Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but we have been quite busy the last couple of weeks. As I mentioned in my last post, we went to Singapore for a few days. We had a great time....well, at least Evan and I did....as Andrew was in his course the majority of our stay. We arrived on Sunday afternoon, after what I thought was a very quick drive...only a couple of hours (at least to the Malaysia border). The drive was a very scenic one....lost of hills with big green palm trees - very rain forest looking. The next hour consisted of us trying to get through first, the Malaysian immigration, then driving a few more miles (or kilometers rather....I hated the metric system while I was living in London, and I still hate it....too much converting for me!!) and secondly, going through the Singapore immigration - each time having to fill out some new entry or departure card....for all 3 of us (good thing we only have one child!!) and then finally through Singapore customs. Now we realize why everyone says the trip is usually a solid 3 hour journey!! Regardless, it didn't seem all that far away. We ended up staying at a place called the Goodwood Park Hotel - it is where Andrew's class was being held. It was a nice, but smaller hotel....at least compared to the ones we've been staying at lately (I'm beginning to become a real hotel snob - as we've been in about 7 different ones in the last month and a half!!). Nevertheless, very suitable for our stay. We decided that we would put Evan down for a late nap and take advantage of the day so we could venture out as a family. We headed out with the intention of checking out a grocery store we had been told carried many American products (yes, once again looking for some things we are actually familiar with). But our taxi driver must not have liked the shopping center we asked him to take us to or else was looking for a large taxi fare because he suggested we go to a much larger one further down on Orchard Street. We took his suggestion and went to the Singapura Shopping Complex. We managed to find a different grocery store with tons of stuff we were familiar with. Andrew said it was just a tease because there was all this wonderful meat there we had no way of taking home with us without spoiling, there was an extensive wine selection, and they even carried Miller Light (yes, drink selection is also skimpy in Malaysia.....good thing A is able to find his Dewers in Melaka....otherwise we might have been moving back to the states!!). Since Singapore is primarily Chinese (about 70% - Malays make up about 15% and Indians ~10%) there are pork products everywhere.....I'm telling you, you don't realize how dependent you are on pork until it's not available! So after picking up a few items......by the way, the Velveeta was only about $8 here....we headed for a place to have some lunch. And guess what we came upon..... a Long John Silvers! While it was a bit too greasy for me (as it is in the states as well), Andrew said it hit the spot. Funny how it seems like all my posts have references to food....guess you know what we are missing the most (beside our family and friends, of course!!!) We then carefully managed our way back down Orchard Street back to our hotel. I say "managed" because it was no small task to fight the weekend crowd on this street (especially with Evan's luxury mobile of a stroller!). It reminded me much of Oxford Street in London.....shops and restaurants lining both sides of the street and there seemed to be thousands of people out shopping (of course, Evan loved every minute of it - he is quite the people watcher!). What didn't remind me of London was that it was about 95 degrees out with no breeze to speak of!! Andrew and I discussed how much we would dread living there - while it is very Westernized (it felt like being back in the states), it would be much too busy of a lifestyle for us, especially with an infant - they don't make it very easy to get around with a stroller there! 
That evening we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe (once again looking for our American food fix). It was wonderful! A pile high of nachos and then a nice big Cobb salad for me and a pork sandwich for Andrew. Okay, okay no more food stories.....my mouth is beginning to water!!! The next day, while A was in his course, Evan and I attempted to attack Orchard Street again. We managed to stumble upon a Borders bookstore where I thought maybe we could go, read some children's book and at least keep out of the heat. While we were there, they happened to be holding a children's song/reading hour. I thought "oh wonderful, this will keep Evan entertained for at least 30 minutes", then they mentioned they were trying something new and the entire hour would held in Mandarin! "Great, this should be fun!" But, it actually was, Evan was mesmerized for nearly an entire 45 minutes. We sang Old McDonald, Head-Shoulders-Knees and Toes, and what I think was When your happy and you know it.... in Chinese (well, we sang it in English, but we followed along!) Evan loved it! And then they acted out 2 stories....The Rainbow Fish and then something about a lizard that had lost his tail...we think!! It was a good outing!
That evening we decided to check out Chinatown - Evan was able to take his first MRT ride (aka Singapore's subway system)....as always, he was most interested in just watching all the people get on and off the train!! We walked through the street market and then tried out some Chinese restaurant (we thought being in Chinatown, it would be the best Chinese food we would ever get, but it was only okay.....Andrew still swears by this sketchy restaurant near the refinery where he eats at just about everyday as being the best Chinese food he has had since we've been here - Evan and I are actually trying it out with him tomorrow!!) 
We returned from S'pore last Wednesday and our sea shipment was set to be delivered on Thursday morning. Andrew had a meeting in KL, so luckily the nanny was able to come for the entire day to watch after Evan while I instructed the movers where to place things. There were about 9 guys who managed to unpack an entire 40' container, set up all our furniture, unpack most of our boxes and clean up all the packaging and boxes in about 7 hours. I was quite impressed about what an organized process it actually was. Andrew had a holiday last Friday, so I had him around to help get things in order on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We knocked most of it out those 3 days and the last 3 days I managed to get the last of the boxes unpacked. It is so wonderful to have our own belongings finally.....the best part was getting our own bed back. Nearly 2 months of sleeping in various beds was getting old.....you know how much better you sleep in your own bed with your own pillows...ahhhh....a little bit of heaven!!! So all we have left is for Andrew to hang about 10 more pictures and then we should be settled. We actually had to box up several of our things to put in storage because we just had no where to put them.....I'm not sure what we were thinking when we brought every piece of winter clothing we own!!! I know I originally thought we would need clothes to travel back to the states during Christmas, but we should have planned more appropriately.... I guess hindsight is 20/20!! Oh well!!
We ran across Tex and Rocky's Santa hats while unpacking, so Evan posed for a picture....we sure do miss our doggies and hope they are being well taken care of by their new owners!!So that is where we are with everything......and now for the Evan update. Our little guy hasn't seemed to miss a beat during all this transition. He had no problem adjusting to sleeping in his own crib again.....he's still been sleeping 11 to 12 hours straight through the night. It's been glorious. He's getting so big - it is just wonderful being able to see how he changes everyday. I'm so very lucky to have this opportunity to spend this time with him and not have to work. Lately, he has started this thing where he does about eight 45 degree turns while he is sitting to complete an entire circle and then he'll just keep going. I guess his change of scenery with each turns makes him feel like he is actually going somewhere :-) He is also wanting to stand now every chance he gets. On Sunday, he started wanting to grab on me to pull himself up. He actually gets frustrated when you make him sit down now....he would much rather stand. I'm not sure what is so fun about just standing around, but he has the best time doing it. We've been walking with him for the last few weeks and it feels like he is really carrying alot of his own weight now....he can actually stand for about 5-6 seconds on his own now. I think it's just a matter of time before he starts cruising around the furniture....I'm not sure we are quite ready for him to become mobile just yet. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep up with him. He is into something different all the time. I don't think there is much chance of him crawling first....he still loathes being on his tummy - so I think he may skip the crawling phase all together!
He also has this pointing thing going on....he touches everything with that little index finger of his. It's hilarious, he and Andrew do this 'ET Phone Home' thing. The more he becomes mobile, I'm afraid he is going to want to stick that little pudgy finger in places it shouldn't belong!! Evan is also the biggest water baby....he absolutely loves bath time - I think he could stay in there all night if we let him. The other day when we were out we came across this baby pool and decided it might be fun for him to have a place to hang out during the day without having to make a trip to the pool at the clubhouse. We were right, he had the best time. Of course, it was only big enough for one of us to join him, so Andrew played good Dad and hung out with him while I snapped photos. 
We still have no "mama" or "dada", but he does alot of babbling of his own. Sometimes I love to just sit back and listen to him talk to himself. He seems to have some pretty intense conversations with himself sometimes. I especially love to hear him talk in the morning, when he wakes up and just plays alone for awhile in his crib, before he starts whining for me to come get him. I'm starting to feel like my baby isn't such a baby anymore. He is getting such a personality (and attitude!!) of his own now. I never knew it could feel so good to become a mother!! E still has no top teeth - we keep thinking they are going to come through soon (have you noticed all the drool in each of his pictures??), but no sign of them yet!. He hasn't been very fussy lately, but he has been doing alot of rubbing his top gums with his bottom lip.....and doing alot of that tongue thing, like in the black and white above! I'm sure they are right around the corner....
Have you also noticed......we are in dire need of a haircut!! I'm a little nervous about taking him to someone here, but I don't think he can make it another 3 weeks until we are in Oklahoma City for Jeff's wedding. If the people here thought he was a girl before, they are definitely going to begin thinking so now!!!
Yesterday, Evan and I saw our first monkeys in our backyard. There were about 4 of them. One actually made it as close as our upstairs balcony (which is just right outside our kitchen patio door). When I tried to take some pictures of them, I think it scared them off. I did manage to get a couple of pictures of them in the trees in the backyard after walking outside onto our downstairs patio. I asked the nanny if they were safe, but she instructed me that even though they aren't mean, I shouldn't call them to come to us because then we might not be able to get rid of them. She did have me bring in Andrew and Evan's swim trunks, which they had left outside from our pool day, because she said they would come and take them. They seem to be some pretty smart suckers. I asked her if they could carry off the small, inflatable baby pool, but she only laughed and said "think not, but I don't promise!" It's still there, so I guess not :-) These that we saw were pretty small, but Andrew, Evan and I went for a walk last night and saw a really large one out on one of the trees on the golf course. I think I might be scared if I were to look out our window and see one that big!!
That's the overhang of our patio at the top of the picture, so that is how close the trees in the jungle are to our house!Alright, well I'll have to get better about regular posts or else you are going to have to read through books each time. All who know me so well probably realize I write just as I talk....too much!!! I just have so much to say. Andrew just said, "what in the world takes so long to write?" It's all in the details, I say........
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