Sweet Dreams: Easter Style

He wasn't supposed to find this til Easter morning....oh, well...

I made the bunny using this pattern.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of the double pointed needles!  There are more itty bitty bunnies in the works.  They are about as addictive as the stars.

Flutter By

Today was dreary, gray, and cold...a combination that I call perfect for staying inside.  But, a certain little munchkin's insistent pleas to go "see de flowers!" coaxed me out of doors (only for brief intervals).  The rest of the day was spent playing with trains, reading books, doing enormous piles of laundry, and making butterflies.  The original plan was to make a butterfly wreath. Ha! The minute Levi saw the wreath form that I cut out of cardboard, it instantly became a race track. So wish I had a picture of that! So onto the walls with the butterflies.

Hmmm...there might have been some coloring on the walls involved....

Today

The weather has been rather fickle lately...how very March like of it.  Today, however is perfect.  Perfect temperature, perfect sunshine, perfect Springness.  In fact it was the perfect day for a bit of flower picking.

Happy Weekend!

A Possible Obsession

It's a good thing Levi loves stars because I'm totally hooked on making these...

They work up super quickly, and turn out so cute.  I'm thinking baby gifts for sure!!  Today I started using my Ravelry account for more than just looking at other people's projects, so you can see my project notes here.

Thinking Back

This pregnancy is so very, very different from my pregnancy with Levi.  But, there's one similarity that I cherish.  Both of these munchkins kicked on the same week....lucky number 14.  I think with Levi that would have been around May or early June.  I had been awake for a few minutes, but I was still lying in bed enjoying the way the light was pouring through the window.  The stillness of the morning was so very nice....and, then I felt this flutter like a butterfly had been let loose inside of me.  I thought for sure I must be imagining things, but I felt it again.  I knew it was him in there.  Floating around and kicking to his hearts content.  If I had to make a list of unforgettable moments in my life this would be near the top...right behind the first moment I laid eyes on my sweet little boy.  

It wasn't long before the flutters turned to full fledged kicks and then to complete acrobatic workouts.  Oh. my. stars.  This child could not have moved any more than he did.  He was almost never still, and I loved every moment of it....okay, I didn't love the hiccups, but other than that movement was bliss.

Now we're on to baby number two.  Where does time go?  This one's movements took me by surprise.  I thought for sure I wouldn't feel this little one so early.  I mean, really, what a fluke to feel them at 14 weeks!  But, then, one day, I was sitting at the computer browsing through blogs, and oh. What was that?  Sweetness!  Little tiny baby flutters. 

Sigh.  I just love it.  I've felt those fluttery kicks once more since then.  I wonder if s/he will be a mover like big brother was.  I hope so.  With all of the differences I hope this one thing stays the same...minus the hiccups.  Poor Levi was plagued with them even after he entered the world.

When did you feel your babies move?  I'm so curious. 

Sweet Dreams

I've fallen behind on the Levi sleeping with strange objects posts, and it's probably going to stay that way.  Generally, now that barefoot munchkin #2 is on the way, I crash as soon as he does.  But the other day, Levi insisted on taking a bag of raisins to bed with him.  I couldn't help but glue my eyes open to take a photo of this one.

My suggestion to put the bag of raisins away was met with:
Shrieking.
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
More shrieking.
Then a slightly calmer, "I take them night-night."
Me:  "Well, alrighty then."

Moving Right Along

Levi is in a bit of a funk today...which seems to be the way things go after visitation.  So far we've spent the day doing a whole lot of nothing...exactly what we needed.  My dad brought us lunch which was a welcome distraction, and Levi is currently napping.  Hopefully, he'll wake up funk free.

Anyway, on to happier subjects.  We had some downright beautiful days last week, and hopefully the strange chill in the air will subside and give us some more!
Stephan and Levi have taken to hunting for worms and beetles under leaves and rocks.  On this particular day (I think it was last Monday) they only found a few teeny worms.

When Stephan isn't around or when the worms hide from them, Levi will peer down at the exposed earth and shout, "Worms, Worms!  Where are you?  Worms?  Are you hiding?"
When this second one gets here I'm not sure I'll be able to stand all the cuteness that two munchkins produce!!  My heart might burst.

