1.12.11

This morning after the boys left to daycare, and as Quentin was still napping, I headed down to my home office. I step in and notice my computer is on, but my monitor is a black screen (of death!) I was horrified. I screamed out "OH NOT MY PICTURES! My Files! My knitting PDFs!" I had done a back-up of December, but January was only 12 days in (actually 11, because I had just woke up and didn't take any pictures that were dumped on my computer today at that point). I panicked and thought "Oh no, not another one!" (our bedroom computer that we use for our PVR crashed as well due to what turns out a windows update). And then I calmed. I tried to reboot. That didn't work. I shut down the computer from the back (I think it's the power supply button that I turned off) and then rebooted my computer. My monitor still worked, cuz I got the "ASUS" logo nice and bright, so I knew it wasn't a dead monitor. I luckily was able to get myself into Windows Safe Mode, and then from there, I did a system restore back to Monday (the last available re-store date). I'm thinking now, that it was probably the same windows update that crashed my home office computer.

Had I lost my pictures of January from my computer, it would not have been a big deal. I keep my jpgs on a very large memory card in my camera and I back-up that as well as what I've dumped to my PC at the end of every month. So had I lost all of them I'd dumped from January first to yesterday, at least I still had them on my camera. I never fill my 8 gig card on my camera in a month's time. But my other files!? (They've now been back-up, after this morning's little scare). You'd think being in computers since 1992 (when my dad opened his first computer store), I'd know better to back-up more often. I've seen so many people come in with crashed hardrives and they'll tell us on how they didn't back up anything and they've lost their baby's first year worth of photos, etc... I'm going to be backing up more often... let me tell you.

At lunch we met up with a friend of mine who had a baby boy 3 weeks after Quentin was born. His first little friend. Today was Quentin's first outing with his first friend. Both boys were excellent and slept right through lunch. It was nice catching up with my friend.

This afternoon I ran a bunch of errands and now I know why I keep a shoe box full of instruction booklets for everything that we own that came with one. You never know when you're going to go into Canadian Tire (or any store for that matter for any product) to buy a replacement filter for your water cooler & they no longer sell them. With the part number from the instruction booklet ('cuz it would be too easy for Greenway to put it on the water cooler), I was able to order filters online, with free shipping to boot. I feel so lost right now without our water cooler working in the kitchen. I realized how much I actually use it when it's not functioning. My products are coming from Guelph, Ontario, so I am hoping I get it by Friday.

It's rare that Quentin is this wide awake, so when he is, I take advantage of hanging out with him. He still sleeps an awful lot of the time. There's another cute shot of Quentin on Project 365 today.

1.11.11 :: 210 weeks & 6 weeks

Sean is 210 weeks old today.

Quentin is 6 weeks told today.

This morning I had to run into Quentin's room to make sure he was still alive/breathing. He was still breathing perfectly fine. I woke up startled because he went to bed at just after midnight last night. It was 8:21 am when I ran into his room. Is he going to break Sean's record of sleeping through the night? (Sean started at 9 weeks old and Quentin is 6 weeks old today. My 2nd Mackenzie, on the other hand, took a few months before he started to sleep through the night). I got 8 hours of sleep. UNINTERRUPTED!! I feel like a new person. Keep it up Baby Q. He actually woke up just after 11 am. I couldn't believe it. I went into his room a few times to make sure he was indeed breathing/alive. I'm crossing my fingers he sleeps through the night again tonight. I can hope, right?

Quentin got his Wubbanub in the mail today.

He loves it.
And I just think it's super cute.

Today I was on a rampage. I guess that's what getting 8 hours of sleep in a row will do to a mother? I cleaned, organized, re-arranged. If I didn't just have a baby, you'd think I was nesting. I organized my sewing scraps in a box (above), re-organized the linen closet (it's beyond neat right now - let's see how long it lasts), I re-organized the crawl space under our stairs in the basement (things had just gotten shoved in there as of lately), I did laundry (though it needs to be folded and put away), I cleaned up the den, the playroom (organized toys by type in each bin - like kitchen stuff in one bin, cars in another, etc). I was on a roll. I like that I got a lot accomplished. Quentin was really good about me getting that stuff done as well.

