"Blooming Great"

Today was John's first day of preschool. I have been so anxious about it for weeks. I just wanted to have it done and over with. I've never left John with anyone in months. Before that he was only left with a babysitter (usually his grandparents) a few times. He is VERY mommy-oriented. He doesn't like me to leave his side unless he is very comfortable in a place. This is exactly why I signed him up for preschool. Anyway, today was his first day.

I made sure he started the day off with a healthy breakfast (glass of milk, bowl of cereal, banana). I even photographed it (although the quality of the breakfast was much better than the quality of photos due to my lack of flash--must get a new camera!).


As we discussed his day at school, John showed some excitement. However, whenever we talked about me leaving him, he would decide that he'd just stay home and play. We finally left the house with his new Diego backpack (what he settled for when we couldn't find Elmo) and his new red lunchbox (which he wanted to dig into right away).


We got to school and John, Norm and I walked to his classroom. He seemed both excited and anxious. I knew that I had to handle the whole leaving thing like I would handle pulling off a band-aid: I had to do it quickly to make it less painful. After giving John one last pep talk, I gave him a big hug, said good-bye, and turned and walked away to the sound of him screaming and crying. It was awful!

I brought Norm home and cleaned my bathrooms while Norm napped. Yes, time to myself and I cleaned--I can't believe it myself. Anyway, the hours went by quickly and before I knew it I was on my way to pick John up at school. I got there a little early and parked the car to wait for 1:00PM to arrive. I could see John out on the playground. He was playing and having a good time. I was thrilled!

1:00PM came and I rushed inside to get John. I was greeted by this:

And a smiling, happy little boy. He had only cried for 5 or 6 minutes before giving in and having fun. I'm so excited! In fact, I'm blooming great!

Knitting Mojo in Overdrive

Well, I'm knitting again and I am totally readdicted. I am making good progress on John's rainbow cardigan. I have 1 1/2 inches of stockinette stitch on the body and then 2 inches of ribbing. Then I just have to pick up stitches and knit the button band. Hopefully, I'll have that finished in the next week.

Meanwhile, I'm reading Knitalong by Larissa and Martin John Brown. It's my first new knitting book in a long time. I was ordering some books as gifts from Amazon and had to spend a little more to get the free shipping--so I treated myself to this book. It's one of the few knitting books I've read cover to cover (about 20 pages to go) and I've really enjoyed it. I can't wait to try some of the patterns including:
Socks 101 (finally I'm going to make some socks)
Pinwheel Blanket (should be something in my stash I could use)
Meathead Hat (hope mine can be as cute as Julie's)
The Pillow of Sei Shonagon (thought it would be cute to use the words of a children's book and give to a child)
Entomology Hat & Mitten Set (fun use of colorwork)
Eden Scarf (don't think I'd wear it, but looks like a fun pattern)

I've also found some adorable knitting patterns on etsy.com including these baby socks/mocs for Norm and these farm animals which John would love.

I'm also working on a bunch of other craft projects including "loveys" for some new babies (2 finished and 3 in progress), a baby book for Norm, a pillow for Norm's room, a wedding present for a good friend, and a custom framing project for some pictures I want to put in my guest room.

Meanwhile, life goes on. Norm is officially sleeping through the night (probably just jinxed myself for tonight--oh well). He still wakes up once a night on some nights, but is able to put himself back to sleep. Yay! He's also discovered his feet and loves to grab them.


John had his meet-the-teacher open house at preschool today. His teacher seems really nice and I think it will be a good match for John. Right now there are only 5 students in the class and John is the only boy. They are trying to get another boy to fill the 6th spot. We will see. I had to leave John for 20 minutes for a meeting with the director and he cried off and on the whole time I was gone. Hopefully, Thursday, his first full day of school (9AM-1PM), will go better. Hopefully I won't cry too much when I leave him. I'm really anxious about it, but know this will be good for both of us.

Off to do a little cleaning and then some crafting. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Photo Update

John and Norm after bathtime.Norm with his favorite toy: an elephant from Aunt Cat.
John making a painting for Brian.
His masterpiece (a wolf) almost complete.
Norm showing off his tummytime skills.
John and Norm hanging out together.John had an itchy eye during a fingerpainting session.He got really excited when he saw his reflection in the mirror.On Friday we met some new friends at a park and fed the geese.We also fed the ducks.And a turtle.By the time we left, all the water animals were full, but these birds were kind enough to eat the end of John's crackers.

Ought Snought

I'm knitting.

I'm almost done with the second sleeve.

I'm crafting.

for Norm's room


I'm even trying to sew.

a "lovey" for a friend's new baby


I'm reading a novel.

I'm meeting my neighbors.

I'm trying to raise money for a cause I hold near and dear.

I'm trying to decide on a new bag.

I'm blogging.

I'm enjoying my new house, the neighborhood playground and the neighborhood pool.

I'm acting like Norm is sleeping through the night--which he is--sometimes.

I ought to be cleaning.

I ought to finish the last bit of unpacking.

I ought to be sleeping more.

Ought snought. I'm tired, but I'm having fun!

Help Needed

Back in July I went to the beach with my family. My brother, John, and his wife, Shelley, brought Shelley's cousin, Tara, along to help out with their triplets. Tara, among other things, is an on location sales rep for 1154 Lill bags. They are custom-made bags and they are really cool. Ever since I leafed through Tara's huge duffel bag of fabric, (they have about 150 changing choices of fabric) I have dreamed of owning my own bag. I decided that with my saved up birthday money I was going to buy my own custom bag.

I quickly settled on a design (the Andi), but have labored over what fabric to choose. I'm a woman obsessed. I play with their website all the time, building virtual Andis. I patiently wait for new fabrics to show up and get sad when others disappear. I must decide soon so I can get a little more time back in my life to do little things--like laundry.

Anyway, this is where you come in. I need help. Here are pics of some of the Andis I have designed. I need your opinion. Please let me know which one(s) you like best--and why. Please!!! I need help. I want a bag. I just don't know which one.

Andi 1: El Yunque with Mocha Basket Weave
Andi 2: Moroccan Tile with Carrot Cake

Andi 3: Flocked Floral with Carrot Cake


Andi 4: Cerulean Breeze with Mocha Basket Weave

Andi 5: Turning Tulips with Kelly Green


Andi 6: Emerald City with Yellow Stone

Please break your silence. Please let me know your opinions. Thanks!

Definitely Bitten by the Bug Again

I am definitely bitten by the knitting bug again. Everywhere I look I see something else I want to knit. Check out this little cutie knit by Ashley. You can buy the pattern here. He must be added to my WIP (on the brain) list. So adorable!

By the way, I got a chance to stay up and knit last night and finished the first sleeve of John's sweater. And Norm was sweet enough to sleep from 9:00PM until I woke him up at 7:30AM. Yay Norm!

Turtle Lover?

All turtle lovers must check this out:
Sheldon

If you don't knit, find someone who will knit it for you. So cute!

P.S. I have vowed to knit at least 20 minutes every night. Knitting mojo is mine again!