One week down, two more to go. Isobel has been really well behaved with Andy away, and I've been able to really get her dinner and bedtime schedules fairly stable now. Dinner is around 6.30pm, and bedtime is around 7.30pm, but there's still a bit of variation - depending on what time she woke up that morning, and how long she's napped during the day. Thankfully both naps are still around 2hrs each, so I've got a bit of time to get things done around the house ... and catch my breath!

I caught up with a few of the other wives for Latte this week, for the first time in a couple of months. I've had to miss a couple while the Mustang has been off the road, as Andy has had the Durango for work. We had lunch in the Nordstrom Cafe down at Southcenter, and Isobel was a bit fragile to begin with - lots of unfamiliar noise and faces, lots of talking and laughing ... very different to her usual environment at home with only me to talk to! She did perk up after a while, and a bit of food - I brough some baby food for her, which she polished off in between crying fits. Then she started eyeing off my panini ... so we don't seem to be having any problems wiht her refusing food yet!

I dropped the Durango in for an oil change on Thursday, and was lucky enough to catch a shuttle bus home so we didn't have to wait at the dealer. Apart from a few cosmetic squeaks, all appears to be well for the time being ... * touch wood * !! At least I had some change from $40 this time .

When we arrived home after the car service, there was a bit of shade in the backyard - so I unpacked the picnic rug and took Isobel outside to play. She showed no interest in the toys on the rug, but headed straight for the edge as soon as I put her down ... the grass beyond was much more interesting! Her dexterity is improving, but she's still grabbing handfuls rather than individual blades of grass at this stage. She appeared to have great fun, babbling and squealing happily until the wind cooled and we came back inside again.

I had another netball game on Saturday, and I was scheduled for the second game - that meant I could let Isobel get her first nap in without having to wake her up prematurely. The club was running a second open day at Marymoor Park, so by the time we arrived the first game was running a little late - and I was asked to fill in on the spot for one team who was a person down. Isobel was quite content sitting in her stroller on the sidelines, munching on a rusk and watching the world go by - such a contrast from last week at Ballard! Still, this week she was outside, she'd had a proper sleep, and was a bit further away from the court so it wasn't quite so noisy (or echo-y like the gym last week!). I was having one of my better games, finding gaps and getting a few intercepts ... and being fresh on the court when everyone else had already played two quarters probably helped!

The game I was originally scheduled to play ended up as five-a-side, with several players off injured, or on duty for the open day. It ended rather quickly after Sue and I collided - we both ended up in the same space, she stepped on my foot and rolled her ankle rather badly ... so the umpire called it a day and we medevac'd Sue to the sidelines. Hopefully it's not too bad, I felt terrible as Sue and I worked very closely together on a number of issues during the 18 months I was on the project.

I've also done a lot of blocking this week, after receiving both my sock blocking forms and my interlocking foam squares in the mail. I am very pleased with my Monkey socks, both the pattern and the colours - although net time I might go down a needle size as they've stretched a little more than I expected. Not sure if they'll bounce back with each washing, I guess I'll find out! Andy's blue bloke-y socks are also finished, but next time I'll measure his foot before he plays a cricket game - I thought they were fitting well, only to find out later that his foot was swollen at the time and the socks are now too big . I might have some luck felting them slightly, the yarn isn't marked as 'superwash' so they might respond to some hot water and hand agitation.

I've also got a couple of charity baby blankets for the crochet guild that need squaring up, plus my Argosy scarf that kept me awake during the Easter road trip to Whistler and back. Then there's the bargello afghan, which is bigger thant he double bed in our spare room ... I might need another box of squares for that one!

Finally, we attended Shauna's baby shower this afternoon at Tina's house. Shauna is 37 weeks along already, and breathing much more easily now the baby has dropped . There were lots of cute little outfits and toys - we'll soon have another little baby amongst the Latte regulars!

I've been tagged by Fiberjinx for the "7 Random Things" meme kicking around at the moment. Usually I don't go for these sort of things, but I also don't forward chain emails or stand up for a mexican wave at the cricket . So I won't be tagging anyone at the end of this ... I think I'm probably the last one for this meme anyway! If by some chance you're reading this and haven't done the meme yourself, consider yourself tagged .

