Happy Friday!

[5kcandlesinthewind]

And how the heck are we a week from the holidays? Sheesh.

How's everyone doing with life/holiday prep/etc.?  Post some updates here before they delete this board for inactivity

I'm almost done with Christmas shopping. I feel like I have too much stuff for some (Ben, my nephew), and not enough for others (my mom, my husband).  I need to figure out exactly what I have and then finish it off this weekend.  And then find time to wrap, which is my least favorite. Gift bags for everyone!

We're staying home for Christmas, which I am delighted about.  We had people over at Thanksgiving, and it was freaking exhausting.  I'm looking forward to a quiet day.  We'll head out to western MA to see my family the day after Christmas, and my ILs will stop by at some point.

Anyone with exciting plans?  Hope everyone is doing well!

[elfinia7]

I'm into week 4 of my new job and so far so good! I'm two weeks away from my trip to Asia with my bf and I'm so excited but also slightly stressed out over everything I need to get done before then. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my car since I have street parking and who knows what the weather will be like here while I'm gone. I hate the idea of coming back to a frozen snowed in car.

I have to finish Christmas shopping for my two nieces which I'm planning to do this weekend, crappy weather be damned but everyone else is done!

I'm going to my sister's place in Attleboro for Christmas again this year which should be nice. Rumor has it she's going to make duck which should be fun!

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Glad the new job is going well, elfinia7! Where in Asia are you headed? As for the car, maybe check the covered T garages? Hope you can figure something cheap or free out.

[scm1011]

Hi! Everything is great on my end. Cal is 5 weeks old and is a great little baby. He is a decent sleeper (gives me 3-4 hour stretches at night) and is such a sweet little peanut. I'm really enjoying this mom thing!

Maternity leave gives me a lot of time to prep for Christmas, so I'm pretty much done with shopping. Even though it's technically the in laws year for Christmas, we're staying local instead of going to NY. It has thankfully caused no drama with my MIL, and I'm looking forward to introducing DS to my extended family since we laid low for Thanksgiving. Tonight DH and I are giving in to my moms pleas to babysit and going on our first baby free date (dinner at Highland Kitchen). Hopefully all goes smoothly - my mom doesn't have the best instincts to put it mildly lol.

[scm1011]

RockNVoll, I would love to get together - just let me know what works for you! I'm glad you get a break and that you have some fun trips planned in the new year. FX for for W's interviews!

[bostonmichelle]

Glad the new job is working out well elfinia7!

I cannot wait to meet Cal scm1011!

Are you looking to go back to Boston or elsewhere RockNVoll?

We are leaving Thursday to drive back up to Boston for the week and will drive back the following Friday/Saturday. Hopefully the snow has melted by then and its not too cold since I don't have a real winter jacket that will fit over my belly. I need to pick up some gift cards when we get north and wrap gifts since we shipped everything to my dad's house this year so it was easier to pack up the car. We got the last piece of furniture for our nursery this weekend so we still need a rug and stuff for the walls but we have the glider, dresser, and crib.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Glad to hear things are going smoothly with Cal, scm1011 ! Hope the weather didn't deter your plans over the weekend.

RockNVoll, safe travels! I hope you get to enjoy your break and snuggles with that adorable nephew of yours. Best of luck to your husband!

bostonmichelle , hope you have an easy drive, and that you're feeling well! How much longer til your due date?

[bostonmichelle]

5kcandlesinthewind I'm 26 weeks now so basically 26.5 and 27.5 weeks when we travel. I've had a very easy pregnancy so far thankfully. I'm at the point that I'm getting bigger and more uncomfortable sitting for long periods of time but that's about it!

[elfinia7]

Hey all! We are going to be in Hong Kong for New Years and then from there go to Bali for a week, Yogykarta for a night, Singapore for a night (it's a long layover) then LA for three nights to break up the trip home. I'm super excited but also nervous. I've never flown so far before and I know I need to start thinking about packing and I have a ton to do for the sorority before I'm out of touch for a couple of weeks.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Glad things are going well, bostonmichelle! Hope the rest of your pregnancy stays easy!

elfinia7, sounds like a really great trip; have the best time ever!

[liveintheville]

Yay 😊 everyone seems happy! Except RockNVoll s stress about returning to us.
We're doing well. My parents are around all week which has been great. H had cataract surgery on his other eye so is laid up for a couple weeks. Tony came to visit yesterday! And we'll see him one more time before he heads back to Seattle.
I'm still not sure where we stand on gifts. Hanukkah has really messed with my organization of gifts. But we'll come out fine. There's always candy to fill some days.