Baby Blanket of a Different Kind

So if you follow my sister's blog (talesfromtheouthouse.blogspot.com) you know that she is "deeply ingrained" in a new hobby--quilting. And she's got some mad fabric cutting and sewing skills. Those quilts are off the chain! I am the lucky recipient of two--one for Emily and one for the family. Now, I used to do a little quilting--nothing special--and I found it tedious and exhausting. Nowadays, I doubt I could find two whole hours straight to cut fabric and sew it together. And since Emily has to reside on my hip on a daily basis--and I rarely visit a restroom without her companionship, let alone use scissors and a sewing machine--I don't think quilting needs to be my "comeback". So it's back to crocheting, a skill I learned in college and have dabbled in throughout the years. I'll make a baby blanket here, a baby hat there, the occasional scarf, but nothing too crazy. But I was very motivated to make a blanket for a fellow teacher at my school since her shower is next week. I knew that she was going with bright colors, like lime green for the walls in the nursery, from her posts on Facebook, and a quick look at her registry revealed a zebra print changing table cover. Hence, a color scheme was born. I've recently gotten into using multiple types of stitches in one blanket, as you see below. I used a single chain for the green and black and a double chain for the white. I also left a row of "peek a boo" holes in the black and green so that I could weave in ribbon when I was finished.

Close up of ribbon

I decided to try something new (for me)--a ruffled edge. It was pretty simple and I don't think it turned out "too girly"--Bethany isn't finding out the sex, so I had to keep it pretty gender neutral. Even my ribbon was very basic--just a solid color with a white stitch down the middle. Nothing that screams "boy!" or "girl!" I hope!

Let it Snow!

We got our first dusting of snow this weekend, and as luck would have it, this teacher did not get a day off from school at all! The first round of snow was Friday evening and the next was Saturday sometime during the night. It all managed to melt away during the day today, so I'm sure we don't get any delays or cancellations (darn it! would have been nice to sleep in on a Monday!). This is the first time Emily can get out and actually play in the snow, so enjoy some pics from our weekend: in my snowbibs and ready for action!

This stuff tastes kind of bland...


My chariot awaits! Beats slipping all over the yard!

Seriously, this stuff has no flavor.

My sock fell off! I mean.....my mitten!

First encounter with the white stuff

Emily: Fourteen Months Old

Hey everybody! I am a big girl now! I am growing like a weed! I don't have many stats since I haven't been to the doctor since my flu booster shot in December, but Mom got me to stand on the scale in our bathroom and I stood up really nice and tall so that she could use the tape measure on me:
HEIGHT: 32 inches
WEIGHT: 22 pounds (give or take a couple oz)
SIZES: 18 months in clothes, size 3 in diapers, size 4 in shoes
TEETH: already has 12! working on the second set of lower molars right now (#13 and 14)
EATS: almost everything! Emily has really slowed down on the eating, so she gets in a good breakfast and lunch, and dinner can be hit or miss (sometimes she only snacks, other times she gets two or three helpings). She eats all adult food--loves broccoli and cauliflower, meatballs, mac and cheese, all noodles, hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, subs, and most recently ice cream!
LIKES: hugs and kisses, giving high-fives, watching the opening credits to "Arthur" (she dances to the music), listening to all music, reading books, playing with blocks, climbing EVERYTHING!
DISLIKES: getting into the bathtub (she's fine once she actually gets in the water), shirts that are too big for her, staying in her highchair one second longer than she has to, wearing hats, naptime, teething

Making a "kissy face"

sitting at her new table and chair set with Daddy, making a "phone call" on her froggy teether

Other "likes"? Climbing up into her chair, and down, and back up ,and down...

"Hmmmmm....now I know where she keeps the socks...and I plan on pulling out every pair and throwing them around the room like confetti!"

"Oh man!"

I was treating myself to a Nutty Buddy the other night and Emily spied it immediately. She leaned forward for a bite, her teeth hit the cold, and she jumped back. She licked her lips, decided she now LOVES this new food, and promptly stole my cone!

Another "like"? Coloring! We found Caroline's old Color Wonder coloring books and markers--you don't have to worry about marks all over the floor, carpet, and baby! She's also learned to "cheese" for the camera!

"Talk to the marker, mom"