32 Going on 13

I thought at 13 it would be the last time I would ever have to wear braces....well, guess I was wrong....I'm finally biting the bullet and getting braces put on my lower teeth....again! My husband will no longer be able to jokingly refer to me as "snaggle-tooth"....the only snaggle-tooth in the family will now be him!! I'd been contemplating the idea of getting them fixed for years now...I had even looked into the Invisalign trays about 4 years ago (willing to pay the extra cash to avoid having to wear actual braces), but never followed through with it because I ended up making the move to London. Anyhow, I figured now being out of work and not knowing too many people here in Malaysia, it would be the best time. So I went and saw an orthodontist last Friday and she told me she could fix them for about 900 US dollars! What a steal considering I was willing to pay $3k when I looked into the Invisalign or even nearly $2k for the regular braces. Now my only concern is "am I getting half the quality as well?" I began to question her qualifications when she said she'd only 'heard' of Invisalign and insisted I wear the same old metal brackets....and then began talking of "shaving" some of my lower teeth as they begin to straighten because of crowding....what in the world was this lady going to do with my teeth?!?!? Given my skepticism, I referred to the dentist in the family... and fortunately he eased my worries by sharing with me how common it is for orthodontists to prefer the metal brackets and that "stripping" of the teeth is also very normal. I had only decided to see this orthodontist in Melaka (one of only 2 or 3 in the city......you can look around and know exactly why there is not many....not such a big market for them....Malaysians aren't the biggest on dental care!!) because I didn't want to have to make the regular trips to KL or Singapore. Dr. Kok Yin Fun is a very nice Chinese lady who speaks very good English and "seems" to know what she is doing. So as I told Andrew, why not go for it....it's not like it's a major surgery....how terribly wrong could things go (I hope I don't live to regret that statement)!!! I know it's a bit vain to want to make them perfect (although, if I was truly worried about perfect, I'd be considering liposuction or a breast enhancement!), but I've been so irritated that I wore braces for so many years when I was younger, just to still have crooked teeth!! So, on August 9th, I officially become a "brace face" once again. Good news is she thought it would take less than a year to correct them, so how could I not do it!!
I did tell Andrew (who also has a chipped crown he needs to get looked at) that I suggest he go to someone in KL or Singapore for his consultation - because after the teeth cleaning I received, we may need to question whether or not he would receive adequate treatment.....there isn't the most technology sophisticated group here in Melaka. The orthodontist is the one who gave me the cleaning (not a hygienist)...in about 5 minutes...which was good, considering how much it hurt! I'm not sure what tool she was using on my teeth to remove the tarter and plaque, but it sounded like and felt like she was using an electric chisel. And during the polishing I would have thought she was using a sand blaster. But 5 minutes and 20 US dollars later, she claimed they were clean and ready to have the braces adhered at our next appointment. You know, I shouldn't be saying these people aren't qualified because I'm sure they are more than competent in their field, but I can say they are definitely behind the times in terms of procedures and equipment, which is what I think makes me question their expertise. I think, as Americans, we are just so spoiled with all the "latest and greatest" of everything, that it makes us now question the "simple" stuff....which in the past, always worked as good. I'm sure the longer we live here, the more accepting we will become of the things that are available here and not miss our "luxuries" as much.....hopefully!!!!
So, wish me luck....I'll post a picture next week after I get them put on....it will probably look much like my 8th grade picture...minus the "big hair"!!!

Today we dance.....

actually......we dance everyday, but today Mom captured it on her camera and found a way to get it into the blog. Isn't technology just amazing.......it sure keeps us from feeling so far away from everyone!!. We keep in contact with the grandparents via webcam...that's cool enough in itself, but for those of you we don't see everyday, here is a little blip of Evan dancing today.....forgive my singing!! By the way, thanks Nana for the great "Stinky cake" and "Sticky Bubblegum" CDs, Evan just loves them. I too enjoy them, but I go to bed singing them (in my sleep too!) after listening to them all day long!!!

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We also found another way to entertain ourselves today (since we are without a vehicle)....actually, Mom....I mean "I" (I need to stop referring to myself like that....I even call Andrew, "Daddy" all the time)... "I" found a way to keep entertained....we played picture day. Evan cooperated while I put him in a few things and took pictures. Thank you, BeBe and Boss, for providing a million and one outfits....I try my hardest to get pictures in each of them just for you. Sometimes I have to change him twice a day just to get him into everything you've bought him!! It's not often that you see this child in the same thing more than once.... (I did have to get some more pictures though of his "Lil' Boss" t-shirt....thanks Lin, it's too adorable!!).

It was green and red day....

I guess you can tell how I keep busy throughout the day........We were going to do a pool day, but another monkey family showed up earlier, so now I'm a bit hesitant to be outside today. I still think they would run off if we were outside, but I'd rather not chance it. I wish I'd gotten some footage of them on my camera....I did record them on the video camera, but I'm not sure how to get that on the computer now. There must have been another 15 of them.....it looked like a family. I watched them for about 15 minutes. I watched as either the mother or father picked bits out of this baby's fur and proceeded to eat whatever it was that he/she was collecting. It was absolutely hilarious.....it picked from the baby's head, turned it around on its back to get some from its stomach and then stretched out its leg to clean it as well. When he was done with one, the next one would line up for a cleaning....I had never seen anything like it!! Maybe I'll grab the digital camera next time now that I know how to upload videos...

Has it really been over 2 weeks since my last post.....

You would think I'd be better at keeping up with this blog since I'm not working these days, but somehow I manage to fill up a day very easily. If it isn't spent keeping up with the little guy, it's keeping up with the house or attending my weekly coffee mornings (I go for the socialization and yummy food....I can't stand coffee!) or craft days (by the way, I've gone for crafts 4 weeks already and only have 1 scrapbook page to show for it.....and for those of you who think it's all about the wine....not here, it's a morning session and all the ladies are serious about their crafts!!!). So let's see....what has happened since we returned from Oklahoma......other than taking pictures of my bug everyday.....here are a few for you!!
Well, right before we left for the states I had reached a major milestone of my own (these days Evan isn't the only one learning new things!).....I drove!!! Yes, Evan and I made our first trip outside the country club gates and went to our local Jaya Jusco (our version of a Super Wal-Mart....yet nothing like it!!). We only managed to get honked at once.......so what I learned is that you have to constantly be looking in your side-view mirrors because these people on motor bikes will completely sneak up on you. I was so concerned with taking someone out, it made it even harder to concentrate on driving on the left side of the road. I just had to remember "center lane should be on my right shoulder"....and if it felt "right", I was probably doing something wrong!!! This also applied when I would try to use the turn signal with my left hand and the windshield wipers would come on ....so here again "if it felt right...do the opposite." Aside from a few minor glitches, we called it a successful trip. We made the same drive a couple of more times, but then headed back to the states just as I felt like I was getting more comfortable and able to have a bit of freedom (no more having to constantly rely on the driver to get around!!). When we returned, our contract was up on the company-provided rental, so we are now back to one car. We placed the order for my much-anticipated new minivan prior to leaving, but just as they promised, it is looking to be an 8 week ordeal (to be quite honest, it won't surprise me if it's the end of August before we see it....it's sad but I've become quite the pessimist when it comes to expecting things to get done around here.....the Malaysians are never in a hurry...except on the road!!!) Anyhow, ranting aside, my car won't be here for another few weeks, so Andrew and I are managing with his Waja for now. On the days I need to go somewhere, he either catches a ride with our neighbor down the street (also COP working for Petronas) or has Azman come pick him up. We are spending several days either in KL or on vacation (more about that shortly) over the next couple of weeks, so I guess it won't be too bad!! Since I will not be able to resume practicing my driving, I will now have more time to keep up the posts......yeah right....not with a 10 month old who is learning how to walk (these days if you give him one hand he'll take you everywhere with him!!!)

Let's see, next story......well here's a doosy for you......

