Joining the masses

I have relented. So far I have not joined the masses of people who have knitted those patterns where when you say the name another knitter instantly knows what you're knitting. The February Lady Sweater, Monkey Socks, Jaywalker socks.

Here it is, my current work in progress:


It's my very own Clapotis (cla-POH-tee, blame the American designer living in France)
I'm knitting it in Bernat's Baby Coordinates, the only yarn that I have a ton of because I bought it for another project, which I changed my mind about. It's kind of a bumpy yarn, so it's got an interesting texture. I can't wait to see what it does when I drop the stitches for the pattern. It's going really fast, too. I started this night before last and I'm already a quarter of the way through it. Strange enough, I'm really excited about this project and I'm really glad it's going fast as the last couple of projects have ended in disaster to the degree I will not reveal.
Updates in a few days, stay tuned!

What's sat?

Elias pointed to the DVD player and movie and asked "What's sat?" He's 13 months on Wednesday and he already says "what's sat?". Interesting that it's his first sentence. What does that mean? Jude's first sentence was "Drink, please.", and he has naturally followed with relatively good manners (please, thank you, good morning, etc) and a hearty appetite for milk. Elias doesn't say please (yet) and licks his lips when he wants a drink out of a sippy cup (he does something entirely different when he wants to nurse, and I'm not going into detail. Let's just say I stand away from him in the grocery store when I see he's getting hungry).
I've always encouraged the children in my life to be curious. I believe the teacher in the book series The Magic School Bus would say "Ask questions, make mistakes, get messy". And with exception to the get messy part (I can administer only so many baths a day), I want my kids to learn from what they do. There is only so much I can teach them. I can guide them in the way they should go, but they have to take the steps. It's something many of my friends who are raising their kids stuggle with. How do I teach my child that they don't have to go and make the same mistakes I did? The simple, but hard, answer is: you can't. No, really, you can't. You can only suggest, direct, and hope for the best.
Look at your life, the mistakes that you have made. Look at where you are now. Would you be here, at this very moment if you hadn't made those mistakes? Now, the more important question: Did you learn from them? Is the person you are now smarter than the person you were then? That, my friend, is maturity. Learning, growing, sharing, hoping for the best.
So, the next time Elias says "what's sat?" I get to smile, teach, direct, and hope that he doesn't fall flat on his face as many times as his mommy did. It's not so good on the nose.

If acheivements were measured by sanity.

So I've been reading the blog of my sister-in-law Lena. Love that girl! She keeps up with, count 'em, 3 blogs and chases after her two beauties/tyrants who are 6 and 4 all the while half way through with cooking baby #3. AND is a freelance sports writer who's hubby is in Scotland until the 17th of January. God bless her. And I am sitting here, exhausted from reading her blog, thinking about how I never write on my own, and wonder what I would do if Mark left the country for 2 weeks. I think I would be bald when he got back. Yep, definetly bald. Perhaps covered in chocolate. And an empty bottle of Reisling (or 5) on the counter. Salut to you, Lena!

Cheating

Dear Blog,
I have something to say. You might not like it. You might cry a little, yell a little, throw your words up in contempt. And I wouldn't blame you. So, here goes...
It's been a while. So sorry. You know, two kids, fussy internet access, no sleep. It adds up. And, here it is, I found Facebook. Ohhhh, I heart Facebook. You would not believe how nutty some of my friends are. And it's nice to talk with them on a more regular basis now that we are all spread across the country. The best is comparing pictures of our kids. Yes, I have posted pictures on another website. and wrote words. Funny ones, sad ones, anxious ones. Displaying my heart-felt feelings for all to see on another medium. I'm so sorry. I can't promise I will give it up, my Facebook. But I will pay more attention to you. I have some pictures and stories to tell you. I can only hope that with these new accounts of our lives filling your screen space you can forgive me. Please, please forgive my absence.
Sincerely,
Angela