Round the Bays

Mackay and I went to the Zoo Friday morning. He walked almost the whole morning and on the drive home he didn't even make it out of the parking lot before he fell asleep! Although he didn't notice most of the animals he loved the monkeys - I have great reason to suspect it is because he is part monkey himself or at least his noises and crazy running/climbing around would indict so. We have an annual pass to the zoo and it is only a ten minute drive away. If nothing else, it gets us out of the house and playing on new stairs and rocks (his favorite zoo activity).

The rest of the week was uneventful. Andrea and I have been taking a more strict, one warning system approach to Mackay's attitude/tantrum/acting and general grievances that have been disrupting this once lovely and peaceful child. Some of the days this no-nonsense attack has worked wonders, other days it just barely gets us by. It does seem like the cards are stacked differently everyday and really even his demeanor can be drastically different from my morning shift to the afternoon shift. I am sure with perseverance, patience and time that lovely boy will return to us.

Saturday, I went to the CBD to have some breakfast, do some shopping (I purchased an awesome mircofiber towel and radically reduced priced rain/wind jacket!) and then went back to the Auckland Art Gallery for the Degas to Dali exhibit. I have always been enthralled with Impressionist art, so much so that I remember making my mom take me to the Denver Art Museum multiple times when they had an exhibition when I was about ten years old. Seeing Van Goghs, Monets, and Courbets are like meeting up with long lost friends. The exhibit followed art (paintings mostly) from 1860's impressionism through expressionism, post- impressionism, cubism and surrealism and into modern and pop art of the 1950's. It was completely overwhelming in an enlightening and inspiring way. After two hours, I hadn't seen it all and was about to explode with visual input. Luckily, there is an option to by a season pass for the exhibit for less than the price of three admissions, so now I can go back as much and when ever I want until it ends in June!!

I also walked to the Auckland Central Library to check out their NZ travel guides as I am planning a little trip for Easter weekend. NZ celebrates Easter by giving its people a four day weekend so hopefully I will come up with an exciting, but relaxing trip. I have booked a stay and bus ticket up to the Bay of Islands and am detailing what I will do with my time right now. I must say I feel great jubilation to have a library card back in my wallet. 

I participated in the "Round the Bays" run/walk charity event on Sunday. I walked the 8.4 km with a small group of other au pairs. Technically you can run it; however, there are about 70,000 other participants trying to make the same trek on a four lane road so it becomes more or less a massive surge of bodies. The event changes their financial recipients every year and this years included Make a Wish, Child Cancer Foundation, Garden to Table Trust (an organization giving NZ children a better, healthy future through food and nutritional education), and Fairfax First Books (promoting the improvement of reading skills for young NZ children). Though they didn't post notices to which regularly stops would be disrupted, I found out afterward that event used some of the city's buses to get people to and from the event. Long and slightly exhausting story short, I ended up running to and from the the run/walk so my distance traveled by foot was closer to 20km (a dozen or so miles, but don't worry I was home to watch the 2pm Warrior game). I guess it is all part of the experience and knowledge gained of the random and fun things I get to do - sometimes they don't go to plan, sometimes I run a lot.

Seriously this is my life

Another great week. Before I get into my weekend I have to but a disclaimer or it will just sound like bragging. Mackay was pretty tantrum prone this week. Monday was easily the best day of the week and maybe of the time I have been here. We went to playgroup in the morning and took the bus to and from the library. I must say I feel that the fact that I am capable/ have a child well mannered enough to be able to take the city bus on a hot afternoon downtown to the library and back and call it fun seems like I should have some sort of badge of honor (strange, I know, but true). Tuesday we went to the Doman and War Museum. The Domain is this massive park in the middle of Auckland and the War Museum is really more the nature and science museum - both are beautiful. After Tuesday it seemed like we pretty much were in periods of tantrums and fights and short periods of blissful peace and fun. The Friday afternoon zoo trip went well but we were both completely nickered by the time bedtime hit. 


I have been bit, pooped on, water has been viciously splashed on me like only the fury of a two- year who doesn't want to wash his face can do, I've been peed on, hit, kicked, and generally abused, but such is the life of a nanny.



