Welcome to Petra Grace

Sarah gave birth at 9:07 this morning (10/30) to Petra Grace (aka Farm Hand #3) through the modern miracle of scheduled C-Section. Mother & baby are both doing really well and plan on coming back home to the farm sometime on Monday, probably. Our third farm hand is starting life at a modest 7 lbs. 7 oz., and 21.25" long. She looks a lot like her brother & sister and came out with a lot of dark hair. So far we know that she likes eating & sleeping.

Paul & Julia are a little unsure, but excited. And because of the H1N1 stuff, they're not allowed into the Mother/Baby ward. So they won't get to meet Petra in person until she comes home from the hospital. But they'll get to watch some video I took of her first bath, and maybe meet up with Sarah tomorrow or Sunday.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Praise the Lord for the smooth delivery of our wonderful baby girl!

Mommy Shape

I'm feeling much better today than I did yesterday. Just for a grin, I took my measurements this morning. I'm not going to post what they were. But all three measurements were about the same number, plus or minus half an inch.

So if the ideal woman's shape is

an hourglass,

then I have achieved


jelly bean.

Definitely Fall

Here at the Kuhlman Farm, Fall is in the air. The temps are swinging wildly between 30's and 60's, the leaves that remain are all different colors, and the sense of needing to prep for winter is fully in my mind. Add to that the impending arrival of Farm Hand #3 on Friday, and things are pretty busy.

Ah, but business is nothing new here on the farm. On the plus side, Oktobeerfest & the fall chicken processing are done and behind us. And while I won't be totally free to do whatever, I have next week off and will hopefully be able to get a few things knocked out.

In the spirit of fall, and to help get all you southerners a bit in the spirit, here's some nice fall pics of the kids:

about to pop

Last Friday a friend asked me if I felt ready to pop.
My response was something like, "I don't know about popping, but I have definitely achieved weary. But it's cool."

It is cool.

Today I feel like popping.

I'm a little achey. I keep asking myself, "Is that early labor? Or is it just late term pregnancy?"

I'm tense with the anticipation of a new baby. Julia has started grinding her teeth. Paul has been a little more prone to bad dreams and restless sleep. They are both showing signs of being a little anxious. Steve has a dream list ... er I mean to-do list of things he would like to get done before the baby comes.

But it is still cool.
I've been reflecting the last few days about what a gift it is to be able to carry a baby to full term. I have been blessed with a body that is remarkably well equipped for pregnancy. I have had pretty easy pregnancies. Today I am uncomfortable and wondering if we will make it to Friday. Even so, I am really grateful to God for the privilege of being able to carry this child.

It would seem that my body is not so well equipped for delivery, but I have been blessed to live in an age where modern medicine allows me to give birth to live babies.

Well I'd better get back to taking care of my mobile little ones...

Theories to live by. Or something.

I needed to write about something other than what has been on my mind - namely the boggling amount of flu & respiratory illness going around lately. I hope people find this diverting.

Some of these theories may have originated from other sources. I am merely citing the sources from which I heard them.

Lowell’s theory on eating fish:
Nobody actually likes the taste of fish. Whenever somebody tries to get me to eat fish, they say, “Here try this. You’ll like it. It doesn’t taste like fish.”

Dave’s theory of helicopter flight:
Helicopters can’t actually fly. They are just so ugly that the earth repels them.

Stephen’s theory on the existence of God:
I can’t understand how people can be atheist when God made a fish just for salads and pizza.
(This theory was stated just after asking for anchovies on his salad at an Italian restaurant.)

My mom’s theory on romantic lighting:
The moon is more romantic than the sun, because it would hurt your eyes to gaze at the sun.

Steve’s theory of thermal momentum:
Sarah said, “Thanks for helping me cook, Steve, but I am not ready for the milk to be warmed yet.”
Steve said, “I’m just getting its thermal momentum going in the right direction. What? It has thermal mass doesn’t it? Then it must also have thermal momentum. You should write about thermal momentum for your master’s thesis. Okay, what if I toss the warm milk across the kitchen? It would have thermal momentum then.”

