The Skadberg's adventures traveling in the US and France with a baby!

Travelling by train in France

Two and a half months, the time we spent away from Shalimar, our "home." This time was determined by the prices of airline tickets and our desire to spend time with our families. The primary purpose of this trip was to introduce Stella to her family on two different continents. We first spent two weeks in California, then six in France, and then another two weeks in California before returning to New Zealand.

My birthday in a guinguette, Nogent sur Marne

Logistically, the boat was moored in the Town Basin Marina , a good friend visited her once a week to check the bilge pumps, run the dehumidifier and air her out a little. Ryan had to keep working while we traveled, because the "budget" airfare even with a baby who does not pay was $7,500 USD! We flew exclusively with Air Tahiti and we recommend this company. Good service, nice flights, we got a bulkhead seat with a bed for Stella on each flight and room for our legs which was much appreciated. Once there we stayed with our parents mainly and sometimes with friends. I again thank all those who have been able to make a "small place" or just give us a little of their time. Feeling the generosity of family or friends even when we have not seen them for some years. It feels great and it's worth all the sacrifices. A special thank you to Audrey and her parents for our stopover in Royan, Caro and Sego the same in Bordeaux, my uncle and my Aunts in Annecy, my sis who worked so hard for us to feel at home and of course Ryan's mom and my mom . I can not name everyone else or this post would turn into just a long list of names, but thank you all!

Stella at l'île de la Cité

I will not lie though there were difficult things during this trip. Firstly it is not easy to travel with a newborn whether by plane, car or train. However, we found Stella easier to manage on the return trip (she was 5 ½ months) and once we had experienced a fiasco (like car trip from Paris to Annecy) and fortunately learned from our mistakes!
The extreme heat especially in France did not made ​​things easy either, we got out much less than I expected. There will be no album of Paris with pictures such as "Stella at the Eiffel Tower", "Stella at Montmartre", etc... (though I planned my photo album at Amelie, with Stella as a garden gnome!).
And finally living out of a suitcase and particularly with a baby, is not simple. Everyone was very nice, but it is nice to get back home to our usual routine!
Finally, the fact that Ryan had to continue working throughout the journey to pay for said journey has not always been fun. He had to always check the quality of the internet wherever we were going, discover the problems getting of a broadband subscription when not a resident in the country and while moving all of the time! We used Sosh in France,  I do not recommend to anyone!
I loved seeing our families too, see them interact with Stella, each in their own way. It made me realize for the first time that our lifestyle choice does make us miss out on family. I will therefore take full advantage when we visit family again. It was difficult not having much time to myself and being so tired at night that I slept with the chickens instead of staying up late to visit. I also liked the food back in my country, testing new trends cooked for us with love by our families, going to lunch in the restaurants where used to frequent in San Diego. We even had an date at the Bali Hai where we got married!

So would I do it again? Yes, but differently, on a shorter time and not with a young baby,  I'd rather wait a year too if it allowed Ryan to take a real vacation and I would add a week's holiday just for us and personal accommodation to break up the trip and give breaks to everyone. And yes, it inflates the budget but I think it's worth it. I would almost write that I would see fewer people so we would not have to rush as much, but I know that this would be wishful thinking because I do not regret any of our visits, and I'm a little sad already for those we couldn't see.

With my Grand Aunt who is 94 years old today

Stella was fortunate to be cuddled in arms that once cuddled me, by people who unfortunately will not be eternal and that are very important to me. Even if it only happens this once for her, I'm already happy. She met her Great Aunt Marie-Louise from whom she gets her middle name, her grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins​​... She celebrated her first July 4th in the U.S., her first July 14th in Bordeaux, "enjoyed" the crowds while screaming until she fell asleep on the Croisette, practiced swimming in the pool at Tata Claires or jacuzzi at Grammy's, watched the landscape scroll by on the train (the preferred mode of transport), fell asleep from fatigue jumping with her cousins, read Love Bug with Grammy, broke the ears of Mamina and Papi during car trips, served as a model for the creation of Mamina's outfits ...

First 4th of July

And of course some will argue that she will not remember anything so why go traveling so young? I answer them that we will be there to tell her, it will help us to make her want to come back to her own countries that are not by birth but by our roots and culture. I would say she can put a face, a warmth and smell to the voices she hears and faces she sees on Skype and it is worth all the gold in the world. I smile typing all this, I think of the pictures that have been taken and that we will show her, there is so much that I'm having a hard time choosing for the blog!
In the space of two and a half months, Stella, who is now 6 months old, can sit, stand, has two bottom teeth (one Tahitian , one New Zealand, both came on the trip back), loves food "big time", she begins to discover and has a tireless curiosity. Our life has definitely changed, it is not always idyllic, sometimes lack of sleep or when she is screaming at the top of her lungs. We're together 24 hours a day and yet I smile again, there is so much love and so few words...
I leave you with some pictures. If you want to see more of the family and friends big smiles (did you notice that superpower that babies have to make everybody smile big time on photos), send me a message and I will send an invite to my private picasa albums.

Photo shoot with Grammy, wearing her great grandfather's hat

Naptime under the fig tree at Grama Kim and Papa John