Nest Update

So when I peeked in on the nest this past Sunday, this is what I saw:

And when I peeked into the nest this morning, this is what I saw:

All the eggs are gone :(

I am SO sad.

I was looking so forward to watching the little chicks hatch & grow. I have NO idea what happened to the eggs. I don't think it was a squirrel that got them because the nest is untouched & a squirrel would have tore it up. I of course consulted with Mr. Google today & after doing a little research I have a feeling that the Blue Jay in our backyard ate them :( They seem to be notorious "nest-robbers" - especially for robin eggs! The nest is too high for a snake to get them, the lattice around the deck is too small for a raccoon or buzzard to get them so the only thing I can think of is the Blue Jay flew in there & ate them. Ugh - it makes me sick just thinking about it.

I feel really bad for the mama robin. Imagine yourself going out to eat for an hour & returning home to find all of your children missing - never to be found :( I know it is just a bird but it still makes me sad....

Benefits

Got to sleep in this morning & arose out of bed at 9am. The hubby greeted me with a hug & a "Happy Furry-Mother's Day" along with a cup of coffee - such a sweet guy! I also got tons of smooches from the furry's! I then proceeded to sit down with my coffee, outside on the patio with the birds chirping, the sun bright & do some blogging. Ahhhh - fabulous morning :)

The day is now coming to an end as I sit here enjoying my evening on the patio, I think about the meaning of today & how it is a special day to honor mom's. Unfortunately, it is also a day that brings a bitter reminder to all those who have suffered through infertility & loss.

This time last year I was upset, sad & felt devastated that I wasn't yet a mom. This year I don't have quite the negative feelings but it does still bother me. Somehow I feel a bit mellower about the whole situation - maybe it's because I have been dealing with infertility for so long!? Or maybe it's because I have changed my attitude!? Or maybe it's because I have grown to realize that it is what it is & I can't change the cards that have been dealt to me?!

Regardless of what it is, lately I have decided to do away with my "poor-me" attitude & instead enjoy this childless life I live rather than resent it. I have come to realize that there are many benefits to having children, but on the flip side, there are just as many to NOT having them & I am going to enjoy these benefits until my status changes. My sister (who is a mother of 2 boys - 3 & 1 yrs old) is always reminding me of these benefits:

1. Sleeping in on weekends!

2. Ability to spend money freely – have you seen my Coach purse collection?!

3. I can choose to work late nights & take extra call on weekends & not feel guilty about it.

4. I can spend many summer evenings on the patio reading or blogging with the furry's beside me.

5. The hubby & I can go out for lunch/dinner & enjoy the company of just the two of us.

6. I am able to spend time doing the hobbies I love by myself - reading, gardening, shopping, etc.

7. I can meet the girls after work for dinner or a quick drink on any given evening.

8. My car is always clean & if it is dirty it is because of me & me only!

9. I can lay around on a lazy Sunday & watch movies ALL DAY if I want!

10. When I leave the house, all I need are my keys & my purse & I am out the door in 2 minutes.

11. I can plan weekend getaway's with my hubby or girlfriends at any time.

12. I can enjoy late "game-night" with the girls every month while enjoying a cocktail or two because I know I get to sleep in the next morning!

Now don't get me wrong - I enjoy my child-free "benefits" LOTS & some might even be envious of the life we lead, but don't think I wouldn't gladly trade all of it in a skinny minute if it meant I could be a mother. Maybe this time next year I will get to be so truly blessed but until then, I will continue to enjoy my life children-free & be "mom" to my furry's that love me so unconditionally.

With that said, I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my family - especially my own mother, to all my girlfriend's who are mom's & mom's-to-be, to all the other honorary mom's out there & we can't forget all us "pet" mom's :) May you all enjoy this beautiful day with those that matter most to you!

Hugs to you all,
HT :)
Me & my mom

Nest update

It has been 5 days since I checked in on the robin's nest so I thought tonight I would take a pic & see what is going on. To my surprise there are now 5 eggs:

As soon as I opened the door under the deck the mama robin flew away & start squawking like crazy. Out of nowhere papa robin showed up & sat right by her. I got a little nervous thinking those 2 would gang up & attack me so I managed to quickly get a picture & get the heck out of there.

Here is what those two sound like when I am near the nest. Warning: my video skills aren't that great so you may just want to listen rather than watch? :)



Will be checking in on them again Sunday. Can't wait for these little chicks to hatch :)

Marchin' for Babies - The Walk

This morning I woke up early & put on my walkin' shoes for the 2011 March for Babies event. I picked up my girlfriend Jilly & we headed downtown to meet up with the rest of the Woodland Ridge Racers team. It ended up being a cloudy & chilly morning but that didn't stop over 8000 people from coming on out for this wonderful charity. Everyone lined up outside the Power & Light District & then at 10am it was "go" time.

