Sydney, Australia - Day 2

Georgeous day in Sydney! I needed this cooler weather!

We all took a walk down to Darling Harbour.

We took a boat cruise from Darling Harbour.

Of course, Brandon loved Uncle Ryan's hat. :)

The boat passed Fort Denison, just for us. Only kidding. :)

We rode down the Sydney Harbour to Watson's Bay, an old fishing village. We got off of the boat for a while there. We walked on the beach and around a park there. We also enjoyed a nice fish and chips lunch at a picnic table. Glorious to be able to sit outside without sweating!!!

In the evening, Steven and Ryan volunteered to have some guy time with Brandon while me and Brittney went to the opera. She and I couldn't decide whether or not to go at first. The tickets were expensive... In the end, we pulled the trigger. Soooooo glad we did! Amazing experience. We saw The Marriage of Figaro. No regrets and one of my favorite things we did in Sydney. Well worth the money.

View from our seats.

Sydney, Australia - Day 1

At the Singapore airport, we checked in right away. We wanted to get a bassinet on the flight to Singapore so that maybe Brandon would sleep without us having to hold him.

We also stored a few suitcases at the airport so we wouldn't have to ship them back to the US or take them with us to Sydney.

We hoped that Brandon would sleep most/all of the 8 hour, overnight, flight to Sydney. When we got on the plane, though, Brandon was wound up. They also didn't turn off the overhead lights in the airplane for almost the first three hours. Steven was then finally able to rock and sing Brandon to sleep. He slept for about an hour in the bassinet, but then he woke up and wouldn't sleep unless we held him. While Brandon slept most of the rest of the flight, we sure didn't get much sleep.

We arrived in Sydney very early in the morning. We walked outside to get a cab to our hotel, and wow! It was so chilly outside (60's), and it felt GREAT! It had been months since I had felt cool, outside air. Sooooo refreshing! I had forgotten what cool natural air felt like!

We arrived at our hotel way before check-in. We also had a few hours before Ryan and Brittney arrived from New Zealand.

Since our hotel was in the Darling Harbour area of Sydney, we were able to walk to the aquarium. What a great way to start our vacation! Fishies!

Brandon was a little hesitant to "walk on water".

Ryan and Brittney arrived at the hotel right after we returned from the aquarium. Soooooo great to see Ryan! It had been eight months since we last saw him, although it didn't feel like that long. Very surreal, though, to meet up with Ryan on the other side of the world. Really neat that we were able to make timing and the meetup work.

We were all so exhausted from traveling, so we napped off and on during the day.

In the early evening, we all had enough energy to take a bus down to the Circular Quay area of Sydney. There, we got our first breathtaking look at the Sydney Opera House. Beautiful city. Beautiful icon.

It felt so nice to be on a vacation and on another adventure, especially with Ryan!

Goodbye, SG

Last three days in Singapore...

On Sunday, Steven took Brandon back to the zoo. One last trip to one of our favorite places in the city. I was so tempted to go with them, but I was exhausted. We still had quite a bit of packing to be done. Plus, it was good for the two guys to have some quality time together without Mommy.

Even though we were flying out of SG on Tuesday night, I still wanted to have my normal routine on Monday and Tuesday. Monday's playgroup this week met at Kristie's apartment. And, it was soooo nice. They had a goodbye cake for both me and Trang. (Trang is another friend who is leaving SG in the next week.) So thoughtful.

It was one small relief when FedEx came to pick up our boxes on Monday afternoon. Now to just finish packing all of the suitcases...

On Tuesday, Brandon and I went to the Hollandse Club. More goodbyes. We even had to say the hardest goodbye.

It was such a busy day that there wasn't much time to think about the actuality of our time ending in Singapore.

Jo was a huge help with the final packing, and she and the kids stopped by on Tuesday afternoon to help us on our way out. (Oh, and Jo brought me this empty pack of her husband's cigarettes. I've been meaning to take a picture of this for a while. Gross!)

As I zipped the final suitcase, I had flashbacks of the first night we arrived in Singapore. A new city... A new apartment... No memories attached...

Now, we as we left the apartment bare, it didn't feel empty. It felt full of our lives. Full of memories. Full of experiences that brought us closer as a family and made us stronger. Full of a large part of Brandon's life.

