Oh happy day!

So today is the opening day of the fair, and when I entered the pink angora baby dress into competition they gave me a free ticket. Handy that, since the kidlet is free and so is parking so I could spend money only on fair food! Anyway, so we went to the fair today because my logic was that with it being opening day AND Thursday while most are still working that it wouldnt be too busy that it is a good time. I was right - not really a ton of people yet. I went straight away to the building housing the competition stuff. Here's what I saw:

And that my friends would be a blue FIRST PLACE ribbon! As you can tell from Sean's face, he was so thrilled for his Mama! I am officially an 'award winning crocheter!' Yes I am excited, and also a dork! But YAY me! Wanna see 2nd place?

In my memory I was remembering the blue one, but really its the white one that was in my section. I also saw this really, REALLy cool thing:

This the best in show for yarn (I think thats how the breakdown was - since I didnt see any yarn clothing BIS. Anyway, this tapestry, for lack of a better description is done in what looks like Icords all manipulated into circles and lines and zigzags to create the picture. Brilliant and beautiful - I am happy to loose BIS to this creation. Anyway, moving on.

I know that I really should have kept up with the unfinished scarf, since I said I would and all. However, I'm not so god with the sticking to things once I start to not like them anymore. So, I started a sock. Whoops! I got this pattern from the Sensational Socks book, which I love but it is so easy really! Knit 1 row, K2P2 the next row, and repeat, using a normal sock pattern. I like how it is turning out, ribbed, but with the little purl bumps showing intermittenly through the recessed bits of the rib. Anyway, hers a pic so far. BUT, I did get some crocheting on the scarf done at the crochet meeting yesterday - go me.

Thats it for now, more later.

Purl's horoscopes

I do love my aunt purl. Here's the Feb horoscopes via www.crazyauntpurl.com . She's up for an award - go to The seventh annual Weblog Awards nominations at http://2007.bloggies.com/ to vote, she's under the craft blogs section kinda far down. Go vote. Voting ends on Friday! Thanks. And enjoy. Oh, and I'll probably post something tomorrow. I know this is cheating, but you understand.

