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Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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Monday, March 2, 2009
Evangeline Flips!
Today marks the day Evangeline flips on her own...did not manage to capture a video of her doing so. Will try to catch her in action when opportunities come. What joy she brings in my life. I am thankful!
Current Mood: Thrilled
Current Mood: Thrilled
Monday, February 2, 2009
A joyous addition to Evan's life
Yup, let us welcome ZhenPeng and Jocelyn to the family. They are officially Evan's Godparents and have resume their duties since yesterday. They were told of their responsibilities and gosh, this Godpa really dotes Evan lots. Can you imagine Evan can influence him to wake up so much earlier for church as he wants to see her before attending 2nd service? Haha. Thanks for taking up this daring challenge to be her Godparents. I am sure you are both very good role models for her to follow in Christ! Cheers!
Current mood: Joyous
Current mood: Joyous
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Evan's Progress
I thank God for the perserverance He has given me, the promises He has for me, the prayers being answered and the improvement in Evangeline's behaviour. And not forgetting my hubby who has been a super great helper. Without him helping, I would not be able to handle the intital struggles, stress faced commonly by first time mums and also the housechores and taking care of Evan.
Week 1-3
Overall, Evangeline was an easy baby and she still is. She only cries for milk and spent most of her time sleeping. She was still not responsive to us or even the mobile toys we placed before her as her focus and eyesight is not fully developed yet. It will take a while before she could see clearly the things before her. The only problem she faced was latching onto my nipple, having jaundice and blocked nose. The adorable part of her was and still is her smile when she is asleep. Yup, she only smiles and chuckles at times in her sleep. Guess the Heavenly Angels were with her then. She learned to sleep on her side which helped her to breathe better so that the mucus would not backflow. The most amazing thing about her is her ability to withstand the poo that totally soiled the diaper without crying. Therefore, I have to constantly check her diaper to see if change was needed. At week 2, she can kick vigourously, able to remove her mittens and booties by herself, refused to be swaddled and able to drink from bottle and cup withour any difficulties. I can say she is quite a fast developer in her psycho-motor skills as well.
Week 4
This week is the last week she will be at her "Mama's" house. My mum was trying to hold back her emotions as Evan has to go back to her own home and MaMa can only see her on Sundays. On the 19th Dec which was her full month, MaMa bathed her and trimmed her hair. Initially she wanted to shave her hair and eyebrows. Yup you did not hear wrongly, eyebrows!. Of course, we were protesting against the idea. I am not going to tatoo her eyebrow if they doesn't grow back. No risk to be taken. She was still feeding well however my milk supply suddenly decreased at Week 4. Not sure why it was so. My breasts were still engorged at night, thus more than enough for her but day feed was worse. Not much milk and barely able to replenish on time for her 3 hourly feeds. I felt super bad as certain feeds, I have to supplement with formula milk or the frozen breast milk which I pumped during the first 3 weeks. Sigh. Thus my pumping stopped totally as nothing much to pump after she fed. Pathetic I must say. She still slept 3 hourly after every feed and continued to smile in her sleep. The only thing that needed our patience was her cries for milk. She has no patience to wait and will scream non-stop till she gets what she wants. Milk! I must say her lungs must be super strong and well developed as her screams can collapse the whole roof down. That's my girl!
That's all I can recall. I really dun have time to keep up with blogging. I wished I could have the time and energy to jot down every little details in Evan's growth but being a full time stay at home mum and housewife, able to sit down for 5 mins to do my own thing is a luxury so is blogging. Will keep up when things are more stabilised for me. :)
Week 1-3
Overall, Evangeline was an easy baby and she still is. She only cries for milk and spent most of her time sleeping. She was still not responsive to us or even the mobile toys we placed before her as her focus and eyesight is not fully developed yet. It will take a while before she could see clearly the things before her. The only problem she faced was latching onto my nipple, having jaundice and blocked nose. The adorable part of her was and still is her smile when she is asleep. Yup, she only smiles and chuckles at times in her sleep. Guess the Heavenly Angels were with her then. She learned to sleep on her side which helped her to breathe better so that the mucus would not backflow. The most amazing thing about her is her ability to withstand the poo that totally soiled the diaper without crying. Therefore, I have to constantly check her diaper to see if change was needed. At week 2, she can kick vigourously, able to remove her mittens and booties by herself, refused to be swaddled and able to drink from bottle and cup withour any difficulties. I can say she is quite a fast developer in her psycho-motor skills as well.
Week 4
This week is the last week she will be at her "Mama's" house. My mum was trying to hold back her emotions as Evan has to go back to her own home and MaMa can only see her on Sundays. On the 19th Dec which was her full month, MaMa bathed her and trimmed her hair. Initially she wanted to shave her hair and eyebrows. Yup you did not hear wrongly, eyebrows!. Of course, we were protesting against the idea. I am not going to tatoo her eyebrow if they doesn't grow back. No risk to be taken. She was still feeding well however my milk supply suddenly decreased at Week 4. Not sure why it was so. My breasts were still engorged at night, thus more than enough for her but day feed was worse. Not much milk and barely able to replenish on time for her 3 hourly feeds. I felt super bad as certain feeds, I have to supplement with formula milk or the frozen breast milk which I pumped during the first 3 weeks. Sigh. Thus my pumping stopped totally as nothing much to pump after she fed. Pathetic I must say. She still slept 3 hourly after every feed and continued to smile in her sleep. The only thing that needed our patience was her cries for milk. She has no patience to wait and will scream non-stop till she gets what she wants. Milk! I must say her lungs must be super strong and well developed as her screams can collapse the whole roof down. That's my girl!
That's all I can recall. I really dun have time to keep up with blogging. I wished I could have the time and energy to jot down every little details in Evan's growth but being a full time stay at home mum and housewife, able to sit down for 5 mins to do my own thing is a luxury so is blogging. Will keep up when things are more stabilised for me. :)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Evangeline's full month celebration
It's Evangeline's full month! However, we decided not to hold any celebration as there were too many ppl to invite. It just happened that Hubby's Auntie was holding her housewarming party on the 20th Dec so we were honoured when she invited us to celebrate Evan's one month old with her. Too bad, we forgotten to bring our camera along so no photos of the occasion. Will try to get it from Hubb's Auntie when we meet her up someday. Meanwhile, I still ordered my full month cakes from a fantastic caterer Sweetest Moments. Here is the card they did for us. So sweet!
http://www.sweetestmoments.com.sg
http://www.sweetestmoments.com.sg
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Breastfeeding was challenging!
20 Nov 08 (1am to 6am)
Breastfeeding was tough. Milk supply has not set in, Evangeline was not latching properly. I was quite unhappy with the night shift nurses as they did not teach me how to breastfeed Evangeline. I was really feeling down and felt helpless when I tried for the first half an hour to latch her onto my breast but to no avail. In the end, she was pushed back to the nursery with no feed at all. I was on total breastfeed then and refused to introduce formula and bottle feeding. I was determined to try again the next feed. Still, tried for the whole of 1st night, Evangeline was still biting onto my nipples. I was really crying then to see such little one having no milk to drink. Fortunately, I was told that babies do have reserve for the lst 3 days. So, I was encouraged by the morning shift nurses to try again.
20 Nov 08 (8am till 11pm)
The morning shift nurses were very helpful, patient and taught me the techniques of breastfeeding Evangeline. As Evangeline is so small and sleepy, she had problems opening her mouth big and wide and was always in dreamland. It was so tough to wake her up thus most of the feeds failed again. I called for lactation consultant for help. Two midwives, one lactation consultant and Mrs Wong came in at different parts of the day to see me and the condition of my breast. Nipples were sore then and again, they showed me the ropes of latching correctly. I really screamed for help each time Evangeline latches on, she was really biting hard and I guessed it was due to hunger. I was praying hard. At about 5pm, my nipples bled. I really broke down again and called Mrs WOng for advise to see if I should continue latching Evangeline. The advise given was to continue as the sore nipples would soon go away. Perseverance is the key to success.