The van to the airport picked me and Brandon up. Hard to look back at Jo, Jessie, Jake, and Leonie View as we pulled out of the drive. When will we meet again?

Our last drive down River Valley road and past Clarke Quay.

We picked Steven up from work and headed to the airport for the 8 hour flight to Sydney, Australia.

Goodbye, Singapore. Such a huge impact in such a short time. You will be greatly missed.

Last Full Week in SG

Here we go... Our last full week in Singapore. Hard to believe that this moment has arrived.

On Monday, we ran some errands. Later in the day, Jo, Jessie, and Jake stopped by with a gift for the new baby. So thoughtful! The very first gift for Baby Bierly #2! What would I have done these past few months without Jo's help and generosity? Our experience in SG would not have been the same.

On Tuesday, we went to the Holland Club again. Brandon loves the Holland Club. At the end of the playgroup, we all get in a circle and sing songs. This week before we even formed the circle, Brandon came up to me and said "la la la". He was ready for song time! Not only really neat that he loves music time, but I also love that he remembered that song time comes after toy cleanup. Love to see his mind and memory working!

Tuesday afternoon, Brandon and I went to visit our friends Laura and Tabitha for the last time. So strange to say good-bye. We hope to meet again someday, but you just never know if, when, and/or where. Brandon and Tabitha kissed. They also gave Brandon a small magna doodle for the plane flights home. Thoughtful and useful!!! Laura is expecting her second baby in three weeks.

On Wednesday, we made a trip to Vivo City with Christine and Lily. Brandon and Lily had a blast together.

We were all about making the most of our last week. On Thursday morning, we made a trip to the zoo with Christine, Roxie, and another friend. Then, in the afternoon, we went for a playdate at Arch and Arya's. I met Arch at the Forum only a couple of weeks after we arrived in SG. She has been a great support for me, and I am going to miss seeing her every week or two.

The week ended with a trip to Royce and a visit to the food court for some Japanese curry. In the afternoon, we ordered pizza with Jo, Jessie, and Jake, and then the kids ran some energy off at the tennis courts.

Busy, busy. Do we really have packing to do? :)

And, so here we go with our last weekend in Singapore. What have we not done that is on our checklist?

Steven, Brandon, and I took a cab to the National Museum. It was just okay. Really, not the best thing to do with Brandon. After a short visit at the museum, we took a stroll through some of Fort Canning Park. Beautiful. Green. On a hill. Quiet.

We then took a cab to Chinatown for one last visit. We also had to make sure that Steven tried the chicken rice at Tian Tian in the Maxwell food court. He loved it! Brandon loved it this time too. He ate his own chicken rice with a spoon. Yummy!

Updates on Brandon -

He has been all about kissing the baby in Mommy's belly lately. So sweet!

He loves the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". He says, "Row, row, boat" and rocks back and forth.

Brandon has been sleeping better for his naps. I can now lay him down before he is all the way asleep. Yay! Too bad all of our upcoming travel will probably throw that right out of the window!

Time Zones!!!

Team Bierly - SST (Singapore Standard Time)

Steven while in London - GMT


Grandparents - EST


Chicago Family and Friends - CST

Uncle Ryan - NZST (previously, MST)


Who is on what time? And, what is the date? Who is ahead of us? Who is behind us? So confusing these last weeks! We Skyped with Steven on Sunday. Very weird to have Steven on a different day from us.

Wow. Not much more time here in SG. Can't believe how fast time is moving now. I am ready to get back to Chicago, but I am also anxious. After this experience, what will I think of Chicago? Will the newness of being back in Chicago wear off? Will we long for more adventures? We miss our family and friends back home so much. I'm sure that in the next few weeks, we will all go through a range of emotions!


Looking back over the last six months, I remind myself that it wasn't easy. The first month was exciting. Everything was new. The experience was exhilarating. The middle few months here were much more difficult. Feelings of homesickness. Morning sickness all day long. We had family visit, and we had some amazing holidays in Southeast Asia to break up our time here. However, it was still very difficult. I look back at all six months very fondly. But, again I must remember that it was hard. It took us about five to six months to really settle in with home and friends. And, now we leave. I respect the strength and memories that these past few months have given us.


So, as I write these last blogs from Singapore, I do so with an inner ache. A feeling of relief and excitement. A feeling of great sadness. I will miss many parts of our life here.