February2007 Horoscopes
By laurie on Hor-o-scopes
..>
I really wish they would have let Pluto stay a planet and would have taken stupid Mercury out of the mix, always retrograding like it's just having a party over there in the fifth house of "Make Your Life A Horror Movie." But that's okay, that's fine. I'm going to pretend Pluto is still a planet. You might want to remember that when you read my prognostications. And then later I may have some real estate to sell you, beachfront property! and we can have a sleepover where we do a séance to talk to your childhood puppy.
But in all seriousness, because that is how I am you know, very serious, February has a LOT going on for such a short month:
? Stupid Mercury, always retrograding when the rest of us want to par-tay! That is from February 13 to March 7.? Full moon on February 2nd to taunt us. ? Groundhog Day, while not astrological in nature, still. It's a day.? Valentine's Day. Let's just face it.? New Moon on February 17. ? Oh, and Mardi Gras. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
And it keeps going into March, I guess since February was short there was some astrological spillover:? Major eclipse on March 3 in Virgo. Go Virgo, Go Virgo!? On March 7, Mercury turns direct. Then we all have wine.
Actually, the really scary part of all this is that I woke up this morning and ... it was already FEBRUARY! How the heck did it get here so fast?
- - - - - - - - - - -
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)Happy Birthday! My older brother is an Aquarius and he is often just a puzzle to me. He's one of the smartest people I know, and he's also very complex, with a soft heart but no one would ever guess. Typical Aquarius! Anyway, February is a big big financial month for you, although you might not see the results until mid-March when a whole bunch of planets hang out together and hand out karma dollars. I do want to gently caution that your soft heart, well-hidden as it may be, may find itself being pulled on this month, especially between now and mid-February. Luckily for you, there's a big new moon in your sign around that time which makes all the difference between merely trudging onward and actually walking for enjoyment. You have a lot of compassion inside, and I assure you that compassion doesn't have an end. You were blessed with endless amounts of it, you'll just need to trust that you won't run out.
PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20)Well, color me surprised and hand me a cocktail. I do believe our friend Pisces here has finally had exactly E-NOUGH of the craziness, the instability, the forever limbo. I think in fact Pisces may have just gotten what we refer to in highly secretive astrological lingo as "a backbone." It has always been there, of course, you're just not real fond of using it ... not because Pisces is weak, mind you, but because more than any other sign on the wheel, Pisces folks do understand the ripple effect of every action, every word, every thought. So they do their darndest to make sure they don't screw stuff up, thereby ending the universe as we know it. But all that fear of making a misstep can be paralyzing, and you end up mired in your own indecision. Like I'm telling you something you don't know. Anyway! That's all just talking, since you are DEFINITELY no longer mired down this month. I'm quite pleased with what I see, I think you'll be right proud of your backbone by month's end. Then you can get back to your old familiar worrywart self.
ARIES (March 21- April 19)You're more focused on the day-to-day aspects of your life than ever before. For an Aries, this is like the death knell of creativity. Ya'll are so dramatic! Merely resist the urge to think you're drowning in the mundane! I like to think of the really basic pieces of our day-to-day lives as our "kitchen reality" and the beauty of kitchen reality is that you develop an appreciation for the art, the beauty of life, even if it happens in your kitchen, your copy room at work, or your cubicle. Retrograding Mercury gives you the ability to rest for a moment and see your life for the very beauty it holds in the smallest places. Enjoy it.TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)I'm sorry about Mercury going all notrograde on you. Stupid astrology! But the thing about Taurus (taurii?) is that when you are pushed into a corner and feel completely pressured, ya'll manage to be absolutely, hands down the BEST VERSION OF YOU EVER! Your primary issue all month will be your core fear vs. your core reality. (I make that sound so easy. But really it's kind of HUGE.) For example, if your core fear is that you are unworthy, your main challenge all month will be trusting your own instincts in the face of a million naysayers all trying to foist their unworthy solutions upon you. Simply rely upon your Taurii vibe for innate goodness, and plow through them when they are wrong. Because really? They are wrong. You are innately good, Taurus. Defend your gut!
GEMINI (May 21 - June 21)I like to base all my fauxrriscopes on the people I am closest to from the astrological wheel. Gemini is always close to my heart because I was born right on the cusp, and I feel responsible for knowing what my neighbors are up to. This will be a trying and frustrating month for Gemini because dumb Mercury is in notrograde, making life difficult. Interestingly enough, Geminis will have a weirdly cohesive month, with strange opportunities showing up around every corner. It's ball in your court month, Gemini. Your challenge is to chase after the odd and unusual opportunities February will bring. Also, FYI. One of them may be very very goodlooking.
CANCER (June 22 - July 22)Oh crap. You got me again as your ASTROLOGER! Didn't you learn, last year, when I wanted us to start a gang called the Cancer Crips? All I can say about February is resist the temptation to ostrich! You may well want to bury your head in the sand, but truth is you're smarter and more pragmatic than anyone on Team Problem, so do not hide from your primary challenge this month. (It is hard for me to take my own advice, but I try.) The good news is that although we are prone to forget the past only when it suits us, truth is we are having a MUCH better year so far than we were having this time last year. If you need proof, just browse backward through your old diaries, old reciepts, old memories. And for a Cancer, that is progress! Also, on an unrelated note: Perfect flawed Cancer, forget about this Valentine's Day horsesh*t. Just enjoy the discount pink items on the 15th, remember that love does not get one designated day, and rise above any expectations of forced romance. Hallmark holidays are not for crabs. We prefer our maudlin romanticism on unexpected Tuesdays in June or October or March, thankyouverymuch.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)I wanted to put an exclamation sign after your name like Leo! Woohoo! You have made serious progress so far this year and 2007 is in the hizzey! (I don't know what hizzey means either, but in hiphop lingo apparently it is good.) So just love and know and appreciate your greatness. February only sucks because stupid Mercury does its hiding thing, and you'll have some financial integrity issues. Let me ask you a question. Do you rely upon your own judgment, or the judgment of others? Might I suggest that you begin to voice some Leo prowess, even in finances? You have way more roar than the other guys. You may want to inform them you are in the financial "hizz-ay" now and you will be making your own monetary decisions, yo yo. (I really have to get a handle on the bad slang. Sorry!)
VIRGO (August 23 - Sept. 22)Resourceful. Lovely. Ready. These are the three words popping up in your House Of Adjectives this month. I often don't "get" the Virgo chart, ya'll are so unlike Cancer and sometimes it feels like I'm staring into a book full of Greek and Latin words mixed in together. But this month I can see your adjectives, and that is a good start. Resourceful: Virgos are rockstars at making silk out of hay. You manage to take some rather unappealing junk in life and make it into really unique (and valuable) opportunities. You're more ready right now for financial success than you have maybe ever been, and you deserve every penny of it. You worked hard and didn't give up when life handed you junk during that three-month period last year. Lovely: Well, you are! Ready: Let me say it again, you are ready for the good and happy pieces. Your chart is very clear on this one, and those pieces are on their way.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 23)Libras are some of the least confrontational folks on the entire planet. Even the few Libras who will engage in an altercation from time to time are nothing compared to a deceptively nice Cancer who has finally had ENOUGH or a raging Scorpio on like, any given Monday. Ya'll just don't let emotions build and build inside you, you're far too cerebral for that nonsense. But February has all sorts of craziness attached to it, there's stuff retrograding and there's other stuff eclipsing within mere weeks and full moons, and good grief. By mid-month you may just want to haul off and hurl at someone. I don't usually advise anyone to say what's on their mind in the heat of anger, since I am Southern and we are all about repressing our feelings. However, this month would be a really good time to try expressing your emotions ... start by just writing it down, and then feel all proud of yourself for having the self-control to get over it. Because you will, of course. You're a Libra!
SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21)I LOVE Scorpios. I don't talk about my adoration of the Scorpio very often, but the truth is my very first true love is a Scorpio and ya'll forever hold a place in my heart. Having said that, I do tend to see ya'lls little pitfalls and personality snares as mere particulars. Others, however, are not always as forgiving. There is a weird angle in your astrological chart this month, like your eleventeenth house of home and family has its panties in a bunch. Might I suggest biting your tongue with either a close friend or family member midmonth when there will be a little tension? Trust me. It would be REALLY A GOOD IDEA. Yes, you are passionate and fabulous, but also sometimes it is good to hold back a little on the passion, verbally, and let others just say what's on their minds.SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)How is the year of no secrets, no darkness, no messes going? Ahem. I am merely going to give you a gentle reminder that you are absolutely better than what you think of yourself at this very moment and you need to stop worrying over all the still-incomplete To Do lists from last December. I know the first month of this year went by a little fast, but real quicklike it will be spring, then summer, then you'll be saying, Holy Crap! It's going to be my birthday! And you'll wonder where another year went. Change your scenery to change your outlook. There is no other sign in the zodiac that could benefit from a little time off more than you, Sagittarius! Consider planning a vacation (ASAP) even if it is just a one day getaway, a long drive on a beautiful road, a field trip to a place you love nearby, or a full-fledged vacay to a new city. You need change right now as much as you need food or water.CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)Two of my best friends are Caps and so is my Dad. These are the people closest to me in the world, and I love watching the changes in their lives as they move through their days, each so different as people yet so much alike! January was a really interesting month for Capricorns (hint: "inneresting" is the word we use to describe things that were crucial, but not always easy.) Ya'll have gotten some major enlightenment in the past few weeks, followed by periods of real frustration. It's because you hate change, and change is ALL AROUND YOU. Well, let me be more specific. You like change that you fully control, but a lot of what's happening involves your future which right now is an unwritten book and the more you try to write it down, the more changier it gets. You must MUST relax your grip a tiny bit or your head will pop off. If it makes you feel any better, Saturn (which is causing all this trouble for you) comes out of its sneaky phase in April and all these things that have been murky and scary become clear and fresh and comforting.

