30 and 30

This week I turned 30 and I'm 30 weeks pregnant. Time is flying by.

Turning 30 wasn't too bad in the grand scale of birthdays. 25 was much more difficult. I was a single woman living in Los Angeles. My roommates and I were signed up for E-Harmony and trying to find love,  or at least go on a few dates. I felt like I hadn't met any of my life goals.

Now 5 years later, I'm married and pregnant with my first child. I didn't hit my career goals like I thought, but really I perfectly okay with that. Oh and back when I was turning 25, guess who I had just started dating...

Anyways, here I am in all my pregnant and 30 glory.

Belly is definitely there now. She is doing good. To celebrate my birthday we took the hospital tour. Ekkk! Made me realize I've never been a hospital patient since I was born! (I think, am I right Mom?) Since many of my family members have worked in hospitals the whole atmosphere doesn't bother me. Actually the smell reminds me of childhood. BUT...being a patient is totally different.

The Labor and Delivery rooms are like a cheap motel plus medical equipment. I know they are trying to make it seem like home, but they totally failed. The Maternity rooms are straight up hospital with horrible lighting.

Oh well, it is what it is and I'm sure when the time comes the decorations will be the least of my concerns.

Had a check up this morning and baby is doing excellent. I also passed my glucose test. Yay to no gestational diabetes! Bring on the Christmas cookies! Doctor thinks its going to be a late February baby, but we'll see. Maybe early March.

In other news, did you know Christmas is 2 days away? I've got butter softening and pie crusts defrosting in preparation.

Dottie is eagerly awaiting Santa arrival, even if she's not totally deserving.

See what she did to the yarn I was using?

But really even though she was bad, overall she was a good little girl. She even got her own stocking this year. It turned out a little bigger than I anticipated.

So...what is Dottie getting this year?

We think it will be a big hit!

Boring is good...but Dottie is never boring.

Baby check up shows I'm about 26 weeks along. Holy cow! Its almost 3rd trimester time.

Everything looked totally normal. Anatomy scan showed a heart with 4 chambers and that its spinal cord meets the brain. Excellent. Head was down, but who knows if it will stay that way. Still have a few more weeks where she'll be able to wiggle around. We also got a pretty clear shot of her girly bits, so I'm feeling pretty confident that it is a girl and not a shy little boy.

I finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight. It can only go up from here.

I've also managed to ward off the glucose test for a few more weeks. I'm really not looking forward to taking it.

I'm feeling really good, just moving slower. Trying to keep active though.

So...onto Dottie who is never boring.

I've had not one but two calls from John in the last week that were warnings that Dottie was hurt but fine and I shouldn't be worried about her when I get home.

Injury 1: John has been experimenting with hiking with Dottie off leash. Days 1 and 2 went perfectly smooth. Day 3 she saw a squirrel and took off climbing up a cliff to chase it. Then she realized she couldn't get back down again. John had to risk life and limb to save her.

Result: Dottie hasn't been of leash since. She was scraped up, but otherwise fine. John is not teaching her NOT to chase squirrels.

Injury 2: Her nails were really long, so I asked John to take her in for a clipping. Only her front nails needed to be clipped, but the man at the vet insisted he could clip the back ones too. Mistake...BIG mistake. He cut them way too short. In the afternoon one claw started bleeding. By the time I got home 2-3 were bleeding. Pressure wasn't working. Baking soda wasn't working. She was bleeding through the bandages and we were supposed to leave for dinner in less than an hour.

Result: I ran to the pet store and bought some styptic powder. It worked! And graciously my Mom met us in Pasadena for dinner instead of halfway between our homes. Paw was bandaged for the night and the bleeding appears to have stopped. My sister Kathryn was our hero. She assessed the situation with a practiced hand and dealt with the blood better than this Mommy who suddenly wasn't feeling too well.

She's ready for a holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby Update: October Edition

I can't believe I'm already 22 weeks pregnant. I also can't believe the baby is measuring at 23 weeks. That means there is an 11.5 inch child inside me. Seriously? I don't understand where because I feel like my belly isn't really all that big. Baby also weighs a little over 1 lb.

Today my Mom got to come along for the check up. I think she liked coming, even though the appointment is really short. They just check the growth, listen to the heart, and then send me along. I did ask him to check the gender again. Still a girl, thank goodness!

Basically everything is just normal. Growth is good. I haven't gained too much weight. Feeling fine. Totally normal.

At least I'm able to feel the baby move now. Not all the time and the kicks aren't too forceful, but I suppose its coming. They do get stronger as the week goes on.

So...since the ultrasound photo just shows a blob, I figured I share a picture of my fur-baby instead.

She's a Liverpool fan. John converted her. Or maybe this week shes a Cardinals fan.

Dottie's doing really good too. She went on a bit of a diet, and I think its working. Not that she needed to loose much, but she's gotten a bit more lazy now that she's nearly two. She's my little snuggle girl.

A Summer of Changes

The last time I posted was just June 10th.

Since that time...

• John and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary
• Dottie celebrated first first year living with us
• I took on a client for sewing work
• I danced in the Ballet School's annual production
• Oh...and I got pregnant

So, nothing too crazy or anything. 

Our first anniversary was nice. My parents watched Dottie so John and I could go to Ojai for the evening. Ojai was boring, but we did attend a local wine fest. Being surrounded by a couple hundred drunk baby boomers was pretty awesome. It was Tommy Bahamas and Harley Davidson wear as far the your eyes could see. By 2pm they were all wasted and we were just starting. 

Dottie is doing great! She's 1.5 now and much more calm. To celebrate we bought her doggie cupcakes. She liked them very much. 

Yep, I took on a client for some wedding sewing. It turned out more involved than I planned (surprising right?), but in the end I was really proud of my work. I altered a wedding dress, embellished two bridesmaid dresses, added straps to the bridesmaid dresses, and constructed a lace edged shrug for the bride. Seriously, everything looked so wonderful and I cannot wait to see pictures from the wedding. 

As I mentioned above...I had my triumphant return to the stage. Well, maybe not triumphant since I was only a gypsy in one scene in a very long production. But really it was fun to get dolled up and dance in front of people. I only wish there were more opportunities for adults to perform more often. Plus rehearsing was really fun with the other gypsies. The hardest part of the performance was keeping my big secret that I'm pregnant. Found out two days before the show,but didn't dare tell anyone until after I got confirmation from the doctor. It was killing me to keep it from my Mom, but I did it and survived.

And so...now its baby time. 15 weeks 3 days today with a due date of February 26th. Will it be a leap year baby?

Being pregnant hasn't been easy so far. I've spent more time in a bathroom than I ever care to, I basically stopped eating for a few months, I'm tired all the time and get all kinds of strange aches. But at the same time I'm very excited about this baby.

At our appointment yesterday the baby was wiggling all over the place. So the only picture we got was this.

 That's a top view of the head. Not the most excited photo, but getting to see the spine and heart at work was pretty neat. No gender though. Little peanut wasn't interested in showing the goods. I don't want to know if its a girl or a boy, but John REALLY wants to know. So he can find out and torture me.

I'm also starting to show. Did I mentioned the upper arm spread? Sweet!

Next up...how to clothe my growing belly as I enter the busy season at the museum. I have both Halloween and Christmas events coming, plus regular tour guiding and I'm afraid my current outfit just isn't going to work.

Sewing...my first passion

Lately I've been making more of an effort to get back to my first passion, sewing.

I think if I could spend my days sewing sundresses and my evenings knitting, I'd be a pretty happy girl. So its been especially fun making a few things lately.

Sewing project 1 - Victorian blouse

What do you do when a major museum event is in 3 days and you don't have a top?

You dig through your fabric stash to find something suitable and then whip that sucker out.

Sorry for the poor quality photos, but I was on my own.

Here's the back.

I also recently made a new dress and finished a new sweater.

The dress is still a little plain. Could use some trim or a sash or something. The sweater...oh its awesome. Soft 100% wool. You would think that would be too warm for LA, but not really. Wool is pretty breathable in a hand knit, so this was just right for a day in the 70s.

