Wrapping Up

The new year is nearly here and the Christmas knits for 2015 are already cast on. One of them is even finished! This is going to be a good year, I can feel it. Christmas was lovely; family, friends, food, knitting, lights, trees, it was perfect.

My youngest brother puts the train under the tree every Chrstmas- Michael loved it.

My sister finally got to hold the wee one- she was thrilled! Michael was fighting a nap, but I think they will be good buddies :)

If Only I Were an Elf

I love to knit. I love Christmas. I especially love these two things together. Every year I tell myself, "this is it. This is the year that everyone on the list gets something knitted". I have stopped saying "this is the year everyone gets exactly what I planned to knit for them". And every year, I find myself sort of  annoyed becuase I can't seem to get my crap together and have one perfect Christmas where everything is done exactly the way I want. But this year, I have decided to stop trying.

I don't mean that I'm going to stop trying to make it special, just not perfect. It won't be the end of the world if the gingerbread stars don't get baked, the knitting isn't finished and the house looks like a bomb went off. It will be okay.

I have decided to just enjoy the season as it happens. Here are a few things I've been enjoying:

Michael's first Christmas tree

Alex cutting down the tree

This was intended to be a Christmas present for Michael, but with at the rate he's growing, it may not fit by then...

Michael's first trip to the Grotto's Festival of Lights

The tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped :)

Closer...

Christmas is around the corner. If you haven't purchased a gift for the Knitter in your life, I offer up the following ideas. They will save you time in guessing, and possibly, your life, as some of these can be given without having to brave the chaos that is the mall this time of year.

1) Time. If there is anything that a Knitter wants more of, it's time. If your Knitter has children, pets, or a spouse, offer to give them a day off to frequent their favorite coffee clatch (sock or sweater in hand), or to visit a new yarn shop. If you are feeling especially generous and full of the Christmas Spirit, offer to give them a weekend of Knitting Without Distraction.

2) Yarn. Lots of it. People tend to think that too much yarn is a bad thing. Not for Knitters. We love the stuff and lets face it, there are far worse things we coud be collecting (like bottlecaps or roadkill)

3) Needles. If the Knitter in your life tends to lose things (car keys, children, etc), then perhaps you should consider investing in a pair (or twelve) of your knitters favorite needles. This can be done according to size, shape, color or material.

4) Moth Repellant. Moths are a big threat against the knitting. Give a package of moth balls, or lavendar sachets to your knitter, and I can gaurentee that you will have a lovely Christmas season. Cedar chests are also a lovely gift option, but if you are short on cash and/or space, cedar blocks would also be acceptable.

I hope these ideas will get you inspired if you still have some shopping for the knitter in your life. I wish you luck and a very happy Christmas.

One Month

It has been a whole month since we brought home our tiny baby. I'm amazed by how quickly it has gone and even more amazed how much he has grown! Michael is taking his morning nap right now and is bundled warm in (what else?) a nice little handknitted sweater. Soon we will be leaving for church and that means going out into the cold. I'm wearing a lovely wooly around my neck and I must say that the effect is quite cozy.

The little one is making noises, I should go check on him. I'll try to post more as soon as I can. Love to you all and happy knitting!

Another One

Today Michael has been fussy. Not the kind of fussy where he is screaming and won't stop, just the kind where he just wants to snuggle all day and not be put down. So, it was a successful day in the Land of Knitting. The sweater is finished.

It started out like so

Then it was seamed and the buttons were added

And now it looks like this

It is warm and wooly and has plenty of growing room for the wee one. Becuase I know someone will ask, the yarn is from Knitpicks and is the Worsted Weight Wool of the Andes. This particular wool is not machine washable, but they do offer that as an option. I modified This Pattern slightly. The neck turned out a little wonky (by which I mean that the child wearing it would need to have the neck measurements of a bird in order to fit comfortably). Other than that, I think it turned out well.

This was taken shortly after we brought Michael home. It is possibly the only photo we took of him in the pumpkin where he is not screaming at us to get him out...

