The Holiday's

We had a successful Thanksgiving/early Christmas with Ryan's family in Pittsburgh. We are back on the island and we were excited to get back after a few weeks away. We thoroughly enjoyed the luxuries of America such as Walmart, shopping malls, fast food, and good cheap everything. I missed America, but we came back to an island decorated for Christmas with 72 degree temperatures. I am enjoying the warm weather and don't miss the cool temps of Northwestern PA. I may not this winter. We are preparing for Christmas in paradise as my parents, sister, and brother-in-law will come to Bermuda for the holiday! I have decorated our house to the best of my ability as we have absolutely no room for a Christmas tree and no outside outlets for Christmas lights. This season I am thankful for loving, supportive family, and for the additions to our family. Ryan and I will be bringing a baby into this world on May 16th, 2010! My sister will also be adding a new addition to the family as she is due with her first child on June 6th, 2010! It has been amazing sharing the pregnancy journey with my sister!

The first question I get is will you have the baby in Bermuda? Yes, we will deliver the baby in Bermuda. I have been going to my doctor here since week 6 of this pregnancy and we will see it through in Bermuda. I have asked many people about the health care here and have been assured that Bermuda offers everything that the US can offer, well I guess on a smaller scale. There are only 3 OBGYN's and 3 Pediatricians on the whole island. I have asked my doctor what happens if she is in surgery or with another patient when I go into labor, she told me that scenario is very unlikely as there just aren't that many pregnant women here. I find that hard to believe as I see cute pregnant women every where on this island! Many women are like me in the fact that their husband's work and they are unable to secure a job, so starting a family sounds like a good idea. It sure was for us, and we feel blessed that the pregnancy is progressing nicely!

The other question is whether or not our baby will be Bermudian. The answer is, "NO." Babies even if born in Bermuda need to be born to a Bermudian citizen in order to gain Bermudian status. As soon as we obtain the birth certificate from the hospital, we will have to apply for US citizenship, then a social security card will be issued, and lastly, we will get a baby passport in order to take our child in and out of the country. Bermuda keeps its rules and regulations strict and it is impossible for us to gain Bermudian status or to live here for more then 6 years (more than 6 year permits are granted if an individual has a "key" role in a company, such as a CEO type position). The government watches the ex-patriot population very closely and in some ways makes us feel transient. They would like to keep Bermuda to its own citizens which is okay for us as we have no plans to stay here for an extended period of time. We have no idea where our Bermuda journey will take us, so we are enjoying the perks while me can!

Until next time...

*The picture is a beautiful fall tree in Boston from our last visit to the states. We were in Boston for an actuarial conference for Ryan. I missed fall here, so had to capture this tree!