The Bub in the Belly

The thing about blogging about your family's adventures is that, taking a break from blogging means that there's a lot to catch up on when you get back to it. Let's start where I left off. Somewhere in mid-December ...

One of my uncles came into Singapore on Thursday and we put him up in the Fairmont. He left on Friday but we still had the room for another night so we packed an overnight bag and hopped over there with the littles for a quick staycation after work.

Before we could get to the hotel, we had to sort out a little problem at home. After work, we came home to find that the planter next to our living room was flooded! It was a bathtub! Apparently, the bamboo that was planted there by the previous owner had overgrown and, assisted by the planter's substandard design, its roots had choked up the tiny drainage outlet. The previous weeks' worth of rainfall was all in there. Richard and I hauled pails of water for what seemed like forever before the level of water subsided just a little. I got a taste of what it must feel like to be in a sinking ship.

We didn't clear out the whole thing, just enough to make sure that it would not overflow before we could get someone to fix the problem. It was fortunate that Richard and I had come home to pick up our luggage (we were toying with the idea of going straight to the hotel from work). It was also fortunate that the littles were still at their nanny's, otherwise it would have been a really frustrating and messy affair. I really got the feeling that God was looking out for us.

All's well that ends well - we managed to find a specialist contractor to come on Sunday to dismantle the planter and we're getting it decked over this week. The bamboo had to go, which was a real pity.

Saturday was a busy day. After lunch at our usual bak kut teh place, we went to watch Hi-5's latest live concert - "Hi-5 House Party" at Marina Bay Sands.


Yes, that's Ryan dancing along in the aisles. He had a wonderful time, and I think the show re-kindled his love for Hi-5. Babydoll watched half of it and slept through the second half.

Incidentally, I asked Ryan a few days ago whether he wanted to take dance lessons. I'd asked him before and he'd said no. I was, however, feeling inspired after attending a charity ball where everyone was dancing ballroom-style, and so I asked him again. After all, children change their minds often, right? His response was, in a slightly offended tone, "No, I don't want to learn. I already know how to dance." Okay, okay.

We ended the day with a Christmas party/surprise birthday party hosted by Richard's boss at his lovely home. I was a little surprised that Ryan was so comfortable with everyone. He knew nobody yet he chatted and played with no reservations and entertained and charmed them all, especially the ladies. He had a really good time. Babydoll stuck with me for most of the night.

All right, that's all for now - next post will be about our Christmas!