Hippy skirts!

One design down, a million bajillion more to go!  These are drawstring waist 4-panel skirts with appliques all over them.  I made them big because I want to be able to wear them throughout my pregnancy, and I made them long because they hide my hairy legs.

Here's the first one:

And the second one (my favorite of the two):

Front

Back:

Kick-ass pocket:

That's it for now.  Later on I'll post pics of some other stuff I've been working on: crocheted tank tops for Phoebe, an apron top for Phoebe, a Dell DJ case for Bryan, another soaker for Phoebe, and some patchy side-panel pants for Phoebe, if they get done.  Do you sense a theme here?

Hmmm.

I don't really feel like myself these days.  I feel tired, and bored, and just sort of..... blah lately.

We got Phoebe a learning potty.  She's been pooping in the big toilet (we haven't caught any pees yet) but pooping in the big potty makes her cry.  Could be something about her being suspended over this giant gaping hole and asking her to concentrate on pushing out her poop, but whatever the reason is I don't want her to be afraid of pooping on the potty, and I certainly don't want her to cry.  Bryan insisted we go and get her a potty, though, so we did.  There's a particular potty that I wanted, and I'd seen them at Target, but they were all out of them, so we just got her a regular one.

We put her on it last night and she loved it.  She kept getting up, running around, peeing on the carpet, and then she'd take little "breaks" to go sit on the potty.  Peed on the carpet, mind you, but then would turn around and sit on the potty.  I was trying to explain to Bryan that she's not potty learning yet, but I'm trying to use elimination communication with her, and it will be slow going until we figure it out.  He didn't really understand the difference between EC and potty learning, and kept asking if I wanted him to put a diaper on her.  *sigh*  One day at a time, though, and we'll see if I get any better at this EC stuff.

So, Bryan's starting school on Tuesday.  We had decided in late July/early August that we needed a long-term plan for our futures (oh, yeah, and I'm SICK of being broke) and we both agreed that the only way is for him to go back and get his degree.  Like, NOW. 

He went to the local community college and filled out all the paperwork and sent in his FAFSA, and got a BOG waiver so he doesn't have to pay fees.  His registration date was on the 27th, but we didn't realize that school starts on the 31st!  He got all the classes he wanted (he's taking 13 units) and yesterday we bought him notebooks and paper and pens for the first day of school.  He hasn't heard back yet about his financial aid, so he can't get his textbooks yet.  I know it's the nerd in me coming out, but I had the *most* fun helping him pick out his classes and his schedule.  We're both really excited about it, and even though it's going to take awhile for him to get credentialed and start substitute teaching we're just glad that we've taken the steps to get him into school.  Keep your fingers crossed that we get tons of financial aid, kay?  Kay.

Anyway, I'll leave off with this image.  Phoebe getting on the potty with her favorite book.  Is there ANY other way to potty?  I think not.

Creepy Doll

Inspired by some really cute hand-made toys I've seen lately, I made Phoebe a doll.  I have this HUGE (and by HUGE I mean REALLY HUGE) ball of yarn that's all fluffy and soft, and Phoebe likes to call it her baby and carry it around with her.  And, of course, throw it at the cats.

I figured I could make her a teddy bear out of this soft fuzzy yarn, because even though she has betrayed our special bond by calling the man with the penis "Mommy", I still love her (and am trying to weasel my way into her heart as #1).

The yarn, though, is really thin, and it would take me approximately 8.31 years to make a full teddy bear out of it.  So, I would do anything for love, but I won't do that.  Instead, I decided to make her a girl dolly, and use the pretty purple yarn for hair.

This is what the doll looks like:

And this is what Phoebe promptly did with the doll, shortly after I gave it to her:

Bryan says she doesn't like it because it doesn't have a face.  I told Bryan to shut his mouth.  I then spent the next 25 minutes trying to get Phoebe to play with the dolly, while she threw it across the room each time I presented it to her, saying, "NO NO NO!"

When she turns 17 and wants me to shell out money for prom, I'm SO going to use this against her. 

Mom-EEE

Phoebe started calling me mommy about a week ago.  Cute, right?  *snort*

About as cute as can be, even when I'm oh, say, doing dishes in the kitchen sink.  Now, we all know that I'm getting bigger, and that drawstring pants and elastic waists are my friend.  So, imagine my surprise when Phoebe big-butt comes over to me, grabs my pant legs, and yells, "Mom-EEEEEE!  Mom-EEEEEEEEEEE!" whilst furiously pulling my pants down.  To my ankles.  And trying to climb up my leg.

The pants thing was SO not cool, but the mommy thing was enough to send soapy tupperware flying across the room in an effort to grab her and eat her, head first.  I mean, totally made my day, my year, my heart melt into a puddle the size of Arkansas.

Until Bryan came into the kitchen, and Phoebe said, "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!" and tried to climb HIM like a tree, too.

The bitterness that has entered my heart knows no bounds.  I am equally mad at Phoebe *and* Bryan (it's his fault too, I just KNOW IT).  I haven't figured out how I'm going to exact my revenge against them, yet, but I have a feeling it involves lots of raw meat traveling at high velocities towards each of their heads.

Bean.

Hi, little bean.  I feel you in there, moving about, poking me and prodding me, and doing your tae-kwon-do moves.

You're already a night-owl (like your daddy) and you love yellow cupcakes and Italian chicken (like your oldest sister).  What else are you going to like? 

I have to say, little bean, that you were quite a surprise to me.  I think I knew you were there before I *knew* you were there.  I will never forget the night that I found out I was pregnant with you.

I had taken your oldest sister to karate, and my mind was occupied with a thousand things.  Your daddy and I were going away that weekend to be married, and I was mentally checking off all the things we still had to do.  I was driving home with your sisters, and I still don't know what made me make that right hand turn into the parking lot of WalMart.  I don't know what made me go straight to the pregnancy tests and pick one up.  I had a baby in one arm, and a 6-year old by the hand, and I thought, "What am I doing?"

I bought that test, and marched straight into the bathroom.  Marissa held Phoebe while I peed on the stick, and I couldn't even look at the test.  I finally looked at the stick, and when it read positive I didn't believe it.  I put the test back in the box, put the box back in the bag, and put the bag at the bottom of my purse.

I will tell you, little bean, that I cried when I found out that I was pregnant.  Not because I didn't want you, but because I was scared.

I was scared that your younger sister wouldn't be old enough for me to give you both the attention that you need and deserve.  I was scared that I wouldn't be a good mommy to three kids.  I was scared that it was too soon to have another baby.

But, I have to say that I think your timing is perfect.  I think it was fate that brought you here, to us, at this time.  No one is more excited than I am to meet you.  We still have a ways to go before we can hold you, but you are already a very loved little person.

March 24th, 2005

May 19th, 2005

August 11th, 2005