Mastering the sippy cup (still unsure about which side is up and which is down), practicing those crawling knees (any minute he’s going to take off), pulling up to standing whenever possible.  If the Turtle’s awake then he’s hard at work on figuring out the world.  If I ever put that much determination into anything, imagine what could be acomplished.

This is turning out to be one of those rare weekends where there’s more going on in Indiana than I’m going to be able to attend.  Kind of nice, actually, although a bit sad that I’ve been running all morning and there’s still things that aren’t going to get checked off the that-looks-like-fun list.  The local festival started today with a parade (that we skipped because taking an uninterested baby to watch a parade in the rain sounded a bit pointless), lots of downtown church garage sales (can’t miss those!) and a flea market (stopped by, but left before finding anything–might have to go back).

I’ve been all about the garage sales lately.  It started as a way to pick up clothes and a few toys for the Turtle.  And I’ve been pretty successful at that.  But then I started noticing all the other, um, junk that people have for me to look through.  Oh, it’s addicting.  Just looking through the piles, imagining the stories behind each piece, lusting over vintage kitchenware or wondering how I could improve on some old T-shirt/basket/toy/etc.  My favorite finds today have been (notice the tense, leaving open the possibility of more finding before the day ends) two full rolls of Japanese toweling (really?!) shown above, found at a church sale for a dollar a piece, and the great flowery print below on some completely synthetic knit.  The stuff is almost slimy in its slickness (love the polyester), but I was a sucker for the design.

I used to see thrifted finds on other blogs and wonder why I always saw only junk when garage saling.  Now, with a baby who loves long walks, I’ve learned that it really is about putting in the time–there are a lot of duds for every good find.  It’s a fun hobby as long as Turtle and I are both enjoying it, but when he gets more independent we probably won’t find as much time for the searching and wandering.  Until then I’m loving the hunt, and squirling away little treasures to play with in the thriftless months of wintertime.

Still up is a walk through the craft vendors and the chalk walk, and a trip to the new stadium where there’s some sort of bicycle racing with concerts going on.  And somehow I had it in my head that we should go berry picking this weekend, too.  Not so sure that’s going to happen.

And why am I sitting at the computer with all this excitement?  Because the Turtle is napping.  Funny how having a baby makes everything more hectic, but also forces you to slow down.  So I am resting at the computer, and next up is a bit of knitting.  A nice little siesta in the middle of a busy day.  Oh, and I know I promised pictures of the sweater, but I seem to have started a hat instead.  My excuse is that it is for the shop.

Also, there are a lot of people out this weekend, in a downtown that is, well, possibly on the verge of being alive.  One of the joys of living downtown is that I can sit on the porch and knit and watch all the extra foot traffic (and count the cars parked illegally on my street).  It’s fun seeing families walking along, strollers and wagons and lawn chairs and coolers in tow.  I can pretend that I live somewhere where there is always this much activitity.

Summertime around here is always a mix of relaxation and frantic planning/packing/traveling to the next event of relaxation.  Last summer when I was pregnant we slowed down a bit–but the baby doesn’t seem to be slowing us down now that he’s here.

Last week Christer started complaining that he needed some time off, and by Friday we were in the car, on the way to a friend’s in Cincinnati.  The three boys got in some video games and comic books while I took my first solo trip to Ikea (heaven–I was in that building for nearly 4 hours!).  We ate out and ate in and ate some more.  And we set off fireworks for the first time in many years.  Resulting in some videos that include much cursing and jumping and end in someone saying “hmmm, bad idea.”

While on the road plans came together to extend our trip a few days, so we continued on to Louisville.  I’m guessing some folks out there can guess who the extra child in the picture belongs to, wow does he look like his parents!  The baby boom has hit our friends, and once again it was fun to see old friends being completely themselves and yet also something completely new as they watched over their baby.  Because it was short notice we had our days free while our friends were at work, and so we took in a bit of Louisville scenery.  Christer liked seeing the bats made (in less than 30 second each) at the Louisville slugger museum, and the Turtle liked chewing on replicas of famous player’s bats.

