Who Doesn't Love Biscuits?

I've put another free pattern up on Ravelry - this is for my Biscuit Scarf. I admit, I'm glad it's finally cold enough to wear & enjoy this!

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Download Now or use the Ravelry link to my Biscuit Scarf.* This used two skeins of Zauberball, done in Brioche stitch. (If you don't know, Brioche can be both a stitch pattern and a type of bread.) I’ve found directions for both a little confusing, so I was delighted to find an old book with instructions that made sense and made the whole process less confusing. The combination of self-striping yarn & simplified instructions made this such a pleasure to knit that I’ve named this scarf pattern “Biscuit”. Just like quick breads, this is fast & easy, with an end result that’s a pleasure to enjoy!
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Most brioche stitch patterns that I’ve seen use a smaller needle than the yarn typically calls for, to give a more dense fabric. This pattern utilizes the opposite logic, and uses a larger needle for a somewhat lacy and open effect.
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Hopefully this will help keep us all warm through the upcoming winter!

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*The "Download Now" link will take you to Paypal, where the cost is $0.00, and then send a downloading link to you. If you do have a Ravelry membership, it's the easier option.

Our Holiday, In A Nutshell.

Er, I mean, teacup.

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Have I mentioned how lucky we are that the man has to travel, & we get to go with him sometimes?

*blinking*

You know, there are times when I feel like I'm just not fit for public consumption. Not that I smell, or I'm rude, or anything; it's more like the vital part of my brain that runs my conversation & interpersonal skills up and.... disappears. Blogging is different, because really, it's sort of like I'm talking to myself, but on a bus where other people can hear me. Also, I can delete, backspace, spellcheck, and edit quite happily. Sadly, not smething I can do in face-to-face conversation. Luckily, my husband is engineer-y, so I'm not sue he even notices, and Am is still working on her grasp of English, so she doesn't really notice either. I think. I just try toavoid everyone else.

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So, erm. If you run into me today, and I seem dopey or quiet, I'm fine, really, I'm just a little dopey and quiet. If I don't open my mouth, then I don't have to worry that I'll stick my feet in it.

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Anyways! Look at (some of) what I did with my hands:.

These four are all BFL fiber from Sweet Georgia (from Make1); & now that they're spun (and fairly consistent), I can't decide what to do with them. Ply them for mittens? (Two colors do match the biscuit scarf. But then what to do with the yellow & green?) Set them as singles? For intarsia? Or maybe to felt? Is it wasteful to take something I have so little of (50gm each, no idea on yardage at this point) and not do my best to stretch it out? (The green curve on the left is my belly. Not even here yet, and the new kid wants into all the shots.)

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This is a little bit of silk/wool from Twist of Fate, I believe. I was a little disappointed as it came all wrapped in a ball shape, and I totally adored the navy/rust. Sadly, the center of the ball was all greeny/english garden colors, so I spun the unwanted color up along time ago. This is the rust/navy (only1.2oz), which is my first Navajo plying on a spindle. I know if I'd plyed it differntly, I'd've ended up with more than the 55m, but I wanted to do it this way, so I did. Now, what do I do with it? Knit myself a lollipop?

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I did not make this. Nope, wasn't me. But it is mine, and, well. After a little research & some dictionary reading, I'm not sure if a project I'm scheming on should be called "The Teacozy of Vengeance", "The Revenge Teacozy" or perhaps "Like Justice, the Teacozy Knitter Is Blind". S___, you thought that this, this was the ugliest teacozy ever. I'm going to prove you wrong, girl.

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It's Far Too Late

Yes, when it's past 10pm, and I haven't done any knitting yet today, you know it's been a busy day. (I'd say productive, but dude! Knitting is productive!)

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Today, among other things, we went to the mail box (Am had her monkey in a stroller), I made about 50 or so cups of creamed corn (mmmmmmmmmmm), and we worked some more on her room.

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Am is inspecting her father's handiwork as he hangs her ceiling fan.

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Am & her new Mexican octopus (thanks Auntie C____!) are offering helpful hints to dad.

