scraps = stripes

After I finished the last pair of mittens, I had a bit left over of two balls of the same kind of yarn (Baby Cashmerino) but in different colors. I had some more of the same yarn left over from the last two sweaters I made Sophie - it's the only yarn that doesn't itch her. Therefore I knit with it a lot - she's lucky I love her!

I'd also been thinking lately that Sophie needed a new hat.

Stripes!

So far Sophie is very impressed with it, and at bedtime tonight she requested that I finish it so that she can wear it to preschool tomorrow morning.

I better get knitting!

holiday inspiration

I received this book for Christmas, and got to start reading it during our annual Christmas Day Nap. (Sophie even took part this year - I tricked her by saying she only needed to lay down and rest, and she ended up falling asleep!). 

I haven't finished reading it yet, but I got through the first few sections and got inspired to start implementing some of her ideas for creating spaces and providing supplies that encourage kids to create. I made some blank books for Sophie to fill in, using plain white paper inside (I used 4 folded sheets per book), construction paper for the cover, and pink duct tape to cover the spine (hey, it's what I had!).  

I showed them to Sophie when she woke up from her nap and she wasn't super impressed; she's always grumpy when she wakes up so it probably wasn't the best time to introduce them, but I was excited about my creations!

I cleaned out her big art drawer and re-stocked it with blank drawing paper, construction paper, origami paper, notebooks, the new books I made her, and cards and envelopes. So far she's only gotten into the blank drawing paper, but I'm sure she will "discover" it all on her own in good time. My stubborn girl only does things when she decides to do them!

Here's a picture (bad lighting, sorry!) of Sophie's newly-organized drawing tools... She got lots of new art supplies for Christmas - from Santa, me, grandparents, and friends! It's so neat to see her growing and expanding as an artist. I decided I need to find a way to keep and remember her artwork as she grows and goes through different stages with her art. For now I started keeping a file folder of her current artwork to save and go through later (once a year maybe?), and I want to get her a portfolio to keep her favorites/my favorites from each year. Also on my shopping list is cloth tape (to make nicer bindings for her books!), plastic envelopes and some more organizational-type supplies like small baskets to keep her supplies easily accesible and easy for her to put back when she's finished.

Now that I'm done with school (finally!!) I am excited to have more time to spend just being with Sophie and being more present with her all of the time since I no longer have a running list of deadlines and to-do lists weighing on me in the back of my mind. Of course I still have a to-do list - but I'm very thankful that for now at least it consists of things like "clean house" and "write thank-you notes." Hopefully you'll be seeing more of me here, as well - I've even been knitting! Finished object post coming up soon :)

a new model

I'm going to put all my knits on Daisy for pictures from now on. Doesn't this color look fabulous on her?





This is the Upstairs Shawl - one Christmas present down! This is a very easy to follow and forgiving pattern, and I'm thinking of shortening the width to make scarves. I still have two more scarves to make before Christmas! Along with two hats, a pair of socks, a sweater (toddler-sized, at least), and who knows what else I'll think of along the way. Can I do it? Perhaps I was overly ambitious this year... I need a schedule like the Yarn Harlot.

Summer is over, and "cold and flu season" has begun. We've already been sick all summer! Swine flu - check. Croup - check. Ear infections, allergic reactions, more infections... maybe it'll slow down as everyone else starts to get sick. We had frost the other night and termination dust on the mountains :)

Sophie is starting to skip naps once in a while, will only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch (uh oh... we're out of bread today!), and had her first night away from Mama last month. I can't believe that her friends are starting to turn 3 already! I still haven't found out about my nursing program, it starts in January and they still haven't decided which 10 people will get in. I've heard from some people who went through the same program that they didn't find out that they got in until November. Oh well. I'll just knit more while I wait.

research paper: vitamin d in pregnancy

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has recently jumped into the forefront of health and nutrition. Previously thought of as a vitamin needed only in small amounts to prevent rickets in children, vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as important for much more than just bone health. Vitamin D status is important for everybody, but it is especially important during pregnancy, because low maternal vitamin D stores may contribute to problems such as low birthweight and small for gestational age babies (a serious problem in the United States) and an increased risk later on for many other diseases.

