Oh yeah, that knitting thing...

Seeing as how the title of my blog is KNIT and purlsuasion, I thought that I should probably update you on what I am making for little bean.

I stumbled upon a Debbie Bliss book (LOVE HER) called Booties, Blankets and Bears just a few months after getting pregnant.  After the miscarriages I really didn't want to start knitting anything until I was sure that this one was going to stick.  I made that mistake with the first pregnancy and it was really hard to look at that blanket afterwards, so I wasn't going to do that again.  I choose "Blanket with Decorative Edge" for the first baby blanket for bean.

I haven't gotten as far as I would have liked to at this point, but we moved etc. etc.  With the Olympics on, I have finally been able to have some solid knitting time.  The body of the blanket is seed stitch so it is a little more slow going than straight knit or purl, but I am still enjoying.

I am flying to Houston this weekend for my cousin's wedding (YAY!) so I am hoping to get the rest of the body done so that I can move on to the border, which will be white and brown - to match the nursery.


P.S. Don't worry, my aunt bought matching yarn and has already knitted bean a matching hat :)

Weekly links to start your week!

In recognition that there is a world out there in addition to the small little world that Adam and I have created here, below are links to stories, pictures etc that I found from the last week. Each of the links is something that I enjoyed reading, found interesting, opened my eyes, made me cry or almost made me pee my pants laughing.  I hope that they have the same effect on you.

Enjoying the Small Things happy announcement - for those of you that don't follow Kelle Hampton's blog, you really must, it is something that I look forward to reading every day.  She has a zest for life and an honesty about it that is extremely refreshing.  She announced this weekend that they are expecting their third baby together and I am very happy for them - congrats!

Guilty Monkey

More book ideas from Dooce

New needles from Knit Picks

Knitting for Mandela's birthday

Super cute accessories from Darlybird

Mom saves her pup - this is SUPER cute, if you need a pick-me-up, watch this

As Liz Lemon would say "I want to go to here"

Another cute baby animal video (can you tell what type of mood I have been in lately?)

Send me links to things that you found interesting, entertaining or just weird; I'll put them in next weeks post. More next week!!

I was going to post something longer...

but, well, this started:

I don't know what it is about the Olympics, but I am sucker for them.  I am sitting on my couch with my knitting watching the opening ceremony, had BBQ and a root beer float for dinner, and strawberry shortcake for desert - I am in heaven.  The fun starts tomorrow! Who's excited??

5x5=25 weeks

According to one book, this week starts my third trimester; another book says it starts next week, and yet another says last week.  What is a girl to think... I'll tell you - WHERE THE HELL DID THE 2nd TRIMESTER GO??? I feel like it was just a couple of weeks ago that Adam and I were confused on when the 2nd trimester started.

If the 3rd goes by as quickly as the 2nd, we better get cooking on getting everything ready for the little dude.

Little Bean stats at 25 weeks:

weight: about 1.5 lbs

heart rate: 153 (at last sono)
weight gain: 18 lbs

activity: WAY ACTIVE - visible from the outside 

gender: Still a boy 


Harold wanted to get in on the picture taking.

Firsts

Hold on to your hats folks, we have a couple of firsts - both related to Little Bean kicking.  I have promised myself that this blog will serve as a journal of sorts to my pregnancy, so wanted to make sure and record both here.

What I am pretty sure Little Bean is doing

1) This past Thursday night (the 19th) Little Bean woke me up for the first time with his kicking.  I thought that I was dreaming or had to get up and go to the bathroom during the night AGAIN, as every other pregnant woman in history can understand.  Not this time, no - this was because Little Bean found a spot on my left side that he wanted to try his new dance moves on.  Not the most pleasant feeling!  I had to move around for a little bit to get him to move so that it wasn't concentrated on just one spot, which helped me get back to sleep.

2) Yesterday morning (the 23rd) I was laying in bed, and lo and behold - I watched my stomach move - I could actually see Little Bean kicking me.  FINALLY - I had proof that he really was kicking the crap out me.  I could finally show Adam! Honestly, it is the strangest thing - half of you is really excited because you can see your little boy moving, the other half wants to run screaming because there is an alien moving inside of you.  I did a little bit of both.

Ever since we found out we were pregnant the first time, I have always wanted to get to this point.  I wanted to have that feeling of your little baby moving inside of you.  It is still strange, and little creepy, but it is a feeling I will never forget.  I might complain about how uncomfortable it is (and it is), but after all that we have been through, I will take the high-kick routines and the karate lessons all day long, just as long as I know that he is still with me.

And don't worry, I have already started looking up soccer classes for him.  If he kicks this well now, I am aiming for the English Premiere League!

