Question:
What do you do when your little boy is starving but won’t settle and eat? If he won’t sleep unless he’s swaddled and he cries the second you wrap him up? What if he squalls when you hold him and wails even harder when you don’t? And what if the second he falls asleep and you go to put him in his bassinet, he wakes up and starts crying all over again? What if you do this all day, over and over, and nothing seems to work until you suddenly find yourself crying too?
Answer:
You take a deep breath and love him with all your might……
An unexpected surprise
Yesterday was indeed challenging. It seems that at least every other day is like this . But the great thing about yesterday, is that my sweet husband walked in the door just moments after my tears stopped with a great big bouquet of flowers and a smile and all I could say was, “I really needed these today! Thank you sweetie!” Sometimes things just work out.
Current Projects
So I’m working on some stuff in between the baby stuff. Those are our baby announcements that I finally got printed up and need to address and send. Only about 2.5 months late. Oh well. What do you expect people? He spent an entire month in the Special Care Nursery and I wasn’t about to send out a photo of him with an NG tube in his nose.
And what’s that? No….freaking….way. You mean there’s actually some knitting content here? Yes, that’s right. I started a BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket) for Little Mister. I’m using some stash yarn because I’m damn serious about working from stash this year. Not only because I can’t afford yarn anymore now that I work for free at home, but because I have so damn much of it and it’s taking over our house. It’s kind of embarrassing. I hid it in boxes and bags for a long time (from myself and from my husband) but now that I’m sorting through it, cataloging it, and getting it into Ravelry, I’m astonished by just how much I actually have.
*If you are R. Darling, stop reading here*
I think I said something a while back about having enough to make 40 pairs of socks? Try 128. And I’m not done. And I’m not counting the undyed stuff. Oy. (Seriously, don’t read this honey! I only have enough for 2 pairs of socks!) So I’m looking at this endeavor like some kind of fascinating puzzle. Since I often buy enough for a full sweater, without knowing what sweater I might want to make with a specific yarn, I am finding it a fun challenge to find the perfect pattern for each yarn in order to maximize the usage of what I have without leaving too much behind. Believe it or not, I’m having fun with it. For the stuff that is just random bits here and there and stuff I’m not attached to, I’m thinking about making a gift stash of items I can give when I need a quick something for a birthday or a thank you or what have you. I joined a group on Ravelry to help keep me motivated too: Shop The Stash 2010. I don’t participate much in it yet, but it’s nice to know the company is there when/if I need it.
*You can start reading again here, Honey*
As for my BSJ, I don’t know if I’m liking the yarn I chose. I thought it would be stripier and instead it’s sort of watercolor-ish. The fiber might not work either – it’s a cotton acrylic blend that feels like plain old cotton. I think I like it, but I’m not sure. For now I’m going with it because knitting a BSJ is one of my 101 in 1001 Days goals and I’m pretty sure it’s one with a time limit that will go a lot faster than I expect, so I wanted to get started before he’s too big to fit in one. Plus it’s all stash all the way baby, and I need to be focusing on that. At least it’s fairly mindless garter stitch so I can usually get a few rows in each day before someone needs me for something. These days my moments are few and far between and usually it’s a choice between eating, sleeping or knitting. And believe it or not, sometimes knitting does win the competition!
April 21, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Life with a little sweetie must be quite challenging some days. You moms are pretty wonderful! And thank goodness for the power of deep breathing and love… :)
April 22, 2010 at 8:22 am
For the record, R. Darling is the best! I know that he has the two of you in his mind all day and what a special treat to get flowers just because!
Some days all you will get done is holding him….and that is okay. Just remember to relax and go with it! And remember, one day he will be able to tell you what he thinks/wants and you will want those non-talking days back.
I’m excited about your future posts about using the stash….I am making a huge effort to use mine as well. I think I have enough sock yarn for 50 pairs….I am using some of it for sweaters, as it is perfect for the TX humidity!
Can’t wait to see the BSJ….and the little mister in it!
BTW – who cares when you get the announcements out….if they don’t understand then too bad! And, I LOVE the announcement!
April 22, 2010 at 11:08 am
I’m glad you’re knitting again! And sorry about the frustration…those days will come…and GO!
