Viking Tea Party

Cria Love

Two new alpacas were born last Wednesday!

Believe it or not, the little guy on the left was actually premature and had a rough time in the beginning.  My other-in-law said he couldn't hold his head up on his own and was having trouble breathing.  He's now runs all over and is almost the same size as the female on the left who was born, on time, earlier the same morning.  

I think his name is, ironically, Hercules and her name is Pandora.

Pandora is now my favorite -isn't she gorgeous?

This is Pandora's mum.  Doesn't she look like a mum?  She's the matriarch of the whole herd. 

Here's Hercules having a little roll in the dust with his mum.  I'm glad he pulled through as there as already been enough tragedy on the farm this year.  Just a few days before the sheep were to be sheared, one of them fell into the stream that runs alongside the land and drowned.  Sadly, it was one my mother-in-law was particularly close to because he wouldn't feed from his mother and had to be bottle fed last spring.  And just a few weeks ago an alpaca was killed by two wild dogs.  The last time we really talked to them about it, the police were not being very cooperative even though it's suspected that these were the same dogs that attacked and killed a Jack Russell a week or so earlier.  

Thank goodness these little ones finally came along or I might not have ever had anything to blog about.  Things have been slow around here.  I've got a little bit of mindless knitting to post but the two baby sweaters I've started are either hibernating or sitting in the naughty corner due to gaping holes under the arms that I cannot tolerate.  

I've also come to the sad conclusion that I'm just not one of those women who relish and really enjoy being pregnant.  While I love feeling our little acorn kick (and so does Matt - he finally got to feel him, too, a week or so ago) and can't wait until he gets here, I'm not in love with actually being pregnant.  Not only do I feel like what a balloon must feel like (if balloons had feelings, of course), painfully expanded (with a lot more expanding to go), but I'm ridiculously emotional, crying over every little thing (like, yesterday, discovering that we were out of eggs), and the homesickness is, to put it simply, really difficult.  

But I know it'll be over here in a few months and the wait will be more than worth it.  We've started on the baby's room which is something fun and positive to focus on.  We went on a little picnic to Stourhead yesterday and bought a fantastic piece of wood to cut in half and make into shelves.  It's actually from one of the trees on the Stourhead estate and still has bark running along one edge.  It'll look great hanging above the chest of drawers (which we finally picked out last week), packed full of cute little woodland creatures.  

In other news, I think I'm going to play around with my blog layout this weekend.  I've already changed the banner - a year of flowers and a teapot is more than enough - and am happy with it but there have got to be a few other things I can do to liven things up around here....

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

The piles started small but once you get started it's nearly impossible to stop!  Unfortunately I waited until the night before we left when things had to be packed into vacuum bags and then into a suitcase to take a photo instead of picking one of the other half dozen days when the sun was shining in the back door. 

 

Not only does our little acorn have his very own Buddy doll but he also has a Dayton Dragons (our minor league baseball team) t-shirt and ball cap!  Oddly enough, the BBC was at the game the following night filming the world's oldest living conjoined twins. 

We bought lots of lots of things that say "Mommy" on them (one of my favorites says "Mommy's Snugglesaurus") as everything here says "Mummy."  I'd like to be called Mommy or Mom but I doubt it'll work out that way.  

I know it seems crazy to cart this much baby stuff from the US to the UK but it was well worth paying $50/£35 for the extra suitcase since the dollar is a bit weaker than the pound and you just can't find sales and clearance racks of baby stuff (or at least I haven't had any luck) in England like you can in the US.  Plus I really wanted to shop for baby things with my mom and I know she was really looking forward to it, too.  It was loads of fun and I think it'll also give us the kick in the pants we need to start clearing out the baby's room. 

And, of course, I also bought yarn but probably not the kind of yarn you would expect a person to buy when traveling to another country.