This evening I got to get out of the house for a little bit (with Quentin) for January's Montreal Knitting Guild Meeting. I really wasn't interested in the subject that was being lectured (Weaving) but I went to see some friends and get out of the house (and start a new knitting project - details tomorrow). I had to be home early though, so I just went for a little bit. Jamie's hockey got switched from tomorrow night to tonight, so we compromised a time for me to be home so that we both could go out for a bit.

Posted my silly Mack to Project 365 today.

Today is 1-11-11. Love the date.

1.10.11

Quentin got a new toy today (a gift certificate purchase).
He needed something for his bounce chair,
as I can't figure out what happened to the old toys.
I think they are really cute.

He likes them too. He was whacking the duck for a bit. Not sure if he realizes what he was doing, but the duck made noise when he did it, so he continued to do it for a bit. I don't think at 6 weeks old their eye sight is still not 100% in focus, but I'm trying to stimulate him young, hopefully it will be good.

Tonight we had Blue Marlin steaks for dinner. I've never had this kind of fish before, and let me tell you, it was absolutely freakin' delicious. It was sooo tasty. I absolutely loved the texture of it as well. I definitely plan to have it again. We didn't even do anything fancy to it - just a little garlic powder, a little onion powder and some Montreal Steak Spice. We steamed some green beans and carrots, and voila... dinner! I'm seriously dreaming about the next time I can make it again (without making my household annoyed that I'm serving the same thing again). Monday nights are fish night for dinner now in our house. I started a chart, so that I don't have to panic at 5pm "what's for dinner" and I know what groceries we need for upcoming meals, etc. I'm trying to be more organized this year, and this was one of the places where I wanted to be on top of, so that we waste less money on ordering in, and we are eating healthier as well. (I'm also already dreaming of my vegetable garden and what I want to plant where, come spring).

Someone please tell me they know of a pattern (on Ravelry?) for finger gloves that the index finger "flips" off. My mother uses her index finger to use her iphone and wants a pair of gloves that will keep the rest of her fingers warm, but that she can use her iphone while walking her dog. (My parents have a beautiful fawn Great Dane named Bosco). There are patterns for mittens where the thumb flips off for texting, but I need mittens where the index finger tip is removable.

Also - does anyone know where I can find a pattern for an Android tablet with the dimensions of: 0.48" x 7.5" x 4.75". It's smaller than the ipad, and I know there is are several cozies designed out there for the ipad (like this awesome one for example). Maybe I'll have to design one myself, but I wanted to know if anyone knew of one that was already designed?

Tonight we tried out our new popcorn maker (which we got for Christmas from my sister-in-law). The boys enjoyed watching the popcorn popping as it was being made. Mack was actually in hysterics laughing. (It's amazing what amuses little kids!)

Today's Link Love:
-Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards Point: BKJZN-DXNMM-SMPGB.
- A really funny photo of Quentin on Project 365. (Look at those cheeks!)
- This game looks really neat. I can't wait for my kids to be older so we can play games like this as a family. I definitely plan to implement family game night once a week once the boys are all older.

1.9.11

This morning we had a party to go to bright & early.
Quentin's going through a bit of a growth spurt right now...
... so I wish I could have slept in with him (lack of sleep).
He has the right idea.

At my cousin's son's birthday party, we had a guest appearance by the "wiggles".
It was quite a good laugh.

Mack was upset when they left. He kept asking where they went, and when were they going to come back. I don't think he realized that it wasn't really the real Wiggles.

My class clown.

We had a really good time at the party.
It was really nice to see some friends (and their kids) that I haven't seen in a while.

We decided to come home and make a fire, and roast some marshmallows. Wow, I forgot how sticky those are. The kids had fun toasting them in the fire (I didn't eat any, though, being good with my diet) and Sean discovered that he prefers marshmallows non-toasted, but straight out of the bag. Definitely not my child. I loooove toasted over a fire marshmallows. Though, I haven't had any in years.

It was a nice afternoon at our house. With the fire going, we all hung out (I got almost all of the laundry done, though, once it's all done, somehow there's more. Never fails. Especially when you are a family of 5.

