evolution

I realized this morning, while writing an email to a friend, that my life has changed dramatically in the 6 years (!!) since I've arrived in Philadelphia. When I got here I was a new graduate living in a strange country starting a brand new job. I had no friends and no family close by. Thankfully I had an internet connection at work, otherwise I may have gone nuts -- because I certainly didn't have a phone in my apartment (the phone company was on strike when I arrived. sigh). Well, at least I was lucky to find an apartment building where they didn't care that I had no credit history in the U.S.A. In a desperate attempt to find friends, I joined a gym; I joined a cycle club; I joined a hiking club; I joined a choir. A year later, I moved to center city. I had made some friends. 8 months later I met Richard. 7 months later Richard bought a house and we moved to West Philly. ... and, now, here I am. Living and working in West Philly. I have a great circle of friends; a job I love; a house I love even more; a child (!); a dog; a husband (no order of importance there). So, what about the aforementioned email made me think of this? Because, while at the park (aka my second home) I got this friend's email address by digging through Maja's diaper bag for a CLEAN napkin (i.e. one that I didn't use to wipe her snotty nose or drooly mouth or muddy hands) for her to write on. Six years ago this type of exchange might have happened on a cocktail napkin with a guy in a bar. Cheers.

hi beautiful

am I too modest? do I not wax poetic often engouh on just how beautiful Maja is? is it my upbringing? am I naturally shy or loathe to draw attention to it? or do I just expect that everyone already knows how cute she is and I don't have to tell you? or, have I just heard it so often that I've become immune? Well for the record: my daughter is THE cutest, THE prettiest, and THE smartest 17.5 month-old in the whole entire universe. Now, you may argue that I'm biased, because afterall she is my daughter -- fruit of my labour -- but, I can assure you, despite that fact, she is _still_ THE cutest, THE prettiest, and THE smartest 17.5 month-old in the whole entire universe. So there. Maja gives the best hugs. Total love -- she throws her arms around your neck and snuggles in for a total hug. And she gives the best kisses -- cute little smacks on your cheek. She totally loves her daddy and asks for him constantly these days! If we're upstairs and she hears a noise downstairs, she'll go running over to [the gate at the top of] the stairs point and yell down: Daddy?!? Daddy?!? Now, who could resist that kind of cuteness? Maybe Richard and I should try for another... ha ha. Afterall, we did pretty well with #1 so far.

one baby has arrived!

Congrats to Trish and Dan are in order as they welcomed Eloise Michaela to the world yesterday at 2.53pm! She weighed in at 8lbs 13 oz. and 20" long. I'd post a picture, but I want to get permission from her parents (!!!!HEH!!!!) first. UPDATE: here's a link to Eloise on flickr. 2.53pm. Such a _civil_ time to have a baby. One always thinks they need to arrive in the middle of the night... In the blink of an eye you become a parent, a mom or a dad. It sets you on a course to possibly become a grandparent. You are the centre of this child's world. You will be kissing boo-boo's and giving snuggles and receiving hugs and kisses sooner than you think. I'm excited that this evening Richard and I will go visit and meet Eloise. What a treat, to see (and maybe hold?) a 1-day old baby. I imagine it will be a shock to remember how tiny a newborn is. --------- I'm thinking back, of course, to the day Maja came into this world. Such a tiny, cute little button. And she did arrive in the middle of the night, at 12.57am. Then I spent 4 hrs in the delivery room afterwards waiting for the anethesia to wear off so I could walk again. Maja wasn't with me for most of that time... Richard and my mom sat on the couch in the room freezing... what did we talk about? I can't remember. I DO remember trying to shake life back into my legs and I DO remember the nurse trying to get me to go to the bathroom (it didn't work). At 5am they wheeled me up to the maternity ward and then I was allowed to sleep until 6am. Then they brought a CHILD in to my room and told me I had to take care of it -- she was hungry. HUH? No, you're mistaken. And what is that crying noise? Maja as a newborn:

