Busy week and back to the gardens!

Another busy week!! We went to the ENT specialist on Wednesday afternoon to discuss what to do about Juliana's ears. The decision for now is to start with a vaccine and give it a few months to see if she still continues to get ear infections. In that case, we will have to start thinking more about whether or not to put tubes in.

Juliana's swimming lesson on Thursday morning went very well!! She is more comfortable putting her face in the water, blowing bubbles and is getting better at kicking too. When Jacob and I took her in the pool yesterday afternoon, she kept dunking herself under the water! I even picked up a couple of toys for the pool, similar to what her teacher uses, so we can practice throughout the week. Here she is sitting on the side of the pool to practice her kicking...

We were supposed to meet up with some friends at fidgets yesterday afternoon, but Juliana was having quite the tantrum, so that unfortunately never happened. She is definitely a "strong-willed" child and as she tries to develop her independence, she is becoming more stubborn! I've started reading a few more parenting books just to give me some ideas of what to do when these tantrums come up. Any of you moms have advice? Let me know!!

This morning, we headed back to the Chinese Garden for a walk and to let Juliana run around. This time around, we visited the Bonsai Garden. There are hundreds of bonsais from all different countries, including Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines and China. It was quite an impressive sight to see and Juliana enjoyed exploring the area.

Lots of pictures to share, but I'll pick the best. On our walk over to the gardens...
Checking out the fish...

Being daring!

Daddy and Juliana in the cave...

We barely ever remember to take pictures of ourselves since we're always focused on Juliana. But here's a few...

And finally, we were all hot and exhausted, so it was time to head back home.

On our walk back to the MRT, Jacob and I were talking about how beautiful the Chinese and Japanese Gardens are. We have met so many expats out here that had no idea they even existed, because they are not close to the tourist part of the city (Tanglin, Orchard, etc.). So many people are missing out on such a gorgeous place to visit!! As you walk around, you notice a lot of people meditating or reading or simply relaxing and taking in the peacefulness of the gardens. I think we both decided to make it a point to visit more often, especially with it being so close to our condo!!

Finally, I simply had to share this picture...her first pigtails!