Visitors

I just love this picture of JK and John. They both seem so content and happy. John looks like JK, they have the same nose, the same mouth, the same smile, the same chin. It is adorable. The only thing that Baby John has from me is his healthy appetite and dark hair. Although his hair is changing and becoming lighter as the week progresses.

JK, John and I received 41 visitors while we were in hospital. We felt very loved. Here is John with my youngest nephew, David. He is so excited to have someone younger and smaller than himself. He pointed out that very fact to us all.

James, my second youngest nephew also came along on the visit, as well as Rachel, my neice, and Andrew my nephew. They loved John.

Suze dropped by and we had a fun time chuckling at how they had just managed to squeeze the baby shower in.

Caleb, JK's nephew, had been excited all month about John's arrival. He kept asking, "When am I going to get my cousin?" He was a bit miffed when he did finally "get his cousin." His reaction was, "It moves."

JK's sister, Emily (Caleb's mom), was so happy they were in town for the birth. Emily, Greg and Caleb have been living in Cyprus for the last 3 (?) years and are in the midst of moving back to the States. They were visiting until August 28 and were hoping John would come early. Their wish was granted.

My dad dropped by several times and seemed really pleased to have another grandson.

JK and I decided we had choosen the nicest pediatrician ever. She dropped by every morning and answered all of our questions and explained so much to us. She even showed JK how to diaper John because John just happened to "poop" while she was there. What is with this baby and pooping?

My two sisters came by Sunday afternoon (we didn't get a pic of Em holding him -- sorry Em). John is Heather's first nephew or neice on the Winslow side. She seemed to be very pleased to become an Aunt.
Mom and Dad Wall were Baby John's first visitors (my mom was with me throughout labor, per my request, and so I didn't count her as a visitor). They were so excited and pleased.

JK and I have found we love showing John off -- I guess that makes us normal parents?

Baby John's Birth

Well, for those of you who haven't heard, Baby John arrived Sunday, August 23 at 7:31 am. Saturday morning Heather, Emily and Suze hosted an amazing baby shower for Baby John and me. I had such a lovely time. Check out the full story here.

I had contractions and cramps throughout the shower but as I went home and put my feet up things eased. I made dinner with and we watched a movie and around 10:30 pm, I went to bed. A huge, painful contraction brought me fully awake 30 minutes later. I sat bolt upright, panicing a bit from the intensity and then a felt a trickle. That brought me fully out of bed and running to the bathroom. My water had broken and started to trickle .... John was coming.

I managed to wake JK and he held me tightly as I cried -- Baby John was 2 weeks early and I was a bit nervous about him coming early.

I labored at home for 5 hours until I went to the bathroom and wiped away something green -- Baby John had pooped. At that point my doctor wanted me in ASAP.

Once in the hospital they checked me to see how far I was dilated and felt..... a baby's bottom not a head. Once they brought in the ultrasound it was clear, what I had thought was John's bottom all these months was his round little bottom. I needed an emergency C-section. Because I had eaten dinner the night before we had to wait 2 hours. I was thankful. I needed some time to adjust to the fact I was going to have a C-section.

After a few tears and some very kind words from my husband, my mom and the nurses around me I managed to joke, "Well, I guess Johnny found the john." We all burst out laughing. (He had pooped directly over my cervix.)

JK had to get dressed up for the occasion. I thought he looked very scholarly in his "garb."

Very happy parents at 7:31 am -- it was worth it all. It was hard to wait to hold him. I cried as soon as I heard his little scream -- I just couldn't believe it all.

I was so happy when I got to hold Baby John. All of a sudden the intensity of the last 8 hours melted away.
Baby John is a very good nurser which is a good thing. He was born weighing 5 lbs 12 oz but lost weight so that he was 5 lbs 4 oz. By the time I left the hospital he had nursed so much he was beginning to gain a little weight, something the nurses said rarely happens in the hospital. (Tonia -- recognize the hat? He wore it all the time in the hospital because it was the only hat that would stay on him. Thank you sooooo much!)

30 minutes after the C-section I hemorrhaged terribly. They had to clear the room while the nurses worked to stop the bleeding. Again, another terrifying moment. Over the next day and a half my hemoglobin dropped in half and I had to have two blood transfusions. I felt better after the transfusions, but I'm still anemic. They say it's going to take a while to recover.

