Giggling with Daddy

Giggle, Giggle, Giggle

I am not quite sure how I remember how we discovered that making this particular noise makes her laugh... but it doesn't matter, anything to hear that cute giggle!

The Heat Is On

Gerry and I started reading Willa Cather's My Antonia last night. We're really enjoying it, when I remembered that I needed to make him bread for his lunch sandwiches for the remaninder of the week. I walked out to find Thing 2 laying across the heater duct. Not an uncommon event in our house when the heat is on, just never ceases to make me laugh. She actually pushes the plastic sheild off the duct so she can absorb all that heat. Sometimes she even uses the plastic cover as a pillow. We have strange animals!

Tube SocksThe yellow socks I knit Lulu before she was born fit her 3x... and that last was questionable. At the wedding we attended in October my pal Lynn was making baby tube socks and I thought what an excellent idea since all the effort that went into a heal gussest for her previous sock that she fit into for only a short period of time. So here they are... almost done, and maybe I will make a matching hat? Maybe not. I am working on some felted hats after this.

Out wandering...

We've been out wandering around the last few days between doctor appointments. The good doctor did a stress test on the baby on Wednesday. Baby is great, healthy, etc... doctor is now at a conference in Brainard.

So we went to the lake cabin with the dogs and threw sticks into the lake for a few dog laps. It was relaxing for all of us, and nice break from the house.


Gerry has been keeping our kitchen table fresh with lilacs the last several days since they've been in bloom. Nice to smell the flowers when sitting at the table reading or knitting.

We went in today for a U/S check on baby, everything is great... next appointment is Tuesday unless I go into labor before then.

I have been experiencing contractions now for over a month, just not enough to send me into labor. Lots of time to finish some projects, like updating my website and planning some Pottery-2-Go ideas. Cleaned up Ally's bed and trash, and unpacking bisque for business.


I finished knitting the baby hat that matches the booties I did last month. I thought they'd be too big for the newborn, but now that we're overdue and seems the baby is enourmous it may fit within the next month.

I also made this Cuddly Bunny (pattern from lion brand) out of the fleece skein I bought not too long ago. It looks more like a dog, with big ears... but baby won't care it's soft and squishy.


Our neighbors momma cat had 3 kittens who are so sweet and cute... I was calling this one Rascal, since it's so frisky and attacking my shoe, my leg, my hair. It's not afraid of people by any means. Just love the little kittens! There's a picture of me holding two of the little ones, you can see me 'momma cat' still holding onto our little one too... so big!

We stopped by Leo's grave marker this morning to, watered the flowers and new grass. The second summer without his presence... it's not the same. Forever in our hearts and prayers.

39 Weeks... The Final Countdown

Tradewinds... I've never seen them before but the most interesting flowers so I bought them. The garden is plowed and ready for planting thanks to The Cultivator* No help to me who walks around and does squats to pull thisles out of the yard, but that's about it. I suck!

I started knitting a hat for the Littl' Dub, to match his/her socks. Somehow I put a purl strip in it... but it seems ok, and I am not much of a ripper so will just live with the mistake.

I also bought 4 skeins of yarn since I wasn't sure when I would be back to Monika's next. I love knitting with the ladies on Wednesday's! The Sockina are self striping socks... they are sooooo cool I can't wait to start them! The other yarn next to it are for fingerless gloves, and the baby yarn... well I haven't decided.

With no job and just waiting for baby, I decided to enter the Headwaters Animal Shelter 2010 Photo Contest (for calendar)... I entered the two pictures above of my guys... vote if you live here!!!

I am 39 weeks along:
BPM 140-146 (baby)
60% effaced
1 cm dialated

Things that people say:
"Oh wait until you have heartburn" 9 mos and so far nothing, I am pretty sure the difference is our diets & lifestyle. It seems like everyone projects their least favorite pregnancy symptom on you as if you're pregnancy will be just like theirs was!?

"What have you been craving?" Not sure why it bothers me, I haven't been craving any one thing throughout the pregnancy. I seem to have less tollorance for things I normally enjoy like cauliflower, and for a few weeks I wanted Starbursts which is not my MO for candy... but nothing in particular.

"Is this your first?" Well, duh, do you see any little ones tagging along with me... hmmm, for the past 4 yrs? Ok, granted some people don't know me in this town still. I am just not sure what that question is leading up to, but guessing it's to hear about all their pregnancy/birthing experiences.

"Are you excited?" OMG - You don't get 9 mos pregnant and not be excited to have a baby! What kind of idiotic question is that! No, actually I am giving the child up for adoption to someone more excited! (Just kidding mom, don't pack your bags!). I am excited no one is going to ask me these questions after the baby comes.

"By how high you're carrying I think (or 'my mom would say') it's a girl." Why do people tell you these things? Because they're all experts? Everybody carries babies differently.

