Christmas knitting already?

Yeah, I guess it is that time already. So yes, I have started.

But I have been more concerned with getting some hats done. Both my little ones need new ones, and the boybot needed a new one for work. Plain black. Boring as sin, but at least it was quick to whip up. Just adding the hair to a mohawk hat. And a button to a new, plus size aviator hat for the great big little man. Also trying to sneak in a sweater dess for yours truly.

Might have to put that one off for a bit, but I keep trying to squeeze it in.

Well, that's all that's going on.

Ttfn
K
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

And we are back, folks!

So, the move went well...but the computer died on the trip. And quite frankly, we had other things to put our money towards. Sorry, not that I don't adore my fans, but we just couldn't afford a new computer on the heals of a cross country move.

But, I did end up doing something I never thought I would do in my lifetime. I BUILT MY OWN COMPUTER. Yeah, i am kinda impressed with myself. I built it. And it works (touch wood). And it is good and happy and quiet and pretty and lights up in red and blue. :D And it is an energy saver/green machine/thingy.

And in the interim, I have done a heck of a lot of knitting.

I finished a few sweaters, have started on the 5th one (this one for a child like creature), and I have even started on some of my christmas knitting. WOOOHOOO!

Well, it is late here, and I have had such an adventuresome day...I am going to get heading. I will update with pictures once I have them all downloaded on to the computer (there is a hell of a lot of them over the course of the last few months...lol).

ttfn
k.

My Shiny New Kobo

After packing several boxes of books (and donating several more boxes to the library), I sucked it up today and got a Kobo eReader. Not that I need to be fancy. Or that I liked spending money. Especially in the inevitable face of our move. But as a parting gift, I had several friends gift me with cards from Chapters. All tolled, I ended up with $125 in gift cards. So that put the cost of the device at $43. AND, since it has the ability to support ePUB files, and I can easily convert the thousand and one lit files that I never have time for into ePUB files, it seemed like a good investment.

And so far, I am loving it.

Plus, it is something nice and small that I can make a knitting project for myself for...to tide me over until I have all my knitting utensils back at hand.

Bah...I hate moving.

ttfn
k.

Today My Hair Looks Marvelous!

Not really, it does!

And while I do rock like Christmas in July, I am not just being conceited.

The reason why my hair looks so divine today? Because I am chopping it all off. My hair is pretty sick and twisted. It spends the majority of it's time being all angry and large and in the way...so I usually just tie it back and try to minimize the shame it is attempting to foist upon me. Eventually, I realize that no matter how much I try to bribe it with fancy haircare products and tempting offers of oil treatments and leave in conditioners, it just ain't going to work with me.

So yesterday I called my hair guy. We have an appointment for 6:30 tonight. He's taking away the dead, the decietful, the angry largeness, and replacing it with a manageable, loving, healthy 'do that will accentuate my stunning features and bring a loving light to my eyes.

And what does my hair do? It decides that it will try to buy itself more time. I wake up this morning and it is all pretty pretty. The curls look wonderful instead of frizzy and sleep deprived. It is doing exactly what I want. It isn't subverting the clips meant to hold it back from stabbing me in the eyes repeatedly. In fact, it is staying away from the general face area without any outside help at all. You see, it knows. It knows that it's time can be counted in hours. It is trying to stop the inevitable. It is making me feel sexy and all RAWR-y. Go get 'em, Tiger, is what it is secretly whispering in my ear.

And if I bought into it's lies? I would wake up tomorrow looking like a q-tip.

Sometimes, I hate the double-life leading hair I have.

ttfn
k.

How I Am Teaching My Daughter To Challenge The Way Society Thinks

So Princess asked what's for dinner tonight. It's hot and I'm lazy and I have an appointment at 730, so pizza it is. Our conversation went like this:

Me: pizza (pronounced p-ee-za).
Princess: mommy, it's pizza (pronounced p-eet-za)
Me: but there's no "t" in pizza.
Princess: :/ (at this point she just wandered away)

Yes, I am teaching her early on that it's ok to challenge things.
~the gang
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Things I Think When No One Else Is Watching

Lately, many of my strange and crazy thoughts have been given free reign. Unfortunately, the BoyBot and I have not been seeing much of each other lately due to work schedules and being so damn busy with organizing our move...so there is no one to reign in the twister of insanity which swirls inside my head, planting little ideas like poor little cowsies in an Illinois field (this is what I imagine the aftermath of a twister involves).

