Paparazzi at Clarke Quay!

Saturday evening, we all took a cab to Clarke Quay.

As we were walking, the grandmas and I noticed a large crowd of tweens and teens. Wow! A Justin Beiber sighting at Clarke Quay in Singapore!

As the crowd parted, we realized that it was not Justin Beiber. Rather, it was our one and only Brandon A. Bierly! Brandon shyly posed for his celebrity photo shoot.

Brandon loved the attention. Daddy even put him down so he could show off with some dancing. The paparazzi continued to take pictures in amazement. So funny. What is it about our little Brandon?

Once we shook off the media, we took a river boat cruise. The thirty minute boat tour went down the river from Clarke Quay to Marina Bay.

The Merlion statue at Marina Bay.

Daddy's office building.

The new casino, a $5.9 billion project by Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Singapore citizens and permanent residents must pay SG$100 per day or SG$2,000 per year to enter the casino. The government is enacting this charge in order to lessen the damage of gambling addictions. We will have to pay (not literally) the casino a visit sometime!

The Singapore Flyer. Next to it, a floating stage.

The beautiful Fullerton Hotel.

After our boat ride, we took a walk along the river. We tried some Turkish ice cream. A little chewy. The flavors reminded Steven of taffy.

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant at Clarke Quay. Very good. Their Mexican rice was basically white rice with cilantro. A little different.

After dinner, the grandmas got to sample their first Singapore ice cream sandwich - a block of ice cream in a slice of bread. They were fans!

Grandma D found the "Clinic". I'm not sure if she was thinking to get a job there or if she was needing to be admitted.

On Sunday, we took it easy.

Brandon played with "stickies".

Grandma D was mesmerized by our hair dryer.

On Sunday night, Mommy and Daddy had a movie date. Can the grandmas stay here for the next two months?

Monday morning we took a cab to the Singapore Science Centre at Jurong. Unfortunately, we didn't know that it was closed on Mondays. So, we ended up at the Jurong Bird Park nearby.

We all enjoyed the beautiful, colorful birds and the outdoor scenery!

On Tuesday we took a cab to Chinatown.

Poor Brandon wilted in the heat. He fell asleep in the stroller, so we headed back home after enough walking and shopping.

Jo, Jessie, and Jake came back from their trip home to Australia! Yay! The grandmas were able to meet the three of them on Monday. Brandon was actually a little shy at first, but he was playing with Jessie and Jake as usual in no time. So glad that our great neighbors/friends are back!

Another Baby Bierly!

We are making it official. We are expecting a second baby! Brandon's new little brother or sister is due to arrive on January 28th, 2011. Although it has been secret to our blog until now, we have been able to see our new little one on the ultrasound three times already. It is so amazing, even the second time around. It also seems a little surreal to us. Here we are on this adventure in a foreign country halfway around the world. Sometimes I feel that time has stopped, and we are just on a strange vacation. Life feels to be put on hold and static. It is almost not reality that a new little life is growing inside Mommy's tummy. But, then I look at how much Brandon has changed in the four months we've been here, and I realize that time is still moving. Our new baby is growing and already kicking his/her arms and legs. Life is moving. The picture posted shows a statue in my doctor's office waiting room. Knowing how the mother feels holding her child makes the art even more powerful.

This Saturday morning was a very special day. Daddy, Brandon, and both grandmas were able to go to my doctor's appointment. Since I'm at the end of the first trimester, I had the first trimester screening tests, which involved a thirty minute ultrasound and bloodwork.

We went in for the ultrasound first. Our little baby was very sleepy this morning, so Mommy had to go for a walk to get the baby to roll over. The doctor needed to get some particular measurements on the baby. I remember how active Brandon was at his ultrasound. I wonder how this new baby's personality will be compared to Brandon.

After the lengthy ultrasound process, I had to go for bloodwork. Unfortunately, the nurse couldn't find my vein. He also kept slapping my arm to get a vein which made me feel like I was going to pass out and/or throw up.

I took a break from the bloodwork to run upstairs for another test. When I returned another nurse was there, and she was able to get my vein rather quickly. I hate bloodwork!

I really like the obstetrician I have here. Different from the U.S., obstetricians do ultrasounds at every appointment here in SG. Very neat to see your baby so often. We will have another appointment in a month. I hope to scan and post some of the ultrasound pictures at some point. Oh, and by the way, many thanks to Jo and Kristie for watching Brandon while I have had doctor's appointments. It's been so wonderful not having to take Brandon along!

Everything on the ultrasound looked good. Since I've been feeling so tired and nauseous, I have lost a few pounds. I am slowly starting to get my appetite back. It has been amazing to have the grandmas here cooking for me. Home cooked food is hitting the spot!

When the nurse measured my height today, she said, "168 cm. Wow. You are very tall." Made me chuckle.

We are looking forward to meeting our new addition and introducing Brandon to his new sibling! We are so blessed!

Orchard Road, Underwater World

On Thursday, Grandma B was feeling much better, so we took a nice long walk down Orchard Road. The grandmas were amazed by all of the malls and shopping. We also got to experience a new 3D tv at a booth set up on Orchard. Pretty wild. We felt like we were in the tv.

Brandon saying "cheese".

We stopped in the Orchard Ion and went down to the food court for a snack. We got some of the delicious cheese prata that I am addicted to. The grandmas were also a fan of the bread and the curry sauce.

From the Ion we headed to the Forum. While Brandon was playing with Grandma B, my mom and I went up to Toys-R-Us. Grandma D was intrigued by the children's hair salon in the store. When will Brandon have his first hair cut???

The big surprise of the day - we ran into Steven in the Forum! He took a quick lunch break to come look for us. What a treat!

On Friday, we took a cab to Underwater World at Sentosa. We got a quick view of the ocean before heading to see the "ish".

The aquarium was great. The grandmas enjoyed the sea angels, the octopus, and the colorful fish. We even saw a stingray jump out of the water!

It's been a great first week with our company!

Bugis Junction, Botanic Gardens

On Tuesday, we set out for Bugis Junction. I thought that the grandmas might like to see the market, hawker center, and do some souvenir shopping.

The grandmas enjoyed seeing some unique fruits!

Mangosteens

Longans

Lychees

We enjoyed Bugis, but it was especially hot. Also, Grandma B wasn't feeling too well, and the smells at Bugis were quite strong. The durians didn't help things!

On Wednesday, Grandma B still wasn't feeling well, so Grandma D, Brandon, and I headed to the Singapore Botanic Garden. We had a great time feeding the fish, watching birds, and looking at the unique trees, plants, and flowers.

We made the walk from the large botanic garden to the children's botanic garden in hopes that Brandon could cool off in the water fountains. Unfortunately, there weren't any other kids playing there at that time, so Brandon wasn't very interested. We ended up back at the cafe where we met some great people traveling from Australia. They were on their way to London but stopped over in Singapore for a couple of days. They currently live on a catamaran. How exciting and adventurous! I enjoyed conversation with Heather, my mom was intrigued by Heather's mom, and Brandon and Tasmin devoured french fries together.

We had a great morning, which we followed up by a trip to the pool in the afternoon.

Brandon and Tasmin

They're Here!

The grandmas have arrived! Their travels were fairly smooth. They did have a 45 minute layover in Minneapolis. However, their flight from Louisville to Minneapolis was delayed giving them only 15 - 20 minutes to get from one end of the airport to the other. The grandmas ran through the airport and boarded the plane just as the airplane door was being shut. So thankful they made it! They arrived at our apartment at 2:30 am.

On Saturday, Steven was working, so the rest of us walked to Great World City for some lunch. Pronto pizza. Very good. We also did some grocery shopping so that we could have some home cooked meals. We've been waiting!

On Sunday, Grandma B, Steven, and I went to St. Bernadette's for mass while Grandma D spent time with Brandon at home. That evening, we took a cab down to Steven's work. We enjoyed seeing Steven for a bit and the view from his office windows.

Sunday afternoon, Brandon had a cough and seemed to have a little difficulty breathing. Of course, this made Mommy very nervous after the episode and ER visit we had back in May. Sunday evening, Brandon was starting to weeze a little. I called Dr. Chiang, and he advised that we give a breathing treatment at home and come to see him Monday morning. The breathing treatment really seemed to help, and Brandon slept well that night.

Monday morning, we all went to see Dr. Chiang. At 16 1/2 months, Brandon now weighs 11 kg (a bit over 24 pounds). Dr. Chiang suggested that we give the breathing treatments at home for one week. Since we were at Mt. Elizabeth hospital, we walked over to the Paragon for some lunch at The Soup Spoon before heading home.

Monday afternoon, the grandmas got to experience Royce Gym for the first time. Grandma D played with Brandon, and Mommy and Grandma B did some grocery shopping. Brandon's favorite at Royce today was the baby doll. He kept putting the baby over his shoulder to carry him, and then he would lay the baby down and cover him with a blanket. Little daddy. :)

Brandon was so excited to see his grandmas again. He is giving them cuddles, pats, and kisses on the lips.

Brandon is picking up so many new words. He tries to copy words that we say. He is also starting to put two words together. New words/phrases - "basketball", "Oh, my", "mine", "my ball", "my baby", and "cheese" when he is posing for a picture. He has also said "papaw" and "mamaw".

On Tuesday, Brandon got a new tooth! He is working on the four canine teeth, and the first one on his upper left broke through. That makes tooth number 13!

Tonight, Tonight

Our Friday playgroup was supposedly meeting at the zoo today. The rsvps showed little to no interest though. Not sure if anyone actually went. We passed on the zoo today, as we will probably be going next week with the grandmas.

Instead, we decided to go to Go Go Bambini this morning with Wendy and Sofia. One more playdate before they leave tonight...

This afternoon, we took it easy. We played at home, and then took a walk to grab a few items at the grocery. I was craving some fresh mozzarella, but I couldn't find it at either of the two grocery stores we stopped at. Bummer!

Brandon is asleep, the toys are picked up, and Mommy is ready for some sleep. I want to get some rest before the phone rings in about four hours letting me know that our guests have arrived!!!