Singapore Zoo

This weekend's excursion led us to the Singapore Zoo! As this is one of the top rated "sites to see"  here in Singapore, we wanted to make sure we did not miss it. We decided to visit on Saturday afternoon to try and beat the heat and the crowds and we were lucky to manage at least one.....the heat was another story, but it's one that we, unfortunately, seem to be getting used to here.

Here are a couple of pictures from the day. It really was an amazing place, and I'd have to say it was probably one, if not the best that I've been to.

The Singapore Zoo is unique in that it takes on a rainforest feel throughout the majority of the park with lush foliage, canopys and beautiful Kapok trees. They take great pride in displaying thier animals in a way that does not seem unnatural to thier habitat.  As we were walking around it was amazing how close the animals were, in some instances it was almost like we were seeing them on more of a safari than at a Zoo. Kevin and I laughed walking around at first because everything was so lush and natural it really did feel like something could jump out of the bushes at any moment!

This was one of the many beautiful animals seen throughout the park. We really enjoyed seeing all of the animals, but like I said in an earlier post, its just so hard to get pictures..I just want to experience it all alongside my boys.

Here is a picure of sweet Harper enjoying the fish, while watching a Ballerina Hippo. While he is still quite young to truly enjoy the animals here at the zoo, he really enjoyed the people watching. :)

There was one animal that truly caught Harper's eye, the ZEBRA....unfortunately for us all I caught was the tail! I did however manage to get this sweet picture of him and his daddy below looking intently at those black and white creatures.

 I couldn't decide what is was about those animals that he loved.... the black and white contrast that he is sooo familiar with, or thier tails moving quickly back and forth much like his sweet Emmy girl's back at home, either way we had a great time togehter as a family and look forward to what next weekend has in store.

Solids

 This post is a little late in coming, but as the title reads, our little guy is starting solids! We got the OK from the doctor at his 4 month check up, but we wanted to wait a while longer until we were settled in Singapore. We kept pushing it back and then finally one Sunday (after I noticed him staring and swiping at anything I put in my mouth) we decided to take the plunge into the world of solids. Harper LOVED his rice cereal! It was so cute to see him take his first little bite and then realize that there was something unfamiliar in his mouth (that he liked), but once he realized there was more of this good stuff he kept slumping forward to get it.  

  

Here are a couple pics of him after he had taken his first few bites. "Ok guys, let me see what this rice cereal is all about, and while you're at it, get my good side please!" He's already a good little poser for the camera! When we recorded him it was almost like he was eating and then looking in the camera! So funny, he must take after his....DAD....OK maybe both!)

                                                     Mmmmmmm....... This stuff is good!

Here he is in full slump, checking himself out in the wall of mirrors at the dining room table. He couldn't get enough of this stuff, and we couldn't get enough of him. I am so excited that he is taking well to the cereal and look forward totrying new things and making him many, many meals in the future! I have been reading up on baby food making and can't wait to get back to the kitchen in Houston!  Even though this was a joyous occasion for us, I'll have to admit, I couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit sad that he is now old enough to explore solids.... can't he stay a baby forever?!

Botanic Gardens

On Saturday we decided to head to the Botanical Gardens for a few hours to take in some of the beautiful scenery Singapore has to offer. We had heard that it was a beautiful garden, and it certainly was. When we arrived, we were a little overwhelmed with how massive it was and didn't know where to start. We knew we only wanted to stay a couple hours so we decided to focus on one main section, the Orchid Garden. Here are a few photos from our trip.

The first 5 photos above were taken on our way to the Orchid Garden. The garden was filled with beautiful trees, plants and flowers.

A picture of my sweet boys, I never get tired of looking at them! =) We had to stop here as it is noted all throughout the Gardens where "prime" locations are to take pictures with little camera signs, haha! We have noticed that the people of Singapore really like to take pictures...everywhere they go! Guess we didnt want to feel left out, so we decided to join in!

The Orchid Garden was really neat, and it was amazing to see such a huge variety of Orchids. This Garden houses the largest collection of Orchids in the world. It was truly a gardeners paradise. My dad would have loved it!

When we finally decided we had had enough of the heat, humidity and horticulture, we decided to pack up the stroller and head home. We are so lucky to be able to get out and do a few things while we are here, all thanks to our "go baby" who is so cooperative. Harper loves being out,exploring new places, and getting attention from the locals (this needs a blog in itself :)). He even enjoyed looking at a few of the orchids as well! I know it says no touching, but who could tell this sweet face NO?!

Swimming in Singapore

So Sunday was a pretty lazy day around the apartment, but we did manage to get out to the pool. The pool had been calling us all week, but we wanted to make sure daddy was there for the first swim. Harper's first swim was fun, and he seemed to really enjoy it. This wasn't too surprising as he loves his bath time. We started with just the feet, then the legs..... then his whole body. I think that he really liked the feeling of the water all around him. He especially liked being on his belly as I glided him through the water. He took perfect superman form everytime we did this. I am finding it harder and harder to take pictures of all of this as I just want to be in the middle of it all, it's almost like you need a full time photographer following you to capture all the little moments you never want to forget!

Here we are ready to go out. Kevin is so sweet to always make sure I'm in some of the pictures too! 

Get me in the water already guys! I can't wait! He loved all the people swimming around and splashing. He was especially interested in the showers as people rinsed off...must have reminded him of bath time..

Just one of him actually in the water, I just couldn't stand not being in there! :) 

Oh what fun he had, but now time for a nap....the water sure did wear him out! 

Happy Bithday to Kevin

As the weekend finally came, it was time for us to start exploring the city and what better way to explore than with a birthday boy and one handsome little fellow?!We started the the day with a birthday brunch for Kevin. Harper was on his best behavior and even slept a bit while we were eating. He really does enjoy getting out and about. Then we hightailed it over to the drink stand in the mall so Kevin could get some bubble tea..he really likes it, but I was not impressed...After Harper's nap we decided to take in some of the city sights by strolling along Marina Bay, and boy were they great...we spent most of our afternoon here walking around and taking it all in...I sure do love spending time with my boys! After we walked around and worked up an appetite we decided on a Dim Sum restaurant to celebrate Kevin's birthday and it did not disappoint! The food was great and we were lucky our little trooper behaved long enough for us to finish our dinner. He did protest a little at the end, but who can blame him, I would of wanted some food too! :)

                                                            Kevin and Harper at brunch 

                                   

Kevin and his yummy birthday bubble tea (Tea with milk and tapioca pearls)

Harper and daddy celebrating his 33rd! I think that Harper looks more interested in the cake than daddy! :) 

On our drive to Marina Bay. The city is overed in skyscrapers, but the tress and landscaping make it so beautiful here. Did I mention they drive on the opposite side of the street?! YIKES! Kevin is doing a great job driving, but I get so scared when I see cars coming in the "wrong" direction.

We arrived at Marina Bay to this backdrop and it is just beautiful. This is where they had National Day celebrations , so many people were not here because they had just been two days earlier. This was nice for us because there were no crowds. While Singapore does not have much to do in the sense of "tourist attractions" many people come to the city for high end shopping and fancy restaurants.We will just say there is definitely no shortage of shopping or eating around these parts! The rest of the pictures are from our walk along the bay and highlight some of the amazing architecture seen throughout the city. Marina Bay Sands Hotel is amazing as you can see, and we hope to plan a stay there before we leave... it has a huge mall attached to it and a huge infinity style pool on top of the hotel that's the biggest one in the world! The views are supposed to be amazing, but you can only view if you are a guest of the hotel or buy a ticket to go up there ( weird, but many do). There is also a casino in the hotel where you can try your luck on gambling. Singapore residents are discouraged to gamble, so they make them pay a $100 fee to enter, all other visitors to the country are free. All in all it is one pretty neat resort! We missed the Warhol exhibit located in the hotel, but hope to get back to see it. The museum is located in the big ball looking thing. The double helix bridge was also a sight for the eyes! We had a great time enjoying Kevin's birthday and even recieved wishes from the apartment via a birthday cake! It was a nice thought and Kevin and I laughed at how formal the greeting was. We look forward to next weekend so that we can get around the city a little more together! Harper and I have our sights set on the botanical gardens this week, but we shall see what comes our way.....Hope you enjoy the pictures! 