Happy Knitting! Supposedly we are still on a "Snow Watch" so if we do get anything, enjoy it.

P.S.- Thank you Aunty Heather and Uncle Jonathan for carving that pumpkin. The photos will probably turn up at some point to embarress the child. What are parents for after all if not to annoy their children?

Happy Mama

This past was lovely. Here's why:

Michael met his great-grandfather for the first time- they became instant buddies.

We took a 4-generation photo. Great-Grandma wasn't able to be there for this one, so we will try again.

Michael went to his first church service. The ladies oohed and ahhed over him....

I'm working on (another) pint-sized sweater. It is nearing the finishing stages so when that's all wrapped up, I'll post photos. The weathermen are  predicting a bit of snow for tomorrow so here's to hoping for Michael's first romp in the stuff. There are plenty of kandknits around here to bundle him up in for however brief we have it. What are you all knitting these days? I'm preparing to do some perusing of knitpicks for a bit of early Christmas shopping.

Home

The best way to do this post is via photos. We are home now and are enjoying our time as a new family. Michael Jefferson was born on the 24th of October and is a healthy beautiful baby. We are so happy to be home (after the first 24 hours at the birth center, we were a little antsy to sleep in our own bed...)

Our first family photo

Sleepy baby....

Remember this hat? Alex picked it out.

This child will learn how to knit. I think if we keep all things knitted and wooly around him he will absorb the skill via osmosis. Or something...

This was handknit with love by his mama. We wore it on our walk yesterday morning. It's a perfect fit. I thought it might be too big.

Alex made me a snack while I nursed the wee one. See the smiley face? 

I'm not spending much time on the computer these days now that we have a little one to care for; but I will try to keep everyone updated as best I can. Cheers and happy knitting!

Week the 40th

I don't have a photo for this week. I am still about the size and shape of a small hippo and really, not much has changed. Alex and I are ready to meet our son, and are hoping that he will be arriving this week. Today is Alex's birthday and I am under strict orders not to go into labor today- something about Alex not wanting to share his birthday, even though there are probably a hundred other people that have the same birthday as he does......

I will try to keep you all posted as best I can this week, but don't get annoyed if there aren't any postings right away. Having a safe delivery takes priority over this blog. Cheers!

Photos

As promised, here are some photos:

This was from one of our most recent ultrasounds. Look! You can see each of his tiny toes.....

Getting closer!

Alex's birthday isn't actually until next week but since we aren't quite sure when our son will be arriving, we had a little surprise for him at dinner last night :)

Dorito has been very calm today- a nice change from his usual spazziness.....

I did finish another Suki Shawl. It's lovely :)

Week The 38th

Well, this is Week 38. We have an ultrasound today to determine what position our little guy is in- the doctor wants to confirm whether he is head down or if we may need to try and move him at next week's appointment. I love seeing our baby on ultrasound, but the process is a bit uncomfortable. The technician has you lay on your back (a nice relief for back pain for about 5 seconds until the extra weight starts pushing down on you), and then starts moving the wand around your midsection to determine what's going on inside.

There is a lot of fat, muscle and tissue to get through, so the wand is pressed down fairly hard. And, on top of this, one must have a full bladder. I'm hoping that our baby is at least starting to show an interest in changing position because if not, the next step is for the doctor to try and move him and that process is just as uncomfortable.

I'll keep you all posted. We have been blessed with more clothes for Michael so those are all tucked away in a big plastic tote waiting for our growing baby to fit into them. It's amazing to me how much stuff we accquire for these little people we bring into our lives and how much space it takes up...I'm still nesting, but not to the extent where I'm cleaning everything (it's hard enough to stay on top of the normal housework, adding extra tasks like scrubbing the baseboards and steam cleaning the kitchen floor just isn't going to happen). Nope, my nesting involves organizing (and reorganizing) the clothes and other baby goodies we have. I think I'lve probably gone through his dresser at least 5 times to get everything just so.

I was going to post a photo here, but I forgot to grab my camera so I will post one later today for you all to see.