That being said....... I went snorkeling at the Goat Island Marine Reserve on Saturday. This is a pristine peace of the world about an hour and half north of Auckland. It was a bit overcast, but with the wetsuit  the water was fine and the fish a plenty. Snorkeling on its own is very peaceful and a great way to feel both at one with the ocean while being reminded of how particularly small and insignificant one person in the ocean really is. Snorkeling in a marine reserve is just that much better. I am looking into a few options for scuba diving soon as that sounds like even more fun! Au pair Link was put the group together so I didn't have to drive and they had me home in time to see Mackay and Mia before bed and have some tasty thai food with Andrea and Andrew. 



Today, I went do to the viaduct/wharf to watch some of the Volvo Ocean Race. I didn't know that was what I was going to see when I boarded the bus, but that is where my little feet took me. I actually had to google what I saw when I got home because I wasn't sure what all the people (thousands) were gathering and cheering for. The Race is a sailing competition that is considered the 'Everest of Sailing.' Eleven maned boats are sailed 39,000 nautical miles from Alicante, Spain to Galway, Ireland via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajaí, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient.. They started last October and end in July.  Pretty incredible! Anyway I stumbled upon watching "team Puma" ( I don't know who they really are) come in second to Auckland. 


Next, I went to Euro Bar and Cafe for bluff oysters. I had seen an add in the paper for a lunch special they were running by reservation only and thought "well I don't really know what that is but sounds interesting." Turns out Euro is rated one the top 50 restaurants in the world by some posh food magazine and bluff oysters are considered the best oysters. They are grown in the cold, fresh sand of the South Island instead of farmed on ropes. I added a basket of ciabatta and pukeko kumara bread that had NZ virgin olive oil (I could have just drank it straight), smoked pork paprika cream, and mushroom truffle cheese as spreads. Seriously, read that last sentence again. AND bluff oysters. AND two glasses of a New Zealand Marlborough country sauvignon blanc. I can not, can not possibly explain what an incredible meal I had. Easily the best lunch I have had in recent memory and I have been eating really ridiculously well. After I explained that this was me treating myself to a wonderful meal after a long week of nannying, the cute waiter took my picture and rubbed my shoulders for a minute - seriously!   To top it off, the bottom of the check said "Be Good. Take care and be kind to your mother. See you again soon." How can you not love that!?!


Then to complete the afternoon, I joined one of my au pair mates for a cappuccino with a slice of chocolate cake and matinee at the Skycity Event Centre. 


Seriously this is my life. 

Wickets and League

  I am slowly and hesitantly learning (how to watch) cricket and rugby league. Having played and watched rugby union for so long I hadn't realized that it had a cousin. It is kind of hard to explain the differences other than it is faster and position is changed every six tackles. It is really a different animal.
  Cricket... is seriously weird when you have never had any contact with it. There are three different lengths of games: 20/20, ODI (One Day International), and traditional Test matches. 20/20 means there are 20 overs per team so basically it shortens the game to a couple hours instead of days, like in test. I have managed to learn enough of the game to watch it but not to appropriately explain it so I won't try. Anyway I am loving embracing New Zealand culture so cricket and league it is.

   I am starting to become very comfortable here and for the first time I actually wanted to listen to my ipod while walking to breakfast this morning. When I first started walking everywhere I felt so out of place I didn't want headphones on - which I normally love when I walk around; its live having a soundtrack to walk. I am feeling comfortable enough that I went out to breakfast by myself today. The joy and importance of eating great food can not be over stated. For instance, eggs benedict should always be served with fresh salmon. It is a pleasure I have never had to always have access to fresh sea food and I am already morning for my future self when I have to eat frozen sea food again. After breakfast I walked back home via the beautiful park that is basically my back yard. It huge and green and always full of activity. A lovely place to sit and read my kindle.

