And Our First Stop...

Our first stop, once on Aussie soil, was in Brisbane for the weekend. Dan and I went to school at Bond University on the Gold Coast. However, after graduation, he moved to Brisbane with a bunch of friends (an hour north of the GC). Many of his friends from Uni still live there, so we made that a stop to see everyone.

We had a wonderful time...it was awesome catching up with everyone. Dan's friends are great (and tons of fun) and I have become good friends with them too. Heck, a bunch of his mates came over for our wedding seven years ago (about six of them). That's a long and expensive trip. It kind of shows you how great these guys are.

We ended up having a big barbecue on Saturday that lasted all day and well into the night...and into the morning as well. It was interesting to see his once rowdy friends beginning to settle down in steady relationships (and there were even some who were married and had kids). I had quite a bit of Bundaberg rum. Probably a little too much. But what the heck! It was the start of our vacation ;)

 The BBQ

 Alex hanging out with Mia

 Vicki and Mia (Ben, Vicki's husband, was one of the guys who came over for our wedding and was an usher)

 Dan with Jon and Adam...both good friends who came over for our wedding

 Candid shot

 

 Vicki and Cara...we stayed with Jon and Cara (Jon's wife)

 

 Adam with his wife and older son

Jon (Dan's best friend from Australia) and Cara...we stayed with them in Brisbane

Traveling with a Toddler...

Ok, I'll start my Aussie pictorial here. With travel.  Before we left, I had a sneaking suspicion that traveling last year (with a six month old) had been far easier than traveling with a toddler (18 monther) this year. Oh yeah, I was so right.

Don't get me wrong. It was not a horrible experience. It was about half enjoyable and half stressful, with only one really *nasty* meltdown thrown in to keep us on our toes. Now there were things that were easier this time around, since Alex is older. Things like not having to deal with bottles and formula and bottle drop-ins and bibs and spit up. Yes, not having to deal with those things was nice! Here's to hoping that next year, we won't have to deal with diapers!

But of course, this time we were presented with new challenges such as: having a toddler who wants to run *everywhere* in crowded airports, having a toddler who does not understand why she has to sit on so many (and such long) airplane rides, having a toddler who is *just* starting the tantrum stage, and having a toddler who sometimes gets so overstimulated and exhausted-but just cannot sleep-so screams. So those were some of our challenges.

And honestly, Alexandra did extremely well for the most part. Given her age and the amount of travel it took to get to and from Australia, I'd say she did exceptionally well. We had a few minor melt-downs and tantrums, but only one big one. This was the mother of all meltdowns and occurred when we were at LAX waiting for our flight to Brisbane. It was about 1am eastern time and the airport was loud and bright and my poor little monkey was exhausted. But because of all the action around, she could not fall asleep. You can imagine what happened next. IT was loud; IT was ugly. I was a little worried that we would be escorted out of the airport because of the commotion. But by that point, we just felt so bad for her that we were doing everything we could to try to make her comfortable (and to get her to fall asleep).

And parts of the travel were very fun. Alex loved playing "hide n seek" with the people in the row behind us, she loved watching the planes out the windows and jabbering at them, she loved being able to run around (with me running after her). So yes, half stressful, half fun....but I will say that I am glad the travel part of the trip is over with until next summer. Going to Florida in February will be a walk in the park compared to this! Ok, so I promised less words and more pictures...oops....so here are some travel pics:

 Now this is the way to travel! The Go-Go Babyz wheels for car seats are awesome...I highly recommend!

 Having some juice, waiting for the first of four flights to get to Australia

 How we passed the time: running from chair to chair playing some variation on musical chairs ;)

 Alex LOVED watching all the planes

 Finally on board and settling in

On the flight from LA to Brisbane. That tablet was the best. buy. ever. It had all her episodes of Olivia and Fresh Beat Band (her two current faves). It was a life-saver, really....

Back in the States!

That's right. We're back home! After four weeks visiting family in the Land Down Undah, we arrived home last night about 10 pm. After the 36+ hour trip to get home, we pretty much crashed. Poor Alex was beside herself with fatigue. Lets just say, the last flight home (which was thankfully only an hour and 20 minutes) was a little bit ugly. As my mother in-law would say, Alex "chucked a wobbly" (better known in the states as "throwing a tantrum"). And who could blame her? We'd been traveling about 35 hours at that point. Honestly, there were times that I just wanted to sit in the middle of the terminal and cry (or scream). I swear, air travel seems a lot more stressful now than it used to be...

Anyway-we had an amazing time! We had a lot of quality family time and we did a lot of relaxing. Rather than talk about all that we did, I'll do some pictorials of sorts (that will probably be less boring) in the next few days. There was a lot of beach time, a lot of family dinners, seeing the 'roos/koalas/snakes, bonding with my new and perfect little nephew, taking a trip to Mackay, having a stay in Brisbane....we did a lot for four weeks! It was also wonderful seeing Alex there, interacting with her Aussie side of the family. Last year, when we made this trip, she was only six months old. This year, she was jabbering away to everyone and exploring. And actually having relationships with people. It was neat to see <3

So it's nice to be home, back in our own space, on our own schedule. But I have to say that we are missing everyone in Oz like crazy. That's always the downside to this trip, having to leave and to not see most of the family (except Dan's parents, who usually come out in the winter or spring) for a year. So yes, it's nice to be home...but the house seems especially quiet without a bunch of people being around, running in and out. It will take a few days of adjustment, but we have a lot, and I mean A LOT of unpacking to do. Not to mention grocery shopping and all that fun stuff. Pictures to come!

