quick update

just a quick update as i just have a few moments of internet time.

*we have been in the USA since dec 16th.

*right now internet is spotty or nonexistant at the moment--planets have to align or somesuch.

*we are in the process of moving all of our things from storage and my parents' home to our new rental home. distance between said storage and parents' home to rental home--400miles of wintery, blizzardy, Iowa-Minnesota roads...makes for interesting travel.

*rental house has old furnace that had been off for several months before we started moving in--commence fiasco of getting furnace guy to fix old furnace andthen we have frozen water pipes.

*water pipes thaw--fix burst pipes, turn water on, bathroom floods from broken toilet. fix toilet, need to rip out carpet in bathroom (who puts CARPET in the bathroom--gross!)---don't worry folks, any moolah we spend gets knocked off our rent.

*K starts new job working awake overnights during moving in fiasco--little sleep makes for tired crabby K. K likes her new job, though :)

*M falls and sprains his wrist. Learns about the American system of DIY medical care as we cannot afford a doctor bill. We miss the UK's National Health Service.

*L starts new school and LOVES it! She is adjusting well and making friends and loving riding a real yellow school bus to school.

*Z turned 12 and spent his Christmas vacation with us and had a great time being together.

*A turned a year and remains an inquisitive happy little boy.

*In all the hub-bub of moving, starting a new job, starting a new school, and birthdays, and holidays, we also added taekwando classes to our busy life. So far it is L and M starting out but eventually K will too, we just need a babysitter for A.

*I love this busy life and wouldn't change it for the world!

And now the baby wants his nay-nays to help him take a nap so I must go, and I am not sure when I will be back, I miss all my peeps in the blogosphere

take care for now my friends!

WE GOT IT!

fogive my yelling but....WE GOT THE VISA AND WE ARE GOING BACK HOME TO THE STATES ON DECEMBER 16TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



*takes a big breath after that* we actually got the visa on wednesday morning and we bought the plane tickets yesterday. We now have 11 days left here and 9 days to pack. We will have an American Christmas/solstice this year! Hurrah!



do the happy happy joy joy dance with me!

2 years ago...

My plane landed in the UK and I started calling it home. 2 years ago that I became an official immigrant and started settling in to my new, albeit temporary, country. 2 years of homesickness and yearning to move back, taking my new husband and then a little later, new baby back to my homeland. 2 years to really learn what it is to be an American in this "global community". 2 years to really be grateful for what I am blessed with and learning to live and love life!

Hopefully we will be hearing good news on M's visa and hopefully we'll be home for the winter holidays--sounds like peeps haz planz 4 uz back home :):):)

tagged and stuff....

1. What is your funniest childhood story?
Must have been the time when I was about 8 or 9 and I was out playing on a low roof of a stairway to a basement house. I was using as a slide even thought the shingles were rough. Well they sand-papered my behind and I ended up with abrasions to my bum and back of my legs and sitting was horrid for the next day or so. That isn't the worst though--the cute guy in my class, Ronnie E, and my cute neighbor boy, Brian J, saw me walking back home rather stiff legged with my jogging pants shredded in the back and my orange clock underwear hanging out. Embarrassing enough, but I was wearing the last pair of clean undies in my drawer and I absolutely loathed my blue, pink and orange underwear with a clock print on them. I never wanted to go to school again, lol!


2. What would your dream dress look like if you could design it?
This is the base of my dress that I will wear for our American wedding/blessing ceremony/vow renewal. I am going to have a shawl or something over my arms.

My friend, T., borrowed it for her wedding 2 years ago and she looked lovely in it.

3. What weird habit does your other half have? Bruxism--he grinds his teeth in his sleep.

4. How many cookbooks are in your kitchen? 3, one Marks & Spencers British foods and 2 Gordon Ramsey cook books


5. Granny panties or loyal Victoria Secret girl? sexy drawers in my drawers no longer exist--heck I only have 4 pair of underpants (I am always doing laundry)


6. My favorite memory from 2008 so far is? Duh, birth of Alex


7. I secretly... check the toilet paper. every. time. Gross I know, but I have done it ever since I was 10 and my 12 year old friend told me what a period was, as she was having hers and I was horrified. I had thought a period was the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. So I started obsessively checking. A 22 year old habit is hard to break.


