february twenty-nine: 61 weeks

This morning I had a 10 a.m. appointment to get my hair fixed. AND. I. JUST. LOVE. IT.

I should have gone to my friend in the first place, she totally would have given me what I wanted. I'm loving my new style, and it will be great to maintain. (Jamie thinks it's just a *tad* too short, but he got over it already). And my hair actually has style now!

Sean is 61 weeks old today. And he loves his new Junior Dust Buster. Yes, it actually picks up dirt. He went around our den cleaning the carpets. Which is good, because he usually gets goldfish crumbs all over the den. (Look at my new 'do - isn't it just great??!) (I feel great with it!)

Sean ate a cereal bar in the car (he loves the apple cinnamon one by Heinz). It was all over his face. After finishing the bar, he passed out. He looked so cute, I had to take a picture, of course.

Today while at Winners with my mother, I found this AWESOME On The Go Lounger. I can't begin to tell you how awesome it is. You know how many times this would have come in handy with Sean? So many times we went somewhere and I needed "somewhere" to put him down before he could sit up and be on his own, and didn't want to take the Bumbo or his Bouncer chair with me? (Neither of which were easily transportable!) This On The Go Lounger is absolutely fantastic. It folds up like a camping chair does and goes into the tiny little bag that you can carry on your shoulder! (Holds babies up to 22 lbs). (Basically I'd use it until the baby can sit on his own, and doesn't need to be in a chair anymore). I can't wait for baby boy number 2 to come so that I can use it! (Actually there are a few things that I got for baby boy number 2 that I'm excited to use!)

Today I got up to row 39 of 114 on the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I'm really enjoying knitting it up - and it gives me a tiny break on the Blankie Project. But don't get me wrong, I have many squares to go on the Blankie, and will be picking it up shortly.

Tomorrow is March 1st. March will be the month I start my "Slow Month". I will stop shopping for 1 month. (Food, medical attention/medication, and business expenses are allowed, as well as any regular bills for the month (heat/phone line/electricity, etc). Though, for food, I will NOT be going crazy, and I will absolutely try to use what I have first, before going out to the grocery store. I will be announcing my 1000 post contest tomorrow on my blog as well. So stay tuned for the details. Are you doing a "Slow Month" as well? If you are - let me know - and if you want to - join me in this challenge! This month I will be tackling a bunch of things around the house that need attention (like unpacking the last 3 boxes in my office, and catching up on a few movies on my PVR) instead of shopping! Join me, will you?

Don't forget that March's Sock Club is on sale until the end of the weekend - and Cascade Yarns are on sale until until the end of tonight, February 29th at 20% off. If you missed my post yesterday, I have some great new products up in the shop, in my Notions Section - go on - check it out!

ps- Does anyone have the Fall 2004 Interweave Knits? If so, please let me know!

february twenty-eight: 14 months

Sean is 14 months old today. At 14 months your child might:

1. Your child might start having temper tantrums. (Sometimes if he doesn't get what he wants).

2. Your child may not want to wear clothes! (Yep, he likes to pull off his clothes and sometimes even his diaper! He's gotten his diaper off too!)

3. Your child is learning to feed himself. (He's very interested in trying to feed himself and gets angry if he wants to do it himself and you do it for him).

I received a prize from Heather's Contest. Originally I'd won some Mohair, but since I cannot knit with Mohair, she sent me some Regia (perfect for Sean's blankie project!), some stitch markers (tiny pink ones) as well as a candle, and some Organic Food (Never seen it before, but looks interesting!) Thanks you so much Heather!

I thought I would be able to go ONE week without doing laundry. On Sunday I finished putting away ALL the laundry, and thought that maybe I could get through the week without touching any. Yeah. Freaking. Right. Impossible. Not with a kid. Not possible at all. Laundry must get done. Laundry is always going! It's impossible to get away from it!

Late afternoon Angela came by and we went knitting tonight with the West Island Knits. We were 7 ladies strong tonight, it was a lot of fun. Great to get out of the house for a couple of hours as well, and knit a few rows! (On the Baby Surprise Jacket). I'm on row 28 of 114.... it's growing, and I'm sure I'll have a progress picture for you this weekend.

I've got some new stuff up in the shop! There's a new section in Notions called Nancy's Knit Knacks Products. Nancy has some GREAT stuff that I just had to carry in the shop! First we have the Learn to Spin Kit. Also we have the Electronic Row Counter. Also in addition to the shop we have ID Tags for your Circular Needles (for Organizing them for easy access!) in two different sets: Large and Small. We now have DP WIP Tubes and DPN Storage Tubes. Don't forget that March's Sock Club is on sale until the weekend - and Cascade Yarns are on sale until until tomorrow, February 29th at 20% off.

february twenty-seven

This morning my mother picked up Sean and took him to his music class. Jamie & I left in separate cars to the funeral as Jamie was going to the cemetery after the funeral home and being pregnant, it's a superstition to go into a cemetery, so I went back home after the funeral home. The funeral was actually very moving, and between the speech that the Rabbi gave as well as the oldest daughter, made me cry (almost bawling tears) and I never met my husband's best friend's father. It's sad for someone of approximately 32 years of age (I believe he's Jamie's age ) to have lost both parents. His mom died when he was a late teenager to lung cancer, and now his father, whom had a heart attack back in December and never recovered, passing away on Monday. The funeral was indeed very moving. I also think my pregnancy hormones took a toll on my emotions.

My mom took Sean on some errands this morning before bringing him back home, and I actually got a lot of tidying up done in the half an hour that I had before he came home. Stuff that I'd been meaning to do for a while now, but don't ever get the chance to because of Sean being in my arms, or him not letting me do things.