 I keep feeling like I am not doing enough, like I am not getting enough off my imaginary (and blank) checklist of life so I am practicing slowing down, doing whatever I feel like at the time, and realizing that is enough!
   The weather is so temperate and bugs few, as long as it isn't raining we are able to keep our doors open almost all day, everyday. This temperate weather is also conducive to fresh lined laundry which is a luxury I didn't even know I was missing.
 This week it seems like Mackay and I have really hit the next level of our relationship. He now gets so excited when I enter the room in the morning or on the weekends and asks for me when he's upset. He is also listen to me more. I am definitely feeling like I am really becoming a significant and beneficial part of his life and he recognizes it! It is very rewarding and emotional to have those feelings reciprocated.

A few little adventures

Last week seems like ages ago. After last week this week was calm and mellow, though until this weekend I was still a bit exhausted. 

Andrew and Andrea are fantastic - I don't know if I have said that enough. In any place of employment feeling appreciated and cared for are by far some of the greatest benefits that can be offered. The week of Mia's birth I did put in extra hours, patients, work, but I knew that would be the case when I took the job. All the same, Andrew and Andrea wanted to make sure I was feeling appreciated and didn't want me to feel overworked so they gave me a three-day weekend and a gift card to the movies! 

Monday-Thursday were business as usually w/Mackay. Playgroups, playdoh, library rhymetime, and gym class. Friday I went to the movies which are located in a mall and then spent the afternoon at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. To get there is about a 1/2 hour drive with no traffic and of course I hit rush hour on the way home thus making the trip back about and 1 and 1/2 hours. The Gardens are wonderful. The lay out is very open and you are encouraged to wander freely. No admittance fee and the place is HUGE - I spent over two hours roaming and didn't seem everything. 

Saturday I took it easy at home. Today I was going to take the bus downtown but ended up doing a forest gump and walking which took about an hour. I am now much more tired and my feet are sore since I wore flip flops. It is nice though how you feel much for acquainted with a city and its geography after having walked it. I ended up, thankfully, where I was headed - Queen's Street (the shopping/dining section of the Central Business District or CBD or what at home we would call downtown) and the Auckland Art Museum. I took the guided tour, which like admittance was free, and loved hearing about the history of the building and the history of the art. The museum was set up much more like a gallery and had a great sense of continuity from Victorian to Contemporary. As usual, I felt quite contented and overwhelmed at the same time after only a short trip, so I can't wait to go back! 

Mia!

Taking care of children is hard work.

I am tired.

The week starts all over again tomorrow... I hope I am ready.

That being said, this week was lovely, spending so much time w/Mackay and really feeling like I was helping and being needed is a wonderful feeling. We did stick to our routine as much as possible and he was just a rock star when you consider how different and difficult the week was w/o mummy and daddy around. He is really starting to understand the position I play in his life which is amazing and sometimes frustrating for both of us, though definitely comes with the territory.
Baby Mia Johanna joined us on Tuesday the 14th at 0849 coming in at 50 cm and 3200grams = 19.6 inches and 7lbs 1 oz and healthy!!!! I am totally in love with her already. The c-section went well, but unfortunately Andrea lost a lot of blood during the procedure and post-op and ended up needing a blood transfusion yesterday. All the same baby and mommy were able to come home yesterday!

Mackay adores his sister. He constantly wants to hold and pick her up, which is tricky since she is so floppy, but a great sign of how loving he will be with her.

Beached as

I don't know why posting is a little intimidating. I think its may be because I feel like I have to get everything I been doing and thinking about for the past week packed into one post and I don't like writing all that much. Hopefully practice will help. 

First off I have some super amazing youtubes to share if you are at all interested. Look up "Laughing Baby - a peapod moment" or the likes to see Mackay laughing his head off at Andrew feeding their dog Shelly. Andrea is a distributor for peapods reusable nappies so there are a few other peapod commericals on youtube starring Mackay. This video is sure to make you smile, everytime. It is a bit old so he actually does look quite different now: obviously bigger, blonde hair, more teeth, ect. 

The other you tube video is called "beached as" and is just a funny clip of New Zealand slang, it was a HUGE hit here a bit ago. 

 We do have a pet. His name is Rusty or if your Mackay "Ruthy." He is really well managed (no litter box needed - wahoo) and very sweet. They did have two large dogs (Shelly and Bianca) until a few weeks before I came, but due to the increased household and there general needs for attention they have been pawned off on Andrew's parents.

