Archive for the 'baby' Category
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It’s a GIRL
Friday, September 7th, 2007
…and she’s PERFECT!
Posted in baby | 28 Comments »
Maybe next week will be different…
Monday, September 3rd, 2007
…but last week SUCKED.
So many things just spiraled out of control to STRESS OVBRLOAD.
The main thing was that I was told I’d have my 20-week ultrasound on Friday, but it was canceled due to the planning of a level-2 for THIS Friday. But nobody told us and Nate had taken the afternoon off work (in the middle of a HUGE install at the museum) and I was looking really forward to knowing the baby’s ok. All of our family was calling us all day to find out “how’s the baby” and we didn’t KNOW.
OK, so one week might not seem like a big deal, but I’ve literally been LIVING for that day. I can’t sleep at night, so I lie there thinking about the baby and wondering about it, and I’ve been getting through those long nights by counting down the days till I get to see the little one and find 2 arms, 2 legs, little organs, etc. And NOW…it’s postponed. The real shock was that nobody called us to tell us. SO disappointing and makes me really question the care there.
We did hear the heartbeat and bloodflow and LOTS of movement. She said that lots of movement = healthy happy baby…so that’s good. I’ve only gained 3 lbs, rather than the 4-10 they like to see by 20 weeks, but she said since I lost so much at the beginning, it’s not a worry. (I’m having food aversion issues, since I”m basically morning sick all day.)
Lots of other drama went on, too…that I just don’t want to go into. Not really bloggable or really worth it. Some of it’s my own fault for being so hormonal and sleep-deprived.
Maybe today I’ll take some photos of a few things I’ve been knitting. This IS a knitting blog. But when everything I’m knitting is Top Secret…the photos are few and far between. It seems like two of the people who agreed to test knit the Petal pattern are actually close to finishing their sweaters…so hopefully that’ll be ready in a little while. A community college class is knitting it as an assignment…so that should be GREAT feedback! 
On a sewing note: I’ve turned into a diaper-making factory.
Doing repetitive yet constructive things like knitting and sewing seems to be my method of burning off angst. I’m looking at fabrics now the way I was looking at yarns a few months ago. Colors, prints, various absorbing, water-repelling or wicking properties, price per yard versus by the bolt…velcro, snaps, buttons, thread…it’s so easy to get really sucked into all these crafts.
These are made from the free “Rita’s Rump Pocket” diaper pattern. They’re supposed to be “one size fits all” so I’m not sure they’ll work on a newborn…the gals at SnB on Wednesday thought they looked too big.
Sewn using:
Outer = woven cotton
Inner = flannel or cotton loop terry
Soaker/stuffer = folded cotton prefold diaper
The fabrics are “space/planets,” “Vans-style checkerboard,” “sharks,” and “dinosaurs.”
(There are more of my newly sewn diapers in that flickr set if you’re interested.)
So anyway, this weekend has been nice in terms of getting to do baby-prep stuff, sleeping, not working, and just calming down some after the suckfest of last week…but I still feel overwhelmed and pulled in too many directions.
Posted in Uncategorized, just chit chat, baby | 10 Comments »
Yesterday was all sewing - all day!
Sunday, August 26th, 2007
I’ve been sort of lurking on several of the cloth diapering sites you guys have suggested. My favorite so far is Diaper Sewing Divas.
Yesterday, after reading all the info on all of the patterns, ordering supplies, and getting up the steam…I did a little sewing:
That’s 6 newborn diaper covers and 6 size small diaper covers. The bright colored fabric is a laminated polyester, and the other layer is a cotton chambray. These are from the Very Baby pattern.
I also made 16 (!!) size small (Very Baby all in one pattern) fitted diapers. The yellow ones are the first batch, then the flowered ones, then the beige ones were the last ones of the day.
The yellow are made of two layers of birdseye cotton for the inner, a cotton stretch knit for the outer, and 8 layers of birdseye for the pad inside. The flowered ones are a 100% cotton flannel ($1/yard!!), using the flannel for both inner and outer and with 6-8 layers of the same flannel for the inner pad. The beige ones are birdseye for inner and outer, and 6- layers of the same birdseye for the pad.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to doing this…probably the overlap of my two jobs (started the new one with 2 weeks left of the first one) and just not being very confident in my sewing skills. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to follow the pattern correctly, and there are so many different kinds of fabrics and snaps and elastics. I think I was overwhelmed by all of the information.
Even now, I have no baby to test these on, so I won’t know if they even WORK for a few months yet.
I did learn a lot about the process, and even modified the pattern to my own needs. I omitted the waterproof layer from the dipes, so they’re “fitteds,” but not “all in one.”
After all that sewing, I was really stiff today! I guess I pretty much sat at the machine from 8:30 am to about 10 pm.
To move around some, Nate and I walked over to the coffee shop for breakfast, and afterward stopped by the fabric store and picked out some cuter fabrics for the next batch.
Yesterday while I was working on these, he kept telling me how professional they looked, and how much he appreciated me sewing them…it was so heartwarming! I love it that he’s into the idea of cloth diapering, and that he really understands the time and love that goes into it!
