A Few Sheep Shy of a Farm

while we WAIT!

Here is the baby blanket that the Monday night knitting group made for her:

Isn’t it pretty! I think she’s really going to like the bright colors and its the perfect size for using with the car seat and stroller – which since we’ll be out and about much more than when the little guy was a baby is great!

And here is the one that I recently finished out of the Suri Silk:

This is super soft and very pink – I plan to use it to bring her home in . . . but it isn’t the most washable fiber so it will be more of a special occassion blanket than an every day kinda blanket . . . but it was so soft I just couldn’t resist

And here is the 3 of us together at Easter . . . weeks ago and I’m already the size of a blimp! Now just imagine how much bigger I am at what, like 6 weeks later?

And isn’t the little guy adorable in his suit? Too bad he’s had to wear it like 4 more times since then for all the funerals we’ve gone to lately . . . but he sure is cute!

Still no sign the she’s ready to come out and play yet . . .

we saw the Dr. on Thursday and while things are moving in the right general direction there is no real progress to report. We have another Drs apt on Wednesday with another ultrasound to check her weight and fluid levels and provided she hasn’t arrived on her own before then, the Dr. plans to induce on Friday.

I’ve been sooooooo tired today. I’ve taken a couple of naps when I’ve been able but I’m having trouble even keeping my eyes open – its likely to be an early night tonight. Perhaps its a sign? Maybe my body is trying to rest up while I can?

I’ve finished the sweater and the blanket (it blocked at 37″) and I’ve cast on the hat but haven’t really worked on it yet. I’ve also started a sweater for Mimmo – a basic, top-down raglan that I’m knitting out of some Barlett Fisherman I picked up at the Shearing Day at Gore Place in Waltham recently. I’ve got the top yoke done and about 1/2 of one sleeve – at 4 st/inch it goes pretty quick . . . I’m sizing it to be large when he starts wearing it next fall with the idea it will be like an oversized wool sweatshirt next winter and should still fit him the following winter as well . . . hopefully!

sorry I haven’t posted lately . . . I keep meaning to . . . you know how that goes right?

We’re now at 38 weeks and waiting. I saw the Cardiologist and the ob last week and both have agreed that we can try having this baby without an induction this time around! I’m really very happy with that decision since that was the one thing I felt kind disappointed about last time around – not getting to experience what its like to go into labor – and since this is the last time I’ll be having a baby its my only chance to try this. We are now waiting for her to decide its time to arrive – and provided she comes before my due date we’ll be letting her choose her own birthday.

We also had another wake and funeral this week. Dom’s friend’s mother from down the street – someone he grew up with – passed away this past week after a long battle with Liver cancer. She was a wonderful woman and she will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her.

Knitting wise, I’ve finished the sweater I was working on made from sock yarn except that it needs some buttons and I’m going to start a hat to go with it in the next day or so. And I’m down to the last few inches of edging on the Suri Silk baby blanket – I hope to finish that after I finish this entry and get the ends woven in before bed tonight so it can be washed and blocked tomorrow . . . I measured it earlier and its turned out to be just about 36″ square, unblocked. We’ll see how it turns out after washing. I don’t think the alpaca/silk combination will stretch all that much but we’ll see . . .

ok, back to the blanket – I’ll up date when I can or have something more to post . . .

Sorry for the lack of posts, we’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch lately . . .

We, the three (soon to be 4) of us are fine, but there has been a lot going on lately that has taken an emotional toll.

Last week a good friend’s father passed away. He’d been quite ill for a few months now and was 97 years old so it was no unexpected but D was upset for his friend . . . then we (he) decided we should take a little drive – 3 hours away to visit his Aunt and Uncle. After getting the Drs permission to go that far from home, we packed for the trip and left after the reception that followed the funeral on Friday. We had a nice visit with his Aunt & Uncle and with his cousin and her family who live next door and then made the return trip on Sunday.

Monday morning we received a phone call from another dear friend, someone he grew up with. Apparently, they had tried all weekend to reach us – their son, only 18 years old, had been in a car accident that previous Friday night and had been killed. This child, their middle child, is D’s Godson. We’ve spent the past 2 days going to his wake and funeral, the reception after and to their house to visit and share memories. The little guy has been with us through all of this and is showing a remarkable understanding of what was happening. We’ve been doing our best to explain on terms he can understand and to answer his questions and he’s been remarkably good when the situation has called for good behavior (like the funerals) and has brought many smiles to both grieving families.

Unfortunately, it appears we may have several more funerals to attend in the coming weeks. Another good friend’s mother has been sent home with hospice care and given only a few weeks. She’s had liver cancer for several years and it has become too much. She has made it clear she is ready to leave.

We have 3 family members who have either just had or are having surgery this week . . . one for cancer, the others less serious but still risky. My step-father’s father isn’t doing well and is being sent from the hospital to a nursing home; the prognosis there is also not good.

And so we are all on “egg shells” and emotionally exhausted at the moment. I’ve been too tired to even knit much the past few days.

Baby update

We did have another Drs apt. today. We passed the Non-Stress Test with flying colors – it didn’t take anywhere near 20 min to record the 2 periods of movment they were looking for from Baby Girl. We measure out just where we should size wise and everything seeems to be right on track for her to arrive in about 3 weeks time.

I did, however, gain 4 lbs in the past 10 days. Given the turmoil going on, the crazy schedules, the trip and the receptions and all it isn’t really that surprising. I have not been eating anything resembling my regular diet lately and we aren’t even going to discuss the 4 slices of homemade apple pie and blueberry pie I managed to eat over the weekend . . . though I will say, homemade pie tastes even better when you don’t have to make it yourself! And so, 4 lbs in 10 days. We’re still within a reasonable weight gain and so we’re going to overlook it under the circumstances.

We are mostly ready for the new baby to arrive. I have a supply of newborn size clothes that have been washed and put away; we have the cloth diapers though I’d like to wash and line dry them before we use them again and I’ve picked up a week’s worth of disposables; we have a crib, though it isn’t set up yet (she’ll be sleeping with us just like big brother did) so if it isn’t set up for her arrival I’m not going to stress; I did buy new crib bedding today as I decided I want to save his set for him as a keepsake and for her to have her own. The new set has pink butterflies! Who could resist pink butterflies?

The one thing that I do actually need to do before we get too much closer to arrival time is pack a bag for the hospital. The baby’s stuff is ready but I’m not entirely sure what I’m bringing. That will be my next little project, hopefully this weekend.

Knitting Group

I would like to thank the ladies from the Monday Night Knitting Group for the lovely Log Cabin baby blanket they gave me for little C. this past week. I’m really very touched, esp. now when things have been so overwhelming. I hope to have a chance to get a picture of it in daylight this weekend so I can post one here. Thank you!

I’ve all but finished the basic, top down baby sweater that I was working on . . . it just needs the underarm seams sewn up – something I didn’t have the concentration or lighting for the other night while I was at knitting group.  I’ll get to it sometime soon . . . really.

I’ve started working on the 2nd baby blanket.  I don’t have a picture of it yet but I really like it.  I’m knitting it in the round, based on EZ’s Februrary Shawl Pattern from Knitter’s Almanac.  I’ve decided to keep the bulk of it – the center square – in plain Stockinette Stitch (except where the increases are, I could have made them less visible but I just didn’t think of it until afterward) I’ve got 4 lines of double increases, yarn overs, that go from the center out to the corners.  Then I plan to add a knitted-on lace edging around the outside of it. 

The yarn for this one is something I picked up at Webs on my way to the KR Retreat last November – Misti Alpaca Suri Silk (80% Baby Suri Alpaca; 20% Silk) in Blush.  Its lovely stuff, very soft and light, and while probably less than ideal as a baby yarn in general it really is going to be a pretty, delicate little blanket.  I’ve gone through 2 skeins of it so far and have about a 22″ square at the moment . . . I’m thinking of working until its about 30 or 32 inches and then adding a 2-3 inch wide lace.  This will very likely be the blanket we bring her home in – and if things go well, there might be enough left for a tiny little newborn sized sweater!

I’ve also got some little, sample sized skeins of my hand-painted sock yarns around which have been collecting dust  . . . I’ve realized that each one is about the right amount for a baby sock and so I’m going to knit her some tiny little baby socks in handpainted yarns . . . I may cast on for one of them this morning if I get a chance. 

Baby update

Tomorrow we’ll be at 34 weeks – which for us means about 5 weeks left . . . and yes, I’m counting.  This little girl is trying like crazy to make more room in there – stretching and twisting and moving around almost all the time now.  Not a lot of big “kicks” anymore but she moves enough that you can actually watch my belly move like that scene in the
“Aliens” movie just before that first baby alien burts out of the guy! Tons of fun!

We still have a few more things to do to finish getting ready for her arrival – like bringing in and setting up the crib.  I’m hoping to do that today perhaps or tomorrow . . . once the crib is in I can go ahead with plans to  wash all the bedding etc and get that portion of the set-up done.  Then I need some good sunny days lined up so I can wash and sun-bleach all the diapers . . . oh, and I need to order a few more snappi’s and check to see if I have enough covers etc. . . .

There is a lot let prep this time around – given that we have basically everything and just need to wash up a few things . . . which with my “nesting” urges has definately led to more baby knitting this time around than last time.  Afterall, I feel like I need to be doing something to get ready . . . . so why not channel that energy into knitting, right? Its better than last time when I actually Ironed all the diapers – flats and prefolds – and the cloth wipes – dozens and dozens of them! That was until I found out that the don’t work as well after ironing and so I washed them all again!

I do feel like I should knit something else for Mimmo – so perhaps after this blanket (which is moving along quickly anyway) I’ll go ahead and knit him a sweater for next winter.  Since he’s already wearing a 4T (at 2.5!) I’m going to knit him a size 6 for next year . . .  I think there are only a few of the sweaters that he’s worn this winter that will actually fit next year – but I need to try them all on him again and check lengths to see which have a little wiggle room before I’ll know for sure . . .

Chicken Update

We’ve decided to reduce the number of Roosters – Dom had a friend who was looking for a couple of birds anyway and so we now have 2 Roosters left.  I’m really hoping that the reduced Testosterone level will lead to some better behavior – I’m really sick of being attacked for trying to do the daily chores! At the very least it means I only have to worry about them coming from 2 directions at once – not all sides at the same time! 

Egg production is down just a little – we’re getting just about a dozen a day.  Before we were getting 8 dozen a week . . . but that was when they were getting big batches of greens daily.  The supply has dried up temporarily as the people who were supplying MIL with greens are on vacation for 3 weeks – I think this is the 2nd week – but I’m willing to bet it will come back up once they are back on their daily salad.

Alrighty, off to make some coffee – I think I need it!