Steve’s Dad’s theory on getting your hours in at work:
If you come in late, you have to leave early. You don’t want to be late twice do you? The problem is that we keep coming in early, so we have to leave late.

Maggie’s (the dog) theory on communication:
If I stare at you really hard, you will understand that you must let me out or else I can’t be held responsible for the puddle that is going to appear on the floor.

Sarah’s theory on humor:
After studying college physics for an hour, absolutely ANYTHING is funny. Like the name of the units of resistivity and conductivity. Ohms and Mhos. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee.

Paul’s theory on humor:
If it is funny the first time, then it is funny the one hundred fifty-first time. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee.

Sarah’s theory on how the Trinity is like a doughnut:
Imagine we’re 2 dimensional people living within a sheet of paper. Then the Trinity is like a 3 dimensional doughnut. If it goes through the paper, then the paper people can only observe it as 2 separate circles. But from a 3 dimensional perspective, it’s one donut. In the same way God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit look like three persons, but there is really only one doughnut. (I may have been studying physics for a while before developing this theory.)

Julia’s theory on clothing selection:
If brightly colored stripes on pants are beautiful, and brightly colored flowers on shirts are beautiful, then brightly colored striped pants and flowered shirts are beautiful together. (I just think she is beautiful.)

My Dad’s theory on driving in unfamiliar and very rural places:
If you follow the power lines long enough, you will eventually find civilization.

communication and gender

Paul: Daddy, help me find my new book.
Daddy: But Paul, I don’t even know what it looks like.
Julia: Umm… It’s a rectangle.
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I’ve been listening to a college lecture series on tape about communication and gender. The professor is Deborah Tanner, author of “You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.” She’s quite an engaging speaker, and I have really enjoyed her observations and learning about her studies.

Some of the trends she has observed through recording small children and adults include (paraphrased):
- women use talk as a social glue which holds relationships together,
- in expressing a want or arguing for something, it is more acceptable if a woman demonstrates how getting her way will benefit others as well,
- women are more likely to value sameness, and that can be seen in finding sameness through conversation
- men are more likely to have competitive relationships and can perceive a woman’s attempt to establish sameness as an attempt to put them one-down
- men are more likely to have a tacit understanding that war-like behavior is fun (e.g. Nerf war, animated arguments)
- men are more likely to use war-like behavior to build relationships

It has been interesting then, to observe some of my children’s behavior through the grid work of understanding Tanner provides.

On demonstrating how satisfying a want would benefit others -
Mommy (looking at the grocery advertisements): Hey kids, what do you think we should buy at the grocery this week?
Julia: Let’s get bacon! Because Daddy really really really really really likes bacon.

On valuing sameness (Okay, and also trying to steal the spotlight) –
Over supper, Paul had just finished telling us about a bad dream. I commented that it sounded like a bad dream. He answered with a, “Yeah.”
A few moments later, Julia announced that she had a bad dream too. She then proceeded to repeat Paul’s dream verbatim.

On using war-like behavior to build relationship –
We had taken the children to a “Big Sibling” class. Each child had been given some stickers on a piece of paper. While sitting on the floor with the other children children, Paul started flapping his piece of paper in the face of a little girl who was about the same age. I could tell from the way he was grinning at her, that he was trying to be friendly. Fortunately, she accepted his behavior in the spirit in which it was intended.

My kids aren’t strictly stereotypical, but it is fun to notice these trends. I think listening to the lecture series has helped me understand different modes of communication (especially male) better. I’ve realized that Steve has done quite a bit to accommodate my need for talk to feel connected.

chrysalis time

Something I miss about my younger self is how much I used to sing.
I remember singing incessantly when I was a child. Especially if there was a background sound with a musical tone. I almost couldn't help myself.
I would harmonize with the vacuum while mom was cleaning.
In college I would work on homework in the laundry room while my clothing was washing, and I would catch myself composing simple repetitive melodies in the same key that the machines hummed.