Again today I had all intentions to knit. Did it happen? No. I will get there, I keep telling myself. Once I figure out how to manage my time better (always something to get done or do), I will be able to just sit back and knit. Mind you, I did spend a bit of time today in the yarn room trying to find some bulky or super bulky yarn to use for a project, but couldn't find a color I liked for what I wanted to do. Grumble. And my yarn diet only started 9 days ago for 2011, and honestly... I thought about breaking it to get some more chunky yarn... but then I knocked some sense into my sleep deprived head. Maybe I'll find some on Ravelry to swap with someone for something I have that they might want. That might work. Or I'll just have to find a color in my stash and make it work. We'll see what I figure out.

Today's Link Love:
- This tshirt pom pom tutorial.
- Love this saying.
- Don't these look delicious?
- I love love love these yarn snowmen.
- These mittens are just too cute.

I leave you with the song that I have currently stuck in my head:

1.8.11

This morning started off with a cheese omelet (the first one I've ever made myself & I did a pretty darn good job if I do say so myself - even Jamie was impressed!) with eggs from my sister-in-law's chickens. (She has a couple of chickens and a rooster at her house in the country). It was delicious.

Quentin's been spending his day today in the swing I picked up for parts but ended up not needing them. We are making use of this swing in the kitchen, which he'll use while we're eating meals, etc. (Or if I need somewhere to put him down while I am making his bottle, or cooking/baking, etc). This swing is not as fancy as our original swing (that I picked up when Sean was born) but it does the trick.

This afternoon I got a call from the Electrolux repair technician from the place I brought my vacuum cleaner to. Not only is my nozzle attachment brush finished (which is why it wasn't picking up stuff), the motor needed replacing and it needed a good cleaning/maintenance as well as a new filter. The cost? 140$? At first I was like "What?! I could buy a brand new machine for that price!?" - thinking that in my head. But then I realized... Electrolux's sell brand new for between 2000-3000$. The shop I brought mine to, sells them 2nd hand for 400-800$ depending on the model/year/condition, etc. The new machines that are out there, do NOT compared to my machine. Electrolux's rock. So I told the guy to go ahead. He assured me it would be working like brand new, and it would serve me for many many many more years. That sounds very good to me.

Jamie went to go take out Sean's new helmet (that I exchanged yesterday) out of the box, and guess what? It was defective, in the same manner the original one we exchanged it for yesterday. Someone had returned it and they must have put it back on the shelf. One of the snaps came off, just like ours had. We were livid. Then we went to go take Mack's new helmet out of the box, which we bought a few weeks ago, and at first glance it seems fine. Jamie snaps the grill onto the helmet, and takes it off, and what do you know? The snap comes loose. 3 defective helmets!? From Bauer nonetheless? What a piss off! Anyhow, I have no idea if other companies sell Jr. size helmets, but I will be returning the Bauer ones, and hoping to find something before the boys start their skating lesson (which is coming up).

As of late afternoon I was solo parenting. Jamie had tickets to the Habs game tonight and went with one of his best friends. It's been a challenging evening, but alas, all 3 kids are currently sleeping. I've been taking care of stuff on my to do list, like wrapping gifts for upcoming birthday parties, laundry (cuz it's never ending), organizing in the kitchen (well, started to anyhow, will hopefully finish the rest tomorrow). I've also even gotten to add to my de-clutter list, but will post about that tomorrow, I'm too tired now.

So... what do you do when you're alone with 3 kids? Well... I tried to keep busy. (Keeping busy is KEY! or they go bananas... well my kids anyhow...)

We made words with the Scrabble letter Cheeze-it's that Bea sent over.

Sean found crackers to spell his name (and then later Mack's too)
He's so proud he can spell both their names.

Then we worked on some puzzles, until the pieces ended up all over the kitchen floor....

And then the boys decided that it would be fun to clean the floor. Uhm, okay? Do I fire my cleaning lady? Just kidding. No, but seriously, they thought it was a fun game. Who was I to complain?