We're still here...

I have managed to actually be online and check bloglines and email about every other day but I have had a serious lapse in writing... sorry about that! I've been getting in a bit of driving which is good for saving my sanity! I've gone to the office a couple times, brought my angora baby dress out to the fair for competition (fingers crossed), and the grocery store. And although it does hurt just a bit on the incision spot in the evenings I think it's ok.

Jake has been spending a lot of time at the in-laws which is nice, but since Sean doesnt let me sleep more than 3 hours in a row at night, it still leaves me pretty tired. He does enjoy his brother somewhat, but I think he's looking more forward to playing with him, and I think he's rather disappointed that he cant really do that yet.

I finished Stacy's sweater, and I even took a picture but am too lazy now to show you. I hope to get a pic of her actually wearing it. I hope she likes it. I put it on me, and even though it's a medium and I'm, well, not, it fit-ish. It was a bit short on me but should be perfect on her. I do like it a lot and may make myself one too.

I had been working on a scarf too, but it's slow going. I think because it's pretty wide - wider than I like. It's easy crochet, double/single across, then single double across so its a nice looking pattern, but boring I think. I'd really like to finish it up before I start something else, and since I dont have a next project in mind, it just may work.

BTW, trying to type one handed isnt the easiest thing, let me tell you! Thats it for now, more when I can use both my hands!

Baby baby baby. And a sleeve.

Well, things are going pretty well, Sean has a schedule pretty well down, but I am trying to change it! He sleeps from 4-8pm, up until 11, then up at 1:30 then 4ish, then 6am but those are for short ones, then up at 9:30 for a while. If I can get him to wake up around 6pm and keep him up for a while, maybe I can get him to sleep longer at night, but with dinner and getting Jake ready for bed, it's actually handy to have Sean sleeping.

