My Birth Story

Well, after much thinking, I decided that yes, I would share my birth story.  I originally wrote this for my midwife, and I've tweaked it just a little for everyone reading this.  I'm going to forewarn you, this isn't my usual topic, and it's a tad graphic.  It's not uber graphic, but it's a bit descriptive.  I'm sharing my war story here...of course there's gonna be details (and yes a picture or two for proof)!! :D  Never fear, it does contain bits of my quirky sense of humor.  Also, what you're reading is MY experience.  It's not intended to diss anyone's choices or what-not, so don't get your thong twisted if you don't like something I have to say.  Now...all technicalities aside...on with the post.

Motherhood brings about one of the biggest adventures in your life.  It all begins with pregnancy.  Your belly expands, a little person is rapidly growing inside of you, and your mind drifts to thoughts of what the future holds.  I was no exception, except that my pregnancy brought about a bigger adventure than I could have possibly foreseen.

In June of 2012, I visited my husband in New Zealand.  Little did I know, I had more than pictures and t-shirts for souvenirs.  In July, we found out I was pregnant!!  Ben and I were excited, and then the worry set in.  Ben was in New Zealand, and I was in the U.S.  What were we going to do?  Where were we going to live?  After talking and looking at our options, we decided that I would move to NZ.

The decision to move brought with it a separate list of hurdles which included immigration and finding a midwife, from the other side of the world.  I was a labor and delivery nurse.  I had a set way of thinking when it come to maternity care.  I worked with and trusted my OB doctor.  I had no idea what kind of care New Zealand offered, and I only had a short amount of time to find out because I really didn't need to make the flight to NZ during my 3rd trimester.  Ben reassured me everything would be fine, I started researching, and together, we poured through the lists of midwives looking for the perfect one.  I'm happy to say we found her!

Christina was immediately short listed after we read through her website, saw her credentials and experience, and heard recommendations.  I emailed her, and after Christina's response, I knew she was the one.  Christina was familiar with what I was accustomed to, gave me more information about NZ maternity care, and as a bonus, she had traveled through my small town in Alabama.  Christina agreed to take me on, and over the next few months, I was her 'internet patient'.

I would email Christina updates after my OB appointments and fill her in on how I was progressing.  She always responded quickly and offered advice, if I needed it.  She went above and beyond what I expected, and I was so thankful.  Because of her, I had one less thing to stress over.  I had confidence in her, and she put me at ease.  I knew I did not have to worry about the level of care I would receive, and instead, I could turn my thoughts to the nearly 14,000 kilometer flight back to New Zealand.

In December, at 26 weeks pregnant, I boarded the plane for the 20 hour journey back.  Things didn't slow down once landed, and for a while, our life was extremely hectic. On top of having a baby to prepare for, Ben and I married, I had a new country to adjust to, and I was finally able to meet my midwife!  Christina booked me in shortly after I arrived, and after meeting her, I was even more pleased that she had agreed to be my LMC provider.  Christina was not just my midwife, but she also helped me adjust to life in NZ. 

She recommended groups and activities to get me out of the house and to help me meet people.  She always made sure I was feeling well both physically and emotionally, and I knew that I could talk to her if I needed to.  We discussed the differences in care between NZ and the U.S., she explained the evidence behind some of the practices in NZ, and she made sure I was comfortable with the decisions we made regarding my care.  I looked forward to my appointments with Christina, and I think she looked forward to them as well (Ben and I provided a good laugh for her rather it be telling the story of how I ended up in New Zealand, or hearing about our random weekend trips...including one to Australia at nearly 35 weeks pregnant).   

As my due date grew closer, I began to have little worries again.  I planned on having an unmedicated water birth at Waterford Birth Centre,  I had no desire to birth in the hospital because for me it was a source of anxiety.  I was not afraid of the care I would receive in the hospital.  I was nervous that I would scare myself into wanting a c-section if I saw something on the monitor I didn't like...remember, I actually know how to read those things.  Luckily, Miss Priss decided to come on her own.

March 17, 2013 was a typical day.  Ben and I had watched movies, I sat on my yoga ball trying to get our little one to straighten up, and as usual, I had no contractions.  We had dinner, watched more movies, and finally decided to go to bed around 10:30.  I woke up hurting around midnight.  I got up because I couldn't get comfortable, and I didn't want to wake Ben since he had to work that morning.  I went into the living room and sat back on my ball.  I was definitely having contractions, but I wanted to make sure they were real and not Braxton Hicks.  By 12:30, I knew I was in labor.  My contractions were every 2 to 3 minutes.

