American Mum Me

41 years ago today…

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 14, 2011 in American Mum Me, Bebe, Blogger Love, Little Miss Adventures, Motherhood, NaBloPoMo | 11 comments

41 years ago today a teeny (5lbs 13oz) me came into the world and isn’t the world better for it?! The picture to the left is NOT me when I was born but when I was about 3 which is a similar age to Ella at the moment. On this day, Ella is nearly 3 1/2 and waiting to be a big sister. On this day, I am 41 and not-so-patiently waiting to become a Mummy of two. If you don’t mind, I’m going to have a teeny look back at the past year and share a few brilliant things…it’s my birthday after all. I get two votes!

November 2010: We visited the stunning Celtic Haven at the beginning of the month for a glorious weekend as a family. I would love to go back one day as it was one of those experiences that you need to have more than once to take it all in. I also wrote a post about how much our house had changed since Ella came into our lives. A Toddler Lives Here is funny to look back to as we are literally in the process of making MORE toddler-friendly changes to the rooms upstairs in anticipation of Bebe’s arrival.

December 2010: In December of last year, I began a similar challenge to NaBloPoMo but of my own design…Countdown to Christmas. I shared my first steps into Gluten Free eating with Merry Gluten Free as I had just been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. And then our family changed dramatically with the loss of our dear Sinjin. In Love Lost, I celebrated his life. We still miss him to this day and think about him often…in fact, Ella still thinks he might come back.

January 2011: I started taking a LOT of pictures at the end of 2010 and into 2011 thanks to The Gallery and Silent Sunday. Since I haven’t been participating AS MUCH in either recently, I have far less pictures and need to resolve to change that for next year. AND to print those images off! My two favourites for January of 2011 were Enjoying Mother Nature from The Gallery and One Big Step for Mummy from Silent Sunday. Sigh…

February 2011: At the beginning of this month I managed to get a teeny bit famous thanks to the lovely Liz Fraser (and some slightly inaccurate quotes) which caused me to evaluate my addiction to blogging, social media and my smartphone with Who am I? The Prime Minister? I also kicked off my weekly feature, Flashback Friday! Feel free to participate every Friday…I forgot when I started it!

March 2011: One of my all-time favourite pictures of Ella debuted in a Silent Sunday post this month. I may have to Kodak Big App it! And then, unfortunately, the “terrible twos” kicked in with Ella and we started suffering Toddler Temper Tantrums which led me to pull out the video camera in a plea for support and advice. I got some great tips and even a Pampers expert’s advice!

April 2011: I kept on video ranting in April with my Playgroup Rant and then discovered very shortly after that that we were expecting Bebe! A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to 41 was a very fun post to share!

May 2011: Ella and I continued our London adventures in blogging with London Calling with Three OntheGo Mums and then I pondered on video, later in the month, Is There Sex After Children? Apparently so in our case!

June 2011: The reality of pregnancy set in and I shared My Breastfeeding Dilema with the blogging community and received some amazing advice and support which pleased and surprised me a bit. I did continue to rant a bit in June but also flashed back to summers past with Flashback Friday Sunny Hunny in the Summer.

July 2011: More pregnancy blogging ensued with Labour & Delivery: My Choice where I stuck my foot in it again but did convey my wishes (which we are getting, by the way). And then I tried and succeeded at CRAFTING with Ella thanks to Red Ted Art with Discover & Do Chez Cafe Bebe. I was rather proud of that project, to tell you the truth!

August 2011: In August I looked back at The Beginning of my relationship with Mark…I love reliving those moments! And then I had a typical Mummy wobble with Worst Mummy of the Year. I can HAPPILY, nay, ECSTATICALLY report that as of 2 weeks ago, we are FINALLY pullup and potty free and Ella is now pooing like a rock star on the toilet ALL BY HERSELF! WOO HOO!

September 2011: I had an amazing opportunity through the blog and BritMums this month to SPEAK to Sarah Jessica Parker over the phone along with 4 other BritMums colleagues. She was AMAZING and lovely and it was a real highlight for me! I also managed to come up with a new mantra/catch phrase. “Step Away from the Laptop” was issued in Not Now Dear, I’m Blogging!

