goodbye 2018, hello 2019!

Happy New Year!

2018 was another whirlwind year of travel, adventures, and another journey towards expanding our family.

Early this year, we got our Australian Permanent Residency after what seemed like a never-ending process of paperwork, logistics and setbacks.

We made our yearly trip to the US a little earlier this year, mostly so we could attend Ben's sister's spring wedding. We had an amazing time celebrating in Washington, and then Arden and I made a trip to the midwest to visit our family in Michigan.

Other travels this year included a visit to Singapore to meet up with my mom and see a fun new city, and most recently a trip to Tasmania where we had an amazing time visiting beautiful places and seeing lots of Australian wildlife up close.

We're also expecting our second child this year, which we are very excited about. I've been doing pregnancy updates through a vlog series, which you can check out below. Some new updates:

-We're having a boy!
-This pregnancy I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which has been a big lifestyle change for me - but over the past month I've grown very accustomed to checking my blood sugar and injecting myself with insulin, which aren't pleasant things to do, but I'm fairly used to it now.


2018 was a challenging, adventurous and wonderful year for us, and we're looking forward to seeing what 2019 has in store for our little family.

Hope you had/are having a wonderful holiday season!

-Ben, Candice and Arden

Tasmania.

During our time in Australia, we’ve made the most of my extra vacation time and planned trips to most of the big cities and popular destinations throughout the country. One of the places that has always been near the top of the list but kept getting pushed aside (mainly due to it being so close to Melbourne, and a place we could go anytime) was Tasmania. This year we finally decided to make a trip to Tassie for a little babymoon and to spend a bit of time in the mountains, something I’ve been craving ever since we moved away from Washington.

hanging out at a rest stop en route to Cradle Mountain

For the first part of our trip we stayed in a nice cabin at the Cradle Mountain Lodge, which is just outside Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. When we arrived to check in at the lodge we were greeted by a friendly wombat roaming around, and on our walk from the cabin to the lodge for dinner we saw lots of Pademelons (little wallabies) and Currawongs (a Tasmanian bird similar to a crow but with bright yellow eyes and white tail feathers). It was really nice to see so many Currawongs and brought back fond memories as we used to be visited by a Currawong that would land on our apartment balcony and keep Candice company while she was pregnant with Arden. During our time at Cradle Mountain we were so spoiled by wildlife that after seeing a few animals, Arden kept saying “see another one”, like this was just an ordinary everyday experience.

wombat-spotting!

pademelon-sighting

I should mention that Cradle Mountain is known for its extremely unpredictable weather, so it was a gamble going in mid-spring when the weather could often be really rainy or even snowing. Fortunately, we had one absolutely perfect sunny day, and we spent the day walking around Dove Lake, located at the foot of Cradle Mountain. The walk is pretty mild and only has one decent uphill stretch, but when you’re carrying a 3-year old most of the time (or are over halfway pregnant all of the time!) it gets pretty exhausting. We were so thankful to get a really nice day and to be able to enjoy all the great views of Cradle Mountain (which if you haven’t guessed already, looks like a cradle).

Cradle Mountain

The next day we went on a few short walks near the lodge and were able to see two really nice waterfalls (Pencil Pine Falls and Knyvet Falls). The walk through the forest to get to the falls was really lush, with moss hanging from the trees, and reminded me a bit of the Hoh Rainforest in Washington.

Pencil Pine falls

After our walks it was meant to get pretty rainy, so we decided to go see the Tasmanian Devils at a sanctuary located nearby (Devils at Cradle). This was probably the highlight of the trip for Arden as she loved the Devils and now has a plush Devil and a Devil t-shirt. The Devils were really cute, except for the terrifying barking sound they make.

