Bull Sale-ing

If you drive around anywhere where there are cattle in the late spring and summer, you'll see idyllic scenes: cows and calves muching grass in green pastures, maybe catching a little sun, maybe going for a stroll. 

You also might see a bull jumping on top of a cow and ruining the picture for you entirely.

That's nature, folks. The birds and the bees, the bulls and the cows--it's allll nature. 

Now, those bulls have to come from somewhere. Some ranches raise their own bulls, or a portion thereof. Many, however, leave the breeding of big, testosterone-packed male bovines to seedstock producers, and buy them at bull sales.

Every year, typically in the spring and fall/early winter, people all over the country flock to bull sales to buy their herd's XY chromosome providers. It's an excuse for the ranching community to get together, have some food, listen to a (hopefully good) auctioneer do his thing, and maybe buy some bulls. Bull sales are always a pretty good time because it's a rare time for a rather spread-out community to get together and visit. Sometimes it's the only time of year when you get to see your ranching friends in the flesh, especially if one or both of you traveled a good ways to attend the sale.

Also, free food. Usually a good prime rib or brisket of some kind. If you're lucky, there's also cake. Maybe even snacks and free stuff. I don't hate it. 

We went to Torrington, Wyoming last week to visit my brother- and sister-in-law at their ranch's bull sale and it was a pretty fun time, and they served the most amazing all-beef hot dogs (among other things, although I am a secret hot dog aficionado so this was a major excitement for me, don't judge) and it was glorious.

I really miss those hot dogs. 

Here's how it works. The bulls are all brought up close to the sale barn. Customers walk through the bulls in the days and hours preceding the sale with their sale catalogs with all the bulls' info so they can decide which bulls they would like to bid on. 

Once the anthem is sung and the owners/managers make a speech, the sale begins. The bulls are brought in small groups (by lot number) from the pens to the alley behind the sale ring. There, they are sorted into lot order so that the customers know which bull is up next.

Then, each bull is run through the ring and bid on. Most producers run bulls through the ring individually, although some do sell animals in larger lots. Once a buyer is determined, then the bull leaves the ring, and the next one comes in.

Some buyers take their bulls home that day, others opt to have theirs delivered later on so they don't have to deal with another (or more) bull at home--bulls tend to tear things up and fight, and introducing a new bull into a group usually causes a ruckus. 

Sales are fun, but having been on the producer side of the sale, they're also very stressful! Ranchers don't earn a constant paycheck, and for seedstock producers this might be the only payday of the year! It's also a big undertaking to coordinate. In addition to getting all the bulls' pictures and data to print in the catalog months in advance, you have to tag each one, keep them healthy, and get them all to the sale barn sorted into some order. You have to be ready to talk to customers, advertise the sale, and feed and water all those people. Sometimes it's a couple hundred if it's a big producer with a lot of bulls to sell. You have to coordinate the auctioneers and ringmen, the auction film crew (most sales are also on TV or online for remote buyers), the insurance men who are there to offer livestock insurance, the bankers, etc. You also have to coordinate help for the whole affair, because you need a lot of people to get those bulls from the pens to the sale ring in a timely and efficient manner.

 My sister-in-law compared it to putting on a wedding twice a year (their ranch does a sale in the fall, too), and she's totally right. You have to plan meals (usually at least two, because in addition to sale day lunch, many ranches put on a sit-down dinner the night before the sale, and there's also usually at least coffee and donuts for sale day breakfast, too) for lots of people, make sure there's plenty of cold beverages and lots of hot coffee, a plethora of extra sale catalogs and pens, and someone at the ready to answer questions and provide hospitality services all day. If it's a good sale, there's usually some celebrating at the end, too!

Also like a wedding, it's way more fun to just be a guest than to host the whole affair. You get a chance to eat, and don't have to talk to everyone and their mother. You can just sit back, relax, and maybe help serve a hot dog or two, if you're really nice. If you're not really nice, or have no relation to the folks putting on the sale, then you can just sit back, relax, eat a hot dog or two, and hide some muffins in your coat pocket to eat on the ride home.

Or peanut M&Ms. 

And maybe some Chex Mix.

But I've never hid any food on my person--not once--so we're totally speaking in hypotheticals here. 

Wacey's Summer Clothes Picks

If you don't live in a hole I'm sure you've heard that it's currently blizzarding in my neck of the woods. 

I hate to break it to y'all, but this is something that happens in the spring in Colorado. March is actually the snowiest month, and every year people seem to be taken aback by the hot-cold-summer-winter weather cycle that is Springtime in the Rockies. This is why we don't plant gardens pre-Memorial Day. 