October 2011: In October we started planning for and thinking about Project Changing Rooms where we were switching rooms to give Ella a “Big Girl Room” and makeover what will be OUR master bedroom. Have a look at this video as I’ll be updating soon with the FINISHED PRODUCT, hopefully next week! A mere 3 weeks before we bring Bebe into the world! Gah! Finally, I wondered if I am insane to think that life won’t change much…I believe I may be!

And now we’re back to November. My birthday today, will be spent with Ella, Mark, an ouchie Bebe bump, my Dad and Stepmom and my Mother and Father in Law. We’re going out for (gluten-free) Fish & Chips tonight and as I type this, fairy cakes are being made in my honour. I’m trying to keep my feet up because my ankles have taken on a decidedly puffy appearance.

I’ve discovered by looking back over the last year, on Cafe Bebe, that I’m very good at ranting, complaining and mouthing off. I’m also fairly opinionated about blogging and the NHS. Ella continues to feature as the main topic on the blog and I have managed to capture her essence pretty well thanks to The Gallery, Silent Sunday and Saturday is Caption Day. I also have had some amazing blogging opportunities and perks. Year 40-41 in the life of MOI has been pretty damn good. Here’s to at least 41 more!

Flashback Friday- A Nightmare Christmas

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 4, 2011 in American Mum Me, Blogger Love, Flashback Friday, NaBloPoMo | 4 comments

Flashback Friday has been a wonderful series which I have been running for a while now. I’ve taken a photo from times gone by, related the (usually) happy story behind it and then provided the opportunity for others to share their memories as well. Recently, I met up with a blogging friend who was telling me how she was going back through some of her older posts and editing them. That got me to thinking about my posts gone by…

I’ve written approximately 650+ posts and have just committed to writing another 30 for the month of November for NaBloPoMo. But once a post has been written, I rarely go back to read it just for the fun of it. I mean, why? Well, exactly! Why not?! It might be kind of fun to see what I was writing on a given day in the last two years, right? So, I filtered back through my archives and found the post that I wrote for 4 November, 2009 during the 1st year of my blogging “career”. Have a look at what I was up to then…

(The picture in this post was not from 4 November, 2009, nor was it from Christmas 1998 but as the theme of my post from 2009 was Christmas related, I give you my Christmas tree from 2005)

In another Wednesday Writing Workshop challenge from Josie at Sleep is for the Weak, I have chosen to tackle writing prompt #2:  Tell us about the worst Christmas presents you were ever bought and what you’d prefer this year (inspired by Claire at Being a Mummy).  I’ve chosen poetic license to slightly alter the prompt to be “the worst CHRISTMAS” I ever experienced but will be happy to add some of my Christmas wishes at the end.  Get your credit cards ready!

Way back in 1998 (oh.my.God.eleven.years.ago!) I had just moved from Decatur, Illinois (don’t bother Googling it…it’s not worth it) to sunny California.  I had taken up a job with a Gymnastics Centre and was living in Lancaster, California whilst working in Canyon Country and Burbank, California (Google those…they’re brilliant…Burbank is practially Hollywood!).  I had left behind my boyfriend at the time but we were going to give the long-distance thing a go as I thought I was in love.  Silly woman.  Somehow I managed to convince said Rubbish Boyfriend that he should “Go West” to spend Christmas with me.  He refused to come to California (warning sign? nahhhh) but agreed to meet in Las Vegas as that’s where his estranged father lived.  We would stay with “Bud” in his MOBILE HOME in a TRAILER PARK in Las Vegas.  **shudder**

I lived in southern California which required me to drive approximately 4 hours east to get to Las Vegas.  The drive to Las Vegas is probably the bleakest drive one could make…desert, desert and more desert.  You’re advised to carry water with you as you never know when your car is going to die and you won’t see another soul for hours on end.  Is that the warning I should have listened to?  The desert did not eat me up and spit me out, however.  I arrived in Las Vegas and drove straight to the airport to meet Rubbish Boyfriend.  I waited and waited and waited and when his plane arrived and EVERYONE departed from the plane (this was pre-9/11…you could still go to the plane to meet your family/significant other/Rubbish Boyfriend) I became a bit concerned.  Then a big-haired, platinum blonde woman approached me.  She was Rubbish Boyfriend’s alcoholic & drug rehabbed sister.  Said Rubbish Boyfriend had missed his plane.  She had been sent to keep me company while we waited for the next plane to arrive several hours later.  Thus began the nightmare.

We stayed in the MOBILE HOME with “Bud” and Whatever-Her-Name-Was and had the most miserable time.  Well, I say WE but really it was just ME who had the most miserable time.  I didn’t know these people, save said Rubbish Boyfriend and I felt like I was living something out of a horrible movie.  What capped it all off was the Christmas dinner that we had.  I was not, at the time, a big fan of steaks.  I had never eaten one that had been cooked properly.  They were always cooked to within an inch of their life which required one to use a very sharp steak knife and chew and chew and chew and chew…ick.  So, what was for Christmas dinner??  Not a steak surely?  Who has steak for Christmas dinner?  I’ll tell you who has steak for dinner…”Bud”, Whatever-Her-Name-Was and Rubbish Boyfriend have steak for dinner.  And not just any steak…a GIANT New York Strip steak…cooked to within an inch of its life.  Ugh…I had to cut and cut and chew and chew and never say a thing.  It was horrible.

I weathered the Christmas of 1998 in Las Vegas with “Bud”, Whatever-Her-Name-Was and Rubbish Boyfriend and managed to put Rubbish Boyfriend back on a plane to the Midwest of the US.  Could I see the forest for the trees??  No.  It took me another year and a half before I finally realised that settling for Rubbish Boyfriend was not the best choice I could have made.  My family is most grateful that I finally saw my way free.  Wonder how “Bud”, Whatever-Her-Name-Was and Rubbish Boyfriend are now?  **shudder**

Having survived the Nightmare that was Christmas of 1998, I feel I am deserving of some karma in the form of lovely Christmas presents.  Here is my list which, I am most certain, will remain just that…a list:

• A new laptop to efficiently do my website, blogging and writing during naps and stolen moments.
• A Flip digital recorder camera thingy…how cool is that Flip??  How easy is it to become a film maker??
• Some money to get several items for my clothing wardrobe that actually fit and flatter my unfortunate shape.
• A gym membership and family childcare option so I can get take my shape from unfortunate to fortunate.
• A FREE RAIL TRAVEL FOR A YEAR card so Little Miss and I can go to London more often without cost.
• A “TimeOut London with Kids” or “London for Children- TimeOut” guide so we can find more to do in London after we travel down to London on our FREE RAIL TRAVEL FOR A YEAR card.
• A new, blingy, multi-media, app-loaded, easy-to-use mobile phone…an iPhone works for me.  Also, a fully paid contract to go with it with unlimited everything.

I don’t ask for much do I??  I would also like to have a week or weekend away in Paris with my hubby and daughter so I can start to share my favouritest city in the world with my daughter.  My husband has already started to learn about it with me and now I’d like to bring Little Miss into the fold.  So, if we could have return travel from Peterborough to St. Pancras, Eurostar to Paris and a stay in our favourite hotel, the Hotel Elysees-Union on Rue Hamelin, we would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks so much. What’s on your Christmas list?

Wow! Reading that post from 4 November, 2009 TOTALLY sucked me back to that NIGHTMARE Christmas from 1998. Gah! And I am pleased to report that the Christmas wish list that I have written at the end of that post has pretty nearly been accomplished as of 4 November, 2011! I am still in need of a Gym Membership and have yet to make it to Paris with Mark and Ella but maybe that might happen in 2012? When we have Bebe to join us!

I’m going to challenge you to look back in your archives as well and see what you were writing about a year or two or three ago. It’s pretty fascinating to see what you were writing about and how your writing style and life have changed since. In the meantime, feel free to link up YOUR Flashback Friday memories below. I can’t wait to see what you have to share with us this week!

