Not too much knitting going on

I'm currently working on a baby blanket with lace leaves. It's going slowly, but well. I've got about 8 inches done. Other than that, not much knitting. Good old guilt is getting to me about all that I need to do before baby girl is unleashed, and knitting feels indulgent.

Gratuitous self promotion

My dad just sent these baby pictures of me, so of course I want them posted on the world wide web for all to see. All 5 of you that read my blog every now and then, that is. Enjoy.

This may seem weird to say on a blog no one reads, but don't use these pictures without asking me permission first. It is the internet, after all.

The social joys of pregnancy

Okay, so at approximately 7 months pregnant (29 weeks), I am very much showing. As I have been told, I look like I'm carrying a basketball under my shirt. With all of this gestational glow about me, it has become clear that the normal personal-space and privacy-loving rules of American culture that we all hold so dear simply don't apply to pregnant women. I realize I'm big. I was getting annoyed with people telling me that, after all it's not polite to tell anyone but small children that their getting big. As an aside, my mom always bemoaned the fact that when she was pregnant you had to wear big bows and sail boats as if you were a giant three year old. As if being pregnant isn't about the most adult womanly thing you can do! So this is yet another way that pregnant women are treated like kids, it's odd really. Anyway, I'm brushing off the big comments with a little Amanda-style sarcasm (laced with bitterness, when necessary). The new encounter I have to get used to is total strangers wanting to tell you everything and I mean EVERYTHING about their pregnancy and birth. These are usually slightly crazy women, and it usually happens in the check-out line. I'm beginning to dread shopping, which may be a good thing. They continue to talk even if all I do is smile and nod until I have paid for my things and quickly leave. The world is a very different place for a pregnant woman!

Hooray! Hypnobirthing works for marathon!

Robert ran 15 miles and walked 5 yesterday for a total of 20 miles! He's preparing for his marathon, and now it looks like he will really be able to do it.
The coolest part to me, though, is that he used the breathing and visualization techniques we've been learning in hypnobirthing. He said what he usually did was mentally yell at himself when he got hurt or wanted to stop and that just made him mad and want to quit. This time he used the breathing techniques and told himself his body was mean to do this. He also sort of used the glove relaxation. That's where you imagine you put a silver glove of endorphins on your hand and you feel it go numb and then you can pass the numbness on to parts of your body. Well, he didn't quite do that because he was running, but he imagined the areas that hurt going numb and it worked. He also said he took stock of what was going on. That he was running funny because all of these different places hurt, but really it was one spot on his foot that hurt that was making him run funny. So, he concentrated on numbing that part! I am so proud of him and I am so excited that he used the techniques and will use them when he runs the marathon! He will be an expert by the time the birth happens. Yay!

Past knitting pics

Well, apparently our camera has been been hidden by angry faeries. This is the only explanation that makes sense to me. Anyway, since I can't post pictures of my recent and current knitting projects, I thought I would post the photos I have of older stuff. You know, for posterity.

My first sweater, from Stitch n Bitch by Debbie Stroller:

More miscellaneous projects. I can tell you the patterns, if you wish.

So, I guess I have a thing for fingerless gloves. This is probably a quarter of the pairs I've knitted.

These yummy cupcakes were made for one of our SnB meetings, when are we getting together again girls? I'll try to get the house clean to have you all over here (have we heard that before?)