Since we've been here, I think that this was the first weekday morning Brandon and I have stayed home. Right before Steven left for work, Kristie and Will came over for a playdate. It was nice not having to leave the house in the morning, but it was also sad not to say goodbye to Daddy at the train or the cab.Brandon was playing well on his own this morning, but he loved having Will as company. I love watching Brandon socialize. He talked to Will, and he hugged Will. So good for children to play with other children.
At 1 pm, I took Brandon in his bedroom for his nap. As usual, I sang to him, and he fell asleep on my shoulder. When I laid him down in his crib, he immediately woke up and cried. I held him again. He slept. I laid him down. He woke up and cried. Finally, I left the room and let him cry for a few minutes. After a few more times of letting him cry and going in to comfort him, Brandon was wide awake. He did NOT want to sleep. I was tired, and I just didn't have the fight in me. So, Brandon won. No nap. I did tell him, though, that if he didn't want to sleep, then he had to play on his own. Like he really understood that. :)
Oh, and I think Brandon told me "no" for the first time today. I can't be sure, but when I asked him to "come here", he mumbled something that really sounded like "no". He did it a couple of times. I had to leave the room so that Brandon wouldn't see me smiling and laughing. Wonder if this is something that Brandon is going to start doing more now??? Please, no!!!
At about 3:30 pm, Brandon and I left to walk to the Forum. We were meeting my friend, Arch, and her daughter, Aria, at the Forum's playground. What do you know? Brandon fell asleep in the stroller just before 4 pm. Big sigh... He sleeps, but Mommy doesn't really get a break...
While Brandon slept, I stopped at one of the 7-Eleven stands on Orchard Road to buy more minutes for my pay-as-you-go mobile (top up).
At 4:30 pm, I woke Brandon up. I hated waking him, but he probably could have slept for a while. And, I wanted a reasonable bedtime tonight. Brandon was a bit cranky, but he did play at the playground for a while.
We took a cab home from the Forum. Brandon has a runny nose and cough again. I like to have him get some fresh air, but I don't want to have him out in the humidity too much. After he had trouble breathing and our ER trip, I'm being extra careful. Especially since Steven was leaving for London, I want to make sure we are healthy and safe while he is gone and we are on our own.
When we got home, we stopped by Jo's apartment. Since Jessie and Jake have been sick, we haven't seem them in a while. We missed them! The kids played together for a bit, while Jo and I enjoyed a glass of wine.
I was glad when Brandon was asleep by 8 pm. He was so tired.
Steven didn't get home from work until around 9:45 pm, and his flight to London was scheduled to leave at 11:30 pm. I helped him pack, and he was out the door by 10 pm. It would have been nice to spend some time with him before he left, but we'll just have to make up for it when he returns. He doesn't know yet exactly when he'll be back, but he'll probably be gone a few days. We'll say some prayers that Brandon and I can survive in Singapore alone! :) Steven and I joked earlier about what he would do if we were gone when he gets back from London. It was pretty funny. Where would we be? We joked that Brandon and I would either be back in the States or back in Bali. Good laughs.
A couple of thoughts -
I don't know if more people here smoke than in the U.S., but it does seem like it! When we are out walking, I feel that I am always walking through people's smoke. I especially notice lots of people standing out in front of stores smoking. It bothers me quite a bit to smell the smoke. I think that since the air is thick here, and there isn't as much of a breeze, the smoke feels extra thick and lingers in the air longer.
Also, I think I might scream if one more person tells me that I need to wipe Brandon's nose or that he has the flu. I've had multiple strangers in public say, "Excuse me, Miss." Then, they point at Brandon's runny nose. Grrr... I can see that my son's nose is runny. I just wiped it. It is going to run again. And, quit telling me that he has the flu! In my book, he either has a cold or allergies. He does NOT have the flu. People here use the word "flu" for everything. Annoying to me. I want to carry around a flu test to show them that Brandon doesn't have the thing that is actually the flu. Germaphobes... Okay, I'll quit complaining. It's not a bad thing. It's just a different culture.
Sad that I will be sleeping alone tonight... Goodnight Singapore... Good morning, Chicago and Louisville. Good afternoon, London.