8. I could really go for... Pumpkin pie with cool whip


9. We are going to have a big snowstorm and you will find me... In the states-finding a safe place to mess around driving in the snow. I used to spin cookies with my 1964 Ford in the snow--I loved it!

Here in the UK-bwahahaha! A mere dusting of snow and everyone panics and car pileups are common. Think of Florida getting snow then replace the bright warm sunny weather with dark dreary grey misty rainy weather.

10. I knew s/he was the one...
I have 2 life-partners:

My Beloved Husband--Almost right away when he talked about loving to hug and cuddle and I announced on the other side of my monitor "Awww He's a cuddler, aww, I could love him." 10 days later I wrote "I love you!" and that I love you changed our lives. No regrets, *Sigh* He makes me happy and all warm and fuzzy. We are mushballs!

My best friend--Ha honestly, ready for this K? I knew that we'd be friends back in high school because she was a "smoker", I knew her family had very little money like mine, and she was cool enough to be dating the guy that I had a crush on. Birds of a feather flock together, right? Added bonus that she was artistic and we shared having the hots for our Art teacher. We weren't super close friends in high school, it was after, like June 2nd, that I knew that we'd be forever friends and then the night she and her 1st hubby left for Cali and stopped to see me and my roomie before they left. I gave them all my money and my blessings as they started their new life together. When she came back from Cali and her hubby was stationed overseas was when even though we were far apart, we were and are inseparable.

Now to tag 3 more people. I choose...

I hate choosing so if you read this and feel like you want to do it, leave a comment and a link back to your blog. Thanks!

The Sirens on the Ambulance go WooWoo Woooo

My baby is sick. His breathing WAS extremely shallow and labored. He was coughing snotty and miserable, but it was the breathing that had us concerned. We called an ambulance and we went to the hospital with him. Well we didn't go under sirens; the driver was a very smooth yet swift driver. In the ambulance he was given a nebulizer treatment that made breathing soooo much easier for him. He was seen at the hospital and was given the diagnosis of bronculitis and thus his breathing as it was. It is viral so we just wait it out and do vick's vapor rub and baby ibuprofen to make him as comfy as possible.

His naps and general sleeping have been craptastic and my brain is shutting down from tiredness.

BUT, he is breathing better and I am typing one handed whilst holding him as he naps and nurses at the same time. Poor kiddo, and poor parents.

this is part of why I blew it with no mo nablopomo, but there are other things going on. just to reassure you though--M and I are still goofy madly in love and we are fine :)

bed calls, love to you, oh loyal blog readers :)

the interview...dun dun duuuuuhhh.....

Actually went fairly well. Although we don't have the full ok for M's visa for us to move back to the States, we are (hopefully) 98% there. We need a document signed by my mother and another piece of paper scanned and emailed to us, then those couriered to the Embassy and then if we pass, they'll courier the passport with the visa in it. So we are chasing paperwork around some more, BUT it looks like we'll (hopefully) be home for the solstice and/or Christmas!

Tomorrow---

Tomorrow we finally have our visa interview!!! I am so excited and nervous at the same time--like butterflies the size of boeing 747 airplane big!

wish us luck!

Happy Birthday M!

I love you with all that I am and all I ever will be. You are my rock, my best friend, my lover, my wonderful husband and father to my and our children. I am so grateful that I have you and that you are so loving and kind to me, even when I don't deserve it. Today, on the 30th anniversary of your birth, I wish for you to have the best year ever, and Lord willing, another 70 more birthdays with me there by your side enjoying the ride of love and life.

Five things I miss about America

At Noble Savage, she wrote a post that sings to this American expat's heart. It also smacks of a top 5 list a la High Fidelity

Here is her list that she did expand on, but you will need to go to her blog to read expansions:
1.My family and friends
2. Wide open spaces
3. Autumn
4. Good, affordable food
5. That wondrous, zany American outlook on life

Mine actually follows closely:

1. I miss Miss MISS my family and friends. Although I call my mom just about every weekday, and my Hillbilly Duhn several times a week, hugging phones is NOTHING like hugging the real live human being on the other end of the line. I crave the day we all are reunited.

2. Driving. I love driving long distances and driving at night. I have been driving since I was 12 mminus the year between moving from the acreage and drivers Ed and the 2 years I have been in the UK making it 17 years in total I have been driving and loving it. I am such a car buff and as much as I am trying to be eco-friendly, I just can not stop loving cars, driving and driving long straight wide roads. Motor oil runs in these veins.

