Living in America 2012--Because It Is No Longer 2011

[MmeBucket]

This is what happens when I start threads--they get stupid titles. Someone else needs to start the next one. Hopefully we can get this one filled by 2013.

Link to old thread for reference

Not much happening here. The kids have been off school for 25 days. I am soooo looking forward to them starting school tomorrow. Except it is my day to help, so instead of getting a break from my two, I'll have 22 of them to deal with.

Oh I'm so jealous of you both. Despite awful SPD, tiredness etc I do love late pregnancy

awww! You can have mine, Girl! Call me in 8 or 9 weeks - heck, I'll even do childbirth. I remember thinking the day after a 22 hour labour "well, that wasn't as bad as being pregnant!" - I like feeling the kicks - that's IT. I feel so bloody drained all the time, plus the heartburn, the swollen feet and fingers - urgh. Thank goodness children are worth it! :)

Hi. Can I join in? We recently moved to Ramsey, NJ.

Yeah in fairness I was lucky and even though second time round I had pretty crippling SPD I just loved feeling the constant wriggles, hugging my bump - luckily never suffered from heartburn, swollen anything, was pretty tired (especially when DH buggered off to America for 2.5 weeks, missing DS' birthday and came back when I was 38weeks....knackered does not describe it!) but I loved it.

One of the lucky ones for labour too . You can keep colicky newborns though...

Welcome Cat....starting to feel like there's only me NOT in NJ! Where is everyone?!

Hello to TheCat and welcome to booootiful NJ! I've just google-mapped Ramsey and I see you're 'up there' - we have friends in Fort Lee and I used to live on the Upper West Side and then relatively far north in Hoboken, but now live right down near Edison, NJ - so we're a fair bit further south. Doesn't mean there couldn't be a central-ish nj Meetup though ( I haven't worked out what this looks like, unless it's 'take our kids to the Ikea by Newark Airport and let them run riot' - mmn plan needs refining!) How old are your DCs? Are you here for work? How are you finding it so far? Did you expect the Spanish inquisition?! :)

It's completely gorgeous here today - I can't get over how unseasonably warm it is - as I don't have a maternity coat atm it can last as long as it likes! I can just still do up my fleece over the bump, and I've ordered a puffa jacket from Old Navy which will do me through to Jan, I imagine.

We should do a NJ meet up - but after my exams! Welcome to NJ TheCat.

Girl I can't stand late pregnancy. I am doing everything I can this time to avoid the weight gain. So far at 23 weeks I have gained 5lbs. The obn said this would help with reducing the risk of getting preclampsia again. The drugs they gave me for the preclampsia were horrible. I was aware that I was loopy on them and then I had a baby blues on day 3. The mix was just horrible. The CS was horrendous at the time but lucky memories fade.

blackcurrants It is beautiful weather at the moment. I dropped DD off at daycare this morning and took the back roads back home. The windows were down and the wind was blowing through my hair. Twas lovely! I need to get a coat that I can wear for work now that I am going back to work. I don't think a puffa jacket will cut it but I saw something a bit smarter on the old navy website. I also need to get another 2 or 3 dresses from destination maternity. Will go for the motherhood maternity instead of pea pod stuff as I think this will be our last.

Want2b I do feel for you, and know I was very lucky - def found DC2 more of a struggle than DC1 one though, yet another reason for not having a 3rd. Just think of that amazing newborn smell you'll get to hibernate with though....stop it! My ovaries are aching!

Won't mean anything to anyone else but it's cooled a bit now which means I can start to enjoy a slight feeling of autumn (ie long sleeved t-shirts instead of vest tops!) but back up to 28degrees this weekend just in time for my best friend arriving.

Much as I'm romanticising London in the fog and fairylights, mulled wine in front of log fires, brisk cycle rides through an icy city, this SoCal weather is going to be very hard to eventually leave behind!

I believe you, Girl :) I find the humidity and mosquitoes a bit of a downer here in the summer time, but I love, love, love the bright sunshine - it's even bright in the winter - I get a lot less gloomy when it's not short, overcast days!