Strolling  along the Marina, it was a little warm, but if you look closely Harper has a fan to keep him nice an cool! He really likes it and tries to grab it often, thank goodness it's made out of foam. :) 

Settling in in Singapore

 It's been about 4 days since we arrived and I finally feel like we are settling in. The first few days were a little rough getting over jetlag (what happened to my well scheduled, sleep through the night baby?!) and realizing our reality for the next two months (no Emmy), but with time it's just getting better and better. Harper and I have had so much to do to get our apartment baby approved. We brought some stuff with us, but figured we'd just buy a few things when we got here, so needless to say, we have been shopping for the majority of our time here.....and not for me, but for Harper. Our apartment is great, and has so many amenities it feels like a resort. We are also connected to a mall and are really close to the necessities which is nice. We are easing our way into things so this week we don't have much planned. Singapore is such a neat city, and the people here are so friendly and helpful. It's extremely clean, and Harper and I feel very safe being out and about on our own. As for the food, we have yet to really venture out too much....we have plenty of time to do that later.  I had coffee with a sweet new friend yesterday that gave me the ins and outs of Singapore and needless to say, we have so much to look forward to in the coming weeks. Thursday is Singapore's Independence Day so there should be some fun activities for us to experience, and Kevin has the day off! I keep forgetting we came here for work...all we want to do is play! There's so much more I could say already about our time here, and we realize we are definitely lucky to be experiencing this together as a family!

Harper and one of his new toys, a vibrating swing, sad it's not his MommaRoo, but this will definitely do!

Harper's First Flight

There was so much anxiety, anticipation, and excitement wrapped up into this almost 24 hour flight. I mean what child doesn't fly across the world at four months right!? It's perfectly crazy normal. I will have to say that for the most part Harper's first plane ride was perfectly perfect! He was such a great little guy and took everything in stride. It's amazing the kind of treatment one gets with an infant....everyone was so accommodating to us, it made it that much easier. I cannot say enough about the airline either, if you ever get a chance to fly Singapore Air, it is FABULOUS! We flew economy and Kevin and I both agreed the service and food were just as nice as business class...We were lucky enough to get bulkhead seating so Harper could get a bassinet, and this proved to be our saving grace....On our 11 hour flight to Moscow he slept in his bassinet for probably eight hours! (This was great so we could get some much needed rest. :)) Moscow to Singapore was only 9 hours, but with him awake, it seemed to be a bit longer. Harper slept, played, flirted and ate to keep busy (Pictures to come as soon as i can figure it out...:/) Everyone on board around us seemed to enjoy him as he was all smiles throughout the two flights, and I am so very thankful to have one flight under our belts. I don't think I could have asked for a better first flight than the experience we had yesterday for him. I guess our little guy is a world traveler now! :) We are so blessed with such a sweet baby!

Sleeping soundly in the bassinet... He sure was a great traveler! 

Blogging or not....an EASY way about things?!

Over the past four months(Yes, Harper is four months old!) I have contemplated starting a blog and archiving our sweet family story through posts and pictures. I have continued to put it off, but now we have a great opportunity to travel to Singapore with Kevin's company, so what better way to stay connected to our friends and family than through the blogosphere? I am hoping that I will be able to update our family blog regularly while we are there to keep everyone posted on our happenings, and who knows, maybe I'll even enjoy it enough to make it a habit after we come back! ( This I'm not so sure of!) I'm hoping that this will be an EASY undertaking, but who knows? I guess only time will tell!