The barbecue got blown away

After the "barbecue" we came up to the apartment.

The barbecue didn't quite go as planned. It was cold and windy and the "barbecue" was really just a flat surface which cost $1 for 15 min to heat up. It worked, but not well. Several of Eric's colleagues showed up for the party. We had plenty of food. And deserts for days! After about an hour outside, I ran upstairs and did a quick tidy of the apartment so we could all hang out there instead of the cold.

Janis talks to Laurie and his partner about law school.

Koko and Amelia drew + made puppets

The crew stayed until about 8ish and then it was a mad dash to pack everything up since we were scheduled to move from our luxurious 2 bedroom to a smaller, less luxurious 1 bedroom, sometime in the morning. It was Janis' last night and we were all a little pooped.

Amelia stayed with Janis for the night, which was nice. However, at around 4:15 in the morning, my cell phone rang. Skype works if I am connected via wifi. It was a pocket call. Oddly enough, 10 minutes later, I got yet another pocket call from the states! I will have to remember to turn my phone onto silent at night, just in case.

The next morning, it was time to take Janis to the airport. Everything was fine until we got to the road where it splits International and Domestic flights. One lane Int'l and 2 for domestic.

Oops. Should be the other way around. It took us about 25 min to go a mile or so. But we still got Grammy Janis to the airport on time and she is somewhere over the Pacific right now.

Saying a silly goodbye at the airport

Coogee Beach, revisited

View from Coogee Beach + Grants Park Reserve

Last night Eric and I went to dinner in Coogee. This morning, we drove there again, only this time we went with Janis and Amelia. It was kind of an adventure just to get the car seat in correctly. It seems as though our level of safety is a bit higher at home. The seat belt does not "lock" as it does in America so it feels as though the car seat is not securely fastened. I hope this is not the case.

The four of us went for breakfast at a tiny place called DJ's Espresso Cafe. Breakfast was quite nice yet quite pricey. Food here is expensive. No two ways about it. Almost $60 for the 4 of us for breakfast. Ouch!

After breakfast, we ventured over to the Grants Park Reserve. It has a beautiful view of the ocean and is situated next to one of the only outdoor, seawater, women & children only pools in the southern hemisphere, quite possibly in the entire world. Who knew? The water was about 16-17 degrees Centigrade. The woman I spoke with seemed to think that wasn't too cold. Um, yeah, that's only about 62 degrees. BRRRRRR! I'll wait to go in until the water gets a little warmer, thanks.

This afternoon we are having a little "barbecue" at the hotel/apartment in honor of Eric's birthday yesterday. It's not really a barbecue but more of an outdoor cooking pan on a stand. We'll see how it goes.

One week and counting

We've been here for a week so far and it seems as though the time is going quickly already. Though we haven't really done much so far. Thursday was the big day for us. With grammy Janis and our "new" stroller in tow, we took the train to Circular Quay (pronounced KEY) and then the ferry to Darling Harbor for lunch.

Amelia loved both! We had a nice little lunch next to a fountain and then walked around for a little bit which put Amelia to sleep. Our "new" stroller can lay almost completely flat and with her softie pillow (picture to follow)she was out. Janis and I got to the train station and had a little break with a coffee. We got to the train station and waited for ours to arrive. Somehow, as soon as the train arrived, Amelia woke up! Not sure how she did that.

Friday, which was Eric's birthday, was fairly uneventful. Janis and Amelia went to the pool as I went shopping at the grocery store. Janis had a massage and then we went to, guess where, the mall yet again. Since it was Eric's birthday, Janis said she would watch Amelia so Eric and I could go out to dinner.

Picture this stroller in green

We found a little place in Coogee Beach and drove there, successfully I might add, in time for our 7:30 reservations.

Jet lagging my ass outta bed

Playtime at LAX

Catch up: Days 1-5
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.