I’m feeling lucky that our Turtle is a good traveler–or that we’re finding ways to be good traveling parents.  What I am not so good at is the return.  The past few days everything seems a bit behind, and staying at home to get caught up seems a bit stiffling.  Not to worry–we have plenty of stay-cation plans for this weekend, and in a few weeks we’ll be on the road to see my side of the family.

And there was knitting on this trip!  Over three quarters of a sweater.  I was amazed how much I got done–and how much progress has slowed since I got home.  I’m trying to wait until I have a finished sweater to do a photo shoot, but at the current rate that might take a while.

Turtle has passed the seven month mark!  And even though I haven’t been posting much (has it really been a whole month?), he’s been getting himself into plenty of post-worthy, photogenic adventures.

New coordination is making all sorts of new games possible.  He’s pretty good at “out”–as in taking toys out of baskets and boxes, inspecting them, and dropping them just out of reach on the floor.  He hasn’t figured out in quite yet, though.  He’s figured out that rattles make more noise when they move, and that all sorts of toys can be banged on the high chair tray.  His noises have evolved from lots of long “ahs” into a string of babbles and gurgles and raspberries.  We’ve been playing with water, and he loves putting his hands in a stream as we pour or bringing the cup up to his lips to sip.  It’s a messy process–we won’t be asking him to drink milk or juice from an open cup for some time–but it’s adorable to watch.

He’s also gotten much more mobile–turning my back on him his no longer an option.  There’s no crawling–yet.  Lots of spinning in circles on his belly and lots of scooting backwards, often until his backside is lost under a bed or couch or table.  He really wants to go forward, though, and I am both excited for him as he learns this new skill and scared for our still-unbabyproofed house when he is able to move quickly and with intention.

The coordination and mobility are also a way for him to make his preferences known.  He’ll flop into your lap while playing on the couch, or brush an offered toy away in favor of grabbing your hand when he wants to be held.  He’s generally all smiles (still charming family, friends and strangers), but he now knows how to show his disapproval as well.  And his grin is infectious.  It comes out when he’s listening to music, when I’m singing him silly songs, when Christer flips him upside down, when we’re about to pick him up or when we re-emerge into his view.

Above is a picture from strawberry picking at the beginning of the month.  Can you see the baby in the strawberries?  The adventures into solids have taken a bit of a detour.  For the first couple weeks Turtle was loving it–his little mouth opening eagerly for a spoon or a fistfull of food.  Then about a week ago he lost interest entirely.  Even with his favorites (still those first bananas, avacados and sweet potatos) we’re sometimes able to trick him into opening his mouth for a bite or two.  But no more than that seems to be making it in.  I’m not worried–he’s still a little chunk and nursing well–but I can’t help but be a bit frustrated when he turns his nose up at lovingly mashed veggies and then proceeds to chomp on my flip flops.  Really, are peas that bad?

Turtle’s baptism was this month.  It was a special day, just how I wanted it to be.  It was a time to celebrate welcoming Turtle into my church, a caring community of characters that I am glad will be sharing their faith with him as he grows.  And also it was a day to celebrate the rest of the community of adults who will be surrounding and teaching this little boy.  My parents were able to make the drive up for the weekend, so there was lots of good grandma and grandpa time for the Turtle–also plenty of catching up for the adults and free babysitting for us parents!  So many of my friends (including Christer) aren’t Christian, and yet I know that their values will be important in shaping his.  So I was especially happy that many of our friends were able to share in the festivities, and to bring their varieties of beliefs and disbeliefs to the table to share with our son.  And yes, that is an Oliver & S pattern that Turtle’s wearing on his special day.

We reached a big milestone last week.  The little Turtle is six months old, meaning that we have been parents for half of a year.  (That’s 1/36th of the way, Christer pointed out–and put that way this whole parenting thing sounds very, very short.)

The big news on the baby front has been the start of solid foods.  Or slightly runny, squishy, not-quite solid foods.  In the past two weeks we’ve tried bananas, pears, and avacado.   Bananas were a big hit, avacado is tolerated, and pears–well, pears illicit some entertaining faces.  I keep trying to get some in him, though, because his little digestive track needs their help.  He also loves the little mesh feeders, which I have decided are my favorite new invention in baby stuff since I was a kid.  Add a slice of banana or an ice cube and he’ll happily chew and suck on one for half an hour.

