The Weekend

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Brandon playing at the playground in the Forum mall

Brandon phoning home to his two grandmas

I was hoping to explore a new area of the city today, but it didn't work out. It rained really hard for a while this morning, and Steven was home. By the time it quit raining, it was about lunch time, so we all just went to a nice lunch together before Steven headed to work.

Brandon didn't wake up from his nap until late afternoon, so I just decided to head to the Forum to let him play for a while.

It was a nice relaxing day, and it was wonderful to have Steven home for the first part of it.

This evening I took Brandon down to the pool. I love having a pool here. If I have an itchy hour of the day, then we can take the elevator right down to the pool. Brandon loves the water. I can tell that he loves it more and more each time we swim. He is starting to kick his feet more and splash the water with his arms. He doesn't seem to mind as much as he use to when water gets in his face. Only two problems are that 1) Brandon wants to drink the pool water and 2) Brandon will try to just walk into the pool with no fear. I need to get him a life vest. The arm floaties that I bought him are way too big for his little arms...

Brandon is picking up on so many new things! Yesterday, I sang the Indiana University fight song, and he went and got his IU board book! He did it again today. So cool! His little mind actually works!!! :)

Steven and I are so thankful to be able to talk to people at home everyday on Skype. We really appreciate the effort that friends and family are making to talk to us. Talking to people back home so frequently and so easily really makes it feel like we are closer to home and not on the other side of the planet.

While it feels like we haven't been in Chicago for ages, it also feels like our first two weeks here have gone by quickly. Singapore has been welcoming and warm (literally) so far...

Playdates

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Dragon fruit, Brandon wasn't quite sure what to think of it

Royal Thai Embassy on Orchard Road

This morning, after we walked Steven to the train (of course), Brandon and I took a stroll down Orchard Road. We had some time to kill before catching a cab to our playdate, so I let Brandon get out of the stroller and run around in front of the Orchard Ion (mall). He loves to run wild and be chased!

I didn't know anyone going to the playdate today. The woman that I went to the botanic garden with on Tuesday invited me to the playgroup, but she wasn't able to go at the last minute. It was a little intimidating showing up at some random person's house, but I am so glad that I went! There were about seven other moms and babies. They were all so welcoming. A couple of them don't live far from us, so we are definitely planning on getting together again. It's also nice because we can share cabs when we need to in the future. I've already connected with a couple of these moms on Facebook. I looovvvveeee Facebook and Skype!!!

This afternoon, Brandon and I tried a dragon fruit for the first time. It had the texture of a kiwi, but I didn't think it was as flavorful. I will definitely buy another one so we can try it again. Maybe the one we bought wasn't a good one. Brandon wasn't too crazy about this new food...

Brandon and I had another playdate this afternoon with the woman I met in Borders last week. Her apartment is about a 20-25 minute walk from us. It rained this afternoon, and I thought that the rain would cool things off. However, it seemed to make the heat much, much worse. It was so humid, and I really couldn't feel any breeze. I felt so gross by the time I arrived at my friend's house.

The last couple of days have been noticeably hotter here. I actually had a craving today for some fall weather and a Sam Adam's Octoberfest beer. (For those of you back home who are longing for a few months of warm weather, I'm sorry for even saying that. However, I feel like I skipped several months and ended up in the worst part of August.) They have a place here called "Snow City". It's an indoor place where you can snowboard or ski, and they have a children's area where you can build snowmen and see an igloo. They maintain the temperature at 23 degrees Fahrenheit. When I get a little hot or homesick, maybe I should just go there to hang out. :)

Looking forward to the weekend. Not sure what we have planned or how much Steven will be at home and work, but I'm thinking that maybe we'll have to explore something new here in Singapore.

AWA Playgroup

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Downtown near Steven's office, Singapore River and Marina Bay

Brandon running from Mommy in front of the Ngee Ann City mall on Orchard Road

This morning was my first playgroup with some moms from the American Women's Association. The playgroup met at the Paragon mall playground.

I met three other moms at the group today. I have enjoyed meeting people from different countries since I've been in Singapore, but it was really nice to meet with some American women today. I just needed a little feeling of "home". One of the women has been living in Singapore for two years, but before she moved here she lived in Malaysia for five years. She is originally from Texas. She brought her two boys with her today. One of them is almost two, and the other is about 8 months. She and her family are in the process of adopting the younger boy.

The other two women were also from Texas. One has been here for almost two years. She has a 15 month old son. The other woman has been here for 9 months, and her child was almost two years old.

After letting the kids run around at the playgroud for a while, we went to lunch together. Great conversation. It is helpful to talk to people who have been here for a while. They have so much helpful information for me.

This afternoon, Brandon and I went to the Ngee Ann City mall. I wanted to look for a cell phone to use while I'm here. I didn't end up getting one yet, but I think I'm going to get a phone that I can add money/minutes to as we go. It will be nice to have a phone to use while I'm out and about. Just in case. Also, it will be nice for people to have a way to get a hold of me in case any playgroup or other plans get changed.

Brandon and I took the MRT downtown again tonight to meet Steven for dinner. We walked over to the Singpore River and Marina Bay and ate at a restaurant where we could sit outside right on the river. It wasn't too hot out. There was a nice breeze that helped this evening. It was also so beautiful along the river. Lots of restaurants with outdoor seating. The awnings were so colorful and made the area an even prettier sight to see. Something about this area reminded me of the Grand Canal in Venice...

Right now, I am very thankful for channel 18! The last couple of days, it has aired American Idol! Finally, a little bit of tv from home!!! It would have been nice to vote, but I'm not complaining. :)

Singapore Botanic Garden

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Brandon and his friend Cheng Hoon

Jasmine, Cheng Hoon, Brittany, and Brandon at the Singapore Botanic Garden

This morning, Brandon and I took a cab to the Singapore Botanic Garden to meet Jasmine, Cheng Hoon, and her helper. I met Jasmine on an internet forum for expats.

The botanic garden was amazing! So beautiful and so peaceful. Brandon loved feeding and watching the fish, and he seemed to enjoy just looking around as we strolled through the garden. My favorite part of the garden was seeing all of the different types of ginger. There was an entire area of the garden just devoted to ginger. We are definitely going to have to go back to the garden a few more times. There was just too much to see. We missed the orchid exhibit this time, and I'm sure that is a must see.

It was nice getting to know Jasmine and watching Brandon play with Cheng Hoon. Jasmine has two older boys, one is eighteen and one is fourteen. Cheng Hoon was a bit of a surprise. Jasmine has lived in Singapore for a long time (I think ten years), but her husband lives in Taiwan for work. He comes here on a regular basis to see the family.

Jasmine gave me a ride home from the garden. It is so strange riding in a car with Brandon without his car seat. I put the seatbelt tight around both of us, and I hold on to him tightly, but it is really weird...

This afternoon, Brandon and I spent some time at the pool. Little Brandon wants to be a big boy so badly. There were some older boys playing with balls in the pool. Brandon wanted to play ball with them. He stared at them and tried to push me away. I guess I should get use to that.

:(

Brandon spent an hour walking around the pool chasing balls. The Japanese woman that I met last week was also down at the pool. She said that Brandon is a ball addict. She is so right!!!

Brandon is starting to run. He loves to be chased, so when he sees me coming, he takes off in the other direction very quickly. He keeps me busy!

This evening Brandon and I went to Borders for a bit, and then to dinner at Food Republic (food court) and the grocery. I was so excited to find Nestle 3-in-1 coffee packets at the grocery tonight! I loved these when I was in Romania, and you can't find them in the States. I can't wait to enjoy one tomorrow morning!

I was feeling a bit lonely, and I was missing home a little today. But, I talked to my mom, my mother-in-law, and a friend from home on Skype today and that helped.