37 Weeks

I have started week number 37! Now we are in the home stretch (literally, I don't know how much more stretching my middle section can handle...) and getting the last few things together before our bundle of joy arrives.

I forgot to get a picture of my growing self for this week, so I'll make sure to post one later. In the meantime, here is what things look like right now.

This is the changing station/dresser. The bottom three drawers are keeping Michael's clothes- newborn-3 month sizes with sleep sacks, jammies, and extra changing pad covers.

In the top drawer are diapers, plain white onesies, extra diaper cream, nursing supplies, and pacifiers.

In the closet, I bought a rather nifty organizer from Amazon.com and will be using it to store extra goodies like receiving blankets, burp cloths, diapering supplies, and other items that otherwise didn't find a home in our tiny apartment and need organizing....

Above the nifty organizer in our closet are extra clothes organized according to size. I thought about doing a tote for each size, season, and type of clothing, and then remembered that we only have so much room to work with, and my husband only has so much patience with my slightly compulsive organizing (and re-organizing) activities...

We are getting there and soon, oh so soon, we will have a small human sleeping in the cradle in our bedroom, keeping us awake, and growing into (and out of) all those sweet clothes that we have ready for him. I can hardly wait :)

P.S.- I finally finished his blanket. I will post photos after it has been washed.

35 Weeks!

Okay everyone! We have started Week 35! That means (in theory) that Michael will make his appearance between now and sometime in early November.....Babies come when they are ready, and since no doctor in his right mind would let a woman carry past 42 weeks, I feel that this is a pretty safe time frame....

Alex and I have been working on getting everything ready for the little guy. We have the stroller and carseat in the car and ready to go, the diaper bag packed, the clothes organized, and more! Now, we just have a few last minute things to do and only a few items left to purchase while we wait. And wait...

Here are a few photos to catch you up.

My sweet Alex really wanted to have the stuffed animals in the car to greet our son when we bring him home....

To go in each car, there is an emergency diaper box. Each one has a change of clothes, wipes, diapers, garbage bags, and a receiving blanket that can be used as a changing pad, burp cloth, blankie, etc...

These are the toiletries that are in our hospital bag. I've heard stories of birth. I'm taking a shower afterward....

Alex and I each have a change of clothes. The socks have grippies on the bottoms- great for a klutz like me, and also good protection against icky hospital floors...

This is Mama's going home dress and Michael's going home outfit.

This little critter was given to Alex when he was a wee babe. He has held on to it all these years in hopes of passing him on to his child. "Musical Bear" is the name and he is packed in the hospital bag and ready to go. The hat he is wearing is one that Alex picked out. He's so proud of that hat...

That's all I have for now. I will post more photos of the other projects later.

32 Weeks

It is almost the end of 32 weeks and we are almost ready to bring the little pumpkin home. Almost. What a funny word. Really, this means that we have some clothes, around 300 diapers, a couple of thousand wipes and a playpen that Dorito has been very much enjoying. But! There are showers coming up, and that will be fun and there is a wee sweater on the needles for our little guy.

We are very excited and can hardly wait to meet Michael Jefferson!

Still Alive. Still Knitting.

Hello Everyone. I'm sorry that I have been away for so long. We went on vacation recently and were gone for two weeks. Before that, life just wasn't very interesting. I suppose I should blog anyway, even when it isn't interesting.

Vacation was great. We spent two weeks on the road travelling through several national parks/monuments/forests and having a wonderful time together. Everything was lovely. The only drawback was in Yellowstone and Grand Teton where it rained the entire time we were there. Our trip was right about the time that the big motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota was going on. We had to spend only one night in the car and if you ever need to do this, there is a nice little pullout across from the airport just outsde of Grand Teton National Park.

There is a story behind that, but I think I'll wait to share it....

Michael is still growing inside of his mama. I just started my 31st week of pregnancy, and must say that when I looked at my calendar, and looked at what still needs to be done/purchased, I had a mild panic attack. I was thinking, couldn't he just sleep in a drawer? Is a crib really neccassary? And what about those diapers- one box is enough to get started, right?

