Life & Times in SE Asia

2011-09-11T15:27:00.001+08:00

Summer vacation to California... Part 1 of ?

With Ross and I working full-time +++ some, we've been negligent with regard to blog updates. (Sorry to those of you who don't see our updates on Facebook.)

Without further adieu, here is the first installment of photos from our marvellous time in the Napa Valley and surrounding areas!

ARRIVAL TO NAPA:

A child (and adult) paradise!

Mini-house for the kiddies - included a tree house, zip line, swings, teeter-totter, slide, and a few other pieces of eqt I'm forgetting to mention.

"Can I make you a tea, Mom?"

Hanging out at the back deck, enjoying the sun and perfect weather.

"Hey, this pool is perfect!"

Big boy with his wings. He became a fish the rest of the trip.

Enter Grandma Sally, our new pool playmate!

Daddy Ross chillin on the couch and getting caught up on his beloved Sports Center.

Flowers from the garden + heirloom tomatoes

Dani couldn't get enough heirloom tomatoes. Ended up at the Oxbow & Napa Valley Farmer's market at least a dozen times during our stay!

Elle enjoying the HUGE trampoline

Our visit to see a favourite, extremely talented Beverly Wilson.

Time has passed, but friendship is ageless.

Xavier in the backyard checking out Bev's John Deer mover

I've only tumbled a few times, but still cute as ever.

Reflecting back on the years since I once played in this very yard...

More to come....

Cutie Pies…

2011-05-30T20:29:00.000+08:00

With such little time these days, it's been a challenge to keep the blog updated. We just went to the pediatrician's last week: Zee is weighing in at 12kgs and 80.5cm in height. Elle is logging in at 12.7kg and 94.5cm in height. Her THIRD birthday is only days away! Pics of the cutie pies below…

Palm Sunday

2011-04-18T21:10:00.001+08:00

Onto Palm Sunday… Ross was on an early morning flight to Sydney, so I took Elle & Xavi to our local church, St. George's for a Sunday school session. They have been a few times before and people are now starting to recognize us. They are so friendly and welcoming, it's really nice to be embraced by strangers in this way; I actually forgot how it feels!

Shame I didn't get any photos of the craft projects, singing or playtime, but we had such a fun Palm Sunday morning. Below are some shots just before we left the house. Elle is about to hit another growth spurt as witnessed by her cute chipmunk cheeks. Xavi is just his cute self: full of personality and very vocal about his feelings.

Here are some shots of the kids opening Easter gifts from Godmother (auntie) Cheryl + Godfather (uncle) Ben. Thanks for the Sesame Street books and cool DVDs!

We're looking forward to an egg hunt on Good Friday in the Botanics. Will post some pics then.

Cheers!

Xavier is a walkin...

2011-02-17T17:24:00.007+08:00

He's been able to walk a bit on his own for a couple of months now, but his confidence was standing in the way of him really taking off. Now, we see that he's quite motivated by interesting toys and ESPECIALLY snacks! (Good old Cheerios comes in handy - again!) ; )
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Happy 1ST Birthday Xavier!

2011-02-09T21:15:00.001+08:00

The fun started on the weekend opening gifts

Thanks Auntie Cheryl & Uncle Ben for the fun stacking toys, Thomas train and lovely new outfit!

Elle was delighted to have a little gift from Auntie & Uncle as well

Hello Kitty scented crayons and stickers!

"Let me at it!"

Now for the BIG pressie from mommy & daddy...

"For baby Zee and Elle!"

Assembly ALL DONE!

Actual Birthday was celebrated with condo kids/friends at the playground

Cupcakes for one & all!

We think he liked it

It was a shame Zee was teething… not full of smiles on his special day

Party, party!

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

XOXO

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2011!

2011-02-06T11:50:00.000+08:00

Bye bye Tiger… Hello Rabbit!

Elle with her pal Graeme, checking out books at our local boutique toy store. Moments before they just got their new outfits for Chinese New Year. (Gotta love Graeme's red Hawaiian shirt.) :-)

Great 20 cent rides that last a good few minutes while playing Chinese children's music. Zee and Elle love them.

Walking to school and ready for CNY celebrations to come.

One of Elle's favourite teachers, Ms. Huda

Zee with Mr. Gopal (head of security at our condo).

After school, we went to meet Daddy for lunch near his office.

First 'mini' sleep over. The Mitchell kids and Elle enjoyed cartoons and fell asleep for a bit while the parents enjoyed a movie and some wine. (Actually, we enjoyed home made ice cream sandwiches… Thx Jen!)

Sweet Dreams! xo

Jugu Homestay - Bali Pt. 2

2011-02-02T11:07:00.000+08:00

Here are a few shots of our homestay…. for those not on Facebook. We had a great time with a Balinese family, where we were able to learn more about the Hindu culture and experience an authentic side of Bali. After all was said and done, this was one of our favourite family holidays in SE Asia yet!

Xavier with his new best pal, "PaKa."

Elle and her new friend, Rama playing in the fountain.

This is where the communal meals and gatherings takes place.

Path to the neighbors plot

Top quality Indonesian coffee beans

PaKa cracking open some coconut water for us to taste: green and yellow versions

Elle experiencing the fresh water drainage ditch

Quite a few men in the local village rally to get this new structure built. They had the roof on in a day!

Ginormous Banyan tree. Reminded us of the Mother tree in the Avatar movie.

Such intricate detail and elaborate decor on these shrines.

Entrance to our first temple visit.

Tanah Lot: Temple on the Rock. With high tide, this temple sits solo on an island.

Elle getting dressed in traditional festive Balinese costume.

Zee was already in bed, otherwise he would've joined.

The kids with our hostess, Naoman. Just a lovely lady.

Here's that structure again… they must've worked all night.

Our host, Wayan and his father, PaKa taking the kids for a stroll down the main path.

Ross and his shrines.

Non-stop good times with PaKa. He has a way with the kids.

Our lovely host couple. We shall be back one day!

Until then, we'll keep the fun memories close to our hearts.
Suksama!

Xmas in Bali - Pt. 1

2011-01-19T22:14:00.001+08:00

Our time in beautiful Bali was amazing: everything we expected and more. We stayed in three different places: Nusa Dua for the first four nights followed by two nights in Jegu, Tabanan, finished off with three nights in Ubud. Hats off to Ross for the marvelous and clever planning. We would do it all over again without changes - if we could!

Here is the first installment of images from our time on this lovely Indonesian island.

NUSA DUA

Farewell Singapore airport… we're Bali bound!

First stop: Drinks on the Beach.
Xavier loved the fresh mango juice.

"Daddy & Mommy" loved the ice-cold Bintang!

Cheers to a great get-away and Christmas beach side.

Nice lady selling sarongs finally gave Zee back. ;)

Lovin the sand, Mom!

…and the pool!

Dinner outside the resort at Bumbo Bali. Delicious!

What a chip!

Like father, like daughter...

Loads of wildlife found at our resort.
(Not pictured: wrestling Komodo dragons)

Beach Girl

Lovin life!

Xavier ("Zee") is TEN months!

2010-12-08T14:45:00.001+08:00

Our darling little bub is ten months… Before you know it, he'll be a year old.
Milestones to date:

He's "cruising" around the furnisher and uses his push walker to get around
He can clap his hands on command and on occasion waves bye-bye
He plays with/laughs at his sister and "babbles" to communicate
He is now 22lbs - or so we think. Our scale isn't the most accurate!

Some of our favorite shots during the last week….

I love exploring under the dining room table...

With my buddy, Harrison. He seems to like being under the table, too!

Dad, did you have to let the world know how much I love rummaging through the garbage?!

With my latest little girlfriend, Freja. Is she a sweetie or what?
Makes me look like a real Zee-ganga-sauraus!

Two months to go and I'm ONE!

Bangkok or Bust!

2010-11-12T09:00:00.071+08:00

Not knowing how long this stint in SE Asia will last, we decided to spend two nights in Bangkok to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. We figured now is the time if any!

We packed a lot in during the two night, (almost) two day whirlwind of sightseeing, shopping, and exploring.

Below are only a number of shots from Bustling Bangkok. Truth be told, we opted more for Buddha than bustle (are we getting old?).

During the day we visited the Golden Buddha (Wat Traimit), the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), had a fair share of delicious food, checked out the night market on Patpong Rd, saw an amazing view of the city from Lebua at State Tower, did some shopping for shirts and pashminas, got a taste of 'bustle' near our place on Sukhumvit and nursed a huge head cold all the while.

Needless to say, one more day &/or night would have served well, but not bad for a quick getaway!

Tuk-tuk, 'til next time!

Happy Deepavali (Diwali)!!!

2010-11-04T09:48:00.000+08:00

It's that time of year again for the festival of lights!

Although we no longer live in the Little India neighborhood of Singapore, we can still appreciate the lovely holiday of Deepavali (Diwali).

Thank you "auntie" Shefali for the lovely, authentic and festive Indian attire!

Halloween at Holland Peak 2010

2010-11-03T21:37:00.000+08:00

Halloween was pretty low-key this year, as it should be when you have two kids under the age of three. How much candy does one really need?!

Elle started the day getting dressed up as a fairy-princess in lieu of her standard Cherie Hearts school uniform. Zee couldn't be bothered to dress in costume, so decided chewing on Elle's wand was ample effort.

Getting ready....

Fun at school...

Weekend highlight: icing halloween inspired cupcakes with BFF Isla Mae. As you will see, this is how two year olds party. The sugar clearly kicked in!

Down at the pool for a swim and some 'trick or treating' around the pool with the condo kids.

Good times with kids - sweeter than candy.

Xavier's Eight Month Milestone

2010-10-08T14:55:00.000+08:00

Our little man is eight months old today (October 8th). Milestones at this point include: crawling (albeit backward), rolling like a log most places to get around, lots of laughter, "playing" with sister, chasing people around in his walker, eating an expansive menu of all sorts of foods, adhering to a consistent schedule during the day and sleeping through the night. Xavier has been a delight and is more and more fun as each month passes.

YEAHHHHH!!!!

2010-08-26T21:17:00.002+08:00

Daddy is all better!

Ross was diagnosed with Dengue Fever just three days before we were due to leave on holiday to British Colombia & California.

As of today (Aug 26th), he is back in order and will be fit to fly out next Tuesday. We lose a week of activities/visits planned, but can enjoy the balance of the trip to see family and friends.

Vacation here we come!

2010-08-11T15:51:00.002+08:00

Hmmm... tube swim - anyone?

Xavier got a taste of swimming with a neck float thanks to Hwa Xia Baby Spa. He never cried - or bothered to smile for that matter until about five minutes into the session. I just got this calm, enduring look with that expression of, "what are you doing with me Mom?"

Elle used to love her sessions with the neck float, so I had to at least offer it in all fairness. At the end of the day, I think he did enjoy the experience and he was certainly tuckered out by the end. A 2hr nap followed!

Not so sure about this thing on my neck...

The ladies with pink smocks are awfully nice - if not a little over the top!

I'll just sit here and float. Not too interested in all this "kicka kicka" business.

Can we go now? I'm ready for a nap.

Splish Splash...

2010-07-07T23:02:00.004+08:00

Zee's first time in the pool. Age: 3.25mos. (Yes, this is a LATE post!)

After getting acclimated to the temperature and new surroundings, he liked it!

Thanks Uncle Pat & Aunt Patsy for the very cute Gap swimwear.

Xavier has gotten a lot of use out of the swim trunks and UVB 50+ top!

Happy Birthday Elle Maria!

2010-06-08T13:03:00.000+08:00

You're never too young to learn how to properly celebrate your birthday. That means it should last more than one day. In this case, Elle enjoyed TWO parties in honor of her second fabulous year.

Party #1: Condo kids

We enjoyed a mildly DORA themed party at the Function Room, co-hosted with her partner in crime, Katelyn MacKenzie Carroll who turned two just a couple weeks before Elle.

Party #2: Pool side with the 'homies'
Accomplices: Friday afternoon playgroup pals

The kids swam, snacked, listed to Dora tunes and enjoyed Dora cupcakes. (Cakes artfully created by Lisa Hunter - baker extraordinaire from Sugar & Spice.)

Life is good and seems to only have begun at the ripe age of TWO!

Lil Baker

2010-06-06T16:54:00.007+08:00

Leading up to her 2nd Birthday, Elle decided to bake some cupcakes for her classmates at Cherie Hearts. She took her job of stiring and adding sprinkles very seriously...

Mmmmmm... I'll have to get to this baking thing more often!

TWO for ONE!

2010-05-11T10:43:00.017+08:00

#1... Happy Birthday Daddy (ROSS)! #2... Happy Mother's Day (DANI)!

Yet again Ross's Birthday fell on Mother's Day, so we enjoyed both occassions with the kiddies at a fun little restaurant, Picotin at Turf Club City.

First up: getting settled-in with a few coloring books and crayons, some freshly sqeezed apple juice and a few bites of breakfast.

Next up... (Elle's favorite) the arrival of the cake and singing, "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"

A well-fed, "little" Xavier slept through breakfast. Good boy!

The finalé: visiting Mr. Sparks the pony. Elle was NOT up for a ride - just yet!

So, we head over to feed the bunnies instead. They are way less intimidating.

A dollar goes a long way at Turf Club City. Two bunnies enjoyed munching on one piece of Chai Sim. Guess we're not the only ones enjoying "two for one!"

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Phuket Paradise!

2010-04-30T14:22:00.001+08:00

We were fortunate enough to spend some quality time with Grammy & Grampy Thompson in Phuket Thailand this past March. We stayed at our timeshare at the JW Marriott at Mai Khao Beach... only a hop, skip and jump from the airport.

"Zee" enjoying himself on the beach, chilling with Mom while Daddy, Grampy and Elle played in the ocean.

Grampy had such fun wrestling the waves that the sand filling his pockets almost weighed him down!

Hanging out, relaxing on the couch with Grammy Thompson

We headed to Siam Safari for a regional nature tour through the remaining jungle. The proceeds from the trek go toward caring for the elephants. After learning more about these precious creatures and how the Safari works in their best interest, we embraced the experience and really enjoyed the ride!

Ross took Elle to the see the talented ladies on the beach for a new hairstyle. To our amazement, she sat still for a half hour while they braided her hair and put beads in!

The spectacular lighting ceremony at sunset

Dinner at the Japanese Restaurant. Dessert was the best part. Elle made sure to get every last drop of melted strawberry icecream down that sweet little throat.

A dinner highlight of the holiday was having a "chef at home" style barbeque on our back porch. The talented Thai duo made us a scrumptious meal ranging from grilled prawns and veggies to steak - finished with a chocolate cake.

We know we'll be back to this lovely place soon!

Sweeter than a chocolate bunny.

2010-04-05T15:28:00.011+08:00

We were rained out at the Botanical Gardens this year, so the Easter bunny had to make his way to the condo for the sweet festivities...

The kiddies made their way around the indoor playroom hunting for eggs and choccies galore.

After consuming a few too many chocolates, the kids (of all sizes) made their way back to the function room for an Easter egg "smash off". The organizers, Candi and BJ as well as a few friends painted some very creative eggs for the competition!

Hugs around for a wonderful Easter in Singapore (come rain or shine)!

Family Announcement + Pictures

2010-04-01T13:45:00.007+08:00

We sent out Xavier's formal birth announcement to a slew of friends and family via Pingg. Some messages have yet to be opened (which leads me to believe it may have ended up in some spam folders). Either way, above are the details again on "Zee's" birth and below are a few favorite B&W photos from our session with photographer, Julie Steele.

We were fortunate to have Ross's Mom & Dad visit this month. Mum Pauline was able to sit in for a few shots with the grandchildren.

More pictures to come!

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Xavier Ward Thompson has arrived!

2010-02-12T16:59:00.010+08:00

We welcome with great joy, the birth of Xavier Ward Thompson!

Xavier entered the world at 1:23 AM on February 8, 2010 and tipped the scale at 8 lbs 15 oz (4.04 KG) and was 21 inches (53 cm) long.

The labor was as good and swift as one could hope for thanks to the excellent staff (thanks Dr. Paul & Sister Grace) at Thomson Medical Centre. We were admitted around 9:00pm with the mission to deliver sans drugs since Danielle was dialated at 6cm around that time; however it took more than two hours to get to 7 cm. An epidural was opted for and within 10 mins, she was at 10cm!

Big Sister Elle was happy to see Mommy and meet her new baby brother. The fact that he "gave" her a Dora Doll helped score a few points right away. :-)

Proud Dad with his "Mini-Me."

Even Dad was knackered from the labor & excitement surrounding Xavier's arrival. I'm sure these two will be seen napping together in the future. Just think about all those football games they have to bond over!

Finally... in my car seat and ready to bust outta the hospital.

Big Sister Elle is ready to welcome me, "hi baby!"

I've got work to do: eating, sleeping and growing - it's exhausting. Now time for some rest! xx

Time to Trim the Tree!

2009-12-09T11:16:00.004+08:00

A Filling Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T14:43:00.011+08:00

Our Thanksgiving (in Singapore) normally consists of Dani slaving away in a tiny kitchen with limited counter space and no ventilation. It's all worth it to share the tradition and put on a “good show” to the 10-12 non-American guests.
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This year however, there was no way we could hold a candle to the production put on by the Mayo family (Americans originally hailing from the southern and eastern states of the US.) Sarah and her husband Walter (+ three lovely girls) have lived all over the world, most recently situated in Singapore.

It was a slight relief this year to not put on Thanksgiving (being in the third trimester and too much on the calendar). But little did we know we would be invited to Thanksgiving on steroids!

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Walter smoked three 20lbs turkeys; Sarah made endless side dishes consisting of some southern family favorites: corn soufflé, al dente green beans, oyster stuffing, cornbread stuffing, four different types of cranberry sauce, creamed onions, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and the list goes on. Then for the finale, three “cold box” pies were presented, all amazing. Ross loved the classic pumpkin, we both enjoyed the caramel and Dani had to restrain herself from having a second slice of pecan.

Sarah, being the founder of The Local Nose, wouldn’t let us bring anything but a bottle of light red wine to match the turkey. We brought some Pinot Noir from New Zealand, which worked well and a Zinfandel from California (which was not so light and just didn’t taste the same as it did back in Dry Creek Valley).

Needless to say, Sarah had plenty of delicious wines on offer at each table where we could swap and sip to our curiosity and heart’s content. (Dani mostly sipped and drank water throughout the night, but still got to taste a lot of gorgeous wines.)

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The night was complete with a full house of around 40 people. The old footage of the Macy’s Day Parade projected to a back wall near the pool, followed by scenes of Pavarotti singing with other Opera cohorts really made for a homey, “American” holiday.

It was a great night and one that we were both very thankful to be a part of. Here’s to the Mayos for an amazing and delicious spread of food, wine, company and plenty of leftover smoked turkey for sandwiches the next day. Nothing like Thanksgiving leftovers! Cheers!

Elle's First Day at (Play) School!

2009-11-16T12:56:00.015+08:00

Uhhh. I post this blog with mixed feelings. One being of happiness that our little girl has started playschool and will interact with a variety of kids in the morning (from 9-12 on Monday through Thursday). She'll be exposed to Mandarin Chinese language three of those four days and will partake in new activities that will enrich her experiences during a time when her brain is in hyper-absorption mode.
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The other is a feeling of slight sorrow for time has slipped from our hands like sand. It seems like yesterday that Ross and I made our way to Singapore as an eager couple looking to embark on the adventure of living in Southeast Asia. That we did (and are still doing) with all the travels around Asia Pacific and to ‘exotic’ destinations only hours from our home base. We've had a gorgeous little girl who is growing up before our eyes and will soon have a second child in less than three months time!

All this reflection makes one sit for a moment and realize how precious and fast this life moves along. There's really no time to get emotional about it (unless you're pregnant!). J

With that, I move along on a lighter note to post some photos of Elle’s FIRST day at her new school, Cherie Hearts @ Holland. Cherie Cheers to All! X

Before we head out, Miss E wants to use Mommy’s toothbrush to get her teeth clean. Good habits start young. (Maybe not the part about using someone else’s brush.)

We still have some time, “Let’s give Dora a little push around.”

Probably should collect a few things to take with me.

A couple of soft balls are always fun.

Okay, I’ve got the essentials: a change of clothes, couple of nappies, water and some snacks.

This way to the door...

Ha ha, Dad, You look pretty funny with that big camera hanging off your shoulder.

Mom and I posing at the bottom of the stairs. Those suckers are steeper than they look!

And we are here. Less than a 5 minute walk from our condo. No carbon footprint on this commute.

Greeted at the gate by a fellow “Chearian.”

Making myself at home with the front yard play equipment.

A few shots that the teacher emailed to show that Elle didn’t cry the whole time she was there!

Tomorrow is another day... we'll see how everyone gets the hang of this new schedule. Until then, "cherio"!

Halloween at Holland Peak

2009-11-04T19:49:00.007+08:00

There's nothing like a good grown-up Halloween party with the spooky themed food, tasty spirit drinks and festive vibe that comes along with October 31st.

However, Halloween with kids is where it's at! Maybe it's just the chapter we're on now with Elle, but we all had such a wonderful time with the condo kids parading around the pool, then heading off to participating flats to "trick or treat!"

Elle with her BFFs: Isla (fellow Bee Fairy) and Niklas (True German Boy)

By the end of the evening not only did Elle know how to say "treeee", but she's now associated raisins with candy, so we all got a treat out the occasion!

Time-Out in Thailand

2009-10-29T14:24:00.011+08:00

Easy as 1, 2, 3... Taxi to Changi, transfer in KL, land in Krabi, Thailand - all within a few hours time. (Okay, that doesn’t factor in the layover.) But, it didn’t seem to take long to leave the city-state of Singapore and arrive in the southern province of Thailand!

We immediately made ourselves at home at the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra, situated on the Klong Muang Beach.

Right away, Elle knew we were on vacation and proceeded to love every minute of it! She overcame her aversion of sand and dug right in at the beach. She swam everyday in the pool (THE largest man-made pool we’ve ever seen), she played at the kid’s club a couple times, went to Ao Nang town with us for shopping and dinner. Dani got a facial, read (a small bit of her new book), and Ross enjoyed one of his favorite pastimes, scuba-diving.

We didn’t take a ton of pictures, but got some sweet snaps of Elle on the beach and underwater creatures of the Andaman Sea. To see more of Ross's scuba photos, visit his Facebook page.

Now for Ross's shots on Dive #1: off of Krabi...

Dive #2 off of Phi Phi island...

(Until next time...) Gaw maw dah ah leh!

Little Lady

2009-10-14T10:22:00.005+08:00

Elle is such a little lady these days. She's very verbal (even with her limited number of English words), she's great at expressing herself and talks up a storm!

We're getting ready to celebrate Halloween this year, so she already has her pumpkin bucket (not that she's welcome to eat much candy at the ripe age of what will be ~18 months by then).

We've made some lovely friends here at the Holland Peak condo, kids and adults alike. One of our latest new friends had a vintage handbag with Elle's name all over it. We went for a visit and came back with a gorgous, petite 'hornbag.'

As you'll see below, the little lady traded in her plastic pumpkin for something a little more her style! :-)

We're off to Krabi, Thailand for a few days and will be sure to take some fun shots of the little lady at leisure. Cheers!

Kid's Carnival @ West Coast Park

2009-10-04T22:26:00.008+08:00

In honor of the Mid-Autumn Festival and "Children's Day," the National Parks Association of Singapore put on a Kid's Carnival at the West Coast park. It was a fun-filled event for the entire family. We'll be honest, Elle had a blast and because she loved it, we loved it. Here are some snaps from the outing...

Bouncy castle... what a blast!

Not sure about this carousel ride just yet.

Okay, now that the ride is more than 3/4 of the way over, I'm finally getting comfortable. Let's pet the horse.

Daddy trying to win a big prize!

I caught a fish!

This carnival stuff is fun... I can't help but make a silly face. With Halloween coming up, maybe I should be a clown! :-)

We're Half Way There!

2009-09-16T12:07:00.003+08:00

We just got back from our "20 week" scan this morning. (I'm technically 19.5wks, but we all know that the actual due date is a moving target), so I'm sticking with 20 for the sake of ease. :-)

The fetal asessment ultrasound at Thomson Medical Centre went very well. The scan tech took a half hour to take measurements, during which time I actually nodded off only hearing Ross chuckling every now and then in response to the baby's swift movements.

Baby T2 is developing on track. All the fetal anatomy (head, brain, spine, neck, etc) appears normal. To date, the s/he measures at ~7 inches and weighs 12oz.

It's a bit challenging to make out these photos as I scanned them from the B&W paper print-out, but you get the picture of how this kid is developing.

Half way down and only 4.5 more months to go!

The Local Nose - Sniff out great wines in Singapore!

2009-09-08T20:30:00.004+08:00

You may all have noticed that we have a new widget on this blog - not to get all commercial. Dani has been finishing up the last class (for now), spending half-days playing with Elle and working part-time on a few projects.

When it rains it pours! Lots of great projects & assignments going and one of them is for The Local Nose. Here's a recent article on Weingut Gunderloch Auslese wines. Quite delicious!

PS.... all wines were swirled, sniffed, tasted - then spit. (We are baby mindful!)

Bigger House... Bigger Family!

2009-08-18T08:14:00.007+08:00

Well, we've moved in to a bigger place, closer to Ross's office, convenient to the Botanical Gardens, Zoo, Science Park and all things fun for the family. So, it's high time we announced that as of February 2010, our family will be bigger too!

