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...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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...
Friday, April 9, 2010
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...
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...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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...
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Random Thoughts
I know I haven't blogged in a long time as we have been off island and busy in the month of March. As I was thinking about my blog, I had many random thoughts to share.
We are gearing up for baby Crawford, 53 days until his due date! I like to put it in days and weeks because it seems to make it closer. Two months still sounds like a long time to wait. We just visited Pennsylvania and had a wonderful baby shower. We somehow managed to get back 4 suitcases, 2 carry-on bags, and two boxes. One of the boxes had a Pack N Play which will be baby Crawford's bed for as long as it works. We don't have room for a crib right now. Our house is small, so we are making due the best we can. We wanted to keep the futon in the guest bedroom/baby room for Grandparent visits and anyone else who should be visiting us in beautiful Bermuda. The most frustrating part of this process is paying duty and getting through the airport with your items. During this last trip in we paid $300 in duty, this included paying on all gifts that we received! While we don't have to pay taxes in Bermuda on income, duty always gets you. The government feels that you should be buying your items here to support the economy, and if you don't, then you are stuck paying 20% duty on all items that you bring in or are mailed to you. For being a resident of Bermuda we get $100 free each time we enter. While that is nice, it isn't exactly generous as I think you can bring in almost $800 of items duty free into the USA each visit. I was also looking at car seats at a store in Bermuda this week. The car seat I wanted cost $200 in the USA at Babies R Us and $350 in Bermuda. It is still worth bringing in items and paying duty.
We are taking birthing classes at the hospital and were able to tour the maternity ward yesterday. I feel better after seeing the ward, but let me tell you it is no 4 seasons! Most insurance coverage in Bermuda covers a semi-private room for your after delivery stay. A semi-private room is TINY and has two beds separated by a curtain. You also share the bathroom and shower. There are 4 semi-private rooms, so there would have to be 5+ women staying in order for you to have to share. We were told that it is likely you will get your own room even if it is semi-private since there are not that many births per week. There are two private rooms which you can upgrade to, but the cost is around $250 a night. We were also told that the babies stay with the mother at all times. The babies will be in the room all day and night for easy feedings. I like this concept as there is no need for a nursery stay unless the baby is sick or needs special attention. The mother and baby will stay for 3 nights or 4 nights for a C-section. While we are excited about the arrival of our little one, the birth process does seems a little daunting. I am sure we will pull through with no problems. The midwives in the hospital seem excellent, and I have heard the care is great.
My work permit has officially been submitted to immigration. I was told it would take around 6 weeks to hear back. I am not holding my breath on a six week turn around. When a non-profit submits a work permit application they are exempt from paying the $500 application fee. While this is great, I was told that this moves your application to the bottom of the pile. They like to process their paying customers first. I will not officially start my job until September, so I will have over 3 months with the baby before starting up. The job will also be under 15 hours per week, so it will not be too time consuming.
Monday was World Water Day and I heard a lot of good things about conserving water on Monday. Of course Bermuda does not need to push water conservation as much as the USA as we know if we don't conserve then we just run out! Since family and friends started visiting, two people have taken water conservation to heart. A shout out goes out to Chuck Wissner and Christian Beyer as they do not flush the toilet every time. Since visiting Bermuda, they have seen the benefit of the saying, "If it is yellow let it mellow..." The average toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water each flush. Think how many gallons you can save per year buy not flushing every time. Okay it is kind of gross, but a valid point!
We have now lived in Bermuda for over a year. I arrived in Bermuda on March 8th, 2009. A year ago today on March 24th, 2009 I wrote in a blog that Bermuda finally feels like home. We just finished unpacking our crate of furniture a year ago. It is amazing how time passes by so quickly. We are gearing up for another fun summer. A different summer with a baby in tow, but as the weather is getting warmer and sunnier, I cant wait to get out to the beach and play some volleyball. For those of you who are still considering visiting, summer is the best time. Anytime from June-October is absolutely beautiful! You are always welcome as long as you don't mind sharing a room with a baby!
