decisions

This morning I dropped Devin off at work for 8. We'd lazed around having breakfast and reading for an hour or so first, partly because it feels good to keep getting up early, and partly because the little banty rooster is insistent that no one must sleep past when he decrees. Some days he starts crowing before five and I start cussing him out, other days he chooses a more reasonable hour and it's actually a pretty nice way to wake up. Anyway, it's now just past nine and I've already had a good talk with one of the friends whose farm Devo is working at today, had a leisurely drive home down the back roads, got suited up in my official farm overalls to feed the pigs and chickens and move the chicken tractor along for the day, and done some stretching (the latter without official farm overalls). I guess what I'm getting at is just how much I've been liking it here lately. I feel calmer and calmer and more settled in, and I dig that. Right now we're in the throes of trying to figure out if we should stay here or move back to Victoria, so how I feel about being here is closer to the front of my mind than it often is when I'm simply buoyed along by routine. I think most everybody has heard this already, but I'm two months pregnant, and we're going to be having a baby in the spring. So, this is pretty surprising and exciting and all of that good stuff, but it definitely leads to some big decision making. We really can't decide what the best option is. Our rent here is crazy cheap and would get cheaper if we signed on for a longer stay. The house is pretty much perfect for two dogs, two people, and one human baby, and it's amazing to be out in the country. However, it can be pretty isolating here as well, and we haven't made a ton of friends yet. We have lots of family and friends in Victoria, and there is definitely a lot more potential to make money there (although also a lot more expenses and the near impossibility of finding an affordable place to live with a baby and two dogs). I guess I at least have a strong sense that either option will be rad and will work out well, it's just a question of buckling down and deciding. Which we need to do intimidatingly soon.

All in all, all is well, however. I have my first appointment with my midwife next week, and I'm already embroiled in the battery of family history taking, blood tests, pee tests, physical exams etc etc etc that baby having seems to entail. I've been to the doctor more in the past couple of weeks than the past couple of years, and it promises to only accelerate from here on in. I feel really good about the whole thing, though. It's funny how that stuff works out. I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to have a baby, and we sure as hell didn't plan on me getting pregnant right now, but as soon as we found out, just going with it felt like the exact right choice to both of us.

Other than that, things are rolling along smoothly. Lots of visitors lately, which has been awesome. The above photos are stolen from Shane and Tannis, actually, as they was semi-permanently attached to their cameras while they were here, with epic results. But, yeah, the last slaughter went well, the garden is pumping out an incredible amount of food (it is doing so much better than we thought a first year garden would ..... it's ridiculous), there are a jillion adorable tiny fawns around on the roads and paths still sporting their spots and huge pixie ears, various family members have been passing through and getting stoked about upcoming human child, Devin has lots of work right now, I'm trying to get into school for as soon as possible, and we're eating a buttload of good food from the farm.