I agree that it's not the funnest. I agree that having days where you can be outside and have the sun warm you through your cold, winterized bones is heaven on earth. I agree that cabin fever is a thing, and that Vitamin D is so so so welcome after a long winter. But, you know the best part about spring storms? They're in and out and then the weather is back to being glorious again! 

Plus, my agricultural-in-a-semi-arid-state two cents: y'all, we always need the moisture. 

So, today, while the screens of the windows are plastered with snow and apparently the sun will never shine again, I'm thinking ahead to the days when the sun will, in fact, shine again and we'll be outside in the sun, wearing shorts and wishing for a personal cloud of snow like Eeyore's raincloud with which to make snowcones because the ice cream truck don't travel round these here parts.

Wacey has almost no summer clothes since we didn't know what size he would be (he's pretty solidly in 18-month bottoms, and 18-24 month tops, although some 2T stuff does fit), so I can't wait to get him some duds! For him, Bert and I both prefer simple, soft, washable things that can be mixed and matched and don't have obnoxious sayings all over the front. 

I also tend to gravitate towards blue because, well, Wacey's eyes.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

We have two needs for summer clothes: rodeo and play. My taste in clothes for both myself and Wacey lies on a spectrum with Wrangler on one end, and J.Crew (or Oshkosh for him) on the other. I'm not sure what to call it. Preppy Cowboy? Western Nautical? Chambray Overload? Elle Woods Married The Marlboro Man and had Babies? Drinking Bellinis at a Rodeo? 

Anways, monikers aside, that's how we roll. 

For rodeos, because of the dust and dirt and being in the sun--but also often going into the evening--we usually dress Wacey in long sleeves and pants, and stay in the shade as much as we can. I like Cherokee, Circo, and Oshkosh jeans for him because they're soft and fit him really well--big in the waist and not too long! For shirts, I tried to find some that match Bert's rodeo shirts (royal blue and tan), but they don't make them in little sizes so I'll probably order coordinating plaid ones to get embroidered with the ranch's brand. We already have several button-downs, but I'd like to add a couple to our collection. They're also perfect to throw on over short sleeves during cooler days or in the evening.

For play clothes, I like light, airy, washable, cotton like every other mom on the planet. I love henleys, obviously, and stick with neutrals in the bottoms department so we don't have designated "outfits". I also try to make sure we have a long-sleeve with us all the time in case it gets chilly.

For shoes, I have no idea what we'll do. Go barefoot as much as possible, I guess! He has a pair of those moccasins already, and they're the only shoes I can fit on his tiny fat feet (seriously--he wears, like a 2 1/2). I'm hoping that by summertime his feet will have grown a bit so we can get him in some tennis shoes! I have very low expectations in this department, though, and I guarantee he won't be in cowboy boots for a loooooooong time.

I hope that we'll be able to spend more time at the pool this summer, and nothing says summer like a pair of 'Merica trunks, amiright? Add some Wayfarer-style sunglasses, and I think we're good to go! 

How We Make the Work-At-Home Work

I was reading a blog post by a gal in one of my Facebook mom groups, and it really struck a note with me, because it's so true. I sort of hate the titles "Stay-at-home" or "Work-at-home" mom, because it implies that that's all you do. You stay home and stay, or stay home and "work," but that doesn't even begin to cover it.

She had a great list of all the things moms are generally in charge of, from appointments to bills to groceries to auto maintenance, and they're all so necessary and true. I was one of the first of my friend group to get married, and definitely one of the first to have kids, and apparently Bert and I are on the younger side of the spectrum, so we get asked advice from our unmarried, soon-to-be-married, having-kids friends.

My #1? Figure out who does what, don't become resentful about your role, and if it gets too hard, talk about it.

In our house, I'm responsible for pretty much everything inside. I take care of almost all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, bills, calendar, appointments, etc. I remember having friends being like "Why do you do all of that? It's not 1950."

Disclaimer (you knew it was coming): Y'all, I know women and men are equal in so many ways and blah blah blah. But, I also know we have different strengths, and divvy up the "undesirable" parts of life accordingly. Plus, I'm a better cook and I actually do enjoy a lot of this homemaking stuff (*gasp*).

When we first moved in together in 2011, our agreement was simple, and it's sort of evolved from there. To my friends who asked why I do all the inside stuff, my answer was "Because he shoots the things that have to die." That usually got the reaction I wanted: a stop to the nagging and feminist arguments, and a little shock.

A little shock goes a loooong way.

