Off Bed Rest!!!!!

Well, it is official! I am now 35 weeks, which means that Darren will most likely not spend any time in the NICU when he is born. With contractions, I can't decide if I should lay down and take it easy ..... or if I should start doing jumping jacks. I think I'll hold off on the jumping jacks until week 37. That just seems a little bit safer yet. As of Friday I have been taken off bed rest - though after 94 days of bed rest my muscles are so dilapidated that I still can't do much. But I have managed to do some fun new things with my new found freedom.

I have started to seek out time with some of the people I have missed most! This morning I had breakfast with Emily Twarog, and I could not believe how wonderful it was to see her after so long. There are few things nicer than having coffee and a muffin with a friend you haven't gotten to spend time with in months. And I was really relieved that visiting with her was both comfortable and comforting.

I also started a few new projects .... one of which is a Tennessee Waltz quilt. I'll post pictures soon. But it is coming along nicely. The stars look so simple, and yet, I am still really trying to get all of my points to match, while keeping the blocks true and flat ..... much easier said than done. So far, I am pleased with the outcome.

Then, my neighbor, Deb, inspired me to make a braided rug. It is something I have attempted in the past but haven't ever finished - most likely because I didn't feel like taking the time to deal with the finding, cutting and folding of fabric which is required to keep it neat. But then I decided to make one out of wool roving that I had laying around. Raw edge problem solved! I braided up about 45 yards of roving rope, felted it and started sewing it together today. What a luxurious feeling to have a thick felted rug under your feet! I should have it sewn by tomorrow. This rug is small and will go next to my bed so that my feet won't freeze anymore when I wake up. It is a test rug, to see how it holds up and wears over time. If I like it, I'd like to make a natural colored area rug for my bedroom once the addition is finished. Pictures of this project will also be posted soon too.

And lastly, today I spent a little time bird watching. For the first time, I got to see an entire flock of bohemian waxwings up close out of my dinning room window. The flock was about 75 to 100 birds and they would perch all together in the top of a tall poplar at the edge of the yard and then swoop down to feast on the rotten apples in our tree. Unlike cedar waxwings, bohemian waxwings have rust colored feathers under their tails and the very tips of their tails have a brilliant yellow stripe. I was fortunate not to have my camera at hand - fortunate because I tend to miss just watching when I try to photograph and I wouldn't have wanted to miss the experience of just enjoying them. But here is a picture of what they look like, taken by a birdwatcher in Alberta. His blog is "For the Birds" and it is worth checking out if you are interested in fowl. They are delightful to watch and I hope you get to see some, if you haven't ever before.

But now it is 8:30 and my day was filled with such physical activity that I have been in bed for an hour. And I am ready for sleep. Here's to you Darren! Keep growing. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz