Shelby Knits

Starbucks and yarn swap questionnaire!

2008-07-01T20:26:00.002-04:00

Here is my questionnaire for my pal! Let me know if you have any questions!

1. Full name Shelby Bidwell
2. Ravelry ID shelbyknits
3. Email address shelby AT bidwellfamily DOT net
4. Blog address (if you have one) http://shelbyknits2.blogspot.com or http://sbifblog.blogspot.com
5. Handmade item you desire in the swap (bag, cup cozy, etc.) a bag or coaster
6. Starbucks item you desire (gift card, mug, beans, etc.) a mug or gift card
7. Favorite Starbucks beverage/bean Caramel Macchiato
8. Favorite snack food popcorn or twizzlers
9. Favorite color(s) blue and purple
10. Favorite fragrance lavendar or vanilla
11. What types of things do you like to knit? socks, sweaters, baby/toddler items
12. Do you spin? yes, I love spinning!
13. Do you dye your own yarn? Yes, I do.
14. Favorite yarns Fleece Artist, Handmaiden, Dream in Color, anything of natural fibers that is soft
15. Favorite needles bamboo or wood
16. Do you have any allergies? to smoke
17. Would you be willing to prepare an angel kit if necessary? Possibly
18. Do you have any special requests? Not that I can think of!
19. Do you have any pets? 2 cats
20. Is your home smoking or nonsmoking? non-smoking.

question of the Week!!

2008-06-27T15:36:00.002-04:00

Question #3:
What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

Now this is a hard one!! I think it would be important for the "perfect" stash to have a large enough amount of yarn, where if you wanted to start ANY project, you could go stash diving and have at least 2 or 3 options for whatever project you have in mind. Want to start a cabled sweater? No problem! There would be at least 3 colors of at least 2 different yarns. LOTS of options. I think that if I had a stash that large though, my husband would seriously have me committed. I do have a large stash, and it gets larger every month. BUT, I have to say, it's been ages since I've bought any sock yarn. I'm patting myself on the back for that.

HHHS questionnaire!

2008-06-26T12:11:00.002-04:00

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself? I'd say I'm an intermediate beginner. I've been spinning for about 2 years, but don't do it nearly often enough!

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
I create mostly singles and 2 ply yarn.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
I have a spindle and a wheel (Ashford Kiwi), but I usually use my wheel.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
I love merino, merino blends (with tencel, for example)

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
I love crown mountain farms. I usually buy fiber at festivals, so haven't really explored the etsy sellers much.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
I'm up for just about anything! I just don't like things that are scratchy.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?
I'd love to learn how to navajo ply.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
Yes, yes, yes! I have sold several rovings that I've dyed at my shop, but I've mostly dyed yarn.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
No. I don't have the tools, or the time to learn to prep fiber right now. New baby takes priority right now. Ready-to-spin fiber is a must.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
I haven't done anything with it yet. But I have plans for scarves and leg warmers.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
I don't have a WPI gauge, and the threading hook I have is the one that came with my wheel (just metal). So I'd love some fun gadgets!

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love blues, purples, and greens. I'm not a fan of orange or yellow.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
My wheel has several different things going. Some CrownMountain Farm superwash meriono, a blend that was gifted to me in a fiberswap, and some yummy alpaca that I bought at Maryland sheep and wool a few years back.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
I knit, dye, scrapbook, quilt, cook, photography

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
I love wine. My husband and I have a bit of a collection that we started about 6 years ago. I also love to cook. And my kids, are my number one priority. I work full time as a scientist, and need as many outlets as possible away from the computer.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
I'm working on one right now...and will have it up within a few days.

17. Is there anything that you collect?
poodles (I had 2 growing up), wine, paper for scrapbooking, yarn, and cook books

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
I only have one book on spinning that I got years ago, and it teaches you to spin on a spindle. I will make sure to put a few options on my wishlist. I do have an Interweave Knits subscription, and a Vogue Knitting subscription.

19. When is your birthday?
June 25th

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
That's a hard one! I'm going to have to think about this...

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
HOT. it's been in the mid to upper 80's the last few weeks, and it will only get warmer as the summer goes on.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
My husband and I met in college- I was his Resident Advisor in the dorms when we met, but we didn't start dating until the following year.

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link):
Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.