I woke Ben, and told him to get his things ready.  I stood in the shower letting the water run over my back while Ben gathered what he needed and checked to make sure all of my things were packed.  I finally got out of the shower and knelt at the side of my bed.  My contractions were getting stronger, and I was not really able to talk through them.  I had started to think I might be more comfortable at the birth centre, but I didn't want to go too soon.  I called my mom back in the U.S., but I couldn't talk to her very long.  Our conversation lasted 6 minutes, and I had 3 contractions during that time.  I told Ben I was calling Christina.

At 130 I placed the call, and after talking to me through a contraction, Christina told me to head to Waterford, and she would notify them I was coming in.  Ben loaded up the car, I huffed and puffed through my contractions, and finally we were on our way.  Thankfully, the drive was less than 10 minutes, but those 10 minutes were not comfortable.  My back hurt, and I wanted to be back on all fours.  At 2:00, I got my wish.  I was on the bean bag, Ben was rubbing my back, and I felt better being at the birth centre.  Christina arrived shortly thereafter, and she checked me to see how far I had progressed.  At 02:15 I was 7cm dilated with a bulging amniotic sac.

When she told me, I had a moment of panic inside my head.  There was no turning back, I had to do this naturally because at this point a hospital transfer and epidural were completely out of the picture.  Up until then, I had always told myself to relax and not worry about the pain being too much because I had a great support system, I was educated on child birth, and yes, I could always change my mind should I need to.  My moment of fear disappeared with the next contraction, and all I could think about then was getting off the bed and back to the bean bag.  Ben and Christina helped me up, and then Christina went to fill the tub for me.

At 2:30, I climbed into the tub.  The lighting in the room was low, the water was warm, and I was able to change positions more easily.  My contractions seemed to pick up and become more intense.  I felt like they were one right on top of the other, and I felt an enormous amount of pressure.  My water broke at 2:45, and at that point, I no longer wanted to change positions.  I relaxed against the tub.  Ben and Christina reassured me that I was doing a wonderful job, offered me water to keep me hydrated, and they reminded me to breath slow and deep through each contraction. 

I started to get a bit nauseated, and I knew what that meant, it wouldn't be long before my little girl was born.  Around 3:00 I began to feel a burning pressure, I told Christina and she encouraged me to push when I felt the urge.  I pushed a little, and when I did, I felt her move down; it scared me.  I had a mental image of where she was positioned, and I thought to myself that I didn't want to push because it was going to hurt.  I breathed through a few more contractions, and then I no longer cared if it hurt because the pressure and contractions were too much.  I knew pushing was the only way to make it all stop.

I started really pushing at 3:10.  Ben kept me grounded and reminded me to control my breathing between contractions.  Christina encouraged me to push through the pain, and when I was close to crowning, she started directing my pushing to prevent tearing as much as possible.  I focused on Christina.  I listened and did exactly as she instructed...push gently, pant, let the head slowly ease out.  Once her head was out, I pushed once more.  Less than 3 and a half hours from my first contraction, I was holding my baby girl.

Our little girl entered the world and was placed on my chest at 3:21 am on March 18th.  Her cord was cut once it stopped pulsing, and Ben held her while I delivered the placenta.  I was moved back to the bed, and Christina examined me.  I was completely intact.  Little Stevie was given back to me, and she immediately started breastfeeding.

There we are!!

Look...even smiling!

I went into this wondering what all the hoop-la was about.  I didn't think the medical community was out to "ruin" my birth experience or "force" me birth a certain way for liability issues.  I was just honestly curious why women chose to go this route.  I didn't have a lengthy birth plan, and the only reason I had one was because my medical record has a place for it to be filled in.  I was open to whatever worked.  I didn't take classes and read lots of books, and I didn't hound Ben to read certain books or make out "affirmation cards".  Nope, I was your laid back whatever goes patient. All of that other stuff would stress me out, I mean really, I don't think I wanted him shuffling through a deck of flash cards to tell me what position would be more comfortable to me (I'm in no way knocking those that do.  I just know it would stress me if my plan was being ruined by baby's time line).