In between all these games, and scrabble word finding, and floor cleaning there was a ton of "he's touching my puzzle pieces", "he's touching my chair", "he's hurting me"... fun. The joy of boys. The joy of being push over mommy (when daddy is bad cop daddy). It's been a challenging night. But I managed to feed them dinner (ordered the kids a pizza, to discover I ordered from a 2 for 1 place, and only Sean ate a slice and a half. Not sure what I'm going to do with almost 2 small pizzas, as Jamie & I are on a diet and Mack is not a fan of pizza. Sean's going to be eating pizza for the entire week? Oy.

I'm trying to figure out, how to manage all 3 kids at the same time. At one point I had Sean asking for something, Mack whining about something else, and Quentin screaming his lungs out in his swing because he just woke up and wanted to eat. I really wish sometimes that I had 8 arms/hands. Wouldn't that be sweet. Then I could get everyone what they needed and everyone would be happy. At.the.same.time.

ps - I updated my sidebar on my blog. Check it out --> (I updated the book I'm currently reading (when I have the time to read), the audio book I'm about to start and added a button for you to access my project 365 if you'd like to see what's going on over there).
pps- I told someone today I was going to knit an entire cowl tonight (pattern :: my own design). Yeah, that didn't happen. I didn't get a second to knit a stitch today. Maybe tomorrow.
ppss - I also told someone else I was going to take a relaxing bubble bath and enjoy a glass of red wine while doing so tonight once all 3 kids were in bed. You guessed it... that didn't happen either. Maybe tomorrow night.

1.7.11

Quentin likes soothies too. I picked these up while in Plattsburgh back in September 2010 when I went down for the day. Quentin seems to like both the soothies and pacifiers. Sometimes he just wants to suck on his bottle of the sake of sucking, and if there is formula in there, and he's already eaten, he might eat too much and be sick, and if there is nothing in there, then he'll suck back air and get gas. So instead, I'll give him a pacifier. He's not really a crier, so I don't really need to give him a pacifier to "shut him up" like some mothers do with their babies. I only give a pacifier (or soothie) when deemed necessary. Does this make sense? I don't want to over use it, but sometimes, he just wants to continue with the sucking motion, and I don't want him using a bottle to do so.

Sean is now officially in his big boy car seat (booster). He was towering over his forward facing car seat, and was above the height requirements for the booster, so we switched him into it today. I can't believe what a big boy he is now. I was sad putting away his car seat.

I forgot to mention, I started my own Project 365 at the beginning of the year. You can view the blog here. One photo a day for 365 days. Some of the photos might already be blogged here, but some may not be. I hope to have fun with this project, and I'll get me photography every day. I know I take a lot of photos, but I don't always shoot every day. This will allow me to pick up my camera daily and try to be creative. If there are days I'm not feeling so creative, you'll probably just see photos of my kids. But that's okay, they're cute.

Dropped off my precious Electolux (the only vacuum cleaner to own). Mine kind of looks like this one but in beige. My cleaning lady showed me that the nozzle is not really working properly. It's not picking up stuff off the carpet. So I took it in today. There is a place right next to where the boys go to daycare, in the same complex. The lady at the counter took it in, but the technician wasn't in today. She said I should get a call with an estimate on Monday. I hope it's not going to cost too much money, but it's the greatest vacuum cleaner ever, so we'll see what's wrong with it.

Exchanged Sean's helmet today too - got a new one. I even got a 20$ credit back to the my credit card, as the new one is sold as a kit (cheaper). Sean's original one was bought separate (the helmet and the grill separate). The kit is obviously cheaper, but the girl at the customer service was telling me that they sell them separate at the beginning of the hockey season so that if someone has one part but not the other, they can buy just what they need. Mid-season, they get the helmets in.

Sean stayed in from daycare today, as he has to be fever free for 24 hours before he can go back to daycare. His fever only broke yesterday at 2:30pm, so he had to remain home from daycare today too. Lucky kid.

Diet week 1 :: I'm down 4 lbs. I have a long way to go, but this is a very good start. Let's hope this keeps up. I want my 2009 buttox back around my birthday. Ok, ok, maybe my birthday is not realistic, but by the end of summer. In 2009 I started a diet in January, and by August I was at my lowest in years - 149 lbs. I had reached my goal weight (155 lbs) by my birthday in June 2009. I'd like to be back there again... and this is the year I'm going to do it! Are you planning to lose weight in 2011? What are you doing to make that happen?

