Back in Britain...

The trip home was largely uneventful, though filled with a vomiting and pooping Edith and a very nasty English dude on the SLC to JFK flight. More details later. And more pictures of our Utah visit later, too. But right now I'm doing some serious cleaning and trying to scare my kids into bed (they've been playing up for nearly 2 hours now). So this will have to do:

The kids resting on our luggage at King's Cross Station, London. What a couple of little troopers!

I just saw a pig fly by...

For the first time in over two months, Edith went to bed without screaming and crying. It was a little bit surreal. She DID come out of her bedroom and give me a kiss after I'd tucked her in, but I can totally live with that.

In other news, Dylan only has 4 more days of school until the summer holidays. We have a list of things we want to do during the holidays--with a sunny side and a rainy side :) And the summer holidays can only mean one thing. It's just 5 weeks until we fly to Utah.

All friends and family who want to meet up during our visit, please let me know. Mom wants to plan her vacation days, so we need to get stuff sorted.

My lovely mental health counsellor is going to be so proud of me. We're working on my anger management issues as well as the big d-word, and I've been practising some of the strategies he's given me.

Today was a tough day. I'm coming down with Martin's cold, and I could tell I was getting snappy and in danger of losing my temper with the kids. So I contacted Emma to see if we could come up for a visit, so I could take some time for myself and talk to a grown-up. Then I didn't do the dishes straight after dinner and (shock, horror) skipped bedtime baths. We breezed through bedtime, and I didn't even have to TRY to keep it under control. I WAS control! And I felt so chilled and relaxed after they went to bed that I came downstairs straight away, cleaned the kitchen-including mopping the floor-and baked cookies for our picnic lunch after church tomorrow.

It's hard to say which is more effective--the anti-depressants or the Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I think it's probably about 50/50, especially since I'm only going to be on the Prozac for a maximum of 6 months. I don't want to rely on medication for my new found zen.

Dylan had his parent-teacher conference last week, and it was all good news. He is performing at the same level as his classmates or better in ALL areas of his development. Oh yeah, that includes socially! And for the first time, a teacher acknowledged the fact that he is the very youngest one in his class, so his educational achievements are phenomenal and his social immaturity is understandable.

I was so proud of my baby boy.

Edith had a few taster days at the school, which she loved. We may have a budding little artist in our midst. She loved the painting area, and spent a full thirty minutes there just painting away. Second favorite was definitely the glueing and sticking area. She is so excited to start school in September. And I'm excited to have 3 hours EVERY DAY to spend with my husband--no kids!

Right now, though, what I am most looking forward to is the visit to Utah. Lets plan some stuff, people :)

Unauthorized...

The Head at Dylan's school wouldn't authorize his absence to go to London and see his American grandparents. Dilemma?  Not really.  We spent Sunday and Monday in London with Mom, Dad, and Uncle Jace.

It was so nice to see my parents and little brother.  We drove down as soon as the kids woke up on Sunday morning and arrived about 4 hours later, at 11am.  We went into the city on the tube (the kids loved it!), got some lunch in China Town, went to the British Museum, saw the (closed) Hyde Park church building, chilled in Hyde park, headed back to the hotel, took the kids swimming, ate pizza in our room, and then attempted to go to bed.

Basically, we paid the Sheraton for the privilege of NOT sleeping in their rooms.  Monster kids were up about every 30 minutes all night long.

We got up bright and early the next morning and had breakfast with the family.  Then we said our goodbyes and Martin took them to the airport.  They had a 10am flight to catch.

It was hard to say goodbye again after such a short visit, but I was so tired that I didn't get emotional.  Autopilot doesn't have a "tears" mode.

The kids had a really good time with their American family.  They were especially taken with their uncle Jace, and demanded that he hold their hands almost the whole time.  He was really good with them.  They were happy to see their grandparents, as well.  The highlight for mom seemed to be when Edith fell asleep in her arms and she carried/held her for the next 30 minutes.

The whole visit was so brief that it still feels almost like it never happened.  But it was so lovely to see them, and it made me homesick all over again.

