random summer 2017 updates.

Summertime was wonderful, but now it's more than officially over and we're heading into Autumn. Here are some random updates before I forget everything:

I'm upped my stay-at-home-mom game and registered Arden for music and swim classes - just the beginning of my journey into tiger motherhood! (Just kidding. I couldn't even if I wanted to.) It's been really great having diverse and exciting activities for her to experience every week. It also keeps me sane, to have some semblance of a weekly schedule. Arden especially loves the stimulation of being around other children, pointing to anyone under the age of 16 and saying "BABY! BABY!" (although one time she pointed at an old man pulling a shopping trolley, so maybe it's time to narrow down her definition of "baby"?).  There are also a bunch of free children's activities to attend every week around the city - playgroup, library song circle, and the State Library of Victoria's "Baby Bounce" which is much less violent than it sounds.

Arden's playgroup buddies.

Sleep remains our biggest issue with Arden. I know that someday we'll look back on these days and wish our parenthood problems were this simple again! But sleep is one of the foundations for general health, and the days are no fun when everyone in the family is rocking some serious eye-bags. Throughout the night, Arden relies on a combination of me nursing her and Ben rocking her to fall asleep, and sometimes she is wide awake for hours at a time (we've seen the moments between 1 and 5am way too many times this year!). This was unfortunate for me earlier this month when Ben spent a week traveling for work...

Arden is still 100% reliant on me for her afternoon nap (yes, we're down to one - and yes, I am probably one of the few mothers who is actually happy about this!), but recently I put my foot down and stopped bouncing her in her baby carrier, as it was giving me some serious physical pain (she's not a 7-pound infant anymore, I guess). So now I currently nurse her continuously for her naps in the glider chair, which isn't quite the "me time" I'd like, but it's a lot easier on my back, feet, shoulders and knees.

Summertime in Melbourne means various city-wide festivals, such as White Night (the now-fourth year of all-night culture and light exhibits), and the Moomba Festival (the Labour Day long weekend festival of rides, games, waterskiing competitions and the Bird Man Rally where people raise money for charity by plunging into the river in elaborate "flying" costumes). White Night is probably my favourite festival ever, with its unique light installations and the concentrated timeframe (7pm-7am!). Although the past two years our experience has been more like "White Twilight". Our baby may rebel against sleep, but we still try to keep a consistent bedtime for her and usually head home at around 9pm.

the Royal Exhibition Hall has the coolest light shows

a water-skier doing some tricks on the Yarra River

Last month, our friends Randall and Liz came to visit us for a week, which was so fun! We weren't sure how Arden would act upon meeting them (for the second time - she first met them when we visited Seattle last year), as sometimes she gets really intimidated by new people and clutches my torso like a terrified koala. But she warmed up surprisingly fast, and within minutes of their arrival she was dancing around with Liz, playing catch, giggling, and knocking down Randall's domino towers in record time.

enjoying the company of her new friends

We tried to show the Yoakums everything we could around our city and beyond, and they were thankfully very game for tons of walking (we racked up a LOT of miles on Liz's FitBit - around 13 miles one day, which is pretty much a half marathon!), a long day of car travel (with a baby that has historically done Very Badly in cars) and all the random stuff that comes up when traveling with kids. We took them to the usual city offerings (Flinders Station, Federation Square, the stadiums, the Shrine of Remembrance, Birrarung Marr, etc.), took trams to St. Kilda and Fitzroy, rode the train to Geelong for a day, and hired a car for a trip to see the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road.

tourists. haha.

watching the windsurfers in St. Kilda

one of the highlights of our great Great Ocean Road road trip!

Having Randall and Liz in town was such a treat. Even though we've gotten to know some really lovely locals here, there's nothing quite like catching up with old friends who hail from back home and share some good history with you (Randall and Ben were roommates in college). Conversation comes naturally, old inside jokes are revived while new ones take root, and Cards Against Humanity is still as hilarious and hysterical as ever - even when you're trying not to wake the baby two rooms over.

As I watched Arden playing with Randall and Liz throughout that week, I felt a bit sad that most of our families won't be able to experience her at this exact age - running around but still a little unsteady on her feet, constantly dancing and asking for "la-la" (that's her word for "music"), learning how to throw plastic balls around the apartment and cuddling her plush toys (her favourites are Deadpool and Pikachu - an eclectic combination). Hopefully our next visit to the States isn't too far off, but by then Arden will be onto the next stage. And hopefully it's not the Terrible Twos...!

our little girl is growing so fast!

CK

summer australian travels 2016.

So far, having a baby hasn't stopped us from taking some pretty big trips, both internationally and domestically. This summer (or winter, depending on where you are!) we got to cross two cities off our "Australian travel" list: Sydney in December, and Perth over the New Year holiday.

our little jet-setter at the airport.

