Breakfast with the Orangutans

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Brandon playing on the tennis court with Jake and Jess

Brandon, Jake, and Jess waving at one of the guards, Dino - Brandon LOVES Dino!

Brandon and Mommy feeding the kangaroo

Brandon and Mommy at breakfast with the orangutans

This morning, Brandon and I had an early start to our day. This was the first day we since we've been here that we didn't walk Steven to the train before work. :(

The Friday playgroup that we've been going to decided to go to the zoo this week. Brandon and I left before 8 am and took a cab out to the zoo. It's about a 20-25 minute drive. A little farther away than all of the other things we've been doing during the week.

We wanted to go to the zoo early in the morning because that's the best time of the day for the kids and because we wanted to take part in a breakfast with the orangutans. Basically, the orangutans came out near the breakfast area while we were eating, and the zoo keepers fed them fruit, etc. People then lined up to take pictures with the orangutans. We were able to get really close to the orangutans for the picture. It felt like the animals were so close, too, because there was no cage between us and them. The breakfast was a very large buffet, and it was delicious! Breakfast with the orangutans was definitely something worth experiencing. I'm glad we did it, but I'm not sure it's something we will do again while we are here. By the time you pay to get to the zoo and you pay for the zoo admission, the breakfast makes the day quite expensive - especially if you are paying for more than one adult. I actually bought an individual one year membership to the zoo while we were there. If I go to the zoo four more times while we are here, then having the membership saves us money.

My favorite part of the zoo this visit was the Australian Outback. We were actually able to sit next to some kangaroos and feed them! Felt kind of like having a big dog eat out of your hand. I wanted to let Brandon feed the roo, but when I gave him some of the food, he tried to eat it himself. Maybe next time! :) When I told my neighbor friend, Jo, that we fed a kangaroo at the zoo, she kind of laughed. She is from Australia, and I guess it's something that they've done many, many times back home. She also told me that one time her husband hit a roo while driving. Kangaroos in Australia must be like deer back home.

We didn't make it to the kids part of the zoo on Friday. After being outside at the zoo for four hours, I figured that it was time to take a break. It was so hot, and Brandon was getting tired. We shared a cab home with a friend.

When we got home, Brandon wanted to play, so I let him have some fun at home before putting him down for his nap. Since Brandon had a late nap, we decided to go down to the pool rather than going back out in the afternoon. The pool felt soooo nice after being out in the heat during the morning!

Brandon's new friends, Jake and Jess, were down at the pool. He loves watching them and getting attention from them! After playing at the pool for a bit, Jo and I let the kids run around on the tennis courts again.

When we got back from the tennis courts, we had a delivery!!! Grandma B's package had arrived! It was like Christmas! Brandon went wild when I opened the box. He saw some Gerber snacks, and immediately handed me one to be opened. (I had actually taken Brandon's diaper off, so he had swim trunks on, but no diaper. I found a puddle of pee next to the box a little later. I laughed to myself and thought that Brandon was so excited to get the package that he peed himself. :) ) Brandon not only got the yummy snacks, but he also got a couple of books, a sand pail and shovel, a Toy Story inflatable tent, and more! Oh, and don't forget all of the balls that Grandma used as packing material! Grandma D even sent a couple of needed items. We are so blessed to have two wonderful moms!!!

AWA Thursday

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Brandon playing at the Forum

I am soooo tired! It's been such a fast and busy week, but I've had some trouble falling asleep at night. Now that we can watch tv shows on the computer, I think I'm staying up too late catching up on shows, mainly Glee.

This morning, Brandon and I walked Steven to the train station. We also met a friend there. (I should probably start using people's names. I'm meeting so many great people here!) My friend's name is Amanda, and she is the one we had breakfast with yesterday. She also goes to the AWA meetups, so we met at the train station in order to walk to the Forum together.

This week, she and I were the only ones who showed up at the coffee shop, so after a drink and some great conversation, we decided to walk around the mall. Brandon was starting to get a little crazy sitting in the high chair.

A little later, another mom from the AWA, Kristie, met me and Brandon at the playground in the Forum. We let the boys play for a bit and then grabbed some lunch together.