3. American food. I like an indian take away now and again, fish and chips and the tradional English sunday roast, but gosh darn it I want me a valasic dill pickle without any sugar, a corn dog, a miller genuine draft, a root beer float that doesn't cost $3 a can to make, as well as flavored coffees that you don't have to go to a specialty tea shop to buy, and tex mex foods. I would love an apple and a pumpkin pie, and a bone-in wood smoked ham. (I am hungry now, lol)

4. Halloween. Halloween is my fah-vorite holiday evah! I look forwards to Halloween like a little kid looks forwards to his birthday. Where I am at Halloween is barely celebrated and is more of a time where people hide away from trouble youth "yobs and hoodies", lock their doors, turn off their lights and pretend to not be home. Well crap, no wonder the youth are pissy, the candy that they sell to give out sucks. "Here have a packet of pink and white marshmallows!" bleeeh. So as another Halloween passed by like a much anticipated birthday that no one could be bothered to remember--I yearn for a fun filled Halloween with all the kids next year back in the USA.

5. Hearing my own Accent. Something about being able to not translate things in my head from British to American and back again is so nice. A trunk is a trunk, not a boot. Chips are chips, not fries, and toe-may-toe not toe-maah-oh for tomato.

I am going to be cheeky and put a sixth because it is actually a tie between number 5 and this one.
6. Affordable clothing that fits Plus size. I needn't say more than that.

Happy Hawking Castle Walking Fabulous Pre-Birthday Dearest M!

For M's birthday present we went to Warwick Castle so that he could attend a falconeering class, as he has always been a HUGE fan of Owls, Hawks and Eagles and, well, ALL birds of prey. He had a "fabulous time!" Turns out he was the only student that day so his teacher was able to focus all her attention on to both the birds and to M. Due to M's wish to remain anon at this time, I'll post the pictures without him in them, but there are some great pictures of him with Woody a Harris Hawk, Louis the Eagle Owl, and Mouse the Golden Eagle.

http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Wow! It feels like Fall today! Cold, grey, rainy--Oh wait! that was thee ENTIRE British summer this year, minus one week in July, and then the 3 last official days of summer. It was one extended Spring into Fall--makes it ?Sprall? ?Fring? Sprumn? Autuing? Well whatever one calls it, for the most part it was cold grey and rainy.

So, although never a huge fan of Autumn, as in my mind Autumn is quickly followed by that fiend-winter, I do like the cooler days after hot and humid Midwest summers. I love the smell of harvest time on my grandparents Iowa farm and the crinkley sound of dried corn leaves and the smell of coffee and ham sandwiches on buns for the adults helping harvest the crops. I love the multi-colored leaf piles, and carving pumpkins, and thinking out what I want to be and helping my kids decide and dress up for Halloween (my ALL TIME FAH-VORITE holiday). This year, I am hoping with all. that. I. am. that M and I are able to return to the States to be a part of these wonderful smells, and sensations. I want ALL of us, M, Z, L, A and I to dress up as a family and go out trick-or-treating. For now, we wait.....

While we are waiting, how about some Babylove :)






Mmmm I loves me some pudgey Baby piggies!

Picture post-In which we take a nap, chase Betty, go to the park, & stroll through a cemetery

1. nap time for all

2. Angelic sleeping baby-awww!

3. Sleepy Betty

4. Alex loves the Kitty Kitty

5. And he's coming to get her!

6. Psst! watch out Betty!

7. Run Betty! Run!

8. At the park, with his Grr Rawr Grr butt on, Alex crawls away to some mischief

9. He's found Daddy's keys. Wow he looks golden in the warm rays of the sun!

10. Seriously playing

11. Look at that concentration!

12. While young mister is concentrating, Mommy and Daddy steal a smooch or two--awww!

13. Here he comes--"Break it up you two!" he says.

14. After playing at the park, we stroll through an old cemetery so I can take some photographs

15. I love these old Celtic crosses

16. Detail of the center of the cross

17. Cool looking trick of sunlight glinting of the camera lens gives this detail a smokey other worldy look.

18. Out of all the graves, this one and a smaller one near by had these beautiful flowers.

19. Better picture of the flowers

20. Stone angel with a fist of ?judgement? ?fury? Interesting pose for a memorial statue

21. She has such an odd expression for such a wrathful looking pose

22. I just love how this picture turned out.

ok, several months later.....