Travis has been sick, and pretty bad - his coughing actually wakes the baby up! Sounds like an upper respiratory infection or some such thing. If he's not better by Tuesday (his day off) he's going to the doc... weather he likes it or not! I've had some coughing but thats about it, and dayquil has been pretty helpful. I just pray that Sean doesnt get sick!

Want some pics? Of course you do!

And... a sleeve! Well, half a sleeve has been completed today during my outing at Tracie's house. Half to go, then to sew it together. I have about 2 weeks to get it done, and since I feel like I've had such a huge lack of knitting that I might as well be UNknitting, wish me luck! I would show you a pic but yeah, I'm to lazy for that right now. When it's done, I'll show you. I will even try really hard to show it to you actually ON Stacy.

That's it for now, have a good one.

We're BAAAAACK!

Well, actually we got back on Wednesday night but this is the first time I've had the chance to get on here.

Sean Joseph Fondren got here on 1.8.07 at 2:15pm. He was 6 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 inches long.

Here's the blog I wrote on Myspace on Thursday because I'm lazy, I'll also post some pics and new commentary (sorry to the folks that already read that one!).

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Elvis has left the building... well, Sean has left his womb, but same diff, right - especially since Sean was born on Big E's b-day. I promise to write more later and you'll have to excuse any weird bits. It's 6am, I am on happy pills, running on a fraction of normal sleep (mostly not even Sean's fault, I just cant find a comfy position) and my head is too busy with the list of crap to do that's 3 miles long to formulate other thoughts. But anyway, with that disclaimer out of the way, here goes...
We got to the hospital at 11:30 on Monday for our 1:30 c-section. The very odd boy nurse (no, I forgot to take a pic, but I think trav may have it on video and I can steal a still from there, we'll see) had problems putting in my iv thing - apparently the perfectly good vein in my left hand was too pretty for him so he had to mess it up, then move on to the right hand which did much better. The right hand had the iv thing in it from 12:30 Monday to 2pm on Wednesday and all I see is the puncture mark. The left hand that had the thingie in it for 2 minutes is still purple. No, I'm not pleased. It hurts. URG! Oh, and speaking of not pleased, No sooner do I get my hospital gown on and get ready to get hooked to the fetal monitors - I start getting contractions. Like every 5 minutes. Who does that? Hrm. Moving on.

This was the first time I ever got to actually walk into an OR. It was the strangest thing, but very very cool. There was a surgical tech student that had me as her first sugery, she was very excited, and I thought it was neat to listen in on all the info the other lady was giving her - explaining instruments to her, teaching her how to scrub in propperly, telling her that my doc calls this one type of tool the "skinny scissors".
They did my spinal, it felt strange to feel my arse go numb! Once I was all prepped, they let Travis in, then they started. Apparently Sean was not wanting to come out because the had a hard time maneuvering him out - he was very sardine like. Once he was out, he cried for the sum total of about 30 seconds, thats it. He fell asleep when they were taking his temp. Taking his temp THERE! He doesnt cry much (or at least he didnt until we came home and tried to go to sleep, but thats for another post), which is a good thing, and when he does it never lasts for more than a minute.
My anestesiologist (I know I spelt that wrong, but what do you want) was very cool. She sounded just like a friend of a friend, and looked like one of the ladies from amc (livia for anyone that watches), very strange. But I lliked her a lot. When they were doing my tubal and Travis was over filming Sean, she and I chatted about a bunch of different things - I was far from freaking out about the surgery, but she made me really relaxed. I liked her bunches.

Um, after they were done, Travis headed to the room with Sean while the doc sewed me up, and when I got back to my room my Mom and aunt were waiting and Travis was rocking the baby. It was so nice, they stayed for a few miutes then it was a Noah style cavalcade to see the baby - two by two.

Jake got to hold him, he was very excited for about two minutes then said "Can you take it from me?". It's been Sean or baby brother for 4 months, but now it's It. He's so funny.
But all in all everything went well. My first thoughts when I saw him were 1) is it still a boy? and 2) he has red curly hair! Turns out it's mostly blond like my Mom's but in the light its got red in it, and the curls were just from being wet, it's pretty straight and fine now. He is very very tiny. Jake was 7lbs, 12 oz, and with this one a pound and a half smaller, it's just strange. Nothing fits him - we had to get newborn clothes for him.

