2008, you sucked

Good riddance to you, 2008. I can't remember the last time I was so glad to get through one year and on to the next!

2008 was not much fun in these parts. There were some amazingly good times, but they shine so bright because the rest of the year was so dark. But I am grateful that we had the shiny moments to hang on to - visits from friends (we miss you, Monique and Fraser!) visits from family - lots of family!, and finding out I was pregnant (FINALLY - after more time and setbacks than I thought I could cope with!)

This morning I had to go back for a second ultrasound. I spent a sleepless night last night (which sounds very trite, written on the page, but I am truly feeling the effects of it today!) I thought that either it would be bad news (and I have imagined every possible kind of bad news over the last 24 hours) and that would mean that 2008 was going out with a bang, throwing crap at us right up until the very last day. If it was good news, I decided I would take that as symbolic that 2009 would be better for our family.

Turns out, the ultrasound tech had the setttings wrong, and done on a different machine, all is well. Huge relief.

As we approach 2009, Jeff is working again, the kids are happy and healthy, and that is as much as we can ask for, and we are very, very grateful for it.

Bring it on, 2009. We can handle you!

Sneak Peek...

This is, believe it or not, a 3D image of the baby... most of the 3D pictures we were given were truly scary, this one looked like the most normal. Even though it doesn't much look like a baby!

More traditional views of the next member of our family at this stage in his/her life, due 16th May 2009.

We didn't find out the gender, so don't ask us!

Adam was quite excited to go to the ultrasound, he said that he couldn't wait to see what the baby was doing today, and after Ellie was told that she couldn't stand on her chair to see she decided that she didn't like babies any more and announced loudly, several times, that she didn't want to see any more babies.

We're taking bets on boy or girl... let your best guesses fly!

Gender Stereotypes part 2

This afternoon we sat down to write letters to Father Christmas saying what we would all like... Adam's list was fairly generic, and mostly limited to items that he could spot in the kitchen, which is fairly typical, and also how he does his homework. We have to make lists of words beginning with a certain letter each week, and he spends an awful lot of time looking vaguely around the kitchen (where the table is) to see what he can spot that could possibly fit.

So Adam's list is as follows:

• A new electric reindeer to play with (there's a picture of a reindeer on the fridge);
• A new toy microwave.

His imagination kicked in at this point and he came up with a new race car and a rocket, and a flag for his race car.

Here is Ellie's list in full, just as she dictated it to me. Nothing I can say about it would make it any better.

Dear Father Christmas

I would like:

• a pink ball;
• a princess song;
• a new Christmas tree. I don't like our green one. I want a pink one for me and a blue one for Adam;
• a little pumpkin that's a toy to play with when I'm a baby again;
• different more magazines for me;
• a race car that's pink, that has a pink part on that's big;
• my own scissors that's pink. I don't like the orange scissors for doing homework.

So, as long as she gets something that's pink on Christmas morning, I think she will be happy. I think 2009 will have to be a pink-free year. It's getting a little out of hand.

A conversation overheard in the car...

Adam: (Making explosion noises and doing sound effects) 'Do you know what I wish? I wish every car had a rocket on it. (Pause, thinks a bit) Except ours.'

Ellie: 'Do you know what I wish? I wish I could have a star from the sky, because they're beautiful, and I love stars.'

They're not following gender stereotypes at all, are they?