Extravaganza

My parents had given us pumpkins to make into Jack o' Lanterns. I kept meaning to do it, but somehow it never happened. All week the kids were wound up with excitement and counting the days until Halloween. Is it tomorrow, Mommy? Finally on The Day we were counting the hours, nay, the minutes til Trick or Treat time and we needed something to do. Something for the hands. And so there was the pumpkin. The pumpkin which became. . .

I'll spare you the stripped-to-the-waist pumpkin scraping, face drawing, carving pictures. Even the ones where Henry is gamely eating raw pumpkin chunks. Though his is sooo cute!

Finally it was time. They were dressed in their costumes, the same costumes as last year, and we were ready to go.


Well, almost ready. After visiting two neighbors we had to go home for more outdoor gear. They added fleece jackets under their down vests and wooly hats. I'm not sure how many places in the world children need to have a costume that's compatible with snowsuits and scarves, but Minnesota is one of them.

We went around our block, knocking on doors, dodging dogs (Anna is quite afraid of dogs. Thomas was, too, at her age, so I imagine she'll get past it.), and collecting candy. Lots of candy. They filled their trick or treat bags just circling the block. I remembered last year when Anna exclaimed, "Mommy! Can you believe all these kind people?" It must seem like a magic night to a small child. You walk around your own neighborhood and people open their doors, declare you adorable, and give you candy. AMAZING. And it's not even your BIRTHDAY.

Today I gave up any pretense at rationing the candy. I caught Anna sitting down with her Halloween bag eating three suckers. At once. Ah, the joyful gluttony.

Ah, the stickiness. If you come to my house, be prepared to stay since it won't be easy to get unstuck from the chair.

Winter is Not for Sissies

We've been enjoying cold winter temperatures here in the midwest. It's the kind of cold that freezes your eyelids in place when you go out to get the mail. Luckily, Henry has been totally warm. Whenever he leaves the house, he's wearing this soft, soft sweater.


You'll remember back in July when I was admitted to the hospital Allison from Pretending Sanity sent me a lovely care package of yarn and a pattern. It kept me busy during many long hours as I sat in bed, looking out the window at downtown St. Paul. I was so thankful for that act of kindness. It kept me positive, doing something with my hands as I hoped for a healthy baby to wear this little sweater.

Happy day, indeed!

Photo of the Day

I am so embarrassed over how long it has been since I've last posted. I can only blame the baby, so I won't blame anyone at all. However, a quick update on Time-Eating Baby will show that he is now 11 lbs 5 oz. He is three times his birth weight. Can you believe it?

I'm working on a post for the Year in Review. It'll be the next big post, but it's taking some time to work on. There's a fine balance to be struck when writing about highly charged things. I want to talk about how this last year effected me, but I don't want this blog to be an emotional Kleenex, either. I have friends for that sort of thing.

In the meantime, here's a picture of Anna. She was playing Pirate and dug up this old clip-on tie that was in Thomas's room. She proudly clipped it on and said she was "just like Daddy"! That's true. Or it would be, if Daddy were a pirate.

Welcome, Baby!

I'd like to introduce you to our newest little one. Meet Henry Steven Edstrom. He was born last evening at 5pm and weighs 3 lbs 9 oz.

He was breech, so of course he needed to come via cesarean section. Everything went well and he cried when he was born. He was just beautiful. Even though he was breathing at his birth, they still opted to put him on a cpap machine so that he wouldn't get too tired out trying to breathe. He didn't need to be put on a ventilator or anything like that--hooray! He is doing very well, especially for a 30 week baby.

I know the picture looks a little scary with the breathing mask and the IV board on his hand and all of the other tubes and tape. Believe me, though, that he is doing an amazing job. He's moving quite a bit and is even opening his eyes for us when we're in the room talking to him. I only wish we could spend more time with him, but it's hard for me to be up and out of bed for very long.

I just wanted to stop in and share our good news. I want to thank you all for your prayers, kind wishes, and support during this difficult time. You have no idea how your comments and emails have cheered and encouraged me.

Now we wait and hope for a speedy and trouble-free stay in the NICU!

Week Three and Some Knitting

I've been in the hospital on bed rest for three weeks now and I don't have anything more to say about it that is interesting. Basically, most of my comments can be reduced to sniff, sniff, whine, moan, complain, and some more sniffing. Oh--and my hips hurt. The staff at the hospital has been fantastic. They have made me feel very cared for and everyone is extremely competent at their job. I hope to be here for a long time still, so this is very important.

