Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve ALREADY!!! I haven't got time to update because it's 11.36pm and I'm tired out, and tomorrow will be INTENSE with the boys from early o'clock. We've spent the evening finishing the wrapping (I did most of it a week or so ago) and stuffing stockings and arranging presents under the (very small and up off the floor!) tree. The boys were fairly wild with excitement this year, it's so sweet!

I sort of see it as Matthew's "first" real experience of Christmas, because he's 2 and a half (can you believe it?!) and really gets it this year. Arthur is just totally into Christmas and very excited - keeps hearing sleigh bells as he's dropping off to sleep the last couple of nights, which wake him with an excited jump and then he's all wired telling me about it and wondering! Tonight he took ages to fall asleep and would not stop talking about Father Christmas, and how he hoped the reindeer liked the carrot we left out, etc. So sweet! I love this, it's so much fun for me even, hehe!

It's Nathan's REAL first Christmas, of course! He's 11 months old, it's crazy. His birthday is actually in just over 2 weeks. I can't get my head around that, but mainly because Christmas and New Year are in the way, and you know how it's hard to think beyond that before Christmas happens. But, RIGHT after Christmas I need to hurry and think about what to give/do on his birthday! It's hard straight after him having presents at Christmas, because I have run out of ideas, and we've had two one-year-olds in the last 3 years already, so we don't really need any more one-year-old type things in the house! Aaargh, what to get him?! I have to think about it.

He's doing so well!! He finally got his first tooth, two days shy of 11 months old! I'm amazed by that, since Arthur was 8.5 months, and Matthew was 7.5 months! Even with his age adjustment he's way later than them! My older boys also teethed in the same order at the same pace, pretty much - they had 5 teeth at the age Nathan was when he got his first! Also, Nathan's first tooth is not the classic bottom front tooth. His bottom gum is still bald! ;) His first tooth is the right TOP front tooth. His left one is starting to look "active" under the gum, and he's currently teething again. My mum was joking that he'd have his two front teeth for Christmas (and nothing else at all!), like the song, hehe! But, he's just a little one-toothed-boy at the moment. :) I have photos, just not uploaded at the mo, tsk.

Also, a week ago Nathan was standing at the sofa facing out into the room. I sat a few feet away from him with the camera, thinking he was in a lovely position to take a good photo, and he beamed from ear to ear and set off walking towards me!! He did it again and again, about 4 or 5 times in a row, and then started to get tired and fell after a couple of steps. He took between 4 and 6 steps every time before he either reached me victoriously (much excited squealing and high-pitched praise from me *sigh* I'm so excited about my babies walking for the first time!!), or else he toppled. He even walked in a little semi-circle at one point to turn back to the sofa, and didn't fall doing that, but he did take it slowly and was distracted by Matthew at the time so maybe that helped?

Anyway, I'm so excited about that! Nathan is my earliest walker, but only by a bit. With his age adjusted (to 10 months old) he's by far the earliest, but without the adjustment he's still 2 weeks earlier than the others (they were both about 11 months and 3 weeks when the started like he has). It's funny to me that Nathan has set off walking in EXACTLY the same way that Matthew did - as he stood at the sofa facing out, and I sat down to take a photo of him! How funny! He hasn't done much walking since then, only one or two steps at a time, but today he walked a few steps to Neil for the first time, so maybe he's had his "lull" (it was like he'd forgotten how on earth he did it the day after the first walking!) and is getting the hang of it again. He is SO PROUD of himself when he's walking, and you know he's going to try just by his sort of panty breathing and little breathy squeals (he gets excited about the very idea of trying it, it seems, bless him!), and his eyes sparkle and he smiles soooo big and stretches his arms out in front of him like he's really excited. Then he sets off smiling and doing gaspy squeals all the way. It's seriously the cutest thing ever. *sigh* I completely adore that baby boy.

We've done some Christmas crafts (the boys and I) but I'm behind on the baking this year, and haven't even marzipaned the Christmas cakes yet!!! Let alone ice them! I'm so frustrated with myself, tsk! But oh well. Maybe I'll miraculously get them done tomorrow and we'll eat some on Boxing Day?

We're doing Christmas just as we did last year - just Neil and the boys and me at home, no family. My brother (and Sarah and Thea) and my grandparents are staying with my parents in France for Christmas. Neil's mum is staying home in Yorkshire this year, and his brother and youngest sister are there for Christmas. Rosemary and my two little nieces are home, about an hour from here, but we have no plans yet to see them. Normally we see them in the week that follows Christmas, but Neil has to work that week this year. His old company used to be closed that week so he never worked it before.

