A Fox Nest

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Remiss

Time flies when you're... moving through time. Short days, long hours. Winter to spring. Chill and frost to rain and unpredictable humidity. Recovering and hopeful to crying over his little, soft bunny body. It seems like just the other day that she was a newborn baby! Pure exhaustion to just tired. Hard to understand to talking nonstop and with precision. Cuddled in a ball to rolling over to standing up with minimal help and skipping that whole sitting up thing. Who needs that? Ten chickens to twenty-four chickens! Time flies when you're having fun!

It's been a while since I've visited this space. Honestly, the biggest factor was my annoyance at constantly having to switch from my Gmail account to my Blogger account. I made this blog before I had a Gmail account so I used my Hotmail address. Well, that got hacked. Big time. I've switched to Gmail but now I can't use that address as my Blogger username... frustrating. If there's a way to fix this that you know of, please let me know. I've reset my passwords a bajillion times because I just can't seem to remember them these days. I should just write them down and stick them on the computer screen. Worried about someone seeing them? Yeah, I live in the country. If someone comes all the way out here to steal my passwords, well, I'll change them and then laugh at the person for wasting quite a chunk of their time.

I'll get back to this space more this week, so check back! I have loads of news and photos to share of our growing life. The chicken coop has a name as does the house. We've gained a number of chickens and they are beautiful (we finished naming the "originals" and then we went and got more... names coming soon to a coop near me). We lost our dear Harlequin and miss him greatly. We're getting warm days between the rain, both of which are one hundred percent appreciated. We've experienced our first flooded Pescadero road and there is often two feet of water beneath our house (which is raised for this very reason, don't worry). This is our first spring here and it is exciting! Our wisteria is blooming and our willow and maple trees are leafing out despite being ravaged by the chickens once too often. Olive brought in a tick that first humid day which I quickly executed with the help of a jar and a freezer (thankfully, I've been really good about reapplying her medication the last several months). Keats and Frida are doing fabulously and are both super healthy (excepting, of course, poor Frida's ezcema which is a battle). Birch and I have celebrated our birthdays and chose very fitting and wonderful gifts for ourselves... yipee!

Check back! All love to you and yours!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ahhh...

Revelatory and important. Once I get my head around this and this, maybe I'll start to feel better. Weaning-Related Depression explains SO much... and breathe.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Positively Charged [3]

My brother made it through another major surgery with flying colors. Phew!
Harlequin is recovering.
I pick my friends wisely. Thank you, Miriam and Ben, Leslie and Cyn, Kristof, Heather, and Leif. You made me smile so often the last two weeks.
Chickens are a constant source of entertainment.
The front area of the house is almost "finished."
Birch made extra fennel and orange salad so I could have it for a quick and delicious lunch.
The farms around us are exploding with new life!
It's raining.
The bakery had Ollalieberry pie.
Frida can't quite roll over yet.
Keats is taking naps again.
I started primping. A necklace, earrings, mascara, and a splash of gardenia oil led to me painting my nails for the first time in over four years.
I wore brand new heels to Sofia's birthday party and didn't regret it, especially after an impromptu dance party in the middle of the living room.
Valentine's Day is tomorrow!
Frida has hazel eyes.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Positively... Tired.

Today is a hard day. This month has been a difficult month.That's why I started the Positively Charged series, but this post is not one of those, it is the antithesis. I'm sorry if it comes off as complaining and whiny... it is complaining and it is whining, but I think we each should be able to vent without fear of judgment at least once in a while... and who knows, maybe letting it out will help figure out solutions. Here's hoping.

Keats is still battling it out when it comes to sleeping in his crib for naptime and bedtime. He just wants to keep playing. For eleven nights in a row he has stayed up till at least nine. He has had several nights when he wakes up around three or four determined to sleep with us in bed for the rest of the night. That can't, and hasn't happened. For eleven mornings his late nights have not meant that he's slept in. He wakes up between six-thirty and seven. For seven of those eleven days, he hasn't had a nap.