i can't concentrate

hello. yes. hello. I cannot concentrate on anything these days. Too much **stuff** going on. Too many things **about to happen**. Too many things for me to focus on. 1. impending births. Sept 30 (hi Trish & Dan); Nov. 20 (hi Jessica & Mathieu!) 2. starting up again with choir -- can I still sing? laaaa laaa laaaaaaa 3. knitting. yummy yarn wound into skeins... skeins still to be wound... patterns burning a hole in my brain... WHEN do I have the time? 4. upcoming trip to Arizona. will Maja be wacked out by the time change? yes. will she sleep in the hotel rooms? no. will she enjoy having her own seat on the airplane? who knows. 5. family dinner on Oct. 8 for my Cdn. Thanksgiving. must buy a turkey.

Happy Birthday wishes Annette!

and a shout-out to my sister, Annette, who celebrates her birthday today! Have a good one. Hope you survived my 6:45am singing of Happy Birthday. Love, Katia

Jiminey Cricket!

Ahh, beware the mighty Cricket Hunter. He smiles... but is adept at cricket capture... entering the dark basement in the dead of night (well, it was 9pm), and capturing not one, but TWO chirping crickets. Stealthily, armed with a water bottle and a piece of cardboard, he stalks the chirpers who have made our basement their temporary home... those critters are LOUD! **No crickets were harmed during this process. All captured crickets were released into the wilds of West Philly.**

4 kids on a bench

4 kids on a bench, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

Maja (17 mo.) and friends -- Jesse (13 mo.), Phoebe (11 mo.), Maizy (19 mo.)!

advent of fall

smore sock 003, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

What is it about the change of seasons? The anticipation of a new season is exciting. After months of sweltering heat and wilting sunshine I look forward to a crisp cool morning (do I have to wear a sweater?!?), a refreshing breeze which carries a hint of rain (an umbrella?!?), a change in colour. The light is softer, the leaves are bright yellows, oranges, and reds, greens seem deeper ...

Fall is a time for new beginnings -- start of school, a fresh wardrobe (or the unearthing of last years wardrobe), once a time for a new student apartment with new surroundings in a new city. I think I still miss that. I sat outside yesterday during my lunch break, watched the students mill about and wound a skein of yarn into a ball to start a new sock. The colours fit the day -- browns, whites, grey.

It's the anticipation. Will the winter be calm? Will it snow? Will my house be cozy or drafty? Will Maja like the snow? Are we going to carve pumpkins for Hallowe'en? Bake apple pie? Where to put the Christmas tree? Am I ever going to finish those Christmas stockings I started LAST year?

time will tell.

Buddy!

Buddy!, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

Here we have Hope, her dog Buddy, and Maja who is trying to feed Buddy her cracker that she got from Hope. I guess what goes around comes around. Buddy didn't eat the cracker.

It was a BEAUTIFUL fall day yesterday. Sun. Hot. Leaves are starting to fall. Mosquitoes were still biting.

Maja's been quite funny this past week with her insistence on playing Ring-around-the-rosy. She'll grab anybody around to dance in a circle with her -- and she always "falls down" early at the Ashes! Ashes! line.

Here's an excerpt from www.rhymes.org.uk about the rhyme:

"The words to the Ring around the rosy children's ring game have their origin in English history . The historical period dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665 (bubonic plague) or even before when the first outbreak of the Plague hit England in the 1300's. The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy). Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs ( or posies) which were carried due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells. The term "Ashes Ashes" refers to the cremation of the dead bodies! The death rate was over 60% and the plague was only halted by the Great Fire of London in 1666 which killed the rats which carried the disease which was transmitting via water sources. The English version of "Ring around the rosy" replaces Ashes with (A-tishoo, A-tishoo) as violent sneezing was another symptom of the disease. "

family

Sunday was a good day! Really. Maja and I spent the morning at the park, playing with a lot of her friends. Home for lunch... and then she actually napped and it wasn't sabotaged. ahhhh. During her nap I was able to finish the 1st of the Phlox Socks for my mom (hi mom!) and then organized Richard's tshirt and sweater shelf in the bedroom. This made me feel much better because the chaos and mess was annoying me. Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE our new house? It's so easy to keep clean and tidy. What a relief. We had short-notice visitors over last night (hi Catherine & Carey!) and the house was in presentable shape -- not a lot of clutter. Post nappage we went for a leisurely walk along the Schuylkill River Trail. This is a beautiful place to walk -- what a change from a few years ago when it was urban blight along the waterfront. I love going over to the Water Works, and now there's a fancy new restaurant there too. Definitely have to try it out for dinner sometime.