Tomorrow is week 25!

24 weeks=6 months!!!!

I can't believe it, but I am now 6 months along.  We are getting closer and closer to meeting our little dude.

I have come to conclusion that I should be taking these pictures in the morning prior to going out in the heat that we have been having that melts my hair, my makeup and my energy.  I need to be ready for my close-ups each week. :)

The clothes in the pictures are brought you by Krystal's Closet.  The best in gently used maternity clothes. Really, there is nothing like sharing maternity clothes with your sister.  Not only does it save you money, it also helps make me feel like my sister is closer by during my pregnancy.  It is hard being away from my family during this time and anything that makes them seem closer is greatly welcomed.

Little Bean stats at 24 weeks:

weight: about 1 lb 6 oz

heart rate: 153

activity: WAY ACTIVE - his kicks are getting stronger and when he concentrates on one area it is strong enough to hurt now. 

gender: Still a boy  

More importantly, these pictures are coming to you from the nursery that has newly painted walls!  I am taking pictures as we work on the room and will post soon on how it is coming along.

The only problem with the room is that Harold has become attached to it and I am pretty sure thinks that it is his room.  I don't have the heart to tell him yet that it is in fact for the newest member of our family that will be joining us soon.  I am putting that conversation off for right now.

Happy dude!

Weekend Reads

In recognition that there is a world out there in addition to the small little world that Adam and I have created here, below are links to stories, pictures etc that I found from the last week. Each of the links is something that I enjoyed reading, found interesting, opened my eyes, made me cry or almost made me pee my pants laughing.  I hope that they have the same effect on you.

Knitting My Way Home  - OpEd in the New York Times

Girls Gone Child's HGTV series started

Craft Magazines

NPR Radio Lab - Kanzi (talking ape - no...seriously)

Pupanzee (just click on it, I promise you will go ahhhh)

Dooce mentioned a childrens book called Extra Yarn - yep it has yarn in it, already looking for it.

16th wedding anniversary gifts Bloggess style (warning: might pee pants while reading)


Send me links to things that you found interesting, entertaining or just weird; I'll put them in next weeks post. More next week!!

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Harold had a tiring one, but is resting up now.

The Showdown

The move hasn't been the easiest undertaking for Harold.  When we first got him we were told that he had separation anxiety. We worked hard with him to get him comfortable with both of us so that we could get him off of the medication that they had to put him.  Unfortunately, because of the move, his separation anxiety has reared its ugly head again.  He had two open wounds on her right leg a couple of weeks ago that he gave to himself while we were at work (still haven't figured out how he did that).  Don't worry, we were able to take him to the vet and they have both healed up nicely and he is back on track.  We are continuing to work with him so that he gets comfortable in the new place.

However, all of his problems haven't gone away, poor guy.  Every night, this is the scene in our bedroom.

While the fan is there every night, and it hasn't once attacked him or us, Harold is a vigilant watch dog and makes sure that we are all okay.  He does eventually relax once both of us are in bed, and curls up against my legs and goes to sleep.  Of course, this is only after he has shown the fan who is boss.  To be fair, the fan hasn't once attacked us or moved, so Harold seems to be doing his job.

I mean, look at that focus.

23 Weeks!

We are one week closer!!!  The biggest change this week is…well…I am eating EVERYTHING.

I wouldn’t even put down my apple to take this weeks pictures. 

I am currently going in for sonograms every two weeks to check my cervix.  With everything that has happened in the past, they just have to monitor it throughout the pregnancy to make sure that it remains closed.  While I don't enjoy having to go into the doctors office every other week (I hear the Cheers theme song whenever I go in "Where everybody knows your name"), I more than enjoy the fact that I get to see my little bean every other week. 

Drum roll please.....

Little Bean stats at 23 weeks:

weight: 1 lb 3 oz

heart rate: 145

activity: WAY ACTIVE - he is constantly moving.  

gender: BOY - so haven't written about this yet, but we are both SUPER excited.  It all seems even more real now that we can use he and him when we talk about him.  

It is amazing how much I love my little bean already.

  

Oh Baby, Baby...

There are a lot of things that you don’t know or don’t expect when you are pregnant.  The itchiness, the constant runny nose, dry eyes…just to name a few.  The one thing that every woman expects is eventually being able to feel your little one moving.  However, even that isn't how I expected it to be.

First, the first movements that you feel are these little things that you question if you really felt.  The best description I have heard to describe it is popcorn popping.  Honestly though, if you didn’t know you were pregnant and looking out for it you would just think it was an empty stomach or gas. 

Then comes the second phase - bigger moves.  There is no question with these, they are the baby.  I was sitting with my ipad resting on my stomach while I was reading – I felt LB kick and simultaneously watched my ipad move.  Nothing large, but it definitely happened.  Every once in a while it catches me by surprise and I gasp audibly and Adam or who ever is around me looks at me to make sure everything is okay.  "No problem here – just you know, getting kicked by someone you can’t see."

I know that things are only going to get stronger as LB grows and gets stronger.  I also know that as the room in there starts to shrink, feet are going to get planted in my ribs and I'm going to be able to see the feet and hands from the outside (weird).  I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to that J  Needless to say, I am enjoying where I am at in my pregnancy right now.  It is an extremely cool feeling to feel LB moving around and knowing where the feet and hands are; it is also reassuring to know that LB is okay.  If I was honest though, the overwhelming feeling that I have right now is: HOLY CRAP THERE IS A PERSON INSIDE OF ME!!!!!!

It's a Jane Austen kind of weekend

Does anyone have about 20,000 - 30,000 pounds laying around for me to borrow? (That is about $31,000 - $46,000)

Sotheby's is auctioning off a ring that once belonged to Jane Austen.  So, I figured if we would all come together, we could scrap together enough to bid on it.  Pipe dream? Maybe, but isn't it a great thing to dream!

Jane Austen's Bookstore

The blog Austenonly has a great post about the bookstore where Jane Austen and her family had an account.  The pictures are awesome and it is even more amazing that this many years later, and amid all of the closings of bookstores, that this one has remained a bookstore!

Another place has been added to my bucket list of places to visit!

22 weeks = 5 1/2 months!!

I can't believe that I have hit the 5 1/2 month mark.  The 2nd trimester seems to be going by really quickly and we still have so much to do.  But all of that in due time.

We went to the beach!  Which means that I got to take my weekly belly photo in a new setting.  

Much nicer than the ones that we have been able to do while moving.

It was a wonderful time to get away.  We were able to get out of our place - no unpacking boxes, no having to worry about Harold being alone, no feelings of not doing enough to prepare for baby - just relaxing.  We took some walks, sat on the beach, read and got to spend some quality time with great friends.

We are going to try and make this a yearly trip for the fourth of July - it is only a couple hours away and honestly, I can't believe that we haven't done this before.  

We only stayed a couple of nights, but it was rejuvenating and just what we both needed.  We are well rested and are ready to buckle down and get our lives in order before the little one joins our family.

An added benefit was that we found a Sonic on the way home, and while Harold wasn't really sure what his crazy parents were doing, we beelined for it and were able to get our Sonic fix until the next time we stumble across one :)

Ode to Basements

I have always known the benefit of having a basement growing up in Kansas.  Growing up with tornadoes I just assumed that everyone had a basement - as I grew up I realized that that wasn't the case, and those that did didn't always have a finished basement.  Since leaving for college, I have lived without a usable basement for 11 years.

I have had moments when I have missed having a basement, and was really excited when we signed a lease for our new place since it has a finished basement with a guest room and a full bath.  I was excited, but I feel bad now that I wasn't more ecstatic and celebrating.

For those of you that don't know, we were hit by a bad storm Friday night.  We weren't expecting the storm so it came as a bit of a surprise how strong it was.  At points the wind was hitting 70 mph.  Fairly quickly after the storm started, we lost power.  Now, Friday night without work the next day normally wouldn't be a big deal normally if we lost power.  But we also hit a record high that day of 104 degrees and we aren't going to see a break anytime soon.  Within about 30 minutes our room on the top floor was getting hot and I knew that we weren't going to be able to sleep there through the night.

That is when I could have a done a happy dance outside in the pouring rain that we had a nice cold basement with a finished basement, with a finished guest room, with a bed that was already made.  Adam thought that that might not be a good way of introducing myself to the neighbors so I just picked up my pillow and flashlight and carried them downstairs to my nice cold basement.

We got electricity back yesterday morning, and while not having power was annoying and at times frustrating (you don't realize how much you rely on it until its gone) we were VERY lucky.  We were able to stay in our nice cold basement without having to go to a hotel that accepts dogs, which was a huge step up for us, especially in this heat.  In addition to that, we had no major damage to either the house or our car.  There are a lot of people in the area that can't say the same, so we are very fortunate and and not taking our electricity for granted.  I am currently sitting in my air conditioned living room with all of our lights on, our dishwasher is running, I am watching TV while typing on my lap top - you know, making up for lost time.  (Isn't consumerism awesome?)

As for Harold, he is just glad that it wasn't a power outage like his first one with us when we got 32" of snow.  For a trip down memory lane, here is a picture of Harold during snowpocalypse before we went to a hotel.