first full day

Jammies at 23 weeks

I'm calling this my first full day of freedom.  Technically, I've been on vacation since the middle of December, but with all the excitement that really doesn't count.  It wasn't until Aiden was ready for school and out the door with J for his normal drop off, that I realized I had NOTHING that I HAD to do! Um, I'm not sure that I can remember a time when I had no commitment that I was obligated to do that day.  You know, where someone is holding you accountable and expecting something specific from you.  No tests, projects, or assignments that take way too much time away from what I'd really like to be doing.

I had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted.  I enjoyed thinking that I could take a shower without rushing.  I made videos without just using the magic maker on the flip.  I cleaned my bedroom closet and organized two sets of drawers.  I had a sudden urge to get my toilet very clean.  Because I had TIME!  I hardly knew what to do with myself.  My afternoon with Aiden was completely free of worries about whether my boss had everything he needed for a meeting the next day... or something else random and much less important than letter bingo.  I enjoyed every second.

Aiden and I started a new afternoon game he nicknamed "picture pages."  Today's page was about what animals do in the winter, and I honestly had to look up whether moose hibernate, migrate, or adapt (moose migrate, who knew?!)  I was excited that I had time to organize these new games.  I made dinner and J actually had a nice compliment - "It smells like real food?!"  You mean better than hamburger pie made with leftover taco meat?  It kicked off a new goal (at least until this baby arrives) of cooking more dishes that may actually appear on the Food Network.  Today was panko encrusted chicken breast with a mustard dill glaze.

This weekend we visited the Coggeshall Farm in Bristol on a whim.  We were actually trying to go to the Audobon but it was closed, so we drove a little farther down to the snow covered farm.  We weren't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a "living history farm" which means there was a woman dressed up pretending she was from that era (which is pretty popular in New England, eh?)  She reassured us that the turkeys chasing after us and gobbling profusely weren't going to hurt us, although we should watch out for the geese.  Yep, um, I was scared, although determined to not show Aiden I was scared of those birds running after us.

Aiden was thrilled to learn about how to make butter and to help feed the huge pig, so I just let those turkeys chase after me (I could swear they were more into terrorizing me than anyone else).  Everything worked out ok, but when we got home I ended up calling my midwife because I had a tiny amount of blood (for the first time ever).  Yep, I was blaming the turkeys for tensing up my uterus and possibly affecting my placenta situation.  She was very reassuring and didn't even laugh at me, and I can't even tell you how good I feel about my decision to use a midwife this time.  She told me to pay close attention and if I bled any more to call her right away.  I was free and clear of any further problems, minus the turkey nightmares - just kidding, sorta. But I was so relieved and my midwife even called me in the morning to check on me.  I did manage to keep my sense of humor about those darn turkeys.  They wouldn't gobble when I had the camera on, but here are the harmless huge turkeys just hanging out behind us, a bit too close: