here's the quick and dirty update about everything that's going on.

my hands are swollen and they hurt like hell. it's even tough just typing this much less programming all day long or knitting. so everything that i love doing has really slowed down. i can barely wear my rings and i'm not sleeping well at night. we're at week 37 though, so not much more to go!

my parents came this past weekend and brought the crib, a rocking chair, and some hand-me-down clothes and stuffed animals. they took away a bunch of stuff too so now the apartment is actually starting to feel more spacious. i spent all day on monday breaking down boxes, getting recycling together, and cleaning the place up. i finally feel more in control of things.

now, on to the fun stuff! there'll now be a lot of pictures and not as much text so be sure to check out the extended entry for more.

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every time i say "two itty bitty socks" in my head i say it in the voice of the count from sesame street. anyway, two itty bitty socks down and i'm already halfway through the first mitten.

sorry for the lack of updates around here. as usual, things are busy busy busy at home with all of the apartment shuffling and the fact that i'm still working 8 hour days. my maternity leave is coming up though! i'm off march 9th and it can't come a moment sooner. i'm tired. i'm tired of all the crazy decisions at work (especially since i haven't had time off from this place in close to 7 months) and the fact that they keep piling work on me right before i leave. what they SHOULD be doing is transitioning me off of projects, but they're more keen to get as much out of me before i go instead. they better hope i don't go into labor early.

anyway, back to the apartment and baby. here are a few things we've done in preparation:

• i got the baby owner's manual and maintenance log from babygeared.com. i will be prepared!
• purchased a slow cooker and vegetarian slow cooker recipe book on recommendation from cari.
• KP has moved all the computer stuff from the office to his new desk in the dining area. pics to come.
• i purchased some very cute prints from carla sondheim on etsy for the peanut's room. i found her site through apartment therapy's newest off-shoot, the nursery.
• also found through apartmenttherapy, i bought some flor tiles for the peanut's room and the bathroom. for the peanut's room, i got 9 toy poodle tiles. the bathroom, i got 6 stripe a pose tiles. i love them! and so much cheaper than rugs.

there was also a huge amazon purchase of wipes and diapers but we don't need to go into that. the entire apartment is still pretty cluttered but i expect it to be much better after the weekend. my parents and brother are coming on saturday with the crib, a rocking chair, and tons of other small things. they are also taking away a bunch things from us to store or use. i expect the place will open up some by sunday.

in the meantime, knitting continues as it's one of the only stress-free things that i do nowadays. believe it or not, i'm only about 12 rows away from finishing the 3-hole shawl! i'm so excited to be done with this! just gotta finish up this last repeat, 5 rows of garter stitch, weave in the ends, and block it. i expect the blocking will take place on sunday while i'm out with the spiders. let's hope it doesn't take forever to dry!

i also started a new project but i expect it to be done very quick. it's a simple slip stitch scarf for my cousin's daughter.

pink!

she specifically asked for a pink scarf and since she's allergic to wool, i broke out the cotton ease that i bought at the yarn riot. i wanted it to be really warm, though, so i decided to double-strand it and use size 10.5 needles. it's knitting up fast! since it's for a 5 year old, i only have to make it about 4 feet long before putting on some fringe (oh yes, this baby definitely needs fringe.) i should be done by the weekend. so i guess you'll get two FOs really soon!

what's next? i really want to make some stuffed animals for the peanut so i'm going to break out my lamb's pride and jess hutch book and knit up something fun!

geez, i almost forgot! this past sunday was spider's spinning day at marie's. i had a great time and learned that i am just not a spinner. i couldn't get the hang of it and really don't see the appeal of making my own yarn (though i do see the appeal of dyeing yarn!) this is a good thing. i do not need another hobby. really. a few pics from sunday are in the gallery.

p.s. also, sorry for the spam that showed up in the comments last week. the spammers are outrageous! even after installing the security code, they get through. after seeing those few buggers, i added yet ANOTHER layer of spam protection to the blog, akismet, which is now available for movabletype. hopefully this will help as well.

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