When Martin got back from the airport we drove to Cockfosters, which is the northernmost stop on the Picadilly line of the London Underground, and only about 3 miles from the M25 junction with the A1(M), our main road home.  It took about 40 minutes.  Then we got back on the tube and took the kids in to the city again to do a bit more sightseeing.  This time we took them to Hamley's, a gigantic toy store with really cool stuff.  They each got one small toy there.  Then, about 2 hours later, we took them to the science museum.  The first floor we went to was a bust, but then we went up to the top floor and had a great time.  There were giant periscopes, a bubble wall, experiments with viscous fluids, dry ice, sound waves, infrared cameras, Archimedes screws, arches, centrifugal force, etc.  It was all hands on and very brilliant.  We looked at our watches and it was already 4:30pm, so we made a mad dash to the underground and made it out of London just in time to beat the rush hour commute.  Straight out the gate at Cockfosters and onto the motorway, we went home without any drama or delay.  Well, other than a small tail-back near Welwyn.  We made it home at 9:15pm, and the kids happily settled into their own beds.  They had slept most of the drive home, but still slept until 6am the next morning.

And now we are back into our routine.  Well, I am behind on the house work.  But everything else is back to normal now.

We should totally do this every year, mom and dad!

Holiday: Part 3 (or boredom, anxiety, panic and relief)...

We got an early start on Thursday because we had to clean the holiday cottage before we left.  Christine and I cleaned up while Martin loaded the car.  Then it was a greasy full English fry-up at the truck stop and the open road.

We took the scenic way home, which was absolutely beautiful.  Unfortunately, it was a bit TOO scenic.  I had my Britishness test scheduled in Sheffield at 1:30pm, and was supposed to meet Noelle (she was taking it as well) at Meadowhall at 12:30pm.  I did a bit of studying on the way there, but started to get more anxious as it got later and later.  At 12:25pm I sent her a text to let her know that I was running late.  I asked her for the postcode of the testing centre as we had Laurie and Christine's sat-nav for the trip, I programmed it in, and we weren't going to arrive there until 1:47pm. 

This is when panic ensued.

Martin drove like the wind.  Seriously, he was SPEEDY!  Then the battery in the sat-nav (btw, that's GPS for all you Yanks out there) started to die and we were in the middle of Sheffield with no idea where we were going.  Every time we had to stop at a red light, I had a mini panic attack!  Noelle was texting me updates, including what the building looked like, where to go once inside the building, how many people were ahead of her in line to pay and register, etc.  Those texts were a God-send!

I finally bolted up the stairs to the testing centre at 1:37pm, just as Noelle (the last in line) stood up to take her seat.  I got registered, and even had the chance to use the toilets (been holding it for the last 45 minutes, no time to stop!) before the test began.

All that stress, and it only took me 6 minutes to complete the 25 questions on the test.  I was the second one done--Noelle beat me by about a minute.  We waited for our results, and both of us had passed.  Good news--I didn't waste all that time and the £35!

I had been so worried that we weren't going to make it to the testing centre that I didn't even feel nervous about the test itself.

Some of the questions that I remember from the test were:

What percentage of the UK's population live in England?

What are the two main purposes of the United Nations?

What percentage of children in the UK attend a private school?

By what percentage has the population in the UK grown since 1971?

Does the UK have an international football team?

Just to name a few, of course.  They didn't tell you how many questions you had missed afterwards--you either passed or failed.  I think I might have missed as many as 4, but think I only missed probably 2.  It was easy-peasy lemon squeezy!

Met up with the family at a pub where they were just getting finished with lunch, drove back to Lincolnshire, dropped Christine off at her house, came home, fixed dinner, got the kids in bed, then collapsed.

Holidays are hard work!

Holiday, part 2 (or, This was such a perfect day)...

The kids let us sleep until nearly 7am, which always feels like a special treat.  We went downstairs, made Christine a cup of coffee and brought it to her in bed so she could function for the day.  Ate a quick breakfast of cold cereal, got ready, and left the cottage at 8:45am.

We went on a fun drive to a tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere and went on a hike to Christine's favorite place in the lake district--a small waterfall that flows into Haweswater.  It was approximately 5 miles round trip, and Dylan walked the whole way.  Edith walked the whole way there and part of the way back.  The kids were absolutely amazing.  Seriously, they blew me away!  The waterfall was beautiful, and we enjoyed a small snack when we got there.  But the highlight of the hike were the small puddles on the trail that were full of tadpoles.  The kids were totally entranced.  I thought they were pretty cool, too.

