hitting the road

We are getting ready to hit the road for a week long vacation. We will be at the cabin in Idaho with a couple days in Montana to visit the grandparents. Looking forward to a lot of swimming at the lake as long as the rain lets up and sun decided to come out again.

Once we get back it is a quick week before Daniel gets ACL replacement surgery and then Alena heads off to pre-school. I am amazed at how quickly summer how has passed and yet it feels like things are just getting started.

It's a...

baby with


BOY parts!

It took a good hour of ultrasound before we got the news but in the end there was no doubt that it's a boy. Alena's first reaction was "but I want a girl". This continued for the rest of the appointment and actually almost brought me to tears seeing how sad she was with the news. By bedtime she was in much better spirits and was happily talking about her brother. We are all excited with the news and are trying to wrap our heads around what having a boy will be like. Only a few more months until we get to meet him.

baby bump::reflection

It seems as if the first 11 weeks of this pregnancy went by so slowly. Maybe it was the decision to not tell others the news or maybe it was the constant feeling of nausea that was with me throughout the day. Whatever it may have been the last nine weeks have flown by. When asked what week I am in I often have to stop to think and even then can be off by a week. It is amazing the difference between the two pregnancies. Working full time was sure to make things fly by but really I had the luxury of getting home and laying on the couch by four in the afternoon each day. Now I find myself looking up at the end of a week and wondering how it passed so quickly. Between swimming, ballet, workout and playing with friends it's not that hard to figure out where the time has gone.

This past Wednesday evening after a long day of kiddo and an evening class I felt the baby move on the outside for the first time. At first it was hard to tell, I doubted and wondered but then a few minutes later it was confirmed. I was amazed at how reassuring that feeling was. It solidified things for me in a way that is hard to explain. The next day Daniel was also able to feel the baby and Alena tried, exclaiming each time "wow, she just did a somersault" even if nothing was happening. She just loves listening to the baby and being the translator for all of us as to what "she" is saying.

Early this coming Wednesday we are going to the Doctor for the ultrasound. We hope to find out the sex of the child [as long as everyone is cooperating]. With Alena we found out because of pure curiosity. Daniel's argument was that it narrowed his list of names to think about by half. But knowing in advance did not help us in picking the name any sooner. Alena was still without a name for the first 2.5 days of life. I am not sure knowing in advance will help narrow down our name options. I do think we will all be happy to know if its a boy or girl. I believe that Alena will have some major adjusting if it turns out the "she" is a "he" but I know she excited either way.

studio purge::knitting

I am a bit amazed that it has taken me ten years to get around to purging some of my knitting but it was time. after years and years of collecting, knitting, tearing out various projects, buying skeins at different sales with half ideas of what they might turn into I finally sat down last night to go through the inventory. I will admit that all of this was truly spurred on by the knitting group I get together with each Tuesday night. It seems as if we have talked about purging out stuff to swap for years and it is now finally happening. so tonight we are getting together with all the items we no longer want/need and I hope to come home with much less then I am taking. last night as I was sorting through my accumulated mass of yarn I found myself tearing out many forgotten and discarded projects. there were the typical hats and starves started and left on the needles waiting for me to remember them and then there was the lovely pinafore that I started for Alena when she was just months old. I remember thinking that I would make it big enough for a two year old being optimistic in thinking it would be done well before then. as is the case with many well intended projects it was put aside. looking at it I was a bit sad to take it out but really there was no way I would finish it even if this second child is a girl.


it was fun to be reminded of past projects as I looked through the leftover skeins from past projects and was inspired by the yarn that I wanted to keep. after going through the yarn I took inventory of my needle collection. I was actually surprised to find that I only had two sets of needles that overlapped in my whole stash. it was nice to see where the holes in my collection and I now have a nice grid mapped out of what I actually have/need.


so tonight I am off to rid my stash of a full duffle bag of yarn. the bag I have filled of yarn is the one I use for groceries and can get a good three bags wort of food in at a time. I hope that what I came back with is a bit less then this but really I am just excited to have get an evening of food and drinks with friends. I am proud that I now know exactly what knitting projects I have going. three things at a time is not so bad for me and really they are all for the baby so that can't be bad can it? now if only I finish them all before he/she actually gets here then I will be doing good.

7 years::no itch

It is amazing how time has passed so quickly. Things just keep getting better. I look forward to seven years from now and what that will bring. Daniel is the best husband and father I could ever ask for, thank you love.