This afternoon we were sitting in the den and Sean bit my arm (with my shirt still on). He bit so hard it made me scream - and then cry. Wow - did it hurt. I think my scream & crying scared Sean because he started to bawl himself. I hope that my screaming & crying taught him a lesson to never bite me again. There is now a mark on my right arm close to my elbow that developed into a bruise a few hours later. (This evening he bit me on the shoulder again, but this time not as hard - and it's not the first time he's bitten me recently). Suggestions that I've gotten are to bite him back (obviously not as hard, but enough so he gets the point) when he bites me again. However, I don't feel comfortable in doing so. I'm not for violence/abuse. I really am not sure what to do in order to get him to stop biting me. Has anyone had this issue? What did you do?

After he bit me, I took him up to my bed - gave him a bottle - and we both passed out until Jamie got home from work at 5:30pm. He watched Sean so I could take a shower (something that is difficult for me to do while Sean's awake - he does NOT like being confined to the playpen) and then we ate dinner and then left to the Shiva house for Jamie's best friend (for the mourning of his father).

We got home not too late, watched a little bit of TV, finally got Sean to sleep, and now I'm going to crash myself. (Can barely keep me eyes open). I've been really tired lately, it's nuts. I'm hoping to get some knitting done tomorrow - but if I don't get any knitting done during the day, I have the West Island Knit Night tomorrow night, so I will be able to get some knitting done there, should I not get any done during the day.

Today was just a very emotional day, and I honestly can't wait to wake up fresh tomorrow. Will give you some pictures tomorrow too. I know - two days in a row with no pictures. Today was just not a good day for taking pictures, and I didn't take a single photo yesterday either. Tomorrow, tomorrow.... the sun will come out tomorrow.... it's just another day away....

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!

I used to love to sing songs from the musical Annie... I wonder where my CD is? That's one thing that hasn't been unpacked yet (my cds and dvds...)

february twenty-six

This morning we had Sean's swim class, and since the library is attached to the building where the pool is, I stopped to check in to see if they still had the 2 books that I had reserved, but forgotten about. (They called me on Thursday of last week to let me know they were in, and that I had until Saturday to pick them up. Ooops. Pregnancy brain). They had them, so I picked them up (Child/Sleeping books) and also picked up a third book which looked interesting. Then we stopped to do groceries on the way home to pick up roasting meat and stewing beef for some slow cooking recipes I want to make int he next few days. Then I came home and did a few things around the house. Finally, I decided to take Sean up to my bed, and he drank a bottle (somewhere around 1:30-2pm) and we both slept until Jamie came home from work at almost 6pm. It was great nap. Much needed.

This evening after watching some TV on the couch (Habs played an excellent game! We beat Atlanta 5-1). It was our first game with Carey Price as our number 1 goalie since getting rid of Cristobal Huet before the trade deadline. Let's hope that the Price is right. We took in return for Huet, 2nd round draft picks for the 2009-2010 season, which happens to be the Habs' 100th year. The All Star Game is in Montreal that year, as well as as the draft picks are here in Montreal. I just learned that the Habs joined the league December 4th, 1909 and their first game ever was January 5th, 1910.

I'm about to go take Sean up to bed, and I think I might just fall asleep myself. Zonked. No knitting was done today - maybe tomorrow! Nothing else exciting to report for today. Tomorrow morning we have Jamie's best friend's (best man at our wedding) dad's funeral, so my mother will be taking Sean to his music class and unfortunately I will not be going to my swimming class tomorrow, I don't think I will make it back in time.

february twenty-five: 21 weeks :: take two

This morning's class was a lot of fun. First we played with some sand (Sean likes sand play).

But, made a HUGE mess on the floor, which I luckily got to sweep up! (Sand goes into the garbage once swept up - and not back into the sandbox as kids do end up tasting the sand sometimes).

And we also finger painted with some finger paints today. (I managed to get Sean's handprints on another piece of paper for his baby book - the last time I got his feet/hand prints he was just a few months old). I definitely want to try to get them stamped every few months for keepsake in his baby book.

Today was an all boy class, not one of the 2 girls that are in our class (Ashley & Abby and their mommies) showed up! BOYS RULE!

Then this afternoon we went shopping with my mother & sister. Which was supposed to be window shopping. Me in a mall = bad! I picked up a cute onesie for the baby, a pair of PJs for Sean (Joe boxer!) amongst some books and toys for Sean. One toy I picked up, he already has (I wasn't sure if it was exactly the same) but it is, so it's going back shortly to the store. Hubby has been telling me that my pink purse (pictured above here on Sean's stroller) is FILTHY (yep, it has been to hockey games and play dates, etc and gets tossed around....) so I picked up a cute little bag (yes, I have a purse fetish)! and a new wallet (as mine is busting apart and fading...)

Sean loves playing with this drum in our Wednesday music class, so I've found him one today while at Winners. He's been banging away at it since we got home.

I'm all signed up to take Kate Gilbert's class on Two Toe Up Socks on One Circular Needle on Sunday April 20th, 2008 from 10 am until 4 pm. There's spots for 6, so now there's at least 5 left. I'm VERY excited to finally learn 2 socks on 1 circ, AS well as toe-up! It's a double whammy!

21 Weeks Pregnant, Take 2. All decked out in Habs gear. (No game on tonight though). I still feel like my belly is bigger than 21 weeks though.... but who knows.

In regards to all that induction talk yesterday... I was just voicing my thoughts. Thank you everyone for your honest opinions, your medical opinions and your personal experiences. Don't forget that I have not yet discussed it with my doctor, and I have no idea how he feels about it. The only reason I feel so strongly about it - is because I was induced with Sean. My water broke at 37 weeks and 5 days, and I wasn't contracting at all - nor was I dialted or was my cervix any where near effaced. I was put on Pitocin three times in the span of 32 hours. I know the effects of Pitocin - and almost had a C-Section because Sean didn't want to come out. Though, we fought through it and ended up having to use forceps to get Sean out because he wasn't sliding down.

