Driving for the hoop....

That is what the baby is doing. I have exactly two weeks until my due date, and the last few days he has been so active, trying to push down that it is kind of funny and scary at the same time. It is endearing, but then you don't want him to come too early. Again, he kicked where the ultrasound monitor was placed on my belly. He always makes the nurses and doctors laugh. My son will have the protective instinct from the womb. :)

One of the things that is so frustrating right now is finding baby products that do not contain bisphenol-A (BPA). Baby bottles are easy, it is the teething rings and other gifts people gave me that are hard to tell. Some you just have to check with manufacturers or guess by how soft or hard the plastic is. For those of you in the same predicament, this link is good to use. Between this and lead paint in everything from China, what the heck are parents supposed to do nowadays? You are basically left with cloth items being the safest toys to use. I guess that is good for a knitter.

I have worked a little farther along on the Baby Surprise Jacket, but not much farther. My back has really acted up this week, so I have been focusing on chores and getting my back better. I was so happy to hear my husband say this morning that he feels this weekend is "...going to be a nesting weekend. I feel like I need to nest." Yay! Hopefully I won't have to remind him 10 times to do the chores we need to get done! :)

If it wasn't for the baby...

...I would have given up by now. Pregnancy makes me stupid. As in, I can't follow directions for anything other than assembling baby gear. (And thank goodness I can manage that, as my husband cannot. He has NO patience for it.) I had to frog back the Baby Surprise Jacket *yet again.* Someone shoot me now. I managed to catch back up to where I was today, sitting on the back porch and knitting in the nice weather. It is too hot for a pregnant lady to be in the sun, but the shade was not so bad.

I also managed to make it up to the Northwoods Fiber Farm sale. I bought some plain old cascade 220 in hopes of finally doing a Noni bag pattern that I bought back at Stitches East, and some Manos del Uruguay in lilac/lavender color to do a sweater vest for myself.

Edited to add: And thanks to my fellow veterans. Thank you for your service to our country. I will never forget you.

I just have to say...

...thanks. It is so nice that my different knitting buddies have been so positive and supportive to talk to about the pregnancy. Especially the NwAnon group. It is nice to be around other women who are positive mommy role models, and who give positive advice. It truly means alot to me to be surrounded by optimistic people.

I have to admit that I am really lucky and have not ran into TOO many negative people, but there are some out there. Like the woman who told me that children never get better after the newborn/infant stage. Yah, thanks for that one. Thanks for making me feel like I am sentenced to prison for 18 years. And then other people who (alternately) complain strongly about their kids in private, but do nothing but laud them in the public arena like they are saints. Which is it? I know it is both, but don't act like it isn't. I know I didn't always make my parents smile. :)

I don't know, I guess it is hard for me to understand because I tend to be an optimist. Even when things are really cruddy in my life, I don't stay sad for long.

Ring Momma Administrivia: AlaskanKnitters RingSurf

I hate to be a negative ring momma, but I had to finally crack down and delete some sites out of the ring. This is because for days, weeks or months now, these websites have failed to carry the ring code. If you are interested in rejoining the ring, life is simple:
1. Add the ring code back to your MAIN blog page.
2. Request to be added back into the ring.

Alright, easy then, huh? And if you need help, let me know. The only thing is, I am about 3 weeks from my due date (I am pregnant), so I may not have the speediest response time anymore. Just be patient with me. :)

In the interest...

...of full disclosure, I forgot to say in my last post that things have also been just crazy IRL (in real life).

Family issues, vehicle issues, etc.. So that is another reason why I have been away so much. I have to take time out to handle family issues and to handle business. I know you all understand what that is like.

When will these crazy winds die down? I need to clean my back porch, but it is no use if the wind is just going to blow the red clay dust back into my face! :)

I will be volunteering at Paris Mtn Park tomorrow, for Music in the Woods. The concerts are free with admission into the park. Come, hang out and knit!

One month to go...

...until the baby (should) be born. It is so hard to believe I just let time slip by so much between updates for my blog. But I have had to realize in the last few weeks that I need to slow myself down. I am so freakin' independent and headstrong that I am always trying to do so many things. But my body is telling me, woah. I was getting nauseous just grocery shopping today (after other errands of course). But it is getting tougher and tougher to get stuff done.

In the last few days, I can feel the baby starting to push his head down (the beginning of lightening). It is right on time, according to baby websites.

A friend of mine in one of my knitting groups told me about the hooter hider. So I am going to try to make one. Let's hope my sewing curse does not rear up.

I did finish DH's socks in time for his birthday. I have put away my camera so it is ready to go to the hospital. Let's just say he was thrilled. He has waited WAY too long for those. AND I have frogged back the EZ baby surprise jacket for the 7th time or so, and it is slowly going. It is hard to knit as often when my most comfortable prone position is to lay down on my side.

The nursery is pretty much done. It is time to put away the power tools and set up the lamp and air purifier. :) Maybe then it will be picture worthy.