Happy Halloween!

Hello all!  Maggie here.

Happy Halloween!  Halloween isn't really celebrated much here, although I did see a couple of face paints walking around during the day.  We had about a half dozen kids come to the door, but they weren't even in costume!  James and I rocked it out, him as a scuba diver, me as his bubbles.

I made a shark hat for Lance, but he didn't get home from work until after James was in bed so James wore the hat instead.

Then we attempted to wear my dive mask.  Wee bit big.

There we go!  Adorable.

Do the stanky leg...

Ok, I promised myself I wouldn't be that mom that talks about her child's poop.  But seriously, Lance and I are baffled.  Plus the lyrics to "Stanky Leg" just fit too perfectly.

James somehow managed to poop into the foot of his pajamas.  He was wearing a diaper underneath a footed sleeper.  He bypassed the diaper, slipped past the thigh, over the knee, ignored the calf completely, and went straight to the foot.  Explain how that is physically possible.

That is all.  Enjoy.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, RangiTOTO.

Maggie here!

After a bye-weekend filled with unpacking, cleaning, and organizing, we needed a weekend of fun.  We decided to take James on his first ferry ride and make our way over to Rangitoto Island.

The island used to be inhabited by dozens of families that had their vacation baches there.  Baches are the Kiwi name for vacation homes.  It's pronounced "batch", so just in case our American accent didn't give us away, our Johann Sebastian Bach shout out sure did.  The baches are slowly being torn down as the owning generation passes away, and it is becoming more and more like the scenic nature reserve the city intends it to be.

There was a solid hike up to the summit of the old volcano crater to get a fantastic view of the Auckland skyline, bay, and many of the surrounding islands.

That was the longest time James had spent in his cuddle pack.  It can get pretty toasty being pressed up against our chests.  He sure enjoyed stretching out and cooling off while we waited for the return ferry ride home!

Home Sweet Home

Maggie here.

After 11 long weeks of travel, two of which had James sleeping in a suitcase and Lance and I sharing one towel, our belongings finally arrived in New Zealand.  I can't imagine what the month and a half before that was like for Lance.  He was sleeping in a sleeping bag with a sweatshirt for a pillow.  We were quoted 4 weeks, originally, but that kept increasing as week after week saw another delay.  I'm not quite sure what unforeseen events happened at sea that the moving company could be so off in their estimate.  Maybe a whole pod of whales took the ship hostage.  Maybe it took an unexplained detour through the Bermuda Triangle.  Maybe Rumpelstiltskin stole the captain's daughter and they had to sail the ship to her rescue, I don't know.  But 4 weeks to 11 weeks seems to me like you need to get in another line of business.  Maybe managing a vineyard where things get better with age.

Fortunately we met some kind people, like our downstairs neighbors and another couple we'd been emailing with before our move, who lent us the basics to help out in the meantime.  PwC's shipping allowance was $6,000, which doesn't get you very much when you are moving to the other side of the world.  The only furniture we had room for were James's crib and my nursing chair.  Everything else was pretty much clothing or kitchen gear.

We are now settled in and the place is looking classy.  Our living room is comprised of a dining table and chairs, a TV on a stand we got from the side of the road, a Lay-Z-Boy Lance got from the side of the road, a twin bed we use as a couch that we got for free from Lance's co-worker, and a desk.  Lance got the desk off of Trade Me, the Kiwi version of Craigslist.  It wasn't until after Lance paid and brought it home that he realized there was a lovely swastika carved on the top.  Being the creative soul that I am, I busted out a butter knife, added a couple carvings of my own, and now the swastika is a beautiful flower. Tada!

Home Sweet Home.  The place is like a college dorm all over again, but we are happy saving money for our New Zealand adventures!

One Touch of Nature

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.
                          ~Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare

Maggie here!