Candy:
Twizzlers or Starburst

Food:
french fries with cheddar cheese, thai food, or pepperoni pizza. Depends on my mood.

Drink:
Alcoholic, at the moment are mojitos. Non-alcoholic would have to be Diet Cherry Coke. Or, a good glass of red wine.

Movie(s):
Oceans 11, Pretty Woman and Star Wars, depends on my mood.

TV Show(s):
Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives

Book(s):
I love Jennifer Weiner's books, but I've read them all.

Guilty Pleasure(s):
I love reality TV shows (the Bachelor, Bachelorette, the apprentice, American Idol, etc). And I love the Gilmore Girls. I watch reruns every night (thank you DVR). And my new favorite reality show is The Girls Next Door... Did I just admit that?

32

2008-06-25T14:39:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's been another year!! Today, is my 32nd birthday, and sometimes I still feel like I'm in my 20's. Then I remember how much I've learned since my mid-twenties, and I'm glad I'm in my thirties. I'm sure this will keep happening as I get older, too. For now, I'm just a little grumpy about getting some grey hair, but that I can cope with, with a trip to the hair salon. Pampering is a good thing. ;)

My gift from my husband was amazing. He got me a gift certificate to Toys R Us, which is for the new Guitar Hero- Aerosmith which comes out this weekend! It was cute too, he put "to our guitar hero, from your adoring fans, for one chance at fame" or something like that. He's too cute! I can't wait to go shopping Sunday and pick it up (hopefully it will be widely available).

I have made some progress on my shawl, which I'm pretty excited about! It's looking awesome, and I love it! I'll try to take some pics tonight and post them later. For now, I've got to finish up some work, go home and part-y!

Thank you!!

2008-06-24T09:08:00.002-04:00

My SP12 sent me my first package, and it arrived yesterday! I was debating on whether to wait until my birthday to open it (tomorrow), or to open it right away. My daughter kind of took care of that decision for me by begging me to open it, and I was having a hard time resisting anyways, so it was easy to cave in. ;)

Inside, (pictures will follow when I have my camera) was copies of Back on Blossom Street and Susannah's Garden. Two books I've been wanting to read! I'm so excited! Usually I have such a hard finding authors that I like, and after reading the first 2 books in the Blossom Street series, I decided to branch out and try another of her books. She also sent me a brea.st self exam kit from Bath and body works. This is so fitting, because of the fact that my aunt has been in the hospital for a while, with breast cancer (that has spread), and she's likely losing her battle. I've been very good about doing my monthly self exams, I had my first mammogram last summer, and I'm doing everything I can to ensure that I am OK. Or that if I'm not, that I can at least catch it early. Thankfully, her form doesn't seem to be genetic, but there's so much that is unknown that I'm not taking any chances. Then was the oragami paper crane, which is stunning! And now hanging up in my cube so I can look at it whenever I need to see something pretty.

Thank you SO much pal!!! You really helped make my birthday special!

Lace? Me???

2008-06-19T19:24:00.004-04:00

I have the shortest attention span sometimes. I've tried to do lace MANY times, and can not seem to get it down. I always screw up on every row, and I just can't focus. Last summer, during SP10, my pal Kerry sent me a lace stole pattern and some Schaefer Anne. I loved the pattern and yarn, but wasn't in the right place to start it. Especially once I was pregnant, the idea of keeping my attention on anything seemed to go right out the window! I was thinking the other day about this beautiful yarn and lace pattern. One of the women I spoiled a few years back, FGK does really amazing lacework, and she's been inspiring me ever since. So I finally took the plunge and cast-on for my stole. And...I'm actually 3 repeats in to the first part of the pattern! That's a whole 12 rows in, without any mistakes!! I'm absolutely loving how the pattern is turning out, and the yarn is SO soft! Here is my first pic...I took it last night before I did 4 more rows. I'm afraid I may become a bit obsessed with lace, if I can actually make it work, that is.

2nd question!

2008-06-19T14:25:00.003-04:00

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

I can't decide on one thing, so here are my 5 favorite things!

