Please Stand By

We're home, a little tired, trying to remember the newborn stuff, and keep up with the four year old stuff.

Let's just say that mistakes were made (ummm change of baby clothes in the diaper bag anyone), but we're getting the hang of this.

I hope.

It's been crazy, but I'm feeling very much in love right now.

The Hatchling

Kian arrived yesterday at 10:59 a.m. Like his sister five years ago, he was reluctant to leave the womb. The Doctor held him over the curtain so that I could see him and he stayed in the O.R. with us for a long time--Chas brought him over to me frequently. He weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces so I guess I'm sort of relieved I didn't actually do a VBAC.

I could babble on about it, but Angie has just returned with my Mom and Chas is running out to get food.

One more post while I still can...

and it's stitching related of course.

I haven't posted my progress on the QS Ballet Pigs from the HAED Easter Creature SAL last week so here she is. Quite pretty really. Sorry for all the stringy bits--I grid and I still need the marks to keep track of the confetti stitches to be added. Angie was very excited to see me working on it. She kept asking to be able to hold it while it was in the Q-Snap (and by the way, they really need to make smaller Q-Snaps).

I don't know if you can tell but I am very nearly done with her. I thought about taking her to the hospital with me, but realistically, I don't think I'll have the ability to concentrate on the tiny over one confetti stitches that remain--she's on 32 count linen which I find to be extra challenging (I won't be using 32 count linen for a HAED ever again). I don't know if I will actually finish her this month, but I'm awfully close.

She won't be framed when finished. I need to find some way to flat finish or pillow finish her so that Angie can hold her.

This past weekend was the April HAED Challenge SAL. I'm posting a photo here because it is still blobby enough to be difficult to decide what it is (maybe). This is a gift for someone who reads this blog regularly so if you think you know which design it is, please don't post it here. (Thanks.) Of course at the rate I am stitching this lovely design, she and I may be old and insensible by the time I finish. Not to imply that either of us are terribly sensible right now.

Still I am much farther along than I thought I would be after the SAL. I think I've finished 50 ten by ten squares and have stitches in roughly 20 additional squares. It is stitched with full crosses on 28 count evenweave. Umm, looks nice doesn't it? I may finish the first page by the end of the SAL in May. When I move onto the second page, I'll be getting to the exciting bits of this design. This one will also not be going to the hospital with me.

I am taking a few projects to the hospital, but they are over two and not as complex. I have a "simple" Chatelaine (the Christmas Mandala Freebie) and a a simple chart from Nadel Faden Fantasie/Bahmann Art & Broderie. I'm not certain if I'll be able to stitch much but I have them if I get bored and am unable to sleep while Kian sleeps.

Well, a stitcher can hope right?

Hatching Day

We saw the Doctor today. Absolutely no change whatsoever. And the Doctor is thinking that Kian is big. His heartbeat is very good though. The Doctor did not seem to think Kian was in any imminent danger.

The end result: we are scheduled for a c-section early Wednesday morning. Apparently this is all typical for pregnant moms of advanced maternal age (good grief I'm only 37). I doubt that I'll have much energy for posting or stitching or anything else other than feeding and diaper changing for a while.

I'm disappointed that I don't even get to try to go through regular childbirth; I would have liked the experience. I'm hoping that at least Kian will be okay. I am somewhat relieved that we don't have to take a chance and wait another week. I would have worried about him being harmed if we delayed too long. I would have liked a little more time to prepare Angie for my four day absence. With any luck, I should be out on Saturday so we'll only miss three nights at home.

Kian is still moving, even though the poor kid must be getting rather cramped at this point. I'm very excited that we will soon get to meet him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's fine.

So think positive, successful surgery and recovery thoughts for us okay?

If I must have another c-section....

At least this design will be appropriate.

Now I just need to find where that design in my stash--it's in there somewhere.

Happy Anniversary!

I love you Honey!

Arrrrgggggghhhh!

Still no dilation. I will technically be at 39 weeks on Saturday. The Doctor's partner tried to comfort me by saying normal delivery is over-rated. Appparently since I had a c-section the first time, my body is acting as if this is the first time I've been pregnant.

Sure, of course not touching my child for two plus hours after birth and the pain and almost complete inability to easily care for the child in the weeks following is such a fun time.

And four @#$%%#*& days at a minimum in the hospital, that's just a party waiting to happen.

Unless something wonderful happens over the weekend, it looks certain that I will be having a c-section. They cannot attempt inducing labor since the previous delivery was a c-section.

I was hoping for better news since today is our anniversary. Sigh. Still, Chas is very appreciative of Cathy's earlier suggestion.

All is Calm--Mostly

Chas and Angie are still asleep so I am grabbing some quiet time on the computer while I can.

I am working on Ballet Pigs QS for the Easter Creature SAL at the Heaven and Earth Designs BB. It runs from the 5th through the 10th. It's only the 7th and I'm starting to tire of Ballet Pigs. This is why focus projects don't work with me: I become bored with working on the same project and the same colors after a very short time. I'm tempted to switch over to the Frog Prince, but I'm trying to tell myself that I really want to finish something this month.

It doesn't help that I am thinking I want to work on one of my TW's since I enjoyed Stretch so much. Of course, I don't know where my TW WIPS are at the moment so that slows me down a bit. But then I think I could start something new....

And it doesn't help that I find myself itching to work on one of my pretty Chatelaine Mandalas instead. Or even Midi 1. And then I start thinking about the lovely Autumn design I purchased during the North Coast Tour de Stitch. Or the fact that the unstarted Japanese Octagonal Box is calling me. Or the Leporello (even though I haven't decided on a fabric).

