Boy's blog name

It dawned on me when I was in the bus talking to this old lady who said how big Boy is and I told her how little he was when he was born... then it dawned on me (repetitio est mater studiorum, but maybe not now...), Boy's going to be Tiny!
All big men in movies are called Tiny, aren't they, and as my tiny little guy is already wearing one year old's clothes (he'll be six months within 1½ weeks) and is bigger than average baby of his age it would suit him well.

And he'll always be my tiny little guy, no matter if he grows up to be 2 meters and 120 kilos of pure muscle (my metrically challenged readers should visit here) as it seems.

And Tiny has more ooompah in it than just Boy, doesn't it?

It's nice and quiet here at home, with Boy sleeping and me sitting on the sofa... just the two of us

I have thought about everything lately and remembered all kinds of things that just make me more confident about my choice...

I am restless sleeper, which in his head meant that I watched his every move... yes, you read it right. Which basically means that he probably thinks that I need no sleep whatsoever.

I also heard that I watched everything he ate (yeah, right, like I, for example, was the one who always nagged about margarine usage - guess again - and hello, I bought that stuff. It costs 1 € per 400g...). Where should I have put my eyes? Close them?

For some reason my apartment gathers dust quickly, and as everyone knows dust is human skin and such... no, you are wrong! It was all me! Yes...

Goodness.

When I was pregnant I lost a ton of hair. Long hair. And he was like I willingly dropped it everywhere and didn't clean them out just out of spite. It was just an excuse to tell him that I am pregnant and that can happen, I can't help it.
Mister, there is your hair still in the apartment and yours is short. And I just sweep it without complaining. Because it happens to everyone, hair does fall off even when out of bathroom and without notice. Yes, hair has no manners. Shame on it.

I had to drag him to our first sonogram. I went alone to the next one as he had "forgot" when it was (we just got the appt. time 2½ months previous and I reminded him about it 1½ weeks before it was). And the one after that, and the one after that.

Day after my c- section he called and wondered why I hadn't picked up his calls.
I was sick because of morphine for the first day - threw up on midwives when trying to get up. And maybe I had a newborn baby there beside me... and I was in a room of four, not in private room as I was there without support person, so I kind of had to thought about the other new, operated, mothers and keep the phone silent... And for Pete's sake, I sent him a message as first thing I did when I got out of recovery room, three hours after surgery. I could barely hold the phone...
Good enough for you?
And I recall that someone didn't call when I was few days on the ward because I had pre-eclampsia.

My hypothyroidism and relapses were just excuses. "You can't be feeling X!"
Oh yes, I look and act like a zombie because I think it's REALLY hot. And hey, it's just terminal illness when untreated, nothing as serious as your blood pressure... no, no.
And it had been WAY too difficult to Google what it is all about...

He claims he hasn't disowned his son, still his words tell different language. If not disown then he willingly abandons his son. By the sound of it. Or maybe I have suddenly lost my ability to completely understand English.
Oh, of course! It's because I am a liar... how I forgot that? It's one of my lies, you see, that, he has ever said anything like it.

I can emphatise his situation, but obviously he can't do the same when it comes to me. I am a bad, bad person and by the sound of it go to Hell because of this. At least it is warm in there. (Thank G-d that deity I believe in isn't such an asshole.)

He also said that he had been prepared to this (did I say that he just wanted me to do the dirty job?! Did I?!)... and still he accuses me of all the usual stuff bitter people usually do at this point.
I always thought that he would be more mature than that. That he wouldn't let his son suffer because he is angry to me, but it seems to me that he will let his innocent son suffer because I am so evil.
One would imagine that any person in their right mind would understand that if he doesn't stay in contact with Boy he won't have a son who is too fond of his father when Boy comes of age.

I admit, I am not flawless and I did leave him in a very tacky way, but I always thought he would be man enough to behave regardless of the situation (for Pete's sake, even Dan was able to behave even I left him the same way). Apparently I was wrong... really wrong.

Funny thing? Because of the situation I seem to be able to stay at home until Boy is three, without working part-time, as Boy and I, we get 200 euros more every month now. And housing allowance. We seem to have almost 1000€ between us every month. After rent. (After I apply for housing allowance.)

SALitis

I have said it several times and I say it now: it's an illness. SALitis, or startitis for that matter.

There's a SAL of "Quaker Christmas II - Songs Of The Season" starting at TSSSDDDC and I can feel my resistance weakening...



Funny thing is that I never have liked the design much because of the texts and boring muted colours in the model picture, but now I find myself wanting to stitch it - and, because it takes a ton of hand-dyed floss, to dye my own floss. A ton of it as I really can't decide do I want it in shades of red or blue.