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One corner of the room that has everything slated to be there, there.
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Did I mention her room is big? We're not just calling it a big room for a big girl for nothin'. And she's got a queen sized bed? And a giant, horrible, stuffed fish? (There's more yet to go on those walls.)

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I know people - lots of people - adult, couple people - who sleep in a queen, if not something smaller. I know it's ridiculous to have a toddler in a queen. Someday, when I have enough energy, I'll fill you in on the bed saga.

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For now, I'm off to knit & watch the rest of my recorded CSI.

It's My Crazy

It's a relatively new crazy, true, and I've gotten pretty good at scraping it off of me, but today I almost hit the excess zone about 11:30 am.

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I've become hyper attached to My Plans, and to Things Working. Now, I'm not talking about a grand, over-arching, "and then, Pinky, we take over the world" plan. I'm talking about oh, say - tomorrow, there's the midwives appointment, then a doctor appointment, then we're going to stop by the farmer's market for meat & produce, and be home for a nap for Am. It hasn't required that much 'planning' - but there are certain time deadlines & preparations I need to meet or make. Now, if that plan gets shot all to hell for no good reason, I will be aggravated. Intensely. Out of scale, in fact. I work very hard about being fluid, and mellow, and most times I do really well, but if something has had enough time invested in it to move from being a plan to a Plan, then gets trashed for some random thing, well. I get twitchy.

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I think it's just on overcompensation - I never used to plan to much at all, and was very zen about things. Being responsible for another small human limits the zen a little - it's all very fine to decide to stop & play in the fountain, all impromptu, but if you don't have diapers/change of clothes/snacks/nap time leeway/etc, a quick moment of fun can turn into a slow, roiling hell. It's taken me some time to find a balance between living in the now, and packing for what the now & the just-after-now will bring. The tension from that learning curve got plopped right onto my attachment to Plans.

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I've tried to ease off of this, & find a happy medium. It had been a long, long time since I'd succumbed to Plan Rage. And then there was daycare... long story short, I am very happy with Am's daycare - or at least, with the caregivers, the food, and the quality of care that Am receives. The management, who set policies, cash cheques, etc ? Well. I was very enraged, then sputtered, then had a holiday, then talked to mediator friend (thanks C___!), then went and talked to daycare. And things are now (mostly) happily resolved. We're not splitting daycare with another lady in the same way I'd originally planned, but we're still on track for Am to continue in daycare, at a reduced rate, two days a week. So that was a happy ending, and I'm trying not to fixate on the wasted time.

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Speaking of wasted time, did I mention I like for things to work? Whether it's a can-opener or a garden hose? I spent yesterday evening fighting to get a printer installed, then a document merged. Then I spent this morning remerging, reformatting, retinkering, cursing, gnashing my teeth, then finally realizing that it's not me, it's not Word, it's the new dadblasted printer. So I took a deep breath, worked around it, and skeined some yarn while the print job processed.

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The first ball of yarn was very soothing. (It's the mitten yarn, btw. Smooshy.) The second ball of yarn, not so much. It's never a good sign when you try to untie your skein of yarn - which should all be wound in the same direction, no? - and find loops moving in wrong directions and FOUR (4) ends, not two, as one would anticipate for one (1) length of yarn. It was the reverse of that one skein of Malabrigo that had no ends. (I spent 20 minutes, picking through the yarn on my swift, trying to find an end. I finally thought "screw it, this baby'll spit-splice", and chopped a random chunk. I then wound the entire ball - and knitted it, without ever finding the ends that should have been there. Mystery. Aggravating.) The yarn eventually yielded to my charms, spliced beautifully, and the print job ended well.

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Despite the printer & the evil skein*, my day was excellent, and followed my rough scheme, with a nice deviation for supper**. I did have an interesting conversation with the grocery clerk - she asked if I was afraid of having my second baby. "No, not really", I said, "It's just a lot harder to plan.***"

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*Hah! It could be the sinister skein, for the left hand! Hah! Does that make anyone else giggle?

**No, we didn't eat a deviation or have a deviant over for supper. There were unplanned and delightful dinner guests! Hence, deviation from plan of supper.

***More about than another post. Footnotes shouldn't be longer than the post, no?

The Beach!

Sep 09
Originally uploaded by Kourtney_R

Her dad kept encouraging her to go see Mom - I think he was getting tired of the surf patrol. And every time, she'd run towards me, the swoop back to the ocean. This time, she did slow down long enough to show me her shirt, that was all wet.

(I especially love how she runs with her hands in the air - such a girl! And don't step on the kelp, ew!)

Opinions, Please...

I'm knitting a gift. I don't think the recipient reads this blog - but if you're getting married in November, STOP READING NOW, or spoil your surprise!
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Unusually, I have assigned myself a deadline; the bridal shower that is about two weeks from now. I don't feel this is insurmountable, A) I'm planning mittens or gauntlets B) it's this yarn, an aran weight that I'm absolutely smitten with:

Terra by the Fiber Company. I have two skeins, 91m each. (This isn't the colorway - but it conveys the sheen, the softness, the smooshability.)
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Also, C) the backup deadline is the wedding & D) I knit pretty fast.
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I also get fed up & rip out pretty fast, so I think I'm going to can my original idea of designing something for her, & instead use - and try to follow, with minimal tweaking - an existing pattern.

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This is where you come in, Intarweb - I need your opinion. I'm thinking of something a little cable-y - especially two cables crossing, with all the symbolism of weddings & joinings & that stuff. After browsing Ravelry's free patterns, these are my main contenders.
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Bella Mittens by Marielle Henault The yarn called for is heavier than what I've got, and I'd kind of feel better knitting them finger down, so I don't tragically run out of yarn. So, a potential for a lot of tweaking which can result in time wasting.

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Dashing, by Cheryl Niamath I love them, but they're not mittens. Are they going to be of any use for someone who is a student who commutes via transit system? If I mittenize them, I might have to shorten them (yardage!), and I think that would lessen their style. And again, with the tweaking/time dilemma.
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Spooky Cabled Armwarmers, by Jen Showalter Maybe a little busy? Not sure that I like the thumbs, either.
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Vikingùr vantùr/Half Mitts with Viking Inspired Cables by Visa Lisa Again, are half mittens going to be useful?
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Moms Cabled Mitt's by Jessica Jensen I don't dig the name (not a big deal , I know), but again with the fingerless business.

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Please, please Intarweb - I don't usually ask for response, but help me out & leave me a comment with your opinion & any suggestions. I need to start swatching soon!

Back To The Grind

Well, sort of, anyways. It was my first Monday of my maternity leave, and I'd given myself a good stern talking-to about getting some things on the list done.

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So Am & I went booting off to Ikea. I'd done my research ahead of time via the Intarweb, and printed off a shopping list that gave me the warehouse locations for the big items. IT GAVE ME THE WAREHOUSE LOCATIONS! I didn't have to mumble through the showrooms, looking for the red sniglar, to figure out what aisle & bin the sniglar live in. It was awesome.

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I mean, we still zoomed through the displays, because there were two things I wanted that weren't in the warehouses, but my sweet heavens, you wouldn't believe how much time that list saved. We left at 11 & were home by 2, including a stop at a drive-through & over an hour of driving time.

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Then while Am napped, I put together the rattenfot & the arnolf & did a couple other things in Am's new room. Yes, a big girl room, all for her*. I'm enjoying decorating her big girl room so much more than I enjoyed setting up the baby's room. I know Amoryn now; before, all I could gauge her personality on was how often she kicked & bomped in mah belly.

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She's tucked into her new bed**, in her new room, and she seems quite enchanted with it all. Updates & photos to follow!

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*She was already in a proper bed; we've just relocated her so that the baby room can stay the baby room.

**Due to situations beyond my control, Am is now sleeping in a queen-size bed. It's HUGE compared to her!

Sliding At Legoland

Sep 09
Originally uploaded by Kourtney_R

This is nowhere near as cool as Dizzyland, by the way.

