Repatriation

What a month and a half it has been! Moving is never easy and moving half way across the world, even when it is back home is tough. We had an idea that we would be moving for quite sometime but only found out when and where shortly before. We really had to scramble to get everything prepared and we are happy to say that are all doing well now in Baton Rouge, Maddie included.

Our last week in Singapore was spent packing up the apartment, spending time with friends, and saying our final goodbyes. We made so many wonderful friends while living in Singapore and it was difficult to leave but fortunately we know so many of them we will see again. Moving out of the apartment was a three day affair. This was surprising to us as it only took us two days to move out of our Houston house that was more than twice as big but now that we have watched them pack, we understand. They cover everything with cardboard. They are box cutting, origami masters. They cut, folded, and taped cardboard around every piece of furniture we had. It was truly amazing.

Derek buried in the mess of packing.

No need to take apart the crib when you can just box around it

I believe there is a glider in there

Last picture in her first home

Our last Saturday in Singapore was spent doing our favorite things. We started the morning off with a run and breakfast in the Botanic Gardens. Our friends started the Fiscal Cliff Running Club when we first arrived and we enjoyed many Saturday mornings in the Gardens with them. We are so thankful that they shared this healthy habit with us and we will continue to do this wherever we go. Saturday night we met the White's and Alexander's who both moved to Singapore about the same time we did and were the first people we had dinner with since we all lived in temporary housing together. We went to dinner at the Marina Bay Sands at one of my personal favorites, Pizzeria Mozza which is a Mario Batali restaurant. Yes I know, it isn't Asian food there is all kinds of great food there and I wanted to eat here just once more before we left. After dinner we went outside to take some final Singapore skyline pictures and managed to catch the Wonderfall water show. Standing at the edge of the Marina Bay watching the colorful water sprays against the bright lights of the city was such a perfect moment for the end of our adventure. It was a moment of reflection and we realized just how much we would miss living on the Big Red Dot.

Our flight to Baton Rouge began early Sunday morning. We had stops in Tokyo and Houston before finally arriving in Baton Rouge 25 hours later. Caroline did an amazing job on all the flights and got a lot of compliments from the crew because she never let out a peep on the long haul flights. She fussed a bit on the short flight from Houston but after 24 hours, we were all a bit fussy. My mom was waiting for us when we landed and helped us get our 9 bags, troller, and carseat to the Residence Inn that has become our home.

Strapped in and ready to go!

Playing in her seat.  Thank goodness for business class!

When you won't see the rest of your possessions for 2+ months you have to pack a lot of stuff!

With a trip to Mexico planned just three weeks after our arrival, we had to get moving on finding a house, two cars, and a nanny. We had already narrowed down our car choices and after a couple days of test driving, I decided on the Volvo XC60 and Derek on the Suburu Outback. Having safe vehicles was our first priority and both of these top the list. We bought my car right away and had to order Derek's so we could get all the safety technology installed. We will hopefully get it the first week of December.

My new wheels

Caroline's new wheels

With the cars handled, we turned to the home search. After a day out with a realtor, we settled on a newly renovated home near the LSU campus and lakes. The house has a lot of character and its proximity to the lakes for our weekend family walks was one of the many advantages of this house. More to come on the house once we move in!

Our nanny search took a bit longer as we had a difficult time finding the right individual. We were originally interviewing candidates who applied with us on Care.com but after a few suspect interviews decided to go with a nanny service and with them were able to find a wonderful new nanny for Caroline.  She is now going to the library, Gymboree, doing arts and crafts, and various field trips.  I look forwarding to sharing some of the pictures of her activities and artwork!

We are still living in the hotel as our furniture is still making its journey across the Pacific. We are hoping to be moved in by Thanksgiving but with recent shipping delays, we might not make it. Life in the hotel has not been easy but we are trying to make the best of it.