Baby acrobatics

Well, it's not scheduled yet, but we're going forward with an ECV- it's the "flip your baby from the outside" procedure. I'm certainly not thrilled that it has come to this., but it's the last-ditch effort to prevent a c-section, something I most certainly do not want and have been grappling with since we found out that the baby hasn't turned in any direction since about 28 weeks (stubborn little mutie!). There's a chance that there's something tethering the baby in an upright position, but our midwife remains optimistic about our chances- for a first-time mom, I still have a lot of room in there for the baby to float around in. She was able to get the baby to do a quarter turn in the office, although she didn't want to chance it because of the potential for complication.

This whole thing reminds me of a three-day field trip I took with the bio class in high school to Traverse City. Like good Michiganders, we took canoes out on the Crystal River. My partner and I got separated from the group (I hate canoes!) and took our sweet time going down the river. At one point, we came to a road that ran over the river, with the water flowing through a small steel tube that looked like it would barely fit the canoe, but certainly not us. We did what we thought we were supposed to do- we lugged the damn boat out of the water and dragged it across the two-lane highway. When we finally (finally! it seemed like days- I hate canoes that much) met back up with our class, I commented to someone about the ludicrousness of a tube interrupting the process.

"But you're supposed to go through the tube."

I looked at my partner. "Through... the tube?" We both erupted into a fit of laughter- the idea was seemingly insane. The only way through was to squash your torso flat against the boat. What do you do if you get stuck?

From that day forward, we used the phrase "through the tube" to mean anything that sounded absurd to us, but apparently normal to everyone else.

I think my baby might be observing the situation and trying to figure a way to carry the boat across the road rather than go through the tube. Too bad, kid. The tube is the way, and yes, it is designed so that you might get stuck. I know, I'm not thrilled about it either, but we're in this together.

35 weeks

and a new haircut

and a new Photoshop action (Urban Acid).

I really want to learn more about Photoshop- I look at my photos a lot of the time and wish they had the zing of a little post-processing. Maybe that's what this summer will bring- sleepless nights, baby on my lap, glow of the computer screen...

FO: Baby's First Quilt

I sewed the top/did the quilting (in one step) while watching the Grammy awards with my mom (when was that, February?), and it's been folded up in a shopping bag ever since. The idea of binding the thing was really daunting. I've never been a very good finisher, and lately I have been feeling so down that I didn't want to risk stitching a bunch of negative vibes into the quilt (like the opposite effect of a prayer shawl, I guess). Yesterday I was feeling pretty good, so I folded over the backing, figured out the zigzag stitch on my mother's machine (without the manual!), and stitched it down. And it's done.

I used a technique for sewing the quilt top directly to the batting and the backing. I have the material to make another quilt, and I'll most likely post a tutorial when I make that one.

Here's a closeup of the "binding" and my novice zigzag skills:

Growing

herbs are the new flowers


I hope these are good- I picked them for the name (who wouldn't?)


It's not easy photographing your own pregnant belly- next time I'll enlist Dan's help

FOs: Ripple Blankie and Naked Bunny

Hello!

Pattern from Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful
size F hook

How cute is this? I want to make something in particular for the baby, so I needed to dust off my crochet skills. I actually made this in less than a day (while at work, mind you), and although I don't like finishing, I did quite enjoy the crochet process. I can't wait to make more.

Pattern: Easy Ripple Afghan
size G hook

I started this in January, and then let it slide as the semester got hectic. It wasn't a very portable project, so I dropped it in favor of class knitting. My gauge loosened quite a bit by the end, so it's more of a trapezoid. I was going to keep going, as I am trapped under a mountain of white acrylic yarn, but it's just the right size for car rides and impromptu picnics. If Mutie decides that this is the blankie, then I don't want it to be too big to drag around.

May showers bring... June babies?