Frida wakes up and is fed and changed at ten-thirty, midnight, two, three, and then is up for good at five. She goes back to sleep at eight or nine.

Keats fell and hit his lip on a chair last night, busting it open. At two this morning he fell out of his bed, presumably to retrieve his blanket which he had kicked off. His bed has a small railing to keep this from happening, but it doesn't always work and I believe the mattress is still too high to be safe from falls.

All of this means I have slept an average of four hours a night for about two weeks. Birch gets an average of six.

All of that no-sleeping means Birch and I are both clinging to each particle of patience we possess for our children and therefore get into little mini fights throughout the day, straining our relationship and making us feel bad about ourselves. There are a lot of apologies flying around our house these days.

Both kids have been sick since last Tuesday.

Keats has decided that pouring liquids anywhere and everywhere is hilarious.

I can't remember the last time Birch and I were on a date, just us. We missed my birthday date first because we forgot (!) and then we missed the postponed date because we were sick. It may be postponed until Valentine's Day.

I have three shirts and one pair of pants that fit, aren't stained, and make me feel good about how I look.

The chickens have not re-accepted the bantam Old English Game hen and so she is living inside until we can fix her up with something better. She is lonely.

Birch let the chickens out this morning and noticed Harlequin behaving strangely. He is hobbling around, unable to use his back legs and listing to the side when he's still. Birch had to leave for work and I don't have a car yet so I can't take him to the vet. Harlequin is a Netherland Dwarf rabbit and is four years old. I'm doubtful that he'll make it till Birch gets back home.

Harlequin chowing down on some winter snacks.

Keats (age: 10 months) getting to know our Harlequin.

Here's hoping that Popeye (Keats' new favorite video... so inappropriate), lots of cups of cocoa and tea, and some sunny weather will help to flip this day upside down and make us smile. More importantly, I hope Harlequin's suffering doesn't last long. Every time I look at him I start sobbing. I love you, Harlequin Bunny. I promise you a million treats and a new run if you make it till we can take you to the vet. I love you, you bravest of all tiny things. You have never been afraid of Olive or any dog, you love living outside, you love being pet and scratched though you hate being picked up, and you are ravenous for food just like everyone else in this house. You are family, little guy. I love you. Get better, please.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Positively Charged [2]

Okay, so I had meant to write up a little something between the first and second installments of my Positively Charged series, but oh well. Right now (literally at this moment) I'm battling Keats in an all out war to "Stay in your crib for naptime!" Anyone else going/gone through this? He figured out "how to get out of his crib" (read: launch himself out and really badly hurt himself) so we converted his crib into a toddler bed until we buy this gloriousness. We'll use his crib for Frida who is currently cosleeping with Birch and I. So... now there is an hour long (or longer) battle everyday. The last few days I've bucked up my resourcefulness and patience and have been very methodically taking away and giving back crib toys when he gets out of or stays in his crib. He loses one when he gets out and gets one back after a certain amount of time staying in (the duration of that varies based on his sleepiness level). We also go through this at night for bedtime. It is exhausting, but the new strategy seems to be helping. Oh, and he's defense pooping. I didn't even know that was possible until now.

Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Week #2 of Birch bringing home tulips from the farmer's market.
Delicious Thai chicken soup on blustery nights.
Nasal aspirators.
Watching chickens eat ridiculous amounts of insects all day long in the yard.
Lovely friends coming to visit during the week to spice things up around here!
Our washing machine and dryer. I love you.
The menagerie of birds that live on and visit the farm everyday (more on this later).
Our decision and ability to eat nearly exclusively organic and locally produced food.
Frida changing from a baby that cries all day to a baby that smiles all day.
These posts: 1. 2. 3. And 4.
Still haven't watched the last episode of Dexter (hopefully this weekend... it's time!)
Reconnecting with our dear friends, Mark and Stephanie! Congratulations on the purchase of your house!