I don't sing as much now. I haven't been in a choir in a couple of years because of other demands on my time. I'm out of practice, so my voice and range are not as nice as they used to be. And recent head colds keep reducing me to only speaking when necessary.

So imagine my delight today when I caught myself composing and humming a little melody in the kitchenette at work. I was waiting for the microwave to heat my lunch, and my tune was in the same key as the microwave's hum. I didn't try to sing, it just happened.

The singer in me is still there, she's just a little buried right now. She'll come out again.
I'm walking in the hope that the precious things in ourselves will re-emerge after a season.
--------------------------
Green-Clouded Swallowtail
words and music: Detweiler
recording: The Cutting Room Floor

We wake each morning in a foreign country
We walk the outer edges of our room
I think of you in terms of buried treasure
A jilted bride emerging from a tomb

Oh your shadow is still breathing
The close and holy darkness will unveil
Mother she's not dead she's only sleeping
Green green-clouded swallowtail

Coming Attractions

T-minus three weeks (or less) & counting until Farm Hand #3 arrives on the scene.

Sarah is great with child, and is plenty ready to be done with being pregnant this time. The doctors are reporting everything's normal and proceeding well, so that's good.

The nursery is closer to being a usable nursery again, as the nesting instinct is setting in. Efforts around the house have been a little slowed by all the illness floating around our house, but progress is being made. Now if I could just find a little time to work on the shelves, so we can move the TV over, so we can clean out the corner, so we can set up the pack'n'play in the living room.

The kids are, at least on some level, aware that a new baby will be coming soon. But clearly their world's gonna get another big jolt soon.

Now to the sticky point...a name. When Paul was born we seemed to have no trouble settling on a name...we even picked a couple back-up boy's names for any possible future brothers. So of course our next two are girls. Many of you will recall the struggle we had settling on Julia's name the last time around. And this time it appears to be no different. After months of pondering & discussion, we've come up with the short list you'll see in the blog poll. We each have our favorites, and they're not matching up real well. So we'll throw it open once again to all of you to help us decide. We reserve the right to pick a name different from the top poll choice, but we'd like to see a little feedback on our choices to help us make up our minds. Thanks!

Physics and small children

My children were playing quietly, so I was just able to sort and put away some stacks of papers. Did I mention that my children were playing quietly? I just walked into Julia's room and all of her books and most of her toys are on the floor. It reminded me of an e-mail I had written in January of 2006. Hope you enjoy.

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I think I have discovered a new law of physics. I call it Conservation of Mess. I developed my theory yesterday while trying to do some light housecleaning with an active toddler in the house. The basic principle is that it is not possible to destroy Mess without Mess simultaneously appearing somewhere else, perhaps in a different form.

For example, if I fold laundry and put it away, then bars of soap and spare combs simultaneously appear across the nursery floor. If I dust the dining room, then toys show up under piano bench. If I wash dishes, then peanut butter appears all over the toddler's face.

Don't be fooled into believing that this phenomenon can only be found in the homes of small children. Early in our marriage, Steve and I discovered that you can't clean the kitchen without somebody simultaneously deciding that it is time to start preparing the next meal. Conservation of Mess is simply easier to observe and measure in the homes of small children.

Sometimes the Conservation of Mess is very hard to observe because of Latent Mess. This form of Mess occurs when Mess is "cleaned" by piling photos in a box in the closet. It is still Mess, and can be released with the slightest perturbation.

There is also Black Hole Mess. This is a condition in which the Mess is such a permanent part of the landscape that it actually sucks in light, preventing the owner of the Mess from observing its presence. Black Hole Mess is very common on desktops, sewing tables, and workbenches.

And even if you think that you have destroyed significant quantities of mess in your house and on your property, don't be deceived. Somewhere - maybe in your own neighborhood - somebody just discovered that their 2 year old has found the Sharpy permanent markers.

