DAY 57

My days are pretty routine at this point. 5am wake up when the Littleman climbs into my bed and proceeds to ninja kick me until I just give up and get myself ready for the day. Then I get him up and begin our "Potty, Toothbrushing, Face Washing" regimen or fight. Then it's breakfast time and preschool. Back home to check emails, print out daily job listings, prep letters, follow up emails etc. I'd forgotten how absolutely tedious the job hunt can be. I can't wait to be settled in a job and my own home.
Knitting progress has not been good but my friend Jane just had her baby so I really have to finish that baby blanket. I'd also love to send her some booties and a little hat and something for the new Big Brother. I miss my Cali friends so much. I hope I can visit sometime next year.

Slow Crawl Into the Holidays

I really need to get in gear. My house is a mess, my UFOs list is expanding, and I'm not sleeping well. That last one might have something to do with a toddler who wakes up around 4 or 5 am singing songs, proclaiming "Alleluias!", and requesting yogurt. Not to mention the fact that my mommy ears can hear every sniffle, snort, cough in the night.

Visiting family for the Thanksgiving holiday should be interesting. It's not easy traveling with little man but if we don't commit to doing this, the east coast grandparents would never see him. I may try to visit some friends while I'm there. It seems each time I travel back home to NY I get stuck in the house and don't enjoy the city at all. I'm hoping this time will be different. We'll see.

Holiday Knitting in Transit

I did some holiday knitting over Thanksgiving while my dear partner drove, and drove, and drove. He did all the driving and I did all the rest stop diaper changing. Not so bad since baby boy did cooperate.
He is the best traveling baby. Doesn't complain at all. Next time we go for a long road trip I will have to be more organized with his food. He did not eat well on the road. None of us did really. You know how that goes. But in the rush to pack all the necessities: pushy toy, pack-n-play, diapers I didn't bring his favorite steamed veggies. BAD MOMMY. Next time I'm on it.

So while baby boy slept (we affectionately call him Chooku) and daddy drove, I did some knitting. Here's a sneak peek at my first Baby Kimono. I had to frog back because I had misread the pattern. But now I'm on track. So far it's looking pretty good. I want to finish this first one and knit one more for my newborn niece and another for her big sister.

Another project that I'm determined to finish and gift to myself for Christmas are the Bacchus Socks from Fall IK 2008. I've been struggling with the Turkish Cast On but Allison from Ravelry was a huge help as was Ericka from knitting group and now the socks are cast on and moving along.

Congratulations Barack Obama!

What a grueling election season. I'm glad it's over and I'm excited about the coming years. Hopefully Obama will be successful in uniting the country and cleaning up the mess that is our economy. The need for change is especially evident here in Michigan which has been hit hard for years. Congratulations to all those who worked so hard and devoted themselves so selflessly to helping their candidate of choice.

Now my life goes back into a full on job search, continued preparation for my courses, grading midterms and papers, and of course there's baby, hubbie, and home. Yikes!

I knit Esai a new hat since he lost the cashmere earflap hat I'd made for him months ago. It was getting too small for him anyway. In this pic he is modeling his new Toasty Topper I used leftover Berocco Ultra Alpaca in Redwood and Fern (two strands held together). The scarf extention was knit with Louet Riverstone Chunky. This was a great stash busting project. I tend to have these 1/4 balls left over and a double strand hat for baby is a great way to go. I will use my other random leftovers for some EZ mittens. Since we moved from California this summer, baby boy will experience his first true winter now that we're in Detroit. Basically, he needs many hats and mittens!

Does Life Ever Calm Down?

Well I haven't been blogging because life just keeps getting in the way. I started my new job in September and between planning my classes, grading, taking care of Baby Boy, quality time with hubbie, laundry, cooking (sometimes), cleaning ---- CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!! I have so much respect for my mom who managed to do all this with 5 kids. How, HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????

We have reached some amazing milestones: Baby Boy turned 1 in September. A whole year has passed, unbelievable.









I have been knitting but I haven't been taking pictures. I do have some great new yarn. The stash enhancement has been nuts. Some more Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Araucania Chunky, more Malabrigo Silky Merino, Lamb's Pride Worsted. I think there are a couple more but I can't recall at the moment.

I finally bought a copy of Mason-Dixon Knitting. I also bought Knitting the Nativity and Itsy-Bitsy Hats. I've been on a real book kick lately.

I need to get back to my knitting group. I haven't been there since July or August, I can't even remember. I contact my local knitting guild and will try to go to their meetings starting this week. I'm really hoping I can meet some folks. Maybe I should join a Swap? I thought that would be a good way to meet folks but I've only done one and have done another. There just doesn't seem to be enough time for anything.

I'm going to stop babbling for now. But hopefully I can get back to taking pics and posting on the blog. So for those of you who do check in I hope you'll stop by again soon. Bye for now.

Catching Up

Hello everyone. I've missed blogging so much but as you can imagine, moving across country to a new city, with a baby, and new jobs, things can get a little crazy. We're still not completely unpacked but it's coming along.

