Happy 1st Birthday, Cooper!

Wow, our little monkey is one today....the last year has just flown by!! He is such a happy little thing and has brought so much joy.... and chaos.... to our lives, and we've loved every minute of it!

The morning started off with all of us (Evan, Marte, BeBe and Boss and me....poor Dad had to go to work and had to miss out) singing him Happy Birthday as we came down the stairs for breakfast this morning. He seemed pretty pumped when he saw all the decoration and gifts. Evan was pretty excited as well, probably more so than he was for his own birthday (guess he is finally getting the whole birthday thing now!). I'd made a little homemade cake for Coop, so we let him blow out his candle and try out a bit of cake. Just like Evan, he doesn't seem to have much of a sweet tooth and doesn't care for cake much. He took one bite and that was enough...he had more fun just sticking his fingers in the icing and getting it everywhere...including his hair! Then we all went on a walk down to the clubhouse (the boys on their bikes) - Cooper loved his new bike that his Nana and Pop got for him! The boys then came and had lunch and went down for a nap....although Cooper decided he was too excited (or on too big of a sugar high!) and only had a short 35 min catnap today. Luckily, he was still in good spirits at the end of the day. He did crash hard after his bath though....guess it was too much excitement for one day!

In the evening, once Dad made it home from work, we had our little party - pictures, pizza, presents and more cake...ice cream cake this time! As for presents, Cooper was completely oblivious to the concept of presents - he could have cared less about them, so his big brother took the liberty of opening them up for him. We were sure he was going to love the ice cream in his 2nd cake, but nope....still no go...he gagged and spit out the icing from the cake and did the same when we tried to give him the ice cream as well! Strange children we have....to this day even Evan only cares for only tiny bites of anything sweet....but give him anything sour and he is all over it!

All in all, it was a great day and we had a wonderful time helping our little man celebrate his special day. We look forward to many, many more!!! We are also very thankful that his BeBe and Boss were able to be here to celebrate with us. And thanks to Skype which allowed Nana and Pop "to be with us" when we sang him Happy Birthday this morning! Happy 1st Birthday, Coop!

BeBe & Boss arrive into Singapore

My parents made it here with no problems (we were a little worried given all the security issues around the latest swine flu....especially in their stop over in Hong Kong where so many were just quarantined recently) and a car full of suitcases....you would have thought they were coming to live with us....except hardly any of the bags had things that belonged to them...it was ALL stuff for the boys. Needless to say, Evan was in heaven opening all his new presents, even though it was some of the things that my folks had bought them for Christmas (that we weren't able to bring back with us in January due to luggage capacity)....it was all like new to him!

Cooper and I made the road trip alone since we knew we needed room for all the luggage they were bringing. This was the first time I'd gone this far with him in the car just the two of us...3 hours...but he did fantastic! We did some "talking" (a lot of ma ma ma and bah bah bahs) and then he slept for about 45 minutes. The rest of the time he just took in the view.....I let him use Evan's car seat for the first time facing forward....he was in heaven with so many new things to look at. Since there aren't any child safety seat rules here in Malaysia or Singapore, it wasn't an issue and besides he was only a few days from being one anyhow. He sure is going to love his new seat....my parents are getting it for him for his birthday once we find one we like. So he was great on the way up there, but it was a completely different story on the way back....he wasn't too comfortable with BeBe and Boss in the car too. He has had this attachment to Mommy thing going lately, so he'd start to cry if I didn't keep a hand on him. Should have seen me trying to drive with one hand and with my other in the backseat keeping a hand on his leg. It was the craziest thing...I'd let go for a sec and it was as though I was leaving him...I'd reach back and touch him and he'd automatically shut off the crying. We made a stop at the grocery store and for some lunch and Boss took him for a stroll while my Mom and I shopped and he did great with him. They rode on some of those rides they have in the mall....as long as I wasn't around he seemed to do fine with them. Silly little boy! Once we got to Melaka, he was finally warming up to the both of them....and well Evan, he couldn't wait to see his BeBe and Boss and was ready for all the fun he was going to have with them!!

I know I'm thrilled about them being here because the extra sets of hands are going to be very helpful and maybe Evan can wear someone else out for awhile! We'll keep everyone posted on our adventures while they are here.

Closing in on Cooper's 1st Birthday!

So we are just over a week away from the little man turning one (yikes!) and I thought I would share some of Coop's latest doings:

He still isn't walking on his own - guess I was wrong that he was going to prefer his feet to being on all fours. We know he can do it because several weeks ago, a few weeks after he took his first few steps alone, he took about 12 to 15 steps from Marte to me in the kitchen....so we know he can, he just prefers crawling I suppose. We try to get him to practice, but he just throws his arms up and wants to sit so he can crawl...so we've started labeling him "lazy guy", so much so that Evan even says "Mom, Cooper is lazy". So, we'll keep practicing and just let him do it in his own time...I'm in no rush! I've started to think that him not walking is actually a good thing, he is enough trouble and hard enough to keep up with by just crawling!

He has really gotten great at throwing kisses...he blows kisses by smacking his lips while covering his mouth with one hand, it's too adorable

loves to "stretch" when he gets up from a nap or when you tell him to...he stretches by throwing both hands in the air

one of his funniest is....he used to put his hand up to his ear and say "hi" or his version (which sounds more like "hah" every time he saw me using the phone or we were skyping with one of the grandparents and then it turned into anytime he gets hurt....whether he bumps his head, leg, arm or any other body part, he puts his hand up to his head in the same manner and says "hah". We've even seen him do it when he wants to be held and you put him down and it hurts his feelings, he does the same "hah"....it's just too funny...I wish I had it on video.

loves making a roaring sound for both lions and dinosaurs and has even started his version of a "moo" for cows
waves hi and bye all the time....loves to send Evan off to school and waves bye while we beep the horn as we leave

sticks out his tongue when you tell him to....and lately walks around with it sticking out all the time, biting on it....maybe he is teething (he currently has 4 bottom and 4 top with no other sighting of anymore to come any time soon)

loves to mimic the sound of a cough whenever he hears anyone doing it!

is learning to place his hands on his head when we ask "where is your head"

looks up to the lights (doesn't point just yet) when you ask "where are the lights" ...also is starting to love to push the switches to turn on and off the lights and looks up after he does it to see them turn off and on.....it's always the little things!!

claps and dances ANYTIME he hears music

has learned to turn around backwards and slide down the stairs in addition to climbing up them....this keeps us very busy since he LOVES stairs and even more the safety gate. He loves to get to the top of the stairs from the basement and open and close the gate. He HATES it when you shut it and lock it while he is trying to play with it.

still gives off this ear piercing shriek sometimes when he doesn't get what he wants or if you aren't paying attention to him when he wants you to be. It isn't quite as loud...or as long...as before, but still a yell. I can't wait until he is out of this stage!!

is a total monkey because he loves to climb on everything....the couch, in and out of Evan's little motorized dump truck....his walker (we found out after he tumbled to the floor and knocked his forehead pretty good a few weeks ago!!), he even tries to climb up on the toy drawer thing we have if he can't get to something he wants on the top shelf. I've been so afraid that he is going to start trying to crawl out of his bed soon. Luckily, we keep him in a sleep sack at night so it makes it a bit more difficult for him, but I'm still afraid he is going to find a way. I don't think he is going to make it in his crib as long as Evan (to this day, Evan still has never tried to get out of his crib) has before we have to turn it to a toddler bed.

So I guess that is it for now. We are gearing up for BeBe and Boss' visit and can hardly wait to see them.

Here are a few pics of Coop from the month of April and the beginning of May:

Looking up at me on the 2nd floor....even after I took this picture, later in the day, he would continue to go to the living room, lay on the ground, roll over and look up to see if he could see me...I think he thought it was pretty cool that I was so high up above him!

Not really digging the BK crown

Mr. Trouble giving me his mischievous look....

Matching with Dad before we head to dinner

A happy, smiling Cooper

Evan Mania!

We've been having so much fun with E lately. This kid is just a hoot! Almost everyday, he does something or says something that just makes Andrew and I look at each other and say...."this is why you have children!" We love him so very much and could not imagine our lives any other way!

Here are a few of his latest phrases that I've jotted down:


"Mommy, are you mad?" ....."Mommy, are you happy?" I've been getting this one quite a bit lately, especially when it comes to going potty. He asks if I'll be happy if he goes pee or poop or he'll ask if I'm mad if I've just gotten angry with him for not listening to me and will then usually apologize and then ask if I'm happy. I try like crazy not to laugh! Although, lately he has been asking so frequently if I'm happy, that I told him I'm beginning to question if I really don't seem happy :-)


"Mommy, what did you say"....not because he didn't hear me, but what he says when he doesn't understand what I've said...sometimes when I use a new word he hasn't heard before

"all by self"..."or sometimes "all by selves"...instead of "all by myself".....the other day when we were leaving for school he said, "Mommy, you don't come....I'm going all by self". I said you can't drive yourself....and he said "I CAN drive all by self". I really despise when he stresses "CAN" ... he sounds like such a Malaysian. You get alot of "CAN" or "CANNOT" here....in lieu of a proper sentence saying something is or isn't possible - I hate it when I have to resort to saying it just so that I get my point across...it's terrible!


wanting to potty anywhere outside now...thinks it's fun - thanks Dad for this one!! It took one "fun" pee outside to turn the boy into wanting to go outside now...great!

"this is FUN" - I love this one! Since he is usually so serious and it's sometimes very difficult to gadge whether or not he really is having a good time, you know he is when you get the "this is FUN" comment! His eyes light up and it makes me remember how sometimes it is just the simplest of things in life that can bring so much joy.
Evan's latest game is "dinosaurs are coming" - "dinosaurs, dinosaurs...hurry run, dinosaurs are coming"....which creates about 30 minutes of hiding and running from these so called "dinosaurs"....glad to know his imagination is finally emerging - he has always been such a serious kid, I was afraid it was going to be awhile before that creative side kicked in. Well that isn't entirely true because he has always shown a love for painting and coloring in his coloring books. In any case, he has definitely started with the pretending phase and it is so fun to hear what he comes up with!

"I'm mad for Cooper"...which translates to "I'm mad at Cooper"....but not sure why he tells him this because it's usually at times when Cooper has done nothing to him (which isn't often I might add). So, maybe it's for all the prior times..who knows!


Today we had a conversation that went something like this: As he finished going to the bathroom (since he'd taken off his undies and his shorts...)

Mom: "Alright, go get dressed now"
Evan: "Mom, you said go get dressed"
Mom: "yes I know, I said go get dressed now please"
Evan: 'like a princess?"
Mom: "No silly, I mean go put your clothes back on"


Ha...I guess he thought I was talking about a "dress "and he therefore associated it with a princess...or at least I hope that was it! I'm sure these types of conversations are just the first of many more to come!

Here are a few random pictures, from the month of April and beginning of May, that I haven't captured in other posts.

Daddy and Evan playing some Mariokart on the Wii....I'm sure it's not long before Evan will be playing it alone. Luckily, he doesn't seem too addicted to it yet and only asks to play when he sees his Dad playing.

Getting ready for yet, another haircut. I'm so glad he loves to get haircuts since E's hair grows so quickly and we like to keep it short.

A treat to some Burger King chicken nuggets and fries....this is something else that Evan enjoys, but hasn't yet come to ask for on a regular basis. Burger King or Old McDonald's ....as he refers to it!On our way to school looking cool!

Wallace's Swimming Party

We went to one of my friend's little boy's 4th birthday party today at the condos. It was a swimming party so I knew both the boys were going to enjoy themselves...and sure enough, they had a blast! I was so happy to finally see E engaging with all the other kiddos. Prior to now, he was always a bit too little to hang with the other kids, but now he is finally getting to that age where he can have fun even with the older kids. He had such a good time that I thought I was never going to get him out of that pool. Cooper even had a great time. His little friends Diego and Alex were there too, so he had his own crew to hang with! He splashed alongside Diego and loved every minute of it. And since it was a birthday party, I let Evan indulge in all the "fun stuff" too, so he stuffed himself with some sugar cookies we had made to take to the party, extra helpings of cheese puffs, and even some chocolate cake. I'm surprised he didn't puke after eating it all since he doesn't normally have these fun things on a regular basis....especially not all at once! When we were leaving, he told me he couldn't wait until his next birthday party!

