Elden Isaac made his appearance 54 mins after midnight, weighing a tiny 7lb 6oz considering he was 11 days overdue.

I had a wonderful natural waterbirth. My midwives were spectacular. I don't think I would have been able to do it without them and my partner. So many times I kept saying I couldn't do it, especially because I have such a bad cold I couldn't breathe through my nose at all. They (midwife, student midwife and Adam) sang to me, rubbed or put pressure on my back and just helped me keep calm and breathe as best as I could. Also me and the midwife busted out the whole of "One Week" by BareNaked Ladies while I was pushing lmao. He ended up being born as soon as "Du Hast" by Rammstein started playing.


It was so much more painful than my first birth, but so much better. They let Adam stay with me from before the birth up until we went home. Ivy is in love with her new little brother. She has already attempted to feed him peas, and when we explained he can only have milk, she quickly ran to the fridge and brought us the whole jug of cows milk

What a great name @Bigsimsfan12 ! I'm glad Ivy likes her sibling. Congratulations and well done!

That was very cute of her, and congratulations to the new baby, I'm glad to hear it went well.

Congratulations to you and your family, @Bigsimsfan12 <3
Sounds like Ivy is doing her best to be a good big sister, in her own way <3

Congrats on the new one!

Good news, this is my 4th weekend of freedom, and it's still amazing! I was missing in action these last few months because I made poor choices in life which included signing up for a masters degree. Said degree also required a thesis (writing 1 was enough, 2 is just unreasonable) and then a full time intership. Of course the thesis was independent and not one related to the company so it was basically like having 2 full time jobs. I wonder what made universities think that was a good idea? But yeah, I'm not dead and that's why I'm proud of me

But back to my weekends: I've been out on a bunch of long walks cos I missed so much cos it's not like I had time. I saw people like other than my family and the people I work with (because I went outside!!!!). I got my secret santa present which was fancy gloves that work on my phone, so now my fingers are extra safe outside cos my fingers and cold don't go together. Most importantly, I got me 2 bags of kruidnoten (which was like 1 kg) because 'tis the season and all but also because I figured that a 5kg bag was a bit much even for me

Today was grocery shopping day and I felt adventurous. I picked up instant mashed potato flakes in three flavor varieties: butter, sour cream and chives, and loaded, and two varieties of Velveeta Shells and Cheese: one with bacon bits and one with broccoli shavings.

I never had these particular foods in my life. Should be interesting to try them out.

Maybe one day, I'll up and leave the country like Walter Mitty (tired of being compared to Walter Mitty or Doug Funnie) and leave behind my constraints of my fears and doubts. Get a Japanese passport and travel around Europe, visa-free. Truth is, I never left the mainland of the U.S. IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. My family doctor, Dr. DB told me to travel the world once my treatment is complete.

Got a super-early Christmas gift in a 4K TV I was intending to buy come tax season. Now to actually get content to take advantage of it.

Watched Home Alone in Japanese Audio on Disney+.

I could have sworn they kept the "Whoas" from Macaulay Culkin intact while he ziplined to the tree house.

The screaming was at a slightly higher pitch. Wasn't as throaty as the original English. Then again, the voice artist for Kevin had a higher pitch.

Sound design and editing was something I excelled at since age 11 and through sophomore year of high school.

I like watching the animated movies from Studio Ghibli, and in the original language; the melody sounds a little like the finnish language (which I don't know), and is very beautiful.

My day(s) is holiday preparations, which is a lot of fun, my home smells like a candied forest :P

I had to visit family today......... I rewarded myself with a McDonald's hot chocolate for dealing with that train wreck. I wanted a Costa but it was closed by the time we drove home.

I feel bad that I hate it so much... but my siblings for the most part just drive me slightly insane. They mean well, they're just not very socialised, have no manners and social gatherings (no matter how small) aren't their thing.

