Pregnantigoni

Email for Photos!

2007-08-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you, everyone, for visiting my blog! And for revisiting in the hopes of more recent pictures of my little one. If you'd like to receive photos by email, send me your email address and I'll make it happen! I think it will be much easier for me that way since blogging is not something I make much time for anymore.

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

We went to a lovely tea house for a Mother's day brunch and our reservation included a toddler high chair. Between all the blankets I had and something that resembles a baby sleeping bag, I propped up Dionysus quite nicely in something that otherwise would have been far too big for him. He tolerated it only long enough for our tea to be served.

6 Weeks Old

2007-05-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sooo sleepy!

40 Days

2007-04-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Here is my sweet 40 day old babe!

Home again, home again

2007-04-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

We're all home again after an awful bout of Strep. David and I came through unscathed but Dionysus was not a happy camper during his 10 days in the hospital. Now that we are home and resuming baby bliss I'll update this with more pictures soon.

2 Weeks old

2007-03-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a little late because Dionysus is now a little bit older than two weeks, but I'm surprised if I get anything done these days, including uploading photos.

This one is of his first bath! He didn't seem to mind at all. Probably because we had the overhead heater running in the bathroom so it was nice and warm.

One of these days I'll try to take a photo of Dionysus with his eyes open.

One Week Old

2007-03-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Dionysus is one week old today. The days have blended into one feeding/changing/napping cycle and it seems almost unreal that he is already one week old.

He had a doctor's appointment today and he is half an ounce more than his birth weight! The pediatrician said they are happy if babies make it to their birth weight by two weeks. Looks like we have a healthy eater on our hands!

Welcome Home!

2007-03-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here is our beautiful baby boy!

Dionysus Zefiro Tzoumakas Lively was born 11:13pm on March 14th. He is 20 inches long and weighed 7 pounds 15.5 ounces right after birth. We just arrived home in time to cozy up inside during a huge snowstorm.

We're sleepy now, but I thought I would share the wonderful news!

40 Weeks

2007-03-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, happy due date to me...happy due date to me. I would be singing happy birthday to someone else but someone else hasn't been born yet.

And so I sit and wait, with my Gatorade.

39 Weeks

2007-03-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

One more week! Well, one more week until my due date. We'll see when Baby is actually ready to arrive on the scene! I thought for sure all the heavy lifting I did last weekend would speed the process a little but all I succeeded in doing was making my muscles extremely sore and making myself very tired. I learned to take it easy after the second day of going up and down stairs with boxes. I couldn't help it, though. I was so excited to start unpacking and organizing (to those who have called me, I haven't forgotten. I WILL get in touch with you and share all about our new house).

We do not yet have Internet or cable installed so I wasn't sure I would be able to update my blog this week. Then I realized that I shouldn't leave my faithful blog-readers hanging so close to my due date! I managed to upload these pictures and hopefully I'll get some pictures of our house up soon.

David calls this my stern teacher look.

I don't think I look very menacing.

Here is another growing profile shot.
And yes, that is Winnie the Pooh wallpaper in the background.

These pictures were taken in a room to the right of the front door, which is not our baby's room. It just happens to have wallpaper that children might like. I'm not in any mood to start redecorating so for now our random empty room will sport Winnie the Pooh.

37.5 weeks

2007-02-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

This may my last post for a while since David and I are supposed to be moving on Thursday! I have to admit I overexerted myself on Saturday and I think I still look overtired today in this photo. I got excited for moving and spent too much time packing and going up and down stairs. I guess I need to take it easy from now on!

So, to take it easier I decided to keep knitting. Here is a hat that matches the scarf I made last week. I'm plowing through my stash!

Hopefully I'll be able to keep posting new pictures as these last couple of weeks go by. If anything I can go online at Panera and eat some broccoli cheddar soup at the same time. mmmm

37 Weeks

2007-02-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

For those of you not accustomed to measuring a pregnancy in weeks, I have about three weeks left. 40 weeks means that technically a woman is pregnant for 10 months instead of 9 and that "extra" month is a lot of work!

Though this last month has been especially uncomfortable, I have focused a lot of energy (perhaps too much?) on completing knitting projects. I made the above pink angora scarf in a couple of days last week. Now that I am on winter break from work I have also finished the following projects.

I started this sweater some time in January and completed it on Sunday. I followed a pattern from Sally Melville's Purl, though my gauge was significantly smaller than hers recommended.

It was supposed to be a hugely oversized boxy sweater coat but since my gauge was so much smaller (intentionally so) it is just a minorly oversized boxy sweater coat that I can actually wear right now.

These felted, stackable boxes are from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I made them using yarn leftover from my bulky Thanksgiving sweater. The pattern said to double the strand of yarn but I used only a single strand because I wanted to make sure I would have enough yarn for the set.