April 22, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Many of my friends have had these moments with their babies… but you are an amazing and caring mom and soon, it will get easier as he grows up! Oh yes, I remember baby sitting young babies. That was tough on my ears and made me feel so helpless, and that was just one night ;-) I hope your knitting is helping you relax and … what a wonderful and suportive husband you have! I’m sending you positive toughts!
April 22, 2010 at 7:06 pm
A wise mother once told me, “the baby won’t die from crying.” If you need to put him down and he cries, that’s ok. It’s ok for him to cry himself to sleep if that’s what he needs (and if you need to pee or shower by yourself that’s ok too!)
If you consider de-stashing, let me know. I was drooling over your stash on Ravelry the other day. Girl, you’ve got some GOOD STUFF there! I’m jealous that you have sweater quantities… I mostly buy single skeins.
April 23, 2010 at 6:29 am
What a sweet, sweet husband! That was so thoughtful of him!
Your stash … wow. Words escape me. Well, maybe plethera would be the right word. :-)
April 23, 2010 at 1:50 pm
I’m glad to hear that you are getting the support you need through DH and your immense yarn stash! ;) Kiddo looks adorable in his hat too. He’ll be a charmer when you finish up his jacket!
April 23, 2010 at 2:54 pm
R. Darling is the best!!
I’m trying to knit from stash to so we can help motivate each other–and we could always trade yarn…
I remember those crying jag days. Luckily they don’t last too long. We had friends whose baby had terrible colic and screamed for hours at a time. They wore earplugs so they weren’t quite so overwhelmed–they still carried her around and tried to calm her–they didn’t just leave her crying or anything…
Sending good thoughts to the new mama and papa and hugs to that adorable little guy!
April 23, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Ah yes, those high maintenanced babies!!! I had one of those and they are a challenge. I remember he would just cry for no reason. All I could do was hold him and cry with him. Sometimes they are bored and taking them outside helps break up the madness. And he wouldn’t sleep for me either. I’d put him down for a nap and 10 min later he’d be up again and cranky because he didn’t sleep. I’d then have a fussy baby for the rest of the afternoon. OR I could nurse him on the couch, with a book and the remote and I could spend the afternoon with a baby sleeping on me, BUT have a quiet afternoon where I could read or watch tv quietly. He wouldn’t let me talk on the phone while nursing either. and one night I think I put him to bed 6 different times and he kept waking up after 15-20 min. OMG I thought I would lose my mind. As soon as I’d put him down in his crib, he’d wake up and cry. My dh came in and asked me how long has this been going on and I said 4 months!!!! (he was 4 months at the time) The dh took him and finally got him to sleep a couple of hours. Its tough and I feel for you and TOTALLY understand. I also became a big fan of the family bed. It got to the point where I was happy that we were all sleeping. NOt sure if that can be a possibility with your peanut because he was a preemie, but as he gets older it might save your sanity. And btw my high maintenanced child is now 11, very smart, sleeps in his own room and is very affectionate (at least when we’re home). any time you want to email me, feel free. As you see, I’ve written a small book on your blog!! LOL
and R Darling ROCKS!!!!
April 29, 2010 at 10:53 am
Oh Maryanne I sure do remember those days with Brady. I assure you, this will pass. Until then, one day at a time, and lots of deep breathing. Chocolate, wine, flowers, and candy help a bit, too!
April 30, 2010 at 2:32 pm
[...] Supermerino! I’m feeling fickle. See, I still wasn’t sure about that BSJ I started. I had originally planned to use some pretty blue Artyarns Supermerino from my stash and when I [...]
May 2, 2010 at 12:18 pm
You could always do a post-knitting & crocheting blog week, week….just sayin’ :-)
Life is good if you can get a few rows of knitting in every now and then….
Hope you have a great week!
May 5, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I always feel so much better when I hear other people talk about their stash! Mine is out of control (of course), so what did I do to kill 10 minutes before dinner last night? Bought yarn. Been thinking about you, Ben and I have been talking about you (he wants to meet you and match your face to your name), but it just wasn’t in the cards this week. I have some clothes for Dylan and other stuff for you, so let’s try to get together end of May/beginning of June? Dylan is super cute!