The Sunday of our first weekend in Auckland we drove about 45 minutes north and visited Shakespear Regional Park.  My post title is kind of deceiving since it was named after the original family that lived there, not the famous author.  It was a beautiful day and we wanted to get out of the city and see some of the legendary natural beauty that New Zealand is known for.  Plus a few sheep along the way.

It is a nature conservation park, so no pets are allowed.  When entering the park you have to drive through a special gate that supposedly scans your vehicle for pets like dogs, and won't open if it detects any.  Don't ask me how it works, that's just what the sign said!  There are no native mammal species (besides a bat) in the entire country, and some of the mammal predators brought over by the Europeans have wreaked havoc on the native bird populations.  The Kiwi bird, an animal near and dear to NZ natives' hearts, is one of those affected.

We entered the park and took a walk to Lookout Point.

I was thrilled to see rolling green pastures filled with sheep!  And you can walk willy-nilly wherever you want!!

Lance and James had a fun time chasing after sheep.  Let me tell you, these sheep have it MADE. If I was going to be livestock, I would be livestock in New Zealand.  They have the best views around.

After harassing the sheep, we headed on down to the beach.  Apparently this is a very popular place for kite surfing.  I can see why- Lance and I had to hold onto James for dear life for fear he would be blown away!  

Can you blame us?  Look at that face.

What a lovely Sunday afternoon.  Sunshine, view, beach, baby, and husband. What more could a girl want?

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

Maggie here.

After hearing Lance talk of nothing but rain and work his first month alone in New Zealand, I was looking forward to doing something fun our first weekend back together.  He had arrived smack in the middle of their winter, which is rainy season on the North Island.  It rains constantly for about 2 months.  Lance needed a sunny, eventful weekend to cheer him up.  God must have heard my prayers because our first weekend here was beautiful.  Sunny and clear, it made for good exploring weather.

Lance still had to work on Saturday, so James and I went with him downtown and we explored the waterfront while Lance worked. I had to get a public transportation AT HOP card since Lance and I were sharing a car and I would be dependent on buses to get around during the weeks where he had to drive to his clients' offices.  I checked out the mall and The Warehouse, which is as close to a Target as you can get around here.  I was curious to see the layout and content of their stores.  NZ doesn't have many 'big box stores', which is taking some adjustment.  I've been spoiled being able to go to one location for everything we need, so having to go to separate stores for groceries, electronics, medicine, cleaning supplies, miscellaneous household items is a big change.  Luckily I have time on my hands, a willingness to explore, and a baby who is content to flit from store to store!  Then we walked down to the ferries and I chatted with the attendant about activities on the nearby islands.  There are plenty of islands in the bays around Auckland, some as close as 30 minutes away.  Some are kayaking distance!

Lance was finishing up his work for the day, so we met him at the office so we could see where he works.  The view is spectacular!  He's on the 26th floor, spitting distance from the ferry docks.  James and I sat and watched all the sailboats come in for the day.  Auckland isn't called the City of Sails for nothing!  So many sailboats!  Sitting there with a cup of 'flat white' coffee (a NZ invention and specialty), a baby on my knee, and a sunny, colorful view, I was feeling pretty content.  Ah, Auckland.  I could live here.  Oh wait, I do!

The three of us then went for a walk around the Wynyard Quarter of the city.  It's just a pretty area by the docks to walk around.  It passes by the Maritime Museum, Waterfront Container Library (a book swap with comfy chairs that is kept in an old shipping container), restaurants, a playground, basketball courts, and lots of sailboats.  Not to mention a great view of the city skyline!

James was glad to be back with Daddy.

Maggie and James' Departure: Come Fly With Me

Maggie here.  James is taking a nap so I am taking advantage of having two hands free to type!

Anyone want to know what it's like to travel by yourself internationally with an infant?  Well I'm here to tell you...it's actually not too bad.  People see a woman with an adorable baby juggling a stroller, car seat, backpack, and nursing pillow (worth it) and they jump to help.  James had at least 4 strangers holding him at various points of the journey.  Most were on the plane so I figure they can't take him anywhere.  This was James's first time on an airplane, and we figured go big or go home, right?