I know, it's a little dramatic, and maybe it doesn't sit well with you, but it's true. In ranching, animals die, or have to be put down to save them suffering, and knowing when they are past saving is an essential part of animal husbandry. I told Bert that I thought it was a fair trade: I take care of the house, he puts animals down when it was necessary. That's how we've proceeded. I know parties on both sides will have trouble with how we do things--that women can of course do what needs to be done (so true), or that a vet should be called to take care of euthanasia (not cost-effective, and not always feasible, and we don't believe in making animals wait in pain for hours while we try to find a vet to come out). but this isn't a post about women's equality, or about the life cycle, or animal rights, or humans' aversion to death and dying, which can often bode poorly for animals.

It's about how we make things work! When we both worked full-time outside on the ranch, things were more 50/50--we fed together, I took a night check, we were both up and at 'em at 4am when it was time to saddle horses. Now, the logistics either waking Wacey up or getting him ready to go outside with all of his stuff for a cow emergency usually means that one of us stays home with him, and it's usually me.

Some days, I find myself getting a little jealous of Bert. Baby-free days every day where he doesn't have to clean an endless litany of diapers and dishes, where's he's guaranteed to get work done, and where he's not scrambling to do allthethings the second that baby goes down for a nap. Plus, I really, really miss working outside. Like, a lot.

But then, some nights, when he's dragging himself out of bed at midnight to tend to a calving emergency at the barn, or coming home in the dark because hunters left the gate open and there are cows scattered to the four winds, or feeding cows in a blizzard and checking around the clock, I imagine he might feel similarly, wishing he could just stay in bed, or enjoy a minute or two on the sofa in an empty house of an evening, or stay in a warm house instead of having to freeze in subzero temperatures. I remember being desperate for relief when Wacey was born last calving season: I was so tired, covered in spit-up, feeling gross and mad that Bert deserted me in the night to go night check the heifers. And then, he came home that morning from a night spent at barn, looking for coffee, covered in blood from pulling a calf that had a ton of trouble, and BAM! The Lord handed me some perspective.

Everything is a season. Some seasons sort of suck. Some are amazing. Some are hard. Some smell terrible. Some are all of those things in turn. Do what works to get through that season, and don't look back, unless it's to gaze longingly at pictures of your tiny baby, or to re-live your wedding, or think about a loved one, or to make sure that cow that was chasing you before has, in fact, stayed on her side of the fence.

Motherhood: Year One

I, like most other moms, had grand ideas about what kind of mom I would be before I had a baby. I'd do this, and never do that, and he would sleep, and I would nurse, etc. etc.

And one word that all moms say after they're out of the trenches of the newborn days about their expectations: HA. 

If you know me IRL, you know I'm a Type-A Planner. I like schedules, routines, and knowing what's coming. I like having the same thing for breakfast every morning, and being on top of my game at home and at work. I get immense satisfaction out of showing up with baked goods, and getting things done properly. I'm an introvert and I love to read and do things by myself, but I also love going out to dinner and goofing off with my husband. And now, I have a toddler, and we're planning/hoping for more children at some point. 

I'm still a Type-A Planner. I didn't have any idea about how on earth I was going to maintain my personal sanity and be a mom and do all the things I want to do. Wacey has been one year old for a whole two weeks now (for those of you that follow the family blog, I have his updates written, I just keep forgetting to post them!), and I was thinking about what a difference a year makes--especially since he's my first kid, I had all these expectations about how things would go, so I thought I'd revisit those!

What I Thought: I wanted to try and nurse until he was a year, because "nursing is the best thing ever for your child," and because formula's expensive, y'all.

What Happened: We made it to month one. It sucked. It was so hard because he had a great latch, was an awesome baby, and I made no milk. We started supplementing with formula at one month, went to all formula by month four, and never looked back because he was finally happy and gaining weight and it was glorious. While I'm going to try hard again next time, and get a better LC, I'm not going to beat myself up like I did with Wace. Because yes, our bodies do all kinds of neat things, but guess what? Sometimes they let us down, and then science does some really neat things.

What I Thought: Sleep was going to be so hard. It was actually my number one worry!

What Happened: It wasn't so bad, and I probably just jinxed myself for all future children. Oh well. It was rough in the first month because he wouldn't sleep laying flat, and he didn't like being in the swing all night, so I held him and we slept on the sofa together. At the time, it kind of sucked (I remember crying to Bert at 9pm that "I just want to sleeeep. I'm so tired.") I was worn out, but Wacey was so sweet, so that helped. Once he got his days and nights figured out, he gradually started only waking up once or twice a night to eat, and he has slept more or less soundly all night since the four-month sleep regression ended. I will say that that sleep regression was awful. I remember writing an email to my cousin with the subject: I HATE this Wonder Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We still have had weeks where he does wake up once a night because of teeth or whatever, but sleep training has worked really well for us and we can usually get him back on track pretty fast. It hasn't been easy, per se, because it does require work, but it wasn't the grueling, all-consuming battle that I thought it would be. 