Like today. Today's big concern: My Not So Public Public Bathroom.

I cannot use a public bathroom unless there is an absolute emergency which would result in me having to change my pants when no pants are around to change in to. So, in light of the fact that I burn up 8 hours of every day in my florescent cubical of happiness, I have convinced myself that the potties here are NOT public. I mean, I need to have a security card with my picture (duly taken well after the "3" count so I look like I am in perpetual pain) to get on to the floor and get to them. I don't even need a security card to use the one at home. Pfff...if that doesn't say "Private Bathroom", I just don't know what does.

Yet this illusion of privacy sometimes back fires. There are times when I have been in there taking care of my business (I have heard that this is a much less offensive way of saying "piddling" - KB, now with 20% less offense) and there are some horrible noises coming from a stall nearby. Now I know, on a very basic level, that these are not things that can necessarily be controlled. And if it weren't for these bodily functions, we would likely explode (which would be much ickier). But I can't help feeling somewhat embarassed for that individual.

And then, of course, when I run into them at the sink (oh please, oh please...cuz if they don't go to the sink, they obviously didn't bother reading the sign about the proper way to wash your hands), I just can't bear to look them in the eye. I look at my hands, intensely paying attention to washing in between each finger, making sure every crease and groove is sparkling in hand washing glory. I check out my own reflection, making sure I am not trailing toilet paper or the sticky tabs on feminine napkins which have somehow missed the giant target that is the bin taking up 1/3 of retail space in the stall. I duck my head and run out, hoping they don't follow. And I feel this shame on their part for the rest of the day.

And then, of course, I go home and tell my children it is all a natural part of life and "if ya gotta go, ya gotta go".

But I swear I'm not a hypocrite.

This is what happens to my mind when I have 7 days of work left, and no BoyBot to calm me down. :(

ttfn
kb

Not Much To Report

Life has been so busy lately with doctor's appointments and follow ups (Riley is doing great, as far as his 12 month neonatal appointment), packing and culling, organizing and, well, more organizing. It's been a busy last few weeks. :S

But, I am sure that that will all be over with soon. (7 days left of work!!! WOOOHOOO!!!)

I have just barely started using my Halloween-y yarn. I am not yet sure if I want to make a pair of sockies or a much more visible pair of wrist warmers. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

So, in light of the fact that I don't have much to write, I leave you with:

BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN. Is there nothing that bacon can't do? (I do not mean to abuse the delicate sensibilities of any non-bacon/pork/piggy eating creatures with explicit visions of chicken being violated in such a manner, but I love bacon...it is great and good and so yummy. Besides, I think the chicken likes it.)

Just Me Playing Around

So in addition to all the other changes going on in my life, I felt it was time to get a new phone.
The old one was having issues, and the boybot and I tend to depend on text messaging (it's just so damn handy..."honey, please pick up milk"..."I'm off work early and will pick you up at the train station"..."I think my pancreas is angry with me"...so many important things). I guess phones will only take being dropped, stepped on, chewed on, etc. so much before they decide to strike back at their abusers in the form of showing only half the screen, randomly shutting off and, my personal favorite, setting off non-existent alarms at 3 a.m.
Yep. Time to go. And since boybot is on his 3rd phone this year, I am feeling good about scoping out a new one on eBay.
But alas...I let myself be drawn in by powers as great as any the devil has...I got a crackberry. AND I LOVE IT!!
So that is where this post comes in. I have discovered that I can post from my phone. I could have with my old phone had it not hated me. But, well, there was the whole "it hated me" thing. Kinda defeats the purpose.
And I guess that is all there is to it. Now let's see what happens when I hit send...
Ttfn
K
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

For Many Happy Feeties

I don't know why, but lately I have been on a little bit of a sock kick. hehehe...wow, that wasn't even intentional.

I am not entirely sure why, but socks have been a bit of an obsession lately. Mayhaps it is because they are so wee. I finished the baby blankie for one of my co-workers a few weeks back (and, as a side note, she gave birth to a beautiful little boy last saturday afternoon). I was really happy with how it turned out:

But good lord did it take much more thought than I had hoped (damn lacy bits followed by damn cable-y bits).

I also finished up a couple of scarves (yes, when it is 30 degrees outside, this is the perfect time to knit scarves, dammit).



