Playtime at LAX
It's day 5 and we are having a hard time right now. Amelia has been waking up really, really early. Well, so have I but I still try and go back to sleep, even if it doesn't work.
Grammy Janis is here with us so it's been a little easier, but not always. This morning, for instance, Amelia and I went out to the mall (yes, the mall) because everything else is closed. We rode the escalators up and down for 10-15 minutes and took various elevators too. Nothing is opened before 7 except for the grocery store, Coles, which opens at 6am. I wanted a coffee (no, NEEDED a coffee!) so we had to busy ourselves for 30-40 minutes, hence the escalators.
Getting cozy on the plane with "softie" and friends
I wish there was more to report but we haven't done very much so far. The first day we walked around a little, took a long nap and then went out for dinner. Seems like day 2 was fairly similar. Eric was off Saturday and Sunday so we spent that time with him.
View from the hotel reception area
Day 3 I went on a mini adventure to Maroubra to pick up a free stroller. Yes free. Well, except for the expensive bus trip, it was free. A woman from the library (got cards on Sunday) said we could have hers. So I hopped on the bus and went to her house to pick it up. Though it's quite old, it's functional and, oddly enough, it's green: Amelia's favorite color.
Reunited
Before lunch, we had bathroom drama and Amelia decided she did not care for the little potty I bought at Target (yes, they have Target here) the day before. I found a baby bjorn potty chair, just like the one we have at home in green, only this one is red, online at Gumtree.com. It's Australia's version of Craigslist. Janis took a cab to pick it up (4km roundtrip, $20+ dollars. Used potty seat, $20. Price for a new one, $50. We came out just a little ahead.)
For lunch, Janis tried to go visit Eric at his office. Amelia and I walked to the next town, Woollahara. It's cute and small and has 3 or 4 cafe/bakeries in a 1 block radius. Nice. It was there I found Wholefoods. No kidding. Wholefoods Home to be exact. It's about the size of a postage stamp and had a lot of the foods I am familiar with, even some of the brands. However, most items were at least double if not triple the price I'm used to paying at home. Wow. Whole Foods has met its match in another Wholefoods! After the quite pricey trip to the store (I paid $8.50 for a bag of frozen peas... really!) Amelia and I split a freshly made quiche from one of the bakeries and took the bus home. It was one stop and $2. Ouch.
The adventure for day 4 was a trip to the library. Before storytime, however, we all planned to go get coffee and breakfast at the bakery from the day before in Woollahara, but, on our way, found a natural food store with a cafe. Amelia, still being very jet lagged, fell asleep in the stroller about 9:15am. Janis and I ordered bacon & egg rolls ($7.5 for take-out) and a coffee to go. We walked back to the library and ate our delicious albeit expensive breakfast sandwiches then headed inside, out of the cold.
While Amelia slept, I found a few books for her and one for me. I heard the familiar sound of "Bear Wants More" coming from inside the multi-purpose room where the 10am storytime was being held. This gave me a such a thrill. I know how much Amelia loves listening to that book (we have it on CD and regularly listen over and over and over and over while in the car.) I thought it would bring a little bit of home to Sydney. As it turns out, they read "The Big Hungry Bear", WATCHED "Bear Wants More" then made bear puppets. This storytime rocks! We'll surely be back next week.
Getting ready for the Big Hungry Bear
Catching us up to today, day 5, brings us to the escalator in the morning and (excuse the TMI) more pooping drama the rest of the day. I will spare the gory details, but I will say Janis had to run out for children's suppository and some slippery elm. Things finally worked.
It has been stressful. I'm ready for a good night's sleep! I hope it's tonight.
