Category Archives: Baby


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ugh

I promise that this blog won’t be all-pregancy, all-the-time. But I’m feeling icky so I need to share. I thought “morning sickness” was supposed to be a first trimester thing?!? Ok, so I had some nausea in the first trimester. I thought it was novel, because with Jakob I had a pretty symptom-free pregnancy. So I was like, ok, this is what people feel. I’m queasy, and feel like I’m living on a boat, but it’s livable. I didn’t need meds, so I was ok. It only started at 6 weeks, and was pretty much gone by 10 or 11 weeks.

But now? Holy cow! The DAY I hit 14 weeks (second trimester) I started throwing up. That’s crazy! Friday night- lost supper. Saturday night- lost supper. And ever since yesterday, I have thrown up everything I’ve put in my mouth. Every meal, every snack, even a cup of coffee or 5 spoonfuls of soup. The craziest part is that I’m not nauseous at all! I don’t feel sick, or queasy. Sure, I feel shakey afterwards, and weak, because I’m empty. But I feel like nothing is triggering it, other than the fact that I’m eating. I’m actually getting kinda scared to keep eating, because I don’t want to keep throwing up. (Don’t worry, I know I need to eat for the baby, and I will. It’s just becoming an all-consuming thing now, this whole “am I going to throw up” thing).

Ugh.

In other news, I’m still working on the knitting for Veronik, so I can’t show you my current project, but I have some stuff I will be able to share, so when I’m home and have access to my camera, I’ll try to post some photos.


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and then there were 2…so we’ll be 4

I know I said I’d post today with photos of my first Secret Pal package. But that will have to wait until tomorrow, because I have something more important to talk about today. (Sorry Secret Pal!)

I’ve been working on a big project, something more special than any design or publication, and I feel that it is now time that I can share it with all of you.

Jakob feels like he hasn’t had enough face-time on the blog lately, so he wanted to be the one to tell you:

Can you read that? It says “future big brother“. Yup, that’s right. In January Jakob is going to become a big brother.

Today is the beginning of my 14th week, which means I’m officially in my second trimester.


Everything looks good so far with this baby, and we are very excited to have another addition to our house. Jakob is already practicing being a good big brother- when we tell him to “kiss the baby” he lifts up my shirt and kisses my (growing!) belly. It’s really cute! (Although…it probably won’t be so cute when he kisses my belly after the baby is born!)

My due date is January 16th, and yes, some cold-weather baby knits have commenced!


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happy mother’s day!

To start this post off, let me wish a huge HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! to all the moms, grandmothers, mothers-to-be, foster mothers, and anyone else who raises, takes care of or in any way helps shape the life of a child. We rock!

Here’s Mommy with Jakob at 50 weeks (not this past week’s photo, but the one before).

I still haven’t uploaded the photos from my camera from last week, and my head is still in a fog. Sorry!

I have been knitting like mad, but can’t show any of it. See, I’m designing the sock for Robyn’s Robyn’s Nest June Sock Club Kit, and while it is going very well, it is a surprise. I still like my original design, but I came to realize that while many people might say “hey- that’s cool”, very few would actually want to knit it…or at least they’d want to knit it, but it wouldn’t be the kind of sock they’d want to wear. So I pored over my design books and was inspired by a little stitch pattern in a book by someone you might have heard of. Barbara Walker? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? I’ve been crunching more numbers than food this week, but things are starting to take shape, and I’m really pleased with the progress so far.

I can’t believe the kit is almost sold out! No pressure, or anything… 🙂

I do have some knitting that I can share, however.

Here’s the finished Marble Cabled Cardigan.

I’m really happy with how it came out. I knit the 1-2 year old size, and since Jakob is slim, I’m sure he’ll get to wear it even until next Fall.
Yannick chose the pattern when I told him I wanted to knit something with this particular Marble colorway. He also chose the buttons.
They are adorable, but a little heavy for the light sweater. I might have to change them.

Details: (from memory- so forgive any mistakes) The pattern is a pamphlet designed for the actual yarn. Needles are downstairs but I think I used a 4mm for the body and 3.25 for the ribbing.

Modifications: I reversed the cable on one side of the band so they would mirror each other instead of both leaning in the same direction. I didn’t do the hood, and did a simple ribbed collar instead. I did a one-row buttonhole instead of binding off in one row and casting on in the next. I’m pretty sure there was something else I changed but I don’t remember now.

Here’s a photo I’ve been wanting to take for almost a year.

Isn’t that cute??? I’d taken a photo of Yannick’s Mega Sock (Mega Boots Stretch yarn) next to the baby version I made for Jakob, but I always wanted to get a photo of my two boys IN their matching sock. I finally got one, and I LOVE this photo.

I leave you with a question…

My dad is trying to convince me to get these glasses for myself.

What does we thinks?

Does we likes? I really like the sides of the frame, and the side view. I’m scared to commit!
I think they’re too wide from my eyeball to my temple, but I do have a large head, and frames that fit nicely around my eye have the frame’s temple stretched sideways to go off to my ear.

So? I’ve taken the lenses out of the frame since these photos were taken, so I can take photos without the glare or designer name on the lenses, if necessary.


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thursday stuff

Before I forget, here’s a photo of my little matzoh ball at the first seder, last Saturday night. He enjoyed his first taste of puntzles (the small matzoh meal puffs that you put in soup) and was quite adorable in his “Kosher for Passover” bib!

I didn’t realize until too late that the backlight made shadows across his face.

Apparently Yannick doesn’t realize that either because this is the photo he took for me yesterday.

It’s Mommy with Jakob at 49 weeks.
I love this photo- this is what he does all day long. Whenever he wants a kiss, he reaches up, holds your face, closes his eyes and kisses. It is the sweetest thing ever!

When Yannick got home I left Jakob with him and went for a much-needed hair appointment. Here is the end result:


I still look exactly the same but don’t have the 4″ roots like I did before. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I tried a new salon because my old one is about 25 minutes away from my house. They also have the same work schedule as me, which means that I have to either convince my colorist to stay late for me one night and tip her really well to thank her, or I have to get up at 6:30am to get dressed and drive there for a 7:15 appointment on a Saturday, so I can have them do my hair and still get myself to work for 10:00am. NOT fun. This new place is open until 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and is literally 5 minutes from my house. Plus the girl (Kristin) who did it is amazing. She did the hair at Robyn’s wedding and it was stunning, and she even fixed(ish) the horrible flower-basket nasty hairdo my mom’s guy did on me. I will definitely be going back to Kristin.

Ok- so knitting. I have been knitting dishcloths for our WEBS trip this weekend. You’ve all now seen the Habs one, and I also made a fleur-de-lys one to represent Quebec…and to represent Montreal I made one with…a bagel on it. 🙂

I worked on Jakob’s sweater while at the hairdresser, and am at the shaping decreases on the last sleeve. I’ve decided not to do the hood as the pattern calls for, but to do a shawl collar instead, so the sweater is almost finished.

I think I have to make myself an official knitting “to do” list so I don’t fall behind. That being said, here it is:

1. Finish Jakob’s Cabled Cardigan – due end of May/June

2. Knit 1 of the 2 Family Circle dinosaurs for Jakob for his birthday – due end of May/June

3. Knit the other dinosaur for Jakob for Jakob (optional) – due end of May/June

4. Design the June sock club sock for Robyn’s Nest’s sock club – due end of May/June

4. Design project #1 for Mary Maxim contest – due June

5. Design project #2 for Mary Maxim contest – due June

I think those are the most important things right now.


