New beginnings in a new country!

So here I am again in another country trying to navigate a new city.  We were in Maryland for 1 year after Australia.  I will write a post about that later.
We arrived in Bogota last Wednesday after a teary good-bye with our parents.  This time we needed 2 cars to take us to the airport.  The man who checked us in was amazing.  My suitcase was overweight by 20 pounds and we were willing to pay extra but he talked us into re-arrainging, even after we were about 3 pounds over, but he did not charge us.  We had 4 suitcases, 3 duffle bags, a diaper bag, and 3 car seats.  He helped us get all out stuff in order and where it needed to be.
On the first flight to Miami, Caleb got sick and threw up.  I don't remember much else about that flight. Then it was 3.5 hours to Bogota.  That flight went ok, but we found out after we got off that Elias had made a huge mess of his diaper and needed a complete change of outfit.  When we finally arrived we were all exhausted.  The only thing that did not show up was the base of Oliver's car seat.  I have called the airline rep several times and I think it is gone for good.
Luckily this time we went straight from the airport to our apartment.  It is a wonderful apartment, 4 bedrooms, each with it's own bathroom, and a den that we will make into a playroom.  It is in a really nice area of town called chico.  We are in walking distance to 2 parks and a ton of restaurants and cafes.  I will post pictures of the apartment later.
Bogota is situated  in the Andes mountains and is 1.5 miles above sea level.  Ollie and I were hit with altitude sickness.  The day after we arrived I got a migraine and nausea.  Luckily it did not hit until evening so Brian was able to look after the boys.  We were not sure how it hit Ollie, but he refused to sleep in his crib for 2 nights.  He would just scream!  He has had the hardest transition by far.
Once I recovered from the altitude sickness, I really started to enjoy city living.  I love being able to walk to everything.  I am trying to find a preschool for Caleb that is walking distance also.  I will post more on that one later too.
We will be here for 2 years.  I am looking forward to what adventures there are to come here!

Last days. .

In 8 days we get on a plane and head back to the States.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  I think about when we arrive and how much our lives have changed in the last 2 years.  Caleb was 17 months and we we leave Elias will be 13 months.  Elias will be in the clothes that Caleb wore when we left the States.

I am incredibly sad about leaving Canberra.  We have had an amazing tour.  If it were not for our family being so far away, I would consider moving here.  There are definitely things that get on my nerves here, but on the whole it is a perfect place to raise a family.  The thing I will miss the most are the relationships that we have formed since being here.  We found a wonderful church that has taken great care of our family.  As Christians we are called to be servants and Tuggeranong Presbyterian Church is an example of how to serve.  As a church they took care of our family while we were growing as a family, they took care of Caleb as he started Sunday School, they have taken care of me spiritually through the woman's Bible study, and given me a breather and time to remember who I am at MOPS.  I will miss this church immensely.

Today was the boys last day at Appletree, the daycare centre that they attend on Thursday mornings.  They are in occasional care which means that I would call every Thursday morning to get them in for the next week.  It got a bit stressful trying to get Elias in, but the care they received was wonderful.  The toddler teachers took to Caleb straight away and even when he was out of their room they would go out of their way to say hello to him and engage him in conversation.  The preschool teachers were not as open to Caleb at first.  But he won them over in the end and they all were very sad to see him go today.

Caleb's last swim lesson is Saturday.  It is amazing how far he has come in his lessons.  He started out in parent-assisted lessons and now he goes by himself with the teacher.  He can float on his back, go underwater and swim through a hoop, jump in the pool to a noodle, and kick across the pool on a kick board.  I am so proud of my little fish!

Monday will be our last playgroup.  This has been such a wonderful way for Caleb, Elias, and I to make friends.  We have had so much fun playing at the cottage, seeing sheep being shorn, going to a petting farm, playing baseball and duck, duck, goose with the other kids, having play dates, and going out to dinner with the other mums.  I so wish that the US had a playgroup association the way that Australia does.  This was a true lifesaver for me when we first moved.

