Bountiful boys

Lyle arrived on July 29 weighing a whopping 9lbs. 8oz.  I think at least 6 ounces can be attributed to his hair!  Liam and Lyle are both growing and changing, and we are all loving every minute we get to spend time with either of them. Baby duty couldn't get much better than this!

Baby blankets for Liam

Liam has grandmothers who knit, crochet, and quilt.  He is a well-blanketed baby.

Here he is on the quilt his Gmom, Penny, made for him.

Here he is on the quilt his great-grandmother, Linda, made for him.

And here he is on the blanket I crocheted for him.  Happy baby, thankful family.  God is good!

A growing baby boy

Liam arrived on June 5 and is growing and thriving.  His mama and daddy are learning and changing  (diapers, habits, their routines, etc.).  All is well and Liam's extended families are besotted with him!

When you get two knitters together...

...they knit.  Penny and I knit while we waited at the hospital for Liam to be born. 

She worked on a silk shawl, and I worked on a cotton dishcloth.  And before too much time had passed, we had the best little knit-together-by-God-in-his-mother's-womb grandson!

Fun for a future baby

I love the Sunshine Day Baby Afghan by Alicia Paulson.  A few weeks ago I bought the pattern and started working on it for a future grandchild.  Working with lots of colors is addictive, so I've decided to make it a bit larger than the pattern calls for. 

It feels a bit strange to be a making a blanket for a baby that's not yet even on the way, but I may do more of it anyway.

Sweetest little boy in the world

Here is Bear at six-months-plus. He is the joy of our lives and each day with him brings new delights!

Baby Ripple Afghan

A few days before Bear was born, I started crocheting a Baby Ripple Afghan using the free pattern from Lion Brand's website. I used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn and a G hook, and I finished it up yesterday. It was fun to make, and I like the feel and look of it, but it's nothing without the sweet little baby boy it was made for!

So much baby, so little time...

They're home and he's now a week old. I didn't get to help Amy when our granddaughters were born, so helping Joan with Bear is a new experience for me - and one I'm thoroughly enjoying. My mother came and stayed with us for one to two weeks after each of our children were born, and she ran the house, took care of the children, and took care of me during that time. I appreciated it then, but I have a whole new and deeper appreciation of her great service to me and to my family now that I'm the go-to helper for Joan. And I'm grateful to God for work, for an opportunity to serve those I love.

There hasn't been much time for reading, knitting, quilting, etc., but these infant days are so fleeting that I'm not missing those past times - much.

It's a family

Baby days have begun!

At 6:39 p.m. last night Joan delivered her baby. Bear is 8 lbs., 5 oz. and is 21 inches long. Thank you for praying for Brandon, Joan, and Bear. He's beautiful (of course!) and his mama and daddy are quite besotted with him!

She's in labor

Please pray for Joan. Her doctor admitted her to the hospital yesterday and she has been there over 24 hours now. Labor is VERY slow and she's exhausted and a bit discouraged. We're hoping and praying for Bear's birth to be before this day is over, and we're all doing our best to trust that God will see her (and the rest of us!) through it.

The 1st of August and we're waiting...

Joan's first due date according to the medical people is August 3. They later gave her a second due date of July 29, but I told her if she set her sights on that one she was probably setting herself up to be disappointed.

After a few tears, many prayers, and a mental and emotional "reset," Joan is now looking forward to her birthday, August 17, and hoping the baby comes before that date. The heat and the general discomfort of late pregnancy are not pleasant to endure, but the end will be here before we know it, and all the unpleasant bits will be forgotten in the rejoicing.

So pray for Joan; pray for Brandon; pray for Baby Bear. I promise I'll make the good news known when the little one arrives!

Staying busy

A few weeks ago I bought 60 Quick Baby Knits and the suggested yarn (Cascade 220 Superwash) so that Joan could make more cute baby things.



In between sighing for the baby's due date to hurry up and get here, Joan picked up knitting needles again and knit these little slippers. She plans to knit mitts and possibly a hat to match.

The book is full of adorable and quick projects. There are garments suitable for girl babies and boy babies, as well as many that could be for either. And the blankets are beautiful! Between the two of us, I think we'll make quite a few of the items listed in this book. Definitely worth the money spent!

34 weeks and counting

Waiting for something good and exciting is so hard, isn't it? Joan had a routine OB visit today. She's fine. Baby is fine. We just wait while he grows a bit more. Everyone has plenty to do to stay busy, but we're all beginning to wish the big day would hurry up and get here.

Recently my niece, Page, took pictures of Joan and Brandon for Bear's baby book. She did a terrific job. I'm hoping she'll be around when Bear is born and can take more pictures then.

Buttons and bibs

This is the summer of babies and I am knitting baby bibs like a mad woman. As soon as one comes off the needles, another one is cast on. Lately I've been letting them pile up a bit, then I take four or five and weave in the yarn ends, then sew on the buttons. All the buttons come from my late grandmother's large button stash, and it's fun to rummage around in the super-huge, short-bread cookie tin in which they're stored to find the perfect button for the particular bib. I need to knit about six more, then I think I can rest from bib-knitting.

Unless, of course, I find out that someone else is expecting a baby!

More knitting for Bear

While we were in North Carolina over spring break, Joan and Brandon chose some yarn for me to knit a cardigan for their baby. I had enough left over to knit a hat for him, too. Joan also chose some cotton yarn so I could knit a few bibs for the baby, and before we knew she was having a boy, I started knitting a pair of cotton bootees - in fact, I was working on them in the waiting room while we waited to go in and see the ultrasound that showed us the baby was a boy.

Joan's handiwork

Thus far, for her son, Joan has knit a cotton beret, a cotton bib, a wool/cashmere/microfiber blend ear-flap hat, a cotton bunny-blanket toy, a wool/acrylic blend vest, a wool soaker, a pair of cotton slippers and a pair of wool slippers. Not bad for a beginning knitter!

As she's waiting for Bear's birth she's also taking piano lessons and learning how to use coupons more advantageously. Next up on her list is to sew a pillow cover or two for the Boppy she received as a gift.

Knitting for Bear

With about 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy left, Joan is starting to nest. She's been knitting all kinds of things for her baby "Bear." This is becoming the summer of babies, so I've been making lots of bootees and bibs to give as gifts, and am enjoying the evenings Joan and I spend knitting together. Baby garments are so quickly made and so cute!