I actually have multiple FOs to show off, but it has been so overcast and rainy lately that I haven't had the opportunity to take pictures of anything. It's kind of frustrating, really, because all of this weather feels a month late and is coming at precisely the wrong time for my mood. I have been so down in the dumps lately, and although I know that it is definitely pregnancy-related, there still is no getting around the crying jags, the listlessness, and the multiple naps a day (not because I'm tired, but because I don't want to be awake. sheesh). We have been making appointments with all the other midwives at our office, and one of them suggested therapy. It was a well-intentioned suggestion, but obviously this woman just met me and doesn't know anything about me. It reinforced for me that I definitely picked the right midwife of the group- Trish is clinical, straightforward, pleasant, and happy to explain (in technical detail, if necessary) what she wants to do for me and why. She shares information and helps me decide for myself what I want, without making me feel like she's trying to sell me on one course of action. She didn't get a look of pity on her face (like some) when I said that I wasn't interested in hypnobirthing (seriously, it's a real thing. amazing) or similar techniques because I know in my heart I wouldn't believe what I would learn, and I don't want to invest in something that will probably fail me in the moment I actually need it to work.

If only the people at the front desk could get their collective act together and stop billing me for a co-payment I don't have. That's enough to get my blood pressure up- we've been jerked around enough this year with a forced transition to another insurance provider, which was done in stages for maximum confusion.

We had our first childbirth class on Monday. I really, really wanted it to be something useful (I am, after all, paying money to be there, and I can't give birth where I want to without the class), but, alas, it is geared toward the lowest common denominator* and has a seriously cheesy slant. The instructor kept asking what felt like questions for self-reflection (What do you do to relax? Why do you want a natural childbirth?) and then CALLING on someone to respond. I refused to answer at one point (the instructor wanted me to share what I've read about childbirth), and I'm sure I looked like a total crankypants, but I came to class for information, not to hear a bunch of strangers talk about themselves. I don't care about them, and they don't care about me, and that's how I want it. It sounds selfish, but I am the kind of person to get really wrapped up in what other people think, and I can't spend my energy on that when none of those people are actually going to help me birth my baby. It's in the interest of self-preservation that I have become a bitch, I guess. From what other people's responses were, I had nothing in common with them anyway.

If that weren't enough to make my head explode, we learned a relaxation technique that involved visualizing breathing in the colors of the rainbow. Yes, you read that right. A young couple across the room burst into a fit of laughter and had to leave the room. I was red in the face from trying to suppress my own urge to laugh or to break something, and I spent the entire exercise thinking of the group therapy visualization scene in Fight Club.

I am Jack's contracting uterus.

I feel like there isn't a place for me. I don't want a traditional hospital birth because I don't want the kinds of interventions that come routine, and I want a shot at getting through without a C-section (although the baby doesn't want to turn over yet, and I'm trying to get used to the possibility now rather than later). I don't, however, think that hypnobirthing or rainbow visualization is what is going to get me through childbirth, and more and more I am getting the impression that it's one way or another. Is there a middle ground between epidurals & episiotomies and doulas & self-hypnosis? I don't have an appointment with my (real) midwife for a few weeks because I'm rotating through all the other ones, but I'm starting to lose heart about this whole natural childbirth thing.

*The instructor seriously said that putting together a carseat is "a dad's job." Um, sexist much? And this is the ALTERNATIVE birthing center. I love the Midwest!

Finals Week is OVER!

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod I can finally, finally slow down. I can't believe I survived writing that much in one week- 40 pages! It came as no surprise that the papers I actually wanted to write were the easiest and most fun, and the one I didn't care about was excruciating. Dan was my trusty proofreader, and everything got turned in on time, and to good reviews (at least so far). In fact, it looks like there is the possibility of a grant, some collaborative research with the head of my department, and a bitchin' MA thesis about the word fuck in my future (seriously. complete with brain scans and other science-y stuff).

Here's a recap, in pictures:

Here's the "before" picture- this is the paper I didn't enjoy, which is a shame, because I quite like Old English. I also wrote about what swearing says about the continuity between animal communication and human language. The last paper was about Eddie Izzard's bilingual stand-up comedy and its general awesomeness.

This (well, two of these) happened instead of writing on Saturday- this is my first pie crust, and it turned out great! Keep your Crisco in the fridge, folks. I gave this one to my dad for his birthday on Sunday. It was delicious with frogurt. Now that I know how to make a pie crust, my ass is in danger of never returning to my pre-pregnancy clothes.

Instead of writing on Sunday (I think?) I went shopping for fabric for the crib bumper. I intend to supplement with ultra-cute (and expensive) Japanese cotton prints and some broadcloth to match the nursery (which is painted!).