Already I have been here for a marathon of time and by the end of this I hope to be able to compete at Bed Rest on an Olympic level. If I can make it to 34 weeks, I'll get a gold medal and maybe some diamonds. There may be product endorsements as well and I will be anticipating calls from Motherhood Maternity as they search for a spokesmom for their Pajama Line. I'll go on tour and sign nursing bras. It'll be great.

That said, I'm going to move onto knitting.

You'll need to use your imagination to some extent since I don't have my camera available. When possible I'll try to provide links to patterns, though, to assist you.

So far I've knit both of the kids a pair of mittens. I wanted something small and fast that I could knit up so that they would have something soft to hold that I had made just for them. They LOVE it when I knit them things so this absolutely thrilled them. I made Anna's from some leftover pink and lime colored yarn Rachel gave me and Thomas and I ordered some Knit Picks kettle dyed Wool of the Andes in the Ivy colorway. I really, really like that yarn. Anna's been sleeping with her mittens "just in case it snows". How adorable is that?

I have knit no fewer than four (!) baby bonnets. I have no idea what got into me. None. But I have to thank Knittymama for mentioning this pattern on her website because it provided me with days of knitted entertainment. I used some Misti Alpaca for one hat in a nice silvery grey color. It was an alpaca/silk blend and it's so soft--just right for a preemie. I used Nature Spun yarn for the other three. I made two in green and one in navy blue. Now I just need to find baby heads that can wear them! My baby will only have one head (or so the ultrasound techs tell me) so there really is no call for the other hats. One went home with Kate, but I think I'll send the other one home with her, too, since it's in a larger size and may fit litte Meg better when winter comes.

I am currently working on a pair of socks for Peter. I'm using some Trekking XXL yarn that I got from a craft store that was going out of business. I am not a sock knitter. I want to be, but I worry too much that I'll put all of that work into a pair of socks that won't fit. This isn't my first attempt, but I hope it will be at least marginally successful. I really want Peter to like them. More than that, I just want him to be able to wear them! I'm worried already that they'll be too tight. I'm using the Basic Sock recipe from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book Knitting Rules.

Next on the list is the Bunny Blanket Bunny that you can find on Ravelry and also on Lion Brand's website. This one, I'm making for the baby. It should be a very quick knit so that I can move on to a baby sweater for the little one. I'm very excited about the sweater. I had been looking and looking for a pattern to knit and couldn't find anything. I wanted something simple and gender-neutral, but couldn't find anything that suited me. Then Allison sent me a care package with the perfect pattern and the most beautiful yarn for a little baby sweater! Now I have the skeins sitting in my room at the hospital so I can give them a squeeze now and then. The yarn is organic cotten with a soft, peaceful color. It's so nice and just the thing for a little baby. I have to resisit the urge to knit a great, big sweater for what is certain to be a very little baby.

I'm rounding the corner toward week 27. I feel like I'm chasing down every day and pounding it into the ground as I move past. It's slow work, making a baby. There aren't any shortcuts.

Week 26

I've finally hit one of the smaller milestones that the neonatal doctors like to see when you're on antepartum. Twenty-six weeks! At twenty-four or twenty-five they smile a little and say things like, "Well, the survival rates aren't so bad. . ." and then proceed to tell you not to go into labor for a couple more weeks. At twenty-six they start sounding a little more cheerful about your baby's prospects. I imagine that when we hit twenty-eight they might actually throw a party for me. But I need to remember not to get ahead of myself. Twenty-six. My baby is at twenty-six.

I had my weekly ultrasound today and the baby looked well. The screen showed my baby in black and white, clearly using his or her little diaphragm to practice breathing motions. I am very low on fluid since I spent the last two days leaking heavily. But the doctors don't seem too concerned since babies are continually making more fluid. I haven't leaked any fluid yet today so perhaps Baby Nuevo is working on building up more reserves. Despite the positive news, I'm getting tired of going through all of these tests alone. During a normal pregnancy, I have no problems going to the prenatal appointments by myself (if going with small children is really going by yourself), but now that things have taken a downturn, I wish I could have Peter here to be with me while I wait to find out how our baby is doing. I spend so much time alone and I am pretty good at it, but there are times when I really would like to have someone hold my hand. I'm not scared, much, and I'm not worried, most of the time. But I feel the lack of the comfort Peter brings to most situations.

All that said, I'm going to enjoy the small victory that two and a half weeks in the hospital has brought me. And I'm going to knit another baby hat.

Mid-Point

So, here I am again at the Mid-Point of pregnancy.  May I introduce you to Baby Number 3?

This baby is about 22-23 weeks along and seems to be doing very well.  I look at this little picture and think that I am incredibly lucky and that I am so happy to be waiting for this wee one to be born.  I'm still nervous about how a third baby will change the dynamics of our family, but I'm feeling more confident that things will be ok after we've adjusted to a new person in our home.

