Spring Is Here

It's the first day of spring today and I am so frigging happy about it. The weather is usually not as springlike when spring starts but this year it is much different. The weather is in the 60's or 70's today if I had to guess and it's really nice out. I have been in shorts all day and a t-shirt. Normally this time of year it's just enough to tease us into the weather that is to come but not this year. Don't worry, I am sure that Mother Nature has plans to give us a little more cold weather but not today.

Most of the time I don't mind winter. We are fortunate enough to have all 4 season in the valley and because of that I try to appreciate them all, short or long lasting. Problem is this past year I did not want Cicely to have to deal with the snow while pregnant and I selfishly can't stand needing to shovel the driveway and walkways. Even with the snow-blower it can be a lot of work.

Momma & Baby

Today has been a really good day for Cicely and Zoey, heck Oggy as well. They have all been laying in bed relaxing most of the day resting and sleeping. They all deserve every minute of it and especially Cicely. She has been up all hours of the night this week and last week at the hospital she was never left alone for more than 30 minutes to an hour so it's impossible to sleep.

Baby wakes up just long enough to get her diaper changed and to get some much needed kisses from both momma and I. Then she is slowly off into sleepy land by the time the bottle is just getting down to the foamy part from being shaken up.

Yes we have had to use some formula and I know that people are very anti-formula at times and want women to only breastfeed. Cizzle is, she is just not producing enough so we have to supplement a little bit. Thankfully there is a really good organic brand out there that has no lactose or dairy but is fortified with all of the nutrients needed for a newborn.

It's awesome to see them snuggled in bed and resting. I know that its also recommended to not sleep in the same bed but we keep an eye on them and the position that baby is in there is no easy way for Cicely to be able to roll over or onto Zoey so I am not worried.

Irrigation

Today being the first day of spring and warm out I decided to go out and turn on the irrigation system so I could determine what was broken over the winter or what needed replacement from several seasons of use. I also removed the stuff that goes on the faucets and related to winterize them all in the fall each year. It's easy to forget everything that is done in the fall and then do it all in reverse when spring weather comes. No sweat though, I did not forget this year once again!

I ran all of the zones and stations and had zero issues in the front yard - woot! In the backyard everything seemed to be working perfectly also until I noticed that the drip system was not pressurizing as it should. Time to investigate I though, but luckily it was not hard to find because there was a fountain of water over by the birdbath. One of the little mister things was broken. A little elbow grease, a zip tie and about 15 minutes and the repair was made.

Turned the system back on and now the drip was also working exactly as it was at the end of last summer and in the fall before turning the system off. Cool, now it was time to run the rest of the zones and see how it was working. 15-20 minutes per station to test and I am happy to report that everything is working as expected and I am finished with the irrigation setup for another season of watering, lawn mowing and so on.

Dry Out

I think that is about enough rabble rabble for today. I want to enjoy more of the awesome weather and spend some time with my kiddo and Cizzle. Otherwise before I know it my days off will be gone and I will be back at work missing them both. For now, it's time to enjoy them as much as possible and have a great time getting to know my daughter.

Not to forget, spend some much needed time with the fuzzy kid, Oggy, who happens to be snoozing next to me as I write this. He was dreaming earlier and it is so dam cute, I never get tired of him growling and gurgling in his sleep - the occasional yip is the icing on the cake of cuteness.

Photo: A random shot of the artwork in the courtyard at the hospital. This is the hospital Zoey was born at and the same hospital that dad was at for 30 days +/-. They brought Zoey's into the world and saved my dads life after his motorcycle accident. I have a ton of gratitude for the place.