Right at the beginning of the walk there is a memorial wall with pictures of babies born way too early in the KC area. Some of the babies made it (the white ones) & some of them did not (the yellow ones). It was so very touching seeing these images of babies at 24 weeks, 28 weeks, 32 weeks & then seeing a picture of what they look like today. Truly amazing. Then we saw toddlers that were having there pictures taken next to their "memorial" & it was so cool to see them in person & then look at the picture of them as a preemie.
We chose to do the 2.5 mile walk vs the 1 mile walk & had a great time checking out all the old buildings in the downtown area & discovering restaurants that we have heard of but never knew where they were located.

About halfway through the walk, Jilly was pointing something out on top of a building & as I look up to see what she was talking about the next thing I know I am down on the ground on all floors. With my leg stuck in a gutter. In front of a taxi cab. With hundreds of people around me. Not one of my most classiest moments. God bless Jilly for first checking to see if I was ok & THEN laughing at me. That is a true friend :) Turns out I was walking along the side of the sidewalk & the curb indents inward by the gutters so I basically fell off the curb & lost my balance. I ended up losing some skin off my hands & my knees are quite sore & bruised but at least I didn't break anything. After Nurse Jilly assessed me for broken bones, I brushed myself off & we kept on walking.

45 minutes & 2.5 miles later, we returned to the starting point & after a quick bite to eat we made our way back home when it began to rain. We are SO thankful we didn't get rained on while walking. That would have made for an even colder & miserable morning.

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who sponsored me & donated to this wonderful charity! I unfortunately didn't reach my goal but am SO very thankful to have donated $375 to this fabulous cause.

I thank you & the babies thank you :) Until next year....

Discovery

All of you who read my blog or know me personally know about my strange fascination for nature & animals. In the past I have shared with you all a few posts about this passion here or here or here. Imagine my surprise when I made another awesome discovery this morning right underneath our deck :) We have a small electric box under the deck that powers all our outdoor lighting. On top of it was a nest & right before I opened the door to get under the deck a robin had flown away. The nest is about 6 feet off the ground so I can't see up in it so I got my camera to take a picture of what was inside the nest:
Three robin eggs :) I have no idea how old the eggs are so I am going to have to check it everyday to see when the baby birds start hatching! I am SO excited to watch this unfold. For some reason Shane doesn't share in my enthusiasm :(

I of course ended up doing a little research on this process (are you surprised?) & found these little tidbits of information about robins:

Mating: Robins generally remain together for the breeding season, but often mate with other individuals the following year.

Nesting: It takes from two to six days to make the nest, with an average of 180 trips per day to find materials. Males sometimes help gather nesting materials but the female chooses the site and builds the nest. An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young

Brooding: The female robin incubates her eggs for about 12 to 16 days. She sits on the eggs for 40-minute periods. Then she stands up, turns the eggs and flies off to feed or for a break. The male stands guard and sometimes sits on the eggs.

Society: In summer, females sleep on the nests and males congregate in roosts. As young robins become independent, they join the males in the roost. Female adults go to the roosts only after they have finished nesting.

Life-time: About half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years.

Song: The robin is one of the first birds to sing in the morning and is one of the last to be heard at night. The male is most vocal, usually singing from high points in the morning and during courtship. The robin is one of the few birds to sing throughout the winter.

Chicks: The chicks are fed by both parents. They eat about 35 to 40 meals a day. The parents keep the nests clean by carrying away or eating the chicks' fecal sacs. When they are about 13 days old, the chicks leave the nest. They stay in their parents' territory for a few weeks but leave after about a month.

Now you know all you ever wanted to know about robins & their chicks! Sorry if I am boring you. I know not everyone shares in my excitement! I will be sure to post pics when the baby birds hatch - that should be more exciting :)

Walk

Click here to help me reach my goal!

WOW - there are only 7 more days left to reach my goal of $500 for the March for Babies walk & I am asking for your help. Won't you please consider sponsoring me as I walk for such a great cause? I would very much appreciate it & so would the babies :)

To make a donation, click on the link above!

Thank you so very much for your support!
HT

Top 2

Top 2 Things You Collect

1) Coffee mugs - whenever I travel, I always make sure to purchase a coffee mug from where I visited before I leave. It drives my husband insane when he sees me come home with yet another mug since we have run out of room in the cabinet to store them all. I haven't counted them lately, but last count I had 20+ mugs & always room for more :)

2) Socks - I have at least 7 pairs of fun socks for every holiday during the year with Christmas being an exception. Last count I had 19 pairs of X-mas socks & I add a pair to my collection every year. I usually bust out the X-mas socks starting Dec 1st. Pretty soon I will have a pair for every day in Dec :) I also have "lucky" socks, bulldog socks, smiley face socks, slipper socks - oh the list is long!

