Advent calendar

7th - Emer got a piano, donated Little Miss Tiny (hurrah! I hate the Little Miss books)
6th - Linnea got a little girl lego toy, donated a wooden xylophone which is very pretty but has only five notes
5th - Emer got a drum kit, donated a plush Disney frog
4th - Linnea got part of a crane, they donated a weird metal thingie we got given as an ornament years ago
3rd - Emer got a skateboard with ramp, both donated an alphabet thingie
2nd - Linnea got a sword-wielding person, donated a plush Rockit frog
1st - Emer got a snowman, Linnea donated a plush Disney frog

The children are in bed!

We're considering our options for the evening. Rob needs to cook. I need to do more cleaning, oh god no please no more cleaning. We both need to wrap the bloody presents. I need to lose my temper justifiably with someone, or possibly eat a lot of chocolate biscuits.

And then do laundry.

Where did the time go?

Astrid is 20 weeks on Friday. She's doing lots of excellent stuff but not in a scary way - can sit briefly, but wobbles; moves around a lot when you put her on her back on the floor; turns pages in books and then EATS THEM; recognises a few words; babbles and coos and squeaks.

Things I'm glad she doesn't do include:

self-feeding with a spoon
rolling over both ways
crawling up stairs
crawling on the flat
reproduce a tune

Linnea has flipped over into being a reader, which is much easier on me than the reading-constantly-and-denying-it thing.

Library storytime

Librarian: "And they pulllllllled up the enooooooormous carrot, heeeeeeeeeeeave!"
Emer: "It's like the 'normous turnip!"
Librarian: "Yes! It's just like the enormous turnip! It is!"
Linnea: "Except for how it's a carrot."