 

Our second suitcase was also full of cheap yarn!  I bought some Vanna to knit a Bedtime Stocking Cap (my plan is to knit almost all of the hats - minus the girly girl ones - in this book - it's fantastic).  I based my color choices on the little helicopter onesie you can see second pile from the bottom on the left in the baby clothes photo.  I would have never picked these colors on my own but they work surprisingly well together.  And I bought some good old Sugar & Cream cotton for a dollar a skein (67p!) because I want to knit more Baby Genius Burp Cloths and Baby Bandana Bibs.  I knitted one of the bibs on the flight over and - eep! - they are so cute!  I picked up two skeins of Stitch Nation Alpaca Love just because it was on sale and I wanted to give it a try.  I think I might knit a Chocqua baby hat with it.  The Patons Wool I bought just because I use it a lot for amigurumi and only have a little bit of my last skein left and the Lion Brand Thick & Quick is for a Nathaniel Pillow (thanks for the idea, Sarah!) for the baby's room.  Honestly, the equivalent dollar amount in Malabrigo (which wouldn't be much, really) couldn't have made me happier than this cheap yarn.  It's practical for baby things and it can't be found around here.  

So I guess that's really what my summer vacation was all about: buying, doing and eating things that can't be found here in the UK.  I had a Wendy's cheeseburger at the Detroit airport during our layover on the way to Dayton and I swear it was best cheeseburger I've ever had!  I'm sure I packed a couple of pounds on during my visit but it was well worth it.  Unfortunately, I realized as we were on the way to the airport for our flight home that I'd forgotten to restock my stash of microwave mac and cheese.  Thank goodness we didn't stop because about five minutes later I remembered something I'd forgotten that was a million times more important: my pregnancy notes (they have you carry your own records here)!  Since I have a scan on Friday (yay!) we definitely had to go back to get them.  

Speaking of our scan on Friday...it's ridiculous how much we're looking forward to seeing him again!  It's also hard to believe that, most likely, the next time we see him will be in person, hopefully happy, squirming and making a lot of noise.  He's certainly been squirmy today.  I feel him several times a day anyway but today I think he must have decided that sleep is overrated because it's almost nonstop.  Not that I'm complaining! So far I'm not a huge fan of being pregnant but feeling him kick makes it all worth it.  :)

Woodland Stitched Awesomeness

Thanks for all the anniversary and baby boy wishes!  We've been doing a lot of baby shopping over the past few days and the dining room table is currently heaped with cute little outfits covered in puppies and monkeys.  We have quite a few things in blue but brown is really popular now, too, which I love.  We might have even already found our "coming home outfit".  :)

But today I wanted to show you my favorite gift so far: little woodland creatures by Chris that are perfect for our woodland theme nursery!

Look!  A squirrel!

How cool is he?!  Check out his tail!

 

And here's his little friend the turtle...

I love the print choices.  They're perfect for the shell and skin.

I can already tell our little boy likes them as he's been kicking me like crazy as I've been playing around with these photos.  :)

And there's more!  Chris also made these gorgeous, colorful bibs.

 

Note the hippo down there in the right hand corner!  For some reason all of these remind me of going to the beach.  Maybe because it's so hot here that a dip in some cool water sounds like the best thing in the world....

Thanks again, Chris!!

A Room of Our Little Acorn's Own

It probably won't come as much of a surprise to hear that Matt and I have decided to do the baby's room in a woodland theme.  We even call my bump Ola which is the shortened version of "our little acorn" and I have the sneaking suspicion that, if we happen to have a little girl, her middle name will actually be Ola. 

Believe it or not, the choice really wasn't that obvious to us.  We had talked a little bit about the nursery and thought maybe a non-theme with bright colors would be the way to go.  Yesterday, though, I saw this wall hanging, which Dad bought for me at the Folk Festival last year, in a whole new light.  

We were going to hang it in the stairway but I suddenly could see it hanging on the closet door of our baby's room.  And the bedside table we're temporarily using as a side table in the living room for lack of a better place to put it, could be painted and a squirrel stenciled on the front (and so begins the search for acorn drawer pulls).

This morning I trolled Etsy a little bit and ordered this print from Sea Urchin Studio.

How cute is that?!  I was tempted by H is for Hippo just because I collect hippos but, sadly, hippos do not live in the forest.  

