Got my iPhone

it wasn't nearly as crazy as yesterday.

Yesterday, the line wrapped around the Apple store (reminiscent of the craze in Chicago). Today, I walked to 3 (mobile phone shop). There were only 8 people waiting in line. Waited for about 30 mins and the bounce dude comes out. "Who wants a 16?" No one in front of me moved, so I said "Me!". Off I went, into the store...to get the LAST iPhone. Suckers!!!

Nicki, the girl who helped me, was very nice. Not like previous mean boys. Took my info...went to the back...gave me a phone...buh-bye... No money exchanged. That's right folks, I got me the new iPhone 4 for $ZERO and my monthly cost is way less (almost 1/2) what I paid in the States.

Here is the first pic I took on my walk home:

and some of my little goofball... (not the best pics in the dark apartment)

(he just realized he now gets mommy's old phone...)

I realize...

you probably come here for the pics and not to read my ramblings.... sorry. I will have more pics when it warms up enough to go out more regularly (and everyone gets healthy).

End of the week ramblings...

Who puts BEETROOT on a hamburger? Aussies do. The first time Rene bit into his burger he was like "what the ...??!" Thought maybe it was just the weird mall burger place we went to. Nope, next place served beets on their burgers too. Evidently it is an Aussie thing. Remind me to order burgers w/o beetroot and tomato sauce - yeah, not ketchup...tomato sauce. It's nasty.

Why do nannies think that 15 mins plenty notice when calling in sick (or quitting)? I have respect for my job to give them plenty of notice. If you don't value your job enough to give more notice, why am I paying you so much? If you can't tell...our nanny quit. She wasn't making enough money and said she could make more at Subway. Really? Because I am already paying you almost everything that I make. Since when does your "online-BA-degree-seeking" arse deserve more than my Ivy League Master's educated arse? (I apologize to all my online BA degree friends. this nanny just pissed me off... /vent over)

Last week when we talked to Papa, he asked if we'd seen any kangaroos. When we took our walk, we passed this kangaroo at the Aquarium (weird place for a 'roo...i know). Andrew loved the 'roo. He cried when we walked past the Aquarium and didn't stop to say "hi" and he hopped like a 'roo all week.

View from our apt (click to make bigger)

I hate you Vodafone!!!!

Took the day off so I could go check out some daycares. Had my first ride on the Monorail. It was quite different from riding the "el" (which I'll admit I haven't done since before we moved to CT). The car was basically like 2 (uncomfortable) couches facing each other with about 4 feet of space in between them then attached to 5other "cars". It sorta reminded me of the gondolas I took up Mt. Titlis.

Daycare #1: institutional in a chaotic sorta way. very dimly lit. lots of sniveling kids running around. nice outdoor space in the middle of CBD.

Daycare #2: actually a Montessori school. well lit. behaving little kids interacting w/each other and the teachers. soooo my style of learning. wooden toys. toys w/purpose. outdoor area.

In between my visits, I stopped in the Vodafone store (again) to try to get a SIM card. No luck. The guy said I needed a paper from my bank. Got it out..."oh, I meant a paper signed by your bank manager". ummm.. ok...how come you didn't mention this to me last week when I pulled out the same form? And how is it my husband can come in here after being in the country 2 days, ask for the same SIM card I just did and you give one to him? Why??? So once again I left the Vodafone store feeling like shit...needless to say that was my LAST time in a VOdafone shop. I will now be getting my new (iPhone) from someone else... 6 more days.... :)

thoughts on food (again)

Stopped at Coles tonight on my way home from work. Picked up some generic/store brand TimTams. Just wanted to see if they tasted the same as I could always save some $, esp if it something I should be buying in bulk... Generic TimTams aren't quite the same. You can tell the chocolate isn't the good stuff, but these will definitely pass in a pinch... On a side note, I think this was the first time I didn't eat an entire package in one night....

Rene is still not feeling well. He has been sick since we got here. Picked up some soup and the fixin's for "bear juice" - lemons, honey, and the tea we already had on hand.

Andrew brought me his shoes this morning and said "Home?" Poor bear...this is home.... I think he needs to venture outside more. I would get stir-crazy and want to leave if I was cooped up in a 1bedroom apt for days on end.

making a great impression...

This morning was the first morning it was pouring when I was due to go to work. yeah, it's rained...today it was pouring. I've yet to find my umbrella...so I ran. Yes, I ran. (if you are counting that is twice in one week. Maybe in this upside down world I do things completely opposite from back home...). It was only 10C, so it was coooold rain.

I was looking great when I got to work. I'd brought my real clothes in a bag, but my hair/make-up was looking awesome.

This is when I realized I had my "on-boarding luncheon" today - the lunch with the bigwigs of the company. No one is going to pay attention to me right? NOT! Everyone I've come in contact with up to this point has said "oh, you are the nurse from the States" or "we've been waiting for you" or "we're so excited you are finally here". There is no way I can blend into the walls during this luncheon.

The luncheon was in the office, but there were tableclothes, real dishes, catered food and me, drowned-rat-looking Yank. I'm sure I made a stellar impression....

Listening to music...

I couldn't decide which pic I liked better...so you get both :)

Andrew likes listening to music on YouTube. Specifically Paul Simon's "You Can Call me Al" - he'll listening to that on constant repeat if we let him. He likes to drum-drum and strum-strum. Most recently we added playing the recorder. It is very cute to watch him try to "play" and whistle at the same time...

Things I've noticed...

besides the fact that the water goes down the drain clockwise...

People smoke a lot here. I noticed it when we got off the plane. I notice it walking down the street. Today, I noticed it in the elevator at work. The smell lingered...ugh!

Andrew is the only kid I see wearing sunglasses. I would think being in an area with depleted ozone and elevated UV radiation that parents would want to protect their kid's eyes. Nope...he is the only one wearing sunglasses. (Judgy McJudgerson just reveaing herself...)

Sugar rocks! I love the way sugar makes food taste so much better than HFCS. (case in point...TimTams!!!)

you could almost call it exercise...

**sorry the formatting is all wonky. not sure what blogspot is doing...

Andrew and I took a nice walk along the waterfront thru Darling Harbour while Rene rested (not feeling well). It was packed with tourists (food and wine convention) and, dare I say it, hot...well, 18C.

We are staying where it says "convention" in blue on the bottom left. (Our apartment building is attached to the Tram stop). Andrew and I walked from the convention center around Cocokle Bay Wharf and the Aquarium and to the end of King Street Wharf and back again. It was about 1.5 miles.

I was a very nice walk. We saw lots of boats. We stopped by the Aquarium for bit b/c there was shade. Andrew got to see a kangaroo (probably for the 1st time - it's not one of his regular "animals"). It wasn't a real 'roo, but a statue (pic to come later). He cried when we left and we had to stop again when we strolled past again. (He's so smart...he remembered where it was and started to cry when I past it. I had to go back so he could see it.)

On the map, for reference, Rene's office is where it says Four Point by Sheraton on the righthand side. I work halfway up King's Wharf (crossroad Erskine) and one more street over (past Sussex). It's 2 blocks from water :)

Also pertaining to exercise...I went down to the gym after Andrew was asleep. When I got on the treadmill and punched my (usual) numbers, it started walking at a snail's pace - darn km vs miles. Once I got back and plugged my numbers into the converter...I "ran" a lot slower than I did in the States. Now, at my pace how can it really be called running? I was so dang slow in the US and if I'm slower here....

misc rambings during naptime

Rene made us some delicious pan-epes (sounds better than "crep-cakes"). He was going to make pancakes, but we didn't have syrup. We have self-rising flour, so the crepes were a little spongy...hence Pan-epes. Slathered with Nutella (and banana for the baby bear).

We had a nice long chat with Papa today. Andrew danced, read books to Papa and acted like a goof-ball. Hope Papa enjoyed it as much as we did.