Any other mothers out there that have had these same thoughts?

I'll try to be more vigilant about my postings. For now, I'm going to peruse the Interwebs and research the essentials of diaper-bag packing...

Nesting

I've been reading What To Expect When You're Expecting and there's a little section in there about "Nesting Syndrome". In short, "nesting" is the act of readying the home and life for a baby. It can be as simple as rearranging the nursery furniture to as extreme as scrubbing the floors with a toothbrush. Each woman deals differently.

Lately, I've been finding myself wandering about our little abode doing the normal housework and thinking about what a change (a good change) this little child will bring to our life and we are so excited. The blanket is coming along quite nicely. I'll post photos later.

And the Color Is....

We are having a boy! His name will be Michael Jefferson and as the wool is my witness, he will learn to knit. Last night when I came home, Alex had this surprise waiting for me:

You may note the wee trains on his socks- the child will have an abundance of trains in his life (his father is a big fan...)

There is a some green and purple wool in y stash that needs some attention so I must bid you all adieu and as always, happy knitting.

Getting Closer

Well my dear knitting (and non-knitting) friends, we are getting closer to finding out what flavor of baby we are having. We should be finding out next week if we need to knit something pink, or something blue. Right now it's just lots of green and purple. There are two names picked out, one for a little boy and one for a little girl. I won't share those just yet with you all.

I am halfway through the pregnancy and the nausea has pretty much gone away. The diaper bag is being filled with necessities and the stash is being knit into all manner of things warm and cozy for an autumn arrival. I can hardly wait.

Photos

This is not a glass of wine. I have tired of drinking ginger ale to ease the queasiness of a pregnant tummy. So, to make things more interesting, I have started taking my ginger ale in a pretty wine glass. 

My grandfather recently celebrated his birthday. It was a lovely celebration, family, good food and of course, cake.

This is Dorito's newest hangout spot. He hops up onto the counter and then the refrigerator before settling on the top of the cabinets.

Week Sixteen

Good morning! This starts Week 16 of our baby's development. The little one is growing fast- the size of a naval orange right now and only a few ounces in weight. I haven't felt any movement yet, but the nausea is slowly starting to go away (no tears have been shed about this.) There is another one of these on the needles. It is a much smaller version but will be the perfect size to keep a baby warm.

Happy Tuesday and as always, Happy Knitting.

It Is a Monday

Mondays tend to get a bad rap from people. They are busy and the start of a new week full of projects, appointments and catching up (or letting go) on the housework. However, I have a rotation at work that occasionally allows Mondays to be Fridays. Today is one such day. It's a half shift at work, then off to play bunco. The next two days are mine to whatever I want.

Plans have been made for a visit to the dentist, coffee with a friend, catching up on housework, and of course, knitting. Dorito has been a very good boy lately, he has found a new way to drive me bonkers by hopping up on the counter, to the fridge, before settling himself on the cupboards above the stove. I will post a photo later.

Happy Monday!

P.S.- there is a wee baby sweater in the works- the sleeves are all that remain to finish it...

How Much Longer?

This past week as I sat vomiting up my morning cheerios, I was wondering two things: 1) Is there a way to bring a child into this world without the nausea that is morning sickness? and 2) Why not?

Alex has been wonderful, holding my hair back, rubbing my back, reminding me that soon we will have a little on to snuggle with. I love my husband, and I couldn't ask for better support while preparing for a life of motherhood.

In knitting news, the following events have occurred:

1) I have started a wee sweater, liteweight wool and good for those cool but not frightfully cold days we will be outside.

2) There is also a wee hat on the needles, not as far along as the sweater, but progress is progress...

3) Dorito keeps running off with the tiny socks I have been stitching up. Alex says that baby won't have anything to keep their feet warm if this keeps up. Suggestions?

It's a lovely morning. Go out and enjoy some fresh air and as always, happy knitting :)

A Few Facts

1) It is 7am on a Saturday and my day off and I am here at my little electronic box writing a blog post.

