New Zealand and visitors

I have so much to blog about! December flew by! The New Zealand trip started off rocky, Quantas once again gave me problems about bringing the car seat on the plane(we bought a seat for Caleb). So much so that the plane was delayed. They claimed that the car seat was not Australia standard, it lacked a sticker that they needed. When I questioned them further they said that only Australian car seats are allowed on the plane. But after fighting them about it, they let me bring it on. Since the flight was delayed, we missed our connecting flight in Sydney and had to be put on a different flight. Once Caleb and I arrived in New Zealand it was fine. We stayed in Rotorua, a geothermal town. We went to geothermal sites, saw a geyser go off, visited a Indigenous village, and went to a zoo. Caleb had a hard time sleeping in the pack and play at the hotel, but he was great during the day. It was a nice trip until the flight back to Canberra when once again Quantas refused the car seat. This time they did not allow us to bring it on the plane. I am in the process now of trying to get a refund for Caleb's seat on that flight. I have flown with Quantas 5 times now and every time they have given me issues about the car seat. So I have decided not to fly with them again. Virgin Blue also does the same flight from Canberra to Sydney so I will use them in the future.

2 days after we got home from NZ Marc and Betty came to visit. It was wonderful having them here! We took them to Jervis Bay, a beach about 3 hours north of us. It was a bit chilly when we went, but we had a great time. The beach was beautiful and it was nice exploring a new area with them.

We also celebrated Christmas with them. We had a big turkey dinner on Christmas Eve and opened stockings. On Christmas Caleb was spoiled with lots of gifts. He got a sandbox from Marc and Betty, a tricycle from my parents, books, play food, a train and dump truck from us. That does not include the gifts from friends and family! Needless to say he had a great day! It was so great to spend it with family. We skyped with my parents in the morning so they could see Caleb open their gifts. The rest of the day we all spent relaxing and enjoying each others company.

On the 26th we went up to Sydney. We took the train which we found was not so easy with Caleb. He wanted to get up and walk around the whole time. Since we had 4 people, we all took turns walking and playing with him. In Sydney we went to the opera house, saw the harbour bridge, went to the aquarium and zoo. It was really nice being in the city, Brian and I like the city much more than the country and Canberra is not really a city at all. Caleb was a bit sick of traveling by the time we got to Sydney and acted out some. But again, with Marc and Betty there it was much easier to handle.

When we got back we tried to show Marc and Betty some of Canberra. We took them to Tidbinbilla, the nature reserve behind our house to see kangaroos, Questacon, Caleb's swim lesson, the U.S. Embassy, and to some local parks. It was a really wonderful trip. They were here for 18 days and it went so quickly! I kept telling them I was not ready for them to leave. Caleb loved spending time with them, when he woke up in the morning and from nap the first thing he would say was "Grandma, pa pa?". He loved trying the scare them, sing songs, and read books with them. We were all really sad to drop them off at the airport this morning.

January is a very boring month in Canberra. Everything has stopped for the school holidays. So no swim lessons, library time, nor play group. It is actually very odd to me. Some stores and restaurants will be closed for the entire month. But I guess it is good for them to have a break. Caleb and I will have to search to find things to keep us busy.

Our next family visitors will be in May when the baby comes. On that note, we find out the sex on Thursday! We are very excited! I have already been feeling the baby move around some, mainly after I have eaten or am laying in bed. I have definitely popped and the recent heatwave has not been fun. I am dreading the heat of January and February with my extra insulation. Other than that, the pregnancy is going well, so far no problems or issues! I will blog again after we find out the sex to let you all know!