Today's Link Love:
- I love these shoes (in black). They'd be great for spring/summer.
- Love this really cute kid's bed.
- This poster is way too funny.

1.6.11 :: 133 weeks old

Mack is 133 weeks old today.

Sean had a really rough night last night. He was delirious and not himself the entire night. He went from 101.4°F (38.5°C) fever at 3pm after nap time at daycare, to staying the same (101.3°F or 38.5°C) at bedtime to 102°F (38.8°C) at midnight, to 102.4°F (39.1°C) at 5 am, and then it slowly went down. By 10 am this morning he was down to 101.6°F (38.6°F) and by 2:30pm his fever had broken and he was at 98.1°F (36.7°C). It stayed around this temperature for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I gave him some tempra just before bed since he seemed a bit warm but I triple checked his temperature, he had none. Hoping tonight he sleeps the night. Last night, if it wasn't Sean telling me his tummy was on fire, I was giving him a cold wash cloth to put on his forehead as he was really warm. Half the night he slept in my bed with Jamie & I. And Quentin, was up a lot last night too. I think he's going through a growth spurt and just wants to eat. It was a really rough night. (Above) Sean spent all day today in my bed and watched TV. I couldn't tell you if he actually napped or not, as I actually crashed most of the day when not feeding Quentin or taking care of something Sean needed. I'm hoping I'm not wired tonight from sleeping most of the day. Sean has to stay home tomorrow again, as he has to be fever free for at least 24 hours before he can return to daycare.

I am still in shock that Quentin actually likes bath time.
Both Sean & Mackenzie screamed every bath as a newborn.
Each time I bathe Quentin, I am just amazed how different Quentin is.
(Which is obvious, because all 3 boys are different, I know).

Tonight after 2 of the 3 kids were in bed, Jamie & I watched the Habs game, which we won 2-1 in a shoot-out. After Quentin was fed, I actually got to knit for a bit on Jamie's socks. Been trying to sneak in knitting time as much as I possibly can.

This morning on CJAD (800 AM), Quentin won the Special Delivery of the Day prize. I am not sure what exactly we'll win this time, but I am curious to see what is in the prize pack. I won this same contest back in January 2007 just a few days after Sean was born, and we got a bunch of Safety First products. I am not sure why, but Mack was never entered into the contest. We all probably forgot about entering his name. (It was my in-laws who entered us both times). I made sure to set the alarm and turn on the radio this morning. It was cool hearing our names on the radio and they were really impressed with Quentin's name. I love that people love his name. We were trying to find something unique, not top 100 and not something that has been used lately. (When we were in the hospital and we told nurses/doctors the name, they all were like "Wow, great name we haven't heard that name in years." Or we heard "Oh great name, I have a friend with that name but he's 33 years old, and I haven't heard that name used since. And my friend Quentin is a great guy, so great choice!"... We had so many other names we wanted to use, but unfortunately they were already used by family, a lot of them under the age of 8, so I didn't wait two kids with the same name running around family functions.

Today I had some customer service stuff taken care of. My email from Bauer got answered, and Sean's helmet has a 1 year manufacturer's warranty, I just need to take back the helmet to the retailer we got it from. We're locating it's receipt, and will go back (with the email from Bauer, in case I have any issues) to the store where we bought it. Thank goodness I don't have to replace the helmet that is not even 3 months old, out of my own pocket. Hockey equipment ain't cheap!

I also spoke to First Years about my defective All Purpose Sterilizer. The lady on the phone told me that it's not actually burned. That some areas have certain minerals in the tap water (and we use tap water in the sterilizer (and to do our dishes, etc)) and that it's some sort of build up (she said the name of the type of build up, but I'm not remembering what she said. She told me to take 2 ounces of vinegar and 1 ounce of water, and soak the hot plate over night. I did that as soon as I got off the phone with her at lunch today, and we'll see by tomorrow morning if that worked. If not, I told her I would be calling her back.

I'm starting to think that Quentin might have his nights & days mixed up... so we'll see what tonight brings. I am wired though... from napping almost all day. Boo.

