Connor in the Bumbo chair

We put Connor in the Bumbo chair for the first time the other week and he liked it. He also likes it when we wipe his face, which I think is so funny...but you can see for yourself:

11.5 pounds and 24.5 inches long!

Those were Connor's stats at his 2 month pediatric appointment on the 17th. I can't believe how big he is already! Some miles stones are he has learned how to get his hand in his mouth whenever he likes, not just by accident. He is also figuring out how to grasp on to things. One of his favorite toys is his firefly, he has grasped the rings that hang off the bottom and pulled on them numerous times. Sleeping has been getting better too. He goes from about 9 pm till 2 or 3 am, then he wakes up again around 5 or 6 am. I hope that it won't be too much longer till he sleeps all night, but for now 5 to 6 hours is a good stretch.

Connor sitting up with the hick-ups

Our trip to San Francisco went really well. Connor slept almost the whole plane ride out to the west cost, and then on the way back was awake more since it was day time, but still did really well. Our fellow passengers commented that they hardly knew a baby was sitting so close to them. Everyone things traveling with an infant would be hard, but I think it would be harder if he was older. We got to skip the long security line on the way back since we were traveling with a little one, and the good folks of United Airlines really did a great job accommodating our little family and making it all that much easier on us. On our first full day Connor and I went to Pier 39 where there are a lot of tourist shops, restaurants, and best of all Sea Lions! Then I hiked up the steep hills to see Lombard Street. It was cool to see the street that I had seen on TV and photos so many times in real life. The only problem is we had to go back down the hills to get a cab back to the apartment we were staying at, and that scared the crap out of me with Connor in the stroller. I wish I could have seen more, but it was hard getting around the city by myself, perhaps if there is a next time and Connor is older it will be easier.

Sea Lions

Well I am down to only 2 more weeks at home till I have to head back to work. I now wish that I could extend my leave till the new year, but I am afraid it is to late to make that request. I know those first few weeks are going to be hard, I just hope it gets easier. I won't lie I do wish I could just say home and take care of my sweet boy, he is just a joy and I don't want to miss any of it.

Well Thursday is Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday, it is just getting together with family and eating food, what could be better! I hope you all out in blogger land have a great holiday with your families.

Month #2 with Baby Connor!

Connor’s second month of life has been very busy! Since our last post we all went down to Connecticut to attend our good friends Chris and Val’s wedding, and Auntie Marci, Nick, and Grandpa Chagnon hosted a party for everyone from Greg’s family to meet Connor! We also celebrated two more birthdays: Uncle Ham Bone (Tom) turned 22, and Sophia Sauk turned 1 year old!

Connor attended the rehearsal dinner so he could meet Uncle Chris and Aunt Val before there big day! He was not even the youngest baby there, Val’s friend and bridesmaid brought her daughter who was only 11 days old! Connor did not appreciate Mr. Gonzales trying to use him as an example, he let out a loud cry when he was pointed out to the bride and groom as an example of what the parents would like for their next big gift, a grandchild of their own. Connor wailed in protest, I think he was trying to say, “They will create a new friend for me when they are good and ready, lets all let the nice Aunt and Uncle enjoy their wedding day first.” The wedding was wonderful, Chris and Val both looked so happy! Greg was finally able to relax once his best man speech was done, and it was a wonderful party. Connor stayed home with Grandpa Jim and company during the wedding. I came back to check on him and feed him between the ceremony and reception, however he was in good hands with Great Aunt Sandy to help out, so I was able to relax myself and have a good time at the reception, and Daddy only called once to check in on him, not bad since this was the first time I was away from Connor for more than an hour or two.

Groomsmen feeding the Groom some beer

Some proud papas

Greg & Chris
Chris, Val, Greg, & Jill The Best Man Speech

The next day Connor got to meet his Daddy’s families, and some more friends. Auntie Marci deserves the most credit for making the day so great with her cooking and hosting! We are so glad so many family members from both near and far were able to join us and got to meet Connor while he is still a little guy.

This week Auntie Marci is going to come and visit for a few days and spend some quality time with Connor! This coming weekend we will be back in CT again for Nikki P.’s Baby Shower and to celebrate yet another birthday Grandpa Changon is going to be 59. Then we are off on our big adventure to San Francisco! We will be sure to take lots of photos and report back on our trip, the day we get back Connor will be 2 months old!

5 Weeks Old Already!

Sorry blog readers that I have not been able to sit down and tell you more about Connor’s first month of life. He keeps me very busy and I have tired to get to bed around the same time he goes down for the night so that I can too get some sleep.

