08 April 2013

No. 8 and the best laid schemes...

No. 8: Make baby quilts again...or the best laid schemes of mice and men.

I have a new great niece and a new great nephew. Their names are Colby and Clara and they are adorable as they can be.  At least that is what I can tell from their pictures.

Because, as the title suggests, no matter how much you plan or schedule, things just sometimes don't go according to plan.

Miss Clara and Master Colby came right as scheduled on Friday around lunchtime.

Clara on the left, Colby on the right.

I was at work and Bunny was at home sick for the fifth day in a row. I snuck out of work early to get Bunny a blood test. Mono is suspected although I am not convinced.  Belle had mono last year and she slept constantly. Bunny wears out easily but her throat hasn't been that sore and she isn't Exhausted with a capital E.

Anyway I knew I was going to wait until Saturday to see those babies just because they were going to have plenty of visitors on Friday.

Also, No. 8 was not done. Almost. But not quite. Quilts were assembled but I wanted to knot them and that was not finished.

The beginning of Colby's quilt.

Saturday morning Belle woke up with a sore throat.
Could not get the doctor's office to return my calls.

Clara, being the tiniest of the two babies, decided she would have a little stay in NICU.  She was having a bit of trouble getting her breath and probably didn't want to share the limelight with her brother.  She may be a bit of a diva.  So I went up and saw Colby but Clara was otherwise occupied.

And Saturday I finished Colby's quilt.

Sunday morning Belle was much worse. A trip to the Doc in a Box urgent care facility confirmed Strep. She cried most of the day between sleeping and throwing up. I made three different trips to the pharmacy, an emergency run for Popsicles and pretty much got nothing else done.

Then Bunny walked by and I noticed the entire right side of her face/neck was swollen. Last time I saw someone looking like that they had just had their wisdom teeth removed. You literally can see her glands from across the room. She seems to feel okay although she says her throat is still sore. And we still haven't gotten the official mono results.

So today both girls are home from school I still haven't finished Clara's quilt. And another doctor run is in my future.

Working on Clara's quilt.  
Love that Madvillain poster in the background. 

But Clara was released from NICU last night and has joined her brother and parents.   I am hoping for equally positive results around this house and both girls will be joining their friends tomorrow at school.

And I WILL get those quilts finished.

In the meantime, here is the complete Robert Burns' poem "To A Mouse" which is where the "best laid schemes of mice and men" line comes from.



Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie,
O, what panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!
 
I'm truly sorry Man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle,
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal!



I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen-icker in a thrave 'S a sma' request:
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't!


Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!


Thou saw the fields laid bare an' wast,
An' weary Winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee-bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald.
To thole the Winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld!


But Mousie, thou are no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley, 

An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still, thou art blest, compar'd wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

For a lovely explanation of this poem, click here.

Happy Monday everyone.  Here's to a wonderful week with everyone in the pink.

3 comments:

The Joiners said...

Can't wait to see the finished products, and hoping that your kiddos are both on the mend quickly (for their sake and yours)! Thanks again for coming to visit, and of course please come visit again soon :)

the blogivers said...

Good to see you this weekend! Hope both girls feel all better ASAP!

pam {simple details} said...

Oh, what fun your family will have with those adorable new twins! Good luck with their quilts, the fabric is so fun. I started cross stitching some bibs for my nephew once, never finished before he was no longer wearing bibs! :(