Tuesday, January 24, 2012

At least it wasn't a shoe...

Payton made quick work of her new Christmas clearance dog toy. At least it wasn't another shoe...

Monday, January 23, 2012

Growing Up

More signs that my boys are growing...

J has his first loose tooth. He woke us up at 5:30AM yesterday to tell us.

N started writing his name on his artwork and it is actually recognizable as his name.

So excited to see them growing up, but a little bit sad too. Any other mothers feel that way?

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Nourish

I gave my boys this "Veggie" Mac n' Cheese tonight. I am desperate to get J to eat some veggies. So I thought I'd try it. 1/2 serving of vegetables is better than nothing right?

It smelled and tasted like broccoli to me (although it is actually made with cauliflower) and I was afraid they wouldn't eat it. However, they both ate it just fine. In fact, J had two large servings. Maybe if they keep eating this, they will develop a taste for broccoli and cauliflower. It's worth a try.

I'm tired of feeling guilty about my boys' picky/unhealthy eating habits. I dream of them eating lots of veggies and fruits. Someday...

For now, it's a start.

Did I mention that my "word" for 2012 is nourish. Trying to nourish my boys' bodies and spirits one day at a time.

Finished: Folded

I finally finished Folded, a fun sweater pattern by Veera Valimaki, that I have been working on since the end of August! I can't believe it took me so long to knit this sweater. For the first few months (September and October) I had very little knitting time due to J's new school schedule and various Halloween-related crafts including making Halloween costumes for B and I.

Since then, I haven't had a good excuse. I had some real issues with the sleeves--but not all the sweater's fault. I knit my first sleeve 4 times. The first time, I misread the pattern and forgot to put in the increases. The second time, the sleeve just felt too tight. The third time, I changed the increase placement but still felt the sleeve was too tight. Finally, on my fourth try I moved up a needle size (to 4s for ribbing and 6s for stockinette) and did the increases earlier. Details on Ravelry.

Anyway, I finally finished knitting the sweater in December, but left it waiting to block and ends waiting to be woven in until after I finished knitting the pieces for my sister's Ripple Cardigan. I ended up blocking both at once and then finishing this one. I am still seaming the cardigan.

I wore my Folded sweater on Sunday and like it a lot. The fingering weight yarn makes it nice and lightweight. After blocking, it has a really nice drape to it. I like the simplicity of the stockinette stitch with the little bit of added interest the folds at the center above the bustline add.

Pattern: Folded by Veera Valimaki
Yarn: 3 skeins of Araucania Itata Solid (fingering weight, 70% super wash wool/ 15% silk/ 15% bamboo, 100g, 430 yd)
Needles: Size 3 body ribbing, Size 5 body stockinette, Size 4 sleeve ribbing, Size 6 sleeve stockinette
Size: xs, 32" bust
Mods: Changed increases for sleeves. Knit sleeves on larger needle. Made sleeves bracelet length. Added 3 rows of 2 x 2 ribbing around neckline to keep it from rolling.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Monday, January 2, 2012

The Best Christmas Present Ever

N is 3 1/2 years old (actually 3 years and 7 months old). He's been wearing underwear since last February (before he turned 3 in May). After a few weeks into it, he did great. He's rarely had accidents. He was quickly great at going pee in the potty and keeping his underwear dry and clean. He only pooped in his underwear twice.

However, in those 10 months, N only pooped in the potty 6 times. The rest of the time he held it until bedtime or naptime and pooped in his diaper. If we pushed him to poop in the potty, he would just hold it for days at a time. This really stressed me out.

As the months went by with no progress, I started to despair that he would never decide to start pooping in the potty. I tried bribing him with toys and candy, but nothing worked. I kept telling N that all I wanted for Christmas was for him to poop in the potty, but he never responded and I assumed it was yet another thing that wouldn't make a difference.

But then a Christmas miracle occurred. On December 23rd, N pooped in the potty. AND he's been pooping in the potty ever since. Not a single poopy nighttime diaper. 100% of poops in the potty. It has finally happened. Everyone said it would, but I honestly didn't believe them.

This is most definitely the best Christmas present ever.