Etcetera

Because Mondays are the new random.

1. Car trip, we survived. In response to Granny's query of: "did he ride in his car seat the whole time?" "Yes of course he did, it's illegal and dangerous to ride in a car with an unrestrained infant, besides no baby on earth can nurse for six hours straight." Ha.

B. Free to pee, you and me. You get very strange looks from other rest stoppers when you take your baby into the toilet stall with you and make "pss" noises at him. Also you get rather snide comments from step-great-grandmothers, "let me know how that works out for you." Petoh's granny (my mum) on the other hand: "That is so cool. Grandpa, look at Ragnarson's little potty, isn't that cute?" So far our catch rate is hovering around 50%...this is good as we begin week two.

13. Ravelry, I am in. You can find me under Ragnar. I immediately joined all the groups having to do with skulls.

F. It is snowing.

11b. You can get a lot of knitting done while your extended family is holding your baby.

* I am thankful that Thanksgiving comes but once a year. Two roast turkeys, two fried turkeys, one fried goose, 20 pounds of mashed potatoes, and we lost track around 50 people.

H. We decided to cloth diaper while we were on the road. I admit that this was partially my stubbornness in wanting to demonstrate to my republican family that I am even more of a crunchy freak than they thought I was...result being that I am almost out of diapers, but satisfying to note that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Really the only difference was carrying the dirties with us.

3. Ragnarson's grandpapa knit him a very cute soaker with a matching hat. Also a pair of booties using Cat Bordhi's new sock book...they miraculously stay on his feet. I will try to post a picture.

p). Sleeping in your own bed, priceless.

Ragnar...home again, home again.

Beware....new zealot in the making.

There are a bunch of crazy people who don't think their babies need to wear diapers. Actually that's most of the people in the world, but there's a group of "no diaper" rebels operating in diaper wearing countries that call themselves "ECers." Which means "Elimination Communication." Turns out that I'm one of them, except that EC isn't a very catchy title, so around here we're calling it the "Free to Pee" movement, we've been working on it for a little over a day now.

I have learned more about my baby in the last 24 hours than I have since the first week that he was born. Crazy huh? I was always confused by his mood swings, he would go from "smiley guy" to "grumpy face" in the blink of an eye. I just thought he was easily bored, or liked to nurse a lot (he still likes to nurse a lot), but it turns out he just really hates sitting in his own pee. Can you blame him? I would say "What's wrong Ragnarson? I just changed you ten minutes ago, so it can't be your diaper. Are you hungry, do you want to play?" Turns out it can be his diaper, since he pees about every 15 minutes.

Today instead of putting covers over his cloth diapers, I've just left them open, and put legwarmers on him to keep his little knees warm. I'm still getting it figured out, but every time he gets starts to get upset, I hold him over the sink, and usually get a pee. Everytime I decide not to take him, as in "I can't believe you have to pee again, you just went five minutes ago," I still end up taking him because he's wet within a few seconds. It's crazy.

Turns out babies are people, and they don't just get crabby for no reason. Who fuckin' knew?

Which reminds me of a pirate joke.

Stop me if I've told this one before.

This pirate was sorting through his treasure, and he found an old lamp. "I wonder if this be silver," he said,buffing it with a greasy coat tail. A genii popped out and said, "Thanks fer savin me peg leg, I'll grant you a wish, just one mind." "Thas alriight, I only need one wish, 'tis my hearts desire. I wish the sea was filled with rum." *poof* As far as the eye could see the sea was filled with golden rum. The pirate dipped his hat in and took a long drink. The parrot on his shoulder sqwaked "You asshole!" "Whateryou mean?" asked the pirate.

Said the Parrot: "Now we're gonna have to pee in the boat."

Ragnar...free to pee, a bowel movement.

Join the collective...

I think I might have mentioned this before, but it's post or die, so I'm going to mention it again.

I love collective nouns. I think I was a little pre-goth when I found out that a bunch of crows is called a "murder" and a group of ravens is called an "unkindness." After that is was all down hill, and I've been a might bit obsessive about it ever since.

I think it was the great McPhee who first started referring to a group of knitters as "a whack." I'm not sure why that's so appropriate, but it sure seems like the right word. We all know that a bunch of yarn is referred to as a stash, and I always think that spinners come in "whirls." Is there a collective noun for a bunch of knitting needles?

Since I have been steeped in babies lately...yes absolutely marinated in them, I give you "Ragnar's totally incomplete list of collective baby nouns."

A squall of infants.
A clutch of midwives.
or perhaps a pool of midwives would be better.
An insurmountable of laundry (Manimal said the unthinkable about the laundry yesterday, he said "I think we're almost caught up...there has been exactly 15 minutes since the baby was born when there was no laundry waiting to be done.)
A leak of diapers.
An obstacle of toys (will someone please clean up the obstacle in the living room?)

Ragnar...straws, grasp them firmly.

NoBloPoMo

Yeah that would be "no" blog posting month, 'cause it turns out that I'm too busy having play dates and watching DVD's to stick to my commitments.

I have this block that in order to blog I must have pictures, but I blogged for almost a year without pictures...so that's no excuse at all.

So here is a totally random story:

Several years ago I was sitting outside of one of our local middle eastern eateries enjoying a falaful sandwich when a cop car pulled up. I have a totally unwarranted paranoia of cops, I am scandalously (for someone who claims to be a pirate anyway) law abiding, and yet whenever I see a police officer my heart goes pitter pat. Two of the boys in blue got out of the car and commenced to standing around waiting. Then another squad pulls up and two more cops get out...apparently the local brotherhood was planning on have shish-ka-bobs for lunch.

Then a bike cop pulls up, and hops off her bike. She pulls out her handcuffs and proceeds to lock up her bike by hand cuffing it to the front bumper of one of the squad cars.

