A work-in-progress!

Well, here are the shorties that are almost done! I used a single-crochet bind off, and as you can see, it created an edge that tapers *inward*! OOPS! I think the leg-holes are too small! So my improvisation will be creating a few more rows to lay in where I would be seaming up the legs-- hopefully this will widen the legs without making it look too funky! I've never done anything like this, so we'll see how it turns out. {{I forgot, when I made the last pair (longies), someone told me to add an extra crochet stitch between each one as you bind off... I think next time I'll add 2!}}

P.S. Another cloth-diaper related mention... Tonight I put Jake in his new wool cover (Imse Vimse Bumpy Wool Wrap). Anybody ever tried this one? What do you think about it? I got a size Lg which is supposed to fit I think 20-27 lb (?). {Jake is between 21 & 22lb} I'm so surprised at how low the rise is on it!!! I almost want to take it back! It wouldn't adequately cover a CPF (prefold)!! That may be because I had two doublers in it, but many people do that at night and there should be room for it. So I changed the setup before I put him down for bed... I put him in the thinnest cotton fitted we own (Gabys) and 2 doublers (one thin cotton Thirsties & one thicker Kissaluvs super soaker)... the cover fit better over that, but I'm hoping that we have enough absorbancy! I'll be so excited if it works!!!

Go look at the moon, it's brilliant!!! I stepped out of the hospital tonight and was taken aback by it!
It was super busy at work-- it's so nice to be home in my comfy clothes with my guys (hubby & baby)! I'm about to pick up my project and enjoy some knitting & chamomile before bed-- so relaxing! This is the start of a pair of 'shorties' for new baby. I am winging it a bit... no idea what the size will be, how they will fit or look-- they might end up looking more like a soaker or diaper cover. We'll see! It's been good to dust off the looms though~*


P.S. PLEASE tell me that you are having problems with Blogger too (& it's not just my computer!) ... for *weeks* now, I've been having trouble EVERY time I try to view 'comments' on other blogs, and especially when I want to post comments... Anybody else? I'm hoping this will resolve, it's getting ridiculous!
*~*~*~Have a beautiful night! ~*~*~*

We LOVE the summertime!!!!

I can't believe it's already the end of August... sad! But in the mean time we're enjoying every minute. {{Well, minus the ones that we're dying of heat, trying to find an excuse to get out of the house.}} Pregnancy and hot non-air-conditioned hot days don't work well together! haha But we've been spending lots of time relaxing in the shade outside, going to parks, beaches, and visiting other peoples pools or air-conditioned malls/etc. One things for sure, if I'm home during the hottest part of the day, I'm absolutely NOT doing anything productive!!! haha I'm usually lounging with baby.



About above pic, yes, I did let Jake sit naked in the grass. I was worried about his poor little bottom getting itchy but he didn't mind. I had to set him down while I ran inside to get a towel & hat before putting him in the little pool (below), but had to take a pic of my little naked boy!



P.S. I have something exciting on my mind... Jake is sleeping better than he ever has!!!! When he was born we put him to sleep with a pacifier because it's one of the recommendations to prevent SIDS. (With the intention of taking it away at 4 months). We never stopped! Until 3 nights ago. The first night was hard, but now he sleeps through the night without any wake-ups, without calling us in there to replace it. I've been absolutely dreading it, but he has learned in just 3 short days how to self-soothe and put himself to sleep on his own. Lastnight he went down without even ONE PEEP... he watched me say goodnight, and rolled over and hugged his "baby" lamb. YAY!!!!!!!!

