Month: January 2005

Scarf Time!

Sarah Knitting

Well, not really – it’s going to be a long time before the scarf is finished, but it’s definitely going to be worth it! It’s this pattern, and it’s Manos Del Uruguay color 107. For some reason, they call this color Sage, but I always thought sage was a green color…? This is anything but green. Anyway, it’s going to look lovely with my new blue coat.


Here’s a closer look at the texture. It’s fabulous to the touch, too, not too dense and very squishy. Now if I could just find the time to work on it, I might be able to wear it before all the snow melts!

A Random Collection of Thoughts

Sarah General

I’m feeling totally random tonight.

Tonight’s the third night in a row Carrie has gone to bed at 10! (And hopefully she’ll sleep until 6:30 or 7 again like she did for the last two nights.) I’m finally feeling like a good parent, now that she has a somewhat consistent bedtime. Plus she wakes up so much more smiley (I didn’t think that was possible), so she obviously needed more of a routine. She’s also starting the night out in her cradle, and only moving into our bed the first time she fusses. Not that I don’t love having her all snuggled in bed with us, but you wouldn’t believe how much room she takes up. If I could only draw cartoons…picture a baby spread-eagle in the middle of a queen-sized bed with the parents hanging on for dear life on either edge of the bed, and that’s what it’s like to share a bed with a baby.

Yesterday was my youngest brother’s 20th birthday. Not that I forgot, I just didn’t remember to actually blog about it. Happy Birthday, Michael! (Of course, the fact that he just turned 20 makes me feel really old.)

Somehow I managed to, while shopping for a pacifier medicine dispenser that cost less than three dollars, find enough stuff to qualify for the free shipping when you spend $75. Because, you know, that’s so much cheaper than actually paying for the shipping for the three dollar item. I should not be allowed to shop online. (But I can’t wait to get this box. So many fun baby things!)

There’s nothing more fun than kissing a baby’s tummy and having her giggle and grab chunks of your hair so you won’t pull away.

That’s probably enough randomness for the night. Maybe tomorrow, if the stars align properly and Carolyn’s naps are long enough to shower, dress and eat with time left over, I’ll take a picture of my scarf-in-progress. It’s kind of slow going, because I rarely have time to do more than a couple rows a day, but it’s so pretty.

Nina-Nonna

Sarah Carolyn

(That’s what one of my great-grandmothers used to call going to sleep – “it’s time to go nina-nonna.” Although I just realized that in Italian, “nonna” means grandmother, so now I’m not exactly sure what it was supposed to mean…)

It seems to be the opposite of what you’d expect, but I’ve read in a few places that a baby who naps enough during the day will sleep better at night. Between the cold and the cold medicine, Carrie’s napping schedule got really off for a few days, and those nights she was up pretty much every two hours all night.

Yesterday, however, she got all of her nap time in, and last night she slept straight through from 10 PM to 7 AM.

Think choruses of angels singing “Hallelujah!” because that’s how I’m feeling this fine, sunny morning!

Rattle, Rattle, Bonk!

Sarah Carolyn

So, how exactly do you give an uncoordinated baby a rattle and not have them bonk themselves on the head with it? She was more surprised than hurt, but there was still wailing and gnashing of, um, gums I guess…

I took the rattle away. But, then again, how will she learn how to not hit herself in the head if she doesn’t do it once or twice?

This is that part of mommyhood where I have to step back and let her figure stuff out, even if it hurts sometimes, and just try to protect her from the really big hurts, isn’t it?

Snood!

Sarah General

I promised Lisa I’d post a link to Snood!, which is quite possibly one of the most addictive games ever. Plus, they have both mac and pc versions. (Actually, if I remember correctly, it started life out as a mac-only game.)

When you’ve been playing it non-stop instead of doing the things you should be doing, don’t say I didn’t warn you about its addictiveness…

Three Months Old!

Sarah Monthly Updates

Dear Carolyn,

You’re already another month older?!? How’d that happen so fast? You’ve changed so much in the past three months – it’s hard to see the changes every day, but looking back to those first few days it’s very clear.

For one thing, you outgrew your first batch of clothes. I’ll admit I was a little sad to put them away, but maybe someday you’ll have a little sister who can wear them. I’d guess you’re about 12 pounds now, and probably at least two feet tall. We don’t go back to your doctor until next month, so I won’t know until then.

