The day you were born...

...was one of the best days of my life. It started so quietly, just you and me, and finished the same way. But between the quietness was a whole lot more. And I knew life would never be the same.

Nearly four months ago now (but still so very fresh in my memory) and I've been promising myself most everyday I would write this story down. But today, sweet girl, I'll finish this so you don't have to wonder if you're as loved as your sisters. No doubt you are so very loved, I just might not have quite as much time or energy to capture all these memories along the way as I once did, so please forgive me now.

You took your time little one and took an extra week to grow inside me before the doctors decided you would be safer out than in. Perhaps you already knew the chaos awaiting you on the outside world before your arrival (and hence what seemed like a surprisingly loud newborn cry that came out of you), or perhaps you just already wanted to be like your biggest sister Emma (in that case, your dad and I might be in for it - in all the best ways of course). Regardless the reason why, I was thankful to know that your arrival was imminent. It had been a never-ending Australian summer and two long weeks of school holidays to cap off a very exhausting pregnancy.

Those last couple weeks I took a lot of photos of
you inside me, because everyday I wondered if it
would be the last.

Some days the background was more chaotic than others.

Emma's cute drawing of me shortly before you were born.

After a very normal Saturday morning of soccer it seemed a bit surreal as we dropped your older sisters off at the house of dear friends on Saturday afternoon, not exactly knowing when we would see them next. I would be induced starting off slowly overnight and it all seemed very reminiscent of Emma's birth story. I could only pray it would be quicker. While at first there was some hesitation due to a last minute influx of scheduled inductions at the hospital that I might have to go back home and wait a few more days, I was thankful to find out that wouldn't be the case and we would be meeting you sooner rather than later. 

Last family of four photo. A classic.

The first of Emma & Morgan's fun, movie night. So nice to know they were in the best hands.

Your dad and I spent several hours of relaxed time together while we got the first stage of the induction process under way. How different was this time spent than it was when Emma was born and we were beyond nervous and anxious. This time, it was like a date night, well, let's not go too far with that statement. But let's be real too. We were down two kids, and you were still on the inside, it was Saturday night and we had babysitters scheduled for the next 36 hours. Just disregard the fact that we were at the hospital.


A few hours later and your dad was sent home to get Emma & Morgan and get some rest and I was to do the same at the hospital. Perhaps something would happen in the middle of the night, but it was less likely than likely. So I settled in for the evening armed with reading material as who knew if I would really be able to sleep. But somewhere between my Uber Eats dinner from a restaurant I had been wanting to try, my favorite Saturday evening House Hunters marathon on TV, and complete quietness of my own "isolation" room and no other children to bother me, I dared to say it felt like I was at a hotel for the night and found myself asleep in bed much earlier than I ever anticipated (yes, date night and a night in a hotel, call me crazy but I promise they didn't give me any other drugs that I'm aware of at least).

So with a surprisingly good night of sleep, I felt ready to go for the early morning wake up call to really get the process started. And I was so ready to meet you. Your dad was to the hospital by 7 or 7:30 once another friend had made it over to the house to take Emma & Morgan for their well orchestrated day of fun with various friends and church in between. Emma now says the day you were born was the "best day of her life." At first I thought that was one of the sweetest things she'd ever said and then when probed with why she said it was because she "got to play with soooo many of her friends." Don't worry too much Charley, trust me, she still loves you a whole lot too.

By church Morgan was already exhausted!

She got a second wind in time for an afternoon with more friends.

Emma enjoyed her afternoon playdate as well!

Back to the story... it was clear that the medicines they gave me the night before had not done much, so with a few failed attempts to break my waters and finally a successful one, and I was hopeful (and perhaps a tiny bit anxious) that this party would really get started. Although I must say I was also quite enjoying our "date night" turned "day date." In hopes to start some contractions we set off to walk both inside and outside the hospital for an hour or two. We got coffee, talked about anything and everything, and genuinely enjoyed this uninterrupted time for the two of us again. It fondly took me back to the evenings that we would stroll our Zurich neighborhood in the last few months of my pregnancy with Emma.

At some point I started to notice I was finally having some contractions at a semi-regular interval, but with not too much intensity yet. So we checked back in a few times with my midwife, walked a bit more, generally had a relatively laid back few hours of a Sunday morning. Unfortunately I was on a clock to avoid being given Pitocin, and while my midwife kept trying to help my cause, by noon, while the contractions were fairly regular and close together, it just wasn't quite enough so I got ready for the third and final step that was sure to get you out.

Sometime shortly after they gave me the drip things really heated up. But my hopes diminished temporarily when my midwife told me she was going to take her lunch break. My first thought was "how could she take her lunch break now?!" My second thought was "how does she really feel like eating right now?!" And my third thought was "uh oh, this is going to take awhile!" But she instilled some confidence in me that she really thought it wouldn't be long before she passed things off to another midwife and the doctor.