Waiting For Six

That whole idea of a productive weekend was shot.  Instead I opted for retail therapy....and, even maybe some junk food indulgence. Today, I'm still in my pjs.  I'm thinking a hot bath and some crocheting are in order as I count down the hours till my little guy gets home. 
When I say that I opted for retail therapy, I'm talking about a whole entire day of it.  However, unhealthy it may be, shopping does at least provide distraction.  I did indeed go to garage sales.  After I hit every garage sale in town with no luck, I stopped back at the house to pick up Stephan for a quick jaunt to an estate sale then off to work with him.  After a morning of lucklessness I was glad to stumble upon a large frame for only $2.50!!  I have plans to make a chalkboard out of it for Levi. 
After dropping off Stephan, I headed out for the thrift stores where I also found a whole lotta nothing....so unusual.  Don't go thinking all this lucklessness was ruining my day or anything.  I still enjoy browsing through piles of stuff I'd never in a million years want in hopes that maybe just maybe I'll find some lovely treasure.  I know I'm not the only one of my kind out there.  Going through junk is fun, right? ;)
Oooo....I almost forgot, I rediscovered a flea market.  I know.  How could I "lose" it in the first place.  Really, I thought it wasn't around anymore.  I'm not usually in that area on Saturday, and the past few times that I was I didn't see anything going on.  I figured it had just fizzeled out in the last few years.  But, y'all it was hoppin' yesterday.  There were vendors out the wazoo.  I definitely want to take Stephan back there.  They had loads of stuff I think he would like.  As far as what I bought...not much.  Mostly I just enjoyed browsing.  I did pick up a fabulous wooden firetruck for Levi.  Because he so needs another fire truck.  Ha.  He'll be thrilled though.  Even if this does make it his 3rd or is that his 4th fire truck?   And, there was a sweet couple selling empanadas, which are a kind of meat pie.  I got the chicken.  It was super yummy.  They fry them right in front of you and have different dipping sauces available.  Yum.  I told you.  It was a junk food kind of day.
After all of that, I still didn't feel like going home and staring at walls or attempting to busy myself, so I kept shopping. 
I just hit the regular stores.  Oh, except for the consignment shop on the way to the "regular" shops....cute maternity pants for a whopping dollar!!  Score.  I actually found some pretty fabulous deals at Hobby Lobby and Target too.  I had been looking for summer clothes for Levi all day to no avail.  Luckily Target had some cute stuff for super cheap since the thrift stores were such a flop.   And, at Hobby Lobby, I finally found some curtain fabric for Levi's room, and it was on sale! 
Overall, it was a nice distracting day.  Then I got home...and it hit me that I'd have to spend one more night without my kiddo.  Uck.  I'm not liking this.  Thankfully, there's only a little more than 6 hours to go.  I can't wait.

And It All Makes Since Now

Thank you, Chelle, for directing me to this awesome site.  I was totally doing the whole double pointed needle thing all wrong.  Somehow I ended up with good results, but the dpn video (found here) just made the process so much simpler.  Happiness on a cloudy day!  Yay!  Oh, and for those of you wondering how I could manage doing it all wrong in the first place...haha...I am so incredibly good at that.  Reading instructions kind of makes it to the bottom of my list-o-things to do.  I know.  I know.  One day, I'll learn.  It's so much simpler to take time to read the instructions, but I get in a hurry and just barrel along.  Ah, well.  What can I say?  I like the scenic route.  Now I know how to double point knit and how not to.  Although, both methods work...one is just more complicated.

And, thanks for everyone's sweet comments all this week....about the baby! and the baby bump and the icky weekend.  Y'all are wonderful!

P.S. Thanks also for all of the advice on the header.  What do you think of the new one?

Ick, Ack, and Ugh

Levi is off for his first full weekend visitation.  I'm trying to convince myself that I should do something productive.  First, of course, I'll have to convince myself that moping about the house all weekend is not productive.  I've tried to prepare myself for this all week.  I made a keep-myself-busy-list in my head, but now I don't remember any of it.  I think it had to do with crafting and some home improvement stuff.