Except Monday morning!!! I have my first scan on Monday morning (I just started my 2nd trimester, is that not crazy?!) and I can't wait! Neil is off work for the morning to attend it, and my grandparents will be home by then to watch the older two for us (we're taking Nathan with us). We still haven't told the boys about Babydot, and don't plan to for a good while yet, though they seem receptive to the idea of babies and our family growing at the moment.

I can't wait for tomorrow morning, just to see the boys' faces when they reach the point on the stairs where they can lean over a bit and see the presents. I wish I had a remote control camera just set up ready, but I'll be sooooo bleary at that moment in time, and behind them for sure, because they'll likely forge the way!

Now I have to chew a carrot in a reindeer-like manner, consume a mince pie (what a chore, hehe!) and then brush my teeth and go to bed. I'm more excited about Christmas Day this year than I have been for years. It was always the highlight of the year for me as a child, and the excitement didn't wear off in my teens either. It kind of waned once I was married and Christmas was what we made it, not what my parents made it for me, sort of. Now I love that my children are just getting to that FUN age where they're as excited about Christmas as I remember being, and I get to be the parent involved! :) So much fun!

The boys wrote (dictated) adorable letters to Father Christmas earlier in the month! I can't believe how much I've missed writing here, with my huge gaps between entries :( I haven't even written about France and Arthur's birthday yet, and those seem to be way in the past to me now :(

Anyway. I will get to those (I hope)! In Arthur's letter to Father Christmas he said that he wanted "a toy Jesus that has a button on the back which when you press it he says, "Everybody please be good!"", hehehe! I had SO MUCH TROUBLE keeping a straight face while I solemnly wrote down what he was telling me! ;) He even adopted a somewhat "holy" tone for the "Everybody please be good!" line - very calm and even-toned, hehe! He cracks me up, that boy! :)

Arthur was supposed to be a shepherd in his first ever Nativity play at church last Sunday, but we've been ill with two fortnight-long "colds" (that have behaved way more like flu with dreadful coughs that are still going - the doctor told me that the first one was now considered an influenza strain. Arthur and Nathan had high temps with that one, but Matthew and I didn't) back to back, so it has been a fun month. We've missed a lot of church what with being unwell before going to France, then being in France, then a month not well again! Tsk! Arthur attended one rehearsal for the Nativity play and then we were ill again. He was none the wiser that he missed being in a play, so that's good, but I'm a bit sad that his first Nativity didn't go ahead for him! But oh well! If he doesn't go to school he won't have as many of those as most children do, so I was looking forward to it! Hopefully there'll be other church Nativity plays he can be involved in at future Christmasses!

Okay, I have to go to bed, it's past midnight. But I'm glad to have "snuck" an update in! :)

Long-overdue update, a few Nathey pics and a video clip :)

Almost a MONTH since my last entry!!!!! That is just terrible! I have been updating at my pregnancy diary at least once a week though, and usually put stuff there I would normally put here, since I didn't have time or energy to write at both diaries.

So, to quickly recap on the last month (!!):

* Still pregnant! I'm 9 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and I heard my little bean's heartbeat with my doppler for the first time last week! There's a video clip at this entry in my pregnancy diary, if you would like to hear the sweet sound! :) I'm beyond thrilled to hear it!

* We made it to France and back, yay! Had a lovely time with my parents, an okay crossing there, and a HIDEOUS, never-to-be-repeated-ever-again crossing back to England (discovered Matthew gets travel sick, yeurgh!).

* I have a four-year-old! Arthur had a lovely 4th birthday in France. He had a car transporter birthday cake, and various presents - books, games, toy cars, a toy car transporter (requested!) and a tricycle at last! I've wanted one for him for a long time. We don't have the space for him to use it at home, sadly, but we can take it out, and we'll move fairly soon and plan to get a bigger place that he can use it in! It's a BIG tricycle, for 2-5 year olds, though Matthew is nearly 2 and a half and can't reach to pedal it properly. Arthur LOVES it! He got the hang of it very quickly. I have a million photos of his birthday, and our time in France, but it might take me a while to sort those out for my diary :(

* While I was in France, I started to bleed quite heavily, and was convinced I was starting a miscarriage. I bled and spotted for a further 2 weeks. When we got home I had a scan (at 6 weeks) and everything looks fine. I saw my Babydot and his/her heart beating! I feel horribly sick (3.5 weeks and counting, urgh!) all day and night so I'm very reassured, lol! The bleeding has stopped now, thankfully. I seem to bleed every pregnancy for some reason, but I don't like it!