Connor’s first two weeks were hard on Greg and me, but since then things have gotten easier every day. I was having trouble with breastfeeding at first, and Connor had dropped a little more weight than we would have like to see initially, however with the help of the lactation consultants and supplementing in some formula into his diet we were able to get him back up to his birth weight by his 2 week appointment with the pediatrician. She then gave us the go ahead to let him sleep as long as he likes at night, no more waking him up to feed every two hours! Now he will sleep anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours a stretch when we first put him down for the night, then he wakes up every 2-3 hours after that. During the day he really only takes small cat naps if we stay home, but will fall asleep for longer ones if we go for a walk in the stroller or go for a car ride.

When he is awake he is very alert. I love watching him find new things every day like his hand or the toy hanging down from his jungle mat. He does give out smiles, but is still very stingy with them. He seams to save them for people he has not seen in a little while, such as Daddy when he gets home from work, or Gramie and Gramps when they come by and visit.

I am trying to keep us busy and not necessarily at home in the house all day every day. On Tuesdays we go to a Mom’s group and meet up with lots of other babies 0-3 months old. Most of the Mom’s then go out to lunch after the meeting, it is so great to get to talk to other new Mom’s and get to learn and share our experiences. Most I walk away thankful I have such an easy baby, and wonderful helpful Husband!

Speaking of Greg, what would I do without him! After I feed Connor first thing in the morning, Greg takes over and lets me get in a nice long shower and time to get dressed and ready for the day. Then when he gets home from work he can hardly wait to get his hands on Connor! We both just love this baby!

We will be very busy in this 2^nd month of Connor’s life. This past weekend he attended a big family birthday party, and had some special visitors from up North his Aunties Brooke & Sarah, and Cousin Eliot. This weekend we are heading to CT to attend Chris and Val’s wedding, as well as to have a get together with Greg’s family so they can all meet Connor. Connor’s good friend Sophia is tuning 1 on the 31^st! Then it will be back to CT again for Grandpa Chagnon’s birthday and a baby shower for Baby Girl Pisarsky. Then the big adventure to San Francisco, CA! Greg has to go out there for work, and we got the OK to come out with him!

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure of one those hard to get smiles!

Naked Baby Streching

Here is a quick video of Connor getting ready for a feeding in just his dipper. He is quite active when he is awake. :-)

Connor's Birth Story

Connor James Chagnon’s Birth Story

My last day of work was my due date Friday September 11^th 2009. At my last two appointments the doctors said I was 2-3 cm dilated. I was still convinced that I was going to be at least a week late and would be sitting around playing the waiting game and would have one less week at home with the baby. To my surprise Saturday afternoon (September 12^th) I went to lie down just before 3 pm and to try to take a nap. After a few minutes I felt a trickle, then another, at which point I quickly got off the bed since I was pretty sure my water broke. I called Greg who was upstairs on his computer, and went to the bathroom. We called the weekend answering service, and the midwife on call returned my call, she told us to head right over to labor and delivery. The hospital is only 5 minutes from our house, so we finished packing up our bags, and called my parents to tell them we would not be coming over for dinner that night after all. I was slightly shocked, as I never expected my water to break and could not believe that in less than 24 hours we would have a baby.

