Fish Spa!

Today, I went with a friend to a MOPS outing at Hausmann Aquarium. The cab driver got a bit lost on the way, since it was in northern Singapore by the farms and more "greenery" than I've seen in several months. This trip was for a Fish Spa!! Garra rufa and Cyprinion macrostomus are two species of fish that nibble on the dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow. The fish literally latch on to your skin and it's extremely ticklish! While I hate my feet, I still wanted to share the experience...

When I finally stopped moving my feet around, it got a little less ticklish and I had tons of fish on my feet and on my legs. It felt like a tiny vibration as they ate away and filled their little bellies with my skin!! This was the room that we were in...I'm glad I was able to go and get to know some if the women from MOPS a bit more and join in some fellowship. We went to eat lunch at Dome in Dempsey Hill afterward, which was delicious.

On another note, i just wanted to share some pictures of Juliana from over the weekend. I'm enjoying the fact that her hair is finally growing out enough to put in tiny ponytails...She also got a couple nightgowns in her last box from my mom and grandmother, so I had to snap a picture. She looks like the little princess that she is...Also in the box was some new play food for her kitchen and here she is feeding daddy a donut...

Her Little Tikes dump truck is not meant for her to drive around, but she doesn't care and tries to sit on it anyway!Playing peak-a-boo...

Here she is wearing the other night gown and trying on a "hat." Lately, anything she can fit on her head lately qualifies as a hat!

Jacob's Golf Outing

Jacob got to play golf yesterday afternoon for the first time here in Singapore with some of his coworkers. The course, at Laguna Country Club, has been ranked among the top courses in the world by Golf Digest International and Asian Golf Monthly. Jacob listed off a bunch of professional golf players that have played there, but I can't remember any of their names for the life of me!! Anyway, he wanted to share some of the pictures he took...

Little swimmer

Juliana had a swim lesson this morning since the weather finally cooperated! This was only the second lesson with the new instructor that comes to the condo, so I wasn't too sure how she would do. But, she surprised me and was only shy for a couple of minutes before getting comfortable in the pool with her.

She had lots of toys for Juliana to play with and practice moving around in the water. She is definitely getting stronger and more confident, because she didn't loose her balance at all during the entire lesson. She even sat on the side of the pool and watched the instructor show her how to kick her legs. It took a few times, but in the end, Juliana gave it a try and seemed to enjoy it. Here's some pictures...

Yesterday, I finally got to put a tiny ponytail in her hair!! It didn't last much more than two hours, but it was adorable and she got to show it off to her Nana and Great-Nana on skype!

She's 17 months old today and growing so fast! Her 15th tooth just cut through her gums yesterday, her hair is getting long and she's such a fast learner. It's amazing how fast the time has gone by!

Day of rest

Sunday, our day of rest! After a busy day yesterday, we spent most of the day relaxing at home and playing with Juliana. After her nap, we ventured out to Jurong Point to walk around and get some dinner. I just wanted to share a couple pictures of our little one!

Busy week ahead, but lots of fun in store! And on another note, I just want to wish my mom a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I miss her so much and wish we could spend it together, but the weeks are going by pretty fast, so she'll be visiting us again in no time!

Gym camp and lunch

This morning was Juliana’s camp at the Little Gym, so Jacob had his second chance to enjoy the opportunity with her. She got to show off all of the skills she has learned this term, including her flips on the bar, walking on the beam, forward and backward rolls.
And of course, the class ended with lots of bubbles to play with!
After camp, we headed over to the apartment of one of Jacob’s coworker’s for lunch. They moved over to Singapore from the U.S. also, but are both originally from India and have three children. We had a lovely time and both look forward to seeing them again. Juliana was intrigued by their youngest daughter and even gave her kisses!
On another note, I recently read an article that noted how Singapore has recently been renamed the top expatriate city in Asia. It states, "Good infrastructure and health care facilities, low crime and health risks, and decent air quality contribute to Singapore providing the best quality of living for Asian assignees." The safety and cleanliness of the city is one of the biggest reasons why Jacob & I (as well as many other expats that I have talked to) love Singapore. My experience with cities is quite limited, but compared to what I have seen, the government strives to ensure that the city remains as welcoming to families as possible. In Boston, I could never have imagined riding the train at 11:00 at night, but out here, it doesn’t even phase me!

Our week

The weather this week has been hot and hotter and sad to say, it's not even summer time here yet. I didn't have a whole lot of hours for work this week, so I filled my time with Juliana and a couple of friends I have made in the last couple months.

Juliana's swimming lesson was canceled yesterday morning due to the rain, but I've been taking her in the pool as often as I can. She's becoming so much stronger in the water and likes to walk around without her float. Two days ago, she even dunked herself under the water and stood back up on her own! She (and I) was so proud! Her gymnastics term ended this week and she's starting a new one next Monday. Included in the term was one free camp session, so tomorrow morning, Jacob and I are taking her to Little Gym for an hour and a half to play, run around and practice all of the skills she's learned over the past ten weeks.

One of the newest things that Juliana loves to do is climb into anything she can fit into, such as her toy containers or the end table...

We've also been practicing with her flash cards and songs. She knows a lot of the animals by sight now and can make all of their noises too! She's also got most of her body parts figured out as well. Here she is practicing "head, shoulders, knees and toes."

And here are some pictures from dinner last night. It was spaghetti, so we let her play with the noodles!!

She's always so much fun and loves trying new activities. She's got crayons, colored pencils and markers, so we've been doing lots of coloring lately too. She just finished a couple pictures for her nana and great grandmother to put in the box I'm shipping them. With the heat, it's not always enjoyable to go outside, but we did make it to the pool a few times this week and to the water playground at IMM.

Other than keeping busy with Juliana, I got together with a couple friends out here that are also from the U.S. I've been lucky enough to meet some wonderful women in the area, mostly through the internet. We're all expat moms, so it's great to get together and share our experiences!

Next week is looking pretty busy too, which is always a good thing. Juliana's got two music classes, gym class, a swim lesson and a couple play dates!!

Parents: #1 Role Model

Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. -Robert Fulghum

Over the last week or so, Juliana has slowly become more attached to me. She cries now when I leave the apartment to go to work, clings to my legs when we're out at the mall, and comes up to me when I'm on the computer to give me a hug or sit on my lap. Along with her open displays of affection, she's also become more shy around strangers, which I guess is a good thing. Before, she would pretty much go up to anyone and wouldn't complain if someone she didn't know picked her up. Now, she is a bit more hesitant around people she doesn't know and cries if she is scared.

The more she changes, the more I realize how much she is watching everything single thing I say and do. I liked this quote from a parenting site I subscribe to, because as parents, we sometimes forget that we are our children's number one role model. Juliana loves to mimic what we say, especially lately when we are trying to tell her not to do something. She'll look right at me and say, "No no no no." It's hard to keep a straight face, but if I laugh, she'll think it's funny and okay to do whatever it is she's doing (climbing on furniture, playing with her food, etc.).

Being a role model is a hard job, but once we become parents, we've immediately signed up for the task. Juliana's self-confidence is going to develop over the years and in order for it to be strong, she needs to see her mom and dad display confidence, self-love and respect. It's not always easy to remember this in difficult times, when all we want to do is lie down and cry right along with them!

The point of this post is simple: parenting is a live and learn process. As people always like to say, they don't hand out a manual on our way out of the hospital after our child is born. We will make plenty of mistakes along the way and learn how to be the best role model for our children by how they react to us. I hope that Juliana will be able to grow up and be proud of who she is and where she came from. In one of my parenting books, it says, "You shouldn't have expectations as parents. You raise your children and teach them about love and respect. They may not turn out to be who or what you expected, but that's the point. They grow up and you have to let go. Respect their choices and decisions and pray that they will learn from their mistakes." As Juliana gets older and begins to make choices for herself, I need to remember that it's not my job to choose a life for her, but to provide her with the tools necessary to handle the trials and tribulations that life is constantly presenting. That means always being aware of what I say and how I act, because she is always watching!

A special thanks to my own parents, especially my mom who continues to be an exceptional role model for me and now her grand daughter too.

What were we thinking??

Yesterday, I worked most of the day, but returned home to a delicious dinner made by Jacob. Then today, we decided to go out for the afternoon and settled on Suntec City. Well, that turned out to be a huge mistake!!

It wasn't until we were walking through the Citylink mall that Jacob realized why it was so much busier than any other time we've gone. There was an IT convention at Suntec City this weekend, so the MRT, the underground passage and the mall were all jam packed with people! It was insane. Here is just an idea of the amount of people...

When Jacob and I first moved to Singapore, we used to get so frustrated when we went out on the weekends. The malls and MRT are packed (although not nearly as bad as today) and people are completely oblivious to everyone around them. It ends up being a game trying to dodge people and maneuver the stroller. I think we have both become so much more patient in the last few months and it makes such a big difference in our attitudes. Rather than getting annoyed, we make jokes about it and laugh it off.

Since the mall was too crowded and it began pouring once we got off the MRT, we decided to get a bite to eat at Ooster's. Juliana enjoyed their delicious french fries and we tried some new dishes.

Anyway, it was still nice to get out of the apartment. Juliana seems to enjoy going out, no matter what we do! Here are a few pictures from this weekend I wanted to share.

This is Juliana preparing something in her pot...

And here she is as a one person band...

The coming week is starting to fill up with lots of fun stuff for Juliana & I to do. She's got her gym and music classes as well as a swimming lesson and some play dates. Then on Saturday, she has a "camp" day at the Little Gym, which she'll be able to enjoy with both her mom and dad!!!

Disaster in Boon Lay!!

Something horrible is happening in the next couple of months...

Botak Jones at the Boon Lay location is CLOSING!

We went to Botak tonight for an early dinner and found out the awful news that this branch will be shutting down in another two months...they simply aren't bringing in enough business I guess. Although we did find out that we are their best customers (no surprise there). It's so depressing!! We eat there at least once a week, sometimes two. Their food is good, the price is right, the staff is very friendly and they all adore Juliana! We have gotten to know the cooks and waiting staff all so well and enjoy our dinners from there. There just isn't any other place around here that serves American food at that quality or price, so it will be missed!

I guess this means there will be many dinners at Botak Jones in the next several weeks. Our challenge?? Finish trying anything else on the menu that we have not yet ordered...I tend to order the same two dishes over and over again since it's delicious. And I suppose we will also have to visit some other locations a bit farther away.

::Sigh::

Momnesia

"Momnesia: The reason you packed ten wipes and no diapers in the diaper bag"

I found this in Parenting, Early Years magazine and thought it was absolutely perfect. How many times do we forget something on the way out the door? Then add a kid into the equation and it seems to happen twice as much. I have bought more than one sippy cup during an afternoon out after forgetting the cup on the kitchen table filled with water. Or diapers...yes, forgot those many times too. Motherhood is an amazing experience filled with lessons, milestones and obstacles. Each day, Juliana challenges me and inspires me. She also makes me lose my mind on a regular basis as well, hense the momnesia!!!

I have recently been asked to contribute to another blog on a weekly basis and I'm looking forward to it. It's called Motherworld and it's about motherhood and culture. It provides another great opportunity to share my experiences as a mom in another culture with others. I am by no means any sort of expert, believe me! But I think every mom and dad has a little knowledge to contribute to the subject of parenting. We all learn as we go and make mistakes along the way that helps us become better parents along the way.

Cheers to motherhood!

Link to Motherworld blog and my thanks to Liz!
http://motherworldblog.blogspot.com/

How time flies

She reminds me every day how lucky we are! Even when time flies, I just have to take a moment to stop what I'm doing and bend down for one of her big bear hugs and wet kisses!

Well, it has been nearly five months since we moved out to Singapore...our first official day here was October 17. It's hard to believe how fast time flies and how many changes have occurred in our lives in just a few months.