Sunshine & Sloth

Ah yes, sunshine & sloth. Two of my favorite things, especial when combined. It almost sounds like it should be a colorway, but what color would actively portray slothfulness? (Sloth the vice, not sloth the animal.)

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At any rate, we are home. It was a lovely holiday, and I have lots & lots of nice things to say about SoCal, Disneyland, & room service. Due to sloth, however, I'm not going to say much about any of that; it's much better with pics & video. (The camera is over *there*.)

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Why am I glad to be home? Well, sunscreen is a total necessity there, and my face was breaking out like it was 1992 (jr high, baby). It was HOT there, which I usually totally dig, but the portable furnace that is mah belly quashed a little of that. It's cool enough here that my feet should quit swelling so much.

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I'm also tired of putting up with conference strangers whose attempts at small talk all revolve around "So, how much longer?" as if this were a jail term, not a pregnancy, and then always goggle in shock when I tell them how much longer I actually have. I guess I should've said "Twenty minutes", just once, to see the response, but I was too sober to be witty. (Ah, the perils of the conference wife. Thankfully, there was only one uninvited belly-petter, and I was braced for her. We met once years ago, when she was snookered on gin, and she told me all about her faith and that she feels so recognized as a woman by the Catholic church. She's totally entitled to her opinions, but the gin-heavy delivery made it a little hard to swallow. I try to follow the unofficial conference wife rules, & 1) Display tasteful amounts of cleavage, & 2) Try to stick to weather conversations with people that you don't know at all, and haven't met before. Whatever. At least she didn't try to pinch or pet Am; I would've gone in with an elbow at that.)

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I'm very glad to be home in our bed, too. I didn't mind the hotel bed - it was just soft enough for me to sink in enough that I didn't have to get an extra belly-propping pillow. The man slept pretty well for the first half of the trip, but the then the flipping & flopping began. When you pair the man's flipping & flopping around next to me with the babe's flipping & flopping, it was a little hard to get a good sleep. And as always, I lurve my sheets, my precious milllion thread count Egyptian sheets.*

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And speaking of sleep - do you hear that? It's the noise of Amoryn having her nap, at the appropriate time, with no squabbling. It's a great noise. I didn't get as much done on this holiday with regard to knitting/designing/swatching, because there were limited amounts of nap to work with. Oh well. Better to pack too much knitting than not enough! I don't know if I'd never realized it before, or had just forgotten it, but travel tends to inspire my muse in new directions. So there's lots of observing & very little output; the ideas are sinking in & percolating around.** As a result, I didn't touch the projects that I anticipated I'd make huge progress on. I did start another almost all knit-stitch project - like I needed another one to keep Shawl That Counting company. I guess I did though - STC is too big to be portable now, and this is my last attempt with the $%$@ Koigu. It's been two different things so far, & if this doesn't work, I'm frogging it & giving the yarn to a good home.

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I did finish spinning up my Sweet Georgia singles - now I just need to decide whether or not to ply them; if so, in what color combos? And what end project do I have in mind? All these decisions, so difficult. That, and the still burning "nap or laundry?" question.

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*Only a slight exaggeration.

**Subconscious, I can't WAIT to see what you make out of Orange County. Palm trees, sunfaded tattoos, spanish accents, & air conditioning? Quite a mix.

Well, The Camera Was Full

I had to dump the pics of off the camera; tomorrow is Dizzyland Redux, I think. And that will require photos & video.

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Today was Legoland...

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And SeaLife, which was next to Legoland, and waaaay cooler than SeaWorld. This place had fish! In tanks! And more fish! And water to splash! (And terrorized starfish, but that was incidental. To Am, at least.)
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Then there was San Diego - and the beach.

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I freely admit, I've never been stared at so much on a beach. (I love this family photo. It's a happy accident with the self-timer.) I figure - why not let it all hang out? (Or at least, a serious portion of it.)

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There was a lot of kelp - which is a good thing, and a sign of a healthy beach, I guess. It also makes Am & I go "ewwww!".