Vitamin D is not a simple vitamin but a prohormone, a complex molecule that plays many important roles in the body. These roles, in addition to the main function of regulating mineral salt deposition in bones, include regulation of body metabolism, mood, blood pressure, and immune function – maybe even protection against some forms of cancer (Wardlaw & Hampl, 2007). Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin when the right wavelength of sunlight is available, and it is found in a few foods such as cod liver oil and fortified milk. Unfortunately, these two routes of acquisition are seldom sufficient for vitamin D needs, especially for people living in northern climates (defined as above 42 degrees north latitude – a line between northern California and Boston, Massachusetts) and in climates with frequent cloud cover preventing the absorption of ultraviolet light from the sun (National Institutes of Health [NIH], 2008). Location and climate are not the only factors that can limit vitamin D synthesis from the sun; genetics and cultural practices can also play a role. Australian researchers Grover and Morley (2001) reported that among pregnant women who were either dark-skinned or regularly wore a veil, 80% were below reference values for vitamin D.

Insufficient amounts of vitamin D in the body can cause rickets (bone malformation) in children, osteomalacia (bone softening) in adults, and can contribute over a lifetime to the chance of developing osteoporosis in later life. Other health effects caused or influenced by inadequate vitamin D supply in the general population include muscle weakness and inflammation (NIH, 2008). In pregnancy, having an adequate supply of vitamin D is especially important because of the health impacts on the developing fetus. Mothers who do not have an adequate supply of vitamin D cannot provide their baby with an adequate supply of vitamin D. A study by Bodnar, Simhan, and Powers (2007) reports in the Journal of Nutrition that in pregnant women who were vitamin D deficient, newborns were either as deficient as their mother or more deficient (in some cases by as much as 16%) than their mother. This data was taken from women living in northern latitudes of the United States who used prenatal vitamins (which presumably provided vitamin D) as directed by their doctor.

Babies who are born deficient in vitamin D have lower birthweights and tend to remain smaller throughout life. Low birthweight is associated with a wide range of complications that can be lasting, including breathing difficulties, heart problems, and increased risk of infection (March of Dimes Foundation, 2009). A recent study showed that children whose mothers had insufficient levels of vitamin D during pregnancy had lower bone mass and mineralization both at birth and at a follow-up study nine years later (Gale et al., 2008), indicating that vitamin D deficiencies can prevent children from reaching their full potential. In a study completed in 1980 Brooke et al. showed that babies born to mothers in the control group (those not receiving vitamin D supplements) were twice as likely to be labeled “small for gestational age,” and they were more likely to have larger-than-normal fontanelles (or “soft spots”) which the authors thought was indicative of incomplete skull ossification during gestation. The authors recommended that all pregnant women be given supplements of at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily, but they received little attention at the time.

In addition to being smaller, vitamin D deficient babies also have an increased risk for a wide range of diseases later in life that may be linked to the innate immune system. These are mostly chronic, slowly developing diseases such as Type I and Type II diabetes, schizophrenia, autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis (Wagner, Taylor, & Hollis, 2008), and maybe even neural tube defects such as spina bifida (Hollis & Wagner, 2006).

The circulating form of vitamin D in the blood, called 25(OH)D, is utilized directly by many cells in the body, including monocytes and macrophages, important immune system components. Tissue cells such as prostate, breast, colon, lung, and keratinocytes (in the skin, hair, and nails) also have direct receptors for 25(OH)D, and there has been speculation about whether all body cells may contain receptors for vitamin D (Wagner, Taylor & Hollis, 2008). Vitamin D acts in the tissue cells to modulate cell proliferation (important in cancer), differentiation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death, also important in cancer) (NIH, 2008). Vitamin D is known to have a regulatory effect on the immune system, and high levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced risk of autoimmune diseases (Hyppönen, 2005).

Preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy, may be related to autoimmune diseases and may be influenced by vitamin D status (Hyppönen, 2005). Preeclampsia causes the mother’s blood pressure to rise and may be fatal to the mother, the baby, or both. Preeclampsia is not uncommon, affecting about 10% of pregnancies in the United States and causing 18% of maternal deaths in the United States. Preeclampsia causes babies to be born prematurely because of the danger to both mother and baby if pregnancy is continued, thereby causing a wide range of lasting health problems (Preeclampsia Foundation, 2008). Preeclampsia is more common in women with a history of autoimmune disorders, and some research has already shown that women with adequate levels of vitamin D before and during pregnancy have lower incidences of preeclampsia (Hyppönen, 2005).