Though, it would be nice to have my actual own doctor deliver my son, since he delivered Sean, and he delivered me as well as my 2 siblings way back when. (Family tradition?) If my doctor isn't against it, and I'm somewhere past 37 weeks, then I will see what the situation will be. It defeinitely would be easier to have a babysitter lined up for Sean, but I definitely don't want to make further complications for myself, or the baby.

I simply wanted your opinions & experiences, as was curious to what you went through and think. I thank you all who shared that with me.

And honestly, I'm freaked out of delivering any baby bigger than Sean was (5 lbs 5 oz) because I know what it took to get him out... and frankly - anything bigger than that - scares the shit out of me! Almost to the point of a C-section..... and what I'm thinking - was since it was SOOOO hard to get Sean through my pelvic area - he wasn't coming down, my mother had the same thing with me, I couldn't fit (at 6 lbs 11 oz) and she had a C-section with me because of that. It took 32 and a half hours to get Sean out, (with forceps none the less)..... maybe a baby larger won't fit?? But, I'm not going to let that freak me out until I'm at least 34-35 weeks + pregnant. (LOL).

My mother gave me the other day two sweaters that someone had hand knit for me when I was a baby. She's kept them all these years. Though, in unisex colors.... do you think they're appropriate to put on a boy - or do you think they're too "girly" of a pattern?


I think this one above (the plain white one) is definitely too girly for baby boy number 2....

These are my knitting badges acquired so far. For details, of their explanation, and to get your own, visit here. It's a fun & neat site!

Don't forget that the March Sock Club kits are on sale until Friday. Also, all Cascade yarns are on sale until the end of February, which ends also on Friday! Take advantage of 20% off!

february twenty-four

I got to sleep in a little bit today, and Sean actually slept through the night last night (so very happy about that!) I decided to go to Walmart to do a return this morning around 10:30 am, and found myself stunned that it was PACKED at 10:30 am on a Sunday morning. I figured it would be a great time to go to Walmart. Yeah right. The returns line wasn't bad at all - it was just the rest of Walmart. I got what I needed done, and probably got it done faster because Sean was at home with Jamie. Makes things a lot easier.

This afternoon we chilled on the couch, watched some TV and when Jamie went to go visit his mom (in the hospital), I gave Sean a bath, and then got him down for a nap. (Jamie's mom is doing better - she just had some surgery to fix something from a past surgery from 2005 and had some complications after leaving the hospital about a week ago - she's doing better and is in better spirits today). If I wasn't pregnant, I'd have dropped off Sean at my parents and gone with - but being pregnant, the place to avoid is the hospital. Jamie's mom totally understood why I didn't come. I can't risk picking up a germ/virus/bug.

I've been working on the Baby Surprise Jacket all day, and I love the way it's coming out. I'm currently on row 23 (of 114). I still have a LONG way to go - but it's coming along nicely. And I really like the way the Lorna's Laces Sport is coming out on the US4 needles. It's a great knit!

I've been doing a LOT of thinking, and I'm going to be talking to my OB at my next appointment about what his thoughts on inducing are. What I'm thinking is that because I have a child already, and I need to make arrangements for him while I'm at the hospital, AND I'd like my doctor to actually deliver baby number 2 - (as he did Sean - and as he delivered me!!! Yes, My OB delivered me almost 27 years ago...!) that I'd like him to be the one again. I'm hoping that somewhere around 38 weeks, he'll induce me when he's on duty at the hospital. (Unless (knock on wood) baby number 2 is breech and I have to have a scheduled C-section - then that's another story). But I do want to find out what his thoughts on induction are. What is also going through my mind is that with Sean, near the end, I was 10-12 lbs swollen in water weight. I could not see my ankles anymore, and it was hard to walk on them. This time around, if this happen again, I've got a toddler to care for, and this wouldn't be fun. So I'm wondering if I have any chance to be induced - should this be my wish... it's not fun when you're uncomfortable at the end of your pregnancy. I certainly remember - and I wasn't induced last time - I actually had my water break "naturally".... Anyhow - any of you - my readers - been induced? Did you request it? Was it your doctor's choice? Was it because you were late? Was it because of medical reasons? I'm curious.

This evening I watched a bit of the Oscars as well as Big Brother (with Jamie - we watch it together) and knit. Sean's finally in bed, and I'm going to go hop into a nice hot shower & hit the sack. We've got our class early tomorrow morning, and I'm finding it harder and harder as the weeks go by to actually get out of bed!

february twenty-three

Last night Sean got up somewhere in the middle of the night, after 2 am, and cried for over an hour. (Just over the hour mark). Poor fellow. I wasn't getting him. He has to learn that his crib is where he sleeps for the night. Though, after the hour of crying, he did fall back asleep and slept until past 9 am this morning. (So he really was tired. He just wanted mommy's bed). After a morning bottle, he fell back asleep with me, until past 12 o'clock (noon). I am so grateful for the morning sleep in today. I feel rejuvenated. (I see that Blogger's spell check is now working again? It just helped me spell rejuvenated, apparently I had spelled it wrong).

