I have a few things I want to get done in the new year and I thought I’d better note them down before I forget about them.

• Tattoos: I’ve already decided that I’m going to book another tattoo at the end of January. I have three stars going down my left side and I’ve been saying for two years (from when I first got them) that I was going to get them on the other side. Watching Miami, LA and London Ink has made me really want to get them done so next time I go into town, I’m booking myself in. I’ve also been researching for an artist that I want to do my koi half sleeve for a few weeks now. There’s one artist I’d like to do it but his waiting list, so I’ve heard it three years. I think that pretty ridiculous but I’m going to ring up soon and ask. If I do have to wait three years for him then I might just go to my normal artist and see if he can do what I want. He is a good artist, its just the styles I’ve seen that he’s done of koi’s isn’t what I want. I’m sure if I spoke to him he could do it the way I want him too. I’m going to ask him when I get my stars if the other artist doesn’t work out.
• I’m going to open a separate ‘mummy’ blog. I’m not one for talking about Meghan (and Emelye) constantly on here because thats just not how I write. I didn’t start out a blogger as a Mum so its still all about ‘me, me, me.’ Which is fine but I’d like somewhere I can just talk about the kids and how great they are and also how stressful they are.
• I’m also going to open a photo blog. The main reason is just to get me taking more photo’s to build my portfolio. It will get me going out and taking photo’s a bit more. I’d love to start street photography. I’m just a bit shy with my camera but that will have to change. I love street photography.

I did start this blog post yesterday morning but I never manged to finish so I’m just going to start again. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. Mine was nice but I’m glad its over too. There was too much stress leading up to Christmas that left me feeling really deflated and fed up on Boxing Day. I need to do a lot more planning next year. Alex bought me Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass and I’m currently addicted to it. As well as that, my R4 came yesterday morning so now I have loads of games to play. Every bit of time I have has been spent on my DS. Its so nice to have more than one game. As much as I love Pokemon, its nice to have a change.

We went shopping yesterday in the sales and I got Meghan quite a lot of clothes. She got a lot of money for Christmas so thats where it went. She still has money left but thats probably going to go on a booster seat as she can pretty much climb out of her highchair now.

I’m sorry this is a quick one but I’m really tired and cold and I just want to get in bed.

I just went outside for a cigarette and its bloody freezing! That might have to be the last one for me tonight.

Alex went to Manchester today with his brother Joe and Dave from the band to do some Christmas shopping. He came home and after about three hours decided he couldn’t keep what he got for me secret any longer. I officially have the best boyfriend ever. He got me not one, but two pairs of checkered Vans. Do you know how long I have wanted some for? At least five years and I finally have some! The only problem I have now is that I just don’t know which pair to wear! He also got me some long fingerless black and red stripy gloves, 300 on DVD and a Clockwork Orange t-shirt, which I already have . Never mind. I’m just going to give it to Amy. He seriously couldn’t have got me anything better. Its so nice that he went out and got everything and he knew what to get me too. Its the first year he’s actually gone shopping for me. I can’t wait to get him his presents now.

Oh my god. Why the hell did I decide that today was a good day to do my food shopping? It was crazy. Everyone else decided that today was a good day too. Literally half of Warrington was in Asda today. We queued up for at least fifteen minutes just to put our food through the check-out. I’m glad its done though. I still haven’t finished my Christmas shopping. I still have to get Alex’s presents, Matt’s presents, John’s presents and Karen’s presents. I gave up on figured out what to get my friend Aimee because I honestly didn’t know what to get her. I made her a ‘voucher’ on Photoshop for a meal out whenever she wants at where ever she wants. I also made her some cookies that aren’t the best things in the world but at least I have something to give her. She’s coming round any minute to give me my present so I hope she likes the voucher idea. I feel awful that I didn’t know what to get her but she got me something so easily. The thing is though, I go round shops going “I like that. Oh, I love this” so she probably had plenty of options haha. I’m so not looking forward to going into town to get everyone else’s presents on Christmas Eve. Thankfully Karen is going to watch Meghan for me so I don’t have to take her into town. It’ll be hard enough as it is never mind having Meghan to keep entertained too.

I’ve just spent the past half hour or so wrapping about a quarter of the presents that I have. I used to like wrapping gifts. Used to. I’ll be so glad when I’ve finished.

I feel weird. My throat is so dry but I’ve drank too much water so I feel sick. Plus I have a strange headache. I think I need to go to bed. Christmas is hard work I’ll tell you.

Monday and Tuesday have been filled with Christmas shopping with my Mum and Meghan. Monday we went to Marks & Spencer where I got PJ’s and a dressing gown for Emelye and something for Alex’s grandad. We then went to Toys R Us and I got three board games for family presents and a Dora doll and Peppa Pig car for Meghan. Yesterday we went to Tesco which was a bit of a waste of time and then over to Borders and Pets at Home. I got the last of Emelye’s presents – a new cage for her hamster and the Alice in Wonderland books. I also got my Dad’s Christmas present. I’m finishing off all my present shopping tomorrow when we go into town and then Friday I am doing my food shopping. I love Christmas shopping but I just can’t wait until its all done and I don’t have to do anymore. Today I need to go and post all my cards and presents as tomorrow is the last post date. I’d love to stay in today but I also need to go and pick Alex’s prescriptions up and go and get some gas and electric before I run out. I haven’t even started to wrap any presents but I’m going to have to do some tonight before Emelye comes tomorrow. I’d rather her find wrapped gifts than just find what she’s getting. She’s not really allowed in our room anyway (not on her own) where all the presents are but you never know. I know I used to go looking when I was little. Now I’d rather wait because I prefer the surprise!