We had a delightful picnic on the village green when we got back to the car, then we drove to the chocolate factory in Orton and all had icecream--Nanna's treat. 

Afterwards, we went for a lovely drive around Lake Windermere.  Up to Ambleside and then over the hills through the middle of nowhere on a road that hardly deserved to be called such.  We got stuck behind the WORST DRIVER IN BRITAIN.  I am not exaggerating.  That woman should have her license revoked simply because she does not have enough common sense to be allowed on the road.  We made a big loop and ended up back at Ambleside, stopping beside a small stream to have a quick paddle in the water and cool our feet off/let the car have a little break.  Then it was back to the cottage, corned beef hash (home-made, of course) for dinner, a trip to the local playground for the children, and bed again.

Martin and Christine helped me to study for my Britishness test and we all had hot chocolates and snacks.

It was even a good night's sleep!

Holiday: Part 1 (or, It's probably only funny if you're Mormon)...

We were supposed to leave bright and early on Tuesday morning for our mini-break to the Lake District.  Bright and early turned into 9:45 am as we packed up everything we'd need and then the kids and I sat in the car for about 15 minutes while Martin searched the house for his temple recommend.  It was removed from his wallet by the kids.  Don't be sympathetic--he shouldn't leave his wallet down where the kids can reach it!

He never did find the thing.  It is "somewhere in the house," which currently doesn't bode well...

We drove to Ulceby to pick up my mother-in-law.  Martin left her toiletries bag sitting on top of the car, and we added about 45 minutes onto our journey by turning around and trying to find it.

Are you getting the picture that Martin was batting a thousand on Tuesday? 

Surprisingly, this did not irritate me in the slightest.  I really mean that, too.  I am totally shocked that I wasn't mad at him.  I wasn't even mildly annoyed.  Just amused.

The drive from Ulceby to the Preston Temple in Chorley was pretty uneventful, except Martin missed the junction for the motorway that takes you to Preston, so we had to switch on the sat nav (thanks, Christine) and find an alternate route.  Found out later, incidentally, that it was set to "shortest distance," not "fastest route."  That explains a lot!

We were going to try to make the 11am session.  Made the 2pm session instead.

Got to the temple, Christine took the kids, and we went inside.  I showed them my recommend with no drama.  Martin had to jump through some hoops.  They can verify the fact that he has a temple recommend electronically but then have to contact our bishop or stake president to make sure that his recommend hasn't been confiscated by them.  They also have to see picture ID to make sure he is who he says he is.  So there we are, sitting in the Temple, and the only ID Martin has is his personal alcohol license--a council issued document which authorizes him to sell alcohol.

I found this hilarious.  Martin thought it was kind of ironic.  Not really sure how the temple worker felt about the whole situation.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time at the temple.  And I have resolved to never let that much time lapse without a visit.  It had been nearly 3 years.  We've had recommends the whole time, but haven't made it there since Edith was born.  That is way too long!

Got out of the temple, and Christine was a bit frazzled.  We got in the car to finish our journey to the holiday cottage in Tebay (pronounced tee-bay) and had snacks and drinks.  Everyone calmed down and we enjoyed the stunning scenery.

The holiday cottage was small, but nice.  I cooked some pasta for dinner, we went for a little walk around the village, then we got the kids bathed and put in bed.  They settled in immediately and didn't make a peep about sleeping in a strange place, probably helped by the fact that they had their duvets from home on their beds.

Martin and I went to pick up a few essentials from the shop, and returned 3 hours later.  We got lost in Kendal and then got lost coming out again, too.  Martin was pretty stressed out about it.

So yeah, that was the first day of our mini-holiday adventure.  Eventful, slightly stressful, but still nice.

Sights of the Lincoln Christmas market...

I love weekends!

Although I would like them more if Martin had two days off!

Yesterday was good. Martin wasn't feeling so hot when we woke up, so I took the kids to church by myself so he could get a little bit of rest. Hard work for me, but needed and appreciated by him. I managed to get the three of us ready and out the door by 9:20, proving to Martin that it really IS him who makes us late every week. I even stopped off in Scunny to pick up a crock pot that I got off Freecycle and we were STILL on time. Yay for me!