21 Nov ( Midnight to 7am)
To my horror, the same group of nurses for the night shift again. Same kind of services shown. Super Bo Chap attitude and they even suggested me to just put her on formula since Evangeline was so sleepy and I failed so many times. I just told them off firmly that I insisted on total breastfeeding. How I wished my hubby was there then.
21 Nov (8am - 12 noon)
Finally, I can be discharged and was so excited to bring baby home. However, I needed to go back to my place to pack my luggage bag for my one month stay at my Mum's place. Got a Snuggle Nest bed for Evangeline to sleep from one of the shops at TMC.
21 Nov night - 23 Nov
These three days were challenging for me. milk supply is super low. Only manage to express 40ml from 2 breasts. Baby does not seem to have enough. Nipples continue to bleed and sore. In the end, I cried again cause she is crying for milk and my sore nipples couldn't meet her request. Thus I ended opening Similac formula milk for her to drink. She drank up to 60ml. I resorted to bottle feeding formula milk for two days and decided to see Mrs Wong for help on latching.
24 Nov
Hubby and I brought Evangeline to see PD for follow up and detected she has mild jaundice. Not too bad, just needed some sun tanning. However, Evan's weight dropped from 2.56kg to 2.3kg. My heart just sank and tears just welled up. Then went to see Mrs Wong and got the latching problem settled. So went home to try again and still feel extreme pain but I bit my lips and persevere. Now I totally understand the sacrificial love of a mother's heart. Mrs Wong encouraged me to stop bottle feeding and formula milk and try to feed expressed breast milk through a cup. Fortunately, Evan took cup feeding well. Everybody was so amused at how she drank through a cup. She sucked so loudly as if to tell us how tasty her milk was. I felt relieved that she was drinking well.
25 Nov till now
I am thankful to God that she has latched on properly now though sometimes, I failed again. Milk supply is plentiful that I keep having engorgement and need to pump frequently. She sleeps well during the day and wakes up timely every 3 hours for feeds. However, when it comes to night time, she couldn't sleep well, keeps making grunting noises and wakes up every hour for feeds. HUbby and I are really drained having to wake up so many times to attend to her. Brought her to see PD yesterday and found out she has blocked nose and mucus which I was prescribed nasal drops for Evan. Hubby and I really prayed hard and may you all joined me in prayer for her that she will be able to sleep well at night without breathing difficulties and not be fretful so as to sleep peacefully and calmly like her day naps.
Current Mood: Drained and tired.
Breastfeeding was tough. Milk supply has not set in, Evangeline was not latching properly. I was quite unhappy with the night shift nurses as they did not teach me how to breastfeed Evangeline. I was really feeling down and felt helpless when I tried for the first half an hour to latch her onto my breast but to no avail. In the end, she was pushed back to the nursery with no feed at all. I was on total breastfeed then and refused to introduce formula and bottle feeding. I was determined to try again the next feed. Still, tried for the whole of 1st night, Evangeline was still biting onto my nipples. I was really crying then to see such little one having no milk to drink. Fortunately, I was told that babies do have reserve for the lst 3 days. So, I was encouraged by the morning shift nurses to try again.
20 Nov 08 (8am till 11pm)
The morning shift nurses were very helpful, patient and taught me the techniques of breastfeeding Evangeline. As Evangeline is so small and sleepy, she had problems opening her mouth big and wide and was always in dreamland. It was so tough to wake her up thus most of the feeds failed again. I called for lactation consultant for help. Two midwives, one lactation consultant and Mrs Wong came in at different parts of the day to see me and the condition of my breast. Nipples were sore then and again, they showed me the ropes of latching correctly. I really screamed for help each time Evangeline latches on, she was really biting hard and I guessed it was due to hunger. I was praying hard. At about 5pm, my nipples bled. I really broke down again and called Mrs WOng for advise to see if I should continue latching Evangeline. The advise given was to continue as the sore nipples would soon go away. Perseverance is the key to success.
21 Nov ( Midnight to 7am)
To my horror, the same group of nurses for the night shift again. Same kind of services shown. Super Bo Chap attitude and they even suggested me to just put her on formula since Evangeline was so sleepy and I failed so many times. I just told them off firmly that I insisted on total breastfeeding. How I wished my hubby was there then.
21 Nov (8am - 12 noon)
Finally, I can be discharged and was so excited to bring baby home. However, I needed to go back to my place to pack my luggage bag for my one month stay at my Mum's place. Got a Snuggle Nest bed for Evangeline to sleep from one of the shops at TMC.
21 Nov night - 23 Nov
These three days were challenging for me. milk supply is super low. Only manage to express 40ml from 2 breasts. Baby does not seem to have enough. Nipples continue to bleed and sore. In the end, I cried again cause she is crying for milk and my sore nipples couldn't meet her request. Thus I ended opening Similac formula milk for her to drink. She drank up to 60ml. I resorted to bottle feeding formula milk for two days and decided to see Mrs Wong for help on latching.
24 Nov
Hubby and I brought Evangeline to see PD for follow up and detected she has mild jaundice. Not too bad, just needed some sun tanning. However, Evan's weight dropped from 2.56kg to 2.3kg. My heart just sank and tears just welled up. Then went to see Mrs Wong and got the latching problem settled. So went home to try again and still feel extreme pain but I bit my lips and persevere. Now I totally understand the sacrificial love of a mother's heart. Mrs Wong encouraged me to stop bottle feeding and formula milk and try to feed expressed breast milk through a cup. Fortunately, Evan took cup feeding well. Everybody was so amused at how she drank through a cup. She sucked so loudly as if to tell us how tasty her milk was. I felt relieved that she was drinking well.
25 Nov till now
I am thankful to God that she has latched on properly now though sometimes, I failed again. Milk supply is plentiful that I keep having engorgement and need to pump frequently. She sleeps well during the day and wakes up timely every 3 hours for feeds. However, when it comes to night time, she couldn't sleep well, keeps making grunting noises and wakes up every hour for feeds. HUbby and I are really drained having to wake up so many times to attend to her. Brought her to see PD yesterday and found out she has blocked nose and mucus which I was prescribed nasal drops for Evan. Hubby and I really prayed hard and may you all joined me in prayer for her that she will be able to sleep well at night without breathing difficulties and not be fretful so as to sleep peacefully and calmly like her day naps.
Current Mood: Drained and tired.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
My Birth Story!
Thanks so much for all your prayers and indeed God is gracious and faithful. My birth story is such a great testimony on how much God cares and loves us and He is faithful.
19 Nov 2008
1.30pm - Called Doc A and told him about baby Evangeline not kicking much for the past one and a half day. I thought it was nothing serious and maybe just needed to take a trip down to the clinic for check up but Doc A wanted me to admit to the hospital immediately. It was so sudden. Hospital bag and luggage for my one month confinement at my Mum's place were not packed and I was only in my 37 weeks of gestation. Rushed to pack hospital bag first and bathe. I was feeling very anxious and afraid.
2.00pm - Left home and on the way to hospital. Pray with Hubby and even joke with him that we will be back home after check up. It was just a normal procedure. Trying to calm myself with that excuse.
2.30pm - Put on CTG to monitor Baby's heartbeat. Doc A came and did a VE. Was 2 cm dilated. Doc cautioned me not to delay and advised me to deliver on that day. I was shocked and not expecting to deliver so soon. I was stunned and speechless. Hubby was lost too. Doc and nurses persuaded me to give birth that day as Baby was already not kicking much and this could lead to the possibility of baby dying in the womb. Before I could answer them, Doc did another VE and broke my waterbag.
2.45pm - Nurse inserted some solution into anus to help me clear my bowel.
3.00pm - I was put on drip.
3.25pm - First contraction set in. Still bearable.
5.00pm - Couldn't bear the pain anymore. Ask for Epidual. Was put on gas while waiting for the anesthetist to come.
5.30pm - Epidual injected. Felt instant relief. Able to laugh, chat and relax. But still 2 cm dilated.
