Happy Christmas Eve

We got back from a 36-hour trip to Maryland yesterday, where we had a lot of fun celebrating Christmas with that side of the family and having a baby shower for my sister and her husband with a bunch of friends. Unfortunately, Jack was sick while there, so he didn't get to make use of his brand-new snowsuit and boots in the 21 inches of snow that were on the ground. It's supposed to snow (and rain and ice) on our way to Wisconsin though, so maybe he'll have a chance when we get there to break them in. Right now, we're hoping we don't have to postpone our travel plans because of bad weather.



Tay is going to join us tonight, since he's also not going home for Christmas. We'll have our own little celebration here before a marathon car trip with the kids. I'm having Mike load up the laptop with some different movies. I can recite Nemo, Horton Hears a Who and Monsters Inc. by heart. Made some holiday bread last night, and we'll finish decorating our cookies this evening when we get back from Mass.

ribbed baby jacket

Don't have a little baby to model this, but here's the ribbed knit jacket I finished last week (before I added little ties). It was the first project I've done that I didn't have to take any stitches or rows out- and the hat I just finished would have probably been the same way, had little girl fingers not snatched the unfinished project off of the dining room table (not a great place to leave it, no) and taken the working needle out, unraveling some of it.



I got the free pattern for the jacket here (you can get a better idea of what it would look like on here too, from the little cute girl in the picture).

I forgot to take any pictures of the hat before I gave it as a gift for my soon-to-come niece, but I thought it was dear. I sewed little ribbon flowers on it.

18 (1/2 months)

This girl loves to eat (cereal). All day long... "Eeeiiooo! Eeeeiiiooo!" (cereal). She's just a bit put-off sometimes that we make her eat other things too. Not that she's a bad eater. She eats fairly well. And she's a good sleeper too (fiiiiinally). Can't wait for newborn sleep days again! It's always worth it though.

prayer request

We just found out that our friend (and Abigail's Godmother) Jess, who is 25 weeks pregnant, will be at the hospital through Christmas because the doctors are afraid she will deliver early, and they want her to be at a hospital that can support a very pre-term infant. She has been having some complications all along and could really use prayers for her and the baby's health- and that the baby would get a little stronger/more mature before birth.

first flutters

I first felt the baby move on Tuesday night-- 1 day short of 16 weeks. It was very faint that first night, when I first laid down in bed, but I could tell very clearly what it was. Last night and the night before, I could also feel movements around bedtime- a little stronger this time, but definitely still very faint. I don't even remember when I first felt Jack or Abigail, but I'm sure it was later than this- probably closer to 17 weeks.
If I press around, I can feel the firm uterus, but there's still no bulge- no tightness in regular jeans yet. For the past couple of nights, when I'm lying down at night, I have felt something very hard, which I assume is the baby, but I could be wrong. According to the book I have, the baby's about 4 1/2 inches now (I'm 16 weeks, 5 days today).

snowed in

Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Snowman while making sugar cookies tonight....





Tonight, we made the dough and are baking some-- tomorrow, we'll decorate them- and hopefully make a few loaves of cranberry walnut bread.

'twas the week before Christmas...

...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for this one, typing and sipping green tea. Her babies (and husband) are nestled all snug in their beds (and the couch) while the snow continues to come down outside.

One week until Christmas, and it's hard to believe how much we'll have accomplished by this time next week. The biggest things- going to and from Maryland next week and throwing a baby shower for my sister and her husband Rob while there, having our own little Ryan family Christmas here in Pittsburgh- just the four of us- and driving to Wisconsin on Christmas day to spend a week or so with Mike's family (and to FINALLY meet the newest Ward on our way back home).

I crossed the last Christmas gift off of my list last night, though the cards are a different story. I've sent two. Three others have been waiting by the front door in hopes of being sent, but I forgot to put them out in time for the mailman to get collect them. I also failed at compiling a photo card, like I had hoped, but I'm surprised we did manage to print some pictures of the kids to include in the ones I have sent (or have readied to send). The last time we had pictures printed was right after Halloween 2008, and that was a humongous order. I managed to keep it to $6.48 this time. I have a feeling #3 and thereafter will be slighted in print photography.

In all of the rush, I forgot to make Abigail's 18-month well check-up until this past week, and they were able to squeeze her in this morning- right in time for a snowstorm to make getting there a task. I was planning on taking her myself, but with the roads covered, Mike drove all of us. The driving was pretty treacherous, and we saw a few people fishtailing on the main road, but we did just fine until we got back to our neighborhood. We kept sliding backward while Mike stepped on the accelerator up one of the last hills, so we slid back down the hill, managed to get turned around, and went the other way, where we had less of a problem.

Abigail only got one shot this morning, so we were all thankful for that. She weighed less than I expected, but I guess she hasn't been eating as well and has seemed a little lighter just in the past week. She weighed only 22.4 lbs and was 33 1/2 inches long- 22nd percentile for weight and 85th percentile for height.