So what did I learn?  During those moments, and looking back, I finally saw why women choose to have natural child births.  The experience was more than I could have ever imagined.  Did it hurt?  Oh yeah it did, but I didn't think I was dying, and thankfully we have these wonderful hormones that kinda dull your memory of what it was actually like...lol  I think probably the best way to describe it is to say it was intense.  That's a more accurate picture than just calling it painful.  Yes, there were a couple of times I asked Ben to make it stop, and I said "I'm having an epidural with the next one".  Mainly I just told Ben and Christina "It hurts" a few times.  I didn't scream like a banshee, I didn't curse and carry on like you see on tv, and really I just went with it.

I had gas and air available, and had I not been close to delivery, I had pethidine (demerol) as an option.  I didn't ask for either, nor did I think about asking for anything.   I knew fighting it would make it harder, so I focused on breathing and getting through one contraction at a time.  I'm saying my methods were successful because I can say I did it!!  I was able to see just what my body was capable of, and it was amazing!  My husband and Christina were everything I could have hoped for in a support system, and without them, I could not have done it.  The way I chose to deliver may not be for everyone, but having had an epidural with my first, I can say the choice I made with this birth was the best choice for me.

So you may be wondering, would I do it this way again?  You bet I would!!! ;)

Going Crunchy

I feel like I should be at some sort of 'Anonymous Addiction Meeting' as I admit this.  "Hello, I'm Callie, and I'm turning crunchy..." For those of you that know me, I'm sure there are a few gasps and slack jawed expressions going on as you read this.  I know, I found it hard to believe myself...well, initially.  After the shock wore off, I embraced my new found love of all things some things crunchy.  Hey, I'm a newbie to the granola world, I can't love all things.  There are places I draw the line...ie "no poo".  For those of you not into the lingo, no poo means no shampoo.  Yes, there are some people that don't use shampoo (no judement intended).  I've not researched it, so I don't know how it works.  Regardless, rest assured, I do still wash my hair...although at the end of the day, it really doesn't look like it (or smell like it) after Little Stevie's spit up in it a few times.

What has gotten into me, you are probably wondering.  Well, I like to blame it on New Zealand.  "WHAT?!" Yes, I'm blaming it on my new home.  Some of these changes were brought on by it being the norm (recycling/reusing) and some by force.  I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical to begin with.  I grew up with air conditioning.  When I realized that most people over here didn't have (or use) the a/c, I was a bit wary.  When I saw how many clothes lines were strung up, again, I was slightly O.o (that is googley eyed, in case you are wondering). I pouted a bit when I realized there are things from the States I can't get here, or what I can get is expensive/tastes different.  Since I was in a new country, there were two things I could have done.  I could have whined and resisted, and ultimately made adapting harder, or I could enthusiastically jump in with both feet and have a go of it.  Yes, I dove in, and giggled like a school girl as I hung out my first load of laundry.

Were there a few groans along the way, you betcha!  The weather here is very unpredictable, and I nor the weather man can determine if it's going to be a good drying day or not.  There have been many rain soaked clothes, and I have wanted to be like the lady that lives behind me and leave them out rain or shine because they will eventually dry....even if it is a week later. ;)  There were a couple of times that I wished for air con.  I went through summer pregnant, and not just pregnant, but my final trimester of pregnancy...you know, the most uncomfortable part.  Also, it wasn't just any summer, it was the hottest summer in history (click that link for proof). By the end of my pregnancy, I was waddling around scoffing at those complaining about the heat and humidity.  Pfft...amateurs!!  This Bama girl knows all about heat and humidity.  That being said, it's probably the only thing that saved me from whining, crying, and begging for a/c to be installed.

I started to learn to make things in order to replicate the taste of products I missed from the U.S.  It began with taco seasoning and Sloppy Joe's.  Yes, they have taco seasoning here, but I didn't have any on hand and refused to go to the market.  Hmmm...maybe laziness should be added to my list of reasons for becoming more crunchy.  A Facebook status made me have a craving for Sloppy Joe's, and I knew to not even bother with trying to find Manwich mix at the grocery store.  A base recipe, followed with a dash of this and sprinkle of that, and Voila!!!  I made my own!!!  They tasted just as good, if not better than the can mix.  The same goes for the taco seasoning, it tasted just like the packets of Old El Paso, but without all of the preservatives!!!!