Arden cuddling her beloved Tasmanian Devil plushie on the flight home

After a short few days at Cradle Mountain, we drove back down to Hobart for the rest of our stay (leaving just before they got a bunch of snow again). We spent the first evening wandering around the waterfront before spending the next day at Salamanca Market and Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. The market was fun, but it was hard to enjoy as it was super windy and raining off and on. The botanic gardens were really nice and one of the better gardens we’ve visited in Australia. It was a bit of a walk from the city, but well worth the visit.

the journey back to Hobart was very risky

Salamanca Markets

Botanic Garden

Our last full day in Hobart we took the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The ferry is pretty awesome as it’s a big catamaran with sheep that you can sit on (which Arden loved). It also gave us some great views of the city from the water. The museum itself was really cool. To steal the thought from my friends, when you start the tour it really does feel like you’re entering a bond villain’s lair. I won’t say any more than that as I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t been yet.

The exhibits themselves were varied and largely fascinating. I’m not sure if this happens every day, or if this was a special experience (as we were there for the opening of a few new exhibits), but there was live music for some of the exhibits and it really enhanced the experience. In one instance it was a bit much for me after a little while, but it sure added to the ambiance and feel of the area. Some of the highlights from MONA included these exhibits focused around colour, one of which was a long hallway with intense colour that would periodically change from blue to red (and possibly other colours too). There was also this fun exhibit where you could sit and climb on the art. It was like a kids play area but looked like it was made out of old space suits and had lots of colourful glass tubes on the ceiling.

the view from MONA

live music in front of an exhibit

We had a great little trip to Tassie and hope we get the chance to visit again. There are so many other great national parks I’d still love to visit, but it might be a while until we’re up for another road trip now that we’ll be a family of four. Maybe in a couple years...

 -BK

 

mooncake #2!

We've got a little update to share...

We're expecting our second child in early March of next year! We're simultaneously excited and terrified, but we feel like we're in a good place to add another member to the Kortlever pod. As usual, with a pregnancy announcement comes an assortment of questions, so we tried our best to address everyone's curiosity:

Baby Kortlever #2 FAQ

When is the baby due?

March 1st is the official due date, after previous due dates in late February. Selfishly, it would be nice if the baby was overdue so we could catch Captain Marvel in theatres (it's out on March 8... so that's pretty close). But I'm pretty sure at that point I'll be more than ready to not be pregnant anymore... but hey, maybe they'll move the release date up a week? It worked for Avengers: Infinity War! Someone please give Robert Downey, Jr. a call.

Ummmm, was this planned?

Hey now.

Will the baby be an Australian citizen/receive dual citizenship?

Yes, baby #2 will be eligible for Australian citizenship! Unlike Arden, who was born while we were still here on a working visa - however, as of the beginning of the year we are now Permanent Residents! And currently in Australia, babies born to at least one Permanent Resident and on Australian soil are eligible for Australian citizenship. Of course, citizenship rules are always changing and up for fiery debate, so who really knows. But as of publishing this blog entry, it's currently possible for our baby to have American and Australian dual citizenship.

Do you have a nickname for the fetus-baby?

We thought about making up a different one for this pregnancy, like "hambun" (a Dutch-American church basement staple, since our babies are part Dutch). But we settled on mooncake again. It's cute, it's unique, and the timing of this year's Mooncake Festival was perfect for a cheesy pregnancy announcement.

happy Mid-Autumn/Mooncake Festival!

Boy or girl mooncake?

Not sure yet, but we're planning on finding out in a few weeks! We'd love either. Having two girls would be so sweet (and Arden wants a sister - she insists, actually), but having a boy would be a fun new adventure. Fortunately, because we insisted on a gender-neutral wardrobe for infant Arden, we've got a good amount of hand-me-downs for either sex.

And for the record, for most of this pregnancy I've had a feeling that it's a boy. But we'll see.

Are you guys moving back to the States?

Nothing planned! Of course, we know it'll be hard to raise two little kids away from family and close friends. We have always intended to return to the States eventually... but so far we're just playing it by ear, hoping for a healthy pregnancy, delivery and newborn right where we are.

Are you guys moving to a bigger apartment?