Yes yes, bad me, f.o.r.e.v.e.r. taking my time to post, especially about my diaper stash (which by now has grown to enormous proportions with the addition of 18 small All-in-ones,[think cloth version of disposable diapers] 18 large a-i-o, 5 medium super soft a-i-o, and 6 blue super soft fitted diapers WHEW!!)

Alex is now 20 weeks old and rolling quite well. He wants to sit by himself and is almost there, but isn't quite balanced yet. He does enjoy standing, with our help, on our laps so he can jump and bounce whilst making happy squeeking and squeeling noises.

He is teething like mad right now, as it is a right drool fest over here. So we have invested in an amber teething necklace. It is supposed to work by the natural oils from the amber absorbed through the skin. The oils are supposed to act as an pain reliever. So far we have noticed a reduction in drool, we will see how it works for general owie crankiness.

Alex is, as of May 7th, an official American Citizen born on foriegn soil. We went to the US Embassy in London and he got an American Embassy birth certificate, and we applied for his passport (which came last Tuesday) and his Social security number. He is sadly, no longer British, as dual citizenship is nie on impossible and impractical for us. But in my mind, and I am sure M's mind, Alex is both.

We are one step closer to moving back to the States, with having Alex's passport. Next is getting M's visa. It has nearly been a year since I was home, and I am physically aching to be home, to see my friends and family and to reunite my children. Oh.my.goodness! I day dream all the time about being with my sweet, wonderful children again. I want to breathe them in and hold them tight. I want to do fun things with them, like playing at the park, or swimming, or just simply being in the same room as them.

There is a slight possibility (knock on wood) that we might have a 3 1/2 bedroom house to move into by the time we are ready to move. It is right next door to some good friends of mine and their kids. My kids adore their kids, in fact, Zach's "girlfriend" for the last 6 years or so is their oldest daughter Ali, and Lily's "boyfriend" is their son Axil. I wonder...does that make Aura, who is 6, Alex's "girlfriend"?! Yeesh! Anyway the town is small, everyone knows everyone, and kids are free to be kids and ride their bikes to the park, or even across town (there are only about 5 whole blocks in the town). The school is great, and the bus driver looks out for the kids really well. It sounds ideal as far as kids go, and my friend says that the hospital nursing home that she is working at is always looking for help, pay is good and benifits are excellent. We could carpool especially with gas prices set to sky rocket even more than what they are now ($4 per gallon in Iowa and Minnesota and about $10 per gallon here in the UK) we will find out more the 23rd of June when we talk to the seller after he returns from a fishing trip. Until then, we will keep our fingers crossed.

2007 +: A Year and a Bit in Review

2007 is nearly gone so I thought that I'd join in the fun of reviewing my year, plus a little bit more.

I will actually start Dec of 2006 because that was the start of one of the hugest changes in my life, second only to becoming a mother. I moved from the USA to Birmingham England to get married to the love of my life. After a bazillion months of waiting for M to be able to move to the States, and for us to get married legally according to the 187465108435081760435618645 laws on immigration to the USA, we found out that it would be quicker and a bit "easier" for me to move to the UK and get married here. We planned on later on, after everything was settled and L had finished her Kindergarten year at her private Christian school (She was doing supremely well and thriving in her 4 student classroom) that we'd have her move here. So November 30th, I said farewell to all that I knew in the USA, and landed December 1st in the UK, my new temporary home. M and I scheduled our wedding day AS SOON AS LEGALLY POSSIBLE--December 29th, 2006. It was a very small quiet affair, that you may as well call it eloping. There were only six people total; M, his Mum and Dad, the Registrar (official) and her assistant, and myself. We went out to a posh chinese restaurant afterwards and then on to the new In-Law's for Chocolate cake, champagne, and presents. We didn't have a honeymoon anywhere. Just things plain and simple, basically keeping in mind that one of the reasons I came over was to save up enough money to move back to the States. I do have to admit that M and I started working on the newest generation right away :)

Fast forward to April 17th, because Jan, Feb, and March were dull drab and sad homesickness months. That day, M had the day off and we were going grocery shopping, and for purely practical purposes, I took a pregnancy test just to see if we needed to pick up monthly supplies for me----Uhhh The test came back PREGNANT!!! I was shocked and stunned because during the time that should have been conception time, both of us were ill, and I just didn't "feel" like it worked--boy was I WRONG!!! I came out of the bathroom, bawling and holding on to the test stick, and cried at M saying "We did it!!!" M didn't understand right away because he didn't see the stick, so he came over to me, saw what I had in my hand, took a look at it, and quite litterally his knees buckled and slid down the wall. Tee hee! WE DID IT!!!

