A Collection of Images

1. Children of the mist, 2. Ogni cosa è illuminata, 3. And the rocket trees took flight to the heavens..., 4. Eid Mubarak - عید فطر مبارک, 5. My dog is faster than your dog., 6. Slow Hands, 7. Casual relax, 8. mango cheesecake, 9. Forgotten..., 10. Jellies, jellies everywhere!, 11. Once upon a time..., 12. GK Mystery Shawl

This is a meme I came across on Pink Trees blog. I found it interesting and decided to give it a go. So these are the images from my answers. I am not going to post my answers. But if you are interested in making one yourself...

Flickr meme

What you do:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker).

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name

Enjoy!

Whirlwind

It has been a crazy few days... and now I am in Alaska. On Wed, Tara and I were talking, as usual... and she said if I pay the change fee will you come up today. I said no. So she got off the phone with me and promptly called back to say she was going to change my ticket... this is what I get for emailing her my itenerary with my conformation code. So Kyle said I should go. I quickly called work (I was supposed to be back starting today) and some other important people and packed rapid fire. I left three hours later... now I'm here!

It's been good times so far. I watched the kids on Thursday... I am pretty sure I don't want more after that exhausting day. Then we went up to a cabin on Sat. and got home a few hours ago. I'll be here about one month exactly. Kyle comes up on the 2nd and then my mom on the 8th. We all leave for Fresno on the 18th.

Lowan did really well on the plane, sleeping most of the time. The most fussy time came when I bonked his head after a diaper change. Oops. I won't be posting much, but will be getting some knitting done, on Tara's dime no less. I'm using her yarn and needles, but the end result is for her also. I just need some projects to occupy my time.

I'm off.

Both Sleeves

Here is the cabled riding jacket with both sleeves attached. (I'm on the phone with Tara, as usual!!)



I do this funny self timer thing where my camera takes 10 pictures at a time and I just rotate getting different shots.



I need someone to photograph me.



But I guess over the years I have mastered the self timer. I used to take pictures of myself in clothes I bought and email them to my mom for her opinion on if I should keep them or not (done while I lived in Alaska).

Diapers

Here Lowan is modeling his BumGenius diaper.

I guess it has been so long since I've posted, I have a lot to say.

Lowan and I spent some time weeding in the backyard. He is such a good little boy!!

I did decide on diapers and we went with the bum genius. And Lowan is on day three of nothing but cloth diapers. So far so good. I am really happy with them and feel so good about the reduced waste I am creating.

This is our little baby Elvis look-a-like. He even has the lip curl down when he is awake.

I had some diaper rash concerns because you can't use diaper rash creams with the cloth diapers, it affects their absorbency. And he has had some rashy times. But it has not seemed to be a problem so far with the cloth. If he gets a rash, I will probably put him in disposables until it heals. The other thing you can do is put a liner in the diaper. That way the cream gets on the liner and not on the diaper.

I don't know what is up, this picture is rotated. But it keeps uploading this way.

We did have one leak yesterday, but I had leaks with disposable every now and then as well. He doesn't leak out overnight (but it seems like he doesn't pee that much overnight either). And we have kept all poop contained. So for anyone who is interested, I would recommend these very much (at least so far). Washing them doesn't really seem to be an issue either, and I'm finding this decision to be very satisfying!



The diapers were not cheap, but I figure they will pay for themselves in about six months. Plus I bought the style that are sizable and will grow with Lowan. So this should be the only set I use until I potty train him. Plus, it is said that cloth diaper babies potty train earlier and easier then disposable diapered babies. That we will not know for quite awhile!

Lowan is hanging out with Kyle. This is a boomerang Kyle bought to hang in his (Lowan's) bedroom.

Jacket nearing completion

The cabled riding jacket is SO near to completion. All that is left is the collar. This picture does not show both sleeves attached. I need to take some current photos. But probably not today as it will be nearing 100 degrees. And I swear I could wear this in -10 degree weather and be quite warm!!



I keep thinking about working on it, and haven't found it in me to cast on yet. I also finally got the yarn to finish Kyle's brioche hat.



However, my motivation has been low on that as well. Probably because I had Kyle try it on to see if he wants a brim that folds over or not, and in the process a few stitches were dropped. And I can't remember how to pick them up. I can't remember the brioche stitch at all it's been so long since I've worked on this project. But I'll get back to it soon enough.



Here is a little cutie I made awhile ago. This was my first attempt at crocheting in a very long time. I spent some time with my grandma, Moner, and she showed me how to do it again.



