Week 136 and Week 49.5

Well - another wonderful boring week!  Our neighbors just had a baby (cute Astrid Lotus!)  so we took TT to dim sum at the airport and went to a fun Angry Birds playground at the airport (man do we love the airport!  We are so Asian... :)).  This was the first time I was in a ballpit.  Matt just laughs at my lack of childhood experience....

Charlotte recently likes Matt or I to fall asleep with her (with the light on in her room) at night.  We are often in there for an hour and falling asleep ourselves...

Charlotte got hit again at school.  Jeez!  This time it was Kaizo.  All these kids, I wonder if they see or interact with other kids before they go to school.... Charlotte was never really a hitter, but she was a biter, somewhere around one.  As usual, my default reaction was to take her out of school, which I still may consider if I can get her in a couple of classes next year (like ballet!).
 

Char is now helping put my underwear on the clothes line.  I would show you a picture but then who really wants to see my granny panties anyway? :)

Charlotte loves her camera and knows how to play back pictures.  She always asks us to make these hand signals when she takes our pictures.

Sophia is signing dog and bye bye.  The bye sign is cute - she waves her hand towards herself as if she is a southern belle fanning herself with a mint julep in the dead of summer.

Sophia has really said her first word - atay (which is big sister in Tagalog).  We ask her where is Mom, Dad, Bucky, Yaya, and Charlotte and she will look at the right person.  So clever.

Sophia met Astrid today and she was super jealous!  She did not want to held by Tita (Monica) as she was holding Astrid.  She kept averting her eyes and even gave Tita the cold shoulder!

The last couple of days we have eaten as a family (with Matt too) and it has been so nice (we usually feed the kids at 7 and then ourselves around 9 - the last two days we have eaten at 7:30). 

RECENT UPDATE: Charlotte did not eat her dinner tonight so is having her first night asleep with NO DINNER.  She horses around a lot while eating (especially on these dreaded no-nap school days).

Sophia also just banged her head on the floor (she fell backwards while standing, not sure why).  She also banged between her front two teeth and BLED in her gums (she is fine but seeing blood come out of her mouth was REALLY disconcerting for me!).

YIKES!  A too exciting night for the Drake house.  There goes the boring week!

Let us start with a couple of videos (they are old as we are just figuring out Youtube from Matt's phone):

Here is a video from Istanbul - Sophia, Matt and I in a superfun spice shop:

And a video from Nicole's wedding in July.  Char is into the groove!

And the pictures...

Here is Char mugging for the camera: 

And Char making a 'hand signal' that she asks us to make for her photos:

Charlotte is trying to put this hockey cap on Sophia:

Sophia on the way to the airport with Tita:

Sophia loves spoons at dim sum:

Angry Birds Space Lounge!

Charlotte in the ballpit!

Charlotte's first time on a trampoline!

TT in the ballpit!

Daddy is a giant in the ballpit!

Millie and Mia at the park:

 Charlotte is growing up fast!

Sophia likes her new Elmo walker ($3 at Koshiro's thrift sale!):

Sophia's first tandem slide ride - waiting enqueue:

She really liked it - I promise:

Candid Ella:

Charlotte masters the Asian squat:

Charlotte likes to walk Bucky these days too.  Such a big girl now!

Week 135 and Week 48.5 - 11 months and back to normal

Sophia turned 11 months on 11/11 (this past Sunday).  I am still breastfeeding and plan to make it to a year.  Yea!  Sophia has been on a bit of a bottle strike since we have been back from Europe (and in Europe) but now she is drinking again thanks to Imee singing that little ditty called "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."  Let us entertain you, Sophia....

Sophia is getting a bit possessive with her walker in the park.  She lets out a fussy yelp if another kid comes around to play with it.

Sophia climbed the stairs for the first time today.  She seems perfectly content crawling - very different than Charlotte at her age.  She did stand yesterday unassisted for a second (photos below).

Things are back to normal except it is raining everyday and there are so many mosquitoes I am miserable.  The nice thing about mosquitoes here (if there is a nice thing) is that the bites go away in a day, unlike in the US where they stay and blister on their own (eww, eww).  Our park days are limited.

Charlotte has gotten back into wearing pajamas to sleep which is great news as we have very few dresses that fit her these days.  She is also wearing shorts to school instead of always wearing dresses.

