Happy February 29th = Leap Day!

I won't get to say that again till 2012! So, Happy Leap Day! Here are some Leap Day facts & figures... just to keep you in the know.

• The 365 days of the annual calendar are meant to match up with the solar year. A solar year is the time it takes the Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun—about one year. But the actual time it takes for the Earth to travel around the Sun is in fact a little longer than that—about 365¼ days (365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be precise).


• The Egyptians were the first to come up with the idea of adding a leap day once every four years to keep the calendar in sync with the solar year. Later, the Romans adopted this solution for their calendar, and they became the first to designate February 29 as the leap day.


• The odds of you being born on Leap Day: 1 in 1,506.


• Leap Year was the traditional time that women could propose marriage. When the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years - February 29th.

Thursday morn

A little bored with the look of things around here & just trying out a new color - need to get a new family pic up too - that one is from AUGUST! Levi had a well child checkup yesterday - he's now up to 30 inches tall - what's that... a whopping 2'6" :) - which was surprisingly in the 75th percentile - and he weighted 21pounds 4ounces - on the low end at the 25th percentile - so I suppose that makes him long & lean like his Daddy!

We're having some pretty cold weather - still isn't stopping me from daydreaming about the garden - have gotten a pea patch planted & a lettuce bed ready - think I'm going to get some help from Carrie and put up a small green house near the garden (they just built a fairly inexpensive one in the farming class she's teaching)

Tomorrow is PAYDAY & we're suppose to have our income tax return direct deposited too, so... Joe & I are celebrating!... getting a babysitter & actually going out on a DATE - which we've decided should be a weekly event :)

Yup, I'm countin' the days down - I have 11, count 'em, eleven days left to savor my 20's - I feel like I should be doing something to commemorate these last days - I'm writing in my journal - preparing/planning for another kick-ass summer garden - but I'm searching for something a little more - plant a tree? - do something I've never done? - but what?

Infant Storytime at the Library

The storyteller blowing bubbles... while all the munchkins chase/eat the bubbles. The crowd has about a ten minute attention span (booking reading & singing) - after that they just want to run around a play.

Joe Passed!

Just got a call from Joe & it's over... whew! He passed with flying colors! Congrats!

He's going out for lunch (then back to school for a lab section meeting, blah) & THEN, the celebrating will begin! He's gonna run by 5 Points & pick up the most extravagant 6-pk of stout his heart desires & a bottle of wine. I've got a rack of lamb waiting to pop in the oven - add a crackling fire, a movie, warm fuzzies - how perfect on this cold and rainy evening!

Chicky-Mamas

I guess the urge hit at the same time... two of my new laying hens co-nesting - yeah, I don't know what 'Superbrand' is either - or actually how I came into possesion of three of their milkcrates - anyways, they make decent nesting boxes in a pinch.

Joe's down to the last 36 hours - he is both mentally & physically exhausted from preparing for his oral exams. It's almost over... it's almost over... it's almost over...

Monday morn

It's noon & I've gotta get on the ball - we need to leave for infant story time at the ACC library in 1.5 hours & I've still gotta empty the *huge* brush pile I loaded into the truck over the weekend - that, or be the crazy lady that's driving thru town dropping limbs left & right... don't think so. Of course today has turned off a little cool & windy - not ideal for outside work.

Keep Joe in your thoughts - his oral exams are at the end of the week - he/I will be so happy when they're over (and I get my part-time babysitter back) - as he's done nothing, night & day for the past weeks, except study.

Locally Grown Thursdays

Thursdays keep me going... I still go to Locally Grown each Thursday afternoon/evening & volunteer - it's really lovely & reminds me there's more to life than child-rearing (not that that can't be lovely too - only tiresome sometimes day in day out). It gives me a sense of community & of belonging - of well being - going to a place where I am known & know others - a movement of people making an incredible idea not only work but thrive - wholesome food organically produced in Athen's backyard. Tonight was especially great - feeling engerized - dozens of great interactions/conversations - from Sondra who brought me a kombucha mushroom starter - to the lady that remembered I wanted the lamb shank recipe - chatting with Sandy who is days away from a beautifully planned homebirth - to good laughs with Anne & Cindy my co-volunteers.