I also procrastinated by sewing a dress (it's not quite done), watching the Star Wars trilogy, throwing popcorn at the screen during American Idol, and knitting (only a little, though).

Somehow I made it through the week, and still managed to put in part-time hours at work. And clean the house yesterday (the laundry is another matter). I feel like superwoman. I think I'm going to go work on the ripple blanket that stalled out a couple months ago, now that I have a nursery to stash it in.

FO (times two): Baby Booties

Pattern: Becky's Baby Booties
Yarn: an endless supply of Microspun
Needles: US 4
first pair: January-April 19, 2008
second pair (stripes): April 10 (the knitting)-20 (the sewing)

So, they're baby booties. There isn't much to say, except I made the first one in January, and then sat on the project FOREVER. They're the larger of the two sizes, and really quick to knit flat. The tedium comes when you have to weave in a brazillian little ends and seam up the bottoms and sides (yeesh). At least I perfected my mattress stitch abilities- I can now seam stockinette, garter stitch, and I can graft two cast on/bound off edges to one another. Yeah!

This project finally spelled the end of the Microspun from Holly. I actually quite like the finished fabric, and would consider using it again- just not in these colors. They're a little early-nineties-friendship-bracelet for me.

This week shall surely blow. Hard.

Ugh. Three term papers due over the course of three days. And here I am, the weekend before the maelstrom, just getting started actually writing the damn things. I did most of the research, and have outlines prepared, but the process of really putting the words to paper (or keyboard/screen) is daunting and long overdue.

I've got about 35-40 pages to write. And I've only got about 3.5 done. Eeesh. I'm writing the one that's least interesting to me first, and I'm glad I'm doing it this way- I spent the entirety of yesterday evening slogging my way through quite a few moldy old papers before my eyelids got too heavy to hold open (I'm convinced it's the baby trying to get me to give up). Once this one is finished, though, I think the way will be a little clearer.

I hope.

I have to just keep telling myself that I've done well enough over the course of the semester that I can sandbag at least two of these papers (the one I'm currently writing included) and still walk away with a 4.0.

No matter what, by Thursday night, I will be done and watching Lost on the sofa... with the laptop- we finally installed a wireless router!

I'm here for the yarn program, 2008

For whatever reason, that's what the librarians at the Ann Arbor Public Library call Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's presentations/book lectures/motivational speeches? I suppose there isn't a better name. "Yarn Program" is good enough, I guess.

Anyway, I kept to myself, as usual- Holly and I spent some time catching up before the talk and after, which was great. I really, really don't like being so busy that I can't see my friends. There were a lot of pregnant women in the overflow room, and we all seemed to sit on one side. Weird. I actually kind of prefer it up there. I feel a lot of pressure when I'm an audience member, and for this kind of thing, I just want to sit and knit and laugh, you know? I don't want to stop counting in the middle of a row of lace to clap, as silly as that sounds. I'll surely lose count (for example, I reknit the same row three times while listening). Perhaps I should try tapping my needles together- they're aluminum, so they'll make some kind of sound.

We didn't stay for the book signing, because we were both too broke to get a book at the moment. I find myself more inspired by the Yarn Harlot's blog, anyway. There's something less rehearsed about it (obviously), and I think that's when she's at her absolute finest. Not that I would ever want there to be fewer knitting humor books out there, just that sometimes it's the things that she can't/won't say in a book that resonate most with me.

I managed to get two repeats done on the shawl while I was sitting there, which was nice. I am almost to the point where I won't need the chart for constant reassurance. I sense that this lace knitting attempt is going to go a lot quicker than previous ones. The larger needles are a start (lace is supposed to be full of holes, right?), and the purl-only wrongside rows are also helping.

A lot.

Ugh, it's dreary and I have to finish the taxes. Every time I sit down to do them, I realize I'm missing a crucial piece of information. Perhaps this time they'll get filed. At least we're getting a refund.

Tiny stitch obsession

the first repeat of the Adamas Shawl



a new obsession- cheaper than knitting

FO: Offset Baby Sweater

Pattern: Offset Wraplan
Yarn: Red Heart Sport, Baby Blue and Yellow, 1 skein apiece
Needles: US size 3
Size: 9-12 month?
March 20- April 6, 2008

The finished product is really cute, but the yarn is kind of scratchy (vintage Red Heart) and the collar instructions were just... wrong. I made that part up myself, but followed the rest of the pattern pretty closely. The buttons are from Joann's- they were having a 50% off sale, and I don't have a button stash, like most crafty people.