We took our first camping trip last weekend and Turtle enjoyed playing in the dirt at the campsite, looking out the window of our tent, and watching the gentle waves of the lake roll over his legs.  He wasn’t so keen on the sleeping, though–he stayed up late watching the fire (sometime nearing midnight he collapsed into his grunty giggles watching the fire, prompting mama and papa to add in our best Bevis & Butthead chants of “fire, heh-heh, fire.”) and continued to stay up crying much of the night.  Ah well.

Turtle loves meeting new people and studying new faces.  On our airplane to Idaho my sanity was saved by several neighboring passengers and flight attendants who offered to hold him for a bit.  While he was fussy for me, he lit up for them, eager to explore their new smiles.  Same goes for friends at parties, events at Christer’s work, babysitters at drop-in nurseries at yoga and church, strangers behind us in line at the supermarket.  It seems a fun age where he is curious about everything new, and not quite smart enough yet to consider that anything should be scary.  So strangers or big dogs, thunderstorms or water sprinklers, new experiences are curious or maybe exciting, but rarely seem to upset him.

This was a busy month of visitors and end-of-the-year events at Christer’s work and traveling.  Turtle has now set foot (or diaper clad backside) on eight states, and flown over nearly half the country.  As parents, we’re feeling more comfortable taking him a variety of places.  We’re a bit more secure about what to expect of him, and a bit less worried about how badly things could go if he doesn’t act as we expect.

He’d rather be moving than sitting still–the car and the stroller are favorites, as is his new perch, strapped on my back.  He isn’t quite mobile yet, although he pivots around in circles on his belly, and I’ve noticed him trying to press up on his knees a bit into crawling position.  The stroller is a miracle cure for babysitters and fussy evenings.  And Christer and I love our neighborhood even more now that walking to free summer concerts and the local ice cream stand have been added to the mix of activities sure to please both babies and adults.

And although he’s usually moving, he’s also learned to rest this month.  Who would have thought it was a skill–but he’s started to learn that he can rest his muscles and let his head droop onto the ground where he lies, the softness of a bed, or, my favorite, a waiting shoulder.  It’s adorable to watch, and irresitable when he cuddles as I carry him.  I’ve been warned that as babies grow they spend less and less time curled in mama’s arms, and that I’ll miss those early months of cuddling and rocking.  But I think that the occational, intentional hug or snuggle just might be the best sort of reward for parenting; his way of showing his love and giving back all the cuddles and kisses we’ve given him.  So keep exploring, little Turtle.  There’s always shoulders ready to hold you up when you’ve seen the world and are ready for a rest.

This blog might have been mostly hijacked by the baby lately.  But I’ve been working on several creative projects, too.  The knitting continues in the background–maybe I’ll get some pictures up of that soon.  Tonight I had a bit of time between bedtime and dark to finish up an outdoor project–planting a little vegetable garden.

That’s a close up of celery.  Have you ever had fresh celery?  It is a completely different vegetable than the stuff in the store.  I didn’t know that I liked celery until we got some from our CSA several years ago.  I tried to start several plants from seed, but the celery starts were one of a few impulse buys at the garden center.

My excitement over this garden is matched only by my ignorance.  Although I’ve done a bit of interneting and reading, I am mostly overwhelmed by the research.  And so, instead, my plan is to just pop stuff in the ground all over the yard and see what grows.  I might have okra in four separate beds, because that’s one crop I’m really looking forward to harvesting.  I figure this year is for experimenting, and if any of it results in food then I’ll plan a bit more carefully next year.

And if it doesn’t–well, thank goodness our CSA started up yesterday.  No pictures of that, the first week’s bag was pretty slim.  Lots of lettuce, some thyme and mint, and watercress.  But I am ridiculously excited about making up some salads and garnished iced tea.  That should keep me entertained until more variety ripens.