I'll share more pictures later. In the meantime I am working on a tiny pair of socks for Baby John whenever I get the chance -- friends and family have been searching for preemie clothes but they are hard to find -- especially socks. Baby John is in desperate need of tiny socks.

Ishbel

I finished my first Ishbel and now I know what the excitement is all about -- it's really fun and fast to knit.
This one is not for me -- it is a gift. However, I think I need one too.... =)

Pattern: Ysolda's Ishbel Shawl
Yarn: Spud & Chloe Fine/Sock in Popcorn
80% Superwash Wool/ 20% Silk
248 yards
I used approximately 1.5 skeins for the larger sized shawl.
Needles: US # 6

Hair Update

Thank you so much for writing in or emailing me and letting me know your suggestions for hair salons. It was such a big help. I have written them all down in my daytimer so that I'm never without an option again.

I ended up going to Allure Salon because it was really close to my house. Thank you, Anita, for the suggestion. I LOVED it.

The decor of the salon is adorable and the staff was extremely friendly. I love how they wash your hair -- they bring you into a dimly lit room, give you a warm towel to place over your hands for relaxation purposes and then really massage your head. For a girl who suffers from frequent headaches it was a dream come true.

Chang Sanders was the stylist who cut my hair and she did an AMAZING job. I was really impressed. My hair is hard to cut because it is so thick. If it is not cut correctly it looks like a bird's nest. She texturized and thinned and cut until it lays absolutely perfectly. (I'll have to post a picture as soon as I can find someone to take a pic for me).

If any of you would like to try the salon they gave me some cards which would give you all 10% your hair cut or color -- just let me know and I can pass them along.

Again, thanks for saving the day for me!

Baby John's Room

Baby John's little room has been ready for quite some time now, waiting patiently for his arrival.
His little crib is all fitted out with his newly washed bedding.

My comfy nursing chair is ready with my favorite lamb skin in preparation for those cold nights ahead of me. The pillow says, "Now I lay me down to crash!" A very appropriate gift from Nancy!

His changing table is ready -- complete with diapers, diaper cream, and all of his bathing items.


His little dresser is full of his newly washed clothes, his receiving blankets and his toys.

I can't bear to put away his cute little knitted hats. There is one missing -- a sweet little one from Tonia, which is packed in his diaper bag, ready for the hospital.

Mr. Donegal is waiting in his crib -- ready to welcome our little boy to his new home.

My mom painted some beautiful watercolors for his room. Here is Mrs. Ducky sitting patiently on her nest. I feel much like Mrs. Duck right now, my nest is ready and waiting, I just have to keep my little one safe and warm until he's ready to arrive.

Mrs. Sheepy, standing protectively over her little lamb...

And another one of Mrs. Sheepy with her lamb peaking out at the world. My mom knows I love sheep and all things woolly.

Bobby continues to sleep under Baby John's crib in the morning. I'm going to have to make sure he still gets a lot of hugs, walks and treats once the baby arrives.

Knotions Magazine Preview

Knotions Magazine has it's preview up! There are some beautiful designs and knits I'm eager to cast on. One of them is my Bramblewood Vest! It's a fun, top-down vest with a cable up the center front and a cable up the center back. I-cord edging finishes off the neck edge, sleeves and bottom ribbing for a more tailored look. AND, of course, there is gentle shaping on the sides for our female hips.

I'll post some more pictures and tell you about the photo shoot once the pattern goes live!

HELP!

Well, folks, I need help. I am sooooo fustrated. I just received a letter from my hair salon saying that the stylist who cuts my hair quit. I wouldn't be too upset by this but this is the second time in a row that this has happened with this particular salon. I have decided I'm not going back.

The first time this happened I dutifully went back and finally found a stylist I liked. Now, I receive a letter saying that she has quit -- four days before my next appointment. Something must be wrong with that salon for it to happen two times in a row. I have never had this happen before.

I called another salon this morning but they don't employ a front desk clerk. You have to call back a zillion times to leave voicemail messages in everyone's box to see when they are next available. Can you imagine that!

So, do any of you in Indianapolis have any recommendations for places to get your hair cut? Oh, the joys of life, isn't it funny?

Sunday Afternoon Picnic

Sunday JK and I took a picnic to the Art Museum gardens. At first we almost canceled, due to the 90 F weather. However, we decided to give it a try and found that the shade of the old oak trees was cool and inviting. We had a lovely time and promised ourselves we would do it again, even with Baby John. It was so relaxing.

We took a walk through the shaded paths after lunch to admire the dense gardens.

