Emma's Knitwear

Knitting and other hobbies have fallen to the wayside with the arrival of baby Emma.  So, I thought I would post some pictures of Emma wearing the things I made for her before she was born.

Emma and the Baby Surprise Jacket

Emma and Saartje's Booties

Random picture of Emma in her baby swing!

Welcome to the World, Baby!

Emma Euna was born on August 14, 2009 at 2:44 PM. She came in at 7 lbs 10 oz., 20 inches. Labor and delivery had some bumps, but I am recovering and so is she.

These past four days have been crazy with little sleep, numerous appointments with doctors, and just basically learning how to take care of a newborn. I am so grateful that my mother was able to come from New Jersey and is staying with me for a month. Her presence has been invaluable, and what little sleep I have gotten is because she is there to take over. My husband is also wonderfully supportive and was awesome during labor, delivery and recovery. He is also learning how to take care of a newborn along with me.

Here's a picture of her at four days old. She is happy and content right after a breastfeeding (another painful leanring process, but finally underway).

Baby Nursery

In San Francisco, as in any major city, space is at a premium.  In our condo which was built in 1911, we have what used to be known as a "fainting room."   These rooms are generally small, but it turns out that it is a good size for a nursery!  Our room fits a crib, a small rocker and a changing table/dresser combo.  We went with a gender neutral green color scheme.  My mother-in-law made curtains to cover the closet opening and the window.

Still Biding My Time

Here I am on maternity leave without a baby. What to do with my time? Here's a list of things I have done so far:

1. Finished up my outstanding knitting projects and started another. Having free time to knit is a joy. The Vine Stitch Scarf for my friend S is done, blocked and dried.



The Misti Alpaca Ribs and Ruffles Scarf is also complete. I forgot how quickly you can finish a project with chunky yarn!

I may be getting too big for my britches here, because I am contemplating starting an adult sized sweater, not a baby sized one.

2. Went to the library to pick up a summer read. I chose The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The book was written by an aunt and niece team. Unfortunately, the aunt passed away in 2008 and didn't get the chance to witness the success of her novel. The book is written in epistolary format and is a quick enjoyable read. I happen to love epistolary novels, because I think it satifies my voyeuristic side as I read the letters of others. Guernsey is one of England's Channel Islands and during WWII, it was occupied by the Germans. This novel, while at times a little "precious", contains vignettes of the German occupation (whether all the details are based on true hustorical fact, I can't say) told through the correspondence between a journalist and some Guernsey residents.

3. Saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Verdict: Book is much better. I was so bored during the movie, and regretted spending the $11 bucks to see it in the theater. Some guy actually fell asleep during the movie. I know this because during the more quiet moments in the film, we could hear him snoring. Oh well, at least I saw a movie in the theaters while I still can.

4. I watched some movies through Netflix. I ordered movies that I know my husband would never want to watch. Mostly, these are those BBC series based on novels and period pieces, like the Merchant and Ivory films. I love these types of movies and serials, and now I can watch them by myself without feeling guilty about having subjected husband to them.

Other more mundane stuff has been done, too. Cleaning, cooking, some work stuff, bleh. On a side note, my kitties are torturing and teasing me with their bad behavior. They now understand that I am big and ungainly and cannot move very quickly. So, they do all sorts of forbidden things like clawing the curtains and carpet and generally being annoying right in front of me, knowing that they can make a quick getaway before I can get up to scold them. Bad, bad kitties.