I still have to buy for Alex, his mum, my mum and Alex’s friends son. Alex is sorting out his brothers Matt and Joe and his friend John because I have no idea what to get them and he said he’d do it. He’s going into town on Friday to get my presents so he’s doing it then. I know what I’m getting Alex. He’ll only be getting two presents which I feel bad about but I know he really wants what I’m getting him. I can’t wait to see his face when he opens the main one . I can’t say what it is because he might read this post.

Alex and I have decided to go down to my parents on Christmas Day. For the previous two Christmases since I’ve been with Alex, we have been to his family for dinner. Its been nice but I’m really happy that Alex has agreed to go to my parents house. I wouldn’t have gone without him because I don’t want to be leaving him. Plus if we go down, my Mum has bought a Nintendo Wii for Christmas so I can have go of that! We will probably go to his mum’s house in the morning or get her and his his brothers to come down here. We’re not having Emelye until about 5PM so its just going to be me, Alex and Meghan. I’m looking forward to it. I just hope my Dad actually speaks to Alex because otherwise we’ll end up coming home early.

I need to redo the Christmas tree at some point too. Between Meghan, Dax and Jak, they completely wrecked it. The top is lovely and the bottom is all bare with branches hanging off and lights on the floor. It just looks terrible. If I find time, after everything else I need to do, I’ll get it done tonight. I’m going to move it off the floor onto a set of drawers we have. I’ll just tape it down so it doesn’t get knocked off. Lets just hope that makes them all leave it alone a bit more. At the moment I can’t wait to get it down because it looks so bad.

Dear Meghan,
I have been wanting to do letters to you since the beginning but a lot of people were doing it at the time and I thought I’d just get comments about copying. I don’t really care anymore. Its a lovely idea and I’m going to do it from now on so we both have something to look back on.

At fourteen months old you can say about fifteen different words clearly including Dora, Kitty, Daddy, Nana and Baby. Your new ones this week are doh-doh which is dummy and bee which for some reason means pen. You can walk you just won’t. You do about three steps and then grab onto something or just sit down. I know right now I wish you were walking but when you do I’ll regret wishing that

Recently you want to just sit with me rather than being on your own. Yesterday you sat on my lap for at least ten minutes just watching TV with me. Its so nice that you want to do that now. When I put you to bed you usually give me a cuddle but for two days you have tried to shove all your dummies in my mouth. It was quite funny the first time but its bedtime so no games. Bedtime is easy though. You go straight to sleep 90% of the time apart from last week when Mummy and Daddy dared to go out together and you just refused to sleep for the next five days in case we left you again.

You fell over today too, while I was out walking Dax. And you cut your lip. Daddy said it bled quite a bit but you soon cheered up. You have a little fat lip now. It doesn’t seem to be bothering you. I’ve learnt not to panic when you fall over because it only makes you worse. If you do fall over I just laugh and call you silly and that usually distracts you.

I’m really loving being your Mummy. I don’t know what I would do without you now. I can’t wait to write the next letter to see how much you’ve learnt. Oh and by the way, stop giving Dax all the baubles off the tree. We hardly have any left. The tree looks so bare.

Love, Mummy

Sorry for my terrible post last night. Alex came home from practice pretty soon after I started to write and then after talking to him for about ten minutes I started to feel really ill again so I just wanted to get back in bed. I didn’t get to sleep until about 12.30AM and I woke up at least three times. I was then up with Alex at 5AM and got back to sleep just as Meghan woke up at 6.30AM. I got a decent sleep until 9.30 though so at least I slept at some point. I think it was because the food was lying heavy on my stomach that I couldn’t sleep. I had some strange Harry Potter porn dream too. Something like Harry was a werewolf and Hermione was a vampire (Underworld much?) and then two sets of professors were having sex but they had to hide it because it was forbidden. I sort of woke up and said “…. Okay then.” I mean what else are you supposed to think? I feel much better this morning – which is good considering my dream – so lets hope I get a better sleep tonight. I’m watching what I’m eating today too. I’m trying not to eat too much.

Alex bought a new phone yesterday as his phone has just completely died. He’s been having problems with the navigation buttons for a couple of weeks and then last week it froze and then just stopped working altogether. He got this Sony Ericsson phone. Its really nice. I haven’t had a go of it yet but its a lot nicer than his last one. Because he got a new phone it got me thinking about what phone I would like next. I’ve decided to go for the new Samsung G600. The last two phones I have had have been Samsung phones I have had no problems with them. Its only available on contract at the moment so I’m going to wait until the middle of next year before I think about getting it. They are being sold on ebay for around £170 though. I don’t have that kind of money to spend on a mobile phone! I’d rather buy a Wii.

I’ve not long since been awake from a two and a half hour nap. I so needed it and I feel so much better now. Its not like I’m not going to sleep tonight now because I’m still tired, I’m just waiting for Alex to get home from practice before I go back up to bed. The reason I went for a nap is because I had awful stomach ache and the only thing I could think of to make it go away was to sleep. We have all – including Emelye – been to Alex’s grandma and grandad’s for Christmas dinner today. We were all really looking forward to it and then we were regretting it as soon as we’d done. She did a starter of melon and then we had a full roast of turkey, pork, roast potatoes, stuffing, parsnips, broccoli, carrots and loads of gravy. After that was Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. Its making me feel ill just talking about it.

My stomach ache’s coming back and I’m getting really hot so I’m gonna go back to bed. I’ll do a decent blog tomorrow I promise.