Realizing, as the thought has finally dawned on me, that I won't be pregnant forever, I decided to post a shot of my new and far more round than I might have ever believed possible physique. These pictures were taken over Memorial Day, when I was right at my 30 weeks mark.

In the last thirty weeks, it really hadn't dawned on me to record this event. I don't know how- moving and whatnot got in my way, I guess. Also, the feeling "eh, we've got eons! No rush. Of course, we'll take pictures! But we'll wait. Until we've gotten settled in our new home. Until we're closer to the baby's birth. Until the belly gets really big..."

Folks, that time is upon us. We are settled in a new house (whoo-hoo! didn't mean to slip that one in here, but I seem to be on a once a week blog-plan- I know that's being generous- so I fit news in where I can. I'll post more about the house later, but for now- it's awesome). We are close to the baby's birth. The belly is really big.

Kind of spooky how that sneaks up on a person. Sure, I'm living in this body, stuff is happening, old clothes aren't fitting properly, new maternity clothes are shockingly comfortable... but it's not until you're staring into the one-inch screen of a Sony camera to suddenly realize "My GOD, I'm pregnant."



And now I have the photos to prove it.

Baby Love

I'm knitting again! It's so exciting, a bit like being back up on the horse after years in the city or Ralph Nader every time the presidential election rolls around- whoo-hoo I'm on the job!

My knits are hardly surprising. Not at all. You expected it right? Baby knits of course!

Blankets in the obligatory UT orange. (Funny story, I mentioned to The Hubba I was going to knit a blanket and I was going to the yarn store to pick out the yarn. To which he brightly responded "Hey, I'll come, I want to help pick it out." I was surprised and delighted. Though not as surprised by his next words: "We can find UT orange!")



My first soaker. We intend to cloth diaper and I admit, a big part of the motivation was finding out I could knit covers for cloth diapers. Better for baby's skin? Yes, definitely. Better for the environment? Absolutely. More cost efficient? You betcha. I can knit soakers and pants for it? SIGN ME UP!


These have both been a lot of fun. The blanket is great to pick up for a constant, fairly easy knit. The soakers are simple, quick, and I'm already on my second one (intention pre-baby- at least six). But that's not really where the baby knitting is. That's not my real passion.

No, I've fallen and I've fallen hard and it's not for soakers and it's not blankets. Can you guess? If you've ever read this blog before it went on the months-off fritz, can you possibly guess what's won my heart?

Yep.

Baby socks.

Oooo.


Awwww.


They are the perfect baby knit. First: socks. We all know how I feel about socks. Second: quick. Now you've rarely heard me complain about the time of a sock because I don't think they are time consuming, or at least the delight factor to time ratio is always well balanced in my opinion. Which is why baby socks are like crack to me. Or, as I've never been a big dope fiend (witness phrase "dope fiend" which was popular once- in the twenties), baby socks are the wine/English hot tea/sleeping on my back I'm not allowed during pregnancy- they are soooo goooood.

Baby socks also hit that baby goo-spot for me that baby clothes don't. Most people- women particularly- see baby clothes and dissolve into a puddle of "awwww, that is SO CUTE!" When spoken by a female those last two words tend to hit glass-shattering levels. I see them and think "hey, tiny clothes. That cost as much as people clothes and a baby wears for about a minute. Practical."

I am not, though, the hard-hearted baby wench I once thought. Because I finished that first UT orange baby sock and I broke my own record of "awwwwww." I'm on a tear now, already finding my next gender-neutral scrap sock yarn to whip out a second pair. And even as I knit these socks, I'm thinking about the next pair, about checking my LYS (I have two great ones in Knoxville and several others in the nearby areas- HOORAY!), maybe some yellow, maybe green, ooo, I could mix and match, toe and heel in one color, sock body in the other, than swap them out- whoa.

Just got a bit light headed. Might want to sit down. And, hey, while I'm sitting here, might as well pick up those double pointed needles. I mean, look, I'm practically at the zigzag bind-off. Just a few quick stitches, just to take the edge off. I won't finish just a round or tw-

Whoa. That is good.