Let's start from the beginning. We had a later flight on Friday which was helpful as it gave us time to finish packing and have plenty of time to get to the airport. We drove to the bus station and left our car there, taking the bus to the airport.
On the bus!
The excitement is building...we're actually going to Australia!
Thankfully we had given ourselves 3 hours since I got the domestic airline we were on flying to LA wrong and we had to walk to another terminal and then by the time we got to security, it was backed up quite a bit. God was good to us though and they actually let us and a few other people cut ahead to a newly opened line because of the back up. The boys did smashingly through security and the TSA were actually good to us and helpful in getting us through with no problems.
The domestic flight wasn't the best as it was United Airlines, which I've never had a good experience with and I felt like we were packed in a tiny tin can like a bunch of sardines. We were split up, Zenith with Marcellus a few rows back, and me with William and Dominic. Marcellus did well and slept a good amount (it was about bedtime at that point), and William was high on the excitement until about 4 hours in when he started to crash and meltdown. He finally fell asleep for about an hour out of the 6 1/2 and then we finally made it to LA.
The seats did a job on my back, especially since I was holding and nursing Dominic to keep him happy through the whole plane ride, so I struggled a bit in the LA airport. We chose to walk to the international terminal which was a 20 min walk since the bus ride would have meant we had to go back through security. Turns out we had to go out of security anyway because we needed to recheck-in to our international airline.
Then we found out about the delay. Then the boys started to melt down (it was about 1am our time, 11pm local). Then Dominic had an utter meltdown and was inconsolable. Then mommy lost it. That's about the point I took refuge in a room designated for nursing mothers, locked myself in the peace and quite and had a "mommy moment." I think the quiet helped Dominic too because he settled down.
Four hours later we were back on a plane; this one much more comfortable with more legroom and a baby bassinet for Dominic. Our spirits lifted, the smiles returned and we got our second wind.
Thankfully this flight had TVs unlike the last one!
Sleeping at last!
By this point, the boys understood that they were going to be sleeping on the plane and after serving dinner (at 6am our time, 3am local), they shut the lights out and we enjoyed some shut eye. I slept a bit here and there as did Zenith, and the boys did really well from this point. William had a slight meltdown when we got there since I had to wake him up when we landed and he was so tired.
BUT WE MADE IT! And I never wanted to see another plane. Ever. Again. Yes, by this point I was considering ditching the US and just staying in Australia permanently. ;)
Nadir ever so graciously came by train and met us in Sydney so he could help Zenith with the 4 hour drive to their house, and Zenith's brother Fr. Ruben (who lives in the Sydney area), picked him up from the train station and dropped him off with us. What's another 4 hours in the car after over 36 hours of traveling thus far?! Back in the car we go!
After a very smooth car ride that went surprisingly fast, we made it to Zenith's parents' house. It was a joy to see them both after so long and much happiness all around as the boys met their grandparents for the first time.
We spent a lovely week there before Christmas and enjoyed our stay, despite some very hot days.
Fast friends
Nonna pulled out all the stops and this was the best of entertainment for them...bath time in the garden!
We went to visit some friends of Angela and Nadir's who had a Slip N' Slide out for the boys...and missing swim trunks didn't stop these boys!
One of the days, we drove to Barrington Tops but along the way we encountered a roadblock...
This lady here didn't like being forced to move across the bridge and started dropping some landmines on our car
The boys with the Nonni in Barrington Tops National Park
And on the way home, we stopped for a chat with this fellow who was about 50 feet from our car. Closest I've been to one!
Dominic spent a lot of time on his "Nonna mat" made for him by Nonna.
Taking advantage of the cooler weather to visit the playground nearby
Between good chats on the back deck, cuppas, visiting with friends, our day at Barrington Tops, and just enjoying each other's company, we had a lovely time with the Nonni. But now it's time for the second part of our trip, so pack up again, it's time for a road trip up the coast to Bellingen!
To be continued...
