Cute visitor

Today I had the cutest little visitor. My girl B was visiting town and brought my little buddy along. He has gotten so big! And he is soo cute! Look at that sweet face.

 He also proof-tested all the toys and furniture in the nursery. And he got along really well with puppy.

B also got me some essentials for baby. Thank you, girlie! That was a sweet surprise! I was so happy to see you both and hope you will stop by next time you are in town. Love you guys!

The Gift

I love my mom and dad. They have sacrificed everything for me and my sisters. We  have lived a modest but comfortable life and never lacked anything. So it breaks my heart every time when my parents give us something so lavish and expensive. They are immigrants who came here with nothing and slowly built a cozy life for themselves through will, persistence and hard work. I hope we can be half as good parents as they have been to me. Thank you mom and dad! I love you soooo much!

So yesterday I received an incredibly luxurious gift from my parents. It took my breath away.  It's a Stokke stroller and the best of the best out there. I've only seen celebrities and posh Europeans pushing this stuff around. It is so incredible, I can't quite believe it's ours.

There are two types of seats. One is a newborn carry cot that is so charmingly nostalgic looking, and the other is a versatile seat that carries a child to up to 4 years old. 

The seat is adjustable and sits quite high, which is beyond awesome. It's so high, you can use it as a high chair when out and about. It can also face you or away, something that was important to me. I'd like to be able to take my baby to the farmers market or the art festival next summer and be able to look at my sweetie's face all the while. 

Speaking of using this next summer, the stroller comes with some other useful accessories (mosquito net, cover for rain, shopping bag). I totally love the neutral and elegant color and the sturdy material it is made of.

The wheels turn a full, smooth 360 degrees, the entire thing is incredibly, surprisingly light, and it's so easy to assemble and disassemble once you know all the right buttons.

This stroller is the best thing I've ever seen in baby gear. I am still in awe of it. Hubby and I have been walking it around the house with baby's toys in it.  So there it is, and I guess you can also see our nursery in progress. There is still some decorating and furnishing we need to do, but at least we have all the essentials assembled and ready for use. Baby, we can't wait to have you!

Puerperium Cardigan

Finished another cardigan for my little babe. It's called Puerperium Cardigan, it's newborn size with buttoning on the side, kimono-style.

The pattern asks for DK weight yarn, and luckily, I had the perfect stuff in my stash - Shibui Baby Alpaca DK that I got on our trip to Oregon. It is incredibly soft & lightweight. The color is mist, and it's a soft white with bluish hints. I absolutely love it.

Now I'm going to work on matching hat and possibly booties, since I have plenty of the yarn left.

New hair

I've started feeling a little homely lately, so I decided a new haircut was in order. What a difference a small change can make in how you feel! Jeffers took some pics.

Of course, some obligatory belly shots. Despite the largeness in my middle, I still have a droopy butt. :)
We also attended the postpartum adjustments class at the hospital where I plan to deliver. It was interesting to hear from a panel of new parents who told us how they managed after baby came home. Some interesting and scary stuff. But it's good to have realistic expectations of what it is going to be like.

Quick knits

The yarn shop I work for is introducing a metallic version of its Flounce yarn, so I was asked to knit a sample. This was a very quick knit. It's a little awkward at first, but once you get a hang of it, it only takes a few hours to whip up a quick fun scarf.

I like it more than the first Flounce scarf I knitted a while ago. The sparkles make it extra festive. I also like how the color is lighter on one edge, giving it a frosted look. Overall, not bad, even if it is not something I would wear myself.  What do you guys think?

28-Week Pregnancy Update

This morning was my 28-week doctor's appointment. Here is where we are at:

• We are officially entering the third trimester. That's 70% done, my friends. From now on, I'm seeing the doctor every two weeks.

• So far in my pregnancy, I've only gained 4.5 pounds - 2 of those pounds is the baby, and I'm not sure how much the amniotic fluid and extra blood weigh. Of course, I was overweight to begin with, but I'm glad I didn't get much larger. 

• My liver enzymes (ALP & ASP) are awesome. Currently, they are at 14 and 20. They used to be in the 150s before I got pregnant.

• My thyroid levels have also never been better. I'm down to 1.4 and normally I strive for 1.5. Baby boy is healing his mommy - such a sweetheart!

• I received my Rhogam shot for having Rh negative blood so that I don't build antibodies to my possibly Rh positive present and future babies. 

• They did a fetal non-stress test for about 20-30 minutes, and everything checked out fine. Baby's heart beat, movement, and reactivity was normal.

• The doctor measured my uterus and found that it is larger than what it should be based on my due date, so she ordered an ultrasound for our next appointment. I'm hoping that it just means that my baby boy is thriving. My coworkers seem to think there might be another baby in there. I doubt it, but yikes! Regardless, I want to make sure everything checks out. Plus it will be nice to see my sweet boy's face again.

Potluck and dishcloths

Gals from my book club at work planned a potluck on Monday. My goal was to make something simple and holiday-ish, so I gathered a couple of recipes: smoked salmon bites from a Rachel Ray book and cranberry raisin orange loaf from the internet.

The salmon bites consisted of pumpernickel bread onto which I spread cream cheese which I mixed with fresh chopped chives. These are then topped with smoked salmon, fresh dill and capers. While it looked and sounded good, it was a bit dry for my taste.

The loaf consisted of fresh cranberries, golden raisins, walnuts, orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice. To get it to cool, I removed the loaf from the pan and put it on some paper towels on the counter.