Baby Thompson #2 (BT2) is due February 6th, just in time to celebrate a birthday with Mom. (Danielle's bday is on the 7th.) During the recent travels, nice, long visit from Grandma Sally, recent move and running after Elle, there's been no time to announce this until now.

Here is one of the first scans of what we know as BT2. (Planning to announce sex of baby at time of birth as we're not finding out until then.)

At 15Wks:
BT2 now measures about 4", crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple).

May the rest of the journey be smooth sailing!

Thompson New Digs

2009-08-15T22:20:00.005+08:00

Elle getting aquainted with her new bedroom:

Our new address for future reference is:

The Thompsons
23 Holland Hill, #3-10, Holland Peak
Singapore 278739

We still have a guest bedroom, so come on and pay a visit to help us break the new place in! ;-)

We (heart) South Africa!!!

2009-08-09T19:48:00.019+08:00

The Thompson Family had a dream... to visit South Africa and it finally came true this summer (winter that is - in the Southern Hemisphere)! -

The photos speak a thousand words. Therefore, we're sharing our journey through five postings (with subtitles and few blurbs - when necessary).--

Elle and I flew to Johannesburg to meet Ross for a great adventure lasting until the end of June. Highlights of our trip included: safari in Welgevonden, a visit to Franschhoek wine country, a delightful stay with friends in Simon's Town, a tour of Boulders Beach, Cape Point with surrounding areas, and lastly, two fantastic nights in the heart of Cape Town.

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To begin, Ross was in South Africa a week before 'his girls' arrived. During that time his mission was work, but he managed to see some interesting sites on the weekend off, pictured below.

SOWETO

Constitution Court - the highest court in all of SA from a Civil Rights standpoint.

Mandela Family Museum

Nelson Mandela's house
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Backyard Pub - this is beer!

Ross bravely trying the 'beer'

A contortionist near Wandi's Restaurant

Henry Pieterson Museum

Kliptown

Shanty Town (approx 45,000 living in shacks)

Only a few telephones available in this Shanty town. (Notice it's hooked up to a car battery.)

"Gum Boot" dancers

In spite of the poverty, these warm people were outwardly happy and welcomed visitors with open arms.

Party Time!

2009-06-10T21:34:00.009+08:00

Elle's first birthday party was a blast. The kids had fun crawling through the Dora tunnel, bouncing on the floaty castle, pushing/'driving' the little trikes car and all around having the place to run around!
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The parents seemed to enjoy themselves during the controlled chaos. Ross and I couldn't be more delighted to celebrate Elle turing the big #1!
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We've posted most of the photos to Flickr, but here's a small glimpse into what transpired at the party. (We started with playtime in the function room and ended at the pool for a swim.)
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Needless to say, Elle started nodding off during bathtime as she was knackered from the action packed day. Ross and I slept pretty well that night, too!
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*

Elle's FIRST Birthday!

2009-06-02T22:37:00.006+08:00

Happy Birthday to our darling daughter, Elle Maria Thompson.

June 2nd marks one year. Amazing!

On this day, we had a jam packed adventure.

First stop, visit Dad at work.

" Hmmm... I think I remember all these smiling faces..."

"What's out there, Dad?"

Next stop: LUNCH!

Life of the party, as usual! :-)

Starting to get tired after that big meal and sensory overload.

We ran a lot of errands after parting ways with Dad. Following the afternoon nap, Mom took me to the playground to see my friends.

My friend, Adelaide pushing me around...

"Now it's my turn. I might be small, but I'm something strong!"

Just cracking up with Mom. She's pretty silly (most of the time).

Here's a great end to a fun 1st Birthday!

Thanks to all for the cards, gifts, and thoughtful messages.

Now, I'm all about looking forward to my party this weekend!

Elle's cell

2009-05-26T00:55:00.004+08:00

Just a preview in to what the teen years will be like!

Walkin' here, there and everywhere!

2009-05-22T15:42:00.003+08:00

It's a shame it's taken so long to post a video of Elle walking, seeing she took off just shy of 11 months. She turns one on June 2nd, so all I can say is sorry to the Grandparents, family and friends for not posting something sooner. Here's a very brief video of her at home just hanging with mom while I take a break from the studies. Better videos to follow shortly....

Saddle Up!

2009-05-18T14:44:00.009+08:00

If only we could ride one of these horses after our hefty brunch to work off the "Norwegian" Benedict. One of our favorite spots to have a nice weekend meal in Singapore is at the Rider's Café, located within the Saddle Club. Not only is the food consistently delicious, but the surrounding beauty really helps cleanse oneself of the weeklong build-up of living so close to the CBD.
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This past weekend we were delighted to spend brunch with some friends, Mike and Meghan, who straddle living between the U.S. (on occasion Europe), SE Asia and wherever their filming projects take them. Joining them this weekend was a friend in town from Italy who served as a fellow judge in the annual Singapore 48 Hour Film festival that they organize.
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Following brunch we ventured outside to offer Elle the grass, dirt and beautiful horses. Thanks Mike (Mr. National Geographic photographer) for taking some delightful shots!

Off Mike and Meg go, continuing on their journey to Hong Kong and the U.S. We hope they’ll return to Singapore soon. In the meantime, we'll have to keep up to date on their latest film creations at Persistent Productions. Ciao!
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"35-Year-Old Reserve"

2009-05-10T12:45:00.025+08:00

Happy 35th Birthday to Ross!

On Saturday evening the 9th of May, we celebrated his special day with a vertical wine tasting of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Markham Vineyards. Ross had been holding on to this collection since 2001 and his days at Deloitte when Markham was one of his clients. It only seemed fitting to finally bust open these wines spanning in vintage from 1995-1999.

Before the celebration could begin, some work behind the scenes had to be carried out. So, Ross was sent out of the house as he took Elle to a friend's first birthday party at Gymboree. (Good work occupying your Dad, Elle.)

The set-up begins:

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As people arrived, we started off with champagne and laughter... Candi & Bjorn had the clever idea to make custom shirts. One for Ross that has his name "ROSS" type set across the back shoulders, similar to a sports jersey; and one for me to wear along side him reading, "Ross is da Bomb." Fantastic.... an article no wife can live without. I'm just waiting for the feedback on this one!

Who's 'da bomb'?

The Party People:

Hannah & Gary

(Who we affectionately refer to as, "Gannah & Harry")

The 'Jokers' Bjorn & Candi

The Hunters: Steve & Lisa

(Lisa is otherwise known as food & wine geek/chef & baker extraordinaire. Thanks again, L for making the fabulous BDAY cake! Steve is otherwise known as our darling smart a*%...) ;-)

The Roseburghs

(Friends dating back to 'antenatal class dayz'... yikes, time flies!)

The "Energizer" Couple: Jo & Liam

(These guys left our place after 1am to start the second phase of their 'night.')

Jean-Pierre & Kirsty

(One of THE first couples we met upon moving to Singapore. Glad we connected at that random party in Clarke Quay.)

And now for the blind tasting...

The tallying has started. Feedback, please...
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And the winner is.... C!

(Surprise, surprise: it's the 1999 vintage. According to the winery, this wine could be aged for 15+ years. Winning attributes: toasty oak and black cherry with anise and rose petal aromas. Chalky tannins played against the jammy flavors of black raspberry and cassis fruit. We just wonder how it would've developed with further ageing.)

Once we got the important business of tasting wine out of the way, it was time for a little birthday cake, ice cream and late harvest riesling. Elle must have known that the good stuff was coming out as she decided it was time to join the party and help her daddy blow out his candles.

Here's to good friends, good wine and a special 35-year-old (husband/father/friend) who is sure to mature gracefully for many years to come. Cheers!

Expressions of Elle

2009-05-02T10:21:00.005+08:00

These shots were taken last weekend at the Rider's Club. Ross wanted to try out his new Canon lens and Elle eating lunch proved to be the perfect subject matter. See what she thought about it:

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Bier Leaving Party

2009-04-20T13:44:00.014+08:00

Farewell to our friends, Andrea and Karsten Bier: a fantastic couple who we will really miss and wish we had spent more time with.

A snip from Karsten's toast, "As expatriates, our lives are full of hellos and goodbyes."

Finger's crossed that we'll be able to celebrate Karsten's birthday combined with housewarming in Salzburg, Austria next year. (The world is a smaller place and anything is possible!)

The last six months has dealt us a handful of goodbyes. We're grateful to have met Andrea and Karsten and hope our next "hello" with them rolls around relatively soon.

All the best, auf wiedersehen!

Good Friday | Good Easter!

2009-04-10T12:30:00.013+08:00

We're gearing up for Easter this year with a lot of enthusiasm. On Thursday we received a parcel from Grandma Sally in good old California. The box contained some stuff for Ross and Danielle; but as to be expected, the lion's share was for Elle. She received a pink Easter bunny, ballet outfit that she'll grow into (she has dresses 'o plenty at the moment), a variety of baby headbands, some feather-embellished toys and duckies for the bath to name a few. We are well on our way to having a fun 1st Easter!

Elle checking out her new friend...

(Not sure about this headband, Mom!)

In the afternoon, we went to baby group at the Hunter's place. We played with Amelie and all her fun little friends. Tried 'toad in the hole', fruit crumble and even had a bit of cake. What a great day.

Wishing you all a 'Good' Friday and a Spendid Easter!
God Bless

Ten months!

2009-04-02T16:27:00.015+08:00

After our vacation to Lombok, the whole family got sick. [Cough.]

First, Elle came down with a viral infection. She recovered a week later and what seemed like a matter of days developed a nasty head cold. She's fine now, but Ross and I still feel less than 100%. However, I'm happy to report that after Elle lost a bit of weight and went below the 5th percentile, she is now back on track and gaining weight as a good eater should!
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One strategy we've used to add more calories to her diet has been to use a bit more olive oil, knobs of butter, avocado and cheese when making her food. She has also had her hand on a few baked treats, like cookies. What child doesn't like a good homemade cookie?
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Here are some shots of her in the kitchen, helping Mom.

She's also learning about a variety of flavors in main meals, such as minced beef with tomatoes, zucchini and basil to exotic fruits. One of her favorite dessert combos: vanilla yogurt with pink dragon fruit.

A growing girl also has a hard time keeping on weight when she's sooo darn active! She's at a place now where she is constantly on the move. She recently discovered a friend's walker and took to it like glue. Before we know it, she'll be walking without assistance.

Today is a baby group day, which normally takes place in the moring at our condo. This week however, the group decided to do something different. We ventured out to a farm called Bollywood Veggies. It is in the sticks of Singapore... this is another story in itself. We took in some nature and hoped to see animals, but will have to try again (at a different farm) next time. Here are a few shots of the big 10 month old's adventure!

Time sure flies!

Lombok - family vacation

2009-03-13T11:24:00.010+08:00

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There are sooo many lovely things that we need/want to post about our recent vacation to Lombok, Indonesia.

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However, with the huge workload this week, Ross recently moving is office from downtown to an hour away, Dani behind in a paper and poor baby Elle sick as can be with her first flu virus it won't happen right away. In the meanwhile, here are a couple of photos and a quick video of Elle in the pool to tie you over. A more substantial story should be up this weekend or by early next week.
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[Yes, daddy shaved his head... this is a separate post in itself. :-)]
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Cheers and hope you all are doing well!

Nan Thompson

2009-02-28T09:29:00.009+08:00

It's hard enough to say good bye to our loved ones when we know we won’t see them for a while (perhaps a few years at a time), but especially difficult to do so when we know we won't ever see them again in our lifetime. The only comfort is in knowing that although the body dies, our divine energy (spirit) lives on.

This post is dedicated to Ross's Grandmother: Lillian Irene Thompson.

Nan died peacefully on February 19th at home in St. John, NB with Ross's Mum, Pauline and his Aunt, Joan by her side.

Nan had a special spark that stayed with her until the very end. She was well loved and known for her ever witty contributions to conversations on every level. She was an avid reader, had a keen interest in both Canadian and American politics, liked to collect dolls, knit and bake. These are only a few of her many endearing personal attributes.

We will always remember her delicious cookies, homemade jam, handmade quilts & blankets and above all – her genuine interest in her family. During our visit last summer to New Brunswick, Nan would look Elle in the eyes and say, “You’re Nan’s best girl, yes you are.” As a dedication to Nan we will make sure Elle lives up to this statement. (It might come in handy during her teen years!)

Nan will forever live on in our hearts. We thank her for being our “Best Nan”!

Holland V

2009-02-23T14:47:00.003+08:00

This weekend we took a little excursion to visit some friends, check out their 'hood' and grab a bit to eat.

Ross's office is moving from downtown, which is <30min commute from our current place to 60+ mins away in an alternate local. The new location is nice, but further away than desired.

Having said that, these friends live within walking distance to the new office, so we thought we'd explore the area and start thinking about our inevitable move from this condo in Little India to one in (if not close to) Holland Village.

Dinner time at Cha Cha Chas...
Elle (and Mum & Dad) could get used to the al fresco dining in HV!

