Ten months.

I missed the nine month post because of camera difficulties. That means I have a lot to report now that Leo is ten months!





* Leo has started bathing in the big bathtub. He is a huge fan and crawls and splashes around. His bad bath time habits include trying to drink the water and exploring his "manhood". With his love for water, it's no surprise that he likes the water park at the zoo.


*Count those teeth! The two bottom ones are fully in, and he's well on his way to having the top four.

*"Big people food" Leo likes to eat includes macaroni and cheese, cheddar cheese, green beans, potato soup, broccoli soup, bananas (he can bite them off), peaches, rice krispies, Cheerios, tortillas, rice, refried beans, bread, small bits of cooked carrots, yogurt, egg yolk (on the rare occasion that there's actually an egg around), black beans . . . he's pretty happy with almost anything soft and easy to mash up. He has eaten part of a french fry and a bite of cake, too, but both of these foods were snuck to him against his Mommy's will!


* Special skills include clapping, waving (which he JUST got the hang of), and picking his nose.

* The kid is never still. Ever. A true baby-on-the-go, he wants to be crawling or standing up and creeping his way from the couch to the table. Here he is crawling around at the Zoo.

Expressive.

I love Leo's eyebrows. He has recently learned how to manipulate them into some pretty serious faces. Like this one:


He's not really grumpy - he's just imitating the furrowed brow. This was Leo five seconds later:


Cute as a button.

Twisted!

Right now I'm feeling something like this . . .

Leo is perplexed.

. . . because of this . . .


How could I have knit eight and a half rounds of almost 200 stitches before realizing that I accidentally twisted the knitting when joining it in the round. Arugh!

In happier news, tomorrow the Finnish version of the Confection Baby Shrug will be posted!

By the way, I've added a poll to the sidebar. Please take it - I would love your feedback!

Cutie-patooties.

My sister took this picture of Craig and Leo on Sunday, and I just had to share it.

Almost!

I think Leo is confused about how the bouncy seat is supposed to work:


Between chasing around a baby that is now crawling like a pro and working on proposals for a knitting book and online magazine, I've been BUSY. I promise, I will be back to my blogging self soon.

Eight months.

Leo is officially two-thirds of a year old!



In the past month, he
. . . has learned how to say da-da with ferocity.
. . . began eating more "big people" food.
. . . decided to start doing the downward dog when he tries to crawl.
. . . has learned to love his play pen (because even though he isn't quite crawling, he's still mobile!)

I knew I'd eventually see it . . .

The light. At the end of the medical bill tunnel.

Sure, we're nowhere near being finished paying medical bills. But I just wrote the last check to one of the companies we owed, and it feels great. (Naturally, complications during delivery means more specialists and, as a result, more bills.) Perhaps that stimulus package will help make a bit more of a dent.

We still have a long way to go. But we're getting there.


A cute cowboy, or as my sister says, Brokeback Baby.

Bandana Baby

Easter 08.

Food:


and Family:


Here's a better picture of Leo in his new vest (a Shizknit original!):


Now, off to finish getting stuff together. Craig comes home today! I'm so happy about seeing him that I can't sleep - which is good, 'cause I've got lots of stuff to do!

Seven months.

Leo turned seven months old on the 14th.



Leo news of note:
- The kid is trying to crawl. He can go backwards, but forward is another story.
- His sitting up has improved to the point he can wobble around and still recover.
- Leo can whisper "da-da," but hasn't actually said it aloud yet.

My little baby is growing so fast!


Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Knitting Knews and Cute Leo!

I just heard about five minutes ago (over 24 hours since Craig flew from Miami-Brazil) that Craig made it safely there, so that's good.

Today I finshed about 3/4 of Leo's Easter sweater vest and hope to have FO pictures to share tomorrow! It's knit bottom-up in the round to the underarm and has a bit of fair isle. I'm making it up as I go and Leo's been really good about letting me try it on him. Y'know, I get a lot more knitting done when I have four other people helping me to take care of Leo! Hmm, if I can finish 3/4 of a sweater vest (granted, it is baby-size) in one day, I wonder how much I can finish while I'm here.

Here's the back. I just need to finish the front armhole/v-neck shaping and then finishing work.


