You got that right...

No, I' m not kidding.

I knit a miniature scarf that happens to match exactly the scarf I knit for Jono two years ago. Guess who it's for.

Jono is ecstatic. Like, more excited about the matching scarves than I've seen him about anything since that plastic stick blinked "pregnant".

Jono's scarf was my first knitting project. I splurged on this Chinese homespun yarn (or whatever) with a color combo called "mineshaft". I figured that was manly enough, so I bought it and started stitching away. The only problem was that when I was finished I had 3/4 of a ball of the Chinese Mineshaft yarn left to work with, and I didn't really want Mineshaft Potholders. I was stuck on what to do with it.

Then it occurred to me: dad-and-baby matching scarves would be kind of funny. Actually, just a fat baby wearing a knit scarf is funny, even if it didn't match.

Timidly, I mentioned the idea to Jono. His eyes lit up like fabulous Roman candles. He started asking me EVERY DAY when I was going to start on it. I'm in the middle of a rust-orange scarf for moi at the moment and was trying to finish that first, but after fielding "the look" from Jono for over an hour as I added row after knitted row to my own scarf, I finally caved and borrowed some of Jessie's needles for the mini mineshaft scarf-ito.

I started out making the scarf 20 stitches wide, to which Jono said: "Too wide." So I unraveled the first row and started over with 15 stitches. I showed it to him again and got approval for the smaller size. As I continued adding rows, I held it up for Jono every ten minutes or so and got a bright-eyed, eager look every time. It was very rewarding work.

We used Jono's bicep and then my ankle to figure out how long to make it. Hee hee. I was pointing out to Jessie the other day that babies don't have necks, so the scarf will probably be halfway up his face.

Oh well. Still funny, if not funnier that way.

Indulge me as I post the un-cropped version of this photo. Anything else cute in this picture besides the scarf-ito? (Hint: black, white, upper right corner).

Thrift Store Jackpot

I haven't had much time to scour thrift stores for the little guy yet, but on Saturday I stopped at Salvation Army and ventured into the kiddie section. Best find: a little fleece pea coat with ship-anchor buttons. $3 well spent. Weirdest find: Oliver Twist-style knickers with suspenders. $2 well spent. Now all he needs is a little newsboy cap (the kind usually worn by cute old men.)

Grant recently found a little leather bomber jacket at a second-hand store in Seattle, complete with wool-y collar and the word "Intruder" stitched into it. He bought it and sent me a picture on my phone. There will be photos posted of him in that asap, just sit tight.

Man, this is fun. I have to admit one of the things I've been most excited about is dressing him for my own amusement. When they're that little they don't know the difference anyway, so it's really up to me how hilarious/irresistable I want him to look. Better take advantage before he gets his own ideas about things and is begging me for some sort of sports jersey. I'll have to give an inch on that one though, since Jono is already threatening to dress him in Michigan apparel (my dad raised us to hate the Wolverines as a result of their long-time rivalry with the Washington Huskies. Also, jock wear is not nearly as cool as dressing a child in clothing from 19th century England, in my view. I will try to be flexible though.)

Five more weeks people. Five more weeks.

Is this Heaven?

No, it's Iowa.

Mom and I took our annual October trip out there to see my grandparents and other extended family. Highlights were Amish people, my last baby shower with my aunts and girl-cousins on the Dieken side, and 16 hours in the car with my mom blabbing about pretty much everything on the planet (we usually don't stop yapping the whole way there and back).

Jono always makes fun of me when I say "We went to the Amish." It's how we've always said it. What we mean is we're driving 35 miles out to Jesup to farm-hop and buy their delish cookies, pies, pickles and jam. We went in a small caravan made up of my grandma, Mom, my aunts Brenda and Bonita, and my cousins Nick & Kristle with their two kids, Devin and Eden.

