Did anyone find an extra 7 days?

I lost a week. I'm not sure where it went. I kept thinking that I had just posted, but it's been a week. It hasn't even been a particularly busy week. I did a lot of job searching and research into continuing health insurance coverage after leaving a job, but that wasn't all consuming. I don't know what the hell happened.

I did finish my second gift fetching. Of course I don't have my camera with me, and I brought them to work because I thought I'd be having lunch with the recipient this week. Perhaps I will 1) bring the fetching home tonight, 2) get new batteries for my camera and 3) take a photo to share. I think I might have added a stitch or two to the picot bind off, because mine is very toothy-looking.

I have also found a place to get rid of the red heart and the acrylic I tried to teach myself to knit and crochet with in high school. I'm donating it to the Knittas! Should you have some yarn you want to get rid of, they said they're always happy to receive new yarn for their tagging missions. Just click on contact and send them a note. They'll get in touch and tell you where to send stuff. I love their knitted graffiti, and I love that they take acrylic yarn! That's one more box I don't have to move halfway across the country.

P.S. I did check the orange conditioner bottle- the nudist sport is volleyball. I think April left that in the comments last time, but I wanted to let you all know that I was thinking of you in the grocery store, and I checked so I could share the knowledge.

Amusements

We have this shampoo and conditioner, and I can't remember which kind it is (maybe herbal essences or something?) , but it amuses me to no end. For each kind of shampoo and conditioner, such as extra body, or moisturizing or what have you, they have trivia questions. The answer to the shampoo is on the conditioner and vice versa. What tickles me so is that we have two different "styles" of shampoo and conditioner right now, so the questions and answers don't match up. This is the one I read every morning and smile to myself:

Q: What is the most popular sport played in nudist colonies?

A: Yourself.

It just brightens my day. Next time I'm in the grocery store, I'll have to pick up the orange colored conditioner and see what the actual most popular sport played in nudist colonies is, even though it can't be any better than my answer.

I'm also amused by the fact that the first time I typed nudist, I spelled it nudest. Like it's a competition.

Other amusements include the fact that my belly suddenly popped this week. By Wednesday, my belly had gotten all taut. My navel hasn't started to stick out, but it's become perfectly round. When I was first gaining weight and it was all soft, my belly button had gone all deep and horizontal. Now, I can suddenly get to spots in there than I never have before. It's the cleanest my navel has been in 32 years!

We have a friend coming up to visit from DC. I emailed his wife a month ago to tell her about my "condition" and I don't think she's checked her email since. Or maybe it's been shut down since she's graduated. Anyhoo, it should be funny to see how Clint reacts. I've had several people at work eyeing me, not wanting to ask, but still pretty suspicious. We'll have to see how word travels, eh?

Well, I have to go eradicate some spider mites. Don't worry, I'm only spraying soap on them. I don't do anything stronger than that right now. Not while I'm a host organism myself.

Lots on the Needles

I've not had a very good attention span lately. And my knitting shows it. These are all "projects" (and I use the term lightly) that I started after the Christmas knitting was done, so Christmas day or later. I call it the ADD gallery...


Clockwise from the upper right: 1 1/2 Fetchings in Baruffa Maratona (a VERY late Christmas present for my patient friend Nicole); a provisional cast-on for Enid in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, with the swatch in the center; 1 1/3 Fetchings in Knit Picks Swish Superwash (for me); the beginning of a toe-up wee baby sock in some left over purple Dale Baby Ull (for my little bun); and the cuff +1 1/2 pattern repeats of the Rainy Day socks in Austermann Step.

My first priority to finish is the gift Fetchings. I can get it done by the time I have lunch with Nicole on Wednesday. I realize that is not a great feat, but I've been slow.

I've done no art to speak of. I think it's time to begin sketching again. I couldn't even think about it for a while. I began to miss painting so much I could barely stand it, but I learned that oils are a big no-no for pregnant ladies. But I miss drawing, too. My husband and doctor together suggested I begin to work in crayons. So nice when your doctor is as much of a smartass as your husband. Oh well, at least she laughs at the things he says, rather than being totally appalled.

