I'm Baaaaack

Well I have been for about a week now. My attempts at blogging have been foiled by a) being too technologically incompetent to figure out how to post my holiday photos on this website and b) spending my first week back spent mostly on my futon as my body decided to go mental at the change of climate and throw in some excruciating mystery stomach cramps. I found myself at a doctor's clinic (with an audience of nurses and office staff) describing various bodily functions in Japanese. It's great to be back!

So into the important stuff - the kids. Jodi acted like I'd never been away and just wanted her presents. She was taller, her hair was shorter (Grandma has received her non-molestation order) and she could speak better than my 3rd grade Junior High School students. It was awesome to chat away to a three year old.

Demi - a blessing to meet her and discover a new baby who was Jodi's sister but not Jodi - different and yet similar. Amazing. She has fair features and blue eyes but dark eyelashes. She is very cute and her little personality is really funny. She has this really cool staunch shoulder grunt she does when she's not getting enough attention (read food). Demi's whole life is food. If she's not eating she's picking stuff up off the floor and shoving it in her mouth. You have to strike it lucky at some point is the mantra of all 9 month olds. She didn't know me from a bar of soap at first, took about a week for us to bond and after a while I could get her up from a nap and change her or even bath her and dress her without a scream. Demi frightens easily so she doesn't crawl yet - she hates being on her stomach. Yet she tries to stand and walk. It's going to be an interesting few months for our wee Dem-chan.

Mum and Dad were good - Dad I think was quite pleased to see me and we hung out a lot. Mum of course had every moment of my trip planned and thankfully stuff like domestic connections and doctor/dentist appointments were pre-arranged months in advance. Meredith and I got along really well and I think she found it fun to have someone to hang out with with the kids. We got a gym membership and went together nearly everyday. I wanted to turn my holiday into a normal slice of life for 3 weeks.

Lowlights - spending $700 at the dentist and undergoing my first ever mouth injections, having to say goodbye to the babies and family again, attempting (what else could it be) to teach Mum more about the computer, the realisation that I couldn't take a quarter of what I wanted to back in my suitcase.
Highlights - finding out that the bakery around the corner had just won the Best Pie in Australasia award - steak, cheese and tomato! Great coffee, Te Papa, Kalamata Deli, Demi's christening at church, going to kindy with Jodi, triumphantly getting 30kg into my big suitcase and about the same (literally) into my hand luggage. I bought back luxuries such as custard powder and manuka honey. Getting waved through at customs because I was a sensei!!! ( I would have been so screwed otherwise...)

The best of all though was waking up at about 8am every morning, getting out of bed in fluffy pajamas (temperature cool enough to wear normal clothes), get up to say good morning to my parents, watch breakfast TV and sit in front of the fire on huge leather couches. Bliss!
I also snuck some extra liquorice allsorts into my bag. They are sitting there waiting for a homesick day.
What I learned - home is where the heart is. I have the most amazing place to go home to when I need to. I am really lucky to belong somewhere as nice. It's a happy ending!
Planning next trip - Thailand at Christmas.