Finally tomorrow will be our last Friday with the Pierces.  April and I have become such wonderful friends and I will miss her enormously.  Our time here would not have been the same if they had not been posted here as well.

There of course are things I will not miss about Canberra.  Here is the short list; shopping carts that go straight, they all move at a 45 degree angle, so you either have to walk slanted or move the cart slanted. Getting any service done on your car, even an oil change takes 3 hours.  The lack of variety in food, in our area you can get Turkish, Thai, or Indian.  The short hours of the mall, it closes at 5:30pm, but if you actually want to buy something before it closes you really have to be there at 5, because by 5:30 they have all closed up and are on their way home.  Only grocery stores and restaurants are open later.  But don't try to buy food from a restaurant between lunch and dinner, they will be closed and open back up at 5:30.

Those of course are small annoyances.  The beauty of Canberra, Australia, and the people far outweigh any of those things. There is no traffic here.  The mountains that surround Canberra are beautiful and I never get over the views just driving around.  Looking out for cows and kangaroos outside our neighbourhood, and the amazing beaches.  Every beach here (that we have been to) is outstanding, the water is clear, the sand is clean, and it is never crowded.  

I will miss you Canberra.  

Happy Birthday!

Whoops, it has been 5 months since my last post!  I am going to blame this on Elias.  Since he cut down to 2 naps I don't get a nap time anymore which was when I would blog.  So when Caleb goes down, I normally get Elias up.  So here is a bit of what is going on with us!

Caleb turned 3 in February.  We had his party at the fun factory, an indoor play place with a ball pit, climbing structures, jumping castle, etc.  He had a blast.  He invited some friends and we all had a good time.

My parents came to visit at the end of March and stayed for 3 weeks.  We went to Port Douglas (in Queesnland, far north of here) with them.  We went snorkling in the great barrier reef, went on a river cruise and saw salt water crocodiles, and to the beach.  It was the end of the rainy season, so it rained daily, but it we did everything we wanted to there.

Two weekends ago we went to the bateman's bay for the last time.  It is a beach 2 hours from here.  We stayed in a bed and breakfast that we had been to twice before.  It was a nice getaway for a day.

Yesterday Elias turned 1!  I can't believe how fast this year went!  We had a family over that we are close with to celebrate.  I made his favorite foods, a cake, and some cupcakes.  Elias loves anything sweet, so I was pretty certain he would love the cupcake and he did!
Elias has 3 teeth now, 2 on the bottom and 1 on top.  He is an incredibly slow teether, and it takes weeks for a tooth to break through.  So I am dreading the next top tooth to come in.  He is walking, but just barely.  He took his first steps at 11 months, but does not seem to be in a hurry to walk.  He will walk a few steps between me and Brian or from the table to me.  But I still think it will be awhile until his is really walking.  He is content to crawl.  He is babbling all the time, but does not have any words yet.  I think he says hi and bye, but I am not completely sure.  He loves his big brother and finds everything he does fascinating.  Whatever Caleb is playing with Elias wants and will make a huge fuss until he gets a turn.  He is incredibly determined and will not be distracted until he has what he wants.  But he is still so happy.  He loves to smile and laugh.  He even fake laughs now.  Caleb loves to make Elias laugh, so Elias is always giving Caleb his fake laugh now, haha!

Caleb is still my goofy boy.  He is completely potty trained (except at night, but I think we have a long time before that happens).  He loves sports, especially baseball.  He plays baseball with anything,  flyswatter and balloon, a shovel and watering can, he can make anything a bat and ball.  He also still loves music and has decided that when he gets older he is going to play the trumpet, guitar, and drums. He no longer naps, but is happy to have quiet time in his room.  He goes to daycare once and week and loves it.  He has learned to peddle a tricycle there and drink out of a cup well.  He has a wonderful relationship with Brian and when Brian travels he is incredibly emotional.  But I love that the relationship they have!

We have less than 6 weeks left in Australia.  We leave June 27.  I have mixed feelings about leaving.  But I will save that for another post.  Hopefully the boys will nap at the same time again another day so I can keep blogging!  Elias is trying to switch to 1 nap a day, but is doing a horrible job of it.  So who knows.  .  

it's been awhile. .

I just noticed my last blog was in November, so I better start updating!  So here is what has been going on with us since then.

In the beginning of December Brian's parents came over for a visit, their 3rd time.  They spent a few days here in Canberra while Brian was in Wellington (a huge help!!) and then we all flew together to meet up with Brian in New Zealand.  The flight down was crazy.  We almost missed our flight out of Sydney which we only made by running through the terminal.  We did not realize that Air New Zealand made you pay for checked baggage, so we had to pay before they would give you a boarding pass, this of course took forever!  With 10 minutes before the time to board we still had to go through security and get to our gate (Sydney is a very large airport).  So once we got through security Betty, Marc, the boys and I took off.  Marc had 3 bags, Betty had 1 bag, I was pushing Caleb in a trolley and holding Elias as we are all running and Caleb is screaming and crying "I don't want to be in a trolley!"  I am sure we were quite a sight!  But we did make the flight and were the last ones on the plane.

We spent a night in Christchurch and then flew to Queenstown where we rented a van and drove to Te Anau.  We went to Milford Sound and then drove back to Queenstown.  It is beautiful.  I am so glad we made the trip together.  We said good-bye to Marc and Betty at the Sydney airport.  It was great seeing them again!

The glaciers at Milford Sound, New Zealand

We had Christmas just the 4 of us but were able to skype with my family and Brian's family.  It was kind of nice just having it on our own.  Caleb was very excited this year.  It was the first year he understood the holiday and was very excited for Santa to come!  We had friends over on Boxing day (the 26th) to help us eat the turkey we got from Costco.  It was huge, 19lbs and I got the smallest one they had!

Caleb Christmas morning, "Santa brought me cashews!"

New Year's Eve is not exciting for us anymore, so I will kind of skip it.  Because we have small children who don't sleep in it is not worth staying up, so Brian and I were in bed by 10:30.  I am sure the day will come when we will stay up again, but I don't think it will be anytime soon!

After the new year started we began potty training Caleb.  This was our 3rd attempt and he was finally ready!  It really only took a couple of days and he was done!  I bought a great book on Amazon that Caleb really loved and that made all the difference.  Plus he will be 3 next month.

Elias is 8 months now.  He is trying very hard to be independent.  He wants to feed himself and crawl, but he can't do either yet.  I give him chucks of banana, puffs, and cheerios to feed himself, but he doesn't yet have the ability to eat other whole foods so mealtimes are a battle.  We both get very frustrated.  He is also trying very hard to move.  He loves to stand, but cannot pull up yet.  But he will hold on to my leg or the coffee table and try to cruise a bit.  He also gets up on his knees and rocks.  I think he will be crawling soon.  He is sleeping 10-11 hours at night and recently went to 2 naps a day, each 1.5 - 2 hours.  I am thankful for a good sleeper!

Elias, 8 months, loves to stand!

I joined a gym after the new year.  I have wanted to in the past but the cost has always stopped me.  But  I am struggling with baby weight from Elias so I sucked it up and joined.  My gym membership in MD was $29 a month.  Here it is $100 a month.  That does not include childcare, which is $5 per kid per session (each session is 2 hours).  So I try to go when Brian is home or while they are in occasional care and at most put them in the creche once a week.  I keep telling myself my health is worth the money.

Last weekend we went to Merimbula for MLK weekend.  It is the 3rd beach we have been to here.  The other beaches we went to were north of Canberra, whereas this one is 3 hours south.  It was very beautiful.  It was nice to get away for a few days.  Caleb loves the ocean!  He ran in and out of the water and built sand castles.  Elias loved people watching while tasting the sand.  A good time had by all :)

I will try to blog more soon!

Presidential visit and Marine Corps Birthday Ball

 

As most of you know we got to meet President Obama!  We knew that he was coming for awhile and Brian was very busy at work as the embassy prepared for his visit.  This was the 3rd time he has tried to come to Australia.  As a part of his trip he set aside time to come to the embassy and speak.  We sent in an RSVP about a week ahead of time to let the embassy know that we were planning on attending the meet and greet.  The day of the meet and greet, Caleb, Elias and I arrived very early.  We knew there would be an area where you could stand to maybe get to shake the President's hand.  So for the first hour, we stood in line to get in the embassy.  We had to go through the secret service security, there was a long lis of things you are not allowed to bring.  Because we go there so early we got a spot right at the ropes.  There we stood for 2 hours.  Brian was not pleased with me!  We had a small bag of snacks and toys to entertain the boys.  Elias took a small nap while Brian was holding him.  Caleb played with the book and cars we brought for him.  It is amazing how resourceful you can be in a small area when you need to be.  I even nursed Elias in this small area (yes there were people all around).  I just sat down and covered up.  By the 2 hour mark Caleb was getting tired and anxious.  It was not an overly hot day, but since it was midday the sun was very strong.  Brian was wearing a suit and always holding 1 of the boys, so he was very hot!  By the time Obama came out, Caleb was done and started crying.  Obama was about 1/2 hour late!  The ambassador spoke for a couple of minutes and then Obama spoke.  I can't remember a lot of his speech, I was holding Caleb and trying to calm him down.  But he did thank the families for moving to support the embassy workers and I appreciated that.  Then the moment of truth came!  Obama came to shake hands.  He first went to an area of kids who were chosen to meet him and then he came to our area.  When he got to us he was shaking Elias hand and I just kind of thrust Elias at him! haha!  I don't know if he wanted to hold Elias or not, but I had it in my mind that he was going to!  When I saw him coming I gave the camera to Brian and right when Obama went to turn Elias around, our memory card filled up!  I have not used the small camera for months and head not checked it ahead of time!  After he shook our hands and gave Elias back we went to get water and wait until we could leave.  Both boys took a good nap that afternoon.  Which was good because then we had to find someone who got a picture of Obama with Elias!  I emailed the CLO (the person who arranged the meet and greet) to ask if their photographer had gotten the shot and she said he was blocked.  So I asked Brian to put out a mass email asking if anyone got a picture of a baby in a red hat with the president.  Luckily 5 people wrote back and we got 4 pictures!  But now Elias is known as the baby in the red hat! :)

Last weekend was also the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  Brian promised me that while we were here we would go once.  He did not want to go last year, so he had to fulfill his promise this year.  It was a great time!  I had to buy a formal dress which was no easy feat here.  But I found a store in the city that sold formalwear  and they had great customer service, so it was not too bad.  A lady from my church offered to do my hair.  She did it in a french twist with some curled bits on top.  Another lady from church offered to watch the boys.  It was really cool seeing the Marine Ball traditions, seeing the colors come in, watching them cut the cake with a sword, feeling ancient as the youngest Marine ate it.  The food was good and I got to do some dancing.  Not with Brian of course, he does not like to dance :)  It was a very late night and I still have not recovered in sleep.  But it was really nice to get all dressed up and go out with my hubby!

Although these were both uniquely American experiences, neither would have happened for us if we were not in Australia.  Obama does not do meet and greets in Gaithersburg, MD and Brian is not a part of the armed forces so we would not have a chance to go to the Marine Corps Ball.  So, thanks to our posting here we got to celebrate and appreciate our American culture more than if we were in America!  

happy 6 month birthday Elias!

Tomorrow (11/17) Elias will be 6 months old!  It has gone so fast!  I took him to the pediatrician yesterday and he was 16 lb 2 oz and 24.5 inches.  The pediatrician does not want to see him again until before we move, he will be 13.5 months.  He looks much chunkier than he is.  When the doctor first saw him yesterday he said "wow, what a boofer (Aussie slang for chunky).  But when he weighed and measured him, he said "wait, he is not a boofer at all!"  He is in the 25th percentile for weight and 3rd for height.  He has only grown 2 centimeters since he was 3 months.  I am a bit concerned that he is not growing taller, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I am just praying for a growth spurt!

He can roll over both ways and loooooves to roll.  He will roll from one end of the room to the other and then back again!  He is working on sitting up, but he is not quite there yet.
He is eating solid food.  He started on rice cereal 2 weeks ago and loves it.  He is up to 2 servings a day of 2 ounces each.  This week he had his first veggie, zucchini, which he also loved!  I think he is going to be a very good eater!

He is cooing and talking all the time and loves to be held.  He also is getting quite attached to me.  If he is playing on the floor and I walk past and don't pick him up, he will whine until I do.  I am trying to enjoy that attention now, because I know that in a couple of months he will become a daddy's boy like Caleb.  Caleb is by far his favorite toy!  Whenever Caleb is around he will reach out for him and he loves the attention Caleb gives him.  If Caleb is around he will watch whatever he is doing, it is like t.v. for him!  What crazy things will my big brother do now!  Caleb is still very good with him.  He loves to give Elias toys and he likes to feed him as well.  I am thinking though there might be some trouble when Elias can crawl and get Caleb's toys.  Caleb already gets annoyed when Elias kicks his books while nursing.

Although Elias had a rough start he is very healthy now.  His reflux went away at around 4 1/2 months and his milk protein intolerance went away at about 5 months.

Elias is a very happy baby.  He loves to smile and laugh.  After the doctor shared his concerns about Elias' growth he said he was not overly concerned because he is such a happy guy.  I am very blessed to have such a sweet baby boy!  Happy 6 month Birthday Elias!

Our day by the numbers

After reading some of my friend's blogs I was inspired to chronicle our day.  So this was our day.

11/10/11 - Today's date

5:00am - Elias first feeding of the day 

6:30am - Brian gets up

7:00am - I got up

7:40am - Brian leaves for work

7:45am - Elias woke up

8:05am - Caleb woke up

6:15pm - Brian got home from work

8:00pm - Caleb went to bed

9:20pm - Elias went to bed

10:15pm - Brian and I went to bed

3 - times Brian got up with Caleb or Elias - it rained last night and the storm woke Caleb and Elias needed the pacifier and to be reswaddled twice.

32 months - Caleb's age

5 months - Elias' age

8 - times I fed Elias, (6 times nursed, 2 servings of rice cereal)

4 - times I fed Caleb (breakfast - cheerios with milk, 1/2 banana  snack - granola bar  lunch - chicken, carrots, blueberries  dinner - green beans, roasted potatoes, carrots, he was offered meat, but refused)

8 - diapers I changed

17 - the number of songs Caleb sang but

31 - the amount of times he sang - the song he sang the most, Dr. Knickerbocker number 9 (the Wiggles)

10 - times Caleb said "I be silly!"

2 - times Caleb sent himself to his room -yes I wrote that right, he disciplines himself when he is angry with me!  

9 - hugs Caleb gave Elias

8 - books we read to Caleb and Elias but

12- times the books were read, normally Caleb has us read each book twice 

3 - times Elias rolls over during tummy time (he had tummy time 3 times today so he rolled 9 times today).  He can roll both ways, but always gets very upset when he finds himself on his tummy again!

22 - letters Caleb identified while we were cleaning up his magnet letters (he missed L, V, Y, Z - not bad for a 2 year old!)

10 - numbers he identified - at first he missed 6, he mixes it up with 9.

4 - times Elias spit up on me, this is not the amount he spit up in total, just on me!

3 - naps Elias took for 3 hours in total

1 - nap Caleb took for 2 1/2 hours (this is not normal, it is the first nap he took all week!)

2 - loads of laundry got washed and dried but only

1 - load was folded and put away, the other is in the dryer. 

1 - new skill Elias did today, he started blowing raspberries!  He is so cute!

unmeasurable - the number of times Caleb and Elias smiled or laughed today.  They both smile and laugh all day long, there is no way to keep count!