Because of the bad road conditions, our monthly Teams meeting was canceled for tonight, so we'll probably make Christmas cookies, breads and other treats while watching Christmas movies. I'm excited to not have to go out in this mess again. It's been snowing since last night, and it's supposed to continue all night. Yet it's only managed to accumulate to about 5 inches so far. Wish it would stay white for Christmas (in Pittsburgh, it seems to turn black almost instantly). Off to knit some more (all the gifts I need to have finished are done-- there are still a few hopes.)

overheard

Jack talking, very frankly to a baby doll on the floor, while pointing to a bulldozer he made out of Duplos: "This is my bullsoder, baby. You should never take it from me without asking. That's a nice baby." (pats baby gently on the head).

astrakhan hat

Finally finished the hat for Gail for Christmas. Very simple. But doing anything other than simple with the astrakhan was driving me insane. I tried to do an ear flap for her, but I kept losing my place, and there's no finding it in that gnarled mess. I like the looks of it, but I'll never knit another thing besides a scarf with astrakhan yarn.

La Fiesta de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe!

We celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a bunch of friends and enjoyed tamales and guacamole and other Mexican foods I don't know the names of at our friends' the Memole's home tonight.

She's never seen a pinata in her life. Somehow she anticipated what was to come.



Treats were falling from the ceiling. Our little girl wasted no time.







Jack did brave the frenzied mill of kids to snag one pair of green sunglasses, which were promptly snatched from his face by another little boy (I think that's what's going on in the picture two down in the lower right corner). This was met with sad and painful screaming. We got them back, in three pieces, but were able to fix them to Jack's almost satisfaction.



She kept going back again and again, filling her Ziploc bag with each trip.





They didn't want to leave when bedtime was nearing.

little girls' aprons

Sewed these during yesterday's and today's nap times. I found a pattern online for one with velcro, but we have a velcro Fisher Price one from when I was little, and it doesn't work worth a hoot. And ties stay tied better so you don't have to keep reattatching them. I suppose there are better ways to make little girls' aprons, but I decided to just go from my head. You can't tell, but there are two different-sized pockets in each apron, and the insides of the pockets and the back sides are the opposing fabrics. Boy, it's a pain to turn those straps right side-out with knitting needles (especially the one thicker fabric I used). More handmade Christmas gifts on my list: check.





And I'm a little bummed because Joanne Fabrics had NO heavier cotton, canvas or denim in blue and white stripes for me to make Jack this hat. He has been pretending to put on a conductor's hat when he drives the "train" in our living room (our couch, which we all pile on and give him "tickets"). I'll have to keep looking.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I wish I could capture the smell of cinnamon sticks and pine wafting through the air. Alas, here is our house decorated in anticipation of the season. (I'm joining the Hooked on Holidays House Tours Party, so go see more decorated-for-Christmas houses, if you like that kind of thing. I do.)

Christmas stitches

I have a few patterns set aside and some knits on my list to accomplish before Christmas, but I know they won't all get done, as time is running out, quickly. I have a half-knit hat for Abigail and a baby sweater just started. If I could just get two more things completely checked off of my list, I would feel pretty good.

Made this little purse in a half-hour from some scrap fabric. Courtesy of my imagination, but it turned out pretty well.





For Christmas, we're giving Abigail my old wooden doll cradle. I made a new mattress, pillow, and blanket for it from an unused receiving blanket and a leftover piece of foam.



In other non-related musings, Mike and I are excited to have our first night out alone in a LONG time. I've been kind of sick, and while ice skating at the PNC rink sounds like fun, the wind has been ferocious, and I'm freezing with my coat on inside. Maybe we'll just get some hot-cocoa and head to Phipps to see the Christmas lights instead?

14 weeks, 6 days

I had my second midwife appointment today- with the new midwife, Dana, whom I liked a lot. Jack played with the toys in the waiting room while Gail came in to the check-up room with me and sat, munching on a baggie of Cheerios as if she were sitting in a theater while watching a movie, completely still and transfixed. I heard the quick little heartbeat- 160 beats per minute- for the first time. I wonder what kinds of questions people usually have when they go in because the midwives look at me kind of unbelieving when I never have any questions or concerns or things I'd like to address. I guess with this one, especially, I just haven't thought of anything, as most of the time I forget there's even a human being swimming round in my uterus. Maybe in a couple of weeks, I'll start to feel fluttery movements or more of a swell in my abdomen, but right now, there are no real physical signs, except for these blasted varicose veins on the back of my right leg (I had them early on with Abigail too). They're so painful when I've been on my feet most of the day, but I've been trying to remember to where my supports during the day so they're not as swollen. As of this morning, I'd gained 6 lbs, which is probably around what I'd gained by this time with the other two. I've been exercising and eating healthy, so I'm not going to worry about weight.

