MY MOUTH ISN'T AS BIG AS IT USED TO BE

I've just had a mini panic - I nearly killed myself with a Jaffa Cake! Whilst surfing the net, I was eating Jaffa cakes (the joys of pregnancy means you can eat them a packet at a time without feeling bad!). I eat them whole, but I shovelled one in too far and it got stuck behind my top teeth! I couldn't swallow, close my mouth or breath for a good few seconds! I poked it with my finger and it broke up..... phew, panic over! And yes I did go on and finish the packet!

ISN'T IT HERE YET?

Where's Christmas? I am over eagerly awaiting 25th December this year and it's still 5 & 1/2 weeks away! I have made my Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and mincemeat - I've bought cards, wrapping paper and most of our presents and there's still ages to go!

I know I sound very sad and I will peak too soon and be sick of festive spirit by mid-December, but this year it's all for a completely different reason. I love Christmas, well generally the build up to it - as we always go to Christian's Mum's for lunch and I am not actually cooking anything myself, I loose interest in the day after present opening! And I can't remember the last time I drank on Christmas day, I think it was 2001 - yes imagine me sober on the day when everyone is allowed to get pissed!, I do make up for it over the year as I'm sure you'll agree!!

But I can't wait any longer for Christmas and New Year to be over with this year, so I can get my hands on my joint-best present of all time - my scrumptious new lovely little baby! Hurry up, everything is ready for you, we just need you to complete our family. Then maybe I'll cook Christmas lunch next year and all will be mine ha, ha, haaa .....watch out Dianne!!!!

3/4 OF THE WAY THERE

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant - hurray for me! Only another 10 weeks to go (or there about). All is still going well and time is flying by. Just this last week I have become extremely comfortable, my back pain has gone and I don't feel quite so much like a hippo turning over at night (even though I probably look like one!). I'm even getting mad energy bursts where I clean and iron and things! I've finished decorating the nursery too.

Here's a quick breakdown:
BABY- still very wriggly, with a quick heartbeat av.150 bpm - a sign it's a girl!!!
ME - 46ins waist! Total weight gain 23lbs - below average hurray!
ALICE- convinced I have a boy in my tummy & she has a girl in hers!
CHRISTIAN-not looking forward to being pushed down the family importance ladder another rung! STBY as he would say!

THE'RE NOT RIGHT

Multi-grain Hula Hoops are horrible, they taste really wrong, I'm quite disappointed. If you want a multi-grain crisp try Walkers Sunbites, they are nice!

THE PARTY

On Friday afternoon it was Alice's birthday party, it was a Fairy Castle theme. Her friends and their Mums arrived at 2pm in fancy dress costumes (we always seem to do fancy dress as its always just been Halloween & everyone has outfits they don't want to take off!). I made a fairy castle cake - more blood, sweat and tears than sponge but I think it looked OK - my friends were impressed! The food was usual party things, while the children filled up on crudites, strawberries and grapes - the Mums stuffed sausages, cheese & onion rolls, rocky road squares and pink wafer biscuits mmm!

Christian came home at about 3pm and couldn't believe the noise and mess! but quickly joined in - brave or stupid? I'm not quite sure! We then played pass the parcel or fight for and not pass on the parcel! followed by a rather successful game of pin the tail on the donkey. And we finished with an hour of general playing so the Mums could drink tea, eat more rocky road squares and talk!!! They started to leave at about 4.30 - 4.45 with some rather good (if I do say so myself) party bags - well fairy castle boxes!! After a 30min tidy up, peace was restored - good party though!!

ALICE'S 3RD BIRTHDAY

Last Thursday was Alice's 3rd birthday. She has been asking every morning since the summer "is it my birthday today?", so was quite surprised when the answer was yes! Christian had the Thursday & Friday off work, so he was around for presents and parties. We had put some balloons up and made a massive pile of presents for when she came downstairs - much to her delight! This year she started ripping open her presents, instead of me doing it for her and she seemed to love everything. All the pc lesbians would have gone mad to see our 3yr old daughter washing then ironing her new Peppa Pig pants, cooking breakfast in her new kitchen before sweeping the floor with her new broom and dustpan & brush! Worry not ladies she likes cars (F1 thankfully) and trains too, we got her some Thomas the Tank Engine wellies!

Mum and Joseph came round at 10ish and brought more presents including a fairy dressing up dress - very lovely! We picked Dianne up at about 11am and all headed off to Chatsworth. We thought a trip to the farm and adventure playground was in order. We lied on the way in as under 3s are free! Then went to look at all the animals - or not actually as Alice didn't want to see any of them - they were too scary apparently! Never mind we saw them, including some 3 day old piglets - ahh suckling pig yum yum! Alice did however enjoy the playground for a good 15 mins before she got bored off that and said "I want my lunch - NOW!" So we had a quick walk down to the Carridge House restaurant for steak & ale pie all round. We set off home at 1.30 so it was a quick day out!!