May and June were a flurry of preparing for a 2 week trip back to the States to visit friends and family.

End of June, specifically my birthday, we left for Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota, to see family and friends. We spent the first 2 weeks of July in the USA and M got to experience a real hometown 4th of July, parade, candy, fireworks, beer and all. I got to meet my eldest brother's TFG (The Fabulous Girlfriend) Diana and her son Hayden and her Angel daughter, Hannah was there too. M got to finally meet my both of my brothers and I think that they all got on supremely well (it is great when ALL of the in-laws get along, with the added bonus of liking each other) We then went on to Missouri to visit friends there--oy it was HOT HOT HOT there! We shot guns and played with bows and arrows. We laughed and talked and melted in the heat. We then popped back in with my folks for a day of rest and then went to see my Grandpa and Grandma Evans for a day at the Evan's family farm. We had a great visit as well as lots of joyriding on their 4-wheeler (I think that the 4-wheeler rides were one of the top highlights to Z, L and M's entire trip!) Our last stop was my friends in Minnesota, and M got to finally meet Tonya, Freddy and crew. We went swimming and Mark and I camped out in a tent in their backyard and Freddy entertained us with bon fires. M, the kids and I had such a great time that we didn't want to leave.

The rest of July and a good part of August was again drab and sad because of the homesickness and missing the kids. We found out that we had done things backwards about having L move with us, as she she should have come over initially with me, and that if we brought her over now, that it would be super expensive, and we might as well plan on making the UK our permanent place of residence. My folks enroled her back in her school and (hopefully, happily) are raising her for another school year for me.

End of August-September Z and L start school. Z is now an official middle-schooler. He started band, and through try-outs of insturments, Z and his band teacher picked out the clarinet. He is still involved in the Gifted and Talented program. So it was the start of a lot of new school things for Z, but still retaining the same familiarity of the same school system and school friends that Z has had for 6-7 years. (The longest that I got to enjoy that kind of same school stability was 10th through 12th grade) L got to go back to her school and same teacher that she had in Kindergarten for which she was THRILLED!! She loves loves loves her teacher and friends--in fact her best friend's name is Love!

Fast forwards to the end of October, my favorite holiday, Halloween! We had our first (and turns out only) birthing class. I dressed up as a horny pregnant lady--Ha! I did find the atmosphere here in the UK surrounding Halloween depressing as most people hide out in their homes with all of their lights turned out because kids will egg and TP homes and bully people into giving them candy or money on Halloween. It is flirting with danger of being robbed or beat up to go out at night on Halloween, unless you are a kid in a hoodie gang. ...nice... Complete opposite to the small town midwest USA halloweens that I am used to, and feels safe and happy. There are a few cases of malicious behaviors, but it isn't the norm, like it is here.

November bring a peculiar celebration here-Guy Fawkes Night--where between Halloween and the 5th of November (officially GF Night) people all over set off fireworks. It is a celebration of a failure! way way way way back, like in the 1600's, this dude named Guy tried to blow up Parliment with a bazillion kegs of black gun powder and his plot was foiled and he was hung, drawn, quartered, and his body parts were displayed all over England (If you have seen Braveheart, then you kind of understand the mode of death that Guy had) So they blow up fireworks in rememberance of a failed dead guy.