I think I have a new favorite picture of Leo and I:


By the way, in the midst of all of the car crap, I mailed my Interweave submission. Now it's totally out of my hands - I hope the editors at IK like it!

leo's first trip to the park

Today was Leo's first trip to Cherokee Park. Amber is a nanny, so Leo and I joined her and the three-year-old she babysits for picnic/playground time.

Leo decided to try out the swings. He wasn't sure what to think at first.


Once we propped him up with his blanket, he realized that he loves to swing!


It's kind of like flying!


In other Leo news, today was the first day for green beans. Leo's not a fan - he'd rather smear them all over his face than eat them.

listen!

TODAY! Craig Wagner (a.k.a. my hubby) will be joining Ben Sollee in Cincinnati for some unbelievable music. Even if you don't live in Cincinnati, you can still hear them! Just tune in to Bearcast Radio (you can listen online) around 4:30.

If you DO live in the area, Ben and Craig will be opening for Kim Taylor at the Northside Tavern at 10 P.M.

Just doing my wifely duty and spreading the word about my man's gigs.



Check 'em out - Leo and Craig! Aww.

Picture time!

No, it's not the great post o'pictures. I took advantage of this icy day and cleaned out Leo's closet (which was amazingly cluttered despite the fact that he's only six months old) and caught up on laundry since Craig didn't have to work until 7 P.M. Still, the blog needed a little Leo.




Grandparents spoiled Leo on his first Valentines Day with a book and teething toy! (The book is a suspense-thriller).

I also wanted to touch base and let those waiting on packages know that between being totally busy yesterday and today's crap weather, I haven't gotten to the post office yet. Don't worry - they're coming!

Now, back to laundry.

(By the way, the pro of cleaning out Leo's closet - my sewing machine is now free from the pile of clothes and knitting paraphernalia that was on top of it. I can't wait to try my hand at a rice pillow, like Erin made, and -eek- very simple curtains for our back room.)

What a stud!

Leo -- home again.

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This is your last chance to enter the contest! The next (and 100th!) post will name the winner!

Inside a knitter's head . . .

First of all, about the CONTEST! In the last post I wrote that there were seven posts left until the contest was over. I was wrong - this is the 95th post, which means only five more until I reach 100! Keep those entries coming, people! And thanks to everyone who has stopped by so far.

Now, for the meat of the post.

If there were some way to surgically peel back my skin, crack open my skull, and take a gander at my brain (all the while keeping me alive, of course), this is what you'd see:



My brain is a hodgepodge of all sorts of things, all either knitting or housework related.

Like corndogs. Ever since Rhonda of Bad Knit Girls lamented over the lack of knit corndog patterns in the world, I've had this need (not a desire - a need) to make a knit corndog. I actually wrote out a pattern (sort of) and just need to knit it up to see if it works out. But I refuse to knit anything else until I finish T.Lynne's shrug and lingerie. (By the way, see my knit stuff on WHAS 11 Friday at noon -- more details to come).

And then there's the exciting news of a celebrity endorsement in the works. Want a hint? See the picture above - these two are amazing. (Okay, I pretty much flat out told you.) This means as soon as I'm finished with T.Lynne's stuff, I must get to work on something for a Celebrity Cruise that the aformentioned "pimpers of Shizknit" are hosting. What I'm making for the Cruise also happens to be one of many prototypes for the Event Design Emporium, which is opening this month.

Then, of course, there's the question of a knitting machine. Should I get one? The more cost-effective one or the better quality one? I've already decided that (after paying to renew the tags on my Jeep) my earnings from teaching classes at my LYS will go toward a knitting machine - I just need to figure out what direction I want to go in. I must admit, the knitting-purist side of me resists buying a knitting machine, but the get-things-done side of me thinks it's a very wise decision.

Then there's the home stuff. I have so much guilt about the house not being very clean . . . it's not dirty like filthy, just far, far too cluttered for my taste. My husband's patience is beginning to wear thin (I'm surprised it lasted as long as it has) and I don't blame him. I've been too preoccupied lately; if it's possible, my brain is more cluttered than our living room! My project for the week (besides finishing T.Lynne's stuff) has been to set up payment plans for all of our outstanding hospital bills, which is a drag. After I feel all crappy about that, I take refuge in the knitting (which needs to get done anyway) and things like making the bed get neglected. I do cook every day - usually twice a day - so that's one housewifely-duty that I'm not falling down on!

