New and exciting.

That lovely, beautiful, wonderful customer about whom I was talking yesterday?  Yes, she did indeed buy 3 more slings.  I think I'm going to marry her.

After checking my paypal balance (and peeing a little) I went and bought a new vacuum cleaner.  (Typing out the word vacuum makes it look weird, doesn't it?  Vacuum.  Vacuum.  Vaaaaacuuuuuuuum.)  We are really hard on our vacuums, and ususally kill them after a very short while.  I wanted something sturdy that would last, but I settled for the same cheapie model that we had last time.  Because it was on sale.  For less than $40.  And hey, if my vauum is going to be disposable, shouldn't it be cheap, too?

I went a little vacuum crazy, and pulled out all the attachments, and vacuumed the crap out of everything.  EVERYTHING.  While my house is still messy, it looks *so* much cleaner.  (You know, Vanessa, every time I do *that* I'm going to think of you.  wink wink.)  The last vacuum cleaner broke because it sucked up some of my yarn.  The yarn was still, technically, in a skein, and the vacuum cleaner had a fit and lost the will to vacuum.  So, what do I do less than 20 minutes after pulling the new vacuum cleaner out of the box?  Vacuum up some yarn... that was not only attached to a skein but that was ALSO attached to a freakin' PROJECT.  Luckily, I saved the beast, and will get a little more use out of it.

I'm never able to just bring up a simple matter and say, "La la la, look what I did," because I feel the need to explain the crap out of everything.  So, here I go.  I'm sure most everyone knows what EC is (elimination communication), also known as IPT (infant potty training).  Well, one of the nifty little things that some parents use for ECing are what are called split crotch or open crotch pants.  Phoebe has HORRIBLE, horrible eczema, and her booty was getting an unsightly red rash, and I thought these pants would be perfect since she's started using the potty.  So I made her a couple of pairs, and they work great, but I'm not 100% happy with the design.  I plan on making her some more, but I have to work out the kinks.

They look pretty weird because her booty hangs out while she's playing, but it's better than letting her run around naked from the waist down, and these protect her bum better than the babylegs do.  They're so convenient, I might just have to make a pair for myself!

I have a ton of stuff to do before we go to L.A. tonight, so I must be off! 

So much to blog!

First and foremost, I finally got my ring!  You know, the kickass supah cool ring from Singapore.  There was this screw up at the post office, and my mailman is a penis head, so it took awhile to get here.  But it's here, and I love it!

My dad had asked me if I would be willing to put on a yardsale at my Grandpa Joe's house, since my dad's trying to clear the house out and get it ready for sale.  He said I could keep all the money from the sale, so I of course said, HELL YES!  We scored some nifty free crap, too.  A waffle iron (with reversible plates), some books, some kitchenware, and the coolest thing EVAR: a stereoscope with picture cards dating back to the late 1800's.

We were in L.A. the whole weekend working on this yard sale project, and Phoebe used her potty the ENTIRE TIME.  We've pretty much been leaving her diaper off of her, and she uses the potty pretty consistently.  She's had 2 accidents, but 2 accidents in 5 days is phenomenal.  I traded for some new babylegs for her, and she loves them.  I don't know what I love more: her peeing in the potty, or how cute she looks on her potty while wearing her babylegs.

I made up a coloring bag as part of the trade for the babylegs, and I decided to make up some extra for sale.  I have some iron-on velvet letters, so I offered to personalize the crayon bags, and those babies sold like crack!  Y'all know how much I love making stuff and selling it, so it was very fun.  You know, the making stuff and earning money from it. 

I used the money from the sales of the coloring bags to buy jewelry findings so I could make some beaded stitch markers for my knitting.  They're not very well done, but they're pretty damn cute, and I like them.  Because, you know, I'm a nerd.

I'm almost done with the baby cardigan I'm making for my friend, and I'm knitting a pair of longies in trade for some diapers for Charlie.  Can I just tell you how much I love trading for stuff?  I love getting stuff I need/want by getting rid of stuff that I *don't* need, or by making something for someone.  It's the coolest feeling ever.  It's so much more fun than going to a store and spending money on stuff, and I love me some hand-me-downs because then I don't have to worry so much about the kids messing up their clothes.

So.  This post was filled with randomness, but that pretty much sums up the past few days around here.  Random.  And very very good. 

