Chinatown

Brandon and I survived our second night without Steven, but we miss him so much! When we woke up, I decided to try to call Steven's hotel on Skype. It was about 7 am Singapore time and midnight London time (both Thursdays). (FYI - It was also about 7 pm Louisville time and 6 pm Chicago time (both Wednesdays).)

I wasn't sure if I would be able to get through to Steven's hotel on Skype, but sure enough I did! The hotel connected me to Steven's room phone, and he was there! Although we didn't have webcams, it was very nice to hear Steven's voice. It sounded like he is having a good time in London and enjoying the experience. He was able to go out to some bars last night. I'm happy that he had some time to see a bit of London.

After our morning Skypes, Brandon and I took a cab with Jo to Chinatown. We hadn't been to Chinatown before. Our first week or so here we took the train to Chinatown, but it was so hot outside, we ended up leaving for Vivo City (mall).

I loved the experience of Chinatown! We walked around the streets and outdoor shops.

I saw this t-shirt which described the many ways in which Singapore is a "fine" city. Ha ha!

We saw these live crabs. Unfortunately, they were just waiting to be cooked up into Singapore's local chili crab dish. Steven has tried this dish, but I have not... yet???

We saw a couple of Buddhist temples. So beautiful!

This is the back and side of one of the temples.

This is the front of the temple.

The incense was burning. Behind the incense you can slightly see into the temple.

This was the other temple. Such unique, elaborate architecture!

We walked into the main entryway of the temple, without our shoes, of course.

This is a view of the side of the temple. You can see the back of the main entrance.

After walking around outside, we went into one of the malls. When we have company visit in June and July, I know exactly where I'm going to take them. I'm going to treat them to the spa. The fish spa, that is.

People sit and put their hands and feet in the water.

The fish then eat the dead skin off of their feet and hands. Supposedly, this just tickles slightly. The fish don't bite. Jo offered to treat me to the spa. I passed this time. :) I was tempted to put Brandon in there to see if he liked it. However, I felt a bit cruel subjecting him to the fish spa if I wasn't willing to try it myself. I had to remind myself that he is my son and not my guinea pig.

Funniest part about today -

Jo and I were taking the escalator down one floor in the mall. I was holding Brandon and standing in front of Jo. The man standing in front of us turned and smiled at Brandon. When he did this, Brandon reached out for him!

What? I thought that maybe Brandon was confused and thought the man was a grandpa or even Dino from our apartments. I thought that Brandon would realize that this man was a stranger and then cling to me.

Instead, Brandon continued to reach for the man. Out of curiosity, I handed Brandon to the man. Brandon went right to him. I was in awe!

The man carried Brandon down the escalator. Brandon did get a little shy and looked away from the man a couple of times, but then he put his face right up to the man's face.

The real kicker is that when I put my hands out to take Brandon back, he didn't reach for me! What!!!???

When I reached for Brandon again, he actually turned away and grabbed at the man's neck tightly to avoid me taking him.

Now, I was really confused! Who was this man? Was this Brandon's long lost Singaporean grandfather? What was it about this man that Brandon was drawn to?

Part of me was happy that my son isn't totally consumed with stranger danger. Then, another part of me started to get scared at how easily Brandon might go to a stranger. He might need some stranger danger instilled in him. I didn't think we needed to have the "don't talk to strangers" talk quite yet, but maybe I was wrong?

Jo and I were laughing so hard. I really wish I had a video of the whole thing. It was hilarious. Scary and confusing, but hilarious.

I called my mom's cell phone on Skype today. It was 4:50 pm our time, so only 4:50 am her time. Just wanted to leave her a message. It was so strange calling her phone and not calling her on the computer. It was so comforting to hear her voice on her voice message...

Brandon and I were suppose to go to our AWA playgroup this afternoon. However, Brandon didn't wake up from his nap until 4:30! Too late to make it to the afternoon playgroup today!

Since we were in for the afternoon, Jo invited us back down to her apartment for dinner and wine. The kids played. We talked. We even put on American Idol so I could watch the results show.

Brandon loves Jessie and Jake! I have noticed the last couple of times we've been around them though, Brandon has taken a special liking to Jake. Jake is like Brandon's big brother. Brandon hugs Jake and pats his head. Jake hugs Brandon. So cute!

Tonight the kids made a tent. Brandon still doesn't quite get the fun of homemade tents. Hopefully, soon. :)

Before we left, Brandon took a bath with Jessie. Jake was in a bit of a funk by this time of the night, so he opted out of this bath and took his own bath in the second bathroom. Maybe next time. Brandon only played in the bath for a few minutes. He wanted out of the bath to be with Jake.

Jo, Jessie, and Jake walked us back up to our apartment tonight, and we all said "night night"! Until tomorrow!

The Durian

Last night, Steven called me right before his flight took off. He flew business class on Singapore Airlines to London. He said that his seat was big enough for both of us to sit in, almost like a love seat. His plane was on time for the 12 hour and 45 minute flight to London. Such a strange feeling to know that Steven would be closer to Chicago than to us while in London.

And, wow! What a night! Brandon was sleeping at 8 pm. He didn't wake me up until 6:30 am, and then he went back to sleep until 8 am. What a treat! Especially for my first night here all on my own. Something good did come out of Brandon not taking much of a nap yesterday. (Oh, and by the way, Steven asked me what kind of a mood Brandon was in yesterday after no nap. I told Steven that Brandon was in a fine mood, and that he should rather be asking me what kind of a mood I was in. :) )

Brandon and I skyped with the grandparents this morning. So nice to have some conversation in the morning.


At 10 am, Jo stopped by to get us. We took a cab to Plaza Singapura again today. Below is a picture of the travelator they have in the mall. It's basically an escalator with no stairs. (They have these in airports. They just aren't inclined there.)

At the mall, we visited the Japanese $2 store. I also went clothes shopping at Cotton On. I wanted to get a few more clothes that are good for the heat here. Jo was an amazing help! She took Brandon around the mall while I shopped. She found some aquariums at the mall and showed him the fish. Jo is really good with Brandon. You can tell that she really likes him, and he really likes her too. I was able to peacefully try some clothes on, and I found a few things I liked.

Last, we went to Carrefour. Jo and I had some grocery shopping to do. We put Brandon in the grocery cart on the first floor of the store, and then took the travelator up to the second floor (groceries). It was so neat taking the cart (trolley) up the travelator. There was a magnetic force between the cart and the travelator so that the cart wouldn't roll going up or down the incline. Very clever.

So, this is a sign that Steven and I saw on the train on one of our first MRT rides here.

I saw this sign right after I took a big drink from my bottle of water. Trust me. I put the water away as fast as I could.

Anyway, neither of us knew what a "durian" was. Honestly, I thought that it was a grenade or weapon of some sort. I wasn't sure why they would need to tell people that grenades weren't allowed on the trains. Duh! Right? (See picture of actual grenade below. It looks similar to a durian, doesn't it? :) )

Well, I have learned in the last few weeks that a durian is not a grenade. In fact, it is a fruit. It is even known as the "king of fruits" in Southeast Asia. But, why in the world is this particular fruit not allowed on the train? It is because this particular fruit has a horrid smell that is off-putting to people. It smells a bit like really, really dirty and stinky feet. This fruit is also not allowed in some cabs, and not all of the grocery stores here sell durians.

Carrefour, however, does sell durians. When I pulled my camera out in the store, I was told that I couldn't take pictures. When I told them that I was intrigued by the durian, they then allowed me to take photos.

I haven't tried a durian yet. I've heard that it is an acquired taste. Jo tempted me to buy and try some today. I passed. I didn't think it would be fair to Steven to try this fruit without him. I'm sure he'd want me to wait for a time when he can also try it. :)

Yes, I thought that the fruit smelled bad, but I didn't think it was that bad. Maybe that's because we were in a large store. I doubt that I would want someone with durians sitting next to me on the train though. Ughhh!!!

It was so wonderful to have someone help me at the grocery. Jo joked that she was my helper/maid today. :)

Jo stopped in the store Bread Talk and bought me a couple of pieces of bread for lunch. She has such a giving heart!

We grabbed a cab home. One small accident - One of our bottles of wine had rolled in the trunk while driving. When I pulled the stroller out of the trunk of the cab, the bottle came out and busted on the ground. Bummer! Wine is too expensive to waste here. :( At least Jo and I bought four total bottles of wine, so we still have three more to enjoy!

Dino helped us get the groceries up to our apartment, and Jo helped me get all of the groceries unloaded and put away. She even helped me put some dishes away to tidy the kitchen. I am so blessed to have that family!

I checked Steven's flight status and found that he arrived in London safely. A nice relief. One hard thing about Steven being gone is that I can't pick up the phone during the day and call him. It's always nice to talk to him during the day, even if it's only a one minute phone call.

Brandon took a two hour nap from 2 - 4 pm today. Not sure what that means for tonight's sleeping...???

This evening, Brandon and I went down to Jo's for dinner. She picked up some pork and chicken fried rice earlier while she was out, and we had a picnic on a blanket on the floor of her living room. It was so much fun! I also enjoyed another nice glass of wine. What a fantastic dinner!

Brandon absolutely loves Jessie and Jake, and I think they feel the same way about Brandon. They all chase each other, and Brandon laughs so hard.

While we are at the grocery earlier, I forgot to buy dishwashing soap. When I went to Jo's tonight, she had bought me a bottle on her afternoon trip out. She remembered that I forgot earlier. Wow.

As they often do, Jo, Jess, and Jake walked us back up to our unit tonight. Jo watched the kids while I took a shower. And, when I got out of the shower, she was in the kitchen washing our dishes. I told her that she treats me way to good. I felt like a queen tonight. I keep offering to watch the three kids one night while she and her husband go to dinner. I hope she takes me up on the offer soon!

Wow! What a day!

I've noticed that Brandon is starting to get some more hair on his arms and on the bottoms of his legs. Just another sign that my baby is turning into a little boy...

Videos -

Brandon, Jake, and Jessie playing

View of our pool, Grange Road, and buildings on Orchard Road from Jo's apartment. Jessie and Jake go to school at the Overseas Family School across the street

Brandon saying "night night"

Goodbye, Hubby!

This morning, Brandon and I did our bird watching. This is beginning to be something we do every morning. We sat on the couch and looked out the window for the birdies. Brandon loves birds, and he loves to watch for them. Much fun!







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.

Playgroup

This morning, Brandon got to talk to his friend, Amelia, on Skype! Amelia was eating her dinner while we talked. Still getting use to this 13 hour time difference thing. Weird to have night and morning at two different places at the same time. Brandon loved seeing Amelia. He especially loved seeing her dog, Okey. Brandon kept saying "dog" and looking for the dog on the computer screen. I hope he doesn't start asking us for a dog too soon!

Steven caught a cab to work this morning. Just after he left, my friend Kristie (and Will) picked us up in a cab. Kristie lives near us, and we were headed to the same playgroup this morning. The playgroup was at my friend, Trudy's, house. Although it was Monday, the group getting together was people from my usual Friday playgroup. I love that this group is weekly, and that there are so many people involved. I look forward to this group each week. Lots of nice moms and lots of children for Brandon to play with. Plus, I like meeting at people's houses. A nice change from all of the public playrooms we visit.


Brandon took an extra long nap today, 3 plus hours. It has been harder to get him down to sleep these last few nights, and I think he was just exhausted.

As Daddy is leaving for London tomorrow night, we decided to go meet him for dinner tonight. Any extra time we can have together is treasured! We had dinner at The Coffee Club tonight. So good to have dinner together as a family.

I've noticed that the service at restaurants here is really slow. They brought my food first. Then, I was halfway done eating by the time Steven's food came. Also, when you ask for the check, it often takes awhile for them to bring it, and then another few minutes for them to run the credit card. I've had this experience at many restaurants, not just tonight's restaurant. Also, the people here walk very slow. In a way, it's nice that people aren't in as big of a rush as they are back in Chicago. But, when I'm walking, I'm often in a hurry to get inside for some a/c (aircon). And, when I'm at a restaurant, I've got a child who is antsy in the highchair. Maybe they need to speed up a bit here, and I need to slow down a bit. :)

Sunday

Before going to work, Steven took a cab with us to Liang Court in Clarke Quay. We grabbed a quick bite to eat together before parting ways. Steven headed to work, and Brandon and I headed up to Royce Gym.

Royce is a very different place on the weekends! Instead of moms and tots, the place was packed with dads and tots. I guess that moms get time away from the babies on the weekends. I also noticed that many of the dads had their helpers with them.

Brandon and I went to the Japanese supermarket at Liang Court before catching a cab home. Brandon is going through milk and fruit very quickly! We have to go to the grocery a couple of times a week just for these items. I've been pleased with Brandon's eating lately. He is doing much better with eating meat. When we got home today, he ate a large piece of chicken. I did have to dip it in hummus to get him to eat it, but that's no problem. I'm happy that he'll eat hummus! Brandon also ate a heap of pinto beans - good protein and iron.

After Brandon's nap, he was quite bored and fussy at home. The weather looked like rain, but we went ahead and walked to the Paragon. It was sooo nice outside! There was a breeze, and it was overcast. I would actuallly say it was "cool" outside. Keep in mind that "cool" here has a completely different meaning than it would back home. "Cool" probably meant 70 degrees. But, it felt really nice out. Very, very comfortable.

I was going to let Brandon play at the kids' playground on Level 5 of the mall, but it was packed with older kids. Instead, there is a toy store behind the playground where kids can play in the front area of the store. They have toys out for kids, and it attracts parent shoppers. It was much less crowded, so Brandon played happily there.

After playing, we went down to Din Tai Fung to get some dinner for carry-out. It was raining when we came out of the Paragon, but it was just a light rain. I was still able to walk home, and it was very refreshing.

When we got home, Brandon devoured almost an entire pork chop from Din Tai Fung. He loved it! Lately, we've been ordering Brandon his own pork chop when we go to Asian restaurants. He sometimes eats too much to share with Mommy.

Tonight was a night for a glass of wine! I haven't been in the mood for it lately, but I was needing a chill. While Brandon played in the bathtub, Mommy chilled out with a nice glass of wine. Her seat - the toilet. :)

Steven got home just before Brandon went to bed. Once the little man was down, Steven and I had our Din Tai Fung. Not as tasty tonight as we were expecting... Oh, well.

Steven told me tonight that he is leaving on Tuesday for London for work. He will be there for a few days. Brandon and I will have to get along without him for a bit. :( Glad that Steven gets to go. It will be great work experience for him. But, we will miss him here soooo much...

Add one more word to Brandon's list - "eye"

Oh, and we have to get Brandon to the bird park soon. He loves to climb on the couch so he can look out the windows for birds. If I ask him where the birds are, he looks intently out the window. He is picking up things sooo fast!!! We have been working on the animals and their sounds lately. So fun!

Saturday

This Saturday morning, Steven, Brandon, and I walked to breakfast at The Coffee Club by the Somerset MRT station. After Steven left us and headed to work, Brandon and I walked to the Forum. I am so happy that the Forum is open for play on the weekends!

I really wanted to take Brandon to the Jurong Bird Park or to Underwaterworld at Sentosa, but we didn't make it today. If we go to those places, I'd really like to get out of the house early to enjoy the best weather of the day. Also, I'd really like to go to those places with Steven. It's hard to do any tourist attractions with Brandon by myself. Just not enough hands. Really looking forward to seeing those two attractions here though.

I took Brandon down to the pool earlier this evening. As usual, he was more interested in walking around on the pool deck than swimming in the pool. He did swim a little though, and he tried to blow bubbles.

Earla, from housekeeping, came today to put up some thicker curtains in Brandon's bedroom (block out curtains). It is so bright in his room in the mornings, and I think that some mornings he has trouble sleeping because of the sunlight. Unfortunately, Earla had to come back an hour later to take the curtains down. I think the curtains had been in a smoker's room before ours, and Brandon's whole room was starting to really smell.

Brandon is really starting to imitate our sounds. Today, I said, "See you later." He said some gibber gabber back that sounded a little like those sounds. Same thing when I said, "Thank you." He is really listening to hear sounds and form words. Words Brandon can say - mama, dada, ball, bye bye, hi, more, dog, hot, moo, yay, and mum mum (a favorite snack). He said "car" once, but he hasn't said it for a while.

Play and More Play

Pictures -

Brandon and Will at their morning playdate

Brandon and Sophia at their afternoon playdate

This morning Brandon and I were supposed to go to our Friday playgroup. This week it was at my friend Michelle's house in order to celebrate her daughter's second birthday. Unfortunately, her daughter, Bea, had a low fever and tummy ache this morning. While we were still invited over, I decided to pass on exposing Brandon to Bea just in case it was a bug. It has been very hot and humid here these past two weeks, and I know a few kids who are sick with fevers and tummy aches. I don't know if the heat is making people feel sick or if there is a bug going around. Brandon is finally over his runny nose and almost over his cough, so I don't want to intentionally open him up to being under the weather again.

Since my friend, Kristie, and I were going to share a cab to Michelle's house, we decided to go ahead and get together at Kristie's place. I love getting Brandon out of the house in the morning. If we stay home all morning before his nap, he gets irritable, and I have trouble getting him down for his nap. We walked to Kristie's this morning. It was a bit overcast and fairly comfortable out. We did take a cab home though.

This afternoon, I was watching Survivor on the Slingbox while Brandon was napping. All of a sudden, I heard a knock on the door. Then, someone said, "Housekeeping!" I ran to the door to try to avoid Brandon waking up. Who was at the door? Steven! What a surprise! He had a quick break at work, and so he made a quick trip home. Even though he had to head back to work, it was such a nice surprise!

Later this afternoon, Brandon and I went over to Wendy and Sophia's house. It was so funny watching Brandon and Sophia interact. They are both very strong willed, and they did quite a bit of fighting over toys at the beginning of our visit. Brandon would take a toy from Sophia, and she would scream. Then, Sophia wouldn't give Brandon her toy, and he would scream. There were definitely a few games of tug-of-war. Usually when Brandon is with another kid, one of them gives up in a toy battle. When Brandon and Sophia are together, neither of them wants to give up. The longer we stayed at Wendy's, the better the kids got at playing together. There were even some moments of kisses and hugs. So cute!

This evening Jo stopped by for a few minutes. She brought us a door stopper for babyproofing and two blankets. I was telling her the other day that I wanted to get a couple of blankets. Just a couple of small ones to snuggle with at night. And, here she shows up at our door with two blankets. She is so thoughtful and generous!

FYI - Cotton candy is called "Fairy Floss" in Australia. Jo told me that if I mentioned "cotton candy" to Jessie and Jake, they probably wouldn't know what I was talking about. I like it. It's neat finding out that items are called different English names in different countries.