Knitting Again!

It's true, after an almost-six-month hiatus, I am able to knit again. I'm working on a couple of little projects (actually pretty ambitious projects, but I was just so excited to jump right in). The gestational carpal tunnel was the least of my worries during my pregnancy, but I am just SO happy that I am able to knit again. I have a million projects to work on--and I decided to make everyone's Christmas gifts again this year, if I can finish in time.

Here is the coolest wearable thing I've ever made in my life:






A flapper-style dress and matching hat for my new niece, Eliza. It won't fit for a little while, obviously, but it's just so cute and I'm really proud of it. The ruffles are just so sweet. And the little medallions are the perfect finishing touch.
I made it with KnitPicks comfy yarn in flamingo and fedora (the vintage pink is just too beautiful). The patterns are from Tot Toppers--she's got lots of cute stuff, but this set is by far my favorite.


I can't believe I finished it already. And, since then, I've moved on to Christmas again. This time, I'm making something for my own baby:





It totally looks like I made it, obviously, but it's okay. It'll be fun for Rock to play with when he can grab things and play with them. This is just the first piece in a whole transportation set. I still haven't embroidered the spokes on, but, really, whoever thought of making the horrible, slow-going, tedious part last was an imbecile.

But, for the time-being, I have set aside this fun transportation set and am working on some fun socks. I have a ton of sock yarn (maybe not an actual ton, but a significant number of boxes of the stuff) that I have decided I will use before I do anything else. I'm going to start making ankle socks--I, personally, wear those way more than long socks, and they are faster, and they are cheaper to make, so they are just better all-around.

I am currently making a great pair of socks with a cable-needle-less cable pattern for my new sister-in-law. Pictures will follow (if I ever finish this project). Then I am on to my ankle socks! Yipee!

Introducing Rock Layne Walbridge

Oh, because I never posted it, here is the 38-week picture, taken three days before Rock was born.




So, obviously, Rock is here now.
After an emergency induction on my birthday, almost 30 hours of labor, an emergency c-section, a day-and-a-half stay in the NICU and a more-than-5-day hospital stay for me, Rock is here and we're home.

He is the sweetest baby ever, and he does a great job with eating, playing, sleeping, and pooping. I'm happy that the playing part is lasting longer and longer every day. He's super strong for his age and he has the most adorable smile I've ever seen. He is so happy and fun.


Right after he was born--before I was even conscious or coherent


Just a few hours old


Having a little moment with Daddy


Big yawns


What a sweet baby


He's so alert, even when he's only a couple days old


Did I mention he's a thumb sucker? And he has been from birth. He only gets better and better at it


He hated getting his shots


And here he is today--10 weeks old! What a big kid.


I can't wait to make the trip out to see my family so they can all meet him.

Week 37

So, now the baby is full-term. What an exciting and scary thing!

We've had a total of four baby showers--all so much fun and one a complete surprise! We still have to order the changing table and the crib (which can wait, as the cradle will work for at least a couple of months) and some sheets and stuff, but, other than that, we are totally ready for him to come. Plenty of clothes and blankets and even some bath stuff.

I am ready for him to stop squishing me and I'm ready to lose some of this weight (or all of it). I'm tired of being so huge and achy and tired.

I tried really hard to pack my hospital bag, but I just can't seem to get more than a couple things in it before I freak out and have to stop. I don't want it to be that real. But I do. Things will be easier when I don't have to go to work every day anymore. Just three more days of work--and that is if I decide to not call in sick on Thursday as is my plan.

The non-stress test went really well on Monday--I'm hoping for more good news next Monday. But I'm also hoping for them to induce before the new date of May 8th. I'm thinking May 1st works for me. Everything is coming so fast, though, and it's kind of unbelievable. I'm so excited for everyone to meet this sweet little baby. He's such a good baby.

Week 36

Hooray! The home stretch. The baby is due in just 28 days. Isn't he so adorable?

We haven't gotten any farther in packing our own bags--but I have packed the diaper bag for the trip to the hospital. It has two little blankets and one outfit and two diapers (that we got for free as samples) and some wipes (also free samples) in an adorable Paul Frank wipe case and that is about it. I don't really know what else he'll need at the hospital--they are supposed to have everything there for him.

