What Was and What Is to Come

Horse Racing - Eclipse Awards & Pegasus World Cup

Well, I didn't pick all the winners in this year's Eclipse Awards - but then, I never have. Still, I did pretty well, naming 11 of the 17 Eclipse Award winners, including Horse of the Year!

California Chrome, as expected, swept both the Older Dirt Male and Horse of the Year awards, while Classic Empire, Champagne Room, Arrogate, Songbird, Beholder, Tepin, Finest City, Rawnaq, and Chad Brown took home the awards, respectively, that I had picked them to win. Highland Reel was beaten for the Turf Male Award by Flintshire, Lord Nelson was beaten for Champion Male Sprinter by Drefong, Juddmonte took home Best Owner from Spendthrift, WinStar took Best Breeder from Clearsky, Javier Castellano took his fourth Top Jockey title with Mike Smith trailing, and Luis Ocasio took the Apprentice Jockey title from Lane Luzzi.

Tomorrow, the top two Horse of the Year and World's Best Racehorse finalists will take on each other for the second and final time... while facing ten others. The race is the 1 1/8 mile Grade I Pegasus World Cup, with seven of the twelve million dollars in the purse going to the winner. If California Chrome wins this, his final career start, he will become the world's richest racehorse.

In post position order, here is the field:
Arrogate, Prayer For Relief, Neolithic, Noble Bird, War Story, War Envoy, Shaman Ghost, Semper Fortis, Keen Ice, Breaking Lucky, Eragon, California Chrome

The also-eligibles and the horses they would replace in this field should they be unable to start, are:
Stanford, replacing Arrogate, Sea Raven, replacing Breaking Lucky, Madefromlucky, replacing California Chrome

Post time is 5:40 eastern, the race is 9 furlongs on dirt at Gulfstream in Florida, and all horses carry 124 pounds, except Eragon, who carries 119 pounds because he will not have Lasix. The Pegasus World Cup is replacing the Donn Handicap on the racing calendar.

What's Up In Our World

This month has been quite productive. D got his license to carry in the mail on Monday after 2 weeks and 2 days of waiting. Very nice, short waiting period! I must say, though, that he looks nothing like his Driver's License photo anymore <laughs>.

I have had two midwife appointments, my latest one being yesterday, and the baby is head down, active, happy, healthy, and just as shy and stubborn as usual. And so am I - except for the fact that I am NOT head down! No... I like my head to be up. Much easier functioning that way.

My next appointment is on February 9, when I will also get my blood drawn for the third and final time this pregnancy. It is my 36 week appointment, and we will make our final payment to cover the bill on that day, too! After that, we will have an appointment every single week - until the baby's born. I cannot wait to hold my little Baker and know that I am a mother.

This afternoon I went to see my (married into) family's craniosacral therapist, because of an aching hip caused by the June horse wreck and aggravated by the changes needed by a pregnant body, two ribs that were popping out of place, and a pretty crooked spine that needed serious realignment and no doubt were affecting the ribs and the hip. The baby wasn't helping the ribs, either - (s)he likes to push up against them on one side or the other at times and that can hurt! Needless to say, the therapist did a world of good.

I have also begun to set up a postpartum fitness plan to tone muscle and lose baby fat over the next year - and in the process also become fitter than I ever was before this baby came along.

The herd drinks while Jack eats his daily meal and Sneaky watches on (background)

This month has been packed with weekends of hunting and house construction to prepare for this little one's arrival. The final season of hunting is this weekend, and my oldest brother and father are coming to help out to do some prep before a major work day the following weekend - we will have people coming anyway for ladies to come to my baby shower on Super Bowl Sunday!

Winter has abandoned us. Yep. We had a cold spell early this month, and that was it. Since then, we've had rain, days between the 50's and 70's (nearly into the 80's!), sunshine, and wind. The rest of this month isn't forecast to have much rain, if any, out here, and this weekend's lowest low is 37. The high for the rest of the month ranges from 58 to 72... then we start February with a 72/51 day. I am expecting a hot summer... blech.

Dingus is wondering why I am on Sue's back

We didn't exactly enjoy that cold snap, but my family, 3 hours northwest and still in Texas, got a good layer of snow, while we just got wind and frost - and maybe, in spots, sleet. We were very jealous.

I love my husband. This pregnancy hasn't been the easiest, for I had morning sickness and was virtually bedridden for ten or twelve weeks, hardly eating and not doing anything while (successfully!) keeping from vomiting. In the evenings, I could do a little bit, but I was not cooking and could not stand the smell of meat. I ate a lot of sandwiches and crackers and cheese, and I could still eat deli meat, which was nice! Fortunately, we were at his parents' for the majority of that time, indeed for the worst of it, so I actually didn't have to do anything. However, I don't want to do that the next time around! Hehe - I will say that was also the only time in this pregnancy where I have had long, nearly uncontrollable cravings, and my beloved husband spoiled me. Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, and queso and chips are the ones I remember. Strangely, once I'd gotten a few mouthfuls of the things I craved, I suddenly really didn't want it anymore. Not that it tasted bad or anything... I just didn't want it. Believe me - I was frustrated! Occasionally, I have had slight cravings for things like perogies, hamburgers, popcorn, tamales, gravy-and-cheese coated fries, egg noodles and sausage with cream, and ice cream. The only weird combination - if this can even be all that weird - that I've wanted has been fries and pizza. And I got it, too! I've also gotten hamburgers and popcorn... everything else on that list was unattainable (and most of it still is) when I was wanting it.

Perogies

On top of that, I have had crazy hormones, fluctuating energy levels, and a body that refuses to stay together and has no idea what to do with all these changes that are happening to it. Thankfully, the hormones have not overruled my head (entirely) and I've still been able to keep cool and calm when I felt like getting mad and screaming for reasons that I still go back and think about and wonder why the heck I thought it was worth screaming over! The only emotional breakdown of any sort has just been crying for no reason, or because I've repressed the unreasonable anger for so long that it comes out in quiet tears of melancholy.

Now, for a girl like me who likes to be tough and present a cheerful, happy, and determined front to the world no matter what, crying is a pretty big deal. But it is my husband who can hold me tight and comfort me, and is the only one who sees the tears to wipe them away. I've rarely been one to cry for joy, but now I find it easier, and I sometimes, alone, weep joyfully that I have been given a man who loves me so much.

Baby bump!

He works long hours, sunup to sundown and sometimes beyond. He has a leather business to work on and keep running so it can grow. He has a house to prepare for his firstborn child. And he has a wife to give his attention to so that she can know that she is loved, and so that his marriage can build and grow. His love shows in his willingness to work such long hours to support us, his drive to build his business so he can stay home and be a real part of our growing family, and in his efforts to improve and finish out our home, which has now been our house for over a year. And, on top of that, he still holds me and makes sure that we have at least a little time where we can cuddle and talk.

My beloved has full days, while I am here doing very little as my body starts to slow down and devote itself entirely to preparing to deliver this child of ours. Sometimes, I know, he gets frustrated with the state of our home, for I am anything but OCD, organized, or a neat-freak, while he is a little bit of all of those. But no matter what, he is here for me, encouraging me to improve the state of my body and to do what I can when I can to be the housekeeper and ranch wife that I am.

One day, this child will be grown. And if it is a boy, I hope he becomes just like his father - a hard worker, a loving husband, a wise man, and a strong Christian.

P.S. If you want to see more photos of my sweet hubby and his coworker out working, like their "Rat Boyz" page on Facebook!