seven and a half months!!

Well, I would start by saying "what the? another month has gone by?" but you all knew that already. I would make apologies, but there's no point, there is no fault or blame. Just wish that I could keep this up as much as I do Facebook. But that's another matter altogether...

We managed to get the house put back together about 30 minutes before the first houseguest arrived. Nice! More houseguests, a few last minute RSVPs for Thanksgiving dinner, lots of friends and family, amazing food and thanks to my best friend and my cousin - I didn't have to do all the work by myself. Without them, it wouldn't have happened. You guys are the best!

Then I spent a week trying to figure out what to do about Christmas this year - being on a budget and not having a ton of energy (thanks for that, third trimester!) and really didn't come up with a plan. Oh well. Something will happen, that's for sure. Then G. left town to go back east for a long weekend, to clean out the family farmhouse and get it ready to go on the market.

Of course, right after he left we had our first windstorm of the season (it looks like the trees are going to snap in half, they bend so far over) followed by our first snow of the season (four inches in my front yard! record low temperatures!). And I am alone, in my house, really not wanting to drive on the icy roads.

Throughout all this, I have been neglecting my knitting, which is awfully sad. I set out to knit a baby blanket for this restless little being in my belly - a sizable blanket, lots of colors, gender neutral. It is comprised of seven strips, and when those are done they are magically knit together to make one big cozy blanket. I figured a strip a week (there are seven colors in each strip, so a color a day. easy!) but with Thanksgiving falling right in the middle of of the project, I gave myself nine weeks. Generous! Plenty of time! Well, you all know how time and I get along... mostly that it keeps on going, especially when I am not looking. So here I am, week eleven? of the project, and only have four and a half strips done. Good thing baby isn't due until February 23rd!!

And R. sent me a pattern for knitting your own babylegs. And there are the hats I want to knit, if I knew how to knit them. Patterns still intimidate me - I'll get there some day.

For now, the baby is still up to its antics in its watery home - I swear it is doing back flips in there, which is to be expected at 30 weeks. (Holy cow, how'd I get to be 30 weeks pregnant?) I think last night it was alternately punching and kicking. Impressive coordination skills for such a little guy. Or girl. On that note - pronouns get thrown around quite a bit, i.e. I will say "he kept his legs crossed" or "she's kicking!" but it doesn't really mean I know. I have zero intuition on this front - no dreams, no feelings, nothing. Just a girl's name that I am absolutely in love with, and nada on the boy's name. Except for the boy's names that I don't like. That I am pretty clear on - but not so clear on the names I do like. The one dream I had years ago about my baby boy involved a name that is so trendy now I am not sure I could go through with it.

So that's what I have to say about that, for now. As my grandma would say, "that's all I know about that!".

E.

(ps - hi grandma!! can't wait to see you!)