Hmm, I don't think my family has been checking the blog (who can blame them, I'm such an infrequent poster). Anyway, I haven't received any phone calls regarding the cryptic post below, so I guess I'll post more here:

Meet Bear (or Osso--not quite decided yet). He's an 8-week old Bernese Mountain Dog and the newest member of the Schwarz-Madrid clan. We all decided that things weren't hectic enough around here...what with the plumbers and the workmen and the children...

How cute is he? I'm embracing the chaos, and so far that is working well for me.

Here are some more pictures of the kids.

They were at the doctor the other day and both seem to be doing fine. (I had to pin Diego down in order for him to get his shots--what's up with that?).

My job seems to be stable for the moment--but I've thought that in the past also, so who knows.

I'm going on my third night of work, so not too much time to post right now. More on the new pup etc soon.

Uh oh...

A 4523 Update

Some before and after pictures of our front room. The new windows are not exactly a design breakthrough, but they will open and close and be warm in winter, and the style is generally in keeping with the original look of the house. It's going to be a big improvement, I think.

Next comes the bathroom--the 'working men' as Diego calls them pulled out the old tub today.

Figurative Art! I had to call Sarah right away. In case you couldn't recognize us, it's a picture of me and Al. Behold the arms, legs and head/body structures...

I'm a very unreliable blogger.

The only thing that inspired me to get on today were these pictures of Fire Island during our recent storm that my dad emailed me.

I don't have any recent pictures of the kids to share. Penelope is as beastly as ever. She scratches an bites and makes horrible wolverine noises in her sleep. Very occasionally, if we are lucky, she will lay her beastly melon head on our shoulder (speaking for both myself and Al here) and allow us to snuggle her. Sarah has often said that Diego is like a cat in the following way: you think you won't be able to pick him up, but if you just try it, you can. Penelope is the opposite. You think you can, but reallly you can't. We're planning to drug her heavily for the airplane ride to CA.

I've joined a sock of the month club (http://www.nysfarm.com/sockclub.htm) just in case you wanted to check it out. I'm toe deep in the Cleopatra sock (complete with deadly twining asp and royal jewels). My dad was also kind enough to bring me four (yes 4!) skeins of Lorna's Laces sock yarn on my last visit in flamingo pink. How fabulous. Just a few more weeks until Sheep and Wool. This Saturday we're going to take the kids to view a sheep shearing at a farm in Fairmount Park, just to get in the spirit.

Still no word on the job front. I'm just plugging along, trying to show up at work on the right day and time and not kill anyone (patients or nurses). One of them said "I never liked that Seinfeld show." Need I say more? I'm trying to keep my spirits up, what with the Cox-Jude contingent moving to Berkely, it snowing in the middle of April and potentially losing my job any moment.

Al signed us up for the blockbuster version of Netflix. So I'm off to watch a movie and work on my deadly twining asp.

Teeth, hair and socks, oh my!

We've got some big changes around here...mostly related to the little folk I guess (what isn't).

1. Penelope has 4 teeth. She has had them for a while now. She does not appear ready for food yet as she still can't sit up or even roll over very reliably. In fact she seems very resistant to bending at the waist at all (a big necessity for sitting) so the food is on hold now. She is, however, ready for spoons and will happily gag herself with one for many minutes at a time.

2. Penelope is wearing dresses. That's right, dresses. I went thrift store shopping with my buddy Nicole (who has delicious 8-month old Rosie who is most often adorably attired in blousy floral skirted items). Penelope is now the proud owner of about 14 dresses and damn does she look cute. What is wrong with me, I ask you? Six months into being the mother of a daughter and I'm only now discovering the dresses. Behold:

3. We cut Diego's hair. Big time. He had this persistent mat at the back of his head. It was hopeless because it really isn't hair back there--it's more like fur, so as soon as I would brush it out (oh, about every two weeks or so) it would mat back up again. And not in a cool white person dread lock way. More like the sad neglected child whose parents never brush his hair. So now he's shaved and he looks great. Plus he's going to get a few more months out of his lovely green alpaca pilot cap.

4. I've been knitting socks. It's terrible how much work and parenting and wifeing cuts into my sock knitting time. I have the new Interweave knits sock book and it rocks my world. I read it in bed every night. There are at least 8 pairs of socks that I feel I must knit. Plus I've been ordering sock kits on line. And I want to order more. More. All of this means that (of course) I need new shows...to show off the socks...

In case you were wondering, yes, Diego is still obsessed with stripes.

Oh, and I showed Diego how to knit. He spent about an hour knitting on a scarf for himself (took him about that long to knit 8 rows or so!). Now he wears the scarf all the time.

There is a possibility that I might lose my job (not because of terrible inteptitude on my part, though I still struggle) but because of large financial issues involving the hospital and the for-profit corporation that owns it (based in Tennessee). Probably I shouldn't talk about it too much here on my blog (I've heard about people getting fired for blog-based work gossip). Anyway the upshot is that I've been spending a good amount of time on this web site: www.midwifejobs.com Alaska anyone? Navajo reservation? There was a posting for St Croix not too long ago. Midwifery jobs are so much more interesting than law jobs. I'm so glad we switched.

I'm obviously a deadbeat blogger. Or possibly it was going to be a stay-at-home mom (sahm) hobby and now that I'm a work-outside-the-home mom (wohm) it doesn't have quite the same appeal.

But I do have big news to share: Diego has learned how to knit. I know it seems impossible, but with a little guidance, he can totally do it. I think I've been waiting his whole life for this. We sat together for close to an hour while he knit about 4 rows on a little scarf for himself. He is very gifted.

I finished a pair of booties that he requested (pink with a pink tie) but he won't wear them. He has been wearing his beautiful hooded Noro sweater (glad it's hooded because he won't wear a coat and it's been freezing around here).

Work has gotten a lot better (meaning I feel less confused). I do wonder what such a high level of anxiety over time will do to a person. Every time that I have gone to sleeep in the call room at work I have dreamt the same recurring dream in which I drop a baby in front of it's parents and my boss and then try to pick it up by it's umbilical cord without having anyone notice. And each time I dream it, I think: "Oh my God, I can't believe this is actually happening--I've dreamt about it so many times!"

Just a short post tonight. More soon, I hope.