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And now I'm going to join the rest of the family in going "Zzzzzz". Am & the man have the exact same posture at this moment - although the man fell asleep reading the Economist, and Am drifted off contemplating her Eeyore.

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Also, Am is wearing her lightweight A/C friendly pj's, which just happen to be pale pink, covered in Xmas motifs, and unlike anything I can imagine the man wearing.

Oh, What A Day!

We went to Disneyland today. Am has no real idea who the majority of the characters are, but she was still stoked to see a giant mouse (Minnie), a giant dog (Pluto), and she insisted that she needed to hug the giant chipmunk (Dale).

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I know that you're supposed to pronounce words properly to your children when they mangle them, so that they learn the correct thing, but I think I might apply for a waiver in this case. "Dizzyland" is entirely too perfect a name for that place - especially after the Flying Dumbo, King Arthur's Carousel, and the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups...

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We also went on a submarine voyage ("Nem-O!"), met Tinkerbell & friends (Am liked the giant flowers better than the fairies), went on "Pooh's Big Adventure" (man, that was a trip - for reals), and invested in a Winnie ther Pooh. Not the giant one that she first went for - it was the same height as her & $100. We would've needed to buy a new suitcase, just to stuff him into. A nice, snuggleable sized Pooh.

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I'm sure I'm forgetting lots about the day - but it was very much fun for all of us. At least, I know I enjoyed it; and I think the man did too. I can vouch for Am - she just talked herself to sleep, ensconced in the roll-away cot, snuggled in with puppy & bear, the favorites; and Winnie ther Pooh, Eeyore (Don QuiDonkey redux), and Minnie Mouse, the upstarts. Topic of conversation? "Teacups."

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(Her dad got her Winnie. I got her Eeyore the second day we were here; she was being so good. And the "donkey" is what she picked out of the lineups at the store! Minnie was a gift from some friends.)

Well, If You Gotta

I suppose one of the nicer things to do the day after finishing work up is going to California for a break. I mean, the man is just busy enough with his conference stuff that I'm more or less solo parenting, yet has odd parcels of free time during the day, so I can't plan entire days around what I want to do with Am, so that's a little odd.

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But the fact that our room opens out onto the pool lanai & it's Orange County make up for the oddness. That, and room service. The next time he's away on business & I'm solo parenting, I think it would be great if I could call someone & get them to bring another pillow, a grilled cheese sandwich, & a fresh fruit tray. Actually, that would be nice to have all the time. (Also, I love that we leave the room & when we get back, the room is magically all clean. I mean, I make the beds, I tidy up the hotel room; but the freshly folded towels & hospital corners that I've never had to touch are just great.)

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Speaking of great, I have some amazing photos. But they're all in my camera, & my computer, & this is the man's computer. The internet service is a little weird here, so to keep things easier, I'm just using his laptop. So for now, imagine us doing all those cool South California things. Beaches, pools, palm trees. Although we actually haven't done what everyone else seems to be doing - which is take our child to Disneyland, and go shopping at massive American outlet stores. Disneyland is tomorrow, and the shopping, well. I can't even buy shoes right now that will fit, so my shopping mojo is a little off. (I did see a Sephora, and I was very excited by that. Yes, I probably won't be super into makeup & skincare for a little while post-baby - but I will still have skin!)

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And I've made it very clear to the man that there are a couple places that it is Very Important we stop at. I'd've gone already, but as I mentioned, he (and his boss) have got this weird schedule, so I haven't been able to dart off to the yarn stores with Am in tow. In some ways, it's better of the man is around to keep Am entertained while I get to yarn dive, undistracted...

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In some ways (like for my budget), it's much, much worse.

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At any rate, it is late, I are tired, and while the morning does come a little later here (all the excitement! and swimming! and playing! and the blackout curtains!), it still arrives.

