Going on Vacation = RoseKnits Sale!

We are going on vacation... Beginning on Monday, October 31, we will be closed until the day after Thanksgiving! In an effort to clear out some inventory enjoy 30% off of your order placed between now and October 31! Enter coupon code 'THIRTY' at checkout!

Project Bags

My employer has been kind to me this week and allowed me some sewing time... As a result, I have added quite a few new bags to the shop! Be sure to check them out here!

Day 1: At the Gym

Today was my first official gym visit! Elaine slept soundly from 8 PM until 4 AM this morning, so after our 4 AM nursing session I was wide awake and ready to go! The gym opens at 5:30 so I snuck out of here about 5:15. I was able to get in a 45 minute workout before heading home to relieve John! One trip and I already feel a lot better about myself!

I don't know that I will make a habit of the 5:30 visits - I think I will just take it day by day to see what works for our schedule. Luckily, I can call the Child Watch the same day to reserve a time - so I should have no excuses for not going.

I hope to lose about 50 pounds over the next year; set a healthy example for Elaine; and get in a few hours of "me" time a few days a week. We have a treadmill at home, but just being at the gym this morning with the music going and not having to listen for my sweet babe was a much better workout and release for me.

I'm going to notate how often I go, so I'll be sure to give an update in November!

As the World Turns

It occurred to me today that it has been over a month since I last posted anything! I believe everytime I *think* about posting Elaine does something to distract me. Yes, let's go with that... I did manage to make her another little dress like the one that Janet sent in the previous post. They are sooo cute! I still want to make more for next summer!



She is growing up ever so quickly and changes on a daily basis! She started rolling over a few weeks ago and the doctor informed us that it was time to wean her from the swaddle. The thought brought me to tears in the doctors office - but now all seems to be fine. We have a little stomach sleeper and I love getting her dressed every night in her little footie pajamas!



Speaking of feet... She has recently discovered hers and she spends a lot of time simply admiring them. She enjoys chewing on everything and quickly pulls everything within reach to her mouth like a little ravenous being. This week she has taken a liking to people's faces and she enjoys reaching and grabbing and exploring. She has become quite the companion and even allows me some time to sew. We also joined a gym last week and tomorrow will be her first day in their child care center. She can go for up to 2 hours per day while mommy works out! What a great deal, right?!



I just love the little girl - and am happy to say I am still very happy with my decision to stay home with her. Most days are simply delightful - and on the not so delightful days she usually shoots me a smile or a little giggle to get me through...

Ravelry and our Hand Knit Princess

Princess, you say? Well, Elaine is certainly our little princess :-)

A few things that I love about Ravelry... I have met some really awesome people around the world whom I keep in contact with on a regular basis! And you can pretty much always find really great deals on yarn... So, as I found a great deal on some yarn the other day - my friend from afar also enclosed this darling little dress in the package for Miss Elaine! As soon as it arrived I gave Miss Elaine a bath and dressed her in the hand knit garment. Fitting because we are supposed to have company tonight and I thought she should dress up a bit!

Elaine has been babbling ever since I put the dress on her - I am pretty sure she is telling me how much she loves it - and that she would like for me to make her a few more :-)

Thank you, Janet, we LOVE the dress!!! So special that you would send that for Miss Elaine!

XO

Let Sewing Resume!

Three months later and I feel like we are finally starting to find our flow around here!



I feel like my little bean is growing up way too fast!! The nap times are becoming more regular so I have actually started sewing again! I believe I added 10 new bags to the shop this week (I have not added 10 new items in at least 6 months!) And I have started taking custom orders again!

Staying home is AWESOME and certainly one of the best decisions I have made to date. I thank everyone for their kind words and encouragement regarding this decision!

Once I have restocked existing items I plan to add some new, larger bags to the shop. Certainly I can have this done by October...

The Baptism of Elaine Grace

Mk 10:13-16

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." ... Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

Career Change

Since learning I was pregnant I was tormented with the decision of what to do once the babe arrived. I could see the pro's and con's of both sides... Stay home to raise our baby and be tasked with being personally responsible for each of her developmental milestones or send her to day school to let the professionals handle it. After all, they are all much more qualified than I in child development.




I decided to wait a few weeks after her birth to make such a decision as I did not know how it would feel staying home. At some point during the past 6 years I started to feel like quite the professional and at times thoroughly enjoyed working, earning an income, etc.




Each day that I have spent with her the past 9 weeks made it increasingly obvious of what decision I should make. By staying home I risk ruining her, but by sending her to day school I risk missing out on so much that I really do not want to miss out on. I read somewhere that if one does decide to stay home they will never regret the time spent with their child. I really agree with that statement - so, not to say how long I will stay home, but for right now it is the right decision. With that I resigned from my professional position yesterday. Bitter sweet, yes it is, but if I ever need reinforcement of the decision that I have made I will just ask Elaine to give me a little smile or a snuggle and that seems to make it all worth it.

6 Weeks Later

Things are looking up in the Saltsman home! Last week we began our use of cloth diapers... Elaine has finally packed on enough pounds to where I felt like they fit her appropriately. John has embraced the usage of cloth diapers, and I secretly believe that he likes them. As a friend told me, "cotton has to feel better on their bottoms than plastic!" I settled on using the BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers with snaps - and am very happy with my choice! I also purchased a few BumGenius AIO's, while both are great, I am actually much happier with the fit of the pocket diapers.

Other breaking news... after almost 6 full weeks of sleeping on our chests at night in the trusty living room recliner, Elaine Grace has successfully slept in her crib for the past two nights! While she is not sleeping "through the night", which is what some would consider success, I cannot express how much more rested I feel spending my time in between feedings in my actual bed! Before, Elaine was only almost perfect, now she is surely perfect (to us anyways...)!

I was so excited about this new occurence that I picked up my knitting needles yesterday and finished a baby cocoon and a matching hat! This morning I started a little sweater for Miss Elaine. It will be her reward for sleeping in her crib.

I will post new pics this week - Have a Happy Sunday, All!

One Month Later...

Tomorrow it will be 5 weeks later, but strangely, what used to take minutes now takes days for me to accomplish! That explains the late post! On the 16th, Miss Elaine Grace, officially turned 1 month old!

This month has flown by and it is amazing to watch our little "Munch Munch" change every day! I lovingly call her "Munch Munch" because I promise she nurses every two hours - she occasionally allows her mother a four hour stretch - and I have become intimately familiar with Medela so that I am able to have a break more frequently.

While she has not been formally weighed, I believe she is close to 9 pounds, which is a lot bigger than the 6 pound 3 ounce baby we brought home. I love when she is nursing or laying chest to chest and she will look up at you with one eye open to make sure you are still there :-) She is definitely the new ruler of this household!

Hopefully as we continue to adjust, and she takes more regular naps, I will be able to update more frequently! Until then, enjoy Miss Elaine at one month!!

World, Meet Elaine Grace

Change has arrived in the form of a bubbling baby girl, Elaine Grace. She came a little earlier than expected - May 16th instead of May 30th, but I guess that is why they are called 'Estimated Due Dates'. Because I have an acrobatic baby, she managed to turn a few somersalts while in utero and wrapped the umbilical cord around her neck, twice. As a result, she was a c-section baby and entered the world with a perfectly shaped crown. She weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces when born and has already put on a few additonal ounces. Eating is a pasttime that she savors. She has both John and I completely wrapped around her long little fingers - she enjoys being held at night to sleep as any bed is simply too uncomfortable for her right now. She is so small and precious we indulge her.

So, welcome to the world, Miss Elaine, you have certainly changed our lives forever :-)

Change, It's A Comin'

Someone once said the only thing that is constant is change. Oh how true that statement is! The challenge: to look for positives in change and to view change as an opportunity. I am still working on this one.

Baby Saltsman will be joining us 19 weeks or so - and he sure is growing! I say 'he' lightly, because we have decided to not find out the gender. This little bean pie weighs about 1 pound now... If only his weight would equal my weight gain all would be well with the world! After the ultrasound last week the doctor assures us he is very photogenic, posing for the ultrasound tech., and progressing right on schedule!