I was not leaking a lot while we were getting ready to leave, but when I went to get in the car I felt another gush, I told Greg to go back inside and get a towel, I went back inside and changed the pad I put on. We made it to the hospital before once again another huge gush, by the time we got to L&D my pants were soaked to the knees. At this point I still have not felt any contractions yet. I was put on the monitors, and then the OB on call came in and checked me, he said I was ~ 4 cm dilated. After the exam the contractions started. I was taken off the monitors and the nurse suggested that we order food if we wanted dinner that night. We then went to for a walk to help get things started, by the time we got back and the food arrived my contractions were coming regularly and food was the last thing I wanted. I asked the nurse to put the IV line in so I could get an epidural as soon as I wanted it. The nurse called IV therapy to put the line in since I had such bad carpel tunnel in my hands towards the end of my pregnancy. The nurse hooked me up to the IV fluids and told me the anesthesiologist was currently in an emergency c-section. I was uncomfortable, but not totally miserable, so the short wait did not bother me. At 7:30 pm I had the epidural and Greg and I were able to chill out and watch the Red Sox game that has been delayed due to the rain that day. I could still feel the pressure of the contractions, but no pain. The next 4.5 hours we just hung out watching TV while I would change positions every hour or so to keep things progressing. I first felt the urge to push around midnight, so afterwards I stared pushing. I am not sure after how long I had been pushing, the nurse suggested we add the squatting bar to the bed, but I was up for trying anything new since my pushing did not seam to be working well yet. I tired squatting and pushing a few times, but was frustrated that no one could tell me if I was making any progress. Next the nurse tied a sheet to the bar, so I could grab on to the sheet and pull myself up when I was pushing, this seamed to work best for me. I was still pushing after 2 plus hours later when my contractions stated to get irregular, I would have 2 or 3 at regular intervals then there would be a 4 or 5 minute break, and even in my exhausted state I knew this was not a good thing and was getting a little concerned. The decision was made to give me some pitocin to get thing moving again. I am not sure how much pitocin I got before all of a sudden his head was almost out, and it hurt so much I found the energy to push like 8 times in a row to get his head out. Finally at 2:46 am on Sunday September 13^th Connor James was born! The midwife put him on my chest, and I was so in love! He was wide awake and looking all around. I called my parents and they came right over to the hospital to meet him. I got to hold him for almost two hours before they took him to clean him up and run all the tests on him. He passed all his test with filing colors, the nurse asked if I wanted to send him up to the nursery to get cleaned up since he had pooped while I was holding him and he had poop all over his bottom and legs. Finally Greg got to hold him for the first time around 4:30 am before he went up to the nursery.

Connor James Chagnon

Connor James Chagnon made his big arrival into this world Sunday August 13th at 2:46 am, he weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz, and was 20 inches long. We are so in love with the little guy it is a feeling that is impossible to describe. I will try to write a longer post with more detials soon when things calm down and we get in a better routine. For now if you would like to see more photos here is a link to a photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/JillChalifour/BabyConnor?feat=directlink

What does Trotman know?

These last few weeks, as I have gotten more and more uncomfortable, sleep has become harder to come by (the cold did not help either), also when I am home I spend more time just sitting on the couch with my feet up. Besides my wonderful husband who is always asking if I need anything and always willing to get me anything I need/want there is another guy in this house almost always keeping an eye on me, and that would be Trotman. When I am awake in the middle of the night Trotman is always with me, if I get up off the couch 9 times out of 10 he will follow me wherever I go, and then when I return he won't curl up into a ball to sleep until it appears that I am settled in my spot and not going anywhere. I believe that he knows something is going on and that it is his job to keep an eye out on me. Something tells me when the baby comes home Trotman will adjust quickly, and even be a great kitty big brother. He was so good the other week when a 10 month old Sophia came to visit, WALKING all over the place, and eager to give kitty a pet, he would just lay still and let her pet him. So here is to my furry protector, thanks for the head butts, the company, and the love you give me.

39 Weeks!

We had our weekly visit to the OB on Tuesday. I saw a different doctor than usual, as mine had to be in surgery. He was very nice, but kept talking to me like I have been his patient for the last nine months! I wanted to keep telling him he has never laid eyes on me before, so he could drop the act that he knew who I was, even though I am sure it his only intentions were to make me feel comfortable. I gained 5 pounds in a week, what is going on!? That took me by surprise, I have not change any eating habits, but needless to say I skipped my nightly treat of ice cream that night out of guilt. Blood pressure was up a little (forgot the exact reading) but nothing to be concerned about, and everything else is a-ok too. I am still 2-3 cm dilated, so no change there either. The only notable change is over the long weekend I have either developed a cold or are suffering from allergies. Since last night I have been coughing up a storm and I must say I am not at all a happy camper. I am lucky that I hardly ever get sick, but the timing right now just could not be worse. I am more than uncomfortable enough that adding this to the mix is making me quite miserable. Well here is to hoping it will clear up soon. Friday when we hit the big 40 week mark, it will also signal my last day of work till December! I am so done with the commute, being at work is not bad, it is just the getting back and forth. I think my co-workers will also feel better when I am home, the great ladies I work with check in on me all day long, and give me this I can't believe you are still here look a lot. A woman from HR that is ~ 35 weeks pregnant, "yelled" at me today to "go home", can't say I was not tempted to do so.


Here is also to hoping that the little guy will soon make his appearance!