The rest of November went quickly, as we celebrated M's birthday, and watched my ever expanding belly grow and grow. We did have a hiccup healthwise. I came down with a sudden chest infection, that had me struggling to breathe, and the concern of a Pulmonary Embolism was brought up. I had a 2 night stay in the hellspital....er hospital..while they ran tests to see if I did have a PE. It was ruled out. It did however, make me more determined to have a homebirth with this baby like i had wanted to do all the way back when i was pregnant with L. There were a few good people at the hellspital, but I had far too many nurse Ratchets in there whilst being stuck in a room with 4 other people separated by only curtains, and having one old geezer yelling out in the middle of the night "Yes! I'll 'ave that bacon sandwich!" and another spitting in his emisis basin every other minute then dumping the contents out in the handwashing sink in the room--don't worry--no one ever washed their hands anyway-EVER! No wonder nosocomial infections (hospital bugs) can spread like wildfire! M and I were so happy to hear that a PE was ruled out and that we could go home, that he hugged the doc, much to her surprise.

December-busy busy fast fast fast with growing baby and shopping. Because baby WAS due the 23rd, we kept Christmas day pretty low key, especially since I had been in and out of false labor since the 19th. False labor is an insidious thing, I tells ya! M and I have been so anxious, happy, excited, depressed, worried, blah, sad, and generally annoyed these past few weeks it is just unreal. WE JUST WANT TO HURRY UP AND MEET THIS BABY!!!!! But we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more.

Yesterday, the 29th, was our first anniversary. We had a bit of a baby scare, because Baby wasn't very active in the morning, so we ended up with an non-stress test being done--basically a monitoring strip done. First anniversaries' gifts are paper---well M got to see that piece of paper and we both had peace of mind, because as soon as the monitors were strapped on, Baby got busy in there, and even gave us a case of the hiccups. So we came home and ate Chinese and looked at our wedding photos. Awww--What a year!

My wedding band has this inscribed in it "Le mo ghrasa mise agus Liomsa mo ghra" It is Gaelic and roughly translated "I am my Beloved's. My Beloved is mine." Throughout all the years happenings, M and my love has grown stronger and more precious. We are so happy and in love with each other, and we look forwards to many more years of love! I truely am my Beloved's and my Beloved is truely mine!!!

Happy New Year to you all, I wish you many blessings!



....and, no, the baby isn't here yet....

First Anniversary! YAY!

Happy First Anniversary to M and I! First anniversaries are paper, right? After feeling very little movement out of our normally spunky active baby, and I just don't feel "quite right", we called into the community midwives to see what they wanted to do. We ended up going in for an Non-Stress Test. Baby perked up during the tracing and even had a case of the hiccups--so I "gave" M a happy tracing of the baby's heartrate and movements.

He is now out getting us some yummy Chinese for supper and we are going to watch the Bourne trilogy tonight.

we are home and much happier, but I still feel a little "off". I hope that I am not coming down with anything....

oh, duh, 40 and 6 today.

37 Weeks 4 Days Pregnant--Give or Take a few Weeks

The trip to the States was fabulous! We had such a great time, the kids had a great time, the family had a great time, and the friends had a great time!

Coming back from the States, and splitting up from my kids again hurt hurt hurt beeding heart crushing stabbing pain hurt. I stayed in bed for a week. It took me about 1 to 1/2 months to come around again to being myself.

Helping to keep my sanity is my Due Date Club at MotheringDotCommune. I spend a lot of time there. It is my feel-good place.

M and I are doing excellent and we have never been as close as we are now. He is wonderful and 100% behind my wishes to cloth diaper, and homebirth our baby. He is excited and nervous about the birth, but I know that when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of labor and birth he will be my rock. He's also very open to the attachment parenting style of parenting. He hates the idea of letting baby cry it out to go to sleep or "self-soothe", he is happy about co-sleeping since he is such a cuddler anyway, *laugh* he's very pleased about me breastfeeding, and that none of mine/our children are or will be circumcized (England doesn't do routine infant circs anymore anyway--YAY!) He is also very interested in baby wearing as we have 4 no-sew baby-wrap carriers and a ring-sling on the way courtesy of my Mom :) The cloth diapers that we got are super soft and sooo cuddley. M has agreed that after baby is born, I can order some gender-specific diaper wraps and I have several patterns/places already picked out to order from.

So according to the community midwives I am 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant. The estimated due date is the 23rd, however, baby will come when he or she is ready. I would love a Solstice baby as the 2005 summer Solstice at Stonehenge was when M officially proposed to me, but then I could see this little one choosing to share a birthday with his/her brother on the 26th, or even deciding that he/she wants to share the day with Mark and my first wedding anniversary on the 29th.

