Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A Busy Time on the "Farm"

Spring has come to central Kentucky... and we are BUSY!!! We have raised several batches of chicks in our bathrooms, and now they are all out in the henhouse, pecking away merrily. I really think that chickens pecking in a field is one of the more peaceful things on God's Green Earth.

Our gardens are in (mostly), and enjoying the bountiful rain we have gotten over the last week. Our yard was looking so nice, but was quickly beginning to look suspiciously like a jungle. It stopped raining yesterday. I THOUGHT it was going to clear up, so I was waiting for it to dry a bit before weeding, doing a little more planting, and getting the yard mowed. Until Eric looked at the weather report and saw that there was supposed to be a second set of rain coming for the next few days... so we dropped everything and made hay while the sun shone. Well, actually, while we got the garden and the yards under control.

(As a side note, the rain started as I was writing this, so I suppose it was a good idea.)

Our other big project (besides just living and getting things done with 9 children running around) is the Bible Bee. We downloaded the study guide last Friday, and... OH MY WORD is it going to a a wonderful challenge for the kids. There are a LOT of verses to memorize. I'll be posting a schedule when I figure out exactly what each child needs to memorize for their age group. I think there will be a minimum of 13 verses a week for the younger children, and 10 additional ones for the older ones... and by verses I mean sections of verses. Many of them are between 3 and 11 verses long! So we have been getting busy going on that.

As far as a Mercy update (since I have been remiss in updating our blog), she continues to do well. Her heart is obviously feeling better without the added pressure of the blood flow needed for the hemangioma. She is gaining weight and developing beautifully. She has been off the prednisone now for almost two weeks, for the first time since she was 10 weeks old.

We do think that the hemangioma is slightly puffier again, but that is the only negative thing to report.

On the 18th - 19th I will be taking her up to Cincinnati to have a full run of tests... the first since we started the propranalol. We will have an echocardiogram and EKG scheduled along with a meeting with our cardiologist. The next day we will have an MRI, a blood test to see if her body is making whatever the prednisone took over, a bone density X-ray (due to long term prednisone use), and a meeting with our WONDERFUL vascular doctor. Add a 4 hour trip each way, and it will be a long series of days no matter how I do it.

I need to go... I have my first appointment for the new baby. I am 19 weeks. Ahem. Yes, I know most people see their midwives by now, but well- we've been busy. I guess that's the difference between baby #1 and #10. Haha.

Have a great day!

3 comments:

  1. Oh I wish I could see the farm! It sounds lovely. You need to get some spring farm pictures on the blog.

    On the midwife appointment....with baby number 8 I was 36 weeks before I saw a midwife! I had only lived here for a year and we don't have any midwives in our small town, so I had to find one in the big city an hour away. I had a really hard time finding one with my birth philosophy, so we ended up cutting it pretty close. But thankfully it all worked out. She is now my good friend and has delivered two of my babies....it was worth the time I spent searching for her. LOL! Lisa~

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  2. How did I miss that you are pregnant?? Congrats!!! Yahoo!

    BTW, for the last 3 kiddos, I don't make an appt until at least 12 weeks. I mean, what info are they going to give me that will change anything? PLUS I get GREAT sono photos at that point. ;-) I don't get to use a midwife, though.

    Anyway, congrats again!

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  3. Congrats on the new baby! I hope your appointment goes well.

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