I sent this one to Alaska for Aidan, but I think Teagan took it for herself. I need to make another for Lowan. The little guy turned out so cute.



And as you can tell, I had a fun photo shoot with him!!

Home Again

This is my Moby Wrap. And I LOVE it. I don't usually (this was the first time) put Lowan in it facing forward. I walked out the front door and did not like it because his neck is not strong enough. So I turned him around. This is so comfortable and great to use. I have used it for walks and through the Bodies Revealed exhibit in Sacramento and at the park. Very nice and fun. I even nursed Lowan in it once (at home) and some times we hang out naked together in it for some quality bonding (it's supposed to be good for breast feeding).

And boy does it feel good to be here. The house was about how I left it. Kyle did not really clean up much, but he also didn't make a big mess.

Lowan in bed with me one morning for a photo shoot.

My cloth diaper order finally came (after being on back order for about two weeks) so I can begin deciding what type of diapers will work best for us. I ordered a few different types but am leaning towards these as our main diaper just from research so far. We'll see how practical tests pan out.

The view from the condo. Lowan and I hung out outside in the morning.

My bottle lids from Medela also showed up. I was irritated when I realized the set I had did not have the solid lids, only the ones the nipples fit in. So the bottle was all leaky when I went to warm it up the other week. I sent the company an email and they shipped them to me the next day. NICE!

Finally a smile caught on camera.

So I feel like I should change the name of my blog since there has been so little knitting as of late. But then, this week, I made some major progress on the second sleeve of the cabled riding jacket. I should be able to wrap it up in the next couple of weeks if I can maintain my current momentum. I went from about 1/6 of the way to 5/6 of the way on the sleeve. That is not counting the sleeve cap, but that should not be too much more. I will finish this sweater THIS year. Maybe even this summer. I kind of have dreams of entering it in our fair this fall. We'll see.

Teaching my grandma (we call her Moner) to use a digital camera. She uses those wasteful, expensive disposable cameras. This will let her take more and get what she wants and pick the pictures she will really enjoy!

In other mommy news, Lowan had his first major, real breakdown today. He cried pretty good at Carls Jr on the way home. I think I did not burp him and he was having some gas issues. And then he was really fussy and cried the hardest and longest and most upsettest ever so far once we were home (just after Kyle got home from work... not the sweetest homecoming). He was really over tired, over cramped from being in the car seat nearly all day. And he had been amazing all week, so it was kind of expected. However, it still nearly broke my heart having to listen to him and have all my attempts at comfort fail. I finally gave him some milacon (however it is spelled) and he went to sleep soon after that with some more love and rocking.

It's all about the Mother's

And now I am one of them. I am still in a little bit of shock that I am a mother. But so far, so good. I love being a mom and feel so lucky with Lowan and Kyle. My first Mother's Day has been pretty easy so far. My mom made breakfast (I know, she shouldn't have, we all told her so) and then we went to Kyle's grandmother's for lunch. Now we are home and preparing for a week in Southern CA. Just Lowan and I, Kyle is staying home. Me and the kid are going with my mom and her mom to my grandmother's condo in Escondido. I'm excited.



So to all the mommy's... I hope you have a fantastic, happy, fun, enjoyable Mother's Day.

All Shades of Lowan

Change

He is changing so fast. It makes me sad and excited at the same time. I love that Lowan is becoming more alert and aware. But where is that tiny newborn who barely opened his eyes and slept ALL the time. The little boy who loved to be wrapped up so tight like a burrito. Now he stretches and I can't believe how long he is. Now he likes to be alone in his crib or on his mat and play and coo to himself. He even got fussy when I picked him up, so back into his crib he went where he was so happy by himself for another half hour. It makes me ache that he is already so happy on his own. What does the future hold??

Knitting and a Bottle

I think I am going to pull out the cabled riding jacket and get back to work on it today. Kyle is gone camping this weekend so I'll have some free time during Lowan's naps. Not that I don't have free time during the week during nap time, but I've been itching to get some knitting done. I need to finish one sleeve and knit the collar. Then I need to seam everything up.

Sad news on the Tilted Duster front. I finally gave up on being able to wear it and gave it to my sister when she was here a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of work and a lot of money spent on yarn that I did not want to let go of, but she really liked it and it shrank down to her size. I was sad, but would rather someone where it then it sit in my drawer.

Lowan had his first bottle on Thursday night.