What I Thought: I would be able to go into the office every day.

What Happened: Not anymore. We did go in every day before he got truly mobile, and when he was still happy sitting and playing with blocks or in his exersaucer, but now that he's a wild man, we spend the mornings at home so he can play and then nap in his room, and then we go into the office most afternoons. It's working so far and has made sleeping (and consequently me getting work done) so much easier.

What I Thought: I would have Wacey on a schedule. Babies need schedules. Schedules are the best. 

What Happened: HA. No schedules for this baby! He goes down for his nap at the same time every morning, but that's relatively new thing--since 9-10 months. Before, it was all very ish. You know, he woke up around 7-8ish, had a morning nap maybe around 10ish, maybe an afternoon nap around 1ish, maybe a late afternoon nap, maybe not. And that's okay. While a schedule is infinitely easier to handle, it's most easy to handle when he's happy! I read Baby Wise, tried all the tricks, looked for sleep signs, and you know, he wasn't hip to that jive. Which is fine! 

What I Thought: A lack of schedule would kill me. We had to get on a schedule.

What Happened: Honestly, a little bit. I've become more flexible since having Wacey, I'm proud to say, and although I'm SO HAPPY we have a semi-schedule now, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be before, although I think with the next baby I'll have a little better idea of how to get the schedule thing started sooner. I've gotten more productive during naptimes, and work at odd hours. When we're having a rough day, we go out. I put him in the car, and we go get supplies from Big R for Bert, or listen to a podcast in the car, or get groceries. I try to save small grocery runs or trips to Big R for cranky days or days when we need a change of pace. 

I will say that I protect his only predictable nap (morning) fiercely. He is a whole different baby if he misses this nap, and the change isn't a pleasant one.

Sometimes he just needs a change of scene to get out of a funky mood, or alleviate crakiness brought on by a missed nap. This is a good indicator that he has a personality--or at least pieces of his personality--a lot like his mama. Heaven help us. 

What I Thought: I'd take him everywhere

What Happened: I do. Everywhere! Where I go, he goes. The barn, the store, the office, etc. This is because we don't have any daycare options we can afford, and also because I like him. I still relish a baby-free outing every now and again, but we're like a really small gang and I enjoy that. 

What I Thought: The baby weight would be gone within nine months.

What Happened: That's a picture of me two weeks before Wacey was born. I'm happy to report the tummy is a little smaller now, haha.

Truly, I'm still working on it! I've been back to my pre-baby weight for awhile, but not my pre-baby size since I don't have as much muscle. I learned, though, that for me it's about changing my lifestyle and finding workouts that I really enjoy doing. I think I've found my groove, and I'm so much happier when I'm not dreading workouts. For instance, I hate jumping, running, and HIIT in general. Totally not for me. I can do some T25 every now and then, but not every day. I do like weights, and I like walking (but fast--no strolling for this gal), and "quiet", strength-based workouts like Pure Barre. If there were a pool nearby, I would swim. But, I feel so much healthier then I did pre-baby, so I'm glad to be were I am. There you go. 

What I Thought: We'd read so many books!
What Happened: I try to sit and read books to Wace every day, but he's just not into holding still for that long! He will, however, sit by himself and look at books, and he's constantly "reading" one in the car, so I'll take it until he's old enough to be truly interested. 

Takeaway: Kids are wonderful, unpredictable but sometimes predictable creatures and we love them even though they're a tiny bit disgusting and smear food everywhere. I miss my tiny little snuggly baby, but seeing him grow and learn new things is such a kick that I'll take the trade, any day! 

An Adventure & A Story

You guys. Do you ever have a morning where you find some weird amount of motivation and energy and get so much done?

I know, it's like the unicorn of morning conditions.

But this morning, this unicorn showed up on my treadmill at 6:15 and I wish it would stay. Wacey and I had to go to town to get some important supplies for Bert, so we made an adventure out of it (I always feel like running to even the close town is an adventure since it's forty miles round trip, haha, it makes it more fun).

Our objectives:

Okay, fine, we really only needed a box of calf electrolyte packets (on the left), but you can't tell me that I'm going to town first thing in the morning and not stopping by SB for Productivity-Inducing, Mood-Booting, Coffee Drink.