There is also what I'm wearing today...

Not the most flattering photo...but I love this dress. Cute tie around the wait. And its a wrap dress. So it wraps around the back to create a V.

Can't wait to make a few more from my vintage patterns, and who knows, maybe this is my business plan. A little help from my husband for good photos and I could be on my way.

Oh, and here's Dottie's latest photo. She's sleeping with us now (not all night, but part of the night).

I think she's getting too comfortable.

Dottie's First Easter

Technically this was Dottie's second Easter, but since we adopted her in July of 2010, it was her first Easter as part of our family.

The day started bright and early...sometime in the 6 o'clock hour. It was a little too early for us humans, so I pulled Dottie into bed with me. A dangerous move, I know, but it totally worked.

After a while we decided to go ahead and get out of bed, get dressed and travel to my parent's house. Dottie loves it there because there are lots of people to pester and a big grassy backyard to romp in.

She can also do this...

Take that Uncle Bruno! I'm tired from all the playing and I'm taking over your bed! Then I'm going to run around while the kids try to find Easter eggs.

Really, Dottie still does plenty of puppy things. She still nippy, but she's growing up and John and I can tell. We even took down her crate and started letting her sleep in her own bed at night. Sniff...sniff. My baby's all grown up. Ha! But then she'll do something naughty and we realize she's not quite there yet. Oh, and as you can see she's feeling all better again. Yay!

Dottie's Home

She's home and resting. Dottie will need to take it easy for a while, but thankfully recovering.

I can't wait to go home from work and pet her soft pretty head.

Sniff Sniff

After a wonderful weekend marking John's return home...things have turned sad. Dottie is in the animal hospital overnight.

Last night we noticed Dottie was walking with an arched back and not using her rear right leg much. After sleeping and resting it didn't seem to be getting better...so John took her to the vet.

After doing a few tests....

Good News: Doesn't appear to be a broken leg, slipped disc, or pulled muscle.

Bad News: They think it is nerve damage from the medication she took for the giardia.

Can you feel our frustration? I think she can fully recover, but what do we do if the giardia is still not gone?

At least John, Dottie and I had 24 hours of bliss together. We bought and hung curtains in the living room, stocked up on supplies and food for our house guests (Hi Andrew and Yuri, we're excited for you to come), had a nice meal, etc.

Home Again

Today John returns after an entire month away from Dottie and I. Its been a long month, but in many it was also easier than when he was gone for a week.

Let's start with Dottie...

Dottie has been battling parasites the entire month. She woke me up in the middle of the night vomiting three times. We've gone to the vet with bloody stools. I've figured out a way to feed her really bitter tasting pills, and a way to force cherry flavored antibiotics down her throat. She's woken up early more times than she's slept in.

But she also learned how to walk on a leash better thanks to her new Easy Walk harness. She also only had one accident in the entire month. (It was while I was at work.) She also started doing tricks for her medicine thanks to the invention of pill pockets. I think John's going to be surprised with how mature Dottie has become.

I also did a lot of knitting.

I finished a short-sleeved cardigan for Kristin's birthday.

...a short-sleeved sweater for myself (that I then gave away to my aunt Jennifer)

...I've been working away on the Mata Hari sweater

...and lastly started a new spring weight cardigan.

Dottie and I also started our garden for this year. So far we have arugula, kale, two types of tomato, green peppers...

and strawberries and cucumbers.

Tomatoes are for John. Cucumbers for me. Everything else is something we both enjoy. I'm just hoping I get a few of the strawberries this year. John's such a berry loving freak and I don't think I got a single berry last year. 

Next time he goes away I'll try to learn a synonym for the word 'also'. 

Dottie and Her Little Friends

This post may not be for the faint of heart...

You see Dottie's little friends are not so much friends as they are foes. Today she finishes her 6th or 7th treatment for Giardia in less than a year.

We are incredible frustrated.

Those suckers are kicking our butt and I'm fed up with it.

Dottie has been such a joy in our lives and this has been by far the greatest hurtle.

We wash all linens in the house.
We mop the floors and vacuum.
We wash her.
We feed her the medication.
We stopped taking her to the dog park.
We wipe her butt every time she goes to the bathroom.
We started feeding her vegetables, olive oil, yogurt, and immunity booster in hopes of bolstering her digestive tract.
We bleach all her toys and bowls.

So fingers crossed that this is the last time she needs to be treated for this. Otherwise I'm going to have to resort to the holistic treatments my boss recommended.

And I'm going to go crazy on the vets office.

But look at how cute she is! She's even turned into a VERY well behaved walker since I got her an Easy Walk harness. Magical.

Dottie likes Chicken

Shocking I know, but our little girl loves Chicken. Poor thing was tortured yesterday when John made roasted chicken and brussel sprouts for dinner. Soooo yummy!

Anyways, since John was doing to cooking, we didn't just oil up the bird and throw it in the oven. Oh no...he had plans for that bird. Big plans.

He brined that sucker overnight with a head of roasted garlic and spices. Then he roasted it. It came out beyond delicious.

So, Dottie had been subjected to nearly 24 hours of Chicken prep and cooking time by the time we ate dinner last night.

I think I'll forgive her for the spit bubble.

Oh, and she totally got a bit of chicken. Its only fair.

Home Alone

This past week John and I experienced a trial of our marriage. No we didn't fight. There was no sickness (except my lingering cold). No, not even money issues. Our first test was...John leaving town for a week to work. I was home alone. 

Unlike Kevin I didn't have a bb gun for protection, I had Dottie. 

Doesn't see look threatening?

I would never post something like this while he is gone. My imagination is way to overactive. I would have visions of a stranger viewing my blog and some how finding my home at 3am and well, you can see where this would head. I'm paranoid enough as it is. I spent the entire week avoiding any TV that might add fuel to the fire. CSI was almost too much for me. 

However, I made it through the week and so did John. Poor boy spent his week working in Florida. He watched wildlife get rescued, went fishing, and ate said fish the same evening. I'm pretty sure he didn't hate his week, much as he missed Dottie and I. 

I didn't hate my week either. This past week showed me I can do it on my own while he is gone. I can be a single mother to Dottie, I just need to adjust. So I can't knit for hours on end, oh well. Playing fetch with Dottie is more fun. I can also cook dinner and play fetch at the same time. And when bed time comes, just leave the bathroom light on, turn on the fan, and go to sleep. Let your mind rest. 

I'm glad we had this short trial. John has traveled a lot since we meet 4 years ago and there is a solid chance he will need to travel again. I think its the hardest part of marrying John, but its a reality I can handle and I'm just glad I have family and friends nearby to support me when I need it. 

And our ferocious guard dog...

A New Year.

I've been thinking a lot about my blog...should I continue? I wasn't sure if anyone actually read it, but I think I'd like to continue...so here goes.

Its been a crazy few weeks since I last posted.

I finished my husband's Christmas sweater, knit 4 hats in a week, finished my sister's awesome shark mittens, accepted my first commissioned sewing project in a long time, started a sweater for myself, then a skirt for myself, etc.

(Kathryn and the sharks)

We traveled to Colorado for Christmas and it was sooooooo wonderful. It was my first Christmas away from my family, but it didn't feel awkward at all. I'm luck my in-laws are good people. My mom and sister were not pleased. I think Kathryn cried. But its all part of growing up, and they understand.

The new year has started out well for us. A little work for John is a good thing. Dottie finally settled in with other dogs and now enjoys romps at the dog park. She LOVES the dog park. We love it too because 15-20 minutes of romping equals peace and quiet for most of the afternoon.

Now if only I could conquer this cold I picked up. John got it too, but since he wasn't working while trying to heal, I think his was a little quicker. Work for me has been so busy I haven't enjoyed much rest. I did enjoy Colin Firth!!!! Inside the Actors Studio was filmed in the theater right across the hall from my office. My super awesome boss let me attend the taping and invite my mom and aunt along. He really handsome in person and gave way more detailed answers than I anticipated.