You can see pics at picasaweb.google.com/believerndragons or go here to see the hospital pics: https://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babylogin.asp?URLID=5N0F2M4N4A - choose Sean F. and the password is fondren. That shirt is a newborn size. Not even 0-3 mos... Newborn. It eats him whole. too funny.
Anyway, we left the hospital Wed around 3, dropped off the script for happy pills then went to the in-laws for a bit, left Jake there to spend the night then home by way of Walgreens to pick up the pills.
I got to see the new room almost done - it looks so nice, but that is for another post. I want to go to sleep now, let me think if there's anything I'm forgetting, nope, thats it for now. Good night, er morning and I'll post more later on.

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A few new things to report - we went to the doc Friday and he was 6 lbs, 3 ozs, and 19.5 inches. So he's growing longer but weigs less - weird weird. I'm still pretty sore a lot of the time, and I only have about 7 or 8 more percocets left. In the hospital the nurse would give me 1 of those with 1 motrin (which is just IB like Advil) so I've been doing the same - 1 percoct and 1 advil. That seems to be doing ok for me... and stretching out the stash of drugs since I'm not taking the perscribed 2 at a time. And also, the engorgement, while giving me great porn star boobs hurts a LOT. Hopefully that will go away in a day or two because, yeah OWWW!

Sean pretty much has his day and night backwards. During the day he will wake up (and I use the term wake pretty loosly) just to eat, but at night he actually wants to stay awake. Today we are going to start trying to keep him awake during the day more, and we'll see how that goes.

Here's a few more pics, then I need to go pass out. Percoet may use drowsiness and/or dizziness. Yep, it doesnt lie.

My 3 boys:

Gnombert helping me order lunch (mac n cheese & chicken fingers)

The newest crocheter!

Ok, thats it, I am having trouble keeping my eyes open. More later on, I promise!

Too late to change my mind

Well, it's Sunday at 8:20. In 3 hours and 40 minutes I will not be able to eat anything more. In 14 hours and 10 minutes I need to be at the hospital. 2 hours after that I shall be the mother of 2 (if all goes as planned). Kinda cool, I think!

We're pretty ready. Sean's room is ready, the den - not so much. It has floors and walls and paint and cabinets and shelves and a toybox built in. It also has a garage door and no opening into the dining room. Please pray that comes tomorrow! Actually as long as it's done when I get home I'm fine - but I do know it's freaking Travis out, so I hope it gets done quickly.

I had to go to the hospital today to pre-register. The vampires stole 4 vials of blood and gave me 2 nifty id bracelets that I am not supposed to take off. Good thing I got that shower out of the way first!

Also I hear tell that the hospital has the internets so I should be able to post pics and such. Travis will be putting all the pics he takes on our gmail photo thing and I'll be sure to let you know what it is. Wish me luck!

Well, this is it....

For work anyway. In 3 days I shall be the mom of 2, and that is terribly exciting for me. I feel like work is going to survive 2 months without me, and all is right with the world. My desk is realatively clean, I've left instructions for the 2 or 3 people that will be being me when I'm gone and I have faith in them, and their ability to call me if something wonky happens. I havent tried to post to this thing from home with pictures yet, so that will be an interesting challenge, but thats fine, I'm sure I can figure it out.
The den is coming along swimmingly, but I forgot to take pics today or yesterday. Yesterday when I got home, all of the walls and the ceiling was primed. Then, after dinner Dad painted. The whole thing. The ceiling and trim is a pail tan and the walls a nice slatey blue. Today when I get home I should have a floor in there. Hopefully in the next day or so there will be a wall where the garage door is and no wall (or at least the door cut out) between the dining room and the new den.
Sean's room is doing well too. His dresser has all his stuff in it, diapers, wipes, etc check. The bed is together and has linens on it. I need to hang the curtain and get the chair in there and the lamp cleaned and put up. I think thats about it. Soon Travis will get the rest of his stuff out of the closet in there and into the new den, and after that he'll hang a bar so we can put in there what little hangup clothes an infant has!
That's about it on progress. I probably wont be posting until after I'm home from the hospital which should be Wednesday-ish. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

5 days, 23 hours and 4 minutes to go....

hehehe. Sorry, but to me that wont get old! Lots of progress at Chez Chaos! I have pictures:

When I went to work on Friday, my garage looked like a garage - with stuff in it, and a ceiling and a concrete floor, etc. When I came home on Friday, it looked like this:

That's Dad talking to my other-mother Joanne. That is a sub-floor he's sitting on and that pile-o-stuff is, er, was my ceiling. I expected no ceiling, I did not expect a floor.

