Expats carrying future dual citizens!

[PrePG]

I've noticed that there are lots of us on here who are not originally from the UK - I wondered if anyone was interested in starting an expat thread.

For me, it's especially difficult to go through this without my family close by and I thought it might be comforting to 'talk' with others in the same situation.

Anyone else??

Wow, Upsidedowncake, I love the idea of going to get married on a double decker bus! I'm afraid I went to mine on foot.

Can I just have a proud Mum moment and announce that my son has said his first words in both languages now! Yesterday he said 'ela baba', which is Greek for 'come Daddy' and this morning he pointed at his cup and said "gink, mummy!"

Expecting no2 in less than 7 weeks now, I hope the baby turns round soon!

Hi ladies. Thanks for the info upsidedowncake. I need to get on to my healthcare visitor. I got a letter and then put it aside somewhere, so I should really call her.

I've only got about 4 more weeks left (I'm at 36 weeks!). At work for another 3 (I'm cutting it close!!!). Eandz- we need to meet for that drink. I'm still feeling good but have to pee ALL the time. I wake up 4 times a night and it's not the easiest thing to get back to sleep anymore. Other than that, still pretty comfortable.

How's everyone else feeling?

ladyhump - I finish work wednesday when I'm 38 weeks and I thought I was working right until the end! I'm up peeing all the time too, although the worst is getting up and then not being able to because the LO's head is in the way...

6 weeks to go now and the baby has turned round. Much earlier than my first pregnancy, where the baby didn't turn until 40 weeks (and didn't come out for another 10 days after that)

I sympathise with you girls about the peeing - I'm like that too. In fact, I get hardly any sleep now, because if the baby on the inside isn't waking me up, my 1-year-old son is waking me up, and if they're not, they I have to pee... So a decent night's sleep is fast becoming a distant memory.

All the best to aberdeenhiker - nearly there now! Incidentally, it might sound wierd, but if you go to pee and find you can't, then try rocking back and forth on the loo. It will trickle out bit by bit.

Good luck Aberdeen! The only reason I'm working until week 39 is because I'm a teacher and half term is next week, so I have a week off for half term, then I go back for a week and then done. I just hope my water doesn't break on the tube!

Alexpolismum- Good luck to you too. We're all pretty close!

ladyhump - don't worry about your waters breaking in odd places. When mine broke with my first pregnancy, it started to just trickle out at first, it doesn't just come in a gush. No one will notice.

ladyhump--
i'm free anytime. i finished my final degree a few weeks ago and now am freaking out about not wanting to nest just yet.

[email protected] is my email address.

ooh, i never posted about how i ended up in the uk.

here goes:

it was my freshman year in college (university) and i decided to skip out a week to go to Chicago with some friends. One of my friends was determined to find and date a guy who had gone to our school the year before but had moved out there...anyway we never found the guy and but did end up running into a bunch of British guys who were on their gap year at Starbucks every morning...since we'd seen them every day for a few days we would just go over and sit with them hoping they'd talk to us. Well, instead of talking to me, one of them (my dh) dropped his frappacino all over me. I was humiliated! but he gave me his coat while he got me things to clean up with and then took me shopping for a new shirt (with my friends)... at the end of that day he asked for my phone number and email address and actually kept in touch.

a year later (2nd year of uni/college) he asked the day after valentines day if i'd marry him...we had only met ONCE! so i told him i couldn't make a decision like that unless i got to know him, so he did a study abroad at another university in my city and that summer asked my dad for my hand in marriage the old fashioned way...my dad of course kicked him out of the house and the poor boy slept in our garden (while my dad kept turning on the sprinklers). My stepmother eventually talked my dad into not calling the police and invited him in to talk.

my dad still said no, but also said it was my decision in the end...and 2 yrs later i said yes and had my dads blessing...unfortunately for me, i couldn't find a job so i had to move to london after the wedding because that's where my husband was working. I ended up doing another degree and am now pregnant with his son.

BUMPING to see if any of you have popped yet!??!

Bump. Anyone still here? Really useful topic, which I have just discovered.

Like FenLondon and PregnantPenguin I am a kiwi, been living here about 5 years, first baby due Sep 08. Penguin, have you popped yet?

I have weekly phone calls with my sister in NZ that go on for hours (thanks Skype!) and these are a great help.

Would be interested to hear others' views on advantages and disadvantages of family being far away...

Eandz, I met you on the due Sep 08 thread. Really sorry to hear about the horrible treatment of your previous miscarriage - I had no idea . Sending hugs and best wishes.

Ponymum - I know what you mean about skype - it's my lifeline to the uk!!

I have to say one advantage of living far from family is that you don't get all their comments on your parenting style constantly. My sister does ring me up regularly with "advice" but has no idea of whether I apply it or not.

eandz - Full marks to your dh for persistence! I'm most impressed!

Well, I should be announcing a birth soon (I've just had a show and contractions are coming on...!)

Hi, I had my second son (Fraser) on the 7th of June. I ended up forgetting about this thread in all the fuss and have just been posting on my June thread.

Fraser's doing really well and the birth was much easier than for DS1. We've still got family here for another week and a bit (had MIL for 3 weeks and now my parents) and then I'm a bit nervous about being on our own - two kids is a lot more work than one...

Congratulations, aberdeen hiker! A warm welcome to Fraser and I hope he's still doing well.

I've just given birth to my second child, a little girl this time, Louisa. She's absolutely gorgeous and I'm a very proud mum!

I also had an easier birth this time - 12 hours the first time, and only 2 and a half this time, and a lot less painful.

alexpolismum - congrats! I think this thread might be dead, but on the off chance you're still checking it I wanted to say that 5x faster is impressive!

Hi,
Is anyone new on this thread? I'm Australian - in London due Dec. Get in touch if anyone around!

Hi all - is this still an active thread? I'm from the UK, living in Sweden and my husband is Greek! All a bit confusing - the poor kid will have to deal with all these languages!!

We've still not decided about passport etc. Probably will go with British and Greek.

bump

And I'm writing on a dead thread. But I wanted to see how it was getting on. Haven't been on here much I have to admit.

Congrats to all those who have had their babies! I had a baby girl on 24th June named Marlowe. We just "americanised" her yesterday, which got me thinking about this thread.

Will anyone ever post here again?

I'll keep checking. I want to know how everyone is getting on with family so far away and being in a new country.

Hi! I'm an American postgraduate student (I call the San Francisco Bay Area home) who has just arrived in London to study child development at the Anna Freud Centre. I'm ISO a family with a newborn (under 1 month now) or due to be born in November who would allow me to observe their infant at home for 1 hour a week until June (minus school holidays) to learn about normal infant development. Are there any American or other expat families who may be willing to volunteer? I would be so appreciative! Please contact me at [email protected] or call 077 8794 4583.

Hey, hope to be an expat soon. Emigrating to Canada, fingers crossed, next summer. Just waiting for some embassy stuff to go through. Got an 8 Month old son who with any luck will not have a horrible London accent..