Two more Chunky Knit Beanies, in the adult size this time. One is for me, the other for my mother-in-law. I’m working on one more for my sister and then I think I’ll have most of this lovely lemongrass chunky wool used up. I really am loving this pattern as well. It is just so easy!
Comments closedDear Evie,
Today you are eleven months old. As I make plans for your first birthday next month, I still can’t believe that so much time has passed. You are turning into a toddler before my eyes and all I want to do is make you slow down. As I celebrate each new accomplishment, I mourn the babyhood that you are leaving behind.
Each day it seems that you pop out a new word. I don’t always understand what you are saying, but you are saying a lot. You tell everyone “hi” with your sweet little voice either in greeting or sometimes just to get our attention. You call the dogs “bubba” and “bop bop”, our nicknames for them. I think you are also trying to say “brother” and you attempt to repeat much of what we say to you as well. The best part though, is when you sing with me. I love when you bust out with the “yayayayayaya” in the car as we drive home in the evenings.
You’re getting more mobile, even though you don’t seem to have much desire to walk yet (you crawl faster than I can walk anyway). You stand up and walk along the furniture quite a lot, and have even been seen letting go from time to time. I caught you standing in your crib one day with hands up in the air not touching a single thing. However, as soon as we try to stand you up to walk, your legs collapse as if they’re made out of jello. I know you’ll do it when you’re ready, but for some reason I’m just anxious to see those first few steps.
You’ve also been really starting to notice people around you more. You are starting to enjoy playing with (or at least next to) others. When your brother is around you always want to be right next to him and usually want whatever toy he happens to have in his hand at the time. That doesn’t always go over so well, but he is starting to get used to it and is learning to be a little more patient with you.
You also are figuring out cause/effect. For instance, when you push the buttons on the TV and turn it off you get a very big reaction. You think it is the funniest thing in the world, but daddy sure doesn’t. Even Zach has learned to tell you “No-No!” when you get near those fun little buttons. Today he picked you up and moved you away from the TV when you were about to go for a second round. You loved it when your brother lifted you up and you had a huge grin on your face.
A few weeks ago you got very sick. It all started with a cold. Then you got a stomach virus and the cold turned into a bad double ear infection. Amazingly it was your first ear infection ever. We spent days cuddling on the couch together while your body tried to heal itself. Even though I hated it that you were so miserable I couldn’t help but enjoy the cuddles. You are such a snuggler and it really comes out when you don’t feel well.
Next to your snuggles, I think the sweetest thing you do is when you give kisses. You either smack your lips together like you are blowing kisses or you just dive (open-mouthed) toward my face and plant one on me. I wish I could say I was the only one on the receiving end of that special token of love but you are quite generous with your slobbery kisses (just ask your brother!).
Baby girl, I don’t think I could ever tell you just how much you bring to my life. The love, the joy, the laughter that is now part of my every day life is so far beyond what I ever thought was possible. Watching you and your brother together makes my heart melt into a big puddle. No matter what the day brings my way, knowing that I get to come home and be with this family that your dad and I have created makes it all worth it.
Love always,
Mama
When I was in college I worked with developmentally disabled adults in a group home. It was there that I first really got interested in crafts. One of the ladies I worked with loved to crochet and after watching her for a while I decided I wanted to learn. I taught myself from a book, made an afghan, a couple purses and hats and then I pretty much quit crocheting. I picked up knitting a couple of years ago and haven’t even thought of crocheting a single thing since.
Then I came across the adorable Roselette Top over at Craftivist and knew I had to make it. I finally tracked down the pattern at Chez Plum and sat down with some soft cotton yarn and my crochet hook.
I absolutely loved making this! It was very simple and I cannot wait to put it on Evie. I did alter the pattern slightly and left the buttonholes off. Instead I used smaller buttons and was able to use the natural space between double crochet stitches as buttonholes. The whole thing only took me a few evenings (while watching TV) and I am pretty slow since I haven’t crocheted in years. I think I am more proud of this than anything else I’ve ever made. I’ve already bought yarn for the next one!
(And even though I didn’t plan it that way, it will be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!)
1 CommentTonight I sat down to do one of my least favorite tasks – paying bills. It didn’t used to be so bad. I sat down, sorted through the bills, paid what was due, and that was that. These days I have to juggle numbers and figure out what I can pay and what I have to push back until payday. The money just never stretches far enough. By the time we pay day care and buy groceries there just isn’t enough left over to pay everything else. The whole thing just depresses me.
Then I look at the beautiful faces of my kids and the depression all washes away. No matter what, the struggle is worth it. Everything I do is for them and they pay me back with smiles, laughs, hugs, kisses, and unconditional love. That’s worth more than all the money in the world.
As of last night we entered into a new realm in this parenting gig. The one in which my children want to exchange Valentine’s. We have done Valentine’s in previous years, but this was the first time that Zach actually wanted to do Valentine’s. It is the first year that it has meant anything to him.
I’ll have you know that I was prepared. There was a left over box of Disney character Valentine’s from last year that we forgot to use sitting in the file cabinet. I even went all out and bought a box of heart-shaped gummy fruit snacks for him to pass out to his friends. I thought for sure that was enough. I mean really, what do you expect from a 3-year-old? I thought we were doing good.
Then I picked the kids up from day care yesterday. Zach ran to the door to show me the Valentine he had received from one of the other kids (he handed them out early since he doesn’t attend on Fridays). Then he showed me Evie’s. This kid had handed out hand made Cars Valentine’s. Each card had a perfectly crafted Cars character on it with amazing details cut and pasted. I’m sure his crafty mom had a part in this but suddenly our store bought flimsy little cards seemed incredibly inferior.
I’m not the only one that noticed the inferiority of our cards. When I pulled them out to help Zach sign his name to the cards, he wasn’t happy. “But I want to make the cards, Mama!” Normally I’m all for getting crafty, but the 30 minutes I had set aside to prepare Valentine’s cards did not allow for making cards. I finally convinced him to settle for what we had but he was still a bit disappointed. I did at least get out some ribbon, hole punched the card and bag of fruit snacks, and tied them together with a ribbon. He found that to be acceptable and at the end was still excited to hand his cards out.
Whew!
Next year I think we need to start a bit earlier.
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