Really quick, on a different note, I've been inspired recently to try my hand at a veggie garden again. Still trying to figure out where to start, because this time I want to do it right and have enough food to feed my family... but I'm hoping to get one started in the next few months. Seeing pics of my friend's garden totally inspired me, so if anybody has any tips, I would love to hear them! The other thing is that I'm going to pick up some knitting again-- make some things for my new baby, who I am suddenly sooo excited to get things ready for. (Nesting has begun!!!) We don't have much to do to prepare for another BABY (we have everything we need), but there are things around the house that I definitely want to get done before he gets here. We have things that were supposed to be done 16 months ago (when I was "nesting" and preparing the house for Jake), that still haven't been done! We tore out our linen cabinets in the hallway to create a computer nook (with built-in desk and overhead cabinets for linens)... but it's still just an empty nook with the computer sitting on a piano bench and wires strewn across the house!!! Ah, it drives me nuts!! Every time someone comes over I have to explain because it's so embarassing! So we're going to get that done before this baby comes and have someone convert our desktop to "wireless". YAY! My old piano was also sitting on the patio for the last 16 months (since it got put out in the RAIN during hardwood installation...grrr...) and it was finally hauled away last week. (Another thing I'm always trying to make excuses for... our ghetto yard with old pianos and stuff in it... I say "we're still under construction, excuse the mess... for 16 months! Sometimes it's so hard to get things done around here, but I think Kevin is feeling a little "nesting bug" too, thank goodness! He's just as inspired as I am right now! YAY!!!) Little by little! I'm so happy. Getting rid of stuff feels so good! I'm sure I'll keep you all posted on the garden & knitting projects. I can't wait! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Not the best pic, but it's our last family picture of 2006... (at our New Years dinner)... I know it's only been 18 days, but so far 2007 has been AMAZING!!!! (Mostly because of an exciting announcement in my family!)

I hope you have all had beautiful holidays! We did! For my crafty friends, here are a few pics of my most recent creations. I made these darling little distressed 'brag books' for both the Grandmas. I didn't add much embellishment at all... had to keep them simple because of time constraints, but it turns out that I love them & wish I made one for myself too!

They have blank pages labelled months 6-12 so the book will be Jake's first year in review. So cute!

The shawl turned out nicely and I think my sister liked it. My mom's slipper socks also turned out cute, once I solved my yarn dilemma. (I was running out of yarn & the store didn't have the same kind, despite many phonecalls & visits.) I ended up buying a coordinating color and making the toe in that color, and to make it look more cohesive, I added a little drawstring out of that same color too. I wanted to take pics of them each wearing their gifts, but got too caught up in all of the excitement. (And by excitement, I mean *over the moon* excitement! Let me just say that a huge prayer was answered and this is going to be another amazing year!)

So I know that I've written before about being under the weather. Since I don't post very often, it probably seems like we're sick all the time! lol But this time, we are ALL *really* sick!!! I'm actually getting better, Jake is on his way, and Kevin is just at the beginning so he's still struggling. It's been horrible seeing Jake like this, though. It's his first REAL full-on illness. He still has a gnarly cough and no appetite. I can tell he's feeling better though, since he's not as listless and his temp is lower. Even though I'm a nurse & I teach people all the reportable symptoms, it's different being the momma! I keep asking,

"Should we call the doctor?"

This note might not be very fluid because I've been watching TV while writing it. (Grey's Anatomy... soo good!)

While I'm here (since I only publish posts like twice monthly!), I wanted to mention Juice Plus. I was telling my sister about it and was going to email her the links, but decided to pass along the information to whoever else is interested. (Click on the underlined, which will hyperlink you to their website.) Here is also Dr Sears' take on it. Dr Sears is not our pediatrician, even though he is located in our town. I wanted to choose a pediatrician that I work with, and we are soo happy with out choice- it's a great fit! But I do read Dr Sears' books and consult his website *all* the time! He is the one who gave me that last push in my choice to do cord blood banking with CBR. (Even though it unfortunately didn't work out in the end.) I really like his down-to-earth approach to parenting. His methods aren't for everyone, but it's nice to gain the information from someone trustworthy (he thoroughly researches everything he endorses and his practice is evidence-based).

I'll be back sooner than later!

Help with my shawl!

