Mushy Banana

Journal from June 21, 2013 [7 month-old baby]

Alma had a decent nap yesterday morning until about ten, so when she woke up we went to visit Nanny and Grandpa. The fields are dry enough that I can walk barefoot across them now. Alma and I sat in the grass while Mike and his mom worked in the garden. I gave Alma her first taste of banana. She seemed to like it, but had more interest in squishing it than in eating it. After sucking on it, dropping it in the grass, smooshing it, and dropping it again, she was finished and I was forced to do something with the banana pieces in the grass. I didn’t want to leave them for fear I would later regret it, so I ate them. And it didn’t gross me out at all; I think something in my psyche must have shifted in the past few months because pre-eaten bananas are definitely not on my list of appetizing things to eat.

Happy with her spoon

We set up an old swing on the porch for Alma; she enjoyed chewing on the chains until we distracted her with a wooden spoon. She played with dill weed, mustard greens, and carrots while we gardened, then had a bit of a nap in her little tent before we went home for a real nap later in the day. In the evening, we had a steak dinner with the grandparents. It was a good day.

Fresh from the garden

Hot Hot Heat

Well, summer has arrived on the farm. There are baby chicks, turkeys, guinea fowl, a loving little duck couple, a visiting dog, and the  usual gaggle of animals. Wildflowers abound, as do weeds in our vegetable garden, summoning bees, birds, and contented gazes across the field. Inside the yurt things are ever-changing as well. The wee one is crawling everywhere now so the layout has changed to accommodate small and inquiring hands.

planning her escape

We leave the door open most of the day so we can enjoy the view and hopefully catch a breeze. Along with the breeze, however, come the unwanted buzz of house flies. In the sweltering heat we’ve been getting we have noticed a serious decline in energy and motivation to do anything other than sleep, read, or eat popsicles. Thus, the afternoon naps continue.

The thermometer read 104 in the sun the other afternoon so we figured it was time for free air-conditioning and headed to the grocery store. Other days we just splash around in puddles.

she enjoyed it almost as much as we did

Thankfully, many days there have been bold storms to break the humidity for a few hours.

Bathtub

Journal from January 2, 2013

We have been slowly improving in our ability to keep the yurt at a decent temperature. Even when it is quite cold outside we can keep it warm if it isn’t windy. The stove accumulates ashes fairly quickly, though, so we have to empty them often in order to keep the heat pumping. Since Christmas, the temperature has been between 15 and 21 degrees celsius, for the most part, even when it is -20 outside.

I gave Alma her first yurt bath today. I warmed up water on the stove and bathed her nearby so that she wouldn’t get chilled. I also hung her towel on the stove so that she’d feel cozy when she was done. It is surprisingly easy to bathe her in here. I usually bathe her in the big tub at my in-laws, but from now on I think I will bathe her in her little tub in the yurt.

First bath in the yurt.

We haven’t hooked our tub up to any plumbing, so I have yet to bathe in the yurt. I am really looking forward to being able to have a bath/shower in here. For the past 6 months I have been showering in a myriad of places: outside (Mike set up an outdoor shower for the summer), at the gym, at friends’ places, and at my in-laws.

I am excited for when I won’t have to rely on other people for my own cleanliness.

All in good time.

Warm Bed

Now that it is summer and the yurt is warm, I feel like I should post some journal entries from the winter. Here we go:

December 15th, 2012

We went to a rednecked themed Christmas party with Alma yesterday. She is three weeks old today and I can already tell that she likes to party.

I thought Mike was hanging out with the guys in the kitchen, so I was happily hanging out with people in the living room when someone told me that Mike was actually asleep on the couch. He was completely passed out, and so was Alma, so we went home early.

We had been gone for about six hours and incidentally in that time the temperature dropped, the fire died, and the yurt became a chilly 6 degrees celsius. I bundled Alma like crazy and nursed her until she fell asleep, blissfully unaware of how cold it was outside her cocoon.

Mike sat up by the fire, stoking it relentlessly, while Alma and I went to bed. Being endlessly thoughtful, Mike had put ceramic tiles from the stove in our bed to warm it up before we got in it. Nothing is better than getting into a warm bed in a cold room. I fed Alma under the covers when she woke up to eat throughout the night.

In the morning, the yurt was about 8 degrees so we stayed in bed longer than usual. Cat and Rob came over for breakfast, so we were distracted while the yurt finally got up to a comfortable temperature. Cat, Alma, and I snuggled in our bed under sweaters and blankets while the boys warmed their feet by the stove. I used to think that fifteen degrees was cold, however right now it feels quite nice.

The girls, cozy and warm.

What I learned in the past 24 hours:

1) we can’t leave the yurt for more than a few hours at a time

2) life was wondrously easy when all I had to do was turn the dial on the thermostat

3) I am married to a very kind, self-sacrificing man (I knew that already, but it was reinforced)