For a more in-depth read about our travels, here are Ben's blog posts for Sydney and Perth. For a less well-thought-out perspective, read on:

Sydney

Sydney and Melbourne have one of those ongoing city rivalries (much like Seattle vs. Portland, I guess? or Boston vs. New York? Gotham vs. Metropolis?) and are always vying for the "Best Australian City" title. So, as a resident of Melbourne, I will choose my words carefully.

Sydney was pretty cool.

Granted, we were only there for a few days and did mostly touristy stuff near the harbour, but we had a wonderful time. I have a weakness for iconic skylines, and Sydney definitely has one of those. Between the opera house, harbour bridge, the tower, and beautiful water everywhere - there's a cool view to see in every direction.

cool view #1

cool view #2

cool view #3: from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Both the Tauranga Zoo and the Royal Botanic Garden had much to offer in terms of animals and plants, and also had beautiful views of the city skyline. I'd definitely recommend those.

We were a bit spoiled during this trip, because my mom came with us and helped out a lot with Arden. She took her during the earlier mornings (adjoining hotel rooms for the win!) and babysat while Ben and I took some walks alone - once across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and an evening stroll to see the waterfront at night.

Sydney has a beautiful waterfront and iconic landmarks - I'm glad we made the trip, and would love to make another one in the future!

Perth

Fun fact: Perth is a big part of why we got married. Seriously.

We had been dating for around two years in 2011, when Ben's job sent him to the world's second most isolated city for a month. When he came back, we had this conversation:

Ben: "I had a great time in Perth! Australia is so cool. I really want to live there, maybe for a few years. And I really want you to come with me."
Candice: "Sounds good to me! But you know that won't fly with my ultra-conservative parents. They're going to want us to get married." (I later confirmed this with them.)
Ben: "..."

 And there you have it. Pretty romantic, right?

One of our daily Skype calls while Ben was in Perth in 2011. He was showing me the blue Australian sky. 

But hey, here we are - married and living abroad in Australia! Everyone wins, sort of.

Our week in Perth was enough time for us to see the touristy stuff, some not-as-touristy stuff, and I even got to spend a few hours by the pool while Ben gave the baby a nap.

the glass bridge in Kings Park

"but Perth, let me take a selfie" - haha I'M SO CLEVER. clever Kortlever. you don't get it? that's ok.

Highlights included Kings Park, Fremantle, and the Perth Zoo. Similar to Sydney's Tauranga Zoo, we arrived at this zoo via ferry ride, which is always a magical start to any visit. We loved the creative nature-y layout, and during our visit we saw a lot of awesome animals in awake and alert states - including a mother and twin baby pygmy marmosets. OH MY CUTENESS. I don't have a photo because I was too busy taking a video (which you can see here at 1:04).

We dedicated a day to visiting Rottnest Island, a prime destination for Perth tourists. Going to Rotto requires a really bumpy boat ride not for the faint of heart - on both trips, the crew person handing out barf bags mid-voyage kept falling on top of people seated near the aisle, so that was fun.

family photo on Rottnest

Anyway, Rottnest had beautiful views and adorable quokkas. We did some biking, which was a lot of fun (and it brought back fond memories of my childhood and how much I used to love biking until I kept falling and scraping my knees and tearing holes in my favourite pants). But for two days after our biking adventure, my thighs were on FIRE even though we didn't really do any massive hills. I'm getting older, I guess.

"is that fire I smell?"

Perth was a wonderful trip and a great way to start 2017. I can see why Ben loved his time there five years ago, but I'm glad his job ultimately brought him to Melbourne.

quintessential "LOOK AT ME I WANDERLUST" photo op

Travelling with a baby is a bit different than travelling without one, I'll just say that. There's the obvious: packing more food/books/diapers/plush friends; figuring out sleeping arrangements for a baby that hates all sleeping arrangements; having to be a lot more flexible with the daily itinerary in case of, well, everything. But for me, the biggest difference is that I don't enjoy myself as much during the trip - rather, I enjoy the fond memories afterwards, basking in accomplishment and relief at the end of the day.

Flying with Arden was challenging when she was an infant, but toddlers are a different thing altogether - mostly because they're more mobile and a lot louder and more opinionated. Arden had a few fantastic meltdowns during some of the flights, and has yet to be completely lured by the entertainment screens or bribery.

I really hope Arden is a better flyer in a few months, because she and I are going to Manila in May for my grandmother's 100th birthday, and I'll be flying alone with her on the way there! My mother is flying back to Melbourne with us (for her fourth visit... !), so we've got some more fun adventures to look forward to soon.

CK