That did me in, I was on a mission to make as many convenience products as I could.  I saw they tasted the same or better and they didn't have additives.  That's right; I said additives...I've also started calling them "nasty fillers" and ugh..."chemicals".  No, I nor anyone I know has died from the before mentioned, but if I have the option to buy versus make, I now choose to make it.  Since my initial kitchen diy experiments, I've also taken on the task of making cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, steak sauce, and chili mix, just to name a few.  All of my attempts have been successful.  It's started to become sort of like a game of Make It If You Can.  I don't bother looking for the pre-made ingredients for recipes any longer.  I make what-ever it is I need, toss the extras in the freezer or pantry, and it's very cost effective.  Win!!!

Cost is another factor that lead to me "going to the green side".  Have you seen the cost of diapers?!?!?!  They're not cheap, but I am.  After seeing what they cost when Root Toot was a baby, I decided I wanted to forgo that added expense.  Hello cloth diapers!!  After researching and reading and more researching and reading, I decided to go with BumGenius 4.0 diaper...or nappies as they're called here.  They seemed the most user friendly, had great reviews, and the best part...I got them when they were buy 5 get 1 free with free shipping!!!!  Woohoo!!  We did use disposable for about 3 weeks, so including that cost of around $100 and the cost of her BG nappies, she has been diapered from birth to potty for less than $450.

BumGenius 4.0 on smallest setting

I also decided to save money by forgoing disposable wipes.  I make a wipe solution of water and a few drops of  tea tree oil.  Tea tree oil is great, and when she did get nappy rash while wearing disposables, it helped clear her bum right up!!  Also effective at clearing up a red bum and diaper rash...COCONUT OIL!!!

Coconut Oil...versatile natural product

Coconut oil is anti-fungal and safe for cloth nappies.  It's also inexpensive and easily found.  Go check out the cooking oil or international food aisle at your local market, cheaper than all the other creams and just as good.  It's also great for use as a moisturizer and hair treatment...that's why I have a big jar of it. ;)

To be on the safe side, and to make nappy clean up easier, I did buy fleece to use as a liner.  It's really easy to make your own, which is what I did.  Since I was at the craft store, I also bought felt to make Stevie a mobile and hangy things for her car seat.  Cheap, and I can make more so she doesn't have to see the same one over and over.

Sewing, laundry detergent making, and soap making are next on my diy/crunchy living list.  Ben's going to get me a sewing machine, so we'll see how that goes.  I'm picking up the dedicated soap making pots and pans this weekend when we head to market.  I would say my poor family, but Ben is a good sport, and actually encourages me...lol  We'll see how encouraging he is if I mess up the pH in the soap and he gets a chemical peel.  Muahahahahaha!!  Yes, that was my evil villian laugh.

Perhaps the biggest change for me came with my maternity care and Stevie's birth.  I'm not going to get into the maternity services of New Zealand right now, but I will say that as long as you're having a normal pregnancy, it is less medicalized than the States.  I had an amazing midwife for my maternity care.  I also chose to not give birth in the hospital.  I had Little Stevie at Waterford Birth Centre.  I had an unmedicated waterbirth.  Yep, I opted to go all natural...no epidural, no iv pain meds (or iv for that matter), and no air & gas.  I had her in the birthing tub, delayed cord cutting, delayed her bath, and brought home her placenta (not to eat or encapsulate..I'm not that crunchy, but kudos to those who are).

On that note, I'm going to leave you to mull over that last paragraph.  The little monster is awake, and I have laundry to do, which I accomplish by wearing my baby in a wrap.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!!  I'm going to think about rather or not to post up my birth story and get busy with a few diy things...Cheers!

Wow!! It's Been a While!!

My how life has changed since my last post!!  The last time I wrote, I was running around trying to finish up last minute things before Little Stevie's arrival.  Yes, that's what we call her Little Stevie...short for Little Stevie Wonder.  You should see her head groove!!  LOL  Sometimes she's referred to as Snaggle Tooth, but that's a whole different story.  Back to my original train of thought...life changing.  I was heading into my midwife appointments, buying a few little last minute things that she "needed" (ie. cute gowns), buying a few last minute things that I needed, and trying my hardest to get her to turn and drop.  The closer I got to my due date, the harder I worked to achieve the latter of the before mentioned...and then I saw my due date approach...and then I saw my due date pass.