Still, not everything is going to have a squirrel on it.  Over the years I've accumulated quite a collection of stuffed bears and I know there are at least a handful that would look great hanging out together on a shelf.  And there will be owls, foxes, birds, raccoons (which they don't have in the UK and seems really weird since the were rampant even in the suburbs in Ohio)....It might even be time to actually start and finish a project from Beth Doherty's book Amigurumi Super Happy Crochet Cute like this adorable fawn.  Oh, and maybe knit a couple more of these bears!

I also found this little creation by Green is the New Black online a few weeks ago and fell in love.

I already own a large shadow box but I think it's too large so I'm going to keep an eye out for a smaller one but I do know my fabric stash has plenty of backgrounds to choose from.  Unfortunately, I can think of at least one little knick knack - a little deer I had for years - that I'm pretty sure I sold at my garage sale last summer and now wish I hadn't.  I may have kept it, though...being a pack rat and all, I couldn't get rid of everything. 

I also found this amazing tree mural on Flickr this morning.

 

Matt and I had talked about a mural once we decided on the theme but didn't want anything too involved since we rent and might not be living here too long after the baby is born.  Although this doesn't exactly look easy, it doesn't look too difficult either.  I love that the leaves are fabric pasted to heavy cardboard that she stuck to the wall with double sided tape.  

And this is just cracking the surface.  I can't wait to get started!

Acorn Update

I have another post floating around in my mind - a Hey Matt, What Does This Mean post focusing on pregnancy and baby terms - but can't quite make myself sit down to write it.   Maybe this weekend....

I had my sixteen week check up this morning.  Thankfully it was just at the doctor's office up the street because Matt had to go up to Oxford yesterday to get ready for a meeting (that was, unfortunately, canceled) today so he wasn't home.  I knew this checkup was more about making sure I was okay than anything really to do with the baby (other than hearing the heartbeat but I had Matt's iPod Nano to record that!) so I didn't feel too bad about going solo.

Until the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat (although she did think she heard a kick).  I wasn't really that worried, though, because I wasn't exactly skinny before I got pregnant so there was more than a bit of flesh between the microphone and the baby to make things difficult. 

Anyway, off to the hospital for me.  I called Matt on my walk home and...you know how you can see a little kid trip and fall and he'll pick himself back up without a tear until he sees his mom and then you can't stop the wailing and crying?  Yeah, that's kind of what calling Matt was like (minus the wailing and pretty much the crying) although the thought of having to take a cab to the hospital had me more upset than anything (I wanted to walk which, in retrospect, was ludicrous)! 

So to make a medium sized story short, there was a little mix up when I got to the hospital and I ended up getting a bonus ultrasound!  If you haven't had a kid, that probably sounds ridiculous but, trust me, after seeing that little blob on your first scan you can't wait to see him or her again.  The heartbeat was fine and our little acorn looks fantastic (and incredibly active - I told Matt there's a future Olympian growing in there).  In fact, he or she looks even less blobby and more baby-like than at our 12 week scan.  I think, though, now I'm even more anxious for our 20 week scan here in a few weeks!

It was a rather stressful morning but it ended really well.  :) 

Happy 101 Awards

Kate of Lazy Kate Creates tagged me for the Happy 101 Awards (thanks again, Kate!) over, um, a month ago and I actually started this post exactly a month ago.  Yikes.  Since then I've managed to misplace my little Casio camera (argh! where are you?!) which has the photos I took to finish the post so I took a few more this afternoon and am determined to finish and post about the things that make me happy.  You know, like actually finishing this post.  :)

Matt - This one is pretty obvious.  I remember saying to my mom, maybe even before Matt and I got married, that he would be The Man to be married to while pregnant and he is.  I keep telling him he should save some of the 'doing everything for me' (although if it weren't for him I would forget my vitamin more often than not) for when I really can't do things for myself so easily but I don't think he will.  Pregnancy is a good time to be married to a squirrel!  

Our Little Acorn - Also obvious but high on the list never-the-less.  Sure, the way that little acorn makes me feel sometimes doesn't exactly make me happy but I've known since I was 17 that I was meant to be a mommy and am happy to finally get to have this experience.   I can't wait to see him or her again at our next scan here in a few (okay, four) weeks!

