Bigger and better adventures

We were planning to fly to South Africa to visit Talia’s Grandpa in hospital, and these are the photos taken for her passport application.

At the end of January, Daddyfeatures, Talia (7.5 months corrected) and I took our first flight together, from Perth to Sydney.

It was a big milestone, because before Talia arrived we travelled interstate and overseas quite a lot, and we were upset to be told by hospital staff that we would not be able to fly with Talia for ages because of her chronic lung disease. Fortunately her lungs improved rapidly once she finally came off CPAP (after 11 weeks) and oxygen (a further week), and at the four month check up our paediatrician said it would be OK to fly although he didn’t recommend doing it during winter.

I was 16 before I flew for the first time, so in comparison Talia is definitely quite advanced for her age!

I hesitate to call visiting family interstate a holiday, because it was just as much work as being at home (especially with my father-in-law’s wife in hospital for the duration), but it did have some highlights.

In particular, it was great to meet my LAP friends Pixie and LouCC in Canberra, and Julia (lilronan) in Sydney - and all the other prems. It was especially lovely to introduce Talia R to Talia G. Cuteness plus plus plus.

We also caught up with other friends we hadn’t seen for 18 months - it’s easy to forget how quickly time passes when you are tied up with baby things, especially when you have an unexpected 3 months of hospital visits on top of the usual chaos.

The Sydney branch of the extended family were delighted to see Talia (and didn’t mind seeing us either) and showered her with gifts and cuddles. The weather was abysmal but fortunately we hadn’t come with any plans for sightseeing.

Talia enjoyed a bunch of “firsts” - first flight, first time out in the rain (she was too small the last time it rained in Perth!), first taste of gefilte fish, first posh restaurant… the latter due to Marion being in hospital and Michael’s father not being keen on takeaway. We ended up in a very chic Double Bay eatery with friendly waiters who gave us a table with a bench seat packed with fancy cushions. I wish I’d had my camera.

From a practical perspective, the trip was very successful - we took our own portacot and pram, checked in electronically to get seats with a bassinet, hired a high chair and a car with a baby seat in Sydney, made up a batch of home-cooked baby food on arrival and Talia just rolled with everything, although by the time we’d driven to and from Canberra she was well over long distance car travel, and she finally decided that the morning boob service was no longer required either.

You can never predict these things, but in the one week we were away, every other baby in our mothers’ group (and most of the mums as well) came down with a dreadful gastro bug. So our timing was perfect.

Now we are looking forward to the next trip - a bigger and better adventure!

Talia went on her first historical walking tour today - around the buildings in Fremantle which have a Jewish past. Daddyfeatures and I lived in the UK for six and a half years and always enjoyed exploring old townships on foot, especially with a knowledgeable guide. We are already looking forward to being able to travel with Talia - although whether or not she will share our passions only time will tell.

As we have stayed away from the general public for most of the last five months, it was also the first time Talia has been randomly touched by complete strangers as she sat in her pram while we listened to the guide. I was amazed how many people view a baby as communal property.