We have a baby!

Our son arrived on Wednesday, July 14 at 2:51pm!!! He was 7 lbs 10 oz and 20" long. I thought he would be a big baby, but he actually was smaller than his sister! I allowed the doctor to break my water and insisted on no pitocin to induce labor. He agreed. Thankfully, because my body went ahead and started contractions on its own. After about 8 hours of all natural labor (no pain meds!!) he was born. I almost got the labor and delivery that I had always wanted. I wished for all natural with no induction, no pain meds, no artificial anything. The only thing that was not natural was the doc breaking the water. That made me very happy! We are both doing well. He and I get about a 4 hour stretch of sleep every night. Daytime has been a different story though. He seems very fussy and gassy during the day. He just can't settle down. That is frustrating, but I know it will pass. Big sister is very proud and loves on him all the time. She has decided she is a big girl now and doesn't want diapers! I knew it had to be on her own terms. She is a very stubborn and strong-willed child. I know because she takes after me. (Sorry mom and dad!)

The weather has been hot and dry - typical July weather. Today's heat index is supposed to be over 100. Thank goodness for air conditioning! (yes I know I am spoiled by it!) Because of the heat, our electric bill has gone up alot. Plus they decided to raise our rates. grrr! Today I made a phone call to a guy who does wind and solar energy. He is coming over next week to tell us what we can do. He says our area is good for both kinds of energy. I hope it pans out and we can cut our line to the grid! I will try to give updates on that.

The zuchinni is nearly done. At least I am done with it! I have put 21 quart bags of it in the freezer. The pumpkins are turning orange and the tomatoes are bearing alot of green fruit right now. My mother in law has given us lots of sweet corn from their patch. That's about all I have done so far this year. I am already thinking about next years garden!!

Still waiting on a baby

I can't believe I have neglected this blog since March!! All I can say is that I haven't done much to blog about!
We are still anxiously awaiting the birth of our son. My due date was last week Wednesday. I am hoping he doesn't wait too much longer. The doctor said he will push the issue of an induced birth if he doesn't arrive by my appointment on Tuesday. We want a natural birth and don't want to feel pressured into an induction unless there is a very clear medical reason to do it. Our daughter was induced due to medical reasons, but it was not an enjoyable experience with all the IV's and monitors, etc. So I have been praying, praying and praying...
As far as the garden here, we didn't put out near as much this year. We do have 12 tomatoes, several zuchinni and pumpkin hills, 100' of potatoes, garlic, onion and herbs this year. I tried cucumbers again this year, but once again, they just don't seem to like our soil. Another blueberry plant died this year even though I was using special fertilizer for it. That leaves us with one blueberry plant. My reading tells me they need 2 for pollination. I am really reluctant to spend money on another when we have lost several now. Sigh.
We had way to much rain this spring, and we lost alot of our strawberries. I did manage to pick about 6 quarts, but the rest just turned to mush or the ants ate them up. We never had the ant problem before. Something else to research before next years crop gets ruined by them.
I have done some periodic canning since my last post. I have done some beef roast that is absolutely delicious! Canning beef was a first for me. I wish I had tried it sooner! I did some blackberry jelly, beef broth and carrots. Then I also dried the last of the onions and have about 2 quart jars full of dried onions! We still have lots and lots of home canned goods on our shelves from last years harvest. So glad we had such an abundance since I'm not gonna try to can that amount while nursing a newborn.
Even with saying that, I still didn't feel right about not growing our own food. So in April/May I stocked up on store bought goods just to be safe through the year. I will add to it come October like I usually do. I just don't feel right not having stored food. I am so glad my husband built those storage shelves in the basement!
Hopefully, the next time you see me here, I will have had my baby!