1- going to the playground! We had a playground in our neighborhood that had a summer program. Every day was a different field trip! Mondays was mini-golf, tues was the local "lake", Wed was the roller rink, thurs was the middle school pool, and fri was fun and games! There was always mon/wed afternoon arts and crafts, and games too. SO much fun!! We rode a school bus to the different places, and it was CHEAP. We did that every day, every summer for years!
2- hanging out at my pool- we hand an inground pool at my house, and it was the hang out.
3- Summer Theatre- our middle school had a summer theatre program where we'd put on a musical for different groups. We'd practice for weeks, and then perform everywhere! It was so much fun!
4- games with the neighborhood kids- Ghost in the Graveyard, kick the can, Superheros (like tag with fun transformations) and TV tag were a few of our faves.
5- walking to the local convenience store for Slush Puppies! YUMMY!!!
EDITED
6- watching Reading Rainbow!! I used to LOVE that show, and watched it every day during the summer!

SP12 first question!

2008-06-12T11:50:00.004-04:00

What is my favorite summertime drink? I'll show you!!

These are the Mojitos that I made the other night! They were amazing, and I'm so glad that I have TONS of mint! I'll be able to have them daily if I want!

Here's my recipe:
12 mint leaves, torn up
2 teaspoons of sugar ("helps the medicine go down...")
juice form half of a lime (then cut it up in 4 pieces and put it in the shaker)
Then muddle the mint, sugar, and lime pieces with a spoon or pestle until all mint is bruised well
Add 1 1/2 ounces of Bacardi rum
add about a cup of ice
Shake up and down until cold
Put some fresh ice into a glass and pour the rum/lime juice mix into glass
Add about 3 to 5 ounces of Club soda (depending on how strong you want your drink)

Adding the club soda at the end makes all the difference! It keeps it nice and fizzy. I usually use about 3 ounces of club soda, because I love my liquor. ;-)

Actual knitting content?!!

2008-06-05T15:00:00.004-04:00

Oh my goodness- I'm about to post some knitting content!! It feels like it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything knitting related! And this post shall have a few things!

I'm working away on my SP12 matches! I'm so excited to get that going, it's going to be a fun round! I can't wait to start spoiling my pal! It has been way too long since I've participated in a swap, and I feel all refreshed and ready to go!

I also signed up for another swap! It's the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny and it's going to be SO much fun!! If you are a spinner, head on over and join!

I've been knitting and spinning a bit over here too. Here are a few pics of what I've been working on!
Here we have some merino that I spun up last week. I bought 3 different colorways at MSW, and I let Celia pick out which one she liked best. She picked this one, and it's destined to be a new pair of legwarmers for her gymnastics class!

And here is some progress on my Central Park Hoodie! It's out of Brooks Farm Solana that I picked up at MSW. It's SO soft, and the color is just fantastic! I'm hoping to knit away on it all summer and fall, so I can wear it next winter. Though my mom was smart, and she told me I have 3 years to get it done...which is a much more realistic goal considering I can't seem to finish any of my projects...

And last, but certainly not least, here is a pic of my little guy. He's getting SO big so fast, and I can't believe how much he's grown! Notice the shirt- I got this from Mel's Cafepress store. My guy is a work of ART for sure...Assisted Reproductive Technology. I have gotten SO many compliments on it- great design Mel!

Sp12 questionnaire!!

2008-06-02T10:31:00.002-04:00

Almost time for SP 12 to start up!! I am looking forward to another great round!

Here are my answers! Please feel free to ask if you need any clarification!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love all kinds of yarn! Not a fan of acrylic, but most others are OK. Mohair does make me sneeze a little, but I still use it. I love anything really soft, in great colors.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a needle roll for straight needles, and a zipper pouch for circs. I also have the KnitPicks options set and binder.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting since I was 5, when an aunt taught me. But I've been "really" knitting for about 4 years. I'd say I'm intermediate, and not afraid to try much.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have an amazon one on the side bar, but it's not updated. I'll be sure to do that soon!