A Few of My Favourite Things: UK Edition

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 3, 2011 in American Mum Me, Little Miss Adventures, Motherhood, NaBloPoMo | 8 comments

A lovely blogger suggested to me that I share some of my favourite things and/or praise of the UK in addition to the rants and criticism that I am quick to publish. She’s right, you know. In general, no one praises GOOD THINGS enough. We’re quick to point out fault and lay blame and shout when we feel that something is WRONG but we seldom take the time to CHEER the good stuff and give credit where credit is due. So, here are a few of my favourite things about the UK.

• Tea: I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker and to be fair, I drink tea the builder’s way: strong, splash of milk and 2 sugars. But I love the ceremony surrounding tea. Brewing a POT of tea (I rarely brew it in the cup) and enjoying it when it’s semi-hot is one of the great pleasures in life. I have found, when I’ve gone back to the US and even taken our favourite brand of tea (Twinnings Everyday Tea if you must know), the taste is never the same. Maybe it’s down to the milk or the water but one of the first things we do when we return home from a holiday is make a PROPER cuppa. Delightful!
• Appointments at our GP: Although I’m not overly fond of the capabilities of the GP’s at our local surgery, one thing is for sure, I’m always able to get an appointment either on the day that I ring or at minimum, within that week. Sure, I don’t always see my “assigned” GP but I get seen and get treated when I need it. This may be down to the area in which I live but it’s very helpful to be able to speak to a human at the other end of the line and get the services I am in need of.
• Our local village preschool/school: Ella’s preschool is literally a 5 minute walk away from us. We walk through the footpath at the end of our cul-de-sac, across the road, down a secluded, public footpath leading directly to the back of the school and we’re there. This makes the morning school run exceptionally easy and painless. When I had to pick up Ella early from school one day (she was poorly), I only had to dash out the door and I was there. No fuss, no muss. The childcare staff at Ella’s preschool are lovely, friendly and professional and always communicate what’s gone on in the day and how Ella is progressing. It’s the perfect transition to school and a different routine for us. Next year, Ella will go to the “Big Girl School” which is another 10 feet away from the existing preschool. I know her transition there will be a smooth one, thanks in part to the lovely staff and the brilliant experience we’ve had thus far.
• Family Time: I love how, in the UK, night-time and Sundays are Family Time. Shops shut at 5:30-6pm on the week nights and by 4pm on Sundays. This paves the way for families to be together and not have the lure (with the exception of Christmas shopping) of late night shopping every night of the week. Sure, it’s not always convenient but you learn to schedule yourself accordingly. In the US, most shopping malls, stores and groceries are open until at least 10pm (11pm-midnight during the Christmas shopping season) Monday through Sunday and many supermarkets are open 24 hours. Is this REALLY necessary? I think not.
• NHS: Yes, I am pretty critical of the care I’ve received with my pregnancies, however, I am so grateful that we have the NHS. We cannot afford private health insurance, full stop. The NHS is for everyone, regardless of income or circumstance. No, it’s far from perfect. But what is? The fact that we have FREE medical care and children, pregnant women and special cases get FREE prescriptions is pretty bloomin’ amazing. Thank you for being there when we need you NHS. We would never have the same treatment in the US.
• Weather: Call me crazy but I LOVE the weather in the UK. We live in the Midlands so it’s pretty mild here. I come from Wisconsin in the US. It can get many degrees below zero (Farenheit) regularly in the winter and the first snows can come as early as October and last until April or May. The ground FREEZES in Wisconsin. Autumn brings death…of grass, leaves, anything green mostly (except pine trees). Snow is something that is taken care of with GIANT SNOWPLOWS and school is never cancelled unless there is 3 feet of snow on the ground and windchill warnings from the Weather Service. I don’t have that here. I love the weather we have here. Don’t mind me laughing and giggling when more than one inch of snow is on the ground here…I do find the paralysation of the UK rather amusing with the threat of a few snow flakes!
• Bank Holidays: Bank Holidays are a thing of bliss and glory! They do not exist in the US. There are “national holidays” like Martin Luther King Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc but they are not always “days off” for everyone. Often they are, but sometimes they aren’t. Bank Holidays in the UK are plentiful and necessary. Come to think of it, the way the UK approaches holiday in general is far more healthy (albeit less productive economically) for employees and residents. In the US you are LUCKY if you get more than 2 weeks holiday (often unpaid) in the year. In most jobs you have to work for an employer for a set period of time (often a year) before you are even granted ANY holiday/vacation. Here in the UK it’s a minimum of 21 days which pretty much works out to around 4-5 weeks of (usually) paid holiday each year. And aren’t we all better off for it!

