Gold!!!!

 

Cue up the National Anthem....I've finished my Knitting Olympics item!  The Meandering Rib Scarf is now complete.  :)

Since both Brian and I want to wear this, I made it a little shorter than the called-for 65 inches.  After all, I am only 61 inches tall, so it would be ridiculously huge on me had I followed the length exactly.  And even better...I finished with two days to spare!  Despite frogging it twice in the beginning (a "false start" like in Speed Skating)  and the fact that this pattern absolutely mystified me last year, I did it!  And I did it with having a baby and a toddler in the house.  That's the really impressive part.  I don't think my housework suffered any more or any less....the house is trashed most days anyway with Will "The Destroyer" playing with toys in the house and the baby stuff everywhere.  If you can't keep it clean, you might as well knit, it's a lot more relaxing than constantly picking up the toys over and over and cursing it.  Annnnnddddd....I did this and followed the rules, my interactions with loved ones didn't suffer.  At least, I don't think they did, you'd have to ask them.  :)

Wordless Wednesday: Kiss the Cook

Days Like These

I've got a headache that's about a week old..  Sean's decided that sleeping in three hour clips instead of four-hour ones is the way to go, and it takes me a while to fall asleep because I anticipate him crying ten minutes or so after we lay him down, even if it's not my turn to go to him.  Brian and I both hear "phantom cries" at night too, when we think he's crying and go in there and he's peacefully snoozing.  Sleep deprivation does strange things to one's mind! 

But life goes on, despite being tired.  Right now I'm working on invitations for Sean's christening in April.  I'm kicking myself a bit, for not getting the ones that you print on your computer.  But these pale yellow ones were really cute, and they have little charms at the top.  Well, the charms seemed cute, until I opened up the package to discover that the first one is a model and you have to assemble the rest!  I should have guessed.

Knitting Olympics deadline is the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics this Sunday.  I think I'm going to make it!  I had a massive setback last week when someone showed me at knitting that when my sister-in-law taught me how to purl, she showed me it backwards.  No wonder why my stitches look twisted.  I have two projects on needles right now and I'm far enough into both that frogging is just NOT an option.  One is the Olympic Scarf and the other is a project bag for a group swap in April.  The bag is the only one really affected, and it just looks "artsy" with the twisted stitches.  At least, that's what I'm telling myself to make myself feel better.  :)  After these two projects are done, I'm hauling out my copy of Stitch n Bitch for some learning sessions. 

School Bells are Gonna Ring...

I decided that while I'm on maternity leave, I should do as much research as possible for pre-school for Will come September.  First, let me just scream "Preschool?????  Wasn't he just turning one like, yesterday????"  Uh-huh.  Our Big Kid is really a big kid!  He's smart as a whip and I know he's just going to love school! 

Anyway, I figured, since I'm home and I really just can't seem to sleep during the day (damn telemarketers and neighbors who bang their trash cans and argue in the driveway!) I should get some productive stuff done.  And this way I won't have to miss work later on to tour preschools and fill out applications and go through "the application process."

Yes, the application process.  I'm starting to wonder, am I applying for preschool or college?  I haven't seen any essay requests or SAT score inquiries, but it kind of feels like that.  And the cost!  Again....preschool or college?  I am waiting to hear if we were accepted into the town's preschool program via lottery.   Sean and I are touring one of the local private schools next week.  And one school won't return calls or inquiries, which is driving me crazy!  I feel like I'm waiting by the mailbox my senior year all over again, anxious to know if my recommendations were good or if the essay portion wowed 'em!  Sigh.....to be continued.

Wordless Wednesday: Baby, It's Cold Outside

Be My Valentine

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentines aren't really a big deal in our house. A few cards, but no lavish gifts, flashy proclamations of love, etc.  Really, I've never been a big fan of the holiday.  You should tell people you love them every day of the year! 

Still, I like to do something....so we do a little gift for the Big Kid, and this year we decided to bake something together.  So I picked out a Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake out of the new Cake Doctor cookbook that I had gotten for Christmas.  Now it's torture, waiting for it too cool just enough to be warm instead of molten!

Will and I had a lot of fun making Valentines for friends and family.

 

  

Sean, however, slept through the festivities.

 

In other news...knitting Olympics progress!  I started this scarf on Friday night during the opening ceremonies.  Here's the first 9 1/2 inches....only about 50 more to go!  Going for the gold!  :)

A Day in the Life...

In the past month, life has changed soooo much in this house.  Here's a glimpse of what the day has become like.

5:00am--wake up to a hungry baby.  Feed him while sleepily watching a rerun of "That Seventies Show" and wonder what Eric and Donna and the gang would be up to like thirty years later?  Get Sean back down after a burp and climb back into bed. 

6:45am--Will comes flying into the bedroom and yells "Hi Mommy!  It's morning time!"  Hops into the bed with me.  Usually he demands to have the TV turned on but today he lies down and wants to snuggle.  I've missed this; the last two mornings I've had to wake him up instead!  Zzzz......

7:45am--wake up, glance at clock and Gah!  Must get up right away.  Sean has a dr. appt in two hours.  Feedings, changes, the usual battle over brushing teeth....dropping Will off first....we'll be lucky if we make it!

Flurry of activity, all of us getting dressed or changed, trying to figure out what will be a quickie breakfast for me that can be eaten from one hand.  Checking of the diaper bags to make sure I've thought of everything.  ('cause you know I haven't.)  Ready to go, just need to stuff phone and wallet into Sean's diaper bag. 

9:15am--cell phone is dead.  Where's phone charger?  Seriously, where is it??  Run frantically around house, trying to locate charger.  Uh-oh, house is a mess and things are difficult to locate, in a word.  Frantically dial husband.  Dammit!  voicemail.  Search some more, toss stuff around, curse under breath, despite toddler's supersonic hearing.  Husband calls back, and charger is triumphantly located.  Yeah.  Some thirty miles away from where I'm sitting...hubby has it in his work bag.  Ugh! 

Swallow half-eaten bagel and cold coffee.  Come to the sinking realization that I don't have time to drop Will off first, and he must come to the doctor with us.  This already doesn't seem like a great idea, but have no choice.  However he was very good today so I feel lucky.  :)

Get to the doctor at 10AM, where the receptionist informs me of their "Fifteen Minute Rule" and that the doctor may not see us because we're exactly fifteen minutes late.  Fortunately, that's not the case and we get called in ten minutes later.  Sean's perfectly healthy (YES!) and has gained another pound and four ounces in two week's time.  Grow baby, grow!  Drop Will off, and then meet co-workers for lunch with the baby in tow.  Sean sleeps beautifully through lunch.  Has a bottle back at the office, and falls asleep again.  In fact, he's still sleeping, since we got home at 2:30pm.  Growth spurt...love 'em!  Of course, this may mean he's going to be bright-eyed all night.  But it's given me time to clean up the house and catch up on Grey's Anatomy.

A day in the life of us.  Not a typical day, but nothing's typical anymore.  It's crazy, it's frustrating, it's fantastic!