Festivus Number 2

Ok, so we're not the most Christmas-spirited people in the world, so shoot us. We just kind of figure we're not Christians so why celebrate Christmas? And since we had no family to spend Christmas day with, it wasn't going to be a special day by any means. But with the kiddiwinks around, seemed like we could at least do a little present shopping. So we did! Not much, but a couple of things.

We had this wooden kitchen on layby for a few months and when we unwrapped it....well, all she wanted to do was sit on it (kinda like The Fonz).

Papa also bought some pots and utensils, which Haz enjoyed playing with. Not necessarily in the manner for which they were intended, but play is play! We also bought her a campervan that is apparently great fun to open and close and place the little driver in and out of the main drivers seat.

Jennie headed over to our place in the afternoon and brought along some special surprises for all of us. Home-made pumpkin pie! By a real American and all! Harriet also received a cool lift-the-flaps Dr Seuss ABC book (for which the 'F' flap is nearly on its last legs already, great choice Jennie!) and some cool glow-in-the-dark stars for sticking on to the walls of her room in the new house. Yay! And Hazza lurved Jen! In fact when Jennie was leaving at the end of the day, Harriet was doing the movement I make to call the cats over to Jennie! It's a kind of rubbing the thumb against the fingers motion and Harry wanted Jennie to come back from her car, so she 'called' her over like this! Was SO cute!


We all drove over to Linda's where we gorged ourselves on food and Harry decided to engage in the important activity of picking up rocks from one pot and dropping them into another one further down. She went about this task with much sombre industry, as can be witnessed in the photo.







And at the end of the day we all loped over to say hi to Don, Tania, Max and Nell (or aka the D-C clan). Harriet was entranced by Max's new bike and kept wanting to ride it. Hmmm....not just yet! She then fell in love with this half inflated ball which was just spongy enough to sit flat on her head. She just picked it up and started popping it on her head and letting it fall down and then giggling! Here it's just about to topple down her face. Crazy kid.

And poor chick has the dreaded hand, foot & mouth disease again. Christmas Eve was the day from hell for all of us. Harry was awake for 14hrs without a sleep, clingy, whingy and bordering on hysterical for most of it. We couldn't work out why...then on Christmas Eve night I saw inside her throat during one of her wailing cries and saw three HUGE bright red and white angry ulcers almost completely covering her pharynx. Which would explain why she would only chew some food, then cry, then have it come dribbling back out ofher mouth and want to be breastfed. When we were at Don and Tania's we received the kind gift of a big buket of ice which Harriet started suck, suck, sucking away at. The relief was almost immediately evident for her. Poor Max was desperate to have a go of her harmonica too but I was too worried about him contracting it (even though I know the contagious period had past) that I had to whisk it out of sight when he wasn't looking. Hope you forgive me Max!

But the good news is that she has been perking up considerably almost daily. Will post some Boxing Day pics soon too.