Church was ok, though I only stayed for Primary. It is actually impossible for me to handle both kids on my own during Sacrament meeting--especially now that Edith is bigger and either sits on the bench or on my lap the whole time. Dylan has a tendency to wander up on to the stand and try to talk into the microphone. And we left immediately after singing time, too. I was standing by the nursery and looked through the window to see Dylan pushing a little girl over and making her cry. I figured he needed to come out, and figured that would be as good a time to leave as any. Dylan cried because he didn't want to leave (he loves nursery and Emma)so I had to carry both kids and all my gear out to the car on my own. I love it when people at church see me struggling with my arms quite literally full of babies and other stuff and don't even try to open doors for me or offer to help.

Finished ranting now!

We had lunch when we got home, then hopped in the car for a little drive. We'd planned several weeks earlier to have a family outing to Donna Nook (the RAF bombing range) to see the baby seals. There's a large colony that uses the coast there as a breeding ground. Because of the bombing practice there, they have no predators. It's one of the safest places in England for seals to come ashore to have their pups.

It was a lot of fun! Cathy and her boyfriend John came, as did the mother and father-in-law. We got to see a seal that was just minutes old. I kind of wished I'd been able to watch it being born, and Martin was relieved that we'd missed it. There were so many tiny little fluffy white seals, though the seal placenta lying all over the sand dunes was pretty disgusting! We also got to watch the, erm, courtship of a couple of seals. That was interesting. It felt like we were watching a nature documentary, but it was much more visceral than telly!

After we saw the seals, we went back to Laurie and Christine's house and had dinner. It was delicious--especially since I didn't have to cook it! Then it was home to get the kids to bed. It was so late that we didn't even stay to help clean up and we skipped baths.

Edith was awake twice for feeds again. That girl is going to be the sleep-deprived death of me!

I have loads of pictures,, but the camera is in the kids' room and Edith has gone back to sleep. I don't want to chance waking her up just to put a few pictures on the blog. So I'll put this one on for now...

Dylan and I do our "very very bad" faces (from Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish--some are glad and some are sad, and some are very, very bad!).

...and will put some pictures from our weekend on the blog later.  Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, but soon.  I got a lovely sunset picture.  The sun is now setting at around 4 pm.  Only 5 move weeks until the shortest day of the year, thank goodness.  English winters are rough, when the sun rises at around 9 am and sets at about 4pm.  That is, of course, if the sun comes out at all.  Today is a gray and rainy day, so there will be no sunshine for us today!

Oh, Edith is awake.  Time to really start the day!

The Temple Trip

The Preston temple!
Martin takes Dylan for a stroll on the temple grounds.
Dylan has a snooze.
Getting his pants changed!

Our ward took a motorcoach to the temple today, and we decided to go along and let someone else do the driving. We hadn't been able to go since Dylan was two weeks old and my parents came over for a visit. One of the ladies from church, Kim, has a baby a little older than Dylan and she told us she'd look after him so we could do a session together. I was worried he'd cry the whole time, but apparently he was as good as gold for her. He cried for about 10 minutes after we left, and then just played with baby Gracie. Dylan was good until the drive home, when he was exhausted but wouldn't go to sleep. But the grounds were beautiful and we had a good time, though it was a really long day.

Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!

Drowning in a sea of tweed...

We went to the Lincolnshire show on Wednesday, and it was good fun. The only thing I can compare it to is the county fair, only more competetive. Maybe a cross between a county fair and a State fair? Anyway, it was a strange experience.
I got to see a side of Britain that I normally don't. We usually associate with the working classes and sometimes with the middle class. The sort of people who participate in the show are upper middle class to upper class. These are the landed gentry and lesser nobles--the ones who one property and horses and family jewels. Here's a video clip I had Martin take just so everyone could hear a "real" posh English accent...




Dylan had a great time looking at the animals, though the first time he saw a horse it scared the life out of him. To be fair, this wasn't like the horses dad and grandpa Cook ride back home. This was a thouroughbred--a hunter. It was MASSIVE, and surrounded by a pack of "honds" (that's hounds for all us plebs not educated at Eton and Oxford)!



After some quick cuddles with me, he was just fine. That first view just scared the life out of the poor little guy!

He really liked the dogs. Only a few went around the arena with hunters on horses. These ones had handlers on foot, but they were still in silly little outfits.

We took a quick trip over to see the livestock. Dylan is fascinated by sheep, so we spent a lot of time there. Martin especially liked the local breed--Lincolnshire long-haired sheep. Dylan liked them all!
We also went over to a stall hosted by Rand Farm park. They brought aminals for the kiddies to pet, and Dylan loved the donkeys!
It was a really windy day, but we had a great time all the same. Next year will be even better!

Our happy family in Trafalgar Square. Just the three of us--oh yeah, and Nelson's Column!

An exciting weekend!

Martin whisked me and Dylan away to London for the weekend, and it was GREAT! We are paying for it now as Dylan's routine was totally disrupted and he's been a nightmare all day, but it was so nice to get out of the house for a little while. Dylan may need his routine, but it's boring the life out of me.

We stayed at a lovely little B&B called Springwell Barn that was a close drive to a Tube station. We started off early(ish) on Sunday morning to arrive in greater London at about 1 pm. We were in the City for about 2, and met up with our friend Adam and met his girlfriend Marie for the first time. We wandered, saw the sights, ate dinner at the greatest Chinese restaurant on the planet, etc.

Dylan was really good on Sunday, and was great on Monday until about 3 pm. Then he just got fed up of being in his sling and was pretty much a cranky beast for the rest of the day. We even struggled on the car journey home. But Dylan got fed in some interesting places, and changed in some even MORE interesting ones (how many people can say they had their diaper changed on the grass outside Westminster Abbey?).

I'll try to get some pictures posted later this week. Right now I need to get Dylan ready for his bath. He should be waking up for his last feed of the night soon. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are still doing well!

In Bakewell, and that baby is baking well!

Chatsworth house from the top of the Cascade on the grounds. Beautiful Derbyshire hills in the distance--definitely one of the most beautiful counties in England, and almost completely unspoilt!

The Best Day Ever...

Well, it might not have been the best day ever, but it was certainly on my top ten list.

Yesterday was such a fantastic day! Krystle and I slept a tiny bit later than usual, and I took the day off work so we could go to Whitby (check out some of my old pics to see some of the sights, plus I plan on posting a few new ones later). It was cold and overcast, but still beautiful. The North East coast of England is truly stunning, and a good portion of our drive was right along the coast.

I'll just add at this point that I am so proud of myself for driving us up there. I always navigate and Martin always drives, but I did just fine (and Krystle made a pretty decent navigator).

We arrived in good time at Whitby, and parked at the abbey, which is on top of a cliff overlooking the town. The main part of Whitby is perched rather precariously on the sides of a deep dale containing the port and the mouth of the river. We walked down the 199 steps to the town below, enjoying the sights along the way.

Krystle tried her first ever proper fish and chips. She even had the mushy peas, and was pretty impressed with all of them. We wandered, window shopped, and watched the tide coming in. One of the highlights was watching this group of school children playing on the beach. It was COLD outside, and the North Sea is freezing anyway, but they were laughing and squealing and splashing in the water all the same. So much fun to watch them! A few brave souls even stripped down to swimming suits.

Anyway, we stopped at a little cafe called "Teas and Tarts" and Krystle tried another first--a fruit and fresh cream scone. I think she may be addicted, but hey, at least it's not heroin! Cream scones ARE delicious, so family back in Utah need to be prepared for her to attempt to make them for you. And Mom, Dad, and Jace, we will have some when you come over!

We walked back UP the 199 steps (not quite as enjoyable for me as my lungs are really starting to feel the squeeze of baby now) and drove home. We told Martin we'd be home at around 6pm, and we made it back at 6:20--rush hour traffic in Hull! Then we went over to the Munday's for what I thought was going to be a chilled out dinner and games.

To my surprise, there were a lot of cars at the Mundays' house. Emma threw me a surprise baby shower! And let me tell you, it was a complete shock! One of the things that has made me really sad during this pregnancy is knowing that I wouldn't get a baby shower like all the other Lofley girls do--all the sisters, aunts, female cousins, etc. In fact, the English don't really DO baby showers. It was so wonderful to have one--seriously. I cried like a baby and kept getting emotional during the whole thing. It was a really fun shower, I got some really nice things, and the food was fantastic! Best of all was knowing that people here care about me. I felt really loved and very blessed.

After that it was home and pretty much straight to bed. I am so tired today, and it's another busy day, but yesterday was so wonderful that it's totally worth the exhaustion. I would happily fall asleep inthe toilets at work every day for a few more days like yesterday!

Playing Tourist / Tour Guide...

It is beyond wonderful to have Krystle here visiting, if not a little bit surreal. And can I just say, it feels strange going places with another American? For the first time in a LONG time I feel like a tourist when I go places!

We've been having a good time, anyway. Krystle's arrival was delayed by a freak hail storm in Denver, so she actually arrived on Thursday instead of Wednesday. She got to spend a day in Philadelphia, though, which was apparently very groovy. And when she got in to Manchester, we whisked her away for a drive in the Yorkshire dales (the scenic way home) and took her to choir practice that evening. We were mean and only let her take a few short naps during the day so she could adjust to the time difference faster, so she slept really well that first night!

On Friday Martin worked, and Krystle and I just sort of bummed around Barton. We took a walk down to Water's Edge park and fed the ducks, we walked around town and went to the two churches there. I took her to the market to do a little bit of grocery shopping. Basically, it was just a day for us to relax and rest from the journeys.

Saturday was lovely! We took Krystle to York, where she was very impressed by the Shambles area, the outdoor market, and the Cathedral (of course). We walked on the Roman wall, had fabulous cakes at Betty's Tea Shop, and Krystle experienced her very first pub (a really good one, too, called The Punch Bowl, that has been a pub for around 400 years). That's where we had lunch, and it was v. nice.

Sunday was also relaxed. It was Stake conference, so we drove to Hull for that. Martin had a baseball game afterwards, so we sat in the glorious sunshine and I introduced Krystle to the wonders of Silky Mitz (we sanded our legs!!!). Also discovered that exfoliation seems to be the key to getting a suntan onyour legs, as mine turned VERY pink. After the game we drove out to Spurn Point, which is fun. I'd never been there before, so it was new for me AND Krystle. It's this strange bit of land that hooks out over the edge of the Humber estuary. The peninsula (I guess) is less than 1/4 mile wide, and when you are walking down the street you can see the river on one side and the North Sea on the other. It was foggy and mysterious looking, and we walked along the beach picking up pebbles. Krystle even waded in the sea, just to say she had done it. It's too cold to do much more than get your feet wet!

Yesterday Martin and I were both at work, so Krystle just wandered by herself in Barton and did some laundry (very impressed that she figured out how to operate my washing machine). She tried a fresh cream strawberry tart (loved it). Then, after work, we all went grocery shopping and to the cinema together.

Today the lucky lady is in Lincoln. Martin and I are both at work again. I dropped her off at the train station early this morning, and she just called to let me know that she would be getting the later of the two available trains home as she is LOVING Lincoln. I knew she would--it's a very beautiful city. So I'll be picking her up from the station later tonight, and then we are taking her out for Indian food at our favorite restaurant in Barton--The Surma. Mmmmm, I can hardly wait.

Is it weird that Indian food gives me less pregnancy heartburn than yoghurt does???

So yeah, it has been a little bit tiring to do all these tourist-y things whilst heavily pregnant. I think I am going to sleep for a week once Krystle is back home. But I'm having so much fun with her here and I refuse to let Maggot spoil that fun. I am conscious of the pregnancy though, and we are resting frequently and making sure I don't get dehydrated. I was not feeling very much movement over the weekend (I think the poor baby was as tired as me) but now that I am back at work I am feeling big kicks again.

Can't wait to have this baby and have my body (though not my life) to myself again!

Beware--baby post!

This morning was kind of fun. Maggot was kicking me pretty hard when I was lying in bed trying to summon the will to get ready for work, so I put my hand on my belly and pushed him. To my surprise, he pushed back! I just laid there for the next five minutes or so and we played together. I would push him, and he would kick me. It was so much fun, and completely amazing!

Sometimes I still can't believe this whole pregnancy thing is happening. Martin and I have waited for so long, and we're really going to be parents now. Seriously, this baby is our total miracle. I complain about being pregnant all the time. I am tired a lot, and am starting to get really awkward and uncomfortable. None of my clothes fit me properly and I feel really fat. But then the baby moves, and it's all worth it. I'm going to be a mother!

On a non-baby related note, I have discovered the best product ever!!! For all the ladies out there, have you ever heard of Silky Mitz? I don't know if it's an English thing or what, but it's basically really fine grained sand paper for your body. You rub it over your legs instead of shaving, and it's GREAT! I used mine for the first time today, and I don't think I'll ever shave again. Admittedly, it is a little bit strange to sand down your legs, but it totally gets rid of the hair and exfoliates your skin at the same time. WOW! If anyone wants me to send a sample over, let me know. They only cost £.99 for a pack of 3. Highly recommended.

Just 20 days until I have my first family visitor. Krystle, I am so excited for you to come over!!! We are considering a trip to Amsterdam while she is here, and I found a mini-cruise for £64 per person. You cruise all night (have a cabin with its' own bath), arrive in Rotterdam at 8 am and take a bus to Amsterdam for 10:30. Then you spend the day there and cruise back that night. It sounds like a lot of fun (though you only have one day and not a full night to enjoy the wicked, worldly delights of the city). It's a maybe. Krystle, check it out at http://www.poferries.com/tourist/content/pages/template/minicruise_minicruise.htm

The highlight of my weekend...

This is kind of sad.

Martin and I had a really great weekend. It was a bank holiday on Monday, so we had a long weekend anyway. Then Martin's Aunty Vicky got married yesterday so we took the day off work to go to that. Four days off in a row--it was like heaven!

Martin worked most of the day on Saturday, so I stayed at home, cleaned the house up, worked on a baby blanket, and did some dry wall plastering (the north wall of our front room is now a proper wall instead of being bare brick--wahoo!!!). That night we went and watched Spiderman 3 with the Mundays. They were late, but we weren't really surprised. They DO have three kids to get to a babysitter before they can go out. The movie was OK, but not as good as we thought it'd be. Note to the family: Worth watching, but wait for the $1.50 theater.

Sunday was good, too. Martin had his baseball game in Bolton, so we got an early start and drove over to that. The team had 2 games, and Martin played in the second one. He actually scored a few runs, made a few good plays, etc, and had a great time. Then we checked in to the temple accommodation in Chorley and spent a quiet night playing scrabble (I beat Martin, of course. He's such a word snob and won't use 2 or 3 letter words). Early night, but that was OK because Monday was busy.

Monday morning was spent at the temple, and it was great--so peaceful and relaxing and spiritual. I really do love the Preston temple, and we hadn't been since my birthday trip in January. After we finished there, we drove to Manchester. More specifically, to the Trafford Centre.

The Trafford Centre is an absolutely MASSIVE mall. Seriously, it's big even by U.S. standards. We were looking for clothes for the wedding, and had some success. We also randomly went into Selfridge's (I think it's a really posh department store. Not too sure--quite expensive though) and I had an emotional pregnant lady moment. They sell Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!!! They also sell Hershey's chocolate syrup and Aunt Jemimah's maple syrup. We bought a box of Mac & Cheese and a bottle of each of the syrups, and spent £15.00. For the exchange rate challenged, that's right around $30.00. I spent nearly $7.00 on a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and it was worth every penny!

So that was Monday. Then yesterday we went to the wedding. I got to wear a hat, which was fun (pictures are coming). We spent most of the day hanging out with Martin's family. It would have been a better time for me if they dadn't had the lunch afterwards in a pub where everyone could smoke, but it was still a good time.

But here comes the sad highlight of the weekend.

Someone at church gave us a full size fridge/freezer. Since we moved out of the in-laws house we have only had a tiny little thing that fits under the counter. So our freezer has been a little icebox, and we haven't been able to buy anything frozen unless we were eating it that night. Well, Martin got all manly and fitted an electrical socket yesterday morning, and we plugged in the fridge/freezer. Then we went grocery shopping and bought FROZEN FOOD for the first time in nearly two years. We have a big tub of icecream in the freezer. We have bags of frozen veggies and crinkle cut fries. We have frozen pizza. We have meat that we bought on sale and are freezing!

How pathetic is that? The highlight of my weekend was being able to buy Neopolitan icecream and a bag of frozen broccoli!

