Our first days in the U.S.

So yeah, we made it here safely after a relatively uneventful day of flying. Dylan did really well, all things considered, though he had a little bout with travel sickness. And when I say a little, what I mean is Monty Python-esque quantities of vomit on the transatlantic flight. Let's just put it this way--Martin ended up wandering around the plane wearing a t-shirt and an airplane blanket in lieu of trousers whilst trying to calm down a screaming baby. I brought a spare t-shirt for myself so it was just my bra that ended up saturated in vomit. Martin looked rather fetching though--skirts really suit him!

Our flight was late getting into Salt Lake City, so we didn't get to Nephi and to bed until around 3:30 am, then Dylan woke up at around 5:30 or so. That first day was a little rough, but Dylan was adorable and played well with his cousins that he met. We went for a walk and he explored mom and dad's house. Things got interesting on Thursday.

Dylan woke early again, so we got up and gave him breakfast. He had finished eating and was toddling around the kitchen when all of a sudden he just toppled over. Martin picked him up, and he wasn't breathing. Then he started having a seizure. We called 911, and then ended up just driving him down to the hospital ourselves (faster, believe it or not, than waiting for an ambulance). On the way there he started breathing again, but he was totally limp and unresponsive. It was the most terrifying car journey of my life.

The on-call doctor took about 15 minutes to arrive, and when he got there he ordered blood tests and observed him. He sent us home about an hour and a half later, telling us that sometimes kids just have seizures for no apparent reason, but to watch him carefully and make sure his motor functions and behavior were normal. We took him home, very shaken up, and put him down for a nap. He slept for about an hour and a half, then woke up and had some lunch. Martin was getting him dressed for the day when he had ANOTHER seizure. This time we called the hospital to let them know we were on our way, and the doctor was waiting for us when we got there. They did a lumbar puncture and a CT scan, both of which were totally normal. Since he had 2 seizures that were totally explained, they referred us to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake. And since Dylan had been seizing, they wouldn't let us transport him. So Dylan and I got to ride to the hospital in an ambulance.

We spent the next 24 hours or so at the hospital with doctors of all sorts observing Dylan. He was a trooper--only struggling when they had to put in an IV (it took three nurses to hold him down) and when he had his blood pressure taken. He had an EKG and an EEG whilst we were there, and was examined by a few neurologists. They couldn't find a single thing wrong! That was kind of a relief, but kind of frustrating as well. They discharged him about 22 hours after we got there, but sent a copy of his EEG with us and recommended that we get him an MRI on our return to the UK. They also suggested we have the EEG repeated at a later date, and gave us a prescription for an anti seizure medication to take on the flight home with us, just in case!

So that was the first three days of our vacation. Fun, huh? The best part is, we're not sure if our travel insurance covers Dylan. Could be a VERY expensive holiday.

After all the stress of the hospital and whatnot, my asthma flared up. And because of the flights and the drama, I had not been using my maintenance inhaler. So after Dylan came out of hospital, I spent the next 3 days totally laid up not able to breathe.

But since then things have been better. I've been enjoying visiting with family and friends and showing Dylan off. He's adjusted quite well to the time change and LOVES hanging out with his uncle Jace and his cousins. He's really warming to his grandparents, as well. I think dad is sick of having us around, and I think ShaNeil is getting a little bit frustrated as well, but I know it's not easy to have house guests and I totally understand. We're hanging out at Krystle's apartment right now (mom and dad don't have internet access at home) to give them a little bit of space.

Christmas was lovely, and most decidedly white. It has snowed nearly every day since we got here. Dylan was incredibly spoiled by Santa and Martin is happy because jace got a Wii that everyone's been playing on.

Hey Lewis and Emma, I am no longer a Wii virgin. I did bowling and tennis on it last night, and even have my very own Mii. And Krystle told us about a friend of hers who bought a Wii with her boyfriend and signed a "Wii-nup." Just thought it was funny and had to share.