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the one that should have been posted on saturday march 15

Saturday was more of the same sicknesses as Thursday and Friday, with the main difference being that I was able to leave Jakob at home with Yannick when I went to work. This was the first time since Jakob’s birth that he’s been alone with Yannick for more than 3 hours, since the previous times they’d spent the day together I was still breastfeeding and Yannick brought Jakob to me to feed every 3 hours or so. My boys spent the day together on the couch, watching tv while Jakob slept in Yannick’s arms. He (Yannick) loved the feeling so much that he never got off the couch to do any of the tidying up I’d hoped for…but I can’t fault him. As much as it sucks when Jakob is sick, it is really sweet the way he cuddles.
The gastro had the poor kid soiling his clothes so often that we got tired of doing laundry, so for a little while in the morning we gave him breakfast in only a bib and diaper. I can’t get over how tall he looks in this photo. He’s average height, but I find his arms and legs look so long!

Saturday night we went to the Biftheque with my family to celebrate last years’ birthdays. (We’re a bit behind). After dinner they all came back here to open gifts, and I FINALLY was able to give my mom the Montego Bay scarf I’d knit for her. It had been sitting in my drawer since November when I thought I’d be giving it to her on her actual birthday.

In other knitting gift news, my inlaws have both requested socks for Christmas this year. Everytime they were with Yannick when he was wearing his handknit socks, he kept raving about the fit, the comfort, etc. Could it be? Could I finally wind up with some family members (besides Yannick) who *gasp* appreciate my knitting?


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happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy 10th birthday dear knitting guild, happy birthday to you

First of all, a big apology to those of you who get here directly via http://www.jeloca.com/. I’m sorry it appeared as if my blog had gone bye-bye. Apparently my domain-forwarding-provider decided that since they never sent me a renewal contract, I clearly must no longer be desiring their services, so they dropped me like a hot potato. I swear our phone call went like this:
Me: How come my website isn’t working?
Them: Because you haven’t paid for it.
Me: Well, you never sent me an invoice.
Them: We don’t send invoices until after you pay.
Me: If you don’t send me an invoice, how am I supposed to know it’s time to pay again?
Them: Well, we don’t send invoices until after you pay. Your payment was due in January.
Me: How did you expect me to know that you wanted more money in January?
Them: We sent you an email in December to tell you.
Me: I never got it.
Them: You probably didn’t check your email.
Me: I check my email about 15 times a day. I didn’t get it.
Them: We’re sure it was sent out.
Me: Can you check?
Them: No. The emails are all sent out autmatically and are generated by our system. We can’t check to see who got them. They were sent in December.
Me: But I never got it.
And so on. Ugh…At least everyone is happy now. They have my money, I have a blog that works, and you don’t have to finagle your way here via the http://www.jeloca.blogspot.com/ address. It’s all good.
There was hardly any knitting today, and I might do a few more rows on the Striped Scarf before bed, so I’m saving my row count for tomorrow. Tonight was the 10th anniversary party of the Montreal Knitting Guild, and it was a potluck event. There was so much food! I ate much too much, and knit much too little.
I do have a photo of that Marble Cabled Hoodie thing I mentioned the other day. I’m about 10 rows farther than this, but I’ve put it aside to try and finish the Striped Scarf instead.
Instead of stripes, I leave you with a tutorial on how to eat toast.


Step 1: get toast into mouth


Step 2: get toast into mouth

Step 3: get toast into mouth
Step 4: get toast into mouth
Step 5: grin with accomplishment (and toast in mouth)
Step 6: pose for the camera


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playgroup and knitting

It’s been a really hectic week! We are part of a playgroup that meets every Thursday at a different mom’s house. This week was our turn. With a baby you don’t want to leave stuff for the last minute, so on Tuesday I made my lists of what I needed, and picked up all my groceries. On Wednesday after the movies (we saw The Feast of Love…it was a tearjerker but which was totally NOT for kids…lots of nudity and sex and stuff…) I went home and began to prepare whatever I could prepare in advance. Finally, on Thursday at lunch time, everything was ready. We’d locked Sam in the basement, vacuumed, cleaned, set out the food, arranged all the furniture and toys for maximum space, and voila- this was how my house looked:

This is the view of our dining room from standing in the living room. Normally the table is in the middle of the room and there aren’t any toys in there.

