He Really Didn't Want to Take a Nap, Did He?

I put Nicky down this afternoon, didn't hear anything out of him for about 45 minutes, went to check and found this...

Finished Object - Socks

Size 13 Men's Socks for DH

Yarn: ColourmartUK Fingering weight cashmere

Pattern: my own design top down, broken rib stitch

Needles: size 1 Suasan Bates double point

Start date: May 2006

Compeletion date: Novemeber 2005

Alumni Magazines

I really just need to stop reading the darn things, or at least the "Notes from Alumni" section. About 16 years ago I graduated with an MBA from a top business school. (At the time it was flirting around 6 now it's in the top 5). Along with my diploma, I receive the alumni magazine semi-regularly. A couple of weeks ago, it came. In the notes section was a blurb about a classmate who's now VP of Marketing and owns part of a minor league baseball team. Now, I'm now where near being a VP of Marketing, or anything else. Still changing diapers, etc. Logically, I know that only those who are doing well right in, or what's written is a bit inflated.

Of course, I could write something that sounds really grand....

After leaving Applied Biosystems some years ago, I've become president, no make that CEO of an accessories design & manufacturing firm. (O.K. so, I occasionally, sell a purse or scarf or two). And I've been volunteering my marketing talents for fund raising in several non-profit organizations (selling Boy Scout popcorn and Sally Foster gift wrap.)

Or, I could do what 95% of my classmates do and not write a thing.

Wishes

A couple of nights ago at dinner we were talking about wishes. M.E. was reading Children of the Lamp and The Blue Djinn of Babylon, stories about Djinns, or Genies. A discussion of what we'd wish for ensued and the kids said the typical things, video games, etc. Kim wished that Nicky didn't have DS. M.E. commented that you have to phrase your wishes very carefully, as the genie might take away Nicky's DS and give him something worse, not make him a typical child.

The funny thing is wishing away DS didn't enter my mind at that moment, rather I'd love to have a sister for M.E. When Nicky was born, I heard other parents say they wouldn't wish away their child's DS. I couldn't understand this thought. But now, having DS is such a part of him, I just can't imagine him any other way. Does this mean I'm finally starting to accept it?

'Mo 'Tar Mama

One of Nicky's birthday gifts was an Elmo guitar, he loves playing it. More importantly he's saying a three word phrase "mo tar mama" or Elmo guitar Mama!

Flying

When Nicky was born Nate's favorite book was Flap Your Wings. It's the story of a pair of birds who come home to find a strange egg in their nest. They are quite sure it's not their egg, but they keep the egg warm, feed the baby that hatches and teach him to fly. The baby turns out not to be a bird at all.

On one of the many nights we sat at Nicky's bedside while he was in the NICU, Kim said "I feel a little like mother and father bird, we have this creature in our nest, he's not quite what we expected but he's in our nest so we have to feed
him and teach him how to fly." Suddenly I knew that everything was going to be all right. And it has been.

Fear

I've been thinking about this post by Dr.Couz, since I read it. I'm not sure why it bothers me so much. The sentiments she expresses aren't any different than most women feel. And from what I've heard in her blog Dr. VitaminK is a caring and excellent doctor. I guess it bothers me that a medical professional is expressing the opinion. But, it really shouldn't since she is first ,and foremost a woman, just expressing feelings most women would express. I certainly was afraid and didn't want a disabled child. I was 40 when Nicky was born, our AFP results came back with an elevated risk for Down Syndrome, 1 in 60 vs. 1 in 80 for a woman of 40. The odds were with us, or so we thought so we went ahead. But in the back of our minds was the possibility of DS. I guess I was more afraid of an Amnio than DS. The day Nicky was born was the best and worst of days. Life is about risk and some are just worth taking.

Thank you Lynn Johnston

I've loved the comic strip For Better or Worse since I was in high school (a long time, I know). And love it even more since the character of Shannon came along.

Parade of Finished Objects

I finished several things before we went on our trip and while on it.
First a hat for M.E. to go with her coat. She wanted a plain hat with "that smooth stitch" no cables or anything interesting.