Had fun "cheese"ing for the camera :)

(yes, mommy and daddy are aware that I really need a haircut)

Thanks Auntie Jenn for my cool robot jammies :)

It seems like Scrubs and the Simpsons are on continuously. No, it doesn't seem that way...they are on continuosly. Which was fun and interesting the first few days. Now, after 2 weeks of the same episodes, I'm craving my Psych (crying a litte inside that the new season started...) or even a little Hulu.... Another intersting TV note, the Today show seems to be on here too. Of course I'm watching a day later (I'm watching Thurs show on my Friday)...

I feel like this is starting to be a little "diary-esque". Let me know if I'm boring you....

Rude awakening...

Woke up to "boogies boogies" at 1:30 this morning, which I will admit, is better than the screams of previous nights. I look over in the semi-darkness to see Andrew's face covered in blood. I'm guessing the "winter" air has caused his boogies to be dry and therefore bleed.

Luckily, we had been given a pack-n-play with an extra sheet. (Who thought a 2yo would sleep in a pack-n-play?? c'mon people...). Now, hopefully they wil change the sheets today - usually we just get the bed made.

Now getting back to sleep after being completely awakened is proving to be problematic...

First trip to Coles

Stopped by the grocery store today. First off, the store is not nearly as large as the chain grocery stores in the US. Of course, that means the selection is not as diverse.

Produce selection...a local/Australian produce :)

Meat is free range, grain-fed, blah, blah, blah (all the stuff we look for anyways - no searching for the good stuff).

Nary a HFCS to be found. They use....wait for it...sugar! Must say, food tastes much better with sugar vs the other crap. I am going to love not having to scour labels to find food I can feed my son.

We found some actual ketchup. Had to buy it. "Tomato sauce" can not substitute for ketchup on "hot chips".

The splurge...Diet Coke. $5 for 3 1.5L (on sale)

oh...and Dark Chocolate TimTams!!!!

Oh sunny day...

Took a little family walk down to Pyrmont Park. It was full of little ones running around. The slide was a popular place for the "twos" crowd. Unfortunately, not all the twos knew how to wait in line or be patient. Andrew was very good at waiting his turn. He knows to sit down on his bottom and slide down...wheeee! He went swinging on a 'big boy' swing. Climbed up the rope dome - he probaby would have climbed up to the top if the ropes had been closer. Andrew, the frog, has been jumping all day. He loved jumping off the benches. Overall...a fun day at the park.

smiles make things better

Andrew and I took a walk along Darling Harbour after I got home. Watching the birdies and laughing makes mommy feel better.

Here's an "almost" pic of us:

Pic of the birdie that Andrew took:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...

how appropriate that this comes from Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities"

Today started off great. I was working in Embryology. I got to see the most amazing sight...the beginning of life. I saw an egg fertilise with a sperm and an embryo divide into 2 cells. I know it happens all the time (esp at my office) but this was the first time I actually saw it happen. I saw the egg at 24 hour...one cell. Just a few minutes later, 2 cells. To think that we all started out that small...just makes me believe in the awesome power of God.

Then I ran some errands...

I went into the Vodafone shop to get a SIM card (how have I survived w/o a mobile phone for 2 weeks??). The guy was jabbering on about some phone plan, blah blah blah. I swear this guy wasn't speaking English. What I wouldn't do for some normal English.... even my little guy has started to speak with an accent. Agh!

I left the shop feeling like such a failure. I mean, who can't get a damn SIM card? I felt so dejected on my walk home. On the bridge, I had to avoid all the stupid kids on holiday who were running about acting like idiots (seriously, can I trip some of them?). All I wanted was to run into someone familiar on the walk home and get a big hug. But of course that didn't happen. Nor did it happen when I got home. Andrew is teething and CRANKY and not sleeping and WHINY and irritable and CRANKY. Rene is not feeling well. So I wallow in my sef pity, knowing this is just a phase and everyone who leaves home goes thru this adjustment period...but I still wallow....

So back to Dickens and his "Two Cities"...I miss Chicago. Not enough that I want to pack up and go back. Just enough to want to go eat at the only "American" restuarant besides McD's...Tony Roma's....ok, maybe I don't miss the US that much :)

My name is Nicole....

....and I have a TimTam obsession. If you don't know what a TimTam is, you are missing out.

They are this little chocolate biscuit that alone, aren't that spectaular, but dipped in hot cocoa are the most delectible bits of gooey chocolate I've ever had. My favorite is the caramel filled ones, b/c as you can imagine...warm gooey caramel is heaven.

Now, don't get me wrong...I'll eat them w/o dipping in cocoa. I can eat a whole pack and hide the packaging just so people won't know I ate them. I can stealthyfully eat them so little ones don't know what mommy just threw in her mouth. I'm addicted....

It appears I'm not alone in my obsessions....linkeroo

(I just found TimTams with Crunchy...why, oh why do they do this to my hips....)

misc rambings...

Looking out my window (yes, I have a window) I saw a bright, blue sky with big puffy clouds.

Aside from the fact that I was so excited to see the sun, I was thinking of these clouds. They will make their way over to you. And when they do, look at them and know I'm seeing the same clouds....

(only a few hours earlier....)


Also, if I'm supposed to be doing an "independent study" to practice my interview techinique for drugs and protocols that I've been teaching for years, does that mean I can take a nap?

and we are teething again....

Well, not Rene or myself. Andrew has started to get his molars. He's been putting his hand in his mouth a lot recently, so I knew it was coming. Today the nanny said he was "dripping". He just stood there with his mouth open and drool pouring out of his little mouth.

Interestingly enough, yesterday Andrew was asking for his necklace - the amber necklace he wore when he got the majority of his teeth. (Amber has the healing properties of succinic acid which is absorbed thru the skin. Andrew wore it the entire time he teethed and I never knew he cut a tooth until it showed - even when 4 came at the same time. Here is where I got it from along with some info. I have an amber necklace too. I've used it for my RSD pain and the relief is amazing!!!)

"Guess who pee-peed in the potty??"

That what I heard when I walked in this afternoon.


Andrew asked AND pee-peed/pooped in the potty 5 times today! We had put the potty-learning on hold with the big move. We didn't bring the potty chair, but he has don't quite well with the big potty. He loves to stand on the toilet afterward and pushing the buttons to flush. Just an FYI: water goes down the drain clockwise.


He was rewarded by a little 'pain o' chocolat' and being able to wear his 'big boy' pants.


Just a visual reason why our neighbors may not like us....

our little drummer boy

Misc food stuff....

After work, I stopped to pick up my "favorite" meal.

Yummy meat pie. (admittedly not the best pic...but trust me...it's yummers!)

I also picked up a 'fairy cake' for my favorite little guy. I got a blue sprinkles for him and a Hokey Pokey for me. I love Hokey Pokey and Crunchie bars. I'm hoping they have Hokey Pokey ice cream this summer like they did in NZ.

Andrew has been working on showing you how old he is. I would have the camera ready, and he refused to do it. Then as soon as I closed the camera, he would do it perfectly... so here is my best pic of "2"....

Fire alarm

Just as I got Andrew to sleep, the ::insert expletive:: fire alarm went off. We went and stood in the hallway/corridor. (the building is an old warehouse. the hallways are all open to the floors above and below.) Everyone was doing the same thing as no smoke was pouring out of any one apartment. After about 10 mins we were given the all clear to go back in.

Luckily, Andrew wasn't roused too much (just enough to say "ambulance" when he heard the sirens). He laid down easily, but his eyes wouldn't close. Of course, as soon as they were almost closed, the alarm went off again. SERIOUSLY!!! We didn't even bother to leave this time.

Bedtime was delayed by about 1 1/2hrs, so hopefully he'll sleep later tomorrow morning...not holding my breath.

A Saturday morning Down Under...

Got up early (surprise, surprise).