On Monday, we went to our weekly playgroup. In the afternoon, we did some shopping. Trying to shop for some items from Singapore before we leave!


Best part of the week - When we came home from shopping on Monday night, Steven was home! He was suppose to return from London on Tuesday morning, but he took an early flight and surprised us! Actually, he scared me. When we came home from shopping, I thought I heard someone inside the apartment, but as it was still locked and the lights were out I thought that I was hearing things. Imagine how spooked I was to see Steven hiding in Brandon's dark bedroom! Oh, my! Great to have Steven home.


The rest of the week involved more shopping and playing with friends.


Brandon loved having his friend Tabitha over for a playdate. He cuddled her, and Laura and I found them kissing in the kitchen! Oh, my! Not yet!




























We also started packing this week. Blah! I hate packing and moving. So hard to know where to start!

Friday morning, we finally had my 20 week ultrasound. Just over 21 weeks! I've gained about 4 kg (over 8 pounds). The baby looks healthy and was very active during the scan. Steven didn't get to enjoy the ultrasound as much as he would have liked. We took Brandon with us to this appointment. What was really neat about the ultrasound was that the doctor put on a microphone and talked through the entire scan. He recorded the whole ultrasound onto a DVD for us. We have a short clip of one of Brandon's ultrasounds, but this little baby has received some extra attention here in SG. We not only have this long "movie", but we also have tons of ultrasounds pictures from every visit. It was strange to know that for my next doctor's appointment I will be seeing my doctor back in Chicago. And, it will be right at the start of the third trimester. Wow!



On Friday afternoon, Christine and I visited Chinatown with the kids. We walked around more of the streets than I had been to before. Cute little nicknack shops. We also admired this artwork as we strolled through a park.

We came across this temple. Brandon and Lily chatted from the strollers as we took some pictures.

I also finally had the chance to visit the Maxwell food hawker center in Chinatown. Anthony Bourdain, a well known American author and chef, has a television show called "No Reservations". In one episode, Chef Bourdain visited Singapore and recommended the local chicken rice dish from Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Food stall #10 at Maxwell.

Notice that Tian Tian boasts of Bourdain's recommendation on a sign. Also, notice that Tian Tian has been given a rating of "B". The food stalls at the hawkers centers here are given ratings from "A" through "D" - "A" being the best. I think that the ratings are based on food taste and cleanliness. Not sure though.

Of all the food stalls at the hawker center, Tian Tian was the only one with a line! Some local people and some tourists. Mommy and Brandon waited in line for the tasty chicken rice with soy, chili, and ginger sauces. The sauced make the dish!

On Saturday, we took a family trip to the bird park. Steven hadn't been to the bird park yet. While it was my third trip to the bird park, it was my first time in the Lory Loft. The Jurong Bird Park's Lory Loft is the world's largest walk-in flight aviary for Lories and Lorikeets. It is about 3,ooo square meters and 9 stories high.

The highlight was feeding the beautiful birds and getting up close and personal!

We visited the African rainforest in the bird park.

We went for a swim on Saturday afternoon. I love having our pool available. We don't take advantage of it nearly as much as we should, but it's nice to know it's there!

Brandon took a bubble bath after his swim.

Saturday evening, we went down to Boat Quay. Brandon was fascinated with this Salvador Dali sculpture.

We met Liam, Christine, and Lily for dinner on the river. Brandon and Lily screamed in excitement when they saw each other. The two of them have really connected in such a short period of time, as have their two mommies.

Christine and I had a rest while the men let the kids run around for a bit before bringing them to the restaurant.

This is how the daddies do it...

We had a lovely dinner at Sukhothai - right on the river. The weather cooled, and we stayed until after it was dark. It's rare we are out that late. Even though I felt a little run down and overdone later that night, it was a wonderful evening!

On Sunday morning, Brandon and Daddy watched a few minutes of some basketball videos. Brandon had to hold his ball while he watched. He was mesmerized just like his daddy. Oh, no!

We did some shopping on Sunday, and we made a trip QB House for Steven's last SG haircut.

This week -

Tooth #15 popped this week. Brandon got his bottom left canine.

Brandon said, "Please, bubbles" when he wanted to take a bath one day.

He has also started to scream and yell. Most of the time it is out of pure excitement.

Can't believe we only have one more full week here in Singapore...