39 Weeks

38 Weeks - we have progress folks!

Good news from the OB today, we have made progress! I am 2-3 cm dilated! Even though this means very little as to when we can expect Baby C. to make his appearance it does means things are moving along in that direction! Everything else was good too, I gained 2 pounds this past week (I blame the amazing food at the Gonzalez/Baldizon Jack & Jill party on Saturday, LOL). Blood pressure was almost the same as last week, 126/74, and all the other things they check were all good. The Nurse & OB ask if I have any swelling, I tell them every time YES, and then all they say is that is normal. My feet have been huge for a while now, but goodness the hands hurt now too, just writing out a little note hurts! At least typing does not seam to bother them as much.

So today is September 1st - we will have a baby before this month is over! WOW! Greg and I have no more social obligations, so we are just playing the waiting game. I don't think we need to do anything else before he makes his big arrival.

At work we hired another member to our group, and she started last week. The days have been flying by as I train her to fill in for me while I am gone. I am glad I had time to get her up to speed before I left, I won't have to worry about what is going on here while I am gone. I can't believe I only have 7.5 days left in the office! If no baby post due date, you will find me walking the streets of North Beverly, and swimming at the gym, or chilling out at home with my feet up watching bad daytime TV. So don't be afraid to give me a call for a chat, I will welcome the distraction.

Lastly my huge self in my 38 week photo:

Baby C.'s Nursery

I know a few of you have not gotten to see how we have set up Baby C.'s Nursery. It is not 100% done, but close enough for me to share with all of you what it looks like now. We just need a few more decor items for the walls, and I got some wood letters that spell out his name that will go over the changing table after he is here (still trying to keep his name a surprise). I am working on some cross-stitch needlework that will go up once it is done, but since it will also have his name, and birthday on it, it won't be ready to be hung up till he arrives either. The glider rocker is also still in the living room since we both love sitting in it so much, so that will also move into his room once he gets here. A lot of work when into transforming this room, and we are so happy with the results! Below I am going to post the evolution of this room since we have moved in, and then two videos, the before (empty room), and after (what is looks like today).

Here we are standing in the kitchen looking at the landing to the 3rd floor (door and stairs leading up are on the left), and you will note there is no door to the guest room/Jill's office, that is why there is a curtain there, so when guest came they could close it for some privacy. It was painted yellow when we moved in.

This is looking in the room from the entryway, the closet is on the left, as is the nice built in book shelf, and my old small desk.

The guest bed is in the only corner of the room that does not have door, etc.

In February 2008 I had enough of the yellow, it was too bright, so I painted the room blue, changed the position of the bed, and got a new and bigger desk. I put an Ikea dresser that was in the attic in the room for storage of craft type things.

Now to see the room cleaned out an empty! I had a lot of stuff in the large closet, it took a lot of work to clean out this room and find a new home for everything. The bed went to my parents house, the rest went up to the now shared office space on the 3rd floor, that also went though a lot of redecorating. I did a post a while back when the new carpet went in, I will have to do a tour of that space as soon at it is finished, which it almost is, just a few more details and it will be wrapped up.

Now finally what you have been waiting for the video tour of the room as it is today! I forgot to point out in my video the great carpet squares we bought, it looks almost like wall to wall carpet, but you can just pick up the 20"x 20" carpet square if something gets spilled on them and bring it right to the sink to clean, then let it dry and use a few new sticker dots to put it back in place! We ordered them from Flor, we picked out "sweet dreams" in carmel.

37 Weeks - Full Term!

Baby Boy is fully cooked! I can't believe that after counting down his arrival in months, we now are counting weeks! He could decided to make his appearance any day in the next 3-4 weeks! Greg is of the opinion he will come early now, I am still planning in my head for him being over due. I admit I am getting frustrated that the simplest of thing have become so difficult. I can't do much, and I hate seeing things around the house that I should be able to clean, but just can't reach. Greg does so much already I am not going to make him scrub some spot on the carpet just because it is driving me nuts. As I type Greg is working hard on some house projects, mostly working on trim work on the 3rd floor window, and in the new hallway between the baby's room and our bed room. We got a lot of work done a few months ago, then we got busy and some finishing projects got put on the back burner. Good thing we (aka Greg) got so much of the hard work done long ago before it got so darn HOT, he is not enjoying working so hard this weekend with the heat and humidity.

On Friday work had a baby shower for me and another woman who is about a month behind me. I knew it was coming, and was glad that I had someone to share the spotlight with. Greg came in with me, the whole company got hot breakfast served, and they presented us with big baskets full of clothes, blankets, stuffed animals and more. I am so lucky to work at such a great company! After I emptied out the basket to wash all the clothes, etc I put it on top of the changing table. We had the door open and were letting the cats explore the room a bit, when I came in later in the day to find that Maverick found the basket, and decided it was a great place for a cat nap!