And then the sock rampage began:



I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pattern for these baby socks. (Ok, 18 mo - 2 years...close enough to baby.) They took about 2 days on my daily commute to do. So great. Thinking I will have to make up a few pairs before the colder weather hits. (Yes, I am cruel and evil and already considering the colder weather...fak off.)

Anywho, I am now deciding what I want to do with the lovely halloween-y yarn that I picked up on my honeymoon. I am thinking maybe monkey. I don't know yet.

For those who haven't seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog...see it. SEEEIIITTTT!!!! I have a great big, fat and juicy hard on for NPH - come on, how can you not love this:


Now go...waste away your life watching internet shows...go, do it....do it now...

I, however, am off to knit.

Oh, and maybe pack a little. :S Maybe.

ttfn
kb

Random Things I've Noticed

Grown men should not eat bananas in public. There is no way to see this and NOT think something of a perverse and sexual nature.

Seeming to be on the ball...

Yes, it really seems like I am. Or rather, that we are. There are definite changes going on...everything from the supremely non-family friendly truck being sold (YAH!!!) to having a doctor lined up to take over our care.

I am so happy that things are going smoothly (touch wood...and then touch it again for good measure). It feels as if our lives for the past year have been one giant game of snakes and ladders...we get a little bit ahead, only to slide back past where we were in the first place. But it seems like it is all working out with this. I mean, yes, we have had a few hiccups along the way, but all in all, it seems to be going along great.

We have our appointment now for getting our family picture done. I am excited about this. I have never had a family portrait done...well, at least not since I was a kid. But nothing that has my family in it.

Yesterday was a super productive day. But man, are my legs sore. I walked so very, very much. And then walked some more. I suppose that I should get used to that, since that is going to be my life from here on out. But still, made for some very sore me. Nothing that a long soak in the tub couldn't fix, though.

And I did manage to get some work done on a scarf that is now overdue. (Ok, I realize that winter is still months away...but it is overdue in the sense that it was a birthday gift, and that birthday has passed.)

Anywho, I suppose I must get back to this work type of stuff that I am expected to do.

ttfn
k

Yep...I Made It

Well, it is the end of my first week back at work. Yes, technically it hasn't been a full week...but close enough. I made it to a Friday. That is what counts.

We had a little trauma and stress my first day. Ok, I was a bundle of nerves. Everything that I have done for so long without thought was suddenly so surreal. Waiting for the train was an experience in itself. I forgot the number of people...and how pushy they are. I forgot that the proper way to wait on the GO Transit platform is to find a position right on the edge of the yellow line, spread both legs shoulder width apart, and transfer all weight to your lower body in an effort to keep back any and all persons who may attemtpt to usurp your position in line for charging the doors upon their opening.

Sheesh! I guess I am used to the slower paced now. You know, the "quieter" life. I want it back. *sniff*

I am, however, going to be teaching a few of my co-workers and other miscellaneous people down here how to knit. I have had a few express interest, and since the nicer weather is starting to come upon us, I figure we can head outside, and whoever wants to join, joins.

That is really all that is going on. As I said, I survived the first week. Go me!

ttfn
k

Bits and Bobs and OMG, I have to go back

Seriously, I have a week and one day left of my leave. (Technically, I have been off of mat leave since the 1st, but I don't go back until next Tuesday.) I'm hating the impending doom of working 9-5 again. I know, I have done it for many years now, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. And as much as I would love to just quit and stay home with the little ones, I can't. We have plans. We have plans that need me to have a steady income in order to achieve. (Moving ain't cheap, ya know.)

So with one week left, you would almost assume that I would be able to take the week to relax. Almost. But that would be wrong. I can't. We have 3 doctor appointments and one O/T appointment crammed into this week, in addition to a big school event on Thursday night. :S Just no rest for the wicked, I suppose.

It's eerie, too. In the last few weeks, Riley has become much more mobile. He's finally learned to lift his bum, and we are full on crawling...everywhere. We've barricaded the livingroom off so that he has a great big playpen, but that doesn't mean that he wants to stay there. No, no. He wants to roam farther than that. Always farther than what he has been given. And it is hard to say no, since we want him to develop and work the motor skills that he has fought so hard to develop. He is such a little scam artist, and will lay face down on the ground right in front of the pillow barricade crying...like he has no room to play...every time.