Let me tell you, it's not exactly exciting to watch your due date go by.  All I could do was think "OMG!!  I don't want to be induced!!  I'm a labor and delivery nurse with a BIRTH PLAN!!!!!"  For those of you unaware....being a nurse pretty much ensures that something is going to go wrong, and having a birth plan is kinda like signing consents for a c-section.  So yeah, I was pretty much the poster child for an induction followed by a stat c-section.  To all of my ob friends...I did NOT sit down and write a formal birth plan...let me repeat...I did NOT write a formal birth plan.  The birth plan was filled in by my midwife and was part of my medical record.  I am happy to report, I did not get induced, nor did I have a c-section!!  Woohoo!!!  The U.S. nurse/birth plan juju did not cross the Pacific Ocean with me!!!! :D :D :D  I had a short and sweet labor followed by the arrival of Little Stevie!!!

Here she is...a couple of hours after birth.

Don't Swaddle My Hands!!!

Here's some more photos of her throughout the past weeks.  You can see how much she's changed and how time really has flown by!!

Snoozing at the birth centre

I'm Getting Sleepy

Pitching a Fit!!

Crashed

Night Night

Since her arrival, we've been pretty busy, to say the least!!  Ben was home to take care of us for a while, and I am so thankful for that.  I got to rest, we got our nursing routine down pat, and we had time to bond before the day to day activities kicked in.  She had her first outing (to the library), has been to the grocery store, to the markets, and she has even made a quick trip to The Base (the mall).  We've embarked on our journey with cloth diapers and wipes.  We've figured out a bath routine...the longer it lasts the happier she is.  We're getting more sleep at night, and she's awake more during the day.  All in all, life is good.

Now that we have somewhat of a schedule, I'll have a little more free time and be back to blogging more frequently.  She's telling me she's ready to eat again, so that's all for now.

I hope everyone is doing great!! 

Sydney Australia Trip

It's been a little bit since I last updated.  Most of you know we made a trip to Sydney, Australia last week, and I'm finally caught up at home and able to sit down and write.

The trip started out with us having to get up at like 1:00 am so we could be checked in at the Auckland airport by 0430.  It's a good thing we left a little bit early because we had to take the scenic tour of a little town called Huntly.  I think we zig zagged down every street in that town...why...I don't know...they just had detour signs up all over the place.  30 minutes later, which is 25 minutes longer than it should have taken us, we were out of Huntly and on our way again.  The rest of the trip there was uneventful, and we managed to get a great parking place at the airport.

Check-in, security, and customs was a breeze, but I will admit, I was rather jealous.  Because Ben is a New Zealand citizen (this applies to Australian citizens traveling through NZ as well), he was able to just bypass the lines, swipe his passport through a little computer thingie, and he was cleared through customs.  Granted, at 0430 in the morning, there wasn't a long line through customs, but still...I want to swipe and go too!!!

From here I'll fast forward to the actual flight.  It was less than 3 hours, but I was not impressed at all with Virgin Australia.  I do believe they top Delta in managing to find ways to charge you for everything.  You know on Delta how you do have some free inflight amenities such as a few tv selections, pretzels, peanuts, cookies, coke, coffee, and water?  Well you can forget it on Virgin.  You get water, tea, or coffee...that's it.  Our plane didn't even have tv's on the back of the seat.  You had to purchase a tablet to be able to watch anything.  Ummm...no thanks...  I dozed and passed the time people watching...and grumbling to myself about a foot being wedged into my ribs.  Yes, the baby played in my tummy the entire flight.  On a positive note, leg room was decent, but I could only stretch so far to give her a bit of extra room without just lying down in the middle of the aisle.

Once we finally landed, we were off through customs and security.  Since we weren't there for a long trip, we didn't have to fight the luggage lines!  Woot!!! :D  Again, I glared at Ben out of jealousy while he waltzed through the Australian/New Zealand Citizen self swipe line.  I was herded through the main line at customs, but at least they quickly and politely processed us in.  Ben was waiting once I was cleared through, and we went to security.  Here is where I nearly fainted.  The pre-screening guy looked at our arrival cards, saw Ben was a NZ citizen, and asked if we had any more luggage.  Ben told him we just had carry-on, and we were directed through line 8.  Line 8 bypasses security and comes out in the duty free shopping area.  Granted, I was happy to not have to go through security, but Ben's nationality earned him more looks from me.

