On Christmas Day in the morning

Re-enacting our favourite wedding photo at All Saints Church in Old Burghclere, just over a year after our big day this time with Stav in the frame (albeit under wraps):

And the original:

Arrr Stav's first Christmas

Complete with trimmings:

Place your bets...

The race to predict the sex of the baby is hotting up nicely. Mum's friend Psychic Carol has 'seen' a blue tadpole in one of her visions, the Turkish woman at our corner shop proclaimed it was definitely a boy and Carly, in a moment of drunken clarity said that she could 'feel' that it was male (although I think she just needed a wee). Firmly sat on the other side of the fence is my Client Services Director who said I've 'grown wide' (nice), and my Mum and Dad, who have been calling 'her' Rose since about week four. Hmmmm....

We're leaving, on a jet plane (just)

Kate almost didn't get the doctor's letter this morning giving her the all clear to fly to Thailand on Boxing Day.

Apparently Dr. Lucy was very 'conservative'. But after the brouhaha of the last 10 days with the threat of a BA strike and now the weather causing untold chaos at airports around the country, being told at the 11th hour that we couldn't fly because of a piece of paperwork might have sent us over the edge.

However, need for a holiday prevailed and Kate managed to leave the surgery clutching the aforementioned letter (in the name of Kathryn Roskill rather than Harris, as per her passport, so that's a whole new battle to look forward to at check-in).

What's more, apparently we've got a very small baby - about 26cms when it should be 36cms at this stage - so I'm more than a little gutted the Harris runt genes appear to be the dominant ones.

Guess who's pregnant?

(My sympathy bump or 'Planet Matt' as Kate calls it)

Jackanory

I've started reading to arrr Stav - a book called Fup by Jim Dodge - as he's now able to hear my voice.

Not entirely suitably reading for a pre-natal, but plenty of opportunities to explore my alternative dramatic calling and try out a range of different accents.

No idea if Stav is following the story, but Kate seems to enjoy being read to.

Bumps (and kicks)

We're getting some serious movement these days, but if I was growing at this rate I'd be wriggling around a fair bit too. It's not like there's a whole lot of room at 6 (and a bit) months.