My point is...I'm back. I've been knitting up a storm, so I have lots to share. I also have been baking and sewing too.

Knitting Project: Dottie's Blanket

Last week I hit a wall...a knitting wall. I lost motivation to knit to and from work. I lost motivation to knit Johnny's sweater. I needed a jump start.

Jump start #1: Seeing someone else knit on the train and realizing how easy it is to knit while taking the Metro.
Jump start #2: Dottie's blanket project.

I had this forest green yarn sitting around for about a year and a half. I originally bought it to make a sweater for my friend, but it was a bad plan. The yarn was way to soft and stretchy for a sweater. So I took it apart and the yarn sat in my stash since last May.

Then about two weeks ago I because obsessed with this yarn again. I wanted to make a cozy sweater for myself, but hello! I tried that last year and it didn't work.

Then I had a stroke of genius...puppy blanket.

Its getting a little cooler here in Southern California and I thought Dottie needed a little something to snuggle in. I was so right...

Pattern: Radiating Star Blanket (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Bulky in Arbor
On the needles October 28th to November 7th

The color is a little off in this picture, but as you can see its a cute little radiating star just as its name promised. I'd say it came out a great size for a baby or a 30 lb. puppy like ours. The yarn is soooo soft. A nice mix of cotton and acrylic that makes the blanket machine washable. Like I'd make something for a dog that wasn't machine washable :)

Now I feel much better. I've finished the knitting for my sister's Christmas gift and hit a major milestone in the knitting of my husband's sweater. I also worked up my nerve to start working on my dance wear line. Hopefully I'll have that to show off by the end of November!

Tired.

Ever need a weekend to recuperate from your weekend? I do! I do!

Saturday was fine. Museum tours and lots of knitting. John was working so I splurged and had Kraft mac and cheese for dinner.

But, you see the problem with John working is the late hours involved. He works a 20 hours day and arrived home at 4:30am. I tried to sleep, but knowing he was navigating the freeways after such a long day makes me worried. Sometimes I think its easier for him to be out of town. Then Dottie and I can get in a rhythm.

Sunday morning Dottie awoke at 7am, or was it 6:30? I'm not sure, but I do know I only got about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Sunday afternoon was Dottie's very first dog pawty! My co-worker's dog turned 3 so she had a few people and puppies over to celebrate. I was really proud of Dottie! She was friendly to all the dogs. Only one dog didn't like Dottie and our little one just didn't know to leave that dog alone. Big steps for Dottie who was a little shy of other dogs when we first got her. Yay!

So even though this weekend wasn't overly busy, the lack of decent sleep Saturday night has left me a little frazzled today. Here's hoping ballet class with my beloved teacher Ina will get me back on track.

P.S. Couch to 5k totally failed this weekend. Could barely keep my eyes open so I postponed until maybe tomorrow to start. Maybe next weekend. I'm not sure yet, but I do know that I need to get my butt in gear and fast.

This weekend

It was good, then bad, then good, then bad again. Sigh...I think I need a nap.

Good...my cousin Bethany and her husband Brian came up for Saturday night. They treated us to en evening at the Magic Castle. Very fun! Its such an interesting place. Our dinner was just okay, but the shows were amazing.

Bad...came home to find Dottie was sick. She must have eaten something that disagreed with her. So after an evening of fun and booze John and I were up most of the night tending to a sick dog. I really think Dottie a good precursor to kids.

Good...cleaning the house. It needed it and we managed to clean almost everything before our guests arrived.

Bad...the migraine caused by lack of sleep.

Good...after sleeping for a few (dozen) hours Dottie is back to normal. Yay!

We are way too in love with our dog.

Work has been rough for the last year, but my husband has found a way to make it all better. He's started sending me emails titled 'What's Dots doing now?'

Let's see. What did Dottie do today?

First she took a nap. 

 Then she played with her fox.

 Are you talking about me?

 Lastly she watched a little TV.