Each mom who hosts provides the food so no one has to bring anything. We usually provide finger foods because it’s a bit unweildly to wrangle a baby and a knife and fork. I put out pasta, Caesar salad, cold pizzas, veggies and dip, nachos and salsa, and 3 different kinds of cheeses, cubed, with crackers.

This was the “dessert” area, LOL. In the bowls there are Smarties, tropical dried fruits and Ringolos, then popcorn, then a platter with 3 different kinds of cookies.

This is the view going the other way, looking into the living room.

And this is how that same view looked a few hours later! In this photo there are 11 moms and 12 babies, and by the end of the day there were a total of 15 moms and 17 babies (2 sets of twins). Whew!

It was a lot of work to get ready, it probably doesn’t look that way but each time I’d get in the middle of something, like slicing veggies or boiling water for the pasta, Jakob would cry and need to be held, or fed, or changed, or I had to make dinner for Yannick and I…it’s a lot of “stops” and “starts” with a baby around, but in the end it was all worth it. I love to entertain so we had a really good time having a house full of people. Plus I’d invited my neighbor (literally 2 doors over) who has twins 6 months older than Jakob, and it was the first time we’d gotten together since we’ve moved here, so it was nice to get a chance to get to know her a bit more.

On Wednesday I’d finished the Montego Bay Scarf. Yay! I was really, really happy with how it came out, and needed only to wash it and it would be ready to give away.

Here’s a closeup of the stitch pattern.

Finally, on Thursday night I started swatching for the Hallowe’en costume. No one has guessed it yet… 🙂


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catching up wed, thurs, fri and today (sat) and YES i talk about knitting

I don’t know where the time goes. I blink and it is a few days after I said I would post. Sorry, loyal reader(s)! 🙂
On Wednesday my mom, her friend Esther and I took Jakob to go see the movie Stardust. I loved it! They took a while to get the story, but I caught on right away and thought it was amazing. If you like The Princess Bride, you’ll like Stardust!

That afternoon we were supposed to have a playdate with Maaike and her daughter, and Robyn and her son, but they both cancelled on me so Jakob and I spent the afternoon making beef jerky for Yannick with our food dehydrator. I like beef jerky too but this time I used the “hot and spicy” spice mix, and it is WAY too hot for me.

On Thursday we spent the morning play around in bed.

We worked on some tummy time, which he is getting much better at. He’s always been good at holding his head up, but usually starts to fuss after a few minutes. He is now able to go much longer before getting frustrated or sore (holding up his head).

 

Thursday afternoon we were invited to join a friend’s playgroup. It was so much fun! Her daughter is only 1 day older than Jakob, and they were the two oldest kids there. There were 11 moms and kids total, and the youngest baby is two-and-a-half weeks old. I gave that mom great “props”- I certainly didn’t have the energy to go out that early! It was a riot watching all of these babies- just imagine all 11 together once they start to crawl! Right now they’re not doing much, but it is more for the mommies to get a chance to socialize. After the playgroup a few of us took our kids out with their strollers for a walk, then I went to the pharmacy then to my parents’ house. I had invited myself, Jakob and Yannick over for supper because I was going to go to my friend Jackie’s to watch Big Brother at 8:00pm, but Jackie had to cancel so I made sure I was home in time. I fed Jakob and spent the night working on the JCA project some more.

Friday we played around some more then went and did a few errands. I wanted to exchange one of the breastfeeding tops I’d bought at Thyme for a different one that was more flattering, and also wanted to return a toy I’d bought for Jakob since I wasn’t happy with it. Luckily both stores were in the same mall so I didn’t have to run around too much. Friday night we brought Jakob to my parents’ house to babysit and Yannick and I were going to see Stardust (I knew Yannick would love it) but last minute something came up so I came home alone to get a good chunk of knitting done, and Yannick went to help my parents clear out their backyard for a pool they are going to put in. (Yay!) The other good news is: I finished the JCA project! I just have a few ends to weave in, but those suckers are done! I’m very excited because I want to start new things already!

