First of all I must thank you all so much for the love and well wishes. I’ve been overwhelmed with all of your kind words and encouragement during these waiting days. Each and every one has meant so much to me. I am humbled by the incredible community I’ve been blessed with here. Thanks, friends.

It’s been life (almost) as usual while we await our new arrival. I’ve been a little crankier, quite a bit slower and am finding the stairs a little more tiring but mostly I’m trying to keep some semblance of patience and normality.

Dan may argue that “semblance” would be a stretch as I’ve been finding more time for napping, knitting and perhaps moaning but my family is taking good care of me, including my mom who has flown in from the East Coast.

Amidst that semblance of normality we’ve been happily keeping up with our canning plans (the plans loosely being to put away as much as possible).

So this week we did more of the same, drunken cherries and cherry jam, along with a very exciting first – raspberry jam.

The raspberries were a special treat because we don’t grow our own and have never bought more than a pint or two at the farmer’s market due to their price. But at closing time last week Dan passed the right booth at the right time and got 10 lbs for a mere $5. They definitely needed some sorting through but in the end we only lost a small amount to the compost bin. The kids were even excited about the score – alerting random strangers to the great deal we got on raspberries. I love those kids.

The first batch of cherry jam (which I mentioned here) was quickly disappearing but we bolstered our reserves this week and now we have a whopping 24 jars – not including the 3 or 4 jars that have already been enjoyed. Unfortunately I didn’t cook the second batch quite long enough so it’s a runnier jam but it was still delicious drizzled over this morning’s fresh biscuits.

So here’s my tally:

purchased: 10 lbs of raspberries, $5

yield: 16.5 cups of jam using a simple recipe of a 3:2 ratio of raspberries to sugar along with the zest and juice of one lemon

purchased: 32.5 lbs of cherries, $60 ($1.85/lb)

yield: 11 – 500ml jars of drunken cherries prepared in a simple syrup with a splash of kirsch

10 jars of cherry jam once again using this recipe

While we’ve been stocking up for winter (and for plenty of Christmas giving) we’ve been enjoying the great bounty of summer. Our fingers are sticky with apricots, our teeth stained with blueberries, our chins dripping with cherry juice…Come to think of it a lot of things are stained with cherry juice these days and we’re loving it.

How are you loving these summer days?

On her birthday, before anyone had given her well wishes, Sarah sat straight up in our bed (her most favourite sleeping spot these days) and announced “4!”. We hadn’t built it up or given her a warning about the day because we knew we were going to celebrate a day late due to Dan’s work and my canning schedule (which I really must update you on). I was surprised then by this announcement.

Sarah has always marched to the beat of her own drum. She has set the timeline for each and every milestone – standing, walking, talking – she’s taken each at her own pace. And so I say she’s has stayed our baby just a little longer because she has been in no rush to grow up. And so sometimes we forget just how much she is growing up.

And so these pictures from her birthday must be shared as proof to myself that these moments are fleeting and oh so cherishable.

Awaiting the birthday breakfast by Daddy.

Candles with breakfast are a must.

So worth the wait…Daddy is good to us.

Followed by a rainy trip to the zoo.

Feeding duckies – Sarah’s favourite.

Despite how many times she’d already seen her birthday sweater blocking she was still full of excitement over it (be still my beating heart).

No, she’s not disappointed that her sweater is two sizes too big. It’s her favourite silly game – “Sad face…”

“…Happy face!”

You’re not noticing all the clutter in background around that happy girl are you? Of course not.

She also had some special gifts to open from her sweet, sweet siblings.

Daddy lights the candles on the yellow girl’s yellow cake.

Turning four is a beautiful thing. Bittersweet for a mama’s heart perhaps, but so much fun.

Another Wednesday, another yarn along, more baby knits.

This week I got to those buttons so Yellow Girl was gifted to a happy birthday girl and puerperium was folded away with the clothes for baby. I’ve been focusing on the my Little Bean Bag (Owlie Sack pattern found here) and loving this pattern as well. The cables were fun and while I often rush through the shaping so I can enjoy the mindless stockinette in a project I’ll admit I’m a little bored of the round and round.

For a break from the stockinette I cast on this diaper cover in the same natural Fisherman’s Wool I used for the puerperium. I was excited to get into the short rows in the pattern when I realized the next needle size I needed was being used for owlie sack so I’m back to the stockinette. I also purchased this sweet soaker pattern and while I’m sure the pattern is great it is very long and detailed which kind of freaked me out so I’ll see how the first one goes. It’s so hard to know the proper sizing for a newborn. With every new babe I’m always amazed at how tiny they are so I’m afraid I’m may be oversizing all these sweet knits.

I’m also showing the newbie hat I started an age ago and for some reason never completed so I force myself to finally finish it to start on these sweet booties to match.

Bored of baby knits? Unfortunately I am not. As I mentioned in this previous post, I’m baby knit crazy. I’ll get over it  (I’m starting to plan my Christmas knitting) but I don’t promise it will be soon.

In books I’m still working on Simplicity Parenting…very slowly…as that is my non-fiction reading speed. I’ve also finished the second half of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. For those unfamiliar with it the book is divided into two sections. The first section is all birth stories and the second is more practical teaching on childbirth and midwifery. I skipped the first section this go through because I find I do better if I don’t fill my mind with too many other experiences this close (hopefully) to childbirth. I love reading about other’s birth stories but at this point I’m focusing on trusting the process without overwhelming the issue with possibilities.

Now I’m hoping to plough through the rest of Simplicity Parenting and reward my non-fiction commitment (because I generally feel this deserves a pat on the back) by finally reading The Thirteenth Tale which I’ve been renewing at the library for quite a few weeks now.

Thanks for coming by today and if you’re interested in more yarn along posts visit Ginny at Small Things.