—
OOH! And this yarn from Zenstring just came! It’s bluefaced leichester…for diaper covers.
(don’t worry, Medea likes being used as a prop!)
Posted in just chit chat, baby | 13 Comments »
Good Baby News!
Friday, August 24th, 2007
You know how I took that Maternal Serum Screening test (Otherwise known as the TripleScreen) 3 weeks ago? It checks the baby’s hormone levels in my blood for signs of Down Syndrome and neural tube defects. I got a call yesterday and it came back NORMAL.
So that’s great.
Yesterday we also met with Nate’s HR person about transferring health insurance, so that’s DONE. We’re now officially ALL SET at least as far as the financial stuff goes.
I went to Unravel yesterday to talk about the fall class schedule, and I’ll be teaching beginning knitting and a lace scarf class.
Beginning Knitting:
October 20, Nov 3, Nov 17. This class is taught as a series, and you have to sign up for all three.
(10 am - 12 noon.)
Lace Scarf:
October 27 (1 pm - 4 pm.)
For the Lace Scarf class, I’m going to design the pattern myself, so everyone who signs up will get a copy of the pattern, too.
I guess that’s all the big news…class is going great (I’m teaching a college class this semester.)
Posted in events, baby | 4 Comments »
It’s almost Frrrriday!
Friday, August 17th, 2007
I’m swatching for another maternity sweater. This time, I’m using this gorgeous Merino from Neighborhood Fiber Co. It’s hand dyed by Ms. Karida in what she calls a “semisolid” colorway. There is a very subtle verigation that really catches the light.
I’m trying out reversible cables on this one. (Fabric that cables on both the RS and WS.) Thanks to a little help from my friends, I *think* I’ve got it!
SO…I can tell you one big thing that’s been going on behind the scenes that I’ve been unable to blog until now: I’m leaving my job at the end of the month. I’m teaching a class fall semester, then staying home for at least a year.
I’ve been rushing around trying to get everything finished up there before my last day, figuring out what to do with our health insurance, and getting all kinds of other stuff in place.
That’s where I’ve been lately, if you’ve been looking! And it’s why I’ve been stressed the past weeks. It may not seem like a big change, but WOW. Going from full-time scientist to stay-at-home mom…it’s a major life change.
And a BIG secret to have to keep!
Posted in yarn reviews, just chit chat, baby | 6 Comments »
More baby clothes
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
So, Ok…I’m totally addicted to my baby. I know that sounds rediculous, and it probably is. But I can think of nothing else.
To help assuage this feeling of urgency in regard to “getting ready” I keep something baby on the needles at all times.
Here’s the most recent Baby Thing:
It’s a pair of “Picky Pants.” (Another soaker.) For this one, I used Theresa’s pattern and followed it to the T. The pattern is like a choose your own adventure novel, in that it’s 18 pages long…and after completing one step you decide whether to add some feature (short rows in the seat) or another (long or short legs, different hem treatments.) I’ll definitely make these again! (Yarn is Cascade 220 tweed.)
And here’s the most recent Baby Thing from Mom:
It’s a sweater from Jill Eaton’s “Minnies” baby book, with another set of handmade buttons. CUTE. This one is Malabrigo worsted!!
(photos taken at night, again!)
Posted in just chit chat, Patterns, baby | 11 Comments »
My first…soaker.
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
To those of us who are new to the whole cloth-diapering world, the word “soaker” being used to describe a diaper cover is just gross.
But that that’s what it’s called.
And there are a million and a half free soaker patterns on the internet.
So (and they tell me this is true) apparently, you can put a cloth diaper on a baby, then put a pair of wool undies on top of that…and it won’t leak. You have to wash the wool undies in a lanolin mixture first, but isn’t that interesting? That wool is as waterproof as some other manmade stuff? I love wool.
I used the cast on number from this pattern and then “winged it.”
MODS:
Instead of doing the k1 p1 stitch pattern, I worked mine all in stockinette. I also did a more decorative decrease method at the edges (slip the first stitch, k1, skp, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2) on every RS row.I picked up a multiple of 4 sts for the waistband and worked that in k2p2 ribbing, making eyelets for the draw cord in every P rib, about 1 inch up. Also picked up for ribbing at legholes.
Main part is regular worsted yarn (maybe Brown Sheep naturespun?) that I dyed with KoolAid, and the ribbing is all Malabrigo merino worsted. The photos are kind of technicolor again…because when I get home from work I go to SLEEP. Then I can get up for a couple hours and do some stuff, like take photos…in the dark.
Posted in Patterns, baby | 15 Comments »
16-week midwife visit update / sewing
Saturday, August 4th, 2007
I did some sewing yesterday. The baby’s due January 18. Even though it doesn’t get really cold here in southern NM, it might be 30-40 degrees outside at that time. So I think we’ll need at least some winter stuff, but by mid-March it’s getting into spring again already so I don’t want to buy a whole ton.