On an upbeat note, we stopped by at the new sitter's place earlier this week, and I was delighted to find out that one of her children was actually a preemie (not to the degree that Riley was, but she understands the "corrected age" thing, and gets that he is over a year, but functions at a 9 month old level). That put me very much at ease. I like that I don't have to explain all of that, and try to make someone understand that he isn't slow, he is just working at the pace that he should be. I had interviewed one sitter, and she flat out stated "he seems to be a little on the slow side...shouldn't he be standing and trying to walk now?" Um, no. Did you not hear me say that he was a corrected age of 8 months...and that his development was a little behind? Making the mother and father feel like they have done something wrong, and that their child is slow and behind is not particularly the way to enamor yourself to them.

Anywho, that is besides the point. I like the girl we have. She is very nice, and was asking a thousand and one questions about both the kids. She watches two other girls that Am is in school with, so that is nice too. She will have others to play with. And she is completely cool with the cloth diapers. For some reason, they still freak some people out.

And, because of the time crunch with me going back to work, I am also going to lose some of my precious knitting time. *Sniff* I am desperately trying to finish off some of the loose end projects that I have. I am currently designing a sweater for myself. I love the vintage sweaters (something akin to this), so am working up a pattern for myself. I found some absolutely fabulous wool at the thrift shop the last time I was there, so I am working with that (it is gloriously soft and feel divine next to the skin). Not sure how it will turn out, but will post pictures when I have made some headway (currently, I have just a little of the back done, and a whole lot of numbers written out...lol...and I am not an artist in any way, shape, or form).

Well, that is all that is really going on. So far, on the moving front, everything seems to be coming together quite nicely (touch wood). So hopefully there will only be a few more months, and we will be off for greener pastures. :)

ttfn,
k

1st Birthdays are Fun!

Yes, the little man is 1. I can honestly say that I am so very happy to celebrate the first birthday. I know that for many, it represents a lot of negatives...your baby is no longer a little baby, you have to leave said baby to return to work, they are starting to become so much of their own little person. Personally, after everything that he went through, everything that we all dealt with, I think I was near tears of happiness celebrating this birthday.

And, of course, Riley loved his first taste of chocolate:


Ammy had such a good time, too. But I think that is more because she knew Riley couldn't quite open gifts on his own...so who got to sneak in to help out? Well yes, big sisters are good for that sort of thing:


The weather was great...not too warm, not too cold... All in all, it was a really great time. To those who came to celebrate, thank you!

ttfn
k

I Love Moving

Ok, I don't necessarily like moving itself, but I like the decluttering and clearing out that you can do only when you have to take absolutely everything off the shelf, out of the cupboard, etc., etc.

And hopefully, with the upcoming move (hope, hope, hope...keeping my fingers, toes and any other appendages crossed), I will be able to cull back on a lot of the stuff that I seem to find as being important and "must have"...really have to work on what is or will be needed. Hmmm...

Just don't expect the yarn stash to become any smaller...lol...that just won't happen. But, I did promise the hubby that until we know for certain what is going on and where we are going to be going, that I would refrain from buying anything new to add to the collection. See...compromise.

ttfn
k

Almost There

Wow...I kind of got caught off guard last night when I realized...my little boy is almost a year old. Seriously, at this time last year, I was on strict bedrest, fighting with my body to keep him inside.

I look back at the pictures of him when he was first born, the pictures in which I thought he was the most beautiful thing in the universe, and can't help but cry. So many wires and tubes. So tiny. Such delicate skin.

I don't know how we did it...I don't know how we handled it.

But in 23 days, he will be a year old. We still have battles. I know that. But looking back, he has come along so much. Grown so much. Is so much more than I ever could have imagined.

Now, at 8 months corrected age, he is 20 lbs 9 oz. 18 lbs more than he was at his birth. 18 lbs!

And I can now appreciate the small things so much more. Like being affronted at the fact that I didn't get the chance to sit around knitting him some absolutely adorable (but positively bribe inducing when he is older) things, because I was too busy going to the hospital to see him.

But such is life. And I got something so much more important than that!

But that doesn't stop me from buying baby books. I have a lot of friends who are currently expecting, or have recently just had babies. So I was tickled pink yesterday when I went to my thrift store across the road, and found 3 vintage knitting pattern books (circa 1960s). Two of them are baby ones, and so very, very cute. I plan on having a great deal of fun with them all, eventually...like when I am done some of my current projects.

ttfn
k

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Holy delay batman! Sorry, this past week has been one of catch up. But all I gotta say is wow. Just wow. We had such an amazing weekend. Our little person is, of course, the one who took up the most room for the trip to Granny and Grampa's, but such is to be expected, I suppose.