This morning it looked like this:

That is all framed, there's insulation on all the walls (except for where the garage door is but wont be for long), and insulation on the ceiling. that wall on the right there is the cubby that the freezer (on the left) will now live in. Where the freezer is currently is going to be a u-shaped bunch of shelves for... wait for it... YARN STORAGE!! :):):):):). That means that I can get rid of a dresser in my room and have use of parts of my closet floor! Imagine that! Moving on. Today they are sheetrocking the ceiling and starting on the walls. And the they that are doing it is my Dad, my husband, my father-in-law and Jake. Boy do I wish I could be there to capture the moment on film, er, memory card. Also today they will be picking up Jake's new dresser.

His old dresser is now:

In Sean's room as a changing table.

Mom came over on Saturday to paint the room, I really should have had a before picture so you could see how dark the blue was, but I forgot.

This is the after. Here is a closeup:

It's got this linen type texture to it which feels really neat. It definatly tones down that blue which is a very good thing! Next up is to put the crib together, get the curtains from my MIL's house and get those up, plus wash a few more things. We fished the baby carseat out of the in-laws attic (whew, I was worried there a minute that someone had gotten rid of it), I need to wash the cover on that, plus the new boppy covers, bouncy seat cover, etc.

Tonight I shall move Jake's clothes to the new dresser, put the stepstool in there (the underwear and sock drawers are too high) and start putting some of Sean's clothes away. I need to get diapers and a diaper genie refill thing from the in-laws (can you tell their house is storage central?), and get them set and in place. I have already washed all the bottles and put them away, we have some formula all ready. I have the diaper bag together, and my hospital bag is in the trunk. Would you like to know the problem with my hospital bag?

Let me show you in pictures:

+

= Need to find something else for him to come home in.

Speaking of weird weather... IN JANUARY(!!), this is my peach tree:

It's not supposed to have flowers until February. It's a little confused.

I'm making good progress on Stacy's sweater. Here's the back all done:

And I'm about 6 inches up on the front. I really hope that I can get it done before Sean comes... because Stacy needs such a nice warm sweater for the arctic air we're having - right?

Anyway, that's it for now. OH, babyville: 38 wks LMP, Sean weighs 6.80 lbs or 3083 grams and is 19.61 inches or 49.8 cm long. He might begin to drop farther towards the cervix and I'll be able to walk easier but have to go potty more often (yeah, except it is more difficult now to walk then before AND I have to go potty more. Oh well... Only 5 days 22 hours and 6 minutes to go.)

I heart Christmas.

How was your Christmas? Was Santa good to you? Did you have pie?

Ok, Ok and no. But, I enjoyed that people loved the things I gave them. Let's see, shall we?

Mom wearing her new sweater. And it fits. And she was suprised. Sorry for the quality but I forgot my camera and had to use my phone. Yay technology.

Jason with his new Bob Ross shirt. I had actually gotten this as an almost gag gift but he really does like it. We'll see if we ever actually see him wearing it - that will be the real test!

Jake wearing his nifty new hat next to Jon (Stacy's brother) wearing his nifty new hat. Both love them. You cant see the cables but they are there. And I think they are right. They look right anyway!

This is Marley - Jason and Stacy's new puppy.

This was Marley's Christmas gift about 30 minutes after he got it. Taste great AND less filling!

Jake got lots of cool stuff - A game boy, the blue man group key board thing and a new Hot Rod calendar. Can you guess what his favorite was? The gameboy.

I took a pic of baby Sean on this fine holiday:

My Dad gets here tomorrow to start work on the garage/into/den project. The baby's room is pretty much empty, now I gotta clean the carpets, paint the walls, get the baby stuff out of the attic and all that fun stuff. Good times.

Went to the doc yesterday. I'm up 15 pounds, my iron was great and my cervix is closed. All very good things.

Babyville the extended mix: Baby grows over 1/2 ounce of fat per day now. Dont be surprised if you (er, me) gain a pound a week at this point. Breathing may become more difficult as Sean grows and gives my lungs less room to expand. I'll be able to breathe more easily once he drops down agains the cervix in preparation for labor. 37 wks LMP - Earliest date of a full term birth: Get ready! Sean's lungs are ready. He weigs 6.30 lbs or 2859 grams and is 19.13 inches or 48.6 cm long.

T-13 and counting.

Disney Christmas Party Pics, as promised

Now, like I said, these may be a little, um, risque! We'll start with the best one...

HAHAHAHA! But, yeah - fancy schmancy.

Here's the strong guys...

And the chicks in spandex slings...

The hot guys and hot chicks together on the poles...

And finally, the artist that is Not Jason in the patent pleather...

A Crocheters Night Before Christmas

A Crocheter's Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished crocheting not under the tree,
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep---he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was 6" too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my hook to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.