Baby Nuevo looks so peaceful.  The baby's just resting there, playing his or her own games in peace.  I'm listening to the rabble going on upstairs right now and I want to tell him or her to enjoy it while it lasts.  There's little quiet time to be had in THIS house!

We don't know the gender yet--the anticipation builds--but I've still been doing a huge amount of knitting for the Wee Baby.  I have three pairs of soakers (mostly) knit and a pair of Picky Pants waiting for elastic and another pair of Picky Pants on the needles.  I've been trying out Peace Fleece for the first time and I like it a lot.  I wish it had about 25 more yards per skein, but it has enough for me to be satisfied.  I just wish there were a store nearby that sold it.  The shipping on it is considerable.  

I confess I bought a skein of green called Anna's Grasshopper.  When it came in the mail, I saw the name printed on the label and I just about cried.  If I were to have 100 children, would I always feel a little sad for the youngest child as I waited for the next to be born?  Or am I just hopped up on pregnancy hormones to the point where even something like this would make me teary?

I'll leave you with a funny story from this morning.  I went to the clinic this morning to get a shot [boring medical details omitted] and the nurse giving me my shot asked if we were going to be having more children.  I told her that this was our last planned child and she remarked that I was a "baby making machine".  I was so surprised!  I think of the families I know who have 5, 6, 7 or more children and I wanted to say, "Lady, when it comes to baby making, I am totally an underachiever!"  People never stop cracking me up!

How Does Your Garden Grow

Today we got our first harvest from our new garden.  Radishes.  Thomas and Anna were so excited to be able to pick some real vegetables, even though Thomas doesn't like "spicy food".  I pulled the radishes and handed them over our rabbit fence to Thomas who pulled off the tops for the compost.  Anna walked around the yard chomping the radishes like apples.  Who knew they came with a core?  Personally, I'm just thrilled to see that I can grow things after all.  I'm like a real farmer.

In other news, see what came in the mail for the new baby?

It's a beautiful, organic cotton baby hat that will be just right for a fuzzy baby head this winter.  It came from Kristina over at Yarnsticks!  It makes me glad that I live in such a snowy state.  Knitted warmth would be much less satisfying if I lived in Texas.  Thank you, Kristina!  I am pretty excited about this pretty little hat.

More Knitted Love

Excuse my blurriness.  We're having an evening thunderstorm (hold the tornadoes, please) so there was poor light for photographs and my flash just washed out the cabling.  I went with slightly blurry.

This is the sweater I'm knitting for Anna.  It's from that book using Canadian Regal yarn.  I couldn't be happier with how it's turning out.  The pattern is a pleasure to knit and I'm very curious as to how this will fit!  This is my first Big Cable and I love how simple and intuitive it is, after a fashion.  I can see how cabling can get addictive.

I bought the yarn at a small, but excellent, yarn store in Two Harbors, MN.  I think it's called (help me, Rachel) Playing with Yarn or Playing with Fiber.  Such a nice store, but no web presence to speak of.  I like the yarn a lot.  It's very sheep-y.  I frequently have to pull bits of straw out of the yarn.  It's never enough to be obnoxious or to mess up your gauge.  Its' just enough to make you say, "Baaaa" as you knit away.  For me it brings up fond memories of playing in the hayloft as a child.  I'm hoping that the wool will become softer after I wash and block the sweater.  It's not horribly scratchy, but it ain't no merino!

In baby news, I'm still pregnant.  I had my second OB appointment today and I seem to be right on track.  I'm measuring about 18 weeks, which I should, and as of last night I'm wearing maternity clothes which my doctor assures me is normal.  I think I felt the baby move a bit yesterday, though I never like to say for certain until the kid is pummeling me in the kidneys at 30 weeks.  I'm really starting to look forward to meeting this new little one and seeing what s/he is like.  

This is our last (planned) baby and I'm having mixed feelings about waving the Baby Years good-bye.  One the one hand, I really enjoy having older children.  I REALLY enjoy older children.  I love my babies, but they don't get to be much fun for me until they're about 18 months old or so.  I'm looking forward to all of the great things you can do with older kids like this or this or this.  But there's something sad about ending this period of our lives.  It's probably because I don't really know how great the next stage is going to be or I'd be more excited about that than I am sad about leaving night-wakings and dirty diapers behind.

Well, in any case, I guess I have to stop having the babies at some time.  If I don't stop myself, Nature will certainly do the job for me!