These boxes are not very sturdy. The largest one is 6"x6" so I guess you can't put too much in it anyway.

I made this scarf following a pattern for the Airy Scarf in Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I made it a couple days ago for a friend who likes pretty, sparkly things. It's hard to tell from this picture but the scarf is both pretty and sparkly, and not to mention quite airy with its eyelet rows.

36 Weeks

2007-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

I had a lovely weekend filled with baby showering by my friends and fellow dancers. I had such a fun time that I temporarily forgot how big I feel and how hard it is to move around. It has actually become difficult to remain seated comfortably. I supposedly have four weeks left and one of them is a winter vacation week from work that I am so looking forward to.

My mother made this blanket for Baby.

Maybe I can use it for awhile?

I'm the one on the left, with the 41.5" belly.

It never occurred to me that my shadow has grown.

Good thing I won't be playing shadow tag anytime soon.

35 Weeks

2007-02-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

A sunny, yet cold afternoon.

Yes, that's right folks. I lounge after work. Look at me, lounging on the sofa, basking in the glowing sun, sipping a glass of chianti...wait a minute. I'm not lounging. I'm struggling to stay vertical, becoming slightly overheated in the sun and desiring to change out of my work clothes, watching a Friends rerun and going back to the kitchen for more snacks at commercial breaks and sipping nothing but getting thirsty for some orange juice or maybe milk. Ahhh, the pregnant life.

Oh, yeah. I'm knitting, too. I finished this square yesterday. All the dancers in the group I'm in decided to knit or crochet squares to sew together into a quilt for one of our fellow dancers. I found the following pattern in Vogue Knitting and it's called the Tree of Life.

Note to knitters: this photo was taken pre-blocking.

I'm currently knitting stackable felted boxes out of left over yarn from my Thanksgiving sweater. They may be ready for viewing next week.

In other news, I've been quite uncomfortable lately- mostly when I sit for a long time or stand for a short time. So my days are filled with a constant up and down reminiscent of Sunday services. Dancing was fun last night, and walking is generally pleasant. Yoga is relaxing, and sleeping was, until last night, mostly uninterrupted. I'm starting to think that waking up in the middle of the night is Nature's way of training me to wake up for infant care.

Baby's legs poke out my right side and it's so fun to see them bump my clothes that I forget all my discomfort and sleeplessness.

34 Weeks

2007-01-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm home from work! I just ate a snack. My belly is currently shape-shifting because Baby is probably having a snack, too.

I'm pretty much over my cold. Thanks for the congestion-treatment suggestions from those of you that posted or emailed ideas to me. I appreciated them though I didn't implement any. I guess I just waited it out.

I'm going to my dance class tonight. I didn't go last week because I was too congested and tired. I don't walk as quickly as I used to which I think will translate to me not dancing as well as I used to. I might end up watching the class.

I made a goal months ago to work through my yarn stash and knit as much as possible while I still have the option of spending my free time as I choose. I have realized that one must sometimes buy more yarn to use what one already has. With that said, stay tuned for a sweater jacket made from Mom's handspun and some luscious purple alpaca that I just bought.

33 Weeks

2007-01-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sick. I finally caught a cold. It's not just any cold. It's a cold that has left me unable to breathe through both nostrils at the same time for about four days now. I know that's not really that long when compared to the average lifespan of a cold but it sure feels like a long time especially when I am not taking anything to relieve the congestion. Any suggestions?

Here is a hat that I made for my pregnant coworker.

I guess I actually made it for my pregnant coworker's baby.

Here is a self-portrait that I took after work today. I didn't frame the shot very well but I was told that I look tired anyway so I'll spare viewers my mug.

There's my 41" belly!

32nd Week, Black is Sleek

2007-01-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

I thought I needed to spice up my blog a little bit, but I couldn't think of anything so I just took a head-on picture and included another knitted project.

Baby is now taking up way more space in my 40" waist and I feel some practice soccer shots and grande battements near my ribs.

I roughly followed the pattern for a knitted log cabin blanket found in Mason-Dixon Knitting.

A year and a half ago this blanket was two halves of a sweater. A very ill-fitting, droopy sweater. It turns out that the supersoft organic cotton I had picked out for a sweater fared much better as a blanket. I'm so glad I'm done knitting this. Ten skeins of garter stitch was a little boring. Now I can move on to other projects!

31 Weeks

2007-01-08T17:33:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little tired right now as I think is apparent in this picture with my forced smile. I just went back to dance class after the Christmas and New Year break and I danced a little bit but with difficulty. I'm about 39 1/4 " around now and feeling like the days are coming when I won't want to continue disclosing the size of my waistline.