This afternoon Jamie & I caught up on Thursday's episode of Survivor, had some lunch, hung out, and I ran an errand mid-afternoon to the Pharmacy to pick up my missed package at the post office. It was a delivery for Robyn's Nest - and I will be sharing the details of that package hopefully tomorrow. I got a new (awesome) product in stock, and I'm very excited. Speaking of Robyn's Nest - don't forget that the March Sock Club kits (which are AWESOME by the way - handpainter Shelby (who just had a baby boy this past week - Congrats!) and designer Angela are working hard for you!) Also, all Cascade yarns are on sale until the end of February, which ends in less than a week! Take advantage of 20% off! Don't forget to check out our super cute Duck DPN holders - in stock now!

This evening I went to the Habs game with my sister. Tonight there was a ceremoney before the game, in honor of Bob Gainey. They retired his number, 23. He won 5 Stanley Cups with the Habs during his 1972-1989 Career with the Habs. He played in 1160 regular season games, scored 239 goals, and registered 263 assists. He is now currently the General Manager of the Habs. The guy has been through a lot. In 1995, he lost his wife Cathy to Brain Cancer. And on December 8th, 2006, Gainey's 25 year-old daughter Laura went missing when she was swept overboard while sailing in the in the North Atlantic.

The Habs lost tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets - 3-0. Though, there I was in the stands, still enjoying the game, knitting. I cast on for a Baby Surprise Jacket for baby boy number 2. I'm already 8 rows in, on the first night of knitting it. It's started off with 160 stitches, so it's a LOT of knitting! I'm using Lorna's Laces Sport Multi that I got on ebay eons ago - so I'm stash busting! It's the Devon colorway - which is a bunch of shades of blue - I think it will look very nice on a baby boy, and I like so far, the way the yarn is coming out as it's knitted in long rows.

Oh, and my sister was knitting tonight too. Her scarf is coming along fabulously. Her scarf is now way longer than 4 remote controls - LOL - as she describes on her blog! Go on over & check it out!

28 more posts til 1,000! (Less than a month!) I will be posting the contest details on March 1st, 2008 so stay tuned.

ps- Yes I know, I've been to 2 Habs games this week, and 3 Habs games this month. Next month cools down with only 1 game to attend, which I'm going with my mother, and I'm trying to convince my brother to take me to the last game of the season (they're his tickets that night) against Toronto in April. (Not only is it against Toronto, but it's the last game of the year, and apparently high in demand... so I've already started begging!) (Maybe he wants a pair of hand knit socks in exchange??) But otherwise, the March game is my last game of the regular season, and then I have to fight for play off tickets - since they'll be somehow split up - not sure how yet. Maybe I'll be lucky and get to go - but as of now we're one of the top teams in our division, so we're in a playoff spot right now! GO HABS GO!

february twenty-two: 60 weeks

I slept in a little bit this morning. Not as much as I would have liked to of slept in (unfortunately). I did hit the snooze button a few times... that's for sure. It was nice to of slept an entire night with the baby monitor off. Turns out, he fell asleep late at my parents house (10:15 pm) slept until 1:30 am, my mom tried for 1 hour to get him to go back into the crib, but after falling asleep on her a few times, upon transferring him back, he woke up crying. She gave up at 2:30 am, and let him sleep in between her & my father. What a little bugger.

This afternoon I ran some errands with my mother, and one of them was to get Sean, finally, a haircut. The hubby has been bugging me for over a month now to get his haircut. I was hearing it from everyone that he needed one. I just wasn't ready - even today - still wasn't ready. The hair that came off today, was the hair he was born with.... and now... it's gone. Forever. But, I admit, it was bad. Wearing a hat (as it's winter) doesn't help either. It flattens it out, and is just not good for his hair situation. If it was summer, I'd probably let it still grow, as it's beautiful after the bath, all curly, and controlled (and it stays that way). It's the winter hat that messes with the situation, and it's not good at all.

He got to watch the movie Cars while he got his hair cut. She started with the razor because his hair was so long.

But, he was unsure of it, as it was making noise, so the razor was used very quickly while we tried to distract him.
Yep, he hates the Razor. He let us know. That was one unhappy camper for the first part of the cut.

But he sat very well when she finished his hair with the scissors. He was a real trooper. I'm very proud of him. I'm actually very proud of myself. Yes, I was nervous the ENTIRE time he was getting his hair cut, but I realized today that it was VERY needed. The girl who cut his hair, said that the way his hair is, it will definitely 100% curl once it grows back, so I don't have to worry about losing the blonde curls. Phew! That was one of my worries. But he definitely has his father's hair. That's for sure.

They even gave us a certificate for his very first hair cut. It's going straight into his baby book.

Oh my does he look like a BIG boy now. Like you wouldn't believe. I almost don't recognize my own son anymore. He's such a big boy. Wow. I find that he looks very handsome with his new 'do.
He even knows what to do with the brush. For a few days now, when you give him his brush (or mine), it goes to the head, and he tries to brush it! It's very cute.

Sean is now 60 weeks old. On Thursday, he's 14 months old. Besides distinguishing Mama & Dada, he can say "Up", "Down", "Hot" (as of last night) and he shakes his head no when you say "No"... He gives you his feet when you either want to put socks or shoes on him (he knows where they go). He knows that the phone you put to your ear. And as above, that a brush is for the hair. He chases after the cats calling them "Juice" (one of our cats is named Zeus), and that's what he calls them. (The other one is Jazz, but I "yell" at Zeus more for the dumb things he does, so her hears Zeus' name more often). What else?? He's just my big boy now! I can't believe he's already almost 14 months old.

My in-laws came for dinner tonight, and brought dinner, which was very much needed (home cooked dinner). I've been zonked lately, and it just felt great to not have to think about dinner for once.

I missed a package in the mail today, and can't figure out what it is, so I'll be running to the post office tomorrow to get it! I also have a bunch of errands still to do, but I think they will wait until Monday. Some of the stores I need to go to, should be avoided on weekends.

