A return to yarn...

Since I became pregnant with Baby Vi, I haven't been particularly motivated by yarn. I know, blasphemy! But, I just... wasn't. I had lost my crafty mojo. I found it again when I started work on the Pumpkin Quilt, which is still in progress (and I actually think I have a good chance of finishing it before she gets here). But the knitting/crocheting was still neglected. With the exception of a crocheted baby sweater and an adorable knitted baby halter top, I just hadn't had the bug.

Until yesterday.

After SnB, I decided to head over to Barnes & Noble. I had just been paid, and I decided to check out the magazine rack and a few new books that I knew were coming out. I picked up the new issue of Interweave Knits, more to keep my collection complete than because I actually want to knit anything from the issue. But then I saw it -- Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. This book is awesome. I've loved her patterns on Knitty and I knew, once I saw all the patterns, that I had to have this book.

So when I got home, I had to start something. I couldn't resist. And after digging through my stash, I decided to tackle the Carie Cropped Cardigan (also seen on an episode of Knitty Gritty and called The Better Sweater -- pattern available here).

The Better Sweater, as seen on Knitty Gritty

Rather than use Cascade Magnum, I decided to combine yarns to get the right weight. I'm using Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky in chocolate brown, Karabella Marguerite in a mustardy brown and a random orange GGH merino that I got at the Yarn Lady sale last year. I also had to size up to size 17 needles to get the right gauge (I knit very tightly since I knit combination style; the pattern recommends size 13s). I stayed up until almost 1 a.m. working on it. I'm actually really excited to have a knit project for myself. Hopefully, this is the return of my yarn passion. Pictures to come.

Bouncing off the satellites

Here at Chez Reeve-Manfredi, we grow 'em big. Deano & Doyle, our pair of kitties, are 22 lbs. and 14 lbs. respectively. Our turtle Nigella is possibly a descendant of Gamera. Neither Richard nor I are mere waifs either. And Baby Vi is getting ready to join this plus-size crew, at 3 lbs., 2 oz. (at only 28 weeks gestation).

But the reason I'm bouncing off the satellites is that she is just big by nature, and not as a result of gestational diabetes. I passed my 1-hour test!

When I got the news this morning, I literally had to close my office door so I could do a happy dance. I was so convinced that I would fail the test, and this would be one more thing about pregnancy that my body can't figure out how to do right. And since there is a link between GD and preeclampsia, I thought I was doomed. But with post-test sugar levels at 123, well under the cut-off of 140, I'm doing fine! Which means Vi is doing fine. Which means I can relax again.

Maybe once I can relax, I won't have the weird "oh no!" dreams. I had one last night. I dreamed I was dropping Richard off at kickball when someone asked if we'd had the baby yet. And I couldn't remember! And then it dawned on me, wait, we did have the baby, and I must have left her at daycare, and it's already 7 pm. Then I couldn't find the daycare's phone number or address. I went home and realized that the crib wasn't even set up, and I panicked. And then I woke up, panting and anxious. I guess the fact that she's really on her way is starting to sink in.

what I know

Baby Vi will be making her debut sometime this summer. What we know now is that she will be coming out via c-section, rather than VBAC. This is not a surprise to Richard or I, although it seemed to be to our doctors.

We were told by the perinatalogist that delivered Eliza that any subsequent pregnancies would be c-sections, because of the type of incision used in her delivery. Our current doctors, wonderful as they are, seem to only remember this information sporadically. Last week, at our ultrasound, our LA peri mentioned that even though Vi is breech right now, there is a good chance she'll turn so we could have a vaginal birth. Rich and I were so confused, that we didn't say anything. So when I went to my OB yesterday, I brought it up again. I told him that I just needed to know what we were planning. He proceeded to tell me that, as long as everything was going well, he didn't see why we couldn't try for a VBAC. At this point, I reminded him of my first delivery and the vertical incision. He hunted through my paperwork, and then said "Oh! You're right. You're definitely a c-section."

Now, I now that my doctors are very focused on keeping both me and Vi healthy, and they have a lot of patients, and they can't keep everything straight. So, I'm giving them a pass on this issue. But if I have to say it again, I'm going to get miffed.

So, again, what I know is that Vi will be delivered by c-section. The earliest our hospital will schedule a normal c-section (i.e., not needed early because of medical issues) is 39 weeks, 1 day. For Vi, that would be August 2. However, my OB has now stated that if there is the slightest issue, we'll go in around 38 weeks.

What else do we know? Well, Viv is not a small girl. In fact, she is very big, measuring 2 weeks ahead of where her doctors expect her to be. This could just mean that she's going to be a chubby baby. Or it could be a sign that I'm heading down the gestational diabetes road. Which I am not happy about. I had my 1-hour test yesterday and I get the results for that tomorrow. If I fail that test, I go in for a 3-hour test. I'm not feeling good about it, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

What else do we know? Since we confirmed the c-section, we were able to sign up for a childbirth class specifically designed for a surgical birth. And since we signed up for that, we also signed up for our infant care class and breastfeeding class. It feels good to be taking these positive steps towards getting ready for Vi.

There's still a lot that we don't know, but I'm glad to hold on to those things we do know.

something else we know: she's awfully cute already!
Look at those chipmunk cheeks!

Chaos

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but believe me, work has been insane.

"Hi, I know we don't have a local annual report, but we promised a potential major donor that we could give her one next week. Can you create one?"

It's like my coworkers just realized that after June, I'm gone for 4 months, and they want to get everything they can out of me before I leave.

But we have another ultrasound tomorrow morning, so we get another glimpse at Baby Viv. She's been getting quite a workout lately, kicking, punching & pushing all over my abdomen. I'm looking forward to seeing her again.