ETA: All of the stuff above except diaper covers are from McCall’s pattern #M4236
I bought some brightly-colored polar fleece and made a sleeveless blanket sleeper and a pajama. I also made some fleece diaper covers and a couple pair of pull-on pants a few weeks ago. My zipper-inserting skills are really sad. I can’t help but try, though. I’ll probably use the rest of the fleece to line the moses basket and maybe make a blanket. I’m also trying my hand at cloth diaper sewing. I found a couple of patterns online. I love making stuff. I haven’t had the sewing machine out in a LONG time.
I went in for a checkup on Friday and everything went really well.
I talked to her about what the birth will be like, and a few other things that had seemed really abstract. She assured me that I’ll get to have the baby in my hospital room, and that Nate can be present in the birth. I’ll get to nurse as soon as possible, and it really sounds like they already do everything I was hoping for.
We used the doppler to eavesdrop on what the baby’s up to in there. The midwife was really laughing at how much movement there was…apparently our baby is unusually acrobatic. We hard its blood flowing, but no heartbeat. She said SHE caught a glimpse of heartbeat, but then couldn’t focus on it so that my untrained ears could hear it. (Maybe because the baby was too busy.)
I had blood drawn for the maternal serum screening and signed up for the level-II ultrasound, which will either be in 2 or 4 weeks, depending on their schedule. I’m really looking forward to seeing the baby again and knowing what’s going on! We’ll also find out if it’s a girl or a boy.
Any guesses??
At first I was super-convinced it was a boy. But my dreams lately have been about a girl. I’ve been having dreams about being in weird situations and having to figure out what to do. I’ve been at school in class and had to change the baby, or in a situation where I’ve had to rescue someone else’s baby. But sometimes I’m just walking around holding hands with a child looking at stuff, or just changing diapers or cuddling.
Here’s a baby hoodie that Mom knit out of Noro Lily:
She even made the buttons.
Posted in just chit chat, baby | 14 Comments »
A few FO shots
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
SO…here are a few FO shots (click on one and it goes to the set). I’m pretty happy with how it came out. It needs a good blocking and buttons…but on the mannequin you can get an idea of where the buttons will be.
That’s our incredibly fancy backyard, complete with lots of random wires doing who-knows-what on the side of the house. AND…that’s my BELLY! I’m 16 weeks, almost halfway there!
It looks a LOT different on the mannequin with no curvy belly underneath!
Like I said, it’s pretty plain, but that’s part of what I like about it. I won’t have to think about it or work to put an outfit together around it. Believe it or not…purple actually does go with most of my wardrobe! I might do a wool one with long sleeves for winter. I think this will be great for nursing, too…what do you nursing moms think?
I’m feeling better today, and I’m SO GLAD. I don’t want to see another flu bug again! My appetite is back, and it’s so nice to be hungry again!
We have another midwife appointment tomorrow, and we’ll start scheduling the 20-week tests. I’m looking forward to getting all of that out of the way. We don’t get an ultrasound this time, it’s hard to wait to see the baby again!
In general, feeling really good but tired. I’m not as nervous about everything as I was in the beginning. If I lie or sit still, I can feel the baby move around. That’s so reassuring!!
Posted in Uncategorized, just chit chat, Patterns, baby | 13 Comments »
Karida’s Saartje’s Booties!!
Saturday, July 28th, 2007
Aaw!! Look what Karida sent me!! I’ve got the Saatrje’s booties pattern downloaded onto my computer, but haven’t made them yet…and LOOK! She read my mind and made them FOR me!!
These are soooOOooo sweet!!
OK, I almost hit “publish” without really writing much or giving any updates…
SO. Here’s what’s new. I found out on Friday that I’ll be teaching an intro astronomy class this fall. I’m reading the textbook, planning lectures and reading labs. That’s going to be really fun, I think. I’ve never had an astronomy class with a lab before. Lots of chances to demonstrate principles with real life situations. I love labs.
The next big thing is that the final final FINAL deadline for my next knitting book is October 1. (That’s also my mom’s birthday, coincidentally.)
SO…while everything is going super-smooth so far, and I’m getting my steam back after the first trimester, I’m still feeling that little twinge of recognition that I *might* have a busy next couple of months.
I’m finally starting to look pregnant and not just chunky-in-the-exact-front-of-my-belly. SO…maybe I’ll post a belly photo one of these days. I just want it to be more obvious that it’s a baby. Even though I’m still not *quite* sure I look pregnant, it’s been so hot here I’ve been wearing men’s A-shirts as shirts(those ribbed undershirts) all the time. I’ve found myself sort of making a point to hold my belly and pat it in public, so people will think, “oh, it’s a baby.” and not, “She should NOT be wearing that!” I pat it pretty much all the time any way. (So excited!)
We’ve started having rainy season, so it cools down at night and we get really nice thunder and lightning storms. But it leaves the daytime really humid. You’d think I’d be used to it coming from Iowa, but no. I’m declimatized toward humidity. AND…we have a swamp cooler so to use it is to ADD humidity. So. We bought blackout curtains and installed those in all the windows and sliding doors on the NorthEast side of the house. It seems to be helping.
….And, now that I’m talking about curtains, I think that’s all the news worth reporting!
OH! here are a bunch more Saartje’s Booties photos.