Unfortunately, our naughty dog was able to pull on one of the corners of the paper towel and get to it. When I returned to kitchen there was nothing left except some paper towels and crumbs on the floor. Of course, there was some scolding and tears involved. And dog did not get dinner that night (not that he would have cared). I was mostly concerned about what it would do to Wally - not sure dogs are supposed to eat raisins, walnuts and cranberries. Luckily, he survived. What a rascal!

I also finished some easy knits - traditional, 100% cotton dish cloths. These will be a gift for someone.

 

 Sometimes you just have to do some mindless knitting. And it was fun to use up some of my stash yarn. My goal for 2012 is to significantly reduce my yarn inventory. I have tons of it. There are also lots of knitting projects that need to be completed. Hopefully I can make a dent in my work in the upcoming year. However, I know it's going to be hard to resist new yarns and projects. What an all-consuming hobby!

December madness

It's been too long since my last update. Time to get caught up...

1.) Sisters' 21st birthday - Hubby and I drove over to my parents house to celebrate my sisters' birthday. Got talked into taking a picture by the tree. It's probably my first photo showing my huge bump.

27 weeks

Birthday girls

Cousins

Yummy cake

Mom, dad & sisters

Girls are now legal to drink

Dad spilled Dom Perignon

Cheers

And more cheers

Happy birthday, dear sisters!

 2.) Christmas party at the yarn shop - After work on Saturday, we had a little holiday gathering. Love these people.

Food, knitting & good company

Cozy Saturday evening

More knitted stuff

After work yesterday I stopped by my parents' house to see them. My mom gave me another blankie that she knitted for my baby boy. So sweet. I just love it.

Today was all about laundry and finishing my knitting project - Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Baby Surprise Jacket". It was fun to knit, and I like the finished product. I think it will go great with some wee little jeans and a solid colored tee.

I have enough leftovers of this yarn that I'm thinking of knitting some matching booties. Stay tuned.

Baby's first hand-knit socks

Just finished baby's first hand-knit socks. They are so small and soft and pretty. Can't wait to see my baby boy wearing them. I LOVE knitting baby things.

Garter stitch stripe

Awww

Cold November Sunday

Cold and dreary weather makes for some cozy nights. Today was all about family, good food, movies, and knitting. Another great Thanksgiving weekend comes to an end. Tomorrow I am heading back to work.

Family night

In terms of knitting projects, yesterday I completed a chunky baby boy hat, and this morning I started on some tiny little socks.

Baby boy blue

Handmade toys

A while ago, I made a little monster for my little monster. Then my mama made a sweet bear (wearing a vest!), and now my youngest sister made a beautiful elephant. This baby boy is spoiled.

Monster, Elephant and Bear...all dressed in baby's clothes

Auntie Adji is very talented. I'm so amazed at her creation and very proud of her skills.

Cute!

I've slowly been acquiring clothes for our little babe. We've also made progress in the nursery. Will have to post about it, soon.

Eliminating biggest time wasters

Today I decided to be disciplined and ban TV and internet after work today - from 5pm and 9pm. No checking or peeking at either one. As a result, I have accomplished so much in that time frame! I'm going to stick to that rule going forward. I need to change some things in my life, and this is going to eliminate my biggest time-wasters. Aside from laundry, grocery shopping, and general cleaning, I managed to bake lasagna for us for dinner.

In preparation for baby, I realize I need to develop some more consistent domestic habits. I am going to develop a plan over the next few weeks that will help keep me on track.

Baby buys

I just had to share a few super-cute outfits I got on sale at Gymboree. It's so much fun to dress this little guy.  The three of the outfits are 0-3 months and will be warm enough for the cool weather in March/April. The playsuit is more light-weight and perfect for the summer days.

0-3 months, onesie, jeans & hoodie

0-3 months - onesie, corduroy pants, button-down shirt, and hat

0-3 months - onesie, jeans & socks

3-6 months - two-piece play suit & socks

Game night

We don't socialize much nowadays, so when my friend S asked us over to her new place for dinner, we had to oblige. So glad we went. Dinner was impressive and we spent the time playing some fun board games. S, A and D's new place is very nice. They really put a lot of effort in it. We have all become such grown ups.

Shiny new home

Spomi making pita

It's been a while since S last saw me, so she was surprised to see my baby bump, which is getting bigger every day.

The view from above: 21 weeks

Hand-made gifts for baby

I just finished a fun little hat for my little baby boy. Turned our pretty cool.

Even cooler is the blanket and the bear my mom made. She is so amazing.

Thank you, majka!

It's a boy!

Dear son,

Words fail me when I attempt to describe the feeling that swept over me when I first saw your face on a sonogram. My love for you is as vast as the ocean. From the beginning, I was sure you'd be a boy, and today it was confirmed. You appear to be healthy and absolutely beautiful. Your ma and pa couldn't believe they could create this squirming little babe on the picture.

My little baby boy

We love you and cant wait to meet you. Until then, keep on kicking, my sweet little treasure.

Love, forever and always,

Your mama

Moving friends

On Friday I got a chance to see my friend AJ before he moved out of town. We had A Dong's and then visited The Lift, where I tried to take some pictures.

S and the Aaaron J's... creepy

I told them to look normal. This is it, apparently.

On Sunday I also got to go see S, A & D's new place. They are renting a house together, and had a lot of clean-up and decorating to do.

Allergic kid has to wear gloves

Des painting the crap out of the house

Aaron supervising

Before I left them, the house was starting to look good. I'm really digging the colors they chose.