Training Days

Both boys are doing some serious training this week - potty training for Ben and sleep training for Alex. I can't say we've had a ton of success with the potty training yet but Ben did stop playing, pull down his undies, and pee on the potty all by himself today so that's a huge step. That's after several accidents but I'll take any progress we can get. And thank goodness for tile and clorox. I've just been letting him run around in underwear so he knows immediately when he's had an accident.
And Alex has been sleeping training but it's been a lot easier than I anticipated. He's always been tough to put down, especially for naps, and I really want him to learn to settle himself to sleep in his crib so I've been letting him cry it out. To my surprise, most of the time he cries or fusses for just a few minutes and goes straight to sleep. And the best part is that he's been napping longer and sleeping better at night all week. Hopefully it's not just a phase but the beginning of him really sleeping well.

Since Alex has been napping better, both boys have been eating meals at the same time for the past few days and they both seem to enjoy it.

Ben and I took advantage of one of Alex's naps and enjoyed some time at the botanic garden. Ben was very proud of himself for catching and spitting out most of the water in the fountains.

Unfortunately just a few minutes later, he tripped and got his first double skinned knees. Ouch! (I didn't sit him down just for the pictures...we were waiting on our french fries to help him forget about the knees and I figured I might as well capture the moment)

Ever wonder why I don't post many pictures of Ben and Alex together? That's because it takes about an hour and 100 shots to get a decent picture of them! Here's an example. Both boys were sitting on Ben's bed before naptime looking adorable so I ran for my camera. Here's the rundown (but only about half of the pictures):

Looking cute, but Alex is way too close and his head looks twice as big as Ben's!

A little brotherly love....

Starting to lose Ben...

Ben's gone and the blanket has turned into lunch...

Ben's back but looking possessed...

Now Alex is eating the kitty....

And then everyone falls apart...

Their first wrestling session...

And I think Alex won! He pinned Ben under all that weight.

So off they went to their separate beds for naps. Only Ben never napped...I heard lots of noise coming from there for an hour and a half but I didn't have the energy to tell him to get back in bed. This is what I saw when I finally opened the door. I think Ben was pretty proud of himself for getting away with not napping. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end because it's becoming more common for him to skip a nap at least once a week.

But one thing will never change - this boy loves to dance!


And this boy loves to eat! I let him play with some cereal and he immediately grabbed them and put his fists to his mouth, but he can't figure out how to let go and eat them...it's hilarious.

Gold Coast, Australia

Happy Chinese New Year! It goes unnoticed in the western world, but the lunar new year is a big deal in Asia. Most of Singapore shuts down for several days and it was a 4-day weekend this year, so we decided to take advantage of Matt's time off and head down under. It was originally going to be a family beach trip and surfing trip for Matt on the Gold Coast, but with the broken arm and recent surgery it turned out just to be a wonderful time at the beach for all of us.

We took an all-night flight to Brisbane which turned out to be more painful than our long trips to Houston. As hard as a 13 or 14 hour flight can be, at least it leaves plenty of time for meals and a nice long stretch of sleep for the kids. This was only an 8 hour flight and by the time they finished dinner the lights were only off for about 4 hours before they woke everyone up to serve breakfast. We were all exhausted. But that all changed as soon as we got our bags and went through immigration (and quarantine...whew knew the Aussies were so crazy about what kind of food you bring in?) we headed straight to a koala sanctuary I'd been excited to visit.


Ben got to feed the wild lorikeets. We also saw a big flock of wild cockatoos that was just amazing but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture.

We saw a few wombats and they were all stretched out on their backs like this.

And then on to the koalas! They are just adorable and sleep in the cutest positions.

This was a teenager named Fanny that just slightly outweighed Alex. Ben kept petting her and giving her kisses and she didn't mind that he was calling her a monkey.

We also saw these blue-tongued lizards all over the place. Some of them were up to 3 feet long and not a bit shy, so I was a little nervous of them.

Ben had fun feeding the kangaroos and I couldn't figure out why his food was lasting so much longer than mine, then I noticed that he was feeding one tiny pellet at a time....

....we had to work on a more efficient feeding method on a hot day!

Then we left Brisbane and drove south to the Gold Coast which is a popular vacation spot for the Australians because of its beautiful beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see. We were fortunate enough to get a serviced apartment on the 30th story with an amazing view.

Ben loved sitting on the balcony but we couldn't let him near the rail because it was a looong way down.

Matt and I both agreed that the beach looked so much like the beaches in Rio de Janeiro, with the long expanse of golden sand, the aqua water, and the high rises. All that was missing was the guys walking around selling beer, coconut water, and grilled cheese.

Looking back toward our building (the one on the right) at 45 stories high, it was dwarfed by the Q building which is supposedly the tallest residential building in the world.

Here are the guys all ready to hit the beach! Ben perked up a lot when we got outside.

Our family beach photo. Thank goodness Matt got his stitches out a few days before we left so he was able to swim and do anything with his splint on. Or take the splint off and use it as a shovel in the sand. Whatever works!

One morning while Alex was napping we took Ben to a huge arcade on the main drag in Surfer's Paradise. He was crazy about the bumper cars and I literally had to drag him out of there after we rode a few times because he refused to leave.

A close second was driving a race car with Daddy.

Ben was so focused....I'm pretty sure we'll be spending our fair share of time at these in the future.

We had a few more credits to use before we left so we let Ben hit the buttons on this jackpot machine and what does he do the first time? hit the jackpot!

We spent his tickets on a great prize - a flashlight for the kid who's addicted to lights and batteries. It was also the best way to get him out of the arcade because he was totally in love with his new toy.

A picture at the end of the main street looking toward the beach. We loved the area because we could walk everywhere and things were very casual and family-friendly. It was a terrific place for a laid-back vacation.

Back at the beach one afternoon and Alex was loving it. He was NOT a fan when the sun was out because it got pretty hot, but under the clouds and breeze he had a ball. Ben loved the beach no matter what and kept asking to go play in the water or dig in the sand. Our last afternoon there we stayed out until sunset to completely wear Ben out so hopefully he got his fill of the beach!

Our last evening on the balcony.

How do you keep a 2-year old busy in the car? Give him a tube of chapstick. It got us back to the airport without having to waste any battery on the DVD player. We liked flying Qantas but their kids' movies weren't great and I didn't want Toy Story to end before the flight did!

So now we're back home and completely unpacked from all of our trips. Coming back from such a long trip to the US, I wasn't totally thrilled about the idea of another trip and long flight but it was completely worth it. We got to relax and enjoy some time together as a family while we explored a new country. Our little travelers have now been to 3 continents! and they probably won't remember anything about it :)

Diagnosis: A Big Head

Whew....I'm thanking the Lord today for a healthy little boy! We were doing our best not to worry about the head ultrasound today but it's impossible not to let that little nagging doubt into your mind. I just kept thinking it would be so ironic (and not in a funny way) that we'd spent years concerned about Ben's health and our apparently healthy, normal baby may be the one with problems. But that's not the case today. The radiologist did an ultrasound on Alex's head through his soft spot and confirmed that everything looks completely normal. He just has a huge head! It just reminds me to be grateful every day for two beautiful, healthy boys.

Alex is on the verge of sitting up by himself. He still needs just a little support for balance but I think in another week or two he'll be upright on his own. I remember this being a great time with Ben because the world is a new place from that point of view and suddenly they're able to entertain themselves a lot more...much to a mother's delight!
It was a beautiful weekend here so we decided to take Alex for his first dip in the pool. He cried a little at first but then started splashing and kicking, so I think he may be a fan. He's so much more padded than Ben so he may be able to stay in the cold water longer than his big brother, who starts shaking and gets a little blue if he stays in too long.
Since our trip to the US, Ben's language has improved dramatically. He uses long sentences now and is constantly narrating everything I do - "mama's in the kitchen", "mama's putting on a blue shirt", "mama's in the bathroom on the potty"...yes, that will be fun in a public restroom! One that really made me laugh this week was him bringing me my deodorant and saying "put on my armpits" (I have no idea where he even learned that word!), so along with lotion and chapstick, now he wears deodorant.