From there, we purchased public transportation passes, and we were set.  Heads up...if you ever go to Sydney, don't waste your time trying to get a rental car.  There's no need.  First off, it's crowded...ridiculously crowded.  Second, parking, if you can find it, costs out the wazoo.  My suggestion is, you get the My Pass cards.  It gives you access to the buses, subways, and ferries.  You can catch a cab, but be prepared to spend a fortune.  This was my first experience using public transportation, and as you can guess, I was a bit excited about it....so excited, that I took pictures of the subway!

We hopped the train, and a few stops later we were downtown Sydney.  From there, we did quite a bit of walking and just taking in the sights.  For those of you who like to shop...well, you can shop to your little heart's content in Sydney.  They have everything from little surf shops to Rodeo Drive type stores.  I specifically remember seeing Armani, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Louis Vuitton.  I intended to take pictures of them, but the only one I got around to was Louis Vuitton.  No, I didn't go into these stores because well, for one, I was 34 1/2 weeks pregnant and it was extra effort to take the steps to go into these stores, and second, I'm the type that if I can't afford something, I'm not going to waste my time looking.  For those of you who do like these types of things, I present to you a picture of a real Louis Vuitton store.

Downtown had many other interesting things to see, and here are a few shots of things that motivated me to put forth the effort required to waddle up to for a closer inspection.

Sand Sculpting

Sand Sculpting

Sand Sculpting

 The Sydney Cenotaph War Memorial - Honoring the fallen of World War I soldiers.  One side says "Lest We Forget" and the other side reads "To Our Glorious Dead".

Controversial Statue of Queen Victoria.  Read more here.

Random Person In Wedding Dress

Sydney Coca-Cola Billboard the Largest Billboard in the Southern Hemisphere

 

Paddy's Market

Funny Sign on Store Front

 Chinese New Year was being celebrated while we were in Sydney.  There were festivities going on in Chinatown, as well as the parks.

Chinatown

Park Festivities for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year Festivities

Lion Dance

We also saw many other Sydney landmarks such as The Government House, which is open for public tours, but where the governor lives.  Here's a picture of it.

Government House

Also, no trip to Sydney would be complete without seeing the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge!!!

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

 Let me just add that you can walk along the bridge.  When I say walk along the bridge, I don't just mean you can walk along a path where the cars are driving, but I mean you can walk along the top of the arch...as in where the flags are at the top!!  No, I didn't walk along the bridge because once again, it took a lot to motivate this pregnant woman, and I wasn't walking to the top if I couldn't jump off of it.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

There were also various street performers all over Sydney.  The most interesting were harbour side.  We saw everything from an Aboriginal playing a didgeridoo to a Canadian unicyclist to a street artist drawing on canvas with chalk.  Here are a few pictures of the street performers.

Aboriginal Playing Didgeridoo

Unicyclist on 12 Foot Unicycle

Chalk Art

After several days of walking around in the heat, I will admit, I was rather tired.  See this kid...no he's not having a tantrum, he's just doing what I wanted to do...sprawl out on the ground from exhaustion.  I cracked up when I saw this, and I couldn't help but be a bit envious and take a picture.

My Hero

The heat wasn't as bad as it is in Alabama because of the ocean breezes, but it was quite warm...especially when you've been walking ALL DAY, and not to mention the fact that I'm preggo!!  I was thankful when we would return to our room every afternoon.  We stayed in the Kings Cross area, which is known as "the red light district" of Sydney.  We chose to stay there because it is a very centralized location with a lot of restaurants, ease of access to the trains and buses, and there is people watching galore!!  Having said that it is the red light district, some people may cringe or think that it is unsafe.  Let me just say this, it has nothing on New Orleans or Bourbon Street...enough said.  We stayed at the Diamant Hotel , and it was fantastic.  Anyone heading to Sydney, I recommend staying there!

We didn't go to the beach while we were there because well, it's hard to beat the beach in New Zealand, there was icky seaweed all over the place thanks to the cyclone from the week before, and I'm afraid of sharks in Australia.  I use to roll my eyes at my mom when she would talk about people being bitten by sharks in the ocean, and I was like "yeah...yeah...yeah" because who really knows anyone that's gotten attacked by a shark.  Well, all of that changed when I was going through orientation at the last hospital I worked for.

We were having to play a little find a person who has _____ game, and I met someone who use to fly to different countries to bring people back to the States that had fallen ill.  He mentioned that he went to Australia to pick up a patient, and I was like "Oh, how did you like Australia?"  He said, "I wasn't there long at all."  I asked why, and his reply was "I went swimming and a shark attacked me."  He was missing a leg thanks to that shark, and thanks to him, I will not be going into the ocean in Australia.  I will say I had to call my mom after that tell her AAAALLLL about it...I also don't roll my eyes at her as much as I use to because I have personally met someone that has been attacked by a shark.

Okay, back on topic...Sydney trip...  The trip in general was okay.  It would have been more pleasant had I not been the size of a house, and had it not been summer.  I can't complain though because it was a nice little holiday, and I did get to go to a country I've never visited before.  If we go back to Australia, I want to go somewhere that is less populated and has more natural landscape.

The flight home was much better than the flight over.  Again, we breezed through check-in, security, and customs, and this time, I beat Ben.  He had to get the body scan in security, and I got passed right through.  Ha!!!  Take that with your special passport!  Air New Zealand was our carrier on the way home, and I like them so much more than any other airline.  Anyone that has the opportunity, fly with them...they are so friendly and helpful, and have saved me quite a bit of money...needless to say, I'm rather loyal to them!

Upon entering New Zealand we were greeted with the familiar sights of home.

Maori Entrance New Zealand Airport

Seeing that put the perk back into my step.  I plowed over everyone quickly made my way to customs with Ben chasing behind me.  He didn't know I could waddle so fast!  A quick stop to get my entrance stamp (with a grumpy look tossed in Ben's general direction as he zoomed through the swipe line) and a speedy trip through security and we were home free!!

We made it out to the car after a 5 minute wander around parking, and Ben goes "Someone bust the window out of the car!!"  I'm groaning on the inside as Ben goes to inspect the car, and the window was in fact NOT broken out...he left it rolled down!!  Nothing was taken, and I gave a silent thank you prayer....I know what would have happened had this happened in Atlanta...we would have come back to find a few pieces of plastic in the spot where our car use to be!!

So there you have it....the long winded post about our trip to Sydney!!  I would just like to add in here that I can't wait until we come to the States later this year.  I'm going to laugh and get a little personal satisfaction as Ben is processed through the non-citizen customs line at LAX!! :D :D  I hope you enjoyed reading...until next time!!

"THE Incident"

I've been in my new home for a little over a month now, and so far, settling in has been going great.  I know everything I have written about so far has been on the positive side, but there have been hiccups along the way.  Hiccups are to be expected, right?  Of course they are, it's what makes life funny..well, not at that moment, but in hindsight at any rate.  Looking back, I'm having a laugh right now as I think about what Ben has started referring to as "THE Incident".

I had started thinking about things like, food in general (thanks Pinterest)...which in turn lead me to thinking about grilled chicken, which in turn made me start thinking about side dishes for grilled chicken.  Side dishes...hmmm...potato salad!!  Yes, and potato salad has pickled relish in it.  Pickled relish, oh I needed that, because then I could make tuna salad, egg salad, deviled eggs, and chicken salad...you can see how my train of thought quickly derailed and honed in on the pickled relish and all things surrounding it.  Needless to say, I spent the rest of the afternoon fantasizing contemplating all the wonderful things I could do with one jar of pickled relish. 

Fast forward a few hours... My amazingly wonderful dear hubby walked through the door after he got off work, and announced he was going to the market.  I nearly squealed with delight!  He asked THE question I wanted to hear "Do you need anything?"  Why yes, yes I did.  I looked at him with eyes full of hope (much like a child as they sit on Santa's lap and whisper their Christmas wish list) and said, "Do y'all have pickled relish here?" He was thoughtful for a minute and then proceeded to tell me how they have aaaaaallll kinds of relish here.  Yes, that's great...but that did not answer the question of if New Zealand has pickled relish.  I tried again..."ummmhmmm...do you have pickled relish?" He looked at me and said, "What do you mean by pickled relish?"

I quickly realized that we were about to have some cultural difference issues, and decided that I would personally oversee the purchase of  the relish.  I told him it was okay, I would check it out when I went, and requested a Milky Bar instead.  Milky Bars are basically white chocolate bars, and it was just what I needed since my relish dreams were smashed for the moment.  One Milky Bar and a couple of days later, I had all but forgotten my pickled relish infatuation. 

