Bangkok Week 638

September 17, 2020

Our little Master Arlo turns 1 year old this week!* Where has the time gone? It feels like only yesterday that we welcomed this little boy into our family. Happy Birthday, big buddy!

*And that’s a great excuse to go away for a 3-day weekend.

Arlo visits his friend Mia's house on Friday morning.

Showing Mia the wonderful wheels in her own book.

Hey, Sally's here now too!

One tired Arlo back at home. Those girls are exhausting!

Saturday morning, and we're off to the beach for a long weekend. And Arlo enjoys a long nap.

Our spacious home for the next 2 nights

Upgraded, to have an ocean view.

Arlo is pretty psyched by the towel elephant waiting to greet him.

First things first: what shall we have for lunch?

Arlo's just noticed that Dad's ring spins. Wow!

Pizza and baked spinach with cheese. Not a bad lunch!

Pizza is better when you can sit like a big person.

Quickly exploring the property.

Arlo can't wait for the sun to move a bit, so he can use the pool!

In the mean time, this kids club will suffice.

Where's Arlo?

A giant car!

Great wheels on this fire truck.

5pm! Swim time! (Has Arlo's enthusiasm stayed back in the room?)

Nope! Arlo's excited.

He's been waiting patiently all afternoon for this.

It's much more fun to swim without the ring.

Family shot!

Slowly getting used to sitting up here.

Another family shot.

Splash splash splash.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Winding down with a quick dip in the kids' pool.

Early evening sky: facing south over the Gulf of Thailand.

Uh oh! Lion ate Ben for being too noisy!

A beautiful sunset, even though we're on the wrong side of the country.

Oh no! Arlo didn't quite make it to dinner.

Mum will just have to eat without Arlo.

And finish his food, if he's not awake to have it!

Next morning! Schooling dad over breakfast.

Mwah! Happy Sunday! This boy slept well.

Getting in a morning swim before it gets too hot.

More open to using the ring today.

Arlo waiting patiently for something to happen. But what?

Oh! Here comes Dad!

That's a big splash, Dad!

He nailed the landing! A perfect 10 for Dad!

Arlo found that interesting.

Back where the pool meets the sea.

Family shot, again.

We almost had the pool to ourselves!

Arlo still prefers to swim without the ring.

Arlo's first time really seeing the sea. And boy! Look at those waves!

Another wave!

Arlo can't wait to touch the waves.

Going to check out the waves.

Another wave!

More waves!

Wait a minute...

Happy to sit on the sand, but not so sure about walking on it yet.

Well, that was a hit.

We'll be back later, when it's less hot.

Another dip in the kids' pool.

Dad! Stop it! Not in public!

Short detour to the playground. It wasn't as fun as it looked from the pool.

Back in the kids' pool.

Hi Dad!

This pool's fine, but Arlo prefers the lagoon pool.

Mr. Smiley!

He has a big, sweet kiss for the boy in the mirror - who also made the trip down to Rayong!

Creeping up behind Mum.

Hi Mum!

Spending the peak sun hours in the kids club again.

Which is a great idea, because there are so many wheels.

Wheels on wheels! Doubly great!

Examining the fire truck, and sporting a new 'do.

Back in the room, Arlo gets started on his afternoon snack: an apple.

Arlo really likes apples!

In fact, the whole afternoon could revolve around this apple.

Just here, enjoying my apple, guys.

Apple digested, it's time for one last late-afternoon swim.

Practicing our back stroke.

Flying with dad!

Arlo is cautiously having fun.

Arlo likes swimming with Dad!

Yay!

Back on the edge. Great view!

Who knew. You can play the tongue-grabbing game in the pool, too!

Great, overcast day. Good for swimming!

Requisite family shot!

This vantage point provides a great view of... the waves! Why aren't we there?

Finally!

How did this water get so deep?

Wave!

More bubbly water.

This is fun!

Wave! Wave! Wave!

Oh. And Arlo finally gets a mouth full of sea water. Suddenly, Arlo is rethinking these waves...

Verdict: it's a small trade-off. The waves are still good.

This was fun, guys!

One family photo in the water.

And Arlo's lost interest in the waves, and instead become fascinated by the muddy sand.

The sea-front pool, which we didn't use.

Cheers! Dinner at the bar tonight, since we had 2 drink vouchers to use up.

Arlo enjoyed the bar. It was spacious, and had comfy couches.

Good morning! Who's the big boy turning 1 today!?

Arlo's not sure what to do with this envelope.

What a nice card!

Getting in one last swim before we head back to Bangkok.

Practicing with Dad.

Still enjoying the water, despite the sun.

Heading to the end of the pool.

Arlo, kick kick kick.

Whee!

Last family shot of the trip!

Honk!

This time, we really did have the pool to ourselves!

Singing Happy Birthday to Arlo at 9:45! Happy Birthday, big boy!

And big boy is pooped for his trip back to Bangkok.

Lucky Arlo had a present waiting for him, from P'Noi and P'Natalie.

Maracas! And two puzzles! How lucky Arlo is!

Shake shake shake! The maracas are a hit!

Here he is: the 12-month boy! Clearly still a monkey at heart.

12 months: what a journey!

Taking the time to inspect Dad's work of art, and all 12 wheels.

Wow! Arlo! You're so lucky, look at what your Granny, Grandpa, Great Auntie Chris and Auntie Erika sent you!

Learning about Hippoposites.

And learning how to use a hammer.

Last up for Arlo's special day: his cake! (But not sure what this long song is about.)

Mum, I want that blue thing!

Huh. This blue macaroon is pretty good.

Deeee-lish!

I don't need that cake thing. I'll just have this blue thing.

Oh. I was wrong. Give. Me. More. Cake.!

Licking every last bit of cake off his hands. Arlo's never been so enthusiastic with a food before!

Tuesday morning, playing with his Arlo book from Bonnie and Bob.

Arlo's not sure about this place! Whenever we come to the hospital, there are fun toys... but he has some negative associations too.

You want me to do what?

Yeah right, Mum. I'm good sitting right here.

Cooking a barbecue for Dad.

Mum cooks, and Arlo cleans. (Thanks, Arlo!)

Getting a good look at the time.

How many adults does it take to measure one Arlo?

Arlo survived his 2 shots. He's recuperating with his alphabet cards.

New morning, new day. In fact, it's Wednesday. You know what that means?

More swimming!

Arlo's still not a fan of the noodle. Requires too much holding on.

He'd rather just play with the toys.

There was a camera crew there, filming for a piece in a local magazine.

A ball!

And a fish!

Taking photos before we wrap up class.

What a long and busy week! Birthday boy, signing off until next week!