Saturday 24 December 2016

Merry Christmas

This is our first Christmas as a family of three so it's rather special. When I think how life was this time last year, my mind boggles.

No we don't have a star on our tree,
it's a model of the space craft Philae that landed on a comet.
We are cool that way.

This time last year, I was extremely pregnant, 38 weeks exactly on Christmas Eve. I will never forget that as my husband and I spent most of Christmas Eve in hospital wondering if I was going to need an early induction. I was being tested for a nasty condition which only goes away after birth and was incredibly uncomfortable. Thankfully they all came out negative, and we were able to spend Christmas Day together and at home, and I had to wait out my discomfort for another three weeks before Baby A made his appearance.

This year we have a near one year old tearing up the house. Life is hectic and busy and noisy, but never has it been so fun and loving and exciting. Even though I know Baby A won't remember any of this, I have been super excited for his first Christmas, and so has his daddy.

tree skirt
The tree skirt I sewed by hand back when I had free time!
So Merry Christmas to all.




Thursday 15 December 2016

Christmas Baby Dilemmas

This Christmas will be Baby A's first Christmas, and while that is very exciting, it is throwing up lots of new, little dilemmas that never occurred to me before I had children.


The Tree

Our living room isn't very big - none of our rooms are. Our house is the opposite of open plan. Generally, we quite like it that way since we enjoy not having cooking smells in the living room or hearing the TV while in the dining room. But it's always been a squeeze to fit our not enormous Christmas tree in the living room. And this year we have the added problem of also fitting in a fire guard, a play pen, lots of toys and a very mobile, inquisitive child who does not yet understand the word 'danger'. I am pretty sure he will try to pull himself up on the tree, if not climb it. Tinsel and baubles will be stolen, played with, eaten, hidden. I was pondering not putting one up this year, but I really would like to. I'm just anticipating playing tree police for much of the festive season.

Presents

Call me Scrooge, but I don't see the point in giving loads of presents to an 11 month old. He doesn't know what Christmas is, he won't remember it, and he'll probably be far more interested in the paper and empty boxes than any presents themselves. Plus as mentioned, we don't have an enormous house. I'm very grateful for any gifts he may receive from doting grandparents, but I'm also wondering where on earth we're going to store all this stuff. I've become depressingly practical! So with all that in mind, I haven't actually bought Baby A anything for Christmas. Mean Mummy! He won't be totally ignored on Christmas Day though. I am knitting him a cuddly toy so we have something to give him. Partly because I would like to have something with his name on under our tree and something I can say was his 'first Christmas present', but mostly because I've enjoyed learning to knit it. Everyone is happy!


I might have to make this now.
The Christmas Show

Baby A attends nursery one day a week. It is attached to a primary school and every child, including the ones in nursery, have been invited to participate in the school's Christmas Show. At 11 months old, I'm not quite sure what Baby A would be doing, since he cannot be trusted to even sit in the same spot for more than 2 seconds. But it doesn't matter because the show isn't happening on his nursery day and I don't have any spare holidays left to take an afternoon off work to watch him be held by someone else on stage. I would quite like to, but it seems somewhat ridiculous when he's still so young and oblivious. The only thing that saddens me is he would have been dressed as a Christmas pudding. I'm tempted to make my own Christmas pudding outfit for him, just because it would have been so cute! In fact here is a tutorial for a Christmas pudding hat because why not?


Christmas Cards

I have a relatively short Christmas card list usually. I send them to close family and the odd friend that lives far away but who I correspond with regularly. It hasn't changed in years. I definitely know everyone on my list. But this year, nursery sent home a list of all the children in Baby A's room, as well as all the staff. There's only 15 or so children in his age range as it's a small place, but I think I am supposed to do Christmas cards for them all, even though I don't have a clue who most of them are. And of course neither does Baby A, being 11 months old and all. At the moment he is far more interested in porridge than other children. Does everyone join in with this? Will I be judged for not participating? Will I forever be referred to as the Scrooge mother? I didn't expect all this so soon! I guess this is good practice for when he attends actual school. I will be a Christmas card pro by then (she hopes).

Friday 2 December 2016

Last Order Dates Before Christmas

Just a reminder that if that special hand drawn baby onesie is needed by Christmas, you'd best hurry up! Here are my last order dates if you want to get your onesie by Christmas.





Western Europe   Wednesday 9th December

USA & Canada    Thursday 10th December

UK                        Thursday 15th December




And if you miss these, I will still try to get your onesie posted as soon as possible, but it might become a New Year present.