I also have the "ok" from my midwives to have the baby anytime now... nice to know I have their "permission"

My Poor Neglected Blog

So, here I am, faithful reader to those on my blogroll, yet I never post on my own. Perhaps that I find everyone else's lives infinitely more interesting than my own, or perhaps that I am terribly s-l-o-w at typing and it takes me what seems like hours just to post a little snippet of my life...

Well things are going well with M, Baby and I. As of today I am 14 weeks 5days pregnant and the little one is very active. When we had the ultrasound done, s/he was very busy in there and it was hard to get a good still picture. On the 26th of June we heard the heart beat for the first time at another midwife appointment. M got a bit misty eyed--awww-bless him :) Since I am fat, I am not showing yet although M swears that I am. I can't wait until he is able to feel baby kicking and moving around.

We are celebrating my birthday this year in grand style---we are taking a trip back to the States, and we leave here at 2 am GMT (8pm Thursday June 28th Midwest USA time) Friday June 29th--Happy 31st birthday to me. We will be travelling until 12am GMT June 30th or 6pm Midwest USA time June 29th. I get an extra 6 hours to my birthday LOL. THEE best present will be seeing my children, family and friends!!! I am so excited! There to greet M and I at my folks will be Z and L, Mom and Dad, Pete, Scott, and Diana and her son Hayden! (I found Diana's blog through a link at Mothering Dot Commune, read her blog for quite a while, then out of shear cosmic goodness, she and my brother met , and I finally get to meet her :) *happy dance*)

We are then going to show M what the 4th of July is like (how ironic is that---showing the Brit what our Independence day from Britain is like) After that we are going to see my friends J and K for a few days down in the bee-you-tee-ful area known as the Lake of the Ozarks---we are all going hillbilly, I will be Sally Jane, and M will be Jethro.

After that we will be going to visit my wonderful grandparents, and then on to visit my friends T and F and play with some fire, play in the water with the kids, and laugh our hineys off! OOO and we are going to be there on Friday the 13th---spooky, LOL

Then sadly it will be time to make our way back to the airport and back to the UK. I like the UK, but I have to honestly say that I LOVE THE USA!!!!!

Homesick

I am terribly homesick. I thought that it would only last for a few weeks but it continues on like a dull ache. I miss mt kids, my family, my friends, my knowledge of the area that I am in. I thought this would be like all the other times that I have moved in my life (something like 30 times) I thought that I'd be used to it by now, but this one is a doozy.

M and I are happily married, and trying for a baby, but no luck yet. We got married in a tiny ceremony with just M, M's parents and myself. It was almost like we eloped, almost. I wore a simple cream lacy blouse and brown skirt and he wore a nice jacket, shirt, tie, and trousers set. I also had on my mother's tiara/beaded headpiece that was part of he veil when my parents got married 38 years ago. I thought that it might be good luck. The ceremony was simple and laid back, and afterwards we just went out to eat at our favorite chinese restaurant. We had some cake and nibblies at m's parents' place and went home and started in earnest to make a baby :)

Since then, I have mainly stayed at home doing a whole lot of nothing. That is what makes my homesickness so bad. I used to drive all around and knew where I was going and had most of the roads that ran north and south, east and west. Here it is like someone threw spaghetti at a piece of paper and called it a city map. We don't have a car, so we rely on busses and trains. I hate that I am completely clueless on where I am going and if it weren't for M I'd never ever get out of the apartment. So this is where I am at for the next 2 years or so. From there we decide whether or not we stay here or we go to the States. We'll see, i guess.

I am ok

just a quick blurb to say that I am still around and ok. I got married and things are going well. more to blog later when I can

I made it safely

I am here and safe and much much happier than when I left! When M and I were reunited at the airport, I just grabbed him snd kissed him hard, even infront of his parents. \I just didn't care, I was just focused on him. He told me later that there were some "Awwws" from the surrounding crowd.

It seems that I made it out of the US Midwest just in time as there was a dumping of snow at Chicago O'Hare less than 24 hours after I flew out. that was timing!

So far It hasn't hit me that I am home, I have to unpack yet and girlie-ize this bachellor's pad and then I will feel at home, LOL!

Oh and I thought that it was going to look dry and brown here like it does in the midwest---Nope! it is LUSH and Green here and it is December! I love it!