The Last Day At The Office

Yes indeed, I'm officially on maternity leave. Or sort, anyways. I'm no longer going to the downtown office. I was planning on working for longer, but it's s...l...o...w.... at the office, & really, the atmosphere is not so great, what with the slowness & the layoffs. So I'm better served to be out of there for a while. The doors are open, warmly, in the future, and I'll likely head back, pending child care & all sorts of things that I can't control.

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I am going to be doing some side work for an old boss - I think it's perfect, it's ongoing, fairly low brain functioning, and should be just enough that I avoid making myself a puddle of crazy. And there's always my plan to publish patterns, and oh yeah, the damn internal books.

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The crazy? It's not one of the crazies that look good on me. It's the "Ack, I'm not working, this can't be right, I'm not contributing, so I'm going to hyper stress on being the perfect wife & mother & housekeeper and AGHHGHGHG!" crazy. It's all internal; I know that. I also learned that while I can damp down the volume, it only really goes away when I'm "working". (I know it's work to raise children. I do. However, the crazy laughs in the face of logic & reality.) I've learned that I'm a much better me if I have a little outside work in the outside world. I'm a much much better mom when I'm a much better me. I suspect that I'm also more pleasant and balanced towards everyone in my life, so.

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And speaking of a better me, I deliberately planned to make sure that my last office day was pure awesome (to avoid slipping into dejection or mopiness). I woke up late, had a big breakfast, wore a new bra, took Am to daycare, stopped by my other favorite LYS*, dropped off some knitting, had a lovely & educational gab, then drove to my office. (I parked downtown.)

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Then I decided to really work the "show up late" angle for work, and stopped to get a princess coffee AND exchanged my defective leaky mug for a good one. Actually, I did the exchange first, then got the princess coffee in the new cup. Then I sauntered to the office. I really did. I made a point of sauntering. (I would've worked in a sashay, but my center of gravity has moved.)

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I took like a two hour lunch. I ran errands, and got another bra, because the first one was soooo very comfortable. (It might just be that I'm wearing something that isn't two sizes too small.**) Then I got Chinese for lunch, and packed up all of my office stuff, then talked one of the engineers into carrying it to my car. Normally, I pride myself on carrying my own junk, but like asking for a seat on the c-train, I've relaxed these rules because of belly.

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It was a great last day of work. Now I'm eating strawberries with the odd sneak of red wine, mulling what to pack for Anaheim, and watching my belly rock around. (I'm hoping that the wine sips will balance out the half-caf mocha.)

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*I really love you guys.

**Holy cat, I'm the Grinch Who Stole Boobmas.

Sticky Note Wednesday

Dear Toes -

There! Aren't you lovely, all polished up & shiny. The pedicure was an excellent investment, especially as it's not terribly comfortable for me to spend a whole pile of time craned over my feet. Also, the salon is like three doors down from one of my fave LYS; and it was on sale, so it only cost me $30! Huzzah! I expect that we shall go every three or four weeks for a pedi; it just felt so damn nice.

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LYS - I'm so glad you're there. I love your yarn, and I admired the little boy who today climbed into the box full of new yarn. I would've done the same, if presented with a box of yarn to a similar scale to myself, although I'd probably take it all out of the plastic baggies first.

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A____ - Happy birthday! You're a symmetrical birthday just like my girl, so I should remember for next year (although the pregnant brain is a little mushy, so I'll likely put it in my calendar too.

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S_____ - Dude, sorry I didn't sent the Kureyon pics; my phone suddenly decided that it was dying! Beep! DYING! BEEP! and it refused to take any more photos. I did end up getting the green/brown alpaca blend, and I'm going to swift it for the trip.

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Dear Anaheim - We're coming to get you, and your cartoon mouse too!

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Dear Boobies:

I know you might prefer to be called something else. Breasts, norks, bosoms, sweater cows; whatever. Boobies is what Am calls them, so that's what we'll go with. With nursing on the horizon, you know the attention & conversation is going to increase. I guess it makes sense that you are increasing as well, but mother of pearl, I hate bra shopping. I measured myself last night in an attempt to try & figure out sizing. After a dozen bras today that were all FAILS, I got the nice lady at the Bay to measure me. Turns out, I'm in a 38B/C.... which is a dramatic change from my typical 32C/34B. Not just in size; we're talking about resetting our abilities to evaluate "what is a comfortable bra?". Turns out - NOTHING IN A BOX IS GOOD. Okay.... NOTHING WITH UNDERWIRES ARE GOOD. All right.... NOTHING WITH LACE IS OKAY EITHER*. Hmph. So what's left? One bra, after about 37** attempts. It was more that I feel is reasonable, but it was on sale a little bit. It's also chocolate brown, and has no wires, & it lined with this awesome comfort-smoosh fabric. I hope you're happy with it; if a couple weeks go by & we're all content, I might go & get a nude or white version too.

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Am - you are hilarious. I really mean that. I can't wait to take you to Disneyland. (In small, measured, doses.)

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To-Do Before Disney List:

1) Ha! HAH! I finished the second new purple (really, the third extant purple bonnet), and blocked my favorite, & now you are ready to face the world! Hah!

2) Like I have anything left to do at the office tomorrow. I can totally go to the bank & the drugstore to do (respectively) my banking & get some skin care stuff.

3) I already went & got diapers & snacks & new books for Am & I. That's something I don't have to do anymore either! (Bonus points: my books are from the used book store, so bonus value points. Am's travel books are all stickers & colors, and so are purchased new.)

3) I'm really not scared. The laundry is just finishing as I type. Also, I found a couple new "big belly" shirts on end of season sale - huzzah! 30% of off already marked down makes the fact that these will be worn for another two months max palatable***.

4) Except I'm a little nervous around the edges... my brain is a leetle mooshy, and I'm not even sure what I could possibly forget, except that I bet I will.

5) Please be kind.

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Garden Carrots - I love you, and I'm expressing that love by eating you.

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Baby - please love the carrots too & don't give me heartburn. Looking forward to our dance party.

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Laundry - AH'M COMING TO GIT YOU!.

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*This might be my sensitive pregnant skin.

**Maybe I exaggerate. 12 + 9 + 8 + 6 + 4 is, um, how many I tried on. You add it up. Yes, I remember that; I had to report the count to get a dressing room. At least it wasn't a "only take in 6 at a time" thing. I hates that.

***That, and the fact that a large portion of my shirts are not big enough for my belly, and that these "big-belly" shirts will likely be so stained on the curve of my belly that isn't in my line of sight that I will gladly consign them to a fire.

Who Needs Words? 3/3 (Glamourpuss)

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(What can I possibly say that will add to that? It was a great long weekend.)

Who Needs Words? 2/3 (Geep-A-Boo)

"Hello mommy, what you doing?"

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"Where's Amoryn? Where are you?"

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"AHAHAHAHA!"

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(All the audience has to do is look astonished; all script read by starring actress.)

Who Needs Words? 1/3 (Summer Snacks)

Fruit smoothie. (You try balancing a toddler on one side, a fruit smoothie on your belly, and a camera in the other.)
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Pralines'n'cream.
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Yes, you get to eat the whole cone - careful!
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We lurve pralines.
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Socialite enjoys ice cream.

Sricky, Sticky Notes

(They'd have to be sticky, to stay stuck on the inside of my head. My brain has been worn to a nubbin by a huge, rush, last minute, exhausting yet inane work project.)

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Dear me: Remember, they're paying you by the hour; so it's fine that this is what they need you to do. Think happy thoughts, baby thoughts, wooly thoughts. You'll be done with this soon enough! (And for pity's sake, woman, get up and go for a ten minute walk every hour. You know you'll regret it if you don't.)

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Dear ____ at the the office:
You are such a nice man. You always genuinely say that I'm tiny! and look great! I know part of it is because your wife had twins not too long ago, so really, I am tiny, but still. It makes me feel nice.

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Dear ____, ____'s neighbour:

Brilliant! After four children, you know that the only thing a pregnant woman wants to hear from a non-intimate is a very genuine "You look amazing!"

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Dear _____, _____, & ______:
I know I'm huge. You try stuffing a bubble a little bit bigger than a soccer ball in YOUR gut & see how you look. Suck it.

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_____ & also ______:
I know! I'm so in love with my boobs. I think they're even better this time than with Am's pregnancy. Sadly, I suspect their days of being so brilliantly displayed are almost done - I think I've officially grown out of my tiger-print push-up bra.

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Dear TangledArts:
I love my socks! I am so pleased with them, I've been twiddling my toes (more or less, as much as one can), and I lurve them, both pairs.

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Intarweb - I don't know if I want to tell you about the Best Deal Ever, just because it was Such An Amazing Deal! Maybe I will, only if you promise to be super jealous. Another day, with pics, I promise.

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Weather, thanks for cooling off for the night. I am enjoying it immensely.

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Am, you are such a funny girl. I'm very pleased that your manners are so good, although as a note, when I say "That's great that you're so polite; thank you, honey", I'm talking to you; I'm not suggesting that you repeat "Thank you honey". Although it was awesome the other day when you embarrassed the young guy at the health food store. (I don't think he'd ever had a toddler call him honey before!)

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Universe, can you send me a sign as to which sweater I should start? Wicked, in the third (or is it fourth) attempt with Taiyo? Something in that purple that I dyed, maybe Elsewhere, maybe Febraury Lady Sweater? Something in that delicious wool/cotton blend I just saw? The FLS in Tosh worsted? (PS: If you send a sign for the Tosh, maybe have it have cash as an accessory. The tosh is worth every cent, but I have looooong arms & need a lot of yarn to cover them!) That cowichan-ish sweater of Jared Flood's new collection? Or is this indecision a sign that I should knit something else, something smaller?

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Baby, you are sweet. I like how you dance around in the mornings. I even stay in bed longer, snoozing my alarm, to give you more time to stretch. I'm getting so excited to meet you.

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World, I know I'm running late. I don't care; I was hanging out with the baby.

Knitless In The Downtown Core!

I forgot my knitting at home today. Weirdly, although I mourned its lack several times, it was not a harbinger of doom. The day was very productive, and mostly positive featuring a morning princess coffee, a scheme with S____ via telephone, a busy day at work (due to training my replacement), a sudden new short term work project, a lovely quick supper, and a nice yoga class.

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I also confirmed that my scheme to have Am stay in daycare a couple days a week once the baby arrives is good to go - the family I'm splitting with are keen, the daycare is good to go, & I just built a Google calendar to split the days out.

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I'm super keen as I'm done work maybe next week, maybe not so long after that (thanks recession), and so I'll only be paying for half months of daycare starting in October. Wheee!

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I'm pretty much okay with being forcefully nudged* out the door. Yes, it rankles a little that they're using "mat leave" as a label, when I'm a contractor & don't get covereage. But, in the long run, it's better to go a bit early, & have good open lines of communication (& valid contracts) in place when I want to go back. (I'm keen on going back to the same company because I've already got everyone there used to the fact that I only work a couple days a week. I don't have to fight that same battle over again. Maybe some of my favorite coworkers will still be there too.)

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And I like to work. I know Am needs me, and I need her too. But a couple days at the office wearing my "Kourtney" name tag leave me a lot better balanced & rounded to be "mommy Mommy MOMMY!". I'm at peace with that.

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(I'm not thinking about the schmazoo of sorting out childcare. Like I've said to work & others - it's enough to know that I'd like to go back. Wasting any energy or angst on planning at this point is just senseless. Intentions are all that's needed. The universe will just mock any plans. I know this for a fact.)

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What else... oh yes! The head cold that ate my weekend, made me disgusting, and has eradicated a significant portion of rainforest**. It's still here, but getting better, & I'm hardly gross at all.

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The weekend, well. Even though I only participated in less than half of it, it was still grand. More on that later though. I'm off to knit a row, then go to bed.

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*Have you seen me lately? The babe is on the grow, my center of gravity is lower, & it takes a pretty solid oomph to budge me once I plant my feet.

**Due to kleenes consumption.