Baby enjoys working out and is currently doing a better job of dancing than I am!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T07:54:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas presents have been given and happily received, I can share some projects. Here is a picture of the cardigan I knitted for my mother. Technically it took me 13 months from start to finish, but I didn't work on it for about 10 of those months.

Here is a close-up so you can all appreciate my fine work.

This pattern is from Hot Knits by Melissa Leapman, and the pattern is called "Marnie".

Although I didn't make the following items, they are definitely worth sharing.

My mom's friend Diane knitted and felted (beautifully, I might add) this baby bottle bolster. It's just precious! Or at least good for some laughs, and definitely some bolstering. The pattern is from some magazine and I can find out which one if someone wishes to make their very own felted baby bottle bolster.

And yes, that is me with my 38" waist! I think all the Christmas goodies had only a little to do with that. I now require several pillows to sleep effectively, something that the Christmas goodies also help with.

My mother knitted David a sweater.

From the front, it's "Beau" by Kim Hargreaves, found in Vintage Knits.

From the back, it's a coolboysknit.com design by Ryan Marnell. Look closely, the skull is a ball of yarn, and the crossbones? Yep, that's right, a pair of knitting needles.

Hopefully I have given credit where credit is due, both to the designers, and of course the knitters.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

David and I drove to Michigan in just under 11 hours. That's including two stops and a short wait at the border crossing back in to the U.S. Considering my inability to remain seated for long periods of time, I managed to nap through much of the drive and thus didn't notice my discomfort.

Merry Christmas! This picture was taken on Christmas Eve, prior to an evening of enjoying a lovely dinner (and dessert fest) at the cousins' home.

I have had some requests for more frequent posts with more pictures in them. I'll see what I can do!

Getting There

2006-12-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

I'm getting there! With six months under my belt, I have no more notches left on my belts, which is ok because I never used to wear them anyway.

We're going to Michigan this weekend and hopefully we'll be getting there in a timely manner. My car is tuned and ready to go and at this writing I have only a few days of work before break, which means I only have a few more days to keep knitting. My projects are getting there as well, but I realize it has been quite some time since I have posted pictures of my knitting progress. I suppose I have had more pressing things to do.

I still haven't gotten used to having to pull the tape measure so far out of its case to measure my belly but it now measures 37 3/4 inches which requires about three separate pulls of the tape. A quick scroll down this page reminds me of a time when getting up off of the couch required only my abdominal strength and not my biceps, hands, and groans. Ditto for getting in or out of the car. I'm getting there, but I still have three months of growing to go.

Mmmm...

2006-12-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just had pancakes for dinner... my second dinner. Yesterday I had two breakfasts. If my appetite continues to increase double meals could become an expensive habit! To my credit, they were homemade buttermilk pancakes and dinner number one was spanakopita. I haven't raided any fast food joints yet so I suppose things could be much worse.

With a belly full of two dinners, I currently measure 37.5" and it is now getting to be much more difficult to remove myself from the sofa. Especially when I'm knitting.

Baby Tae Bo

2006-12-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

I think the horizontal stripes in this outfit accentuate my 36.5" waist nicely. (Thanks, Heidi!)

I had a couple performances last weekend and as much as Baby likes to kick, I think my dancing has a calming effect that put Baby to sleep. Instead, Baby likes to save the kicks for mini Tae-Bo sessions throughout the day. Although it is getting a little bit harder for me to move at this point I do hope to continue dancing for as long as I can.

A Thanksgiving Sweater

2006-11-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

I'm calling this a Thanksgiving sweater because I finished it in time to wear it to D's cousins' house for Thanksgiving. Also, because I gave thanks to my mother for buying me the beautiful yarn dyed by the women of Briar Rose Fibers. It's purposely open in the front and I thought I could get away with wearing it now when I wouldn't be able to close a cardigan over my 36" belly anyway.

A Bumping Belly

2006-11-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

This has been an amazing week. Tuesday I not only felt Baby's kicks and stretches but I saw them with my eyes! I was reading when beyond my book I saw a little bump briefly bumping from my belly. I have to admit that initially I found it creepy but that only lasted a minute or two. I couldn't wait for it to happen again and when it did I was so excited, and less creeped out. Now I know why pregnant women rub their bellies so much. It's so fun to feel babies moving and to actually see it is almost like hearing Baby say, "Hello out there! Sit up, it's cramped in here" or the like.

I will spare everyone more pictures of hats this week. I have been working on a sweater jacket with Briar Rose yarn from Caledonia, Michigan. I'll probably have it done in time for Thanksgiving.

Normalcy Head-On

2006-11-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Look at me! I look normal!

Just kidding.