I loved inspecting their "orchard garden". They have created a wonderful fruit and veg garden in the space across from the green house. It gave me ideas for my garden next year.

I could not believe the towering heads of these sunflowers. They were huge and made JK and I look like dwarfs.

It was a wonderful afternoon. If you haven't been on a picnic in a while, try it! It's absolutely wonderful!

Broad Ripple Farmer's Market

JK and I headed off early Saturday morning for a fun outing. We're trying to tuck a few of those "special times" in before the baby arrives.

I adore farmer's markets so we set off to the Broadripple Farmer's Market.

The first crop of apples had arrived at the market. The scent of sweet apples wafted up to you as you stood over the bins and selected your apples. They were crispy and sweet! Oh, the joy of an approaching autumn....

Flowers were abundant....

I got such a kick out of this sight. This dog sat patiently and moved his head back and forth as his owner and the stall manager talked. It looked as if he could really understand what they were saying.

Beautiful harp music serenaded us as we shopped...

The sunflower selection was amazing!

And the veg was at its peak!

Not to mention the flowers.....

At the Zionsville Farmer's Market I usually buy fresh pasta for our Saturday dinner. At Zville there is three types of pasta to choose from. Here at the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market I was overwhelmed by the selection!

After the Farmer's Market we headed over to Irvington on the eastside of Indy and checked out Laze Daze Coffee House and a used book store that was right across the street called, Bookmama's. We loved the book shop -- it was definitely a place to return to. The coffee shop was kind of sketchy. The coffee was great and they had a great selection of teas. But they seemed to be running an unsupervised daycare out of the shop - so the atmosphere was very strange. Not the sort of place you would choose for a quiet cuppa.

Works in Progress

I've never been one to have a ton of projects on my needles. However, currently I seem to be having a brain malfunction. My mind is constantly coming up with new designs and projects I must cast on and start. But then my body gets tired and sleepy around 2 pm and starts to shut down no matter what I do.... it's the baby, I know. But he's worth it.

So here are 4 of the 6 projects I am currently working on. I have stacks of skeins around my desk of projects I want to start but I'm determined to finish a few of these first.

Above -- I finally succumbed to all the Ishbel chatter and cast one on my needles! Oh, my -- it is balm for my weary brain right now. It is soo easy and fun. This particular one is a gift, but I may just have to cast on another one for me -- it really fits my current knitting mood. Thank you, Ysolda, for such a lovely pattern!
Next up is another little sweater for Baby John. I decided I wasn't enjoying the mini mochi socks I was knitting so I unraveled one and started this little sweater for Baby John. I think it is going to be a fun, whimsical little sweater.

Then there is a shawl with some simply yummy merino that I dyed myself. The feel of this yarn (and wouldn't you know it, but I lost the label) is simply scrumptous and addictive. I want to knit on this project ALL THE TIME but I'm trying to finish the gift shawl first. The pattern is my new Pearl Street Scarf pattern -- which is another fun knit.

And last but not least is the new vesion of the cozy cable jacket knitted out of Bartlett Yarns. I'm eager for autumn morning walks when I can cozy up in this jacket...

Wool from the State Fair

I love going to the State Fair. As a child I read "Charlotte's Web" and "Windy Foot at the State Fair" and fell in love with the whole "Fair" ideal. However, it wasn't until I moved to Indiana that I actually got to go to the State Fair.

Now that my sister, Heather, and her family live in Indiana I always try to make it to the State Fair with them. For me, the Fair is even better seen through the eyes of her kids. It was fun to walk through the hands-on village with them and imagine Baby John enjoying the fair in a few years.

The other reason I love to visit the fair is.... you guessed it, the sheep barn and the wool room. I will never have a flock of my own -- but I love sheep. They are soooo cute! The little Shetland sheep caught our attention while we were walking up and down the aisle - they looked like sweet little dogs with long hair!



Heather and I made a dash to the wool room while the husbands talked to the shepherds and the kids looked at the sheep. I purchased a wheel of "Spiced Heather" for a lace shawl and three skeins of a deep amethyst for a new vest idea I have. I even talked Heather into buying a wheel of lace yarn to make another lace shawl -- I think she's hooked on lace shawls!

After our traditional stop at the Dairy Bar for ice cream JK and I made our way home while Heather and her family headed onto the Midway. My feet were swollen so that I could barely walk but I was happy and contented with all the memories we had just made.