I didn't really have any plans this afternoon, but while I was out this morning I got a text message from a mom that I met at Royce Gym on Tuesday. She invited me back to Royce to meet her. Brandon was up from his nap and in a good mood, so we decided to join them. Vanessa is from New Zealand and her son, Isaac, is 18 months. Another one of her friends also joined us, and then the three of us hit up Starbucks on the way out.

I was really hoping to walk home from the gym, but it was raining pretty hard when we left Liang Court. Brandon and I took a cab home. It seems like it rains in the late afternoon quite often.

As I was giving Brandon some dinner tonight, our neighbors we played with yesterday stopped by again. They brought some fruit over for us. So thoughtful! The two kids, Jessie and Jake, just love Brandon. Their mom, Jo, and I enjoyed a glass of wine together while the kids played. Jessie loved playing with Brandon's Lego Duplo grocery store. Jake chased Brandon around. So nice to have met friendly neighbors.

Jessie and Jake are from Australia, and they go to the Overseas Family School. Jo was telling me that in Australia, the kids took Japanese. At the kids' school here, the most popular language class for students is Mandarin.

Probably could say much more about today, but I'm going to try to get some rest. We plan to go to the zoo pretty early tomorrow morning with some friends. I might actually have to set an alarm tonight...

Goodnight, Singapore! Good morning, Chicago!

Esplanade

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Mommy and Brandon by the Singapore River

The Esplanade, Singapore's performing arts venue

Brandon before bed ("Mommy, I don't want to go to bed. I want to go bye bye.")

Eighth picture down - building in the middle of the picture, just to the right of the tree, is where Steven works

This morning after Brandon and I walked Daddy to the train, we headed to The Coffee Club to meet a friend for breakfast. I met my friend and her daughter through the AWA a couple of weeks ago. It turned out that she also had met my neighbor who lives one floor below us. The three of us were planning to get together, but my neighbor had to cancel. We had such a nice time talking about all kinds of topics, such as babies, Singapore, and home (America). It felt good to talk to someone in my shoes. While it is my friend's second trip to Singapore, she has only been here a few more days than us. We are all still adjusting!

It felt really nice to have breakfast outdoors, and we decided to share a couple of items so that we could try something new. It's hard for me to be adventurous with food when I am by myself. I usually need to order something that I know I and/or Brandon will like. I don't want to buy a meal and then still be hungry.

Today, we ordered something called "chicken congee". It was kind of like a soupy grits with chicken. Although I'm not a huge fan of grits, this was pretty good. It had a nice flavor, and we at it with large soup spoons.

After breakfast, we walked to Cold Storage to do some grocery shopping. I broke down and bought a couple of bottles of wine. Alcohol is expensive here, so I bought two of the cheaper bottles I could find. (I'm actually enjoying a nice glass of wine now. Just what I needed!)

During Brandon's nap today, I was thinking about how glad I am that we will be moving. There is a new high rise building being built right next door to us. When I put Brandon down for his nap, it is usually pretty quiet, but about half way into his nap it gets quite loud. I think that the workers are on lunch break when Brandon goes to sleep. I'm pretty sure that the noise has woken Brandon up from his nap early several times. Then, he can't go back to sleep and is cranky. Don't know for sure, but I don't think there are any new buildings being built next to the apartment building we plan to be in soon.

By 3:30 this afternoon, Brandon was standing at the door wanting to go "bye bye". He can play on his own at home for a while, but then he gets bored. We either have to go down to the pool or go out to do something.

We decided to go down and meet Daddy for a very early dinner today. We ate at a restaurant on the river again. The weather was so nice. There was a short rain this afternoon, and it was a little overcast. I actually like when it's overcast here.

After dinner, Brandon and I took a walk to Esplanade Park. The Esplanade is a performing arts venue here that is located on Marina Bay. I hope that Steven and I are able to attend an event there while we are here. Chicago, the musical, is currently showing there. Nice timing!

I saw the Singapore Flyer from a distance. I am really looking forward to going up in it. Basically, it is like an extremely large Ferris Wheel of observation pods. I've heard that the Flyer gives amazing views of the city. Maybe we'll have to try this a couple of times, once during the day, and once at night.