The current recommendations for vitamin D intake were made 40 years ago, and were based on the amount of vitamin D contained in a teaspoon of cod liver oil. This amount was thought to be sufficient based only on anecdotal evidence and before it was possible to measure blood levels of 25(OH)D, the usable form of vitamin D in the body (Hollis & Wagner, 2006). The recommendation for pregnancy of 400 IU per day has been shown in numerous studies to either have no effect on blood serum levels of 25(OH)D or to actually decrease circulating levels of 25(OH)D. This explains why women taking prenatal vitamins as directed are still deficient in vitamin D. The upper limits for vitamin D of 2,000 IU per day were also set somewhat arbitrarily based on reports of vitamin D toxicity from the 1920’s, when researchers gave children between 3,000,000 and 18,200,00 IU of vitamin D a day, extreme pharmacological doses (Wagner, Taylor & Hollis, 2008). One brief exposure of the entire body to sunlight can synthesize up to 25,000 IU of vitamin D, and several studies have given subjects up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily with no adverse effects (Hollis & Wagner, 2006). It has been found that in most people, between 1,000 and 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily will raise blood levels of 25(OH)D to normal, adequate levels (Wagner, Taylor & Hollis, 2008).

Vitamin D is no longer a simple vitamin to be easily overlooked. It is an important prohormone that regulates many body systems and can decrease the risk of some common diseases, many of which have no cure. Many people worldwide and most people residing in northern climates do not have sufficient levels of vitamin D, and cannot achieve sufficient levels through diet and sun exposure alone. Most people would benefit from taking a vitamin D supplement in order to maximize health. During pregnancy sufficient levels of vitamin D are especially important in order to provide the developing baby with the vitamin D it needs. Pregnant women should make sure to take a vitamin D supplement of at least 1,000 IU per day of vitamin D to reduce the risk of giving birth to a low birthweight or small for gestational age baby, to reduce the baby’s later risk for disease, and possibly to reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy.

SOURCES

Bodnar, L.M., Simhan, H.N., & Powers, R.W. (2007). High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in black and white pregnant women residing in the northern United States and their neonates. Journal of Nutrition, 137(2), 447-452.

Brooke, O.G., Brown, I.R., Bone, C.D., Carter, N.D., Cleeve, H.J., Maxwell, J.P., et al. (1980). Vitamin D supplements in pregnant Asian women: effects on calcium status and fetal growth. British Medical Journal, 280(6216), 751-754.

Gale, C. R., Robinson, S.M., Harvey, N.C., Javaid, M.K., Jiang, B., Martyn, C.N., et al. (2008). Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and child outcomes. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 62, 68-77.

Grover, S.R., and Morley, R. (2001). Vitamin D deficiency in veiled or dark-skinned pregnant women. Medical Journal of Australia, 175, 251-252.

Hollis, B. W., and Wagner, C. L. (2006, April 25). Nutritional vitamin D status during pregnancy: reasons for concern. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174(9), 1287-1290.

Hyppönen, E. (2005, July). Vitamin D for the Prevention of Preeclamsia? A Hypothesis. International Life Sciences Institute, 63(7), 225-232.

March of Dimes Foundation (2009). Low Birthweight. Retrieved April 20, 2009 from http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1153.asp#head5.

National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements (2008). Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D. Retrieved April 18, 2009 from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp.

Preeclampsia Foundation (2008). About Preeclampsia. Retrieved April 20, 2009 from http://www.preeclampsia.org/about.asp.

Wagner, C. L., Taylor, S. N., and Hollis, B. W. (2008). Does Vitamin D Make the World Go ‘Round’? Breastfeeding Medicine, 3(4), 239-250.

Wardlaw, G.M., and Hampl, J. S. (2007). Perspectives in Nutrition (7^th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

outside

It's finally Spring! I knew it would happen. We've had quite a few days of sunshine in the past week, and it's actually been warm out as well. Today we were all out puttering, I raked (some early preparation for Sophie's birthday party!) and Sophie took a nap in the yard (with a blanket,
of course. It's not that warm out!).



I took these pictures last Friday when Sophie's friend Bailey was here - most of that snow is melted now!






It's been awfully hard to get any studying done... thankfully I only have a few days left.

