Ma mere chantait toujours...

Today was a sleepy day chez annypurls. In fact, we had barely finished eating supper at around 7:30 and all three of us were falling asleep watching Sesame Street in the living room. I didn't think we were awake enough for Julian's bedtime ritual so suggested that Julian come sleep in our bed tonight as a special treat. Daddy didn't object. Julian was on his way upstairs as soon as I mentioned it. While we all slept together in the same bed for Julian's first 18 months, we haven't since Julian resolved to sleep in his own big boy bed this past new year's eve ;0)

Don't be fooled by the photo, there's no actual knitting content in this rambling post but since I just finished my second baby shedir I thought I might as well share it. I knit this one from Dalegarn Baby Ull on a US1 and think it will be sized just right for a newborn this time ;0) See my last post for pattern links.

We didn't read stories like we usually do all three of us crowded in Julian's twin bed. It's probably the first night since we bought it about a month ago, that we didn't read Julian's favourite and most requested book, "mimin" (aka Eric Carle's Very Mixed Up Chameleon). We used to read it to him, but now dada and I just lay back and let Julian turn the pages and tell us what happens. It's just the sweetest thing and I hope I never forget these little moments. I hope to be able to store these little vignettes of our daily life with him so that I can recall them to centre myself when he is a teenager desperately wanting a tattoo!

We didn't even listen to the "la-bie" (aka, lullabies) in his room tonight while chatting about all the things we did today. And we didn't even share our usual pillow talk while he rubs his baby winnie's ears and stares up at the leaf canopy above his bed. That's when I usually indulge in stroking his still fine baby hair and remind him of the wonderful day we had, how wonderful and special he is and how much he is loved and cared for by everyone. I can tell he is thinking about them too and always falls asleep grinning. It is my favourite part of every day.

But tonight we did things a little differently. We were all too sleepy to read (even mimin!) or chat about our day. And since we don't have a cd player with lullabies in our room, I cradled my growing boy in my arms and just sang to him, the whole time thinking about how our family is about to change and how these are the precious last few moments where it is just the 3 of us.

This beautiful old french song popped in my head and I sang it to him as he doze off. It goes like this...

Ma mère chantait toujours (my mother would always sing)
Une vieille chanson d'amour (this old love song)
Que je te chante à mon tour (that I am now singing to you)
Ma fille tu grandiras (my child you will grow)
Et puis tu t'en iras (and you will go)
Mais un beau jour (but one fine day)
Tu la chanteras à ton tour (you will sing it too)
En souvenir de moi (in memory of me)

It's so simple but so poignant at the same time. This song used to be the theme song for a chicken soup commercial here in Quebec. It was just one of those background songs you never stop to think about too much. But tonight it really tugged at my mommy heartstrings.

One fine day, this growing boy of mine will become a man and, God willing, a dada with a growing child just as precious and wonderful as he is to us. And they'll have their own little loving rituals. And he will feel exactly the same way then as his dada and I do now: that time is fleeting and that you have to revel in every seemingly ordinary moment while you can because that's where all the love and joy is ;0)

S is for Shedir

First, I guess I should start with my newly mandatory disclaimer: I'm not having a baby! Well not yet, anyway ;0) Everytime I call Stephen at work, I can hear the anticipation in his voice and have to reassure him that it's okay, I'm not in labour yet and he can resume breathing! LOL!!! But still, I can't wait...really! I'm soooo ready to have this baby ;0)

In the meantime though, between all the daytime naps to make up for lemon's all night kicking festivals, there's still knitting to pass the time, relax and enjoy. This weekend, between the residual nesting and lots and lots of naps with poor little feverish Julian who's cutting not one but four big teeth, it was a baby shedir.

Actually, I should say my first baby shedir because I enjoyed knitting it so much that I immediately cast on for another. A smaller one. For a newborn. I knit the first one from less than a ball of Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere (DK weight) on a size 3 circ using something from nothing's mods and ended up with a 14 inch circumference which I figure should suit a 3-6 month old but would be too big for a newborn.

The hat is surprisingly stretchy...so much so that it fits around Julian's almost 2 year old noggin! Though if you plan to knit it for an 18-24 month old like my Jujube, you should add another cable repeat before the crown shaping so that it covers the ears well but otherwise you don't need to make any other adjustments to the baby adaptation of the pattern.

Check out the crown shaping. As Grover would say, "is it not beautiful?" And this is pre-blocking too so it'll presumably look even better after a little bath ;0) Love it!

I knit it magic loop style and am totally coverted. I'm already wondering what to do with all those DPNs now that all I need are my trusty circs! That's how much I love magic looping. I had tried it before a long long time ago and it was a disaster so I decied it wasn't for me. I think the instructions I was following at the time must have been needlessly complicated because I was able to master the technique in no time flat following purlwise's magic loop tutorial. So simple really. And the best part? No ladders!

Finally, a pic of Julian and his baby in our brand new twin stroller. Now all we need is a little brother and for the snow to melt a little and we're ready for neighbourhood strolls and trips to the park. After being cooped up this long, a neighbourhood stroll sounds real good! Plus, I can't wait to see who else was pregnant all winter!

We live in a very young neighbourhood and there's always a new crop of babies coming...Stephen ran into our backyard neighbours at the donut shop this week and it turns out they're expecting too and are due in May! Yay! Plus, it's a boy too so there you have it, lolo already has a little friend near by ;0)