Cedar Grove eggs - notice the blue/green one in front from an araucanas hen

the view out the back of the storeroom - Eric, the mastermind behind Locally Grown online - coolers filled with milk waiting for customers to arrive

Anne & Cindy, volunteers helping to fill orders - Elizabeth, one of 150 customers this week

carrots & cilantro - dropped off by the farmer - awaiting pickup

More helping hands... Mark, who keeps the cashbox in order - Chris & Vivian, drive the big truck to the dairies for milk & cheese pickup

look who's waiting for me when I get in!!! nibbling toes & whole-hearted laugher

More Birthday Pics... lots more

enjoying that cake!

by the end Levi smashed the cake to smithereens & we called in reinforcements (ie Sadie) to help clean up the mess

opening Aunt Marjorie & Uncle Frank's gift - thank you!

up close & personal with the new sock monkey from Grandma

four generations - Papa Bill, Beth, Joe, & Levi

Levi & Big Daddy Don

Gainey's & Burnam's - four generations - Papa Bill, Uncle Vic, Joe, & Levi

Birthday pics... in the kitchen

Mom - icing all those cupcakes!

So many helping hands

We got a tiny little springform pan to bake Levi's cake in.

Icing the cake

Lunch spread

My Sunshine - One Year Old!

Levi's First Birthday

We would like to THANK EVERYONE who made Levi's birthday such a SPECIAL SPECIAL day!!! - for everyone who drove hours to attend the party Saturday - for all the thoughtful cards & gifts - to my Grandma, Mom, & sisters who came a day early & spent hours helping clean & cook.

Saturday was SIMPLY MAGICAL - a beautiful mix of friends & family - all the GreatGrandparents & Grandparents - Aunts & Uncles - sisters - such a rare event to have both Joe & my extended family together. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEVI you are a joy in our lives!!!!

Many birthday pics to come...


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I digress....

I'm up late tonight - it's one am - I'm thinking back to a year ago - I was sound asleep - but at 3:50 AM I woke to go to the bathroom & within minutes my water broke & for the next 30 minutes I was shaking uncontrollable - excited & scared & surprised! - we scrambled around to prepare the house for labor - I emailed Angie, made a call to Wildwood, & called our midwife - but within just a short while I was filling the tub with warm water (we'd prepared for a water birth) & trying to focus thru growing contraction pains....

Labor came a full week before I expected it & totally took me by surprise - it was a fast & furious labor & a few minutes after noon Levi was within arms.

It wasn't the homebirth I expected either, low heart tones got us sent to the hospital at 8 AM by our homebirth midwife - in hindsight the decision to transfer was hastily made & regarded as a mistake by all involved - the transfer was absolutely devastating to me & something I still struggle to accept - after all the time & effort into making a Georgia homebirth possible - after working to educate friends & family that 'yes' homebirth was safe & something that happens everyday all over the world - after withstanding too many uneducated doubtful comments.

In the end it was a beautiful natural birth without meds - with a harrowing high speed car ride in the middle! :) - Joe cheering/encouraging/loving me through every overwhelming contracting - Joe caught Levi as he made his way out - we kept the placenta attached for 1.5 hours (and then brought it home with us) - and finally I got to cut the cord that had joined us for 9 months - after 24 hours we were back home, never being separated from our precious new child - what a wild experience birth is! - different for every woman.

I am still a huge homebirth advocate - Georgia is way behind in it's homebirth midwifery laws - many of our neighboring states: Florida, South Carolina, & Tennessee all fully back homebirths - if you live in these states you can have your homebirth covered by insurance (not so in GA) or if on Medicaid, the state will pay for your homebirth. Birth is big business in the USA - it has been turned into a 'medical condition' that you have to be hospitalized for - BULLSHIT. Europe is way ahead of us - midwife birth is the norm - homebirth widely practiced - doulas standard. If I do have another child I will certainly plan another homebirth.

It's One AM

and I'm having some quiet time to myself - as it's hard to come by during normal working hours - what a busy weekend - have been freecycling left & right - doing a little sprucing up - ripped the bathroom down to the subfloor & started over (whew!) - some work in the kitchen too - off to bed now - exhausted