1.5.11

Some nights are rough. Those are the nights where Quentin wants to eat every hour all night long. I've been having those nights lately. Why can't he sleep the 4 hours stretches he's been doing during the day time at night? Is that too much to ask for? I also just started making him larger bottles, and he's drinking a bit more at each feeding. Must be a growth spurt.

I got a call from the daycare after nap time this afternoon that Sean has fever. (101.4F or 38.5C). He was given tempra at school just before I came to pick him up. By bedtime it was still the same. He did eat a bit of dinner, but by bedtime he was not himself. I am hoping he sleeps off his fever, and wakes up feeling better in the morning. He doesn't even have a high fever, so that's good. I've seen both him & Mack get fever of almost 104F (40C) before.

Today I picked up a new sterilizer for Quentin's baby bottles. It's the First Years Microwavable Sterilizer. I used this one (First Years All Purpose Steam Sterilizer) with Sean & Mack's bottles, but the plate where you put the water to sterilize, burned. I'm going to try calling First Years tomorrow, and see if I get any help with that. Maybe it's a common defect and they can do something about it? I had already replaced the All Purpose one once for the same reason. I've been getting good help when calling customer service lately, so maybe I'll try that. Can't harm to try.

Now that I'm done with Quentin's Milo (and I have a ton of other baby knits I want to do), Jamie kinda hinted at me last night while we were watching tv that I owed him a pair of socks from Chanukah/Xmas 2009. Yeah... I'm bad. They're over a year late now. My defense, is that I knit so many socks in 2009 (for my designs, etc) that in 2010 I got turned off from sock knitting, and took a break. I did knit one pair of socks in 2010, as a gift, and never told him that I knit those, cuz I should have been working on his socks. I have three quarters of sock 1 knit... so I should get on that. Last night I had him try on the sock to see how much more I need to knit to close to the toe. I've probably got a good 2 inches before starting the toe decreases. I'm so close.

1.4.11 :: 209 weeks & 5 weeks

Sean is 209 weeks old.

Quentin is 5 weeks old today.

SPECS:
Pattern: Milo by Georgie Hallam (My Ravelry Link)
For: Quentin
Yarn: 0.87 skeins (104.4 yards) of Maddison Furbetto
Needles: US 6 - 4.0 mm
Size: Newborn.
Timeline: December 14, 2010 - January 3, 2011 (And it really didn't take me that long. I started it and then worked on my mom's tudora for her birthday, then picked up it again. It really was maybe a 2 day project - if that at all).
Modifications: Knit pattern as written.
Opinion: Very cute and a very easy pattern. I plan to knit another in a larger size, using another cable pattern as provided. The owls are just calling my name.

Quentin wore his new Milo out today. We had some breakfast with some mommy friends & their babies. (All 5 months and younger). One baby was even just 10/11 hours older than Quentin, yet double his size. She was a good 12 and a half pounds right now. Her mom said at her first month check up she was 12 lbs on the nose. (They're both 5 weeks now). Quentin at his first check-up (at 4 weeks old), was a whopping 6 lbs 5 oz - not even 6 and a half pounds). It was nice to get out for a bit in the morning with some new mom friends.

Some random photos from tonight:

Cross-eyes!

Cheese!

My 3 sons.

Funny story: When Sean went to put on his pj's tonight before bed, all he had left in his pj drawer was a long john set. I had done all the boy's laundry, and it was all folded, just not put away in their drawers yet. Anyhow, Sean pulls out his long john set (which I bought for outdoor skating) though, it could act as pjs too, and he says to Jamie "Daddy, I want to wear these tonight to bed, the ones with the hole for my pe.nis. Will my pe.nis be cold?" (Cuz long john pants have the hole for men to use to go to the bathroom without having to pull down their pants, right?) It was way too funny. Ah... the things kids say.

I leave you tonight with a cute picture of Quentin napping in his bassinet next to me, and some link love:

Today's Link Love:
- I’ve got a new Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards for you worth 5 points: BJKGWQMBTSRCPGB.
- I love this camera lens mug. Oh, I want one!
- I love this f-stop watch! Too cool.
- As far back as photography school (I started about 7/8 years ago), I always wanted a spy lens.
- Love this camera necklace. Too bad there's no price or add to cart button on it yet.
- Oh, I love this camera bag!