I was prepping him for his first baby-sitting experience with my mom last night. It didn't happen. I was supposed to go out with some friends for her birthday. They called at 10pm as they were heading out and I was to tired to go out so late. I'd sent my mom home at about 9:30. I like to get my night started by 8 so I can be home and in bed my 11pm. So sad. But this is not baby related, I've always been this way.

So I pumped for the first time on Thursday, fascinating stuff!! I was amazed at how this whole pumping thing works, I have a madela electric pump and the thing is efficient. I won't describe the whole pumping process, but it was pretty cool. Then Kyle gave Lowan a bottle Thursday night, we wanted to make sure he'd drink it while I was home as opposed to while I'm gone and he gets very upset at no food. He took it fine, drinking about 2.5 ounces.



Here is his face afterwards, pretty funny.

So anyways, he was never left alone last night. It is fine, I was really sad to have him drink from a bottle. Up to now, he had only been fed directly from and by me. I was happy for Kyle to get to bond with him in that way, but don't know if I was entirely ready for the change. So he probably won't get another bottle for awhile, but it is nice to be moving along that path.

I have a problem.

Helping pack the bags:


I take too many pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Today Lowan is 4 weeks old and so far this month, I have taken 272 pictures at least. I already deleted some that were no good and there are some in different folders that are not in that count. WOW!! I have a photo problem.


On the train with Daddy.

Now, this is not really a bad thing. And it is really why I LOVE digital so much. I can take all these pictures and it doesn't matter. Just takes up a little (or a lot) disk space. I even have an external drive to move the pictures when they become too many on the computer.


With Grandma.

So this past weekend we took the train to Sacramento to see Kyle's mom. We had a really good time. The train was so enjoyable, it was nice to not have to drive. We were busy and went to Ikea on Friday, Bodies Revealed on Saturday, and got Kintoki on Sunday (shaved ice with sweet red beans and ice cream... Delish!!).



Hanging out on the couch with Mommy.

Our New Toy

No, it's not the baby. But the Shasta Travel Trailer we just bought.

We're both really excited. I promised more camping trips to Kyle if we got a trailer. I'm not the biggest fan of sleeping on the ground and this will be much more comfortable. I also would say I am pretty apprehensive about camping with a baby, so this solves all our problems.



Here is the outside.


And this is inside towards the front. Full stove and oven, sink that can either work off of a water tank (that currently leaks) or a hose can be attached from the outside. Drawers and shelves.



This is towards the back. There are couches like this on both sides and they pull out towards the middle and make one big bed. Then along the top, hammocks can be hung. They will sleep another two (small) people. Neither Kyle or I will ever sleep up there, but Lowan can when he gets older. For now, he'll just sleep with us. The table is laying on the floor, it can either be set up for use indoors between the couches (about like it is laying) or outside off the side of the trailer.



Lowan is doing really well. He is eating and sleeping much of the time. But the really exciting stuff is his alert, awake times. He smiled at me on Saturday in response to me talking to him. It felt different then his smiles when he is sleeping or just content. I don't know though, it may still be too early for a "real" smile. But it sure felt real.



He is such a joy and makes me very happy. I think we are taking the train to Sacramento to see Kyle's mom this weekend. This also seems like a lot of fun.



Lowan had a busy week last week with my sister in town. We went to the park for the first time. We went to the river to meet with Kyle while he was gold panning. Then this weekend, Kyle and I went to an Earth Day event with Lowan at Intermountain Nursery. Lowan gets around for a little 3 week old.

Birth

Here is my birth story.



I went into labor on Sunday night right about 11pm and then we left for the hospital near 1am. My main moment of grumpiness through the whole labor occurred right at 11 when Kyle asked what was wrong. I guess I still expected the contractions to go away, but he says he could instantly tell things were different. We got admitted right away and Lowan was born at 7:15am Monday, March, 31st. He was a very healthy 8 pounds and 21 inches long.

When I was admitted, they check my dilation and I was 3.5 cm. The contractions were about 3 to 3 1/2 minutes apart. This was at about 2am I guess. I had gotten sick at home and thrown up a few times before getting to the hospital (I knew when I ate pizza for dinner earlier that evening it was a bad idea). Labor went surprisingly fast because the next time they checked me at about 4 or 4:30 am, I was 8 to 9 cm. WOW, we were all shocked. I was expecting to be about 4 to 6 at the most. My water broke (and there was no mistaking it this time!!) and my whole body was convulsing or contracting during the contractions. This happened about 6 to 10 times, were pretty sure that was my transition period.



