Feeling a Bit.... Antsy.

10 hours, 4 minutes until my c-section.

Just letting you know.

I'm not antsy at all. Really.

It Came!

The camera charger, not the baby. I am still pretty excited, though. The UPS tracking shows this: "Delivered to female adult." Is it me, or is that weird? The battery is charging, the infant car seat is installed, so I can go have a baby tomorrow. It's good.

Also, a funny moment from today.... R and I are walking in the parking garage towards the hospital for my pre-op appointment.

He says (this is completely not made up) "I think I am going to have a poop baby."

After a moment, I replied, "You're so romantic."

Hilarious, right? I thought it was.

So How Was Your Day?

So, today I did some dishes, played with my kid, ate a pile of carnitas we made yesterday, and I went to the hospital. Yep, contractions were about 3 minutes apart, pretty intense. Called dad, packed up Peanut, and drove down to the hospital. About halfway there the contractions started getting further apart, less intense. Got to the hospital, got checked in, got checked, got monitored for an hour and a half.

Turns out, not in labor. So, drive back home, get Peanut back from dad's (where she was driving her new Dora trike around their living room in her pj's), and drink some water. We get to go get this kid no matter what on Tuesday morning (scheduled C Section), so it wasn't so stressful. Just a little surprising, since I had no experience like this last time. It was a bit surreal to put on the gown and lay in the hospital bed... but I am glad to be back home.

We even borrowed my dad's camera, since my camera battery charger has disappeared off the face of the planet. I ordered a replacement from Amazon, but it won't be (supposedly) delivered until tomorrow. So until we get a charger, I am blogging photo-less. It feels weird.

In any case, I may post tomorrow, but be prepared for a quiet week, followed by many ubiquitous baby photos. Tuesday morning, send good thoughts my way.

A Free Christmas Gift Pattern For You...

Merry, merry.

Now I know this is probably too late for you to knit up for Christmas unless you are a super fast knitter, but I sort of cobbled together a quick scarf pattern based with great affection on the Elizabeth Zimmerman February baby sweater from the Knitter's Almanac that I am knitting for my sister and thought I would share...



Here you go:

Gull Scarf
Cast on 27 stitches with a long tail cast on. Knit three ridges of garter stitch. (This will be about 6 knit rows).

Begin the gull pattern, beginning and ending with three knit stitches:

Row 1: Knit 3, Purl 21, Knit 3.
Row 2: Knit 3, *K1, K2TOG, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K1 (Repeat from *two more times), Knit 3
Row 3: Knit 3, Purl 21, Knit 3.
Row 4: Knit 3, *K2TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK (Repeat from *two more times), Knit 3

Repeat until the scarf is about as long as you want it to be.

When you get to nearly the end of the yarn (or as long as you feel like making this), you will end with three ridges of garter stitch. (This will be about 6 knit rows). Cast off in purl.

Pattern notes: This is 7 stitches long over 4 rows, so you can add repeats of the gull pattern if you want a wider scarf- it just needs to be multiples of 7 plus an additional 6 stitches for the garter edges.

I am still knitting on my scarf, which I have done in Rowan Cashsoft DK yarn in the "Madame" colorway, which is a really pretty bright pink. I am planning on knitting this with two skeins of the Cashsoft, which is about 240 yards of DK weight yarn. I am using a US size 8 needle, but you could go up a size or down a size without impacting the size of the scarf too much. Gauge doesn't matter too much, since it's a scarf. I would say that if you are a really tight knitter using a larger needle would be good, but use your own judgement. You may even want to knit a few rows of the gull pattern as a test to see what you think about it, first.

In any case, happy knitting and a happy holiday- whatever you choose to celebrate.

I Can Do It!

Dora the Explorer and Obama make me want to write that in Spanish. Chavez makes me not write it in Spanish.

I am, of course, referring to my crazy knitting schedule I have imposed upon myself. The Yarn Harlot writes about the same sort of thing here. I am getting there, though. I finished my dad's Christmas hat yesterday and I am about a third of the way through my mom's Christmas scarf. I also have about 6 inches left on my grandpa's Christmas scarf which is becoming a Christmas neckwarmer, since I HATE that Moda Dea yarn (it gets little hairs into my throat and eyes and I HATE it) and because I just found out my dad bought him a cashmere scarf a month ago that has not been worn once. So I am not investing more time in a scarf that won't be worn- I"ll just be finishing enough to join it together with a quick seam.