Crunch Time!

So we are leaving for Australia on Wednesday. Yes, that's right...two days. We are *very* excited about going, especially because of Veronica having the baby soon (her little IVF miracle after 5 rounds of IVF). Last we heard a day ago, she hasn't yet dilated, but the baby's head is engaged. Corrie (Dan's mom) thinks that Veronica will go into labor this coming weekend. Selfishly, I'd like her to hold on a few days because we won't get into Yeppoon until Sunday (we are spending a few days in Brisbane with friends prior). And while I'm sure that I won't be in the delivery room, we would like to be able to be at the hospital to give our support and be a part of the whole baby excitement-even if most if it involves waiting!

Anyway, we have been crazy busy the last few days. Not only with packing, but getting our house in order so that our realtor (my cousin) can show it while we are gone (i.e. clean, without the dogs or cat milling about and without an obscene amount of baby toys floating around). My mom and dad have very generously come over to help us out with cleaning and organizing. My sister has taken our cat back to her house and my parents are taking the dogs. Now we just have to make sure everything stays neat until we leave!!! Which is tough with a toddler ;)

And packing with an 18 month old has been....interesting...challenging....and an eye opener. I remember going to Australia several times before Alex was born. And I vividly remember all the stuff I used to bring for myself: several pairs of shoes, jewelry, body products, hair products, outfit upon outfit. I mean, my suitcase was packed. And it was all my suitcase. I nixed sharing one with Dan early on. I mean, c'mon. A girl needs her own suitcase.

Well, things have understandably changed in the packing department. Long are the days of bringing whatever I wanted for myself. All my stuff ( a few shirts, 2 pairs of shoes...not much else) takes up about 20% of my suitcase...Alex has the rest. And you know that you are a parent when you *don't mind* this change in the least.  For Alex, we have clothes for every weather situation imaginable. We have books and toys and blankets and stuffed animals. We have 4 pairs of shoes, a sun hat, bathing suit, snacks for the plane, medicines, thermometers, nasal aspirators, sippy cups for the plane. You name it...for Alex...we've got it packed! *Sigh*...I'm not done yet and I already think my suitcase is overweight. Thank God Dan is in charge of packing his own bag!

As I wrote on Facebook, our strategy for preventing meltdowns is giving Alex anything she wants (within reason) for the 48 hours we are traveling. Now, this goes against my grain as a school psychologist...but we will be going into survival mode. If Alex wants to watch the Fresh Beats or Olivia for 24 hours straight-so be it. If she wants to eat an endless supply of yogurt melts-so be it. This momma may be taking advantage of the complimentary wines available on the Qantas flights. Just to take the edge off a bit.

Anyway, this will probably be my last blog until we come back late August. This year, I am not taking my laptop with us because Dan will have his. Plus, we have the tablet that we bought for Alex to watch movies with on the plane. Wish us luck with the flights ;)

 Alex's snacks for the flight(s)...think we have enough?

 Packing for two people for four weeks...

Alex "helping" mommy...In reality, she is cheerfully taking all the clothes I put into the suitcase out...

Only An Infertile...Part 2

Only an infertile would be completely befuddled by the question, "Are you pregnant"? Holy cow! Don't people realize that there are so very many answers to this question?! For us, there is no (well, rarely no) clear-cut yes or no answer. A "typical" woman could answer this without a whole lot of thought. She'd know if she were pregnant and if she hadn't yet missed a period, the answer would be a resounding "no". However, with infertiles, there seems to be many GRAY areas. So no, this is not a simple question resulting in a simple answer.

Why am I talking about this stuff? Wellllllll....I went to the dentist yesterday. They were going to do full x-rays and asked if I was pregnant. Now, once-upon-a-time, I could have just answered with a simple "no" (or "hell no" at some points in my life). Back then, when I was young and innocent, if I didn't miss my period, I wasn't pregnant. If I had a negative pregnancy test, I wasn't pregnant. Clear cut. Straightforward. easy.

Now-a-days...this question calls for a lot of thought. So I sat there, in the dentist's chair, thinking about all the possible scenarios.   Yesterday was cycle day 14. Obviously I was not/am not pregnant yet. However, my cycles have only been about 24-26 days long lately....so perhaps I could have ovulated a few days ago (although with pcos, you never actually know IF you have ovulated). And if I did, perhaps my egg, by some miracle, was fertilized and making its way down my fallopian tubes. Maybe I will be one of those success stories after all where I don't need meds for baby number two! But then-what if I get X-Rays??? Will that completely obliterate my fertilized egg? Will it be damaged? What if I unknowingly fry my micro-sized offspring???? Talk about guilt!