A Little Light on the Matter

So, maybe this will shed a little light on why I've been feeling cramped in our house lately.
Baby Nuevo #3 is nearly 12 weeks along right now. I realize it's a little early to announce, but P is about to post on his website, so I figured that I should do the same. It's about consistency.

I've tried to think of a clever way to break the news, but I think the placenta has eaten my brain cause I've got nothing.

We wanted this baby, there was a lot of anticipation, but now that it's upon me I've been riddled with the same apprehensions that I had when I was expecting Anna. Does anyone ever expect a baby without worrying how it's going to work out? Now that we've started to tell people I've been more excited than anxious and I've been able to get caught up in everyone's excited expectations. It's been a nice change, emotionally.

And even though I've waited a while to share the news here, you can feel free to consider yourselves lucky. You've missed weeks and weeks where I had little to share apart from how tired/sick/sore/sick/nauseous/sick and anxious I felt. Hopefully the next few weeks will bring less whining and more rejoicing. Truly, I think this is why people "advise" waiting before sharing the big news--It's not the difficulty of sharing a disappointment, it's to spare casual acquaintances the burden of hearing about how tired and ill you feel. I'm sure P wishes I'd waited until now to tell him, too.

So, as we all eagerly await early November (seriously--all of my pregnancies have been due the same time of year), let's get together and pick out some baby names. P and I are stumped. At this point I'm considering Harry. Works for a boy or a girl, right?

Of Ragamuffins and Princesses

Just a little update, for those of you who are interested (and I know you're out there).

Anna had her Second Haircut Ever last night. She had one maybe a year and a half ago and I haven't really given the matter much thought since then. Her hairstyle requires that little attention be paid to the actual length. Every day I simply pull up the top section of her hair into a little ponytail. It keeps her hair out of her eyes, and more importantly out of her boogers, and that's all I really need.

Lately, however, her fine, thin hair had been getting more tangled and A was objecting more and more to having her hair combed in the morning. The last two days everyone was sick with a cold so I let it go altogether. Yesterday morning Anna looked like this:


To be fair, it's a bit rougher than usual since I hadn't fixed it in a day or so, but you get the general idea. This morning, though, she looks like this:


The change is very dramatic when you see her with her hair down, but she wouldn't keep a barrette in and I still need to keep hair out of her boogers. She looks so grown up! I try not to get too sentimental about these sorts of things--I really can't afford to, emotional as I am--but I still can't get over how much my little girl is changed by a simple hair cut. My little bunny.

It's an Honor Just to be Nominated

I was given the Crunchy Parent of the Year Award over the weekend. I won it based on my latest entry which was submitted just under the wire on December 30th. I sewed A a baby sling for her dolls. Here it is, being worn by the grateful recipient.


She doesn't look too excited in the picture so you'll have to trust me when I tell you that she was thrilled. My little guy, T, even got in on the action.


He'll make a great dad, someday.
My sister in law, Rachel, thought this was the cleverest and the Most Crunchy Mom thing to do, so she is the one who gave me the award. I gratefully accept.

If I were really clever, however, I would have had it made before Christmas and given it to her as a gift.

Merrily, Merrily

I don't need to be reminded that I'm lucky. I don't. I've got a wonderful husband, a reasonably healthy family, am blessed with meaningful friendships, have a comfortable home, and am able to choose to take care of my kids all day. I know it. I even appreciate it most days.

But once in a while something will happen, usually something small, and I'll be reminded of just HOW lucky I am. It's the difference between being able to carry a tune and being able to sing La Boheme. It's when I recognize that I've been well blessed.

My moment today was when I asked T to take out the compost garbage for me. He was getting his shoes and coat on and A rushed to get dressed for the outdoors, too. She wanted to go outside with her "brithr". I ushered them both outside to do the chore with some small, inane comment about, I don't even remember what for sure, but maybe something like "keep an eye on your sister and come right back in" since it was very windy today with a sharp chill in the air. I peeked out the window to make sure they hadn't gotten immediately distracted by the swing or a trike. What did I see? I saw T holding out the compost bucket and taking A's hand to show her how they could carry the pail together. Then they walked as neatly as can be to the compost bin. From time to time, I see these flashes of such patient consideration and thoughtfulness on the part of T and such playfulness on the part of A, that I am amazed that these kids are even related to me. Where does that come from? I am amazed most days that these small people not only play together, but play together well and that they enjoy each other's company so much. They really are friends.

Let's only hope it lasts. As a parent, I realize that I didn't do much to create their relationship. It seems to be the happy result of their respective personalities more than anything. But as their mother, I can't help but wonder what I can do to encourage it as they grow into the adults that they will become.

Any ideas?