The baby shower on Saturday was so much fun! I had a blast, and I was amazed at who came. It was nice to have so many of Michael's friends' family there--I didn't expect them to come, or even want to come. But it was great and there was so much good food there. I loved every minute of it. And we got so many homemade blankets--and they are so much nicer than anything you can buy in a store. Bigger, too. I am so excited to get to use everything. I really can't wait. If only this baby would cooperate!

We move in like a week and a half and I have so much packing left to do, I can't imagine getting it all done in time. Good thing I'll still have a day or two after the actual move to finish packing and cleaning and everything. It's mostly just the big stuff that we have to move on the 24th, and I am so glad that we'll have help, because I won't be able to do anything at all.

I don't know how I'm going to make it for the last week and a half of work. My legs are so incredibly swollen and I am gaining so much water weight every day. I hope it's all just water weight! But, considering how much more swollen every part of my body is, it has to be just water weight. I really hope! That will also make it easier to lose later, which is just what I need.

I think he's dropped a little bit this week--I noticed today that he isn't kicking me in the ribs as much as he used to (like yesterday and the day before), which is really nice. I still don't have room for my internal organs, and my "heart burn" (if that's what it is) is still totally in my throat. Please just let him be born with hair! That's all I want right after his being healthy and not too big.

But don't you just love how sweet he is? What a good baby.


(Did you notice how small my paper chains are getting? Yipee! Just eight more days of work! That is the most exciting part ever!)

Week 35

Well, another week down. It would be nice if I could go to the dr. just once in these last few weeks and not have some other new complication arise. It's starting to wear on me. I can't wait to just be done with all of this.

But good things are happening, too. I ordered a ton of stuff for the baby and it all came (except for two little things) but now we are all ready for him to come--except for the baby wash and lotion and diaper cream and other bathing and toiletry stuff, but we have diapers and wipes and clothes and blankets and toys and towels and washcloths and lots of love just waiting.

And I only have 13 more workdays until I go on vacation and then I go on maternity leave for 12 whole weeks--that makes 14 weeks of absolutely NO Overstock--no Lacy, no Deborah, no SKUs, no templates. And I can go and visit my friends and we can hang out at Totem's and it'll be fun--like we used to have at work before everything went wrong.

The baby is so squirmy lately--much more active than he used to be. I hear he's supposed to be just as active now that he can't roll around, but he just doesn't stop moving. It's cute, because I can tell his sleep schedule so well (and it isn't between midnight and 5 AM at all). Well, soon he'll be crying at that time and not just kicking me, so that will be ... different. It's funny how ready I am for this to just be over. But we haven't even started our birthing classes (they start tomorrow--and I'm so excited!) and we have so many dr appointments. Thursday, we meet with Dr Lash, but then we can hopefully go back to just seeing Margy. Having to go to a regular OB makes me a little nervous. But Michael will be there for Dr Lash's appointment, and that is good.

We've started packing our hospital bags (I haven't gotten that far yet, and Michael only has the extra batteries in his so far). But it's a start. We still have so much packing and moving to do.

But this week is my baby shower! I can't wait. Everything finally seems like it's happening so fast. In just five weeks, we should have our little baby home with us, if everything goes according to plan--maybe even sooner, which would be so awesome.

But now I'm really starting to worry--what am I going to do with a baby? What if he hates me? What if I don't feed him right? What if he hates the way I change his diaper? Crazy, right? But it doesn't seem that way to me right now. These are all very valid concerns.

However, I am so huge right now, and I just can't wait for this baby to be outside of me instead of squishing me from the inside. That is worth it just by itself.

Week 34

Week 33

Our apartment flooded on Saturday because some punk kid thought it would be funny to break into Cathy's apartment right after she moved out and turn on her water full blast. Very funny. Water was coming through the light in the hall and there was almost half an inch of water in the bathroom. Books, clothes, everything soaked. Things I had spent months packing, soaked. I have never been so sad and upset. What a hard day. But Cory was awesome about it--came right over and vacuumed up the water and took one of my dresses to be dry cleaned. Now we just have to inventory the other things that were ruined--just a few books, I believe.

But, after that, I needed a treat. A lot of really big treats. And I am still needing them.

It is really hard to be so pregnant and have to clean and wash and re-pack everything. But there are only seven weeks left--can you believe that? I'm getting so excited and so nervous all the time.



Just 49 days! Hooray!

And 45 days until my baby brother's wedding. I hope I can make it. He's only getting married once--I would hate to miss it.