She said Mama!!!

She did, she did! FINALLY! Woohoo! My pretty little girl said Mama! Of course she hasn't said it since, but it is a start. Heh! Sorry, short post, but I had to share! LOL!

Emma's Hat Finished!

This probably is my fastest knit other than the LTK apron top that I did. I got the hat done in 4 days easily. I could have gotten it done sooner if I didn't work full-time. LOL!

Notice that she is in short sleeves and a diaper. The high today is supposed to be 70. Can you believe this??? We're in Tennessee for goodness sakes. Kind of hard to get into that Christmas spirit. Anyways, back to the hat. The pattern is at http://www.goodknit.net/pages/fpat.html and I used Patons Astra which is an acrylic yarn. I may do this again in a wool yarn, but I was nervous knitting on straight needles. I like to knit on circulars in the round. But I loved learning how to mattress stitch up the seams. FABULOUS!!! My cousin's little girl requested one last night when we were putting up my grandmother's tree. So, I may have to make her one too. :)

Tonight is the annual Sloan Christmas party, which is when my mother's brother and sisters get together with their children and their children's children. It should be fun! I've made a cheese and pecan ball and need to start the rotel dip and sausage balls. Chris (hubby) is taking some deer summer sausage and a cheese platter. So needless to say, I need to get busy!

But of course, more hat pics! Oh, and in the last picture, she was saying "Dada." I've yet to get her to say "Mama" although I've tried. Oh, how I've tried!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! And some FO...

Where has the last year gone? My sweet sweet baby girl! You are so full of laughter and curiosity! You enjoyed that cake, didn't you?!?!?! You must have thought Mommy was going to take that cake away because you ate it in 2 minutes flat. LOL! Not really, but you sure attacked the chocolate like any other woman would! You are such a sweet little girl and you have filled me with such joy! Now, one request, could you please learn to say "mama?" LOL!

I have finished Garrett's hat. I had so much doing the little bit of fair isle. I can't wait to do more.

It is a tad big, I should have started decreasing after 5 1/2 inches rather than 6 1/2. That's ok, he'll grow into it. It is knitted with Plymouth Yarn. I'll have to find the specifics. But of course I can't find them now.

I am knitting Emma a hat. All I have to do is add tassels and I'll be finished! So, that is the plan for tonight. But another pic of my goofy boy!

Pink Lemonade Picky Pants FO

Did you think they wouldn't ever get finished? LOL! I got a lot of flack from dh since he rolled the yarn for me. Oh well...better late than never! I decided to go with ruffle bottoms and they turned out just absolutely precious! Instead of kitchener stitching the crotch, I went with the 3 needle bind off. I LOVE IT! There is one mistake that I won't make again...but I'm not showing you all. I was really ticked since I had worked so hard...but she will only be wearing them here. LOL!

So, here are the finished pics! She has started to walk but it still a little unsure of herself. She wouldn't hold still so I could take pics. LOL! I think she likes them, what do you think?

I cannot believe she is already 11 months old. And she is dealing with her 3rd ear infection. Poor baby!

Emma's 9 month Well Baby Check & Night Weaning

No shots! Yay! She weighs 18 lbs. 10 ou. , 27 1/2 inches long, and head circumfrence is 17". She said she was doing well and had the most beautiful eyes she has ever seen ;) lol! Thought she was eating enough and all that jazz. Asked if she was sleeping through the night and I sighed. I told her that we had just switched daycares and that I thought it was causing her to nurse every 2 hours. She said she shouldn't be nursing at night, but that she wouldn't fuss at me for continuing either. ;) I told her I was ready but that something always came up during the process. I also told her that I'm sure she would do better if I wouldn't bring her to my bed to nurse. So, she told me to cut that out and to tell Chris NOT to bring her to bed to me. :P

Emma hasn't been feeling well. :( She checked her ears and said they looked great and looked at her throat and said it was really red. So, she took a culture and it came back negative for strep. So, good stuff. I'm to give her tylenol as needed for pain. So, good appointment overall.

Oh, and she sent Garrett a tattoo and a dinosaur. ;) I LOVE HER!