1.3.11

Quentin drank about 4 bottles last night between 11 pm and 4 am this morning = Growth spurt. Bassinet = 0. Crib = 0. Mommy's chest = He finally goes to sleep. I was not a happy camper this morning. I ended up sleeping with him on my chest until about 7 something this morning. The kids went to daycare and I went back to bed. I slept until almost noon today. Or just after noon. Jamie had the day off today, so we finally sat down (toddler free) and watched the movie Inception. It was quite interesting to say the least. Have you seen it? What did you think?


Milo really is a really fast knit. I'm already at the bottom ribbing. I'm wondering if I can finish it tonight? We'll see if I have enough time tonight to do so. I might not even need to start the 2nd ball of yarn to finish it. That would be awesome.


Mack has been quite proud of his dressing efforts as of lately. He's gotten very good and both undressing and dressing himself. While he's no expert yet at zippers (neither is Sean), I'm quite impressed with his skills. This will only make getting them ready much easier on me. Today (above) he showed me that he can put his snow boots on himself. (The first boot went on the wrong foot though, but after a correction, he got it on the right foot).


My in-laws got Mack this toy for the holidays. (The link shows a guitar, we only got the keyboard). Mack LOVES it. (And I am not too happy with my in-laws for getting such a loud and noisy toy. Grumble).

Maybe he'll be a DJ? He loves using the microphone. He can sit there singing ABC's into it all night long. Oh, and christmas carols too.. it cracks me up. He's lovin' Jingle Bells & Santa Clause is coming to town.

After the rough night I had last night, I'm going to take it easy on the couch tonight, hopefully finish up Milo. If I don't, so then be it. If I nap on the couch, that's cool too. I have early plans tomorrow, so I'm hoping Quentin lets us sleep tonight or I might not function to get out of the house.

I'll be praying tomorrow that Tara's daughter Émilie's surgery goes well. Please send some prayers for her as well. She's having a benign brain tumor removed. I can't imagine what Tara is going through right now, but I can offer my love and support out to her. Tara - when you read this - please know that I am here for you, and if you need anything at all - don't hesitate to ask. That's what friends are for, right?

1.2.11

I have been doing a little knitting (last night & today) and I've made some progress on Milo. I've actually made some progress since taking this picture. It seems like a really quick knit. I want to finish it asap, because I really think it will fit him now. It's indeed newborn size. It looks so tiny. I want him to be able to enjoy & wear it while he's still this tiny. He's just just now finally outgrowing preemie clothing (in length) but is still swimming in newborn clothing. He's still really tiny and under 7 lbs. He's probably a little over 6 and a half lbs right now. Oh and I just absolutely love the color of the yarn. It's a gorgeous shade of green.

What's been nice is that Quentin's finally been more alert lately. He remains awake for longer periods of time each day. (While it's still minimal though). I love it. I love talking to him while he's wide awake. He's starting to slowly react to me talking to him.

Jamie and I are finally on Season 2 of How I Met Your Mother. We're totally enjoying this show. Season 6 is currently on air, so we have a bit of catching up to do. We'll get there... eventually. Just like eventually I will catch up on my blog reading. And my email inbox. And my ravelry inbox. In due time. In the meantime, I have a newborn to go feed (I hear him stirring), so I'll leave you with some link love:

Today's Link Love:
- Free crochet stacking toy pdf. It's very cute!
- This fast table chair is really neat.
- Love this very cute free crochet gnome pattern.
- Put this pattern away for December 2011, it's a free crochet santa hat pattern.
- I totally LOVE this picture frame jewelry box. Very cool.

1.1.11

Happy New Year. Wow. 2011. Where did 2010 go? Seriously.

Today the diets start. More than 1 actually.

First, my husband and I are planning to get back into shape. We'll be eating a lot healthier and exercising. (I'm setting exercise as my goal this year as I hate doing it - but definitely should). With the exercising though, I need to first be cleared by my doctor at my check-up at 6 weeks postpartum, as I am not supposed to be exercising or lifting anything heavy for 6 weeks after my surgery (C-section). I suppose though, that I could start walking on the treadmill, as I am allowed to walk. In the spring, I plan to start an aqua class (with Quentin), so that will get us both in the water. I plan to keep busy. And I plan to get back into shape. In 2009 I lost almost 40 lbs. I want to get back to that weight I was, and I know I can do it. I just need to stay focused and I will get there. I also plan to cut out soda (I am addicted to diet coke/diet pepsi) and drink more water. I don't think I'll be able to cut it out 100%, but if I can cut it out of my life at least 80%, that would be enough for me. My mom was just telling me that my dad (and her) cut out soda (diet as well only they were drinking) and my dad dropped 20 lbs just from cutting that out of his life. (Though, I hear it's like that for men. Maybe women too can lose weight just by cutting out soda?) Though... I did drink diet soda during both times I dieted hardcore (2005 up until my wedding (and I lost 25 lbs from March until September) and in 2009 (from January until August/September)) and I was still able to lose weight. We plan to eat more fish (I was actually turned off by fish while pregnant with Quentin and didn't eat it once). Hopefully changing our eating habits will also help.

Have you dieted? What worked for you? I'm open to suggestions, tips, etc. Please share! If you don't want to leave a comment about it, but want to still let me know, you can always email me at knitpurlmama at gmail dot com. I'd love to hear from you. The way I lost 40 lbs in 2009 is definitely not an option anymore for me. So I'm looking to see what worked for you, maybe it can help me.

The 2nd diet I'm doing is a yarn diet again. I was so good in 2010, and only bought a few things at the end of 2010 when my yarn diet ended (the weekend I was supposed to go to Rhinebeck 2010 - but couldn't go because of my high risk pregnancy). I still have a very large stash, so this year I will try to make a dent in my stash. I had started organizing my stash, cleaning up my yarn room, to make sure everything I had was indeed listed on Ravelry. However, Quentin surprised us 4 weeks early, so I didn't get a chance to finish. I've been using my free time to nap lately, so as soon as I start to function properly again, (and Quentin gives us longer stretches of sleep at night), I'll finish organizing my yarn room and loading anything that is not on Ravelry on Raverly. I will get there & accomplish that. The bit of yarn I will still receive this year, will be from Tanis Fiber Arts. At the end of 2010 her sock club ended up in my shopping cart after she announced it on her blog. I think I will receive my first shipment this month. It was paid for after my last yarn diet ended... so it'll be nice to have some surprises in the mail. Can't wait to see what she sends!

Today we went over to my in-laws to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. Her actual birthday is tomorrow. We also exchanged Christmas gifts with everyone. I got a few small gifts, (as I already got a steamer & a new iron from my in-laws) but they still got me a few small things, which was totally not necessary, but fun nonetheless. Jamie and I also got a popcorn maker - something that I wanted to get for a while now, just never got around to it. It's so much healthier to pop your own. Very excited to try it out.

Being at my in-laws and having people there who want to steal Quentin away from me (except during feeding or diaper changing time of course), I got to knit a few rounds on Q's Milo. I better get it done soon, I think he'll fit into it now, it's so tiny. As long as I get some more time, I can totally finish it soon. (I'm knitting newborn size).

This year, I want to knit more. Crochet more. Read more. Explore more into photography (and maybe put my photography degree - I did graduate in professional photography to use). I want to bake/cook more. I want to spend more time with my children doing really fun things. This year I turn 30, and I'm a tad freaked out about that too (though I hear the 30's are the new 20's and they are some of the best years of your life).

What do you want to accomplish this year? What are your new year's resolutions if you're making any?

This is the year to make it happen. Let's do it! Wishing you all a fantastic 2011. (Today's date is pretty cool, eh? 1-1-11. I wonder who was the first Montreal baby of the year. It'll probably be in tomorrow's paper.

Today's Link Love:
Some Pampers Gifts to Grow Points: F9779FYAHFJRYCN.
Some Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards Points: 1 point code: BGTCK-MJMKH-KBPGB 5 point code: BJSGM-LKKKQ-ZKPGB.
- Love this photo of the crafted snowmen.
- Would love to get a yarn bowl.
- This photo is fun!