Yoda Progress

It is coming along. I have finished the back, both fronts, sewn the shoulder seams and knit the collar. I have also woven in all my ends (except on the collar) and that is an accomplishment for me!! I just have to knit the sleeves, then attach and sew the side seams. Really not all that much when you get down to it. I just have to get down to it!!


These pics were taken before I added the collar. But I plan to work on the sleeves this week and hopefully finish up soon. So more pics to come!

Next are just some pics from this weekend. We've were busy yesterday

Busy, Busy

Lowan was five months old yesterday, time has flown. And I am so busy it seems. Between school starting last week, and work, and family time, and personal time, I can't find a spare minute. I guess personal time is the spare minute. I read a book for pleasure, probably the last one until Dec.


But then it's over. School is finished. Unless I decide for a Masters. Well... or I become a CPA, which I intend too. So that will be some hard core studying and possible schooling.

Today, I am going to post a lot of pics. They show all the cuteness of my life. Above is Lowan asleep (obviously) in his crib with puppy in hand. He lays in bed playing with this little guy all the time. He LOVES him!



In crafty news, I worked on the Yoda Sweater a bit a couple of weekends ago in Sacramento. And then some more last night and tonight. I have almost finished the second front. Then it is on to the sleeves. Still no pictures, but I'll take some pretty soon. It is coming along nicely and I hope to finish it before this winter. School permitting.


Here are Kyle and Lowan in bed in the morning. After I get up and nurse Lowan, I drop him off in bed with Kyle. It is such a sweet time. They were so cute, I had to jump into the shot with them. Often, the morning gets away from me because they look so cozy and I join them. Then I don't get out the door on time. I don't have as much choice for school but I can get in late to work if I need to.


Here is Lowan getting prepped for his first meal. We did not feed him, but I put him in the high chair with a spoon to play with.


I know this picture is blurry, but I love it so much. These are the kind of faces Lowan gives a lot of the time. He is very expressive.


Lowan is getting a lot stronger on his belly. He is flipping over from front to back. And back to front. But he won't do both at the same time. He will keep flipping the same way over and over again (with us flipping him back), but has yet to master the double flip.


I whipped this bag up today to put the dirty diapers in while we are out. It is cotton on the outside, polyester as the lining, and a cotton flannel liner. I am hoping the polyester will stop major leaks and if there are any, I hope the flannel absorbs it. The diapers are not really wet or leaky, but this will help if there ever is a problem. I made two bags and they turned out really cute. I can't wait until we don't need them for dirty diapers anymore and then we can use them at the farmers market. We've been trying really hard to stop using any plastic bags whenever we go out. It's kind of hard to see, but the fabric is made up of turtles.


Here we actually get to eating. Lowan was happy... until he got some food in his mouth. He kept getting the willies. But some went down. We don't know how much he ate. We fed him again this afternoon, and he did better, but was still not that excited. We're going to start feeding him every day. And then I'm thinking sweet potatoes will be the first solid food at six months.


Finally, I found this cute tutorial for turning a toddler t-shirt into a onesie. We bought this shirt on clearance for a couple bucks and I made this for Lowan a week or so ago. And he is not really standing, but he leans really good. He has some strong legs (but weak arms) and I fear his walking will come too early!

Alright, I've got to go to bed, so I better end this now.

Firsts

First Backpack Ride.



First Swim.



And in knitting news, I've finished the back and am 30% done with one front side. It's looking good!! I am excited to be working on the sweater. I won't post a picture, because they are pretty boring to look at.

Needles

No, not the kind that poked Lowan's poor fat thigh on Thursday three time for vaccinations.



Or the one that poked me at least 20 times in my legs the Thursday before that for the removal and closure of my varicose veins.



But the kind you knit with. Those that are metal, or plastic, or wood. The long ones. Those needles, they are making me mad. It has been a long time since I've knit something on anything other than circular or double point needles. And last night I cast on a new project on some straight needles. I make most things on circular, I like a short needle that fits my hand. I don't like the long straight needles that get heavy with stitches. But I did not feel like digging through my circs and looking for the right size. So onto the straight needles the sweater went. Oh yeah, I'm making a sweater for Lowan. A little cute brown and cream number called Baby Yoda. Kyle really liked the pattern. I do have to say, after the past 10" of knitting I've done, the straights are not as bad as they were at the beginning. But I'll still choose the other two types of needles first.



So this sweater is pretty cute and basic and it's flying along. I'd say I'm 80% done with the back and I cast on last night at about 8pm. Of course I'll have a little less time to knit during the week. And I really should try to finish up before school starts, because then my time really will be eaten up by life. And I do plan to finish the cabled riding jacket, it is so close. I just have to finish the collar, also about 80% there and then sew it to the jacket.



This winter Lowan and I can both wear our sweaters!!

Sleeping, Growing, Baby Boy

He is now four months old (Thursday) and I can't believe it!! But he is so cute and makes me so happy. I love being Lowan's mom!

It's been awhile.

I've been busy. I'm sorry to neglect the blog, but the month in Alaska was busy, then home was busy, then I started a new job and that was busy. It's still busy.



I got a job with a local accounting firm, I guess while I was in Alaska, and started work there last Monday. It has been very exciting and I'm feeling really good about my carreer choice. Up until now I mostly did bookkeeping work, which I also really enjoyed. But at the new job, I am actually an accountant. It seems strange, and all grown up. Something I often don't believe I am. You'd think the husband and baby might have given me the "grown up" feeling, but no it's the job that pushed me over the edge. Oh and maybe my approaching 30th birthday.



So onto Lowan, he is cute as always. I was REALLY stressed to be going to work. It had been a really nice 3 1/2 months of not working. Or when I did work it was for an hour and often from home. But last Monday I worked for 7 hours, there was a 45 min. lunch in there and I spent it with Lowan. It was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I missed him and leaving in the morning was agonizing. Probably also because I was scared of starting a new job. But start it I did, and I love it. It is nice to go back to work and strech my brain a little. And since Kyle lost his job, he is staying home with Lowan. He is getting his practice in for his upcoming job... Stay at Home Dad. He just wasn't supposed to start until late next year. So he is looking for a job because I can't work enough hours and go to my last semester of school. Not until Jan. '08 will I work full time, that is the earliest he can become full time stay at home dad. Because during school, I'd like to work 10-15 hours.



Alright, I should go. I'm starving and dinner is ready.

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