1. I am fascinated by snow. I didn't get to see much when I was growing up, so the novelty is still to wear off. There's something pretty amazing about big fluffy flakes falling silently to the ground, and I still get a kick out of leaving tracks (skis or otherwise!) in fresh snow. I love living in an area that gets a bit of snow in the winter, even if it does cause havoc on the roads here and cause Andy to take four hours to get home one night! Although I'm sure if we were living on the east coast where the serious snow falls, my experience would be completely different.

2. I didn't have a nickname until I joined the Air Force (family pet-names notwithstanding). Being short-ish, female and wearing a blue uniform, I was dubbed Smurf ... and it stuck ;-) Not many people call me Smurf these days, but it's a handy inernet alias!

3. Podcasts saved my sanity in the first few weeks after Isobel's birth in September last year. My regular listening list has grown a bit since then -
101 Uses for Baby Wipes
BabyTime
Changeling's Knit & Stitch
Dr Karl on Triple J
Geotalk
Get This
Just One More Book!
Knit Picks
Lime N Violet
Manic Mommies
Pediacast
Podcasts for Running
Socks In The City
The Cage on Triple M

4. I'm trying to get better at running ... or at least get out jogging more often than I do. I used to hate running when I was younger, probably because I was much good at it and therefore had a bunch of PTIs yelling at me! But I've started Couch to 5km, and it's now a bit of a luxury to get out of the house and have some 'me' time. The program is on pause at the moment with Andy overseas, I can't go running on my own and leave Isobel in the house ... so I'll get back into it when he gets home again.

5. I'm a night-before person - if something is due the next day, I have to have it sorted out the night before or I won't sleep well. Andy, on the other hand, will just get up early and finish everything first thing in the morning. This sometimes means I'll do his stuff for him the night before just so it's done .

6. We started collecting fridge magnets about 7-8 years ago when we lived in the UK, from all the places we've visited. The removalists looked at me a little strangely when we packed up to come to the US, wondering why I wanted to pack a little baggie of magnets in our removal . We still have some spare room on the fridge, so we haven't finished travelling yet!

7. My grandmother taught me to knit and crochet about 20 years ago. Probably closer to 25 years ago. I am much more adept at crocheting - I've won second place ribbons at the last two Puyallup Fairs. However, I was bitten hard by the sock bug a few months ago ... and I've made four pairs so far. Only the last pair actually fits me, all the others are a bit baggy or a bit too big. I'm yet to work up the courage to try toe-up, or short row heels, or 2 circs, or the magic loop method ... but there's plenty of yarn in the stash to choose from for when I decide to try!

Thanks Rach!

Andy has arrived safely in Adelaide for his latest trip - no upgrade this time! His luggage took the scenic route again, but thankfully it caught up with him by the end of the day. Spare seats between LA and Sydney were a bit scarce for some reason this weekend, so he left a day earlier with the rest of his team and actually got a rest day ... for the first time in about five years of travelling .

Isobel has settled back to a routine again, after being a little unsettled for a couple of days - she's petering out a little earlier in the evenings, but then wakes up with a bit of a cry about 40mins after putting her to bed. Perhaps it's another tooth?! She's been introduced to a few more new flavours this week - some granola (muesli) blends, and tonight some chicken and noodles. She's getting more interested in the Cheerios after trying those last week for the first time, but still has a bit of difficulty manipulating the individual pieces - they often end up in the web between her thumb and forefinger, but that's good enough to then transfer to her mouth. Finally, she also got her first taste of Starbucks ... we went for a walk to our nearest shopping centre during the week while the weather held, and the new summer flavours were out. No coffee in this one, but it was funny to see her sucking on the straw and then saying 'num num num'! Personally, I like the orange mocha ... tastes just like Jaffas!!

Speaking of words, Isobel has been distinctly saying 'mum-mum-mum' for a few days now ... I win!! At least I think I do, I don't remember her saying 'da-da-da'. There was a bit of 'ba-ba-ba' and 'va-va-va' a few weeks ago, but no Ds ... my story and I'm sticking to it . Of course, she'll be able to get away with anything now ...

