Well, that didn't last long :( DPs work decided late on Friday that actually they probably do need him back in NY for all the reasons he brought up weeks ago and in fact, despite saying it was all covered and sorted, it really wasn't. So he's back to NY a week today, but fortunately just for a short trip this time - coming back on the wednesday. So it's crap, but it's bearable. He could have said no, they did give him the choice, but as he's the one who would be picking up the pieces when the shoot went badly, he'd rather go and get it right in the first place. So I have another few days home alone to deal with, but at least this time I won't have builders everywhere! Maybe i'll actually get on with some xmas presents as I have made precisely none so far! (I'm so going to end up doing a mad dash around the shops at this rate!)
Carlita It's not so much the activities with boys that worries me (and tbh, most of the stuff you mentioned i'd do with a girl or a boy - I, for example, got my first scalextric when I was 4, I used to tag along to my dad's athletic matches to watch him compete and loved to go car shopping with him!! I had a toy crane, a "Mr T" action figure as well as dolls and cuddly toys - no barbies though! 
) it's more that being female myself I felt more confident about helping fuzzy navigate life as a girl. Plus, as someone who has never had a "pink princessy" phase (those of us born in the 70s often didn't!) and has ended up having a successful career in a very male dominated industry I was rather looking forward to bringing a daughter up who wasn't raised within the confines of what it means to be a "girl". (I'm something of a strident feminist, in case anyone hadn't guessed!)
I've lost track of the number of conversations I've had with friends about how actually girls don't genetically like pink, or dolls, or nurturing and I've been super frustrated with one friend who had two girls then a boy and constantly refers to her "aggressive" little boy and worries about how rough he is, when he is behaving exactly the same as the girls did at his age! I hate to see kids stereotyped like that - they are all individuals and I believe in letting them follow their own paths! It probably sounds daft, but I was relishing the prospect of showing that the kind of less gendered upbringing I got was still possible for girls. Not saying I expected my girl to be a "tomboy" - I never really was, just that you don't have to have a pink room, with disney princess stuff everywhere and an aversion to maths!
With a boy, I have less confidence about raising them to navigate their way through all the stereotypes and assumptions around being a boy/man - I have no experience of being a teenage boy to call on! I think in some ways it's probably harder to be a boy who isn't typically boyish than a girl who isn't girly - and while I'm sure DP and I will find a way through it all - I just feel more nervous about it. It's going to be a much steeper learning curve I think!
There's also the totally rubbish reason of not liking boys clothes a whole lot either! I went looking in the shops and it's all grey/navy/dark green and car and digger designs! I want bright colours for my boy! It's so hard to find gender neutral bright coloured kids clothes! I had bright coloured dungarees and trousers as a kid, but they are so hard to find for kids now! (well, unless you are willing to pay £20 an item from fancy online shops - and we're not made of money!!)
Are your home made dungarees made from a pattern Carlita? If so, any chance you would be willing to send me a copy or tell me where you got it from? I suspect i'm going to be upping my sewing skills in the coming months so I can make some nice clothes for my boy and your dungarees looked great! I think they would be a good place for me to start! :)
Sorry to hear you're having issues with the house sale/purchase! Hope they are resolved quickly!! Sounds very frustrating :(
Glad Arthur Christmas was good though - is nice to be getting in the festive mood!! Will you decorate your flat for until you move, or will you wait to put xmas decs up once you get in the new place?
Bun Yay for pampering stuff - did you have a lovely relaxing bath? Love the "mummy & daddys big potty" comment - sounds like DS is doing great!!
We normally put the tree/decorations up on the first weekend in December, but DP will be flying out on the Sunday so i'm in two minds about it. Not sure if it will be nice to have it all up while he's gone, or just sad as he isn't there to share it. See how we feel at the end of the week I guess. If we wait another week we'll only have 2 weeks of it before xmas and that is a bit sad - I love having the tree lights on in the evening and curling up on the sofa watching christmassy tv!
DP also dropped the bombshell that they have a HUGE deadline at work scheduled for the 23rd December so he won't be able to take any time off in the run up to xmas (and will probably have to do some late work as well, maybe even weekend hours). I could cheerfully throttle the idiot manager who agreed the schedule of work - who on earth thinks the 23rd December is a good time to have a deadline? Surely everyone will be looking to take time off that week?? We'd talked about taking that entire week off previously, but he just hadn't thought through the dates properly and only realised yesterday that it won't work. I'm gutted :( We'll have between xmas and new year off together and hopefully he'll take some time in the new year too but post 1st Jan it doesn't feel like xmas break really... and we have to fit family get togethers in to that week between xmas & new year - so no super lazy week at home together anymore... On the bright side, time off in the new year means we can hit the sales together looking for stuff for fuzzy, but I suspect the real bargains will be gone by then as people hit the shops on the 26th now and there's no way we're going into town that week - I want to laze on the sofa eating chocolate and slobbing out!!
All in all it's been a bit of a rubbish couple of days really - but we are having a nice day today (I may still even be in my PJs on the sofa...) and are going to sit down with a calendar later on to make our xmas plans and work out just when we will get to spend some time together - so that will be nice.