There! A few of my favourite things about living in the UK. I love living here and would not change our living arrangements for anything right now. Who knows though? There may come a day when we decide to (or have to) move to the US. There would be a lot of adjustment back to what I knew for so many years and I’m sure, Mark and Ella would find a whole new level of appreciation for some of the difficulties I have experienced here. We’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. For now though, raise your tea cup and give a toast to the UK. It’s a pretty brilliant place to live wouldn’t you say?

I Pledge Allegiance to the Queen

Posted by cafebebemama on Nov 1, 2011 in American Mum Me, Blogging, Motherhood, NaBloPoMo | 22 comments

Growing up, as an American, we had to pledge allegiance to the flag every morning in school. It’s just what was done. Now, grown up and a permanent resident in the United Kingdom, despite not being able to claim citizenship yet, I also, in my own way, pledge allegiance to the Queen. I am proud to live in, work in and raise my family in the United Kingdom. I have never had to defend myself or my right to reside in this country until this year but now it seems that I do. So let me tell you how I’ve come to live in this great United Kingdom and what it means to me.

6 years ago I started my very long, arduous and rather expensive path to becoming a permanent resident. After entering the UK in June of 2005 (on a 6 month, no-Visa-required-because-I-am-an-American stay) I began to research what Mark and I would need to do to get married legally in the UK and for me to continue to reside here. The first step on our path was for me to apply for a Fiancee Visa as Mark and I were engaged and planned to marry in March of 2006. In order for me to do that I had to get OUT of the UK and apply in my home country (USA). I sent off the necessary paperwork, secured an appointment at the British Embassy in Chicago, Illinois and then headed back to the US in the middle of September 2005. I was advised (by Expat websites and Government data) that all paperwork that supported the evidence of our relationship was to be provided. I went through phone bills, postcards, emails and compiled a neat and tidy dossier showing that Mark and I intended to be wed in a normal fashion and weren’t just trying to fool the government.

I spent a long weekend in Chicago with my Mom and 2 other friends and visited the British Embassy for my appointment. The clerk assigned to my “case” went over all of my documents and asked questions while I nervously fidgeted in my seat. Ultimately, I was granted a Fiancee Visa with Temporary Leave to Remain. A sticker was placed in my US passport and I would be permitted to enter the UK and remain until the end of March 2006, after we were married. We would have to apply for a Marriage Visa and Limited Leave to Remain status after the marriage. I wouldn’t be able to apply for Permanent Resident Status and Unlimited Leave to Remain until we had been married for 2 years (March 2008).

All of these stages of visas, leave to remain and appointments were stressful, paper-heavy and EXPENSIVE. If memory serves me, each step was around £500 in costs not including transport to interviews and postage costs. Prior to being granted Permanent Resident Status/Unlimited Leave to Remain in March 2008, the government changed the protocol for application and required all applicants to take the UK Citizenship Test in addition to the paperwork and £500+ fee. I studied and studied. Heavily pregnant and full of inane knowledge about the UK I took the exam in a room where I appeared to be the only native English speaker. Approximately 5 minutes later, I left the room, having passed the test with flying colours (25/25) and would eventually be granted my Permanent Resident status.

Thankfully, after Mark and I were married and we were granted our Marriage Visa and Limited Leave to Remain status, I was allowed to seek employment. As of 2006, I became the proud bearer of a National Insurance Number and began paying taxes through my work. I was allowed to benefit from the NHS as any other citizen/leave-holder would be. England was now my official home and despite not being able to vote (as I am not, technically, a citizen) I have always been proud to live and reside here. I do fully intend to become a citizen of the UK (I would retain my American citizenship & officially be a dual citizen) as I plan to reside here for the forseeable future and am proudly raising my half-English/half-American daughter with my ever so wonderful English husband in this country. The cost of becoming a citizen is the prohibitive factor for the time being but one day, I will indeed pledge allegiance to the Queen and look forward to doing so.