People keep telling me I haven't "dropped" but every doctor appointment since March when the baby WAS breech, the doctor has felt the baby's head and it's on my pelvic bone. Oh and trust me I feel it... and the pressure associated with moving my bones. I am not sure where people think the baby will drop to? How much lower than my cervix can it go before it pokes it's head out? Does anyone ever take into consideration the little one is probably LONG since both of us parents are tall? Or that when 'lightning'/'pelvic station' changes occur it may not be noticable since it's a matter of body type?

"Do you know what you're having?" Ok that's a common question, and one I would probably ask too... but I keep saying, only God knows! I think after you hit a certain number of months we just need to wear a pin that says, "I DON'T KNOW!" It answers it all! I don't know what the sex is, so no I haven't picked out a name either. I don't know much anymore because I get so little sleep and the baby is sucking all my glycogen stores. I don't know what I am going to do since I was laied off... I am guessing a lot of breastfeeding. I don't know if I should if I will stay in the technical field or make a career change.

No epidural for me! Found out Doctor said 'no can do' because medical concerns. I was planning natural but guess that really puts breaks on any alternatives. The only total bummer is if I have to have a C-section it means they have to put me completely out. No use worrying about it now, I have a "can do it natural" attitude and also an open mind knowing I will chose what is best for both baby and me... and so will Baby's Daddy*

NEXT project: In spite of having made the 4 baby rattles that I am selling on Etsy... I didn't want to give my baby any of those rattles but rather something more 'original' and my style if you will. I came up with it last night. Baby rattle will be an eyeball on the optic nerve... how neat will that be! Well I think so and so does Baby's Daddy* so guess that's all that matters.

Socks for Baby

My first knitted socks from the Jelly-Bean pattern. I think they turned out really cute, and can't wait to put them on Baby-Schermie... or course I can hardly wait for the little one at all!

My last day of work was today... it's all about baby for the next 3-4 months. Then we'll see what life has in store for the family. My goodness how things can be turned upside down in 1 hour.

Which brings me back to GARDENING... All the work I did last year to take out the rocks and put in mulch and pretty perenials was a wasted effort because the chickens enjoy the dirt baths and not so much the mulch. So they push all the mulch out into the grass, which means daily raking. So my answer to this is raised flower bed with a little fence around it. Planning on pulling the cedar bushes, I am allergic to them anyhow... and any other brush then moving some rail road ties into place this week. I'll slowly add rock and dirt, until I can find a little fence that isn't to spendy and will keep the chickens from sitting on top (so some little spikes would be nice). Then back to the planting!

a random August weekend

I went to the NLO Into the Woods production on Thursday night. It was great! I hadn't heard of the Broadway theater production, but they used fairy tails from Brothers Grimm. I was so caught up in the catchy, witty lyrics that I forgot to listen to The Violinist* playing too. Oh my I just have to say that the princes singing the 2 duets about 'Agony' is hilarious.

A complete set; I finished my knitting hat Friday night while I watched the news. It’s still a little big but I will add felt liners to the mittens and brim of the hat… and now I have something for myself for winter. Excuse bad picture of me... it was late at night waiting for My Peanut* to get back from NLO.

Saturday breakfast provided by our wonderful little Gold Stars. Then I was off to mowing the yard with the hand me down, time saving, riding Husky that my father gave me last summer. Oh, what a relief! The yard still takes 3 hours to mow, and of course that doesn't include what Farm Boy* mows with his MF tractor, but the old JD riding mower use to cause me lots of problems (steering wheel breaking off, screws falling out while I was mowing, engine parts coming lose, etc...) and this Husky mows well.

I felted coasters too this weekend too, I like that each is a little different. I did them all with roving wool and a needle.

I was cleaning the kitchen Saturday after making dinner for the family, and decided a hammer is the best solution for these 2 blue pottery blue pieces that have been setting around reminding me of my last glaze firing failure. I really should check into mosaics!

As I was typing the above, there was an incident in the yard... I got there packin' in time to see this pile of feathers and the chicken running back out of the woods. One dog was on the trail of the pesky fox, the other decided rolling in the scent of chicken feathers was more fun I guess, stinker (but the poor guy needs some surgery)!

So my coffee and me sat out in the yard watching, admiring the lovely Day Lilies by The Mechanic's* shop. These flowers take no maintenance... nor did I plant them, they came with the farm.

The shortest row in front is what I started stacking last night and finished this morning after coffee. The Logger* will be cutting more tomorrow I am sure. We are about 1/2 way ready for winter with the amount of wood split/stacked.

Well, I best get into the garden, since I discovered it doesn't weed itself.

Note: *101 names for husband

try, try again

This is my 3rd go at knitting something for myself... the first 2 hats were too big and you would think I would just buy a pattern. I think it's more about being lazy than too cheap. I tried to shrink the hat so it is a shade different now... figure it'll all match in the end.

This is my 2nd attempt at whole wheat tortillas. The first time I ground the whole wheat berries and it was not fine enough. This time they tasted wonderful even though they are not perfectly round. So now we're set for breakfast burritos homestyle! The Cultivator is buying me a stone mill to make the flour easier. So excited about a flour mill, you'd think I was getting a Red Ryder BB Gun!

Well I am off to knit my hat while my 2 loaves of WW bread are baking.