Night Weaning
Here's my plan - Today, I'm going to try and nurse her alot. Yesterday she hardly nursed which could be because of the sore throat, but she nursed all night long last night. So, if I have to, I'm taking her to another room to nurse. Hopefully, she'll nurse with no distractions. Tonight, if she seems to be feeling better I will nurse her as often as she wants, but I am NOT bringing her to my bed. I'm going to time her nursings these nights. See how long she nurses at a time. Once she feels better, I'll start decreasing the nursings by 1 minute each night. Once I get down to 2-3 minutes, I'm going cold turkey. My ped told me once we get to cold turkey, to not go to her room. :( That is probably going to be my hardest, but it has to be done. I think I just have to train my children to sleep...they don't get it from us.

Oh and for those of you interested, I follow the book Sleep Through the Night by Jodi Mindell.

A Long Labor Day Weekend

It has been a long weekend. I decided that this would be the weekend to potty train Garrett. Ha! Who was I fooling? You know the saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?" Well, I've got my own saying..."You can lead a boy to potty, but you can't make him poop."

Anyways, we started last week talking about the "Diaper Fairy" and how he comes to little boys that have turned 3 to take all their diapers (pull ups in our case) away and gives them to little babies to wear. We explained that he would need to start peeing and pooping in the potty. He seemed very excited, but nervous. Friday evening, we went and had dinner with my parents and it was all abuzz how the diaper fairy would be at our house. My parents watched Emma as Garrett and I ran out to WalMart to pick up a mattress cover (for accidents) and for a reward video (he picked the Wiggles). I also picked up Elmo's potty video.

Saturday, we woke up, he went to pee in the potty then asked for a diaper. I explained that the diaper fairy had been there and taken all the diapers. He seemed ok with that. At least once an hour we would go pee and I would try to get him to poop. Peeing was fine, but pooping he would not do. I thought we would have success Saturday night, he passed gas and he grunted a little, but nope.

Sunday morning he did good. Went to church in undies and a cover. Was fabulous! Went to my parent's house for dinner and I realized he was really quiet. Yep, pooped while hiding. Went home for naps. By Sunday evening, Garrett was asking for Emma's cloth diapers. I didn't cave. We did do pullups for naps/night which the Diaper Fairy mysteriously brought when we were in the other room.

Yesterday, he had accident after accident. Maybe I wasn't very good about making him go every so often. I should have done better. I don't know if I should continue or back off. I'm really at a loss. I am glad though that he will wear cloth now. That will save me some $$! Wooohooo!

Last night I finally got started on Emma's pink lemonade picky pants. I should be working on them now, but wanted to post a little on my blog while I was on my lunch hour at work!

Why do I cloth diaper?

Hmmm...this is a good question. I NEVER thought I would ever cloth diaper (cd for short). Too much trouble, too much work, no one I know has ever done it. Plus, I would stick the baby with the safety pin! I didn't start out with cloth on Garrett. He was a sposie baby all the way. Then, one day when he was 18 months old, I decided to give it a try. I bought a few used from a forum that I chat on and the rest is history.

Garrett was in cloth for probably around five months. I had a few fuzzi bunz, some bummis super whisper wraps, a few chinese prefolds, and a couple other cloth diapers that were given to me. So, I know you are wondering why Garrett was only in cloth for 5 months. Did he potty train early? Nope (we are starting that saga this weekend). I got pregnant and morning sickness hit. I couldn't handle the smell of our homemade wipes, much less a cloth diaper that I had to get the poop off of. So, it was back to sposies. Horrible, horrible mistake. Now, he won't even wear a cd!

I decided that I would cd Emma from the get go. Well, after the meconium diapers in the hospital and after her umbilical cord fell off (although you don't have to wait for that to happen). We started out with infant chinese prefolds (about 3 dozen) and 5 bummis super whisper wraps (covers). And 3 or 4 snappis (instead of safety pins). These were the best way to go for newborn pees and poops. Especially while breastfeeding!!! As she got older we branched out to wonderoos and fuzzi bunz. Wonderoos are one sized dipes that you stuff with a insert, whereas fuzzi bunz are a specific size which you also stuff.

Over the past 8 1/2 months, I have decided that fuzzi bunz are my favorite. You can get them in all colors! My favorite on Emma is lavender! And the wonderful thing is the poop just plops into the toilet! I do have a diaper sprayer to help out, but my husband has YET to get it installed. But he is tonight! I have a feeling I will need it while potty training.