random

1. I'm sick with a cold. sniff. 2. it's raining outside. sniff sniff. 3. stitchmarkers! from the talented Wendy at Knit and the City. 4. gift yarn! from the wonderful Amey who travelled to New Zealand (!!) and brought this back for me. It's destined for a lacey scarf, I believe. Thanks Amey! 5. the car is in the shop again so that they can determine where it's leaking from (hello? the sunroof. I've already determined that. Perhaps elsewhere too. just fix it). 6. today is Omi & Papa's last day. sniff sniff sniff. tomorrow they fly back to the homeland. I truely believe that Maja had a great time with them -- and they with her. I'm so happy that they took the time to come and visit. 7. aforementioned cold is keeping me out of the pool. 8. Maja woke up at 5am today -- screaming. Then proceeded to a slow cry-filled babble interspersed with 'mama, mama...'. You can't ignore that -- even if you turn down the monitor. And hello, it's 5am. It's dark and raining. When I went upstairs to get her she was sitting in the corner of her crib crying. Poor thing. This morphed into another fussy morning with a full-blown screaming fit at breakfast. 9. I'm hungry. I forgot to pack a lunch or any food for that matter! Not even a banana. duh. 10. tomorrow Maja will be 17 months old. yikes.

YEA!!!!

smoking ban

Striecks do Washington

Striecks do Washington, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

Richard took Omi & Papa to Washington for the day yesterday. They did a quick driving tour of the highlights (waved hi to Georgie?), inadvertently ended up in Virginia (oops), went to the Air and Space Museum and to the National Gallery.

----

I'm cranky and sick. It's grey and rainy outside which matches my mood. Had a dentist appt. this morning for a cleaning (fun fun fun) and am now finally at work, having my coffee.

Maja was clingly this morning and when I left the house she was in Omi's arms crying "mama! mama!". I hate leaving her at home/school when she's crying like that. Well, maybe she'll cheer up when Omi takes her to the library this morning, and she gets to wear her new yellow rubber boots (a gift from Omi & Papa)!!!

what do you get...

when you have: 3 Striecks 1 King a sleeping baby some free time upcoming final for the US Open a drill equipped with a masonry bit a dog who thinks the drill needs to die and 1 water balloon? Add it all up: FREE cable t.v. woohoo! I think this is a Philly phenomenon, or maybe I'm just lucky, but this is the third place I've lived where I've gotten free basic cable. And what the heck does the water balloon have to do with free cable? Well, the whole process involved leaning out a second floor window and threading a cable through the brick wall of the house... and of course there was Strieck the elder and the King down below... and some balloons in the kitchen... and it was so tempting! I didn't actually drop it on their heads (as much as I wanted to) -- I was laughing too hard and they looked up, so the element of surprise was gone. I still dropped it, but they moved to the side first. That's ok, I still have lots of balloons...

with Massa

On Sunday morning we went to the zoo with Omi & Papa. Maja enjoyed showing them the hippos, turtles, elephants, and the lions. Unfortunately, because it was so warm, most of the animals were having a mid-morning snooze. Here we have Papa and Maja posing with Massa, the gorilla. Maja was highly concerned when she first lay eyes on the sculpture because she wasn't sure if it was alive or not. I convinced her it wasn't, and then she was happy to say 'hi' to Massa. Of course, we had to go see the ducks -- because Maja loves the ducks.

exiting the pool

Saturday we went to the pool for the last swim of the 2006 summer season. It was a beautifully warm afternoon, the water was perfect and it was quiet. Here, Maja demonstrates her pool exiting strategy: Maja also showed Omi how she can blow bubbles and is not afraid of the 'big' pool! It's amazing to note the difference in Maja between June and September. When we first went to the pool at the beginning of the summer she was reluctant to go in the water and kept falling over in the pool -- she needed a ring float to keep her stable. By the end of the summer she didn't need the pool float and had no problems getting in or out of the water. She even wanted to abolish the float when she was in the big pool (impossible, though, because the girl can't swim yet!!!) -- she's an independent child.

