11.01.08
Two Good Excuses, Redux
A sheepish hello to the few lingering blog readers who may occasionally still check this site. I had every intention of blogging occasionally over the past few months, but between a move and a physically taxing pregnancy, it just never happened. I had wanted to thank all the wonderful blog friends who sent baby gifts and show you a few of the things that I knit on my own. And in fact, a comprehensive blog post was on my relatively short list of things to accomplish during the last week of my pregnancy (it was all about the sitting-down tasks at that point). Unfortunately for that post, the first thing I accomplished during what was supposed to be my last week of pregnancy was to have two babies.
My son Julian and my daughter Eloise arrived at 5:27 and 5:28 a.m. respectively on Sunday, October 19, weighing just about 5 pounds apiece. They are healthy and beautiful and they sleep perfectly through the night. (Okay, two out of three ain’t bad.) Waiting for them in the world were:
inverse booties and tie-dye socks from saripinksparkles,
babylegs, receiving blankets, onesies and socks from Emily (Yarn Miracle),
and flippin’ adorable baby sweaters and turkey hats from MiniLaura. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful generosity! The babies will get great use out of all of these things just as soon as they grow to the size of normal babies.
I also knit them a very modest number of things myself in anticipation of their arrival, including some mittens, a dress (even though I didn’t know whether we were having boys or girls, the dress just kind of got knit), two sweaters, a hat, and the blanket pictured in the cradle above. I have not knit a stitch since they arrived, and I expect it may be some time until I have a chance to do so (given that I haven’t even had a chance to photograph the few things I finished before they were born).
Speaking of things I probably won’t have a chance to do for a while, you could probably guess that Lickety Knit will stay in hibernation for the foreseeable future. I am not declaring it closed for business forever, because I take great inspiration from supertwinmoms Earthchick and Amylovie, who have clearly demonstrated that there can be knitting after twins — eventually. I am not saying I expect my readers to stick around in the interim; I’m just reserving the right to start back up again someday. I have met amazing people through this whole blogging endeavor, and it has made me challenge myself as a knitter and a writer. While I am ready for it to take a back burner for a while, I expect I may very well find myself with the inclination and (dare I even dream it) the time to return to it at some point.
In the meantime, if you’re the sort of person who loves pictures of babies (I am not one of those people, except in the case of my own, but I hear that these people do exist), Matt and I are attempting to keep up a family blog over at www.sparveys.com. Baby knitting will be featured whenever possible.
Finally, I leave you with a couple more pictures of my sweet children. Because this is a blog that for three-plus years featured my handiwork, and they are without question the best things I’ve ever made.
Julian (I finished that hat about 2 hours before my water broke)
Eloise (I totally owe her a hat)
Manda said,
November 1, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Awww, how cute!! Congratulations!! :)
Rebekkah said,
November 1, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Congrats!
I was just thinking about you last night, wondering whether your family had doubled in size yet. Yay! They are adorable, and there is a definite family resemblance.
I’m so happy for you guys.
leigh said,
November 1, 2008 at 12:46 pm
they are just so sweet and beautiful. (i mean, the knitting)
Liz K. said,
November 1, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Oh, Rachel, they are beautiful — and so tiny! Congratulations and best of luck — I’ll keep subscribed and check in with the family blog too.
Theresa said,
November 1, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Congratulations! You’re really making twins look good.
Amy said,
November 1, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Oh, so darling! I’ll wait for you to blog again. It’ll happen. When, you know, they sleep all night. Kristi over at Red Dog Knits has twins too, and they’re at the toddler stage now.
Clumsy Knitter said,
November 1, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Omigod, super SUPER congratulations!!! And don’t worry–there are always readers out there who are happy for random updates, no matter how far apart they come. :)
Kristen said,
November 1, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Huge congratulations to you both on your beautiful babies! How great to have one of each – you won’t get bored always knitting two of the same thing. Btw – they were born exactly 21 years after my son. ;-)
Laura said,
November 1, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Your babies, of course, are super adorable. In fact, I think these are the first babies that I’ve seen that have made me think, “I want one two!” Perhaps it is the fine photography skills of Matt (and you, but I think it’s mostly been Matt), perhaps it is because they are so tiny (smaller is always cuter), or perhaps it is because there are two of them and one of them is a girl.
Congratulations again and again! I have a feeling that those turkey hats are way too big.
Sonya said,
November 1, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Best. Excuses. Ever. They are beautiful, Rachel. Tiny and perfect. Congratulations!
emily said,
November 1, 2008 at 2:21 pm
congratulations! they are beautiful. and I will certainly keep you in my RSS feed.