Until next time...
We are gearing up for baby Crawford, 53 days until his due date! I like to put it in days and weeks because it seems to make it closer. Two months still sounds like a long time to wait. We just visited Pennsylvania and had a wonderful baby shower. We somehow managed to get back 4 suitcases, 2 carry-on bags, and two boxes. One of the boxes had a Pack N Play which will be baby Crawford's bed for as long as it works. We don't have room for a crib right now. Our house is small, so we are making due the best we can. We wanted to keep the futon in the guest bedroom/baby room for Grandparent visits and anyone else who should be visiting us in beautiful Bermuda. The most frustrating part of this process is paying duty and getting through the airport with your items. During this last trip in we paid $300 in duty, this included paying on all gifts that we received! While we don't have to pay taxes in Bermuda on income, duty always gets you. The government feels that you should be buying your items here to support the economy, and if you don't, then you are stuck paying 20% duty on all items that you bring in or are mailed to you. For being a resident of Bermuda we get $100 free each time we enter. While that is nice, it isn't exactly generous as I think you can bring in almost $800 of items duty free into the USA each visit. I was also looking at car seats at a store in Bermuda this week. The car seat I wanted cost $200 in the USA at Babies R Us and $350 in Bermuda. It is still worth bringing in items and paying duty.
We are taking birthing classes at the hospital and were able to tour the maternity ward yesterday. I feel better after seeing the ward, but let me tell you it is no 4 seasons! Most insurance coverage in Bermuda covers a semi-private room for your after delivery stay. A semi-private room is TINY and has two beds separated by a curtain. You also share the bathroom and shower. There are 4 semi-private rooms, so there would have to be 5+ women staying in order for you to have to share. We were told that it is likely you will get your own room even if it is semi-private since there are not that many births per week. There are two private rooms which you can upgrade to, but the cost is around $250 a night. We were also told that the babies stay with the mother at all times. The babies will be in the room all day and night for easy feedings. I like this concept as there is no need for a nursery stay unless the baby is sick or needs special attention. The mother and baby will stay for 3 nights or 4 nights for a C-section. While we are excited about the arrival of our little one, the birth process does seems a little daunting. I am sure we will pull through with no problems. The midwives in the hospital seem excellent, and I have heard the care is great.
My work permit has officially been submitted to immigration. I was told it would take around 6 weeks to hear back. I am not holding my breath on a six week turn around. When a non-profit submits a work permit application they are exempt from paying the $500 application fee. While this is great, I was told that this moves your application to the bottom of the pile. They like to process their paying customers first. I will not officially start my job until September, so I will have over 3 months with the baby before starting up. The job will also be under 15 hours per week, so it will not be too time consuming.
Monday was World Water Day and I heard a lot of good things about conserving water on Monday. Of course Bermuda does not need to push water conservation as much as the USA as we know if we don't conserve then we just run out! Since family and friends started visiting, two people have taken water conservation to heart. A shout out goes out to Chuck Wissner and Christian Beyer as they do not flush the toilet every time. Since visiting Bermuda, they have seen the benefit of the saying, "If it is yellow let it mellow..." The average toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water each flush. Think how many gallons you can save per year buy not flushing every time. Okay it is kind of gross, but a valid point!
We have now lived in Bermuda for over a year. I arrived in Bermuda on March 8th, 2009. A year ago today on March 24th, 2009 I wrote in a blog that Bermuda finally feels like home. We just finished unpacking our crate of furniture a year ago. It is amazing how time passes by so quickly. We are gearing up for another fun summer. A different summer with a baby in tow, but as the weather is getting warmer and sunnier, I cant wait to get out to the beach and play some volleyball. For those of you who are still considering visiting, summer is the best time. Anytime from June-October is absolutely beautiful! You are always welcome as long as you don't mind sharing a room with a baby!
Until next time...
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Soup Winner!
I decided a few weeks ago to enter a soup competition. The event was called Soup-A-Bowl and it was a charity function to raise money for the needy and hungry in Bermuda. The charity putting on this event is called The Eliza Dolittle Society of Bermuda. I wanted to attend the event because the proceeds went to a good cause but also because you were able to eat soup all night and at the end of the event you took home a hand painted bowl from The Island Shop. The Island Shop is one of my favorite stores in Bermuda. The artist for the shop designs island inspired dishware, plaques, ornaments, and other beautiful pieces. All of the ceramic items are hand painted in Italy. They are expensive, so before this event I only had a small hand painted plaque.
Anyways, I entered the soup competition in order to hopefully receive a free ticket to the Soup-A-Bowl event. If your soup recipe was listed in the top 3 then you were given a free $75 ticket for the event. I found out a few days before the event that my wild rice soup recipe was chosen in the top 3 out of the 30+ entries! All I had to do was submit my recipe and the chefs at the Fairmont Hotels would prepare the recipe on the night of the event. At the event there were over 30 soups to try that were prepared by local restaurants. Then there were the 3 soup winners of the competition. I was up against an Italian Wedding Soup and a Banana Curry Soup. Everyone enjoyed my wild rice soup and in the end I was announced the winner of the competition! I was given 8 bowls, a platter, and a soup tureen with a ladle! It was an amazing gift that is valued at over $1,000! Ryan is the most excited about my winning! Ha...he said that if I won I would have to get rid of something else in the house to make room. That is not going to happen, I will be happily displaying my soup tureen where ever I can find the room!
For my soup recipe, click on this link and it will take you to the Eliza Dolittle page where it was announced that I was the winner.
Until next time...
Friday, February 19, 2010
International Women's Club
When arriving in Bermuda as a wife of a work permit holder, I felt different. Mainly because I so desperately wanted to work and create my own identity in Bermuda. As you know from previous postings, since I am not in the insurance, finance, or hospitality industry, obtaining work has been very difficult. So in order to create some sort of identity, keep myself busy, and meet other people I have volunteered. While I have always liked to give back whether it be with time or monetary gifts, I have never considered myself a philanthropist. I guess I still don't consider myself a philanthropist, but I have done some meaningful work in Bermuda and along the way I have met some great people on this little island.
Through volunteering I met a woman that drug me along to an International Women's Club of Bermuda (IWC) luncheon. She said it would be a great way to meet other women. I decided to go as I knew if I became a member I would have the opportunity participate in activities such as book clubs, badminton, golf clinics, mahjong, and other exciting opportunities (some sarcasm inserted). I am 27 years old not 60, but I attended with an open mind. According to the clubs President, "The IWC’s goals are to promote intellectual growth, to encourage social fellowship, to provide service to community and to assist in the integration of newcomers to Bermuda. The IWC is over two hundred members strong." Since joining I have attended 3 monthly luncheons. They are at different restaurants and have different activities and speakers each month. I myself enjoy eating at different places across the island, but the speakers have also been interesting and fitting for a woman's needs. This month being heart health month, we listened to a speaker on heart health in woman. When I look around the room at these luncheons, I somethings wonder how I fit in. The woman who are all very nice and pleasant sometimes remind me of the woman from either the Golden Girls or The Real Housewives for Orange County. I must fall somewhere in between there. For the time being I will continue to attend these meeting while I don't have a little one to look after. I have enjoyed the Philanthropy aspect of this club and some of the connections I have made to other woman trying to find an identity for themselves in Bermuda too.
As an update, to my last blog. Our landlord has unlocked the coin operation piece of the dryer and washer. We will now keep track of our laundry usage and pay the electric company monthly. No more trips to the bank for rolls of quarters...thank goodness!
*Golden Girl image thanks to BuddyTV.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)