Today we went to Robyn’s dad’s store and I got my new digital camera. It is the Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph and I am so excited to finally have a camera small enough to throw into my purse or diaper bag. Our current Canon (PowerShot S2 lS) is wonderful but SO bulky! Robyn’s sister, my (wonderful, amazing, awesome, great) cousin Amy was working that day and not only gave us great service but made Jakob laugh and smile. After the store we had a playdate walk in the park with my grad date of all people! He had married his high school sweetheart (we had gone to grad as friends, with her permission) and they’d moved to the West Island and had a daughter just 2 months before Jakob was born. We went to Centennial Park and hung out at the dog park for a bit before going to sit by the lake and catch up. I can’t believe it- I haven’t seen him in 13 years! We found each other on Facebook of all places.

From there we went to my parents’ house for a short visit, then came home. We just finished supper and Jakob is napping so I’m going to weave in those ends so I can start working on my next project:

That’s the Montego Bay Scarf from this summer’s Interweave Knits. It is scarf 1 of my (hopefully) 3 items that I will be donating for my friend’s fundraiser auction.

This photo sucks but shows the color of the yarn a bit more true to life. Each strand of color is plied with black. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.


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9 and 3/4 months pregnant

As you can tell, I’m still here and posting. Since this baby did not decide to come early, it looks like I will be having a C-Section tomorrow as scheduled. I don’t know what time yet as they don’t call until after 8 pm to let me know what time to show up at the hospital.

I’m still not “ok” with having surgery, but I have at least faced the facts that it is my only option, and is inevitable. The baby’s stuff is ready, the play pen is ready, the living room is ready for us to hang out in until the move, and this morning we went to the notary and officially bought our new house.

By the way, it appears I won’t get a chance to type up and post the house saga, part 3. I’m actually ok with this, since I’m feeling lazy.
Long story short:
-We made an offer, but it was so soon to the house being put on the market that they refused and wanted to wait.
-A week later they called us to see if we’d want to make another offer. We said sure, but it has to be in before the open house that weekend, and it has to be within a certain range because we weren’t willing to go higher. They said fine. We made the offer.
-That Sunday night (AFTER the open house) they countered our offer with an offer higher than the price point we’d set. When we complained they said that they’d had over 18 visits at the open house, and that they’d be fools to accept a lower offer at that point. We got (rightfully) pissed and refused their offer without a counter-counter.
-A week after THAT their agent called us again and asked if we’d be willing to make another offer. (I guess their open house wasn’t as profitable as they’d thought). We said “No, we don’t feel like making another offer. However, this is how much we’re willing to pay. If your guy is serious, have him make us an offer at that amount”. And…their guy did. So we bought the second house that we’d really wanted.

Now then, back to tomorrow. C-Section. Right. When you go to the C-Section “teaching” at the hospital they give you a little booklet you can bring home and go over. So while I go crash and knit for my last child-free day, I’ll leave you with some excerpts from:

Your Guide to a Planned Cesarean Section Delivery

What should I do the day before my Cesarean Section?

-call the Family Birthing Center the night before to confirm the time of your cesarean section.

-the evening before your planned cesarean birth you may eat a normal meal. However, DO NOT EAT OR DRINK anything after midnight (the night before the surgery).

-take a shower with antibacterial soap. You must wash your entire body and hair the night before and the morning of your C-section. This is to prevent infections.

-Remove all nail-polish, make-up, jewellery and contact lenses.

-Leave any valuables at home. The hospital assumes no responsibility for any loss of personal items. Wedding rings can be taped to your finger if you are unable to remove them.

What should I expect on the day of my Cesarean Section?

