It's official

We can hardly believe it, but it seems that God has decided to bless us with another child! The two older children are ecstatic. When Cutie hears about a baby, she runs for a baby doll. But... four... I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the idea. We're throwing around ideas like a homebirth, hospitals that let you stay in an LDR room, instead of shuffling you around for each stage. Definitely leaning towards the homebirth, though. I've got plenty of time to wait until I go see someone. After three uneventful pregnancies, I'm starting to feel like quite the pro at this stuff.

Speaking of birth: three weeks ago, we let Fluffy, the splash Silkie hen go broody. A week after she'd been brooding, I candled the eggs (another first!) and discovered a good possibility or two. Today, we discovered a cracked shell, and we can hear peeping. I tried to move her to a cage in the garage, but she abandoned her eggs in the unfamiliar setting.

Mrs. Rumphius is wanting to go broody also, so I moved her into the garage to salvage the eggs. She wouldn't take to them. As a last-ditch attempt (and hopefully without killing the eggs in the process), I moved the eggs back outside with Fluffy, where she is still keeping them warm. If this is a failure, I will mostly blame myself for being a little too helpful. And Fluffy for being too young and picky, yes?

Okay, I'll blame myself. Then again, maybe everything will turn out just fine.

Oh, and I do not recommend going to see the chickens at night. Rosie is turning into quite the guardian and will challenge you as she would a predator. Take a breath, grab the spray bottle, and then, proceed with caution. Good girl, Rosie.