Long day...

Had a decent night last night. Got to catch up on work in the evening. Then had 3 epidurals to do between midnight and 3:30am in between which I had some great conversation with my attending regarding life goals. This is a huge topic of concern because I know what I want, but in the immediate future, there's no possibility because that isn't even present yet at the hospital I want to be at.

Anyway, I then proceeded with a meeting with some folks to try to sort things out. I have a lot of thinking to do this weekend/next week.....too much! Sometimes I wish it was 1907 and I couldn't vote or do anything because then I would at least know my role in life and not have so many darn decisions to make.

I was home around 1pm and took a nap before picking B up from school. In the mean time, I did drop off some of our neighborly gifts to our next door/street neighbors. Instead of baking cookies and buying some little trinket trash that will be in next summer's yard sale pile, I used some practical ideas for neighbor gifts: wrapping paper, bows, sparkly ribbon and sparkly gift tags, attached our Christmas card with a little note that said "Wrap Yourself Up in the Holiday Season." So cute!

Then, B and I played all afternoon and evening and let me tell you, we tuckered each other out. She sat in her outside swing and I got the idea to pull her around because if you laid the back part of the swing on the ground, it made a sled looking shape for her to sit on and I just pulled her around the basement. Big....stinkin....mistake because now, she just wanted pulled and pulled and pulled and pulled. I think this was a better workout than the Shake Weight because this was pulling 24-ish pounds of kid around with friction!

This kid also loves to climb....She climbed from her little desk to the the kids chair to the top of the table (her kid size one) then I caught her as she konked her head on the other chair. Of course she was crying but at this point, it was almost 7 and this clearly was starting to be tired time so up to a bath she went. Then, she tried to climb out of the bath tub. Mama mia....I'm already trying to take bets as to when she gets her first set of stitches.

Anyway, Erik and I also had a conversation about both of our futures and goals today. A lot of important decisions will need to be made in the coming weeks....ay yai, yai, this gives me a headache thinking about it.

Christmas...

10 days away....the last 3 weeks of my favorite 3 months of the year. Fortunately for me, I think I'm well ahead of schedule.

While Erik and I always said we would only get B 3 gifts per year because that's what baby Jesus got, it's been so hard because there have been things I would have gotten her anyway but I just disguise them as Christmas.

Like I got her snowflake socks, cloth swim diapers, play doh, etc. Her major gifts are one of the battery operated quads (hey for $29, it beats the $289 Mercedes Power wheels that she wouldn't be able to reach the peddles on for the next 2 years) and the Swarovski angel crystal ornament.

Compared to last year when I was wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve, we're way ahead of schedule.....

What we have done:

• Christmas card envelopes are printed and addressed so all we had to do was stuff the envelopes
• Tree is up (Thanksgiving Saturday) and decorated
• House is decorated (I did not put bulbs on the stair garland but some little girl would have that tendency to rip off the bulbs and I didn't want to clean up glass)
  
• Christmas pictures have been taken (twice...ugh...technically 3 times because I went once at the beginning of November mainly for the wallets and some quick pictures for Baba's funeral and then the 2 photo failures courtesy of a B meltdown).
• Outdoor decorations are up.
• All lights on timers (makes life so much easier to not have to remember to turn them on or off)
• All gifts are purchased...just need a few last minute gift cards.
• Attempted to see Santa at the house in Zelienople with the resulting failure and then again at the zoo with another failure.
• All gifts are wrapped and under the tree or already at Mom and Dad's
• Christmas outfits are picked out and ready to go
• Parties are well underway
  
• Most of the house is well organized
  

What I have left on my list to do

• Maybe a trip to Phipps for at least the tree photos....I think Santa is a failure this year
• Finalize our Christmas driving plans
• Snowman ornaments and handprint ornaments
• Order Christmas cards (yikes)C