I wash my dipes every 3 or 4 days. We have plenty to get us through wash day. I do have the occasional sposie for going to daycare in (they don't cd) and for out and about...if I'm too lazy to take the cd.

I also knit her wool picky pants for overnight. In fact, I still need to get started on her pink lemonade dyed wool (see a previous post) but I just haven't had time. :(

I'm sure you are all confused about cloth diapers, but if you want more information a wonderful site is www.cottonbabies.com .

"How To" http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=57
Fuzzi Bunz http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=56
Bummis Super Whisper Wrap http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=92
Chinese prefolds http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=89
Snappishttp://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=100
Diaper sprayer http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=806

Now, to get my butt in gear to knit!!!

Emma's Apron Top

First, I have to say...isn't she just precious???? I mean look at my 8 month old! She is growing tooo fast. :(

Finished it last night! :) I was so scared she wouldn't be able to wear it. I thought it would be WAYYYYY too big! But nope, it is just perfect. This is the Little Turtle Knits Apron Top pattern and it was really easy. Even with the single crochet edging. LOL! I was scared to death, but called my grandmother for encouragement. She's the crocheter, I'm the knitter (well, trying anyways). When I told her I was scared, well, she just laughed me off. So, I have to say thanks to Gran! Or else Emma's top would be sitting on the needles for 3 months like the prayer shawl. And check out her flawless back ;) Yep, that would be the Stitch 'N Bitch book that she is reading/chewing. A future little Stitch 'N Bitcher herself. :)

I really planned on starting her a pair of picky pants, but my heart just wasn't in it. And it still isn't this morning. I've thought about a dishrag since I've never done one. But I really need to do something for Garrett. I've yet to make him something. And the little man didn't feel good yesterday. He had the stomach bug. :( Unfortunately I couldn't take the day off, so he hung out with Daddy all day. Here he is Thursday night when we knew something was up since all he was doing was laying around...well, figured it out Friday morning when he was covered in vomit and didn't wake us after he had gotten sick. :( Poor guy! So, I'm on the lookout for something to make for him. Hmmmmm......

Shawl is FINALLY done!

I'm so so sorry! I wouldn't allow myself to start another project until I got this one done. Bad mistake. I decided to start Emma's apron top because if I didn't summer would be over before she could wear it. So, I started it Sunday evening and worked on it yesterday at work and last night before bed. Today, I was called at work because Emma was running a small temp. Got her home with Garrett and they both took long naps so I got the house cleaned! Thankfully my apron top was out in the truck and I was too lazy to get it out. So, I decided to get online and figure out how to finish up my shawl. If I had realized it would only take me 2 hours, I would have done it weeks ago! Yeah, right...I'll tell that story in a bit.

I'm sure I've mentioned the prayer shawl before, but the link is www.shawlministry.com. I heard about it in a knitting magazine and decided to do one for my aunt. She has a condition that if left untreated will cause her to go blind. She has been on prednisone for the past 2 1/2 years and the levels fluctuate. She has constant headaches and back in May she had a hysterectomy. So, I decided for her, I would attempt to do the shawl. And I think it turned out great (although not perfect...but who considers his/her work perfect). Well, here are the pics. Made with Lion's Brand Waterfall yarn :)

Isn't it gorgeous????

I didn't take any pics of the apron top. But I will and get those posted up soon. After the apron top is completed, I am going to knit up another pair of picky pants for Emma in some yarn that I dyed with pink lemonade. Here is that yarn, rolled by my wonderful husband as he was recuperating from colon surgery. Remember, I mentioned I would have completed the shawl weeks ago...well, there was no way, because I was waiting on my hubby. But while at the hospital I was knitting on the shawl. I just had to lay my needles to the side for a bit. :)

Now...off to work on the apron top before the weather gets too chilly!

Started the Shawl...FINALLY!!!

Took forever to get the yarn, but I started the shawl this week. I decided to post an update so you can see how far I've gotten. Please ignore the carpet stains...I have an almost 3 year old! LOL!

I believe I've mentioned before that I'm making this for my aunt. She has an illness that will cause her to go blind if she doesn't take prednisone. I'll have to find the condition because the name escapes me at the moment. She missed her neices college graduation this weekend because she wasn't feeling well. I got the idea of a prayer shawl from www.shawlministry.com check it out!