I got on Ravelry the other night and showed Sophie some pictures of finished pants from the pattern I want to make her for her birthday, and she was very excited about them. I ordered a bunch of yarn to make my dad a sweater for his birthday, in August - ambitious, I know. It's the new City Tweed from Knit Picks and I'm pretty excited about it. I love Knit Picks! I allowed myself to knit (just a little!) on the socks I'm making for Donna last night... it just made me want to knit more. Two more days!

Obsessed? Perhaps. At least it's productive.

some birthday sewing

I can't remember the last time I went near a sewing machine... it was over a year ago, that's for sure. Probably longer. But last weekend Sophie's friend Dashel was turning 2 (2! Sophie and her friends are turning 2!) years old, so I managed to come up with this:



I only had to rip out one seam, which I think is pretty good given my sewing history.

There's been no knitting around here - term papers and studying for finals instead. I'm not going to make that mistake again! Come next Wednesday I'll be completely done with school until next January (hopefully). I have a big list of things to start (and finish) knitting.

And I have a birthday party to plan!

why i love alaska

One of many reasons:





This is the view out the window of the classroom I have my microbiology lecture in. It can be distracting at times.

"Look, it's snowing again."
"Look, the boat that sunk is back up again."
"Look, that buoy's moving. Are those sea lions?"
"No, it's divers."
"Look at the sunset!"

Oh, microbiology, what?

my favorite place

I guess it's fairly obvious from my lack of posting that school has started up again. This semester is a little crazy, I'm taking all of my classes on campus (up until now I've had some of them online) so Sophie and I are both gone a lot. She gets to go play with Grandma, Grandpa, her sister Analia, and her friend Bailey during the week though so I think she's getting the better deal!

One thing that I've started to really enjoy though is the time I have between classes two days a week. It's not long enough to go do anything really, but it is long enough to get settled in at the library with knitting and reading. I've been holing up at the Egan Library upstairs, and it's very nice to have some quiet downtime without feeling like I'm rushing to get somewhere or do something.

Where is your favorite place to be by yourself?

why knitting during finals week isn't a good idea

Aside from the common sense reason that knitting takes away valuable time that should be spent studying for said finals?

This happens.



Yeah. See those two mittens? They are supposed to be a pair. As in they are supposed to be the same size.

They were both knitted in the same amount of time, with the same yarn, same pattern, same needles, same exact number of rows and stitches.

What the heck happened?? Well, I knitted one on Monday (the day before my Anatomy & Physiology final) and I knitted the other one on Wednesday (the day after my A&P final). Check out my gauge:



.... Yeah. I think I was maybe a little stressed when I did the first one? And a little relieved when I did the second one?

Ha!

I think I may have learned my lesson now... just in time for finals to be over! I'm so happy I'm done!!

a teeny tiny hat and some stash enhancement

First the teeny tiny hat:



I had to include Sophie's favorite sippy cup in the picture so you could appreciate how small it really is :)
This is for a girl in my Human Physiology and Anatomy class who just had her baby. I saw her at the birth center yesterday with her new little one and couldn't resist knitting up a little baby hat for her. Her name is Ysabella and she is just sweet. Her mama is planning on bringing her to our final on Tuesday and wearing her in a moby wrap for the test - sometimes I wish Sophie were that small again! It would make my next semester easier (I need to find some child care!) I do love little babies though.

The hat is knitted out of Frog Tree alpaca, the same stuff I used here and here - the pattern I just winged, I hope it fits her! It looks awfully small, but then again so did little Ysabella.

Tonight was Gallery Walk, so Sophie, Grandma and I headed downtown to check it out. Sophie wasn't really in a shopping mood so we didn't stay very long, but we did manage to get to the yarn shop and the toy store! Sophie picked out this toy - she wanted to play with it right then and there, so of course Grandma obliged her and opened the box so she could play with it. And then she bought it for her, but by the time we got home she had forgotten about it and so now it will be a Christmas present... added to the mountain of Christmas presents in Grandma and Grandpa's closet, all for Sophie! Oh man.

More beautiful Frog Tree alpaca yarn. I just can't get enough of it! This yarn is destined to be a sweater for my own little one, who is not so little anymore. I still need to find a pattern to follow, I keep finding cute ones that only go to 12 months or 18 months. I'm going to make it in size 24 months or 2T because it just might take me that long to make it! (She's in 18 months right now).