The time is going quickly, and even though it is nice to be here, I am actually missing home. I never thought I would feel this way--I am missing england and all our friends there. Plus, it's nice to be in our own space. Being company isn't any easier than having company! Plus, I am noticing a lot of little Utah quirks that are driving me nuts--like calling Sacrament meeting "Sacrent meeting." Oh, rural Utah accents!

I'm not sure when I'll be posting again (remember the lack of internet access at the house) but I'll try to keep my loyal readers updated. I'm getting some good pictures, and can't wait to get them up.

Later!

Lightening quick post...

The US family already know we made it across the pond safely, but my UK readers haven't heard from me in a while. There will be plenty to post about later, but I don't have time now as it is quite late and we need to get to bed. No internet access at my parents' house, you see. We've had some major drama, but all is well now. I want to wait and write about it when I have time to do the events of the past week some justice. So hang in there and be patient!!!

Midwife appointment...

So I had a doctor's appointment and a midwife appointment today. I saw the doctor to get eyedrops in case I get pink eye from Martin. He was very nice and gave me the drops even though I'm not currently showing any symptoms. My eye has been a little itchy and runny, so I figured it is always better to be safe than sorry, and much better to pick up my prescriptions where I don't have to pay for them!

The midwife appointment was fun. Dylan came with me, of course, but he was really well behaved. Everything that they check is normal, and the heart beat was fun today. Obviously, the heartbeat itself was just a heart beating. But the baby had the hiccups when they were listening, and it was so great to listen to! They drew some more blood, and I got the results of my last blood work. Good news--I don't have syphillis or AIDS.

We're pretty much ready to go now, and I am seriously tired. Hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight and tomorrow will go well. I've got butterflies in my stomach, just like I always do before I fly. I'm really looking forward to Wednesday!

Tomorrow is the big day!

We have been pushing Dylan's bedtime back and we've managed to get about an hour and a half. I am in the process of packing our bags (have to finish the laundry first since I have a limited supply of maternity clothes) and our carry-on. I even got a few excited butterlies earlier today that overrode the hideous anxiety about the flights! I just tried to check in on line, but can't. I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

I hear that winter has hit Utah with a vengence and we are on target for a white Christmas. The mother-in-law will be so jealous, and we are going to freeze our tails off! I also hear that there have been major ice storms somewhere in the northern U.S. and am hoping that Minneapolis isn't affected, since that's where we have our layover.

Ugh--so much to do and I am just putting things off. But I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Art???

I have been plastering this evening. It's been absolutely ages since I did any plastering, and I'd forgotten how much fun I have doing it. I get better at it every time I try, and by the time this house is finished I should be REALLY good at it. We had a giant hole to fill and wires to cover up in Dylan's room (which is temporarily our room so we can work on it late at night and I am closer to the bathroom for my pregnancy).

I remember viewing a home in the St. George Parade of Homes where the walls had been plastered the "old fashioned" way. The plaster had been mixed with a colored glaze and had been rubbed with a trowel to heat and shine the plaster. At the time I thought those hand-plastered walls were stunning, and I still do. I certainly never thought that several years later I would be perfecting the technique myself.

I think that hand plastering is a dying art in the U.S. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think most homes are done by machine. I'm not really up on my building techniques, but it certainly doesn't look hand done. It's too uniform and perfect. I remember watching the plasterers do our front room when I was pregnant with Dylan--it was amazing! Plastering is hard work, and it really does take a lot of practice to get good at it. Even though a finished room isn't a work of art, doing the work certainly is. Professional plasterers are really skilled craftsmen.

My work isn't that good, but one of the advantages of living in a nearly 200 year old house is that you can have things like slightly imperfect plaster and it just adds to the character of the house. If we had perfectly smooth sections of wall in the nursery, it just wouldn't look right. The original plaster is old and lumpy and wavy, so my slightly imperfect patching job, once it's been painted, will blend right in!

In non-mundane house news, we are flying on TUESDAY! Still dreading the flight, but I've got Dylan's clothes all ready to pack, and I've started on mine. We know what we want to take in our carry-on--just have to actually put it in. I hope it goes well, and I am so excited to see all my American friends and family!

Big sigh of relief...

Martin is still at work, but it is his last Christmas party before we head stateside. Dylan is asleep and my hard week is over. Now we just have a manic few days of packing ahead of us, and 12 hours of flying plus layovers. I will breathe a big sigh of relief when I wake up on Wednesday morning in Utah.

We've had a very lovely day, all things considered. It was the Primary Christmas party, and I went as a show of support but was no help at all since Martin was at work and my little sidekick went along. After the party, which Emma and the kids rode in with me for, we all hopped in the car and drove to Cleethorpes. It was Nathan's birthday yesterday, and we went swimming with them to celebrate. Then we went to MacDonalds for dinner, and rushed home because Martin's Nanna and Grandad were popping 'round before they went to a concert here in town.

So we had a full house for an hour or so this evening. It was the grandparents, plus Martin's dad came by. Martin popped home for about 45 minutes as well, and we were so happy to see him!

We are trying to push Dylan's bed time back a bit this weekend in preparation for the time change, so his bath was nearly 45 minutes later than normal. The morning we fly we will be putting him to bed late and waking him up early in the hope that he will sleep a lot on the longer flights. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, that's the update. Oh, and by the way, it looks like Martin's eye is getting better with the antibiotics. Good, huh?

Almost more drama...

We almost had more drama at our house this evening. Martin woke up this morning with a really sore eye, and he was concerned that it was a flare up of his iritis. Remember about 6 years ago now when Martin did his pirate thing? His eye got all disgusting and his body tried to reject it? Yeah, a little bit worrying. So he saw the doctor this afternoon, and was sent to see the opthamologist at the hospital in Scunthorpe. So Dylan and I picked him up from work and drove him in. Luckily the specialist thinks it's just pink eye, and gave him antibiotics. If Dylan and I get symptoms we will just have to see the GP and get a prescription. What fantastic timing!

Martin still thinks it's iritis again, and I think he might be right. If it is, we will know within the next few days. We'll need to get him started on a course of treatment before we fly over, so it doesn't cost us a fortune like it did last time. He was seeing a specialist twice a week and we had to buy REALLY expensive medication for him. Plus he walked around for a month wearing an eye patch!

Martin's back at work now doing a private Christmas party for the Caistor flower club--the one that his mom goes to. Dylan is sleeping like a little angel and I have scrubbed the bathrooms and am relaxing and watching Heroes. Such a good night, other than the trip to the hospital!

The promised pics...

A very dopey looking Dylan, wearing daddy's hat



Daddy and Dylan love snuggling up and watching "In The Night Garden" every night before bath time



A rare occurance--Grandad Gilbert helps with Dylan's bath



The Thanksgiving Day dinner guests



I have a proper dining room now!!!

Knowing your limits...

My body is on the mend again, having spent the last three or four days suffering from asthma again. I have decided that the key to controlling my asthma while I am pregnant is knowing what I can and can't do.

I spent the last three days doing as little as possible, and it seems to have really made a difference. As opposed to the week or two that it took me to recover last time, four days is a HUGE improvement! Although I feel really lazy when I am sick, I've realized that it's what I need to do.

It really takes a lot for me to sit back and let Martin take care of me. I am so proud of the fact that I manage this house, cook the meals, clean it, and take care of Dylan on my own. Don't get me wrong--Martin helps out a lot when he gets home. But there are things that he just doesn't think about doing, and the house isn't done to my standards. A lot of times I push myself and do things even when I am tired or unwell, just because I know that if I don't do them they won't get done. But I can't do that right now.

I am having to take a step back and consider my health and the health of the new baby rather than the cleanliness of my house and having a home cooked meal on the table when Martin gets home. It's frustrating, but I am starting to see that I have to let things slide if I want to be able to take care of myself and my babies. So I have to let Martin carry laundry up and down the stairs. I have to let him vacuum the stairs when he comes home. I have to cook really simple meals and let him fetch and carry stuff for me when he comes home. I have to just be a little bit embarrassed when people drop by unexpectedly and my house isn't very tidy. And I will do it, though I hate it, so that I can breathe and Dylan and newbie are healthy and happy.

Though I do sometimes feel like Dylan is being raised by the BBC. I guess we'll see if he starts talking with an English accent instead of an American one!

By way of a general update, we now have a car that is registered in our names and is insured. It's lovely to drive, but it's HUGE compared to our old cars. I will have to get used to parallel parking a boat and driving a bigger car on these tiny roads. SO nice to have wheels again. I drove to go grocdery shopping, run to the bank, and take Dylan swimming yesterday.

Dylan had a great swimming day! He actually swam by himself, with no help from me. We put one of those little noodle things under his arms (He won't wear arm bands and doesn't really like having a life jacket on) and let him swim after a beach ball and some bath toys. He was kicking like crazy and doggy paddling. I just stayed right next to him to steady him when he started to slip. He's going to be a fantastic swimmer as he gets a little bit older. Plus, he was absolutely exhausted last night and went to sleep really easily.

Martin is staying busy at work. He's actually cooking today since it's Karen's birthday and she took the day off. Plus, he's doing a lot of stuff when he gets home (as mentioned above). He finished fitting the double glazing film in the windows last night while I watched a movie downstairs. What a superstar! As soon as I am feeling up to it, we are going to do some plastering in Dylan's bedroom so we can get it painted. I do the actual plastering, but Martin mixes it up for me. I hate dealing with the mix because it smells funny and is a dirty, goopy mess. He's done most of the wiring work already.

I don't think the house will be ready for putting on the market in January, but it won't be long after that--February or March at the latest, I hope. We'll need to tidy up the garden a bit and finish off a few corners, but we're nearly there. Martin's Grandad Priestly is going to come and help us wallpaper the stairways and landings after Christmas. I know that I have said some not too complimentary things about wallpaper, but we can't afford to have plasterers come in and do the space, and I won't be up to doing it myself during my third trimester of pregnancy. I don't have very good balance at the best of times, and can just imagine myself heavily pregnant and standing on a ladder to plaster the 20 foot stairway. Fantastic!

Anyway, must get on with a little light housework. Pictures coming up soon--maybe during Dylan's nap?

A busy week ahead...

Martin has loads of parties coming in this week, so it was great that he had the weekend off. Unfortunately, I am sick (a cold and asthma--again!) so we didn't get to do anything fun. I have been suffering from insomnia again and this weekend have been taking obscenely long naps during the day as a result. Plus, we were still carless all weekend. The car is parked outside our hosue and is in our names, but we were unable to insure it over the weekend. SO frustrating!

Just 8 days until we fly to see the family, and I am getting even more excited to go. Not about the flight, mind you. We can't even manage to keep Dylan still for all of sacrament meeting, so I don't know how we're going to manage a trans-Atlantic flight. We still have so much to get done before we leave, so the next week is going to fly by!

I'm going to charge up my camera batteries tonight so I can get some pictures of the dining room and also the new car posted. I'll probably get those on the blog on Tuesday or thereabouts.

Fingers crossed that I can sleep tonight and we can get everything done that needs doing in the coming week. And we'll see all of you real soon!

Blah...

I'm sitting here watching my toddler read his books and enduring the sensation of a 6 month old fetus pressing on my lower intestines. OUCH! This never happened when I was pregnant with Dylan. This time around is so much more uncomfortable and inconvenient!

I'm also facing a rainy, cold day with no car. I need to go to the supermarket to pick up some milk and peanut butter, and I'll have to walk there to get it. We're still waiting for the check from the insurance company (the check's in the mail, apparently. We'll see.) and our rental car went back this morning. I've been awake since 5:30 am and would have been able to get back to sleep around the time that Dylan woke up. I can hardly wait until nap time!

On a positive note, despite being "high risk" for pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, as of yesterday at the midwives I am showing signs of neither one. I have another appointment right before we fly over, and then will have another just after we get back. As I head towards my 3rd trimester they will be seeing me around every 3-4 weeks. I didn't get seen at ALL during my second trimester until yesterday. Weird! Also, the baby's heart sounds fantastic and my iron levels are apparently very good, especially for a pregnant woman. What can I say? I feel pretty crappy, but I'm pretty healthy all things considered. Thank goodness for prenatal vitamins.

Dylan has learned a new word. He's now very good at saying "hat," and he knows what it means. But he's at the age where everything that you put on your head is a hat, all bath toys are ducks, and every animal is a cat. He loves using his new words, especially since he gets lots of praise and encouragement when he does. So now we've got his animal sounds, cat, hat, splash, and ducks. I wish he'd learn something useful, like "drink." He's right where he needs to be for his age. Apparently, by 18 months most children have a vocabulary of between 10-50 words. We're a few months shy of that, and he already uses 4 words in context plus his 4 animal noises. He just mastered "moo" and now we are working on pigs and horses.

Talking isn't Dylan's strongest skill though. He's very good at figuring out how stuff works! He can do doors and simple closures on things like Martin's tool chest. He loves opening boxes and playing with hinges and things like that. One of his favorite things to do is open and shut the lid on the piano. He has this insatiable curiosity, which makes him a real handful to look after but very entertaining when he's playing.

I'm constantly amazed when I watch Dylan just going about his daily business. A year ago he was completely helpless, and now he is becoming so independent and is so proud of himself when he can do things without any help from me. I'm so proud, too. I can't believe that my little baby is getting so grown up!

Hmmm...

I actually had something to write about earlier this morning, but I can't remember for the life of me what it was. Too bad, really, because I remember thinking that it would be good.

Life continues on much the same as always here in Barton. We got some snow this morning, which was lovely. As a result, my Primary presidency meeting was cancelled (the people in this country are completely incapable of dealing with snow--it's annoying and funny) so Dylan and I are just chilling at home. I adore the snow, as long as I am tucked up all snug in my house with a hot chocolate watching it fall. Amazing, really, that it has snowed twice this year when it usually only snows once every couple of years.

Dylan is doing really well. He is a little chatter box, and he is walking like a champion. He loves doing things just to make me and Martin laugh--he's quite the entertainer. We went swimming yesterday, and he was great--just giggling and shouting and swimming like crazy. He was really exhausted by it, too. He slept until 8:30 this morning!

Martin is staying really busy at work, which is good. He has this Saturday off work, and then next week he will be putting in about 70 hours. There are a bunch of private Christmas parties in the evenings, so Dylan and I won't see much of him. Good thing we are going to Utah in just two weeks' time.

Our insurance company settled our claim on our car (it was written off) and we should be receiving a check from them any day now. As soon as we have the check, we can buy our "new" car. It's going to be nice--it's much bigger and more powerful than the little Renault was, and there is room in the boot for Dylan's push chair. It will be better for when the new baby comes along. We should only be carless for a day or two this time (our rental car has to go back tonight).

In pregnancy news, this baby is growing like crazy! I am very obviously pregnant now, and the baby kicks and jiffles a lot. He/she is especially active around 10 pm, when I go to bed. I love this stage of pregnancy. I feel really good and am not too uncomfortable yet. Wow, as a matter of fact, the baby is kicking even as I type.

Anyway, Dylan and I are going to go to the library and pick some new books for him and pop in and visit Martin. Must dash!