5. What's your favorite scent?
Lavendar, citrus, rose, vanilla...

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes! I love chocolate (especially milk chocolate, and orange chocolate). And I also love Twizzlers, starburst, and gummy bears.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin (have an Ashford Kiwi), dye (see my stuff here, scrapbook, quilt, make beaded jewelry and stitch markers, love photography, and cooking.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love rock and pop music. Not much into rap or country, but like most other types of music as well.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Blue and purple are my faves, but I also like greens and browns. Not a fan of yellow or orange.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married with a 4 year old daughter, 3 month old son, and 2 cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I love scarves, hats and mittens. I don't have any ponchos, but am not opposed to them.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Love socks, sweaters, and baby items.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I have about 20 projects on the needles...but most are socks, I have two sweaters for myself, including the Central Park Hoodie which I just started, and a few sweaters for my daughter and son.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, absolutely!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circular for most things, and usually bamboo or wood.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
3 years

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween and Thanksgiving

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Poodles, yarn, and wine. Interesting combination! The wine is something my husband and I collect together. We have about 5 or 6 cases of wine at any given time.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I'd love to get my hands on some Wollmeise or vesper yarn, but I really do love most indie dyed yarns. I have Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I want to try lace knitting, but the few times I've tried, I have failed miserably. The only lace items I've completed are socks.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes!! I wear a 10 wide.

23. When is your birthday?
June 25th! I'll be 32.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes, my ID is shelbyknits.

bad blogger!

2008-05-20T21:49:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's been ages since I've posted! My little guy has kept me quite busy! As has his big sister. Thankfully I've been able to find a little time to start knitting again! First time was when I was in Buffalo for a visit- both kids were in bed, so I got to work on a sock. AND then there was Maryland Sheep and Wool! I was very naughty. I only bought things on my list, which included some roving, and enough yarn for 1 sweater (the Central Park Hoodie). I ended up getting some Brooks Farm Solana in a brick red colorway for my sweater. It cost me most of my budget, but I know it's going to be SO worth it, since it's working up amazingly. Here is a pic of the yarn which is really much darker in person, and I'll take some pics of my CPH in progress, in a few days.

All else is going ok. I started back at work last tuesday, which was rough. I hate not getting to spend so much time with my kids. But I need to work, so there you have it. And of course, Seth got sick on Sunday/Monday this week. He had a fever, which of course is not a good thing in a 12 week old. So, we went to the doc, who did a urine collection by catheter, and sent us for a blood culture and urine culture, and bloodwork, because in infants that young, fever can be dangerous. Thankfully it looks like it was just a virus, but it was still pretty freaky. He screamed during the urine collection (duh- you should have seen how much tubing went up his pe.ni.s!). And at the lab, they tried to draw the blood out of both arms before they gave up and sent us to the hospital to have it done. After a whole morning of waiting in waiting rooms (at the Dr. office, lab, and then hospital), we both passed out. Thankfully by last night, his fever was gone, and he was more himself today.

On another note, Secret Pal 12 is starting soon! Sign ups opened last week, and are open for another week. Sign up fast if you're interested!! We've made a few changes, so we're really excited for this round!!

Still no knitting!

2008-04-08T17:18:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I've made it 7 weeks without knitting a stitch. Just amazing. I really need to get back to knitting- I miss it terribly! Maybe tomorrow I'll have enough energy to do it.

My current "project" is our main bathroom. It's really the "kids" bathroom, but the only one with a tub, so I use it sometimes too. Plus it's the only one on the main level of our house. We're basically tearing it apart and redoing the whole thing. I've ordered the tile, the vanity, and am working on finding the perfect new tub! The handyman starts on it in 2 weeks, and I can't WAIT! Basically every second not spent with Seth and Celia is spent researching tubs, faucets, etc. And any extra time on weekends is spent working on scraping wallpaper and paint off the walls. Let's just say there's one layer of wallpaper that was painted over, and then covered with a second layer of wallpaper. Talk about a bitch to get off! It's taking FOREVER, and we're doing some major damage to the wall. Lots of spackle will be needed before we can paint in there.

2 and a half more weeks til we head up to Buffalo for a week, which I'm excited about! Then we come back right before Maryland Sheep and Wool! Then that week Seth starts day care, and the following Tues I'm back at work. I can't believe how fast my maternity leave is flying by! I'd do anything not to have to go back to work...this is really going to be hard this time.

MSW

2008-04-08T16:51:00.001-04:00

http://www.cloverhillyarn.blogspot.com/
Check it out!! A blog to get ready for Maryland Sheep and wool! Yeah! Just a few weeks left!!

My life

2008-03-12T13:27:00.003-04:00

The last few weeks have been exhausting! I've hardly slept, or slept in 2-3 hour spurts. I have changed hundreds of diapers, and pumped ounces and ounces of milk. No time for knitting, since I'm still so foggy. Thankfully I'm feeling really good other than the exhaustion. The recovery from the surgery has been so much easier this time around.

