really; a 1930's style house that's been turned into a top floor and bottom floor apartment for two families) in the next town over. We signed the contract and promised ourselves for a year of living there. I figured I could put up with a year of apartment living... Right? Turns out it's a lot harder than I thought. The hardest part for me is that pets aren't allowed. And for a farm girl who has always had at least one critter? It's TOUGH. It's a nice place, I can't argue that. ButI do miss the countryside... So now our weekends are spent back on the in-laws place, enjoying all the open space and critters. LOL. 

  So what are our plans now, if the military is no longer an option? Well, I'm pleased to say that we're looking around at local properties for sale/rent. This girl gets to farm again! I've had my long break from it, and now I'm ready to come back. I've been busy writing up business plans, and getting buyers lined up. We're looking at starting up a small-scale veal operation come next spring! We've had a huge amount of interest, and the net profits should be enough to support living in the country again. So I'm excited. Beyond veal, I'm considering the idea of having a small/medium scale lavender field to go with it; but it depends on where we end up living. I wouldn't mind getting sheep, either... What their purpose would be though, I haven't decided yet. I like the idea of dairy sheep, but that's a huge investment. Wool sheep are awesome, but there's not much market here. So we'll see. And yes, I have every intention of getting another farm dog. I still have such mixed feelings over Gyp... Best dog I ever had, but he's so happy where he is that in my heart I know giving him up was the right decision. I have no idea what breed I'll get next. Part of me wants just a relaxed English Lab to pal around with. But then the other part of me wants another English Shepherd. Maybe I should get both. ;) LOL. 

 I think that's the majority of things for now. I wish I could blog daily, but alas we currently have no internet at our house. So I have to wait for the weekends when we're visiting family. It's all so crazy. Life has not turned out to be what I expected, but it's not a bad life either. It's just crazy is what it is.