Speaking of that baby in the belly, here's the first of the pregnant profile shots. I'm almost 17 weeks in this picture (just over a week shy of entering my 5th month). I don't think I'll be hiding much anymore, do you?

It Worked!

Those crossed fingers worked! My nephew Jordan was born at 2:31 central time on the Ides of March. He was 8 pounds, 1 oz, 21 inches long, and had 3 1/2 inch long feet! I think my nephew got some of the same genes as his Uncle Jes (my "little" brother with the size 16 feet).

I've spoken with my Mom (aka Nana) and the proud new parents, and they all can't stop talking about how wonderful he is. My Mom is even a nurse! She had 4 of her own! And yet, she is now 100% thrilled and delighted with her new role as a grandmother. She sounded enthralled when she talked about how beautiful and how soft he is. It is so cute! She said, "Oh, Susan, I am so excited for you guys! It's just so wonderful." I'm so excited to see him, but it made me even more excited to have my own! It's suddenly all much more real.

My sister is practically high she's so happy, which is a good thing because she wound up having a C-section, and she's not so good with pain, like I said. Jordan was sideways up until a week and a half before his due date. He finally turned head down, and they decided they didn't have to schedule a c-section after all. Then, once they broke her water yesterday, the little stinker turned sideways again. The doctor got him all turned properly, took his hands off Annie's belly, and Jordan immediately moved back sideways again. Stubborn little rascal... sounds EXACTLY like his mother.

When I talked with Annie yesterday, she couldn't stop saying (in a rapturous voice), "He's so cute! He's just so cute! I can't believe I made him!" When I finally interrupted her to ask how she was feeling, she said, "Um, pretty shitty, actually." Ok. The first time Carl met Annie, she was moaning, "I'm DYING and no one cares!" She was having what we found later to be a problem with her appendix. Every time she had these pains and we took her to the doctor, none of the tests they did showed any indication that her appendix was the problem. Several years later, during her appendectomy, she kept starting to go into shock as they tried to bring her out from under the anesthesia. Her body is overly sensitive to pain even when her drama-queen consciousness is subdued. For this woman to not even mention her own discomfort until asked is a testament to the power of motherhood, I guess. I'm still not sure what the body snatchers did with my sister... but we'll keep this one.

My brother-in-law has been a big old puddle over the whole thing. He's so excited he can barely stand it. He holds and talks to Jordan every chance he gets. Jason is an only child, and I'm pretty sure yesterday was the first time he ever held a baby. My Dad has already been to the hospital with the video camera, so one of these days, I'll get to actually see the baby! My Dad is a psychologist, and he had been called over to the jail while Jordan was on his way, so he had to visit later. [Mom shocked the nurse when she told Annie Dad couldn't come right away because he was at the jail. Kind of like the time Annie answered the phone when she was little and said Dad couldn't come to the phone because he was in jail.] The other day, Dad was telling me how excited they were about the coming grandchildren. I can't wait to see my Dad as Grandpa. We've always loved seeing him with babies and kids, because he genuinely likes them. He was such a great Dad, he played and played with us, and I can't wait to see him with the next generation. He'll probably be out in the back yard playing hide and seek with Jordan the way he used to play with us.

It has been so much fun to hear and see the transformation of my family. I'm really glad I got to watch all of this. I've always been the first to do everything, and I've been so caught up in what's going on with me, I don't know if I've ever really observed the effects on the rest of the fam. I've really enjoyed seeing this. It's made me SO excited to have my baby. I know things work out the way they should- I'm a firm believer in that. I think for the first time, I'm actually glad for the way things happened. Last summer's miscarriage was sad and painful, but in a way, it's made everything so much better now. I don't know if I'd change anything. Everything just seems really right.

Have a wonderful day, loves!