I thought I'd post newer pictures of Seth, who has been the main focus of my attention lately. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more energy soon and get back to knitting!

Getting excited!

2008-02-25T21:45:00.002-05:00

In all of the excitement from last week, I forgot to mention something else great! I finished the order for Robyn's Nest March Sock club!! With the holiday on Monday, I was taking it to the post office Tuesday...but well, that never happened because Seth decided to make his appearence! So, my darling husband took the big box over to the Post Office first thing Wednesday morning, and it's on it's way to Robyn's Nest right now! Can you tell I'm excited about this too?

Home sweet home

2008-02-25T13:49:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been quite the week!! I had a feeling that once I stopped taking the Pro.cardia that the contractions would start up again pretty quickly, but I had no idea just how quickly! When we went to the hospital last Tuesday, the nurse taking care of me in Triage made it seem like they'd try to prolong labor a bit longer, and send me home. Imagine my surprise, when my OB walked in around 1, asking if I was ready to do this. Um yeah!! This kid wants out, who am I to stand in his way?! So the surgery went well, it was pretty quick, considering they did 2 things while in there (let's just say that after a round of IVF, having gestational diabetes twice, and dealing with preterm labor this time, I'm DONE!).

We're all adjusting pretty well to having a new baby in the house. I'm still really sore, and exhausted. But it's getting better as time goes on. Celia is doing beautifully! She's so excited to have a baby brother, every time she sees anyone new, she tells them all about how she has a new baby brother. Here's a pic of her and Seth. She really loves that we let her hold him by herself.

My inlaws were here from Thursday until early this morning, which was a big help. It was nice not to worry about where dinner was coming from. And to have extra hands to help with Celia and Seth. I got to take naps daily, and really take care of myself, which I think has really helped with the recovery. I went off the Per.cocet yesterday, and am only taking extra strength motrin now! Of course, I did have to finish a hat that I had started for Seth while in the hospital. It's interesting to knit when you have an IV in your wrist, but I got it done!

2008-02-20T00:09:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Shelby and I would like you to help us welcome Seth Nathan Bidwell into the world. He was born on Tuesday the 19th of Febuary at 5:30 PM, weighing 6 pounds. If you'd like to see some pictures, please feel free to visit http://bidwellfamily.net/images/v/SethBorn/. I expect that I'll be adding a couple more pictures there in the next couple of days as well.

Nathan posting for Shelby

could be 3 days.

2008-02-15T11:42:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm surprised here! I saw my OB yesterday, and he wants me to stop the Pro.cardia (which has been keeping the contractions calm-ish) on Monday. He wants me to wait until Monday, because if the contractions start up pretty quickly, they'll deliver the baby shortly after. So yikes! I'm a bit nervous, and excited. I have SO much to do before the baby comes! I have a feeling that this weekend will involve a lot of shopping, reskeining, and cleaning. At the very least, the meds are helping me to feel a LOT better, and not hurt nearly as much, so I have a feeling that next week will be pretty rough, regardless of whether I end up having the baby early or not. At least tomorrow will mark 36 weeks, so that's really good news!

organization rocks!

2008-02-13T20:53:00.003-05:00

So I ended up going through the rest of my stash and got a lot of things organized. I have almost 2 large bins full of sock yarn. Do you think I have a problem?? Some of the colorways I had forgotten I had. I even found a I had put away that I picked back up again! But for now, here are a few pics of what I've got. Not many pics, and it only shows about 1/3 of my stash... I loved playing with my stash, and getting inspired by the yarn I have!

And the scary part- I entered everything into a spreadsheet (which will eventually go into Ravelry. And the total yardage I have, is over 66,000 yards. Holy crap!

nesting

2008-02-09T10:53:00.001-05:00

Man am I nesting!! I am 35 weeks today, and have only 3 weeks and 2 full days before my C-section. I have SO much I want to get done, and can't do it all. Little things are driving me crazy. I went to grab something from my desk, and it's a mess! So I grabbed the 2 piles of patterns that have been sitting there for over a year (and falling off whenever I am looking for something that they're hiding), and FINALLY organized them in sheet protectors and binders. I am so proud of myself! This afternoon, while my husband is doing a few things around the house that need to get done (blinds, putting in a new cable jack), I'm going to relax with Celia, and maybe organize my stash. Right now there's no real system to how I have things. All weights are thrown in together. Since it's a low activity thing to do (at least less than scraping the bathroom wallpaper, which I really can't do right now but is driving me equally as crazy!), I'm going to go through and organize my stash a bit better. And actually take inventory of what I have. I'm usually really good at remembering things like that (and where they came from or if they were a gift, who they came from), but I found a skein the other day that I have NO idea where it came from. I'm sure I got it, but where did I buy it? That sort of thing drives me nutty.

So, hopefully I'll have some great pics to post tomorrow on my progress.

You make my day!

2008-02-05T19:17:00.000-05:00

Kerry is awesome! Apparently, I'm on her list of people who make her day! I am so touched! I met Kerry when we started hostessing the Secret Pal exchanges, and have been friends ever since! She is such a talented knitter, and has inspired me in SO many ways! Thanks for the nod Kerry!

Here is my list of 10 people who make my day:
Fairy God Knitter
Jody
Saun
Chrissy
Bobbi
trek
Stacey
Sheri
Robin
Stephanie

You all rock! And inspire me in so many ways! There are so many more who do the same. I've met so many amazing knitters through the last few years of blogging. Thanks for all of your inspiration!!

Scheduled- take 2

2008-02-05T11:40:00.001-05:00

My OB's office called this morning to work on details for my C-section/tubal ligation. Apparently when he looked at the calendar and picked a date, he didn't realize that he's at the other hospital all day that day! So, we're going with March 4th instead. At 2pm. I'm all scheduled, so let's hope that this is actually going to be the day. I'm curious to see how much it changes (which I completely expect it to). I'm guessing for the week earlier, once we see how my sugars are effecting everything. I'm being as good as possible, but sometimes it still doesn't matter.

some exciting news!

2008-02-03T16:24:00.000-05:00

A few months back, I was asked to design a colorway for the March sock club over at Robyn's Nest!. With Robyn's ideas, I came up with something I absolutely love! And it's now available for preorder here!! Go check it out! It's going to be a fantastic kit, if I may say so myself!

Scheduled!

2008-01-31T16:50:00.000-05:00

And, we've scheduled the C-section!! It's going to be Wednesday, March 5th at 9:30 in the morning. I'm SO excited!! Now let's just hope everything cooperates and I actually make it that far! I didn't with Celia (she was born at 38 weeks, and this date puts me at 38 weeks and 4 days). Thankfully I'll be having weekly sonograms to make sure all is well! And the best news- is that in the last 2 weeks, my cervix lengthened to 3.8 cm (from 3.0 cm)!! So this whole taking it easy/modified bedrest, whatever you want to call it seems to really be working with the medication well! Yeah!

update

2008-01-17T22:09:00.001-05:00

I saw my OB this morning, and he told me to up my dose to 20mg with how I've been feeling. Now I have been doing this about half the time, so maybe it will help.

He also wanted me to move up my appointment with Dr H (my MFM) and his office called over and got me in TODAY at 10:30!! I guess you throw the words "possible preterm labor" around, and slots magically appear. Thank goodness. I'm curious to see what's going on in there. My fingers are crossed for a nice long, closed cervix.

And the good news- he said that next appointment in 2 weeks, we'll schedule my C-section/tubal at Shady Grove! He said it's so much closer for me, so why not? I loved that! Apparently the new rooms are really nice too- they just opened up a new wing. And this way, Dr. H can also be involved if necessary.

Then I saw my MFM, and waited what felt like forever! I got back, and they first checked my cervix, which is 3 cm, so nice and long. There is a channel of fluid around it though, which apparently is a sign that I've been having lots of contractions. Which I still am! She said to head home after the appointment (which I planned to do anyways), lay on my left side, and stay there for the rest of the week and through the entire weekend. That should give the increased medication enough time to really start working, and I should be much more comfortable. I asked her if I could still work from home this afternoon and tomorrow, and she was fine with that, as long as I'm laying down. And she was pleased that I'm working from home most of the time from now on. She said between that and the meds, I should be feeling much less discomfort. I can't wait for that to happen!! And if the meds don' thelp, to call my OB and switch to something else. But I'm almost 32 weeks, and she said that after 34 weeks, they usually don't do too much to prevent labor.