7pm - Nurse did a VE and I was 9cm dilated. That was pretty fast.
7.45pm - 9.5 cm dilated. Doc was called in to prepare me for labour.
8.04 - Doc came in and everybody in that delivery room got me ready to give my first push.
8.05 - With only one push, Baby Evangeline was out! in less than a minute. Praise the Lord for smooth delivery.
When Evangeline was brought before me, I couldn't help but questioned why she was so small. I kept asking Doc if she is healthy, whether her size and weight is acceptable. Doc assured me that she is alright. Hubby was overjoyed and immediately all attention was on Evangeline..Ha Ha...
Doc stitched me up and I was pushed to my ward. Super hungry as I did not have any lunch and dinner. I was only allowed a cup of milo and sandwich as supper. Evangeline could only be pushed to me for breastfeeding at about 1am. Hubby has to go home to try to finish up his last paper which was due on Friday and due to this sudden and unexpected arrival of Evangeline, I guessed he may have problem completing it. Hopefully, God's grace is with him.
Some pics to share!
This is how big my tum tum is when I was 37 weeks in gestation. I remember the date was 15 Nov. 4 Days before the birth of Evangeline.
Baby Evangeline in my arms
Evangeline's weight
Evangeline Birth Details
Who is staring at me?
Current Mood: Overjoyed
19 Nov 2008
1.30pm - Called Doc A and told him about baby Evangeline not kicking much for the past one and a half day. I thought it was nothing serious and maybe just needed to take a trip down to the clinic for check up but Doc A wanted me to admit to the hospital immediately. It was so sudden. Hospital bag and luggage for my one month confinement at my Mum's place were not packed and I was only in my 37 weeks of gestation. Rushed to pack hospital bag first and bathe. I was feeling very anxious and afraid.
2.00pm - Left home and on the way to hospital. Pray with Hubby and even joke with him that we will be back home after check up. It was just a normal procedure. Trying to calm myself with that excuse.
2.30pm - Put on CTG to monitor Baby's heartbeat. Doc A came and did a VE. Was 2 cm dilated. Doc cautioned me not to delay and advised me to deliver on that day. I was shocked and not expecting to deliver so soon. I was stunned and speechless. Hubby was lost too. Doc and nurses persuaded me to give birth that day as Baby was already not kicking much and this could lead to the possibility of baby dying in the womb. Before I could answer them, Doc did another VE and broke my waterbag.
2.45pm - Nurse inserted some solution into anus to help me clear my bowel.
3.00pm - I was put on drip.
3.25pm - First contraction set in. Still bearable.
5.00pm - Couldn't bear the pain anymore. Ask for Epidual. Was put on gas while waiting for the anesthetist to come.
5.30pm - Epidual injected. Felt instant relief. Able to laugh, chat and relax. But still 2 cm dilated.
7pm - Nurse did a VE and I was 9cm dilated. That was pretty fast.
7.45pm - 9.5 cm dilated. Doc was called in to prepare me for labour.
8.04 - Doc came in and everybody in that delivery room got me ready to give my first push.
8.05 - With only one push, Baby Evangeline was out! in less than a minute. Praise the Lord for smooth delivery.
When Evangeline was brought before me, I couldn't help but questioned why she was so small. I kept asking Doc if she is healthy, whether her size and weight is acceptable. Doc assured me that she is alright. Hubby was overjoyed and immediately all attention was on Evangeline..Ha Ha...
Doc stitched me up and I was pushed to my ward. Super hungry as I did not have any lunch and dinner. I was only allowed a cup of milo and sandwich as supper. Evangeline could only be pushed to me for breastfeeding at about 1am. Hubby has to go home to try to finish up his last paper which was due on Friday and due to this sudden and unexpected arrival of Evangeline, I guessed he may have problem completing it. Hopefully, God's grace is with him.
Some pics to share!
This is how big my tum tum is when I was 37 weeks in gestation. I remember the date was 15 Nov. 4 Days before the birth of Evangeline.
Baby Evangeline in my arms
Evangeline's weight
Evangeline Birth Details
Who is staring at me?
Current Mood: Overjoyed
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bad Timing..Praying for full recovery
Yesterday, I managed to get some errands done and a visit to my Gynae. Baby is doing fine except no weight gain since 2 weeks ago. Still 2.7kg yesterday and I was kinda worried. As for me, I gained another 2 kg and I wonder why none of it went to Evan. Ahhhhhhh! This is my 37th week and Evangeline has engaged. Doc A told me to be prepared as Evan might pop anytime from next week onwards. I am super anxious. Hubby still has one more paper to complete and have told him to try to finish as soon as possible in case of unexpected arrival of Evan.
But for now, I am more concern about my flu and cough. It is getting worse and have problem sleeping at night due to backflow of mucus. Praying for full recovering if not, it will be tough during delivery. I wouldn't want to sneeze and cough my baby and stitches out.
Mr Sun, Do be available for the next two weeks as I desperately need your rays to dry my last bit of laundry.
Talk about sleep...medication is setting in and it's ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz time.
Current Mood: Sick
But for now, I am more concern about my flu and cough. It is getting worse and have problem sleeping at night due to backflow of mucus. Praying for full recovering if not, it will be tough during delivery. I wouldn't want to sneeze and cough my baby and stitches out.
Mr Sun, Do be available for the next two weeks as I desperately need your rays to dry my last bit of laundry.
Talk about sleep...medication is setting in and it's ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz time.
Current Mood: Sick
Thursday, November 13, 2008
I needed a rest.....
Yes, I know, I have not packed my hospital bag, am terribly sick with a flu and cough, struggling to finish the last bits of preparation before Evangeline arrives and fretting over Hubby's burnt out state.
Arghhhhh....I really need rest, a push to pack my stuff and a space of my own to be refreshed. These 9 months were really hectic and cannot imagine how I managed to survive from all these roller coaster rides on my own. If not for God's help, I think I will be suffering from pre natal blues.
Right now, I have to get the last few errands done before I can rest my mind. The old baby cot at my mum's place gave way last week and now the baby will have no bed to sleep in during my confinement. Hub and I decided not to waste $$$ on a new cot as baby will only be there for a month. The playpen which was handed down by one of the cousins couldn't work when we tried to fix it up as the handles on both sides were unable to be locked in place as it was spoilt. Therefore that option was out as well. So now, Hub and I were thinking of checking out a Moses basket which is cheaper than the above two and hopefully, Evangeline can sleep better during that one month.
Somehow, I regretted the idea of moving to my mum's place for a month for confinement as it was such hassle moving so many items over there. Boxes of baby items, daily necessities, toiletries, both of mine and Hub's clothing etc etc were finally moved over last week. It caused so much time, energy and inconvenience from us. I will have to reconsider such arrangement when I have my No. 2 next time.
Meanwhile, I am waiting for Hub to finish his assignment so that we could have a time out from all these stress and checking out on Evangeline's progress tonight with Dr A. Hopefully, we will be hearing some good news from him. 2 more weeks to go!
Current Mood: Drained.
Arghhhhh....I really need rest, a push to pack my stuff and a space of my own to be refreshed. These 9 months were really hectic and cannot imagine how I managed to survive from all these roller coaster rides on my own. If not for God's help, I think I will be suffering from pre natal blues.
Right now, I have to get the last few errands done before I can rest my mind. The old baby cot at my mum's place gave way last week and now the baby will have no bed to sleep in during my confinement. Hub and I decided not to waste $$$ on a new cot as baby will only be there for a month. The playpen which was handed down by one of the cousins couldn't work when we tried to fix it up as the handles on both sides were unable to be locked in place as it was spoilt. Therefore that option was out as well. So now, Hub and I were thinking of checking out a Moses basket which is cheaper than the above two and hopefully, Evangeline can sleep better during that one month.
Somehow, I regretted the idea of moving to my mum's place for a month for confinement as it was such hassle moving so many items over there. Boxes of baby items, daily necessities, toiletries, both of mine and Hub's clothing etc etc were finally moved over last week. It caused so much time, energy and inconvenience from us. I will have to reconsider such arrangement when I have my No. 2 next time.
Meanwhile, I am waiting for Hub to finish his assignment so that we could have a time out from all these stress and checking out on Evangeline's progress tonight with Dr A. Hopefully, we will be hearing some good news from him. 2 more weeks to go!
Current Mood: Drained.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Nesting Instinct
Talk about getting ready for Evangeline's arrival, I am suffering from a nesting instinct syndrome. Sounds wierd but I learnt about this from a pregnancy book and couldn't believe that all these while, I am displaying signs of such syndrome. Even hubby agreed after reading the book.
It is actually the uncontrollable urge to ready the nest before delivery. For some mothers, they will all of a sudden find it important to clean every corner of the house, cabinets, rearranging furnitures and items in the house. For others, the behaviour can be dramatic like cleaning every crevice of the nursery with toothbrush, rearranging the contents of the kitchen cabinets, ironing and washing everything that isn't tied down or being worn and refolding baby clothes for hours on end.
Trust me, I am doing most of what was said above. Readying the nest is what I have been doing and Hubby is finding it worrisone as he would tell me to rest and I would ignore his concern. After which I would complain to him how tired I am but I still find it satisfying and rewarding when the place is clean and neat and ready for Evangeline to use. Okie, just treat it as house cleaning for the coming New Year!
So have I finished my nesting instinct assignment? Nope...still cleaning here and there, packing here and there but lesser now as my energy is depleting as the day passes. My big tummy, weariness and back pain have been obstructing me from doing work. With frequent Braxton Hicks acting up, I have a strong feeling that I will be popping my baby soon. Still, hospital bag, things to bring over to my Mum's place for confinement are not packed yet. I better get it done soon, if not, I will not have a peace of mind.
Can't wait to carry and play with Evangeline in my arms. Hubby couldn't wait too to caress and hug his precious daughter. So Evangeline, be good, stay healthy till week 37 and after Daddy's exams before you pop into this world k!
Current Mood: Sleepy and Exhausted
It is actually the uncontrollable urge to ready the nest before delivery. For some mothers, they will all of a sudden find it important to clean every corner of the house, cabinets, rearranging furnitures and items in the house. For others, the behaviour can be dramatic like cleaning every crevice of the nursery with toothbrush, rearranging the contents of the kitchen cabinets, ironing and washing everything that isn't tied down or being worn and refolding baby clothes for hours on end.
Trust me, I am doing most of what was said above. Readying the nest is what I have been doing and Hubby is finding it worrisone as he would tell me to rest and I would ignore his concern. After which I would complain to him how tired I am but I still find it satisfying and rewarding when the place is clean and neat and ready for Evangeline to use. Okie, just treat it as house cleaning for the coming New Year!
So have I finished my nesting instinct assignment? Nope...still cleaning here and there, packing here and there but lesser now as my energy is depleting as the day passes. My big tummy, weariness and back pain have been obstructing me from doing work. With frequent Braxton Hicks acting up, I have a strong feeling that I will be popping my baby soon. Still, hospital bag, things to bring over to my Mum's place for confinement are not packed yet. I better get it done soon, if not, I will not have a peace of mind.
Can't wait to carry and play with Evangeline in my arms. Hubby couldn't wait too to caress and hug his precious daughter. So Evangeline, be good, stay healthy till week 37 and after Daddy's exams before you pop into this world k!
Current Mood: Sleepy and Exhausted
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bringing up Evangeline in future
How would you bring up a child if you know your life, calling would be different from other people and knowing your child may faced problems in future being accepted as her life would be different than others?
I start to ponder and become serious about this topic as I have seen families who are serving the Lord full time and how their children are being brought up and affected in an environment totally different from the way they are going to live in.
I remembered vividly a sharing from a wife of a full time worker on how her children question her why they do not have the luxury of having certain things that their friends have such as toys, computers, pretty clothes, attending enrichment classes, a car, a well furnished house, maids etc. A lot of time and patience were taken to speak and explain to her children, helping them to see more of the faithfulness and providence of the Lord for the things they have currently instead of focusing on what they don't have. It definitely took a great deal of work and understanding from the children to gradually see where their parents are coming from.
Ever since Hubby took the step of faith and obedience to serve the Lord full time, we have gotten ourselves prepared for the future. We knew we are going to live a life totally different, the going is tough, faith is being tested, financially is challenging and lastly, our children and us have to compromise on certain things we have to live without. Question is "How well can we do that?".
I was brought up in a strict, poor, humble and down to earth family. I grew up not having any toys to play with, never have the luxury of exploring or travel beyond the boundaries of my home, my school and Chinatown. (Chinatown is the only place our family goes during weekend.)Most of my clothes were second hand clothes from my mother's customers, toys, books, textbooks, school bags were old usable ones from heaps of rubbish thrown along the corridors by neighbours or even from garbage centres. My grandma would take a stroll along the neighbourhood and bring backs recyclable items which we as a family could use. Those were the days. Not pleasant but yet I felt, we were still living blissfully within our means then. Things got a lot better when I reached adolescence and adulthood but yet it somehow shaped me to continue to live simply and not materialistic.
I never despise or regret the way I was brought up instead I was thankful. Yes, I was thankful because the life I lived in helps to mould my moral values, character and the way I am now which also enable me to adapt quickly in living simply and within our means without much problems.
Then how about our children? Won't Evangeline question us in future when she is sensible enough to know why we cannot buy things as freely as we used to be, able to enjoy life like others? So how are we preparing ourselves for this situation? I guess we really have to start her when she is young.
1) Homeschooling our kids: Well, that did come into our mind which we thought it was a good idea as you have quality bonding time with your kids, shaping their character well in the ways of the Lord and you have better control over disciplining them and correcting their flaws if they are not pleasing to us or God. However, Hubby is concerned over the interpersonal and social skills which they may lack as they are home bound. So I am still fine tuning that and see what I can do to meet the concerns that Hubby has.
2) Teach my kids to be simple and appreciative: From young, I am going to teach, model and show them how to be thankful, to be simple, to be appreciative of what they have. For example, I will not pamper them too much with materialistic things, only necessary ones and in the right amount. I will teach them how to be thrifty, buy things that are needed, only buy new ones when items are worn out or spoilt. Let them understand that old items are good as well as long as they are usable. Of cause, we as parents will not be "giam" or overly thrifty and become stingy as God also teaches us to be generous. This above task is not easy but we will take up the challenge.
3) Incoporate Bible teaching in daily life: I have some SAHM who homeschool their kids. They bought some homeschool materials which have bible teachings incorporated into the education curriculum which I thought was cool and interesting. The curriculum ranges from pre school to primary level having bible lessons incorporated with English, Art, Science etc. Only Maths is not included. Guess that has to be taught separately. Since I may not homeschool Evangeline but I will source this curriculum out and use the bible lesson parts to teach my Evangeline and in terms of Maths, English, Art, Science, I will do the job cause I am a trained primary school teacher so that should not be a problem for me.
4) Enrichment classes: Guess too expensive for us. We will see if our child is gifted or shows some talent in certain areas, we will try our best to groom her. This, we will leave it to the Lord for His providence. :)
5) Outings: There are a lot of "free of charge" places like seaside, parks and those "good and affordable" museums, shows etc for Evangeline to explore, have fun and hands on experience to train them in their brain development, having touch with nature, tapping on their curiosity and interest in finding out answers for themselves. It also established close bonding and quality time between us and Evangeline. This is good.
6)Love, Encouragement and Praise: Constantly praising and encouraging your child can boost their confidence, self-esteem and their social and interpersonal skills with people. I hope Evangeline will also pick up good communication skills and also learn how to show love, care and concern to people around her through us as parents modeling to her. Thus, Hubby and I must constantly and carefully remind ourselves in our daily actions, modelling the right attitude, moral values and showing Godly ways to her.
7)Open to discussion/ being communicative: We also realised thru our own experiences on how we were brought up that communication is very important. When there is a conflict or areas that need to be corrected, we need to open up ourselves to talk, resolve, communicate honestly and sincerely with our children. We need to adopt not a domineering approach but creating a safe and open environment for our children, being patient and allowing us as parents to listen to their perspectives and some freedom for them to express their thoughts. This is important for them to establish trust in you and in future, they will also turn to you for advises and solutions.
8) Canning? Scolding or love and care as disciplinary acts?: Well, Spare the Rod and spoil the child. I am not sure about Hubby, but I believe to some extend, we need to use the rod in disciplining our child. However, not as a mean to express our anger onto our child, but use the rod wisely as a form of reinforcing to the child that certain acts are not to be done again or when the child has gone extreme in terms of his or her misbehaviour. Most of the time, by talking to the child lovingly, reasonably and showing that correcting their mistakes are for their own good, letting them know the consequences of their action and teaching them to be responsible for their actions are more appropriate methods than canning. Only canned when needed.
Guess that is all for now. Typing them and reflecting on them are easy tasks to do. Executing them is another challenge. May God's abundance blessing be onto us, be our anchor point in our life always, guiding us in every steps we take and helping us to be the Godly parents for Evangeline and bringing up Evangeline in the ways of Lord and through this, she will be a blessing to others as well.
Current Mood: Reflective
I start to ponder and become serious about this topic as I have seen families who are serving the Lord full time and how their children are being brought up and affected in an environment totally different from the way they are going to live in.
I remembered vividly a sharing from a wife of a full time worker on how her children question her why they do not have the luxury of having certain things that their friends have such as toys, computers, pretty clothes, attending enrichment classes, a car, a well furnished house, maids etc. A lot of time and patience were taken to speak and explain to her children, helping them to see more of the faithfulness and providence of the Lord for the things they have currently instead of focusing on what they don't have. It definitely took a great deal of work and understanding from the children to gradually see where their parents are coming from.
Ever since Hubby took the step of faith and obedience to serve the Lord full time, we have gotten ourselves prepared for the future. We knew we are going to live a life totally different, the going is tough, faith is being tested, financially is challenging and lastly, our children and us have to compromise on certain things we have to live without. Question is "How well can we do that?".
I was brought up in a strict, poor, humble and down to earth family. I grew up not having any toys to play with, never have the luxury of exploring or travel beyond the boundaries of my home, my school and Chinatown. (Chinatown is the only place our family goes during weekend.)Most of my clothes were second hand clothes from my mother's customers, toys, books, textbooks, school bags were old usable ones from heaps of rubbish thrown along the corridors by neighbours or even from garbage centres. My grandma would take a stroll along the neighbourhood and bring backs recyclable items which we as a family could use. Those were the days. Not pleasant but yet I felt, we were still living blissfully within our means then. Things got a lot better when I reached adolescence and adulthood but yet it somehow shaped me to continue to live simply and not materialistic.
I never despise or regret the way I was brought up instead I was thankful. Yes, I was thankful because the life I lived in helps to mould my moral values, character and the way I am now which also enable me to adapt quickly in living simply and within our means without much problems.
Then how about our children? Won't Evangeline question us in future when she is sensible enough to know why we cannot buy things as freely as we used to be, able to enjoy life like others? So how are we preparing ourselves for this situation? I guess we really have to start her when she is young.
1) Homeschooling our kids: Well, that did come into our mind which we thought it was a good idea as you have quality bonding time with your kids, shaping their character well in the ways of the Lord and you have better control over disciplining them and correcting their flaws if they are not pleasing to us or God. However, Hubby is concerned over the interpersonal and social skills which they may lack as they are home bound. So I am still fine tuning that and see what I can do to meet the concerns that Hubby has.
2) Teach my kids to be simple and appreciative: From young, I am going to teach, model and show them how to be thankful, to be simple, to be appreciative of what they have. For example, I will not pamper them too much with materialistic things, only necessary ones and in the right amount. I will teach them how to be thrifty, buy things that are needed, only buy new ones when items are worn out or spoilt. Let them understand that old items are good as well as long as they are usable. Of cause, we as parents will not be "giam" or overly thrifty and become stingy as God also teaches us to be generous. This above task is not easy but we will take up the challenge.
3) Incoporate Bible teaching in daily life: I have some SAHM who homeschool their kids. They bought some homeschool materials which have bible teachings incorporated into the education curriculum which I thought was cool and interesting. The curriculum ranges from pre school to primary level having bible lessons incorporated with English, Art, Science etc. Only Maths is not included. Guess that has to be taught separately. Since I may not homeschool Evangeline but I will source this curriculum out and use the bible lesson parts to teach my Evangeline and in terms of Maths, English, Art, Science, I will do the job cause I am a trained primary school teacher so that should not be a problem for me.
4) Enrichment classes: Guess too expensive for us. We will see if our child is gifted or shows some talent in certain areas, we will try our best to groom her. This, we will leave it to the Lord for His providence. :)
5) Outings: There are a lot of "free of charge" places like seaside, parks and those "good and affordable" museums, shows etc for Evangeline to explore, have fun and hands on experience to train them in their brain development, having touch with nature, tapping on their curiosity and interest in finding out answers for themselves. It also established close bonding and quality time between us and Evangeline. This is good.
6)Love, Encouragement and Praise: Constantly praising and encouraging your child can boost their confidence, self-esteem and their social and interpersonal skills with people. I hope Evangeline will also pick up good communication skills and also learn how to show love, care and concern to people around her through us as parents modeling to her. Thus, Hubby and I must constantly and carefully remind ourselves in our daily actions, modelling the right attitude, moral values and showing Godly ways to her.
7)Open to discussion/ being communicative: We also realised thru our own experiences on how we were brought up that communication is very important. When there is a conflict or areas that need to be corrected, we need to open up ourselves to talk, resolve, communicate honestly and sincerely with our children. We need to adopt not a domineering approach but creating a safe and open environment for our children, being patient and allowing us as parents to listen to their perspectives and some freedom for them to express their thoughts. This is important for them to establish trust in you and in future, they will also turn to you for advises and solutions.
8) Canning? Scolding or love and care as disciplinary acts?: Well, Spare the Rod and spoil the child. I am not sure about Hubby, but I believe to some extend, we need to use the rod in disciplining our child. However, not as a mean to express our anger onto our child, but use the rod wisely as a form of reinforcing to the child that certain acts are not to be done again or when the child has gone extreme in terms of his or her misbehaviour. Most of the time, by talking to the child lovingly, reasonably and showing that correcting their mistakes are for their own good, letting them know the consequences of their action and teaching them to be responsible for their actions are more appropriate methods than canning. Only canned when needed.
Guess that is all for now. Typing them and reflecting on them are easy tasks to do. Executing them is another challenge. May God's abundance blessing be onto us, be our anchor point in our life always, guiding us in every steps we take and helping us to be the Godly parents for Evangeline and bringing up Evangeline in the ways of Lord and through this, she will be a blessing to others as well.
Current Mood: Reflective
Monday, October 6, 2008
At 32 weeks...
Just seen Doc A and baby's head is facing downward already but not engaged so should be able to have a full term baby. However, I must be careful, not to exert too much strength and learn to rest more.
Baby weighs 1.8kg and I put on another 2kg more. My current weight is 63kg and only 500g goes to baby...Argh......
Next appt is 3 weeks from now..Hopefully, baby will put on more weight but not too heavy as I aim to have a natural delivery rather than C-sect.
I am feeling very anxious and excited. Still got lots of things to prepare before her arrival. I can't wait!
Current mood: Blissed
Baby weighs 1.8kg and I put on another 2kg more. My current weight is 63kg and only 500g goes to baby...Argh......
Next appt is 3 weeks from now..Hopefully, baby will put on more weight but not too heavy as I aim to have a natural delivery rather than C-sect.
I am feeling very anxious and excited. Still got lots of things to prepare before her arrival. I can't wait!
Current mood: Blissed
Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages
I was reading one of my friend's hubby's blog and he wrote a summary of the above book which is so clear, precise and easily understood. This book also helped me and hubby to not just understand each other's needs but also to improve our communication. It strengthens, builds strong bonding among us and also to remind us how complacent, selfish we can be when we treat each other daily. So sharing this with you all and thanks Royston for writing such a beautiful and inspiring post. It refreshes my mind once again.
Here are the 5 Languages of Love in summary.
Words of Affirmation
Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Verbal appreciation speaks powerfully to persons whose primary Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.” Simple statements, such as, “You look great in that dress,” or “You must be the best cook in the world! I love your fried rice!” are sometimes all a person needs to hear to feel loved.
Aside from verbal compliments, another way to communicate through “Words of Affirmation” is to offer encouragement. If a loved one listens for “Words of Affirmation,” offering encouragement will help him or her to overcome insecurities and develop greater confidence.
Quality Time
Quality time is more than mere proximity. It’s about focusing all your energy on your mate. A husband watching sports while talking to his wife is NOT quality time. Unless all of your attention is focused on your mate, even an intimate dinner for two can come and go without a minute of quality time being shared.
Quality conversation is very important in a healthy relationship. It involves sharing experiences, thoughts, feelings and desires in a friendly, uninterrupted context. A good mate will not only listen, but offer advice and respond to assure their mate they are truly listening. Many mates don’t expect you to solve their problems. They need a sympathetic listener.
Quality activities are a very important part of quality time. Many mates feel most loved when they spend physical time together, doing activities that they love to do. Spending time together will bring a couple closer, and, in the years to come, will fill up a memory bank that you can reminisce about in the future.
Whether it’s sitting on the couch and having a brief conversation or playing frisbee together, quality time is a love language that is shared by many. Setting aside focused time with your mate will ensure a happy marriage.
Receiving Gifts
Some mates respond well to visual symbols of love. If you speak this love language, you are more likely to treasure any gift as an expression of love and devotion. People who speak this love language often feel that a lack of gifts represents a lack of love from their mate. Luckily, this love language is one of the easiest to learn.
The gift of self is an important symbol of love. Sometimes all your mate desires is for someone to be there for them, going through the same trials and experiencing the same things.
These gifts need not to come every day, or even every week. They don’t even need to cost a lot of money. Free, frequent, expensive, or rare, if your mate relates to the language of receiving gifts, any visible sign of your love will leave them feeling happy and secure in your relationship.
Acts of Service
Sometimes simple chores around the house can be an undeniable expression of love. Even simple things like laundry and taking out the trash require some form of planning, time, effort, and energy. Doing humble chores can be a very powerful expression of love and devotion to your mate.
Very often, both pairs in a couple will speak to the Acts of Service Language. However, it is very important to understand what acts of service your mate most appreciates. For example, a wife may spend her day washing the cars and walking the dog, but if her husband feels that laundry and dishes are a superior necessity, he may feel unloved, despite the fact that his wife did many other chores throughout the day. It is important to learn your mate’s dialect and work hard to understand what acts of service will show your love.
It is important to do these acts of service out of love and not obligation. A mate who does chores and helps out around the house out of guilt or fear will inevitably not be speaking a language of love, but a language of resentment. It’s important to perform these acts out of the kindness of your heart.
Physical Touch
Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner. For a mate who speaks this love language loudly, physical touch can make or break the relationship.
It is important to learn how your mate speaks the physical touch language. Some touches are irritating and uncomfortable for your mate. Take the time to learn the touches your mate likes. They can be big acts, such as back massages or little acts such as touches on the cheek or a hand on the shoulder. It’s important to learn how your mate responds to touch. That is how you will make the most of this love language.
All marriages will experience crisis. In these cases, physical touch is very important. In a crisis situation, a hug can communicate an immense amount of love for that person. A person whose primary love language is physical touch would much rather have you hold them and be silent than offer any advice.
It is important to remember that this love language is different for everyone. What type of touch makes you feel secure is not necessarily what will make your partner happy. It is important to learn each other’s dialects. That way you can make the most of your hugging, kissing, and other physical contacts.
Current Mood: Enlightened
Here are the 5 Languages of Love in summary.
Words of Affirmation
Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Verbal appreciation speaks powerfully to persons whose primary Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.” Simple statements, such as, “You look great in that dress,” or “You must be the best cook in the world! I love your fried rice!” are sometimes all a person needs to hear to feel loved.
Aside from verbal compliments, another way to communicate through “Words of Affirmation” is to offer encouragement. If a loved one listens for “Words of Affirmation,” offering encouragement will help him or her to overcome insecurities and develop greater confidence.
Quality Time
Quality time is more than mere proximity. It’s about focusing all your energy on your mate. A husband watching sports while talking to his wife is NOT quality time. Unless all of your attention is focused on your mate, even an intimate dinner for two can come and go without a minute of quality time being shared.
Quality conversation is very important in a healthy relationship. It involves sharing experiences, thoughts, feelings and desires in a friendly, uninterrupted context. A good mate will not only listen, but offer advice and respond to assure their mate they are truly listening. Many mates don’t expect you to solve their problems. They need a sympathetic listener.
Quality activities are a very important part of quality time. Many mates feel most loved when they spend physical time together, doing activities that they love to do. Spending time together will bring a couple closer, and, in the years to come, will fill up a memory bank that you can reminisce about in the future.
Whether it’s sitting on the couch and having a brief conversation or playing frisbee together, quality time is a love language that is shared by many. Setting aside focused time with your mate will ensure a happy marriage.
Receiving Gifts
Some mates respond well to visual symbols of love. If you speak this love language, you are more likely to treasure any gift as an expression of love and devotion. People who speak this love language often feel that a lack of gifts represents a lack of love from their mate. Luckily, this love language is one of the easiest to learn.
The gift of self is an important symbol of love. Sometimes all your mate desires is for someone to be there for them, going through the same trials and experiencing the same things.
These gifts need not to come every day, or even every week. They don’t even need to cost a lot of money. Free, frequent, expensive, or rare, if your mate relates to the language of receiving gifts, any visible sign of your love will leave them feeling happy and secure in your relationship.
Acts of Service
Sometimes simple chores around the house can be an undeniable expression of love. Even simple things like laundry and taking out the trash require some form of planning, time, effort, and energy. Doing humble chores can be a very powerful expression of love and devotion to your mate.
Very often, both pairs in a couple will speak to the Acts of Service Language. However, it is very important to understand what acts of service your mate most appreciates. For example, a wife may spend her day washing the cars and walking the dog, but if her husband feels that laundry and dishes are a superior necessity, he may feel unloved, despite the fact that his wife did many other chores throughout the day. It is important to learn your mate’s dialect and work hard to understand what acts of service will show your love.
It is important to do these acts of service out of love and not obligation. A mate who does chores and helps out around the house out of guilt or fear will inevitably not be speaking a language of love, but a language of resentment. It’s important to perform these acts out of the kindness of your heart.
Physical Touch
Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner. For a mate who speaks this love language loudly, physical touch can make or break the relationship.
It is important to learn how your mate speaks the physical touch language. Some touches are irritating and uncomfortable for your mate. Take the time to learn the touches your mate likes. They can be big acts, such as back massages or little acts such as touches on the cheek or a hand on the shoulder. It’s important to learn how your mate responds to touch. That is how you will make the most of this love language.
All marriages will experience crisis. In these cases, physical touch is very important. In a crisis situation, a hug can communicate an immense amount of love for that person. A person whose primary love language is physical touch would much rather have you hold them and be silent than offer any advice.
It is important to remember that this love language is different for everyone. What type of touch makes you feel secure is not necessarily what will make your partner happy. It is important to learn each other’s dialects. That way you can make the most of your hugging, kissing, and other physical contacts.
Current Mood: Enlightened
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Evangeline at 28 Weeks
Just went to see Dr Adrian. Beside the usual routine and the same catch up phrases, we were glad that Evangeline is now 1.3kg at 28 weeks! However, as for me, I put on 10 kg from 51.3kg to 61.3kg at 7 months. My oh my! I must indeed maintain my weight for the last two months. Hopefully, I do not exceed a total of 15 kg weight gain for my whole pregnancy. Evangeline is considered average and normal and I am thankful to God for taking so good care of her and protect her thru out this whole pregnancy. Hubby can't wait to see her and I can't wait to hold her in my arms. We continue to pray for the last two months ahead that Evangeline will continue to grow healthily in my womb. What a joy!
Current Mood: Hopeful
Current Mood: Hopeful
Monday, September 8, 2008
What a fulfilling day!
Finally, we managed to borrow the car again to do our final shopping for baby Evangeline since it was postponed the other day due to my flu. As my BIL needed to reached school early at 6.45am. Thus, we woke up at 5am, got a cab to my FIL's place, drove BIL to school and headed to Holland Village for breakfast.
As the shopping centres at Orchard only opened at 10.30am, we headed down to Botanic Garden for a morning walk and to spend some quiet time there in a pavillion overseeing the Swan Lake. The weather was cool and we felt refreshed by the cool breeze blowing at us.
We stayed there till 10.15am and proceed down to Isetan, make a quick purchase on diapers, parking was just $1.00 for the first hour. Cool!
Did some purchases on baby items with 20% discount and we managed to get all the things done within the first one hour and to our delight, we only incurred $1.00 only on car park charges. Haha.
Then, we found another car park near the Youth Park which was only 50 cents per half hour. So we parked there for an hour to get out our things from Aussino. So only incurred $1.00 for carparking.
By then, ERP charges had started and in order not to incur ERP charges, we tried to find a route to go to PIE and to avoid all the gantries if possible. Guess what, we found one and we avoided ERP charges. How brilliant we were! What to do...we needed to save $$$$$.
Car parking at Ikea was free the whole day, only managed to finish shopping at about 8pm, went to the shops near my Mum's place to source for light bulbs and had a quick dinner as my BIL was chasing us to return the car as he needed to fetch his GF home.
Another day ended with exhausion. Haha, but we were glad that most of the purchases for Baby Evangeline were more or less done and Hubby can concentrate on his assignments and exams for the week. What a day!
Current Mood: Satisfied
As the shopping centres at Orchard only opened at 10.30am, we headed down to Botanic Garden for a morning walk and to spend some quiet time there in a pavillion overseeing the Swan Lake. The weather was cool and we felt refreshed by the cool breeze blowing at us.
We stayed there till 10.15am and proceed down to Isetan, make a quick purchase on diapers, parking was just $1.00 for the first hour. Cool!
Did some purchases on baby items with 20% discount and we managed to get all the things done within the first one hour and to our delight, we only incurred $1.00 only on car park charges. Haha.
Then, we found another car park near the Youth Park which was only 50 cents per half hour. So we parked there for an hour to get out our things from Aussino. So only incurred $1.00 for carparking.
By then, ERP charges had started and in order not to incur ERP charges, we tried to find a route to go to PIE and to avoid all the gantries if possible. Guess what, we found one and we avoided ERP charges. How brilliant we were! What to do...we needed to save $$$$$.
Car parking at Ikea was free the whole day, only managed to finish shopping at about 8pm, went to the shops near my Mum's place to source for light bulbs and had a quick dinner as my BIL was chasing us to return the car as he needed to fetch his GF home.
Another day ended with exhausion. Haha, but we were glad that most of the purchases for Baby Evangeline were more or less done and Hubby can concentrate on his assignments and exams for the week. What a day!
Current Mood: Satisfied
Monday, September 1, 2008
My birthday itinerary
It's finally my 28th birthday yesterday. Hubby was not able to celebrate with me due to his assignment which he needed to hand up by that day. Thus, he has planned a whole day itinerary to celebrate my birthday today.
We woke up early to have a quick breakfast at a coffee shop nearby and went straight to my FIL's house to borrow the car for the day. It has been a long time since we went out 'pator-ing'. When was the last time we actually went out for couple time? I guessed it must be decades ago!!!! Hubby was so meticulous in his planning. He actually planned the route and timing so well that we will not incur ERP charges. Ha ha.
10.15am - Reached Labrador Park. As we drove into the park, we realised that we ended up in the premises of a new resort called the city resort. We went to recee the rooms and got the contact of the manager in charge. It was indeed quite a pleasant and serene place for retreat and hubby was considering it for the Methodist Retreat next Jan.
11.15am - Reached Amoy Street for lunch. As I highly recommended the famous fish soup and the Wantan noodles to hubby, he couldn't wait to savour and get his hands on them. Fortunately, the lunch crowd has not started and we did not need to queue up for the food. The fish soup was simply heavenly. The fish slices were fresh and the broth was tasty and light. It was not salty but just nice. Wantan noodles was the centre of attraction for the day. The portion given was a lot which includes 6 fried wantan and 6 boiled wantan with springy noodles for just $2.50. The Char siew slices were not fatty and mainly lean meat. Hubby really enjoyed his meal and I just beamed with happiness.
1.25pm - Watched Wall-E movie. It was entertaining, enlightening on the awareness of global conservation, romantic due to the persistent, faithful love Wall-E has on Eva and a touching ending.
6.00pm - Roamed around Marina Square and caught an eye on this restaurant called HotPot culture. Original plan was to eat at Mouth Restaurant but Hubby saw that they are offering a steamboat buffet dinner for just $19 plus per person and even includes free flow of ala carte dishes and chocolate fondue. So without much hesitation, we ended up feasting there for our dinner till 9.30pm.
9.30pm - As one of our church member's mother had passed away and the wake was just a few blocks away from us, we decided to pay our respect as we drove our way back home. stayed till about 11pm before we took a lift home from Wendy.
12 midnight - Blogging my day out here and it's time to sleep. We were all exhausted and my weary legs were painful especially my calves. That's all for now and sweet dreams!
Current Mood: Happy and exhausted.
We woke up early to have a quick breakfast at a coffee shop nearby and went straight to my FIL's house to borrow the car for the day. It has been a long time since we went out 'pator-ing'. When was the last time we actually went out for couple time? I guessed it must be decades ago!!!! Hubby was so meticulous in his planning. He actually planned the route and timing so well that we will not incur ERP charges. Ha ha.
10.15am - Reached Labrador Park. As we drove into the park, we realised that we ended up in the premises of a new resort called the city resort. We went to recee the rooms and got the contact of the manager in charge. It was indeed quite a pleasant and serene place for retreat and hubby was considering it for the Methodist Retreat next Jan.
11.15am - Reached Amoy Street for lunch. As I highly recommended the famous fish soup and the Wantan noodles to hubby, he couldn't wait to savour and get his hands on them. Fortunately, the lunch crowd has not started and we did not need to queue up for the food. The fish soup was simply heavenly. The fish slices were fresh and the broth was tasty and light. It was not salty but just nice. Wantan noodles was the centre of attraction for the day. The portion given was a lot which includes 6 fried wantan and 6 boiled wantan with springy noodles for just $2.50. The Char siew slices were not fatty and mainly lean meat. Hubby really enjoyed his meal and I just beamed with happiness.
1.25pm - Watched Wall-E movie. It was entertaining, enlightening on the awareness of global conservation, romantic due to the persistent, faithful love Wall-E has on Eva and a touching ending.
6.00pm - Roamed around Marina Square and caught an eye on this restaurant called HotPot culture. Original plan was to eat at Mouth Restaurant but Hubby saw that they are offering a steamboat buffet dinner for just $19 plus per person and even includes free flow of ala carte dishes and chocolate fondue. So without much hesitation, we ended up feasting there for our dinner till 9.30pm.
9.30pm - As one of our church member's mother had passed away and the wake was just a few blocks away from us, we decided to pay our respect as we drove our way back home. stayed till about 11pm before we took a lift home from Wendy.
12 midnight - Blogging my day out here and it's time to sleep. We were all exhausted and my weary legs were painful especially my calves. That's all for now and sweet dreams!
Current Mood: Happy and exhausted.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Time to give credit to our Lord!
As I pondered back all these months, the wonderful and miraculous things that the Lord has done, I felt compelled to blog my heartfelt thanks to Him. God, thanks for being there for me and Samuel. The journey is tough, the future is bleak and insecure, lot of anxieties and yet looking forward for Evangeline to arrive as she has been such joy and blessing in our life.
1) Thank God for guiding Samuel and his studies. Samuel has been struggling both his studies and finding time for family. Time is so limited, not much for himself to breathe or even to catch up with his friends and family. If it wasn't for God's grace and mercy, he wouldn't have even done well for his examinations, his papers and assignments. It is indeed a miracle that he can still be mentally and physically strong to handle all the pressure. All these come with a sacrifice too, sacrificing the quality time with family but I am glad he tries and makes effort all the time.
2)Thank God for my pregnancy. So far, my pregnancy has been smooth. No morning sickness, no cravings for particular food or having any signs of rejection for certain food. Normal appetite, eat as per normal and my lifestyle has not much been changed, still the same as before I was pregnant. Everyone says I am blessed and indeed, I am. My baby is also healthy and results for every check up and scans are normal, healthy and positive. Thanks be to God.
3) Thank God for ample time for mental, physical, emotional preparation for the arrival of Evangeline. Ever since I stopped working in March, I have been praying and trying to find a temporary job just for these few months till delivery to help in relieving the financial aspect of the household. Despite earnestly applying for tuition assignments and applying to be a relief teacher, doors were not opened for me. After a while, I understood why and I am glad that GOd knows what's best for me and Samuel. If I am working, I wouldn't be able to settle all the things needed for Evangeline. During these months, I am able to do research, read up about pregnancy, spend time taking care and helping Samuel whenever he needs help. I also have the opportunity to have a taste of how it is like to be a full time housewife which will prepares me to be a SAHM (stay at home mum).
4) Thank God for providence. Depending on one person's income is indeed challenging. We have to change our lifestyle, the way we spend our money, becoming very calculative and careful in the things we wanted to buy. We are thankful that by nature, in terms of the way we are brought up, we are able to live simply thus it was not tough changing our lifestyle and habits in such a short time. As we have one more member in the family soon. Expenses are extremely high as we need to buy things for baby. Thus God gave us wonderful ppl in our life to provide for us. Baby clothes, rocker, baby cot were all given by others..that really save us lots of money as those are expensive items. Now, we only need to spend on daily necessities like diapers, milk bottles etc.
5) Thank God for my parents especially my mum. I specially mentioned my mother because she is not a christian but yet show the characteristics and personalities of one. She is self-less, loving and willing to go extra mile in caring for others. All these months and years, she took good care of Samuel and I. During my pregnancy, she was the one who bought and cooked the tonic, bird nest and sometimes did marketing for us. Despite us wanting to pay for those items, she refused and told us to save that money up. Samuel and I feel very touched by her gestures and love. Those items are not cheap and she is not rich either, but she uses her hard-earned money to show such extention of love to me and baby, what a sacrificing love and heart she has! Thanks Mummy! You are the best and I love you lots!
6)Thank God for friends. I am glad to have friends to ask and seek support in my whole pregnancy journey. They gave me valuable advise, support, encouragements to help me curb my anxieties and insecurities. Without them, I am clueless and may even fumble when baby arrives. Thanks my friends who pray for us and being there when we needed help!
7) Thank God for bringing Samuel and I closer together thru this child. A lot have changed even since we have this child. Unknowingly, we became more patient, loving and understanding towards each other. We used to take lot of things and each other for granted. We quarrel, lose temper at one another and at times having cold wars to spite each other. But things are different now. We know that we needed to be role models, to set up the right environment for our baby. We wouldn't want baby to inherit certain negative traits from us and allow generation bondages to pass down to our children. Role and responsibilities as husband and wife, as father and mother were shown clearly to us thru God's words and we placed these commandments dearly in our hearts. We became more joyful as parents and as a couple. We learn to love each other more deeply and in special ways. Thank you God for such a change.
Continue to pray with us as we move on from one stage to another. May the Lord bless you abundantly in each of your lives just as how you have been a blessing to us!
Current Mood: Thankful
1) Thank God for guiding Samuel and his studies. Samuel has been struggling both his studies and finding time for family. Time is so limited, not much for himself to breathe or even to catch up with his friends and family. If it wasn't for God's grace and mercy, he wouldn't have even done well for his examinations, his papers and assignments. It is indeed a miracle that he can still be mentally and physically strong to handle all the pressure. All these come with a sacrifice too, sacrificing the quality time with family but I am glad he tries and makes effort all the time.
2)Thank God for my pregnancy. So far, my pregnancy has been smooth. No morning sickness, no cravings for particular food or having any signs of rejection for certain food. Normal appetite, eat as per normal and my lifestyle has not much been changed, still the same as before I was pregnant. Everyone says I am blessed and indeed, I am. My baby is also healthy and results for every check up and scans are normal, healthy and positive. Thanks be to God.
3) Thank God for ample time for mental, physical, emotional preparation for the arrival of Evangeline. Ever since I stopped working in March, I have been praying and trying to find a temporary job just for these few months till delivery to help in relieving the financial aspect of the household. Despite earnestly applying for tuition assignments and applying to be a relief teacher, doors were not opened for me. After a while, I understood why and I am glad that GOd knows what's best for me and Samuel. If I am working, I wouldn't be able to settle all the things needed for Evangeline. During these months, I am able to do research, read up about pregnancy, spend time taking care and helping Samuel whenever he needs help. I also have the opportunity to have a taste of how it is like to be a full time housewife which will prepares me to be a SAHM (stay at home mum).
4) Thank God for providence. Depending on one person's income is indeed challenging. We have to change our lifestyle, the way we spend our money, becoming very calculative and careful in the things we wanted to buy. We are thankful that by nature, in terms of the way we are brought up, we are able to live simply thus it was not tough changing our lifestyle and habits in such a short time. As we have one more member in the family soon. Expenses are extremely high as we need to buy things for baby. Thus God gave us wonderful ppl in our life to provide for us. Baby clothes, rocker, baby cot were all given by others..that really save us lots of money as those are expensive items. Now, we only need to spend on daily necessities like diapers, milk bottles etc.
5) Thank God for my parents especially my mum. I specially mentioned my mother because she is not a christian but yet show the characteristics and personalities of one. She is self-less, loving and willing to go extra mile in caring for others. All these months and years, she took good care of Samuel and I. During my pregnancy, she was the one who bought and cooked the tonic, bird nest and sometimes did marketing for us. Despite us wanting to pay for those items, she refused and told us to save that money up. Samuel and I feel very touched by her gestures and love. Those items are not cheap and she is not rich either, but she uses her hard-earned money to show such extention of love to me and baby, what a sacrificing love and heart she has! Thanks Mummy! You are the best and I love you lots!
6)Thank God for friends. I am glad to have friends to ask and seek support in my whole pregnancy journey. They gave me valuable advise, support, encouragements to help me curb my anxieties and insecurities. Without them, I am clueless and may even fumble when baby arrives. Thanks my friends who pray for us and being there when we needed help!
7) Thank God for bringing Samuel and I closer together thru this child. A lot have changed even since we have this child. Unknowingly, we became more patient, loving and understanding towards each other. We used to take lot of things and each other for granted. We quarrel, lose temper at one another and at times having cold wars to spite each other. But things are different now. We know that we needed to be role models, to set up the right environment for our baby. We wouldn't want baby to inherit certain negative traits from us and allow generation bondages to pass down to our children. Role and responsibilities as husband and wife, as father and mother were shown clearly to us thru God's words and we placed these commandments dearly in our hearts. We became more joyful as parents and as a couple. We learn to love each other more deeply and in special ways. Thank you God for such a change.
Continue to pray with us as we move on from one stage to another. May the Lord bless you abundantly in each of your lives just as how you have been a blessing to us!
Current Mood: Thankful
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