Just for me...

This entry I guess is just for me. As I read through other blogs, I see patterns that I like. So, hopefully I can keep up with them here.

http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/PATTcigar.html - good idea for Chris and Dad...for hunting maybe :)


http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/PATTpedicuresocks.html - me and mom


http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/PATTtinytether.html - for Emma

Gosh, I need to find something for Garrett!

My Current and Future Projects

Well, my current project that I just started yesterday is the mookies pattern that I bought from www.littleturtleknits.com (can you tell I *heart* this site??)! It is a pattern for breast pads. I think I'm going to have to frog it since I missed an increase, but oh well. I think this will be one of those instant gratification projects! I just wish I found it 4 months ago when I was leaking big time! I just this week started sleeping without my bra....can we say HEAVEN!?!? LOL!

I'm planning on doing a prayer shawl for my aunt who has been pretty sick for a while. It seems when she thinks she is doing better that she is hit with another obstacle. I found the idea in the Spring 2006 issue of Knit It! Check out http://www.shawlministry.com/ . I wanted to do it in LionsBrand HomeSpun Waterfall so I found a great deal at ebay. I'm am patiently (NOT) waiting for it to be delivered! Hopefully today!

I'm also planning on knitting Emma an apron top for the summer. Of course, I purchased it at www.littleturtleknits.com LOL! I fell in love with it back in December before she was even born. I won on ebay a lot of three skeins of Bernat Cotton Tots...two are a pink/rose color and the other is a pink, white, lavendar variegated. I cannot wait to get started! I need to make sure I have the right size needles for this project.

I'm a little nervous about these projects. I've been used to knitting in the round. I hope and pray I can pull it off!

My Knitting Projects Thus Far

I started knitting probably in October 2005. The first project was a sachet. It turned out AWFUL! I think I even threw it away. LOL! I ended up buying the longies pattern from www.littleturtleknits.com and made Emma her first pair of longies. Here is a pic. They turned out a little long, and the crotch wasn't perfect, but eh, for my 2nd project I don't think it looks TOO bad! I used Cascade 220 100% wool for these. They feel wonderful!

After talking to the owners of www.bubblebuttboutique.com I bought the picky pant pattern from the same site as the longies pattern. I ended up buying some LionsBrand Fisherman wool to dye with kool-aid (http://www.knitty.com/issuefall02/FEATdyedwool.html). I used the color "Changing Cherry." Here are pictures of the yarn before... and after...
Before I post a pic of the completed picky pants, I first need to stress the importance of a gauge swatch! I thought, eh, gauge swatches are for sissies! I don't need to do that! What for? I'm woman, hear me ROAR! Well, I should have. tsk! tsk! I've learned my lesson and I will from now on do a gauge swatch! I will be lucky if Emma can wear these picky pants before she is potty trained! I've also knitted a booga bag. The pattern is at http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga_bag.html. It is a really cute bag. I decided instead of buying the expensive wool, I would buy some wool from www.knitpicks.com and knit two strands of yarn at once. I bought the avocado green. It is fabulous. It needs to be felted once more. But if you want to see a pic...here it is

Emma Grace's Birth Story

On December 12, 2005, I had a doctor appointment to see Dr. Newsome. Chris went with me because we were hoping that I would be in labor or that he would just go ahead and induce me. I was miserable and tired of wondering with each little (big) contraction if it was time! Well, I wasn't in labor and he wouldn't induce me that day, so they scheduled my induction for 7:30 the next day. After the appointment I went back to work and finished out my day. That night I got the house together, bags packed for Chris, Garrett and I, then we went to eat at my Mom and Dad's house. We had wonderful greasy hamburgers.

The next morning (December 13th) we got ready and drove Garrett over to my Mom and Dad's and then left for my induction at 7:30. Arrived at the hospital and got checked in, then was told to go and wait in the waiting room. That was hilarious! We were just chilling watching other people in labor and watching a little 2 year old girl who's mommy was delivering her sister at the moment. Poor baby, she was exhausted. We learned that she had been there since 2 am. Poor thing.

Chris and I commented on how much more nervous we were than when we had Garrett. I'm guessing it was because with Garrett we still we not sure if we would deliver that day and we knew in this instance we were NOT going to be sent home. Finally, my nurse came to take me to my delivery room.