Going Back to Ohio* - Even the slightest little thought of this one makes me smile!  We're going back to Ohio for my family reunion in June!  Not only will I get to see my family and my family get to see me showing. I hope, at least a little bit, I'll also have the chance to see Ginny showing quite a bit and I'll be there for her baby shower.  And the food - I'm so excited about the food!  I think we'll have to eat out every day considering the length of the list of places I miss.  My brother and his fiance will be up from New Orleans, too.  I haven't seen him since the wedding and have yet to even meet my future sister-in-law.  The one night we did a Skype with them while Mom and Dad were here, I was so prego-tired that by the time the call actually took place, I was in bed and fast asleep. 

And, as an added bonus, Matt and I will also be able to spend our first anniversary sitting in the shade under the tree where we were married last summer.

My iTouch - I had no idea what an iTouch was when Matt took me shopping for one.  Now I can't live without it.  It's a quick way to check email and surf the web and it's also a great way to play games.  I have an embarrassing number of apps...

This is a tower defense game called The Creeps! that Matt and play constantly.  By strategically placing weapons like ray guns and boomerangs you try to make sure the ghosties, vampires and other scary things (although there are other levels with space and underwater scary things) don't get to the scared kid hiding under the covers in the bed.  Sounds silly, I know,but it's fun.  For some reason it recently reset our games so we're starting all over again but neither of us really mind. 

I read an article a few weeks ago that made me realize that this little gadget it really going to come in handy come this fall.  It'll be perfect for those middle of the night feedings!  I can browse the internet, Facebook and, if I get a chance, tune in to the BBC iPlayer and catch up on a little television. 

My grey cotton yoga pants - I seriously wish I'd bought more than one pair of these last summer at Kohls.  I'll admit I kind of spent quite a lot of time in them before I was pregnant but now that even the jeans I have that still fit aren't really comfortable enough for all day wear...I live in them.  They're stretchy and comfy and will see me through many more months, I'm sure.  Heck, yesterday I had to walk into town to return a movie to Blockbuster and, after a few moments of deliberation and thoughts concerning the fashion police, I just threw on a jacket and left while still wearing my heavenly grey pants. 

Fresh flowers - Nothing cheers up a room more than fresh flowers.  These are my first Mother's Day flowers - pretty tulips that opened up nearly the minute I put them in front of a window full of sunshine. 

 

Lucy & Mina - My cats.  :)  One of the photos on my missing camera was of Mina in her usual spot - sprawled in my lap (with Lucy sometimes curled up on the couch beside us) - and, of course, for the first time today she's nowhere to be found so a replacement photo isn't going to happen any time soon.  I've read that animals can tell when you're pregnant and I think Mina is one of those who can.  She's always been cuddly but her cuddleness is in overdrive now.  She comes running from where ever she was lurking as soon as she hears me sit down and jumps into my lap.  Of course, this behavior could also be because I'm actually sitting down more often....

A good book - I've had a really good run recently when it comes to books.  I've actually been keeping a list since the beginning of the year and can't believe that I've yet to post a link to it here.  I just started reading A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler last night.  Tyler has written two of my very favorite books, The Accidental Tourist and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and makes me wish her characters were real people because I would love to have a long talk with Macon or have dinner with Ezra at the Homesick Restaurant.  I've not had this feeling with any of her books since but this one has potential. 

Stationary sets - Paperchase makes the best stationary sets!  This is one I bought yesterday and I can't wait to break it out later tonight.  We finally printed off photos of the baby from our 12 week scan to send to my grannies and, of course, I have to include a letter.  :)

Paper, envelopes, address labels and stickers.  I love the paper because the reverse side is always printed with a super cute design.  This set is especially cute because the paper comes in two shades - white and brown - and the designs are completely different.  So cute!