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Ragnar...teller of random stories.

Sploded

This is a lousy picture, I couldn't find the "real" camera and Ragnarson was in a good mood. The idea was to put the current knitting project in his hands and take a cute picture of him with it, so that I could tell you all about my hat...I am very excited about this hat.

But when I was looking at the picture I started to laugh, not just because it is a lousy picture which doesn't show off the knitting exactly, but because it so clearly illustates what I do all day. See how there are random bits of crap strewn all over the floor? Here's how it goes:

Oh...oh the baby is crying.
Is he hungry?
No.
Is he wet?
No.
Is he tired?
No
Is he bored?
Who can tell?
Shake toy 1 at the baby...seems to be working, oh oh , no there he goes.
Shake toy 2 at the baby, oh he likes it, oh, no he doesn't like it.
Is he tired of sitting up?
Is he tired of laying down?
How about the fuzzy toy?
How about the rattley toy?
Does he want to be in the sling?
Does he want to bounce on the exercise ball?
Oh, now he's wet.
Oh, now he's hungry.
Oh, now he's tired.

And of course you never have time to put away any of the toys, or his play mat, or his sittin' up chair, or the laundry, or anything else. Basically it looks like "baby" exploded all over our house.

Ragnar....tidy this bitches.

Out of the Running

I never said everyday. Did you hear me say everyday? 'Cause I never said that. I said "regular," that I would be a more "regular blogger." That just means most days...I was going to have to take time off for Thanksgiving anyway since we are going out of town...justify justify.

But I was really going to try and post everyday, and I can't believe I fell off the wagon this soon. Yesterday was very busy. I couldn't post in the morning because Manimal was fidgeting with the computer trying to figure out why the fancy mobile internet card wasn't getting the speed that it should (because we go it from evil phone company, and nothing that we do through them ever works the way it should...nevermind).

Then we had to get some breakfast/lunch which was complicated by the fact that Saturday was the Michigan v. Michigan State grudge match, and every person in town was hung over and looking for greasy breakfast food to soak up the extra alcohol in their stomachs. We ended up at the Lebanese restaurant...apparently hung over college students don't think "schwarma" when they're looking for a post football pick-me-up-off-the-floor. Great, more Arabic Coffee for me.

Then we went to the studio so that I could sew velcro on some soakers that Sarah and my father knit for Ragnarson...he's outgrown his first set of diaper covers, and if that isn't a milestone than what is? The sewing of velcro is not a complicated process but there was no way it was getting done unless Manimal came along to hold the baby, so I had to seize the opportunity.

Then, after a quick stop home, I went out to the birth center for "knitting" group, where I actually knit several rounds on a hat...the subject of another post.

Then when I got home it was dinnertime so we went up to Crunchy's (our Sunday ritual) for pizza.

When we got home I watched half a DVD with Manimal while nursing the baby to sleep.

As I was drifting off I thought, "Oh shit, I didn't blog today...oh well I'll do it in the middle of the night when I wake up with Ragnarson." I woke up several times, and he squirmed a little and seemed like he might wake up several times, but low, he didn't actually awaken until 6:30 this morning. 7 and a half hours. Good baby!

Ragnar...only slightly sleep deprived

On pain of boring...

Turns out I'm sort of a joiner. Never thought I'd have that label pinned on me, but in the interest of trying to be a more regular blogger, in the frequency sense rather than the content sense, I am stating my intention to join NaBlaPoMo. That's not a freaky cult thing, it's National Blog Posting Month.

There is only one problem that I can foresee and that is that the old Blogaroo might come out the other side as a "mommy" blog rather than a "fiber-crafty-piratey-was-that-supposed-to-be-funny" sort of blog. 'Cause that's what I'm doing right now, mommying. In fact I just learned a new internet acronym. "NAK" Stands for nursing at the keyboard, and it takes me down from my reasonably accurate 60wpm, to a typo ridden 15 or so wpm.

I went to mommy group today, it's a gathering of moms out at the birth center. We all bring our babies (this is the precrawlers) and put them down on blankets and wave toys at them and talk about mommy stuff. I am not ashamed to say that I have been looking forward to it all week. I like mommy group so much that I'm trying to start another one at a coffee shop by my house.

Ragnar...tryin' to bring a little pirate into parenting

Internet Frenzy...

I'm LOVING at home internet. The laptop is great, because I can surf and nurse at the same time. Here's a question, is it better to watch crap DVD's while nursing, or surf the internet while nursing? I think both habits fall into the vice category, but I'm trying to convince myself that the internet is better. I mean, typing one handed is a skill right?

I've rediscovered some of my old daily reads, seeing the new things that everyone is doing is very exciting. I was especially inspired by Jodi's MFA thesis project. Rather than describe it here I'll let you go and check it out for yourself. I always love to see other fiber artists and their processes. I think I'm especially enchanted with this project since I have a background in printmaking.

And I decided on the perfect way to celebrate my plugged in status. I have joined the Ravelry cue.

"You signed up on October 30, 2007
You are #51012 on the list.
12331 people are ahead of you in line.
704 people are behind you in line.
68% of the list has been invited so far."

While I am waiting for the 12331 people ahead of me I am going to try and track down and photograph as many finished objects as possible. This will be quite a challenge, since I have given most of them away. After taking a several week break from knitting my wrist is back to normal, as long as I don't knit while nursing. I've been filling in a little bit more at Woven Art since Nancy is off gallivanting around Spain, and there is so much amazing new yarn in the store. Everyday I see another skein that demands to come home with me. I can justify every purchase by saying that I'll knit something for the baby...although at my rate of approximately three rows a day he's going to be a teenager before I have time to knit it all up.

Ragnar...plugged in baby!