The Mosses Basket

A few of the things that came in the basket

Maverick likes the basket

37 Weeks! Getting big!

As promised later today I will do a post of the baby's room, with video!

36 Weeks!

Or if you want to get real technical today is 36 weeks, and 5 days. We had our weekly apt yesterday afternoon, this week I saw the midwife, same one we saw our very first apt back in February, since my OB is on vacation this week. Nancy is great, and it now I know for sure that next baby we are going to see one of the midwifes vs. the OB for our check-ups. My OB is great, but I think I bore her with my average, normal pregnancy, and I feel a bit rushed each appointment, and really with such a great pregnancy I would like to work with someone who is a little more on the warm and fuzzy side, and all the midwifes I have talked to/worked with at the practice give me that warm and fuzzy feeling. Nancy was happy with my "sample", as she could plainly see I have been keeping myself well hydrated in all this heat. I have gained 1 pound since last week (right on target), she did not say out loud my BP only that it was good. Baby's heat beat sound nice and strong at ~155 bpm. She tested me for Group B Strep, which if I test positive for means I will need to have antibiotics (via IV) when I do go into labor. So let’s hope that comes back negative! She said the baby's head is down nice a low too. I think he has been for some time as whenever he gets the hic-ups I feel them down low.

Come this Friday when we hit 37 weeks Baby Boy C. is considered FULL TERM! Yes after Friday he is welcome to make his entrance any day now! I won’t get my hopes up for an early baby. I am going to go with the mindset that he won’t come till he is overdue at 41 weeks and that way if he does come early it will be a pleasant surprise. We have everything we need for his arrival, except we have not packed bags to be ready to go to the hospital yet. Greg seams more concerned about this than I, as I figure we live only a few miles from the hospital, he or anyone else in my family can gather up anything we forgot or find we need and bring it over to us.

This weekend I promise we will have photos up of the nursery, maybe even a before and after video tour. Here is the latest belly shot for your enjoyment. Oh and one of Greg and I at a wedding that we attended in CT this past weekend. I am not sure when we will have the photos from our photo shot at Lynch Park, but when they come in we will be sure to post our favorites.

Baby C.'s Coming Home Outfit

At our baby shower my Mom presented me with the knitted sweater, booties, and hat that my Grandmother (Mimi) had knitted for me. It was the outfit I wore home from the hospital on May 7, 1978. Since in 1978 ultrasounds were not commonly used, it was unknown if I was to be a boy or a girl, so my Mimi used yellow and white yarn to knit my outfit. Now Baby Boy C. will wear the same outfit home from the hospital that I did! Yes he will look a little gender neutral, but we don't care, I am excited to have something so special for him to wear.

Here is the sweater set today:

And here is what I looked like wearing it back in 1978! Not the clearest photos, they are Polaroids and 31 years old: click on the photos to make it bigger and easier to see.

35 Weeks!

We made it to 35 weeks! Only 5-6 more weeks (or less) to go! We are now going to the OB every week until D-Day! Yesterday's appointment was still a whole lot more of the same: blood pressure was 124/76, sugar and protein levels are fine, and I have now gained 23 pounds.

So let’s talk about what I don't like about being 35 weeks pregnant in August: SWELLING! My feet have been swollen for some time now, and it is rather painful to stand for long periods of time or sit in a chair to too long as well. I almost lost it during a breastfeeding class we took at the hospital last week, it stated at 6:30 and ran till 8:30, my feet were killing me so bad I wanted to just get up and walk out of the room, but rather than be rude, and in the hopes of learning something we stuck it out. However my 2 cents, that class could have been an hour long and gotten all that info to us in half the time. Then just late last week the swelling moved to my hands in a big way, they were swollen enough already that I had to take my rings off a few weeks ago, but now carpel tunnel has set in on my left hand with a vengeance. I wake up and it takes me a few tries to be able to make a fist. I knew I needed to get a brace, but waited till after my check-up yesterday to do so. OB agreed, and told me to head over to CVS and pick one up. I will say that after just one night of sleeping with the brace I do see some improvement.
So here are some photos of my ugly swollen feet (complete with flip flop marks, they hardly fit) do note that at least my toes look nice (pedicures are a must for me in the summer), and my lovely over night wrist brace:

Sorry for all the complaining, when it does come right down to it, I would put up with all this and so much more for our little guy. I can't believe we are finally in the home stretch and will get to meet him soon! His nursery (photo to come soon) is just about done (just decorating to finish), and we have everything we need for when he gets here. Greg and I talk about it a lot the excitement of getting to meet him, and how we wish it was sooner. I think once we hit that 38 week mark I am going to do all the things they say can get labor started: lots of walks, spicy food, etc. Strange thing is I am not worried/scared about labor, see I know it is going to hurt, so what is the use of worrying about it now? Greg is ready to help me the best he can, and I will do what I can to manage the pain, its not going to be fun, but we get a BABY when it is all over!

Here are the latest belly photos:

34 Weeks

35 Weeks

On Friday afternoon Greg and I are meeting with a photographer to take some photos of the two of us and the belly! He is a friend of Tom's from college and just getting started out, so he gave us a great price! We are going to have them done at Lynch Park just like we did with our engagement photos. I can't wait to share them with you all.

Week 33 Check Up & Belly Casting

We had our bi-weekly check up today, and as always everything is great. I only gained 1 lb these past two weeks, blood pressure is good (120/47 I think), baby's heart beat was around 123-130 bpm. We had a few questions to ask this visit: I have concert tickets and Greg wanted me to check that it was OK to go, OB say yes. I asked her how long she would let me go before she would want to induce labor if all signs are still showing healthy baby and Mom, she said 1-1.5 weeks (I sure hope we can get things stated naturally and won't need any medical intervention). We also heard that the hospital is now letting patients have a self-medicating epidurals (meaning I would have a push button to up the baseline level of medication when I see fit, you can't over medicate the machine won't let you), and the answer was yes again. We were told studies find that when woman can self medicate, they tend to use less medication than if just given the highest dosage possible, and Greg and I agree the more control we have, the better. Then my last question was when for baby boys they preform a circumcision, she said they do this the day after the baby is born, and neither Mom or Dad are present for the quick procedure. Poor little dude, as if being born was not traumatic enough for him we are going to send him off the next day alone with the nurse, to well... I don't need to spell this out for you.

Anywho on to a more fun topic. Last night I had my belly casted in plaster! Our friend Carla is a newly trained Doula (don't know what a Doula is - click here), and she was looking for someone to try this out on, so it can be something she can offer future clients on top of her superior services and a birth Doula. Greg and I made the decision after much discussion to give this birth thing a shot on our own, but if you are someone who may be interested in having a Doula help you though the process of giving birth (especially if you hope to go completely natural - aka no pain medication) we both highly recommend her! She is very knowledgeable, open minded, and enthusiastic about all things related to the birth of babies. Greg and were picking her brain the whole time she was with us, she is going to have to start charging to visit pregnant friends, rather than bringing them ice cream :-) I look forward to seeing the final product, but we though it best to let Carla keep the cast so she has a visual to show new clients. Here is a funny photo of me mid-cast for your enjoyment.

And what would be a post without belly photos from the last few weeks:

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

My Super Talented Mom!

I knew that as soon as my Mom found she was going to be a grandmother back in January she got right down to knitting some special things for baby boy C. My Dad and brothers were all sworn under the punishment of the wrath of Mom to not to let Greg or I know what she was working on until the baby shower. Just as I expected the last gift we opened at the shower was a basket of homemade goodies by Mom. Well I hope everyone else in the room was just as amazed by the results! On top of two blankets, and three very cute sweater sets, there was a knitted hat and booties that will be his first Halloween costume to make him look like a pumpkin, and a huge assortment of stuffed animals that will be his first toys! I think my brother put the work that went into all these gifts in his description of a typical night at home with Mom best: "Every night Mom would sit down, listen to the Red Sox game on the TV, and would knit with the speed, and efficiency of a Chinese sweat shop worker!"

Then there was one last very special gift, my Mom presented me with the yellow sweater, hat, and booties that my Mimi had made for me (her 1st grandchild) and I had worn home from the hospital. Now my Mom's first grandchild will also wear it home from the hospital! I will scan the photos for this post that my Mom gave me of myself in the outfit getting ready to head home as soon as Greg reconnects the printer/scanner.

Here are the close up photos of Mom's hard work (not sure why some photos are not turned right, I fixed them before I upload them):

Big Blanket

smaller cotton blanket

Santa hat for ChristmasPumpkin Halloween costumeSweater set oneSweater set twoSweater set 3The Fish
The OctopusThe DuckThe Black CatThe Siamese CatThe Bunny BlanketThe MouseThe BunnyThe SheepThe CaterpillarThe Puppy