I am still sure there is more I want to talk about/mention, but I'm just zonked, so I'm going to go catch some Zz's and I'll be back tomorrow....! Between being pregnant and chasing Sean around, and running around doing errands all day, I'm beat by the time we are done dinner every night. Hopefully I'll get some energy back soon (I thought it was supposed to come back in the 2nd trimester??)

february twenty-one

I got some great mail today - a final package from Catherine! Thank you Catherine, I love everything. I will sit down this weekend and check out your blog. She sent me some Cherry Tree Hill Sock Yarn - which was on my list of yarns to try! The colorway is Pickled Juice - very appropriate to it's color! I got some booties for the new baby, that are crochet (I'm assuming handmade by Catherine?) Also, a baby blanket for the new baby. The red dog is for Sean, and he loves it already. I got a neat notebook (I love notebooks), and a needle inventory set as well as some vintage baby patterns. Some Tea and some lotions. I love everything! Thanks a million!

The other day I found this at Walmart. It's a Frog Holder for Shampoo & Body Wash for Sean's bathtime. It's great. And Adorable. One of the cutest purchases I've made in a while!

Tonight I went with Jamie to the Habs game. It was a GREAT game even though we lost in the end. It was just a really well played game. Of course I got some knitting done, I worked on Sean's blankie.

I've uploaded some DPN holders into the shop. Aren't they great?? They are available for 5 inch, 6 inch and 8 inch DPNs. They come either with white or silver cord & aren't they just cute? They make great gifts!

Sean's sleeping at my parents house tonight & I'm sleeping in tomorrow! I am positive there was a bunch of other things I wanted to talk about today - but I am just simply zonked. Tomorrow after I pick up Sean I'm doing some errands with my mother for the afternoon.

Almost every. last. piece. of laundry is done. By tomorrow I should be laundry free for about at least week. That would be nice.

february twenty

Sean cried off and on, sorry, let me rephrase that, Sean SCREAMED off and on from 4 am until almost 5 am this morning. Around 5 pm he finally fell back asleep, and I just had to let him cry. I was bad over the weekend for letting him come into our bed in the first place, it screwed up his routine. And I know, when he screamed - that's what he wanted. I wasn't giving in. (And when I checked his diaper this morning, I knew that I made the right decision - he wasn't sitting in anything - so it wasn't a diaper change he wanted).

This morning we had our music/gym class, and afterwards I had to run home as I forgot to take our swimming bag upon leaving the house this morning (pregnancy brain). This morning in the music part of our class, Sean was being a bully. He's the only walking kid in the class, and he kept walking over to different kids and taking the instrument they were playing with. I'm not really happy about this - but what can I do? The other moms find it funny - but I certainly don't. Sean just doesn't understand yet that he can't do that. And the word "NO" doesn't mean anything right now, because when you say it - Sean actually shakes his head NO! He just started doing this yesterday, and it's going to drive me mad if it continues. I'm sorry - but the first time it was cute, but not anymore. It will get old fast (for me).

This afternoon I met up with Angela, we had lunch (I was craving hot dogs with ketchup & onions) and then we came back to my house. We hung out, watched Oprah, surfed the web, and were supposed to knit - but didn't. LOL.

Mid afternoon we ran out to Walmart. I think I should own shares in the baby department or something. I picked up a few shirts for myself, I need to try them on to see if they fit. (I don't try things on the store anymore because a) Sean doesn't allow me to and b) I can get a better idea of how it looks like on me in my own mirror, than the mirrors at the store. I always take home to try. I prefer doing it at home. I like some of the maternity stuff that Walmart has. I hope some of it fits!

I think the boys will one day kill me, but I got them matching outfits. (Sorry boys!) I thought they were super cute. And of course they will have to wear them at the same time. I also have matching sleepers (pjs) that I can't wait for them both to fit into! Aww, so cute.

I received the yarn for the February Sock club, (which went out in the mail already), and Tammy, who dyed the yarn & designed the pattern for the February Sock club sent me a skein of her 3ply Chaos from her Etsy shop (this skein is not the sock club yarn - but another colorway from her shop). It's gorgeous! Stunning. I love the colorway (white, pink, purple & black). Thank you Tammy for the nice gift!

I also received my prize from Erin's contest. I won a lace book & yarn. She also sent me a notebook & some pretty stitch markers. Thank you so much Erin - I love it all. I can't wait to start knitting lace!

In the mail, I also got a pattern from Nadine that she got me at her local LYS, and she also sent me a book for Sean as well a mouse finger puppet. Totally cute. Thank you so much Nadine.

I saw this link from Drea's blog, and it's the coolest thing ever. Have fun!

This evening I went knitting with the NDG Montreal Knits group and at one point were were a FULL house! I think we were about 15-16 or so knitters. Maybe even more! (I forgot to officially count heads, but it was somewhere around there). What a great turn-out! I cast on for the other panel on Sean's Cabled Pull-Over and got the stockinette done for the beginning of it. I will start the pattern tomorrow. I must get it done, he's in 18 month size now, and the size of the sweater I'm making is 18 month size. Worse comes to worse, I do have another boy who will eventually wear 18 month size, but the sweater is for Sean...!

I am very excited to stay in tomorrow and in the morning we have the cleaning lady coming (much needed since I didn't have her come this past week). I am supposed to wait home all day (between 9-5pm) for Staples to show up with a delivery, but I'm hoping they come earlier rather than later because I have an errand to run in the afternoon. Tomorrow night Jamie & I are dropping Sean off (for the entire night!) at my parents house, and heading off to the hockey game. I am very excited to sleep in (no baby!) on Friday morning. Friday my mom & I are going to wak around an indoor mall to get out of the house for the late morning/afternoon.