A fairly quiet weekend with Andy gone, and the weather back to the usual Seattle drizzle. Netball on Saturday was all the way over in Ballard, which took me about 40mins to find - a community centre off the main street, in the middle of a residential area. The club is trying to do some promotion in the local area and get a few more people interested in playing. I was asked to fill in for one of the competition teams again - they jokingly called me their 8th team member, I've played so many games for them now! I'd love to think my skills had something to do with it, but it's mainly just getting enough bodies on the court .

The gym was a bit warm and humid, so we were glad it wasn't the height of summer ... and Rebecca was kind enough to look after Isobel for me while she kept time for the game. It's quite hard to concentrate when your baby is crying from the sidelines! But we dropped the back on the stroller so she could lie down, and she managed to drop off to sleep for about 40 minutes - even with people yelling and a whistle blowing nearby! I did manage to forget the diaper bag though, which I didn't even realise until this afternoon when Tina rang to check if it was mine .. bad Mummy! Thankfully there were no little surprises inside for anyone, and Tina will bring it along to Latte on Tuesday for me. Phew!

Crochet guild meeting again tomorrow night, and I'm driving as the President is out of town. I finished up the couple of charity baby blankets I worked on from the guild meeting a couple of weeks ago, and I'm pleased with how they've turned out - nothing fancy, but they should be soft and warm. Wondering if I have time to knock out a quick blanket for a baby shower next weekend - one of the Aussie wives is nearly due with her first baby, and is having a boy. Thought I might be able to whip up a quick cowboy blanket like the one I made for Jo and Nathan last year ... we'll see. Also finished my Monkey socks, I love the pattern and I got the gauge right this time ... so they actually fit! They need a bit of a wash and block to bring the pattern out properly, so I've ordered some blocking forms - might be able to put some piccies up next week.

OK, I'm running a bit late again this week. Again. It's been a busy weekend as Andy's next trip has been brought forward a couple of days, so this is his last weekend at home before flying back to Australia again. This time it's for three weeks - his longest since Isobel was born - so there's a bit to do around the house before then.

The family room transformation is finally complete. Gone are the shelves of CDs and DVDs that Isobel loved raking through, relocated upstairs on the landing outside our bedroom. In it's place is a shelving unit of brightly coloured plastic buckets to store all her toys - they still mostly get scattered all over the carpet, but at least I can pack them away during her naps or after bedtime. The hifi and speakers are out in the front room again, as Andy was getting a little nervous about Isobel chewing on the speaker cases! The only reminder of the 'before'-state of the room is the big TV, which we can't relocate as there's only one cable outlet in the house. We've also had to stuff a couple of pillows in the gaps behind the TV stand, as there are still lots of power cables in behind that we don't want her chewing on.

Andy spent some time getting the yards in shape - the front and back yards have been mown again, although at this time of year it only lasts about a week before they start to look raggy again. He also did the overhaul on the pressure washer, and sprayed all the winter moss and debris off the driveway so it's nice and clean again (that sounds so decadent given the water restrictions at home, but you can't clean the driveways here any other way!). He bought a different spray head for the pressure washer which was much better than the 'included' fitting, so it only took about a third the time as the last attempt.

Isobel is still having great fun, especially now she's effectively taken over the family room! She loves being outdoors, and had lots of fun watching Andy play a game of cricket on Friday with a few other guys from the office. We travelled down to the oval in Renton where they were playing, and spread out a picnic rug for Isobel to roam around on. It's been too wet in our backyard before now to take Isobel outside, so it was her first experience of crawling around on grass - she looked very surprised at first with the spongey texture, but was soon off exploring. We managed to find a little 'Speedo' sunhat for her, and slathered her in sunscreen as she has Andy's fair colouring. Of course I completely forgot to put any sort of sunscreen on, so my upper arm is nicely cooked and will peel horribly later in the week .

Another netball game on Saturday, filling in for Tubi who is still nursing an injured ankle after our trip to Whistler over Easter. Afterwards we did a bit of shopping in Bellevue, and picked up a collapsible canopy for the backyard so we can have some shade during summer. We're lucky to have some tall trees to provide shade during the late afternoon, but otherwise there's very little cover in the backyard. It's big enough to cover the inflatable pool we got a few weeks ago, so we'll be able to take Isobel for a paddle without worrying about the sun too much.

