What I got for Christmas

...none of it was knitting. None of it. But that doesn't mean that I won't be getting something knitting-related for myself... sometime.

The breakdown:

• Prime lens and bracket for my 10d (hurrah!)
• kitchen goodies- pyrex refrigerator dishes, silicone spatulas, wooden spoons, a stainless frying pan, an 8-quart pot, and an old-fashioned popcorn popper
• Deadwood, season 3, The Simpsons, season 5, and Carnivale, season 2 (and the lost episodes of Ren and Stimpy)
• his and hers Nalgene bottles
• a 4.0 (that one I snuck under the tree for myself- I'm not grade-driven, but I like to look good on paper)
  
• a super-comfy robe (that doesn't have pockets that the puppies chewed to bits, might I add)
• a fine blend of gift cards
• my grandmother's Christmas tree- this was her favorite time of year, and the tree gave her so much delight that she put it up before Halloween (no joke). This is the tree my baby will see at its first Christmas, and the thought of it brings tears to my eyes- the bittersweet kind.

All in all, a pretty good haul. We spent a lot of time with family, and that is its own gift. Our trip to Chicago is canceled (or rather, postponed indefinitely), so Dan and I are going to enjoy each other's company as we rip out linoleum and berber instead. Happy holidays.

Next up: New Year's. A most dreaded holiday for the former party girl turned pregnant lady. Our solution: we're staying in. It's veggie sushi and a Lord of the Rings marathon. Not everyone's cup of tea, but we will enjoy it.

Woah

I got 100% on my acoustics final. Seriously. Apparently I guessed right on everything. And there was a lot of guessing.

Go me. Let's just see if I can repeat that performance tonight on the Syntax final. Yeesh.

Back on knitting!

Hurrah! And even a little crochet, too.

I had the itch really badly this weekend when I should have been working on a final project for school (damn you, acoustics), so I made myself one of these neat headband things that everyone on crafster called a panta. I used up the Kureyon I had left over from when I made the Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers. Like, two years ago (sheesh). Well, at least now I have a matching set, and an insatiable lust for Noro that can't be satisfied on the current (baby/school) budget. Yarn philanthropists: email me and I'll send you my address!

Then I started to crochet a Totoro for the baby, and when I looked around my disaster of a craft room, I realized that I had a lot of acrylic everywhere, and that I could make a lot of toys (really, what else is it good for?). After I finish this crochet project, I promised Dan I'd make a bunch of Katamari cousins for Little Mutie.

Then I started an elephant.

Dan's painting the front bedroom, eradicating the floor-to-ceiling royal blue in favor of a light, lemony yellow for the new and improved craft/guest room. Then it's on to the living room, and then the nursery (and then new flooring- yikes!). But I can't help him, and although I'm relieved for not having to labor with a brush, I feel bad for feeling so lazy, and I really want to be a part of improving our house. Oh, well. I'll sew some curtains or something. I am tired and nauseous, and although I am showing a little, I don't feel pregnant, and it frustrates me to not be able to do some things that I would be able to do normally.

There are tradeoffs, though. Last night, for example, I think I felt the baby move. It was a fluttering feeling, not like gas (of which there is a lot!) but... unique to my experience. Maybe it was Mutie, practicing its dance moves.

Baby's first picture

Here's the Little Mutey (mutant). Dan and I have been calling the baby that the whole time, and since we've got proof that it's a little alien, we're sticking with it. We don't want to know the gender, and unlike some folks, I have no problem calling the baby "it" for now.


It was not the most comfortable procedure, but the technician was a pro, and we even got to see the baby wave its arms and legs. The still images don't really capture the experience. Dan even teared up a little when we saw Mutey's heart beating. With a little luck (and the power of positive thinking), we'll be having a summer solstice baby.

I emerged from NaNoWriMo victorious, although the same can't be said for everyone who started the month with me. I have one more gigantic paper to write and a couple of tests, and then the semester. is. FINISHED.

Still no knitting, sadly. But I've been less nauseous lately, so who knows? Maybe a baby bonnet is in my future.