We arrived just in time for check in (4:00 p.m.), and it was beautiful. There was snow on the ground, but it was relatively warm. The cabin was so picturesque:

And this is what greeted us in our room:

The place was so amazingly beautiful. So quiet. We had birds on our deck...even in the snow. From our deck, we overlooked the water. Complete with an ice rink, an igloo (impromptu memento from kidlings who had been up the week before) and an ice fishing hut. The weather was amazing, too. Absolutely everything was amazing about the place. (Yes, I need a thesaurus.)

The hardest part of the cabin to leave:

And I got to go snow shoeing!!!! It was amazingly fun. I thought that we had only been out for about 20-30 minutes...we had been out for 1.5 hours! It was great. And there were so many stars! I was in heaven. But damn did my legs hurt afterwards. And that is why I loved coming back to a jacuzzi tub. So nice. And probably saved my legs (and the rest of me, for that matter). Here's one of the only pictures of the two of us out together...lol...and of course, it was after we both made snow angels after dropping while shoeing:

Saturday we had a pretty relaxed day...went out for a walk, skated (I hadn't been in about 14 years...and it didn't help my nerves any that some lady had fallen the night before, so there was a hefty patch of blood on the ice), went to a small yarn shop (yes, my hubby knows me so damn well) and went out ice fishing. That evening, after a nap (a NAP!!!), we went tubing. That was great. It was pure ice. And since it was, there were very few people there. In the course of 2 hours, we went down at least 30-40 times. And fast. The manager clocked us at 80 kms. Weeee! (To those interested, yes, my tailbone was bruised and swollen from hitting the ice...apparently I am light and the guys there were physically lifting me up to spin me down the hill.)

Sunday we were greeted with our much missed little ones (who barely registered that we were gone) and a nice family meal. It seems that they were bigger when we got back:
...and one just wouldn't stay still.

All in all, the weekend was phenomenal.

So, what is new in the world of knitting, you may ask (or you may not, in which case, I am going to tell you anyway)?

Well, this is the wonderful sock yarn that I picked up while up north:

It's like halloween in yarn form!

I'm still working on my Zelda, but I did manage to get some work done on it:

My current addiction, Midsomer Murders, is helping with getting some of my knitting done (I am doing a few smaller things that require little to no thought...and only one colour at a time), so poor Zelda keeps moving to the back burner. :(

Well, hope everyone is doing well...

ttfn
k

Drumroll Please

That's right...two more medals for little KB.

I also have finished all the knitting for my long neglected cardigan. The sleeves are currently drying and I will be sewing them on later today. Then...dare I say it...the cardi will be complete. (I already bought these sweet wood buttons from, of all places, the convenience store across the road.)

I am thinking, since I now only have left the OpArt blanket left (seriously, only one WIP...what is that???), I am going to start the designing of Riley's sweater. That should be a fun one.

For all the knit-like-type-people out there, you may find this interesting. My nan and I are pretty close. We talk at least once a week (she is a snowbird). The other day, I got a call from her completely out of the blue (usually we talk Sunday afternoons). Her first (and only) question when I answered the phone: "What gauge do you get when you knit Riley a sweater in yarn that's a 4?" She had just casted on a sweater and it seemed a little off. So she asks me the average gauge that I use on a sweater for Riley, and we had this long conversation with me converting her gauge based on other items I have made for Riley. Definitely one of our more interesting conversations.

In other news, I finally got my new stroller. Ever since Riley has grown out of his car seat (which was a long while back), I have had a huge hate on for our stroller. It is big, bulky, awkward, and I have to split in two pieces to get it to fit in the trunk, where it then takes up all the space in the trunk. HATE. IT. So I have been looking around for a new one. Wanted a good one, with a basket and cup holder for me, and 5 point harness and reclining for Riley. Those were really my only requirements. I looked around, read opinions, etc., etc. I finally found one the other day that I really liked. I like the colour (red), I liked the look of it, I loved how easily it maneuvered. It was wonderful. (For those who are interested, it is the Bily Kingston Stroller - oddly I couldn't really find anything about it, despite looking high and low, except that Bily stands for Because I Love You.)