The fabric underneath is some yellow quilter's cotton and Alexander Henry's little dots print. They're for the nursery. Dan and I decided on a loosely-applied Katamari theme. The curtains and the cabinet pulls will be the only thing that get full Katamari treatment (and perhaps some toys). I intend to embroider a border of Katamari balls and cousins on the valance and cafe curtain.

Viking-dini

My dog somehow managed to slip her collar and make it disappear- I've been all over the back yard (it is finally SUNNY out!), and I just can't seem to find it. She is just dumb enough to eat the thing, but I can't even find the tags. She wouldn't eat those, too... would she?

The baby sweater I'm knitting is almost finished- I've got one more sleeve to go, and I think there's just enough yarn to do it. I really want to move on to the next project because stripes in the round are a recipe for tangles and ladders. Ugh.

The view from above, the view from before

this is me at 27 weeks

This is a baby post, and a long one at that, so skip it if you don't want to read about baby stuff.

Yesterday was a pretty intense baby day. Dan and I actually began a baby registry, and we spent a kind of exciting, kind of frustrating two hours in Babies 'R' Us looking at a bunch of stuff that seemed kind of plasticky and totally necessary. We figured out high chairs, play pens (excuse me, play YARDS), baby Bjorn carrier thingies, and diaper bags without incident... well, almost. There was only one front-facing carrier that fit Dan! He's not a gigantic dude by any stretch, and I can't imagine a man (or woman) with a larger chest circumference than him (he wears an XL tall) fitting into any of this gear. It was kind of discouraging, but at least we found a front carrier and a back carrier (which looks like a kid-backpack) that we liked.

Then we tried to look at carseats and strollers. I really, really despise the corporate scare tactics manufacturers use to get me to buy as many expensive (and yet totally cheaply made) devices as possible in the shortest time frame. They want to make sure my kid goes through a minimum of two strollers and carseats, and that I am too scared to use either one on another kid or, gods help us, hand them down to another set of parents. You'd think with my child's safety at stake and the word SAFETY and QUALITY splashed all over the packaging, they'd at least test their products enough so that every seat wouldn't eventually be recalled for some reason or another before they reach their 'expiration date' (which I am certain is just tacked on to make sure you need to buy another seat before your kid is big enough to go without, or that little brother/sister has to get their own seat). We were set to scan a Graco SnugRide and be done with it for the day when a woman walked up to the display, holding a totally adorable baby. She sighed dejectedly and turned to her partner, saying, "They [Graco] don't make a rear facing seat that'll fit him. He's only six months old." This kid wasn't even that big, either, and when I asked, she told me he weighed 22 pounds. I looked around with her, bewildered that this seemingly normal kid was SOL in the carseat department, and we found a front/rear convertible seat that would fit her son, which was a relief. We looked at the seat for ourselves, but the convenience of the infant carrier moving with ease from car to car still has us thinking that we need both. Or at least, we need to buy 2 convertible carseats at minimum- one for my car, one for my parent's car, and one for his car (although that'll probably be the least frequently used one). So we're STILL stuck buying eight million car seats. ARRGH.

And that doesn't even begin to touch the problem of a stroller. The "travel system" is out right off the bat- too heavy, too unwieldy, too cheap feeling, and frankly, I have never seen a person pushing a kid around in one of those who wasn't in the infant seat strapped to the top- I think parents trade them in for a smaller stroller as soon as they can. What a waste! Does anyone have a recommendation of a relatively lightweight/smallish-folding stroller we can use with a snuggly, reclined little baby and an infant who is sitting up on their own? I drive a Civic, and while the trunk is a decent size, I don't know if we can fit all of this baby crap in it if it doesn't fold up a little smaller. I really like the idea of the infant seat carrier frames, but the shelf-life of that product isn't going to be that long (we both come from a long line of high growth percentile babies).