When you arrive at the Family Birthing Center a nurse will prepare you for the surgery. You can expect the nurse will:

-ask you to change into a hospital gown and remove all undergarments

-give you a hospital identification band

-check the fetal heart rate, your blood pressure, pulse, respirations and temperature

-draw a blood sample for routine tests, as well as a urine sample

-use a clipper to remove the upper portion of pubic hair

-give you a medication to decrease the acid in the stomach

An anesthetist will come to speak to you. S/He will discuss the type of anesthesia and the procedure. You will then sign the consent forms.

What should I expect in the Operating Room?

-the anesthetist will give you a spinal anesthesia, which makes you feel pain-free over your abdomen and in your legs. It will allow you to remain alert/awake during the operation. You may feel pressure or movement during the surgery. This is normal.

-A small catheter will be inserted into your bladder to drain it of urine

-an intravenous catheter will be placed in your arm

-your abdomen will be cleansed with a sterile solution

-a screen will be placed over your abdomen so that you will not see the doctor perform the operation

-once your baby is born, s/he will be assesed and then wrapped warmly by the nurse. The baby will be brought to you and can be held by your significant other

What should I expect immediately after the Cesarean Section?

Your baby will be brought to the Main Nursery on X floor. Your significant other can stay with the baby at all times, or visit you in the recovery room for a short period. You will be transferred from the operating room to the recovery room on Y floor and stay approximately 2-4 hours. You will then be transferred to the Postpartum Unit. The baby will be brought to you and feeding can be initiated once you arrive in your room.

What should I expect will happen during my stay on the Postpartum Unit?

-you will have the intravenous for a minimum of 24 hours after the surgery

-the urinary catheter is usually removed 12 hours after delivery

-you will be encouraged to walk as soon as possible

When can I eat after my Cesarean Section?

-you will be able to drink fluids once the nurse has listened to your abdomen for bowel sounds. You will continue to have a fluid diet until you are passing gas rectally. Once you start passing gas, you can have a regular meal.

There’s a bit more, but I figured I’d end on that note. (No pun intended).


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my soon-to-be-mother’s day weekend

We had a nice little weekend. Saturday was my last day of work (!) and afterwards we went over to Yannick’s sister’s place for dinner with their family and his parents for Mother’s Day. It was the first time I’ve had lobster in about a year and it was SO good! I’m a lobster purist- I prefer it withOUT the garlic butter, and this time it was so sweet and so tender…yummy! I’ve had no appetite STILL these days, and I had already told Yannick’s mom that I would share a steak and a lobster with him because there was no way I could finish one on my own, so when she plopped a whole one on my plate after I’d eaten about 1/4 of my steak I started offering up parts. Good thing I skipped the rest of my steak- I ate the entire lobster! Mmmmm

On Sunday we prepared a quote for Yannick’s work then went over to the Montreal General to see his grandmother who was recovering from surgery. Then we went to my parents’ house for a barbeque for dinner. My mom (rightfully) refused to organize it, so my dad had spent the day shopping. It was a meat smorgasborg! He got angus burgers, bison burgers, salmon burgers, shrimp burgers, lamb kabobs and balogna to slice and cover with maple syrup like my mom does. Not to mention bacon for the burgers. Thank god I reminded him to buy some salad and fruit- the only veggie’s he’d bought were some monster tomatoes and onion to slice for the burgers!

My parents actually managed to find a “Happy Soon-to-Be-Mother”‘s Day card, and got me a sweet gift – a breast-feeding night gown from Thyme Maternity with a matching little cover up.
But what I couldn’t believe was Yannick. On his OWN he went and picked out the cards for his family and my family, plus he got a card for my parents from the baby, thanking them for all the stuff they’ve done for us and given us. THEN he got me 2 cards- one from him and one from the baby!

I’ll leave you with the cover of the card he gave me from the baby:


On the inside it says: Oh, well…at least you can say that raising me wasn’t a boring experience.

Knowing the father…this card is so true!