The Adventure to Accomplish Objectives:

Wake up early, hop on the treadmill and knock out 4,000 steps and half of Downton Abbey before 7:00. Lament the fact that I can't do this every day, but then resolve to try much harder because it's seriously the best. Also lament the fact that Downton Abbey is ending this season and there's only one episode a week even though it should be like Friends and have hundreds of episodes. Lady Violet, y'all.

Scoop up Wacey, and get him dressed in his hilariously cute little track suit because nothing says ADVENTURE like baby-sized exercise wear, gather up allthethings because we can't leave without, you know, everything, and zip out the door.

Wave good morning to our favorite cowboy ever.

Wave good morning to the road grader and get SO EXCITED because the roads have been so rough since the last snow storm and this guy makes them so smooth!

Wave good morning to our resident deer herd--there's a guy that lives right here who feeds them, so they camp here and I like them. 

Take a beautiful picture of what was supposed to be Pikes Peak but is actually an oddly huge fog bank.

Take a picture of my toddler being unhappy about the hood he is wearing, but not so unhappy that he wants to take it off. The struggle is real, y'all.

And then, stop and take a picture of the exact same spot that was sunny and gorgeous less than an hour before. Huh.

And now we come to the storytelling portion of today's post. I am about to tell you a story about one of the oddest, most hilarious shopping experiences of my life. 

For our wedding, we got a starter set of cobalt Fiestaware (which I registered for, thank you very much! Actually, thank the Wanbergs very much for buying it for us). When I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to get three more place settings, they sent me back to the china department to order what I needed. While I was there, a girl about my age struck up a conversation about weddings and such. She said "Oh, are you here registering for china?! Me too! What's your pattern?" And I was like "No, just, ah, completing my Fiestaware set." According to her face, I said "No, just here smearing boogers on the counter" while simultaneously kicking puppies with knock-off shoes. She and the salesperson went on a passionate pitch to try and persuade me to buy a real, twelve-person set of china, complete with gravy boat and silver soup tureen, which simultaneously waxing poetic about the lost traditions of china patterns. I tried to explain that everything we own must be durable and dishwasher safe, because of the ranch and the cowboys and the fact that I hate handwashing. Oh and because of life and our lack of staff or aristocratic titles. You know. 

Insert the girl asking "Wait so your husband is, like, a cowboy? Like for his job?" 

I also tried to explain that the only time we would have twelve people over would be at a branding, in which case Chinet will be used. Whaaaaaaat?! However, I will say that we spring for the heavy-duty, pounds-of-meat-holding Chinet.

"I don't see why it matters. Everyone should have nice dishes."

(I do. My "company" set is gorgeous. My "everyday" set is half aforementioed Fiestaware and half Waverly toile. Not china, but gorgeous, and durable.)

"Besides, it's not like your dishes will end up at your barn or whatever." 

 When I was dropping off the electrolytes at the barn, I noticed this:

 

So there's that.

Spoiler alert: I didn't buy any china, and we are still not in possession of either a soup tureen--silver or otherwise--or a gravy boat. Le sigh. 

Happy Tuesday, may you have many happy adventures, and may you always feel free to buy the dishes you like!

C&W Go To Town

Yesterday was Wacey's one-year checkup! We go to a pediatrician in town, so like every rural family when we go to town we Go To Town to become purveyors of all that Town and stores other than our local Walmarts have to offer.

(We don't actually live that far off the beaten path, certainly much closer to an actual city than we've ever lived, but the selection at our not-so-podunk Walmart still sucks. Plus, in terms of overall experience, Target > Walmart, and in terms of produce selection and prices, Sprouts > Everywhere, and Costco=addicting.) Think of it as Destination Grocery Shopping.

Here are a few snaps from our day.

This is what I call a "mom win." For some ridiculous, unknown reason, I couldn't get an afternoon appointment for Wacey's one-year, even though I scheduled it three months ago (I was pretty adamant that is 15-month is in the pm because #naptime). So, it was right smack in the middle of naptime, and brosef was thisclose to a serious meltdown (apparently he hates having his head circumference measured even more than he hates shots), and I was a little worried I was going to have a tiny, exhausted terror on my hands during a meeting yesterday afternoon. But, he fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car, bless his little heart. Conveniently, a bakery with delicious salads and a drive thru is cattycorner to the ped, so I sat in the car while Wacey had himself a little nap, enjoying a salad, smoothie, and back episodes of the Longest Shortest Time podcast before my afternoon meeting. Pre-baby, I would have said sitting in a car in a parking lot in Parker, Colorado, eating a salad from a restaurant in spitting distance on burpcloth-covered knees (to protect the outfit from errant dressing drops, duh) was both sort of sad and also ridiculous. Now, I call a meal enjoyed slowly while listening to something pleasant a total success, and an experience to be repeated, no matter where it occurs.