Helped my mom with holiday shopping, received a doll as a gift and yesterday, my aunt (dad's second oldest sister and Boss among the 8) visited, we talked and she, being a decent human being, has been feeding the mistreated animals in her neighborhood (we were regaled with stories of Athena the dog and Oreo the dwarf goat, but mostly Oreo as the goat preferred dog food and can jump the fence and wake the neighbors when the woman who owned him, who was too busy and crazy taking care of a baby, left for the day. To my surprise, my aunt hadn't got caught by anyone for feeding their animals.)

She commended me for making switches in my diet, she left gifts and is visiting other people in our family and leaving her gifts to them. She's playing Santa this year and we chatted about my sister, who I suspected was in trouble.

Even though she tried killing me, I still have to respect her as we share a mom. My mom only wished years ago we'd get along like her and her sister (another aunt for another time) but that never came to be.

It was mix of family drama and the comedy of errors of doing the right thing and being good hosts.

I really wish vampires were real, y'know? Cause I really wanna be one.

Having trouble sleeping?

If anything, my family is more like a huge pack of werewolves, with my paternal grandparents as the alphas of the entire pack.

Had my annual day as a home confectioner, so my back and feet hurts like crazy. Still, a certain someone has candy for weeks now, so she's happy. She already ate up most of the calendar I made for her, giving in to the temptation after about 14-15 days of managing to keep to one package a day, and then ran through the remaining ones like the kids in Willy Wonka's factory until there were just two left - I've hidden the last big one so she can't find it, because I knew this would happen eventually, and she did ask me to hide the other one (it's not just two days left until Xmas, or is it? I sure hope not!)

Anyways, I've got a few items left, but it was getting late, and my back couldn't handle more today, so I'll do the rest after I've had some sleep. Thought I'd try making some hot chocolate "bombs" (the kind you put in hot milk and they melt down, with marsmallows and such), and had some mint and strawberry filling left over so I'll probably make something out of those.

Forward planning to control your uncontrollable self! :D

My day yesterday was still since the day before that was partying; I watched almost a whole season of a a series of zombies in an historical China set up, very entertaining.

Jiang shi?

Lately I have been craving mashed potatoes. Five more days until Christmas weekend. On Saturday, I stay in, open presents, eat waffles (my father is a slave to the waffle iron light ever since he got the waffle iron decades ago) and my parents are going to the Boxing Day party at my aunt Jeanne's house on Sunday.

I'm staying home for Boxing Day because I suffer from crippling panic attacks and I recently was diagnosed with inflammation-based bursitis and pinched nerves. The exam of the affected areas was a mix of "Stop! I'm ticklish!" and "Ow! Quit it!"

I have physical therapy on the 27th, right afterwards of Christmas weekend. I will be having time with my father afterwards. He's been through physical therapy this year.

It's called Kingdom, and sorry, it's not chinese, but South Korean production. The clothes are so beautiful, I can't get enough of looking at them. And the zombies are entertaining of course.

Today was C-Day. That is C as in Cake. This year I had determined to actually bake a Christmas Cake. Because, apart from assisting operations with my mother when I was a kid, it is a thing I have never before attempted. Naturally I was anxious not to make a mess of it. So today, having assembled all the necessary ingredients, and with time running short before Christmas, I took the bull by the horns and started. There were a few hiccups: it soon became obvious that the mixing bowl I had was nowhere near big enough. Having already seen that none of the local shops had anything larger, I tried a nearby charity shop and they had just the thing. A bargain at a mere £2! So I mixed the correct quantities of everything, according to the recipe, filled a cake tin with said mixture, and then followed 4 and a half hours anxious waiting while it baked. It is now out of the oven and cooling, and it certainly looks and smells like one of my Mum's cakes. I think she'd have been pleased with it.

So C-Day was a success. Next comes C-Day+1 - decorating! I am just off to bone up on how to prepare cake icing.

Elden has had trapped gas 2 nights in a row. I'm actually so sleep deprived I forgot his name this morning and thought it was... coca-cola Not a clue why. Hopefully tonight will be better. I'm going to bed early just in case it isn't. Adam's back at work tomorrow so it'll be my first day alone all day with just the kids. Also my covid vaccine is scheduled for tomorrow too. Awesome.