Life continued on, and I found other things to obsess fixate occupy my time.  The weekend rolled around, and we did our normal errands like, grocery shop.  We were fighting the crowd and participating in buggy wars, and I had still not thought about my beloved relish...until we walked past chicken.  You guessed it...the wheels in my brain started turning, and everything in my head stopped and immediately returned to zeroing in on pickled relish.  I became possessed...must have pickled relish NOW!!!  So, we immediately went to where all things relish was located.

I happily pranced up to the shelf, and I surveyed the many different types of relish.  Nope...no dill pickled relish...no sweet pickled relish...no cucumber pickle relish of any kind.  I was slightly disheartened, but hey, it's okay...I'm from Alabama...I can improvise!!  I can dice up my own dill pickles!  Problem solved!  I march myself down to the pickle section, with Ben in tow helping me search, and I see all kinds of pickled vegetables.  The one thing I did not see was dill pickles.  How can New Zealand NOT have dill pickles?!?!?!  I was heartbroken!! 

I start to rant and mutter about not having dill pickles, and who eats stupid gherkins...much less bread and butter gherkins, and come to think of it, why are their no dill gherkins, does New Zealand not know what dill is?  Ben was wanting to know what's wrong and what did I mean by a dill pickle.  Ummm...you know, a pickle that is dill flavor...NOT bread and butter and NOT a gherkin.  "A pickled what?" he asks.  Apparently, we were having a cultural difference, but I was too distraught to notice, or care. "A CUUUU-CUM-BER!"  At this point, I noticed that I was on the verge of becoming irrational and I just wanted to go before I started crying in the middle of the grocery store. 

Ben, bless his heart, was trying his hardest to help me out, and he continued to look for pickles.  I was becoming more agitated by the second because I knew it was futile...all of my hopes and dreams were ruined, and all I wanted to do was bawl my eye balls out.  "I don't want them, they're not here, let's go home." He looked at me like I had lost my mind, and I had...I wanted pickles, they weren't there, and I have pregnancy hormones running through my blood stream...need I say more?  He continued to look and explain to me that it helps when I clearly describe to him what it is I'm searching for.  My irrational emotions make it harder to contain my tears, and none of this is what I want to hear at the moment, so I do like any woman, and quickly repeat that "I want to go home" before saying nothing. 

He finally gives up on the pickles, and we make our way through the rest of our shopping with me replying "no" to everything he asks from that point forward.  The ONLY thing I wanted was dill pickles, and they did not have them.  I managed keep my composure, and we got in the car to head home.  At this point, I'm still not speaking because I know how silly it is that I'm this upset by the pickles, but there's nothing I can do about it.  I just wanted to go home and wallow in my sorrow.  Poor Ben, he just wouldn't give up, and he pulled into a Mediterranean specialty store to see if they had them.  I knew from the moment I saw what type of store it was...there were not going to be any pickles, and I was not going to be any happier about the whole situation.  After my knowledge was confirmed, we then once again, made our way home.

Once we got to the house, I was finally able to console myself.  I sprawled across the bed and cried before having a nap.  4 1/2 hours later, I woke up feeling a bit better.  I had a little more sense about me, and went to the source of all knowledge...Google!!  If there were dill pickles to be had in New Zealand, Google would know!!  Apparently, this has been a topic of interest from others that moved over, and I did manage to find a couple of recommendations as to where they might be carried...including an American specialty store in Auckland.  Ben, checked them out online, but unfortunately, they don't have online shopping.  It's okay, we're headed to Auckland in a couple of weeks, and if I have not found pickles by then, I will be checking them out while we're there!

So, there you have it....the story of my temporary insanity and my unsuccessful quest for dill pickles in New Zealand.  My Momma had to hear this story shortly after it happened.  She did NOT make me feel better...she laughed at me, and then she told my Granny.  I found out about Granny knowing when I called to see how she was doing, and after exchanging pleasantries, she said, "So, tell me...how are the dill pickles in New Zealand?"  She immediately cracked up laughing. 

Now, every time I say something positive about New Zealand, I'm quickly informed of how tasty the pickles are back home...LOL  I can get a laugh out of it now, and I think someone in my family is going to take pity of me and ship me some.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I find them here, but if anyone wants to send pickles my way, I'm willing to provide my address! :D  Until next time...everyone take care and eat a few dills in my honor!!