Our Target buys: Thank-you cards, toddler toothpaste, and mascara. It was sheer willpower (and the fact that I was going to be late for Wacey's appointment if we didn't hustle, yes I planned it that way) that got me out of Target with my budget intact. I did not walk through women's clothing, baby clothing, or home decor because my willpower isn't that strong. The stationery aisle almost did me in--there was no way I was going to survive lamps, throw pillows, baby shorts, or amazing striped tunics. 

I love Sprouts. If you live anywhere that has a location, I totally recommend. It's not quite as awesome as Trader Joe's for a lot of things, but their produce selection and prices are killer. I don't normally get to shop here--the closest location is forty miles away, so obviously, I stocked up. I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies so that Wace gets to try more things without extra prep (ain't nobody got time for that) and learns about allthefoods, and because one of my NYR is to be healthier, obvs. 

Another reason I love Sprouts? The bulk bins. Sea salt, trail mix, chocolate-covered raisins (on sale!), and this newfangled pink Himalayan salt that everyone is talking about. Come to momma.

Tonight's dinner was his&hers pasta. I'm trying to go a little lighter on the carbs while my calorie-burning cowboy hunk of a husband piles them on because he loses five pounds overnight if he doesn't eat like Michael Phelps, so this is something a do a lot and it's one of my faves. It doesn't take any extra pots and pans, I just sort of separate mine and his. I use whole wheat veggie pasta for mine (because I will never give up pasta entirely), regular for his. We both have tons of veggies and diced chicken breast. Bert has pesto, I have lemon pepper, everyone wins! 

These days are exhausting because we run, run, run, since I save up errands so that I make the most out of the trip (and hauling a 23-pound kid in and out of the car six-seven times is no joke, I'm so happy to not be driving the pickup on days like this), but they're also kind of fun and a little bit of a treat. Especially with a rugrat a entertaining as Wace. Even though he was sleepy and got three shots, he was still firing on all especially goofy cylinders today.

I like him.

It's days like these where me and my little pard go on adventures without too much difficuly that I think "You know, this mom gig doesn't suck."

And it doesn't.

Even if he did poop his pants in the stinkiest fashion in the Sprouts checkout line, and holler throughout the duration of my meeting.

It still totally doesn't suck.

Wacey Turns One

We spent a lot of this last weekend celebrating our big baby boys first birthday! I truly can't believe it's been a year. There's been a lot of "This time last year we were having our last dinner out before Wacey was born/going to the hospital/walking around the hospital/in the delivery room/etc." between me and Bert and it's surreal!

The party was so fun. We had just a little party with family, but it was great for all six of the cousins to get to play together. Wacey doesn't see very many other kids, so he get a huge kick out of playing with people a little closer to his size. 

I went light on the decorations, since it was just a little baby fiesta, but we had a blast having homemade tacos and cupcakes, watching Wacey smash his cupcake (and become obsessed with cupcakes and ice cream, just like his momma!), chew on open his presents, and watching his football-obsessed oldest boy cousin try and convince him to love his football more than his other presents was hilarious. 

Cupcakes, crepe paper, and banners of any kind are my jam. My poor children will be subject to this celebration decor until they are old enough to beg me to stop. 

He was a little uncertain at first, but then? Love.


 

 

He also couldn't figure out why he had such a crowd, but he didn't really care at all. 

ICE CREAM.

How Wacey approaches all the things in life: lick it first, then decide.

There it is! My baby boy is now a toddler, my Broncos won the Superbowl, and Wacey's got a checkup in town tomorrow so I'm guaranteed a Starbucks and Target run. 

Goodnight, y'all! 

Bringing Up Bebe (At Work)

My fabulous sister-in-law, Caitlyn, specifically requested this post, as she will find herself in the same boat shortly, so I am going to do my best to articulate what worked for us and what didn't, in the hopes that I will be able to help her (and you, maybe?) cut some corners!

Bear with me, it's a long post!

A little, itty-bitty background: I am an office manager for a ranch, but the office is just me. So, I have lots of flexibility about when and where I work. This is partially the nature of the beast, and partially the nature of my boss, who is not a beast. I am primarily in charge of data entry, keeping our records and books up-to-date, taking care of employee paperwork, making lists for cow workings, and general keeping-lists-and-calendars duty. I am sometimes very busy, sometimes I am not. It depends on what we're doing on the ranch. I recognize that we are lucky that I am able to stay home with Wacey and work/bring Wacey to work with me, but a system to help make things smoother is a lifesaver.