Maybe royal blue with dark red accents? Or to go with my current insanity: turquoise and pink. *grin*
Or maybe bright pink or turquoise on black... over one, naturally.

Yes, I am slightly insane. Luckily only slightly.

One door closes...

This is one of my "None one knows except you guys" entries. The exception being my mom. So... keep your mouths shut elsewhere. It's not official yet. (Editorial note: since the divorce has gone through I made some of separation related entries public.

I have always said that I am marrying type, but I am beginning to think that I am not that type that stays married - despite her idealised wishes.

You probably see where this is going.

My camel broke its back and I have asked Husband to pack his bags. Something I though I'd never do, something I wasn't actively considering before his latest tirade, but never say never should obviously be my motto.

In certain sense this is not a surprising move, as, even no one knows, I did ponder about leaving just before I got pregnant with Boy as I was feeling that my needs weren't listened to and I was increasingly unhappy with my life. Then I found out I was expecting and all the happy pregnancy hormones started to do their magic.

I was alone since about 21st week of pregnancy, first for a reason, then for a reason unbeknownst to me. Even I asked he didn't tell it.
When Boy was about 2 months old I had a dream where he left for some insanely childish reason. I am known to have premonitions about my relationships, they foresee the fail. Still, I decided it was only a dream and that's it (and I couldn't have told Mr. W. (let him carry that name from now on) about it as he had said I was calling bad spirits and I shouldn't talk about things like that).

Then I tell you that I haven't seen him since mid-pregnancy. He hasn't met his son, Boy hasn't met his father. They were deemed to meet, but this evil woman prevented it.
Because of Mr. W.'s latest tirade.

He has this annoying habit of controlling me. It was sweet and all when we met and so on, but it had a nasty side effect: threats of leaving me right there and then when I missed his call(s). Sometimes I was accused of cheating, as he knew that part of my history.
And since Boy was born I have missed many calls because I have been with Boy (playing/ feeding/ changing/ all those things you do with babies) and my cell phone hasn't. Or we have been out and I haven't heard. Or we have been sleeping and my phone has been on silent - to let Boy to sleep. And even I explained and have told him that he was not my first priority anymore as there is a small baby who needs me more than he does. Still I was told that I have changed.

No shit Sherlock! I became a mother in March in case you missed that.

And for a long, long time I have felt there is no room for me when he was here. That I had to be somewhere playing as small and quiet as possible. And if I happened to glance his laptop's screen it was something dreadful.
I felt that it wasn't my home even it was and is. But if I tried to talk with him about it or anything else considering us or my wishes or feelings it ended up me feeling even worse and we never talked.

Not feeling comfortable at my own home also meant no stitching as I need a comfortable place for it.

There are thousand things... like always noticing and being nasty about it if I had gained a little weight, but never encouraging when I lost weight. Or telling that I was just basically lazy and hypocondriac when I tried to explain that my lack of doing stuff was all about my thyroid.

Things were piling up in my little head. Understandably. But love makes us blind.

Well, his last tirade was about me not picking up a phone or returning his call. "That call came from an anonymous number, how did you expect I know it was you?" And he knows that I never answer to anonymous numbers if I am not expecting a call from one. Because usually they are telesalesmen.
He got frantic and while at it denied his own son, in my eyes, and me, threatened with leaving for good and made me understand that it can't go on. Not anymore. Not with Boy around. That it had to stop.

I thought about it for two days and went through his words over and over again to find what I missed, that I was wrong. Never found it. And then I asked him to pack.

Understandably in his opinion I had misunderstood him grossly and was lying (ah, again. I am SUCH a liar, you know. If you listen to him.... and then he claims he never said so), but still he didn't make a single move to try to convince me otherwise, even I gave the opportunity to him on a silver platter... and I don't know a single person who hadn't even tried to change my mind had they been in that situation. Which does, in my sick mind at least, that he wasn't much opposed to leaving, he just wanted that I do the dirty job.

It is slowly sinking in that there is a big, dark forest of custody arguments and bureaucracy ahead of me, but at least I can ensure Boy balanced environment.

It's funny really... some time ago I found myself thinking that if I wasn't married and didn't want kids I would be completely happy without a relationship screwing up my life.
The problem lies in wanting kids. I still want more of them... but that's not this year's thing, no the following one's (Luckily I still have time). Now I'll concentrate on practical things and try to find Boy and me a bigger apartment and start life all over again.