This is a bit late, but congratulations on baby Elden, Bigsimsfan12!

I'm fed up of work stress, family stress and Christmas stress (I hate Christmas, for various reasons). People keep saying we'll go into lockdown after Boxing Day so that's another New Year ruined - New Year is the only part of Christmas that means something to me, so it's a kick in the teeth that I still have to endure Christmas, but don't get a New Year as a 'reward' afterwards!

But on the bright side, I have managed to get back into Sims again! It might not sound like much, but it gives me a little boost every day

Thank you

Yesterday was okay. My arm is a little dead from the vaccine. I walked into the place and Elden was screaming and screaming... right up until they put the needle in my arm and then suddenly he stopped and was just looking around... Maybe he thought it was for him lol. Adam's ill today though but he says he's going to power through just in case I feel ill later. I actually feel great though. Also Elden's been sleeping in 3 hour stretches last night instead of his usual 1-1.5.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

Right now, I have an overdraft in the bank and my family decided on staying home for Boxing Day. We live too far from aunt Jeanne (my father's second youngest sister) and it's just bringing me down that I owe money. I need to call to see if I can get the charges reversed.

This is one of many reasons I hate December as a whole. Out of all things about December, finances is my most hated part about the month.

Early X-mas today, due to the kids celebrating with both parents separately. Was quite nice.

Someone thought it was a good idea to give the little one a keyboard, though. I'm going slowly insane from hearing the same nursery rhyme played over and over again more or less off-key (mostly more, or even entirely off-key), so good thing bedtime is just around the corner, and also that the keyboard isn't going to stay in the house (that's a parent problem )

I have officially lost my chill. This has been the shittiest day ever

- Dog has asked to go out 15 times already, and all he does is sniff around or bark and then come inside, finally said "no" and he peed on the carpet in the hallway. Oops.
- Toddler with diarrhoea
- Newborn with constipation
- I'm still all bleeding and leaky from giving birth and breastfeeding
- Both kids were up until 5am because they have colds and couldn't sleep
- I've been ill for the past 3 days. All of which I've basically had to single parent because Adams either too ill or working 12 hour shifts
- Also Adam knocked my bags of breastmilk out the freezer this morning while he was taking everything out to defrost. I found them on the floor completely defrosted. Cool. They WERE for when we were starting Elden on bottles in a few weeks in preparation for our wedding but guess I'm gonna have to pump all that again because they can't be re-frozen.
- I have 0 time to pump even on a good day, that supply was basically 10ml at a time from a silicone pump while nursing.
- Adam put a sick covered baby onesie in the dryer so now there's weird dried up bits of sick stuck on several items of clothing
- Ivy seems to have lost her legs today, because she insists i carry her everywhere and will cry if I walk more than a foot away from her. DidIMentionSheHasDiarrhoea. I've had to carry her up and down the stairs (and Elden) way too many times today.
- Finally got Ivy happy enough to take a nice Christmas picture and Elden projective vomited on both of us, himself and the sofa.
- it's 6:50pm and I FINALLY have time to have my morning wee and brush my teeth. I woke up at 9.

To make it worse, we were gonna have Christmas tomorrow at my Dads with my family, so that was gonna be like a "do over" for how shit today has been. Nope. My family all tested positive for covid this morning.

Got everything I wanted from my parents (dolls, organizational equipment and a full length mirror. Prior to the full length, there were only vanity mirrors around the house.) and a boba tea prep kit from my aunt Lucinda.

Right now, it's just a matter of receiving belated gifts from my other relatives (when you live in a Catholic family as big as mine, there's at least a few relatives beyond your grandparents and a favoring uncle or aunt who will send out a check if you're lucky), that charge reversal in my account (don't read fine print if you're nearsighted) and my paycheck from the feds (The feds are in my favor this year) and then there's waiting on that package that is coming after being stuck at the Los Angeles International Airport for nearly a month.

I got my work cut out for me.