From Hostel to Home

November Update

Arlo turned 6 months old!!! He popped a tooth right around his birthday. Although he's not completely himself, he's still in good spirits! Arlo is one of a kind. A smile that is so contagious, and always at the perfect time. He started solid foods this month. Carrots, sweet potato and applesauce (Lummi Island grown). So far, he likes carrots the best. He's had a cough for a few days and he's not quite sure what to do with phlegm so he's been gagging a lot lately. 

Arlo loves: sleeping with mom and dad, tummy time, his nanny Aying, going for walks, being held in the carrier, his brother Ezra, listening to books, warm bathes, biting on anything, being smiled at. Arlo doesn't like: things taken away from him that he's playing with, waking up alone, people speaking loudly in Chinese, putting clothes on over his head.

His favorite toy is a rattle grandma bought for him. He still drools like crazy! Naps 3-4 times every day in his crib, but sleeps at night in bed with mom and dad. He's truly an amazing little person.

Big brother Ezra!!! Loves just about anything with wheels. Super obsessed with construction which is perfect for this area because we get to see a lot of dump trucks, cranes, etc. Ezra is loving school! He still has a hard time getting dropped off, but he loves it, once we leave. It's really neat to watch his develop and at such a quick pace. I would've never guessed he'd be sitting on a seesaw with his friends a few months ago, but here he is, doing a great job!

Being two sure did hit hard. He is all about being independent! "Ezra do it himself" is a saying we hear a lot during the day. He's even peeing on the potty!!! Ezra's very determined and likes to have things his way. He's learning how to interact with Arlo as Arlo is learning to interact with the world more.

We're all heading to Swaziland for Christmas and Ezra is looking forward to seeing some animals! Stay tuned for our December update after we get back from vacation!

Much love from China,

Banner Fam

Happy Halloween!

Family of Pandas! I swear Ezra had a hat but he refused to wear it!

Five Months

Arlo turns 5 months! He's such a sweet, good little boy. Always happy and very easy to please.  Smiling his way around China and making everyone oooh and ahhh around him. 

Arlo loves his bath, big brother, sleeping with mom and dad, forward facing, drooling, rolling over to his tummy and blowing raspberries! 

Arlo doesn't like his crib, and getting overtired. That's about it. He is more of a lover and tends to like most things.

He's gearing up to starting solid foods this month! Already opening his mouth when a spoon is near and seems very interested in eating. He's doing a great job breastfeeding and has made the job a million times easier this time around. Drinks from a bottle during the day with nanny and breast in evening and night with mama. He's still waking up 3-4 times every night to eat, but he goes back to sleep easily, so it's really not that big of a deal. It'd sure be nice to get more sleep cycles, but he won't be a baby forever.

Then there's this silly guy.

He's loving school! I'll be honest that he still dreads getting dropped off and we haven't completely gotten rid of the tears yet. It's gotten a million times better, but it's not perfect (yet). His teacher swears he's fine 2 minutes after we leave, and I'm sure he is. Ezra comes home singing songs he learns, playing games, telling stories...I love it! His teacher sends us pictures of what his day looks like and it's the best. The picture above is sensory play with ice cubes. I'm feeling great about putting him in the program. I think it was just what he needed...

Ezra loves riding his bike, playgrounds, peppa pig, cars/trucks/buses, reading books, and jumping. He doesn't like turning peppa pig off before his bath. It's the same every night. He really dislikes turning it off. 

He's turning into the sweetest, kind hearted little boy. Aside from being sick since the day we arrived in China with colds and coughs, Ezra has adapted quite well. 

 

Back to Blogging

What are the chances I could start blogging again? Slim to none, but I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm going to set a short term goal of blogging once/week and it doesn't have to be long winded. Short, to the point and hopefully I can get family and friends back as readers. Things I'd like to write about in this space, besides the boys of course, are: our new house, work, Ezra starts school, foods we are eating, bike riding around town, cultural shock, traveling,  and all things mom. I'm going to work on monthly posts about the growth and changes of the boys as well. 

New post: I'll start small with a post about getting my hair cut and this will fall under culture shock.

It's been years since I've had my hair cut. Years. It was so long and horrible that I literally gave up on brushing it and started just tying it back into a bun on the weekends and only brushed it on the week days. Malaysia wasn't known for their hair stylists, so I just let it grow. And grow. And grow. That is, until the other day. I decided it was time to chop it off and have a fresh start. I'd been hearing about this place called Tonan that seemed pretty nice. I gave it a shot. I brought in some pictures of an old haircut I had back in the day that I always loved. It was a major change, but I was ready for a change. I paid more for the more qualified stylist. And...it's horrible. The language barrier was too much for both of us and I fell short. Imagine a mushroom, puffy on the top and straight on the bottom. It's awful. So now I'm left wondering if I go get more cut off to try to recreate a past haircut, or live with the awful haircut I got and just keep pulling it back. At least it's short enough to brush through, and long enough to pull back into a safe bun. 

