Emotional Snow Day

I was just about ready to leave for work this morning when Ross pulled up the blinds to reveal flurries of snow. Ordinarily I would have admired the beauty of the frosty scenery outside and felt a sense of childish glee about getting to walk to work in snowy conditions (something I could only dream of growing up in sunny SoCal). My reaction today, however, was somewhat different...

As I waddled to work with driving snow in my face (and I mean driving because of course snow in Scotland would come accompanied by strong Arctic winds- the kind that makes the weatherman say, 'it will be 0 but it feels like -5), I cried.

Okay, I'll be the first to admit the tears are probably more a reflection of the fact that I cry about everything these days (thanks crazy pregnancy hormones!), but this week every fiber of my being has been begging Spring to arrive. This is always the hardest time of year for someone whose body has not totally acclimated to the 80% of the year in Scotland that completely lacks sunshine or temperatures above 65. Call it Seasonal Affect Disorder. Call it having thinner blood. Call it being spoiled by years of glorious sunshine. Call it whatever you want, but it is 22nd of March and this girl needs to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin again!

Snow is definitely not what I ordered.

On the positive side, as of today I only have 6 weeks left until I start my maternity leave. Soon the tiny one will be here!

Ross and I had our last antenatal class last night, where we learned how to prevent things like SIDS, got some information on how to care for baby, and were informed how postnatal care works. I am glad that they go over what to expect care-wise because it is so different from what I'd expect in the States. In Scotland, a midwife/health visitor comes to visit you at home the day after you get back from the hospital and at various other points during the first few weeks. The health visitor can refer you to breastfeeding consultants and other medical professionals, many of which will come to you. It will be interesting to experience what this looks like in practice.

We finally ordered our stroller and the crib mattress, despite some faff from our bank, who blocked the order because they thought it was suspicious activity. (Our bank's security measures are seriously ridiculous. What part of ordering a stroller and having it delivered to the billing address is suspicious? Do I really need to start informing the bank of my intended purchases in advance?- I'll stop here before I get myself riled up.) The important thing is that in the end, we got our order in and should have our gear delivered next week. I am looking forward to playing with it all and getting the crib set up! Plus, the control-freak side of me is satisfied knowing that we will shortly have everything ready in case baby decides to show up early.

Any guesses as to when he'll decide to arrive?