This whole blog post, and I've yet to mention the big, important Leo news: he's getting a tooth! I offically felt a little tooth in his mouth yesterday. For those of you that don't have children (and don't stick your hands in the mouthes of strangers' children), a baby tooth that hasn't emerged yet feels sort of like a needle. No wonder Leo's been kind of cranky - I know that has to hurt.

Okay, that's it. Now back to knitting!!

No Sheep for Leo

It's sad, really . . .

On Saturday Leo started developing a rash, which I assumed was due to the fact he had been eating squash. (I tried squash before, and Leo broke out a little). Sunday and Monday went by, and the rash remained. Then last night, Leo starting scratching like crazy and I knew it was time to call the doctor. What started out as a bit of pink on Leo's face ended up little pink bumps that felt like sandpaper all over his entire body.

It turns out that Leo has eczema. He's had dry skin since day one, but the squash probably triggered a full-on outbreak. The good thing about eczema is that most babies outgrow it by age two; we just have to keep Leo slathered with a steroid cream and various moisturizers and give him some Allegra. The bad thing is that it means NO WOOL.

That's right. Though Leo's outbreak was triggered by yellow vegetables, wool can exacerbate problems with eczema. The doctor said that eczema never really goes away, it's just better sometimes and then it's worse sometimes. To keep Leo's skin clear, not only can he not wear wool, but I'm going to have to start keeping my yarn in a covered container.

This leads to all kinds of questions (all of which popped into my head post-doctor visit): does this mean Leo can't visit the Knit Nook, which has hanks and hanks of wool? What about if Craig or I wear wool? How about wool blends, like Cashmerino? Does this mean no alpaca?

Luckily, Blue Sky Cotton is one of my favorite yarns, particularly when it comes to baby stuff. Leo's poor little skin (particularly his tummy area) looks so bad, it's enough to make me use wool sparingly.

Sweater Vest Test

Oh, yes. Very fly.

Now for my to-do list:
* Pack Leo's food, clothes and bath stuff for a week
* Knit Logan's Christmas gift
* Pack Craig and my clothes for three days
* Wrap presents
* Pick up a few things at Costco and fill up with gas
* Pack up presents according to destination (Craig's sister's house, my parent's house, my maternal grandparent's house, my paternal grandparent's house)
* Load the car with our luggage, presents, Leo's bouncy seat, diapers, my knitting, the mando, probably a guitar . . .

The holidays really shouldn't be this much work.

Butts and Buttons

First, a picture that will serve me well when Leo is older. Y'know what I'm talking about, the mandatory nudie picture. Here ya go!



And . . . actual knitting content!



You may remember the Debbie Bliss Argyll Slipover made from the soft Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Leo is finally big enough to wear it! I made the six month size, and Leo is now four months old, if that gives anyone an indication of how Debbie Bliss sizes run. Though I started this vest in April, I still have to weave in some ends and buy buttons for the back.

I also need one huge button for the Robin's Egg Blue Hat, which I started and finished yesterday as a last minute Christmas present. I dug into the stash for the bulkiest yarn I have on hand, which happened to be Lamb's Pride Bulky in Blue Magic.

The picture above is pretty crappy; the light here kinda sucks at night. I REALLY wanted to wake up Leo so he could model the vest for you, but you'll have to wait to see it in action.

Now to knit one last Christmas gift -- nothing like waiting 'til the last minute, eh?

A not-so-great first

Leo is sick. Luckily, it's just a bit of congestion, but it's enough to make my normally bubbly, happy baby into a grouch. I don't blame him; he doesn't understand what's happening and I'm sure his throat hurts. Still, we got no sleep last night because Leo kept coughing, which meant he kept crying, and today he's been alternating between screaming and whimpering. At least I got a couple of smiles out of him, but the poor kid just doesn't feel well. He's going to the doctor Monday (I was not going to risk going out with him on those roads -- he doesn't have a fever and it's not an emergency; a bit of sickness is preferrable to an accident). He's finally taking his first nap of the day, which means I can (at last!) get some things done.

In knitting news, I have a new pattern! It's a hat, and I'm about ready to start the decreases. When I'm finished, I'll share it with ya.

Until then, BE CAREFUL if you're out driving -- if the rest of the city is like our street, it's very slippery.

Later, taters.