The nurse came back in and checked me again, this must have been about 5am. She did not say anything, but went to the nurse call button and called for my midwife to come right away. At this point it crossed my mind that I may be fully dilated, but they weren't telling me. However, I had a lot of other things on my mind, or really only one all encompassing thing on my mind.

So I was ready to begin pushing, but had to wait. Kyle was phenomenal, he kept me focused and breathing through everything. I couldn't have done this without his help and focus, it was amazing. For someone who thought they did not want to be in the labor room with me when we first found out I was pregnant, he did so well, he could almost be a doula (ha-ha). He would not think so, and I'm sure it was our connection that made it possible for us to link and work through the contractions so well. He had me doing the funny breathing to keep me from pushing, which was very hard. The urge to push was very strong and hard to control.



Finally the midwife arrived and told me I could start pushing. I was kind of in shock, I did not think it would happen so fast. Then the nurse confirmed that I had been ready for the past half hour while we waited for the midwife. The delivery was a little hard, mostly because Lowan was face up, or sunny-side-up, as my midwife said. So it took one and three quarter hours of pushing for our little guy to make his appearance. I definitely had some moments of utter exhaustion and feared being able to keep pushing. It's funny, I did not really pay any attention to the clock during labor, but during pushing, I kept looking at the time. I kept thinking I should be done by now, why is this taking so long. We did not know Lowan was face up. My mom was able to see everything she wanted to see (she was helping hold a leg for me) and Kyle was able to avoid seeing everything he did not want to see. He stayed behind me and for every single push, he counted for me. It was the only thing I focused on during the push and was also the most helpful. He said afterwards, he did not know if it was good or bad, but just kept doing it. I am happy he did, because I may not have told him to keep going had he stopped. The pressure got really great as Lowan's head was very near and finally, out he came. In one push, his head and then body. It was pretty amazing and I'd say the pain was not near as bad as it could have been. I think I've suffered more with the aches and pains of recovery more than the labor and delivery.

They put him up on my chest and began wiping him clean. He was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen and I swelled with love. So did Kyle!



I was able to follow my birthing plan and did not have any unnecessary medical interventions, so I was really excited. My sister is describing Lowan as organic, which both Kyle and I think is very cute and appropriate for us!

Things got a little scary for us right after Lowan arrived because his color was off and he was grunting. They said he was in respiratory distress and took him over to the baby table to put him on oxygen. Kyle stayed with him as much as possible, even going with him into the nursery when they still couldn't get his breathing under control. I was really stressed out, but the nursing staff was very helpful and kept informing us that this transition phase can happen this way and he seemed fine otherwise, this was being done as a precaution. The pediatrician ordered a couple of chest x-rays which showed a partial collapsed lung, but was greatly improved by the second x-ray. We got to go into the nursery around 9:30 when I was being moved from Labor & Delivery to Postpartum for a few minutes. He was looking really good and the nurse said as soon as they got the lab results back and if things looked good (which they expected they would) we would be getting him very soon. I was getting really anxious and wanted to have him in my arms. This whole part of my experience is very hazy, I don't know all the details because I think I was pretty out of it after the birth. Kyle probably knows better what exactly happened, but I just care that he is great now.



After another couple of hours, he was brought to us in Postpartum, healthy and fantastic. They said he was doing much better and seemed to have no problems. We were very relieved. It was a very long four hours for me and I don't want him away from me for a minute now. Well, unless he's sleeping safely in his crib while I get my zzz's in my bed.

So we got home on Tuesday at about 2pm and Kyle's helped keep me fed and reminded me to take naps or at least lay down and rest as much as possible. He has been the biggest help and was the most amazing labor partner I could have ever hoped for.



I don't think I could have had this baby without Kyle's presence, I'm glad he decided he could be with me in the delivery room!

40 Weeks.

I have lots to say, but don't really have the desire to sit and say it yet. My need to get things back in order around the house, nap when the baby is napping, and love and cuddle Lowan when he isn't are much stronger than my desire to blog at the moment.

And then things are going to get even more crazy. My grandma and aunt are arriving tomorrow, my uncle and his wife are arriving Saturday, and my sister and her whole brood are getting here Sunday.

So... it will be awhile. But I finished putting together my belly progression sequence.

(It is not working right now... will try to get the photo up soon. Instead here is Lowan)



I got really big at the end, and now... not so big. It is really weird and surreal to no longer be pregnant and to have Lowan here with us. He is a great baby that has made me the happiest mom in the world!!