Probably not. Yet. Our current living space is small, but with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, I think we'll be able to make do for a while. Infant-Arden slept in the master bedroom with us for at least her first year (sometimes co-sleeping, sometimes in her crib, hardly sleeping for more than two hours at a time), so it's totally doable to keep Arden in her big-girl room, and have the new baby slumber party with us. But we'll see. In general, we love the area we live in (we have a grocery store, bank, tram stop, pharmacy, library, maternal health clinic, barbershop, playgrounds, a beautiful waterfront, and a Subway™ all within 5 minutes walking distance) and it would be hard to top the convenience of our neighbourhood elsewhere.

Are your families excited?

Yes! Everyone has been excited, surprised and supportive thus far. This baby will be grandchild #2 for my parents, #4 for Ben's dad and #6 for Ben's mom, so it's nobody's first rodeo - but the more the merrier! Ben's sister is also pregnant and due a month before us, and we also have cousins that are expecting around the same time as well - so this new baby will have lots of similar-aged playmates in the family!

What's been different about this pregnancy so far?

For one, toilet-hugging is much more challenging when there's a toddler screaming at you from across the room, demanding that you "stop drinking water from the toilet, MAMA!" (because apparently that's what it looked like to Arden...) This pregnancy saw a lot more puking (including a spectacular public barfing episode on the streets of Singapore - I'm surprised I didn't actually get fined for littering), especially later on in the first trimester. I'm currently at 18 weeks and feeling much MUCH better, although the food aversions are still present.

I also "popped" a lot earlier, which is apparently common with second pregnancies. When Arden, I didn't really start showing until 4.5-5 months. This pregnancy, I looked 4 months pregnant during our Singapore trip when I was only 2 months along. A TSA agent at the airport even inquired about my growing belly. I happily confirmed, but didn't let her know that I was only 9 weeks pregnant...

8 weeks pregnant - when the embryo was the size of a raspberry. maybe a giant one.

Public prenatal care in Australia is very hands-off during the first half of pregnancy, at least compared to what I've heard about North American prenatal care. This time around, we were offered a first trimester dating scan (an early ultrasound - you know, where the embryo looks like a jellybean - but it's such a cute little jellybean with a heartbeat!), which we gladly did. But from weeks 8 to 17, I knew absolutely nothing about what was going on in there, except for my growing belly and revolving door of symptoms. But fortunately, I just had my first official prenatal appointment at the hospital, and I heard little mooncake's heartbeat loud and clear - a very comforting and beautiful sound.

Oh, and to answer that second question... yes, this mooncake was very much planned! Except it took a lot longer than we'd expected. Even though it wasn't quite a year of trying, I had started seeing a doctor about basic infertility testing. However, we were able to conceive before any tests were actually done. There was definitely an issue though, most likely with late ovulation and a progesterone imbalance - but after some personal research, cycle-charting and taking an herbal supplement for a few months, it was apparently fixed. We are very grateful to be on this side of the TTC (trying to conceive) journey, and it was definitely a humbling experience.

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Thanks for all the love and support, everyone! We are very excited about this new chapter in our lives, and are looking forward to sharing updates when we can.

CK

family of four: coming March 2019!

winter 2018.

It's September! Which means that in the States, everyone is heading into fall... while we're heading into a much-appreciated spring season. Here are some random highlights from our previous winter months:

We took Arden to her very first Comic-Con back in June. She still fits into her Supergirl outfit, and I still fit into my Jubilee costume, so we got to cosplay together! It was a fun experience, although to be honest I probably wouldn't attend Oz Comic-Con again unless there was a guest we really wanted to see. Compared to Seattle's ECCC (which we've attended twice), OzCC is really small, and while there were a few fun exhibits and stalls, it didn't warrant the ticket price in my opinion.

a little girl dressed as BB-8!

Arden received these free "Edna Mode" classes from an Incredibles 2 promotion, and insisted on wearing them for the rest of the day

mother-daughter cosplay!

