Another Month of Bella

Dear Bella,

Okay, so let the crazy times begin. Let's just say that this new schedule we're on might be wearing us a bit thin. You're sick of seeing me 24-7, I'm sick of being cooped up with kids week after week, and we're all sick of being sick. The weather is not helping us recover one little bit.

You actually had your worst illness to date this month. You and Lia were back and forth puking then happy every other day until finally you spiked a fever of 104 on the holiday weekend and you got your first trip to the ER and your first round of antibiotics for a craptastic ear infection.

You were such a trooper with the hours of waiting and the doctors. I could go on for days about stupid medical rules in this country, but I'll spare you because at least now we know how big you are: 37" and 28lb. Next time it will just be easier if we measure you ourselves. :0)

You're learning in giant leaps and bounds now. It's so much fun to watch, and I really need to get my butt in gear and organize school time each day. You can draw for ages (now you draw arms and legs on your smiley snowmen - people!)

You can't possibly learn enough to fill your brain each day. Right now you've mastered concepts like big and little and are working on soft and hard. Your days are spent mothering and doting upon your friends, making sure they are well read and well fed at all times. At night I often find stuffies already snoozing on my pillow for the night. You might not nap, but they sure do.

Grandma came for a surprise visit and you wanted song after song.

What song would you like, Bella? A new song!

She's good at that stuff.

Your responses crack us up every day. Instead of yeah, you reply with a long contemplative Yeyyys. Sometimes you really just want to say No! (because it's your right) so you say, No! ...But yes.

And the sibling shenanigans have begun. You like to tell Lillia when she's in the wrong by shouting, Nonono, Lia! Your mom said no! You have started shoving her when she gets to close (much to her shrieking dismay) and if I leave you alone for more than a minute I often return to Lia's cries because once again you have her in a hug headlock or you are trying to ride her.

Your current favorite things? My new kimper, the ipad (drawing with no mess ....and videos at bedtime!!), and staying in your jammies all day long. I suppose there are quite a few benefits to getting very sick.

What else is there to say? You're quickly approaching three in all the attitude it brings. This month has been countless sleep struggles with you being sick, and you have now started peeking at bedtime in defiance of the bedtime authorities. That's a pretty good metaphor for the entire month. Three is on its way (well, in real time it's already here, but shhhh, don't tell this post) and I have a feeling it will be a new level of adventure.

Love,

mama

P.S. Where would I be today without my attitude? As hard as you can be to live with, I wouldn't dream of any other personality for you.

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savoring: a secret revealed

Sometime before Christmas, our knit group found out that one (one, hah!) of our members was expecting her first baby. Well, you know crafty people. Crafty people can't possibly let such a wonderful occasion pass by without some handmade gift giving!

So, Angi from Swell Yarn spun up a special MJ inspired collection of colors, and the rest of the group knit them into squares. We had the seaming party two weeks ago (we kept the cursing to a minimum), Rhonda and Erica graciously finished it and worked all my ends in ;o) and last week we had the pleasure of giving it to MJ! It was a blast, but a lot of hard work. So if you're expecting, don't plan to get such an elaborate gift from this group any time soon unless you promise to break down in tears of gratitude and knit socks for each of the participants in return.

The rest of the post is just photos, enjoy!

Amy, Rhonda, Erica and Beorn at the seaming party:













MJ unwrapping the blanket at Starbucks, where we meet (re: monopolize) every Wednesday (sorry these are red, I didn't fix the colors):



The beautiful Gwen multitasking with Bella. (She's a natural.)


The unveiling reactions (mostly responding to the fact that MJ didn't break down into tears of gratitude and promise each of us her firstborn child).


Special edition of our weekly game of Pass the FO:


Emiko, Erica, and Gwen (note Bella's snazzy perma-hawk).





Did I mention we completely take over Starbucks? Yes, that's a swift hard at work in the back ground.


And Angi herself admiring the different ways people worked her yarn:


MJ taking time to admire each square (but of course, she's covering mine up):





Happy blanketing, MJ!

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Savoring: after the cookie exchange

1. An army of mice assembled by my husband
2. The quiet that comes with losing my voice
3. Having no voice and thus feeling less guilty about not answering the collector's calls to tell me I'm two days late on a payment
4. Bella's usual yodel turned Wookie Cry because she, too, has a sore throat
5. Knitting night at a cozy home rather than Starbucks


6. A body so happy and wiggly with enthusiasm that photos come out blurry

7. The hand that aimlessly swats the air looking for my thumb to hold while Bella nurses. (Or just for the sake of swatting the air. God knows ten seconds of being still is ten seconds too many.)
8. Bella yelling at the top of her lungs (especially in the bathroom). Doesn't mix well with a headache, but it's so refreshing to see her delight as she explores her body's potential.

9. 2000 cookies on one table

10. My daily view. Boogers and all.

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Project Updates

Okay, so in my last hat snafu I was knitting for a four year old and the hat turned out just big enough for Bella. And now she's almost outgrown it. Will her head ever stop? I can only hope it's her vastly expanding intelligence that makes her head grow so fast. Luckily I made her pumpkin hat much larger and hopefully it will last!

But Tah-dah! Here's my latest project (the hat, not the baby):

This time despite intentions to set myself up for success, I once again neglected to make a gauge swatch, used doubled sock yarn instead of DK, and picked whichever needles I found in the basket when I got wind that this newborn girl wanted a blue hat. Finally! Another family trying to break out of pink in an otherwise monochromatic gender. And I couldn't possibly make it baby blue. It was between this (darker than it looked in the yarn shop) color and something more mother-of-pearl, and this won out because... it's not pastel.

We had a few hiccups during the hat construction. The ear flaps are too long. The dome was too shallow, and even though I added more, it's still a bit too shallow (that, of course could be Bella's nutty head making me think so). It turned out too large and when I washed it to try to shrink it (and because I hate the idea of giving a new mom a hat she can't wash so I wanted to test it), IT UNRAVELED. I caught it after just a few rows had gone out, but they were all the decreases, so it took a while to get it back in order.


Let's just say I was already exhausted by this hat when it occurred to me that I have no idea how to attach tassels. Every instruction just say attach. HOW? With super glue?! So I ended up sewing them on by hand and put a few extra stitches through each weaved in end so that they would stop unraveling. Honestly, how can wool be so slippery? If these were socks, they'd probably disintegrate as I walked....




In other news, Bella's obsession with tags (note the toy she found above in a sea of fun apron strings) has yet to dissipate. I finished her taggy blanket last month, and made a second one for this her newborn friend. Bella adores it, and although I certainly did not invent it, people who see it think it's the coolest. thing. ever. Who wouldn't want credit for that?




Notice that among Bella's favorite toys, the stuffed animals are just a vehicle for the amazingness that is Tags:

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