This sweater for Sophie will be my first sweater, but I already picked out the pattern for my second - the Central Park Hoodie. I want to make it for myself, crazy right? But I like it sooo much :).

winter's here

Yep. Solstice is still... 19 days away, but I guess mother nature doesn't really take that into account anyways. This morning it was 23 degrees out, and it didn't seem to get any warmer during the day either, Sophie and I had to run some errands and it took me about 5 minutes to pry my frozen car door open.

After we managed to get the windshield scraped and the doors open, we headed over to the library where we found this book -

<--- (that's it)

which I think is super cool and which Sophie shows minimal interest in. She did like the page with the fish (FISH! FISH!) though. All of the illustrations are made with food - very cool.

We spent almost a whole hour at the library - it's just about the perfect place to spend a winter day, I guess. Sophie took all the puzzles off the shelves and took all the pieces out of all the puzzles. She took all the stuffed animals off of their chairs and rearranged them. She unstacked all of the shopping baskets (why does the library have shopping baskets?). Then she started pulling all of the bookends off of the shelves and making the books all fall over, but that's where I draw the line. Then we had to start the whole process over; as soon as I had all the puzzles put back together and put away, and started on the stuffed animals, out came the puzzles again. Finally I distracted her with the HUGE stuffed dog in the corner, which she loved. She took off her coat and snuggled right up to it... I think she was happy that it didn't get up and walk away like Daisy always does.

In other news, everyone's been sick around here - it seems like a never-ending thing lately. I haven't taken either dog for a walk in weeks, poor babies. First, a few weeks ago now, I got the flu; and then I developed reactive arthritis in my hand; and then Sophie got hand foot and mouth disease; and then both my parents got this horrible chest cold; now I have it; and now Sophie's acting like she's getting it too! Ah, well. This too shall pass, right?

This semester is almost over and I'm so, so looking forward to having a break. I've already registered for next semester's classes and even though I'm taking less credits next semester than I did this semester, it seems like it'll be a heavier class load, especially since all three of my classes will be on campus. I'm definitely going to need to find some child care, but I'm excited because after this next semester is over, I'm all set to enter the nursing program in 2010 - that is, if I get in. They only accept the top ten students. Fingers crossed!



In spite of it being finals next week and having term papers to write and finals to study for... I've still been making time for knitting (staying up way too late, mostly). It just feels so good to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate, yarn, and needles. And a dog or two.

I just made Rachel Iufer's Robin's Egg Blue Hat today, it knit up super fast. I'll have to take a picture soon and put it up. I will definitely knit at least one more, but probably a lot more than that! It went by super fast, and it's really cute. For this first one I used cream-colored yarn of unknown origin and fiber, but I've got some of her recommended Paton's Shetland Chunky in the stash to knit it up for gifts.

Can you believe that it's almost Christmas already?!

a beautiful day in the neighborhood

We got a pleasant surprise today - a warm, sunny day to wrap up September with. The cottonwoods are yellow and dropping all their leaves already, it hasn't rained (yet) all day, and the breeze is cold but not the air.

Sophie played with leaves in her stroller on our walk on the Airport Dike Trail this morning. We both had to take our coats off because it was so warm out, I think they said on the radio highs to 55 degrees today. Sophie got tired of sitting and playing with leaves by the time we got to the end of the trail, so we had a little play-break on the beach.

She likes to throw rocks as far as she can, run as fast as she can, and when she gets tired she likes to find the wettest place she can to sit down in. Like a bunch of seaweed. Or beach weeds.

We better enjoy the beach (and the trees, and the clean air) all we can now because we're moving back to Colorado Springs in December, right before Christmas, and right after my semester at UAS ends.

Some other changes: Sophie's down to one nap a day now (which she is currently protesting) and she is going to bed earlier (usually she's asleep by 7:45pm). This gives me less time to do homework during the day but more time at night, which I guess is a good enough trade. Also I am back on methotrexate after an almost four-week break due to getting caught up with a new doctor here in Juneau, and am now back to feeling like all of my bones have gained an extra pound or two.

But it's a beautiful day, I've got nothing to complain about, and Sophie wants to go out and play!

fall is here

... but we're still trying to get some more summer out of these last few days (fall officially starts on Monday!).

Sophie and I are pretty busy these days. I have classes four days a week; the "new parents group" that we started going to when Sophie was two months old has grown up and split into two - us, the "old parents group" because we're not new parents anymore! - and the real new parents group for little babies and their mamas. I'm co-heading the "old parents group" and having so much fun.