MicheleLB said,
November 1, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Congratulations on your magnum opus! (Opi?) They are beautiful, perfect, and perfectly beautiful. I’ve only been following you since spring; I’m a new blogger. But you’re in my google reader, so I’ll know when you make it back! Enjoy the little ones; they grow so fast.
Jenn said,
November 1, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Congrats! They are beautiful!
Kelly said,
November 1, 2008 at 3:37 pm
They are adorable!!! Def. the best things you’ve ever made. Hope you enjoy your time as your little ones grow, hope to see you back blogging in the future!
Christine said,
November 1, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Congratulations! It’s good to see those two beauties– they look quite worth all the hard work of pregnancy. Napping takes priority over blogging, although baby updates are always appreciated.
Claire said,
November 1, 2008 at 4:01 pm
They are super cute!! Congratulations!
Holly said,
November 1, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Oh my goodness. Congrats!!!!They are sooooo beautiful!!! What gorgeous blessings :)
So tiny and perfect…. <3
Your “excuses” have been weighed and considered. The board has reached the decision that you are absolved of all not-blogging charges ;) :)
staci said,
November 1, 2008 at 4:27 pm
How very adorable!! Congratulations!!
Meghan said,
November 1, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Your babies are really, truly gorgeous. I’m so happy for you!
Laura said,
November 1, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I just looked at my comment again and in the sentence “I want one two,” the word “one” was supposed to have a strike-through on it, but apparently I can’t format with html in this comment field so it looks like I have very bad grammar and meant to say “I want one, too.” Please don’t think I’m the world’s worst editor.
So, to review: “I want one! No, strike that. I want two!”
Emily said,
November 1, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Oh my gosh Rachel!! they are so precious!! Congratulations!
Kris said,
November 1, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Um best excuse ever for not posting. They are lovely. The image of them sleeping together is blissful!
ally said,
November 1, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Many blessings to you and the twins. They are indeed beautiful. Hope you manage to get some sleep.
whitney said,
November 1, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Congratulations! They are so beautiful.
Pat K said,
November 1, 2008 at 7:01 pm
A beautiful project, wonderfully completed! Congratulations!
hpny knits said,
November 1, 2008 at 7:04 pm
mazel tov from NYC!
earthchick said,
November 1, 2008 at 7:05 pm
They are so perfectly perfect, and I’m so thrilled for you. I have been lurking on your sparvey site to get my baby hit. You guys are making me want another one (or two!) so bad.
The knitting (and blogging) will be waiting for you when you’re ready for it. Until then, you are right to be putting your time where you’re putting it. It’s trite because it’s true – the time goes so quickly. You turn around one day, and they are four years old and telling you you’re old because you can’t pick them up any more.
Allison said,
November 1, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I find your excuses pretty understandable, so I think I’ll keep you in my Google Reader :)
Beautiful babies! Thank you for sharing the pictures. Congratulations! I wish you all the best :)
Erika said,
November 1, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Congratulations! The babies are adorable, and I’m glad they have so much knitting ready for them.
Amy said,
November 1, 2008 at 8:50 pm
How beautiful and perfect your children are. Makes me feel very sentimental.
I hope that you are taking good care of yourself. Those first few weeks are pretty tough, but you will look back on them with fondness.
All the best,
Amy
Shelley said,
November 1, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Congratulations!! Your babies are super duper adorable!
Bertha said,
November 1, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Congratulations Rachel & Matt!! They are beautiful! And you are so lucky to be the recipient of such lovely handiwork for your little ones! I am one of those people who LOVE baby pictures, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing them on your family blog!
Robin said,
November 1, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Congrats on your beautiful babies! The handknits are so cute!
Heather said,
November 1, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Really, really happy for you! I saw your baby room pics on Flickr and got really excited for your new, growing family. Were they born at Women and Infants? That’s where my older daughter was born and I have happy memories of that place. Hooray for Eloise and Julian!
Mary Ann said,
November 1, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Wow! Great job. I understand how things are with you right now and send you all the positive energy that is possible in this life. You see, not only is my DD Amylovie the mother of twins, she is also a twin and that makes me the mother of twins. So believe me, I know about those first few weeks with new twins. It is wonderful and exhausting. I am so happy for you. I am smiling and giggling a little bit, thinking of what you have in store in the years to come. And there will be plenty of time for knitting later.