Went into the city today, which was nice, but my feet are now ENORMOUS and aching. Going to take the dog round the block (poor girl, deserves better) and then put my feet up for a bit and read until DH and DS get home.

Well bless you all. Reading all this I am so glad my days of childbearing are done! What a relief

California I quite liked breastfeeding - it was always very snuggly and seeing the 'milk-drunk' face was wonderful. . . DS never was a good sleeper (still finds it very hard to switch off at 2 1/2) and I'm hoping this one is a bit calmer, but he was a very cheerful baby. We didn't have to deal with colic or anything like it, thank heavens (specially thankful as I was back at work when he was 6 weeks old, so colic might have just killed me!).

I'm looking forward to the froggy newborn stage a bit, looking forward to introducing DS to the baby, and all that jazz. Mostly, though, I'm looking forward to not being pregnant any more. Ever. EVER.
Both my siblings have 3 kids each. A few people, on learning we're having 2 boys, said "oh, maybe a girl next time!" all smiley, and I say "No" with a steely glare "Definitely only 2 children. Definitely."

"Oooh well!" says my Dmum, coyly, "you never know."

Erm, yes I do, Mum. I'm researching sterilization options at 7 months pregnant. I think I do know :)

Hello again. Blackcurrants, I nearly went into the city today, but then decided to do gardening instead. I'm feeling old now!

So, in answer to your question, (and without outing myself, as there are very few Brits living here, as opposed to where I lived before), I have 4 children, who are spread across Elementary, Middle and High school. I have lived in the US for 5+ years, all of which have been in the Tristate area. We now have GCs so our new place is where we are making our home.

And finally, having moved to a completely new town (for a variety of reasons), I am really missing the support system I spent the last 5 years building up! So, for the first time since I've lived here, I feel a bit homesick, although I think I'm homesick for our last town, as opposed to the UK!

By the way, GC is Green Card, not Grandchildren!!

Oooh I know what you mean about homesick for your support.system, when we left Hoboken I left all my pregnancy-and-new-baby friends behind.and I still miss them! I hope your dc are settling into schools etc ok.

I miss that support network more than anything else. I had literally hundreds of friends who would help out, thanks to my mum I was able to continue working etc etc. only positive is that my closest mum friends have all moved away from our area in London too now!

Lack of support is the hardest part.
With the first child I had one friend I had known here in the US for only a year, she was my lifeline, and dragged me to La Leche league meetings with a newborn. She was wonderful.
Baby #2 we had moved, I had two casual friends, we found out #2 was on his way on Ds#1 first day of Kindergarten, they threw me a baby shower, and were really nice. Friend from baby #1 even drove an hour to see me daily after coming from the hospital. Due to Dh getting the usual US leave i.e. none! He got a day off to bring me home. No vacation days allowed and me with a 5 year old and a new born after a c-section What a mess.
By #3 I had a wonderful circle of friends we met for coffee in each others homes every week, and Dd was our coffee day baby who was passed around and everyone got broody.
Keep looking for friends they are out there somewhere. All mine were transplants to this area, we met though the school, the locals I got friendly with were through work and only one has become a good friend.

Tell me about it... I am away for most of November and DH has his exams the week after Thanksgiving. I also have an exam the day before Thanksgiving. With the disaster that was last weekend I need to get someone in to look after DD while I study. If I was in the UK my Dad or a friend would take her.

I am fine with daycare but I couldn't leave DD anywhere else. She can't talk at 15 months so a much higher level of trust is required. I have asked two of my neighbours if their babysitter/nanny wants some extra work. My other neighbour has asked the coordinator in her younger sons room at the local daycare if she is interested.

Anyway - I have an annual membership for sittercity. PM me if you need to bring help in. I found the most excellent help last year on there. She was a student teacher working in the local school. She was lovely and excellent with DD. Very happy she got a job in a good school district but I do miss her because I could trust her. I am thinking of getting an aupair in as a helper at weekends and 3-4 evenings a week but DH doesn't want anyone living with us.

