naked newborn

my brother's wife gave birth to a baby girl very early wednesday morning. the little girl's name is amelia lilly. i can't wait to meet her. unfortunately, it will be a few months before we trek west again with all the bambinos in tow.



and where might you ask is her sweater? it's blocking on my ironing board a whole continent away. never fear though, the girlie only weighed in at 5 lbs. so, i think she'll still get wear out of the togs i send her. lest ye think the mommy had an (relatively) easy time helping such a little peanut out into the world, the girlie decided she wanted her fist to come out along with her head. this was a home birth assisted by a team of three midwives who apparently had their knitting with them for the boring parts.

i am grateful and proud of all those present for their various roles in bringing out the latest and the smallest to join our family. it's fun to be populating this continent. mom and dad came over from france (and they didn't just cross the pond, they went to oregon) as young parents and so all our extended folk were very far away and it was always 'just us'. i'm happy for our kids to have cousins and be cousins, though i regret not being geographically closer to my side. aidan so often says we should get on a plane 'today' and go see meme. would, that it were that simple.

my brother managed to become a new daddy just under the age of 40. i always thought it was a waste that he wasn't someone's parent. no more. when i called to check on them he was on his way to the walmart to buy photo paper, proud papa. i think of him snapping away in the direction of his new daughter and know what a world of difference it is to have a newborn vs. the 7 month old that beatrice is already! yet, bea and amelia will grow up being the same age. and so my brother and i bond a little more despite the distance. we both have new daughters. that is so cool.

back to the knitting part.. there is a silver lining to the baby coming before my having actually finished the sweater. i had bought buttons for the project. generic, non gender specific buttons. o.k. buttons. the pattern in fact asked for 4 buttons, but i knit the thing, i knew i had only put 3 holes in the shoulder, so i bought the single card of 3. lo' and behold, as i knit the neckband on, the pattern directs one more hole -in the neckband, so sneaky! now i need more buttons.



besides the buttons, i need to get a yankee swap gift for snb next week. thursday a.m., i had a few moments to myself. i decided to check out the new sit 'n knit yarn store in west hartford center. charming place. not only did i find two small but lovely items for the swap, they also had the very sweet buttons you see pictured. i think they are just the thing for that sweater; i'm tickled -you know what. what's your color right now?