* Nathan is 10 months old! Already 10 and a half, actually. He is standing unaided a lot, for 10 seconds or more at a time. He is also doing such a funny "launch" thing where he stands unaided and puts his arms out in front of him, gets a very determined and serious look on his face, and starts to do a sort of lurch movement forwards, as though he's willing himself to move in a forwards direction, haha! He's so sweet! I love watching him do this! ;) He seems convinced that he'll move if he concentrates hard enough, hehehe! Eventually he keels forwards, but at least his arms are out and he just goes onto all fours (hands and feet). He'll get it soon, I should think :) He took one step unaided yesterday, but he didn't even notice, and I'm sure it was totally by accident!

I DO have a photo of the little man standing! Here he is, plus a few others at the same little photo session. This was a couple of weeks ago when he was very new to standing unaided (day 2?):

He's so precious!! He babbles NON STOP now, and is such a vocal baby!

He still has NO teeth! Matthew got his first tooth at 7.5 months, and Arthur at 8.5 months, so Nathan is officially my latest teether! He's continually teething and has been for most of his wee life, but still no toothies to show for it yet. His adjusted age is now 9.5 months, so he's definitely a month past my previous oldest teether :) I have to say, I am happy that he has no teeth yet! The other boys had FIVE by his age - 3 at the top and 2 at the bottom! I'm loving the soft lil gums when I'm breastfeeding, and ADORING the gummy grins and laughs! :) I will soooo miss them when he sprouts teeth!

I'm sure there's so much more, but it's late late late, and I feel sick, and I must go to bed. We've all got colds at the moment and I can't do much for mine, so I'm making hot lemon and honey (real lemons, yay!) and riding it out. Nathan's sleep is really disturbed (he's streaming today, poor lovey!) so I should be in bed already!!! I have just been buying most of the boys' Christmas presents online! :) I'm so happy it's December! I love the Christmas season! :)

I will leave you with the video clip that I mentioned in the above (linked) entry from my pregnancy diary, of Nathan laughing and laughing at Arthur yesterday. I never tire of his sweet laugh. He adoooores Arthur, and finds him so funny, pretty much no matter what he does! Matthew less so, but Matthew is lately making increased efforts to "make Ninny laugh", and it's starting to pay off! ;) Oh! Matthew's talking EXPLODED. He talks in long sentences and uses words like "frustrated", "fantastic" and "complicated", but his pronounciations are EVER SO sweetly toddlerish still! He also misses some words out of long sentences still, and gets tenses wrong, but I'm so amazed at the change in his speech in just the last month, since I last wrote. He tells Arthur off a lot now, and teases him verbally (sigh - an issue lately, since he so enjoys it and is one of those people who can keep perfectly calm and deadpan for AGES while the other child happens to be the type of person who CANNOT BEAR that kind of thing and will pull his own hair out after about 1.4 seconds of it!). He isn't mean, verbally, but he'll just say something simple like, "Be good, Arshur..." with a very stern expression, when Arthur hasn't done a thing. Arthur can't STAND it! He'll say, "I didn't DO anything, Mashew!" and then there'll be a silence, so they both go back to what they were doing. After a measured pause, Matthew will say quietly, in the same tone, "Be good." and carry on playing! It drives poor Arthur crazy. He can't leave it be or ignore Matthew, and ends up in a total state trying to vindicate himself, while Matthew keeps a straight face with a twinkle in his eye, apparently completely absorbed in a game and not in the least bit bothered by Arthur's irate responses! Poor Arthur! Monkey Matthew-Binks!

I have so much more to write about those boys, more than ever now that there are a million funny or cute verbal exchanges to record (I've sadly forgotten most of them already!! :( ), but I HAVE to go to bed!

Here's the video clip of sweet Nathey and his slightly nutty eldest brother!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I love my boys!!! All of them. That Nathey-noo-knee-caps does me in with his extreme cuteness, I can barely stand it :) Love him to bits. Sorry this catch-up entry seems to have focused overly on Nathan (with the photos and video!), but I'll have pics of all the boys next time, I promise!

Thanks so much for all the comments over the time I've been away from this diary - especially the birthday wishes for Arthur! :)