The following Thursday after we returned home from our trip to Oklahoma, Andrew and I were awakened....at 3:30 in the morning again.....no, not to the loss of power or happily, chirping birds.....but to the sound of water running this time.....and lots of it!!! We both jumped out of bed to see where it was coming from....it was coming from the kitchen. As we were walking down the stairs, I thought maybe one of the sink pipes had busted or something, but no.....we saw that it was raining......inside the kitchen!!! We knew that it had been raining throughout the night, but no serious rain, we've definitely seen worse.....and yet, it looked like someone had opened a faucet in the ceiling!! There was about a 1/2 inch of water throughout the kitchen and the water had began to make it's way down the stairs into our basement (luckily we heard it soon enough to get some towels down on the last step to catch it before it soaked our rug). The water was also falling directly into our laptop keyboard (I know, you are wondering how I'm typing this now.....well so am I.....I have no idea how our computer survived it.....Andrew emptied about a bowlful of water out of the keyboard!!), our CD player and our new printer (all of which are amazingly still operating!!!). God definitely spared us.....it could have been so much worse. Once the rain subsided outside, it did so inside as well. So what did we learn from this delightful experience....after spending an hour and half cleaning up all the water and putting buckets under the remaining few leaks.....RENTERS INSURANCE.....it comes in handy in these sorts of situations!!!!! Also, we now must ensure that the cement gutters are cleared of debris at all times because that is supposedly what caused the leaking (or gushing rather!!!).

Yes, that is raining coming through the ceiling....only picture it with a much bigger gush and coming from about 8 different places....this was about the time it started to slow down...

On a brighter note, we had a nice weekend trip to KL last weekend. Andrew had a meeting scheduled for this past Monday, so we thought we would make a full weekend of it. Andrew is also reaching milestones of his own.....he drove us to KL for the first time!! For those who think this shouldn't be that difficult, you don't know the crazy KL drivers....if rules were obeyed, there would be no problem....but it seems that in this country, people make their own rules....at least when it comes to driving! Anyhow, we had intended on going to the Aquarium, thinking Evan may enjoy looking at the fish, but a later than anticipated start and a lot of rain, put us in KL later than expected. So instead, we went to our favorite restaurant near the hotel, CHILIS (isn't it sad that we've resorted to this being our favorite!!), and had a nice lunch and then back to the hotel for Evan's afternoon nap. So, not the fun-filled afternoon we had expected....we also missed out on a pool day due to the rainy weather.....but we had some good meals nevertheless!!! On Sunday, we took Evan to Gymoboree for the first time since we've been here. He hadn't attended a Gymboree class since he was 4 months old. At first he wasn't sure what to think of all the babies (there were about 10 others, of which, Evan was one of the older ones in the Level 2 class which is for 6 -10 month olds), but about 20 minutes after warming up to everyone, he was smiling and dancing and walking all around. He took about 8 steps by himself while we were there....I think the grip he was able to get on the gym mat combined with how soft it felt when he fell to his bottom, made him quite the daredevil. After he took those steps on his own, you would have thought he thought he had mastered the art of walking....he would try to take off and let go of our hands everytime. It was so funny to see his feable attempts!! He is so much fun to watch these days....he gets so frustrated at things when he can't do them and makes this grunting noise....it's hilarious! He is developing quite the little personality!! All in all, he had a fantastic time. We hope to be able to attend at least 2 classes a month. In a couple of weeks, we'll start trying out the Level 3 classes.....

It was all about serious faces while concentrating on the various things they had us doing at Gymoboree....picking up bean bags, finding out what was underneath the cones, chasing balls, swinging in parachutes, catching bubbles.....Andrew and I were the ones wiped out afterwards....good thing it was only a 45 minute class!!

As I mentioned earlier in my driving story, we will be back in KL this weekend through Tuesday....Andrew has another refinery course he is taking, so Evan and I will be joining him. Other than trying to make it to another Gymboree class, I think Evan and I will be laying low and do some hanging out at the pool....I know, rough life E and I have!!! Then on Thursday, the family will head to Malaysia's East Coast to Pulau (that means "island") Tioman. It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive and then we will catch an hour and a half ferry to the island. We are pumped....this will be our first official vacation since we've been here!!! We are also taking along the nanny so that Andrew and I will be able to do some things together while the bug is napping. Not to mention that "Grrrandmuther" is completely stoked about going....while she has lived in Malaysia her entire life, she has never been. I'm sure she would have happily agreed to go with us even if we wouldn't have offered to pay her!! We've arranged for an adjoining room so that Evan is able to nap comfortably and she will still be nearby....it sounds like a good idea - I'll have to let you know how it all turns out!!!

Evan is getting ready for his first beach trip...Anyhow, guess that is it for now....other than I have to tell you, the next time I post I will probably have a true walker on my hands.....he is becoming braver each day on taking off on his own....today he hardly sat down!!! When did my baby turn into such a big boy.........until next time......

I love the "it wasn't me" face.....I'm sure I'll be seeing alot more of it in the coming months....

10 Days, 8 Flights, 7 Airports, 1 Wedding and 25 Monkeys

How hard could it actually be to travel 9,921 miles back to the states....well let me just tell you......

Our original plan was to drive to Kuala Lumpur, take a 5 hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan, then a long 12 hour leg to LA where we would then spend the night and catch an early morning flight to Phoenix and then into OKC by 1:00 in the afternoon.....but oh no, not that simple at all!! We made it to LA just fine, had a good night's sleep and then made our way to Phoenix. We were a little worried that we wouldn't have much time between the time we arrived in Arizona and the time we had to make it to our next flight to OKC. Well, that ended up being no problem, we made it with plenty of time to spare.......only to find out we had NO seats reserved on the flight!!! We should have known - Andrew had argued with Expedia for 3 days a week before we were set to leave because they had canceled our original flight which was suppose to take us through Las Vegas from LA and then on to OKC. But in the end, had "confirmed" our new flight through Phoenix on to OKC....or so we thought!!! Let me tell you - that is the LAST time we use Expedia OR US Airways.....what a joke they are to work with!! After about 2 hours of working with a US Airways rep in Phoenix, they once again "confirmed" us on a flight to Houston, where we'd have a 4 hour layover and then onto TULSA!! So, not only were we going to show up 12 hours later than originally scheduled, we now had to have Andrew's brother and mom make the 1 1/2 hour trip to Tulsa to pick us up. What a trip from hell!! I bet you are saying "poor little Evan"....well don't worry - he did beautifully. It was his mom and dad that were about at their wits end! It was so nice to finally make it OK. It ONLY ended up being a 50 hour ordeal, instead of the 26 hours originally planned!

Wow, I hadn't intended on that being discussed in such detail, but I guess it's still very vivid to me.....it was almost enough for us to consider not coming home for Christmas (Don't worry parents....we are still coming!!)

As I mentioned, as far as Evan was concerned, he handled the whole ordeal without missing a beat. His Nana put it perfectly when she said he was a "roll with the punches" kind of baby!! We couldn't be more blessed! I felt so bad for our poor little guy, but he had no trouble adjusting to the time change while we were in Oklahoma nor once we returned home....we couldn't be happier about that!!
We had a wonderful, wonderful time during our visit. We stayed quite busy from the time we arrived. I had a hair appt and nail appt and a couple of showers to attend. We also got the bug his 3rd haircut!! And he had his 9 month Dr. appt.....which was a good one, given no vaccinations were required! He is weighing in just under 20lbs and is 27 1/2 inches long.
We thought he was only getting his 2 top teeth, but found out during the visit that it looks like there are 4 coming in all at once. The top middle 2 have popped through, with the other 2 just right around the corner!! Let me tell you what a remarkable kid we have - not only did he make it through the whole trip without making a huge fuss, he has been teething this whole time as well!! Oh yeah, and just before we left, June 21st actually, our little guy took his 1st 4 solo steps!!! I got so excited, that he actually gave us the pouty face because I scared him :-)

Jeff (Andrew's little brother) and Jenn's wedding was beautiful and we had a great time! We were so happy that we were able to be there for it. My parents actually made it to the wedding as well, so they were able to take the bug back to the hotel early from the reception. It was the first night away from our little one (actually the first time for me being away from him for more than a few hours!!) . It was so very strange without him around. Andrew and I had a great time that night as well as enjoyed getting to sleep in......which by the way was the best part!! But I found myself not knowing what to do without him in the morning. I was at ease knowing that he was with my folks, but so ready to get him back in my arms as soon as I could!!
E also had a fantastic time with his cousin Drew. He loved to sit around and just watch him the whole time....and I think big cousin Drew loved having Evan around - it gave him someone to boss around - "no, no, no Baby Evan - don't put that in your mouth!!" - which we heard often since Evan wants to put EVERYTHING in his mouth still! Don't you just love the matching shirts.....thanks to Aunt Leigh, every time we get together now she has a matching outfit for them! I can hardly wait to see what they think of this when they get older (it reminds me of me and my cousin Erica....we also always had matching outfits....what were our mothers thinking!!!)


On Sunday afternoon, we left for a cabin that Andrew had set up for us near Lake of the Arbuckles, to spend some time with my parents. We had a great time. It was just what we needed before making another long trip back home. It was 3 days of doing nothing but sitting back and relaxing. The cabin was on a small lake where Andrew and my dad fished the entire time and Mom, Evan and I just hung out on the porch overlooking the lake. The weather was absolutely amazing....in the upper 70's most of the time, with only a bit of rain and a nice breeze most of the time - a most welcomed change from the heat and humidity of Melaka!! We even managed to take Evan on his first paddle boat ride. Since we didn't have the proper safety gear, we only went far enough to get a picture. Evan could have cared less about being out on the water, he was only concerned with trying to "point" (he still loves using that index finger) at everything in the boat he could touch! At night, Andrew set off a few fireworks. Evan enjoyed watching them from inside, but was a little more hesitant at watching them while outside due to how loud they were!! We had some neighbors who put on some really big ones, so we ended up getting quite the 4th of July show!!We actually headed back on the 4th of July, figuring that being a holiday, we might miss some of the airport traffic. But with the London/Scotland bombings and heightened security level, we were worried we might be in for another long trip. Fortunately, there were fewer people at the airport (as expected) and the extra security didn't seem to cause any issues. Although, we did have an 8 hour layover in LA, which was no fun at all!! We were definitely ready to be home again and not in anymore airports......especially Evan!! The picture below is one I took at the Taipei airport (the last leg on the way home) - he really wasn't in a bad mood, I was just able to catch one of his pouty faces when he wasn't getting something he wanted. I just thought it was the perfect picture for capturing our long journey! While it was exhausting (we will definitely have to make the trip back at Christmas a longer one), we had so much fun while we were there! We managed to satisfy all our cravings....we had BBQ, Mexican food, steaks, hamburgers, and pizza with REAL pepperoni!! Although I was really wanting some Chick-Fil-A, we never managed to find one the last day we were there....once again Evan's picture below says it all.....
And one last story for this posting.....yesterday as I was doing something in the kitchen, I noticed another small monkey hovering outside our kitchen patio door and just as I shouted to Andrew to come see him/her, it scurried (or whatever it is that monkeys do) away. Then about 5 minutes later, Andrew noticed some rustling in the trees, so this time we went to our living room patio and peeked through the curtains to see if we could catch them. Well, we did and there were about 2 or 3 of them....one even made it as close as the door...... and then even began tapping on it (Andrew ended up naming him Lewis - I have no clue why - that's him to the left...but he was the one that stayed the closest to the house the entire time...he seemed the less afraid of us) . I told Andrew we should shush them away, but he wanted to continue watching to see what they would do. As we watched them, they went back into the trees right off our patio and just hung out....watching to see what we were going to do....I guess they were waiting to see if we would feed them (which by the way, we did NOT do). Then one by one we continued to see more and more gather in the trees - they would group together in bunches of 3 to 4 (like in the picture to the right). We watched them for about 30 minutes and ended up counting about 25 of them in various trees right out back. I guess they were telling each other "hey, we think these crazy people may feed us...come and see".....it was wild!! After about another 15 minutes of hanging out, I guess they finally realized they were getting nothing from us and moved on to some other place. I have to say this does worry me a bit.....it was fun seeing them, but I'd rather them not start to think it's okay to gather like that behind our house...or else Evan and I will never venture out back ever again!!!

Alright, I suppose I'll close for now. I just wanted to get everyone up to speed with what we have been up to the last couple of weeks. I still have all our unpacking to do - I've put it off for 2 days now.....that is so unlike me, but I think the jet lag was to blame. I think I'm finally feeling back to normal now.....

DaDa......

yes, even against my constant brainwashing of "say mama", Evan's first discernible word was "dada". We still think it's a whole lot of gibberish he says, but there is a very distinguishable "dadadadada" in the mix of it all. At first, we said "oh, that just sounded like Dada", but after a few times of having him repeat it after us, we gave him a high five for his first word!! I have to say I was a bit disappointed it wasn't "mamamama", but I think once he is able to say it, he may not stop. So the later he gets to it...maybe the better!!!! That's been our biggest achievement of the week. He has also been practicing his walking. He loves for you to give him your fingers, let him pull himself up, and then he is ready to go......and keep going! I swear, this child of mine keeps me fit....he tires me out!! We are probably less than a month away before he is off on his own! We've already started to show some battle wounds....we had our first minor scrap the other day. He was standing in his pack and play while Mom and Dad worked on getting pictures hung in his room, and he took a spill....on the way down scratching himself on one of his toys. It was a tiny scratch, but enough to leave a mark! And then while on one of our evening walks, he managed to get bit.....twice....on the head by a mosquito. We've found that he reacts to mosquito bites just like his mother....they get nice and swollen and bright red. So you can only imagine how he looked for a couple of days....a scratch on one side his face, a bite on his forehead and another bite on the other side of his face.....my poor bug!!! And with all this, he is also getting his 3rd tooth...the top left one has finally broken through.....the top right seems to be lagging behind. He may be the one-toothed wonder for awhile!!! We've been very lucky that none of his teething has caused him much pain. He has been the happy-go-lucky baby through it all!!

Evan continues to love his pool days. We went out last Sunday and had a great time with our bubbles....we found them in our sea shipment things and decided to try them out. Evan was just as amazed by them as he was when he was 3 months old. Although, now it was so cute to watch him try to catch them....or rather touch one with that little index finger he loves to use!!!


Well, we did our part in helping out the Malaysian economy and purchased a shiny, new Proton Waja (pronounced wah-jah). Although it looks black, it's actually a burgandy color when in the sun. This will be Andrew's to-and-from-work mode of transportation. I think it's quite nice actually, although Andrew says it's definitely a no-frills vehicle! Who cares that its 0 to 60 takes about 20 seconds!! We just got it this evening and he let me take it for a spin. I'm still not comfortable driving here, so we only toured the neighborhood and then took it up the road....to test out its power....or lack thereof!! Anyhow, I think it will suit us just fine as a 2nd car. We are hoping to get to the dealership tomorrow to order my new car....a nice, new Toyota Innova (it is the US version of a minivan). Yes, I caved and opted for the minivan. Actually, it's one of the only vehicles here that offers a 3rd row and doesn't cost $50k. With having a driver and Andrew, Evan and I, we needed something that would fit more than 5 people. We test drove it a few weeks ago - I actually think I'm really going to like it. I have no idea how I'm going to park the thing anywhere.....cars (and car spaces) here are all about the size of Geo Metros or smaller.... good thing we are keeping the driver around. By the way, you can't just go get a car here, to get one that is "full spec" (ie. one with the extras -which here means automatic gear shift, locks and windows, etc), they have to order it for you. The sales guy told us it could take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks....c'mon it's a car....and a nothing-special one either! I guess they import them one at a time...who knows!!!

Well, I'm definitely starting to find my way around this place. I managed to get connected with a guy that custom makes shoes. We had this "shoe party" and Jackson the Shoe Guy came with about 50 pairs of shoes to try on and an album with another 200+ shoes to look at, fabric/leather samples, color swatches, etc. So you could have him make you just about any shoe you wanted....it was wonderful...although very difficult to make a decision with so many choices. You first chose the type of shoe, then the style of heel, then the color of leather and then he would measure you for a custom fit....it was fantastic!! And can you believe I only came away with 3 pairs!!! Andrew's deal with me was I could purchase however many, but I had to give away the same amount from my closet....not such a bad deal given I have shoes in my closet from 10 years ago....I can work with that!!! Also, I found a place to get custom framing done for dirt cheap.....I took in 5 B&W pictures of Evan to get framed (2 5x7s and 3 4x6s) and it only cost me RM100 (that's only $30!!!) to get them ALL framed.... with a nice, black wooden frame AND double matting!! It was wonderful....but also sad to know how badly I got ripped off in the US!! Guess it's all about the labor!!

As you can see, we've had another busy week....hope you enjoyed hearing all about it!!! I'm off to bed now as past midnight and I'm sure the bug will be up bright and early tomorrow!!!

Busy couple of weeks.....

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........