Another great week has passed. I am now driving (on the LEFT) which is strange to say the least but I am getting the hang of it. After a few practice runs with Andrew and then Andrea they are letting me our on my own and with Mackay. I was really starting to get the hang of our schedule and Friday was an awesome day for the two of us. We went to an Au Pair Link playgroup in Orakei (20-25 minute drive to the east side of Auckland in the morning and played in the pool in the afternoon. He was pretty cuddly all day and his listening skills were at their peak - again it was wonderful! Also last Monday I made my mother's famous (or least  my favorite) banana chocolate chip muffins. They were gone in like two days!

Yesterday was a big adventure day as I went with Au Pair Link (my placement company if I haven't already said that) to Rangitoto Island. It is an extinct volcano that is about a 35 minute ferry ride from Auckland Terminal Harbor. Once on the island the hike up is about an hour and usually had an incredible (!!) view back towards Auckland, all they bays and many near islands. I didn't get to see much of the 360 degree view since rained/misted/fogged all morning. All the same the hike was great and all the green luscious forest was really fun to go through. 

As it does here (like in CO), give it a few hours and the weather is completely different. By the time we were back on the early ferry to Auckland the clouds started to clear up and I did manage to snap a picture of the Auckland skyline from the water. With one of the other Au Pairs, I went to Mission Bay, an eastern suburb of Auckland and one of the nicest beaches in the area, to have my first NZ swim in the Pacific. The afternoon was absolutely beautiful weather and we sat on the beach for much of the pm. 

Andrea's mom is in today to help out for the week as baby is due in two days! Mackay and I are going to try our best to stay with our routine this week so the Sandringham Au Pair Link playgroup is tomorrow. I am off to make some banana bread (yes we did let a few bananas go past their date so the freezer is a bit full of them) and then have a relaxing afternoon. 

Another three day weekend

 Last Monday was Auckland Anniversary day, like if each state had a 4 of July, and this Monday is Waitangi Day - the actually comparative 4th of July. So to get it right I had three days of training, a three day weekend on a vacation island, a few days of work and then another three day weekend to start out my year in NZ... no I do not miss real work.
That being said, almost 2-year olds are a lot of work. They are top upped with energy and attitude to spare. I am loving every minute. It does feel a bit weird to have playing, going to the park, and coloring as part of my daily working tasks and I keep feeling like I am not doing my job. We are going to start on a little routine next week where we go out adventuring in the morning - different play groups monday (with other au pairs in the area), tuesday (at the civic center), wednesday gym class, thursday library songs and stories, and friday play group (with au pairs from another, but still close, suburb). Afternoons will be filled with arts, crafts, music, stories and just the two of us play dates like going to the zoo (we are signed up for an annual zoo pass), the local park (literally just out the back yard), or the pool.
Hopefully having some idea of a schedule will make the time fly by and make me feel like I am really doing a "job."
I can already tell how amazingly lucky I am to have found my au pair family. We get along very well and there are clear boundaries of what I am responsible for and where my "shift" ends - one of my great early on concerns. Of course the schedule and responsibilities are always open to change as the needs arrive. The newest member of the family is due on Valentine's Day via c- section so all my planning is sure to go right out the window but it doesn't hurt to try.

Today I went on my first out the suburb area outing by myself. I can easily walk to pretty much anything I could possible want and I am going to be starting my left handed driving experience this week! Even so, I opted to ride the bus to downtown Auckland today. As like most non-European transit systems the bus services work wonderfully here as long as you have a few particular destinations and a flexible time table.
I went to get a cup of coffee with one of the other au pairs I met at orientation and walk around downtown. It was funny how proud of myself I really felt once I had mastered the ability to travel on my own in the big city. It  was a little feat, but it was nice to feel self-reliant to move about - a small comparison to an almost 2 year-old mastering stairs or better yet figuring out that annoying gate at the top of the stairs, something Mackay has done, but not consistently, YET.
Anyways things are fitting together nicely here, soon be be shakin' up by a new member to the family and I am starting to get my feet underneath me, continuing a fantastic beginning.