Everything is blooming on the farm. Ok, not everything. In fact there are a lot of seedlings just getting their roots in the soil, but things have been so busy and exciting in preparation for camp to start, that it feels like the whole farm and all of its inhabitants are in FULL BLOOM!
Lets start with my favorite farm creature: Oliver. Ollie is now 14 1/2 weeks. It is true what they say about the fourth trimester (the first 3 months of a baby's life are an extension of life in the womb). Like clockwork Ollie has really matured into a different baby at three months. We have had a difficult time with his tummy since he was born. He spits up all the time and he has A LOT of gas. The poor guy would squirm, pull his knees up, tense up and scream until he could finally pass some gas (which I swear shows up on the richter scale when he does). I tried everything to make him feel better and prevent the gas- gas expelling baby yoga moves, an elimination diet, tummy massage, warm baths, gas drops, gripe water, pro-biotics (for him and me), feeding him in different ways (tummy to tummy, more burping, block feeding).
The only thing that made a little difference was removing liquid dairy from my diet, but that only helped get rid of the most severe tummy upsets. As a new mom tirelessly searching for ways to sooth my baby's tummy, I just didn't want to except when people would tell me that he just had an immature gut and that we had to wait it out. I guess this is a pretty good lesson in mothering to get early on: "this too shall pass." I'm pretty sure I'll be having to learn this lesson over and over again in Oliver's life, for as much as I wish I could make the whole world a rosy experience for him, so much of it is out of my control. But I can try to make it better, or at the very least hold him and kiss him so that he can muster what he needs to get through the hard things.
Back to the present update. Ollie still spits up all the time (I'll be so glad when he's grown out of that phase), and his farts sound like they are coming from a 200 pound dude, but his tummy seems to be feeling better most of the time now. He is so strong and kicking and moving around all day long now, so I think he's able to get the gas moving along and out of his body instead of it pooling up in a painful pocket in his intestines.
Ollie rolled over three times from front to back on Wednesday. He doesn't quite know how he does it yet, and so far he only does it when we put him on his belly with his elbows close together under his chest. Then he holds his head up for a while until he lays his head to one side and his body follows with a gentle flop onto his back. It looks like he is really close to figuring out the back to front roll too. He will kick his leg to the side and lie on his side, but then his arm gets in the way and he doesn't make it all the way over. It is so fun watching him figure these things out.
He is so smiley and social. I had my first day of work since he was born, and Ollie stayed home with his Granny Liz and great aunt Kathy. They were out on a walk with him when I drove up to the farm. I stopped to say hi and he recognized me and gave me the BIGGEST smile and squeal. It was one of the best moments I've had as a mom. Sometimes in the middle of the night, when I am sleepily nursing him in the dark, I can't wait until it gets light out and he is awake so I can see his big gummy smile again- it is brighter than the sun and moon and all the stars. I love that boy.
I could go on and on about this little guy (and I will, after all, he is the reason I started this blog), but for now I will continue on an update of all the other exciting happenings on the farm. We have several new folks on the farm and by the end of today the entire summer staff will be here. The garden is looking incredible thanks to the hard work of our garden manager. She grew up on an organic CSA farm and has learned a lot from working with her dad, who is an expert farmer. I hope to learn a lot working with her this summer. Andy's assistant director (a fabulous, long-time friend of his) is here and has already brought so much more life and laughter into the rush to prepare for camp to start. Andy also hired a program director this summer who has a good bit of knowledge about farm animals and a lot of ambition. And one of the most important people on the farm is here- the chef. I know I'm going to like the food this summer, because he is from my native Louisiana.
Other new comers to the farm include: two kittens, two calves (Mason and Dixon), four bunnies, baby turkeys, more chicks, and the guinea hens...not to go hating on god's creatures, but when I am up at 3am after nursing my baby back to sleep and desperately trying to nod off before he wakes up again for another feeding in two hours, I loath the ear-piercing cackling of these birds. I see them in the morning, with their red skeletor heads and their round, speckled bodies, and I think to myself "you birds are dumb."
No photos in this post, but I'll put some up soon.
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