Evening ladies

Sorry for being awol, have been so busy this week (and we're still surrounded by boxes!). It's great being in our new house, even with all the unpacking still to do. It feels like home already. And I went to my first yard sales today! They were great! For the princely sum of $19 I got 2 cool mismatched bedside lamps, a gorgeous table lamp, a lovely hall mirror and a cool vintage tin Tonka trucks box (which was full of something I'd never heard of called Lincoln Logs which also look fun). I could get a addicted to yard sales!

In non-moving news, we're on day 2 of potty training and it's going well, bar the odd wee on the (wooden) floor. No poo in the potty yet (so that's, er, something to look forward to!). And we're battening down the hatches for Sandy the Frankenstorm. We have a stream at the end of our yard, so the risk of flooding is quite high (neighbours' cars have floated in the past!) so will move things up high in the basement and park the car on the street. Now I just hope that I don't eat all the Halloween candy between now and Wed (I've already demolished most of a bag of 3 musketeers bars ).

And my Green Card also arrived this week. So what with that and my social security card I just need to get a NJ driver's licence and I'll be all set!

TheCat welcome! Great to have a fellow NJ-ite. I've lived in NJ for the grand total of a week but my DH is originally from Southern NJ so have lots of family here.

So, fellow NJ-ites, I'd happily host a meet up. I'm central-ish (Maplewood), and plenty of toys to keep small people happy and coffee/teaor gin for the grown ups. You can also see trains from our living room (we're close to the train station and tracks), there's a park/playground at the end of our road alongside a fire station that usually has fire trucks driving in or out. So not quite the dizzy heights of Newark Int'l but plenty to keep small people amused! Also very easy for any NYers who fancy a trip in from Penn Station (40 mins away). Am flexible in terms of weekends vs week days (although the next few weekends are taken up with family stuff, including a Guy Fawkes bonfire this Sat!). Let me know if you're interested in a meet up and I'll PM you

MEET UP! MEET UP! YEAAAH!

I mean, ahem, tell me more :)

I just made an insane amount of banana bread (had a lot of overripe bananas) - and NOW I feel sooo ready for the storm! :)

Well done at the yardsale Flip. My boys loved Lincoln logs when they were little. Great timeless toy.
Mmmm I love banana bread.
Stay safe in the frankenstom all you east coasters, we are warming up over here, 81 today.

Hello! Have meant to contribute to this thread for ages, but Sandy has finally made me do so! We are in coastal CT, on Long Island Sound, have had an evacuation order, but DH, in his infinite wisdom, has decided that we should stay here, at least for tonight. Fine here at the mo, but weird that most of the neighbours have left!!

Thinking of everyone on the East Coast over the next week - we have had 2 major storms here in Houston since we lived here - once evacuated, once stayed put. The worst part is afterwards when you have no power, no safe drinking water, can't charge your cellphone...
Howdoo do not underestimate your journey if you evacuate tomorrow (perhaps that's why your neighbours have left) - it took us over four hours to drive to the airport (a 45 minute journey) because we had to drive 3 or 4 miles on a highway of evacuating traffic.
Beautiful cool weather here this weekend - I've had my windows open [hsmile].
Remembers Hurricane Ike. 11 days with no electricity. Just saying.
Goodness, writing this has just made me remember what I actually did on that highway of non-moving traffic. I got out of the car, and pleaded with someone to let us pull in front of them, so that we could change into the empty lane (heading towards the airport) on their left hand side, promising them that we weren't going to go in front of them and stay in front of them. H and kids were very embarrassed with me until I got a space opened up in the traffic. [hblush]

Haven't checked in here in a while. Hope all you East-coasters are okay and keeping safe.

We had a great trip to the UK but a month was more than enough. It's great to be home and we're loving pumpkins, Halloween and Fall (well Northern California's version of Fall).

I haven't posted in ages but just wanted to wish that everyone on the East Coast stays safe and well and the hurricane doesn't do too much damage. Best wishes from Oregon (where the snow has already started!)

Hope you're all ok on the east coast, thinking of you all (and reminding myself to get an earthquake kit together)
Xx