Went to Pancake on the Rocks for b'fast. I really wanted to order the "Devil's Delight" - chocolate pancakes with strawberries, cream, chocolate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Unfortunately, this didn't seem like the best choice for a healthy b'fast.


Walked around Darling Harbour - remembering places we had visited back in 2004. (Our hotel was located one block from where we now work.) They have an area set aside for watching the World Cup. It's been pretty lively some mornings when I walk to work. Andrew got to see some big boats, and hear one of them blow the horn. Exciting!

Snack time

Got out of work early again :)

Andrew and I went to the little cafe downstairs for hot cocoa and a cookie. It was a yummy snack. He also likes to run around and dance in the open space - burning off some energy to (hopefully) go to sleep.

He has Debbie, the coffee girl, entranced with his cuteness. She made sure his cocoa wasn't too hot.

I love meat pies!

I love meat pie! Oh so yummy....

There is a bakery called Central Bakery District just around the corner from work. I picked up some meat pies for dinner last night. They were heaven! Beef brisket in a flaky pastry shell...what's not to love?

Today the Cantina downstairs had a special pie. Chicken, bacon, red pepper in flaky goodness accompanied by a green salad and roasted sweet potatoes. I'd have taken a picture of these delectable yummies, but they were in my tummy too quickly.


(yeah, i know they are just "chicken pot pies" but don't ruin this yumminess for me....)

Playing in the park

I got out of work early (3:30!!) so Andrew and I made our way to the park.

Pyrmont Point Park is at the end of our street right on the harbor. It was beautiful. Lots of fun new toys for Andrew to climb on. Green spaces to run in. Since it's been raining, it was a little mushy and we got a little dirty.

The walk home was torture!!! I hadn't noticed the incline on the way there. (Ok, I had, but I thought "Weeeee!" as the stroller rolled down the hill with ease.) It was the steepest incline I have ever walked that wasn't attached to a mountain. And I was pushing a stroller. I definitely got my workout today.

Happy Birthday to me...

Another anti-climatic birthday.

My co-workers bought me some cupcakes from Babycakes. They were delish....

Off to work....

My first day at the new job :)

All I have to say is "wow"! This company is much larger than my previous job. I have a title, a desk, a cubby that is larger than the previous nurse's station, a window, business cards... I could go on...

Everyone is very nice. I have a "buddy" who's job it is to be nice to me and take me out for tea :)

alright...blah blah blah, no one really cares about my new job.

Pictures are coming...

Picture will eventually be added.

My computer is not hooked up to the internet (evidently we have to pay per computer that is on). All my pics are downloaded to my computer. I'm sure I could move the pics from one computer to the other, but that would involve thinking...something I'm not quite ready to do...

UPDATED: (some) pics are uploaded

Blackbird

When Rene and I were here in 2004, we ate at Blackbird Cafe. We raved about the waffle breakfast - crisp waffle with fresh strawberries and chocolate mascarpone. We even added it to our cooking repertoire by buying a waffle iron when we returned to the States.

Ventured over there today for lunch...not quite what we remembered. The food was "bleh" and the service left a lot to be desired. We asked for a table inside as it was very sunny out. After winding us thru the entire restaurant (pushing the stroller), the waiter sat us on the patio....in the sun. Once we were seated, we couldn't get anyone to take our order (or bring us a high chair).

We will not be frequenting this restaurant this time....

Food...

Our first meal, I'm happy to say, was not fast food!

I ate yummy yogurt with bananas and delish toast - thick, smothered with butter and grilled... Rene had beans and sausage and toast and eggs. Classic - gave me a heart attack just looking at it. Andrew... he didn't eat much, but that's nothing new.

We've since eaten: Chicken schnitzel (with 'salad'), more yogurt (with honey), more toast, wavy crisps, fresh fruit, TIM TAMS, lemonade (baby bear's favorite)

I've started drinking coffee again. I swear, the only time I drink/like coffee is when I'm abroad. Of course, it's loaded with milk and sugar. How else do you get the best of the Tim Tam?