So I sat there thinking for awhile, while the hygienist was waiting for an answer, probably thinking that I was either slow or irresponsible for not knowing. The best I could come out with was, "Ummm...I don't know. I mean, I guess I could be. But I don't think I am". Then upon seeing the uncertainty on the poor woman's face, I say, "It's probably ok...ummm...just go ahead and do them". How reassuring to her. But really, the chances of me having ovulated are probably pretty nil. Why not get the X-Rays over now, before going back to the specialist?

Feeling that I owed the hygienist some explanation, I say, "Well...I've always had really irregular cycles, so it's sometimes hard to know if I could be pregnant". Now I sound really stupid. The woman, bless her heart, was very kind about it. But just as we were about to start the X-rays she says, "You'll probably be on one of those shows someday about women who don't ever know they're pregnant until they give birth". Now while this could have been insulting, it was not. She didn't mean it that way and I had to laugh at the absurdity.

Absurd because...there's NO WAY in the world that I will ever NOT know I'm pregnant. What this poor woman doesn't know (probably because she has four kids) is that if I had ANY inkling of a possible pregnancy, I would go and test with a test out of my stash of pregnancy tests. Oh yeah, I said stash. I've tested for all sorts of reasons. "Oh, well I have a sniffle, sore throat-might as well pee on a stick". I'm always looking for a reason to test.

Good thing I wasn't further into my cycle...like a week or two after ovulation...that would have opened a whole new can of worms about HcG levels and the sensitivity of home pregnancy tests, etc! Don't want to go there...especially not with the same woman!



 In the end, my mouth was given a clean bill of heath and I'm sure the hygienist will forget all about our strange conversation-though she may be inexplicably drawn to the "I didn't know I was pregnant" shows for several years to come.

I May be Getting Old and Cranky...

But really?! Rea-lly? Does someone honestly think that I am going to take them seriously if they respond to my ad for child care in such a manner (and I'm not exaggerating):

i would like 2 watch your doughter in september email me back if ur intarested

And that was all. No name. No details (no periods or caps). One sentence, which really should have been two. For all I know this could have been from a 14 year old texting a response-it certainly explains some of the short cut "words". Now I don't expect perfection, I try very hard NOT to be the grammar police...but can you count the errors in the above run-on sentence? Because there are a lot....

*Sigh* Yep...I'm getting older and certainly crankier it appears. But, honestly, how hard is it to hit the spell check button? I think it may be time to remove the ad and pray that the day care works out...

Today...

...Alex is 18 months old! Since she was born, the 18 month milestone has seemed like one of the major ones. I guess, to me anyway, it means she is no longer a baby. Happy thought and sad thought-equal parts. She is at such a fun age right now, learning and exploring and voicing her needs and wants (and frustrations). It's just neat...she's her own little person...her own little entity. I think that this stage is actually more fun (and more relaxing in some ways) than the newborn stage. But there's just something about holding an infant....

Ok, I know. Get a grip. It's not like she's going off to college tomorrow. It's not like she is speaking in full sentences and dressing herself. Yes...she's still a baby in many ways. I don't know. Eighteen months just seems *old*. Remember, we are thinking relatively here. I guess what drives home the point is that in another 18 months, Alexandra will be three. THREE. Some consider three year olds to no longer be toddlers-but preschoolers. I can't have a "preschooler" on my hands in a year and a half, can I? I mean, time goes fast and all...but this is kind of crazy!

Annnnddddd....we have another milestone approaching very soon...as in September 6th. Another thing that makes me realize how quickly things are going (as if I needed a reminder). Alex is starting at a day care center when I go back to work for the school year. We decided to make the jump! I'm nervous and excited for her all at once! I think (hope) she's ready. She just so much more interested in other children and in socializing...I kind of feel like keeping her home another year will just hold her back.

We had a lovely woman coming to our house to watch Alex, but she gave her notice about four days ago..she had to find a job with benefits. We loved her. We will miss her...and we sought to replace her for this school year. However, upon thinking about it longer, we decided that another environment would be more enriching/stimulating for Alex (stimulation is a big thing with school psychologists)-another environment where she could be around other kids her age. I mean, it's gotta be boring being home so much-especially in the winter when you can't go outside? I hope she likes it. I hope we like it. I hope it will be good for her. Why the heck aren't these decisions easy to make???

So there you go...Alex is growing up strong, happy and healthy. And I keep praying that it stays that way. I also wonder whether I will have the opportunity to do the newborn thing over again? Did I have my one chance? I know I am incredibly blessed to have that one chance, but man would I do things differently! Not that I did anything "bad" or "wrong". But I think that *next time* I will enjoy it more, stop to smell the roses more, relax more, since I now know what to expect. Fingers crossed....

 Alex loving her "diggy" (we can't quite get that "o" sound), Ivan

And to celebrate this 18 month milestone, a picture of Alex at 3 days old...home for the first full day