3 little monkeys

Maja, Vladimir, and Maizy sharing a cookie on Friday afternoon. It's funny how children will flock for food. Omi and Papa arrived today!

phlox sock

phlox sock, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

Socks for my mom! I started them ages ago, but then had to frog back to the top of the toe because I didn't like the pattern I had chosen. This one, however, seems to be working better. The yarn is the Phlox colourway of Esprit Print from elann.com -- 98.3% cotton, 1.7% elastic.

My mom & dad are arriving tomorrow for a week-long visit so they can hang out with Maja. Maybe I'll get some knitting time during the evenings??? ha ha

Sunday yard Sept 3

Sept 3 002, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

Yeah, I know it's Wednesday, but bear with me here. So, post-Ernesto downpours on Saturday, this is what we were presented with on Sunday: sunshine!

Re Ernesto: our basement did NOT flood. The sump pump remains in it's sealed box. phew. Maja and I spent Saturday morning at the Please Touch museum -- thank goodness for indoor activities on rainy Saturdays!!! I iterate my feelings from before: rainy Saturdays should be illegal. All you parents out there can empathize with me, no?

Of course, then, on Sunday the playground was packed! woohoo.

polysyllabic poetry

Freeform Ode to Trellis Lace in all your gloriousness you are shimmery and demure in your undefinable sombre caliginous hue you caused me a voluminous magnitude of anguish, with your lubriciousness and threadlike qualities the elusiveness of your pulchritude requiring an appreciation beyond what mere mortals can propound perseverence, persistence lachrymose hours of solitude you germinate out of a single thread and become a singular object of unspeakable artistry

bear claw

bear claw, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

This weekend was a good knitting weekend. I finished the first square and started the second square (there are 9 total) of the bear claw blanket. It's slooooow going -- but I am enjoying knitting it. By the end of Monday evening I finished the other 3 yellow sections on the piece on the left.

Front:

Back (with ends tucked!):

Sunday in the park!

Sept 3 008, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

This has to be one of Maja's favourite park toys -- Vladimir's car. Note, please, that Vladimir is not in or near the car because he couldn't care less about it once he's at the playground. The girls, however, LOVE the car. Maja prefers to ride, but if she loses her seat to Maizy then she will push. And, amazingly enough, she CAN push the car -- even if she can barely reach the handle. The playground has an unofficial, unspoken agreement: if you bring a toy to the park, it will be shared. Whether your child likes it or not. So, occasionally there are fights over toys -- especially the toy baby strollers, and, as was the case on Monday, the busy bee (a pull toy where the wings flapped and turned). It's a hard lesson, learning how to share and take turns.

trellis lace

trellis lace, originally uploaded by freeformkatia.

I cast off. woo-hoo. Does the photo say it all? I'm waiting for [the remains of Hurricane] Ernesto. It's blustery outside... rain is on the horizon. Lots of it. The scarf is grey; the light is grey; my cubicle walls are grey. The umbrella peeks onto the scene. This weekend I will block out the scarf. I am hoping it will be beautiful. I am hoping I will like it. --- This evening, after the rains have arrived, Richard and Maja will pick me up from work and we will head to Home De[s]pot to purchase a "Floor sucker" sump pump. Why is this exciting?? All I really feel like doing is crawling into bed with a book and a cuppa. Perhaps dozing the afternoon away. I know *someone* is doing that today... but then, she's busy housing a baby (hi Tricia!). I envy that on all fronts.