CHRISTMAS DAY AND BOXING DAY

Christmas Day night:
Alex is asleep in his new (proper) sleeping bag next to me.  Less than a week to go before the birth of my third child.

This was originally written on paper as there was something about Alex being so peacefully and beautifully asleep besides me, and the fact that I could relax back in bed so the baby could wriggle, which made me want to write on paper rather than on the computer: but now I have transferred it.

I reread the notes from Alex's birth recently: a copy had been sent from Bristol to Carlisle for the Doctor's information.  I doubt I shall ever exactly forget his birth - the excrutiating pain; the way it dragged on so long; the stupid midwife who told me I could only have paracetamol; not wanting my mother there, only David; the fear when the baby's heartrate dropped.... and the ultimate rush of the emergency caesarean, and then, finally, the baby in my arms.

Alex will always be my firstborn and will always be the one whose birth was the most traumatic and scarey.  David absolutely dotes on Isabella and is (mostly) tied round her little finger: she's fiesty, gorgeous, charming, bright, self-willed... but we agree that Alex has a lovely, kind, sharing, caring nature and is also bright: it's easy for his sister's extrovert nature to mean that she gets taken notice of before or in preference to Alex.  I wonder what no.3 will be like: definitely his own person, of that I am 100% sure.

It's interesting reading back through diaries to when Alex was only 2 years old and Bella 6 months.   Their basic characters haven't changed - in fact my comments about them are pretty repetitive - but I think having nights of mostly unbroken sleep and their being able to do so much independently makes life a lot easier.  It's going to be very strange going back to having a newborn and then a toddler again: part of me doesn't really want to, though it's too late now!

Time for me to go to sleep.  That's Christmas Day over for another year: and next year we will have an almost-one-year-old with us.  Once we had one child we hoped for, and got, a second quite quickly: a third is an unexpected bonus.

They say children change your life.  In the almost 10 years since I turned 40 mine has changed beyond what I ever imagined.

Boxing Day:
Well, the big day is over, the children are still excitable but tired and emotional as well, and we're now beginning to clear up the countless presents left strewn around our currently untidy sitting room (normally the children are not allowed to take toys etc. in there and it's our peaceful room for reading/playing the piano/listening to music: our oasis of calm.  At Christmas it is the focus of attention, with the presents under the tree, the fire burning, and the joy of the children as they open one engrossing present after the next).

We all seem to have gone down with headaches, which is perhaps not surprising.  Daughter is making a lot of noise about not being able to go to sleep: and yet I know she's incredibly tired.  They have been eating rubbish the last few days (despite our attempts to get vegetables into them: somehow chocolate has more appeal - funny that....) and not had enough fresh air and exercise.  I tried to get them to walk all the way around Talkin Tarn yesterday but they were getting cold: Son had worn a pair of woollen gloves which he then swept snow off seats with (i.e. getting his gloves wet and cold) and Daughter I think just had not worn enough clothes.  I was lovely and warm in my ski gloves, a new hat from Husband, new boots from Husband, and Husband's Rab jacket (waterproof outer and fleece lined): the only part of me which was even remotely cold was my thighs due to having a slightly thin skirt on, but that wasn't a problem so long as I kept moving.  I do so look forward to being normal size again and wearing my fleecy lined trousers or even salopettes... I am assuming of course that I do get back to my normal size.

I look even more like Mr. Greedy than I did a few weeks ago, I think.  I feel a bit like a rather large ship which is about to be launched - though I doubt I'd float.  The baby seems to have turned round sideways again as well so I am definitely not the 'torpedo' shape which always looks so much more ready for birth than the Mr. Greedy shape.

We went to a party this afternoon at the house of some new friends - parents from Daughter's class at school.  He works at the Infirmary (and will be my anaethetist on Friday so long as he hasn't gone down with flu) and other people there included his family and people who live near them who also work at the infirmary: including a fellow blogger, whose blog I really must mention as it has the most beautiful photos and photo collages in it.  I hope she won't mind if I recommend it here: http://www.helen-likeitorlumpit.blogspot.com/: definitely worth a look if only for the photos, and not half so wordy as mine.

Daughter is whingeing about not being able to get to sleep so I'd better go to hit her around the head (I mean, of course, to give her a cuddle).  Son has gone to bed, as normal, like an angel.  I was writing a paper diary in bed yesterday (one day I may work out how to cut and paste it into this blog) and looking back over the years I've kept it, the same comments about the children's characters and their bedtime behaviour are repeated time and time again! 

Daughter (tearfully & dramatically) 'ohhh, I just can't get to sleep.... I really want to get to sleep.... I'll never get any sleep... could somebody help me'... etc. etc.
Good night!