Bangkok Week 726 — Mika's Photos

Lucy turns 2 months today! What a big girl!

Behind-the-scenes: it required many hands to get a head-on shot!

Someone's filled out in the past month.

The giant balloon is still very much full of life and entertainment value!

What? It's my birthday and you're making me ride in the car!?

Arlo continues to enjoy the sandbox at school. Maybe because it's secluded and usually empty?

Lucy picked up Arlo from school on the way home from the cafe. How nice of her!

Look what arrived in the mail today! Very quick!

Big eyes and serious stare from the birthday girl.

Attempting to pose with Dad.

Mum made oatmeal banana bread, to have at home and take with us to friends' on Sunday.

Hmm. How did poor K. Noi end up with all the children?

Bath time for Lucy!

She's getting really good at the bath now.

The balloon is now lurking silently, ready to startle from behind.

Another wefie: it's just Mum and Arlo at swimming again this week.

Using the phone stand and his own mobile phone to make video calls.

Showing Lucy his favorite cat.

Yes, that ended predictably.

Arlo's at the bus station, waiting patiently for Puu and Yaa to arrive!

The traffic is slow, so Arlo has to wait for a while.

Here they are! Here's their bus!

Escorting Puu back to the car. He hasn't seen him in months, and Yaa since December.

Oh my! How much fruit did they bring? Arlo offers to help!

Puu wastes no time: a big hug for granddaughter Lucy.

Who's that, Lucy? You recognize his voice!

And here's Yaa. You surely recognize her voice, too.

Lucky Lucy. Look at all the gold they brought for her.

Arlo was gifted gold when he was born too... although he doesn't remember.

Puu and Yaa, with their two grandchildren for the first time. Arlo's so excited, too.

Looks like Lucy is almost too big for Yaa to hold! Uh oh.

Another portrait.

And this time with the missing generation. And Bella.

Wefie with everyone.

Bella has missed Yaa, too!

Yaa takes in her giant chubster of a granddaughter.

Arlo and Lucy take Puu and Yaa to see the new house.

Honda Jazz: comfortably seats 6!

Arlo is really excited to show Puu and Yaa around the house.

Look look! (A ceiling fan? Pool cues?)

Looking at the book shelf, and the rest of the pool set.

Yaa and Arlo admire the secondary refrigerator.

And checking out the big balcony.

Arlo's first time in a rocking chair. Cautious.

Lucy and Puu try out the La-Z-boys.

Aww. Arlo comes to keep his sister company.

Say "cheese"! (Actually, these days, we say "skid-steer!")

Enjoying the full features of the La-Z-boy. (Arlo seems thoroughly impressed.)

And showing Yaa his bedroom.

Look, Lucy is actually the same size as Yaa already.

Lucy seems comfortable.

Dinner feast: everyone gather 'round!

Sunday morning: oh no, Puu is going home already!

Big hugs.

Everyone's saying good morning to Lucy.

Here's Arlo, never one to miss an opportunity for attention.

Aww! Nice morning hug for his sister!

Arlo and Lucy enjoy breakfast with Puu and Yaa.

Just chillaxin'.

It's time for Puu to say goodbye.

Good bye na, Puu. See you in a few weeks. Safe ride!

Puu and Arlo put their shoes on together, on the stairs.

Driving Puu to the bus station.

Just like he was there to receive them, Arlo escorts Puu back to the bus, too.

Arlo's reward: a chocolate milk. And now, we're on our way to Addison and Aven's house.

The big kids and the dads enjoy lunch together at the right-sized table.

Lucy relaxes next to Aven's hang-out, while she naps in her bed.

Enjoying the toys in the public area on the 5th floor, next to the cactus garden.

That was a fun and exhausting visit for everyone.

Lucy's sleeping position still looks like a newborn's: the flail!

Look, Grandpa! Yaa is enjoying your cookies.

And Arlo takes Yaa (literally) for a late-afternoon walk.

Arlo the tour guide.

The ballon! It's still here, and now it's lurking at Bella's level.

It's a breakfast-in-pajamas for Arlo. Choosing the finest rambutan for breakfast.

That's funny!

Looking at old photos of themselves.

Yaa is helping psych Lucy up for a big morning at the doctor's.

Everything seems to check out.

Oh my. How many adults does it take to vaccinate a 2-month-old?

Looks like Arlo's making friends and getting comfortable in his new class.

Arlo's old class is hosting "stay and play" today: where we get to see (and do!) some of the activities they do in class. First, looking at his learning journey.

He was more excited to show us the equipment outside.

Look! Look! I can do the monkey rings now!

And showing us how far he can jump with his 2 feet together.

Drawing an entry for his journal...

... co-authored by Mum.

Aha! Now we know why Arlo enjoys school so much! They let him squeeze the paints!

Not only that; they let him squeeze *lots* of paint!

In fact, Arlo knows exactly where they keep the paint, and he's tall enough to get it down off the shelf.

Is that disbelief that I see on Mum's face, under her mask?

The finished product(s).

Oh wow! Back at home, there's a special gift waiting for Arlo. And it made him speechless!

It's a cactus reference book! Wowzers!

Poor K. Noi is going to know the scientific names of all the cacti soon.

Yaa's job in the morning is to help Arlo drink his milk, and brush his hair. Of course, Arlo cooperates always.

Good morning, (not so) Little Lucy.

Exercising her neck with Mum.

Another smile!

Big yawns all around.

We knew she was big, but didn't realize that Lucy's head is already the size of Dad's!

It was Arlo's classmate Manta's birthday at school... and she handed out Manta Ray Cake Pops to all her classmates! Wow!

If that's not a picture of a sugar coma, I don't know what is.

Then, we had a visit from Aa Sao and Lung Khun, relatives who hadn't yet met Lucy *or* Arlo.

She's originally from Trat too, but lives in Bangkok now.

So many new voices for Lucy!

But she doesn't seem to mind.

Arlo, meanwhile, acted like he's known them his entire life. Look at all these cacti!

So many cacti, not enough people to talk to about them!

The next morning at school, Arlo demonstrated how to play with the water table. First, you get a coconut shell...

... and you use it to pour water over the water wheel.

But wait, there's an even better option!

The watering can is more refined!

Lucky Lucy inherited a huge sack of cute girlie outfits from Alba and Ines. Here she's modeling one.

Getting the side-eye for asking to do some tummy time.

And now, it's rest time.

At pick-up time, Arlo gives a tour of the garden.

He seems to have learned that shaking the trees helps "berries" drop...

Reading a library book he found orphaned in the garden. Uh oh... learning about the universe of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends.

And the next morning, it's Stay and Play for Arlo's new class. He's dressed to impress!

This one is first thing in the morning. So not only can we drop him off as usual, but stay for another 90 minutes!

Arlo is super keen to take us upstairs... and he makes a beeline for the sand room!

He has the whole room to himself, and wastes no time showing us all the different trucks.

Now I understand why Arlo likes the older class so much. This stay-and-play is indeed very enlightening!

He had to be enticed away, to show us other parts of the school.

Looking out the window, at the building behind the school. The kitchen exhaust fan in especially interesting!

Hmm, I wonder how Arlo knows exactly how to use a laptop!

So many books in the classroom library... and Arlo picks this one, with wheels.

Talking to a friendly owl.

Oh wow! A Clifford book that we don't already have at home.

Showing, on his own volition, that he can sit cross-legged too.

Reading a story about a cat...

... and now looking through the encyclopedia of characters from Thomas & Friends. There are so many characters in Sodor that a very thick book exists to capture them all.