2) It is too early to be up and writing blog posts.

3) There is a list of housework that needs to be done today that I didn't get done yesterday because the list of things that needed to be knitted was longer, and far more interesting.

4) This is one of the wee things I was knitting yesterday:

 

a wee (and very cute) pair of booties for the small one.

5) There is not enough yarn to knit a second bootie.

6) I do not care. There is plenty of other wool in the stash to make many, many booties.

7) This list is dragging on.

8) Here are a few photos from the beach trip. Have a good day and happy knitting.

We had lunch at Moe's. Of course.

The seagulls will flock anywhere people are willing to drop some food.

This is a taffy maker. He's holding some blue raspberry taffy in the making.

There was a yarn shop just around the corner from where we were staying. I will let the photo tell the rest of the story...

There is an elephant ear place in Seaside. These were not all mine, I had two eating companions.

This lovely lady had her baby just a few weeks before the retreat and wasn't able to join us. Look at that happy smile. And that adorable sweater set...

Baby Update

Today Alex and I heard the heartbeat of our little one. It was very faint and brief but it was there. It was amazing. It's like waking up to a dream that is so real and vivid. This little life growing inside of me is still so tiny but so precious. I'm eleven weeks along right now and still a bit nauseaous, but that will pass in time. While we wait for the arrival of this new life, Alex and I are preparing our home, making lists, thinking of things to knit (that last one is more on my mind, than on his, but still....)

There is a long road to go yet, but we are so excited to be travelling it together. I will keep you all posted. Oh! There was a retreat this past weekend at the beach, I'll post photos of that later on.

I Haven't Quit Knitting (I promise)

I got a phone call from my father-in-law this evening. He was concerned about the lack of blog postings over the last few weeks. I know it's been awhile, and I am sorry. The knitting still goes on, and I'm still loving it, but it has been difficult to much of anything lately due to the nausea that comes along with pregnancy.

So, I will try very hard to keep up with the postings in between trips to the bathroom and my naps. Thank you for the concern, that means a lot.

Happy knitting!

Jellybean

This morning Alex and I saw the heartbeat of our tiny baby. It was beating strong and healthy at 136/BPM and from the sonogram we took home resembles a tiny jellybean. We are so excited and can hardly wait to meet the littlest Daniecki!

Anticipation

This past week I turned 25 and on that day, we learned that there is a little on the way. Yep, Alex and I are expecting our first child in October and I must say, the excitement is growing. There is much knitting to be done and the first of the wee socks is already off the needles. We will keep you all posted.

Love,

Elizabeth

Home

I am home now. There is ham and bean soup in the crockpot and our little critter is curled up precisely on my knitting satchel. There is a little blue knit on the needles and a hot cup of tea to sip. It has been an adventure the last few days but it is good to be with my little family again. What is the new knit? you may inquire; a simple hat in a soft blue wool. There is hope to knit a pair of mittens as well....

Snowed In

Good morning fellow Knitters! If you live in the Portland, Oregon you will know that this is the perfect day to hunker down and stay inside with your knitting (or a good book...perhaps one whose subject is knitting...) and some tea. Lots of it. It has been snowing hard here since this past Thursday and hasn't stopped much since then. We have close to six inches (very unusual for this area) and it is so lovely outside.

Despite the cold and the mounds of white stuff, and the fact that my place of employment cannot close due to harsh weather conditions, I love the snow. The earth has been covered in a blanket of pristine white, the critters are out searching for food to provide for their families, and as Knitter, i know that my loved ones will wear something I made just for them. This is a good time to a Knitter.

I am staying with my parents because my little car would break down and quickly become abandoned were I to drive it even a few feet down the road. It is not made for this kind of weather. Alex has a similar issue but he is staying at our apartment with Dorito and my parents have been gracious and driven us where we need to go in their jeep.

Here are a few photos of what is going on here in our little corner of the world:

This was day 1 of what my dad is calling "Snowmageddon"

This was the end of Day 1. Do you see the difference?

I am so thankful for wool and pointy wooden sticks....