It was a fair price ($70, on sale from $110 - go Zellers go), and folds up pretty compactly. It feels very sturdy, and Riley loved the one I put him in at the store. The assembly was pretty easy (the wheels and brakes...that's all...just the wheels and brakes), so it took no time at all, relatively speaking.

Then I noticed this:


Does anyone else notice the phallic nature of the handles? I mean, ok, I understand they were going for a cute "antennae" sort of handle, but come on! Did no one notice this during production? (and yes, I am going to have to knit some ribbed handles...lol...)
ttfn
k

Sweet Success

It is amazing how much more I can get accomplished when I have some sort of preconceived deadline. Well, sometimes. But the ravelympics have definitely put me in a "let's get this finished" mood.
My jacket (yes, I still need to get buttons...I guess a trip to Walmart is in order):

My little girl's socks:

I'm thinking that I am going to finally be able to finish the cardigan that has been hanging out on my side there (the brown one that has been just a sad little vest for the last, what, 4 months). I started the sleeves last night. WooHoo!!!
And my medals:






I should be getting the ones for the Sock Hockey event and the Sweaterboard Cross event shortly, considering both were finished yesterday. Just wanna get the one for at least one WIP-dancing, and I will be a happy, happy girl. :)
Not much else going on right now. I went for my ultrasound the other day, and have an appointment with my doctor on Wednesday to see what that revealed. And the end of this week, of course, is my honeymoon. WEEEE!!! I am super stoked about that. 3 days and nights childless with my hubby. And a real wood fire. And a whirlpool bath. And a log cabin.
I can't wait! (Thankfully, Ammy is super excited about getting to spend some time with Granny and Grampa, so she is doing the countdown, too.) Just gotta make it through the cleaning and packing of this week, now...
ttfn,
k

Ravelympics 2010

Well, with the start of the Olympics last week, so begins the start of Ravelympics. I have actually been making damn good progress with the items I am doing for my team (GO TEAM BKG!). So far, I have finished one toy (Toadstool Rattle for Riley):


My coat is coming along really well (thanks to an unhealthy dose of insomnia):


I have also gotten one sock done for Ammy (to be entered in the Sock Hockey category), and the second one is even cast on already, too!!!

Plus, I have somehow managed to find time to finish off one of the behbeh sweaters I am doing for a friend. I still have to sew it, but it is done and waiting for that.

Woohoo...busy, busy, busy. :) And loving every moment of it. (Yes, I know that I am going to crash soon...but after a nice 10-12 hour nap, I should be fine again...lol)

ttfn
k.

Stones...and not the rolling kind

So it seems that Riley, cute as he may be, will continue with his one step forward, two steps back...at least for a little while.

At his urology follow up at Sick Kids, they ran a new ultrasound on him with respect to his kidney reflux. That is fine. It is being well managed with the medication that he is on, so they are not concerned. We go for another follow up in 6 months, but for the moment, they are positive that he can stay on the medication until he is around potty training age, and will be fine. HOWEVER (there is always a however, it seems), during the course of the ultrasound, they discovered that he has kidney stones. Kidney stones! In a 10 month (or 7 month, depending on if you want to use corrected age) child!

They are guessing that he has developed renal stone disease, which I was diagnosed with about 4 years ago. They aren't sure how, though, since his body *technically* shouldn't have excess minerals and vitamins needed to create a single stone, let alone the many of them that they discovered.

So, in the course of this, they are hoping to use me as a guinea pig. I go for a follow up ultrasound on Wednesday to see if there are any "live" stones currently in my kidneys (which there should be, since there almost always is) and, from what was guessed by my family doctor, they will likely do a retrieval of one of my stones to find out the exact breakdown and hopefully be able to give both Riley and I something to break them down without having to wait for them to pass.

Fun, fun, fun.

At least I have my vacation to look forward to before having to deal with all this ickyness.