If you're reading this blog, you probably are interested in updates on Ezra and Arlo. They're coming! 

Welcome Baby Arlo

Arlo Douglas Banner was born on May 10th at 10:20am weighing in at 3.55kg. He came into a world filled with love and comfort. Ezra was getting over a cold when Arlo was born, so he needed to wait to meet him until we came home from the hospital. Arlo is 13 days old today and he's been a dream so far. He's a fantastic sleeper and so far a great nurser. Ezra has been a wonderful big brother being very gentle and sweet to Arlo. 

22 Months

Hello Family and Friends,
I only have 2 more months before I'm 2 and my baby brother is coming in less than 2 days!
Grandma is here visiting right now and it's great. She sings to me, reads to me and tells me stories. I love that she's here with me when my baby brother is coming. We are all in Singapore which means I get to eat treats sometimes and stay up later than I do at home. I like to travel because things are a little different when we go places. The food is nice and our apartment has a huge pool that I just LOVE.
Not much is new with me. Life has been pretty good for me as I watch my parents run around getting ready for baby brother and moving to China. My mom keeps telling me that things are going to be different for me and I know that, but as long as I have my mom and dad, I'll be fine.
One cool thing is I got a new walking backpack. My dad has been taking me out on walks in the evenings and I'm always so excited to use my new backpack.
I'm still learning so much and growing so fast.
I love you all and appreciate you watching me grow.
I'm going to be a big brother in 2 days! By the time you get this card, I'll have already kissed my brother 100 times!
Love,
Ezra

3 months before 2 years old!

Dearest Family,

My mom is having a baby in 33 days!!!! That means I'm going to be a BIG brother! I'm so very excited! I've been reading books and talking with mom and dad about some changes when baby brother gets here. I'm feeling a little nervous about baby brother crying and I like to say "crying" and show pictures of different babies crying, but I'll have to quickly learn that babies cry and I don't need to feel nervous about it. I've been much more open to hug and kiss baby and I even like to sing to him now!
This month we spent some time in Singapore. I went to the zoo and LOVED it! The animals were so great to watch and although it was really hot out, the animals were active and so fun. I liked the baboons and elephants the best.
My dad took me to the botanical gardens where I got to run around and see big trees and even a waterfall. It was awesome. I got to eat yummy foods and I even tried ice cream for the first time! My mom jokes that she's not going to let me try it again until I'm in high school because she thinks it caused me to "meltdown" whatever that means.
It was also Easter this month! I got to celebrate with my best friend River. She came over for bagels and we hunted for eggs. Inside the eggs were treats and it was the BEST! I found eggs in my yard from the easter bunny and it was a magical day. The bunny even left me a basket full of treats.
I'm sure learning a lot these days. I'm a really good listener and I pick up on everything! My mommy tells me a little late with getting more teeth and now I have 4 poking through at the same time! I like getting them because I can chew better now. I'm still sleeping like a rockstar in my own bed for the whole night. I'm actually a really good boy. I'm sweet and love to give hugs and kisses.
I wish you were here. I'd kiss you and give you lots of high fives.
I miss you and love you.
Thank you for watching me grow.
Much love,
Ezra James

20 Months Old

My Dearest Family,

Only four more months before I'm 2!!! Can you believe I'll be 2 years old? I'm already ahead of myself and when people ask me how old I am, I proudly tell them 2 and hold up 6 fingers. I'm pretty cute about it. This month wasn't too exciting. My mom keeps telling me that I'm growing into a big boy and changing so much, but I don't really know what she's taking about. I feel the same, except I can now say two or three words at a time to communicate instead of my normal one to two. I suppose that's nice. I like to ask for help a lot and that is helping me not show too much frustration. So I guess my communication has changed a lot this month. It's nice to be able to ask for things I want and tell my mommy and daddy things that I don't want. They're really good listeners too. One of my new favorite things to do is RUN! I love to run. It's super hot here in Malaysia, so my running time outside isn't too long, but I love it! Mages takes me outside to my favorite tree and I run and kick the ball under the tree. I'm usually dripping sweat when I come inside, but it's worth it. The fireworks finally stopped at night because Chinese New Year ended. I call them "boom, boom" and they scared me at night so I had a hard time sleeping. My mom and dad are so happy they stopped, and so am I. You know what? I can sleep in my crib in my room all by myself now for the whole night! My mom and dad sing me songs and tell me stories to put me to sleep while I lay in my crib and I fall asleep by myself now. No rocking needed! Like a big boy! And, because I fall asleep by myself, I stay asleep all night! My mommy kisses me a lot in the morning and tells me she misses me, but it's fine, I'm ready to be a big boy now. Not much else happening. We're having a mini vacation at the end of the month to Singapore. We're going to the zoo which I'm really excited about! I've been practicing all the animal sounds and I cant wait to see them in person! That's pretty much it. I miss you all and hope to see you over the summer! Remember, I'm turning 2 this summer!

