Bean Bag Pal

He got stuck.

Melbourne Museum

We went to the Melbourne Museum today.  It’s a fantastic museum full of great exhibits like dinosaurs, bugs, and animals.  There is even an indoor play area where Pal can run and jump and climb on a big caterpillar!  He loves it!

Crackers!

Throwback to that time we learned to walk

From April 15, 2015

Last night market at Queen Vic's

The winter night market at Queen Vics is over but we enjoyed it while we could.  Pal is very sad he won't get anymore strawberry waffles.

Hiking the Dandenongs

We took the train out of town to hike the Dandenongs today!  We saw wild parrots, kookaburras, and a kangaroo (I didn't know they made black ones!).

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra
Gay your life must be….

I remembered this song from elementary school.

Play group Pal

Pal went to his first playgroup yesterday and he seemed to enjoy it immensely.  There were 2 other little girls there, one 13 months and one 17 months, both whom seemed well socialized and affectionate.  It took Pal a little bit to warm up to them, but once he got comfortable he loved running around and playing kitchen. 

Janine, the “lead mother” (for lack of a better word), enlightened me about the Australian maternal-child welfare programs lead by the city, which are far superior to those offered in the States.  When a baby is born, the family is assigned to a group consisting of other families with babies born around the same time and is lead by a maternal-child health nurse.  When the babies are young, the nurse holds support groups, lectures, workshops, etc regarding all things childcare.  As the babies grow, the group morphs in a social gathering for both the mothers and kids.  The nurse eventually isn’t needed any longer but the city still provides the group with a time slot and a play space for the kids.

Also, mothers with government-sponsored jobs are allowed 3.5 months of full-paid maternity leave.  They have the option to take half-pay and spread that out over 7 months.  Most remarkably, they have to option to take leave for up to 7 years (!!!) while they tend to their families.  The time is unpaid, but their jobs are guaranteed when they decide to return.

This system would never go over in the States, but its nice to see that women are valued as mothers first and foremost.

I am so lucky

I am so incredibly lucky to be able to share this experience with Matt and Rowan.  Matt has worked so, so, so hard to have the flexibility he does on this trip and its so wonderful to be able to wake up everyday with an open-ended day in a city on the other side of the planet.  He is still busy writing and collaborating with colleagues, but we have tons of time in between to play.  Pal is learning new things everyday and enjoying all of the exciting experiences.  He really is the happiest little Pal in the whole world.  I am spending much of my time reading (actual books) which is not something I have been able to do in years.  In the 2 months we have been overseas, I have plowed through 10 books (and counting)!  I also don’t have a phone, TV, or reliable access to the internet.  This is both a blessing and a curse since a lot of time is spent trying to figure out how to connect with people.  It’s kind of great not having Facebook or checking for text messages every few minutes but also it gets somewhat lonely as we are pretty much on our own most of the time.  We a adjusting bit by bit and Pal is loving the experience, which is really the most important thing.

Go Richmond!

We have become hardy fans of the Richmond Tigers AFL club.  This was yesterday at the MCG before the game.

Look out! Pal on the loose!

The back alleys of Melbourne

We are starting to find stuff that isn't in the guidebooks.

Nice 'do, kid

Riding the tram

Fishes, and crocs, and turtles, OH MY!

We went to the aquarium today and Pal had a blast.  They have large, floor-to-ceiling tanks full of colorful fish that made him laugh and stomp his little feet.  He loved it!

I love seeing him giddy with excitement.  It's such a joy to watch him learn about all of these neat things around him.

Australian Football "Footy" game

We didn't understand anything that was going on, but we had fun anyway!

Fitzroy street art

Matt's street art obsession continues…

These were taken on our outing in Fitzroy yesterday.

Melbourne architecture

This is the Melbourne Exhibition building.  It's so grand and beautiful!

Collingwood Children's Farm

We went to Collingwood Children's Farm today.  It's a fully functioning farm in the middle of the city!  They have pigs, goats, cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks and Pal couldn't have cared less about any of them.  He did, however, have a great time running around and squawking at people.

That time we went to Fiji - throwback

Wednesday night street food market at Queen Vic's

One of my new favorite things!  Every Wednesday night through the winter they have a street food market at Queen Vic's.  We went and indulged in Spanish food and Australian meat pies then topped it off with a chocolate waffle with ice cream!  Yum!

All smiles

Such a sweet boy

Pay no attention to my outfit.

More adventures, Mom!

Elmo wears me out

More street art

The street art tends to change everyday.

Run through the Royal Botanic Gardens

Every morning we, as a family, get up to run through the city.  I have always thought that running is a great way to explore a new place.  We have been running through the Royal Botanical Gardens, one of the many, many gardens in Melbourne.  Here are some photos from our little jaunts.

St Kilda

Today we went to St. Kilda, a small beach town suburb of Melbourne.  During the summer it is quite the happening place to be, however, on a weekday in the dead of winter, there wasn’t much going on.  We did have a nice pasta lunch and then stopped at the South Melbourne Market on our way back into town.  South Melbourne Market is a lot like Queen Victoria Market, just smaller and with more home goods and furnishing.  We picked up a marinated chicken, some fresh veggies, and some handmade raviolis.  I loved it!

Street art

Matt loves street art and Melbourne happens to be famous for it.  Here are some examples we have found so far.