It’s A…

November 6, 2007 By

HUMAN!

Exactly what we wanted! Whew! We were worried there for a minute or two.

The ultrasound was really long, and honestly painful. The baby was VERY uncooperative apparently. Wouldn’t stop moving around and then it would hide itself and more than half of the ultrasound I was on my side with my back to the tech and the doctor so they could see what needed to be seen. Finally they got all the measurements they needed (I’m telling you my belly will be bruised tomorrow) and declared our baby PERFECT! (At least as far as the ultrasound goes.)

We didn’t bring a video tape (I couldn’t find one this morning) but in the end, the ultrasound was so long and they had so much trouble that Georgie started to read the paper. Every now and then I’d tell him to check things out (my head was behind the screen, as I thought it would be) and he’d look and then get scared he was going to see something he didn’t want to see (like some kind of gender identification) and look away. I was like, honey, that’s the umbilical cord.

To top the day off: WE FINALLY GOT SPRINGSTEEN TICKETS!
The baby WILL be hearing The Boss in utero. We’re going to have a nice weekend in DC and catch the show on the 12th. I can’t wait. A little bit of relaxing. A little bit of Bruce. And a whole lot of my favorite boy and my other favorite boy. Or maybe my favorite girl. 😉

Here’s another picture. A foot. I’m bruised on the outside AND inside. YAY BABY!

PS – I’ve had some questions about Spin Out prizes. I have NOT awarded them yet. It looks like I’ll be doing that right before Thanksgiving. My elves will be coming to help and hopefully I’ll have a break in the workload before then to post the rest of the prizes that I haven’t posted yet. I’m terribly sorry for the delay. I apologize to all the people who donated prizes and all the people who bought raffle tickets. THE PRIZES WILL BE GOING OUT! I promise. Thank you all for being so patient! I really appreciate it!

Filed Under: Baby? OH BABY!

Halfway

November 5, 2007 By

Sometime in the night last night I passed the 20 week mark on my pregnancy. That means I’m halfway there! YIPEEEEE! Although that also means, holy fuck – I’m halfway there!

The other night I was sleeping and I guess I was on my back and my belly was exposed (I was probably scratching it when I fell asleep) and G said all of a sudden it moved like I was being donkey kicked from the inside. DUDE! I WAS! The baby’s all over the place now and Georgie still hasn’t had a really good feel, but at least he could SEE it.

Someone said in the comments the other day that I seem to be enjoying the pregnancy now and I have to say it’s true. I get all emotional when I think about it, but I just love feeling my baby move inside me. And I’m loving the changes in my body. My boobs may be huge, but they’re matching up nicely with my growing belly. I actually feel kind of sexy in a whale-ish type of way. And man can I dance now! We were listening to some 2PAC the other day and I could shake that booty like never before! Guess it’s all those loose ligaments! How do YOU want it? [WARNING: link NOT work appropriate.]

And yesterday I was able to satisfy a fantastically intense craving: bagels and fish. Specifically, a bagel with cream cheese and baked salmon. From Murray’s. MMMMMMMM. So good. It didn’t even give me indigestion!

I’ve made some progress with my knitting as well. Last night I was able to fix my mistake and figure out a better way of reading the chart. Now I can glance at it and know where I am without having to count boxes and stuff. Really, not brain surgery, but my hormone laden brain can’t handle much these days. I hope to have a progress picture for you soon, but two rows a day doesn’t make for a lot of progress.

Tomorrow is our big ultrasound! I’m excited about it, yes, but I’m also a bit bummed. I know that I’m not going to be able to see half of it at least. The techs at the hospital where we go are very SERIOUS about their jobs. Not that that’s a bad thing, but my head sits BEHIND the screen while they take their measurements which means I can’t see squat. It’s only when the doctor comes in will she turn it to face us. I know I shouldn’t complain because I just want everything to be healthy and all, but really – I want to see my baby! That shouldn’t be a big deal. Everyone else I know gets to watch their baby the whole time. I guess I’ll just have to be content with watching G watch the baby. Again.

