halfway there

20 weeks, halfway there. I've been knitting a lot and reading those weekly emails that you get when you're pregnant. The ones that you what size your baby is in comparison to the size of a certain fruit or vegetable. (The little dude is the length of a banana at this point.) The emails are kind of silly but it is fun to go to the grocery store with Lo and show her that this baby (that she can't actually see) is the size of a kumquat or avocado or whatever.

We've been doing and enjoying lots of fall things and I'm fully embracing the season. Hot tea and caramel apple cider. Talking about Halloween costumes and plans for jack-o-lanterns. Apple orchard field trips and pie baking. And the knitting. Oh so good.

the news ...

We had our ultrasound today. So, what's the word?

Yup.  :)

We're officially adding a little dude to the family. A boy is going to be running around our house, tearing it up. (And yes! I snagged the chalkboard thought bubble from Rachel at Red Velvet last weekend at Renegade. It's super fun and you can get one here.)

I think Lo was a tiny bit disappointed at first that she wasn't getting a little sister, but she's totally cool with the boy thing now. She's such a sweetie and is going to be a fantastic big sis.

Dad is super stoked. We all are super stoked! It was an extra fun day for all of us. Since the weather was completely gorgeous this evening, we ended the day with dinner on the grill, ate outside on the patio, and then we took a long family walk as the sun was setting. Feeling super blessed today, and you can't wipe the smile off my face.

to maternity ... and beyond

Rockefeller Sweater by Wenlan Chia (this one was knit by Cirilia Rose)

Knits for the expectant mother. What a knitter should knit when a knitter is expecting. Something like that. I've been scouring Ravelry for a project that I could wear through maternity ... and beyond. Because if you're going to knit something, it had better last longer than one season. Here are some versatile cardigan patterns I've been digging that would be super cute on anyone.

 Alaska by Jo Storie

Danforth Pullover by Pam Allen

Chloe Cardigan by Jo Storie

 Solstice Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald

Anhinga by Norah Gaughan

Renegade Chicago recap

I had a fantastic weekend at Renegade Chicago. The weather was gorgeously sunny and Division Street was crowded with lots of friendly faces shopping for handmade treasures. Loved it.

Even better, I was surrounded by this crafty mob of fellow Des Moines girls. They were great company throughout the weekend (although I wish I had more time to hang with them.) And they took good care of me when I was in need of a food or bathroom break.

In the booth right next to me were the super sweet girls of Urban Posture.

And in the very next booth down were my pals Chrissy, Danelle and Sarah at the Domestica booth. (Look at all of the gorgeous stuff they brought!) Further down the row from us was our other crafty pal, Amanda, of No Tengo Miedo Clay. (Next year, we'll coordinate that better.) ;)

This year, I decided to split a booth with another vendor – especially since I'm pregnant and didn't want to stress all summer about knitting enough to fill up an entire booth. So, I shared a space with a sweet girl named Kate Funk and her friend J. We consumed a lot of tacos and shared quite a few laughs during our two days in Wicker Park.

One of the highlights of my weekend, though, was finally getting to meet up with Rachel. We've emailed and tweeted and read each others' blogs for quite a few years now, so it was extra special to be able to chat in person during Renegade. What a lovely lady!

Here are a few pics of the knits I brought with me ...

(Lots and lots of cowls.)

I was worried that it would be too hot and sunny for people to be in the mood for cold-weather knits, but I guess Chicagoans know what's headed their way in the months ahead.

I met so many completely adorable shoppers and loved having friends and blog readers stop by to say hello.

Reckless Records kept our ears happy by spinning vinyl nearby. (Bo used to shop there a lot when he lived downtown during his college days.)

And our booth was super close to all of the food and entertainment near the center of the fair, which gave us easy access to favorite spots like BigBite. So good.

A barber magically appeared in the middle of the sidewalk to give free Renegade haircuts, barber's choice.

My boothmate's helper decided to get one and it turned out pretty rad ... he eventually had stripes shaved into one side of his head. 

Gotta love the people watching – it's always lots of fun to see what everyone is wearing.

I managed to shop around a bit and hit up a few favorite booths like Vaya ... 

... and Ork. 

I even made a quick stop at the best yarn shop in Wicker Park, Nina. (I think they know me in there by now.)   ;)

Lo and I did a little meandering on our own. She likes to meander.

Just like last year, I ended my two-day stay at Renegade on Sunday night with Starfruit. By Sunday, I definitely felt like I deserved a delicious fro-yo treat.

And as the day was coming to a close, my wonderful, buff, oh-so-helpful husband helped me load up all of my stuff back into our Civic Hybrid, and we drove off into the sunset. Back to good old Des Moines, Iowa, with my little girlie fast asleep in the back seat. Six hours later, we were home sweet home.

It was a good weekend.

18 weeks

18 weeks and loving the comfy dresses during these last few hot Indian summer days. Renegade Craft Fair was an absolute blast and despite 600+ miles of driving (and taking a few more breaks than I normally would have,) I felt really good and had a wonderful time.

This little lady got to spend two full days hanging out with Bo in downtown Chicago. We are lucky to have family who lives there, so she spent lots of quality time with her aunt and uncle and favorite Chicago cousins as well. They hit up the beach, Millenium Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the ferris wheel at Navy Pier. We love Chicago and definitely had an eventful, fun-filled weekend. (More about Renegade later this week!)

happy birthday to my dude

He's been spending an awful lot of time laboring over our kitchen remodel lately/chauffering me around Chicago, and not nearly enough time skateboarding or kayaking or exploring the city on his scooters. He's quite an amazing guy and we're lucky to have him. Happy birthday to you, Bo. We love you a lot.

17 weeks

17 weeks and feeling little kicks. I'm really getting amped up to know more about who exactly is in there and I've been comparing everything I've been eating and feeling to the old wives tales that claim to predict gender. If you crave citrus, it's a girl. Feeling pretty? It's a boy. Who knows. I'm almost scared to guess (even though it seems that everyone I talk to thinks it's going to be a boy.) I'm not really sure I know what I think yet. We don't have any names picked out yet and we'll probably wait until the ultrasound to venture down that road.

I'm starting to miss my normal jeans (although I often cheat with the old ponytail elastic band through the buttonhole trick.) But I've been feeling pretty good these days and can't complain about a thing. Feeling lucky, feeling blessed, and trying my best to take it all in.

Renegade knitting

Just a few things I'll be bringing to Chicago this weekend ... this giant shawl.

Long loopy cowls.

And some gorgeous Malabrigo hand-dyed options. The colors are so rad in person!

I'll be here on Saturday and Sunday! Stop out and say hi.  :)

first day

 

This morning, I dropped her off for her first day of preschool. This year, there weren't any tears. She hung up her Yo Gabba Gabba backpack, washed her hands according to classroom protocol, gave me a hug and let me know that she 'was cool.' I thought I'd be used to this after having last year under my belt, but I was still a little bit sad to leave her there. She's my fun little sidekick in pink and I kind of miss her! (She did great, by the way.)  :)

16 weeks

16 weeks and things are going swimmingly. I'm feeling like myself again and I'm finally ready to go back out and do stuff. (Just in time for Renegade Craft Fair, which is this weekend.) Lo starts preschool and ballet this week. And we'll hopefully be scheduling an ultrasound to find out who this kid is going to be ... I'm very, very excited to find out.