***tap tap tap***

Is this thing on??

It's a small world after all...

Douglas Jacob was born June 10, 2007 and weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz, 20.5 inches long. So (good heavens) he's a month old today. He's an easy baby, with lots of snoozing and smiles--and don't tell me that's just gas, you party pooper. Tired parents need something to keep them going.

The birth went smoothly; I started having labor pains about 9 or 10 pm on Saturday night, the doula came by about 8 am Sunday morning, we got to the hospital about 1 pm on Saturday afternoon and he was born at 1:33. Yes, it was a quick labor. Yes, it runs in the family. No, I didn't remember that while I was in labor, or I would have warned folks about that. No, I didn't have any painkillers, there wasn't time. Just like everything else, I showed up a little late and didn't get around to it. I'd be happy to give you the birth story in obsessive detail, but after a couple weeks talking about it in person those seem to be the points that folks care about.

Answers to the current favorite questions from family/friends: he sleeps about three hours at a crack, usually. I'm breastfeeding. It's going well, now that we've made it through that first week. I'm going back to work in late August or early September. Yes, we're tired. Yes, he's adorable. Yes, I really do believe that he can smile and understand my words, despite what you all tell me. His dad and I are both in love. He brings out a surprising tendency towards funny little songs in his father.

Despite all my research, and lecturing on the topic for years, I'm finding baby care even more intense than I would have expected. Some parts are really really glorious! Some parts are just tiring. So I'm going on hiatus; there's been no knitting, no blogging, no reading of blogs since I started this. It's fair to say that I probably won't get back to that for a good six months or so (though I am carving out a little time for email, or I think perhaps I would start to get the shakes). I might post sporadic non-knitting stuff over at Caveat Lector, which is the livejournal blog. C'mon over, if you'd like to keep up with me there. Otherwise, I'll meet you back over by the circular needles sometime early next year.

Almost there

I'm 39 weeks today, and it's now growing obvious that this kid will not be too early. The pregnancy is disrupting everything--my shoes, my sleep, my sanity--but I know that after Bonzo gets born, I will look back on this as a very restful time. I've had nine months to deal with it, but I'm still just as flabbergasted by the idea of another little person in our family as I was on the day I found out. The knitting just crawls along; mostly on the nights when I say I'll knit, I end up just pulling out part of my yarn stash, petting it, and packing it all back up.



I did manage to finish the Baby Surprise Jacket, which I was so excited about I had to photoblog before I sewed it up or slapped buttons on it or even wove in the ends. I supposed that since it was by another EZ, I was really obligated to try the pattern! It was great fun, had enough challenge to keep me interested, and the different stages of the sweater are broken down into chunks that are just big enough to relax into the knitting without getting stranded. I did have a little trouble with overshooting the decreases, though, and had to rip pieces of this five or six times!



I was also really entranced by the folding-up end to this pattern, as was Mr. Trope. Surprise! It really is a jacket-like object. The other "surprise" was that this is not baby-sized at all; it's a good toddler jacket. And I swear I got gauge, for once. The kangaroo in the background is one of Mr. Trope's old baby toys, crocheted by his aunt a long long time ago. She made a crocheted bear for Bonzo too; if I go overdue and have time for such things, I'll have to show off some pictures of all the handmade treasures that Bonzo has accumulated. They are really works of art, all of them.

This was knit with Plymouth Encore Colorspun DK, in some discontinued color I got from the stitching store I got in my little Hometown years ago. Knit on size 4 needles; I made gauge and then went to splurge on some Addi Turbos for this project, but they got lost in the move (sob!) so I ended up starting on the straights I inherited from my mother and never did find them so I could switch over to circs.

There's been a lot of work today: cleaning up my real job, crib and cosleeper set-up, kid laundry, diaper washing, packing and organizing. I'm pooped. This was all prompted by my first "real" contractions, which absolutely knocked the wind out of me for about 20 minutes before stopping entirely. Bonzo could be here tomorrow! Or, it could be a week from Sunday. Who knows? We'll keep you posted if anything happens, though you all should know better by now than to interpret my lack of posting as anything exciting.

the shawl that broke my blog

No, I still don't have internet at home (though I have all the parts now and all it would take is an evening to sit down and put them together). What I do have is the CD-ROM of these fabulous shawl pics that finally got unearthed. This was the Sooper Sekrit Project that I worked on so long and had to catalog so lovingly before I could send it off to its new home and blog about it. All photos are by the incomparable Bonne Marie, and copyrights, of course, are hers.

What did I learn from this Diamond Fantasy shawl? First, that lace and social knitting do not mix. Despite the Yarn Harlot's warnings, I swore a lot and pulled out a lot of stitches because I couldn't trust the pattern. Then I swore and ripped a lot because I didn't follow the pattern. I knew I was on the scant side of my yarn requirements, but felt like I was doing okay because I had only two rows to go plus a bind-off. The top of this shawl has rows of a couple hundred stitches each. I had to go buy more yarn (thank you, thank you, thank you Toni) several months after I'd bought the first batch.

I also learned that despite all my swearing, I really like lace. And despite it feeling like it took forever, I cast on for this project in October coming back from Pittsburgh and cast off barely four months later. (I know! For some of you, that is "taking forever"! Bear with me, my knitting is in a different time zone.) In comparison, it took almost four months to get the thing blocked, sent and blogged.

I also learned that I am not quite up to the task of photographing lace on my own, but thankfully Ms. Burns is there in the breach. What a generous treat at the end of all this knitting!

So what am I working on now?

* baby surprise jacket
* baby hat (teeny! Will it fit? Only if he comes out in the next week!)
* baby blanket--ETA November or December
* stashbusting blanket: for when I just can't keep my eyes open to count stitches
* Trekking socks: slowly but surely.

Since the move, I've realized I have more yarn than God. I can't even walk into a yarn store until I use some of this up. And when will I have time to knit? We'll see. The brave new world of parenthood has got my stash quivering in its Rubbermaids.

I'm 37 weeks today, which gives me the "green light" to get this kid out. I can't wait to meet young Bonzo, and can't wait to take a little time off work. I foolishly believe that I'll have more time to knit when I'm at home. All you parents can start laughing now.

Whoa--what's that?

I look over to the right on my very own blog, which I've been studiously avoiding ever since I stopped posting, and what do I see? Some of my favorite links! Links I thought I didn't have time to go look up, since my RSS feeder is down! I could go back to old-fashioned surfing! Why didn't I think of this three weeks ago??

This is a death knell for my work productivity.

Listen to me, NPR!

(Let's not discuss my big lack of posting. My internet is still down, I'm sneaking on at work, and I don't have time to grovel overmuch. But hey, maybe I'll be back online after Saturday!)

Did anyone else catch Dr. Ruth's interview on NPR's Morning Edition today? It was priceless. The first time I heard it I cried, and the second time it made me chuckle--particularly the bit where she addresses "NPR" as if it were a singular person, as in, "Can you hear me, NPR?" Yes, Dr. Ruth, we can hear you.

Knitting content will resume with next post, but I'll give you a rundown on what's on the needles:

EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket (for Bonzo)
MDK's Moderne afghan using Homespun leftovers
that infernal Garden Path shawl which will never be finished
a Trekking sock

After a solid two or three weeks of not knitting at all, I've started to get back in the habit. It feels really really good. Like my brain is waking up again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In lieu of knitting content, another favorite pastime...

Broke

Things I would do tonight, if I had the focus:

* Write a Roe post. (Meanwhile, go read Bitch Ph.D's. It's pretty good. Link is in the sidebar, one of the few links that still work so take advantage of it.)
* Write to the kid. It's been a couple weeks since I did that.
* Mop the floor.
* Watch this $%#$&^ movie for work.
* Read more Dr. Sears.
* Email much-needed friends: Adri, Bekah, Beth, Ang. Miss them.
* Mark some dates from one calendar to another.
* Write a pregnancy update.
* Clean the desk. Fix the printer. Make my workspace not such a disaster.
* Call my cousin and ascertain just what's up with him.
* Put stamps away into my book. I like my stamps.
* Screw up my courage and get rid of a bunch of gewgaws I don't need.
* Re-swatch for the abandoned shawl. Resolve to write down the size needles used next time. (Alternately, throw out my interchangeable needles so I can no longer get away with this type of malarkey.)
* Go to the drugstore and buy C's fizzy drink mix and some baby aspirin for me.
* Record some books.
* Find an icon for this breeding odyssey so I can post without shame in the preggo's forum.

However, my brain is major-league broke tonight. (I blame Blue Monday: hat tip, janeorben) I am medicating with liberal doses of chocolate and Vorkosigan, and trying not to put weight on the more tender areas of brain. On the upside, the conference is all finished and work is going great now. Good night.