Our little man is doing great. He was total trooper before, during, and after the move. Except for some precise moments each day (e.g., bed time) he's pretty much always in a good mood. Laughing, smiling, dancing. We are truly blessed.
And the move has done great things for my knitting. I joined a knitting group, Fridays and Sundays at Artisan Knitworks in Grosse Pointe, MI (about 4 miles from my home in Detroit). The ladies are wonderful and I had a chance to meet the woman who will be teaching the spinning classes. I desperately need help on that front. For now I'm trying both days to see which works best but if I can get the husband to watch baby, I will go both days.

Oh and I stained the wheel. I think it looks great. Now if I could only get it to work for me.

I've purchased some more fiber from Spunky Eclectic in hopes of improving my spinning. I got a bunch of recommendations from Meghan of Stitch It podcast fame and from her loyal fans over at the Stitch It Podcast Ravelry Group and so I ordered some BFL and some Coopworth. I'm hoping these will be easier to draft since I can't seem to budge the roving I've been working with.

On the job front, I start teaching September 2nd. I'm putting the final touches on my syllabi and hope to crank out my Day 1 Lectures this weekend. I'll be teaching nights so I really have to find a way to rest up during the day so I won't pass out before the end of class. 2hrs and 45mins! That's how long my classes run. How can you not get totally bored with your professor in that time period. Wish me luck!

I'm really going to make an effort to blog once a week. Let's see if I can keep that going. Until next week, happy knitting!

Finished Petal Bib

We're still exhausted from the lack of sleep. We had one break on Saturday night when the baby slept for 8 hours and 6 minutes!!! I slept for 7 of those hours, the most I have slept since the end of my second trimester. Of course since Sunday he's been back to his every 3hr wake schedule. It's nuts. I did manage to finish one of the petal bibs that I'm making for the many friends who have had babies recently.


Oh and I don't remember if I ever shared pics of the Monkey Socks
I got from my wonderful pal Kristy last year. I love them!

Sleep? What's that?

Sleep deprivation is torture! Our little man is back to waking up every 2 hrs at night. And this has been going on for the past few nights. Boy are we suffering. On a positive note, we got our taxes done so I got to check something off that ever-growing to-do list.

Baby is 6 Months Old Now, How About That?!

It's all about the Yin-Yang Love Man
Originally uploaded by Rosemary/ sancocho y mangú

Baby boy turned 6 months old on Friday. Unbelievable! Our lives have been completely altered, especially the lack of sleep, but every day we get to wake up to this cute little guy and his amazing smile is a gift. Happy Birthday little man!

Baby Loves His New Hat

EsaiEarflapHat2
Originally uploaded by Rosemary/ sancocho y mangú

I finally had to knit an earflap hat for Esai since all the local baby stores shifted to their spring clothing lines. It still gets a bit cold and breezy some days and I wanted him to have something warm that would cover his cute little ears.

I had the pleasure of meeting some local knitters this morning at Knit-One-One's "Knit Out" held at Sweet Adeline Bakery. For interested East Bay knitters here are the Knit-One-One meeting details and their website:

WHERE? Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, in Emeryville on Hollis at Park. > Map

WHEN? Wednesdays, 1st and 3rd of the month
––––––– 6:30 - 8:30pm

OR,

WHERE? Sweet Adeline Bakeshop , 3350 Adeline St in Berkeley, just south of Alcatraz and 3 doors down from the new knit-one-one studio!

WHEN? Saturdays, 2nd and 4th of the month
––––––– 9:30 - 11:30am

For more info on classes and events visit:
http://www.knitoneone.com/

Hope to see you there next time!

Oh and I just bought a Namaste Cali Clutch in Saddle -- LOVE IT!!! I'll post a cute picture of it once I get my camera back from Canon.

Way Behind on Work and Knitting - What's New?!

Last week the whole family traveled to Detroit for business. It was a balmy 10 degrees and we basically had to rush the baby into and out of the car because it was so brutally cold. The week before we left was a challenge since we all had really bad colds and the baby reverted to his old nursing every 2 hrs schedule. Needless to say I was tired. He's back on track now and sleep training in going really well. If we watch for his sleep signals and quickly get him to bed he goes down easily and naps for up to 2 hrs during the day and for 3-4 hr stints at night. Hopefully this will last.

Sickness, travel, and holiday have kept me from my Monday work meetings. I have some serious catching up to do on that front.

As for knitting . . . . Grandma Andrea gave me some beautiful yarns from her stash since she's too busy to knit these days. Three hanks are hand-dyed wool from Scotland along with matching wool fabric. I'm thinking a nice skirt and sweater/jacket. First step is freshening up the yarn. I've looked online and the popular suggestions are white vinegar and/or Febreeze. I will try both and see which works best.

I'm still working on the second Monkey sock for my very patient sock pal. I'm almost at the toe so I'm hoping to mail them out on Saturday. Also on the needles are the New York Scarf for my husband and I just cast on a baby earflap hat since we've had some chilly mornings and evenings and I can't find warm hats in stores anymore.

