Sleep

Alex is my best friend today! He has slept through the night (7pm-7am) twice now so it's giving me hope that the days of getting up at night are nearly over. I started a "dream feed" about two weeks ago, where I just sneak in his room around 10pm, pick him up, and wiggle a bottle in his mouth. He barely stirs but that sucking reflex is so strong that Alex will down the whole bottle in about 5 minutes. Then he's back in the crib with a full tummy and I'm off to bed. Most nights he still wakes up at predictable times and I have to get up and reswaddle him and occasionally feed him, but last night he went the entire night without a peep. We were both in such a good mood this morning! It's amazing how much a good night's sleep can do for you, but also how you can survive for so long on a little sleep. Thank goodness the newborn weeks go by so quickly because I don't know how I was functioning on a couple hours here and there.

Ben got his first real haircut (as opposed to me butchering it in the bathroom) last week. It was a great place with TVs and balloons, so he was plenty distracted and sat completely still. If he would do that at home I think I could do a pretty decent job myself. When the lady pulled out the shaver I was a little unsure because Ben doesn't exactly have loads of hair, but it does look nice with the edges all shaped and trimmed.

Here's the before:

During:

And after (though the style only lasted for about 3 seconds before Ben patted it back down):

Since it's STILL raining every day we haven't been doing much, but we do go outside and play every afternoon if it isn't too wet. Ben has to have all his gear - shopping cart, sunglasses, keys in the pocket, and occasionally a phone. Alex is easier to pack - just a pacifier for this guy.

Sweet baby never lasts long with a little motion and the heat...

Ben's latest game is to go in the kitchen in the condo below us, even though he knows it's not ours. Most of the places in Singapore have a separate entrance into the kitchen so maids can come and go without going through the living area. We never use our kitchen door but the maid does open it sometimes to get a breeze since the kitchen is not airconditioned and Ben thinks it's so much fun to go in that door. So that makes it even more fun to go in the identical door in someone else's unit! Thank goodness the maid there is really sweet and thinks it's funny to chase Ben back out. In this picture he's pointing in the direction he wants to go and already laughing because he knows I'm about to say no.

Since it was a rainy afternoon yesterday we pulled out Candyland to see if Ben would be interested in a game yet. He didn't get the idea of the game at all but he was really good about taking turns drawing cards. If nothing else, it's helping him practice his colors and waiting his turn.

The countdown has begun - only 1 month until the boys and I are on our way back to the US! We can't wait!! Well, I can't wait....they have no idea what they're about to go through with the flights and jetlag. I'm a little nervous that Alex's first plane ride will be an 8-hour flight to Tokyo, followed by a 13-hour flight to Houston. Let's hope this guy is a good flier! We bought Ben an early Christmas gift yesterday - a portable DVD player so he can watch as much Elmo and Thomas as he wants and save my sanity on the trip.

Our Favorite Things

It looks like Alex may have found his first buddy. This stuffed elephant is soft and makes a rattle noise, so it's perfect to keep a little guy company. I love watching Alex reach towards things and show interest in some toys over others. I also liked seeing that he was trying to get it in his mouth because I'm hoping we're entering the chewing stage, which means the sucking phase will soon be ending and we might be able to kick his pacifier obsession. He got a new kind of pacifier last week and it has worked miracles in his sleeping. I wish I would have tried it earlier but at least we're finally getting him settled into a nice eating and sleeping routine and if it takes a pacifier to soothe him right now then a pacifier he will get! At the advice of a baby sleep book, I started giving him 4 naps a day instead of 3 and that seems to have helped a lot as well. He's in and out of bed the entire day but he's happy, well-rested, and eating a lot better so I think it was great advice.


He's becoming a fan of tummy time as well, maybe because the world looks better from this view instead of the floor. The only problem is that playing on the floor while Ben is around can sometimes be hazardous! Ben has never intentionally hurt Alex but sometimes he tries to walk right across him or lay on top of him.

Ben's favorite activity is singing these days! It is just precious hearing him sing along to anything but it's really hard to catch on video. I managed to get two performances, although there are plenty of distractions in both like mama's bad singing, Alex babbling, fascinating buttons, and of course, the camera itself. But still, you get the idea. What's even funnier is that Ben loves a certain Elmo video where all the muppets sing favorite kid songs, so after some of the songs Ben will go right into the video dialogue. I don't know if I should be proud or embarrassed that he apparently has the whole thing memorized!

Ben has been stashing things in his pockets lately so I never know what we're going to find, but I was very surprised to find several tins of mints at the doctor's office today! He had done a little "shopping" at the drugstore earlier and we had to march back down to return the contraband. I couldn't get too mad at him because he doesn't understand the idea of paying for things yet and this store has way too much stuff at eye level for little ones so I guess I know not to take him back! At school they know to check his pockets first thing to send back anything Ben has taken from the house, like Daddy's watch or keys or money.

Ben and I went to the doctor to get our flu shots this afternoon. There is no true flu season here because it just gets carried in from travelers, but doctors stock the flu vaccine for both northern and southern hemispheres as they become available throughout the year. I don't want to get that many shots so we're just sticking to whatever we'll need for our home leave each year. Unfortunately, I went first and Ben was watching me like a hawk so I had to put on a brave face even though I hate shots and the vaccine really burns. Ben sat in my lap to get his and the kid didn't even flinch! I felt no reaction in him at all. He must have an amazingly high tolerance for pain....he did NOT get that from me! I guess all those IV's in his scalp and blood draws on his heels sure toughened him up back in the NICU.

Frog Farm

We were looking for something new to do again this weekend and we decided to head back to the farms, only this time to check out frogs! People eat a lot of frog legs here and also take "nutritional" essence of bullfrog...no idea what it's supposed to be good for....but it must do something because this frog farm was huge. We saw tank after tank full of big fat bullfrogs and we got Ben some food to throw to them. It was pretty entertaining.

These guys were over 2 pounds each!

We went to a tank at the end that apparently doesn't get fed as often because these guys were ready to eat anything.

Ben said hello to the frogs the entire time. I think he really enjoyed it because now he'll talk to us about the goat farm and the frog farm.

Back at home the boys have been up to all kinds of things. At bedtime they were both enjoying the ceiling fan together. I'm not coordinated enough to bathe them together yet so Alex hangs out while Ben takes a bath, but he gets to enjoy the books and songs with us before I bathe him and put him to bed afterward.

Think Ben is a little big for the swing now? Our big one finally gave out so I'm renting a small one like Ben used to use at Grammy and Grumpy's....only Ben seems to be spending more time in it than Alex!

Crazy kid insisted on wearing my swim goggles at breakfast. Hey, if it makes the food go down easier, why not?

What's better than one pacifier? Two pacifiers!

Ben loves to be like Daddy, so if Daddy wears a hat and sunglasses, Ben wants his hat and sunglasses.

I'm really proud of Ben because he peed in his potty two days in a row! We're still not seriously potty training because of the major blue jeans attachment at the moment, but any time we're in the bathroom I try to get him to sit on his potty and we're having some success. The more I think about it, the better it seems to wait anyway because there is no way we'll be able to make a 24-hour international trip and guarantee he'll get to a bathroom as soon as he needs it, so diapers seem to be a good thing for the time being.

Here's an updated view outside our windows:
Unfortunately, all of the bedrooms face this construction site and some days it drives me absolutely crazy. They work 14 hour days, 6 days a week. The tall piledriver is loud enough that I can hear it on the baby monitor so I don't know how these poor kids can sleep. It does disturb Ben's naps some days but hopefully Alex just thinks that's normal since it's all he's heard since he came home!

Funny Ben

I am constantly amazed at what a little man Ben has become. It is so much fun watching him learn and grow into a true individual as we see more of his personality each day. I had virtually no experience with babies or kids other than my own, so I had no idea how much fun 2 year-olds can be! Ben is learning several new words each day and he surprises me all the time with the things he knows and understands already. I'm using a lot of phrases like "after (blank) we'll do (blank)" or "we need to (blank) and we'll come back to (blank)" because he's very receptive to things when he understands why we have to leave or why I'm saying no to something. Yesterday he asked to watch Elmo, as usual, but when I said no because it was time to eat lunch, Ben said "okay, after lunch we'll watch Elmo". Even though I hadn't agreed to it, I had to give in after I finished laughing. He's using my tricks on me!

He's always liked music, but now Ben is really into singing. He knows several songs now and asks to sing ALL of them before naptime and bedtime. I'm pretty sure it's also a stalling technique but it's a lot of fun so I usually sing along as long as Alex isn't waiting for his turn to go to bed. I'll have to get video of our little performer soon. He's also quite the counter these days and can get up to 8 in Spanish and 16 in English. He may be counting in Mandarin but until I learn what it sounds like I'll have no idea.

Ben had his second dentist appointment yesterday and he was a perfect little gentleman the entire time. I had coached him on holding his mouth open and spitting water into the sink and he did everything just as the dentist asked except show his teeth with his jaw closed because every time the dentist came near his mouth he opened as far as possible. Guess we didn't need to work on that as much as I thought! Afterward, he and I walked to Tanglin Mall and enjoyed some tea and a snack together at Starbucks. He walked everywhere right next to me and then sat in his chair next to me eating his muffin like a little man and I sat in amazement about much he's matured - no stroller, no diaper bag (although I still have to carry a diaper and wipes in my purse until he'll take off his pants for potty training!), no running away like a wild man. He's growing up so fast! Part of me can't wait for Alex to get this age so we can see his personality and part of me wants to keep him a baby forever and savor every minute before it slips away.