And although I was tired--my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment that it must be St Nick.
Yet what I heard left me very perplex-ed
For nothing I heard was what I expect-ed.

"Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don't circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you'll work out just fine!
I know this is hard as it's just your first year
But I'd hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill.
What I saw was amazing:
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!

And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's big boots stomping on the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were hand crochet from above to below.
A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back.
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran crochet sack.
His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:
"S.C." in duplicate on the cuff.So I asked,
"Hey, Nick, did YOU crochet all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to crochet when I was just a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a well dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.

He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my crochet hook and yarn for a cap.
He began then to crochet, first one cap then 2--
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.

Quickly like magic his hooks they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year, start your crocheting sometime around JUNE!"

Some pics

As I told you we decorated the Christmas Tree last week, here's what it looked like. I'm sure you can sense the Disney theme - that's about 90% of the ornaments we own! A few stooges thrown in for good measure, and bam you have our tree!:

But, my tree is, sadly, topless.

I have no idea where my Angel is -

probably in the same bin as my

stocking. We have found Travis

and Jakes, but not mine. Oh well.

Jake's pretty excited about Christmas, see, he's dancing!

This is my newest ornament - I heart sheep!

I've got all of the shopping done, 75% of the last sweater knitted, about half the wrapping done, so I think I'm in pretty good shape. About 5 more inches to go, then the sewing up. Yay for a Florida Christmas sweater with no sleeves! Just sayin.

Here's a nice holiday pic of Gnombert to make you smile:

Babyville: Fetal Movement begins to slow a bit as the uterus begins to get full with baby. Lunar Month 10 (!), 36 weeks LMP. Sean weighs 5.78 pounds or 2622 grams and is 18.66 inches or 47.4 cm long. Doc appt tomorrow, I will let the doc know about the 2pm witching hour for contractions - every 15 minutes. No, it's not fun, but thank you for asking.

A little cosmic balance, Puleeze

Ok, so I think the world is out to get me, or if not, REALLY get TO me. Let's go back a little in order to go forward, shall we?

I and my crochet friends have decided (in the "when I win the lotto" sort of way) that when we win the lotto, we will open a yarn shop. It will be called Knot Loose Ends, I have the website already, though it's not exactly, um, the prettiest or most functionally wonderful thing in the world, but I own it. You can see - www.knotlooseends.com . There are pics of Gnombert, and a place where I want to have stuff up for sale from all our gals, etc. I have an email there, etc.
Some of the things we crochet gals have started discussing things like how we want our shelves to look, sale promotions we'll have, classes, decor, library, and on and on. We had kind of always wanted an upstairs downstairs so we could have library and classes upstairs with the yarn shop proper downstairs (there is a point, I promise). Recently I brought up wanting to have an offshoot where we could sell our already made stuff - like a year round craft show! A place for people to buy handmade gifts without having to do the handmade bit themselves. In Brandon (the city that is close to me) there has been this antique shop on one of the main roads that has always caught my eye. Upstairs downstairs with an offshoot. I was telling the girls a couple weeks ago that it would be perfect, and that once the little old lady that owns it dies maybe it will go up for sale and we'll win the lotto and buy it. Great plan, huh? I thought so too! Well, except for the dead part, but I figured that'd be the only way it'd go up for sale. However, on my way to work on Friday what did my eyes spy? A for sale sign out front! My first thought was Here is my Sign! I bought 2 lotto tickets. When I got to work I called my Mom to ask her about the property (she's a realtor for Century 21 Sunshine and would LOVE to help you buy or sell a house. I have her number if you need a realtor, she's very nice.... and not only am I not just saying that because she's my Mom, but she's not even paying me to say it!). $455k, 4201 sq ft, 17 rooms. Big front porch (I was trying to find the mls but was unsuccessful. Sorry) just begging for rocking chairs. I havent been inside but it's so pretty from the outside. Not an inch of stucco or a palm tree on the property (that I could find, anyway). So I figured I was destined to win the lotto. Nope. 2 numbers - one on each ticket. Which sucked, but you know, now the worst thing that's happened in the last couple days.