They say the camera adds ten pounds. I think it's really just the profile that adds ten pounds. Or in my case, eight (so far). With my belly still at 35" I have added groaning to my repertoire. I groan when I sit, when I stand, and when I'm tired which is pretty much all the time.

I went to Michigan for the long weekend and I'm not sure if it's something in the water or Mom's home-cooking (ahem) but I felt like I doubled in size between Thursday and Sunday. I have done what people refer to as "popping" and no I'm not making a reference to early 80's dance moves. Although I have always thought it would be cool to learn to break and pop, I don't think now is the time for me to take up breakdancing.

Not for the Faint-Hearted

2006-11-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

WARNING: The following may cause nightmares.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

I now officially look pregnant. My belly is now officially bigger than D's.

At 35 inches, I'm bound to win the belly competition from now on, at least for a little while.

More Hats

2006-11-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

The slight delay in my posting this week resulted from my losing track of time yesterday. I was working on these:

These are fairly quick to knit. I anticipate all of my friends wearing orange hats this season.

I still have plenty of orange alpaca yarn left so if there are any requests out there...

Pokey and Gumby

2006-10-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Baby was pretty active this week, maybe rehearsing for our performance on October 27th. I felt so many little pokes from within that I thought "Pokey" might be fitting. I, on the otherhand, still aspire to be as flexible as Gumby but reactions from the others at prenatal yoga this week left me feeling confident. It turns out many women in their 7th or 8th month of pregnancy can't fold in half to stretch.

My waist measurement is still the same so here is a modest picture:

One would think that with the time change I would be able to spend more time on this, but it is already past my time-changed bedtime.

Baby's First Performance

2006-10-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

I performed in a Masked Ball fundraiser for our local Center for the Arts.

Baby performed with me!

Manos del Hadley

2006-10-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

I made these two hats yesterday. Again, the pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and I conveniently happened to have the Manos del Uruguay it called for lying around in my stash.

I anticipated running out so I added orange alpaca to the second one.

Camera Shy

2006-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

Our most recent ultrasound gave us a peek into the life of a very wiggly, active baby. So active, in fact, that pictures were hard to take. We were able to snag these two.

Baby is reaching towards the "camera" in this one.

This one (while so cute!) is a little haunting and the ultrasound person

labeled it "FACE" just in case we couldn't tell.

Baby now weighs 11 ounces at 19 weeks and 6 days. How quickly Baby has grown from our little bean sprout of 9 weeks and 6 days in my first post!

Knitting at 19 weeks

2006-10-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

I did quite a bit of knitting in the last week and a half. Here is what I have created thanks to the patterns in Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I have made, as Joelle named them, the Soft Drawstring Pouch, Men's Cashmere Scarf, and Hand/Wrist Warmers.
She has a cute pattern for Angora Baby Booties, too. I might give those a try soon. If only someone would buy me angora yarn...

A Growth Spurt

2006-10-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

I suppose I had a bit of a growth spurt. Though I grew one inch this week (now at 34"!) as opposed to the 2.5 I added last week, I had two days where my abdomen felt like it was being stretched from the inside out. The result? A little achiness, a lot of crankiness, and the inability to fit into a pair of sweatpants. I have outgrown sweatpants!

18 weeks

2006-10-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of me sans bare belly, with my new waistline of 33".

This is not a particularly flattering photo, but then again, is it supposed to be? I also should have cropped it to avoid revealing my undecorated wallspace .

Inventory

2006-10-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

I took inventory this evening to see what projects may be in my future. I actually thought I had more yarn than this so I'm considering my stash to be somewhat manageable.

From left to right, (back row) - knitpicks baby alpaca in sunset, rowanspun 4ply charcoal, Mom's handspun, rowanspun 4 ply lavendar, grace mercerized cotton in natural and spearmint, cervinia sock yarn, rowan yorkshire tweed aran.
(front row) - knitpicks baby alpaca in peach, dune, multi manos, berroco plush, Amherst woman's handspun, hand dyed sample, debbie bliss cashmerino, butter and sugar cotton with nearly completed washrag, and patagonia organic cotton.

One day, I will be wearing this yarn and my guests will once again have a place to sit.

And we're off...

2006-10-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Now that I am beginning to show, I may as well document this glowing time for those far away. I never thought I would chronicle any weight gain but this seems to warrant it.

Here I am before lunch. I currently measure in at 30.5" at my roundest.

Baby

2006-10-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Since we have decided to wait to find out if we're having a boy or girl, I will refer to baby herein as Baby.

The first ultrasound was on August 14th, 2006.

Here is BLT at 9 weeks 6 days

Look carefully, you'll see an arm and elbow!

2006-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I can enter the 21st century before any new arrivals. I intend to update this as frequently as my waistline grows and my knitting stash shrinks.