The Great Quake of '08

Yes, folks if you haven't already heard on the telly, we experienced our first earthquake. At 12:55 AM today I awoke to feel the house rumbling. Kevin and I both jumped up wondering what the heck was going on. We went to check on Addie and my folks who were visiting from the States and all seemed fine. Then we started checking out our windows to see what we could see. Gradually we saw lights turning on in people's windows so we figured we weren't the only ones to think something was going on. It was hard to know what it could be that would rock your house like that...a large lorrey truck driving by (but we live on a dead end), a bomb going off (but I didn't hear a boom), then I thought earthquake (but really could it be). We went back to bed but curiousity kept me awake for the longest time, I couldn't wait to turn on the TV the next morning to see what had happened.

Sure enough the first story I see on the local news was a 5.2 magnitude quake struck in a small town in the Lincolnshire which is the county north of us - so the epicenter was about an hour and half drive north of us. The whole event lasted about 10 seconds they say, but strong shaking could be felt all the way in London and Wales and into Scotland and weak tremors into Belgium and the Netherlands. Not much damage done (mostly old chimneys fallen down off houses) or injuries to people but this was the first quake in 25 years to hit the UK at this magnitude. What I really found funny about the whole thing was that when they talked to people calling into the radio stations and reading emails from people...a lot of them were awake that late and watching TV or out on the town...on a Monday night/Tuesday AM.

The whole incident was actually pretty cool to experience and it definitely something going in Addie's baby book.

Conjucta-What???

Well today I brought dear Addison to the GP because for the past few days she's had this awful icky goop coming out of her eyes. The doctor said she has conjuctavitis which is an infection in the eye. I had never heard of such a thing but I guess it's pretty common and contagious in children. We picked up some eye drops at the chemist (which didn't cost a dime because prescriptions for children are free). I guess I can tell you that a one year old who doesn't want something dropped in her eyes can develop the strength of 10 men in about 2.2 seconds. It's the most horrifying thing to have to wrestle your child and pin their arms down and hold their head while trying to pry open their eyes....and I have to do this 4 times a day for a week...yikes.

Day in Lincoln

This weekend we decided to venture off to Lincoln. Lincoln is pretty well known for the amazing Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Castle and shopping on Steep Hill Street. It's about an hour and 15 minute drive to Lincoln and the views are beautiful mainly because you can actually see out beyond the road most of the time since the hedges aren't in the way. Along the way we pass one of the RAF (Royal Airforce) bases which is home to lots of the jets and planes we hear fly overhead on most days.

We mosied in many different shops some quaint and small speciality shops and we checked out some of the modern stores like Dorothy Perkins, M&S, and Bhs. There is a beautiful canal that runs through the city centre and I love the sculpture that towers above because it looks like two angels. After picking up some new work shirts for Kevin we indulged at one of our favorite restaraunts - Pizza Express - an amazing brick oven pizzaria.

We ended up our day by touring the Lincoln Cathedral. We caught one of tour guides, but it was hard to catch most of what she was saying because the organ was playing in the background and Kevin and I had to take turns chasing after Addison since we let her out of the stroller (she'd been couped up in it for hours). Of what I did catch, the cathedral took over 90 years to build what it is today. I thought hard about that fact and was in awe how not one person was probably able to see this project from start to finish in their lifetime. It took generations of artisans and workers to put together such an amazing building that has withstood the test of time. Also because so many people had worked on it, there are a lot of mistakes that were made. The ceiling peaks don't match up in each of the different stages that were built. Also the columns on the right had side as you walk in are longer because they built the bases on the pillars shorter than the ones on the left. You'll have to catch the whole tour to learn more.

One other neat fact we learned was that the DaVinci Code was filmed in Lincoln Cathedral. The gal explained to us that sets were built up inside Lincoln to make it look like Westminster Abbey. No filming can ever be done in Westminster because they always have to have it available in case the Queen or other royal family members die and a funeral needs to be held. Pretty interesting, huh?

Valentine's Day

For as long as I can remember, my mother has made Valentine's Day very special. She used to make heart shaped meatloaf, pink mashed potatoes, heartshaped chocolate cake, and have loads of V-Day candy and presents waiting for us when we got home from school. Well, this is a tradition I have been trying to carryon ever since Kevin and I have been together and this year was no different. Kevin and I actually went out to eat on our first date by ourselves the night before Valentine's Day and a wonderful restaraunt called Loch Fyne. It is well known for the seafood that is flown in from Scotland that is caught the day before. We had a very nice evening and we caught a glimpse again of what it was like BA (before Addison).

On Valentine's Day, Addison and I made Kevin cheesecake (his favorite) and spegetti (Italitan food of love - you've all seen Lady and the Tramp when they share the plate of pasta). I had also smuggled in 4 different bags of V-Day candy that I purchased from the States when we were home for Christmas (I guess that's an advantage of commercializing holidays - to have products out 3 months before the actual holiday). Addison made Kevin a very cute card and Kevin suprised us with a beautiful bright pink mum flower for us to plant out in our garden when it gets warmer.

What really hit us is that this was now Addison's second Valentine's Day...wow...where has the time gone. Last year she was only a couple of weeks old on V-Day.

First Prenatal Visits

Well I've gotten through the first round of prenatal visits. On Thursday I went to visit with Ann my community midwife, now, she won't actually be the one delivering our little one but she'll be my main contact for care. We took about 45 minutes to go through about 20 pages of paperwork. One of the big differences over here is that you personally keep your preganancy "notes" (or files) which I think is pretty scary since during pregnancy your mind goes a little crazy, I'm totally afraid that I'll misplace them. Ann is pretty cool and she also worked with Stacey and Marti (the two other ISEs who recently had babies over here).

On Tuesday, Kevin went with me to the Peterborough hospital to get my 12 week scan (ultrasound). The first thing that alarmed me was that you had to pay to park - 2 GBP for the first hour - 10 pounds for 24 hours (that was the maximum time on the meter) and the car park was very small. When my friend Stacey went into labour it took her husband almost an hour to finally find a place to park...I could see why. As Kevin and I walked in to the maternity ward there was a woman walking out in her bathrobe and slippers followed by her husband and a brand spanking new baby....probably only a few hours old on their way home.

As we waited in the holding area it hit me on how worldly of a place I was actually in. There were all sorts of people there waiting to see a little glimpse of their new little life. Some of them needed translators, some of them were like us and didn't understand all the "English" terms and had to ask the receptionist for help. We finally got called back into our room where a technicial did the ultrasound and showed us up on the TV screen our fully formed little baby. After doing some measurements she determined that I was actually a little further along so she bumped up my due date to August 22nd. In the States, when I had ultrasounds with Addison they printed off about 6 pictures each time and sent me on my way. Here they print out your pictures, but you are to pay for them. You get your scan pictures and then before you check out you put 4 GBP in a vending machine to get a stamp to show as a reciept that you paid for them. Our technician didn't charge us for ours because she said the baby wasn't in a very good position...we were gracious but thought the pictures looked wonderful.

We're Having Another Baby!!!!

Yes, Baby Dea #2 is on its way...wow, I'm so glad we can start telling people. While we were hoping to start trying for our second little one this summer, we are very happy about our little surprise. Honestly I had no idea that anything was out of the ordinary until we got back to the States for Christmas break. I thought it was a bit weird that after a week I wasn't getting over the jet lag and I was soooo tired and zonking out at 7PM every night. Just before New Year's I starting feeling kind of icky at night but I figured it was the traveling, but on New Year's Eve I had no appetite for all the wonderful goodies and I had a strong feeling it wasn't the flu. The thought of being pregnant again was not something I thought I would have to be worrying about yet. On New Year's Day, I made Kevin stop so we could buy a pregnancy test. I never got to use one with Addie so I was kind of naive on which one to buy. Well I tried using one that afternoon and I didn't work, so I had to wait until the next day. The next morning I hopped out of bed, did my thing, and came back to tell my hubby that we were going to have another baby. We just laid their gleaming but both of us were filled with fears of the uncertainty of having a baby abroad. Since we were in the States and on our way back to Peoria, I got to visit my OB/GYN office and get a sonogram to find out how far along we were...6 weeks and 4 days...so we are due August 28th !!! I have to aplogize to our all of our friends back in the States who we got to see and couldn't say anything. Needless to say this pregancy has been much different than Addie's so far. I was sick (not just poorly), but throwing up several times a day for about 4 weeks straight. Either I'm having a boy or this is the most awnry little girl to make me feel so icky. It was really tough heading back to the UK knowing we probably weren't going back to the States for a whole year and that I wouldn't be able to go back when my sister has her baby at the beginning of August. When we got back life was miserable for about 2 weeks since I was so sick and couldn't find the "home remedies" that I used back in the States the first time around. I felt so bad for Kevin and Addie, but we got through it and mommy is starting to feel better. I went to see my general practitioner and he sent through the referral to the Peterborough Maternity Ward to start "the process." He said it would most likely be a "forte night" before I heard from the hospital and the midwife community. I found out later that a "forte night" is two weeks and I wouldn't be getting a phone call, oh no, just a letter in the post (mail). The nerves really starting kicking in because I just felt lost. But now that we've been able to start telling others, I've been getting some reassuring news from the two gals who just had babies here that everything will be okay. I'll be keeping you updated as I have my first midwife visit on Thursday and 12 week scan on Tuesday the 12th.

Addison's 1st Birthday

Well the day finally got her that my little baby turned 1 year old. Some may ask, "Does it make you sad that your little baby is a whole year old?" Really I don't know if I've had time to feel sad. We've been having a blast with all the new things going on with her. She started walking about three weeks ago and I thought it would be great to have her be able to get around more on her own, but she's more work than before. I spend half of my day picking up after her "explorations."

Well her birthday was lovely. We had 11 of her friends over on Thursday for a party and it was a blast having the house full of kiddies. I made homemade white cupcakes (you can't buy anything other than chocolate cake mix here) and got them all decorated up. Funny thing was that I got to use the No. 1 candle that I got for my one year anniversary at GROWMARK (someone be sure to thank Ann Hastings for me)!!! Addison got lots of great new toys, books, and outfits. Funny thing about toys...when we first moved here Addison had nothing for toys and now our house looks like a mini Toys R Us.

On Sunday we had our friends/neighbors over for dinner and cake and ice cream. It's always a joy to have our British lessons from Sarah. Some of you thought I used some funny terms when I came home for Christmas but she is transforming me and toning down my American language. It's all fun!!! I made Addison a chocolate cake for this day and watching her eat it was the funniest and cutest thing ever.