I will post some pics as soon as I get my camera to work. It's been acting up lately.

I hope everyone out there is knitting happily especially now that we have more hours of daylight. Bye for now.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone in the knitting blogosphere had a wonderful holiday. I've seen some amazing knitted gifts online - I promise to be better organized for next year and knit some gifts of my own.
I was able to knit during the holiday travels and the Monkey Socks are almost done. Here's some proof:

My poor swap pal has been waiting patiently for the socks (the goodies package has already been received). I'm really pleased with this pattern, it really is beautiful.

Baby boy is doing well and was in good holiday spirits.
We're still working on sleep training. Who knew it would be so difficult to get a sleepy baby to go to sleep in his own bed.

Once I finish the Monkey Socks I want to cast on a bigger project maybe that sweater I've been promising my partner for the past year.

Monkeying Around

I was able to get a few rows of my pal's monkey socks done while baby took a long two-hour nap. Woohoo!

Blogging With Baby?

Although baby has only been with us for two weeks he basically runs our lives. Does that sound familiar to all you parents out there? I've finally figured out that the best time to shower and have an uninterrupted cup of coffee (decaf unfortunately) is right after the 5am feeding. Those of you who know me well probably just fell off your chairs because I have never been one to do anything at around 5am in the morning let alone shower and start my day.

I have to set aside some time to finish my Monkey Socks which I took with me to the hospital thinking I'd have time to knit between contractions or while I was in recovery. Am I insane or what?! I do think I can finish them if I put in a couple of hours the next few days. They're coming along so beautifully I can't wait for my pal to get her package of goodies.


And finally, I know mothers always think their kids are beautiful but come on this is one cute kid!

Baby Has Arrived!

On Friday, September 28th baby Esai Mateo came into the world. He gave us a bit of a scare and had to be delivered by c-section but is perfectly healthy and is eating and sleeping well. Family and friends have been visiting and sending their love and best wishes. We are eternally grateful to our doctors and the nursing staff at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, they were absolutely wonderful, we could not have asked for better care.

Weekly OB Visit

Apparently, our baby boy would prefer to join us closer to his scheduled due date (Sept. 26th). Have we produced a type-A, organized, schedule-driven baby? Perhaps. But all that matters is that he's healthy and I feel great (knock on wood). I do worry that a great pregnancy may be capped off with a brutal delivery but there's no reason to expect the worst right? Plus, once labor is over (even if it is tough) we'll have a beautiful baby boy with us!!!!

Calming Down to Knit

This is my 32nd week of pregnancy and so far so good. A little tired towards the middle of each day but otherwise I feel great. Lots of projects in the works and and not all knitting. The baby's room is still not set up. We're trying to be realistic and keep it as a baby/guest/mami's office- room so it will take some serious organization (which for me often translates into procrastination). I will be posting before and after shots to document my progress.

Yesterday was our first childbirth prep class. It was fun. Great instructor and group s of first time parents-to-be. Today I have an OB appt. and then lunch with a friend that I haven't seen in months, and then I get to shop for household cleaning supplies and a nursing bra. And at the end of all that I'm going to my LYS for a treat (a new pattern book and some yarn for baby).

Oh before I forget (mama brain!) I want to thank Judy at Persistent Illusion for sharing the Simpsonize Me website. Here's my Simpsonized self:

Travel, Knitting, and Pregnancy, Oh My!

I'm just recovering from last weekend's getaway to Arcata, CA. The drive is usually wonderful but traffic was brutal and at 30 weeks pregnant there's limited comfort in a long car ride. I did however get to the beach which was great and did some knitting while I was there. (Will post photographic proof asap).

It seems like everyone is knitting Elizabeth Zimmerman baby sweaters. I really want to finish my Trellis sweater before starting another project but I'm not sure I can resist the urge to start another project. There are so many great baby booties, sweaters, blankets, etc. I want to make them all! I walked over to my LYS just to peek at some of the Zimmerman books but they were sold out. They didn't have any of Debbie Bliss's kids knits books either. It must truly be the season of baby knitting.

Knitting and Pregnancy

I thought I'd get more done on my baby boy's Trellis sweater this week, but I was wrong. At 29 weeks my pregnancy is progressing nicely but movement is limited and comfort is hard to come by. I can't sit, stand, or walk for long periods of time. I'm constantly shifting so sitting for long stretches of knitting like I used to do is impossible. I've watched other pregnant bloggers start and nearly finish projects in record time, how do they do it? Well tomorrow is another day. After Harry Potter with my niece, it's all about laundry and knitting.

85 Days till Baby

Does anyone else out there feel like thier pregnancies are flying by? I didn't always feel this way but now that I'm counting down the days and realizing how much still needs to be done before baby gets here, it's sending me into a panic. Those breathing exercises are coming in handy right about now.

I just sent out a newsletter to friends who haven't heard from me in a while; I'm hoping to reconnect with folks before life gets way to hectic. Here's one of the pregger pics I sent out.