How in the world...

do you go an entire month without blogging a single thing? Apparently it's easier than imagined, or else I'm a total lame-o blogger. Either is a possibility, but I'd like to think that I've just been so busy that I haven't had time for anything but the essentials around here.

So, in no particular order, here are some of the things that have kept me away from my beloved blogging.

Laura and Doug and baby Sebastian (really, he's not a baby at all- more of an adorably cheeky toddler) drove all the way from Pennsylvania (yeah, I know- they're hardcore like that!) to spend some time in the Florida heat and sun. The last time we got to spend any amount of time together was back in May of '06. Back when J was just a toddler himself and we traveled up there for Fairy Festival and just some good relaxation time.

I've not been nearly as good a host as they were to us, but I've really enjoyed the time we've been able to spend together. We played on the beach a little,



stayed up late drinking coffee, and Laura and I even managed to take in a pretty sorry excuse for an Annie Leibovitz display at the local museum. We both agreed that there was room for a lot of improvement. Sure, the photography was stunning, but the little blurbs with each picture left you with a lot of questions. What was the reason for this photo, the inspiration? Who commissioned the piece? What was the occasion? Etc. Still, it was a nice way to spend an hour or so on a Wednesday afternoon.

On the other end of the spectrum, my sister and nephew, who have been living here for a little more than a year, have finally moved to an apartment of their own. While I'm really enjoying having my house back to myself, and I'm sure they're enjoying having a space of their own, too. It's sure is quiet. Quiet is good, but it's still an adjustment for us. Jonas asks me every night when Steven will be home. *sigh* Change has never been J's friend.

In my not so busy time, I've done a lot of crochet and knitting. I don't have a lot to show for it, but you'll just have to trust me. I did finish up Granny's sweater, version 2.0.



This one is sure to fit her, and is a lovely shade of green that I was afraid would look too much like bad '70s appliances, but it's grown on me, and I really do think I like it now that it's done. I've got some crappy pictures of it. It's hard to take pictures of yourself modeling a sweater! Especially while simultaneously spending time on hold with an electrician because you've found out that all the wiring in your house (among other things) is buggy and done half-assed! But that's a story for another day, isn't it?

I've also completed a baby sweater in a lovely purple wool and silk blend. I'm not sure who it's for yet, but there are lots of babies on the way around here. Almost everyone I know is knocked up, so it'll find a home soon enough.

There has been some spinning going on, too. I've been wanting to learn to spin long-draw, and so I spent some time on you-tube watching how-to videos before finally breaking in to my lovely box of alpaca that Amanda sent me for my birthday. Truly, it's the most delicious stuff ever! Starting out, I was pretty uneven and lumpy, but after a few false starts and some practice, long draw seems to be my method of choice for spinning. I love watching the fibers magically draft themselves out into a nice length of single right before my eyes. I'm working on my second bobbin full of this now, and then will decide how I want to ply it. Isn't it gorgeous?


And, to round things out nicely, I've started a sweater just for myself. I almost never make anything for myself, so I'm really looking forward to this one. Knitting friends, stay with me-- it's a crocheted sweater. I know! But it's so much faster, and I really love this one! It's the Genevieve pattern from Inner Child Crochet. It's really lovely, and coming along pretty quick for as little attention as I've given it. I'd like to have it done in time to wear while we're in Tennessee in April, assuming that it'll still be cool enough to do so then. We'll see!

Tennessee. Yes. We are going on a vacation. It's the first time that all three of us will be going on vacation together in ages, and we're really looking forward to it. Of course, J's bursting at the seams at the idea of being able to see ALL of his grandparents in one trip. Let the spoilage begin! (As if he's not spoiled enough at home, right?!)

And finally, to round this whole "what have I done in the past month" post out, I took J to be evaluated by Child Find today for both his speech and his motor skills. The lady that evaluated him was absolutely fabulous. Jonas loved her from the start, and she made every one of his tasks seem like a game. He played along willingly for the entire hour, and the results were pretty much where I expected them to be. As far as his speech goes, he's pretty much right where he should be. Cognitively, he's operating at the level of 6 years, 7 months, which also comes as no surprise. He amazes me with his intelligence and his reasoning on a daily basis. The part that really shocked me was getting a number to put alongside his motor deficits. After doing several different tests, he scored at the level of 2 years, 11 months. I guess I sort of knew that, but he seems to have improved so much over the last year that I sort of hoped that he'd be closer to age-appropriate by now.

We'll have a followup test in about a month with the OT department, and then he'll get started with weekly sessions after that. We may not get much done before this school year ends, but it'll carry over into kindergarten, too.

I was given a stack of paperwork with suggestions on how to get started at home with some of the stuff that he needs work on. The one thing that she pointed out to me that I'd never really noticed is that he doesn't cross over mid-line, which is a fundamental to things like reading and letter recognition. So, we'll start with some exercises that encourage that, and go from there.

And that's a month in a nutshell. I promise I'll try and be a better blogger from here on out.