I love you, Ezra James

 

19 Months

Dear Family,
I'm 19 months old! I promise not to count in months anymore once I hit 2 years. It's been fun taking monthly pictures and I'll be sad to pass the torch to my baby brother, but don't worry, my mom will keep me in the photos and of course update you on both of us. She just promises not to count in months anymore for me.
Not a lot has changed this month. My hair is growing like crazy. I hated getting my haircut so much that my mom and dad are dreading taking me in again. It's gotta happen though.
It was Chinese New Year this month! It's now the year of the monkey. Baby brother will be a monkey and mom tells me they are supposed to be cheeky, but smart. I'm a horse. Brave and strong. My friend River came over and we played the whole day and had pizza for dinner. It was awesome.
I met my new cousins! Twin baby girls that I love so much already. My dad blows their picture up on the TV so I can see them better and I like to give them kisses and practice saying their names. So many girl cousins! I'm kinda glad my mom is having another boy for me to hang out with.
Speaking of my brother. I haven't been as interested in giving him hugs and kisses anymore recently. Sometimes I'll hide under mommy's shirt and listen for him, but I don't really feel like giving him hugs anymore. My mom tells me that I'm going to be a great big brother and I know she's right. He's just taking forever to get here. I'll give him hugs and kisses again when he comes out.
One of the pictures of me on the front of the card is from my favorite play place I go to sometimes on the weekend. It's at the mall and it has so many cool things. There's a ball pit, bikes to ride, puzzles, doll house, fake stores to pretend play, and so many other things! I love it when my mom and dad take me there. I could stay all day and have a really hard time leaving.
Another one of the pictures on the front is of me cooking. I made banana bread with my mom this morning. Cooking is so much fun! I learned that if you crack an egg, it explodes all over the place. First, it scared me. But my mom cleaned me right up and I was back to mixing. So fun! I take after my daddy with my love for cooking.
That's all for now. We're all preparing for new baby to come and moving to China in August. Big changes in the year of the monkey.
I love you and thank you for watching me grow.

XOXO Ezra

18 Months

Dear Family,
Happy New Year! This month has been filled with traveling, changes and a great beginning to a wonderful new year! To start out fresh, I got my first "real" haircut! I hated it. My mom held me the entire time and I wanted nothing to do with it, so the lady went as quick as possible. My mom tells me that my hair is still long, but me and dad think it's just fine the way it is.
For Christmas, we went on a plane to Borneo! It was great. Our hotel had a huge window that I could watch the boats on the river. I couldn't wait to wake up every morning. Also, Santa came to our hotel! He brought me a red fire truck and a book to help me learn new words. I still love santa and I'm a little sad that my mom took down all the Christmas decorations. My mom tells me Santa lives in my heart until next year.
We didn't see any orangutans in Borneo in the wild, but we did see them at the rehabilitation center. I had a lot of fun walking around the jungle with my mom and dad and it was a really nice Christmas. Also, flying in the plane is really fun for me too!
For new years, we went to Legoland parking lot to watch the fireworks. I've heard them many times in my life, but this was the first time that I saw them. It was exciting! I was scared because they were a little loud, but once we watched them from the car, I wanted more!
After new years, my mom and dad went to Bangkok for 3 days and I stayed in Malaysia with Mages. I wasn't scared. Mages took good care of me and my mom and dad made sure I was okay. The reason they went to Bangkok was to get a new job, and they got one! Mommy keeps telling me I'm going to love moving to my new house. We're moving to Shekou, China! I'm most excited about the food because I love eating rice and noodles. I also get to start school at just 2 years old! I'm so excited! Me and my brother are going to just love our new experiences in China and I'm so proud of my mom and dad for getting a new job!
A lot of changes and a lot of growth for this new year! Thank you for loving me and watching me grow.
I love all of you with all of my heart!
Xoxo
Love,
Ezra