I’ll report back tomorrow – but no, we’re still not finding out the sex.
Have a good one!
L, C

Filed Under: Baby? OH BABY!, Life

Home, For Better and Worse

November 2, 2007 By

Before I say anything else, I want to say that I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER! Puking is no longer an every day occurrence. My energy levels are pretty high. My spirits are SOARING (with every kick they go higher and higher.) Really. I feel good. Not as good, physically at least, as I felt before I got pregnant, but definitely the best I’ve felt SINCE I got pregnant. Which, really, is such a relief I can’t tell you.

Halloween was EXHAUSTING. Three parades, numerous costume changes, a veritable trick or treat mob scene and I’m spent. Yesterday I was not feeling well (and I didn’t even eat that much candy) and I ended up puking before I left my sister’s. It was all I could do to get on the train and climb into my own bed. The kids were as cute as ever loving on my belly and talking about the baby and all the Halloween stuff – I didn’t take one picture and we didn’t get a chance to paint my belly – but it’s all good. I miss and missed them terribly, but I can’t tell you how happy I am to come home to G. I miss him beyond belief when he’s not with me – I’ve said it before, but this pregnancy is so much more fun when he’s around than when he’s not. Last night I gave the baby a stern talking to – NO KICKING UNTIL DADDY COMES HOME! While most of the time I’m still feeling those flip flops, I’m also getting TRUE kicks. And last night I thought I might have felt a body part – a really hard part of my belly – when it wasn’t hard anywhere else. Anyway, so already the baby doesn’t listen. I told it not to kick and all it did was kick until G got home. Then nothing. They say kids will make a liar out of you all the time and mine’s starting young. It’s just so much fun though! I thought I’d be freaked out and I’m just loving it. I love my baby!!!

And I’m loving my knitting! Although barely any progress was made. I knit a couple of rows on the train down to my sister’s and a couple of rows on the train home, but I realized I made a mistake on one of the decreases and I have to rip out a couple of rows. No biggie – and I’m not feeling the pressure at all – just loving the knitting.

In not so good news, we found out today that they are going to start drilling outside our apartment in the next month or so. We’ve known the “exterior project” was in the works for awhile – they’ve started on other parts of the building – but now we’ve been given notice that our apartment line will be soon. Basically, for the very end of my pregnancy and the beginning of my poor baby’s life, there will be men in scaffolding outside our windows with jackhammers. We will have no window access at all (they all have to be sealed against the dust) and they’re removing our balcony so the sliding glass door will have to be locked off. The window seals aren’t that big a deal – we seal our windows every winter. But the noise is unbelievable. I’ve heard how horrible it is near the apartments they’ve been working on since the summer and I’m not sure I’ll be able to take it. Can you imagine? Nine months pregnant and men with jackhammers everywhere outside your windows? Can the noise hurt my baby? Estimated completion is May. Yeah. Right. The whole thing is really making me nuts.

Needless to say, we’re ratcheting up the house hunt. We’ve lived in this building for sixteen years. Long enough, don’t you think. I’m dreaming of a yarn room!

I’ll end with some good news! My brother’s engaged! YAY JEDD AND JEN! The best news – she’s a knitter!
Back to work. Hopefully some knitting will be accomplished this weekend.
L, C

Filed Under: Life

Progress (again)

October 29, 2007 By

Let this be a lesson to all – I just accidentally closed the window on this post. Well, the first time I wrote this post. Pregnancy brain blows. SAVE YOUR WORK!

You guys are CRAZY! Thank you all so much for your warm wishes and encouragement and support. I truly appreciate and am humbled by your responses. Although, I have to say, I do throw a good contest. Not that the prizes are so over the top or anything, but I get THE BEST RESPONSES! You all ROCK! THANK YOU!

The winners of the three skeins of January One STR are:

AMY

DANIELLE

NIKKI

Congratulations! And thank you all again for coming out of the woodwork. I know what it takes to stop and think and comment and I truly appreciate your being here! Good luck to all of you on your own rededications!

