Introducing Bunny

I mentioned in my last post that I was pretty sure there was a rabbit living under our back steps. Well, the rabbit had babies apparently (pretty early in the season for that isn't it?), and at least one of them is still hanging around. We have seen him (or her) several times over the past couple days sitting nestled next our back step under the protection of our pergola, and venturing out from time to time to nibble on some grass. I caught a picture of him through the glass doors yesterday. I must say, he is adorable with a little patch of white fur in the middle of its face.

I am torn between loving the fact that he is out there where the boys can watch him (though I am sure he will get more shy as he gets a bit older) and knowing that the same cute, little, fuzzy bunny will wreak havoc on the garden later on. Of course, we could just get the rabbit fence back up and live in perfect bunny harmony. Until then, we will enjoy watching him and feeding him little bits of pear and carrot. Maybe that will keep him from eating my lilies.

Spring Ramble

Time to break the blogging hiatus. I have plenty of excuses for not blogging lately, none of which are very interesting or exciting, so I will spare the details and just move on...

We are enjoying warmer days here and there, though Mother Nature has a nasty way of playing tricks on us and giving us nice warm days one week followed by snow and sleet the next. Isaac is mastering the new challenge of walking in the grass and dirt, and particularly enjoys eating the bits of bread that we have thrown outside for the birds and rabbits when I am not looking. Meanwhile, Noah is back to his favorite outside activity of mowing and raking. And while we don't have a sandbox, the boys seem content to dig in a corner of mulch for hours on end, filling and dumping the same bucket over and over again. Isaac only sampled the dirt once or twice.

The garden is in need of some fresh compost and soil (our compost bin doesn't produce enough for the whole garden) before it is ready for planting, so I am a bit behind in my spring planting. However, we do have a few seedlings growing nicely in the basement. I am keeping it simple and starting only basil, Swiss Chard, and a few varieties of heirloom tomatoes inside. The rest of the garden will be directly sown as soon as the weather is more consistent and we get our rabbit-proof fence back up, lest I make the same mistake as last year and feed all those nurtured seedlings to the rabbits.

Speaking of rabbits...I am pretty sure one of them lives under our back steps. Though we rarely see it, he or she leaves behind plenty of um...evidence. However, last night as we were eating our Easter dinner, I happened to glance out the big sliding glass door in our dining room and there it was, just a few feet away, nibbling on the bits of bread (the ones Isaac hadn't eaten) and joining us for Easter dinner. How many people can say the Easter Bunny joined them for dinner? :)

That brings this Spring ramble to a close. I promise to be back soon with an update on some new projects and the boys' latest antics...

~Jen

Afghan in Progress

Quite possibly my favorite thing in our little living room is this painting, called Spring Leaves by Teri Jonas. I love the colors and the feeling of calm that it evokes every time I look at it. We got it shortly after I read the book, Tuck Everlasting, and it reminds me of the forest clearing described in the book.In fact, I love the colors so much that I was inspired to crochet a cozy wool afghan for our living room picking up on the colors in the painting. The afghan is a simple granny square pattern that I simply kept making bigger and bigger (instead of making a bunch of little squares and later sewing them together). I have a very bad habit of starting these large projects and then not finishing them, but the changing colors help keep my interest while the mindlessness of the pattern allows me to work on it little chunks of time and when there are other lots distractions. I was on quite a roll too, almost two-thirds finished and rather proud of myself, before I realized that I underestimated how much yarn I would need. So this project is currently on hold because the yarn I need is now on back order. Actually, a benefit of this pattern is that we can use it right now, it is just a little on the small side. (Isaac, as you can see, had his own ideas about how the afghan should be displayed for pictures.)
With the afghan project on hold, I have been working on a few quick little projects, including a vest for Isaac using a robin's egg blue color that I had gotten for the afghan and then decided didn't quite work with the color scheme. This was my first time using this particular pattern by Georgie Hallam (details on ravelry). Like her other patterns, it is well written with lots of room for personalization. I added a little orange elephant color work just for fun, but I like how it ended up matching Isaac's amber teething necklace so well.

So there, now that I have shared the afghan project with all of blogland, I will be less likely to set it aside and never finish it. Right?

First Steps

As promised, here is a video of Isaac's first steps. I just love his persistence and the look of concentration on his face. It makes me smile every time I watch it, which has got to be close to a hundred times by now! (So as not to get our blog music playing over the top of the video, you may want to go way to the bottom of the blog and pause the music player.)

Toddling

In honor of the fact Isaac is officially toddling, I thought he deserved some new mama-made pants. Some time ago, I came across the free pattern for these adorable and appropriately named 'On The Go-veralls' and immediately added it to my knitting queue. I waited to start them until after he began walking, figuring he would be less likely to wear through the knees at that point. Knitting details and modifications are on ravelry.

The legs came out a little long, but are easily cuffed, allowing some growing room. I really think I might need to make another pair of these cute, cute pants!

And I promise, as soon as we figure out how to transfer video to our new computer, I will post an equally cute and adorable clip of Isaac taking his very first steps :)

One

Our baby turned a year old this week! In the days leading up to Isaac's birthday, I found myself remembering back a year ago, thinking, "Last year at this time..." Memories of having a gigantic belly, but having no idea that inside was a 10 lb 5 oz baby boy. Memories of being so, so sick the week before his birth and hoping that he would postpone his arrival until I could at least breathe through my nose. Memories of finally feeling better, nearly a week after my due date and my water breaking at 1:00 am on February 12, 2010. Memories of surrendering to the fast and intense labor that seemed to take control of my body. Memories of the minutes leading up to his birth, Curtis leaning over the bathtub and supporting me as I pushed while holding a phone in his other hand, giving the en route midwives play by play over the phone; "The head is out! It looks like Noah!" Reaching down and cradling the top of his head in my hand for the first time, his soft hair floating gently in the warm water. And finally, at 2:17 am, pushing harder than I had ever pushed before, then reaching down, scooping his slippery, wet body up out of the water, bringing him to my chest, and seeing that Noah had a brother! Being the only ones present for his birth was a gift that we shall never forget, though we were very happy when our midwife and her assistant arrived minutes later!

Now, a year later, he brings such smiles and laughter to our lives. Which is very appropriate, since his name means 'He will laugh.'
He still likes to spend a good portion of his days perched on my lap, thus the reason most photos of him are close-ups these days. But he is also gaining independence. Learning to walk. Learning to let go. It is so bittersweet.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby!

Magical Moments

Lately, it feels as if I spend my entire day mediating the relationship between the boys. Every other sentence out of my mouth is something along the lines of, "We don't push," or "We don't take things each other," or simply, "Share, please!" The boys are in general very loving and sweet towards each other. They just both abide by the Toddler's Rules of Possession:
1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I am doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.

As most parents of young children know, the constant bickering (and my subsequent intervening) can get exhausting! Then, just when I am thinking I need to give myself a timeout, there will be one of those moments. One of the boys will do something silly and the other will erupt into a fit of giggles. Or Isaac will become overcome with the need to smother Noah with wet, slobbery kisses, causing Noah to roll around on the floor in a fit of laughter. One of those moments when I am reminded how special their relationship is and how lucky they are to have each other. It is in those moments that I love to just sit back and watch them interact with each other, thinking that this, right now, is what it is all about. It makes the constant breaking up of little squabbles all worth it.And sometimes, on a really good day, that magical moment will extend for several minutes, or even hours as the boys settle into play together. Yesterday was just such a day, and it was brought on by something as simple as an impromptu blanket fort. The giggles and squeals of delight that began as they crawled in and around the blanket suspended between two stools continued throughout the morning. Noah pushed Isaac back and forth in the cart. They jumped together into a pile of pillows and blankets. They played music together. Noah fixed Isaac 'lunch' in his kitchen and then 'fed' it to him at their table. It was wonderful and magical to see.
So, while I wished these moments happened much more often, I will take them when I can get them, because they are what sustain me through all those other not-so-good times. That, and lots and lots of chocolate.