The Countdown......

The Countdown begins....we have 34 days to go until Lucky Wilt arrives (supposedly). Adam's countdown chain makes the waiting game a lot more fun, at least ripping the links off does. ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

So they do deliver flowers in Singapore! Adam surprised me with a nice bouquet of roses. We also had a nice dinner out. It was a good V-day.

My Very First Tea Party!

I made a new friend! She's three & a half, but our age gap doesn't seem to get in the way of our friendship. Her name is Ms. Julia & she invited Ms. Lisa (sometimes known as Boots if we are playing Candy Land) to her very first Tea Party yesterday in honor of Valentine's day. We had pink cupcakes, cookies, brownies & finger sandwiches with our tea. Then we had craft time & made lollipop flowers (her mommy is a cousin of Martha Stewart's I think). Afterwards Mr. Boots joined us for pizza & then he turned into a Super Hero! It was a magical day.

Super Bowl Sun....ahhhh Monday

Super Bowl Sunday was actually televised live Monday morning here in Singapore. We were fortunate enough to find a neighborhood bar & grill that was hosting a Super Bowl party...actually Super Bowl Breakfast. We took it all in at Dan Ryan's Chicago Bar & Grill at 7 a.m. Monday morning with giant pancakes. (Adam luckily was able to take a vacation day.) It was a completely different Super Bowl experience & sort of heart warming to be in a room filled with so many Americans. The game was excellent too, though my team didn't win......

On our walk home Adam decided to give "Where's Waldo" a run for his money while we passed by some of the many art sculptures that line the streets here.

Busy Daddy....

Thanks to Adam, all of our baby equipment is now assembled! He put it all together with not a single bad word and while Mom-to-be got to rest. What a Dad! He even had some fun playing with it afterwards.

February's Belly Shot!

Next month is Lucky's birthday! All is well, though this big belly is getting harder to carry around.
r

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Or Happy Chinese New Year. This year's Chinese Lunar New Year (the year of the Ox) began January 26th & officially ended February 9th.

For good luck & prosperity & to scare away monsters & bad spirits there is a traditional Lion Dance (see pics/video below). This Lion Dance is done all over town during the 15 day celebration. It's preformed at homes, offices & malls.

Mandarin Oranges are given in even pairs during this festive time too. They are considered lucky because they look like gold, the color of wealth. Adam got a nice basket of them from 3M.

Chinese families get together for Reunion Dinners where they enjoy what is called a Steamboat Dinner. Adam & I had the pleasure of eating two Steamboat Dinners. It's sort of like fondue; you cook a lot of raw meat, fish, & veggies in a pot on a hotplate in a broth.

Another tradition during this celebration is the Hong Boa (also known as Ang Pow or Lai See). It's a small red envelop that contains a sum of money in an even-number amount, given by married couples to children & unmarred adults.

There is also the tossing of the Yu Sheng salad (also known as Lo Hei). This is done to bring on good luck & prosperity for the coming new year. It is a raw fish salad with many other ingredients (see pics/video below) & while you toss it you give each other blessings (i.e. "here's to good health, wealth, happiness", etc.)

You also see red everywhere during these 15 days. Red paper lanterns & decorations as this is the "auspicious" color of the Chinese New Year celebration.

Adam & I enjoyed learning about this holiday & celebrating it. Hope you all enjoy what we've learned & seen.