In any case, I did actually finish the rest of the Christmas knitting/sewing. If I end up with any extra time this week, I may make a babydoll quilt and pillow for Peanut. R is going to go get her a couple more things to open this week, but we're basically done. I can't believe it...

Merry Merry...

I am knitting my little heart out. Christmas is seriously sneaking up on me and I have the crafty fever that one can only get when one is due to have a baby right at the same time Christmas is supposed to happen. And the insane person is also planning only homemade gifts, as well.

Because yes, I am that crazy.

I have a house to clean, a baby to prepare for, and what am I doing? Obsessively knitting one hat and three scarves before Christmas. Seems reasonable, right?



Peanut is clearly giving me a look that sums up her feelings on the matter.

Also, we made almost-gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and stuff. It was fun:



I am now dreading the family meet-ups and in-law visits. (Can you believe I have to host my in-laws three days before I am due to have this kid? Am I just a glutton for punishment? I need a clean house for guests... Ack)

I hope you are having a less stressful holiday season, and that you manage to find the joy between the challenges. I know I am. Peanut has begun announcing, "Wook! Mommy! Wights!" every time she sees so much as a strand of Christmas lights.

Oh, I am a lucky mommy. Merry, merry.

December!

It is starting to feel like winter! (I know you non-SoCal people are doubting me here). We do actually have extremely mild versions of seasons here, I swear! It only got up to 64 today! Wow! I wore a fleece!

I love it when it gets cold (yes, for here, not for all of you in the hinterlands) and I love bundling up my kid. She looks adorable in a jacket and today, for the first time, she wore a scarf. Super cute.

I caught a pic of the moon just as the sun was setting on the Japanese Maple at my dad's house:



On the way over, Peanut and I saw a caterpillar, which is decidedly the wrong season:



I also wrapped my step-mom's present, and managed to get a decent picture of it before it went into the bag:



It was a hard color to get a picture of- the yarn color is called "Opulence" and it's a really garnetty-red, not at all magenta- very bluey red, but deep. I think it's really pretty. Handmade Christmas 2008! Yay!

Oh yeah, still pregnant, too. Woo.

I Like This.

Click here to read about my people. I know I have read about them before, but I really do love their message that they posted in Washington...

"At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail.

There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.

There is only our natural world.

Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts

and enslaves minds."

Naps! Ack!

I think I may have actually just gotten the kid to go to sleep without benefit of a car or a stroller. It's funny, really, because at night she's a dream- sweet and compliant and wonderful. But naptime? Blech.

That only took a couple hours or so. And a fair amount of screaming and temper tantrums. Not exactly my favorite part of the day. I am sure it will get better once she gets a new routine going. Little kids don't exactly thrive on change.

Hell, neither do I.

For a change of subject, it's been very wintery feeling here. Grey, cold, and knitting-friendly.

Speaking of which, back to the grind since the munchkin is actually asleep. Christmas is sneaking closer and closer, you know?

It's Oh So Quiet...

Peanut is asleep. Finally. Have I mentioned how I hate nap-negotiation with a toddler? 'Cause I do. I know that it is way more fun to poke your mom in the neck with a stick, but really? You're 19 months old. You need a nap-otherwise you become HORRIBLE to be around. The smiles and sunshine and "Mommies?" become "Peanut SMASH" and hysterical meltdowns the like I have honestly not seen since I was in high school drill team (shut up, I know).

Today I gave up and stuck the kid in the car and went to the drive through Starbucks- which is just far enough away for her to fall asleep on the way to. Tomorrow I am enlisting my dad to take her out in the stroller. I can't walk too far right now without contractions, so it doesn't really work for me right now. I don't actually mind walking with her normally. Keep in mind that I am also normally at work, so there is that, too. God bless Mrs. H, is all I can say. She is a woman with worth beyond rubies, or whatever the hell the quote says.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here is my current shadow. Ack.



That pink bit is my massive stomach. Blargh.

I have been getting a fair amount of knitting in, now that I am home. I have recently finished a kid's hat, a gift scarf or two, and I have started a million projects because I am a glutton for punishment. R got me "The Expectant Knitter" for my birf-day, and I started the kid's legwarmers this week.



On an unrelated note, do you know how it feels to see someone do something that you try to accomplish all the time without any seeming effort? My step dad took these pics of Peanut on Thanksgiving. Can I just say, wow?





The colors are so deep and vivid. I know I just got a new camera, but his makes me seriously jealous....