I have to wonder if our babies will still be friends when they start school. High school. College. They have already been "friends" for what seems like a very long time; a year even! One of our parent group babies, Lydia, is having her birthday party this Sunday at Sandy Beach (still hoping for some more summer!). It really is hard to believe.

Sophie is at Grandma and Grandpa Manning's house on Thursdays, while I am at my Anatomy & Physiology lab, and the whole family turns out to sit around and watch her sleep.

She is so lucky already to have all of these friends and family.

first day of classes

actually the first day of classes was august 28, but my first class was today, which is really all that matters, right?

human anatomy & physiology 1 lecture... from 6:00-9:00pm. i am pretty sure that is past my bedtime.

the bad news:

for one, again, it's definitely past my bedtime (yay for red bull!); two, the professor was all spaced out. seriously? "oh and this molecule actually looks like this, [draws chemical map of molecule, taking his time to get it just right and even going back to re-draw part of it] but i'm just going to write out the name, but actually this doesnt matter at all and you don't have to know any of this right now."

but the good news:

my friends from way back when, evan, and his older brother trevor, are in the lecture too so i have someone to snicker at the professor with (not that that's immature or anything).
and evan always has red bull.

big changes and new pictures

first the new pictures:

sophie loves to help, as you can see.

isn't she clever?

and for the big change:

sophie and i are moving to juneau for the next two semesters! i'm going to start apprenticing at the juneau family health and birth center.

a slow day in the neighborhood

we've been listening to raffi's "bananaphone" a lot lately. it's sophie's favorite music for now. it's tuesday, the day i take methotrexate, and since my lesson learned last week (do not go for a run after taking methotrexate or you will feel sick for the entire rest of the day) we are having a slow day.
singing sophie to sleep for her morning nap
taking laundry off the line and folding it
reading books
studying for my biology midterm tomorrow.
and that's probably about as much as we'll get accomplished today.

but there is more exciting news!
check it out:


our new car. for real - 2008 mazda 3.

thunder at midsummer

sophie loves watching the thunderheads just like i do.

a little off-subject, i am working on my final project for history of midwifery - if anyone knows of a good source for birth art (ancient times to present day) i would love to know about it.

recovery

well i guess we are all on our way to getting better, thank goodness. sophie is still sleeping a lot and still won't drink any pedialyte, but she will drink water (especially with a splash of gatorade in it... :). she still has diarhhea but not too bad anymore.
this morning dwayne went to rent a carpet cleaner (because now in addition to melted ice cream and mashed up bananas there is also baby throw up and diarrhea in our carpet) and instead he BOUGHT a steam carpet cleaner. so we cleaned all the carpet in the house... it was so gross! every time we changed the water it was almost black with all the dirt. sheesh, we've only lived here for 3 months, that can't all be from us can it? but now it's all clean.
and i've been doing homework like crazy trying to catch up from my "spring break" that i didnt' really have in the first place...

crazy things

sophie has a new tooth!! now she has three, two on the bottom and the new one on the upper right. i guess that explains why she's been cranky the past few days.
it's nice out today again - yesterday it snowed, but the day before that it was 80 degrees out. colorado has crazy weather.
we're feeling loved today, well there was the package from our baby friends on saturday, and today i got an envelope in the mail from the midwife i'm meeting tomorrow that had a new issue of mothering magazine which i LOVE, and i got two letters from my friend sydney who might be coming to visit us easter weekend or the weekend after, and then out of the blue i got a phone call from my pediatrician in juneau (well, old pediatrician) asking how sophie was doing. before we left juneau she was failure to thrive but she's doing well and gaining weight now on formula.
i'm totally behind on my homework, i have a big paper to write for my history of midwifery class that i just can't seem to get started.
but we went to the zoo this morning and that was fun - it was cold up there though! it's up on the side of the mountain. we fed giraffes and petted them, and we saw twin baby giraffes nursing from their mama. it looked uncomfortable. we heard a lion roaring a whole bunch, and one of the lionesses growled at us because the guys (dwayne and esparza) were waving their arms at her. they had cubs too.
i went on an ebay bidding spree last night while dwayne played guitar hero (better than half life i guess), and i won 6 maternity shirts for like $10, got some slow-flow nipples for the bottles i have, some more cloth baby wipes, and three newborn size diaper covers. still waiting on some more cool things.
here is a picture of sophie's cute little butt: