SURPRISE!

Saturday afternoon I had a lovely surprise baby shower in Bermuda. My two friends here had asked if they could take me to get a pedicure and I graciously accepted (I can't really reach my toes anymore and I can't ask Ryan to paint them for me!). After a small detour, I ended up arriving at a party with 17 of my friends, volunteering buddies, and colleagues! It was a wonderful surprise.

We were given some wonderful baby gifts and even some treats for me. I now have a 3 hour massage, pedicure, and facial waiting for me. I think I will indulge myself after the baby is born. Ryan can babysit as I go and pamper myself.

According to my diagnosis, Baby Crawford is still breech. We have an ultrasound to confirm that tomorrow and then we were schedule the c-section. This pregnancy is coming to an end as we could have our bundle of joy any day now! I will keep you posted on the chosen date.

I have also posted some pictures in my album from the baby shower...enjoy!

Until next time...

Baby Crawford

I know this is a Bermuda blog and my goal was to always write about Bermuda, but after living on a 22 square mile island for over a year, the creative juices and originality are not always flowing. I think about my blog often and wish that I had more material, but the bottom line is that I sometimes live a boring life. Lately the anticipation and planning for Baby Crawford has over taken my thoughts and while I try to still volunteer and get out of the house, I find that I am nesting more and have become a home body. I have also become increasingly interested in baking sweets. That may have something to do with continued pregnancy cravings! Thank goodness this new found hobby has come at the end of my pregnancy and I have only gained the recommended 25 pounds in total.

As an update for those that have not heard, Baby Crawford is breech. He is a stubborn Taurus (just like his mother) and at 36 weeks and 2 days has nestled himself nicely head up in my ribcage. While he is still quite active and I have hope that he will flip, the doctor and I guess myself are not too optimistic. We have another ultrasound in a week to be sure that he is still breech and if so a c-section will be scheduled. While a c-section was not in my birth plan at all, I have to be thankful that this c-section will be scheduled. I imagine that an emergency c-section after hours of labor if quite frightening. We hope to go into the hospital before labor begins and have our baby that morning. If everything continues normally I will be scheduled for May 10th which is between Mother's Day (May 9th) and my Birthday (May 11th)! This date will be 6 days before my original due date. Ryan is overwhelmed with the pressure of showering me with gifts for Mother's Day, my Birthday, and the birth of our first child. I say that our baby is a gift enough, but we all know I could use some nice presents while hanging out in the hospital for 3-4 days.

Baby Crawford is also big and that may be contributing for his breech status. I knew he would be large as Ryan was 9 pounds 1/2 ounce and I was 8 pounds 4 ounces at birth. According to an ultrasound a week ago, Baby Crawford was fluctuating somewhere between 6-7 pounds. They estimated 6 pounds 13 ounces at week 36. This means he could still gain another pound or two before birth. My in-laws also forgot to mention that Gary (Ryan's dad) won the Beaver County, Pennsylvania fattest baby award. I would have liked someone to have mentioned that the Crawford's grow them big before I started this process. Ha just kidding, it wouldn't have changed my mind one bit! We will happily welcome a large, roly-poly baby.

Until next time...

My Work Permit

Today I received the great news that my work permit was approved. I actually have the official paperwork in my hand! I cannot believe it due to the stories I have heard from others about the slow process of immigration. It took three weeks for approval which is amazing considering I have heard some people wait 3-4 months for approval of their work permit. Another piece of great news is that it is approved for two years and will expire on the same date as Ryan's work permit. I believe they tied my work permit to his as you cannot survive in Bermuda without full time work. My job will be under 15 hours a week which is perfect for me as I will also want to concentrate on being a new mom! The two year approval is amazing as that means they will not have to re-advertise for my job next year. Many people get one year permits and then their company must re-advertise for their job a year later. That puts your position in jeopardy as a qualified Bermudian could come along. As I have said many times before, Bermudians get first preference to jobs. I believe that I got offered my job due to my knowledge and experience with the Student Assistance Program (SAP), which is currently in Pennsylvania schools but is just arriving in Bermuda as a pilot program. I was the only applicant with SAP training and experience on my resume.

That leads me into what my job is. I will be working for P.R.I.D.E. Bermuda which is a well established charity in Bermuda. They mainly deal with drug and substance abuse issues and have been working with local organizations, the schools, and the community to promote a substance free lifestyle. Many of P.R.I.D.E.'s programs are targeted at youth to promote a healthy Bermuda for the future. P.R.I.D.E. has hired myself and 3 others as Program Facilitators. I will be going into the schools to present life-skills training to all ages of students. The life-skills curriculum not only focuses on making positive choices in relation to drug and alcohol abuse, but it also focuses on positive self-esteem, good communication skills, and relationship building. It is a comprehensive program which starts at the primary level. I will also be running group counseling sessions in the schools focusing on topics such as anger management, children of addicts, and substance abusers. The last component is the establishment of the Student Assistance Program (SAP) in Bermuda schools. A well executed SAP program brings teachers, principals, school administrators, and school counselors together to discuss troubled students. A SAP team will receive referrals about students and will discuss a treatment plan for each student. Students are referred to the SAP team for a variety of issues such as issues at home, substance abuse, trouble with their classes, poor relationship skills, etc... No school in Bermuda currently has a SAP program, so it will be my job to help schools start their own programs. I am most excited about this component of my job. It will best use my counseling skills and knowledge from previous work experiences. I am not only excited that I have obtained work in Bermuda, but I am also thrilled that I will finally be able to put my master's degree to work. I graduated with my master's degree only three months before our arrival in Bermuda.

Like people always say, "Good things come to those who wait." Well I waited alright. I waited a whole year to get a job offer and a work permit. Plus throw in the pregnancy too. It will be the perfect job with flexibility to raise a baby while still getting me out of the house once in awhile. I cant wait to start my job and I CANNOT wait for the arrival of Baby Crawford. 37 days to go!

Until next time...

Happy Easter

Easter came really early this year. We celebrated the traditional Easter festivities with some kite flying and beach time on Good Friday. The weather has been decent with temperatures staying in the high 60's to low 70's. We have not even come close to reaching 80 degrees like the USA is seeing. It was still a beautiful weekend so far with the sun shining, the long tails back in flight, and the waters as blue as ever. We are glad summer is upon us!

I have posted some Easter weekend pictures in my photo album, so check them out.

Until next time...