The Little Red Mitten

I am in love with a little red mitten.

This little red mitten is more than just a little red mitten, although if it were just a little red mitten, that would be enough, because the world needs little red mittens.

This little red mitten is the first knit item I have completed on my own at home with the two boys. (I finished an adorable stuffed hippopotamus during the time that Greg, my mother and my in-laws were here helping, which is not the same thing at all.)

This little red mitten means that maybe, just maybe, I can do this. Maybe I can have two kids under two and get something done besides laundry and diapers and making sure no one goes hungry. Maybe I can be the mom I want to be, the mom like my mom, the one who knits not just mittens but sweaters and socks and blankets. That somehow finds time to wrap her kids not just in wool, but in love and their favorite colors. The mom who knits for herself, too.

This little mitten means I refuse to just survive each day, that I will find time for things I love besides my children. That I will do more than just make it to bedtime and start again tomorrow.

It wasn't always relaxing. Sometimes I knit four stitches, picked up the baby, set down the baby, knit another row, picked the baby back up. Sometimes I knit with Andrew in the baby carrier, maybe four whole rows before Will woke up from his nap.

But little by little, stitch by stitch, I have finished one little red mitten. I don't even need this little red mitten this season, it's meant as a Christmas gift for Will, or maybe even a birthday gift so he has it for any chilly November and December days that fall before the receipt of Christmas mittens.

So ahead of time, stitch by stitch, I have managed one little red mitten.

And I am in love with this little red mitten.

Time to start the next one.




The Hippopotamus I knit for a baby shower gift while all my help was here!

Rescuing Mr. Monkey

I have something important to tell any girl who's not yet married. You need to marry a man who will rescue Mr. Monkey.

Some girls put a lot of thought into meeting and marrying Mr. Right. I've met six year olds who will tell you all about their wedding dress and cake. (It might change. But that's true of some brides ten weeks before the wedding, and not the point.) Those six year olds are the twenty year olds who have a list of "musts" and "would be nices" in their marriage material criteria.

I was not one of those girls.

When I started dating Greg, all I knew was that every time I was with him, it was more fun than being without him. So I tried to be with him as much as possible. Four years in, getting married seemed like a really good way to accomplish that. I never questioned it.

Luckily, I didn't need to, because Greg is amazing. Why is Greg amazing? Many reasons. But one of those reasons is that Greg is a guy who will rescue Mr. Monkey.

Thanks to this unseasonably warm weather, we were out for a family walk and taking some pictures on a picturesque campus nearby, when out of nowhere, our adorable and ne'er do-wrong toddler chucks his lovey over a stone bridge into the water below. (He then points and laughs.)







Will might have been pointing and laughing, but Greg took one look at the shock/horror/loss registering on my face and went running for large sticks to engineer his first of many rescue attempts.

Forget that our toddler wasn't even upset. Forget that we have Mr. Backup Monkey AND Mr. Tertiary We Really Need To Do Laundry Monkey at home. Those things didn't matter to Greg, because he knew that I couldn't bear to leave my toddler's lovey floating down a stream somewhere after all Mr. Monkey has done for us. And maybe Greg couldn't either.

There are so many times when I think to myself wow, I lucked out, because when I said "yes" to Greg's proposal, I hadn't given an ounce of thought to what kind of father he'd be. Turns out, he's the best kind. The kind who spends twenty minutes rescuing Mr. Monkey.

Let me tell you something - if you find a guy who will rescue Mr. Monkey, you also have a guy who will get up in the middle of the night five times to rock a toddler back to sleep. Someone who will empty the dishwasher in the morning and make french toast because he wants you to sleep in and have a good day. Someone who will always come home from the grocery store with a "surprise!" for you. Someone who won't say no when you ask them to change a diaper because you just sat down, even if you know it's not fair because they changed the last four.

So if you're still looking... remember to look for someone who will rescue Mr. Monkey.

Two weeks old, and 17 months old!

Andrew is two weeks old, and Will is 17 months old!