I had plans to go to some garage sales tomorrow morning.  I'm taking Stephan to work, so I'll at least have the car.  Hmmm....I'm slowly talking myself out of actually getting out of bed in the morning.  Oh. my. I was finally sort of kind of getting used to Levi being gone for the one night.  I was at least capable of getting a few things done while he was away.  Now it has to go and change up, and I'm back to being Miss Mopey.  I feel like I'm missing a major appendage when he's gone.

Sigh....

Okay, snapping out of it...sort of...at least pretending to.  What was on that to do list?......

If I can find my crochet needles, I might make this.  Levi is nuts about stars.  He'd pretty much think I hung the moon if I made him one.

Oh, speaking of needles, I forgot to update y'all on the double pointed needle adventure.  It was a success...mostly.  I mean I used them.  A hat was made...and it actually looked good.  Unfortunately, I'm terrible with instructions, so the hat was a miniature of what it was supposed to be.  Darn that gauge!!  If this munchkin is a boy, he will have a hat.  If it's a girl, I'll slap a flower on it, and she will still have a hat.  Levi, however, is without a new hat.  Oh, well.  It's Spring...no need for wool hats.  As far as photos go...sorry.  I've meant to take one all week but haven't.  Maybe next week.

So, wish me luck on the whole productive instead of mopey weekend thing.  M'kay?  Does a hot bath, pajamas, and blog reading count as productive?

Spring!!

This is the only bit of Spring in our yard.  Me thinks we need to plant more!

On another happy note, I felt the baby move yesterday!  I just love those first fluttery thumps.  Although this pregnancy is super different from Levi's, the two bambinos are the same on this.  They both kicked at 14 weeks. 

The Baby Belly

I should probably be embarrassed to post this because I'm pretty sure that at 14 weeks this is not what I'm supposed to look like.  But, honestly, I'm so happy to be out of the "Gosh, she sure has gained some weight" stage and onto the "There's definitely a baby in there" stage.

So, here we go....baby under construction in a house under construction...gosh I hope the house gets done first!

Whoopsy!

I am not a hairdresser.
It's sad but true.
This story should prove it once and for all.

Levi's hair was getting really, really long.  His bangs were beginning to grow into his eyes.  On Monday, he kept shrieking, and saying, "Wuz wong wid my eyes?!!!"  Followed by intense eye rubbing.  I figured something had to be done.  So, like any crazy decent mama I grabbed the only pair of scissors I could find.  They were children's craft scissors with purple handles....sorry kiddo.  
This was the result...

Hey, at least the hair is out of his eyes now. 
Nanno is coming over on Thursday to fix the disaster.  Lucky for her, I stopped at his bangs.  This mama knows her limits.
I still think he's pretty darn cute even with the bad do'...

Miscellany

Please excuse the following randomness:

:: Spring is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am so very, very glad.  I've had enough of winter and cold and dreary and ick.  I am pleased as punch over the daffodils and wild flowers popping up all over.  Have I ever mentioned that I love, love, love Spring?  Possibly, once or twice, huh? Well I do.

:: I've finally bitten the bullet and started that hat.  Okay, so really, I started a hat for Levi...not Stephan...sorry, Babe.  And, yes, I know winter is over, but it seemed to be the easiest way to conquer my fear of double pointed knitting needles.  The pattern I picked is a rolled brim hat from this book.  It seems easy and straight forward....we'll see.  The first part uses circular needles, which I've used before, so they aren't so scary.  I have about two more inches to go before I have to make the switch to the dreaded double points.  Oh. My. Wish me luck!

:: Thank y'all so very much for all of the lovely comments and congrats on my Surprise, Surprise post.  Y'all made my week!  This pregnancy is definitely different from the last time...in some very good and some kinda not so fun sort of ways.  Morning sickness (although I had a rough go of it for a little while) is nothing like it was with Levi.  It's much much better.  With Levi, I lost 8 pounds in my first trimester.  With this one, I'm rapidly expanding...at a scary rate.  I promise I'm not overeating, and I've pretty much entirely nixed refined sugar.  Like Erin, I'm blaming it on muscle memory.  I think I'm more tired with this one though.  And, my eyes, oh, my poor eyes.  They are painfully dry.  I wear soft contacts, and frequently fall asleep in them.  That's so not an option anymore.  If I fall asleep wearing them they are practically glued to my eyeballs when I wake up.  I didn't even know until a few days ago that was even something that happened during pregnancy.