And I finally went and got myself a set of the puzzle boards from the dollar store across from us. I think I mentioned this before, but the place across from us has the 10 packs of the foam puzzle boards for $3-4 dollars. Now, I bought a set for Riley to play on, and just bought another set for myself, since they would be perfect for blocking (in fact, they sell in most places for $20-$25 as "blocking mats"). Yep, I'll take em for $3, thank you very much. And hope the cats will leave the blocking items alone.

ttfn
k

I Wonder If Winter Looks Different From the Treetops

So the hubby and I have decided to celebrate the fact that *if* February had 29 days this year, we would be celebrating our 6 month anniversary. How have we decided to celebrate? By taking our honeymoon. Yes, that is right. 3 days and 3 nights with just the two of us. We've actually decided that we are going to go up north. I know, I know, why not do the Niagara Falls thing, since that would be just as close and hotels often have the "Romantic Getaway" packages which include a bottle of wine and one dinner. Well, quite frankly, if we wanted loudness and people and more people and all that jazz, we would save ourselves the money and just stay home. Plus, if you factor in the $50-$80 that most things in Niagara cost to do, we'd be spending a whole boatload, or end up staying in our hotel room, never venturing out the whole time.

We wanted something more than that. We wanted something to be remembered (and not in the 9 months later sort of way).

So we are heading up north. We are renting a cabin at one of the all year round places. I'm not one for much outdoors stuff, especially during the winter, but we have decided on a few things that we would like to do. We are going to hit up this sweet Treetop Adventures place on the way up there. They actually take you through this giant trail 40 feet up in the trees. It is all connected by bridges and ziplines. I'm super excited about that. We also plan on going night tubing at one of the places that have the snow tube runs nearby where we are staying.

The cabin that we are staying in has not only a jacuzzi tub but a hot tub on the deck! Plus, they have a huge games room (with pool tables, ping pong tables and an arcade), and they have snowshoe trails that you can go on all around the place (I have always wanted to go snowshoeing...I don't know why, just always have). And three square meals a day are included with the package.

So yes, I may not be a big one for winter and cold, but the hot tub/jacuzzi tub will make up for that. And if all else fails, the cabin has a real wood fireplace that we can snuggle up in front of.

In other news, I have finally got all the yarn that I need for the breeders I know. I have one sweater done already (red one akin to the sweater I made for Riley in green), and plan to do one more blue and one more pink. That should cover everyone expecting during the month. I swear, May was a popular month for copulation. :S

Tis all.
ttfn
k

Why doesn't my meatloaf look like the picture?

Seriously, why does my food never look like it does in the cookbook? I guess that is a mystery for the ages.

Anywho, this past week Am started swimming on a weeknight (gotta say, I love it...she is nice and tired and easy to get to bed that night). It is a repeat of the Swimmer 1, but she still has issues with jumping in the water, and with getting her face wet. She is doing better, since she is starting to cup water to her face in the bath, so I am hoping that we won't see as much of the resistance to certain activities this time around that we saw in the fall program. She is also super excited that her sweater is almost all done. At every stage of it, she has wanted to try it on, even when it was in pieces. Here it is looking almost completely like a sweater:

Only thing left to do is put the buttons on. And block it. I usually leave blocking until the very end, as I find there to be no point in blocking it while it is still in pieces. Shapes change when the seaming is done. Meh...is my opinion.

I've also gotten about halfway done the red version of the cabled sweater for Riley. This picture was taken a few days ago, but I love how bright the red is. So much brighter than what it seems all wound up in a ball:


The Ravolympics start in a few weeks time, and I think I have figured out what I plan on making for that. Wanna do my BKG team proud. :) So, the militia coat that I have been talking about for a while is what I plan on entering. The rules are that you can't start until the torch is lit. I have swatched (which is allowed), and have everything ready to go. Now just to figure out what I will do until then. I mean, I have been doing really good with the finishing up UFOs lately, and only really have one or two small things left, i.e., the match to this (which is at the heel now):


In non-knitting related news, I have to say that I still find it very amusing that everyone seems to get differing advice and on differing degrees. As Riley is a preemie, I find myself often reading the blogs of other preemie mothers (not that I am saying those preemies don't have dads, but I haven't ever seen a blog by a preemie father in which they discuss the challenges and such of dealing with a preemie). And it endlessly amuses me, and would endlessly confuse me if I took everything everyone's doctor said to heart, that everyone seems to get different feedback about similar or even identical things. For sure, there are things that are baby specific. For example, I know many preemie parents who don't have to deal with the breathing and lung issues, or the kidney issue, or any issues at all. I know others who deal with brain bleeds and heart problems. It is a smorgasbord of health issues.

