Christmas has been an interesting time for the family this year. With Liz being 9 months pregnant, and considered full term from early December, even though the baby is due in Jan, it meant that we couldn’t easily plan. We were making simple plans, but we always had to have a series of backup plans in case the baby came. Simple plan was to go to Orange, my parents’ house, for a few days over Christmas and have a relax. The reason why we went were to be with family, and we couldn’t go too far. On the other side, we couldn’t have hosted because if we had to give birth then we would have left everyone in the lurch, and Liz was not in the mood to host.
There was a plan to visit my parents, which meant that we had to mollify other parents and family members that we were being safe, and had back up plans. Liz is getting hot, the weather is also quite warm which makes her feels worse and Sophie is begging for attention. On top of that I am trying to organise my work life and plan my time off as best I can. It is a simple problem but the high levels of uncertainty make it more stressful for me than it really should. I should just trust the midwives and science saying when the baby will be due, but there is that nagging feeling in the background. I guess the other issue is that because it is Christmas and New Year, lots of people are taking time off. It makes it easier for family in some ways as they are available to visit and do some baby sitting. However it also means that work is more complicated to organise.
My mum wanted the baby born while we were out at Orange. That didn’t happen, but it could have been fun. Sophie would have had lots of babysitters and the hospital there is very good. And lots of people were worried about the driving, but we were never more than 30 min from a hospital, so we could always make it with plenty of time to spare. I kept taunting mothers by saying that we were ready and had half written a letter that we would send them informing them of the birth of our child. Apparently they want quicker communication.
That all being said, we had a great time at Orange and over the whole holidays. I spent as much time sleeping as I could to get it in before the baby is born. We are constantly told about having a sleep deficit, but I am not sure whether the idea of a sleep bank has a scientific currency. Liz just wanted the bath. Sophie loved the attention, and had gone up a little earlier to be with grandparents for several days by herself. She loved it, but she missed having people her own age to play with. It is funny when she talks about playing with her friends whom she had just met in the park, and has not exchanged a word with. We try and play with her and get her involved, but keep getting distracted by adult demands. Like playing the game properly, walking to an end point, cleaning up, preparing food and presents. She was getting a little bored with us doing those things.
She did some great making over the holidays. Making pictures, cutting them out, colouring in and doing mazes. Sophie got a maze book in her Santa sack which was the first thing she pulled out. She had a wonderful 10 minutes with it before she was reminded that there may be other things in the sack that she could play with. She had a great time going through the sack with all the books, toys and chocolates in it. She also got a new pair of scissors. She was really happy with them, and cut out all sorts of things. She is really quite precise with her cutting, going around all the words and removing all the corners. She is also impressed by stickers. Of course Sophie got soo many presents over Christmas. It will be the last year that it happens though, with a new baby very shortly. She gets so many presents she doesn’t know what to do with them all.
When we came home (safely, no problems) Sophie was most excited to see her friends and play. Meanwhile Liz and I tried to take things easy – I certainly did during work. New Years Eve we had a party at Lou and Brendan’s. It was a chaotic party, about a dozen boys and four girls under 6. They were running everywhere, into everyone and making so much noise that were I a neighbour I would have left to go elsewhere. Especially after one of the parents (of a girl) brought out paper horns. They could get really loud. There was a green cordial fountain and fairy bread, sausages and chips, music and cacophony. The night finished with the fireworks on tv at 9pm. Then we got home, along with most others and tried to sleep. Sophie has had many late nights, and they are beginning to pile up now.
We had a great holiday period, don’t get me wrong. We had a wonderful time swimming in the lake at Orange. I took Sophie out to the diving platform and she jumped off twice, really brave of her. We made lots of things, ate lots of food, and Sophie was absolutely fantastic at the meals, helping and running around the place. She would sit at the table eating and being polite while we chatted about everything and anything. She was amazing. She can keep herself amused if no-one else will. But that was very rare with the number of relatives around the place. Including Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, grandparents and of course, us. We read so many books, and Puss in Boots so many times.
There was a plan to visit my parents, which meant that we had to mollify other parents and family members that we were being safe, and had back up plans. Liz is getting hot, the weather is also quite warm which makes her feels worse and Sophie is begging for attention. On top of that I am trying to organise my work life and plan my time off as best I can. It is a simple problem but the high levels of uncertainty make it more stressful for me than it really should. I should just trust the midwives and science saying when the baby will be due, but there is that nagging feeling in the background. I guess the other issue is that because it is Christmas and New Year, lots of people are taking time off. It makes it easier for family in some ways as they are available to visit and do some baby sitting. However it also means that work is more complicated to organise.
My mum wanted the baby born while we were out at Orange. That didn’t happen, but it could have been fun. Sophie would have had lots of babysitters and the hospital there is very good. And lots of people were worried about the driving, but we were never more than 30 min from a hospital, so we could always make it with plenty of time to spare. I kept taunting mothers by saying that we were ready and had half written a letter that we would send them informing them of the birth of our child. Apparently they want quicker communication.
That all being said, we had a great time at Orange and over the whole holidays. I spent as much time sleeping as I could to get it in before the baby is born. We are constantly told about having a sleep deficit, but I am not sure whether the idea of a sleep bank has a scientific currency. Liz just wanted the bath. Sophie loved the attention, and had gone up a little earlier to be with grandparents for several days by herself. She loved it, but she missed having people her own age to play with. It is funny when she talks about playing with her friends whom she had just met in the park, and has not exchanged a word with. We try and play with her and get her involved, but keep getting distracted by adult demands. Like playing the game properly, walking to an end point, cleaning up, preparing food and presents. She was getting a little bored with us doing those things.
She did some great making over the holidays. Making pictures, cutting them out, colouring in and doing mazes. Sophie got a maze book in her Santa sack which was the first thing she pulled out. She had a wonderful 10 minutes with it before she was reminded that there may be other things in the sack that she could play with. She had a great time going through the sack with all the books, toys and chocolates in it. She also got a new pair of scissors. She was really happy with them, and cut out all sorts of things. She is really quite precise with her cutting, going around all the words and removing all the corners. She is also impressed by stickers. Of course Sophie got soo many presents over Christmas. It will be the last year that it happens though, with a new baby very shortly. She gets so many presents she doesn’t know what to do with them all.
When we came home (safely, no problems) Sophie was most excited to see her friends and play. Meanwhile Liz and I tried to take things easy – I certainly did during work. New Years Eve we had a party at Lou and Brendan’s. It was a chaotic party, about a dozen boys and four girls under 6. They were running everywhere, into everyone and making so much noise that were I a neighbour I would have left to go elsewhere. Especially after one of the parents (of a girl) brought out paper horns. They could get really loud. There was a green cordial fountain and fairy bread, sausages and chips, music and cacophony. The night finished with the fireworks on tv at 9pm. Then we got home, along with most others and tried to sleep. Sophie has had many late nights, and they are beginning to pile up now.
We had a great holiday period, don’t get me wrong. We had a wonderful time swimming in the lake at Orange. I took Sophie out to the diving platform and she jumped off twice, really brave of her. We made lots of things, ate lots of food, and Sophie was absolutely fantastic at the meals, helping and running around the place. She would sit at the table eating and being polite while we chatted about everything and anything. She was amazing. She can keep herself amused if no-one else will. But that was very rare with the number of relatives around the place. Including Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, grandparents and of course, us. We read so many books, and Puss in Boots so many times.
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