Why am I relating all of this perhaps boring scintilating information to you? Well, in the last year, I have had people question my right to benefit from the UK and even point out to me that I perhaps don’t have a right to criticise the country in which I live. I know I have been critical of the NHS and have whinged from time to time about other annoying situations when I perhaps shouldn’t have. But guess what? When I was a full-time resident of the US, you can bet your sweet bippy that I was critical of government decisions that affected me. I whinged about annoying situations from time to time. It’s what people do. But is that only permissable when you are a citizen of the country about which you are whinging? NO! There are plenty of British Citizens who complain about America and other countries. And there are plenty of British Citizens who are critical of the British Government and all that comes with it. So why is it OK for them and not for me? I contribute to the UK through National Insurance, taxes and my presence. I have birthed another citizen of the empire and am cooking up another so am I not permitted to shout when something is wrong?

I have fully adopted life in the UK. I pronounce words the way they are meant to be pronounced, I spell the way the English do, I drive (fully licensed) on the left side of the road and obey all rules of the road. I make tea and enjoy drinking it, I use my food utensils properly and am quite fond of the Royal Family (well, most of them anyway). I do my part and say “we” when referring to my adopted homeland. I even support England Football when the chips are down (as they usually seem to be these days).  So what more do I have to do to be accepted? Shell out £600+ to participate in a ceremony where I officially pledge allegiance to the Queen and get a certificate and UK passport to take away? Well, I’m working on that. But will that make a difference? Does that suddenly grant me the permission and acceptance to whinge about the UK? You tell me!

I have also been told  that writing critically requires skill in order to NOT incite backlash. Apparently I don’t have it. I can say that I have really tried to be respectful of my adopted home and curtail my whinging since events occurred earlier this year as it’s never been my desire to offend or upset. I’m simply a wife/mother/woman who has become frustrated from time to time and has used her blog to vent those frustrations. I’m going to go make a cuppa now, have some scones and keep calm while carrying on. Oh, and sing “God Save the Queen” while doing so…feel free to join me…pip pip!

A Tale of Two Pregnancies

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 29, 2011 in American Mum Me, Blogging, Motherhood | 12 comments

This is my hugeness two weeks ago. I’m even more huge two weeks later. I fear I may not be able to get out of the house in a few more weeks! Will the fire brigade have to come and cut a section of wall out to allow me to take Ella to school? Let’s hope not!

At 30 weeks, I’ve started to think about the differences between this pregnancy and Ella’s pregnancy. A tale of two pregnancies if you will! The biggest challenge for me, at the moment, is that I feel HUGE and, in fact, AM HUGE! Being 5’3″ tall, not being in the optimum shape/weight when I fell pregnant and having majorly distended abdominals anyway leaves me with a MAHOOSIVE bump which is now causing me a fair bit of constant ache and discomfort.

However, thanks to this discomfort, I have discovered that the kidney infection that I returned from holiday with was actually NOT cured by the anti-biotics and I now need another course of anti-biotics and have to go in tomorrow morning for a fasting blood glucose test to determine if I am veering into Gestational Diabetes territory.

Isn’t it amazing, however, how in hindsight, you would do so many things differently? Had I known I was going to fall pregnant in March I might have been a lot more dilligent about losing those last 10 pounds from Ella’s pregnancy. I would have been rebuilding my abdominal muscles from the GET GO instead of still having a 3-finger separation/Diastasis Recti. I would have kept up my walks after dropping Ella at preschool to actually have a level of fitness instead of now getting breathless on the 5 minute school run.

I have been more sensible about my eating for this pregnancy, however. That is, more than likely, down to my Coeliac Disease diagnosis however. I can’t grab the nearest pastry and/or baked good and shove it in my mouth unless I go to the trouble of baking it myself as a gluten-free snack. And even though I do have a gigantor bump, it’s MOSTLY bump and not all over my entire self. What I have done differently this time around is not be SO cautious about everything. The 1st time around I was trying to follow all of the “rules” and do the best thing possible for the baby. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not eating raw eggs while licking pate off of unpasteurised cheese or anything! I am, however, having a cuppa or two a day, I have had Coke throughout the pregnancy and I do happen to lick the spoon when I do get around to gluten-free baking. I’m being sensible just not depriving. Bebe seems to like it as well.

