Nap Time

Doesn't that just evoke calming images, peaceful babes sleeping with their eyes tightly shut? Apparently you've never been to my house. This nap time thing is highly overrated. Because IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. And when it does it's such a screaming, kicking, eye gouging mess I usually end up needing a nap. I don't think Declan ever got the memo that babies are supposed to nap. They need the sleep. NEED.

He's always more than happy to fall asleep breastfeeding. Ahhh....milk. He'll even sleep while I tiptoe into his room. But the second I bend over to lay him down in his crib those big eyes pop open, the bottom lip drops and the screaming begins. So being the nice mommy I am I thought, okay, I'll just pick him back up and cuddle him till he falls asleep again and then lay him down. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. Because the picking up, cuddling, laying back down, and ensuing screaming never stops.

He's playing games with me.

Oh, but that screaming, it rips my heart out. We've finally come to a happy medium. I stand next to him with my hand on his belly while he flails about, kicking, screaming, and scratching his face & my hands. But eventually he falls asleep. And usually stays asleep for a good 45 minutes. Never mind it takes us about that long to get him knocked out. *sigh*

But those 45 minutes are blissful. I run around doing all the things I can't do with a babe attached to one hip. Fun things. Like laundry. And dishes. And I sometimes manage to get a little spinning thrown in there. By the way, she now has a name. My spinning wheel that is. I've decided my house is already overrun with boys, no need to throw another one in there. And so she's a SHE. And her name is Gwen. Short for Gwendolyn. Very medievil & fitting, no?

I finally finished this:


It's Chicago from Rowan 37, made in very yummy Calmer. I lurve that stuff. It's soft & stretchy and makes me want to roll around in bins of it. I finished the front, back & sides only to discover I didn't like it. But I could NOT bring myself to rip it out. I worked the ribbing on the back while I was in labor with Declan. Those are my memories trapped in the stitches. I couldn't just trash them. So I decided I didn't like it because it was too long and took a bit out to make them shorter. I just blocked it last night and today I'll seam it up and make myself like it no matter what. Even if it just gets to hang in my closet for years & years. One day I'll pull it out and show Declan the stitches I made when he was about to make his grand entrance.

Because he's really gonna care.

Successes(es)

(Imagine a picture of beautiful hand dyed, handspun here. Imagine me cursing technology for not allowing me to actually post the picture)

So instead I'll post a picture of one of my greatest successes. Introducting Declan....


















Don'tcha just want to eat him alive? I'm pretty proud of his older brother too of course. :) Unfortunately he's at that age where in every picture it looks like we're pulling his fingernails out and making him sit on spikes. He looks positively tortured. He's really honestly trying to smile only, well. Here....
















See what I mean?

But back to the handspun. You've been wondering what I've been up to in my absence? This my dears....











Has kept me quite busy. I haven't decided yet if it's a he or she, or even given the poor thing a name. For now it's "Kromski." Or better yet, "Mama's guilty little pleasure." My first attempts on it were quite sad. I had no clue I needed to draft the roving and sucked an entire thing up with a few spins of the wheel. Now that was some thick yarn. But I have to say I've got it pretty well down and am working on a pair of socks from yarn I spun & dyed myself. There would be pictures so you guys could oogle if only I didn't hate technology so much. Or if only it didn't HATE me so much.

Better get back to mama's guilty little pleasure before it starts feeling neglected.

Um, yeah....HI

There is absolutely no excuse for not writing for ohhh....A YEAR. None. I am sitting here on the floor with my laptop and suddenly I had a post forming in my head. And I realized that I do have a sad, sad, ignored blog out there just waiting for such a thing. Boy #2 otherwise known as Declan is trying to eat the USB plug-in and is closing in on 9 months. 9 much more enjoyable months than those spent in the tummy. He is an absolute joy. I'll post pictures once I get more accustomed to writing on this thing again. And that will hopefully be soon.

Life is very different than it was the last time I wrote, and by different I mean MUCH BETTER. I no longer work at a brain sucking job, hauling around an enormous belly and trying my hardest to keep the boy #1 happy and well adjusted. He is now happy and well adjusted because his mom and dad are. I am doing a bit of consulting and working from home, but it is because I WANT TO. I am sad I let an awful job control my life like it did. I am sad I let it undermine my self confidence and doubt my abilities. Because I am damn good at what I do.

My days are now somewhat lazy and busy and shower-less but that's only because I am so caught up in keeping little man entertained it makes me forget about all the other less important things. And knitting does not fall in that category of less important things. Cooking dinner? It does. While I might have been absent from the good old blog most definitely does not mean I've been absent from knitting. I have been a knitting fool. You thought I was talenting because I could drive and knit? Try breastfeeding a squirmy baby, watching What Not to Wear AND knitting. At the same time.

Because I am adamently schedule-less I make no promises as to the regularity of my posting I will try my hardest to post more.

It feels good, I miss it.