I have another playdate with some women from the American Women's Association tomorrow. I am very thankful that it has been easy to meet up with people here. I really want Brandon to have other children to play with. He is so social, and he gets bored hanging out at home with just Mommy all day.

I hope that tonight is a better sleep night for us. Last night, Brandon cut another molar, and it was pretty rough. Poor, poor baby! Those teeth hurt!!!

Hiring Help

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Brandon and his new friend Giles.

I was really looking forward to our first playdate today! After dropping Steven off at the MRT and grabbing some breakfast, Brandon and I caught a cab and headed to our friends' house.

Elizabeth is from Sydney, Australia, but she and her family haven't lived there in a while. They left Australia a few years ago and moved to London. Her husband's family was there. After leaving London, they moved to Hong Kong and now they are here in Singapore.

We had such a nice time hanging out with Elizabeth and Giles. Brandon had a great time playing, and it was beneficial for me to talk to Elizabeth. She was able to give me so much helpful information for living here!

It was also nice to see Elizabeth's home. They live in an apartment complex that's in a more residential area, and it was beautiful! Since Elizabeth and her family have been in Singapore for a while and will be here for the forseeable future, they have an apartment that they have furnished themselves. It definitely felt like a home.

Later this afternoon, Brandon and I went back to the playground at the Forum (mall). So happy that I found this place yesterday! There were lots of other children playing there, and I met another very nice woman from Australia. I think that Brandon and I will use this playground often!

Best part of the day - Brandon and I took the MRT to meet Steven for a quick dinner. It was so nice to see him!!!

After talking to several people over the last week, I have learned that most expats here with children have hired help - (maybe all expats, even those without children). I have had four people in the last two days ask me when I'm getting my hired help. At first, I wasn't exactly sure about what this was. Basically, it is really cheap here to have a live-in nanny. Children call them "aunties". The helper does the laundry, the cleaning, the cooking, some/all of the childcare/babysitting, and whatever else you ask them to do. Our apartment has a small room in the back behind the kitchen. This room has a bathroom and the washer and dryer. I think that this room is intended to be where our hired help would live.

Not sure we could even get hired help if we wanted it. Most of the time the nannies want two year contracts. They need long term work.

This idea of hired help is so new to me, but it is just what people do here. Wild! I'm so use to taking care of everything myself, but it sure would be nice to have someone take care of all of the household chores for us... Speaking of which, I have some dishes to wash... :)

Same, Same, but Very Different

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The Ion Center on Orchard Road. This is where one near MRT (train) station is located.

Pink roses from my Mom and Dad. What a surprise today when I received a call that I had a delivery! The flowers just made

my day. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

I miss you and love you too!!!

So it's already Monday... We had such a great weekend, and it was extra hard to watch Steven go to work today. :(

After dropping Steven off at the train, Brandon and I went for our morning walk.

First stop was Borders. Brandon loves to play there! I took a ball with us, and he had a blast! He threw the ball, chased the ball, pulled books off of shelves, read books, and tried his best to run away from Mommy. Why is Mommy always following him and trying to keep him from having too much fun?

After Brandon was able to run some energy out, I didn't feel too bad putting him back in the stroller for a while. I needed to walk to the American Women's Association in order to submit my membership application and join. There are some playgroups through the assocation, and I'm hoping that we can attend one later this week.

I wanted to grab some lunch with Brandon before heading back, so we ducked into another mall. Before we could find food though, I saw a sign that said "playground". I can't tell you how excited I was! When I found the play area, I read that you had to be a member to play there. I was worried that it would be super expensive. They have Gymboree, the Little Gym, and some other kids' playrooms here, but they are soooo pricy! They cost from $250 - $400 for a session, which is maybe 8-10 classes. When I inquired about this new playground cost, the woman told me it was $10. Not too bad... Then, she told me that it was $10 for two years. Yay! I joined right away, and Brandon enjoyed a good hour of play there today.

This afternoon, Brandon and I took a cab to IKEA. Pretty much just like the IKEA back at home. A little more expensive than that one, but not much. I bought Brandon a couple of toys there.

So many things with our life here in Singapore are the same as they would be back home. We are developing a daily routine. Steven goes to work. Brandon has a few hours in the morning, then a midday nap, and then a few more good hours before bedtime. Brandon's sleeping at night is much better. It took about a week for the jetlag to work itself out.

I will get involved with friends and playgroups here, just like at home. (Although I will always miss my friends at home!!!)

However, there are some very big differences. The weather here is so different from the weather at home. We had to go from cold to very hot (and humid), and we are getting use to sweating. :) Really, it's not been too bad yet, but I've heard that it gets much hotter here soon. Hot, humid, and no breeze. Yikes!

While we came from a big city, we are now living more in the heart of a big city. We are also living in a high rise, which is new for us. Before now, we were use to taking trains, and cabs, but we have never had to rely on them. Here, we have no cars. We either have to walk, take the train or bus, or take a cab. I miss the comfort of my car, mainly when it comes to the shopping. But, I'm really enjoying all of the walking that I'm doing.

We are missing our television shows back home. Right now, tv can't be relied on for as much entertainment. (This is probably a good thing for us, but what is happening on American Idol and Lost???) Jeremy, if you are reading this, we are waiting for your Slingbox!

It has been really nice having maid service here. It felt so good to come home this morning to clean towells and a freshly made bed. I was also asked today if I will be hiring help. I was told that many people here have live-in nannies. It is supposedly very cheap. Don't play on hiring help at this point, although a babysitter once in a while would be nice. :)

Tomorrow I have a playdate with a woman that I met last week. I am really looking forward to it!

Brandon has been asleep for a while, so I better get some rest too. Goodnight all!

Easter Sunday

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Orangutans being led by hand through zoo

Brandon admiring the crocodilian

Steven and Brandon in front of white tiger

Mommy baboon nursing baby

Brandon enjoying his chocolate bunny!

Happy Easter!

This morning Steven was up early. He was able to watch the Final Four live on the internet. It was strange having the basketball games on so early in the morning!

It was raining this morning, so we decided to take a cab to St. Bernadette for Easter Mass. The church was pretty crowded. Not sure if it is always like that, or if it was just because it was Easter. We were comfortable there. Catholicism is like the McDonalds of religions. There might be local twists, but the main courses are the same everywhere.

After mass, we walked across the street to the Great World City (another mall...) for lunch, and then we headed home for Brandon's nap.

By the afternoon, the rain had stopped, but it was still overcast. We decided that it was the perfect day to visit the Singapore Zoo. It wasn't too hot or sunny to be outside for a while, and we thought that Brandon would enjoy it. I actually enjoy when it rains and is a bit overcast here. It really cools things off - probably to the low 80's. :)

The zoo was awesome! It was more natural and less sad than zoos that we've seen in the States. We didn't feel like we were walking from exhibit, to exhibit, to exhibit or from cage, to cage, to cage. It just felt like a big tropical forest with lots of different animals. Brandon loved the otters, the baboons, the giraffes, and the zebras. I think he loved those particular animals because they were active, and he was able to watch them move.

We grabbed a cab out of the zoo and headed back to Orchard Road for dinner. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, you can't always trust a cab driver to know directions to where you want to go. Tonight, we actually had every intention of trying something new for dinner. However, our cab driver made a couple of wrong turns and ended up dropping us off a little away from where we had intended. We were tired and didn't quite have the energy to search around for food, so we ended up eating where the cab dropped us - Hard Rock Cafe Singapore. :)

Great weekend, but we are exhausted! Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Brandon really liked the chocolate bunny that the Easter bunny brought. So did we.

Looking forward to starting our second week in Singapore!