So. I made some progress this weekend. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to knit yesterday (I took the knitting to bed and promptly feel asleep. Which I keep doing. Especially in the middle of tv shows I’m very much enjoying that I forget to record. BLAH!) but I did really well on Friday and Saturday. I’ve now completed the first chart and started on the second. Of course, the second will take me a million years to finish because it goes from rows 36 to 86 or something like that and you have to complete it twice and then start over and knit 36-71. I’m on like 46. Still – I’m making progress and that’s all that counts.

Here are some really boring progress pictures:

The color is totally off in these pictures – the yarn is much redder. A red purple. Plum, if you will. (The yarn is called smoky plum.) I’m LOVING the gray in the yarn. It adds such dimension to it. It’s all good – the yarn, the pattern. I’m enjoying myself and find that I can’t stop thinking about it. YAY! I love it so much I forgot I have Addi LACE Turbos in the right size – but so far these regular Addis are doing fine.

BABY NEWS. You’ve been warned. Move along if need be.
I swear, it’s not a baby. It’s Mitt Romney. You can’t imagine the flip flopping going on! Ann pointed out though, that even though it’s not the baby I want (you know, human and all) there are benefits to giving birth to a millionaire. Ba dum dum. Anyway – so flips and flops and bonafide kicks! I’m definitely not as freaked out as I thought I’d be – I rather like it actually. Even Georgie thinks he’s felt it a couple of times. HE’s freaked out!

On the puking front I managed not to puke for five days straight. Tuesday through Saturday. That’s not to say I couldn’t have puked those days – I most certainly could have and one or two days I probably SHOULD have. I did throw up yesterday and I felt much better afterward. On the days I don’t puke I think I wait for it and end up being nauseated much longer than I would if I just threw up. Oh and I’m 19 weeks. This should be OVER. No report yet on today but I think I’m NOT going to puke. I’m hungry all ready instead of nauseated. Things are definitely improving.

My baby is an heirloom tomato! I get these babycenter bulletins every week – your baby at 19 weeks kind of thing and they’re very entertaining and interesting but the thing I love the most is that each week they compare my baby’s size to that of some food. So far my baby has been a sesame seed, a small lentil bean, a blueberry, a kidney bean, a grape, a kumquat, a fig, a lime, a medium shrimp, a lemon, an avocado, a turnip, a bell pepper, and TA DA! a large heirloom tomato (which Ann says is about the size of a grapefruit.) I LOVE THIS! I will be so sorry when they run out of food. I can’t wait for the day when my baby is the size of a T-BONE! WHOO HOO! Every week I torture Georgie with this – hey babe! The baby’s the size of a kumquat! And he just looks at me like what does that MEAN?! They also give the inches and stuff and I can follow it up with hard data, but I just love the comparisons. They’re so ridiculous!

Okay. Now that I’ve filled you in on all the baby and knitting – I’m leaving you. HAHAHAHAHA! No really. Just when I rededicate myself to all of it, I’m off. To my sister’s for Halloween. It’s become tradition – I just love going out for Halloween with the kids and this year baby is coming along. And maybe even with a costume! I told the kids they could paint my belly. Hopefully I’ll have good pictures to show you when I get back. I’ll be home on Thursday, so don’t look for a post until Friday.

THANKS AGAIN FOR READING!
L, C

Filed Under: Baby? OH BABY!, Waves in the Square

Rededication

October 26, 2007 By

Three years ago today I started this blog. Or, really, an incarnation of this blog. It didn’t start out as January One, but it didn’t take me long to adopt the name. I still think it fits perfectly, encompassing much of who I am.

This weekend at Rhinebeck, among my many blogger friends – friends I would’ve never made had it not been for this blog, I took stock of things. Obviously, things have changed. Much less knitting. Much more baby babble. A blog is a dynamic entity. It needs to grow and change and if it had stayed the same all these years I doubt you’d be reading this right now. I’d have bored myself silly and I can’t imagine what it would have done to you.

