December 2011 "Mummymummymummymummy.... it's MINE!"

[NorthernChinchilla]

Combining our catchphrases...sigh...

Chip, buy your bro an Ann Summers Crocodile posing pouch thong (Google it if you dare!) and a pair of black fishnets off eBay. That will teach him to ask for underwear!

Thank goodness my family does secret Santa (50 euro limit, you only participate if you will be at my parents' house on Christmas day). I have a very large family so it had got ridiculous especially once we started getting married/shacking up and adding partners to the mix. Mr. Mopsy used to have to buy for his aunt/uncle and cousins also but they stopped that the year after I joined the family. I think actually possibly upon my influence Ah no I think again it was just getting crazy. So now we just buy a pressie for his mum and brother. His aunt buys for him and me and his brother and my mother-in-law buys for her nieces and their husbands. But we don't buy for the aunt/the cousins don't buy for my MIL. So it is all SO much simpler. Once people start getting married and having kids it just gets out of hand. But I still haven't bought a single present in spite of only having Mr. Mopsy and Minimopsy to buy for (Mr. Mopsy sorts out his mum and brother's pressies). I am a disaster! Need to pull the finger out!

I'm getting the bug too figgy, treated myself to loads of new Xmas decorations. I can't WAIT for the fact that I'll fulfil a lifetime ambition this year and have a full size live Xmas tree. DS really gets Xmas this year, and so will have to see if we can find a Santa for him to visit.

It does get scary mopsy, DP's family is large, but at least a hideous divorce and going NC with another of the siblings has helped cut down on the presents list ! My family is teeny, so it's all manageable. DP's lot just cheat and give money

Oh, and DP got the elephant version in the Office secret santa aethel, source of amusement for aaaaages. Great way to wake guest up with the trumpeting- not actually wearing it I hasten to add!

Seen the spider again this evening Oi? I loved the chin tale, I can really sympathise with that You should be proud of your war wound!

What with my course, and four weekends on the trot taken up with family, friends, and work, it's been a nightmare for getting on MN. DS also excelled himself this evening-seemed to be massively overtired, and refused to get in his car seat for going home (I'd done the shopping and DP came and met me; he and DS came in briefly to find me). He went crazy, pulling my hair, scratching me, biting me and hitting me full in the face.

Made me cry and feel like a failure, so a great evening's work

Oh dear Northern. If it makes you feel better, Minimopsy seems to gave been replaced on several occasions lately by a demon child I don't know, and has hit me several times. It is very difficult and tiring staying calm and being firm when you're exhausted. I totally sympathise. It IS just a phase but so hard to cope with at times. Also the fact that they save their worst behaviour for us is, apparently, very positive (doesn't feel like it!) and shows very strong attachment to us and security. Apparently!

Oh, and I, too, got lots of new decorations on Friday (TkMAXX is fab for decorations by the way) as this is the first time we have space for a proper tree. I am disproportionately excited by this!

I don't think my brother would ever forgive me Aethel!

I wish we could do a Secret Santa with family presents Mopsy! I have spent a ridiculous amount yet again and the worst thing is that DH insists that we buy presents for people separately rather than from us as a couple! I must admit I just buy the in-laws token gifts e.g. tin of biscuits/bottle of wine these days as I used to spend a lot more, but it's not reciprocated and I'm not close to them. I tend to spend about £30 each on DM and DB.

It is a pain Chip. And it isn't just the money, it is the hassle. It is different buying for people you really love and really fun to find them something you know they will really appreciate and enjoy ... But when it is just a present for a presents sake, it is just a chore.

Today is our wedding anniversary.
DH is coming over for dinner. My "timehop" is showing me lovely images from our wedding, but I can't post them on fb. If i do we'll get loads of "happy anniversary" 's...

Don't know what to say Oi. Happy anniversary not totally appropriate. Hope you have a good talk tonight I guess.

I went down town and got all the party bag stuff for Minimopsy's bday party (not until week before Christmas but I won't want to be doing that with a newborn). I got a mini fire truck/car, box of stickers and pencil with animal shape eraser on top for each bag and will stick in a bag of buttons or something. Does that sound like enough?

I also got Minimopsy's birthday presents (a doctor's set and a set of farm animal stamps with ink pads) and most of her stocking presents plus a big box of duplo for Christmas. So I'm feeling pretty smug right now. I'm also feeling completely exhausted. Shopping all afternoon at 38 weeks is very tiring!

Yes Oi that is a bit awkward I'm with mopsy have a good evening regardless.

Mopsy I think that sounds fine ds party will be going away with cake and a selection box this year can't be faffed with party bags 3 days before Xmas!!

I have finished ds Xmas shopping and bday presents I have some ideas for other things if PIL, Sil asks but not buying anymore (will see how long that lasts) feel bad he not getting a big pressie from us Xmas day to avoid flying it back but my mum brought back from disney a buzz lightyear and a buzz lightyear blaster gun so he will get that from them collection of books, character toys, dvd and gruffalo stampers which are awesome!! He's definitely getting more for his bday!!

I can't believe how close we are to more thread babies, all you ladies who are pregnant it seems to have flown by (from my usual lurking position!)

DS seems to have finally grown out of his dairy intolerance, had hospital appointment last week and got go ahead to fully reintroduce dairy after having an uneventful trial! DS has been very excited to eat cheese and had his first ice cream last weekend.

Like others he really seems to 'get' Christmas a bit more this year so looking forward to that too. He is going to be an elf in nursery Christmas show so need to get him an outfit and book afternoon off work pretty sure anything involving a hoard of 2 year old elves is going to be disastrous!

Oh how sweet PTP, sounds brilliant! Come back and tell us about the carnage . And lovely news about the dairy as well, bet he loved the ice cream.

