Rochester Park Cafe

This morning our Friday playgroup met at Rochester Park Cafe. We had never been there before. There was a large indoor playroom, as well as an outdoor play area. The outdoor play area consisted of a large sandbox and some toys. This area looked a little dirty, so we stayed in the indoor area. The indoor play area was a large room of toys, much smaller but very similar to Royce Gym.

It was S$6/hour for the play. Not too bad. Also, if your child was 18 months or older, you could leave them in the play area. A staff member would watch the child while you enjoyed coffee, lunch, etc. at the outdoor cafe. We'll have to go back with Brandon is a little older. Mommy would really enjoy a nice quiet lunch!

After the kids played for an hour, we had lunch outside. The cafe area was under a large tent with lots of fans. It was comfortable.

This afternoon, Jo and the kids stopped by for a bit, and then we took the kids down to the pool. The pool was a popular place tonight! There were probably ten kids down swimming. As usual, Brandon didn't want to swim for very long, but we had a nice time socializing. I met another mom who has only been in Singapore for a few weeks. She has two children and is looking for things to do. I told her about what we've been doing and told her that in a week or so once my dad is gone, we can go to Royce together.

As the pictures show, Brandon has a hat/headgear fettish. He loves to put things on his head and other people's heads!!!

Grandpa D's flight is due to land in Singapore in three hours! I'm going to try to get some rest now so I can wake up for a bit once he arrives at our apartment. It will be surreal to actually see Dad in Singapore and not just on Skype!

One More Day

This morning, Brandon and I met Jo, Jessie, and Jake down on the tennis courts. It was a nice overcast morning, and the temperature outside was very comfortable. Great opportunity to be outside!

The kids ran around on the tennis courts for an hour. They threw balls and chased each other. Brandon found some sticks to play with. They all just loved running wild!

After Brandon's nap, we took a cab to Laura and Tabitha's apartment. Laura will be going back to the UK next month for a holiday. She won't be back in Singapore until the very end of July. It was very nice to have a playdate with Laura and Tabitha before they leave. We will be looking forward to their return.

Grandpa D will be here tomorrow! We pray that he has a safe trip, and it doesn't feel too, too long! Can't wait!

Playdate, Playdate

We took a cab with Steven again this morning. Brandon and I were going over to Kristie and Will's, and they live on River Valley Road. An easy stop on Steven's way to work, and it's nice to squeeze in a few extra minutes with Steven.

Brandon and Will had a great time playing. Brandon played with Will's toys, and then we took the boys down to the pool deck. Kristie's condo complex has a very large pool area with a couple of areas just for kids. Next to the pool, they have a neat sprinkler tunnel for kids to run through. (See pictures.)

Brandon was very hesitant to go in the sprinklers at first, but after a while, he started to enjoy the water fun. He still never quite got up the nerve to run through the tunnel. Maybe next time! :)

Brandon took a three hour nap this afternoon. Wow! I even had to wake him up!

After Brandon's very long nap, we walked to Wendy and Sofia's. Brandon had a great time playing and fighting with Sofia. They are both very strong willed!

When Wendy's husband got home from work, they offered to watch Brandon for a bit while I ran to the grocery store. I was only gone for about thirty minutes. It was so nice to not have to take Brandon to the grocery. He probably would have been fussing in the stroller, and I would have been rushed.

The people I have met here have been so great! It has been great getting to know them. It has been a lifesaver to have their company. Plus, so many people have been amazing in offering their help. I keep offering the same. I'm still waiting for someone to take me up on the offer! I told Jo yesterday that I owe her two babysitting sessions!

God has definitely been watching out for us as we brave through our adventure here in Singapore!

A Nice Break

Since we didn't have any plans, Brandon and I took a cab with Steven this morning and had the cab drop us off at Liang Court. Steven went on to work as we headed to Royce Gym.

As I've mentioned before, Brandon is currently very fascinated with headgear. He loved playing with the helmet today at Royce!

This afternoon, Jo stopped by while Brandon was napping. She offered to stay with Brandon while I ran some errands. What a treasure Jo is! I left while Brandon was sleeping. I was a little worried about how Brandon would do for Jo since Jessie and Jake weren't with her. Their dad was off of work this afternoon, so they were out having some quality time with Daddy.

Jo said that Brandon was fine when he woke up and Mommy wasn't there. I was gone for about two hours, and she said that Brandon was happy and playing the entire time. Such a relief to know.

Jo did say that Brandon pointed at a picture of me a few times while I was gone. At least he missed me! :)

Brandon was playing well on his own this afternoon, so we stayed home the rest of the day. It felt nice to have a couple of hours away and to come home to the cutest smiling baby ever. Refreshing!

Playgroup at Megan's

Sad that the weekend is over...


Brandon and I shared a cab with Kristie and Will to Megan's house for our Monday playgroup. Megan lives out by the Changi Airport on the East Coast, so it was about S$20 each way. Glad I have someone to share cabs with!

We had a great time at Megan's. Brandon's favorite "toy" there was a Mickey Mouse hat. He kept taking it on and off of his head and other people's heads. So funny. Lately, Brandon has been really fascinated with things he can wear on his head - hats, trash bins, sand pails, etc.

This afternoon, we went down to Jo's for a bit, and then we took a walk to the grocery store. Brandon is starting to drink more milk, so we are going through it much faster. Brandon definitely misses his milk when we're out, so we had to make the grocery trip today even despite the sprinkles of rain. I was really lazy and didn't feel like taking a walk, but it actually felt good once we were out. Guess I just had a bit of the Monday blahs...

Brandon Loves Daddy!

Another great lazy weekend day!

Brandon slept from 8:30 pm last night to almost 8:30 am this morning. Wow! He was only up once at 5:45 am for a few minutes. I was so tired last night that I went to bed at around 9 pm. I got about 11 hours of sleep. It was amazing!

We hung around the apartment again this morning, and then we went to lunch at the Forum.

This afternoon, we spent some time down at the pool with Jo, Jessie, and Jake. It was great having Steven down at the pool with us. We were able to take turns following Brandon around. Also, Brandon enjoyed actually spending some time in the water tonight. This meant that we got to enjoy some time actually swimming. It was sunny out this afternoon, but the pool was covered in shade. Perfect.

Jo, Jessie, and Jake came up to our aparment for a bit before the kids' bedtimes tonight. Jessie and Jake are out of school for the "summer" now. Their last day of school was last Friday. They will have eight weeks off of school before returning in August.

Brandon gets so attached to Steven when he is home from work on the weekends. Most of today, Brandon wanted Daddy. It's so sweet... And, so helpful to Mommy that I don't have to be the one doing everything. Good for Brandon, too, to have time with his dad.

Daddy has taught Brandon another trick. When Steven tells Brandon to go get his red ball, Brandon goes and gets the red ball. We're not sure that Brandon really knows what the color red looks like, but he knows which ball we call the "red ball". So cool. And, learning colors has to start somewhere, right? :)

We were spoiled by a three day weekend last week. This weekend went way, way too fast...

Lazy Saturday

Not too much to report for today. We hung around home most of the morning, and then Steven, Brandon, and I walked to Somerset 313. From there, Steven grabbed a cab to work, and Brandon and I grabbed some take away Din Tai Fung.



Brandon fell asleep in the stroller on the way home, which really surprised me. It was 1 pm, but he didn't wake up until close to 8 this morning. I was glad it was a short walk home, and I was able to transfer Brandon to the crib with no problems. Brandon did only take a one hour nap today, probably because he got extra sleep last night.



This afternoon, Jo and the kids came up for a bit. Brandon squealed with excitement when they showed up at our door. A little later we went down to their apartment. They got a new tent and tunnel from IKEA today, and they wanted to show Brandon. He loved it!

It was so nice having Steven home before Brandon's bedtime this evening. Steven gave Brandon his bath, read him his books, and put him down to bed. Steven is such a great daddy and super helpful when he can be! It means the world to me!