One of the most interesting things I’ve thought about in the last couple of days – in thinking about writing this post – is WHY I started this blog. Of course it was to catalog my knitting and talk about my knitting, but more than anything, I realize now, it was an escape. I started this blog less than two weeks after Georgie and I backed out of our first IVF transfer. Two weeks. It doesn’t take Freud to understand what I was really after. And oh my god how much this blog – and you all – whether you know it or not – helped me through that very difficult time. Now that I’m on the other side – and the blog has definitely suffered for it – I find it all so fascinating.

The chances are very great, that had I gone through with the IVF the first time, and certainly if I had gotten pregnant, I might have never started this blog.

That time in my life was so difficult. I tortured myself for more than two years with the decisions looming over us. To have children, not to have children. How much to go through to get those children. And honestly I’m so glad we waited. Beyond the fact that THIS IS THE TIME FOR US, I’m completely convinced, it makes me a bit sad to know that had we gone through with it before, I might have missed all that my blog has brought me. Friends. Inspiration. Frustration. Lessons learned. All of it. I am so grateful for what this blog has given me in my life. And, it goes without saying, all of you. Sure, sometimes you make me crazy and I’m sorely tempted to close up shop, but then someone reaches out and tells me that I’ve helped them – or you help me in some very needed way and it’s all worth it again.

Over the past three years this blog has grown in ways I’ve never imagined. Lately, because of the changes I’m going through and inevitably the blog is going through, many people have felt the need to tell me they won’t be reading anymore. I’m not going to lie – it hurts my feelings. This blog is ME. Not all of me, but a great deal of me and who doesn’t want to be loved? BUT, that’s not why I write this blog. I write it because it’s cathartic and an escape and because it’s an outlet for my creativity that I so need in my life. An outlet for my passions. An outlet for my dreams. Everyone needs an outlet and I’d much rather blog than walk the treadmill, if you know what I mean.

So on my three year anniversary I’m rededicating myself to my blog. I will write what I want, when I want. About what I want. Maybe some of you will stay around, most likely some will not. Please, though, if you choose to go, know that I send you off with my best wishes. But don’t tell me about it. Restrain yourselves. Just move along quietly. Thank you.

I’ve also decided to rededicate my life to my knitting. My wise friend Ann and I were discussing the current lack of knitting in my life and she had some really good insight. Generally I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. I throw myself into everything – passion is my middle name – and it’s never been as satisfying to dabble. (I give you Miter Madness. Possibly the most extreme example of my obsessions.) Here I am – working my ass off everyday – collapsing at night – and I realize that what may be keeping me from my knitting is the idea that I can’t knit for hours at a time. But what’s wrong with fifteen minutes here or there? Even two rows? IT COUNTS. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to try to knit a little bit every day and maybe the spark will catch again. And really, this is an excellent exercise for me. Not everything in life has to overwhelm you. Once the baby gets here I’m going to have to be content with a row here and a row there so I better get used to it now.

In honor of my third year anniversary, I cast on a new project last night. And I managed to knit more than 2 rows. 25 to be exact.

It’s the Waves in the Square Shawl by Sivia Harding, one of my favorite lace designers ever! (She of Diamond Fantasy fame!) So far I’m loving the pattern and I think it will be perfect for re-entry. The lace isn’t too complicated and once I get farther into the pattern there’s a rhythm to it. It’s also an interesting construction in that it’s a triangle – but it’s separated in to three sections so it sits squarer on your neck.

I think the picture above illustrates this pretty well. I’m planning on using beads on the picot bind off, as Sivia suggests, but I’ve got a long way to go before I get there. The yarn I’m using was a Rhinebeck purchase:

Fingering weight 100% superwash wool hand dyed by SilverSLIVER Moon Farm. (Thanks, Sharon, for pointing out I got the name wrong!! This website works fine!) The color is Smoky Plum and that’s exactly what it is. There are wonderful streaks of gray running through the yarn – just subtle enough to catch your eye, but nothing that stands out as streaky in the knitted fabric. I’m enjoying myself so much that I stayed up way past my bedtime last night just to finish ONE MORE ROW. Ah. The good old days are back!