Carrie said,
November 1, 2008 at 11:19 pm
oh, they are absolutely gorgeous. congratulations! and I think I’m just gonna keep ya on my Google reader – for whenever you have time. I think your readers will probably stick around. :)
yay Julian and Eloise! you’ve got some pretty awesome parents!
Sarah said,
November 2, 2008 at 2:28 am
Congratulations! Best wishes with your twins. I have just one baby (almost 8 months old – time really does fly!), and the first few months were quite a trial in sleep deprivation. But it gets easier and, in my opinion, more fun, the older babies get – and you get twice the fun! Congratulations again!!
Angela said,
November 2, 2008 at 4:05 am
Wow, congratulations! They are beautiful– and I’m with you, I don’t usually go seeking random baby cuteness. I have missed your humor the last few months, but you certainly have good reason to be otherwise occupied (and luckily with Bloglines, I’ll know if you do manage to post every now & then!).
Katy said,
November 2, 2008 at 8:36 am
Your babies are gorgeous! ;) And some day, yes, there will be knitting again. I did not knit much at all during my kids’ first years (was also working outside the home, renovating the house, and occasionally sleeping, in addition to just plain parenting–like most moms!). But now that they are older I find knitting time while I sit and wait at dance class and other activities.
Good luck with everything, and I will check out the family blog to see if there are more wonderful pics! Katy
Nichole D. said,
November 2, 2008 at 8:42 am
Huge congrats, and best of luck to you! Knitting will happen again, I promise! I’ll be sure to leave you on my bloglines if you ever decide to post again. Again, congratulations!!
Leah said,
November 2, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Perfection! Congrats to you both!
Brandie said,
November 2, 2008 at 2:17 pm
They are absolutely gorgeous and perfect! Congratulations =)
Donna said,
November 2, 2008 at 3:45 pm
What lovely babies – Eloise and Julian are beautiful. I will keep my fingers crossed for modeled shots of the turkey hats as soon as they grow into them!
Emily said,
November 2, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Very big and huge congratulations! And yay for one of each (that picture really was some kind of sign) – it’s really the best thing for knitting. I have become a huge fan of pictures of babies smaller than Ellie so that I can sort back through the haze of sleeplessness and try to remember her that small (I really didn’t expect for her to grow so quickly, so don’t blink). I’ll be watching y’all.
PS Ellie says to tell them “thbbbbbttt.” She says they’ll know what it means. Excuse me while I get a tissue to wipe my screen.
sari said,
November 2, 2008 at 9:20 pm
so. freaking. cute.
congratulations to all y’all!
(and i am glad to hear that you got some knitting in)
Alicia P said,
November 2, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Not to sound stalkerish but I was just thinking of you the other day wondering if you had the twins yet. Congratulations!!! They are absolutely beautiful! The best FO yet!
Maria said,
November 2, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Beautiful!!!
Wendy said,
November 3, 2008 at 8:15 am
Your babies are so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. And I love the names you have given them.
stacey said,
November 3, 2008 at 8:36 am
Congrats!!!! Double the cuteness!!!!!
Beth said,
November 3, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Congratulations!!! I have been thinking about you lately, too, wondering how things were going. Kids are an absolute blast – especially once you get to start sleeping through the night again. :-) And yes, once things settle down you will definitely get to start knitting again.
Nonnahs said,
November 3, 2008 at 12:53 pm
OMG! Double congrats! They are absolutely adorable!
disentangled said,
November 3, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Congrats, congrats, congrats!! With one on the way myself, I couldn’t be more excited for you and your new larger family! Such cuties. Glad to hear everyone is healthy and happy…even if a little sleep deprived!
JayJay said,
November 3, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I am so happy for you! They are extremely adorable. :) As a very new mother myself I have to say that it is the most wonderful, amazing and tiring thing I’ve ever done. Enjoy every moment! :) (Love the names too.)
Knitnana said,
November 3, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Congratulations – what exquisite handiwork, hon! They’re darling…!
((((hugs))))
Leslie said,
November 3, 2008 at 7:22 pm
This sounds terrifyingly stalkerish, but I first found out about your site from theknot.com, when I saw photos of your beautiful wedding and then it linked to your knitting blog, and since am a knitter (and now happily married and expecting a wee bundle of cuteness myself) I was immediately charmed by your blog, but totally understood why you were too busy to blog.
Congrats on your beautiful beautiful healthy babies and I wish you well on this next exciting part of your life.
- Leslie
Adriana said,
November 3, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Congratulations!! You do beautiful work. They are absolutely gorgeous. Seeing your little ones definitely makes my biological clock start ticking.
