Backtracking. . . Random Pics

Paige's parents were here in Singapore! She's such a cute mom!

Puppy sitting Miss Hana.

(By the second day Daisy was tired of sharing the attention with another 'distraction'. To get away from her, Daisy would jump on the couch where Hana couldn't get her.)

He luvs his daddy almost as much as daddy loves him.

2 days after Halloween. . . still coughing but looking much better.

Such a happy baby!

Little frog man

Time for a new speedo?

Ah enjoying the pool with daddy

New Wheels New Room

Yesterday I took Crew for a run in his new stroller. (Thanks to the Redd family!!! We love it!) I'm hoping that after months of training pushing Crew around, I'll be able to run the 5k in the sprint triathlon without a problem. . . I guess we'll see if I stay dedicated. :)  My favorite thing about it is the built in speakers that has an adaptor for my ipod. Crew was the king of east coast park, kickin back listening to mom's jams while being pushed around, man he's got the LIFE! (He's too darn cute not to get his way all the time!)

The 'King' kickin back in his new wheels

As I've mentioned in earlier posts we live in pretty tight quarters. . . and the longer we've lived here the apartment just seemed to be closing in on us. So to ease Jeremy from having an OCD breakdown, it was time for a 'spring' clean in the middle of November. (As always I did have way more 'junk' than I was willing to admit as we filled up 4 large garbage bags.) In addition to ditching all our crap we decided to take down the guest bed and have that room for Crew. We turned his old 'Harry Potter broom closet' bedroom into the storage room. We thought this would free up some space so we could move the glider from our over-crowded living room to his room. We soon found out that the new room wasn't much larger than his 'broom closet'. (at least the new room has a closet.) So we had to improvise to get it all to fit. . .

Crew's new room with his fun rug from Ikea.

Notice the huge ledge aka waste of space???

We had to put the dresser on top of the window ledge so we could fit the glider in. Although it is small I love how it came together. It's my new fav room in the house! (I can now feed him, change him, read him a  story, and put him to bed all in the same room! Even better Jeremy doesn't have to turn the TV off so Crew can 'focus' while he eats.) It was a win win for all. Even Daisy loves the new arrangement since she finally has something soft to lay on in his room. (Such a little diva :) So I'd say despite throwing away a perfect Saturday for the pool, it was worth all the physical labor of moving everything around. De-cluttering feels so refreshing!

Congrats Tavah and Brandon!!!

Aspynn Jene

Happy new parents to baby number 4!

She is beautiful with all that dark hair! We really wish we could be there but so glad that you both are doing well! Can't wait to meet that little princess in February!

BOO HOO Halloween!

No trick or treating, no dressing up, no carving pumpkins yeah this year Halloween was a BUST!  I know you're probably thinking how could we not take advantage of having the perfect candy magnet. . . a baby. They're so cute in their little costumes that they get the biggest loot and best of all they can't eat it so mommy and daddy get it all. :) The blame doesn't go to bad parenting or a dislike of the holiday. Nope our little guy was sick.

Halloween night. . . not up for trick or treating.

This was his first time being ill and I had a really hard time. I probably cried as much as he did. He had some sort of 'flu' that gave him fever/congestion/cough. Saturday night he was up every hour. The only way I could calm him was to carry him and softly bounce. We didn't get much sleep that night or the following but I realized how lucky we've been as this was his first time being inconsolable during the night. He is doing much better but still coughing and so congested. He's on two medications one for the cough and one for phlegm. It doesn't seem to be helping much he just can't get rid of the phlegm. Any ideas?

It's seemingly cruel to post pictures of a sick baby but I wanted to document it. (And show his 'stubborn' side.)

the "refusal" face

(can you tell it was a long weekend by looking at Jer's unshaven face?)

He instantly hated the medicine and quickly learned to close his mouth as soon as our hand came into view. We quickly learned who's the boss. As soon as we finished forcing the remaining medicine down, he chucked it up all over daddy. (I was going to take a picture but Jer thought that was a little insensitive as Crew had it coming out his nose and all over his face. It was a sad sight.)

Although Crew didn't get to dress up this year, at work they decided to let loose and have everyone dress up. Jer is a country bumpkin also known as Joe Dirt. Tai is a fighter. . . I forgot what kind. :)

The staff really enjoyed dressing up, giving the office a big boost in morale.

Underwater World @ Sentosa

A couple weeks ago Jeremy had the day off for Hari Raya so we decided to go to Sentosa to check out their Underwater World. Tai's wife Tanya and their two daughters were in town so after a 'tantalizing American lunch' at the one and only Jack's Place, we headed over for some family fun. (Jack's Place is the Aisan version of Denny's. . . only not so American and not so tantalizing.) We thought going on a Friday afternoon would be ideal since Saturday's are usually the busiest. You can imagine our surprise to find all of Little India there standing in line. . . we should have known. But in all fairness it was their holiday.

Despite the throngs of people and the ever present humidity, it turned out to be a fun fast adventure.  (Fast because it was nap time for all the youngins and they were not happy campers.) Out of sheer exhaustion Crew fell asleep, and even got to spend the rest of the day in his nappy. It really was soo hot. Poor Tanya is pregnant but was such a trooper. We ended the day with a little Ben and Jerry's, ahh relief. Since it was a short in and out I didn't get as many pictures of the variety of fish they had. There was an area to feed the stingrays, another tank to touch the fish including sharks, and just so many cool things. I really liked the tunnel it felt like I was finally the Little Mermaid swimming under the ocean ;) You can pay to go diving in the large tank, which at first I thought was crazy since it isn't very deep. After seeing how many fish there are maybe I'll try it out.

The Bikini Cut Pampers

If you read my post yesterday and were wondering what on earth a bikini cut diaper looked like, here ya go.

How do you work with that? I guess these diapers weren't meant for the 'huskier' babies? Because the front flap doesn't even go across his tummy. Shockingly the poo doesn't run right out the sides, instead it just comes out the back. ;o)

By the way thanks for all the advice for helping him to sleep, I think that he is actually feeling a bit under the weather. So today I gave him some TLC (tender love and care) and some baby medicine and he seems to be doing much better. No fun having a sick baby.  :o(

What I Wouldn't Give For a Wendy's Big Bacon Classic. . .

I'd even settle for Burger King's whopper. . . I just need some comfort food PRONTO. Instead I settled for a slightly burnt bagel. (Thanks to my cheapo toaster from Giant that NEVER works!!! Giant is sorta like the Asian version of Super WalMart with K-Mart quality.)

I should've known it'd be a rough week when Giant was out of the 'good' kind of pampers. I resentfully bought the 'bikini cut' pampers that were left crowding the shelves. I even upsized to Large hoping they'd be better. All to no avail as I've had 3 blow-outs in the last two days. Yesterday's second outfit I threw away because I didn't want to clean it. How is it possible to have more poo on the baby's back than in the diaper? (Don't feel too bad it was an ugly outfit and annoyingly difficult to put on.) But today's real frustration isn't about poo. Rather my one vice with Crew . . . sleep training.

I can still hear Crew's low cry ringing in my ears from today's efforts to 'sleep train'. I thought I had it all sorted out and he was doing great. I guess I got a little too confident, because this week when I put him down in his crib with his binki and blanket snuggled just the way he likes it, he wouldn't drift off to sleep like usual. No instead he pulled the binki out of his mouth and mindlessly knocked himself in the face as he tried to put it back. The battle began, me trying to keep it in so he'll sleep and him trying to pull it out. WHY??? I have no idea. Yes he is tired and definitely ready for a nap! No I’m not trying to be too scheduled! (That’s what I hear every time I try to talk about my frustrations with getting Crew to nap better.)  I had had enough and thought now would be a good time to try the 'extinction' method. That's the one where you just let them cry it out. (Anyone who has read the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, knows what I'm talking about.) I should’ve known better than to try that after we were both overtired and ornery from doing this prior for the morning nap. Obviously I wasn't determined enough and I could barely take 15 mins of it. I was bawling and all worked up, and he wasn't any closer to sleep than when we started. I gave in and picked him up. He was all smiles and giggles knowing he won yet again. Defeated I rocked him to sleep. Ahh maybe tomorrow. . . (Yup I'm a softy . . . any input on how to tough it out???)

Shockingly I feel much better now that I got that all out. It also helped that Jeremy just happened to call during my 'breakdown' after some consoleing he mentioned that he needs to go to Idaho for meetings in November and asked if Crew and I would like to come along. OF COURSE!!! YAY!!! We're going to go a few days early so we can spend some time in Utah before and after the meetings. I can't wait!!! On that happy note here are some pictures of my handsome little devil. :0)

His first time in the exersaucer. Not completely sold on it since he isn't totally stable. He occassionally nose dives into the toys. (Of course Daisy too)

Just enjoying the rain. It was comin down like crazy! I wish you could see how much rain, it was quite a sight.

Chewin on his little sausages.

Crew's second haircut, but needed to be documented because first haircut from Daddy.

(Oh that face just melts my heart.)

Where's Daisy?

He did a great job. Thanks daddy.

First Open Water Swim

The first weekend of October we headed over to Sentosa Island for our first open water training. I forgot to mention in my last post that we are doing a sprint triathlon which consists of a 750 meter swim (in the ocean), a 20k bike ride, and a 5k run. As you know swimming in the ocean with a current is very different than swimming in a pool. We thought we could use any help we could get. Jer got baby duty while I got the open water experience. (Fair trade off?) Since we had never been to Sentosa, a tiny tourist island that is part of Singapore and has the only half decent beaches for swimming, we decided to go early and check it out. I didn't take as many pictures of the island as I could have but we didn't really do that much.

Getting friendly with a python. . . he was surprisingly heavy.

We went out to the ocean, and bubba felt strong ocean winds for the first time. And he loved it! He probably enjoyed feeling cool for once, even though it was blowing like crazy.

Then we headed to Tajong beach for the training. Click on the picture to read the sign. It's not a joke it was for real. Lucky we don't have a car here.  :)

The three blondes before submitting ourselves to the rolling waves in the background.

The group after our 'torture' session. For just being a 'training' on how to the instructor kicked our trash by making us do drills, running in swimming, swimming running out and up the beach. All I can say is it wasn't as glamorous as Baywatch. There was definitely some jiggling but not in a good way. I never realized how much milk jugs can interfere with my speed. (Having lost all my leg tone and definition during pregnancy didn't help either, but I prefer to blame it on the first scenario.)  At least now I think I can make the swim, it;s now the run that worries me.

My support group.

I loved this picture. Crew sure LUVS his daddy.

Our First Triathlon

I registered Jeremy and I for our first triathlon. May 2010. I know it's not for awhile but this is a BIG step for us. That tiny picture is the venue for the event. Stay tuned for more updates on our training. . . that should be entertaining.

Hari Raya Festivities

This past month the Muslims participated in Ramadan, the month of fasting from dawn until sunset. Hari Raya is the celebration of the fast. Last weekend we were invited to a Hari Raya party. It was an experience quite unlike anything you'd encounter in the US. There were people from all over the world: the US, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and India to name the ones I remember. And on the ride home our cabby was from Pakistan. (Jeremy tring to be friendly told him that he'd really like to go to Pakistan some day to see K2, the earth's second tallest mountain peak. He quickly replied, "Oh they would shoot you down!" Alright last time we're going to be friendly to pakistan cabbies!)

This is taking too long so I'm not going to comment on the pictures like I usually do. But there were funny games, good food, and of course my handsome little guy! Jeremy was handsome too as he said a few words in Malay! Good job hon you are becoming so cultured!

