Bears With Semi-Fine Motor Skills

Bear sightings are not uncommon here at the ranch. We've seen several this summer, big and small, in broad daylight and at night. They come for our trash, mainly - they know that during the summer, there are three full dumpsters on the property. They're capable of quite a mess, and so we electrify the dumpsters with a low current as a deterrent. There isn't any way to electrify the grease trap, unfortunately, so the bears can make a very sticky and stinky mess when they choose to dig around in there.

Now that the summer is over, the bears have acquired a new target: the vehicles on the property. They have a special affinity for Toyotas; the affinity is not based on aesthetics, though I think the Toyotas are rather attractive. Rather, the draw seems to be the ease of the door handles, which are different from any other door handles on the property. A bear has only to reach over the handle and pull outward to gain access, as opposed to reaching under and pulling upward, which has proven too difficult so far. We are careful not to leave any food in our cars; there's no sense in giving the bears a good reason to go inside. I wondered out loud why we do not lock our car doors at night, and I was reminded that the bears are capable of ripping off the doors to gain access if they wish. There's also no sense in frustrating a bear.

Cowboy Nick found my Corrolla's doors open one morning last week, as well as the doors to the ranch's Forerunner. The doors were open, without any signs that the bear had crawled in or touched anything inside. Nick also found that the bear had gotten into the grease trap. Kindly, the bear chose to hit the grease trap after nosing around in my car. Evidently, the bears here also have a sense of decorum.

To change the subject, I am now eight months pregnant and about four weeks from Levi's due date. I feel really good most of the time. I haven't had any swelling, and I've had an easier time sleeping over the last week. The wicked heartburn I experienced has been tamed. In other words, I'm having an easy time of things. Levi's movements are stronger and more pronounced. It's rare for him to just jab or kick, now it's more like turning from one side to another. He hiccups a lot. I have weekly OB appointments now, and the doctor will start checking next week to make sure that he's head-down and stays that way. I'm happy to be in the homestretch now. Rob took this picture Sunday night:

There's definitely a belly now...

Lynda

A Slower Pace

It's a balmy 30 degrees here at the ranch. We've had some snow flurries and there's frost on the pines. We're snug and warm in the house; Rob is putting together Levi's changing table, I'm monitoring a pot of beans on the stove, and Aggie is napping in a chair. I like the off- season!

Last week, I went hiking for the first time time since we moved. Rob and I hiked Ouzel Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's not an intense hike, but it is a little long (5.4 mi). I felt fine until the last half mile, when I began to believe that my legs just might fall off my body. Here's a picture from early in the hike:


Yesterday, we said goodbye to our friends who came for the inaugural Spousetacular. For the past few years, Rob has come up to the ranch for a week in the Fall with some guys to hike and do other man-things - I call it the Mancation. This year, the guys brought their wives (yay!), and the Spousetacular was born. We spent the last three days hiking, dining out, talking, and learning to play Forty-Two. I hope that there are many returns of the Spousetacular.

We hiked Emerald Lake with our friends this week. It was a beautiful hike full of golden aspen and views of three other lakes along the way. The lake water is crystal clear and we watched several trout swimming close to the shore. This is Emerald Lake:

I know that in the last post I said I was ready for the baby to arrive, but now I'm really ready for the baby to arrive. I had to use my legs as leverage, swinging them over the side of the bed, to get up each of the 1,000 times I had to use the bathroom last night. I realize that I'm only mildly uncomfortable most of the time, but should a girl really have to use her legs as leverage to get out of bed? For those who have asked, here is the latest belly picture, taken last night. I am now in my 33rd week.

Feel free to admire my supercool new thermal shirt - it has stars on it! I'm afraid there's only so much stretch in the yellow tank top...

Lynda

More to See

It's been quite a while since I posted a belly picture, so I got Rob to take a picture yesterday evening. I'm about five and a half months along now, and Levi weighs about 1.5 pounds and measures about 8.5 inches long. I was surprised to learn that at this point, Levi is considered 'viable', which is to say that his little body could survive outside mine now (with medical intervention). Amazing. I've started to feel him move throughout the entire day now. He must have a favorite position, because most of the time he kicks and punches on my right side. I actually saw a wave of motion go across my belly yesterday, which was a bit strange, even though I knew it would happen eventually. Sleeping is becoming a bit uncomfortable - I'll soon have so many pillows around me that Rob will have just a sliver of room on his side of the bed.

Here's yesterday's belly picture:

It appears that Rob is showing a bit, too! I must admit to a little sadness that my tank top (kind of) fits him. Rob was struck with the idea to take a picture of him, too, when we were taking mine. Just the thought made me double over laughing. Okay, here's my picture:

A little more to show, huh?

Lynda

One Week Later

It's been a little more than a week since I took the last belly picture I posted, and I can see a significant difference. I wore the same clothes again so that you could see how much more pronounced my belly is this week.

Levi's kicks are more pronounced, too. In the last week, I've seen a kick move my belly, and Rob was able to feel a strong kick yesterday. I've noticed, too, that Levi is most active at night. I'm hoping that he doesn't continue this nocturnal routine after he's born!

Rob and I went to a baby resale store last week to buy a stroller for the ranch. The boy's clothes section pulled me in like a tractor beam and I'd picked up five little sleepers and jumpers before I came back to my senses. I've got several months to go and I need to pace myself! I let myself off the hook, though, when I got the to the register and paid only $13 for the whole lot of them. Hooray for resale! I know you've all seen baby clothes before, but are these not the most adorable clothes ever? In case you were wondering, the odd little character on the right is a giraffe driving a car.

Feel free to admire the awesome RV upholstery, too. That's all for now - we hope you all are doing well. We miss you!

Lynda

My Growing Belly

This picture was taken Sunday, the start of my 20th week. I'll post another picture next week, since yesterday I realized that my belly had grown bigger since the picture. In fact, I had a little bit of a hard time bending over to tie my shoes. It must have been a significant difference, because yesterday several people commented that I really 'looked pregnant' for the first time.

By the way, these pictures were taken in the 'hallway' of the RV Rob and I are living in this month. We moved into the RV because we have so many guests that our cabin was no longer avaialable - good news! The staff has really enjoyed reminding us that we live in a 'trailer', and they built us a really nice deck outside. We have plans for our new deck, but I'll keep quiet for now and just post some pictures when all is complete.

Stay tuned...

Lynda