Review: Pregnancy Journal

Let me preface this by saying that NO, this is not an underhanded announcement thing. Not yet anyway.

The Pregnancy Journal: a Day-to-Day Guide to a Healthy and Happy Pregnancy. By A. Christine Harris. (A review for MotherTalk.)

The Pregnancy Journal - definitely more than just a blank bound book. (Not that I have a problem with those. Except possibly in the needing-a-12-step-program sense. I think I’m in number 38 now… I’ll check that and get back with you.) For some more general reviews I would send you to StorkNet which has nice excerpt-y-ness, or maybe the Amazon page (see the link in the title of the book above). Or my Mothertalk confederates. Here, I’ll just give you my brief personal reactions.

Love the fact that it has a spiral binding. That says to me that it’s really meant to be written in. The paper is rather slick, so you’d probably have to experiment with types of pens, to find one that would work best. But it’s also sturdy paper (and cover) and seems like it’ll last.

There’s not probably really enough writing space for me personally, as I do tend to blather on. But good for someone more inclined to just keep short notes, or for writing notes to expand on elsewhere - and anything that gets people journaling and writing about their lives for their kids is a great thing in my book.

Much of the book is tidbits of info - particularly descriptions of your baby at this stage, on this day, as well as tips, interesting historical and cultural facts about pregnancy and childbirth, and so on. Some of it strikes me as overly clinical - but no more so than the “What to Expect” type books. Educational; and I remember craving that sort of thing, especially during my first pregnancy. Though that said, I think this would be appropriate for not-first pregnancies as well, much more so than some stuff out there (have you looked at those magazines and all? definite target audience there and it sure wasn’t me in my second pregnancy…).

All in all - I’m not sure I would pick it out for myself (I’d be more likely to talk myself out of it in favor of a novel at the bookstore) but if I received it as a gift I’d probably be delighted. Some of the questions and prompts are particularly good.

Now I just have to decide whether to send this to my friend who is pregnant - or save it for myself….

grief, food, love

I don’t know yet, what I want to say, what I want to share here about this. Only that I want to put something up, because not to feels like pretending that nothing has changed. And that would be a lie.

My husband’s stepsister Carina died last Tuesday. She was 15. It was a car accident - though late at night, alcohol was apparently not involved - just a stupid mistake that could happen to pretty much anyone - their truck flipped - and they weren’t wearing their seat belts. Please my friends and readers, wear your seat belts. You can never tell what if… but the driver was okay, just from having the steering wheel to hold onto. I think seat belts would have made a difference.

In some ways, I didn’t know her as well as I’d've liked, though she came up and spent the weekend with us fairly regularly. She loved to get her picture taken, and it was always either her asking, or me offering. So I had some nice shots to offer - I had some enlargements made for the funeral. I wish I had more. I wish I didn’t have to wish I had more.

I’ve witnessed some remarkable things this past weekend - heard things (good things) said between certain family members I never would’ve expected to hear; maybe most of all been touched by the huge outpouring of grief and food, paper plates and manual labor, flowers, cards, more food, and most of all love in their small town, the town where my husband (and my mother) grew up. I have felt within myself, conflicting feelings of love and faith and perspective, and yet also grief and just feeling so lost and at loose ends sometimes. I know things have really just begun, especially for her mom, her stepdad, her siblings.

Carina — we miss you, your smile and laughter. There’s this Carina-shaped hole in our lives now, and it hurts to see it and feel it. I wish I could hear your laugh again, touch your hair, come up with some crazy photo shoot, maybe another on the roof. I wish you had time to grow out of the occasional teenage sulks and drama, that you could come up here and hang out and be bored at our house, babysit our kiddos again. I wish your little sister and brothers and niece and nephew could hug you and hang on you and drive you crazy. I know you can see it, but I wish you were here to feel your stepdad’s love, and your older brothers’ heartbreak over you. So many things, such depth of feeling, now that you’re gone - I wish there were another way to learn all this.

worsted Gumball the Kitten pattern (v.2)

Here it is, the long awaited… questions and comments are welcome.

Pattern for Gumball the Kitten amigurumi (worsted weight)

(Feel free to make many Gumballs for yourself, family and friends. Please do not sell nor repost the pattern - links back are much appreciated. Thank you.)

worsted weight acrylic yarn
E (3.5mm) hook
animal safety eyes (9 mm & felt, 6mm for mouth) and nose, or floss for embroidering features
fiberfill for stuffing
yarn needle

Gauge: tight enough so the stuffing doesn’t show through

Head

1. 6 sc in magic ring
2. +6 inc every st around (12)
3. +6 (1 sc + inc) around (18 )
4. +6 (2 sc + inc) around (24)
5. +3 (7 sc + inc) around (27)
6. +3 (8 sc + inc) around (30)
7. sc in each sc around (30)
8. sc in each sc around (30)
9. -12 (5 invdec + 1 sc) around (18 )
10. (1 + dec) around
11. dec around

Place eyes, nose and mouth and stuff firmly around round 9 or 10.

Fasten off and drawstring closed.

Body

1. 6 sc in magic ring
2. +6 inc every st around (12)
3. +6 (1 sc + inc) around (18 )
4. +6 (2 sc + inc) around (24)
5. +6 (3 sc + inc) around (30)
6. +3 (9 sc + inc) around (33)
7. +3 (10 sc + inc) around (36)
8. +3 (11 sc + inc) around (39)
9. sc in each sc around
10. sc in each sc around
11. -3 (11 sc + invdec) around (36)
12. -6 (4 sc + invdec) around (30)
13. -6 (3 sc + invdec) around (24)
14. -6 (2 sc + invdec) around (18 )

Fasten off with sl st, leaving a tail for sewing.

Front Legs (make 2)

1. 4 sc in magic ring
2. +4 inc every st (8 )
3. +4 (1 sc + inc) around (12) - sc, inc, inc, sc, sc, inc, inc, sc
4. sc in each sc around
5. sc in each sc around
6. -3 (9) - sc, sc, dec, sc, dec, sc, sc, dec, sc
7. -2 (7)
8. sc in each sc around

Fasten off with sl st, leaving a tail for sewing.

Back Legs (make 2)

1. 6 sc in magic ring
2. inc every st around (12)
3. (1 sc + inc) around (18 )
4. sc in each sc around
5. 3 invdec, sc around, leave 1 sc in rnd (11)
6. 3 invdec, sc 5 hdc, sc, finish with sl st, leave tail for sewing on.

Tail

1. 6 sc in magic ring
2. sc around (6)
3. sc around, inc 2 st (8 )
4. sc around
5. repeat row 4, approximately 9 times (total rows appr. 13)

Fasten off with sl st, leave tail (ha!) for sewing.

Ears (make 2)

1. 4 in ring
2. 1 + inc
3. inc +2
4. inc, 2 sc, 2 inc, 2 sc, inc

Fasten off with sl st, leaving a tail for sewing.

Assembly:

Nestle the ball of the head into the hole of the body (after stuffing firmly) and sew together. Sew on legs, ears and tail.

finally, a confession

And also, duh. Click to view this screenshot larger.

baby book planning

So I’m just about ready to start making my son’s baby book. My daughter’s is done, all except a bit of journaling, the last page, and that @#$&^*! ultrasound page, if I can ever find those darn pictures… (I had them, then lost them, then found them again, and now they’re lost again. I’m hoping it will come around again soon so I can put them in her book.) But anyway, it’s done - an 8×8 book of the highlights of her first year: milestones, firsts, all that sort of thing. (Still must scan all the pages.) And now I need to make one for my boy.

Digital of course. Just about everything I do is digital lately. But I am going to get the pages printed separately and put them into a regular album (as opposed to getting it done as a hardbound book, which I thought about) - mostly because I want to use some of the same, special page protectors that I used in my daughter’s, one that opens like a door for the title page, and a couple that open opposite each other to make a four page spread - for the “see how you grow” type layout, with photos each month from newborn to one year. Also so I can include some memorabilia - first haircut, hospital bracelet, etc.

I’ve just about got all my info together for it. Now I’m busy obsessing about the paper/digital kit I want to use. I had one, but it doesn’t have enough blue, and then I got the album, and I sort of want it to go along - it’s pale blue, with some stitching, red ribbon and an extended spine that is patterned - polka dots with red, light blue, dark blue, lime green and orange, on off-white. The problem is that most baby boy kits I find tend to stick to pale blue; they tend not to include red. Hmph. Let me show you some I like (I may end up using a combination… we’ll see):

Love this one, red, blue, green, orange, stars.

More baby-ish. I really love the animal stickers in this. But no red.

This one has cool cars - but I mostly want it for that polka dot paper - looks almost just like the album I have.

This is just cute - love the puppy. And the snail! Dotted paper is perfect, just needs red. Sigh. Why can’t I just find the perfect kit somewhere?? What I should really do is just look through all my stuff and make my own kit from things I already have. Hmph.

Other options (not from SSD; I’m sure you’ve guessed this is why I’m trying to get the discount there this month, especially if I’m going to use more than one kit…): I like the red and pale blue color scheme on this kit…

Still thinking… but I want to get started soon.

color quiz

I’ve done this color quiz before, but it’s still interesting. (Plus I can’t find my results from last time.) (From the Sweet Shoppe blog.)

Here’s part of my results:

Your Actual Problem
The fear that she might be prevented from achieving the things she wants increases her need for security and freedom from conflict. Is therefore seeking stability and an environment in which she can relax.

If you’d read the journaling from one of my recent scrapbook layouts, you’d be impressed too.

heartthrob (or, more evidence of freakishness)

So for the latest SSD blog challenge (hey, I’m making a ton of layouts, gotta take the easy points where I can), the question is: who was your teen/childhood heartthrob? Entertaining question.

I had friends who were TOTALLY into New Kids on the Block. But I wasn’t. I had friends with posters of singers or actors on their walls. But I didn’t. (I had calendar landscape and animal scenes, and posters with quotes and such, mostly.) I was a sort of odd child - I wasn’t into popular music, I became obsessed with characters (and recognized it?) rather than actors themselves (loved musicals, so Phantom of the Opera, Jean Valjean; also Robin Hood has long been a favorite). I suppose I was sort of fascinated with Anthony Perkins, Robert Jordan’s eyes, and that guy who played Dr. Kimball on the old black & white TV show The Fugitive. But this was pre eBay, so no posters. And not exactly traditional. (If I recall any, or find some in old journals, you can bet I’ll come update this - but it’s the best I can do for now.)

So no, I didn’t really have any consuming heartthrobs as a kid. (Now, well, now there’s a few. Not so much consuming, but fun. Like Colin Farrell, Denzel Washington, Sayid on LOST, Anthony Stewart Head, Josh Lucas, and of course, both my husband and I love to obsess over The Sexy Beast, aka, Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice.)