I just need to get to the tree!!!

I remember as a child the longest night of the year. Christmas Eve. The day itself was long but the night was pure torture. I would go to bed and lie there, my thoughts going crazy in a tumble of places. I wasn't asleep so if Santa got here, would he really leave because I was awake? If not, would he be scary and would everyone hear me scream? If he came and I was asleep, what would he leave behind? Was it the blue two-wheel girl's bicycle I had asked for? Would it be coal like my Uncle Darryl got when he was a kid because of all the bad things I had done over the past 12 months? I would lie there, hearing my sisters, who shared one room across the hall, whispering and would long to cross the hall and join them but didn't dare chance it. After finally falling asleep, I would wake up several times during the night. Sometimes I would cross the hall, wake up the sisters and we would slowly creep downstairs, past Bill and Kay's room, and peer into the kitchen....yep, cookies were eaten!!! Then we'd creep further, into the living room and see, yep, stuff is under the tree!!!

Every day and night are Christmas Eve for me right now. I just never get to the tree. Just waiting and waiting with so much excitement and anxiety. Everything is ready and done. Nothing to do but think about it. It's now 8 days past my due date. Will the Wee One ever really get here? Is this all a dream? Did I just gain a lot of weight, mostly in my tummy region and maybe there is no Wee One after all? Nature Boy and I joke and sigh and I break down at times. There is not much else to do. I have tried all the natural induction methods (except for castor oil and evening primrose oil) known to man by now and all I can say is they are hogwash! Someone is somewhere laughing at all the women who are trying these things knowing full well they don't work. I have meditated on being "open;" I have read a Native American birthing story to the Wee One aloud whilst lying in the bath. I have had many talks with the Wee One, from encouraging to pleading to threatening the Wee One they are grounded already for being so late. So far there has been no response.

The midwife just called to confirm tomorrow's appointment. HA! Oh how I long to call them and be all, hi I'm in labor now...

Here are some shots of the Garter Stitch Kimono for Wee One:

It's flying along but I fear I will be soon running out of yarn. Always happens to me with garter stitch, I forget how it just sucks up the yarn as opposed to stockinette. I am going to knit the entire sweater in this neutral color and once Wee One gets here, will select another color to crochet around the neckline, sleeve edges and bottom edge with. Most of Wee One's wardrobe is very neutral, it will be exciting to pick out something a bit more bright and personal to them once they get here. Wee One can't live in my uterus forever, right?

I finished a knit project...no really, I did!!!

It's finally finished-behold, I bring you Nursing Wrap:

I finished her yesterday, then washed her up this AM and she's drying on the line in the fresh air. Oh crap, now what to knit next??? I've got about 3 good options so far in my noggen, thanks to Ravelry as always. Now to go look at my stash and ponder what calls to me first.

In other exciting non-knit related type news, more wonderful suprises came to me last week! Nature Boy and I received a gift certificate to our favorite restaurant from a far-away friend to help us escape our kitchen. Then, one of my sissies sent me this:

It's a Sony Webbie camcorder and camera in one. Pretty cool baby gift, huh? It's really small and for goodness sakes, it's orange!!! The Wee One is going to be immersed in orange-ness, aren't they? Orange nursery, orange clothing, orange video camera...I hope they like it; I was immersed in yellow by Kay as a wee one and must say, developed quite the aversion to yellow for it. Don't get me wrong, I like yellow ok, just don't want it on any of the walls in my home, or to drive a yellow car or to wear a lot of yellow. It's nice on lemons and flowers though. Goldfinches and canaries too. Yellow labs and pretty cute. That's in my mind where yellow belongs. So Nature Boy and I have been taping nursery tours for out-of-town family who have yet to see it in person. Until the Wee One gets here, then the taping will probably only feature one little star in this big universe. Can't wait!!!

The Passing of Time

Seymour, our giant rose plant, looks fantastic this year! He hasn't gotten to the little shop of horrors stage yet where he takes over the whole front porch, he's just nicely blooming everywhere right now.

I brought some blooms inside and coupled them with some sweet pea's from around the estate grounds. They smell so good!

Staying on the olfactory scene, I sewed up some little sachets for the diaper pail. I just made some pockets from scrap fabric, stuffed it with some plain fabric I have tons of to serve as batting, then sewed them closed and stitched over the top to quilt them. I plan to put some drops of essential oils on them and toss them in the pail; they can be washed with the diapers and reused again and again. Not sure how well they will work but will give it a try...