Let's just say I was thankful that she was right. I was thankful it got really intense fast and we got to skip all the things we discussed doing to make labor progress more quickly and less painfully (well the less painfully part would have been good). By the time she was back, I was pushing and less than an hour later (and after a little yelling and screaming) and you were here. Another healthy, beautiful, little girl.

Words don't describe it, but if you're lucky enough to one day experience it, than you will know what I mean. That feeling when you arrived and they set you on my chest. I will absolutely never forget it. And no doubt "heaven blew every trumpet" because at 1:50 pm on the 29 April 2018, Charlotte Marie was born. And I was convinced (and most days still believe), just like with your sisters, that the most perfect little person just entered the world.

Recently Emma asked me "just to be sure" if a boy could ever have a baby and I told her not, that it is a very lucky gift that God gave to us girls. She said it was unfair because I previously told her that carrying a baby and having a baby is exhausting and sometimes makes moms grumpy and that doesn't happen to boys. I told her that was true, but I also told her that I'm pretty sure there is nothing quite as amazing in this world as having a baby. And you, Charley, proved that to me again that day. Yes, it is A LOT of hard work, but it is THE BEST work.

No day is as good as the day three sisters meet (and mom loses it). 

A family of five at last. Charley Marie, you are so loved.

And the chaos ensued immediately.

But I will forever remember the day you were born. And the stillness of the early morning before you came and the stillness of the late night after you arrived, when it was just you and me.

Thank you sweet girl, for making my life, never, ever the same. 

This is what one year looks like...

Arrival as a family of three

Last year there was no September 28. Maybe for most of the world's population there was, but not for us. Those of you who have flown across the International Date Line, you know what I'm talking about. It's that weird scenario where you literally time travel and lose a day of your life. Most people get that day back a week or a month later when they fly back east across the Pacific. But not us, we are still here, having been shorted one day out of our 2015. But let's just say, we're not crying over it. The decision to have one day less has been a pretty good one as I sit back and reflect over the past year.

This is the look. Yes, the look that says we've been in transit for about 20 hours and there's still
6 more to go?! How many more times can I watch Cinderella?!

So, SO much has happened. You know, we moved across the world and had a baby, just the typical year. When I meet new people I often get a look of "wow, you moved across the world pregnant." And then I tell them I did it once before too. And then that's when they look at me like I am actually crazy, especially if they've never done anything like it. And then I look at them and say, actually both times it's been one of the best experiences of my life. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. Has it been worth it? So worth it, and then some.

Any expat knows this feeling in the airport too well...

If I could use one word to describe the past twelve months, it would have to be blessed. I have, for what I would say the most part "successfully" played the part of my family's relocation agent with significant help from my husband (I mean, I might have been the one to pack the 30 boxes and 6 suitcases, but someone had to lift them into the car and unload them at the Fedex office for the pregnant lady... among a small fraction of other things that had to be done to get us here). I left a more than full time office job to tackle a more than full time stay at home job with Emma and then a few months later added Morgan to my daily responsibilities (albeit no pay increase). Most days I simply try to take a minute to realize how lucky I am to watch my little Swiss Miss and my little Aussie grow up right before my very eyes. And before my very eyes I observe and wonder if it is possible that their personalities are a direct reflection of which country they were born in too?!

Great friends back in St. Louis wished us well in our new country!

I have made more new friends here than I could have ever imagined. And not just casual acquaintances, but seriously people I can talk to like I have known my entire life. Emma has friends of so many different nationalities, yet she doesn't even think twice about it as she lists off which countries they are from. She loves her new preschool, but still remembers her old one fondly too.

New friendships, new traditions!

Emma is one lucky and very loved girl here too!

Steve once again has plentiful public transit options to get to work (even the ferry sometimes) and is happy to at least not have to drive in rush hour traffic himself. We can drive 10 minutes to one of Sydney's best beaches, possible the best beach for families with young children. And while I like to complain about the fact that we don't have air conditioning or heat, the even better fact is that we live somewhere with such a temperate, beautiful climate that many days, just like today, there is absolutely no need to have either one. In the same manner while my friends back in the Midwest sometimes wonder how we could possibly be living in a two bedroom apartment, it really isn't that big of deal. Sure, would it be nice to have a little more space? Absolutely. But is it a necessary part of life (even with two young children)? Absolutely not. Instead, we get outside, we explore, meet people and experience life.

Sunrise at Balmoral

Looking back on the city from Cremorne Point

But do you know what one of the best parts of the past year has been? Finding a church and community that is better than we could have ever asked for. People that welcomed us, even when we opened our mouths and out came that Yankee accent. People that brought us dinner for two weeks straight after Morgan was born. People that have pushed and encouraged our faith to grow in so many ways. I can say now without a doubt that last July when were weighing the pros and cons nonstop of Steve taking a job here versus two different options, God had a plan in us coming here. While we had been waiting and wanting for awhile to have a second child, we might not have opted to move internationally again if Morgan had come along two years ago instead of seven months ago. God is good and he has a plan for all of us, it can just be so hard to be patient and wait for an answer.

Some of my church family at a night out together

It's hard to say what's ahead of us in the year to come. We are certainly looking forward to being able to travel a bit more and a trip back to the U.S. very soon. And I can't wait to see Emma learn and understand more about living in Australia. We'll keep training her to become as Australian as she can in the meantime - eating lots of fish and chips, calamari, avocado, and maybe we'll add sushi to her repertoire this year. And if all goes according to plan, but to Steve's dismay, I will do everything I can to encourage Morgan to develop the cutest little Aussie accent possible.

Here's a look back at some of my favorite memories in the last few months before we left the U.S. that never made the blog...

Last visit to Minnesota and being goofy with cousins Tabitha and Jake

Bike riding lessons from Grandpa Souders

Saturday morning south city donut traditions

Fanciest (anniversary) dinner ever before we left St. Louis!

Some of the best co-workers and one of the best St. Louis skyline views

We love the zoo no matter what country we're in and often we're more entertained by things other than animals...

Last visit with Grandma and Grandpa Jones - don't ask about Emma's sunglasses/goggle look here

Emma saying goodbye to "Marvin" the giraffe. We had to explain that giraffes can't fly on airplanes.

Last day in our south city house, classic dinner (Chipotle) on the floor of a nearly empty house
(side note... I wonder how many times is safe to eat Chipotle while back in the U.S. for two weeks?)

So I'm thankful today that I'm not sitting in an empty house or "losing" a day of my year or packing and unpacking my possessions that were deemed worthy of making the trip across the Pacific. I'm looking forward to what's ahead and wondering how we got so lucky.

Thankful to be here as a family of four...

...and the views are pretty good too.

Things that might kill me in Australia...

It was the ongoing joke when I told people we were moving to Australia last year... "You better watch out, do you know how many things can kill you there?!" A few of my favorite memes to commemorate the stereotype many Americans have of Australia...

And for my former co-workers and all of our Snapple lunch quizzes...

Thankfully, we have made it over nine months and I am happy to report we haven't even had any close encounters. Let's hope that trend continues. And up until now I chose to remain in the dark about what exactly all those deadly things were. I thought if I did too much research then I would just find myself more stressed out about the ridiculously small chance of encountering any of these animals and insects. I recently however had a change of sentiment and thought with two young children perhaps I should be better educated. It also didn't help when a friend shared an article of an unexpected cause of death in Australia, the cold. Yes, I know this is absolutely ridiculous, but true. Just read this article about the "glorified tents" they call houses here and how there are more cold than hot weather related deaths here, and more cold related deaths here than Sweden.

Anyways, back to the whole dangerous animal and insect thing. There are a lot here, some which concern me more than others. When I think too much about it, it pretty much makes me never want to go swimming, go bush walking, put on a shoe or reach into a dark closet. Take a look at the top ten here for photos and descriptions, but here's a quick look at what makes the list:

1. Box jellyfish
2. Honey bee
3. Irukandji jellyfish
4. Bullshark (not a bullshark, but this shark provides a pretty good warning to all of us)
5. Eastern brown snake
6. Saltwater crocodile
7. Sydney funnel web spider
8. Blue-ringed octopus
9. Coastal taipan
10. Common death adder (what type of name is this?)

I find it especially disconcerting that most of Sydney's north shore (right where we live) is a favorite spot of the appropriately named Sydney funnel web spider. Luckily there have been no reported deaths due to this spider since 1981 when an antivenom was created, I hope I'm not the one to test the streak.

Poisonous animals and insects aside, there are still plenty of other creatures that don't make my list of "Reasons I love living in Australia." While I have gotten a bit more used to the occasional "Sydney roach," I do my best to reduce the possibility I find them in my house, which is as I've been informed going to be impossible no matter what. And the massively large spiders that exist in this country (even those that aren't venomous) I just find unnerving. I about jumped out of my skin when I nearly brushed up against this guy on the corner of a building:

At least I didn't panic as much as this man did, but I wouldn't put it past me in the future. And while I have gently nudged one or two tiny geckos out of our house, I'm just glad I haven't had this problem:

And this has nothing to do with animals or insects, but do I need to be concerned about entrapment (hopefully not death) by the "hairy panic" here as well?

That does bring up the more legitimate concern over bush fires here and the huge risk they run to many people in this country. And probably the top, truly most serious concern I should really have with young children here, melanoma. There literally is a hole in the ozone and children are required by law to wear a hat outside at school.

Thankfully there are so many wonderful creatures in this country as well, so I'll leave you with one of my recent favorite findings. Seriously, how cute is this kangaroo?