what it looks like from here- except I need to stretch to see my shoes

After the registry ordeal, we went to dinner and then a seminar for the Alternative Birth Unit at Providence Hospital. If you're in the Detroit area and shopping for hospitals, go to this seminar! Their approach focuses on natural childbirth in a home-like setting (although, never fear, they have some pain meds available, and you're down the hall from the regular L&D). If we want (and we do), we can use a hot tub to relax (although they don't do waterbirths), have any visitors we want, eat/drink what we'd like, and Dan can even catch the baby. It's the kind of birth experience we're looking for. Granted, I've never had an epidural, but numbness makes me uncomfortable, and I'm the kind of person who listens intently to my body. For example, I don't take medication for cramps, in general, because I rely on them to tell me what's going on with my cycle- when the cramps start, so does my period (we're talking a five-minute window- it's pretty cool, actually). I am hoping that labor works in a similar fashion (body awareness, not speed, of course), but who knows. The unit does have some pain medication if I opt in, but they also have a number of other things available to help ease the discomfort that aren't available in the regular L&D (a jacuzzi being one such option). They also don't generally administer Pitocin or perform episiotomies (they stress preparatory massage and perineal support during birth), and their C-section rate is about 6% (same as my midwife). 6%!

Your mileage may vary, of course, and I'm not pretending to really know what I'm talking about. All I know is that hospitals scare me, the insurance will cover something in the hospital that doesn't feel like the hospital, and the rooms are totally posh (well, that last one isn't essential, but it's pretty sweet!).

FO: Box Bags

I have been sewing. It's a miracle! I still haven't finished the baby quilt, which just needs to be cut to size and bound, but I managed to procrastinate a little this weekend and make a couple of project bags. I used tutorials from Dragon[knit]fly and small hands as a starting point, but I think I made enough innovations to the designs to call them my own creation.

I made the amber one first, and the insides are pretty raw, but cute. I don't care, but if I were to make one of these for someone else (of if I were to, say, open an etsy shop), I would want to follow what I did on the second bag. I did a decent enough job that I am willing to show off the insides, but I want you to remember that I only started using a sewing machine about a month ago, and I have been doing this without much supervision at all. Things are a little rough, and I am more likely to sew over/through a mistake rather than rip it out at this point... I'll get over it.

The blue and yellow stripey thing is a baby sweater in progress, and the red laceweight wool is going to become a shawl before May 10- I have a wedding to attend, and I can never regulate my temperature in formal wear without a little help.

FO: Monkey Socks

Pattern: Monkey Socks, by Cookie A.
Yarn: two skeins of Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, fall herbs
Needles: US size 1 DPNs
September 2007- March 20, 2008

I put these away for a little while when the nausea was really bad in the first trimester and I couldn't concentrate on anything, let alone tiny knitting. The lace chart was actually pretty easy to memorize, and this was the project that finally, finally cemented Kitchener in my mind (hooray!). I can see why this is one of the most popular patterns on the net- Cookie is a brilliant designer, and the instructions couldn't be easier to follow. I really want to try more of her patterns.

The yarn is a little splitty, but I don't generally split yarn so it wasn't a problem for me. The colors really are this vibrant, and the finished fabric is fantastic- smooth, soft, and cool. They ended up being a little short for me, so I gave them to my mom as an early Mother's Day gift (she wears socks year round, but usually only thin cotton anklets in the summer heat). I will most likely need three skeins for socks of my own, either with or without contrasting heels and toes. I can't wait to buy more of this once the yarn famine is over.

99 days to go

Here we are. Less than 100 days till the baby's due. I'm cruising toward the end of the second trimester, and I am really starting to feel it. Getting out of a chair is more than just an automatic movement now, and I am simultaneously thirsty and needing to pee all the time. The baby's pretty active, and Dan is able to put his hand on my belly and feel little kicks and punches whenever he wants. The baby and the dogs are already jealous of each other- Viking spends a lot of her evenings trying to squish the baby back into my spine to recreate the lap that was formerly hers, and hers alone, and the baby spends its evenings kicking Viking in the back for trying. Vandal has learned to lay on my legs.