:: I have loads of crafting plans for this little bambino....now, if I could just shake the fatigue and get started.  I'm really excited about not finding out the sex of this little critter, but I'm not so excited about the impact that has on crafting.  There are some uber-girly baby items that I want to make...you know, just in case, but I wonder if it's kind of silly to do that.  Especially since there are a whole lot of people in my family with a whole lot of boys. We'll just see what I have time and energy for.

:: An update on my uncle...the swelling hasn't yet gone down enough in his foot and ankle for the doctor to do surgery.  The poor fellow is having to sit or lie down all day long with his foot propped up.  They'll know more on Monday about when surgery will be possible.  So, please continue to hold him in your thoughts and prayers.

:: I'm sure there's more that I intended to write here, but Levi just woke up.  He has now climbed into my lap and is telling me all about the zoo and elephants. 

Have a lovely weekend!!

A Lovely Day And An Installation Of Sorts

We've had a rough couple of days.  The weather has been dreary, and me spending yesterday in a foul mood certainly didn't help.  Apparently the mood was contagious because Levi woke up with it this morning.  It seems to be a one day thing, so hopefully he'll shake it.  Actually, I've got my fingers crossed that he'll shake it by the time he wakes up from his nap!

But, Monday was really lovely.  We spent loads of time outside and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Levi has taken to driving sticks into the ground next to our driveway.  He's created quite a cool little installation out there.

We also found a little something in one of those sticks....an egg of sorts?  I'm sure we've essentially killed it by removing it from the stick...sorry, little dude.

Hope y'all are having a grand week...with less dreariness than us.  I do think I spy some sunshine peeking through my window...wouldn't that be swell?

Surprise, Surprise!

In Levi's words:

"Des a baby in der.  When it comes out we gonna hug it an kiss it

an change its diaper!"

~All said while grinning and pretending to change its diaper on my tummy.

That's right...barefoot munchkin #2 is headed our way.  We are over the moon excited, and a tad nervous that I'll be giving birth in a construction zone.  Oh, do renovations never cease?!

So, for inquiring minds here are the stats:

Due date: September 10 or 11...I can never remember which.  Blame it on pregnancy brain.

Sex: We aren't finding out, so your guess is as good as mine.  In case you're wondering everyone around here thinks it's a girl, so it will probably be a boy.  ;)

My Belly: Rapidly expanding but more in an "I've gained 10 pounds round the middle" kind of way...not the cute baby belly bump kind of way.  Sigh.

Sonograms: You won't see any, because unless there's an emergency we won't be having any.

Planned Location for Birth: Home! :)

Caregiver: A wonderful midwife named Norma.

Yay!

Totally Addictive

In my web wanderings I happened upon this incredibly addictive site.  Here's what I've spent way too much time doing lately...

You have to try this!

Opinions, Please

If you click through from your reader very often you might notice that I have trouble leaving well enough alone around here.  I tend to change the look of things a tad more than I probably should.  Friday, I found myself with some free time.  Of course, I spent it playing around with buttons and headers.

Yes, there were about a kazillion other things that I shoulda been doing, but I didn't.

Buttons and headers were calling my name.

So, here's the thing.  I hit on something that I really like.  Buuuuut......Stephan doesn't like the header, and my mom doesn't like the whole darn thing.  Sigh.  I'm not at all offended, but I am wondering if my judgment might be a tad off.  Maybe all the household renovations and being stuck at home for days on end while Stephan works ungodly long hours and I have no car....maybe....just maybe all of that is affecting my head and my sense of pretty.

It's possible.

Here's where you come in.  I want to know your honest opinion.  Do you like it or not?  I'm not going to be offended if the answer is "no".  Heck, if I can handle the resounding "no's" from my family then I can definitely handle yours.  So, tell me..."Yay" or "Nay".

P.S.  I don't promise to make any changes based on anyone's opinions.  I just want to know.  In the end, I'll weigh the opinions with how much I still like it, and we'll see.

Happy Sunday to you!

Edit: Thanks for all of the great feedback.  I did end up taking all of your advice and changing the header a bit.  Better/Worse?