A Little Less Thinking and A Little More Knitting...

This week has been met with its own challenges. But, what's new, everyday presents a new set of challenges. I have been a bit distracted this week so my normal topic will not be addressed at this time. You understand.

I have been doing some knitting for the babe. Good. Mindless. Knitting. I have completed the Kanoko Pants - I love these wee, little pants and hope to make a few more! They're a pretty quick knit taking only a little over 200 yards of worsted weight yarn. I think next time I will use 100% wool so the pants can double as soakers. I am still on a mission to use cloth diapers - and people still laugh at me when I mention doing so!



I am onto the hood of this cutie, cutie Debbie Bliss baby jacket! I hope to finish the hood tonight and maybe the sleeves this weekend! At first I thought I would wait to add buttons until the gender of the baby is revealed, but I've since changed my mind and think I will go with some nice gender neutral buttons.



Today we have a doctor's appointment and a mid-cycle ultrasound! Yes, folks, we have officially passed the 20-week mark and I will now begin counting backwards to baby Saltsman's arrival! So much to do and so little time!

Have a great weekend!

"Congratulations, You're Pregnant!" Now What?

Being pregnant is interesting. I am a person that enjoys planning and I enjoy knowing what is going on. Knowledge is power... Lucky for me, once you are finally pregnant, there are websites, books, endless opinions of strangers and doctors to tell you what to eat, drink, when, how much, how long and every other detail in between. I know to avoid unpasteurized dairy products, what exercises I am not allowed to do and I even know, thanks to all of these resources, how much weight to gain based upon my pre-pregnancy weight. I mean these experts, or shall I say people, have it all figured out. A few things they have failed to mention (that's not entirely true, some make mention of these things...) is: Do I stay home or do I keep working? Will my kid turn out ok if it goes to daycare? Will I turn ok if my kid goes to daycare? If I were to take a hiatus from work, what will happen to my career? If we are having more than one kid, will I ever have a career again? Do I care about my career? I should have spoke outwardly about all of this before now, but I was afraid someone would see it. God forbid my boss scroll across this blog and know that her pregnant employee now had questions about life and work and how to make it work with babies...

Before I was pregnant, I kind of thought I had it all figured out. When I was younger, I thought for sure and without any shadow of a doubt, I was going to be a stay at home mom. When I did not have kids on my initially planned 'schedule', I had at that time started working. Working... I liked what I did and by golly there's nothing wrong with a kid that goes to daycare! After all, I was making a difference, I was valued at work, and I enjoy adult interaction. Far be it for me to give up my career just to have a family. I could have it all. A great career, fabulous husband, cute kids, etc. I would give up nothing in the quest for the perfect balance.

Fast forward 6-8 years... I went through a lay off last year and maybe stay at home parenting is not such a bad thing. I did, myself, have parents who stayed at home with me. My husbands mother stayed at home with him. My husband's parents are school teachers and they can tell who has had a stay at home parent and who has been to daycare. And my dads opinion, who rarely has an opinion, if you can stay home, you should.

One of the first big parenting decisions to make, and I feel ill equipped to make it. How am I supposed to take care of this kid if I cannot even identify the best place for him on a day to day basis? I guess my one 'thankful' moment in all of this confusion is that my husband supports either decision. And while before now, daycare was kind of like a dirty little word to him, he has come around to say, "whatever you decide is what we'll do". To him I say, "thanks, no pressure..."

Thanks for stopping by and come back next Friday to read more on this journey. Trust me, it's better than that Mediterranean cruise you've been dreaming of!

2011, Really?

I always remember people telling me that the older you get the more quickly time passes - I am really feeling the truth in that statement as we are almost halfway there to meeting Baby Saltsman!

I am almost finished with my first baby knit - Kanoko Pants pattern, free on Ravelry. Because we are not finding out the sex of the babe, I'll be focusing on gender neutral colors. I feel strongly about it being a boy, though, so you may see blue garments... If it turns out to be a girl I'll crochet some pink flowers to attach!

Happy New Year - and here's to making the most out of the next few months!