At one point we were in a barn digging through a bunch of vintage stuff sitting out on farm trailers. The Amish Mom came out and asked when I was due, how old I was, and if this was my first. She told me she'd just had her seventh child. Amish Pops was away at the horse sale, and she wouldn't sell me an unmarked red vase I wanted because she had "gotten in trouble" with him last time for selling a valuable item for a few bucks. It was a cool vase, but I didn't want to push it with her and start begging.

At another farm there were three Amish kids hanging around staring at us - two little girls and a tiny boy. We learned the tiny boy's name was Wilbert, and I about died. I wish you all could've seen him with his blue shirt and suspenders and big straw hat. He was about two feet tall and had huge brown eyes and a little mouth that was puckered into an o-shape. There are certain little boys that I find irresistable, and the fact that his name was Wilbert put me over the edge. He waved at me once.

Mom got her first whisk ever at one of the Amish general stores and replaced her measuring cups and spoons, of which she has lost half over the past ten years. I kept grabbing basic kitchen items I knew she didn't have off the shelves. We took a picture to commemorate this grand moment for her. (Mom = not a shopper. We had to explain to her why a whisk is more useful than a fork for stirring up eggs and the like.)

Last stop out there was the "Bent n' Dent" grocery store. Though Grandma kept saying "Scratch n' Dent", like it was a place to scratch n' sniff canned goods. (I love her!) It is what it sounds like. Canned and other packaged goods that are bent and dent, and therefore cheaper than Aldi's (it's possible, but probably overkill).

My aunts are hysterical. I laughed so hard on Amish Day that I was afraid I'd go into labor while Gordito's daddy was eight hours away in Michigan. We talked about so many inappropriate things it was unreal. The next day all of us had sore throats. We were worried we were getting sick, but as it turns out we were just laughing too hard.

This is the last trip I'll be taking in awhile, so I savored it. Pics below. The baby is my second cousin Eden, and I think she stole the show.

Shower #2

Here are some shots from the "outdoor baby party" thrown for us by the Klooster/Holtvluwer/Lehman/DeGroot clans (Jono's side). Thanks guys!

I've Been Showered

I had my first "baby shower/party/thing" yesterday at my parents' place. The baby got lots of nice presents that we're relieved we won't have to buy ourselves (thanks ladies!). Now all we need is a room to put them in. (I am fighting the "nesting" instinct... until we move into our house and I can start indulging it.) We ate chili soup and my Aunt Rosemary's pumpkin bars, and I hope people didn't get bored watching me open things.

We'll have two more baby parties before he comes: a co-ed one next weekend for Jono's side and one in Iowa for my mom's side. It's amazing how friends and family help you prepare materially and otherwise for big life changes like this. We are grateful.

The pic shows my friend Cassie giving me a cloth diaper tutorial that I wish I'd taken notes on. I was given lots of good advice by everyone, mostly things like "sleep whenever you can", and "don't be afraid to ask for help". We're feeling good about the fact that we have three sets of family nearby, and he'll be the first grandchild on all three sides. My guess is we will have the help we need. He might be a leeeeetle bit spoiled actually. We'll try our best to keep him humble.

"Bum Genius 2.0"

We're looking for some easy-to-use cloth diapers, but there are too many choices. I guess they aren't squares of white cloth and safety pins any more. And they have names like "bum genius 2.0", "fuzzi bunz" and "happy heinys". We don't know where to start. Any suggestions?

I finally had an excuse.

I've been waiting years for an excuse to buy this knit hat at the farmer's market. There were others to choose from -- like radishes, eggplant and pears -- but I figure this one will look pretty irresistable on someone's newborn head around Thanksgiving.

This one is for 0-3 month-olds and it is tiny! I can't believe the kid's head will be that small. This is encouraging as far as birthing goes...as long as the cheeks are huge. If you've seen my or Jono's baby pics this is a non-issue, so we're excited by the prospect.

People have been asking us lately if we want a boy or a girl. I usually say, "I don't care, as long as it's FAT."