So here it is: How I Work With My Kid Everyday, or How He Plays Underneath Me And Also Licks My Computer Screen Regularly.

I started working again about three weeks after Wacey was born. Mostly, this was because I was at home, by myself, in calving season, and not only did I have a lot of calves to enter into the database, but I was bored. We still spent tons of time on the couch napping, nursing, and just looking at each other, but I tried to ease into working with an hour here, half an hour there, until Wacey's schedule sort of emerged and I had a good idea about what our day was going to look like ish.

If you've had a baby, you know how it is. The first couple of weeks are tough. The tough period lasts longer for some than for others, or you might be like us and have periods of "OMG I CAN SO HANDLE THIS!" with "OMG I am drowning someone save me I am going to ruin this baby."

When he was a tiny baby, it was actually easier than I realized at the time. When he woke up for the day, I'd feed him and get him dressed and we'd head into the office. We started going to the office regularly around six weeks, I think.

At the office, he would either sleep in his bouncy seat or I would work with him sitting in my lap at my desk, or sometimes I'd put him in my Solly wrap if he was really fussy. When they're that tiny, and you can put them down without having to worry that they'll go somewhere, going places is actually pretty easy, in retrospect. Wacey slept a LOT as a newborn, and didn't really get fussy until the evenings, so my main battle in the day was to keep him awake long enough to eat.

As soon as he started to be awake more, I put him in his bouncer on top of my desk (I know, not the safest, but it kept him from crying!) so I could talk to him while I was working, and make faces and play with him. We took a break every so often to tummy time or play on the floor. Around this time, I was trying to establish more of a regular nap schedule for him, and he took most of his naps in his bouncy seat on the floor. I made a playlist on Spotify of quiet movie scores (Chocolat, Pride & Prejudice, The Theory of Everything, etc.) because I'm a nerd but also because Wacey has always slept better with noise around him. I like to think that he likes movie scores so much because I listen to them while I work, so he heard a lot of them in my tummy.

With April and May comes breeding and branding season, so we spent a lot of time at the barn or at the pens with the guys branding calves. For all of these occasions, I wore Wacey in my Solly wrap (which I know is not completely correct in this picture but I was just trying to get him to look up!).

We used the bouncy seat forever at the office, and on fussy days we stayed home for him to be in his swing. I spent a lot of time sitting on the couch with him in a "nest," too, with my laptop in my lap and The Book on a pillow, haha.

When he got a little older, and started to move around more, I got him a baby gym that he loved to lay on and play with. I also had a bucket of toys I left at the office. At this point, around 4-5 months, he still spent a lot of time in the bouncer because he absolutely loved it! It allowed me long stretches (30ish minutes) of pretty uninterrupted work time. I would also save work that could be done one-handed, like data entry, for feeding times. 

I wish I had a little better idea of what exactly we did every day, but Wacey wasn't on a schedule for FOREVER, and so we kind of played it by ear. He usually napped around ten, around one, and around three, but very ish. He played on the floor a lot, played with the toys on the bar across his bouncer a lot, and sat in my lap a lot!

In mid-July to somewhere in August, I was really trying hard to get him to sleep in his crib or pack-n-play for his naps, since he was now sleeping in a crib at home instead of in the co-sleeper by our bed. My biggest tip (which of course may not help anyone else at all) is to leave the room. He never slept as well if I was in the room with him. In fact, he did a lot of this:

Cute, but not the best for non-crankiness. As soon as he was tall enough, he started playing with his Exersaucer all.the.time. I got him a pretty deluxe used one from a county swap shop on Facebook for $12, and he still plays with it. It was a great investment! Of a whole twelve dollars. YES.

When he could sit up really well, toys were also the name of the game. We had pretty much ditched the bouncer at this point, since he didn't want to sit in it anymore. 

Around five-six months, I also made the permanent switch to the Ergo 360 for our carrier. He's a big baby, and I felt like I had so much more support with the Ergo. However, I still use the wrap occasionally, and can't wait for another newborn to put in it (like, not this year though). 

When we started having to go to the barn a lot for weaning and preg check in the fall, the routine went like this: start him off in the carseat with a couple of toys until he fell asleep around 9 or 10. When he woke up, I'd put him in the Exersaucer for a bit, and then went he got tired of that, he got to be handed around until we were done around noon. Misti (my girl boss), or Decky (my big boss), or whoever else was available and willing (Misti's dad, in this picture) would scoop him up and walk around with him, because by that time, he was SO over it! It truly takes a village, so find one and enlist 'em! You'll be forever in their debt but also much saner, plus everyone loves cute babies, right? 