I'm still getting a sense for distance and direction here. As we were eating dinner, I noticed a bridge that looked familiar. I realized that it was the bridge I could see from Clarke Quay yesterday. Then, I walked from Esplanade Park to the City Hall MRT stop. I've been to Clarke Quay, City Hall, and Raffles on the MRT, and I thought that they were all far apart. However, they're each about 5 min. walking distance apart. Very cool for me to put together all of the pieces and know more about where things are. Sometimes maps just can't give me enough perspective.

Brandon and I got home at 6 pm. I could tell that Brandon was tired, but he wasn't quite ready for bed. I wanted to let him play for a bit and run the last of his energy out before bed.

About a minute after we got home, there was a knock on our door. It was one of our neighbors and her two kids. We've played with them down at the pool a couple of times, and they are super friendly. They are from Australia, and the two kids are 4 and 9. They just love Brandon! They came up to our unit to find out if we wanted to play on the tennis courts for a while. Perfect timing!

Brandon had so much fun playing with the children. I wish that I had taken a video of the three kids playing. It was great. Brandon had one of their balls, and he was running away from them. They were pretending to chase him, and he was squeeling and laughing. They ran around for about an hour.

After playing, the family stopped back by our apartment to bring me some ice cream. How nice is that? They also brought Brandon one of their little stuffed toys and three pictures - two of them and one of their dog back home. I gave them a picture of Brandon.

Sigh... Now it makes me feel a little bad that we're moving. However, the other apartment is just a nicer two-bedroom, and it will be a more comfortable place for us. I told my new friends that I am happy to come over to this place still for swim and play once we've moved. It won't be that far. Maybe we can plan to get together once or twice a week. Are we doing the right thing by moving???

Steven and I were talking tonight about how we feel that we are having to learn and adjust to a new toddler. Every day Brandon is doing something new. He is like a little sponge right now. He understands so much. A month ago I felt like I had a little baby. Now, he is definitely his own person. Little big man. Brandon is saying "bye bye" to me now when he leaves the room I am in. He gives hugs and kisses when asked. He knows many of the body parts. He knows basic "commands", like "sit" and "stand". He knows so many of the words we say to him. I can't keep up with all of the new things that are happening.

We feel like Brandon is starting to go through a little "Mommy" stage. It could be because I am weening him. Maybe he is trying to be sure that there is still an connection/attachment between the two of us. However, little man still loves his Daddy. When we met Steven for dinner tonight, Brandon reached for him right away and then laid his head on Steven's shoulder for about a minute. What a hug!

Hoping that some family members will be booking flights to Singapore soon. It will be nice to have company to look forward to in the next couple of months!!!

Oh, and happy, happy birthday to my brother today! Love you, Ryan!!!

Clarke Quay

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Clarke Quay

Brandon playing at Royce Gym

Today, Brandon and I had no plans, so when we walked Steven to the train, we decided to also get on and head to Clarke Quay (pronounced "key"). Last Friday, we went to Royce Gym located in Liang Court near Clarke Quay, but we took a cab since I wasn't sure how to get there by train. It was a quick train ride - only one red line stop, a transfer to the purple line, and one stop on that.

Clarke Quay is such a cute area. Located right on the Singapore River, there are lots of restaurants and shops. I think that we need a babysitter soon so that we can go on a date there!

Wasn't really sure where I was going once I got off of the train, but after asking a couple of people, I found Liang Court (a mall). Not a far walk from the MRT station.

Royce Gym is amazing! Tons of space and tons of toys! You pay to play for one hour, and at the end of the hour someone comes to tell you your time is up. The nice thing about this is that it keeps down the crowd. They even take your temperature and your child's temperature and sanitize your hands before letting you into the gym. Clean and nice.

I met a couple more really nice people at the play gym today. One woman from New Zealand and another from Australia. The Australian woman actually lived in Naperville for three years before moving to Singapore. Nice to talk to someone about home for a bit. Since she and I were leaving the gym at the same time, she invited us to have coffee with her and a couple of her friends. People are so nice here. Especially when they find out that we are new to Singapore, most people are quick to offer their contact information and coffee and play dates.

I decided to take a cab home from the gym. It was time for Brandon's nap, and I really wanted to make it home before he crashed.

This afternoon, we went to the Forum playground. When we returned, a bunch of the kids in our building were down at the pool so we hung around down there for a bit. The children were playing with water balloons today, and Brandon loved them! He kept throwing a water balloon trying to pop it, but he couldn't throw it hard enough. A little girl had to help him.

We have decided to move to the other apartment. Not sure when the move will happen, but I'm thinking that it will be in the next week. A little sad that we will not be seeing the same children we've seen over the last few weeks down at the pool any more.

Has anyone seen my baby? I feel like Brandon has changed and matured so much in the last two weeks. His face is starting to look older, and he is even acting older. Even more personality.

When he waves now, he says "ha", which is his "hi". I feel like he is starting to imitate us more, so I don't think it will be long before he starts to say even more words. We've been singing, dancing, and listening to music more lately. Brandon is learning how to turn in a circle. It's kind of funny. Not sure if he is trying to dance or just being silly. When I sing, he also makes noise. I think he is starting to try to sing. He's going to love to sing just like Daddy! I have a feeling we're going to have a very noisy home! We aren't a quiet family!

Took a really cute video of Brandon in the bath tonight, but I don't think I want to post that on the blog and have it all over the internet. Just don't think I want to do that to little Brandon. It might surface someday when he is trying to find a good job. :)

New Week

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Brandon in his tent made from chairs and a blanket



This morning Brandon and I walked Steven to the Somerset MRT. Lately, our routine has been to grab some quick breakfast at a bakery located in the MRT station mall. The place is called Marche, and it is delicious! They have amazing breads for good prices. It's nice to enjoy a quick bite with Steven before he heads off for the day. Mmmmm.... Swiss cross buns.... Yummm...


After waving goodbye to Daddy, Brandon and I walked down Orchard Road to Tanglin Mall. I met a mom online through the New Moms Support group of Singapore, and we were meeting at a restaurant in the mall (Oomphaticos). Her daughter is only ten days older than Brandon.


My new friend is from the UK, and it was so nice meeting her. She told me that her parents are actually in Singapore right now. They have been here visiting her for a bit, and they were suppose to go back to the UK a couple of days ago. However, due to the Icelandic volcano, they are here until they can get a flight back to the UK. Also, her husband is in the UK now on business. He, too, was suppose to be back in Singapore by now, but his flight was cancelled. He is waiting to get a flight back.


I really enjoyed meeting my friend, and it was also nice that Brandon could be around another kid his age. I'm hoping that we can get together again soon, and maybe next time the two kids can play together.



This afternoon, I was thrilled when Brandon woke up from his nap happy. The weekend was so busy, and I really wanted to take it easy this afternoon. Since Brandon was in a good mood and playing on his own, we just stayed in and made it a "home" day - playing, reading, listening to music, doing laundry, and catching up on dishes.



We did make a trip down to the pool. Lot of other kids there today, but mainly older kids. Brandon just wanted to stand on the pool deck and stare at the other kids. Two older boys, maybe around 9 or 10 years old, were wrestling by the pool. Brandon couldn't take his eyes off of them. Great. He is really watching and learning...



We made it back from the pool just before a huge thunderstorm. We've had many days here lately where it has rained for a while in the late afternoon/evening. Many people have been telling me that this is unusual. They say that usually the rainy time here is in November and December.



I've been a little frustrated with the food and cooking situation as I think I mentioned before. When we got back from the pool, I made a salad, some chicken, some mashed potatoes, and some carrots. Really, because Steven gets home so late from work, I am just cooking for myself and Brandon. Brandon didn't want the chicken or the mashed potatoes or the carrots. All he wanted was grapes. (Oh, and I was so bummed when I found out that we bought grapes with seeds yesterday. Darn!) I was really trying to cook for me and Brandon, but I'm not sure it's worth it. Sometimes he eats what I make, and more often he doesn't want it. Then, I have a huge pile of dishes to wash. Wouldn't be that big of a deal if we had a dishwasher... I'm just so tired at the end of the day. Don't mean to sound spoiled and complain that I have to wash dishes by hand. Maybe the most frustrating part was that the dinner didn't even taste very good to me. Something different about the milk and butter here, so the mashed potatoes were a little off. On a good note, the eggs in the salad tasted pretty good! (I was worried since they are stored at room temperature at the grocery.)


Craving some sleep now! Selamat malam! (Goodnight in Malay)

GLEEful Weekend

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Singapore Botanic Garden, Orchid National Garden


Water play at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden



Brandon with Daddy's new stylish headphones

Today, Steven wanted to check out the Singapore Botanic Garden, and I wanted to check out the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. The gardens are right next to each other, so we took a cab to the "adult" garden first. The garden is so fantastic, and there is so much to see. I enjoyed my second trip to the garden just as much, if not more, as my first trip there. We went through the bonzai garden and the cactus garden. We saw the National Flower of Singapore, a hybrid orchid called "Vanda Miss Joaquim". Unfortunately, there were currently no flowers in bloom. They do grow throughout the year, so hopefully we can see them on another trip to the garden. We also saw a "rubber tree". When this tree is cut, it exudes a sticky substance that is the raw material for natural rubber. There was a actually a sign next to the tree asking people not to take pieces of the tree for latex.

Since Steven was with us this time at the garden, we did pay to visit the National Orchid Garden. Wow. So many different orchids and so many different colors. Such a perfect flower.

I found out last week that Andrea Bocelli is performing at the ampitheater in the botanic garden in early May!!! It's a free concert. However, because it will be so popular, they opened up a lottery for tickets on the internet. You had to submit your name, and then in a week or so, they will let you know if you were chosen for tickets. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline for submitting my name... :( I wonder if there is a way to buy tickets from people who get them free? I am sooooo sad!!! I told Steven that if I could go to this concert, it would quite possibly be my most memorable moment during my stay here in Singpore. It's possible that it would be one of the most memorable events of my life too. :) I LOVE Andrea! I'll keep you posted on the tickets. I'm not holding my breath. Part of me even wishes I hadn't found out about the concert... :)

We walked from the botanic garden to the children's garden. We didn't plan to stay long at the children's garden, but we wanted to let Brandon run around and play for a while before heading home. I have heard so many great things about the children's garden. As soon as we walked into the garden, we saw a water play area for children with several fountains spraying water. Pot of gold!!! Brandon went wild! We spent enough time there that we didn't see any more of the garden. We'll be back there several more times!!!

Busy, busy, busy. We were really hoping to have a few down hours later in the afternoon. However, Brandon woke up pretty cranky from his nap. The only thing that he seemed to want was to go "bye bye". I guess we'd be walking some more!!!

We decided to take a different walking route to the Forum to let Brandon play. There is a street here called "One Tree Hill", so we took a short stroll on it. Couldn't pass it up. :)

At the Forum, I saw a woman that I've run into three times now at a couple of different play areas. Found out that she lives very close to the new apartment that we're looking at. I think that many people I am meeting live in the new area, so moving could cut down on some cabs and/or cab costs for me.

After dinner, I had to grab an ice cream sandwich from one of the hawkers on Orchard Road. We watched the Singapore episode of The Amazing Race, and I was curious about whether or not they actually put the ice cream on a slice of bread. So, they pull out a big block of ice cream, cut a slab of it off, and slap it either in a slice of bread or between two wafers. The one I got was in wafers. Pretty good!

Before heading home, we walked to the grocery. It was nice having Steven's help there! An extra set of hands for help with Brandon and for carrying the groceries.

I've noticed that the eggs in the grocery stores here are kept at room temperature. A little weird. I bought some eggs for the first time yesterday, so we'll see how it goes. :)

I was happy to find Brandon's favorite rice cracker at the grocery. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the crackers are called "Mum Mums" at home, but "Baby Bites" here. Same, same, but different!

On our way home from the grocery, it was just starting to get dark outside. It felt so nice to be out after dark. There a nice breeze, and the weather was very pleasant. I think that we need a date night soon! I've had several babysitter recommendations from people I've met. Maybe we'll try one of them.



A little behind on getting my blogs up this weekend. I was treasuring my time with Steven. Plus, we started to watch Glee from the very first episode. This weekend, we've been trying to catch up on the show while Brandon is napping and sleeping. We are addicted!!! Steven is up to episode 11, and I'm up to 8. He watches some while I'm sleeping, so I'll have to catch up while he's at work. Like I said, it was a very, very GLEEful weekend!!!