Enjoy your lovely babies and don’t spare a moment’s thought for the blog.
pumpkinmama said,
November 4, 2008 at 8:48 am
They are so cute! Congratulations, mama!
Katrina said,
November 4, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Congratulations on your two beautiful bundles of joy! I’ve missed reading your blog as you’ve prepared for your babies’ arrival, but as I am also expecting my first child soon I understand how limited your time was and will be in the future. I hope we can get updates on you and your family – I feel like I’ve really gotten to know you through your blog even though I rarely have commented on your posts.
All the best and good luck with the little ones!
lanajoh said,
November 5, 2008 at 12:07 am
Oh, such lovely lovely babies! All the best, and may they bring you lots of joy over the years!!!
Stephanie said,
November 5, 2008 at 5:07 pm
They are so gorgeous it brought tears to my eyes !
Shanna said,
November 5, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Nice work, mama!!!!!
Maryann said,
November 7, 2008 at 4:49 am
Your little ones (and the knits) are truly gorgeous!! Congrats and all the best to you, Rachel!! Enjoy!
Laiane said,
November 8, 2008 at 11:42 am
Congratulations!
As part of a set of fraternal brother-sister twins, I wish you energy, equilibrium, and something-else-that-begins-with-E-that-means-patience-or-fortitude. Best wishes!
Karin said,
November 8, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Oh my goodness! They’re adorable!!! *hugs* Congratulations! I’ve been coming here the last few weeks in hopes of some news pertaining the twins, and lo’ and behold ^_^. No worries, I’ll wait with patience for more to come ^_~. I’m sure I won’t be alone lol.
And you’re right. By far the best thing you’ve made to date ^_^
mtb said,
November 10, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Congratulations! They’re beautiful :)
sue said,
November 10, 2008 at 4:02 pm
OH MY GOODNESS WHAT GORGEOUS BABIES YOU HAVE!!!!
sue said,
November 10, 2008 at 4:03 pm
OH MY GOODNESS WHAT GORGEOUS BABIES YOU HAVE!!!! I have been waiting for my computer to upload those photos all week and it wouldnt work until today. They both look so adorable. You have received such beautiful pressies too and I do hope that you will continue to blog as they grow up and we can see them in all those wonderful gifts you received. Looking forward to hearing from you again one day in the future.
leslie said,
November 14, 2008 at 8:18 am
oh my gosh. the sweetness. cuteness. is just oozing off this page!
congratulations. enjoy every precious moment.
Ruth said,
December 29, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Congrats to you! I can’t imagine what it is like to have twins, as I have two boys that are 3 years apart…I have soooooo been waiting to see this update. And don’t worry, I will still be one of your blogfans as long as you keep have it running. They are so adorable, Rachel. Great Work!
Nanna Star said,
December 30, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Hi Rachel,
I found your blog by chance & love it! Congrats on the safe arrival of your beautiful babies. You have something I always wanted: twins! They look so lovely.
I am so impressed with your knitting too and will be hoping you can find the time to keep it updated.
I am a grand mother of 5 and mother of 3 and have done a lot of knitting in my time. Now one of my daughters is the knitter in the family.
(P.S.I live in New Zealand.)
Kathy Fox said,
January 19, 2009 at 12:17 am
Let me be yet another person to say, congratulations! i’m a twin (fraternal w/ a brother too). I haven’t been by in awhile but was looking at some of your knits I’d faved on Ravelry and — wahoo! What a great selfmade project! Good luck with sleeping and keep working on your biggest project yet!
Kim said,
February 6, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Wow, I only had to read 2 blog posts to catch up, but were they ever important ones! I’ve been out of the blogging world since May 5 2008, when my baby was born. Boy do I remember the 1st trimester thinking sadly, “I don’t like knitting anymore.” And now I like it but there’s no time for it. Congratulations on delivering two perfect humans! They’ll sleep in a few months…years… Mine slept well as a 2-month old, but at 5 months decided to start waking in the night. I keep reminding myself when he’s 5 he’s not going to get up in the night….
nova said,
February 20, 2009 at 5:30 pm
You posted this at the point that I decided to take a blog break (reading and writing). Let me just say that those babies that you’ve got, they are beautiful. Okay, go get some sleep now.
Mrs MJW said,
March 31, 2009 at 9:50 am
Seriously, all I can say is Awwwwwwwww! So cute. Congratulations.
Scribbles & Bits said,
April 3, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I’ve been on a sort of break from blogs so I’m tardy to the party on congratulating you on those two cute bundles of joy! I hope everything is going amazing for y’all!!!!!