There is no pressure with this project. I have one other project planned – my stole with yarn from Briar Rose – and if I manage to get these two projects done before the babe arrives I will be so pleased. And maybe a pair of socks. If not – that’s okay too. Knitting and this blog are my indulgences. I don’t think I should have to give those up just because a baby is on the way. A happy mama makes for a happy baby. And knitting and blogging make me happy.

To celebrate and rededicate the blog, I’m giving away three skeins of the aptly named Socks That Rock January One sock yarn (Lightweight – my fave!) and some other knitty treats as well. Without blogging I would’ve never found this yarn – which truly remains my favorite. To win the yarn, leave a commen
t telling me a part of your life that you miss that you would like to rededicate – or maybe something you’ve always wanted to try but didn’t have the time or were scared or whatever. Or just leave me a comment telling me to have a nice day. I will pick the winners at random. Comments will close at 11:59 EST Sunday, October 28. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 29. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PLEASE.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your support. Just thank you.
L, C

Filed Under: Waves in the Square

Belly Envy

October 24, 2007 By

Hey Shirley – this one’s for you!

At Rhinebeck this weekend, envy was in full force. You had your yarn envy, fiber envy, fleece envy, sweater (not so much – it was too hot!) envy, shawl envy, sock envy, spindle envy, sheep envy, wheel envy. You name it people wanted it.

All I wanted was a bigger belly. MAN! This Rhinebeck was all about the babies and the strollers and the pregnant chicks. I’m sure I’m not the only one that noticed. Every five seconds I saw another pregnant lady whose belly was bigger than mine. In fact, the first thing I said to Sarah was NO FAIR! Look how cute your belly is!


Wonder Blog Fetus Twins ACTIVATE!

(Picture borrowed from Sarah’s blog.)
In case you’ve been living in a cave, Sarah and I are both pregnant. She’s actually due two days before me (her baby’s due on Good Friday and my baby’s due on Easter. This Jew girl married to a Greek Orthodox finds that super funny!) which means we might as well be due the same second in gestational time. We’ve had eerily parallel pregnancies – complete with puking at 18 weeks (although Sarah, I’m really sorry to tell you that I’ve now gone two days with no pukage. I’m not calling it a trend. Three days is a trend. Two is just a happy coincidence.) and it’s really wonderful to have someone, out there in the world, who COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDS. Not understands because they went through it a million years ago – but completely understands because they’re doing it RIGHT NOW with you! [ETA: No offense to every woman who’s ever had a baby before me – I know you know how I feel. But how cool is it to have someone going through it with you NOW? Right now!] It was so great to hang out and compare notes and I love that if we both end up at Rhinebeck next year we can take the same picture with our babies on the OUTSIDE. How cool is that? Thank you Sarah. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you’re still throwing up.

Anyway, back to the bellies. My belly isn’t actually that small. And I kind of popped a little bit the other day. It’s just that the boobs are so freaking huge they overshadow the belly. I like to say I’ve reached B Porn Star Fetish Status. I asked Ann if she thought my belly would ever over take the boobage and she told me yeah. The day before you go into labor.

To all of those ladies suffering boob envy – trust me on this: they are SO overrated.

Filed Under: Baby? OH BABY!

Movement

October 23, 2007 By

I am fairly certain I felt my baby move this morning. I was laying in bed and I felt a sort of roll. Not a flutter or a pop but a roll. I tried to squeeze out a fart (most of the time that I think I feel the baby I can let out some gas and that convinces me I’m wrong) but to no avail. Then I think I felt it again. And then, I poked my belly. DEFINITELY felt it. I poked my belly one more time, got the response I wanted and SPRINTED out of bed to tell Georgie. So I’m going with today, October 23, 2007 (exactly five months before my due date) as the first day I felt my baby move. Today I’m 18 weeks and 2 days.

The weekend was…well, the weekend was, in a word, EXHAUSTING. I have swollen ankles and more nausea than I’ve had in a few weeks and headaches and it was definitely worth it to spend four days with some of my favorite people – especially the ones I only get to see once a year. There were plenty of people I didn’t get to see, people I didn’t get to spend enough time with, people I saw only briefly and in the moment was overwhelmed or sick and may not have been my usual pleasant self (no laughing Annie!) I hope you’ll all cut me some slack. I am most definitely NOT myself.

And thanks to all the people who stopped to congratulate me and ask how I was feeling. Norma said I should blog the conversation – which was pretty much the same. I’m only giving my answers – you can guess the other half:

ME: Thank you so much! I’m feeling okay.
ME: Yeah. I did throw up today (every day in fact.)
ME: No, we don’t know what we’re having. We’re hoping to be surprised with a human baby.
ME: Yes. They’re huge. Thanks for pointing that out.

I did buy some stuff – not a lot – and my most favorite item is on order. I fell in love with a stole I saw at Chris’ Briar Rose booth. Sadly, she had sold out of the yarn, but I should receive it in a few weeks. If I knit only one thing to completion this entire pregnancy, I’m determined it will be this. Details when I can actually cast on.

More than anything else, the weekend caused me to be reflective about the blog. Which isn’t surprising since all of the people I met or knew before, in fact my knowledge of the the existence of the festival itself, all came about because of the blog. My 3rd year anniversary is on Friday, and I hope to renew my commitment to the blog and what it truly means to me. I might also have a contest.

I’m extremely busy these days with very much diminished energy. I wake up in a panic around the time of the third trip to the bathroom and it takes me awhile to fall back to sleep thinking about all the deadlines and work coming up in the next month. The Spin Out prizes are making me feel awful as well so I appreciate your continued patience with that. I promise they will go out soon! At least, god help me, before Thanksgiving!

Honestly, the best part of my weekend was yesterday. Georgie picked me up in Long Island and we headed to the beach. I can’t tell you how much I missed him – more than ever. Being pregnant just isn’t as fun without him around.

And I’m so happy to be able to puke in my own bathroom this morning. It’s the little things, you know?

Filed Under: Baby? OH BABY!, Rhinebeck

Bring on the Sheep! Bring on the Wool!

October 18, 2007 By

So I’m off. If you should need me at all this weekend, I’ll be the one on the bench halfway between the bathroom and the food. I’m not planning on buying much, if anything, because honestly, I’m not sure I remember how to knit.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Filed Under: Rhinebeck

SPIN OUT 2007: GRAND PRIZE WINNERS!

October 17, 2007 By

Please join me in congratulating

LESLIE from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

She’s won the Lendrum Complete generously donated by Toni of The Fold.

SASHA from SEATTLE, WA

She’s won the Louet Victoria from Meg at Yarn Expressions. Sasha blogs at Free Wool.

EASTER from PORT HUENEME, CA

She’s won the Socks That Rock Rockin’ Sock Club 2008 Membership.

Once again, THANK YOU everyone for your contributions and prize donations and all around fantastic support. The rest of the prizes will be awarded in the next couple of weeks. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Filed Under: Spin Out 2007

SPIN OUT 2007: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

October 16, 2007 By

$34,230

AND I haven’t puked today!

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! I’m so pleased with the outcome, I can’t tell you. I think Heifer International is a FANTASTIC organization and it warms my heart to see you all come out and support it. THANK YOU!

And a HUGE THANK YOU to all the PRIZE DONORS! The raffle would be NOTHING without you all! THANK YOU!

I’ve sent emails to the winners of the Lendrum, the Louet and the STR Sock Club and I hope to announce them publicly tomorrow. As I said before, the rest of the prize packages will be awarded sometime in the next two weeks – AFTER RHINEBECK. Thank you so much for your patience. My work life is in full swing and I can’t get as much done as I need to during a day – so please bear with me. THANK YOU!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Filed Under: Spin Out 2007
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