As a very wise friend told me, "the days are long but the years are short". I couldn't agree more! I often remind myself to enjoy the regular moments, like playing under the quilt after naptime or just rocking a sleeping baby, because they'll be gone before I know it. Some days when they're both testing my patience I halfheartedly wish I was still working some, but the other 99% of the time I wouldn't trade this special time for anything in the world. I'm overwhelmed sometimes that God has entrusted us with these beautiful little boys and that they can be so loving and trustful, but I'm incredibly thankful for the joy and laughter they bring into my life every day.

I read this poem this morning and I think it's why I'm feeling so reflective today:

Children Are A Gift From God

by Sandra Tolson

God sent me two packages
That needed special care
"Take care of these tiny gifts
For they are very rare."

"Watch over them with all your love
And let them feel your touch
Take care of their every need
For you are needed very much."

"These gifts will grow up very fast
As you soon will see
Love them with all your heart
And let them be what they will be."

"When these gifts have fully grown
Look at Heaven up above
Know they exist because of God
And all his precious love."

A Day At The Farm

First, look at who is 3 months old already! What a beautiful boy :) Now if I could just figure out the secret to getting him to sleep he'd be a perfect little baby. Not that I'm the first mom to have that problem...I just feel a little behind the curve since Ben was so different from an average newborn that I have no experience to go on, but I still have to chase a 2-year old while I'm learning. Ben came home on a strict eating schedule that didn't change until his first growth spurt. He never woke up at night, although we set our alarms and woke him up at scheduled times for a few months. Once he was big enough to skip the overnight feed and we stopped waking him, he slept 10 hours every night. Ben weaned himself off his pacifier around 3-4 months with no help. (Not to say Ben was a perfect baby because it took him an hour to finish a bottle and he only napped on my chest, or later Grammy or Grumpy's chest once I went back to work) Now Alex is the complete opposite! He does sleep well most nights but I think he's falling into the habit of waking up instead of truly being hungry so I'm hoping to break that pretty soon.

Over the weekend we were looking for something entertaining for Ben and we stumbled upon a goat farm. It's in the Kranji Countryside, as though a small island of 4.5 million people could truly have a country area. It was far enough away from the city center that we could actually believe we weren't in Singapore for a few miles.

Ben loved the goats!

And they loved him!

Alex was just along for the ride but it will be fun one day when he can enjoy these activities as well.



Ben decided the goats needed a kiss...not exactly what I would have chosen for him to do but since he already had goat all over his face it was worth getting a picture!

Later we stopped at another farm that had cows as well so Ben got to see quite a few barnyard animals. He is turning out to be quite the animal lover which makes me happy because I love doing anything that involves furry creatures, especially since we don't have any pets at home at the moment. I'd love to adopt something here but it would break all of our hearts to leave it whenever we move and I couldn't put an animal through a 24-hour plane trip. So farms it is for now....

Where has the time gone?

I am shocked that it's already October! That means Alex is almost 3 months old...time really flies. It's a little deceiving living in a country with no real seasons, too, because usually by this time of year in Houston there have been enough nice days to make you believe that summer really does end eventually. I've heard people compare Singapore to the movie Groundhog Day because pretty much every day you wake up and look out the window you see the same thing. Not that it's a bad thing, but I do wish for a change in the weather to remind me of the time of year every now and then.

Anyway, look at how big Alex is getting! He's smiling a lot these days and just beginning to laugh a little. I can't wait to get that on video.

Testing out the bumbo chair. Alex may get to spend more time in it once I get Ben out!

Alex had a few days of blissfully easy sleep, but I think he was teasing me because today he's back up to his old tricks. It takes me several tries and usually at least 30 minutes to get him down for each nap, not an easy task with a 2-year old in the house who only talks in one volume - loud.

Ben is becoming much more interested in Alex because he's starting to see some reaction in his little brother. When Alex is playing on the floor, Ben brings him toys whether Alex needs them or not. It appears that we're going to have two blue-eyed boys, which is great news, but really hard when I'm trying to correct the red eye in every picture! Right now I can't fix Alex's eyes most of the time so he'll just have to live with red eyes in his baby book.

We have postponed any sort of potty training because of these blue jeans. Ben will not be separated from them at the moment, so the day I decided to strip him down he cried for the jeans for an hour before I gave in and put them back on. Apparently they look better with a rubber belt, too.

Yesterday was a national holiday for Hari Raya (a muslim holiday for the end of ramadan, I think) so we spent the morning on a hiking trail through a nature reserve so Ben could see some monkeys. We saw several from the car but never happened upon any in the forest, but Ben had a great time exploring anyway.

Remember the days when you didn't avoid puddles?

And one last video....I know Ben is too young to read but I didn't know he'd already memorized some of his favorite books! He knows what to say on nearly every page.

At The Pool

Ben still loves the pool more than anything! He jumped in over and over and over and over and over...

Afterward, we let the little naked boy run around in his towel to warm up. I remember when this towel used to drag the ground...Ben has grown so much this year!

Mama and my two beautiful boys. Alex got to dip his feet in the water and I hope he will enjoy swimming as much as Ben because we love to spend our weekends at the pool.