Saturday I spent some time with Jake, doing math problems that he loves, doing a little shopping, and all that. Travis comes home early and says "Hey, let me lay down for a little bit and we can go to Epcot this evening for supper and to see the lights. Call Kerry and Hans to see if they want to meet us." See, I'm sure that without that last sentence all would have been fine, but for some reason us meeting with Hans & Kerry when it does not involve our house ALWAYS seems to be horrible. We've had migraines and vomiting and all that fun stuff (Both on Travis' part, poor guy) and this time was not different. We leave here at 4:30 to meet them at 5:30. At 6:30 we had gone 12 miles (it's about 55 total). There was an accident involving a mack truck in the middle lane and 2 cars in the fast lane. We had gone 2 miles in an hour - we were not making good headway. I had finally called them and said, you know I think we'll just turn around and go home. We were all hungry, and I'm very sorry and all that. About 15 minutes later we were past the accident, and the traffic going the other way (toward home)was backed up so we decided we'd just go anyway, but to Downtown Disney instead of all the to Epcot. "Hey Kerry, we're going to come after all, how does Raglan Road sound?" Raglan Road is an Irish pub that has wonderful shephards pie with a nice Guiness gravy. Yummo. About 15 miles later or so, we had a tire blowout. Not a little flat, but full BLOWOUT. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it tomorrow before we take it in. I am so thankful that I wasnt driving because I would have gotten us in an accident. I called Kerry and said something along the lines of "This is almost funny" and I can hear Hans in the background saying "At least her water didnt break". I told her to tell him to shut his mouth because yeah, the fates were not looking down kindly on us. Travis threatened him with bodily harm if my water broke. Travis puts the donut on the car, we drive to the next exit, eat at Perkins then go home. As we ate I had a couple contractions and Travis says "I'm gonna hunt him down, I swear I am". Poor Hans. Poor Travis - he just wanted to go out to get a little stress-free time with friends. Whoops. We just werent meant to see them yesterday. Or Epcot.

And now, the Bucs are losing. of course. I'm gonna lay on the couch, watch the crappy game, maybe knit a row or two on the sweater and take a nap. Please pray for me, who knows, the couch could try to eat me, or my water could break. If it's the latter, please call Hans and tell him to run! Thanks.

I know, I know

I've been such a slacker, sorry about that! But I do have stuff to share.

Saturday night was the Disney Christmas party, and it was fun, but long. They had some, um, interesting entertainment. Picture the Pussycat Dolls mixed with Cirque du Soliel. Travis has pics, but I havent gotten them yet from his camera. He also has the pic of me in my fancyschmancy dress. I'll post them when I have them. So home at 11. And up at...

Butt crack of before dawn, aka 4:30. I got up and dressed, and over to the craft fair a little after 6. Dani was already there, and Tra and Kerry were on the way. Kerry showed up wearing the berry hat I made her, which is also what Dani is wearing in her myspace pic, which is terribly ironic.... especially since this is the first time these 2 have met. They were both convinced that the other one didnt exist! It reminded me of that M&M commercial where the M&M's meet santa! Here's a pic of them...










The booth across from us was occupied by Jesus, well he looked like he could play Jesus convincingly in a film. Then we noticed that he and the lady who was working the booth with him seemed a little, uh, cozy? Jesus looks to be maybe 18, but the lady's face looked in it's 30's while her neck looked in it's 50's... we guess she had help with the face part. Just a guess. Here is what we looked at all day...









It kept creeping me out to see them like this. I mean, really! Moving on.


Gnombert enjoyed himself a great deal!









































I got a new knit book from Zooba yesterday. It's this one http://www.amazon.com/Yarn-Girls-Guide-Beyond-Basics/dp/1400097983 and I love it. There are so many projects in here that I would like to attempt!
Like this one:











And this one but all in one color:


















Or this one:

















Decisions, decisions! Although, that looks like some Real Knitting. I will NOT let the pointy sticks defeat me!


Babyville: 35 wks LMP. Sean weighs 5.25 pounds or 2383 grams and is 18.19 inches or 46.2 cm long. He is almost completly formed now.


Since Sean is still, sadly, roomless I have been having some major anxiety that he will be coming early. One of the blogs I read is www.highenergyknits.net - and she is, er was, about the same amount pregnant as me. Lets see - she was 34.3 on Saturday, I was 34.6 on Saturday. Well her water broke on Thursday, she delivered her little one on Saturday. Go see, he's adorable. Go ahead, I'll wait. So, because her water broke that's been added to my panic. Fantastic. So now we're up to delivering in the bathroom when I go, um, the second one; crashing my car during my contractions and now my water breaking. Welcome to my neuroseeeees. However, my Dad is coming on 12/27 to start on the garage on 12/28 and I am praying REALLY hard that Sean can hold on a bit longer. Yes, I am not fond of the contractions or heartburn or waddling or not being very lady-like when I have to pick something up off the floor, I am MORE wanting to have an actual place for Sean to sleep when he does arrive, so he can stay where he is... where I can keep an eye on him!

Doc appt tomorrow morning, I hope he does a pelvic (oh, the irony) just to make sure I havent dilated from any of these contractions. That's it for now.