Boy oh boy, she's going to be tired today! What a busy little girl. 

Oh, and we're officially that couple. We know.

Poor Dottie!

Poor Dottie! She go so sick last week!

Her first day of puppy day care she was so good. She left no messes in the kitchen before her pet sitter could collect her. Then the second day, disaster!

Little Dottie ate turkey jerky (the kind designed for dogs). She ate a lot of it. Like 3 breasts worth in a 24 hour period of time. Then her body rejected it at 2am. Oh it was gross and Dottie got rushed to the emergency pet doctor and rang up an unbelievable bill in 4 hours.

Then we took her to her regular vet for follow up where they were sweet as can be. Continued treating Dottie for the next 2 days and now she's back to her normal self.

The above picture is Dottie when I brought her home finally. She ran around the house like a crazed dog jumping on and off all the furniture before relaxing by my feet in the kitchen. I think she missed us, and we missed her too!

Dottie's First Day of Puppy Care

Well, it's not her first day at puppy day care, but it is a big day nonetheless. Today marks the first day both me and my husband are working all day. My husband left at 7am and I at 8:15. This is what Dottie looked like when I left..

"Why are you leaving me?"

Sorry Dottie! I have to go to work. I know it sucks. I'd rather play with you all day, but that dog food you eat... it doesn't grow on trees.

So in honor of this day let me thoroughly introduce you to Dottie Josephine Prickle Fur Wrinkle Head Flap Jowls Floopy Ears commonly known as Dottie Jo.

Is all started more than a month ago. On July 2nd I got off work early. After weeks of looking for just the right dog and waiting for rescue agencies to return my calls (none of them did, bastards) I was desperate to find the perfect mutt. So I convinced my husband to make yet another trip to the local pound.

I'd seen this image on the website, but she was labeled as a lab. I thought...6month old lab...no way. We live in a duplex and our landlord admitted she was scared of dogs after we moved in. There was no way we could get a giant lab puppy. Plus, doesn't she look scared? Poor thing. 

As we wandered the aisles I instantly latched onto this little pup not even realizing they were one in the same. She was so tiny and cute. Even in the mass chaos of dogs barking and people she was quiet and curious. Love, instant love. But could she be ours? Would John agree?

We had to go back to the desk and meet with a counselor first. Then we had to see if there was already a waiting list for the puppy. Thankfully the counselor was very nice and recognized we are good people looking to give a dog a loving home. As long as out landlord agreed we could have any dog we wanted. (Our landlord agreed, yay!)

Next up the waiting list. By some miracle we were fist on the waiting list. I think it was fate because most lab puppies have huge waiting lists in hours. How we were first I will never know, but I later found out her list did indeed fill quickly. 

Step 3, wait until she became available for adoption to finally meet her face to face. On Wednesday July 7th she became available and John and I went to the Pasadena Humane Society at 9am sharp. If we weren't there by 9:30am we lost our chance. Dottie was a little nervous, but eventually started to interact with us. We agreed she was the dog for us. 

Step 4, wait while she was spade. This was the hardest waiting of all! She was ours, but when? Like expectant parents we had to ready our house the the new arrival. Plus the cranky ginger woman at the front desk was giving up zero information on her. Drats!

Finally on July 9th Dottie came home with us. She was good, curious, and fun. We love her very much and are so happy she is our puppy. In her honor here are two videos showing Dottie's first experience with a raw hide bone. Enjoy!

Dottie vs. the bone
Dottie vs. the bone II


Hope you make it to 2:30 Dottie! Then you get to play with King!

Another Day...A Different Blog

Welcome to me new blog! I'm here to write about what I love. Ballet, Knitting, Sewing, Cooking, and more. My husband John and I were just married on June 13th...aren't we awesomely perfect in our photos?
We were lucky enough to hire Suthi Picotte for our photography and wow, was she awesome.

Anyways, the rest of our wedding was awesome too. Trust me. I'll provide more photographic proof soon.

So here was are. Two months into our honeymoon period and adjusting to life as a couple. We also added a puppy to the mix. It was the right thing to do.