So I know I'm supposed to pass on this fun award by tagging ten people but, honestly, I'm not a tagger.  It's not that there's no one out there who makes me happy - if you're reading this, trust me, you make me happy - but I'm just not good at knowing (beyond a handful of people) who actually reads this blog.  But, like I said, if you're reading this, you make me happy and I'd love to hear what makes you happy, too!

*My experience promises to be nothing like The Pretenders song.  :)

First Nursery Project

Ugh, I'm having such a terrible allergy day that I had to break down and take a Singulair which is something I think I've only been forced to do twice since I found out I was pregnant.  Somehow my nose is managing to be stuffy and runny at the same time and I could just about fall asleep mid-sentence but I thought  I would take a minute to post my finished mobile. 

This would have been a breeze to finish if not for the part where you have to sew all of the tiny bits together.  That tedious part slowed me down a bit but yesterday I decided I was just going to sit down and finish it off.  I'm insanely happy with the end result and am now looking through my amigurumi books with thoughts of more mobiles!

More notes on the project here.  :) 

Baby Things & Silly Predictions

Baby burp cloths, baby blankets, baby sweaters...all things I'm currently working on for our little acorn.  And now a baby mobile for the acorn's room!

 

As I said over on Ravelry, I originally bought this cotton yarn to make a blanket but once I crocheted a few rows I wasn't happy with the way it looked so I frogged it and put the yarn aside, sure that I would find some other pattern eventually.

I few weeks later I found this pattern while flipping through the latest issue of Crochet Today! at WHSmith.  I don't think we're going to have any kind of theme for the baby''s room and, even if we did, this is too cute to pass up.  And it's perfect for all that brightly colored cotton yarn.  I had to order a lighter blue for the raindrops and white for the clouds but since I took this photo on Saturday I've finished the crocheting and just need to attach the rays to the sun and assemble all of the pieces into the actual mobile.  I dread sewing those rays on but I'll bet I could get at least half of them finished while watching Gilmore Girls here in about ten minutes....

So I've been speculating recently on the sex of the baby for the last couple of days. Mom and Dad were in New Orleans visiting Andy and his fiance, Elizabeth, for the jazz festival so we had a Skype chat on Saturday.  Elizabeth said that she knew from the moment my brother told her I was pregnant that we were having a boy.  That was my first instinct as well!  Since then I've also thought it was a girl (only because this Chinese Gender Calendar predicts a girl which put the thought in my mind) but now I'm back to thinking it's a boy.  I took this Old Wives Gender Predictor Test yesterday and the first page (the only one I can take as the others ask things about how you're carrying, the baby's movement, tummy shape, etc.) predicts 80% boy/20% girl.  These are all silly ways to predict the sex of the baby, of course, but it's kind of fun.  I even remember one of my great aunts dangling a wedding ring on a string over an aunt's belly to "predict" the sex - whether or not it was accurate, who knows?

We'll just have to wait until the middle of June to find out and until our little acorn arrives in November to find out for sure!

Aspiring to a LIttle Sunshine

Today's topic is to blog about a pattern you aspire to due to skills you still need to acquire or the dedication it takes to undertake a large project.  My project is definitely (and rather frustratingly) more of an aspiration out dedication and rather than skill.  I've never been very good at committing to large projects. 

This is the Sunshine Day Baby Afghan by Alicia Paulson of one of my favorite blogs, Posie Gets Cosy.  I've been in love with it since the first moment she showed us a glimpse. 

Image courtesy of Alicia Paulson

I love the soft crochet bubbles and the colors are so fantastic that I think I'd need to match them as closely as I possibly could as I just don't think it would look the same if it were done in another color scheme. 

When the pattern was posted on Ravelry in early February I fawned over it and, rather than adding it to my queue, I added it to my favorites.  It was pretty to look at but I didn't really have a reason to commit to making it.  Little did I know!  About three weeks later there I was holding a positive pregnancy test in my hands, calling out to Matt, "Hey baby, you wanna have a baby?"  

I guess it's about time to give up my instant gratification lifestyle because this blanket would be a wonderful little bit of sunshine for our little acorn's room!

If you'd like to read more from other Knit & Crochet Blog Week participants check out this link!

tags - knitcroblo2

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