Something yummy also happened recently. Lemon Bars! I used the recipe from Veganomicon but switched it up a bit...here's my version:

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup Earth Balance

some water

Mix up the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then cut in margarine with a fork. Add some water to make it like a pie dough. Press into a greased baking pan, prick with a fork and bake at 350 until golden brown (mine baked about 40 minutes). Let cool.

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup water

2/3 cup lemon juice

lemon zest from one lemon

1/4 cup soy milk

3 T cornstarch

In a saucepan, stir the water and sugar until boiling; continue to stir until sugar dissolves. Add the other ingredients, bring back to boiling and stir while boiling for another 3-5 minutes (should be thick now). You can also add some tumeric or yellow food coloring if you like. Let cool for a few minutes, then pour over the crust. Chill in the fridge for 3 hours or until set.

The recipe also calls for a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar on top of the bars before serving but these were plenty sweet enough for me. You can do what you like.

The nursing wrap is entering it's final stages; hopefully soon I will have a photo to show it's been completed. I'm already thinking about what to knit next; crazy, huh?

Sanity

This is the only thing helping me keep it together. I make a list every day of things I need/want/feel compelled to do. Otherwise I think I would end up sitting and staring at the wall and dreaming all day long, unable to calm or make order of the jumbled-up thoughts in my head. This was yesterday's list. I have yet to make one for today. It's 5AM, I've been awake since 3 and up out of bed since 4. I guess this is part of the Nesting Phase stuff they talk about, right? Hopefully that means Wee One will soon be here...

The Good Life!

Where do I even start? How do I speak of all the wonderful things that have happened lately? I'll do it chronologically from last week...

Last Monday (Memorial Day) I made this vegan cake:

It was yummy and I was smart enough to freeze half of it, for the "Wee One Afterparty" --meaning for when we come home from the birth center and have Bill and Kay here and need to eat something good and fast!!

Wednesday, my lovely, sweet, kind, thoughtful, giving and just awesome co-workers suprised me with a bag of Wee One fun! There were clothes, in organic cotton. There was organic vegan baby shampoo and diaper cream. And there were two books for the Wee One's library. Let me say I only worked with them about 6 months and was blown away that they got me anything, much less hit the nail on the head as to what Nature Boy and I love. I can't say thank you enough!

Then Thursday, oh my! More co-worker suprises! A homeade chocolate vegan cake, balloons and a homemade card for my last day. I left work that day very excited to start this new journey into "Stay at Home Mom-ville" but sad about leaving such good people behind. I got home and Nature Boy and I ate, then rushed off to our last birthing class, where we graduated. Now if labor would just start....

Friday!!! Friday was my first official not-going-to-work day. I made a list of things to do because I felt so overwhelmed when I woke. I did some cleaning and organizing. When I came down after my shower, there was a package at my doorstep--here's what was in it:

A beautiful hand-knit sweater and the cutest darn hand-knit bunny hat you ever saw!!! How fitting that there should also be books in this package; it came from my dear friend Reilly, the librarian! I can't wait til we can dress the Wee One in all the Wee One finery and ooh and ahh over the absolute sweetness. Reilly, thank you so much, all the gifts will be treasured indeed!

The weekend came and went in a blur. I finished a needlework project, then hung it on the wall in the nursery:

I made another pair of pants, this time from a Pittsburgh Pirate's t-shirt:

I made a bag for the ENORMOUS pile of blocks Nature Boy has made for the Wee One. I think I need a rope for the tie, only had very thin hemp or ribbon around the estate, will need to replace it:

We watched some Penguins hockey and hoped the next game would be better....we took a nap, we weeded, we grilled some yummy food and ate. We got to the store for some last-minute things. We packed the Wee One's diaper bag and clothes. I made some vegan cookies. That was the weekend with Nature Boy.

So yesterday, another Monday. Another list, with errands checked off. Managed to get a package out to a friend overseas. Sterlized bottles and breast pump equipment (oh my....). Stocked up on my favorite incense to take with me to the birthing center. Another midwife appointment.

And today? Cleaned the first floor of the estate (I'm too tired to do the full house like I normally do). Baked a vegan poundcake for strawberry shortcakes tonight. Laundry. Selected some music to take with us to the birthing center. I think I am ready. I think these will be the longest days of my life!!! I guess I can get back to knitting on the Nursing Wrap soon...until I think of something else that needs to be done before the big arrival...