My Nerdo Hubby - I LOVE YOU!

NEED I SAY MORE???

I almost peed my pants looking at this pic of Jeremy and Tai his new co-worker here in Singapore. The funniest thing is that Jer's face fits perfectly in Will Ferrell's fat head, parking lots and all. :) Jeremy is thrilled to have a fellow American to relate with at work. As you can tell they have 'brotherly love' already. Yeah I can tell you two are working hard all day long with NO downtime. . . definitely no time to play around with photo shop (wink ;-)

Kanye's A JACKA*$*$*!!!

So I know I'm behind here across the world but last night Jer and I just watched the MTV VMA awards and I could not believe that Kanye could be an even bigger jerk than he already was. But sure enough he topped it when he did that to Taylor Swift. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about see the video below)

MTV Shows

I don't know how she pulled it together, but I thought she rocked her performance. It was the best second only to Pink's acrobatic rendition of Sober. I couldn't believe the stunts she was doing while singing. . . WOW. It was moving. . . (To see her performance see the video below. WARNING: Rated PG-13 for heart shaped pastey on leotard and somewhat provocative :)

P!nk - New Music - More Music Videos

Anyhow that's just my thoughts on the 2009 VMA awards. Although I'm sure we could have spent our time doing something productive such as sleeping, It certainly made for an entertaining late night for the two of us. And it gave me some celebrity gossip. (Jer already knew all about it since he actually keeps up with the world news and reads MSNBC daily. . .I thought to myself "you already knew about all that drama and you didn't think to tell me???" Geesh it was kinda a big deal.) So this makes 2 posts for one day and i'm just blogged OUT! LOL. Actually my dreaded task of cleaning the house is haunting me and I've really got to get it done while Crew is sleeping and before daddy gets home from work. G'night!

This Week's Happenings

Well little Crew is now 4mos as of the 18th. He is as handsome as ever and such a GOOD little guy. I couldn't have asked for a better baby. Some of his new accomplishments include:

-grabbing his feet and trying to suck on those little toes

-laughing and giggling without being tickled

-talking almost shouting when he just wants to be heard

-rolling to his side

-taking his binki out of his mouth, examining it (no success with putting it back in:)

-getting super excited when he sees his binki or mommy's 'milk jugs' right before a feed

-he can now use his hands to pull on his little toy that he used to use his feet

He loves to hold soft things and put them by his face such as blankets, clothes, whatever. To get him to sleep he has to have his blankie by his face (so cute but sometimes scary as he occasionally pulls it over his face and can't get it off. I have to keep a close eye on him when he's napping.)

Here he is holding his very cute burb rag (thanks Becky he LOVES it:) he will hang on to it and suck on it better than a toy. This particular day was pretty hot out so instead of a blanket he cuddled with his burb rag. I wish I had a picture of it but I didn't want to wake him up. Some cute girls in our ward. On Sat Kate and Lehi hosted a fun BBQ at their place. It was a great time with food, friends, and swimming. Even though it was raining a bit the kids still had a blast in the pool. A candid snap of the party.

My little 4mos old baby! And sweet Cara in the background. (She's just a month and a half younger than Crew.)

I had to get a picture of my yummy cinnamon rolls. They turned out pretty nice and I'm proud to say I didn't go home with any leftovers. . . although with a dozen kids that's pretty easy.

I thought this was a pretty funny pic of Jer. . . not sure what face he was making but it kinda reminded me of a vampire???

In addition to Crew turning 4mos he had to go in yesterday for his 2nd round of immunizations. It's been a sad past two days as he has had a slight fever and just not feeling well. I got some good cuddling in since he didn't want to be put down, but it was still so sad to see him sick. Poor think he's got drops in his eye and medicine for the fever. Anytime I lay him down and lean over he closes his eyes and mouth, worried that I'm going to be putting something in them, once he realizes the coast is clear he gives me a big grin or a giggle. Cute little dude.