In Robyn's Nest news - I have re-stocked all 4 of the Shawl Sticks in the shop. They arrived in the mail late yesterday. I just love them and wish I had a shawl already to wear them on! In Sock club news - February's Sock Club Kit has been mailed - if you ordered one, check your mailbox soon! And if you have not yet, please go and sign up for the March sock club! My best friend Angela is designing the pattern (YEY ANGELA!) and the handpainter is none other than Shelby of Shelby B's on Etsy, who just had her baby boy yesterday! 6 lbs and adorable! You have until next Friday to sign up. (I can't believe that February ends next Friday!)

I am sure there was other stuff I wanted to say, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I can barely keep my eyes open....

february nineteen: 20 weeks 1 day :: take 2

Sean got up again in the middle of the night last night. I'm beat. Zonked. In need of sleep. I really do not know what I am going to do if he doesn't start sleeping through the night again. He's been NOT sleeping through the night since the diarrhea (which is now gone) started on Thursday. So, since Thursday night/early Friday morning, he's been getting up. Because he was sick (I had to go in there and make sure he wasn't sitting in diarrhea, which was the case for the most part. I brought him into our bed to fall back asleep, but would fall back asleep myself, and only realize in the morning that he was still in our bed. No chance to transfer him back. This can't keep happening now that his tummy is back to normal.... I am going to go insane if it does.... this mama needs her sleep.

I was sooooooooo zonked this morning that we didn't make it to swim class. (I won't miss out on tomorrow's class that's for sure, but we didn't make it to class this morning). Instead we did laundry. There is still a load in the washing machine right now, (and about 2 more loads to go) but every. last. piece. of the six loads I have done are 100% done AND folded. By tomorrow, every last piece of laundry should be done. For once. No idea how it piled up - but it certainly doesn't end. I'm hoping for at least a one week break from laundry, if that is at all possible. From tomorrow until next Wednesday once I'm finished the last two loads.

This afternoon we took Sean to the UltraSound. Bad mistake. My mom was a bit sick and so she didn't end up babysitting him, but the hospital was definitely not a place for a kit who just wanted to run around and touch everything. Ugh!

So, they still think the baby is small. So the hospital has me on record for my due date (A new one!) of Monday, July 7th, 2008. So, as of yesterday, I was only 20 weeks pregnant, not 23 weeks. Whatever. It's all good. They did confirm again, that it is indeed another boy. I saw his "goods".... they were there! As well as all 1o fingers & 10 toes. I got to see his little heart beating, and it was really neat! And tiny! Sean was fascinated by what the UltraSound technician was doing but was still restless.

So baby boy likes to look at us.... he did so 4 weeks ago. I still think he looks like an alien!

Above, apparently is a three quarter length pic of baby boy. Almost all his body. No idea what we're looking at - but okay. I'll take the UltraSound technician's word....!

And here is a profile shot of him. I'm honestly debating doing the 4d Ultra Sound now in about 7-8 weeks only because of these pretty unclear photos. We'll see. It's pretty pricey, and I am not sure if we should really do it. I know that it wasn't 100% worth it with Sean because I waited too long and he barely had enough room to move in my belly and it was hard to see his face. Maybe I'll do it around 27-28 weeks with baby boy. We'll see come April/May.

So my due date of July 7th, 2008 makes me 20 weeks pregnant and 1 day today as I mentioned above. Here's my belly shot that I didn't feel like doing last night, as I was zonked beyond belief. Look everyone, my hair is DOWN! No pony tail. Wore it this way ALL day! Be proud.

In the mail today, I got a letter from Kimberly-Clark, who owns Huggies. I had written them a letter to help them with their product, as I had a batch of diapers that the sticky fastener had fallen off when trying to use them. In return for letting them know about the faulty batch, (I sent them the tabs with the code on them) they sent me a voucher for a free package of diapers, as well as some rebate coupons. That was very nice of them. Speaking of diapers, I will be doing my Pampers review shortly, I'm almost done testing out the Pampers Cruisers as well as the Baby Dry that I am reviewing. Stay tuned for the review. I should have time this weekend to write it up. (As well as a mini book review on the book I recently finished, but forgot to review!)

Also in the mail today, my Spring Interweave Knits finally arrived! I know some of my American friends have owned the issue for a week or just over a week now... I can't believe how long it took to get to me!

This evening I called Blockbusters to see if they had a Playstation 2 game in stock. I have been looking for it 2nd Hand, but Blockbusters apparently has it BRAND NEW for cheaper thatn I've seen it 2nd hand! The girl told me they had it in stock, and so I went to go get it. When I got there, the girl was like "Oh I couldn't find in on the shelves, but I know we have it in stock because the manager did inventory on the weekend and it's an up-to-date inventory". She told me to come back tomorrow and see the manager, who is the only person who knows where it would be. I asked her to call him to find out, since I had come out to their store and all that jazz. She told me she could not call her manager because it was his birthday. What the FUCK? Come on! I am sorry, if you are a manager, and your store is open, you should expect calls from time to time from your employees with questions, etc. I know whenever I've worked retail, etc, my manger was ALWAYS available by phone should I need to ask them something. Anyhow, I'll be going by tomorrow on the way home from our class to speak to this manager about his employee and the rude attitude she gave me. You DO NOT tell a customer over the phone that you have something in stock unless you're 100% sure you have it in stock, because when they show up, they expect to get it... What poor customer service there. I'm hoping he knows where it is, otherwise I'll be really upset.