We're back online!

Sorry for being out of touch for so long, but we've had 3 long weeks of internet issues...don't even get me started. So hopefully we are back up and running for awhile - it's been about 4 months since our last issues with the internet company, so hopefully it will be another 4-5 before I have to deal with those people again!

Anyhow, I have so much to catch everybody up on, so you'll have to back track on the dates to catch up. Since I'm creating this blog so the boys (and ourselves) can have for later, I want to be sure I capture all I can and start back up where I left off over a month ago!

The change in the background is in tribute to the upcoming little man's 1st birthday! I can hardly believe the little monkey is going to be one already. His BeBe and Boss will be arriving in less than 2 weeks to help him celebrate - so we are really looking forward to their visit. I really need to catch up on the posts before they arrive or I'm really going to get behind since I'm sure I'll have tons of pictures to share with everyone of their visit and all we have going on while they are here. Cooper was only 3 weeks old during their last visit to Malaysia, so needless to say we didn't get out and do much of anything. We are going to try and get out a bit more during this visit - along with a 6 day trip back to Thailand for Coop's birthday. What special little boys we have that get to go to the beach for their birthdays - hopefully we aren't spoiling them for later. I'm sure they won't remember much (if any) of this time when they get older, so at least they'll have these blog postings as memories. I found a place where it says you can turn your blog into a book to preserve it as a hard copy...so once we move from here I'll have a book printed saving all our Malaysia memories...how fun!

Check back in soon for the updates and loads of pictures......
I'll leave you with a photo I took during our attempt at getting Easter/Cooper's 1 year pictures taken earlier this month - don't they look so happy!! The actual photographer's pictures turned out a bit better (although still not real quality pics, but we'll take what we can get here) - of course, it was still impossible to get ONE picture of both boys looking in the same direction and both smiling - I had to settle on one where they both had a semi-smile and at least looking in the direction of the camera. I guess since I've never taken them regularly to have professional pictures taken they just aren't used to the process. You should have seen Marte and I trying to get them to even sit next to one another and STAY long enough for her to snap a good one. I think candid pictures are going to be the way to go next time because the posing ones are just impossible!!

Gymboree and Dinosaurs

Today, we ventured to KL for another set of classes at Gymboree, to do some grocery shopping at our favorite grocery store and caught a dinosaur exhibit at the nearby Mid Valley Megamall. Since Evan... and now Cooper... love dinosaurs (he loves to make his roaring sound when you talk about dinosaurs too now...it's not just a lion's roar any longer!), I thought they may enjoy it. Evan was a little scared at first (I have to admit they were a bit lifelike...and they had some really loud dinosaur sounds playing as well), but once I assured him they weren't real, he relaxed a bit and even posed next to some of them for pictures. Cooper of course, would have gone right up to them had we let him out of the stroller. I can already tell E is going to always be the more timid and cautious one while his younger brother is going to be the absolute fearless one! I really do love seeing their personalities develop and seeing how very different they are. I think it's definitely going to make for a challenge, but will always keep things interesting I'm sure. Life would be too easy if they behaved exactly the same....of course they are going to be totally different :-)

As for Gymboree on this particular day, Evan joined the 3o month music class for the first time and had a great time. He had really grown out of the younger class so I was glad to move him up. Today, it was all about getting the kids to hold hands and keeping a circle while walking....what a challenge this proved to be!!

Cooper was also trying his first music class today(he'd only been to the playgym classes previously) and he had a really good time too! He loved shaking the maracas and banging on the drums the best....and the peek-a-boo session through the neon scarves was also a bit hit as you can tell!

Also known as the Malaysian ant....I think we've seen this size in our house before....just kidding...but I'm not kidding when I tell you I HAVE seen the biggest ants I've ever seen in my life before, while we've been here!!

This is the tarantula that E was a bit hesitant to stand next to at first...I think it was a little too furry for his taste!

Coop at least got front row viewing in the double stroller since E chose to walk...I think he enjoyed that part!