I am glad Imee is around as Charlotte often wears pigtails and I don't have the patience to do them properly (for myself or anyone else!).

I bought Charlotte a camera!  Maybe sort of goofy to get a 2 year old a proper camera (maybe I am overcompensating for my childhood) - but I hope it can last her for a few years (Matt thinks I am nutty for thinking this will have any longevity).  I got her a Canon L25.  I tried to buy one secondhand but the silly seller (on Craigslist) wanted me to bid for her stupid camera.  I don't have time for games people play selling their stuff secondhand here!  The camera was not expensive and it is a 'treat' if she does things that she is supposed to do, like eat her dinner.

Charlotte is fully (day) potty trained!  I don't think she had any accidents this week.

Char was scared of a spider and slept in our bed on Saturday night for a couple of hours.  Matt is not happy that she is scared of bugs...

Matt is traveling this week, but hopefully will not be again for a while.  Charlotte and I chatted with him on the phone yesterday - then she took her camera and repeated the conversation with the camera as her pretend phone (she just said her half of the conversation).  So cute!  Her first pretend!

I asked Charlotte today on her way back from school if Max (this supercute kid who plays in our park and goes to her school) was her boyfriend.  She was shy at first but then said 'yes!'  I asked her tonight who her boyfriend was and she said 'Max!'

Bedtime was relatively painless today.  School days are so tough as Charlotte does not nap and we feel the tired effects at dinner.  Today the carrot was both a competition about who could eat dinner the fastest (Char or Sophia) and a small scoop of sugar free soy ice cream.  I feel like I am constantly negotiating with Char these days.

Here is Sophia on her walker.  She is pretty good eh?  In the background is the 'silly guy' in the park - a prepubescent who is always belting out Lady Gaga songs...

And Charlotte and Daddy having some fun at dim sum.

"Hey - don't touch my walker!"

Cheeky Char:

Kinda standing:

Play circle:

On a mission to the swing set:

Doesn't Char look so retro here?

Char likes to sleep with the light on (and here, in her guest bed):

Sophia stands:

Char enjoys the view at the airport:

Sophia has mastered the art of serious:

But can also be happy too!

Noodle fun!

Cute Anna:

Charlotte fell asleep (while I jogged) in the stroller (for the first time in probably 2 years)!

Not sure of this face:

Sophia stands!

Week 134 and Week 47.5 - What I did for my fall vacation

So I never thought in a million years I would be traveling Europe again, especially with a toddler.  But Matt's company sponsored a cruise (and I am thankful to have been invited) and we thought Sophia was too young to be left alone, so here we are.

We flew from Singapore to Dubai and then on to Venice.  Sophia of course is not a fan of long haul travel and slept exactly zero on the first leg but slept a couple of hours on the second leg just out of sheer exhaustion.  Dubai's airport is also ridiculous - as Las Vegas is a casino in a desert the Dubai airport is a duty free shopping mall - also in a desert.  24/7 Mont Blanc pen purchasing capability.  Extraordinary.

Well - lots to say but I will just give you the highlights.

• Cruises are great in that you don't need to move around - your hotel moves you around.  You don't get to spend much time in one place.  I could have spent a week in Instanbul!
• Istanbul and Dubrovnik are amazing.  Istanbul especially.  Loved the Spice Market and the Turkish ice cream!
• MSC Cruises make very little accommodations for a baby.  There was literally no where for Sophia to crawl around and baby sitting was strictly verboten (for some reason).  As dinner was 9PM every night we made it to exactly half.  And every night Sophia had to leave (with me of course) as she was overstimulated way too late (and she is not one to be fussy).
• Sophia was hardly jetlagged at the beginning but got increasingly fussier at night.  She would only take a couple of ounces of her bottle a day. 
• I do not ever need to see another buffet again.  Ever.

I have been procrastinating on this post as it is hard to post multiple photos quickly off of smugmug.  If anyone knows a faster way please let me know.

So there will be few captions below for now - otherwise I will be at this till Tuesday!

Venice:

Bari/Alberobello, Italy:

Katakolon/Olympia, Greece (ancient Olympic ruins):

Izmir, Mary (Mother of Jesus's) House and Efesus, Turkey:

Genuine fake watches:

Istanbul, Turkey:

 

Dubrovnik, Croatia: