Minus Loy Kratong

This week we have watched the pool and garden area be transformed into an outdoor stage area and fair grounds for Loy Kratong. Loy Kratong a marking of full moon and full waters with a thank offering to the river goddess for the full waters from the rainy season.  It is supposed to mark the end of the rainy season - the rain has not yet slackened off as it should have, so we wait to see if it really is the fullest the rivers will get!  It is a very beautiful festival: small boats with lit candles are floated on whatever water is around.  The lights strung up around the pool and garden were pretty to see from our balcony, but the loud music and noise until late last night were not so much fun. Mommy was surprised to see how seriously people took this festival - everybody there was dressed up in traditional Thai clothing, which was a bit of a mismatch with the fairgames set up just outside!

 Jasmin has been doing a lot of drawing in her journal lately.  Often this is done by flashlight after the goodnights have been said, but since Mommy does her journal then, what can be said?  It is a good habit to journal, as long as it doesn't go on too long into the night.  Right now it is all about flamingos and fish...

 

These shelves are all the living room storage we have, so Mommy is still working out how to keep them neatish when they are in use daily for school, crafts, and toys.  It got a bit worse this week as we finally managed to borrow the rest of the books we need for our year of schooling.

Realized this week also that we could no longer think to wait to get a highchair... eating on the table is not a short term solution let alone a longer one!  So this week we went shopping - it was meant to be a window shop for Christmas presents, but when the prices were so high and one was on sale... we got a booster seat with a tray. Meal times are a lot calmer now. Thank you NiNi for an early Christmas present!

Grace has two adult teeth!

Midweek

Truly back into life here: Daddy working full time, school in full swing, and fruit smoothie popsicles.  Aiden really enjoyed his first one, but it frustrated him too - it kept getting away!

We found our passes to Ocean World (still good till Jan), and went to see what they had changed.  Quite a bit, we discovered! They had a whole section on different types of sea horses, but cameras are not allowed in that part.  We waited in the midsection by the penguins for Daddy to catch up (he had gone on another errand) and for Aiden to fall asleep so Mommy didn't have to carry him any more.  Jasmin had fun with mommy's phone camera and the penguins, though many are rather blurry.  This penguin was pretty friendly!

We all are loving a busy growing Aiden, but there are those times he is pretty frustrating...

 

Mommy's solution to an Aiden who wants to be carried while she makes a meal:

Grace and Jasmin's solution to an "annoying little brother":

They aren't actually just blocking hiim out... but rather incorporated him into their animal game - he's a "booboo" in it's special zoo cage :o)

Check In

What's happened this week?

The girls had a much anticipated play date with some friends.  The pent up anticipation burst into intense talk and play the minute they saw each other. Unfortunately, that much charged emotion snarled the anticipated play time and they all four ended up in distraught tears at some point or another. But we'll try again.

Grace lost another tooth, and immediately announced another wiggly two - once started in this business of switching to adult teeth, she is working hard to finish it!

Aiden found a whopper cold/cough and has generously shared it with Grace and Jasmin.  At one point we were wondering if we needed to take Aiden in - his breathing was so noisy and fast - but he is recovering nicely now.

Aiden has figured out how to go where he wants in his chair.  Nice not to have to fish him out of the laundry room all the time, but now Mommy has to watch out not to fall over him as he follows her around - nice, but difficult in our narrow kitchen!

Grace has been on a reading binge, leaving Jasmin to find her own things to do - so the living room has been full of cut bits of paper, tape, pens and colors as she makes things.  She made an airplane that she flew off the balcony to Grace on the playground to discover which balcony was ours.

This, on the day we let them stay on the playground to play by themselves!  They enjoyed the excitement of the new responsibility - keeping the key card safe, and being able to come up and go down as they liked.  This time they had good play with two old friends they ran into on the playground.

Daddy has been busy trying to sort out our lease - we still haven't signed one! - and juggling his other jobs, which now seem to be requiring either lots of night work and skype meetings.  How glad we are that his "office" is not in our living room, but is still at home!

A3 - All About Aiden

It has taken us nearly a month to fully move in, what with work begun and other interruptions - and most inconveniently, those we left our stuff with were away!  For example, yesterday we finally got out kitchen properly set up and last night we slept with pillows for the first time....

In the meantime, Aiden has become acutely aware of all that is going on around him and is very intense in his desire to take part in it all.  Especially eating.

For weeks we have been eating out of these instant noodle cups with folding plastic forks and tiny yoghurt cup spoons.  Mommy had to get pretty inventive with cooking different meals with a pot, a knife, a serving spoon and dish!  Aiden got to sample all sorts as Mommy's milk couldn't keep him full longer than 10 minutes it felt like.  He liked what he got - from limes to green curry to plain yoghurt!  Unfortunately now he thinks he can have everything we have...

 

No, we didn't really let him eat the fudge icecream sunday!

Now we have our kitchen to rights, he'll be getting proper baby food. Not sure if he'll take to it after sampling real food...

His latest discovery has been watching the washing spin in the washer.  He will watch nearly the whole cycle!  Only downside is that there is a lip in that doorway so he can't get himself out again.

 

Now, if we could just get him to sleep a normal amount (more than 20min at a time during the day)... the only way we've managed that so far is to take him swimming for an hour first :o)