Ewan had his 4wk 'well child checkup' today. Mum & Dad were amazed at how much bigger he looked when they arrived back from their trip last week, but it wasn't that obvious to us - we see him every day!

After all the issues we had with Isobel at the same point, I was a bit nervous about the visit - was I doing all the right things? Would the doctor give us a passing grade?

Apparently we're doing something right - he weighed in at 11lbs 10oz, nearly 3lbs up from his birthweight! I think he would've been even closer if I'd had time to feed him just before the appointment. He took his HepB needle pretty well, and was back to sleep by the time we were home again.

So now his weight gain is on track, I can graduate to demand feeding overnight and hopefully get some more sleep . Although not having to pump-and-freeze-and-defrost-and-sterillise-and-wash-bottles this time around is already making a huge difference in my 3am morale levels .

We've been amazed at the variety of wildlife in our backyard during our time here. Not just the run-of-the-mill stuff like squirrels and robins, but also bigger anmals like racoons, ducks, andd even a deer last year.

We've established the critter eating our blackberry patch is a mountain beaver, thanks to some photos from Andy that showed the tell-tale white spot behind the ears. Pity we don't know how to get him to invite his mates around to visit - they're doing a better job on the blackberries than our gardening service!

Today, however, took the cake - we spotted two young coyotes on the hill near the side fence this morning. Andy was out shopping, so we grabbed  the camera for documentary evidence, or I suspect he wouldn't have believed us! Mangy looking things too, probably moulting - but still pretty scrawny. I was surprised theey were bold enough to come into the bacckyard too, which means they're probably hungry enough to overcome any fear.

The most surprising thing to us is the ambivalence most people seem to have about their appearance. I thought we'd be able to call the City and have someone come and trap them, but we'd have to pay for a private contractor instead. Neighbours seem to think the kids would be okay, but pets would be in danger - I've seen cats that are bigger than Ewan is just now!

Needless to say we won't be letting the kids play in the backyard for a while ... hearing a nearby pack of coyotes howling in chorus with passing sirens is a bit unnerving  .

A few weeks ago I was contacted out of the blue by a travel agent in Massachusetts, looking for a local yarn shop to host a visit by Prudence Mapstone - she had a free day in Seattle before heading off to teach on a fibre cruise to Alaska the following day. My friend Laurie had recommended me as a local 'expert' ( in that I lived a bit closer to Seattle than she did!!), so after asking around some folks in my two crochet guilds we came up with a short list and sent it back for consideration.

Today was the day of the visit so Ewan and I headed into West Seattle to Seattle Yarn, who were hosting the event. This was my first 'solo' with Ewan - Isobel was home with Mum & Dad, taking her afternoon nap. I found a chair in the corner and positioned myself for a quick getaway - in case Ewan decided to make himself heard half-way through the presentation. There was no need to worry though, as he was sound asleep in his capsule and slept through the whole thing!

Prudence was just lovely - her pieces are so inspiring, and it was incredible to have the opportunity to see her work in person. So many different components, and yet they all fit together like a jigsaw to form the finished garment. Prudence explained how she creates her garments, from cutting a basic pattern in newspaper, making yarn and colour choices, making the component scrumble pieces and then stitching everything together ... and having the faith to 'just do it' and trust in the look of the finished piece. She even showed us the technique for making her signature 'bullion' stitches!

It was also great to finally meet Laurie, after 'meeting' her on Ravelry last year and being invited to help moderate her Crochet Liberation Front group. She lives an hour or so north of us here - after missing a couple of opportunities earlier in the year to meet up, I wondered whether we'd cross paths at all before we head home at the end of the year! I forgot to bring a camera in my rush to get out the door on time and in one piece, but Laurie has a couple of photos on her blogs (here and here).

Seattle Yarn was a fun shop too - I would've loved to stay and browse a little longer after Prudence's talk, but Ewan had woken up by this point and announced to the whole store it was time for us to go! I did have time to pick up some beautiful bamboo/wool yarn for a little jumper for Isobel - small enough for me to work on when I have a spare five minutes at the end of the day.