Baby's Surprise

So, remember when I made the Baby Surprise Jacket a couple months ago and figured that it would sadly be summer by the time the baby grew into it (I neglected to gauge properly)? Well, I didn't bargain on having a nine pound baby who eats every two hours around the clock. We needed a sweater to put over his short-sleeved outfit yesterday and behold -- the Baby Surprise fits.

Mind you, this is also testament to Elizabeth Zimmerman's design. I swear by the one-piece t-shaped baby sweater -- be it this particular one or other similar shaped designs. The really suit and infant's body type and are okay to wear if they're a little big or even a tiny bit too small. I really urge any baby knitters out there to stay away from set-in sleeves. It's all about the big T. And as you can see, stretchy little Henry feels nice and comfy in it.

Easter Chirps

Greetings from the milk factory! I'm continuing to celebrate my right to eat foods that are on the pregnant lady banned list -- today we gorged on giant hot dogs at one of our city's two (two!) all hot dog restaurants. Mmmm... sauerkraut!

So, happy Easter or spring or whatever you celebrate this time of year. We only celebrate Easter in the most secular of ways (chocolate, bunnies, a yummy dinner with family) and Ruby is very excited to hunt for eggs in the morning after the "magic bunny" sneaks into the house while she's sleeping. Above is a little chick craft that she made at school yesterday. Peep!

A Week Later...

Still here. Still alive. Nursing constantly (Henry is 9 lbs. and growing fast) and sleeping little. As it turns out, the baby has night and day backwards and the 3-year-old has her days straight, so there's only a few hours each day when they're both snug in their beds. Ugh. Luckily, Aaron has a blissful two weeks off of work, so we're making it work. And watching a lot of bad TV during the nursing/trying to get the baby to settle in his bed hours.

Above is our first night home meal -- sparkling wine and sushi, two of the things I missed most during pregnancy. I thought I'd also want a big hunk of blue cheese immediately, but have yet to feel the urge. Otherwise, things are chugging along and we're enjoying our million dollar family.

Oh, and thanks for all the well wishes. You all are awesome.

My Henry

His name is Henry and he arrived early Thursday morning via C-section after about 14 hours of very valiant labour. Eight pounds, 14 ounces. Loved by all, especially me. That's all for now (can you tell I'm typing with one hand?

Family Photo Friday: Belly

I thought I'd subject you all to one last belly shot. I just got back from a very long and painful walk, but even if the baby isn't here soon, I probably won't be shooting the old belly again. It's pretty damn big, no? I'm getting to the point where strangers stare and me and ask personal questions. I'm waddling. If I need to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom I feel like I'm going to die. It's a big belly. I'm officially about a week and a half more pregnant than I ever was with Ruby and by far the heaviest I've ever been in my life. 39 weeks. I don't know if I have the mental capacity to see 40.

Socks To Birth A Baby With

I didn't think that I'd get these socks done, what with the carpal tunnel syndrome and the baby telling me that he was ready two freakin' weeks ago, but done they are. Anastasia socks knit on size 1 needles with Koigu KPPPM (sorry, I'm not sure of the colourway). They're my first toe-up socks and frankly, I'm quite proud of them. The toes and the heels aren't perfect, but they're okay and I'm no longer completely frightened of toe-up patterns.


I made thse a little shorter because I a) wanted to finish them; b) was afraid I'd run out of yarn; and c) didn't want my ankles to get too hot with the thicker Koigu. Anyway, not much to say, except I like 'em.

Self Portrait Challenge: Politics Week #1

The SPC theme this month is Politics, and even though these assignments are coming out of Australia, the topic couldn't fit my little corner of the world any better today. Politics are a hot topic in our house today and let me tell you, in my pregnant state I'm not really feeling very mellow about things.

First up, today is a mini-Super Tuesday in the U.S. and I'm feeling pretty down about Hillary Clinton's slide in the polls since the mega-super Tuesday in early February. Good gravy, I wish I could vote in the U.S. Living in Canada makes one feel a bit like a disenfranchised voter -- we are really very affected by whoever wins the U.S. presidency (as the rest of the world is, I suppose), but we have no say. Now, I think Obama would certainly make an interesting president and I'm definitely glad to see George Bush go no matter who takes his place, but I think Clinton could really do a great job and she seems to be getting a raw deal. No, she's not as good an orator as Obama, but her policies are solid and despite what some see as a lack of charisma, I think her heart is in the right place. Not that Obama's isn't -- but more and more he seems to be speaking from a pulpit (figuratively, of course) and I fear that his rapid rise to the top may end up overwhelming him or affecting the purity of his personality. I really liked what Tina Fey had to say on Saturday Night Live the other night: "Sure, Hillary is a bitch, but bitches get things done." Word.

So, anyway, if you live in one of the four states holding primaries, please vote. I don't want to tell you who to vote for, but please make sure you're voting for policy, not populism. That's all I have to say.

Secondly, the province that I live in had an election yesterday and despite people constantly claiming about the governing party that has ruled here for 11 consecutive terms, they won again by a huge landslide. Part of their victory is due to the fact that in a place where people can make huge salaries in the private sector, our local political parties have been unable to attract leaders with any spark or ability to lead. As a result, we have the lowest voter turn-out in the country. So, we're saddled with up to five more years of embarrassing environmental policy (our premier won't cut carbon emissions until 2050 -- by which time he himself will likely be dead); growth that has made the gap between rich and poor unbearable; no rent control; terrible health care; and a general thumbing of our nose at the rest of the country. I could go on, but the entire incident just makes me really sad. I voted, but even as I did so, the whole situation just seemed hopeless. I fear that something really terrible is going to have to happen before anything changes -- you know, a hard rain's a-gonna fall...

So, that's me expressing my politics (somewhat inarticulately, but I'm nine months pregnant) and doing my best to do my part.

Ghosts Of Baby Sweaters Past

Thanks to everyone who gave me some good vibes about the pregnancy, either here or through private email, I think I'm finally accepting that I may have daily contractions for weeks to come. We were at the hospital today (baby changed positions and I didn't feel him move all morning) and I finally got some decent answers from the doctor, so I'm cool. Or as cool as a woman can be when she's nine months pregnant.

Anyway, this all does give me both the motivation and the time to get some more stuff ready for Frank's arrival. Back when I was pregnant with Ruby I tended to knit really unpractical baby items. Like, what you see above -- a baby cardigan knit out of sock yarn. It's the Diamond Seed Baby Jacket, from the Fall 2004 issue if Interweave Knits, knit in Lang Jawool. I don't remember any of the other details. From what I can remember, I started this in late 2004 and finished in January 2005 and finished everything short of sewing on the buttons. Why? I have no idea -- maybe when Ruby came out as a girl I didn't love it so much any more. Anyway, I kind of like it, despite the mis-matched stripes (I had never touched sock yarn before and didn't recognize this stuff as self-striping). So, a new sweater for Frank!


And, I also dug out this, which I'm pretty sure is the Basket-Weave Baby Sweater from the September 2004 Creative Knitting (I only know this from looking it up on Ravelry). I used Scheepjes Soft Fun. This was not a very successful sweater -- I think Ruby only ever wore it for a picture. The problem -- set-in sleeves. Not too friendly for a newborn. This may have worked as a larger sweater for a bigger baby, but it essentially is sized at about 10 lbs (at least how I knit it). I feel obligated to try it on Frank, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. Now I just have to get the kid to come out -- at this rate he's going to be way to big for any of these sweaters anyway.

*note: the Diamond Baby Jacket is actually in the Winter 2004 issue if IK. Sorry for the confusion.