Thaipusam Festival

2009-02-14T16:21:00.017+08:00

Thaipusam is the feast for Lord Subramaniam, the universal granter of wishes. All those who wish to ask for a future favor, fulfill a vow in return for a granted favor, or to repent for past sins will participate in this Hindu festival.

Participants walk from the Sri Srinivasa temple (located just below our condo) to another temple, which is about about 3 kilometers and roughly five hours away. They carry offerings, pierce their bodies with hooks & skewers and some wear shoes made of nails!

Here's a shot from the balcony of our condo of the hundreds of local devotees congregating in anticipation of the big event which takes place at midnight and lasts 24 hours.

The following day we made a quick trek down to the temple to see what all the hoopla was about. Sifting through Ross's photos and deciding which ones to post was not an easy task. (Warning to those who get a bit queasy at the sight of pierced cheeks and tongues: do not proceed to view the following images!)

Temple during the day

A bit of info about the festival

Our friends: Gary, Hannah, Brian and Anne

Lord Subramaniam, may you grant us all our wishes. We vow to be hard working and nice to eachother! :-)

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2009-01-29T12:42:00.009+08:00

Thought we'd post some shots of our outing to Chinatown on the eve of Lunar New Year day.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy and prosperous year of the OX!

The Hunter's Bash at the Fort

2009-01-20T11:36:00.019+08:00

Our good friend, Stephen Hunter had a milestone birthday this past weekend. His lovely wife, Lisa (one of Dani's best mates) threw a divine party for him at Flutes at the Fort.

The evening started with canapes and champagne on the lower deck.

Steve made a speech at the start of dinner to deter us from doling out any 'roasts'.

We still managed to make fun of him. :-)

Ross and Lenka having a nice chat.

And the Birthday dessert platter arrives...

A few final words before we got kicked out of our 'fort'.

A great time was had by all.

Happy Birthday, Steve!

First Christmas

2009-01-07T09:17:00.007+08:00

The highlight of Christmas this year goes without saying, but will anyway: ELLE. She was a joy to observe while opening presents and socializing with people throughout our excursions on Christmas day.

The morning began unwrapping gifts from friends and family. She made out like a bandit!

Everything must be tasted before we can move on to the next item. Thanks Fisch for my animalz monkey... he's friendly looking, has a smooth texture and tastes okay.

Money money... Canadian coins from the entire year 2008. Like Father, like daughter. You can never take money for granted.

Mmmm BOOKS! Getting off to the right start in life with a love for books. We can never have too many. Thanks everyone. Elle truly enjoys them, even at the young age of 7 months.

"Not sure if I understand every word your saying Mummy, but it sounds interesting!"

Here's a cute video of "Elle Meeting Dora"

In the afternoon we met up with a bunch of friends for a nice "orphan" brunch at the Sentosa Resort & Spa.

Yes, my silly Mummy had my face painted!

This guy smells like cigarettes. Where is Santa's nose and mouth? Elle was too tired to be bothered with Santa this year.

We ended the day at KM8 on Tanjong Beach. A great finish to mademoiselle's first Christmas in Singapore!

7 Months Old!

2009-01-05T07:34:00.000+08:00

January 2nd marks Elle's 7th month. She's crawling to her heart's desire and recently pulled herself upright without assistance. Favorite thing to say is "da daaa da" and she seems to be using it intentionally. I brought her into our bedroom one morning and as she looked at Ross, said "da da daaa." Wouldn't it be nice after all these months if she could say "ma ma"? (Yes, my time will come soon enough!)

Another milestone has been the transition into more substantial solid foods. She's still eating pureed carrots, root veg, fruits and the like, but we've started making more interesting recipes from my latest favorite Annabel Karmel.

As you can see, she's also taken to messy teething biscuits....

Vital stats as of Jan 13 (which makes Elle 7.5mos) are as follows:

Weight: 6.675kg = between percentile 5 and 10
Length 66cm = between percentile 25 and 50
Head Circumference 43.8cm = between percentile 50 and 75

happy holidays to all!

2008-12-23T20:16:00.007+08:00

This Christmas, we decided to send out an e-holiday card. Upside: minimized carbon footprint, can be sent en masse and took hardly no time to put together. Downside: some folks don't have email and some folks didn't click on the link taking them to the actual card, which is: www.babymomento.com/thompsons

Note to our parents: Nan and Grandma Bailey received a card the old fashioned way.

These photos were taken by Sean Lau, the same photographer we used for our B+W maternity shots and pictures of EMT when she was 3 weeks old.
We got a call from his assistant/wife one day asking if Elle would be available as a baby model. I'm not one of those moms that want my baby in ads, but we really like the Lau's and they offered copies of these sweet pics! Therein lies the story behind the images of Elle's first Christmas card pictures.

* Best wishes for a wonderful 2009! *

Batam, Indonesia

2008-12-12T23:38:00.008+08:00

We took advantage of the 'Hari Raya' holiday weekend and snatched a 40 minute ferry to the island of Batam. This proved to be a great, quick getaway with baby in tow. We took a load of photos. Here are just some of the faves...

"Are you guys ready yet?"

Bye, bye Singapore...

Hello Batam! Traveling by ferry is an easy way to get around, especially when immigration is so close to the resort. About 20 minutes got us visas on the spot, stamping of passports and away we went.

We stayed at TURI Beach Resort, Nongsa Batam Island. The accommodations, food and pools were just to our liking. Elle approved.

The view from our room

Elle checking out the big bed.

The early riser. Fresh and ready to play. Too bad it was monsoon weather that day. Oh well, Chinese checkers and playing on the bed it is!

Regardless of the weather, a girl still needs to eat. Now that she's on solids, we had a great time dining out together and introducing her to new flavors. Elle used a high chair for the first time on this trip.

A final dip in the pool before we head home.

Just waiting for our shuttle back to the ferry dock. As usual, a knackered little baby snuggled up to Daddy.
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Bye Batam, we'll be back for more!

Peter & Vicky's Wedding Celebration

2008-12-12T22:59:00.006+08:00

A wonderful evening at Spa Botanica celebrating the union of Peter and Vicky. Lovely indeed!

Here's to 'happily ever after'... XO!

Fidgetors...

2008-12-12T09:54:00.004+08:00

"Fidgets" is Singapore's largest indoor soft play structure for children. Elle and her fellow Kerrisdale pal, Niklas had a play date. Fidgets proved to be the perfect place to tummble and crawl around. Thanks Petra for taking us!

Six Months Old Today!