We'll see if there are any concerns, but for now, we're planning to forego the 18-20 week anatomy scan ultrasound. The only reason we've really done it in the past was to find out the sex of the baby, which we're not doing this time Mike is a little worried (as he should be) that we won't be able to agree on two names by the time of the birth. We had enough trouble coming up with one each time for Jack and Abigail. I'm pretty sure this one will have a name.

photo caper solved

I was thinking it was fishy that my new 4GB sd card only held 17 pictures. Mike realized that the card wasn't all the way in and that it was using my internal hard drive to store pictures, so the pictures (and video) I'd taken previously weren't lost after all. Phew.









(still needs one more beaded garland strand)

small successes

I have been in an exhausted funk lately. Due in part to Mike's work-related absences and my difficulty sleeping as of late- perhaps brought on by pregnancy, but my mind has just been wondering a lot more, and I can't seem to suppress my rampant thoughts at 4:30 in the morning. But Mike's work has settled down remarkably, so I've been able to catch up on a little sleep, even if only in the past day.

Even though I've been worn down, I've still managed to plow ahead with some projects I've been wanting to tackle. While Mike was in California for business (with the help of my brother watching the kids some evenings), I was able to repaint the kitchen, which I've been wanting to do since about two days after I painted it the first time. I'm not a yellow person, and I was envisioning a less-yellow, creamy shade before I covered our walls with it. Now, it is a much more subtle shade of off white, which I like a lot in there. Since we've moved here, that's only the second room that I have repainted my own paint job. Not too bad. I'm finally happy with all of the rooms though and how they flow together. Also in the past week- wet vacced the first and second floors. And were they disguuuuusting. That water was the murkiest stuff I've ever seen. Washing it down the drain and turning on the disposal was a wonderful feeling, indeed.

I had been wanting to make some ornaments for our Jesse tree, but since Mike was away for the first couple of days in December and time got away from us, we haven't done any of the devotionals, and I haven't gotten past making three or so ornaments. I'm really not sure how attentive Jack would be to it all now anyway, now, and while I'd like to go ahead with things and start our own traditions even if we think the kids might be too young to completely understand, we've just turned what was going to be our Jesse tree into a tree displaying tiny nativity ornaments. It's a nice opportunity to talk about each of the figures and tie those in with Advent devotionals, which we also have yet to do. We do have an Advent wreath and a child's Advent wreath, which Jack's Godmother gave to the kids, which will be nice in years to come. Thus, we aren't observing Advent as fastidiously this year. Not too concerning.

Our house is festive though. We got our Christmas tree today. We looked for a place that didn't look as commercial as the places we've patronized in years past, and while there was still a tiny little shop of Christmas wreaths and ornaments and such and a few refreshments for sale, Allison's Tree Farm was a lot more refreshing. It took us a while to even find someone to fill us in on where to start and where to look for what kind of tree. Soon, another couple with a girl about Jack's age arrived, and a tractor pulling a hay wagon took us out to a field of Douglas and Fraser Firs. Jack was afraid to get on the wagon at first, but he talked all about how much fun it was afterward, as we expected her would. I had Abigail in the Ergo, bundled in a few layers, and she did well, until we had been looking at trees for a few minutes and then started to fuss. Her fuss got louder and more distressed, and we knew we had better pick up the pace and find ourselves a tree, whether it was the best one or not. Poor Jack was such a good sport-- it was freezing in the 20's and snowing- kind of a wet snow. My toes were numb. I finally took Gail out of the Ergo because she was just wailing, and that calmed her. We really did make a rash decision about a tree, getting one that was a bit dead 'round the base, but it was a nice shape. Most of the Frasers looked like like funny little exaggerated decorations- they were SO skinny. We got a thin one (which was nice because we don't have a large space for it), but it looked fat compared to some of them. Once we got home and realized I had mis-measured and Mike had to cut off about a foot from the top and bottom combined, it was nicer than I'd expected because the brown needles got axed. It really does look nice all decorated, entirely with vintage hand-painted glass ornaments, lights and some bead garland. I'll put up pictures later.



We got some hot chocolate and sat in the heated shop for a few minutes while some teenage guys shook and baled the tree and tied it to our van top. I'm sad because sometime while we were out getting our tree, all of the pictures on my camera from the past few days were erased-- including some of Jack on Mike's lap in the hay wagon on the ride out to look at the trees that were really cute- and others that I'm upset about losing.



See the snow starting to accumulate as we were leaving? It never really amounted to much, but it was pretty.

One last thing I accomplished in the past week-- I repainted the hutch that I got for $30 last year. I had painted it a shade I already had after degreasing, but I wanted to try something else with it, so I mixed some other paints together that I already had on hand and made a nice plum-ish color. I was thinking that after letting the plum color dry for a few days, I would put a creamy whitish coat over it and then sand and score it in places to make an antique affect. But after painting the plum, I decided I really liked it that color. So it's staying plum, at least for now.