The post wherein I talk about my uterus, and poop.

I went to see the specialist today.  That was one of the busiest doctor's offices I have EVAR SEEN.  There were 5 million pregnant women in there.  No lie.  Okay, well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit.  Whatever.

Anyway, after waiting for 2 FREAKIN' HOURS, I was finally seen by a really nice doctor, who wouldn't look me in the face.  He spent the entire time talking to my hands, talking to my feet, talking to my vagina, talking to the floor, but not to my face.  Whatever.

The doctor said that he read the report that was sent over before my appointment, and based on the report he was expecting a pretty significant prolapse.  When he did the exam, though, he said,

I'M OKAY!!

Yup, he said that there is a slight prolapse, but my body is still recovering from Charlie's delivery, and I'm less than 3 months postpartum, so he's not recommending surgery or a pessary, or anything.  He said just do my kegels and I should be just ducky.  He said if I have any urinary incontinence I should come back in (does it count if I pee myself with relief?), but otherwise I'm good.  GO TEAM UTERUS!

In other news, Phoebe has a new potty.  A new and improved potty.  It's similar to the baby Bjorn potty that I wanted to get her, but it's a little different.  And it was really cheap.  And it came from Target.  And it's lime green, and I love it so much I just might have to use it myself.

So in light of this awesome potty, Phoebe went pee in it 4 times, and poop in it once.  TODAY.  I'm not going to get too crazy and expect this to happen all the time, but I'm pretty damn excited. 

YAY for poop in the potty!  YAY for my uterus being where it belongs!  YAY!

The People of the State of California vs. Phoebe Anne

The prosecution presents the above-mentioned case with the following requests, should the defendant be found guilty:

1.  That the defendant be remanded to a high security penitentiary for at least 30 days;

2.  That the defendant shall, upon her release, be henceforth banned from touching, using, implementing, or otherwise engaging the use of any device consisting of ink, pigment, lead, colored wax, or the like;

3.  If the defendant violates the terms of this order (once it is so signed) that the defendant will have oven mitts taped to her hands until she reaches the age of 12.

Please find the attached exhibits as evidence of the defendant's heinous transgressions:

Exhibit A (blue crayon on linoleum):

Exhibit B (pink highlighter on white, cotton, fitted sheet):

Exhibit C (pencil on wooden coffee table):

Exhibit D (ink and green crayon on wooden computer desk):

The prosection further contends that in light of the numerous incidents of graffiti by the defendant that she be enrolled in a rehabilitation program of the court's choosing.

Respectfully submitted this 16th day of February, 2006,
Daphne Blue, Esq.
Counsel for the Prosecution

A different kind of love.

I've mentioned, on my old blog, about a girl I know whose mother passed away a few years ago.  This girl and I were friends for awhile, but we don't really talk anymore.  When she moved out of her family home and into an apartment, she weeded through her mother's old crafting supplies and gave me pretty much anything I wanted; yarn, material, a serger, zippers, thread, you name it.  This was after we stopped really being friends, and I was touched that she would think of me, and that she would give me her mother's crafting stash.

This girl, when she was very young, had an unplanned pregnancy.  She gave her daughter up for adoption because she knew it was the right thing to do for her, and she wanted her daughter to have a good, stable, happy life.

This girl is, now, expecting another daughter.  I think about her all the time, even though we're not friends anymore.  I worry about her, and I'm excited for her, and I wonder how she's doing.  I wonder if this pregnancy is similar to her other pregnancy; I wonder if she's scared; I wonder if she's doing well and is happy.

I've been haunted by the need to make something for her and her daughter.... something special.  I want this girl to know that even if I don't talk to her, even if we aren't really friends, that I think she's wonderful and special, and I don't want her to feel alone.  Maybe she could care less, and maybe I'm presuming an awful lot, but I'm still determined to give her something special.  Because it's a kind of love I feel for her, and her daughter.

While I was searching through my stash of yarn, I found a skein of baby yarn in a box of her mother's things.  I found a pattern for a baby cardi, and I haven't stopped working on it since.  There is something deeply moving in the fact that this yarn came from her mother, and is being transformed into something for her daughter.  From one mama, to another, to another.

Because I care.  Because in a weird way, I have the ability to give her something from her mother.  Because I want her to feel special.  Because.  It's a different kind of love.