Welcome Miss Sofia

Remember the baby shower I went to in February for my dear friend Desiree??? Well, ever since the phone call I got from her back in August telling me that she was pregnant, I have been anxiously awaiting these last 8 months for this day:

I am SO happy to announce the arrival of Miss Sofia...Miss Sofia Ines was born on 4/11/11 at 4:54 pm weighing in at 7 lbs 1 oz & 20 inches long. Is she not adorable? I can hardly wait to hear all about Desiree's birth story & how this beautiful girl came into the world. I'm sure it will be very entertaining as most of her blog posts are :)

Congrats to this beautiful family & welcome Miss Sofia...they are so very blessed!

Top 2

It's been quite awhile since I participated in Domestic Momma's Top 2 so thought I might get back into it & join the fun with this weeks' topic:

Top 2 Favorite Drinks (alcoholic or non)

1) Iced Tea - I drink iced tea year round. In the summertime it is sun-tea & in the winter it is brewed tea. Sometimes it is flavored with peach being my favorite. Always plain, no sweetener, no lemon with LOTS of ice. I actually made my first pitcher of sun-tea yesterday! Mmmmm...

2) Watermelon Mojitos - had this yummy beverage at a girlfriends' house a few weeks ago & they have become a quick favorite of mine. So refreshing & light - perfect for the summer-time!

Busy Bee

So what have I been up to these last few weeks that have left my blog post-less you ask?

Well, the last 2 weekends have consisted of this: Evenings spent relaxing watching this: And some of this:

And a whole heck of a lot of this:
Because I have been taking a lot of this:
It amazes me how quick life & the weeks pass you by. We are already 10 days into April & honestly I have no idea where March went. I am however thankful for the warmer weather & to have put old man winter & the snowy days behind us.

With spring comes BBQ gatherings with the neighbors, spending time reading on the patio, doing some "spring cleaning" around the house as well as completing a few projects (painting/new carpet) & getting the spring flowers planted.

Going to be a busy bee through May & hopefully I will have more to blog about!?

Bargain of the Week

After doing my research this week, I ventured out today with my grocery list & coupons in hand & here are my "bargain of the week" items:

Kellogg's cereal @ Hyvee on sale for $1.58 (limit of 5 boxes). Had 2 coupons for $1.00/2 making them $0.98/box. SCORE :)
Skintimate shaving gel was on sale @ CVS for $3.39. Had a coupon for 55 cents off + a CVS rewards coupon for $2.50 off making the item $0.34!
I stopped at CVS, Walgreen's & Hyvee which are all within the same area & it took less than an hour to hit all 3 stores. So to some it may seem like a pain having to make 3 stops, but if you map it out right & see your savings at the end of the day - it ends up being all worth it!

Can't wait to see what next week brings - happy shopping :)

A Mother's Love

Ever since I first heard about this a week ago, I am strangely addicted. Maybe fascinated would be a better word?!

There are three baby eagles about to hatch any day now & they are capturing this live on the web. The Raptor Resource Project in Iowa has set up two cameras perched 80 feet high in a cottonwood tree where the mother eagle has her nest. They will provide live streaming of the nest through all three eggs hatching. The group says at such high resolution, viewers should be able to see cracks forming in the eggs before they hatch. They say the eggs are expected to hatch between March 30 and April 1 but as of this morning, the eggs are still intact.

If you watch the mama eagle for even a short bit of time, you will quickly see how strong a mother's love is for her babies. She is VERY protective. Any little sound she hears & she is looking all around to check out what it is & where it is coming from. She doesn't get up much, but when she does the cameras zoom in on the eggs so we can see if any progress is being made with the hatching. She is often seen using her beak to turn the eggs & to fluff up the nest & watching her settle in on top of the eggs is kind of comical. Takes her forever to get settled in!

If you are really lucky, you will see papa eagle come by & visit! He will relieve mama (which I got to see this morning) so she can find something to eat & he will perch on top of the eggs until she gets back. It's like watching the changing of the guards. It is a pretty awesome sight to see & they are such beautiful birds!

With the sound of nature all around, watching this live streaming is relaxing & somewhat hypnotizing. I am somewhat embarrassed to say it, but I probably check in on the mama eagle like 20 x's a day. It is pretty neat so if you got some time, check it out. I bet you keep coming back :)

http://www.kwch.com/kwch-watch-iowa-eagles-about-to-hatch-20110331,0,439272.htmlstory

*If you go to the page & find the live-streaming off air, please be sure to check back later!

UPDATE: as of 10am this morning there is one adorable little eagle baby that has hatched & I'm not ashamed to say I shed tears when I saw it! So stinkin' cute...