Photo Surprise

My friend, Martha, sent me a lovely little surprise email with photos from the wedding.  She's actually the first friend to email pictures...hint, hint...I saw all those cameras flashing.
Here are a few of my faves...

The cake was very special to me.  It's a pile of made-by-my-mama cream puffs.  I have fond childhood memories of her making giant cream puffs.  The funny thing is that she probably only made them two or three times in my life, but, boy, did those memories stick like glue!

I'm so glad to have some snow eating photos!!  Levi was hilarious about the snow.  He still talks about his snow.  "Where's my snow?"  Followed by a sad voice, "My snow gone."  Awww.  And, to think, it's highly possible that he might not see snow that sticks for a few more years.

.

Oh, and, yes, he did wear those galoshes down the aisle.  He's worn them every day for about a month now.  They are two sizes too big for him, but he totally doesn't care.  He also screamed all the way down the aisle and during the first part of the ceremony.  My dad convinced him to relinquish his death grip on my hair by telling him he could go outside.  Martha's husband, Bob, took over from there and helped him make sculptures with sticks in the snow.

Thanks, Martha!

Double Oh. My.

My wonderful uncle who just finished installing my beautiful bedroom floor decided to fix my roof as well.  He found some messed up patches while he was blowing leaves from it yesterday.....
.
.
.
He went outside and onto the roof. 

I unloaded and loaded the dishes.

Levi sat by the living room window watching. 

There was clattering and thudding...but, I didn't think anything of it.  I've heard clattering and thudding all week.  Then I heard, "Madeline!!"  Still unconcerned, I walked to the door.  My uncle is known for his pranks, so, quite honestly, I wasn't at all startled to see him lying on the ground.  He didn't look hurt.  Even when he told me he'd fallen off the roof, I still thought he must be joking. 
But, oh, no.  He wasn't joking.
He fell feet first and broke his leg.  He also hit his head.  Luckily the head injury wasn't too bad...other than producing quite a knot.
He wouldn't let me call 911 which was of course my initial reaction once I realized this wasn't a big prank.  Instead I got him ice, got Levi dressed, and hunted down a neighbor to help me get my very bummed up uncle into the truck.  What a way to meet the neighbors, huh?  I think a batch of cookies is in order!
I finally got my uncle to the ER.  They were very quick about getting him checked in and seen to.  Falling off the roof pretty much guarantees prompt service.  After an x-ray, they determined that surgery would be necessary, but the swelling has to go down first.  He is currently on his way home to rest before the surgery.  So, prayers would be appreciated.  It sounds like he has a pretty rotten few weeks ahead of him.  We are all just so glad he's doing alright.
And, just because I'm a proud mama:  Levi was such a trooper through the whole thing.  He was so calm and did everything he was asked to do.  I was, quite frankly, a tad surprised...especially since it was lunchtime and he hadn't eaten yet when we hit the road.  Not to mention nap time was looming.  But, there were no meltdowns...just sweetness...exactly when it was most needed. He kept asking about Uncle Larry the rest of the afternoon..."He fell?"  "He had go to de hospital?"

Oh. My.

We're renovating.
.
.
.
Sarah from Pea Pilly Bean recently described moving rooms as being "a bit like placing all members of the family in a blender and pressing ON." 
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.
.
That is exactly how I feel.  We've pressed ON, people, and now I can't seem to find the OFF button.

Luckily for us, my uncle is in town for the week.  He is an awesome and generous fella who has decided to bless us with his incredible handyman abilities.  I wish I could show you my new bedroom floor because it is looking truly fabulous.  However, in all the moving and renovating I can't find the little gadget that goes into the computer and loads your pictures onto your computer.  Yeah, I should at least know the name of the little gadget, but I don't.  That makes buying one online a tad difficult.  And, since I am without a car for at least another week, then this blog will be pictureless for a while. 

Sigh. 

I am so looking forward to having at least one room finished.

Note to those of you considering renovations...be organized.  Don't attack the entire house at once.  One room at a time is much, much smarter.  Ah, well, live and learn.

P.S.  If you want a good laugh, imagine me at Best Buy explaining what "gadget" I need.  I'm sure I'll have them rolling their eyes all the way back in their heads as I "describe" what I need.