Everyone wants to know if it's a boy or a girl. Everyone. Waiters, supermarket cashiers, family and friends, the women in the office I temped in yesterday (that's another story altogether). One woman even said, "Why don't you want to know? How are you going to know what clothes to buy it?" It's hard to keep an even tone of voice when people say that to me, but I suppose that a lot of people just don't understand or realize that gender is a cultural construction, and a problematic one, at that. The baby isn't going to be born pink or blue (probably more like a blotchy purple color). An old coworker of mine was complaining that it gets even more difficult to find neutral clothes after 6 months, especially for boys. Little girls can wear the robots/insects/puppies stuff, but the little boys can't usually pull off princess ruffled rumba pants. She also told me that a lot of people would ask her, "What is it?" when they saw her son in the stroller.

"Oh my god, it's a baby! Why, what do you see?"

Really, stranger- why do you need to know the sex organs of this random baby?

Fortunately, there are plenty of people who are willing to respect the fact that Dan and I don't want a princess- or sports-themed nursery (it doesn't suit us, even excepting the gendered connotations), and it's a relief to know that we can say no boy/girl stuff, and for the most part, it'll be okay. We also made a pact that if any of that stuff comes our way, we'll thank the giver graciously, and put in the Salvation Army bag (do not pass go, do not collect $200), so that some other child can use it.

I didn't intend for this to be a rant, but I feel pretty strongly about this. Also, I tend to feel pretty strongly about everything these days. :) It's been mostly awesome, but there have been a few bad days in there, too. At least the weather is turning around, and there will be sunny days AND thunderstorms (yay!) ahead.

FO: Ribbed Lace Bolero

Pattern: Ribbed Lace Bolero
Yarn: GGH Samoa, a little over a skein, and Summer Tweed, a little over a skein
Needles: US size 6 and 8
February 22- March 7

I cast on 98 stitches as the author did, as I feel gauge/fiber choice might make this a little big (I’m more like 18-19” in the shoulders). I used Samoa for the ribbing and Summer Tweed for the lace because I saw them together in the stash and thought what the heck. It’s a little bigger in the shoulders than I would like, but it’s drapey, and I really like how the tweed and the cotton play off of each other. The Samoa makes a considerably less stable fabric than Cotton-ease, and I’m not sure I like it more. It was $3 a ball on clearance at my LYS, but I think if I make another one of these (and I might) I would use Cotton-ease. Still, a nice little stashbuster.

Taking pictures of yourself is difficult. Also: hello, pregnancy boobs!

Snow day!

You read that right. My class (and midterm!) is canceled today due to SNOW. In March. I love you, Michigan.

I think I'm going to go build a snowman.

FO: Squatty Sidekick

Pattern: Amanda's Squatty Sidekick (from Knitting Daily)
Yarn: 3 skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted in black, held doubled
Needles: US size 15, from the Needlemaster
February 18-22 (knitting), February 29-March1 (finishing)

I knit this to use up the black wool I had in my stash. It was a straightforward knit, and I thought that I'd make the bag bigger by knitting it on larger needles with the yarn doubled. It turned out BIG. It's about 20" across, easily. I felted it, and it didn't seem to get any smaller! I don't really care for Lamb's Pride when it's felted (especially compared to Paton's classic merino) but I quite liked the fabric when it was knitted up- I could see myself making a rugged little sweater out of it. Well, if it didn't shed worse than my two mutant Corgis.

My finishing skills are not so hot, but I like the way the lining and strap turned out. Instead of knitting a strap, I knit little nubs to indicate where the straps should go (and then blocked it crooked so they don't quite hit the sides. duh). I sewed D-rings on after it was felted with the 18" of yarn I had left (seriously!). For the strap, I cut a width of the fabric in both the yellow and the print cotton, sewed the long edges, right sides together, and then turned them inside out, folded in and topstitched the edges, and then topstitched the long sides. I tied the ends to the D rings, so I can adjust the strap if I want to. For the lining, I cut the lining pieces roughly the size of the bag laying flat. I added a pocket, using the same general techniques as the strap (so it's lined), and sewed the lining pieces together along the bottom and sides, right sides together. Then I turned the felted bag inside out, turned the lining inside out, put the felted bag inside the lining, folded the raw top edge of the lining down, and tacked it into place with black thread and big, ugly, childish stitches (I'm impatient and I'm also learning how to sew!). After I turned the bag back the right way, I sewed on a snap on the inside (not worrying about the outside because the thread is black and the bag is hairy), and ta-da! Dan's impressed, and I think it's cute, too. It took about a 1/2 yard of the lemon print and a little bit of the yellow quilter's solid cotton.