Here's to life with two under two :)

One Week Old!

Andrew is a week old today!

So many of my mommy friends were amazing with their first born of taking a photo each month on the day, something I never quite managed with Will.

Second born, second chance! Hoping to catch Andrew with this teddy bear at the one week mark, and then each month thereafter until he's one. Perhaps it'll be a fun annual tradition from there! (17 year old forced to pose with a teddy bear on his birthday? Yeah, that sounds FUN.)

Play Dough Recipe

When we were toddlers, Mom used to make us homemade play dough all the time. I loved it when she made us a fresh batch and it was still warm when we started molding it into different shapes.

My favorite color was blue. When she brought it into pre-school for everyone, she'd make a quadruple batch of the stuff and it was always a huge hit!

Best of all, it's safe to eat should someone decide to have a little taste. It's way salty, but it came from your cupboards and not a factory, and that makes me feel better about it if a little gets tasted.

We made some for Will to play with right before Andrew was born and he loved it. Even though he was in his high chair (mess control!) he understood pretty quickly that it was play time, not food time. He didn't eat a bite of it!

It was a blast!

Here's the recipe:

Play Dough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
A few drops of food coloring
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Add the food coloring to the water, then mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it resembles the consistency of mashed potatoes. (There will be a distinct change, you'll know!) Cool slightly and knead (don't add any extra flour) until smooth. Store in a sealed plastic bag or pyrex so it doesn't dry out - it can last up to a week before it dries out.

Welcome, Andrew Scott!

Amusingly enough, after my last blog post it was only hours until I went into labor, and we welcomed Andrew Scott on February 13th, 2012.

Sometimes it's worth asking :)


Andrew, two days old, clinging to his father's finger.
Photo by my amazingly talented brother, Alan, who shares Andrew's middle name.

Dear "February",

I realize that your due date isn't until the 16th, and that arguably you can't even be considered late yet. But really, are you SURE you're not going to be ready to join us just a bit sooner?

I've done everything you could ask of me to prepare for the joyous occasion.

I had Dad take pictures of us together.



I organized every drawer and closet in the house.



I knit you a sweater.



I knit you a baby blanket.



I switched to knitting projects for Will so you wouldn't feel the need to wait until something else was completed for you.



I over-stocked the freezer so I can pay attention to you instead of cooking dinners.



Will and I have been taking long walks together.



Mimi finished the cutest tummy time blanket ever for you.



She even washed out the cat fur from the blocking process.



I cleaned out the guest bedroom closets, bought guest bathrobes, and purchased bins for your grandparents to put clothes in while they're here. (It was considerate of you to give me time to attend to such details.)



Aunt Elizabeth finished your elephant painting for the nursery in January.

Hospital bags are packed. Yours is even monogrammed with your name. Yesterday I unpacked and re-checked them. They're fine. I even have the baby k'tan in there so I can check with the nurses on how to safely carry a newborn in one. Of course it's prewashed. You don't think I wouldn't have prewashed it, do you?

I ordered stamps online for your baby announcements and finalized the address list in excel.

We've even cleaned the office, gotten up to date on our filing, assembled our taxes, and taken care of estate planning.

Are you SURE you're not ready to come meet your family? People are jumpy when I call them. I'm jumpy when MY phone rings. Too bad that's now how I'll find out I'm going into labor. I pocket dialed your Nana and she almost had a heart attack listening to the static. That's not healthy for anyone. Why don't you arrive so we can all act rationally again?

We can't wait to meet you... and we'd REALLY like it to be before Mimi and Grampa leave for vacation 9 days after you're due! I don't mean to rush you, really, I don't. I just want to WELCOME you. You are welcome any time. We are excited and ready for you and the diapers are washed and your clothes are all in the nursery drawers and I honestly can't find anything left to do!

Did I mention that I was born a few days before my due date?

I was.

You could do it too.

love,

Mom

PS- pack and play is set up in the family room so you can sleep out of Will's reach. (Nemo checked.)