Now that he's getting too big for his infant seat, I got a spare pack n' play that I plan on using for the barn for awhile. After that, I have no idea what we'll do, but we'll just play it by ear! 

Since Wacey has become more mobile, we've changed our schedule to staying home until after lunch, and then going to the office in the afternoon. I try and wake up before him, check emails, and exercise. We have breakfast together when he wakes up around 7:30, and then we go downstairs. If I have a lot of work to do, I'll bring my laptop down with me and work while he plays. If not, I'll really start working for the day when he goes down for his nap at 9:30. 

This is my main, hardcore work time. He sleeps for 2-3 hours, and you'd be surprised how much you can get done when you really hit it! I also work in the afternoon off and on while he plays, and if he takes an afternoon nap I use that time to work, too. 

Basically, this all means do what works for you, haha. Helpful, I know.

My Big Tips:

1. Get two of everything--one set for at home, one set for the office/barn. I have a "nice" set at home, and then have found spare sets on swap shops or at consignment stores. It actually works out really well, because the well-loved but entirely functional stuff is perfect to go to the barn because it's less expensive than the like-new stuff, and Wacey doesn't care at all. I don't worry about it getting dirty because it wasn't brand-new to begin with; I just swab it down with Clorox wipes or Simple Green in between uses. I also rotate his toys between the office and home so there's a little novelty, and I keep a stash of diapers, wipes, and baby food/formula at the office so I'm never worried about running out. 

2. Keep the routine the same, when possible. If baby sleeps in a crib at home, put them down in a pack n' play or crib at the office. If they are used to eating at noon at home, feed them at noon at the office. I also avoid driving to the office too close to Wacey's naptimes because I prefer him to nap in his crib over the car when possible since he sleeps SO much better. That being said...

3. Be flexible. Your schedule is going to change as the baby gets older and his/her schedule changes. Don't be hard on yourself. That being said, sometimes you're going to have to work in the evenings, Make it an event--put on a movie and some comfy clothes, and have a snuggly work sesh after baby is in bed! If you do have to work at the barn every now and then, don't sweat if baby's schedule gets thrown a little out of whack--he'll be fine! 

4. Prepare for and protect your work times. I know Wacey is going to nap around 9:30 every morning, so I make sure that I have everything I need and no distractions before I put him down. This means laundry is changed, I have all the paperwork I need, laptop is charged, water in on my desk, etc. I also do not answer non-work phone calls during this time, I don't check social media or blogs, and I only check emails if they're work-related. This really helps me stay focused! If your baby still isn't napping regularly, keep your desk well-stocked so you can work whenever you get a chance. I do not work constantly, but it's nice to be prepared when I do need to get stuff done! 

5. Take breaks! Your kid might or might not be able to play alone all day, but regardless, take breaks to play with him, of course! When I'm really busy, I work for 25 minutes, play for 10. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but most days it's more like half and half, plus we always take a longer break for lunch. If the weather is nice, we'll go outside in the stroller or carrier for a half hour or so for a change of scene and to stretch our (my) legs.

Everyone has a different parenting style, and it's just as important to us that Wacey knows how to play alone and occupy himself as it is for him to know how to play with others. So far, it's worked out well. Of course, he still has super needy days, but we take those as they come and sometimes you'll find me standing at the bar in the kitchen with Wacey in the Ergo, or waking up early to put in a good chunk of time before my little maniac wakes up for the day, haha. 

6. Stay organized. I keep calendars for everything, and am constantly looking ahead to try and anticipate the needs of the guys on the ranch. Are we going to need lists printed soon? Do I need to think about a supply order for a cow working? Do we need a crew meal any time soon? And so on. This helps make less spur-of-the-moment projects which tend to stress me out a little more!

7. This is maybe the most important thing: be very clear with your boss about his or her expectations, and about you and your kiddo's needs. I check in often with my boss, letting him know what I'm doing and where I'm at with various projects, and seeing if he has anything that needs doing that isn't on my calendar yet. The guys all have my cell number and know to call it if they need cow info or something to be picked up from town. Thankfully, I work for an outstanding boss and with amazing people, and it helps so much! 

All of this being said, I still grapple daily with mom-guilt. Am I working too much? Am I playing with him enough? Does he feel ignored? Am I getting enough done? Does my boss hate me? Is this working for us?

If at all possible, throw it out the window. We're all doing to best we can. The system is constantly evolving and changing around what works best for Wacey, so I'll re-visit this topic again!