I'm posting this so I can have my mom (and anybody else) help me. I've been working on this shawl for my sister (Christine). It's my first flat piece- and though they are supposedly easier, I thought it a bit more challenging because the stitches are so loose. Almost loose enough to where it looks sloppy on the 2 edges. I wanted to follow the pattern *exactly*, so I bought the same yarn that the pattern sample was in. Though the color didn't look right... in the picture it looked like a tan-ish buttery colored shawl... but I did it anyway, thinking that the color would grow on me but it still hasn't.

Overall, I'm disappointed in this project, but also proud of myself because it's the biggest project I've done yet! I hope my sister likes it, I think she will- she can wear a paper bag and make it look stunning!

Okay, so here's where I need your help. Dilemma: The pattern says to add fringe in the white-ish colored yarn. I didn't have enough yarn left to do very many, but I did what I could. (Two 7-inch strands {doubled} every other row). I added fringe to one end, and left it off of the other end. Here are some pictures. Should I take off the fringe, or leave it? (Is there enough? And does it look funny having fringe plain white without the colored Mohair yarn?)

Sorry the pics aren't very good. P.S. My sister is in Ireland, so I'm not spoiling it!

Thanks for your opinion!!! (Mom, you can call me or put it in my comments section-- that goes for anybody else too. I would *love* to hear your thoughts!)

Thank you so much!!

Happy (late) Thanksgiving & (early) Christmas!

The past few weeks have been sooo busy! With being sick, work, Thanksgiving, Daisy being sick, and then a bunch of fun squeezed into every spare moment between... I have hardly been home. Today I finally got some down time! I still haven't caught up on my inbox, but I'm just getting ready to turn in for the night and thought I'd post a quick note.

Mainly because I want to 'advertise' the show tomorrow night. (See above). I work tomorrow, then on Sunday Kevin and I are totally busy, and I work again on Monday... so it'll be another busy spell before I can sit down and write back to my emails. Sorry I've been so bad!

Since I'm here, I had to share the picture of Jake in his 'big boy' chair! (So cute!) It's a Bumbo Baby Seat. I've been wanting it forever and finally broke down and ordered one!


Another new development in the Raines household... Jake is starting solids! It's sooner than we had planned, but his appetite was increasing! Part of it could be my supply (went back to work, stressed out about Daisy, and dehydrated from being sick)... but since he continued acting hungry, we decided to introduce cereal. I'm still drinking herbal teas and pumping to maintain my supply. It is really fun to watch him eat! I love it!! Though he's still my baby and I hope it doesn't disrupt breastfeeding! {Everyone asks how long I plan on breastfeeding and the answer is I just don't know, but I'm not ready to even think about weaning him yet! It seems a lot of people feel that this is the time to stop breastfeeding. (He just turned 5 months). It's flown by. I've always said 6 months *minimum*, but knowing that I would nurse longer than that. I just don't know by how much. But no, I'm not weaning him. He gets just 2-3 Tbsp cereal once or twice daily.} This pic is Kevin's first time feeding him... look at the concentration on both their faces!

Quick pic of my golf club cover. I am sooo tired of black yarn! But I want the covers in black/blue, so here it is. I did a K1P1 ribbed pattern. I wish I knew how to make it taper inward at the end so the cuff didn't look so big. It's a xmas gift- I have 2 more to complete the collection. Tons of gifts to make, not much time! P.S. Pic taken before ends were woven in... I did actually complete this one! LOL I'm not sure this style club covers are "in", (they may be more 80's-ish), but oh well. It sorta looks better as a sock! I'll tell my dad that they double as foot covers!


Well, I know it's been a long note... just a little update. We're having fun spreading Christmas throughout our home. (Slowly but surely!) Jake's stocking arrived yesterday. We got our tree last Monday, but will be decorating it this Sunday. Christmas is such a happy, cozy time of year- I love it!!! Hope you are enjoying the season. I wish you many blessings~*

So I realized that my new knitting hobby is really going to stick, meaning that it was time for a major shopping spree. (I'm tired of the black chunky wool!) I have big plans!!! (Check out all of the yummy yarn Jake & I got today!)