But I find it interesting that certain specialists that preemie parents all see (i.e. the neonatalogists at the follow ups), ones that you would figure would all agree on things, don't. I was reading through various blogs today, and in the course of reading 4 different ones, I came across the following opinions respecting exersaucers, bumbo chairs and bath chairs:

- Our doctor says they are fine in moderation, as they help our daughter with stretching and reaching;
- Our neonatalogist would kick our ass if we dared to put our daughter in an exersaucer, but she is fine with the bumbo chair;
- The people at the follow up said not to put him in any of those types of contraptions, at all;

and our follow up, we got the "all of these things are bad and horrible and will stunt him in learning to walk and/or hold himself up". This wasn't just their theory with Riley, but with all children, preterm or not. Now, personally speaking *only*, I used the exersaucer with my daughter. She didn't want anything at all to do with the bouncy chairs. She loved the exersaucer, and it was wonderful for me to actually be able to get things done (i.e. I could put her in it with me while I was in the kitchen doing dishes...she was happy and amused, and I got to eat off clean dishes for another few days). And the other day, just since I desperately needed to get in and organize Riley's room, I stuck him in the one that I have for him. Well, lo and behold, he loved it. There are objects above him, so he was actually reaching up to play with them. He was interacting with the music pieces, and was actually holding himself up (meaning that he had his feet flat on the bottom of it and was actively turning himself around AND holding his body weight up to the degree that those items allow them to). With Riley's torso muscle issues, he already has issues with holding himself up, and even if we are there to support him, he still finds it difficult, especially if you try to get him to grab at things or interact with anything at all. Truthfully, he was only in it for maybe an hour, but in that hour, he did more of his OT therapies than I can usually get him through in an hour on our mats.

Now I am very much an "if they are happy, there is nothing wrong with what you are doing" type of parent, so I am thinking that so long as he is happy and it is working him (meaning he is still doing all the stretching and reaching and he is actively placing his feet on the ground instead of letting the seat hold him up 100%), I am giving up on the various reports that I see/hear/read. If he wants his exersaucer and to use it too, he can. No, he won't live in it, and yes, we will still get down and do the OT exercises, but it is a nice sub, especially since I am terrified that he will bounce himself over in the chair (which he seems to hate with a passion now and bounces that thing to the point that it actually comes off the ground...yep, no more bouncy chair for you, little man).

Tis all.
ttfn
k.

Well, um, Happy New Year (less 8 days)

Yeah, I am a bit behind in the new year wishes. But I don't mind. (If you do, so sorry to hear.)

It really and truly has been such a busy past few weeks. My little angel, yet again, broke a pair of glasses on the last day of school. What wonderful luck 2009 had for us! I can honestly say that I am not unhappy to see it go in the least. While it did give me much to be thankful for, I think I would prefer to have a quiet, dull, uneventful year this time.

Our little critters had a blast on Christmas. Am loved all the goodies Santa bestowed upon her:

And Riley, well, he enjoyed the paper...and the boxes:

We actually (somehow) had a relaxing holiday break. Not overly sure how the heck we pulled that one off, but it was great.

Other than that, things have just been motoring along as per the norm. We picked up Am's new glasses yesterday. They are cute as all sin. Little pink wire frames. She no longer looks completely like my clone, but I think I will survive.

And in the world of needles and yarn, I have been having a blast going through my stash. In the last few weeks, I made four staggered rib scarves for the men in my life. Five non-scarf scarves for the ladies in my life. A coffee mug cozie. A matching sleeve to fit my Timmies cups (extra large...I'm a pansy and always find that the cup is too hot).
A second mexican wrestling mask (Brian has been bugging me for one ever since I finished Tony's - and yes, that is Brian in it):

A few hats and booties for my local hospital's preemie group. This sweater which I am now completely and utterly in love with (and not just because of the handsome young man in it):

Who'da thunk he could pull off lime green? I am thinking that I will likely have to make a few more of these, since it took all of about 2 days to make this up, and less than 2 balls of yarn (Bernat Softee Chunky - on sale at Walmart - for those who are interested).

I am currently working on a super sweet sweater for Am (pink and purple...what a shock), which I haven't yet taken any pictures of, and cannot seem to find a link for anywhere. It's just a simple cardi, anywho, with a few zippered pockets.

I also decided that with all this "other person" knitting I have been doing lately, I am finally going to start something for myself. So, hopefully, later today I will be casting on the Militia Coat. Wee...I love something big for myself. (I admit, I haven't been completely altruistic lately...there was a hat for myself, and the coffee related stuff.)

Anywho, little man is calling. Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday time.

ttfn
k.