Handmade Holiday MADNESS!

Things are starting to improve at home. Husband's meds seem to have stabilized and he can enjoy things again. It's still not all sunshine and rainbows, but it's also not soul-crushing despair either. As with all meds, there are side-effects but we are dealing with them as they come. I'm feeling better about being there for him, since I'm coming to terms with the fact that that is really all I can do.

We are at the beginning of our busy holiday/birthday season. We have 5 birthdays plus Christmas in the next 3 months. I'm trying to get the drop on gifts and making as much as possible, but I also am working on a big commissioned project for which I will actually get paid. The project is about three-quarters done but the final quarter is always the hardest, often taking twice as long as everything else (I'm looking at you, Alica's wedding present!)(it still isn't done yet...).

I have 3 gifts finished, plus Husband's request which wasn't really a gift, more of a challenge (beard hat). I'm working on 5 more gifts, with additional plans if I have the time.

I'm ambitious and slightly insane but I also think I have a good estimate of my abilities. I should be able, at the very least, to finish the things I have started. As for purchased gifts, we have MIL started, Little Brother complete, niece started and Monkey started. I have to purchase something for BsIL 1 and 2, SsIL 1 and 2, The Boys (4 nephews) and FIL.

Our family will be the last on the priority list. We have one big-ticket item on lay-away and that will probably be the only big thing we get each other.

Post-Christmas Recovery

We spent 2 weeks of the holiday away from home. My girls are a little off their schedules and taking a few days to recover. I was with my parents for a week and my in-laws for a week. I went a little crazy. I love both families but I missed my house and my stuff. It's unnerving being in someone else's space for so long.
Now that we're home I'm trying to organize all of the new toys and gadgets. We have so much stuff. I look and worry that it won't get played with bit my worries are mostly unfounded. At least I'm playing with my new toys.

Crafts - if you are family you might spoil your surprise if you read this.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've wrtten about my crafts. I recently finished a trio of Teddy bears for my SIL's impending arrivals. Since we don'tknow the sexes of the babies each bear has 2 outfits. I made the patterns for the clothes myself and the bears are from Amigurumi World.
I have made Mom a gift and I'm trying to make her another. I am hoping to make a hooded shawl but we'll see. I might be over estimating my free time.
I'm also making Husband a gift. Haven't decided what it will be but it's videogame related.

Crazy Month. Now I'm Playing the Waiting Game

It has been one hell of a month. I'm all done work, it was a great time but I'm not sure if I'll go back next year. We will see what happens between now and October.

Christmas and New Years went off without a hitch. I was able to stay with Mom and Dad for a few days. Little Brother is in the process of moving back in with them so that he can find a job and pay off some of his debts before going back to school. He brought his cat with him so Phebs has a new play-mate.

Christmas was amazing. My family is very dorky. We played "Survivor; Gibson Lake" at the camp on Christmas day. I didn't participate much as the activities were mostly outside and a little too physically demanding for my 8-and-a-half months pregnant ass. Dinner was great, Mom, Aunt Mary and Uncle Ryan were in the kitchen and they did a great job. Everything was tasty and everyone was well-fed.

For New Years we had a lobster dinner with Doodles and C. Husband had entirely too much fun traumatizing the lobsters. We played my new Trivial Pursuit (I won) and some Rock Band 2.

Now I'm sitting around the house feeling useless and playing the waiting game. The doctor says that everything is perfect, and now we're just waiting for the baby to decide to be born. I'm not due for another 2 weeks but I am starting to hate this waiting to go into labor thing. This is the most nerve-wracking part. I feel lazy and useless, lonely and bored.

Third Trimester, Christmas and All that Other Fun Stuff

Yay! I'm 32 weeks, only 8 or so left to go and I'll be responsible for the life of another human being.

I'm drifting between being excited and anxious about the imminent arrival of v2.0 and being absolutely scared shitless. The baby's room is almost ready and I catch myself looking at it and thinking about what it's going to be like to have a real, live baby in there.

I'm not sleeping well as I wake up every 2 or 3 hours to use pee or just to find a more comfortable position to sleep in. I'm coming down with a bit of a cold so that's not helping the no sleep.

I'm done work around the 19th and I am hoping to head straight home. Christmas is going to be spent with my family. We don't really know what Husband's family is up to this year as SIL is stuck in the States with Niece and her husband due to immigration stuff. MIL and FIL still don't know if they are going to stay home, go visit SIL in Oromocto or visit SIL in Eastport (the one stuck in the States).