The Waiting Auntie

Hopefully, my nephew-in-progress is making his way into the world as we speak. He is a week late, going by the latest due date given. As of a couple of days ago, my sister was dialated barely 1 cm. Fortunately for her, they have this thing now that acts on the cervix to cause dialation- the doctor kept referring to it as "the Barbie tampon." I'm not sure if this is different than the Prostaglandin suppositories or not. I am glad to hear about these options that don't involve a big old dose of pitocin. Or a very small dose, whatever. It's just supposed to make things so much more painful.

So... soon? This little boy is trying to break my sister of her planning, scheduled ways already. It amuses me to no end, because I've always been a little more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants. Anyhoo, keep your fingers crossed for my hypersensitive-to-pain sister. She needs a short labor and a good strong epidural.

Girls in White Dresses With Blue Satin Sashes

Random list of favorite books:
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenedes
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Portrait in Sepia by Isabelle Allende
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Any of the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Usually, those books that I truly love I will read repeatedly. I also love to read a book and then get an audio copy to hear it in someone else's voice. The Harry Potter series are an exception here, because I've only actually "read" the fifth one. The rest I've only listened to, albeit over and over and over again... love you, Jim Dale! He's such an amazing reader.

Some of the books in my list, however, are books I've only read once, but could not put down. Or I actually took the time in college, when there were many other demands on my time, not the least of which was dinking around with friends, to read the book because it captivated me. I think a book that can hold onto you, despite your very strong urge to slack off, deserves some credit, don't you?

Then there's my candy reading. I'm a sucker for murder mysteries. I dearly love me a Patricia Cornwell book where you get to follow the whole forensic investigation. Or Kathy Reichs. I'm partial to the John Sandford books because they take place in my beloved Twin Cities. Lucas Davenport apprehended a suspect at the gas station just a block from my old apartment, and I love being able to see exactly where things are taking place in my mind. I also adore the Dianne Mott Davidson books featuring the caterer/crime-solver extraordinaire, Goldy Schultz. Yes, I know. A caterer who always happens to be around when people are dying. Or else she knows the people who are dying. And her husband's a cop. But come on! Murder mystery + recipes? Fantastic. I love to combine my candy reading and food. I've made several of the recipes in the books, too. Excellent.

I also love completely unique worlds. Like Hogwarts, like Narnia, like the Old Kingdom in the Garth Nix books. I'm a little more choosy when it comes to fantasy books. I'm much less inclined to pick up just anything. But there's something wonderful about completely escaping the world I inhabit.

I'm sure I'll remember a dozen wonderful books, left off the list. There will probably be an addendum once I return home, scan the bookshelves and see favorites jumping off the shelves at me.

I bet you've wondered...

...what Kouros has been up to, right?


He sits in cardboard boxes.














He reclines under the drying sections of his freshly cleaned commode.












And he steps in the crust of the tart I try to make for dinner.

So Many Thanks

You're all so damn sweet! I have the best imaginary friends on the whole internets! Thanks for all the lovely wishes and congratulations. We're very excited. It's been a fun so far... well, other than the gas.

I am so excited by Hesira's post today. You need to go check it out. Remember when I tagged everyone to share beauty, both your own and those of the beautiful people you see every day? Hesira wrote about a young woman from one of her classes, and included a picture that just glows. It just made me so happy.

In that spirit I wanted to share a moment I had a couple of years ago. I watched the movie About Schmidt late one night, while I was alone. Kathy Bates plays something of a free spirit in the movie, and at one point decides to join Jack Nicholson in a hot tub, in the buff. She is, of course, perfectly comfortable, and he is not. At the time, I remember talk show hosts, morning radio idiots and all sorts of other geniuses making LOTS of jokes about a woman of Kathy Bates's size doing a nude scene. The thing is, the scene is not meant to be erotic or sexy or anything other than awkward. Yet, there are a couple of seconds in which the camera is behind Kathy Bates as she steps into the hot tub.

And I was shocked at how gorgeous she was. She was all round and pink and curves and suddenly all those Rubenesque women I've seen in paintings throughout history made sense. I felt like I'd broken through that current beauty ideal barrier to appreciate the beauty those painters saw and captured. I'm really thankful for that moment.