August Weekend Stitch-A-Long

It has been a LONG time since I have managed to participate any stitching activities... But better late than never!

Beginning...

OOOPS! Wrong WIP picture! Now corrected!

... and the end.

Power of those funny little presumptions

It's funny really...

I was out in the town with Boy some time ago when I happened to stumble upon ex-husband.
Who didn't recognize me before I greeted him and even then he knew it was me because of the necklace I use. (It's not that common to use necklace with Hebrew word in it in my neck of the woods.)

And he didn't realize the most obvious thing: that I was pushing a pram, a big "combo" pram (Attack carts we call 'em here) as he asked what I am doing nowadays... I had to point out that this is what I am doing nowadays, pushing a pram and living life with a certain charming little man. It was like he hadn't even noticed that big black thing in front of me. As it is a baby thing and not something I could ever push around.

What makes it funny, or rather interesting, was that his brain had obviously categorized me as "barren" after those years we TTC. Even he knew that basically the problem wasn't THAT big... (and then few years later, thyroxine came along and changed the whole thing).

It's funny how I used to think that he's not stuck into categories or anything like that... even after I came to my senses back in 2004.

Though what makes me wonder is that didn't he really recognize the face he was married with for almost six years (and I still look almost the same, by the way) or did that pram really mes his little head THAT badly.
Life's little questions...

Birth Sampler: Branching Out

Boy and I are vacationing so I have been, much to my surprise, more or less offline last few days.

But, I have managed some stitching during evenings when Boy has been sleeping. (We have a great sleeper in our midst.)

It seems that I may actually get this done before Boy turns 18.

Uncoscious Mutterings

Week 496

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Alcohol :: Drunk
2. Pocket :: Pick
3. Squeeze :: Hold
4. Football :: Men in tights
5. Fourth :: Fifth
6. Snake :: White
7. Reduced :: Decreased
8. Polka :: Dot
9. Intrepid :: Chivalrous
10. Paula :: Coffee

OMG.

I bloghopped first time in... two years?

Mind you, only few blogs, those which had new content in my GR, one shouldn't strain herself too much after such a long time without practise.

EEEK! Lizzie*Kate's Halloween Mystery Sampler, take one

I have worked EEEK! here and there, during evenings when I have had energy, or when I have stayed up coughing due recent issues with my asthma... But, it makes a progress!

Actually I am a bit more farther advanced, but am too lazy to take a picture. *grin*

I'm loving how this is turning out, even though there is one colour that IMO fades too much into the fabric (that is green in second pumpkin's leaves), but I let it be.

By the way out of two active WIPs I have two WIPs which have owls in them... makes you wonder.

Lizzie*Kate Halloween Mystery Sampler

Finally! First installment of Lizzie*Kate Halloween Mystery Sampler has arrived!

Scissors! aka. Sales are BAD for you

One should never follow ads on websites. Never.

Iittala's web store has a sale and upon accidentally (yeah, right) clicking there and accidentally scrolling their sale selection I noticed those pretty little nail scissors and thought immediately that they would make great cross stitch scissors... and as they are Fiskars scissors (read: good quality) 10 € is not a bad price - and they ARE pretty.

And... a stitcher has never too many scissors, right? Right?!

Breastfeeding: epilogue

Well, at the ripe age of three and a half months our little guy decided that it's time to do something about his breast milk addiction, went cold turkey and since then little guy has been a formula baby.
Shame really, I did enjoy looking at that little guy's happy face when he was feeding.

But, he won't starve as he understands how many fun foods there are out there and eats solids like a big boy already. Oatmeal is a big hit even he has only started it yesterday.
I guess he'll survive without my milk.

Funny thing is that apparently it runs in my family that babies tend to stop breastfeeding around three-or-so months even if there were milk present.
Though in my family babies also tend to get the idea of solids really fast and require solids almost from birth. We have hungry genes.

Birth Sampler: Mama Owl

I have shocked myself! Stitching! Finally got started with the birth sampler for Boy!

Last summer, around the time of our first sonogram, 1-2-3 Stitch! had a birth sampler sale and you probably can guess who purchased a few (I think curious stitchers want to know which ones so let me link: this, this and this - and of course the one we are now blogging about), just to have options and so on and this was one of them.

Naturally I sold that piece of aida this came with and went with natural 36 count linen and I am really happy how it's turning out even it still lacks backstitching, but I won't get to that before the sampler is otherwise finished. (I "may" have to purchase this growth chart in near future.)

Otherwise... I have been sick and hence MIA as Boy has taken all my flu ridden energy.

Stash! And Life With Boy

Oh yes, I am still alive, as unbelievable as it is. Or maybe not.

