So, because when I do Gwen’s scrapbook I look back on my blog to find out when she did certain things, I thought I should update. Plus, I obviously like updating everyone on her development!
Wednesday, January 28
Gwen was being cheered on at the library because she was soooooo close to crawling! A few times since then she’s done a few crawls before collapsing and dragging herself the rest of the way. Not long now! Oh, and crazily enough, she pulled herself up on a toy at the library as well. I sat her in front of it to grab the diaper bag and looked back and she was standing beside it. We had to lower the crib mattress. Gwen’s first tooth is also through (her lower middle right one), although she’s still showing signs of continued teething, so I know more are coming!
Thursday, January 29
I have been giving Gwen some cereal to play with at dinner time to keep her busy until we’re done eating our dinner and I feed her (Avacado. If you’re wondering, that’s what she eats for dinner. She can chuck back 1/2 an avacado at one sitting, so I know she’s got an appetite, she just refuses most foods!). She has been grabbing one in her hand (getting really close to the pincer grip!), moving her hand to her mouth, and then mimicking chewing motions. Too cute. Especially because there’s nothing in her mouth.
Friday, January 30
This morning, Gwen fed herself three Breakfast O’s. That’s the first time she’s successfully maneuvered them into her mouth and ingested them. The first one caused a bit of coughing and a little gag. The second and third went much better. Does this mean we start finger foods? After breakfast, as I was sorting through some of her old clothes, she sat up. From laying down. This opens a whole bunch of possibilities for Mistress Mouse as now she can get to something and sit up to play with it.
Somebody stop this crazy ride, please! She’s growing too fast!
(The idea for that pun came from Brad … I think I’m beginning to influence him!)
Honestly, these socks are easy to knit. Only in turning the heel did I have to scrunch my forehead up, stick my tongue out, and do some research.
In this second picture, you can see really well how the toe seam is the wrong way. You can’t even tell when it’s on, though! It is awfully comfortable … I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to discover that I enjoy knitting socks.
Relatively short turn-around, portable, always something new to do (cast-on, increase for toe, work foot, do heel, work leg, start ribbing, bind-off).
Fun, fun, fun! I’m casting on for the second sock right now
I know I mentioned it at Christmas, but my parents bought Gwen a Yookidoo Discovery Playhouse for Christmas. It’s rated for 12 months +, but I figured once she started moving, she’d probably have a blast with it! Read the rest of this entry »
Shockingly, I’m actually finished my first sock. It fits perfect other than a little mistake where I made the heel in the wrong place (thus putting the seam for the toes in the wrong orientation around my foot …. erg …). All I have to do is cast-off, which I’m kind of nervous about since my cast-off ends always seem a bit on the tight side. I’m going to be trying this cast-off, which is apparently EZ’s Sewn Cast-off.
I’ve been having a lot of fun knitting this sock, and I’m excited to start sock #2 and then maybe move on to an actual patterned sock. GASP.
We had a rough night last night. Gwen didn’t go down for the night until 8:30pm, and was awake at 11:30, 2:30 (that part was normal!) but then 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, and then 7 for the day. Brad took her for a bit while I slept for some more (thanks, dear!!!) and when he brought Gwen back in, she chomped on my finger.
So I pried her little mouth open and her lower right gum is quite swollen and red, and I’m 99.8% sure I see a slit of white. C’mon, tooth!
Gwen seems to be having a developmental explosion. She claps, she moves, she can turn the pages on books (so.cute.) … things are just changing so fast!!
If you want to see some historical breastfeeding pictures that prove (at least in my mind!) that it was seen as very normal and not a thing to hide in the past, check out this blog.
I was startled to read this post over at The True Face of Birth.
Startled and appalled.
The article entitled “New moms should travel mammary lane discreetly”, published in the Calgary Herald, is one of the most offensive articles I have ever read about breastfeeding. The writer was demeaning to women who choose to breastfeed in public, or show a picture of themselves breastfeeding, claiming that they have a lack of self-respect and decorum, are not thinking of their babies’ best interest (in case, heaven forbid, the child grow up to see a picture of themselves breastfeeding), immodest, indecent, and classless. Wow. Seems to be like a lot to assert because of one issue - the Hey, Facebook! Breastfeeding is NOT Obscene! group on Facebook.
I’ll admit. I participated in the virtual “nurse-in”. Why? Because I don’t view breastfeeding as obscene. I view it as a healthy, natural way to feed my child. I’m not, by ANY stretch of the imagination, an exhibitionist, nor am I indecent, immodest, and classless. However, I feed my baby wherever I happen to be if she needs it. If there is a nursing room that is NOT located in a bathroom, I will go there - but not for the comfort of other people … I might go there because Gwen is particularly distracted or fussy. On the most part, I will feed Gwen wherever, whenever. And, shockingly, I have never put a blanket over her. Have you met my baby? She does not enjoy being covered up, and that will make for a bigger fuss than just feeding her. Granted, I’m normally wearing a nursing shirt when we go out to help me feed discreetly, but I’ve had some looks.
The following comic kinda sums it up for me, so I’ll let it speak for itself.
I started knitting a pair of socks around Christmas 2007 - and stopped because I kept breaking my size 2 needles! My sister bought me a set of metal sock knitting needles for Christmas, and I quickly switched them out, turning my first heel on Boxing Day.
After which I promptly put them in my small knitting bag and left them. Until a few days ago.
I was spurred on by the Yarn Harlot’s post, Riddle Me This. I’m always so impressed by her sock knitting, by the fact that socks are truly a portable project, and, let’s get serious - I LOVE FUN SOCKS!! If I have to wear a pair of socks - which I definitely do in Canadian fall, winter, and spring, which accounts for about 5/6 of the year - they’d better be fun. My sock drawer is filled with socks that are pink, brown, blue, green, striped, polka-dotted, argyle, have snowmen on them, etc. etc. I have very few boring white, black, or grey socks.
So, after reading her post, I pulled out my half-knit sock. And tried it on. And realized that the foot portion was waaaaaay too big for my feet.
The Yarn Harlot was following a toe-up sock recipe, but since I haven’t ever even made a full sock before, I decided maybe I should follow just a regular pattern first. BUT, I liked the idea of toe-up socks - that way I could try on the socks while I was knitting them to make sure they fit. But how on earth do you cast on toes?
I used knitty.com’s Tiptop Toes article that details three different types of toe cast-ons. I used the Figure-Eight Toes - it was surprisingly easy! From there, I’m using Wendy Johnson’s Generic Toe-up Sock Pattern. I’m about 98% sure that I’m using a Socks That Rock yarn … but yeah. I bought this stuff in the summer of 2007 and I don’t think I kept the band label.
Finished Toes
I’m greatly enjoying my knitting time lately - and wishing that I had just a smidgen more of it!
Nothing! Mind you, she’s not very quick yet, so she’s pretty easy to keep an eye on right now! We’re hoping to put up the baby gates this weekend though, since I don’t think it’ll take her too long to figure out how to get her legs involved!!