Bebe has been exceptionally active compared to Ella. Ella was all gentle pops and prods. Bebe is all about Stomp & Riverdancing. It’s a bit unsettling at times, to be honest. Maybe he/she is practicing free running/Parcours? My womb is apparently very entertaining! We don’t know what we’re having so we continue to say he/she but Ella is convinced that it’s a girl. Here’s hoping she won’t be too disappointed when we find out.

Antenatal care has been a bit substandard but that’s the way the cookie crumbles in 2nd and subsequent pregnancies on the NHS. I’ve only seen my midwife 3 times in 30 weeks but as she won’t be the midwife that we’ll get in hospital anyway, there’s no real bother that I don’t know her and she doesn’t know me. The third trimester of this pregnancy has been riddled with illness, however. We returned from our holiday in Tenerife with me having developed a kidney infection that ended up not being treated entirely by the anti-biotics prescribed. I am now on another course after having suffered a fair bit of pain the last two weeks which I attributed to being 28-30wks pregnant and huge but apparently is me continuing to be unwell.

Thanks to the discovery, at our 20 week scan, that I have a low-lying placenta, I will be having another scan in two weeks to see if the placenta has moved out of the way or is still low lying. If the placenta remains low-lying then I stand a much better chance of getting the elective c-section BEFORE the actual due date of Bebe which would suit me just fine. I have no clue what the hospital is like (it’s new this year), what the consultant is like (met her once) or how everything will work but am hoping that I will get some of that information along the way before D-Day.

Our only real obstacle at this point (with 8 weeks to go) is that none of the room changes/makeovers that we’ve planned to do have yet to commence. Hubby is strangely laid back about it all while I’m left tapping my foot. If we could manage to fly my Dad over here for a week or two I know we’d get it all sorted. I wonder if Richard Branson wouldn’t mind doing that?

So that’s the Tale of Two Pregnancies to date. Pregnancy with Ella was all about learning, reading, scaring myself silly, preparing and buying. Pregnancy with Bebe has been more about getting on, living our family life, enjoying and scaring myself silly. Some things never change! How did you feel differently in your 2nd (and beyond) pregnancy? Did you do things differently? Worry less? Worry more? Have less to prepare? I’d love to know how you approached it!

Accentuate the Positive

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 25, 2011 in American Mum Me, Blogger Love, Blogging, BMB Video Bloggers, Motherhood | 18 comments

My little English Princess. Well, my little half-English/half-American Princess to be specific. She is hilarious, my girl. The other day I finally heard how I sound to my daughter.

It’s been 6 years since I moved permanently to the England. Being from the Midwest of the US, I didn’t have a particularly strong “American accent”. In fact, for the most part, my accent is one that used to be most desirable for news presenters/readers/reporters back in the day before ethnicity ruled. A flat accent without influence from region was the optimal accent as then you couldn’t necessarily tell where the person was from. Not terribly exciting, mind you, but there you go.

Since moving to the UK in 2005 I have tried to blend into the woodwork so to speak. It’s been so long now that sometimes I forget that I don’t have an English accent. I’ll find myself talking to someone I don’t know or haven’t met before and suddenly they aske me “Where are you from then?” and I remember “Oh, that’s right, I don’t speak like you.” I’ll NEVER have an ENGLISH accent so to speak but some of my words have definitely changed and my accent generally is softer and veers more toward English than it used to. I hear an accent from my home state of Wisconsin and can hardly believe my ears now! It sounds so different.

Since becoming a Mum I have tried to model the English language and accent as much a possible for Ella’s sake. I don’t mean that I put on some fake, posh, English accent. That would be ridiculous! But I use English pronunciations and words for Ella’s benefit and as a result, Ella’s accent is perfectly English much to the delight of my American family. The other day, however, I finally heard what I sound like to Ella as she repeated my accent back to me. Here is the video evidence for you! Enjoy!