A Few Sheep Shy of a Farm

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!

After over a year of working on this blanket – on and off – the Prairie Blanket is finally finished! I just cast off the last few stitches and though I have a few ends to weave (8?) I consider it Done!

As you might have guessed from the time line, I didn’t originally start this blanket for our daughter.  It was started as a baby gift but it quickly became clear I wasn’t going to get through it in time; I knit them a sweater instead.  The blanket spent a good portion of last year on hold before I picked it up again with the idea that perhaps I’d make it really large (50+”) and give it to our son. . . . then we learned we were expecting again and since he’d just been given not 1 but 2 hand made blankets – one very large crochet square and one more than large enough for his twin sized bed . . . I decided that the new baby would need it far more than he does.   Eventually, I’ll knit him something for his bed but that will be down the road a bit when he isn’t outgrowing everything else quite so fast so I can get ahead!

I plan to weave in the end tomorrow after breakfast and then I’ll take a fo photo of it to post – perhaps even outside if the wind has let up at all. 

I have yarn for another blanket for her – a smaller, lighter, more delicate pink blanket that I can’t wait to work on (love the yarn!) but I think I may try to get myself to finish one of the two sweaters that are started before I cast on the other blanket.  We’ll see how it goes . . .

Praire Blanket, started January 6th, 2007, finished March 21st, 2008
Pattern: oAt Couture – Prairie Blanket
Yarn: Inspirations Yarn – Decaf – DK weight Superwash 100% wool, approx 3.5 – 8 oz hanks (almost 2000 yds)
Needles: Addi Turbo’s – size 6
Dimensions: 43″ square
Pattern Notes: I knit this 5″ larger than the suggested size so it would last longer.
Would I knit it again? Maybe, I like the pattern but this is perhaps the largest thing I’ve ever knit and it took a long time – granted it spent a lot of time in the UFo pile but still . . . It would take a special baby to get me to commit to something this big again.

That is how things are going right now . . . plugging along.

 As of Friday we will be at 33 weeks – and since they plan to induce a week or so early that means another 6 weeks to go.  And yes, I’m counting.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to be doing this again and am so happy that we are having a little girl – but I’m also at that point where I’m feeling big, awkward and uncomfortable all of the time.  Sleep is next to impossible since there is no such thing as a comfortable position and I’m up 3-4 times a night to pee – and then the baby is up and squirming or kicking for anywhere from 30-60 minutes afterward, making it impossible to go back to sleep.  Eating isn’t much better, with my stomach up in my ribs and someone kicking it enought that I frequently feel like I’m on an ocean liner . . .  I believe this is “Mother Nature’s” way of taking the fear and anxiety out of the delivery process.  At least, that is how it is working out for me – I’m so ready for this to be over with that I’m not nearly as worried about the delivery as I might otherwise be.

Yesterday, we had the fun of spending 2 hours at the Dr.’s office – waiting for him to see the little guy.  He’d been spiking a fever at night the past few nights and wasn’t eating much during the day or really eating dinner at all (highly unusual) and then he had a fever only on one side of his head for a while the other night (weird) so I had him checked out.  Turns out, he has his first ear infection.  We caught it before it had a chance to get bad (he’s not complaining about any pain) and he’s now on Amoxicillian – which isn’t helping his stomach any but at least we know what is wrong.

Speaking of not knowing what is wrong – we have  a rooster that isn’t well.  He seems fine mostly, isn’t acting ill per say, but he can’t stand up.  We’ve checked his legs and found no sign of injury  – no bleeding, swelling or obvious breaks – but he can’t stand.  We’ve got him in the “foyer” of the coop, where the feed barrels are and we’re giving him a chance to recover – if he isn’t better in a few days time he’ll likely “walk the plank” but we’re giving him a chance.

I’m also still plugging along on the baby blanket.  The rows are noticably shorter now but it still seems to be taking Forever! but maybe that is because I haven’t worked on it much the past few days  . . .

and on that note, back to the blanket.