Not a stitch got knit today. Tomorrow, I promise. Not only is Angela coming over in the afternoon, but I've got the NDG Knit Night tomorrow night! YEY knitting time!

february eighteen: 23 weeks pregnant

This morning was the first time ever, that Sean showed affection towards another kid (let alone to a girl!) Abby, one of 2 girls in our Monday morning class, was the only girl there today. Sean, walked right up to Abby who was sitting on her mommy, and hugged her. I ran to get my camera, and caught this picture before he stood up and went onto other things. But he had his arms all the way around her.... (more than what you see in this picture above). It was just priceless.

This morning we painted "Snow Scenes" with Q-tips and some white paint on black paper. As you can see, today, Sean is right-handed, though some of his paintings in the past were done left-handed. Not sure what hand this kid will write with... maybe he'll be ambidextrous!

My serious little artiste at work. (Yes, there is white paint under his chin and there is a lot more under there you can't see - thankfully NONE went into the mouth today, but it's non-toxic paint mixed with soap water today, so it wouldn't have been that bad had he gotten any in the mouth).

Sean's interpretation of a "Snow Scene"... Montreal in February, at night. I think it's wonderful.

This afternoon I ran a bunch of errands with my sister, and outside Costco, Sean was in a really goofy mood, looking all cute in his hood. Just look at that smile I get to see every day. I'm blessed. At Costco I brought back a package of Hummus that I bought recently, that didn't expire until March 2008, but that when we opened it, it had mold inside. Ew. Gross. Costco took it back, no questions asked.

While my sister did a return at a store in the local mall, I decided to check out Payless and see if they had any size 6 infant shoes for Sean. He's in size 5 now, but I always keep my eye out for great deals for the next size he'll be in (whether it's for shoes, clothing, etc.) At Payless they still had their buy 1 get another half off sale, and I found Sean 2 pairs of shoes. (The cutest things ever). I also found a bunch of shoes I liked (that were all on major sale, plus buy one get the 2nd half off...) so I took them, and I'll try them on here at home, and decide if I'm going to keep them, etc. I am going to fix my fave pair of sneakers (the sole is busted), and I finally bought Shoe Goo today to fix it. I'll let you know how that works. If not, I was in need of new sneakers.

Again, look at the smile on this kid! Seriously! I just love it. And usually I have a very happy kid.

This evening Jamie & I hung out on the couch, caught up on some TV watching, and I did some work. Tomorrow we've got UltraSound number 2. I'm a) expecting them to change my due date yet again and b) hoping that they still tell me it's a boy (though if they had made a mistake, I won't complain.... either way). I'm happy to be having another boy, but if it's a really a girl, and the technician really saw the umbilical cord twice or something, I won't complain either. I'll get my confirmation tomorrow again of the sex. I've heard of screw ups before...!

Instead of going to the Habs game tomorrow night, because our babysitting situation kind of fell through (my mom's a bit sick), we're going to go to the game on Thursday night. (Which works for me, because I'd rather go see the Habs play Pittsburgh (even though they're still short Crosby!) than to watch them play the Rangers. I'm crossing my fingers my mother will be feeling better by Thursday, and hopefully they'll take Sean for the night (sleeping in on Friday? Oh, that would be heaven.....!)

Also, in brighter news, the diarrhea situation is lightening up... his upset stomach is just about back to normal... I've still got to be careful with what he's eating, but we're getting back on track.

I better go catch some Zzzz's so I can be awake to go to Sean's swim class tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'm also hoping to tackle the rest of the laundry. Ever last piece of it... wish me luck!

Today I'm 23 weeks pregnant. I don't feel like photographing myself tonight, so you'll get that weekly shot tomorrow. Sorry... I feel too "blah" tonight.

february seventeen

Sean woke up at 4 am with a full diaper. I was pleased to see a little bit of firmness to what was in there, hopefully the end of the diarrhea is near. (Please!) Also, there is a really bad rash on his bum. We've been using diaper rash cream, but if it doesn't go away in a day or so, (I'm thinking it's related to the diarrhea), then I'm going to call the doctor, to get an ointment for it - which he's had in the past, from a fungal rash (months ago from his doctor that is now on maternity leave)...

However, I do have to say that when he was getting up at 4 am to let me know that his diaper was full, that I was on my way to bed. Somewhere before midnight last night, I got the urge to clean & organize. I started out with a few things in my office (still about 3 boxes left to unpack of stationary stuff, supplies (craft & office), etc.... and then moved onto my "Yarn Room" (where I store my Robyn's Nest inventory etc. I have a storage unit in there, I finally put my boxes of knitting needles in there on the shelves for easy access, as well as the soak products neatly in order, and also finally took out my sewing machine (I have my sewing table in the corner in my Yarn Room). I also discovered there is no plug in there, so I'll have to run an extention cord into the room from the main basement room when I will sew. (Have not yet in the new house). (Even though I have curtains to finish hemming for the basement....) (That will probably get done when I'm nesting in a bunch of weeks from now- LOL)... Anyhow, I'm SUPER happy with the cleaning & organizing I got done, but I still have a lot on my list to do. I had boxes piling up in my office's ensuite powder room/laundry room, and I stacked them by size in the yarn room under the shelving unit where I have storage space. I use them for shipping when the items don't fit into bubble envelopes, but they were taking up a lot of unnecesary space in my bathroom. Little things like that. And before I knew it, it was almost 4 am.... and Sean was crying with a full diaper. Poor kid.

We fell asleep in my bed, and he got up for the day (and wanted to play) at 7:08 am. Since Jamie let me sleep in yesterday, I took Sean to the den. I half slept on the couch while Sean played for about 2 hours. Finally we went upstairs, he ran around my bedroom for a bit taking things off my night table, and off Jamie's night table as well, and then finally asked for a bottle. He drank it and passed out in my arms. We napped until almost 12:30 pm. (Much needed for me!)

