Grand opening!

I'm quite excited- it's been a very full week. Turning thirty, sleep issues with the Milk Monster, and opening my online shop have all left me feeling wrung out.
Perhaps Zak was reacting to the excitement of me churning out all sorts of salves and potions, but he's had a hard time sleeping at night lately. He 's not had this much trouble since those early days, but I'm sure we'll pull through. In the meantime, I've been logging some good time on the treadmill because of this. At least he's still able to get to sleep by being in the Moby wrap or Bjorn while I walk about. But I'm burying the lead: Zak has now been "introduced" to solids.
We skipped over that nasty rice cereal stuff and went for roasted sweet  potato. Zak wasn't terribly thrilled with it, and I'm hoping that avocado or apple goes better. I figure that if I were that young again, I'd want some flavor, some sweetness, and maybe even some texture- none of which can be found in your box of rice cereal. So it's fruits and veggies to start with.
In the meantime, Zak is still almost exclusively breastfed, if you count the 2 tablespoons of sweet potato he's had in the past week. This may shock the doctor we're scheduled to see- anyone know what to do when the doctor faints?
At long last, the store is open. I've got a great salve for everything from diaper rash to dry lips, a rich hand and body cream, a brown sugar scrub, and an oatmeal soap that's ugly but my favorite so far. Take a look at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ummzak .
Someone's next set of teeth may be coming in, so I've got soothing to do. Be well.

Gone platinum?

I'm prepping for a visit with my family, and I'd wondered what I could whip up for my mother and grandmother, who both have lovely silver hair- not that they know it, unfortunately. And they don't know this because the public perception of grey hair is that it is something to be covered up at the earliest sign.

I confess- I've concealed a grey hair or three in my day. But as I'm just shy of thirty, it didn't seem right for me to have grey just yet. To me, grey hair goes with wearing Chanel No. 5, well-tailored clothing, and a certain confident elegance that isn't devoid of sex appeal, but certainly doesn't suit the adolescent awkwardness that I still possess in great amounts. I'm quite looking forward to a silver cloud of curls at say, forty-five, but not just yet.

My mother and grandmother, however, have gone quite platinum, and I've been looking for something to complement grey hair. My research turns up loads of ways to prevent or conceal greys of varying credibility, but few to make the best of what you've earned. I may just do a general hair oil that boosts shine and encourages growth, but really, is it too much to ask for suggestions on making silver tresses glow without chemical interventions? Oh well.

I've also finished my first pair of hand-knit socks for Zak, and for now, I'm a three-needle bind off girl in terms of finishing. Perhaps I'll keep working on grafting - a.k.a. Kitchener stitch, but my bind off looks better than my grafting, so that's what I'll stick with. For those who are familiar with hand-knit socks, you can skip the next sentences.

These socks fit beautifully. Zak is a baby clothing escape artist, with socks being a specialty of his. I won't say he can't wriggle out of these, but it's at least a bigger challenge for him. They were fun to knit, as there was the excitement of the heel between the predictability of the leg and foot. They may be my new favorite thing to knit, as the happiness-yarn ratio is excellent.

Next: a pair of toe-up socks, as I'm hoping to start knitting for Socks for Soldiers, a charity that provides hand-knit socks to military servicemembers on deployment. Any flaw in a sock would be felt acutely, so I want to have the techniques down before I cast on for someone relying so heavily on my skills.

And Eid has arrived, with its fond farewell to Ramadan and delightful gifts for Zak. I prayed Eid prayer at home, presented Zak with his gifts, and opened my brand new.... electric kettle! It was a gift from a friend of mine. It's wonderful, and I think I must have used it a half dozen times already. I just hope the gifts I whipped up and sent out were enjoyed half as much as my new kettle. Either way, I am humbled to reflect on how blessed I am.