Good AND bad news...

We'll start with the bad news and get that out of the way. I found out today that I will not be eligible for maternity pay through my company as I started working here about 3 weeks too late. I was kind of expecting it--knew it would be really close, but it's still a disappointment. I may still be able to claim Statutory Maternity Pay from the government, so that'll be better than nothing. I'll probably call in at my local benefits office and find out early next week.

The good news is that I had my final assessment at Massage last night, and I passed it. I only need to do a couple more clients for ranges. I need to massage someone old and someone fat. It would be really nice if I could get someone in who is both, actually. I also need to revise and turn in one final assignment in anatomy and physiology, so I should be done with my course next week--4 weeks early! Our graduation ceremony thing is in June, at which point I will receive my certificate. Hooray!

In Martin news, he has been biking over to baseball practice in Hull the last few weeks and yesterday he had a little bit of a mishap. To make a long story short, he pulled a "Wayne's World" and ran into the back of a parked car on his bike. No worries--he's fine. He WILL have to have his bike repaired though. The front forks that hold the wheel on are bent now. Not much hurt on him except his dignity, I think.

We're going on a temple trip this weekend, which I'm really looking forward to. We've compromised as the baseball team has a double header in Bolton on Sunday and it's only about 15 miles from Chorley (where the Preston temple is). So I'll watch his first game and then get dropped off at the temple and will go to church there. Then he'll come back when the second game is finished and we'll do the temple thing early Monday morning.

On Tuesday we are going to a wedding. Martin's Auntie Vicky will be getting married at the registrar's office in Louth. I have to go shopping this weekend (probably in Manchester) for a hat. I get to wear a hat to a wedding! Too bad I won't look cute--just 6 months pregnant and bloated. Still, I'm excited about the hat thing!

So that's the pregnancy mood swing update for the day!

A GREAT weekend and wonderful news…

My birthday was smashing! Martin and I went to the temple on Friday and spent Saturday driving around the Yorkshire Dales. It was nasty weather, but a beautiful drive. I have some fab pictures to post when I get a chance. Thanks everyone for my lovely gifts. It really softens the blow of getting older.

So today marks a milestone that Martin and I have been waiting patiently for. Most of the family already knows, but today’s the big BLOG announcement. Martin and I are going to have a baby! I’m due in late August.

I am 10 weeks pregnant, and today marks the end of the embryonic phase. I officially have a fetus (although we have called it a baby from the beginning.)! We found out about it on the 15th of December, and I already had an ultrasound to make sure everything was normal. The ultrasound was on the 3rd of January, and it was the most amazing and emotional experience I’ve ever had. I was only 7 weeks then, so there wasn’t much to see, but the baby is in the right place, and we saw its heart beating. I have another ultrasound scheduled for next week, and then I will start seeing the midwife.

So yeah, I think I have a pretty good excuse for not posting more often. Every spare moment I have (and there aren’t many, believe me!) has been spent sleeping. I’ve been completely exhausted and sick since the day I conceived, but we are still so excited! Martin has been great—really taking good care of us. And he is working much harder on the house now so it is done when the baby is born.

Speaking of Martin and in non-baby news (Martin accuses me of only talking about the baby recently so I’ll try not to), his last day at Enterprise was last Wednesday. It’s been a little bit weird for him, but I think he’s happy about it. He starts at The Place tomorrow, and he seems cool about it. He’s pretty nervous though. We bought him some new black shirts for work since that’ll be his new uniform and he’s getting a haircut today. This should be interesting. I know he liked his new job this morning when I had to get up and get ready for work at 6:30 and he stayed in bed. I’m sure we’ll settle into a routine soon enough.

This week we are working on our first clients at college. We’re only doing a back massage, not a full-body massage, but I am a little bit nervous. The massage bit is fine, but I’m not quite sure how to do record cards, explain the treatment to a client, etc. My first client is Fran Anderson, Lewis’s mum. She’s excited for the massage, and I have given her a leg and abdominal massage before, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Next week is the first full body client, and Emma is coming in for me. That one is a little bit nerve wracking. But I got to practice the back massage on my college buddy Selina, and she liked it. Martin may be getting several massages this week. I’m sure he won’t complain!