2008-12-02T09:52:00.008+08:00

Today (December 2nd) marks the six month 'birthday' for Miss Elle. She continues to make us laugh and glow with pride!

milestones to date:

TALKING: arr rraa ra... arr rraa ra... all day long. :-)
CRAWLING: She’s been able to lunge a bit and make short, swift moves forward, but continues to make her way around by crawling backward and rolling.
FEEDING: We started her on cereal a few weeks ago and are now introducing a variety of root veggies as her first round of real solids. So far, sweet potato mixed with a bit of rice cereal seems pretty tasty!

Below is a little story that Daddy wrote, portraying the birth experience from Elle’s perspective. To think that she was born a half year ago is mind-boggling.

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Through My Eyes

Well it only seems fair that I get to tell my side of the story so this is how things REALLY happened.

I was just chilling out in my home – the only home that I have ever known – and while the house seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, I was enjoying myself. All of sudden, the walls started to shake – slowly at first but then the walls started to shake harder and harder and then more frequently. I wasn’t too scared by this but I was pretty curious.

The next thing I knew, there was French Onion Soup and French Fries coming my way. Don’t get me wrong here – they were delicious but with the walls shaken a lot at this point, there was just no room in the house for them so I kicked them back out the door they came in and hung out a No Vacancy sign! Then with no warning at all, the fluid that made my house feel like home disappeared out a door that I hadn’t seen open before. Luckily, the fluid seemed to replace itself but that comfort was short lived because that same door opened once again and didn’t seem to close and this only made me more curious as to what was happening. As I started to make my way to this new door, it felt like my house was actually pushing me to go through it. I know it sounds crazy but I guess you just had to be there!

On the other side of the door was a tunnel which sparked my curiosity even further. I started down it but it was pretty narrow and then I came to bend that I couldn’t seem to get passed know matter how hard I tried! Just when I was about to give up, something came at me from the other end of the tunnel and stuck itself onto my head. I’m not really sure who or what it was but it was like a good Samaritan because it helped me past that bend in the tunnel that I was having trouble with. Once past that bend I could feel some cool air on the top of my head and I got excited to get through the rest of the tunnel and see what was on the other side!

I was through the tunnel but wasn’t expecting what came next. I saw some figures that looked a little like me but much larger (and uglier), cold air and bright lights. I almost immediately found myself on the figure that was in a funny position on a bed so I let out a big warning cry. There was another figure standing beside the bed with things over his eyes and holding up something that kept sending off flashes of light! Both of these figures were mumbling some strange language but somehow, it seemed remarkably familiar.

In all this confusion, I didn’t even notice that I had left my food supply behind and just as I was about to really freak out, the figure that I was laying on produced a new food supply – two actually. I’m not exactly sure what it was but boy was it good and since then, I’ve gotten to eat whenever I wanted to.

Since my initial introduction, I have to say that both the figure with the food source and the one with the funny things on his eyes both smell quite nice and seem to be around all the time. They’ve cleaned me, kept me quite warm and even showed me some new outfits they had picked out for me - not nearly as much pick as I like but we can work on that! I don’t think that I’ll be going back to my old home anytime soon (maybe never) but it looks like these two figures are welcoming me into their home so I’m planning to stay and see how it goes.

Elle
June 2, 2008

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chillin' at the hub...

2008-11-22T15:48:00.004+08:00

... taking care of the Saturday morning errands.

Just chillin' at StarHub, waiting for Daddyto finish up with our mobile phone service supplier. (Whoopty do!) Thought we'd pull out the handy-dandy camera and take a quick video + a couple of shots. -

Hope you're all having a more exciting weekend than us! :-)

Working out can be fun!

2008-11-16T12:48:00.003+08:00

Yeah, this activity gym is pretty entertaining...

oThere's no shortage of characters to play with, that's for sure.

o Gotta get back at it, Mom...

happy anniversary

2008-11-11T11:22:00.006+08:00

This November 12th marks three years of marriage and over five years together. To reflect on what seems like many months (not many years ago), I've posted a few photos of special moments from the year we were married.

Alamere Falls in Point Reyes National Seashore, Calif. Just after Ross proposed!

Pre-wedding party, hosted by Mum & Dad Thompson, Ko Olina Resort & Spa, Oahu, Hawaii

Wedding ceremony on the lawn, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Ko Olina Resort, November 12, 2005

Honeymoon in Maui: We watched the sun rise from Mt. Haleakala volcano, then biked to the bottom for breakfast.

Happy Anniversary, xo!

Already a Veteran of Shots

2008-11-11T09:57:00.008+08:00

Elle had her second round of immunizations this morning. These are '6 in1' shots and fortunatley she only has one more round to go in another 2 months.

She was so interested in everything around her that she didn't want to suckle while the pediatrician gave her the jab. So we proceeded with the shot. After it was in she looked at me with this questionable face as if to ask what in the world were we doing and then let out a big, albeit short cry.
;

On a happier note, she is gaining weight nicely. She's still petite for her age, but very strong and developing at a healthy rate. She measured at 62.6cm (24.6") and is now 6.16kgs (13.58 lbs), thereby still classifying her in the 15th percentile.

Recent milestones include: responding to her name when she is called, crawling backwards and sitting upright without assistance. Wow! Everyone said this first year would fly by and boy are they right!

Happy Veteran's Day.

Just being cheeky...

2008-11-07T14:36:00.003+08:00

5 months and growing, make that swimming...

2008-11-03T11:54:00.005+08:00

In what seems like a blink, Baby Elle just reached her five month milestone.

She's a "chatty" little lady and very expressive, so we can only imagine how her communication skills will progress with each month.

One thing is certain, she sure loves her Daddy and swimming in the pool! Here's a video of her first swim.

Where has the time gone?!

2008-10-24T10:28:00.007+08:00

We have had so much on our plates since the last post that I (Dani) started to wonder, "what's the point of having a blog if it's not being updated?" So, we are taking a new approach of fewer words, a couple photos and a lot more frequent posts!

That said, here is a quick update on baby Elle: She's turning 21 weeks on October 27th. Stats will be posted after her next pediatrician appointment in Nov. Her last weight check (in the 2nd week of Oct) was 5.49kgs, or just over 12lbs. She's still in the 10th percentile and considered "petite" for her age, but growing at a very healthy pace.

She's rolling like a barrel these days: tummy/back/tummy all over the place. No sign of teeth yet, but there's lots of drool and anything within arm's reach gets chewed on. We wake up most mornings to hearing her "gooooo, ooohhhhh, ah" via baby monitor. She's such an angel!

Here are some recent photos taken within her 4th month: