Eye of Malaysia

Andrew had to work on his holiday today, so Marte, Evan, Cooper and I decided we'd finally check out the Eye of Malaysia ferris wheel. It was moved to Melaka about 7 or 8 months ago from KL, but we first thought we'd let the hype die down so it wouldn't be so busy when we decided to go. Then it seemed like everytime we thought about going, we just never had enough time while we were downtown. So today, we finally decided to go take a ride. Well, the hype has defintiley died down....there was only one other group there when we went. We probably didn't pick a great day to visit since it had just finished raining and was still a bit overcast, but I thought what the heck it will get us out of the house for a bit. Neither Evan not Cooper were afraid of riding in the capsule (which by the way was fairly nice and was even air conditioned). Marte, on the otherhand was a bit more reluctant to go up at first, but after she got over her fear once it had reached its maximum height (which I'll have to check to see exactly how high it actually was)...she enjoyed herself as well. All Evan could talk about after we got off was bringing Daddy back to ride it and then BeBe and Boss when they come for their visit too.... so he must have liked it!

One down, one to go!!

NOTE: I just realized while I was writing this post.... I'm sure not as many people are going to find this as exciting an event to read about as myself. So, if you aren't into hearing about pee and poop....stop here :-) For the other mothers out there reading....well, you know what a big milestone this is and I just had to capture it in our blog!!

That is...one out of diapers and one to go! Yes, my big guy is finally potty trained! About two weeks before he turned 2 1/2 he decided it was time to start going on the big boy potty. It was actually pretty easy since he is the one that finally made the decision to start. I'd been telling him for a few months now, every time after he would go in his diaper, "Evan, no more poopy diapers...why don't you go on the big boy potty?" and then it became "Evan, you are suppose to..." and he would always finish my sentence by saying "GO IN THE BIG BOY POTTY!"....so I guess one day he decided that it was now okay to go. Anyhow, after just a few accidents (one which resulted in me having to take our comforter to the dry cleaners...ugh!), he picked it up and now only uses a diaper for naptime and bedtime. I think this one may be a bit harder to get through, but we are taking it slowly for now and waiting to see if he can at least keep a dry diaper before we try doing undies during sleep times too! I'm just happy to go through the day without having to change two sets of diapers everytime.

For some reason, since he was about 2 he started "doing his business" in his diaper behind the curtains (may explain Cooper's infatuation with curtains too - he saw his big brother behind them all the time!!).....so we always knew what was going on when he disappeared behind his curtains. It even got to the point where we could tell him "okay E, go poop behind the curtains before we go up for a nap" and he would say "okay" and disappear!! So..when he first started training, we started by using his little potty and placing it behind the curtains so he could go...it worked like a charm!! And then the first time he took his first big poop in the potty, he stood up, looked in the potty, came out from behind the curtain and with such excitement said...."look Mommy, a big snake poop!!!" It was hilarious!! So from then on, poop time was all about trying to get another big "snake poop"!

It's actually been about a month now since we started down this path (and we no longer have to go behind the curtains...luckily that only lasted for about a week...he is a bathroom kinda guy now!!) and he has only had one accident at school and we've yet to have one while we are on the road travelling to KL or into town. He's even gotten to the point where he stands when he knows he only has to pee (surprisingly, he has pretty good aim....better than his father!!) and sits on the potty when he knows he needs to poop. This comes in handy when we are out given the condition of public restrooms in this country....he's yet to have to poop while we are out, so that has been especially nice! My mom is actually bringing one of those travel pottys with her when she comes so at least it will be a little more sanitary for him if and when he does need to use it.

So.....one down and one to go....maybe Coop will pick it up quicker since he has E to provide him a little encouragement. I hear that the 2nd one usually potty trains much sooner than the first....let's hope this holds true for mine! I will love the day when I no longer have to change diapers....although I'm sure I'll be a little sad too knowing that my boys are no longer babies anymore!

P.S. Thanks Maria, for the pee "piddlers"- these have come in very, very handy. Even before he started using them in the big potty to aim at, he thought he always had to put one in his own little potty before he went since his Dad had shown him to use them when peeing. So even now, everytime he goes while we are at home...he says "wait, need to go get piddler!!" We finally got smart at the end and cut them all in half since we knew we were running out...luckily my mom is bringing some more along with her. These turned out to be the best $5 potty training tools ever!

So now that he is a "big boy going in the big boy potty", he think he is big enough to wipe himself too!! I think this particular time I told him to go get some wipes for me since we were out in the bathroom and the next thing I know when he doesn't return is that he is trying to wipe himself!

Here's an attempt at early training...it was actually more as incentive to get E to go on the potty than to actually try to train Coop(he neither went pee nor poop)....but I thought it made for a memorable picture!!

Evan's 1st School Field Trip...the Melaka Zoo!

Evan & I joined his school friends on their field trip to the Melaka zoo today. We had actually just been a couple of weeks earlier (with Cooper and Marte) , but he sure did have a great time with his "school kids" as he calls them. I was afraid that he was going to cling to me the entire time we were there, but surprisingly he stayed with his teacher and the other kids and I just followed along. I was glad I was there though, to help fight off all the mosquitoes from him. Those poor kiddos, some of them got several bites before the teachers got smart and put repellent on them. Luckily I was aware of how bad the mosquitoes are there so I had already bathed Evan in it before we arrived (we actually met the rest of kids there since I still don't feel comfortable letting him ride on the big bus with the rest of the kids...still being a bit overprotective in that area I suppose!!). He only managed to get one bite, so I was pleased. I, on the other hand, got about 10 bites even after applying the repellent....it's actually one of the things I hate most about living here...all the damn mosquitoes! Not a great place to be for someone who is so allergic to them!

Anyhow, it was a fun day...not too terribly hot...and thankfully we got to ride the zoo tram so we didn't have to walk the whole thing! We even attended a show at the end of the tour where some birds and an orangutan did a few tricks. By this time, I think E was a bit tired...and hungry...so he didn't seem to enjoy it as much as the rest of the day! All in all, we had a great time and look forward to the next field trip...although I'm not sure if there is another scheduled anytime soon!

Lining up and staying put exactly where his teacher placed him....he seems to be such a good listener when he is taking directions from his teachers....wished this worked the same at home with me!!

Queuing up .... ready to board the zoo tram...with Ms. Mina!

Being one of the littlest buys you some advantages...the teachers took care of him and gave him a prime viewing spot - that's E sitting up higher than everyone else

The show at the end of the zoo tour...that's E up at the very top with his cap on backwards....he was beat by this point...2 1/2 hours of walking around in the Malaysian heat (even if most of it was on a tram) was just about enough for him!! He became much more interested in the snacks I was giving him than the actual show after about 5 minutes!

This is the orangutan doing some of his tricks....he challenged a human at breaking open a coconut and won of course, and then this pic is where he did a stunt where he through his hands up, the trainer pretended to be pointing a gun at him and then he fell backwards as if to be shot....at least we think that is what was suppose to be happening...it was all in Bahasa Malay so we didn't understand much of it. It must have been pretty funny though because it had all the kids there laughing. Did I mention there were about 6 other schools there the same day....kids everywhere...I'm sure you can only imagine!

The Lord's Prayer

This is just one I had to share with everyone. I am so proud of my little guy. Since he was very young, I began praying with him every night at bedtime and we would do the traditional "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer as well as a "Thank you Lord for my daddy, my mommy, my grandparents, etc, etc" prayer and that became part of our bedtime routine. Then a week ago I thought we'd start something new and add the Lord's prayer to our routine. So I said it a couple of nights and Evan just listened and by the 3rd night, he was finishing each line for me.....then, by the 5th night he knew it ALL!! I was so amazed! I know little ones are like sponges and retain everything, but this one just took me by surprise at how fast it clicked for him. Even though the words are a little unclear and run together, you can tell he knows the majority of it. I told him this makes the Lord very happy and that He is smiling down knowing that another one of His children learned His prayer.... so now sometimes when he finishes the prayer, he'll say "this makes God happy!"

I was afraid I wouldn't ever be able to catch him on camera saying it, but today I caught him in one of his "performing" moods and got him to say it for me. I'm so glad I did, I know his Dad and I will cherish this video for a long time!!

P.S. Be sure and pause the music player at the very bottom before you try playing the video!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Cooper's 1st Zoo trip

Actually, Coop visited the KL zoo last year, but I don't suppose it counted since he was still in Mommy's tummy at that time. And if I recall correctly, I think we visited that zoo just the week before he was born. He also visited the Aquarium at KLCC the Friday before he was born...that was when I had one of my first major contractions...as we had E touring the aquarium. I remember having to take that one very slowly and it took us awhile to get back to our apartment since we'd walked over.

Today was also Cooper's 1st time to ride in his back carrier....and he loved it!! He could see everything and I think was happy to be in something other than his stroller....espcially the double since he gets limited view riding in the back behind Evan!

And if you are wondering why the boys are in long sleeves and jeans...it was to help keep them protected from all the mosquitoes. Luckily, it wasn't too hot (there was even a slight breeze at times) and most of the zoo was shaded, so they didn't get overheated. We were sure to keep them well hydrated. I, on the otherhand, was extremely sweaty after our outing lugging an extra 20+ lbs around for over an hour....wow am I out of shape!!

And Cooper walks....

Yes, the little man took those first few steps yesterday....5 to be exact...3 big, slow ones and then 2 quick stutter steps....afterwards falling face forward into my arms...eyes closed, hoping I was there to catch him. He did it a couple of more times and then had enough and went back to his knees. So, while he is now quick on all fours, I think he is also going to pick up this walking thing pretty quick too. I swear this child is a dare devil...he has no fear! He can climb stairs almost as fast as Evan can walk up them and loves to pull himself up on anything he can to GET INTO EVERYTHING! That boy cannot sit still and play with a toy any longer....with this new found mobility, he is on the go constantly!! It is so much fun to see him grow. I can't believe that he is already 10 months old....the months are just flying by. It's also hard to believe that we have lived here in Malaysia for just near 2 years already. Some days I'm ready for something new, but one thing I do know is that I sure do enjoy spending this time with my boys. Cooper is such a fun and happy kid -he is ALWAYS smiling! He LOVES curtains....to hide behind them and play peek-a-boo. It's one of his most favorite things to do. When you set him down on the floor, he loves to find the nearest set of curtains to hide behind. He also has this new found love of dancing as well. He'll throw his hands up in the air and give a little bounce and then he'll start clapping...it's too precious! He also loves to see the monkeys in our backyard. As soon as we ask him "Where are the monkeys"...he'll head straight over to the patio door to look into the backyard...he's mesmerized by them! I laugh when I think about telling him that the first animal he ever recognized was a monkey. When we get back to the states, he'll never even see a monkey again...unless of course, we go to a zoo. Evan has been into lions lately and making the roaring sound, so Coop has picked up on that and loves to do his version of a lion's roar too...it's hilarious. Another thing he loves is balls. He loves throwing them and then crawling after them....it's a great game he plays alone and I love watching how much fun he has doing it. It also means the less trouble he is getting into! Anyhow, that's my quick update on the little man. Here are a few pics from the last couple of weeks: This pic is on the day he took his first solo steps. I didn't get him in action, but I wanted to at least have a pic from the "special day".

He sure is going to enjoy being able to use his hands when he finally masters this walking thing. For now, his mouth seems to be a good alternative!

And here is the cool guy looking like such a big boy on E's bike. Looks like he is ready for one of his own now! Just like his brother, he loves being outside and throws a fit when it's time to come back inside!

And we are back to brother baths....brother bubble baths now! The boys do very well together and have so much fun playing together while getting clean (and getting bubbles everywhere I might add...including all over us!). As I anticipated, we've had to start bath time a bit earlier now, so that we leave plenty of time for playing in the bubbles and so that no one throws a fit when it's time to get out!

Doing a great job keeping up with his big bro and playing right alongside him. I'm sure he can't wait until he can keep up with him on two feet and not on all fours!This is the face we get now when you put something in his mouth he doesn't care for or when he has had too much and doesn't want anymore!

And since he spends most of his time on his knees, he is now sporting some knee pads so those poor little knees don't get sore from crawling around on all these tile floors!

And I just had to add this picture...it was from when the boys were sick earlier in February. Cooper had puked in his highchair one too many times (amongst other things) and it was being cleaned, so he had his lunch in E's booster seat. I thought he looked so adorable sitting there like such a big boy. Wow, my baby is baby no longer!!!

Pool Day

Since Coop enjoyed the water so much while we were in Singapore, we decided to do another pool day yesterday at Orna (a nearby golf & country club where Andrew is a member). It too has some fun slides that Evan is just getting big enough to enjoy....although they are still a little too fast for them, so we went down with him. Even though there was a no adults policy on these slides too, they didn't seem to mind too much when we didn't follow the rules since we were the only ones there. Cooper loved the fountains and had a great time just hanging in his crab float watching E and his daddy on the slide and making waves!