Pictures -
Brandon in his favorite spot - the couch
He enjoys eating crackers, playing with his new IKEA toy, and looking out the window - "Let me out of here!" :)
This morning, Brandon and I walked to the Camden Medical Center for a New Moms Support Group of Singapore function. There was a speaker at the hospital who talked about vaccinations for children. I was interested in hearing about additional vaccinations Brandon might need based on other Asia travel we might do while we are here.
This was my first NMSG event, and I really enjoyed it! The meeting was in a large room, so there was plenty of room for Brandon to run around. And, I mean, literally, "run around". There were also toys. And, I met some more great people at the group. One lady I recognized and realized that I had met her last weekend at the Forum playground.
After the group, I went to lunch with some moms. Everyone is so inviting and welcoming!
This evening, Brandon and I walked to the Somerset MRT station. I wanted to go to this clothing store that sells only cotton clothes. It is soooo hot here, and I needed a couple more cotton skirts. We also made a trip to the grocery. Yesterday, I spent about an hour doing online grocery shopping. I was going to have the groceries delivered since it is hard to do the shopping here without a car. I can walk to the grocery, but I can only carry so much back. So, I got all of these groceries in my online shopping cart, and then I waited for Steven to get home before placing the order. I wanted to find out if there was anything he wanted that I missed. When I went to place the order, my shopping cart was empty! I guess that I was idle for so long, the site automatically emptied my cart. I was so frustrated, and today I just didn't have the patience for online shopping.
I found out that they sell Brandon's favorite crackers here. At home, they are called Mum Mums. Here, they are called Baby Bites. Same package, but a different name. I've noticed a few things like this. I wonder why??? Would Baby Bites not sell as well in America, even though the packages look the exact same?
My dad told me the other day that my blog makes it sounds like I am living in Disney World. In a way, I am. It is so clean, and the moms I have met seem to be living a vacation life. Lots of fun activities and helpers... So many things that people have taken care of for them... So, I learned today that Singapore is actually called "Disneyland with the death penalty". Funny.
One mom told me today that she likes living in Singapore because she can be a stay-at-home mom here. She said that if they moved back to the UK, then she would have to work. I wonder if this is a reason that so many moms love living here. They have more options and a better life than they would if they lived in their home countries. I found out that Singapore is one of the few countries (city-states) where helpers are "allowed". Hong Kong is another city. It is easy for women from other countries to get work passes to come to Singapore to be helpers. Many of the helpers are from the Phillipines and Vietnam. I met one helper who left her two boys back in Vietnam to come here for work. I guess that she can make more money here and, therefore, provide a better life for her children back home.
In the last few days, I have met a couple of women without helpers. However, the majority of people I have met do have them.
Still hoping to explore another part of the city soon, but it is hard for me to do by myself. Brandon can only handle so much of the heat and the stroller. Exploring means that we have to be out walking in the heat for a while, and it's hard to be out for that many hours without an extra set of hands to help with Brandon.
Brandon is catching on to more every day! Today I asked him if he wanted to talk to Grandma. He went straight for the computer! He is getting the hang of Skype! :) Also, if you ask him to wave, he will wave. This is cool to me because I don't have to wave to show him. If I say the word "wave", he understands. Such a neat stage! I am impressed every time I see that Brandon is learning! He loves attention too. At lunch today, Brandon grabbed my metal fork. I took it from him, and then I saw him staring me straight in the eyes with this ear to ear grin. Suspicious. Then, I noticed that his hand was hovering over another fork and knife next to him. Little stinker! What was funny to me was that he didn't just grab the fork and knife. He was just looking for a reaction from Mommy! He got it. I quickly moved the other silverware away... Oh, Brandon. You crack me up!!! :)