I have meant to share last part of Incessant Stash Shopping Phase I had when Boy was born and finally got around to take a picture (not a good one, but a picture nevertheless - and I still forgot all the floss, oh well).



I also came around with the picture host issue I was talking of earlier: I did set up a personal gallery on Periphaeria's server. At the moment it contains some stitchy stuff (and few of my mother's pics), but not all. Maybe some day I'll get around uploading everything...

Baby life goes on swimmingly and despite me being away from everywhere (my thyroid is obviously out of whack still/ again - just upped the dosage without consulting my endocrinologist and I actually feel like having energy) Boy is not that demanding.
He's actually quite a jolly little guy: babbling, giggling and smiling a lot. He also loves his toy arch and going to places with lots of people (as long as they stay away from him as he started "baby shyness" early), everything is interesting, has been since he was born actually.

And to be honest he is not even so little anymore... when he was born he was a short, skinny little guy on -3 line on the diagram. Three months later he's a tall and muscular little guy and has achieved +1 growth line - if he continues like this we'll have a little basketball player in our midst (I guess tamaraland will mention something about big Finnish babies ). I just wonder where he gets that from.

I was prepared for colic and all things like that, but we have little guy who never cries without a reason and even then only long enough to get what he wants.
He has even been quite easy after his first set of injected vaccinations. Feverish and uncomfortable, of course, but still happy and playful little guy. My son.

Boy is also reason for few of those designs as I got Carriage House Sampling's "Alphabet Blocks" (all parts with fabric only like 40 bucks!) and LHN's "Cowboy Dreams" and "Robin Hood" his future own room in mind (I'm praying that we'd get bigger apartment soon, two rooms with almost no closet space, in second floor and no elevator is a pain in the ass when you have a child...). I can see myself justifying some pleasant stitching time with those in the future.

I guess it's sleepy time now, ta-ta!

Confessions

My name is Outi and I want another child. Now. Actually I have had this need since last trimester...

"Luckily" Boy Wonder was delivered with some pointy knives so we have to use birth control at least six months, surgeon recommended one year. And noticing my history it may take quite a while to get those two pretty lines on pregnancy test. If ever.
Though I try to stay optimistic as childbirth is often good treatment for PCOs women. All that pregnancy stuff apparently normalizes our hormones.

Now I'll head to absorb some baby smell and go to bed next to little BW. As, to my surprise, I still do breastfeed at night.

RANT: Breastfeeding

How time flies, young one is soon 3 months old!

If you don't want to read (rant) about breastfeeding, stop now.

SQUEE! ^^

I get Lizzie*Kate's Mystery Sampler's full package as a birthday gift!

Stash Overload: My Oh My, This Isn't All Of It...

I am an addict. That is my excuse and I stick with it.

Well, honestly from now on my stash shopping will happen about once in a blue moon as I am at home with Boy and it affects to our income level even though maternity and parenting grants are tied to one's income level. At least higher income leaves are relatively long. (Honestly I don't get it how you folks in short maternity leave countries do it... work and baby. Boy is easy and content child 99% of the time and still I don't have time and I don't even want to think how tired I'd be if I had to work...)
When my parenting leave ends and "caretaking" leave begins it'll be nothing extra. Nada. But, that's around New Year and in any case it's all the same income wise am I home with Boy or go back to work so the decision isn't hard. I rather have time for the little guy.

Anyhow... Click for a bigger pic.



Ton of OOPs, some nice stuff from ABC Stitch Therapy's and 1-2-3 Stitch's Clearance bin, pretties from Silkweaver, silks from 1-2-3 Stitch etc... *sigh*

And this wasn't all.

Oh yeah, Ovi Share will be closed so I had to change place... If anyone has any good suggestions for free and unlimited image hosting please tell. (Of course I have unlimited server space and bandwidth at Servage which I could use, it just would mean setting up a gallery and I don't kind of have time now... rather I hate adjusting file and folder rights even at my best.)

As you can guess...

...life is busy in my neck of the woods.

Little one is adorable and easy baby, but he's not the napping kind, at least if it he has to sleep anywhere else than on mommy's lap or in his pram (and it has to move somewhere outside the house) so mommy has precious little time for herself (there is only so many things you can do when holding a baby).

I think I'll keep most baby related blabberings as limited friends only entries, BUT it's easy to get on that list: just ask (and registering to LJ is free, so what are you waiting for?!).

I have to confess that I have been a BAD, BAD person and accidentally bought quite some stash when one-handed... more about that later. Castleville awaits.