You’ve really figured out how to hold your head up. Actually, you’ve been right on track or even early with everything you should be able to do, except roll from front to back. That’s my fault, since I don’t give you tummy time every single day. Sorry about that – I’ll try to do better this month!

We tell stories every day. I start the story: “Once upon a time, there was a sweet little girl named Carolyn, and everybody agreed she was the cutest baby ever, in all the land.” You go on to tell me about baby princess Carolyn’s latest adventures. Most of them involve a lot of giggling and (ah-)goo, but they’re different every time. For some reason your best story-telling position is standing or sitting on my tummy.

One of your favorite toys at the moment is Snuggle Puppy, who lives in your carseat and has her very own song – not to be confused with the actual Snuggle Puppy song we sing to you. You also have a turtle with a mirror in its tummy that you really like. For that matter, any mirror is a favorite, because you love to play and flirt with the baby in the mirror. The baby in the computer (pictures of you) is good for a smile or two, but isn’t nearly as interactive. Oh, and I think your absolute favorite toys right now are your hands. They are apparently endlessly fascinating and extremely tasty!

You are such a good-natured baby. You smile and giggle all the time. When you are upset, you’re at least very cute about it – your little bottom lip sticks out before you really get going, so I can usually distract you from being unhappy before you actually get there. Actually, you’ve managed to completely master pouting already, because you’re just that smart.

I can’t wait to see what the next weeks and months bring – you’re becoming such a fun person to spend each day with! Being a mom is like becoming a child again…I get to see all the wonderful things this world holds through your eyes now. Things as simple as the room suddenly getting dark because I turned off the lights, or the way the light streams through your curtains in the morning become magical because you see them that way. Thanks for picking me to be your mom.

Love, Mommy

Doggie Knitting

Sarah Crafts, Dogs

Here’s a calendar with knitted dog sweaters for every month. Some of them are cute, although there are a couple of rather strange ones.

What do you think, should I make Molly a bikini for the summer swimming season? Because, you know, she’s not neurotic enough yet…

Winter Wonderland

Sarah General

(Perhaps I should really be wondering why we spend winters here…)


This was the view of our deck this morning. Note that the gate on the right hand side there is 3 feet tall. The lowest horizontal thing you can see? Yeah, that’s a bench running along the side of the deck, not the floor. I’ll grant that there was some drifting that went on overnight, but there’s an obscene amount of snow out there.


Molly was staring longingly out the window. She likes snow, but not the bitter cold – I think it makes her hips ache. Denis had to shovel out part of the yard for her earlier. Poor pup. But she does look awfully cuddly, doesn’t she? Makes you want to curl up with her with a good book and an afghan. And a cup of cocoa.

More Snow Than You Can Shake A Stick At

Sarah General

What does that expression really mean, anyway?

I think hell might have frozen over. There’s a vaguely car-shaped thing in the driveway, but it’s buried under several inches of snow. And it’s very, very cold – I think it might just have crept over the 0° mark – that’s 0° Fahrenheit, not Celsius – but that’s not counting wind chill.

Plus, I seem to have caught the same bug that Carrie has, so we’re currently a pair of snowed-in, snuffling, sneezing fools. Poor Denis – I hope he doesn’t catch it. And the DVD player which has been skipping and freezing a lot lately is now unusable, so we can’t even drown our sorrows in Baby Einstein or Lord of the Rings.

Send hot cocoa, please!

New Knitting!

Sarah Knitting

Since things weren’t getting done on any of my current projects, I figured it was time to start something new! I’m making this scarf out of Manos. (Yes, I posted about buying blue Manos, but it clashed with my new coat so I exchanged it for a heavenly purpley-blue colorway that looks like the last edges of a sunset just before night falls completely.) I’ve never done a herringbone stitch before, and it hurt my brain to think about the instructions. I just started knitting it though, and if you follow the directions exactly as written and don’t think about it (that’s the important part) it’s actually really easy.

In other news, poor Carolyn is quite sniffly. I guess after going to Chuck E. Cheese’s and being with the whole family the next day for her baptism she was bound to be exposed to something. Poor baby. She seems to be taking it all in stride, being her usual smiley self unless we’re trying to use the evil bulb suctioning thingy, which she hates.