B: Three is the new tantrum

I finally did it...I accepted that the era of the blog boom is mostly dead...likely replaced by this facebook thing people keep talking about, so I finally went through and cleaned out my list of favorites. I always find dead blogs kind of sad. I know ours was (or continues to be)!

Anyways, I did it. No more will I carry around a long list of blogs dead for more than a year.

On another front, why do they always talk about the terrible twos? It must be because it sounds good...it sure as hell doesn't get any better after two! One of the things that I wasn't prepared for was the "silliness". It is like she is holding a contest to see how much time she can possibly waste being silly. I know it sounds wrong, but this is actually waaaaay more frustrating than the tantrums. If she hits her sister, she gets a time-out and tantrum or no, the rule is clear. With the silliness, there is no rule that it shouldn't take 25 minutes to pick out a pair of socks, but that is what happens. You don't want to get mad about a little girl being silly, but it can absolutely test every last ounce of patience you have just trying to get a pair of socks on.

remembering (and forgetting)

We're finding that there are a whole slew of things that, due to some sort of gift of evolution, we had forgotten about having a newborn. (If we remembered these things, we'd certainly not be as successful in maintaining the human race, as most people wouldn't have more than one child.)

• Lack of sleep? Totally sucks. Going into it, you know that newborns don't sleep good but you don't actually remember how much it sucks until you go through it again. 
• Babies poop. A LOT. I had totally forgotten how much time I spend at the changing table and washing/drying/folding diapers.
• Breastmilk leakage. (Don't think I need to explain that one.)
• On the same note, breastmilk smells bad when it comes back up. And babies puke almost as much as they poop.
• Family members who want to help but haven't had a baby around for 30 years aren't much help, unfortunately.
• Labor and delivery? Hurts. 

That said, I had also forgotten the overwhelming emotion that I get when I wake up in the morning and find Cashew wedged in the crook of my arm, sleeping soundly, completely unsure of how she got there but there nonetheless there and asleep and beautiful and perfect in every way. And all those bullet points up there? Forgotten once again.

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A little over a year ago I received some wonderful yarn from a good friend, with the specific instructions that I make something for myself with it. I have a hard time doing that, and it was such pretty and soft yarn that I couldn't quite think of the right project. It was the perfect weight for some winter socks, but I just couldn't justify using an alpaca/silk blend on my feet. Finally, after I had finished a sweater for the Little One (who indeed is not so little anymore and uses a lot of yarn for a sweater), a couple Christmas washcloth-flowers for our daycare lady,  and quickly snuck in another little mystery project, I found myself ready to use up that yarn. A hat seemed like a good idea, since I don't really have any that I like, and then my head gets cold. An alpaca/silk hat sounds fantastic, doesn't it? 

Well it's finally complete: 

It's based on theNorwegian Star Earflap hat, changed a bit to accommodate an extremely different gauge, but the chart and idea is all the same. I also included some crochet edging to keep it from rolling up and poofing out, as I found my gauge in the beginning to be noticeably different than the fair-isle gauge. It's a bit silly, and not perfect, but I really like it. And it's so soft and warm I really don't want to take it off. (Yes, it does cool off in the evenings. To like 60 degrees. Brrr. And they say we might get some more rain next week. So I'll need it then for sure.)

Thanks Merce!

PS. I may or may not be in labor right now. Things are moving at a decidedly different pace with this one, and contractions are coming at odd intervals. Soon though... think good thoughts!

B: Transients

I used to own this truck. I liked it. It died. Several times. I got rid of it.

I used to own this car. I loved it. It was time to have a more grown up car. I sold it.

Things come and go. The trick is learning to let go. People bitch about our culture, but that is a system of well made products. Shit that wears out fast has to be disposable. Before the iron age, everything was pretty much disposable. Plastic has become a way for us to revert to the stone age...In more ways than one probably.

Things have felt so transient lately. It is hard to keep a hold as life fleets by. The Lil one is growing so fast and getting so smart and argumentative and fun and outrageously enraging. It happens so fast.

Number 2 is on the way and we aren't ready yet. We need to paint a room, get a bassinet and get things arranged. It felt like there was so much time.

On another note, I have noticed a sharp drop in the number of transients that I see on a daily basis. Do you think the economy has become so bad that people can't afford to stand at stop lights and beg for money...because it doesn't pay anymore?

pregnancy

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I'm pregnant!