We arrived in Melbourne on Saturday evening, and even though I had been warned about the weather, I was still taken aback by the gust of cold wind that hit us once we stepped out of the airport. Many years ago, Melbourne was the first place C and I encountered really cold weather, and now, it’s where Noah gets to experience really cold wind blowing in his face for the first time.
We had an uneventful flight, and thank God that Noah took two naps on it, allowing us to even watch some movies. He didn’t like the Post-Weaning Baby Meal ordered for him, and was content to eat some bread, biscuits, and Cheerios instead. Thankfully, he didn’t poop on the flight, so the diaper changing was done pretty quickly and easily on the tiny diaper-changing table in the cramped toilet.
Waiting to Board
Our first night was spent at Holiday Inn, a five minute ride from the airport, as apparently, all other hotels were fully booked or priced exorbitantly that night, due to the footy finals. That wouldn’t have been a problem at all, but when we got there, I discovered that the zips on my suitcase had completely disappeared. I have no idea how it happened, but it did. There was a small gap at the top, where the zippers used to be, but just as I was about to pull the bag open, C realised that I wouldn’t be able to zip the bag up once I opened it, and quickly stopped me. I had to spend the night wearing his clothes instead, but hey, it could have been worse. We had access to Noah’s clothes, so we could keep him warm, and if it were C’s bag that had been damaged, he would have nothing to wear, because he definitely can’t fit into any of my clothes.
The gap in my bag, where the zippers once sat
All bundled up
Kiss Kiss
The view from our room was pretty nice, and I was particularly attracted by those Golden Arches downstairs. C went to get us Bacon and Egg McMuffins for our breakfast, and the hot chocolate was a great way to warm us up before we left the hotel.
The view from our room
First Breakfast
Thankfully, the suitcase survived our taxi ride to our serviced apartment the next day, and I now have to hunt for a good suitcase before we leave for Adelaide in less than two weeks.
Our current serviced apartment is in the CBD area, near C’s office, and he walks to work daily. (His Fitbit is being put to good use here!) There’s a small IGA supermarket within walking distance, and a larger Coles supermarket further away, so we managed to buy some groceries, and I’ve been able to cook for Noah. He’s still extremely difficult to feed, and meal-times are still a struggle, but at least he’s eating a little. I tried offering him some of my pasta at a restaurant the other night, and he refused to even try it. Sigh.
The winds here are extremely strong, and I was almost blown off my feet on several occasions. Not that I’m light, but that’s how strong the winds are! I’ve been trying to keep Noah as warm as possible, but he’s not too fond of his hoodie, and cries each time I put it on him. Once it’s on him, he’s fine, until I have to take it off of him. His skin is also suffering quite a bit, and there are many new patches of rash that have appeared, so I’ve been moisturising him frantically. I’ll probably need to find a stronger one for him soon, because I don’t think ours is good enough to protect him from the weather here.
On the bridge to Flinders Station
Noah has been very fascinated by the seagulls, ducks, horses, and dogs that we’ve come across. He keeps pointing at them, and on Monday afternoon, while C was at work, we chanced upon some seagulls strutting around on the grass outside a church (I think), so I let him stand on a bench for a couple of minutes to watch the seagulls. It felt so nice to be able to do that, instead of rushing around.
Staring at the seagulls
Two plump seagulls
We’re still settling in, getting to know our area better, and trying to get Noah to adjust to Melbourne time. I do like Melbourne quite a bit, but I can no longer spend hours just wandering around the streets, because I have to get Noah back to the apartment for his lunch and nap. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get into a routine of sorts, so that I can do a bit of shopping before we leave!