And thanks mopsy, DS has been lovely the past few days, it's just awful when they kick off though, and 99% of the time he acts up it's down to tiredness. I think on that occasion it was because he hit me with some power -my face was so close to his as I was getting him in his seat- and it actually hurt too! Thankfully we only want the stork to come and get him back about 5% of the time

Xmas presents are well underway here too, but the big question is 'when do we buy the Xmas tree'? The below are my only options owing to our ridiculously hectic weekend schedules, so cast your votes please!
Option A- this Sunday
Option B- Tuesday 2nd December
Option C- Sunday 7th December

Hope it's going well Oi, and that you manage to tackle some of the issues ref the two of you getting back together or just get inappropriately drunk and do inappropriate things

Sunday 7th Dec ideally. Not before Dec I'd say! I'm thinking weekend of 6-7 Dec too, precisely because weekend before is still November ... I just have a thing about Christmas not being allowed before December! Feel free to disagree of course

Minimopsy pinched my boob REALLY hard earlier. I've no idea why. It really hurt! She wasn't having a tantrum or cross or anything. I told her off and she cried. Then I felt guilty as I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt me. But I don't want her to do it again!

I'm soooo sore after the walking around shops all afternoon. Bottom of bump very sore. Is this normal? Can't remember from last time ...

Northern Xmas trees NEVER before December!! I can't express that enough!!

How did it go Oi?

We're doing tree and decorations that weekend too mopsy.

DS was in trouble for being cheeky at nursery yesterday. He was talking back and telling the staff to 'shhhh'. They think he's just really ready to move up to preschool and he's getting bored being in the toddler class. He literally follows the staff around all day asking for new things to learn. They are meant to be moving him in January but I'm going to speak to them this evening and see if they want to do it earlier. I'd rather move him up than have him acting out because he's feeling held back/bored.

I have done all Xmas shopping for children (family and friends) and know what I'm getting my parents, so feeling like I might be pretty organised this year!

Sad news: A lovely friend of mine (I posted about her on FB group last year, her first baby was very poorly at birth) has very very sadly lost her baby at 20 weeks. Totally heartbroken for her. Life is so bloody unfair.

Oh you rotters, had hoped everyone would say do it now, but you're all traditionalists! I think partly as we have to spend every Xmas away from home I sort of want to get it started asap...but you're right, December it is.

Bah.

The Xmas lights were switched on in town today, not sure if it was just the shopping area or the Council doing the whole town as well, but we took DS down to look at the lights and the trees, which he loved. Flashing plastic crap duly bought. Only a brief meltdown when he couldn't go into 'MenKind' and it was bedtime...

hop, so sorry to hear about your friend, how utterly heartbreaking for her. And it's a crappy time of year for it as well. How old is her first DC?

Am off to a conference tomorrow, it's actually on the Saturday but need to travel up tonight. Sadly I won't be doing anything as glam as Oi's cocktails and associated chin-splitting!

That is really sad hop. I am at that anxious stage, really want the baby out now and everything to be OK.

Minimopsy has a vomiting bug. Been up since 3am. Wrecked. This will soon be the new normal though with newborn in the house. Reeeaalllyy dreading the tiredness ...

Aargh, DS has just got into Peter Rabbit (the awful hyper-quick CGI CBeebies version). Come back, Sarah And Duck, I need you!

Ooh and good to see you PTP...

Ahh DS has been into Peter Rabbit for some time...! Chuggington is another one to look forward to Aethel

That sounds grim Mopsy, I hope that you manage to avoid any bugs and manage to catch up on a bit of sleep!

I seem to be averaging 4 hours a night this week as DS has a cough, DH has a cold and I'm just massive! I've been able to have a nap each day though which has really helped!

One week until my due date today please be early, please be early!

Not a lot going on here...DS has fallen asleep on the settee and I'm watching daytime tv!

Oh aethel I feel your pain re: Peter rabbit and raise you paw patrol.....the horror

Ugh re Peter Rabbit!

Minimopsy has started asking for Mr. Tumble. Uugghhhhh!

I'm feeling mighty smug. I just finished ordering Mr. Mopsy's Christmas present online. Several different bits of it in fact. Should all be here by next week. This is the most organised I've ever been by a mile!

Peter Rabbit. Urgh. DS likes it. When he is frightened he whispers 'rabbits are brave, rabbits are brave' to himself. I have bought the proper books for him for Christmas.

It's an abomination that version. We bought DS the entire set of Beatrix P as a present some time ago, and are working through that.

Am currently in a hotel in Birmingham, for a conference. Why can't my life be as glamorous as Oi's?

Baby due next week?!?! Wow!
Am so jealous!
Mopsy - sore lower bump - mine was tender late on, as I had an adema (?) - a water balloon - extra weight to carry around, and when my waters broke it was as though the Niagara Falls had come to Bolton!
(I am ALL glam!)

Hop- so sorry to hear about your friend. So sad.

Christmas tree - December! Last year we got ours on boi's birthday, the 10th. We get a real one so you can't get it too early.
The wedding anniversary went quite well. We didn't have any serious discussions. We just enjoyed a family meal and then chatted lots. We're doing it again in Tuesday. MrOi will be cooking. And then next Sunday we're going out for a date and Boi is going to the GPs.
(I might take stuff secretly in the car, on Tuesday, so I can stay over.)
I went out last night with friends, and did not end up in A &E. Result!

I like Peter Rabbit. (I never read/knew the originals).
I do not like Paw Patrol.
I love Mr Tumble.
I can't stand Chuggington.

Boi just loves Thomas really. Although as well as the (long) list of engines that he wants for Christmas, he also wants some Fireman Sam characters.