Lance left for NZ on July 28th after spending a week in Michigan visiting his parents and grandmothers and going to his friends' Dustin and KP's wedding.  James and I took our sweet time meeting him overseas so we could visit relatives in Pennsylvania and Ohio.  We were able to visit both sets of my grandparents in the Pocono Mountains and Harrisburg.  Before we left for New Zealand James was held by all of his great-grandparents!  What a blessing!

James with all of his grandparents!

Grandma Weber and Nanny

PopPop and Nana

Mamama and FarFar

On September 8th my mom and dad drove us to the airport for the big day.  James and I both had head colds we caught from Ian, who had just returned to school the week before.  Darn those back-to-school colds!  I was armed with the bulb snotsucker and baby Tylonol and not looking forward to the following 20.5 hours.  I had prepared myself for being extremely emotional saying good-bye to my parents, but I ended up keeping it together pretty well.  United gave my mom a gate pass to help me through security, so I said good-bye to my dad at security and my mom at the gate.  When it came time to say good-bye to my mom, I was so focused on getting all of my belongings plus James on the plane that I completely forgot to cry!

Our journey took us from Dayton, Oh to San Fran, CA to Auckland.  We were very lucky that Lance's company, PwC, purchased seats for both James and me.  That means I didn't have to sit with James on my lap for 21 hours.  Sweet!  He was in his car seat for all of the domestic flights.  He was asleep before we even took off!  I had to force him to stay conscious enough to suck on his pacifier the whole way up to help pop his ears.

Our San Fran to Auckland flight was with Air New Zealand, and boy, were they wonderful!  Everyone was incredibly friendly.  Shout out to our flight attendant, Kerri, who was especially kind.  Families with young children were able to board first so I had plenty of time to get settled.  Kerri and I chatted while everyone else was boarding, and we talked of 'coffee groups' (women that went through their intranatal classes together and then move on to play groups once their babies are born) and Auckland neighborhoods.  She gave me her number and email and told me to give her a ring if I had any questions.  Amazing!

I made the decision not to bring James's car seat on the plane with us because the international flights have baby bassinets that attach to the bulkhead.  You have to request these seats when you purchase a ticket.  It was FANTASTIC.  I was able to have an empty seat next to me for all the junk that goes along with flying with a baby, and then James was able to lay down and sleep through the whole flight.  He didn't quite sleep the entire way, but he got some decent chunks in.  Babies have to be on your lap during take-off and landing.  They gave me a special belt for him that connected to mine.  He was able to wear it while breastfeeding (again, to help with his ears).  When he switches to the bassinet there is a cover that snaps over the top to keep him from flying out in case of turbulence.  If you are going to fly overseas, this is the way to do it.

A couple of months before we made this journey, a friend of Lance's from elementary and high school contacted us to say that she was also moving to Auckland.  We exchanged emails and coordinated it to be on the same flight.  Her name is Ashley and she was moving to Auckland to be with her boyfriend, Todd, who was also on the flight.  Ashley was able to come sit in the empty seat for a bit to chat and get 'clucky' over James.  Being 'clucky' is a kiwi phrase for when you go all googly-eyed over a baby.

Fourteen hours,  five spit-ups, four strangers, three poops, three outfits, and one partridge in a pear tree later, we landed in Auckland.  It is a very long walk from the arrival gate to the arrival area.  We have to go through customs, get our luggage, go through customs again where they scan our luggage, and then we can leave.  Trying to steer a stroller and enormous luggage cart through long lines is a bit tricky.  Ashley and Todd tried to help where they could, but they had their own luggage to worry about.  Plus Todd had a sprained ankle with a leg brace.  Phew.  Finally I walked through the sliding doors and saw Lance.  I was home!

Super Mom!