My favorite right now...banana bread that is masquerading as toast. Take a loaf of banana bread (no nuts), slice extra thick, slather with butter, grill, call it b'fast....

Happy Birthday!

It was a very anti-climatic birthday for our little 2 year old.

He woke up at 11:30pm on July 2nd. Ate some yogurt and crackers. Watched 5 mins of Monsters, Inc. Then went back to bed. I think he just wanted to be up the moment he turned 2...

We didn't do anything exciting. It was chilly, we are all sleepy, and it's not like he really knows it is his birthday...

Diapers...you knew it was coming...

On the subject of diapers....yes, I used cloth diapers on the flight.

I used Flip diapers with a disposable gDiaper liner. The liner is made from cellulose fibers, so there were no nasty chemicals next to his cute little tushie. It worked wonderfully. That said, it was only pee diapers. I was so worried that he would poop and that it would escape (since I'm not familiar with the absorbency of wood pulp...). He did say "poop" about 2 hours before we landed. When I changed him, it was just a little poop, so nothing to worry about. Of course the garbage in the bathroom was full by then. I just shoved it down as best I could...

Since we've been here, he has been a little pooping monster! I think almost every diaper has been a poopie one. His first diaper actually leaked out of the leg casing (this is a first for us...yea cloth!). Poor little guy must have been holding his bowels (and mommy is thankful!) but geez boy, how much crap do you hold?

Trekking thru the airport....

I'm sure we looked like a freakshow walking thru the airport. I was pushing the stroller with my big carryon bag on top and a big backpack. Rene was pushing 2 trollies packed with bags. I can only imagine what I'd be thinking, "man, those people sure packed everything for vacation."

Maybe it's because of our freakshow-ness or maybe it was the super-cute little guy leading our parade, but we got the "express" treatment. When we got up to the huge customs line, we were escorted to the "express line". There was one family in front of us. We sailed thru, had nothing to declare, and voila...we are officially expats!

There was a ride waiting for us. How important do I feel... Express lines. Man with our name on a placard waiting for us.

Our driver warned us that it was cold out. Must say, it felt refreshing after the lack of A/C in LAX and the 14 hrs of recycled air. (I'm all for recycling, but I like my "new" air.)

Andrew got to ride on a bus (how exciting for the little bus-lover). There was a carseat already installed, so we just used it. Standards must be a different over here b/c it was a pretty chintzy carseat and Rene said several people commented on how large our carseat was.

And we're off...

It amazes me how much we are taking and how little we are taking. I mean, 7 suitcases can hold our entire lives - the lives of 3 people for the next 4 years (or at least until Christmas)?

Andrew was AWESOME on the flights.

On our flight from ORD to LAX there was a woman who had 2 small kiddos. The younger one squirmed and screamed for most of the flight. I was sooo glad Andrew had a seat - even though it was very cramped. His carseat ended 2 inches before the next seat - yes, I measured it. We had just enough time in LAX to go potty.

LAX to SYD was a 14 hr flight. Andrew fell asleep shortly after we got on the plane. He woke up a few times, so we walked the cabin and changed his diaper (there is a baby changing station in the back toilet. Who knew?? I had not been looking forward to changing him in a cramped airplane stall.) When he woke up for good (about 2 hrs left), we played with his airplane (flying from mommy's tray table to daddy's), read books, sang songs, colored, and played with stickers. STICKERS!!! They were a lifesaver. I love stickers!! He would have been content sticking stickers for the entire flight, but we rant out of the boat stickers. (Tip for any parent of a toddler: Stickers form the $ store + a cheap notebook = hours of fun!)


Other advice I pulled from the days of having a newborn:

"sleep when the baby sleeps"

Of course, as soon as Andrew settled in, I tried to sleep but my eyes kept popping open to watch the monitor. It had the picture of the airplane on the path to SYD. I know it wasn't changing, it had only been 30 secs, but I still had to look.

Our landing was straight out of Albatross Air Lines...but we made it.