Three days to Iowa and back, for my 10th reunion.  10 seems a big number, two whole digits–but unlike my last reunion, where I think I wanted to go back and relive my college years, this was a weekend of relaxing in the present.  A road trip with Christer (and a fairly cooperative baby), beautiful start-of-summer weather (while also remembering hiking across campus with a bag of books in the snow), and the release of stepping out of the ordinary and into vacation all helped.

I was struck on this trip on the sense of peace and sanctuary that I feel on campus.  That’s part of the design, right?  Send young adults off into a bubble to focus on their studies and whatever else it takes to grow up a bit?  And so the quite study spaces, generous common areas, and gentile air of affluence throughout is all designed to put one at ease.  I’m going to believe that it’s more than just design and my own store of memories, though, that makes the world pause a bit when I walk across my old campus.  This was a place where I was challenged to my core, and yet still feel remarkably safe.  And that feeling was nearly tangible, especially when I found myself apart from the group and family, walking between this and that alone for a few minutes.  And it extended into the time spent with the people of Grinnell–quick catch-ups with the folks who were once a part of my everyday community, and long warm evenings basking in well-aged friendships.

Going back 10 years inevitably means revisiting my past self, my past thoughts and dreams.  I found myself uneasy when a current student asked what we’re doing now–and didn’t quite admit that I’m staying home and raising a baby right now.  I’ve had a few rough patches in finding a career, and I wonder if past me would be disapointed that I haven’t continued on certain paths.  But present me is mostly happy with where I am.  Mostly–but still a bit open to the challenge of the past reminding me that someday, when I am ready, I do have the skills and drive to take on the world outside of my family once again.

Then there was the joy of being in this space with my own son, showing him around (and maybe posing him for a picture or two.)  Nothing to pull me back into the present like the crys of a homesick baby in the night, or his giggles as he met my friends.

It’s a powerful and thoughtful space, this intersection of past and future.  Good thing the main responsibility of the weekend was arriving to meals on time–because it is good to rest in the sanctuary, relax a bit, catch your breath.  Tomorrow I’m back to the regular routine, and we’ll see if the past continues to have any messages for me.

I spent 15 hours with a baby on various planes just for this. The four generation photo:

In other news, I made a big pitcher of Snapple-ish lemony iced tea today. It is almost gone already. That is making me very happy.

I’ve been working simultaniously on four different projects for the shop.  And while none of them is that large, trying to actually complete four projects (as opposed to the usual state of having various projects lying about with no deadline in sight) has been a bit daunting.  I could show you the projects in process, or I could just show off the clipped ends:

With scraps that cute, you know the knitting has got to look good.

The Turtle and I made it home last night, from a trip to meet his only living Great-Grandma.  My dad’s mother lives in Idaho, a full day of air and car travel each way.  Being alone on a plane with a baby was a frightening task (especially when one flight had nearly three hours of just-fifteen-more-minute delays on the runway)–but it was so worth it for this:

My parents joined us, and my aunt and uncle also live nearby (that’s what brought Grandma west after Grandpa died), so there were plenty of hands to hold a baby, and plenty of family for him to charm.

I was a bit nervous about the solo baby care, too, but it’s amazing how relaxing a change of scenery can be, even with the parenting responsibilities.  I got a bit less sleep than I might have on a trip a year ago–but without chores to do or projects hanging overhead we just focused on the basics (feed the baby, change the baby, repeat) and the socializing, and it was good.

And it was so good to see my grandma, and to introduce her to her first great-grandkid.  Turtle just loved her (although lately he’s showing his love by trying to eat chins…), and if she wasn’t holding him he’d grin across the room at the sound of her voice.

Christer survived his first time away from Turtle, too.  It was cute hearing his voice get cuddly when he talked to Turtle on the phone, and watching Turtle’s eyes light up when he heard papa’s voice.

Some of the pictures are from a trip to the zoo, another first for the Turtle.  He wasn’t too impressed by most of the animals, although he did like the large active flocks of flamingos and penguins.  I’ll close with a picture of a Lemur family–my favorite part of that afternoon of the trip.