Reunited
We're finally reunited in Singapore! Our house and both cars sold in the US without too much more difficulty. I do have to say it's a huge stress reliever to be here in Singapore and not have to worry about a home in in another country. I don't know how else to describe how good it feels to be together again but to say families are meant to be together. I'm so used to having Janae by my side in everything I do and not having that was like being apart from a good friend. Of course I missed Verene terribly but thanks to Janae's efforts I missed out on as little as possible.
No Walking for You Verene
Verene wanted to walk. It was apparent in her standing up for long periods of time by herself. Her crawling also changed from using both knees to using both feet (imagine an "A" shape baby bent over at the waist moving with two hands in front followed by her two stretched out legs). Janae quickly caught on and picked her up whenever she tried to "walk." She did this so I wouldn't miss Verene's first steps. How sweet! Of course I encouraged Janae because I didn't want to miss it either. Besides, from what we hear, walking only brings on more challenges as baby becomes more mobile. As long as she can walk by kindergarten I'd be happy. No need to start giving Verene so much pressure at this age. Plenty of that to come when she starts school. She's quickly learning how to walk however and inches along now if we hold her hands. As soon as I figure out how to post videos or take a picture of this I'll put it online. Don't be fooled, the picture below is just her standing.
Back to the US
I went back to the US to pick up Janae and Verene but had to make an unfortunate stop in LA for the funeral of an aunt who was suffering from cancer. Although quite sad and difficult times are ahead for the family, it did bring us together and strengthen family ties for those that attended in LA.
After the funeral, I took a red-eye from LA to DC and arrived with 4 days to finalize settlement requirements for the house, go to settlement, pack and move our stuff, and complete all of Putter's inspections and paperwork to transport to Singapore. Needless to say it was a sleepless couple days. The buyers put conditions for us to make certain repairs and inspections prior to the final settlement, standard fare. Janae was phenomenal in taking care of most of this while I was gone and there were just a few items needing final touches. Settlement went smooth otherwise.
Movers were courteous and nice but seemed to take much longer than expected for a small job like ours. Most of our stuff was already boxed and sorted when we prepared the house for sale. Our agent noted a 5,000 sq ft mansion packed and moved by a small team within a day. Our small almost 2,000 sq ft townhouse took two whole days!
Puppies aren't free
"Putter is a part of our family and is worth all the trouble, time and money" I kept telling myself. It was tough to suppress my old adage "puppies are free" when I realized how much it cost to get him here! Our vet / pirate charged for the same "standard" inspection each time we visited - even within the same week, and charged separately for virtually the same inspection required by Singapore. After the inspections, I had to to drive all the way to Richmond the morning of our house settlement to get a document stamped by the FDA to authorize transporting Putter out of the country. All this trouble after boarding Putter 1.5 months while selling the house.
Even more exciting was getting him on the flight. We ended up paying freight charges for both transfers and almost weren't allowed on our flight from NYC to Singapore because there were lobsters on that flight with dry ice (too cold for dogs) and more importantly, dogs aren't allowed on Singapore Airline flights out of NYC. There was a note in our booking stating we were bringing a dog and I had asked the booking agent and Singapore Airlines multiple times prior to the flight if it would be ok. All of them gave me the ok. None of this mattered to the check in staff in NYC. Policy was policy. Another passenger earlier that week in a similar situation got bumped onto another airline because of his dog. I believe it was my business class ticket that ultimately helped Putter get the exception and bump the lobsters. That'll teach the lobsters to fly economy next time.
Putter finally joined us after a month in quarantine in a far, far remote part of Singapore. The facilities there were first rate though. He had his own private kennel - newly built and painted with its own air conditioning unit. He ate well there. When we arrived to visit one weekend one of the workers said, "This one's yours? He can REALY eat!" Now the challenge is finding him dog food - $70 a bag which used to cost $10 at Costco in the US. I think Putter's going on a diet. All in, Putter's cost in moving him here has been around $3,000 USD!
Verene's still perfect
Verene's flight was much easier than Putter's. Needless to say, when we arrived in business class with a baby for a 20 hour flight, those around us were a little concerned. This was the first time we flew with Verene and we were concerned too. Fortunately Verene is a fantastic traveler. No sleep meds were required for her! She slept in a small bassinet that attached to the wall of the plane in front of us and slept there when Singapore airlines allowed her to. The problem was every time the fasten safety belt light lit up, the stewardess would come, wake her up, unbuckle her, and re-buckle her to Janae or I. We gave up after the 2nd time and just kept her in our business class seats which were big enough to keep her around. She slept best as she did when she was a newborn - on my chest. We had passengers compliment us after the entire flight telling us how wonderful she was. We were as surprised as they were! I think what they really meant was they were happy their business class ticket wasn't wasted on a flight next to a crying baby.
Business class, not cattle class
Flying Singapore Airline business class is amazing. Multiple 3-4 course meals every meal with a couple choices for each course on their menu. The menu starts with an introduction to world renowned chefs, their credentials, and the the dishes they created on the menu. Meals come on real plates with real silverware. Snack menu, basically full meals, are available at non-meal times on demand. Speaking of on-demand, 120+ movies are available on-demand! The seats fully reclined allowing us to sleep horizontally! To top it off, the stewardess were younger than my grandma, a refreshing change. They knew and called us by name and provided service like a 4 star restaurant. It'll be tough going back to cattle class.
