Now, here is the set up: Each time I got a mitten finished this past few days, DD#4 would steal it. She just LOVED the mittens. So, I decided to make her a pair. She loved them, right up until it was time to put them both on for the picture.

No, I hate them!

I can’t stand the pain!

Will you just please take the stinkin’ mittens off me? They are OFFENSIVE!

So, I took them off, and laid them on a chair to take a proper pic. At which point she grabbed them up and started shoving her hands back in them.

Ok, if you insist. My, look at these pretty, pretty mittens. All mine! Back off! (Cute legwarmers courtesy of DD#1)

Everyone got home safely. The midwife came for her home visit. I am still thick, and maybe 2 centimeters dilated. I’ve been cleared to resume normal life. Yippee!! I can clean the bathroom floor. I really DO want to get that done today, but then I have to rest, I was told. I promised not to go on a whole house cleaning frenzy.

We really want the baby to cook as long as possible, so it’s a balancing act between doing that which is needful, and not doing that which will cause me to go into labor any earlier than ………well, as late as possible. Baby is engaged, or was last night. I suppose they don’t have to stay that way. Hmm, I forgot to tell Lisa, as we ponder just how big this baby is, as in is it big enough??, that the 2 babes I felt engage have both been over 7 pounds, and I felt this one. But I also went into labor within a few hours with those two, and this one engaged Sunday night.

Well, there’s plenty of pregnant ramblings for ya. Still trying to get that ball of pima silk ball into DD#2’s sweater.

I’ll be posting the January yarn report later today or tonight

I am just sitting here thinking, what a day for a baby to come.
Fact #1: Dh is broke down in town, halfway between nowhere and the edge of the world, as he put it.

Fact #2: My mother is absolutely stuck at home because there is no aid there to take care of Grandmother.

Fact#3: Dh did manage to get DD#1 to school before he went to town and broke down.

Fact#4: I just called the midwife’s cellphone to give her an update (she’s asked me to stay in good touch with her) and got to leave a message.

So, the babe will definitely come today, or definitely not. Haha on me!

So far as knitting, I am working on DD#2’s Easter sweater today. It’s a top down raglan cardi, and it will take me forever to “cover her girls”. When I get 2 more balls in it, I want to go ahead and finish the BSJ set, and then I’ll finish up the baby blanket, I think. Not all of that will happen today, of course, but it’s my current plan. I’ll stick with it until I get another current plan.

DS#1 and his mittens

My irises are coming up. And my azaleas are leafing out. Let me re-check that calendar! Yep, still January.

The mittens for DS#1 are finished, and in the dryer. I’ll post a pic later today. I am still working on the Baby Surprise Jacket. I will probably make a hat and mittens to go with it, as well as adding the scarf. That will make a cute set for either White Christmas or the Santa Train. I have very carefully chosen the needles that I need to finish the baby’s blanket for this project. See how I trick myself?

Speaking of baby, the bassinet is set up, and the bedding for it is in the dryer. I think that is the last of the baby things.

I am considerably worried, however, about DD#4. She is consistently waking in the night, screaming for me. I am left wondering what in the world she is gonna do when the baby comes. When I say she is screaming for me, I mean she wants full body contact. I have never been so close to delivery before when the old baby was still so much *the* baby. I’ve had them closer in age, of course, but never closer mentally/emotionally. It will be a very interesting transition, for sure. I guess my most immediate dilemma is figuring out how to get 4 people in my bed while making sure the new one is safe. But perhaps when I have a lap again, and can cuddle her more during the day, she will be easier to deal with at night. One can only hope.

Yep, finally finished yesterday, and made a midwife hat with the leftovers.

Yarn: Plymouth Bella Colour
Needles: 8

This is the same yarn as the Reynolds Santana I like so much. Still a delightful knit It runs about a buck per ball less than the Reynolds. But, trust me, same yarn. If you don’t believe me, pull up the respective color cards and compare them. Same yardage, same color, same feel, same knitting experience.

Two warnings: Ignore the recommendation for a size 10 needle if you want any coverage at all. And remember this yarn is over half cotton, it has a tendency to shrink in length. Either knit is a bit longer than you really need it, or plan to be flashing your belly button 😛

I cast on last night for a BSJ, and got almost half way through that. I’m using that creamy encore. I am thinking of making an attached scarf for it. But I think I will work on the mitten first.

You can always go for a classic chic lamp shade to give your house a homey look. You can place a paper lantern in the galleys and the patio. You can also have solar lighting to make your house look contemporary. There are innumerable lighting solutions available today.

No, the sweater is not finished yet. I keep stitching and stitching, but it seems never ending. I am halfway through the second sleeve now, though.

But, I got our taxes done. Can’t file yet, because one of the forms we need is not yet released in its final electronic incarnation. Suffice it to say: good news.

And finally, I’m in labor. Oh, don’t expect an announcement for quite awhile. Most would call this false labor. But can you really call it false labor when you start “true labor” over halfway there? I don’t think so either. So we can call it pre-labor. We can call it “warm ups”. We can call it “crampy back-ache for 3 weeks”. But we *can not* call it false labor.

Accordingly, I got all the birthing stuff washed up yesterday, after consulting with the midwife. The clothes are washed, folded and put away. The cute little dipes are in the dryer. And all that’s left to do is the boring stuff. Cleaning. I was really hoping to parcel out those fun jobs a little more, but………well, I would have been upset to have this kick over into active labor when I was unprepared, given the fact that I could have gotten ready.

So, I guess that’s about all I have to say this morning. Hope to show you a sweater soon.

No, I did not finish the sweater. I had to rip out the bottom ruffle to make it more ruffle-y. But I got it back in and one sleeve over half done.

In family news, DD#1 has apparently succumbed to the cruddy sickness from which I am not yet recovered. And our financial situation has not improved. On the bright side, DH has had enough work this week to keep him busy, so prayerfully we will pull back from the brink of disaster in the next couple of weeks. Before the baby comes would be good. And to not have anyone in the house sick would be good, too.

I want to clean out the changing table today, keep up the laundry and knit. That’s a full day considering how I feel. I want to finish the sweater, but I am tired of working on it for now. We’ll see. I’ll commit to finishing the first sleeve, and then perhaps the “final rush” will kick in.