Oktobeerfest '09 Rehash

Thanks to everyone who came out Friday night for the 5th annual Oktobeerfest. It was another great party this year...in fact, here's what a few of you all had to say about it:

"Excellent!" - Stephanie W. (First-time Beer Drinker)

"Best Party of the Year!" - Brad P. (Beer Aficionado)

"Best Beer Party Ever!" - Don W. (Homebrewer)

Judging by the crowd, the number of cars, the amount of beer, & the number of brats consumed, I'd say we easily topped 130 people in attendance, making this the biggest Oktobeerfest ever. Y'all consumed an impressive amount of beer/root-beer, and an even more impressive amount of brats. There were 19 dozen brats prepared, and the last of them was eaten as we were cleaning up later that night.

Thanks to everyone who helped with various tasks, and to everyone who brought some food to share. Thanks to the Farm Fresh Eggs band for all your prep & fine playing, & thanks to Paul Cary for recording us (Here's one of the tunes we played.). Thanks to our judges and judging staff for all their "hard" work picking the best of the beers. And thanks to everyone who came out...a large part of what makes this party is the excellent-ness of the people who come. So thank you all. And finally, praise be to God for the awesome weather, and for peace & safety for each & every one of us.

Sadly, I haven't seen any pics yet from the event. So if you've got any good pictures you took that night, I'd love to see 'em. Thanks!

Singing Kids

Paul & Julia both like to sing. Right now their singing is mostly limited to children's songs or songs they've heard on TV. More often than not they'll start singing something they just heard recently. But every now and then some song will pop in their head that they haven't heard in a while. And its funny to hear what they come up with and what words they remember.

So yesterday morning Paul got up too early and was downstairs having breakfast with us. All of a sudden he starts singing "Put Another Log on the Fire," which he's heard a few times on the Muppet Show DVDs we've got. Absolutely hilarious. And he remembered probably about half the words, at least, which is pretty darn good since he hasn't heard it in a while. In case you're not familiar with it, here's the youtube version of it:

Oktobeerfest '09 Results

Here's the complete & official results of the 5th annual Kuhlman Farm Oktobeerfest. Thanks to everyone that participated by entering a beer into the judging, and thanks again to all our judges.

This year saw 50 unique beer entries in 4 categories. Our 8 member panel of judges was divided up such that 2 members judged each category. In the event of a tie, a runoff judge provided the tie-breaking rating.

The beers were poured by our judging moderator and his staff into numbered, non-opaque cups so the judges could see color, consistency, head retention, etc., but were unaware of what beer was in each cup.

Each beer is judged on a simple 1-5 rating (5 being the best) for overall quality. Pretzels were used by most judges to cleanse the palate between choices.

It all sounds very official, but, as a 4-time judge, I have to report that its darn fun. If you'd be interested in judging in future years, please let me know...we're always looking for more judges to hopefully improve our beer rating accuracy.

Congratulations again to all our winners!

Oktobeerfest '09 Reminder

The day is nearly upon us for the 5th annual Kuhlman Farm Oktobeerfest. That's right, tomorrow, Friday (October 2), the festivities will begin around 6:30pm. Bring some beer/root-beer, a jacket, and maybe a lawn chair, and come on out.

Preparations are in full swing right now. The lawn's been mowed, the barn mostly cleaned out, the band's mostly practiced (gettin' together again tonight), and a lot of the tasks have been delegated (thank you!). We've got a special treat for you this year in that we'll be serving homemade Bratwursts & Wiesswursts (thanks Greg!). With the high chance of rain tonight & tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting till tomorrow afternoon to set out the seating around the bonfire. I'll also be tarping the brush pile this afternoon to try to keep at least a portion of it dry.

The experts are predicting a wet morning tomorrow, but hopefully the rain will move out before most of ya'll start arriving. But be prepared for a bit more mud than last year.

Should be another great party this year, so lets not spoil it by having folks drinking too much & driving. The loft will once again be available for anyone needing to sleep it off at the farm before heading home...just bring your sleeping bag.

We're looking forward to seeing a bunch of you at the farm tomorrow night!