Racing babies in the snow.....

Not LITERALLY people....come on now!

We've had four starts at Mountaineer so far and won two of them. Valid Dancer won his allowance race and A Good Day to Run won his claiming race. The other two than ran were 5th and 6th. One of them stumbled out of the gate and almost fell at the start. Tonight we have two running. Swiper the Fox is running in a claiming race and Computer Gate is running in a Starter Allowance. I miss going to the track at night. That's typically when trainers approach me with horses for sale. But this big ole belly needs to stay home for now.

Speaking of which...I went in for an exam last wednesday. Doc said everything looked normal and no progress was made. He actually called me cervix "stubborn." He's a charactor that guy! His name tag actually says, "Dr. Stork." So we go back for an ultrasound on the 30th. I'll be a day late if I make it to that day. He's considering inducing this week if all looks okay because this child is getting big very quickly.

I had a rough night on friday night and rough day yesterday. I thought for sure that saturday was going to be "the day" but it wasn't. More like a 24 hour bug that I caught. Got some restful sleep last night (aside from four bathroom breaks) so I'm feeling a bit better today.

Mom is coming tomorrow! I'm so relieved that that day is finally here. I know she's excited too. The weather has been poor so I worried about her traveling over the mountains of the PA turnlike. She's bringing Dad's truck and getting some sandbags loaded into it today. It's been snowing off and on for the last 3 days. I figured Hannah would make her appearance during the worst of it but she hasn't. See....she's already taking after me (she's smart!)!! lol!! It'a too frigid to make an entrance just yet!

Come on baby, you can do it!!

I had another appointment with the OB on thursday. He said everything looks good and my cervix has softened a little. He said should I go into labor to just come in, don't call. Since we are almsot 40 minutes away and the weather coming up is looking nasty.....he said to get a head start. I really like this doctor. He's funny and laid back and actually stays in the room long enough for you to ask questions. So I have 10 days to my due date now. Feels like forever. I'm having lots of discomfort form pelvic pressure and siatic pain as well. Don't get me started on not being able to get up on my own.....not something I'm used to....depending on others for normal daily activities.

So I've got the house pretty much all clean, the laundry done, car seat in and everything packed and ready to go. She just needs to get here. I'm tired. I'm sore and getting cranky. Remind me again why people do this more than once?

I've been going out to the barn to work so I can keep my sanity. No clue how I'm going to handle being in for 6 weeks once Hannah is here. So visitors are welcome. Don't worry, if I get annoyed with ya, I'll let ya know! ha!

So that's the update. Nothing new here. My next appointment is on the 24th. Hopefully we will have some dilation and get the show on the road!

Redneck neighbors keep things interesting...

Many of you already know that Lou and I have been having problems with our neighbors since the day we moved in. His family has owned the proprty that our house sits on for years. But we didn't have much of a problem until we put a house on it. From dogs not letting us into our own house to horses running loose in our yard it has been a daily thing. We've had arguements, calls to the police, calls to the dog warden and also to the humane society. Nothing ever gets taken care of. A few years ago their youngest, he was a small toddler...wandered over and sat in our yard while I weeded our garden. Noone was watching him. They have a dog hit on the road ans replace it the next day. They've had four horses killed on the road and don't really seem to care. At one point they had 18 horses out in their pasture. Which is about 6 acres. It seems like their horses only get loose and run all over our yard after we;ve had a few days of rain. So they dig up the yard and get our horses running in a slippery pasture. *sigh* We just want some peace for once.
So a few days ago these same people were hearding a bunch of their horses from the pasture down to the barnyard....using a jeep cherokee. There was a toddler running around out there that we assumed was theirs. Then all of a sudden people were running and screaming. The little boy got kicked in the neck by their mini donkey. Life flight picked him up. It was a big fiasco.
We did find out yesterday that the boy is home and doing well. He was actually the son of their neighbor who they had warned about staying out of the pasture.
How did we find this out?
Well, the "boyfriend" knocked on our door yesterday asking for help with their miniture horse.
Their pitt bull atacked it and there was blood everywhere. It was the worst thing I've ever seen. The poor filly had been chewed to the bone on her right front leg, right hind leg, part of her hanuches and they ripped off her right ear. She was in shock. We told them they needed to end her suffering quickly. But they decided to wait for the vet. She was put down and so was one of the dogs. The pitt bull had run off.
She's a nasty thing. We actually had the dog warden waiting on us when we walked back to the house. He had brought a trap to catch the pitt because we'd complained about her coming into our yard and threatening us. We also told the neighbor our plans. She told us to shoot the dog if she comes over again. So we told the warden we'd wait on the trap and see if the dog shows up again. What a fiasco! My only worry now is that as we dipose of these dogs, they will replace them yet again. Did I metnion that none of these dogs have been spated or neutered? UGH. People like this should not be allowed to own animals!

Latest Baby News

I had another appointment on Jan.10th for an ultrasound to see where Hannah had decided to move to. I somewhat expected she was still laying transverse but she wasn't. She's head down and in the right position for delivery. So unless we have some unforseen problem that arises everything should go according to plan. The doc says she is now 7 pounds and 9 ounces. Yikes! That is more than he thought she would be at birth! I hope she doesn't get too much bigger because I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be able to get her outta there!

Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound:

The last two weeks have been a little rough for me. I got the opportunity to see what the emergency room looks like on New Years Eve. Lemme tell ya, noone was real happy to be working that night! Anyway, I was told I had Bromchitis and also a Sinus Infection. Youch that was not pleasant! They put me on amoxicillin for 10 days and basically told me to go home and deal with it. I was allowed to take tylenol but that was it. It was rough but I am finally feeling better. At my appointment on thursday doc gave me a script for a Z-pack and I think that is what is finally doing the trick. I was also allowed to take bendryl at night which helped me get some sleep. I have two more days of the Z-pack but I have already started back in the barn.

It's been a bit moring the last few days so I've been trying to get a little fresh air. Yesterday I brought in Sealy and played with her a bit. She loves the attention and especially loves being groomed. She's such a lover and I have to admit it makes me melt when she nuzzles up to my cheek and blows a little. It's been a long time since I've had a horse who looks for me to come to her and give her attention. My other horse, Blake is sweet but really could care less if I mess with him or not. So here are a few test pictures I took yesterday with the new camera. I'm fairly confident I have everything "down" when taking outdoor shots. Indoor action shots are another story. So I guess I need to go back to the manual again....

Some catching up...

So it's been a while. There is a bunch to catch up on....shame on me!

Christmas was nice. Lou and I went to his parents for dinner. I made my famous choloate layer dessert that everyone begs me to make and then bitches after making themselves sick on it from having too many servings. Ahhhh.....I can never win THAT battle. We did presents in the morning before heading out for barn work. I bought Lou and mini DVD player and also XM radio. Mostly for the long waits at the track and the drive back and forth to Presque Isle in the summer months. I get tired of listening to a fuzzy AM station he puts on to hear the ball game.

I got a bunch if gift cards form all the family. Since they never seem to know what to get me (DUH....I'm a horsey girl...it's not that difficult) gift cards are certainly the next best thing.

I went to my OB appointment on the 26th. According to Doc, Hannah had finally decided to turn head down. But that lasted about two days. She returned to her transverse position that she loves so much. My next appointment will be on the 10th and we'll have another ultrasound at that point.

On the 24th I had a loffly girl drive up from Louisville, KY pulling a horse trailer. She brought her equally loffly mom along and bought my little sale horse "Epee" aka Private Sword. It was instant love for both horse and girl. I guess it was worth the 6 hour drive to find her horsey soulmate. While living here on the farm the horse was a tad spooky and had no confidence in himself. That usually means if something scares them they end up on your foot trying to escape whatever wanted to "eat them." However....Epee (she renamed him Sabre) seems to be as bombproof as they come at her place. The first day she had him she got on him bareback, no helmet and rode him all over the farm. hmmff.....go figure.

Let's see.....oh yes.....New Years Eve I went to the ER. What fun! Woohoo! I was coughing and congested with a horrible headache and body pain. Since no doctors were open I went to the ER just to be safe. Found out I have a sinus infection AND bronchitis. I hit the motherload! They gave me antibiotics but only allowed me to take tylenol for aches and pains and to keep my fever down. Talke about torture! I want my Nyquil and Afrin!! No fair! I'm stayed in since monday and just had to DEAL. UGH. I'm feeling mildly human again but still pretty weak and easily made dizzy. The cough and congestion are still there but I finally slept last night for more than 2 hours. Now if my ears would stop ringing and I could breathe out of my nose I'd be one happy girl!

Last sunday I ventured out and bought myself a new digital camera. One I've been wanting for the longest time. It's fancy schmancy with all the bells and whistles. My dogs are pretty bored with me now. Since I haven't been outside to bug the horses I've been snapping pics of the dogs. I swear they see me pull the camera out and they roll their eyes at me!

Lou left today for Philly Park. We have two horses running this weekend and hopefully one more on tuesday. So off he went. The house is all mine for possibly 4-5 days. Feels weird being alone here. I hope to get some things organized while he's gone. Since his masses of clothes won't need to be washed while he's away I can finally concentrate on something other than laundry! Glory day!

I guess that's it for now. If anyone is wondering....yes, I'm huge and ready for Hannah to be here. She pushes and stretches and makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I think she's trying to tell me she wants out. lol