Meeting the fam.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 1
Thursday, August 28

In my uncle’s house, they’re lucky if they get to sleep in until 7. Aedan hasn’t quite mastered sleeping all the way through the night yet, and he’s always up and raring to go bright and early. Since I was on the floor of the lounge right next to the kitchen, it was inevitable that I, too, would be woken with the rest of the house.

Either Aedan didn’t notice me or was uninterested, however, because he never bothered me. I stayed lying on my mattress until the house cleared out a little before 9 – Uncle Jerry was on his way to work, and Lindy and Aedan were off to drop Hannah off at school. Once they’d all gone, I showered and got myself ready for whatever the day would bring.

I officially met Aedan (my uncle’s first child) later that morning as I was eating some toast and he came tottering inside from playing in the sandbox, sand tipping out of his little orange Crocs with every step he took. I usually detest Crocs on anyone, but the little guy can somehow pull them off.

Aedan was very wary of me at first. “He’s just starting to get into his shy stage,” Lindy told me as she picked him up. Aedan kept stealing glances at me over his mom’s shoulder, dribbling drool and snot down her back as he did. He was just getting over a cold, and is not yet 2. So snot and drool are not out of the ordinary.

Lindy had to go into Fremantle, the closest town to where they live, for an appointment, and invited me along. She dropped me off in the town center and gave me an hour and a half to wander around on my own. The day was sunny and warm, and a light breeze was blowing in off the Indian Ocean as I padded down the many streets of Fremantle.

I made my way down to the waterfront where the fishing boats were moored and walked along the shore. Fremantle is apparently a pretty historic town, and I came upon a lot of plaques and signs as I went denoting where a wharf or bath house had once stood. I found myself slightly overdressed for the warm sun, and so eventually made my way back into town in search of a Coke and some shade.

I met Lindy and Aedan back in the center of town around lunchtime. We found a little café and ordered delicious chicken and avocado flatbread sandwiches. Aedan was happy to munch on some bread in the booth next to Lindy. He was a little more confident by then, and grinned at me from across the table. He’s a cute little thing.

But also a bit of a terror. He decided it would be neat to try and tip over the table. He nearly succeeded, too. I managed to catch it before it went over, but I couldn’t stop the large glass bottle of water from falling to the tile floor and smashing into about a hundred pieces. I think Aedan was pretty pleased with himself as he watched the café staff clean it up, as most little kids probably would be. Thankfully, no one got hurt or wet, and it ended up just being sort of funny.

We headed back to the house afterward, as it was past Aedan’s naptime. I took advantage of the sunny afternoon and patio furniture and read my book outdoors for a while. Tiddles the cat, however, was quite adamant about sitting on my lap and sticking her butt in my book. Nice cat.

Lindy ran to pick up Hannah from school, along with Hannah’s friend Phineas. I can’t imagine naming my kid Phineas, however this kid really did look like a “Finn.” He and Hannah ran around for the afternoon, Aedan joining in once he woke up from his nap. They have a trampoline in the backyard (one of those one’s that’s closed in so no one can fall out), and they spent quite a bit of time on there.

Aedan, I learned, can’t quite talk yet. He says the usual “Mom” (or “Maaaaa!” when he’s really distressed) and “Dad,” but, for anything else, he just says “More?” I imagine it would get quite frustrating trying to figure out what exactly he wanted “More” of.

Lindy piled all of us into the car to run to the fresh foods market to pick up some fruits and vegetables for dinner. Hannah and Finn ran around the store barefooted as Aedan munched on a strawberry in the cart Lindy was pushing. For some reason, though, this did not seem to phase anyone in the store.

Dinner was a lamb roast and fresh steamed veggies and was delicious. It’s been so long since I had a home cooked meal!

After dinner it was time for baths and bed. Before-bed rituals at the house usually include Lindy reading to Hannah (currently they’re working on the fourth Harry Potter book), and Jerry entertaining Aedan with YouTube videos. The little guy LOVES the computer. And cell phones. He has somehow figured out how to change things like wallpapers and ringtones on phones. I think he’ll end up some kind of tech wizard at the rate he’s going!

Once the kids were in bed, Lindy, my uncle and I watched a bit of TV before turning in ourselves. I got the feeling they were worried that I wasn’t enjoying my time with them. But, on the contrary, getting a chance to relax, getting a good meal, and just be around family was very enjoyable. Perhaps not very exciting (I apologize if this bored you), but enjoyable.