Here's a pic of my most recent project... I made myself a {funny-looking} slipper sock. (Yes, "A"... I finished it but don't want to make another one... I'm too excited to start my next project to see what *else* I can make! I'll get around to the 2nd sock later). LOL

P.S. I haven't really "finished" any of my projects. The loose ends need to be woven in, but I'm always too excited to cast on my next piece. Another thing I'll get around to! :)

I still need to get some practice with the needles. I've been focusing on loom knitting since it's so much faster and I have a deadline here! :) I had *no* idea that you could do so many different stitches and techniques on the loom! I'm hoping to get a fine gauge loom and also a small baby sock loom. Stay tuned... hopefully I can crank out some actual presentable items in the near future, with all the cool new yarn I got!

Let me throw in a picture of the boy! He was rolling around with this giant snake today and gleefully screaming- it was so cute and funny. (And yes, "rolling around" is right... he finally rolled from back-to-front on Monday... now he can roll around whichever way he wants, and he is having fun being a squirmy little giggly baby- he makes my heart full!!!)

My {second} project!
:)

I tried to make Jake a beanie... I've been sooooo sick, too sick to log on the internet to get a pattern... so I started this one yesterday on the small KK loom (knowing that this is the loom for "baby hats"). I guess Jake isn't a baby anymore! His head has always been "smallish" as the pediatrician says, 25th percentile when the rest of his measurements had been 70-50th percentile. So I thought it would maybe stretch to fit, but it really doesn't. I could hardly get it on his head for the picture! I also had problems with the "brim" (rib), so kinda quit halfway through on the brim. Had fun experimenting with a little blue yarn... but come to find out that the 'outside' only showed a thin dash & X/V pattern, whereas the look I was going for (the stripes) only appeared on the inside. This whole knitting hobby has been trial and error and I'm having so much fun! I keep threatening Kevin that I'm going to make him some knitted pants (longies, see below). Hopefully I can get some gift-worthy items out soon... 4 weeks until Christmas!!

MY FIRST PROJECT!

I stayed up until 3am finishing my longies! I still have to add the drawstring and weave in the loose ends. But I am so proud of myself. They do have... character... one leg slightly longer than the other, both legs way to long for my little one (but they can be rolled, and that just means that he can wear them for longer!) I'm just getting ready to go scrapbook with a very dear friend of mine, but was so excited about my longies that I wanted to post some pics really quick. So here they are!

The pics of Jake wearing them... top one is the front, the bottom pic is the back. (You can't tell because I didn't include the rest of his body!) The other (middle) pic is with the legs unrolled, so you can see *how* long they are!!!

Recent Obsessions!

Jake: his TOES! He wants to eat them!

Kevin: He rotates between real estate, cycling, golfing, diving, boats (to name a few!)

Daisy: the squirrel that frequents our yard (and her food dish)

Me: at the moment, knitting. (Along with my other ongoing hobbies, aka: obsessions)

So I'm teaching myself to knit. I wanted to learn so that I could whip up a pair of longies for Jake. HA! HA! With hand knitting, there is no "whipping up" of anything (at least not for beginners!) So I cheated and got a circle loom. Still learning the art of hand-knitting, but at least I can make a quick project on the loom in the mean time.

Longies... I had never heard of them until cloth. If you've ever cloth diapered, you know that baby clothes aren't made to accommodate cloth baby butts! Longies are wool diaper covers and pants all in one. (As the weather cools, we can't have those bare legs anymore!) If you haven't already clicked on any of the "longies" links above, check out these super cute ones: CrankyPants (click on it, it'll link you to the webpage). I love them!! Here's a pair of more plain LlamaJama ones too.

Just a few more pics... These aren't the same as hand-knitted ones, but here are pics of Jake in his 2 first pairs of longies! (They are "recycled", made from old wool sweaters. I got them from someone whose son didn't fit into them anymore).