Good News

Thanks, Grumpy, for sharing this article...hopefully it's going to be true for Alex! (Ben has always had a small head so he'll just have to use that brain a little harder)

Babies with big heads smarter by age eight

Pictures

I'm finally getting a little bit back to normal. The boys have gotten their days and nights straight again and are sleeping at more predictable hours, thank goodness, so I'm getting a bit more rested. That's not to say that Ben and Alex have been a lot of fun because they're still pretty cranky - Ben especially, but I'm beginning to think that may be more of a factor of his age than anything else. He is definitely a 2-year old. He's screaming away in his bed at the moment because he doesn't want to take a nap that he desperately needs. But that's another story...

So here are a few pictures from our last days in the US...

The boys with Grammy and Grumpy

Everyone with Grandma and Grandpa Kirkham and Aunt Amanda

Here is what jetlag looks like in two little boys. This was at 4 in the afternoon, which had been 2am back in Houston. It's not an easy time difference to adjust to for anyone!


The boys both went to the doctor yesterday for checkups.

Alex at 6 months:
19.0 lbs (75th percentile)
26.5 inches (60th percentile)
Overall, he looks terrific and is doing all the things he's supposed to be doing at 6 months like smiling, laughing, reaching for things, lifting his chest off the ground while on his tummy, making crawling motions, sitting almost independently, etc. The only thing that really concerned the doctor is that Alex's head circumference jumped from the 50th percentile at 4 months to the 98th percentile at 6 months. That's an enormous amount of growth that's disproportionate to his body and cause for further investigation. The doctor scheduled a head ultrasound next week to determine whether fluid is collecting in his skull and causing the rapid growth, a condition called hydrocephaly . We are of course hoping and praying that Alex just has a big old head and happened to get measured during a time when things are out of proportion. Please remember him in your prayers this week as we wait to hopefully rule out a serious problem.


Ben at 31 months (over 2 1/2 years):
27 lbs (15th percentile)
37.5 inches (60th percentile)
No doubt he's going to be tall and thin for a while! He grew nearly 6 inches this year. He still doesn't eat much but loves anything dipped in ketchup. Apparently even pancakes taste better with a little ketchup on them.

Silly boy drawing a mustache...

It's nice to be settled back at home and have our normal routine again, although we already miss our families back home terribly. I've been trying to remind myself about some of the things I love in Singapore, like a grocery delivery service, cheap pedicures and local food, and restaurants that all take reservations on Saturday nights. The weather has been beautiful since we got back. It's still technically the rainy season (although I've found out that no matter what the season is labeled, the weather could do anything) but it has been sunny and breezy nearly every day, with a high in the upper 80's and low in the mid 70's. Absolutely perfect. Still, I miss having our own house and two cars, going to one store for all 20 things on my list, drive-thru's, and free parking. But such is life!

All Settled In Singapore

We left Houston on a cold, rainy Tuesday morning and after 22 hours of flying arrived in Singapore to a warm, humid Thursday morning. Just a few hours later Matt had to go see a hand/wrist surgeon (lucky us - we already know a good one thanks to Ben's broken arm) and scheduled surgery for 6am Friday morning. He had to have a titanium plate put on his left radius where he basically shattered the end of the bone at his wrist. His "outpatient" procedure left him in such severe pain that he had to stay in the hospital on IV painkillers until Saturday afternoon, but otherwise the doctor was very pleased with the results and we're hoping for Matt to make a full recovery. So between that and two little kids with terrible jetlag who have been taking turns waking up at all hours of the night, we have been a cranky bunch around here! The good news is that all 8 suitcases are unpacked, the laundry is put away, and we're seeing a little progress each night in how long all of us are sleeping so there is light at the end of the tunnel. What has been really disappointing to me is that I was hoping to use some of these miles we've been racking up on Continental to fly back with the boys for a few weeks over the summer but I've learned that it's pretty impossible for me to handle the jetlag with both of them myself. It's really out of the question until they're a bit older and the trip would be worthwhile.

It's a little bittersweet being back here because of course we hated to say goodbye to our families again, knowing it will be months before we see any of them, but it's so nice to finally be at home in our own beds again. Ben and Alex were such little troopers to hang in there over such a long trip without much of their familiar routine and I think they're both happy to be home, even though Ben keeps talking about his grandparents and Kitty Abby.

Once I finally find the cord to my camera I'll share some pictures...we still have piles of stuff to sort through (mostly on my desk at the moment). I haven't even looked at the mail yet and I know we have bills to pay but my waking hours are pretty consumed with keeping the kids entertained until the next time we can all go to bed!