I'll be good. I'll continue to work on Ballet Pigs for the next four days. Then I'll stitch another WIP for two days, then it will be time for another HAED challenge SAL.

After that, no more HAED stitching until May. Unless I'm really close to finishing Ballet Pigs.

Ummmm

Blogger seems to think I'm a spam blog.

"Blogs engaged in this behavior are called spam blogs, and can be recognized by their irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text, along with a large number of links, usually all pointing to a single site."

Hmmm.

I get the irrelevant, repetitive and nonsensical part.

Bluesy

I saw the Doctor today. He does not feel that I have dropped far enough and he is very concerned that I am not dilated at all, considering that I am two to two and a half weeks from my estimated due date.

If things do not change in the next two weeks, we'll be discussing the need for a surgical birth rather than a VBAC. He seemed comfortable with Kian's health though, we could see him breathing and the heart beating. My Doctor is on vacation next week, so I'll see his partner. I go back to my regular doctor the following Tuesday.

I hated the recovery time for the c-section. I hated the amount of time away from home. I hated how hard it was to do simple things like shower or pick up my light-as-a-feather daughter.

However, my goal remains to try to deliver a healthy baby. It could just be that he climbed back up when the weather turned cold and snowy again this week.

I have two weeks to hope for a rapid change and if not, I have to accept another surgical birth and prepare so that I don't burst into tears in the Doctor's office.

Holy Cow---It's April

How in the world did that happen?

And on cue, Kian seems to be dropping rapidly. My co-workers and the attorneys who saw me yesterday were visibly surprised at the change. There is now a pool going as to when (this week) I will deliver. I believe he realized that April had arrived and he decided that it was time to take some action. I'm ready for everything except the actual labor and delivery and recovery in the hospital part. I'm slightly panicked about it actually.

Chas and I watched a few episodes of Coupling Season 4 last night. We hadn't watched it in a while (close to two years) because Angie was repeating things from the show. She loves the them song though. Anyway, we saw "Circus of the Epidurals" which makes me laugh every time and then "Nine and a Half Months," the ending of which brings tears to my eyes no matter how many times I see it. I'm not sure that it was too reassuring about the natural childbirth thing.

I was to see the Doctor today. When I arrived at the office we waited a few minutes and one of the nurses told me that he was running to the hospital (right across the street)to help a patient deliver a baby. I'm okay with that because it could very well be me he's rushing to see in a few weeks or days. But I would liked to have a better idea of what is going on and how far along I am. I see him Friday, unless I can finagle my docket to go on Thursday (tomorrow he is in surgery).

In much lighter news, Martina has posted the rest of the Tuscany Town Mandala (my most desired mandala), created a group and set the start date: June 1, 2007. June 1st? Yikes. I am wracking my brain for how I can finish 21 projects in time to join the group when it starts. Since it isn't actually a limited release, I can't justify it by finishing 13 projects.

I am determined to be good. We have too much going on this year. But I love Italy and I love the design and it is a big, challenging project. The reality is that I won't be joining the class until well after it has started. I have oodles of other projects to stitch anyway.

But it will be interesting to see how many designs I finish in the next two months won't it?

April Stitching Goals

Let's review March's progress:

1. Finish Midi 1 Close, but not quite!
2. Finish Snow Crystal YES! YES! YES!
3. Finish the cross stitching in Part 2 of MX Did not even touch MX, that I can recall.
4. Finish another set of bridges in JG or a crane area Stitched a bit more on the crane area. Goodness that is going to take some time. It would be faster to stitch another bridge from scratch.
5. Finish another set of grey columns on WG. Stitched a bit on WG. Did not finish a set of columns though.
6. Finish Cross stitching in Tree of Hope. Spent a respectable amount of time on the Tree. Not done yet.
7. Stitch two ornaments for the Christmas Ornament SAL YES! YES! YES!
8. Finish the page of my HAED SAL design. No, but I am making steady progress.
9. Participate any other HAED SAL Nope.
10. Finish Stealing Oats Nope. I had to frog a small area so I put it to the side.

Now for April:

1. Finish Midi 1
2. Finish the cross stitching in Parts 2 and 3 of MX
3. Finish another set of bridges in JG or a crane area
4. Finish another set of grey columns on WG.
5. Make progress on the Tree of Hope.
6. Stitch two ornaments for the Christmas Ornament SAL
7. Finish the page of my HAED SAL design.
8. Finish ten to fifteen ten by ten squares on Santorini
9. Finish Stealing Oats
10. Make progress on the Chatelaine Christmas Mandala.
11. Finish Ballet Pigs QS

Martina released the class parts a day early and the new part for MX is beautiful. I am itching to get back to MX. However, I'm on a roll with the Happy Dances so I am trying to stay focused on Midi 1. Also, Stretch the dragon is ostensibly for Kian, so I should really finish something for Angie. The Ballet Pigs QS is for her. Finally, Stealing Oats is a quick project when compared to my mandalas, so I'll try to focus on it too. I might take the Christmas Mandala to the hospital or the ornaments (if I'm there during the SAL weekend)--I have to be there for two days after Kian is born so I might get a bit twitching if I didn't have some stitching with me. If I can find Tempest, I might take that instead.

So for the first time ever, I have focus pieces for the month:

1. Midi 1
2. Ballet Pigs QS
3. Stealing Oats

If I concentrate on just those three, surely I can finish one of them in addition to the ornaments this month.