We got up and Jamie made us French Toast on Challah, it was absolutely fabulously delicious, better than on regular bread. After brunch, I met my sister at Canadian Tire to pick up a few items. The main item I was there for, is Shoe Goo, to fix my fave pair of sneakers, which the website said they had in stock, but alas, when I got there, nothing. I did manage to get some specialized light bulbs that I needed, and found paper towel on sale, and as well, the re-useable water cooler that I bought recently (Jan 17th) was now on sale. Then I went with my sister to a grocery store near the Canadian Tire to take advantage of the last day of the sale on those pizzas (from yesterday). I love them. They are soooo good. They didn't have any of the ones that you got for free when you buy 2 of the other kind, but they said if I bought them, I could pick them up tomorrow or this week with a rain check. So I got a raincheck, bought the tomato pizzas, and will go back sometime this week (no rush) to pick up the Casa di Mama pizzas that Jamie likes. I think it will be a long time before I will ever be able to get pizzas for $2.98 each! Really good pizzas too! I think the girl at the cash thought I was nuts for the amount of pizzas I bought today. (About 16 of them....!)

Came home, and did a few things around the house, including hanging my diplomas in my office (I had been meaning to hang them up on the wall!), had one of those tomato pizzas, and then headed off to the West Island Knit Night. It was a lot of fun tonight & we were 6 members strong tonight, including my sister whom I convinced to come out knitting! Tonight, it was myself, my sister, Madeleine, Corinne, Julia & Eugenie. I ended up running into an old friend there, she was having dinner with her (very good looking brother - LOL - I'm still allowed to look - right?) and her husband and their 2 year old daughter. In talking with her it turns out she's pregnant too - due in July! Our babies will be days apart! I am excited to find out if they are having a girl or a boy (they don't know yet). She gave me her card (though I have her on my friends list on facebook) and maybe we'll do lunch sometime soon. Very excited to know someone else who will have a baby near when I'm having a baby! Play group!! I smell play group! Anyhow, I got a square on Sean's blankie finished tonight (I'll count out what number that square is tomorrow...) and we had some really good laughs tonight.

Just waiting for my washer load to finish so I can transfer it to the dryer then hit the pillow for the night. Tomorrow I have class with Sean & then some errands to run in the afternoon.

february sixteen

I've been dealing with a kid with diarrhea since Thursday morning. Ever since he threw up, after that, it's been diarrhea (upset tummy). If it's not gone tomorrow, Monday I have to call his doctor. All I smell now is diarrhea. What's funny, is that for some reason it's easier to clean up when changing his diaper, than when it's "regular". Poor kid. He is not acting like anything is wrong, he's his old self. Just making a lot of noises from that "end" of his body. Damn, I hope this passes fast. I'm not giving him his fave foods because of it. I don't want to errupt his tummy even more. Does anyone have any tips to getting rid of it? It's not as if I can give him Imodium. That's for adults. Not toddler safe.

I'm ADDICTED (or maybe it's pregnancy cravings) to Ristorante Pomodori Pizza. Only the one with the tomatos on it. Mmmmm! So much so that I went out and bought like 12 boxes of them. (They were on sale for buy 2 for 8.98$ and get one Casa di Mama pizza for free. In the end, that worked out to just under 3$ per pizza. This worked out perfectly, because I heart thin crust and Jamie loves thick, and the Ristorante ones are thin for me and the free Casa ones are thick crust. What a good score. Now, we have some quick dinners for nights where I either don't want to cook - or we've got to be somewhere and don't have the time to cook! The pizza tonight, TOTALLY hit the spot. Fulfilled my craving!

My three photos for the Yarmulke (Kippah) I crochet (my one attempt at crocheting in the round), is featured on raverly for the pattern! How great is that??

These are my fave pliers. I use them for making my stitch markers for the shop. I like the flat head one, so that it doesn't make marks on the markers.

However, this pair of pliers is at it's death bed unfortunately. The handle is not fixable, and so I'll have to get my hands on another pair. Rest in Peace my poor trustworthy pliers.

While out today at the grocery store I got my hands on a copy of Good Things for kids. It's a Martha Stewart publication, and I believe it's quarterly, (Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall), and have an older issue in my bookcase. I love it. Such creative ideas. So happy I now have a kid to want to use the ideas with! There are some great ideas in there. I can't wait until Sean's old enough to craft with me!

Tonight we watched the movie Mr. Woodcock. It was a funny comedy, with Stifler (Seann William Scott) from American Pie, as well as Billy Bob Thorton & Susan Sarandon. The plot: Taken aback by his mother's wedding announcement, a young man returns home in an effort to stop her from marrying his old high school gym teacher, a man who made high school hell for generations of students. Definitely worth watching at home in the confinement of my own home, but not expensive night at the cinema worth it.

I also caught up on some of my emails that needed responding. I had almost 300 emails in my hotmail inbox, but now it's down to about 170 emails left to respond to. I'll get there. Eventually. If you emailed me, and are waiting for a reply, I'm getting there! I promise.

Blogless Melanie (are you still blogless Melanie?) sent me this video above. Click on the video to watch it (a new window will open). It's about Child Drowning Prevetion. Wow - what a video. I wonder if they teach this in Montreal, if so, I'm soooo signing Sean up. Every mother should watch this video. And grandmothers too :) Ok, I just checked, there are instructors located all across the USA, and one in Australia, but none in Canada. Oh well. I guess it's a good thing that Sean is at least in a swimming class with me. It's a start.



Here is the video called Les peaux de lièvres. more than 700 intarsia panels were knitted by Montreal tricoteuses (OK tricoteurs too probably) to make this video. Here is Tricot Machine's My Space Page. The duo are from Montreal, Quebec. How f-ing cool is that???