Of course, Nicky thinks it "mine":

Another Chatelaine Shawl in Louisa Harding Kimono Angora. This is my own design based on a pattern from a Barbara Walker Treasury. It's knit from the top down. I wasn't quite sure how to end it, but was trying out short rows and thought it would make a neat shawl to have the points of the pattern diamonds as the edge.

I added beads to the cast-off edge. The edge was just a simple knitted cast-off instead of the knit 2, knit 2 together because I was afraid of running out of yarn, ended up with about 10 yards left.

Next the Hexagon bag. Ages ago, I was playing around with knitting quilt shapes, at the time I didn't know it could be called modular knitting. Each row of hexagons were knit around, not intarsia. It has an i-cord loop closure and a knotted i-cord "button". Knit from three colors of Patons Classic Merino. Only trouble was two different batches of winter white, one felted much better than the other.

Finally, a hat scarf combo out of Elann Peruvian Alpaca based on a pattern from BW's first treasury. Started the scarf sometime last fall, decided to add a hat.

Modeled again by M.E.

How Taurus am I?

You are 67% Taurus

How Taurus Are You?

Literally

A couple of nights ago, I told dear son #1 to go clear the Bionicles off of his bed in preparation for bedtime. I went upstairs a few minutes later to find this:

Of course, Nicky, the camera hog, saw me with the camera and wanted to get in on the action. Here he's showing off one of his new skills - Dressing himself...In my swimsuit top.

Hit Over the Head

Every so often I get in a funk about Nicky, focusing on all he CAN'T do instead of what he CAN, who he's NOT instead of who he IS. This one started on our visit to Michigan, we saw my brother & family. Their oldest is 3 days older than Nicky but miles ahead. Then last night, we all went on a bike ride down to our neighborhood pool & playground. There was a neighbor there with her twin boys who are about Nicky's age. Watching those boys I was just so sad. Anyway, came home put everyone in bed and was reading mailing lists and there was a note about a young man with DS who died this afternoon. Whomp, just a reminder to focus on what we do have and just enjoy what is, not what "could have been".

Nicky can:

• Scoot everywhere on his bottom,


• Sign or say more than 100 words,


• Put together 2 and 3 word sentences (e.g. "Mommy no sing" everyone's a critic <sigh> ),


• communicate his needs & wants,


• Take his clothes off and put some on,


• Follow directions when he wants to,
  
• Throw an object hard & fast,


• charm the pants off everyone he meets...and a million other things

In other words be a "normal child" whatever that is.

Kisses

It's taken Nicky as long time to learn to kiss but now he's gotten the hang of it. After nap today he had a nasty diaper and some diaper rash. He looked about to cry so I kissed him on the forehead. Then he kissed me back on the cheek and several more times. It was so cute. Now if he'd just say mama with some regularity (he says Dada all the time).

FO

When DH first saw this:

He said "nice" and he wasn't talking about the pattern. Don't think I look as good but it's finished. I had a heck of a time getting gauge and when I did the fabric didn't drape. So, it was knit using the number of stitches for the x-small but medium dimensions for everything else.

Yarn: Berroco Denim Silk, Stone washed (1413)

Pattern: Trish from Berroco book #215

Noticing

Have you ever noticed when you buy a new car, suddenly ever other car on the road is the same mak & model? My youngest was born with Down Syndrome. Now it seems not a week goes by that we are out somewhere and see another child or adult with DS. I'm sure they were there before but we never paid attention. For the most part it is encouraging to see these individuals and their families. This was especially important after our son was born. Proof, more or less, that life would go on. It's still encouraging but sometimes it's discouraging. And it's not necessarily the "lower functioning" ones that bother me. Sometimes I see someone functioning well and wonder if son will ever get there. There is so much pressure on a parent for a child to do well and with a child with a disability it seems to be so much more with more at stake. Sometimes it's enough just to have a happy healthy child sometimes it's not.

First Post

This is my first attempt at a blog. I've been reading blogs for about six months now and am itching to start. Anne's Originals is the name of a my home knitting business, but it probably applies better to my three kids, they are truly original. I'll blog about my kids, my knitting and life in general.