Got to the room...can we say FREEZING??? I mean, you will hardly ever hear a pregnant woman complain she is cold, but in this instance I was! They adjusted the thermostat and brought me more blankets. :) My nurse was fabulous. She got my iv placed and checked me...still a 3. I cannot remember if they broke my water or started the pitocin first. I'm thinking pitocin with water breaking not long afterwards. I had to wait a bit for the epidural and when I finally got it they only gave me a "dusting" because Emma had yet to drop. I explained to the anesthesiologist my horror stories with the epi I had with Garrett. She took her time since I wasn't in pain. In fact, she was telling a new girl how she does her epis. I heard her walking her through the whole thing. Not really what I wanted to hear! ;)

Finally, the epidural was placed and I was left alone to labor. Periodically, the nurse would come and check on me but it was really uneventful. Chris went and grabbed a bite for breakfast or to talk to his sub-contractors, while I flipped channels on tv. Ha! Around 11:45 they checked me and said I was between 5 and 6 cm dialated. My parents had just arrived and my mom got to experience how I reacted to a contraction with epi worn off. She almost started crying. It was HORRIBLE!!! It felt like as soon as one was done another was starting. So I asked for more epi. I was starting to go looney because Chris was talking to sub-contractors (or his parents) and my dad was on the phone with my family. The tv was on and my brother was pacing the floor in front of me. My sweet mommy was brushing my hair out of my face and holding my hand.

They came in at around 12 to give me another dose of epi and the gang decided to go grab some lunch. After insisting that Chris to go get something too, I was then offered a popsicle. I was SHOCKED! I wasn't expecting ANYTHING! I even got a choice between red, orange, and purple. I went with purple. So, while everyone else was eating lunch, I was sucking on my purple popsicle (wouldn't Garrett be jealous)! Happily with an epidural might I say.

The family was back at 12:15 (can we say they scarfed the food down). I kept mentioning that I felt some pressure. Chris kept telling me to call the nurse, but I kept saying...."Nah, I don't want to bother her." LOL! Finally, around 12:20 she came back into the room. I told her I felt pressure and she said she would check me. She asked how my epi was doing and that if I needed more, just to let her know. I told her the epi was fine. :) Well, she decides to check me and I was complete! HOLY MOLY! THAT WAS FAST! She said that we needed to wait probably 30 minutes just so Emma could turn a little more. She said she was going to go call Dr. Newsome and about that time he walked in. He checked me and started yelling that we needed people in there fast! I have never been in so shocked in my life! People were running about, hollering for more nurses, calling for nursery...LOL! At this point, I grab my nurse and ask her ever so sweetly "Can I still have more epidural?" Which she responds with a huge HEEHAW...."Why of course!" The anesthesiologist walks in ...who was my new best friend... at this moment gives me more epi. And we are ready to go. With maybe 3 pushes....Emma Grace was born. She came out crying with a head full of black hair! Weighing 6 lbs. 13 ou. and 19 1/2 inches long. She was such a little bitty baby! I thought I would break her! She is just amazing!

About 20 minutes later, she latched on like a champ and hasn't looked back with nursing! She is absolutely amazing! I never thought I would be able to love her as I have her brother! But it is true. Your heart just grows!

If you would like to see the video montage I made of her, here it is
Emma Grace

A long overdue update!

Well, thankfully I'm no longer pregnant! LOL! Could you imagine what a biotch I would be? No, Miss Emma Grace arrived on December 13, 2005 after I decided to induce. It took a long time to make that decision. But after the aggravation of wondering if the contractions were real or not, I finally succombed to Chris' pleas! Here is a picture the day she was born.


And a picture of Garrett meeting her for the first time!


He absolutley adores her! She weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 ou. much less than her 8 lbs. 2 ou. brother! It was an amazing and fast delivery! Checked in at 7:30 and she was born at 12:40. It was a wild ride. I will definitely post her birth story!

In the meantime, I'm still adjusting to having two children. Emma is 4 months old and doing great on breastfeeding. We are currently potty training Garrett and that has been ok thus far. Of course, we only started on Tuesday evening. :) We've bribed him with camping trips and Chucky Cheese! LOL! Eh, whatever works, huh?

I have picked up knitting. I have a few pictures that I will get uploaded today. I hope to keep my blog with knitting stuff too.