Finished and then...not - Yarn Along

This week I finished my Sunday sweater for Lyddie but I had shortened the body of the sweater since she's such a shorty and following recommended pattern sizes usually end up swimming on her but in the end I decided I wanted it it longer after all.  Sooooo I am in the process of tinking the hem (just six rows, I'm halfway through) and then will add a couple more inches to the body.  I am trying to gauge how much length I can add based on how much yarn I have left - hopefully at least enough for one more inch but if not I will have to call my LYS to see if she has another skein.  I think it's a lovely sweater and it really gives me immense pleasure to watch it come together.  I also popped out another quick dishcloth while trying to decide whether I was going to undo the bind-off and add length.

I'm a little behind this morning because I had an early morning follow up doctor's appointment regarding my blood pressure.  Last month we decreased my dose of medication by half in hopes to taper off and that's been going swell; it was encouraging to hear the words "not one of these blood pressures from home would fall into the hypertension category"! Praise God!  I did have a few moderate numbers, maybe related to my body still adjusting down to the current dose, so I am going to stay on the medication at this dose for another month and keep monitoring it with the idea that if things continue looking good we will taper down further experimentally. At this point we're basically trying to determine if the hypertension was pregnancy induced or if I have an underlying hypertension.  I am feeling peaceful about the direction of this doctor and like his "take it slow and monitor" decisions.  

Our whole family has rotated through an illness this week and I think are finally through with the bug.  Happily, Rosemary didn't come down with it but poor Jesse was laid out for three days with a fever and yesterday just finally started feeling a little better.  Whew... This week has been a doozy!  We are leaving on a much needed family getaway next Monday and we will hopefully get some version of rest ("family getaway" does NOT mean vacation and relaxation, as all mothers know).

I am still reading On the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson and enjoying it. I started reading The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo and am again struck by the amazing beauty of her writing, her symbolism, her stories and her incredible characters. So. GOOD.

Look at this drool trail! While we were all sick, Rosemary decided to start really working on her teething.  She is just a little bit more fussy than usual and her naps are shorter than usual, which could also be just her getting a little older. Poor little lovey; she is of course most uncomfortable starting right when I head into the kitchen to start making dinner all the way through to bedtime. 

At any rate, I'm feeling overwhelmed with life right now; there's nothing like the constant touching and pressing needs of three young ones to make a momma feel just a little overstimulated and stressed.  I feel like I hardly turn from one task and am faced with another slightly overwhelming task.  I guess everyone feels like this sometimes but on just a few hours of sleep at night, it can be hard to keep perspective.  Knitting helps me do that by giving me something to do that I just plain enjoy and there is no real stress, pressure, or timeline on it.  I am hoping adding consistent exercise into my routine will help as well.  

Joining up with Ginny for her Yarn Along!  Can't wait to get a chance (maybe during naptime?) to pop around and see what everyone else is working on!