Saturday, January 10, 2009

Babies and Horses

Yea I know, not a good mix. I haven't posted in a long time though and I figured for those that read this it might be about time for an update. Straight to the point....Mo and I are expecting our first baby in July! Our own cute little bundle of joy! I'm almost 12 weeks along and have known since before Thanksgiving but I am still just floored at the thought of it. I've always wanted to be a mom, but I really am not prepared for this. I think the hardest part is realizing that my lifelong dream of being a horse owner is going to be majorly affected by this. We plan on doing as much as we can to keep Summer, but I am so afraid I may have to sell her. I'm still riding, but being much more careful than before. What am I saying, I was ridiculously careful before, but now its not just my life a fall from horseback could affect. I've spoken to my doctor and since I was riding 5 to 6 days a week before she said I need to be careful and not doing anything too over the top but that I could continue to ride. Since I've been extremely tired the last few months I haven't been out there as much as I'd like. So I decided to find someone to half lease Summer. Her name is Susan and she is a middle aged re-rider. I don't believe she ever owned horses before, but much like myself she had spent as much time as possible around them in her younger days. To get her started I gave her a few "beginner" lessons with Summer and got her comfortable before turning them loose together. Susan is a super nice lady and she is being careful to continue doing everything with Summer just as I would, which I love. She also is taking lessons every Tuesday from my trainer, so I know she'll be riding Summer the way she was trained. Its still hard though, I consider Summer another one of my "fur babies" so the first day when Susan signed the lease agreement and she had her first day alone I spent forever hanging around talking because I was so nervous leaving them. I finally did and I'm sure she was glad to have me out of there. One of my biggest fears is that Summer will like Susan better than me, as silly as that seems. My other worry is that Summer will take full advantage of Susan and her inexperience, much like she did me in the beginning. I keep reminding myself that she's getting some good direction from my trainer and the other wonderful boarders but it doesn't always make things easier.
For now my plan is to continue to ride until I can no longer get in the saddle or fit in it, whichever one happens first. Hopfully I can continue to ride for several more months. If not though at least I have a back up plan and I know Summer isn't wasting away. And the nice thing is that being on a half lease helps pay part of her board, Susan is paying $100 a month to ride 3 days a week. I take care of everything else but Summer is a pretty easy keeper. The lease is up for renewal in June, at which time I'll give Susan the option of a full lease and we'll take care of vet bills for 3 to 4 months. It all depends on whether or not Susan can afford to pay for her feed and board plus worming and farrier bills.

Okay onto more baby things......I haven't had any morning sickness but like I said I've been pretty tired. Although the last week or two I've noticed it seems to be wearin off a bit and I'm getting more bursts of energy that are lasting longer. Hopefully everything goes as easily the entire pregnancy as it has this first few months. Only time will tell. I do have a condition concerning my uterus that puts me at a higher risk for preterm labor but my doctor said we'll be monitoring the baby's growth carefully and doing lots of ultrasounds as we go. My uterus is heartshaped and has a muscle that cuts off one side, although it could just be partial instead of complete. It may mean the baby might have just enough room to develop but won't be able to turn for labor and will be a breach. It could also mean that the baby will run out of room early in the pregnancy forcing my body to try and go into labor. My doctor didn't seem too worried so we're just playing the wait and see game.
We are really hoping for a boy. I think we'll be happy either way but boys just seem easier and I'm not much of a girly girl. My family and Mo's family are really excited which is helping to get me more excited as we go. This baby will be the first great-grand child on Mo's dad's side of the family which is pretty exciting. We'll be having 2 baby showers, one here in our area and one up in Washington for Mo's family. How spoiled is this kid gonna be? Ooooh and I LOVE baby shower cakes. Yum. Costco cakes with buttercream frosting....sorry I'm pregnant, I love sweets! I also can't wait to decorate the baby's room, I want to have the theme be Eeyore. Unusual I know, but Eeyore never gets enough recognition and I think he's adorable. Keep your eyes peeled for great Eeyore stuff, I want it all! I also want lots of camo stuff too, I think babies are cute in camo. And cute little baby cowboy boots and Carhartts. This kid is going to be an adorable, chubby little cowboy. Night everyone, I'll try and keep you up to date more often.

5 comments:

Stacy and Angela said...

I am so excited...since I am in the baby store business, I may be able to hook you up on some things....Email me your address

Oh Yeah CONGRATS!!!!
I am so excited for you guys. I hope you have a happy healthy pregnancy, and enjoy it, it goes by soooo fast!!!

Love you guys
Angel!!!!!

Julie said...

Found your blog via Fugly. Congratulations! I was going to suggest finding someone to share your horse but kept reading and you already did. :) I hope it works out even better than you can hope for and that you have a healthy pregnancy, delivery and baby.

"The Expectant Father" and "Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn" are EXCELLENT books. The What To Expect... books are all junk, run away!!!

www.safefetus.com was one of the most useful sites during pregnancy (tells you what medicines are safe before and after birth)

www.drjacknewman.com and www.kellymom.com are the best for breastfeeding if you are going to do that.

I had to put my horse dreams on hold when my hubby's employer relocated us from where we had property to where we couldn't afford any. Still waiting for the day I can call myself the owner of a horse!

Leah Tolle said...

Its about time you update this thing! Glad you are starting to feel better. I just wish we were closer...I can't wait til you hear the heartbeat! Ok, I can't wait for any of it! Grow, baby, GROW!

Oh, and the "What to Expect" books aren't all junk. :) They are still good reads for some of the info in them.

Stacy and Angela said...

I don't think the what to expect books are junk. They do give a pretty good play by play for pregnancy. The girlfriends guide to pregnancy is a funny book with great info, and if you really want a good laugh read Belly laughs by Jenny McCarthy.....Hang in there, your going to be a good mommy, and you have a good mommy and sister for all kinds of advice!!! Love ya!

summersmom said...

I did read the book by Jenny McCarthy which was hilarious, and scary at the same time! Mo read it after I did, so hopefully he's pretty prepared for anything by now!