It goes without saying this holiday season has been different for me than all others that I have had previously. I am so thankful to get to experience all of the holidays for the first time with our daughter but navigating our new life has been nothing short of challenging. We love our daughter, and we are blessed with a baby that is happy more times than she is not and truly the light of our lives, but anyone who knows us is aware that we lead very busy lives, so figuring out how to manage our lives with our new addition has proven a bit challenging.
I will say I don't know many other 8-week old's that have been to the barn in a baby wrap several times a week, but that is the way we have to get things done around here. I am so thankful for my long maternity leave, but Rob had to go back to work almost immediately after we had Avery. This meant I had to get creative! I am not one to simply sit around, so figuring out ways for us to clean the barn, cook and take care of other farm tasks had to happen! That is not to say that I am able to accomplish everything that I used to be able to. For example, I have had my outdoor Christmas decorations on my front porch for over a week and a half. The only thing I have managed to put up is our blow-up Christmas goats! So, I guess this keeps us on theme. I am hoping that this Saturday or Sunday I can have Rob watch Avery while I spend an hour putting the decorations on the porch..... Better late than never!
This change has also spilled over into our goat lives as well. I intentionally only bred three does this year, because I am not sure how kidding will go with a young daughter, and I wanted to take it easy on myself! I also took the time to vaccinate all of our goats with the intranasal pneumonia vaccine to try to prevent them from coming down with anything in the coming year. That being said I am also in the market for a new buck kid for my herd for next year, so I need to get on the ball researching and getting on waiting lists for a new buck! Hopefully next year I can expand my breeding program with this new buck and the number of does that I freshen! I will say that this new season of my life has taught me to enjoy the moments, that life isn't always about checking things off of the to do list, but about letting the house get a little dirty and messy because I was enjoying cuddling with my baby. The mess will always be there, my little girl is growing at exponential speed, and I don't want to look back on my life and regret not doing the things that I love with the people that I love because I was worried about having a clean house! This new life will continue to evolve when I go back to work at the end of January, and I will keep you updated as to how our herd and our family are doing. Thank you again for grace while I am inconsistent about my blogs in this season of life and I hope you will continue to follow along! Take care have a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Happy goating everyone!
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