After the shopping, we popped into the icecream shop for a treat before heading home. Isobel saw something that looked like food, and started reaching out to share - my icecream was offlimits because it had some chopped nuts in it, so Andy let her chew on the straw for his milkshake. Chew chew chew chew ... pause ... suck suck!! Suddenly she looked surprised, let go of the cup and opened her mouth a little - she'd managed to get some of the milkshake through the straw!! We were both flabbergasted, but the look on Isobel's face was priceless ... as was Andy's, when he realised he now had to share the rest of his milkshake!! Smart kid, that one .

The weather is steadily improving here, with more sunny breaks throughout the day - although they can sometimes be quite fleeting. Our back room is now Isobel's 'playroom', and can get quite bright with the sunshine ... and half an hour later we have the lights on again when it gets overcast!

Isobel is well and truly 'cruising' now - along the fireplace, along the couch, and she can almost move from one chair to another around the kitchen table. Her two upper middle teeth have come through, so she now has six teeth and will happily chomp down on anything ... but she knows better than to bite Mummy (so far) . She can walk for a few paces with Mum or Dad holding her hands and leading her along, with a huge smile on her face - we have a funny feeling she'll be an early walker rather than an early talker. She's also started to play peek-a-boo with us, pulling a towel up and down over her face while she lies on the change table in her room. It's a great distraction at the moment, which buys me enough time to change her nappy before she starts squirming and trying to turn herself over again. She looks very cute peeking one eye out from under her towel, as if to check whether we're looking to see where she was hiding!

Isobel and I are also making the most of the good weather while we can - it takes about half an hour to walk down to the nearby shopping centre, so I can pop into the bakery, get to the post office and get a bit of shopping done. I've also learned to pack a couple of toys for her to play with, and strap them down good and hard to the stroller - or they'll end up on the footpath when she's done with them! We've also had a lot of road workers in the street in the last few weeks, and if the traffic on the main road is too busy they'll grab their 'slow' signs and stop the cars so we can cross the street ... very kind of them! The walking is saving us from 'cabin fever' while we're one car down - the Mustang is still with the mechanic, as he's been rather busy and hasn't had time to get around to finishing ours yet. He did promise to have it back before Andy's next trip back to Australia ...

We had another netball game on Saturday, we had enough of the social players to scrape a team together and made a decent show of a game against one of the competitive teams ... still lost, but it wasn't a complete whitewash! Isobel was up from her nap by the time I got home, so we packed our hiking gear into the car again and headed off towards Tiger Mountain. The loop was a bit over 3 miles, most of the height gain was in the first mile which made for some pretty rough going - Andy got lots of sympathy from passing hikers for hauling Isobel up the hill in her backpack carrier!

The rocks were pretty spectacular - I sat for a while with Isobel while Andy scouted around for photos. Another couple passed our spot on the trial with a huge dog, and Isobel looked a little confused - what on earth is that thing, Mum? It was well behaved, and passed close by before continuing on down the trail ... and Isobel nearly fell out of her seat trying to watch it trot away! She looked amazed - she hasn't seen many dogs so far, and certainly not one that big before.

We had thought about taking a different trail and looping around Tradition Lake before heading back to the car, but Isobel made her thoughts known about the idea and we decided to head home instead. She fell asleep in the car on the way back, and we managed to get her into the house without her waking up - it's been months since she's been asleep like that in the car.

On Sunday I spent a few hours with my crochet guild working on some charity donations - a couple of times a year we spend some time making baby hats, blankets, eyeglass cases, scarves and the like. One of the guild members had just returned from a crochet tour of Ireland, and had some wonderful stories about intricate Irish lace made with thread not much thicker than sewing thread ... I haven't done any thread crochet for years, but I think I still have the ridge worn in my finger from tensioning my work! That stuff is like towing rope in comparison .

We've spotted the deer a couple of times since the excitement on Monday, and Andy has since informed me that it's probably a young buck rather than a doe. Apparently the photo last week showed antler buds on its head, so just substitute 'he' for 'she' on that last post . There are still some broken fence panels from last year's storms on the other side of the main road near our house, so we think it's living in there - not sure why it's attracted to our yard though!