Because Australian winter falls during a depressingly holiday-free season (believe it or not, they don't really celebrate the 4th of July here), locals have to make up their own celebratory festivities, such as the 2nd annual Firelight Festival. Last year's debut was very small, and organisers underestimated the amount of people who might stop by to witness... well, not a whole lot - a few street performers, a fireworks show and some cool fire-themed displays. However, this year they definitely stepped it up a notch, expanding their location and organising much more entertainment and fun:

Arden was a little freaked out by the blazing fire barrels ("it's A LITTLE BIT SCARY" she would whimper), but we all enjoyed the street performers, people-watching and fireworks show. And all of this was right in our neighbourhood! How cool.

Speaking of freaked out, Arden attended her first children's concert: her all-time favourites, the Wiggles! We made a big day trip out of the event, taking an hour-long train to Geelong (the closest city that wasn't sold out by the time I went online to buy tickets) and having some nice meals by the waterfront. Geelong holds a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first cities I got to explore while Ben was traveling locally for work, and we always love going back for short visits.

Geelong waterfront

Anyway, we were all very excited for the show. After Arden's first wonderful experience with live music in Grand Rapids this past May, I had high hopes for her attention span and enjoyment at a live kids' concert. Unfortunately, the moment the lights dimmed and the Wiggles ran out on stage, Arden burst into tears and wouldn’t stop howling until Ben took her off to the side of the auditorium, where they stayed for the entire show. I guess the ambience and screaming crowd was a little too much for her at this age. Oh well! Ben and I enjoyed the show at least. The Wiggles are a pretty talented ensemble.

Arden wore her "Emma" shirt and a yellow bow to match.

 

where Arden and Ben ended up standing for most of the show

My paternal cousin was in town for a short visit (she travels around the world to run marathons, and was in Australia for the Gold Coast marathon), so we got to meet up with her for lunch. I hadn't seen Irene since my last trip to Indonesia, which was when we were just kids. It was fun to catch up and for Arden to meet her.

hanging out with my cousin Irene

We got to witness the blood moon eclipse right from our apartment window. The event was very early in the morning, but Arden was up pretty early and we all got to catch a glimpse of the momentous sight.

blood moon!

Arden still enjoys her weekly classes, and I feel like she's improved a lot this season especially. It's been an amazing experience to witness not only Arden's first baby milestones, but to also gradually see her understanding more complicated instructions and concepts, and to see her relationships with her teachers grow.

Arden at dance class

Arden at music class

Aside from her swimming, music and dance classes, I also regularly take her to the aquarium, various parks, and a local playgroup. Our neighbourhood and city are both very family-friendly, and there's plenty to do even when the weather isn't great.

penguin selfie at the aquarium

Arden got her face painted at a winter fair - she LOVED it.

never without a tutu

This winter felt a little on the longer side, only because we didn't have our usual summer USA trip to break up the season (this year our visit was in April/May). However, we were able to take a short trip to warm and humid Singapore, which was very fun. I'd been to Singapore on a choir tour during my high school years, but didn't remember much about it, so it was pretty much a brand new experience for all of us. The recent visit also helped us appreciate the setting of "Crazy Rich Asians", a movie that means a lot to me as an Asian-American.

Arden's 3rd birthday is quickly approaching. To say that the years have gone by quickly is a bit cliché (and not totally true... it's definitely felt like a good long three years, haha), but sometimes she'll do or say something that makes us stop and marvel at how much she's grown into her own person. I mean, there was a time when she couldn't even lift her head up or smile, and now she's leaping over the house furniture, bossing us around in complete sentences and singing songs in French. We pretty much talk to her like an adult now. She has very strong opinions (especially about her clothes... she changes her entire outfit three times a day, and has to wear at least one tutu or skirt - even if it's just for her afternoon nap) and she's a pretty tough negotiator when it comes to daily bargaining. Also, she's really looking forward to becoming a big sister in just about 5 months.

Wait, what?

CK