in the works

I'm working on a new pattern.  Well, a few, but one is closer to completion.  I know the yarn that I am using--I just need to decide on the right color and then work up the sample.  I was originally picturing a pale pink, but then the yarn artist added a gorgeous deep purple to her colorways.  I am such a sucker for purples!

Once I have one finished I will be looking for a few test knitters to make sure the pattern makes sense to everyone else.  

It's a little cardi for girls.  Nothing too fussy, but definitely girly.  A quick knit and will likely be available in sizes 6 mos up to 3 yrs.  And I need a name.  Hrm...

ohmygosh!

Holy Crow!  Is this cute, or what?  And it's only 15 bucks!  I need this. 
Felt Camera Case

bitty bump

So I had two skeins of Riddermark Merino for a few years and just never happened across the right project.  It's not a lot of yardage because the yarn is bulky, and I couldn't find a hat or mitten pattern that felt right. 

One day, while searching for something or other on Ravelry, I happened across a pattern called Bitty Bump and I immediately thought of those two pretty skeins.  And the blues and greys in them look gorgeous with Zinnia's eyes.  The pattern is a small baby size, but was easy to modify up to a 3T.  It used about 1.75 skeins.

Bitty Bump by Gina Bonomo
Riddermark Merino by Three Irish Girls in Arctic Circle colorway

It was a super fast knit and I'm pleased to have finally found the right project for this pretty yarn.

Christmas wishes

The other day we gathered up the kids' Christmas lists and I was surprised (and excited) to see one of Ben's requests.  Along with Star Wars Legos and a pillow pet:

a light blue knit hat with matching mittens

That's my boy.

I had a skein of Shalimar Honey Worsted hidden in my stash that would be perfect.  His coat is brown, so I added a few brown stripes to tie it together. The mittens will be the brown with stripes of blue...that way they won't show dirt as easily.

The pattern is Cashmere Ribbed Hat from Fig and Plum.  I've knit this hat more than a few times and the reason I love it so much is the decreases.  So pretty!

Now, who has Legos on sale?  

Pippin!

If anyone is still out there, I am thrilled to announce that my first pattern has been published! More later about the process (I am mentally exhausted!), but in the meantime, please check it out!

Pippin

tickled pink to announce...

Zinnia Pearl
December 5, 2008
8 pounds, 2.7 ounces
20 1/2 inches

perfect.

it's a new day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHWByjoQrR8

best Mother's Day gift. Ever.

Friday morning was Emma's vcug and the surgery worked! No sign of reflux on the x-rays at all! The beginning of the test was not great, with Emma remembering the last one and being very tense and upset, but once the catheter was in it was all coasting. We still have to get the official news from her urologist, but the results were obvious. I nearly burst into tears when the radiologist said it out loud. She will have a follow-up vcug in about a year just to be sure nothing has changed. We got home and happily poured out the rest of her antibiotics. It's over.

In other news, Ben's appointment last Monday was a good one and we were both very happy with his new opthamologist (we jumped through hoops to switch from one at Children's to another, and it was well worth it). The patching has made some improvement and he can now patch five days a week instead of seven. In three months we'll go back and check again.

I hope all of you moms out there had a wonderful day.

waiting for next week

On Monday Ben will have his first follow up appointment since we started eye-patching. I'm not sure if I ever talked about that here. This past fall, after not passing his routine eye screening at the pediatrician, we found out that he is extremely far-sighted. Added on to that, the two eyes have very different degrees of far-sightedness, which means that the better eye was doing all of the work, causing a lazy eye, although not the kind you can see from looking at him. They appear to work together, but his right eye was basically just hanging out. So he got glasses and two months later we started patching the good eye for 1-2 hours a day, to force the weaker eye to get to work.



On Friday Emma will have her VCUG to find out if the surgery worked for her left side. We are going back to the private radiology place where she had her first one done because the last one at Children's was much harder than the first. I'm feeling optimistic that it will be good news. Hopefully that won't jinx anything.



And a Lydia pic...just because. Oh...that knitted top she is wearing is the little Debbie Bliss dress I knitted for her while I was pregnant. She wore it her first Easter as a dress, a second spring/summer as a shorter dress and can now wear it as a little top.

one hurdle cleared, one to go

Yesterday was the ultrasound to check for blockage and everything looked good. We were able to see the mounds that they made on each side of her bladder and it was apparent what the surgeon meant when he said that the second one was "good, but not great." The one on the right side, from the first surgery, was shaped like a little half-circle, flat side down. The left one, from February's surgery, looked more like a round of dough. Sticking up, but more flat. But hopefully that will be good enough.

Her vcug, where we will find out if the surgery was successful, is scheduled for the morning of May 9th. For that we will return to the radiology place where she had her first one, because it went so much smoother there than the one at Children's in October. I have great expectations that we will get good news.

We had a little scare on Friday when she went to the health room at school, complaining of a headache. No fever at that time, but within two hours it was 102, so we had to go in to be sure it wasn't a breakthrough UTI. The good news is that it's strep (odd to say strep is good news). So now she's taking amoxicillan for ten days in addition to the suprex she has been taking since last spring. Man, I can't believe that, as of 3/15, this will have been going on for a year.

update

Copying and pasting from an email I sent out to family last night.

We're home from Children's. Emma's surgery was scheduled for 2:30 but
when we got there at 12:30 they rushed us through check-in because the
patient scheduled before her was rescheduled.

It took a little longer than last time and the surgeon said that the
site was totally flat and showed no sign of having the procedure done
before. He then said that he ended up having to use double the amount
he used in her September surgery and that it looked good, but not
great. Gah. Not exactly what we wanted to hear, but last time it
looked great right afterwards and didn't stick, so maybe good will be
good enough.

Emma came out of anesthesia really well--not as much confusion as last
time and is comfortable as of right now. We expect that tonight will
be uncomfortable, as last time, but hopefully not as bad since she
knows what to expect.

And, as of this morning, I am happy to say that she has had far less discomfort than last time. Yea! Now we begin the one month countdown until the ultrasound to be sure the deflux doesn't cause any blockage and then two months later for another VCUG to see if it was successful.

Oh, and you know what she chose from the gift shop?

love note

found on the mirror yesterday morning

surgery tomorrow.

Insomnia tonight, as expected. Last time Emma's surgery was in the morning but this time we've drawn the 2:30 slot. Luckily she can have clear fluids (and jello) up until 10:30 am, which is when we will leave the house and head to Children's. We should get there in time to make a quick trip to the gift shop, one of her favorite spots there (along with the cafeteria and the smoothie stand in the lobby).

Emma's teacher suggested that she might want to keep a journal and, because she loves to write, she is. The thing it has confirmed for me is how little she thinks about it all. The very first entry has a list of good things and bad things about the surgery, but beyond that, each day only mentions it in her countdown at the bottom. The rest is filled with talk about how much she loves her art class, how she isn't great at volleyball (which her class is doing in p.e. right now), but she thinks she's getting a little better, my friends coming over with their delicious babies (more about that in another post), and other regular stuff. The same things her journals have been filled with for years. It does my heart good to see that.

So by this time tomorrow we should be finished with reflux. Knock wood, crossed fingers, sending up prayers like you wouldn't believe.

Emma's current favorite picture

p.s. Thank you for the birthday wishes for Lydia...and, yes, she is still very much Fireball. Heaven help us, she is.

two. too fast.