We were on Orchard Road the other day with Juliana and we were talking about our first experience here in Singapore. We had arrived at the airport, taken a cab to the temporary apartment and met with the real estate agent. After unpacking a little, our biggest task was to purchase a bed and stroller for Juliana since we hadn't brought anything with us. So, using our handy Singapore travel guide book, we located a Toys 'R Us and got into a cab headed for Forum Shopping Mall on Orchard Road. What an experience it was!! I can remember both Jacob and I were exhausted, overwhelmed and experiencing our first bouts of culture shock. I felt so out of place and uncomfortable, Jacob was anxious about the start of his job in three days and Juliana was cranky from all the traveling and unsure of what to think of her surroundings. We left with our purchases and headed back to the apartment to set up and pass out. All these months later, I walk down the same road and into the same mall and I'm amazed at how much this entire experience has changed our lives. Now, I feel perfectly comfortable doing my errands, going out with Juliana, heading off to work and so on and so forth. Singapore has become our home for the time being.

Often, I end up talking to my students about the culture in Singapore and how family oriented and kid friendly it is. We're blessed to be able to share this with Juliana and expose her to such a variety of religions, cultures, races, and languages. While some may argue that she's too young to understand it all, I believe it will all have a lasting impact on her development and personality in the coming months and years. She has already changed in so many ways as a result of our environment, in ways she may not have been able to quite so soon at home. Living in the city has forced us to reach out, involve ourselves with other locals and expats, and meet other families. I've been fortunate to meet some wonderful people, some with children and some without to share my time with. Most importantly, Juliana has been able to take her music and gymnastics classes, which have helped her learn a lot and get used to being with other children her age.

One other reason that I wanted to post about all of our experiences stemmed from the fact that yesterday was Jacob's birthday. Over the weekend, I treated him to a nice dinner at Lawry's, which seems to be a rare occurrence for us lately. We enjoyed the time alone and reflected a lot on the past few months. I have never seen Jacob so happy and proud of his job. He truly enjoys being a part of this project and we both look forward to other opportunities to work abroad (hopefully!) For dinner, Jacob enjoyed some prime rib and I had lamb...two things that are hard to come by out here in Asia and a bit of a splurge for us.

I asked Jacob the typical birthday question last night after having a family dinner with Juliana, "So how does it feel to be 28?" His response was that he felt young! Once again, it was another time of reflection for us and we talked about the fact that this was the best decision for us at this point in our lives. We both realize how good we had it back in the U.S. when it comes to things like food, groceries, cars, etc. Mainly, everything is very convenient back in the States. The cost of living out here is so much higher and for simple things like Macaroni & Cheese or Beef, you have to dish out a lot more money that you would expect!! But we have learned to change those parts of our lives and adjust to the lifestyle here in Singapore.

We are looking forward to some family that plan on visiting this summer, because we get to share the experience with them. My mom, who came in December, still has so much more to see when she returns! The city has so much to offer that you need weeks in order to see and do it all. I look forward to what the next several months entail and can't wait to share more experiences with everyone!

Thank you for your continued interest!

Fun with bubbles

Just wanted to share a few cute pictures. In Juliana's Little Gym class, they always end with bubbles which she really enjoys. She even says the word now and does the sign. So, we finally got a bottle of bubbles to enjoy at home!

Gifts from her Nanas

When we arrived home last night, there was another box waiting for us at the door. This past week, we got a few care packages from my mom and grandmother filled with some birthday presents for Jacob, Easter gifts for Juliana and a few other things I had ordered a while back that my mom mailed over. Juliana got some beautiful clothes and shoes from her great grandmother!! Then, this newest box was entirely for Juliana, so we decided to leave it filled for her to go through this morning.

As soon as she saw the box on the floor, she ran over and started to open it up...

She actually gave the cards to Jacob & I to open and read with her!! That's a first, because she typically just tosses them aside.
One of her gifts was a play golf bag set and she's already enjoying the clubs. Jacob & Juliana can go to the putting green to try them out!!

She also got some books...

She is a very spoiled little girl. Every time a package arrives now, she thinks it's for her (which majority of the time, it is!) and tried to open them up!