R-A-EJ

Gambatte! Feb 2012, Tokyo here we come!

2011-10-27T12:12:00.003+08:00

Dates are set.. the FOO family's gonna hit the shores of Japan in Feb 2012 for another run-vacation.

http://www.tokyo42195.org/2012_en/

Emma'll be thrilled to play "princess" in the Disney castles, I'm sure.

2012 Gold Coast Airport Marathon | 30 June - 1 July

2011-09-26T16:15:00.000+08:00

A return to Down Under in 2012?

quick one

2011-08-13T12:53:00.003+08:00

I was just browsing through the blog for a photo in an old post, and ended up reading through the blogposts in the run up to Emma's birth. I'm left speechless at God's goodness, and how He had seen Emma through the pregnancy and birth, and now growth through her toddler years. She's turning 4yrs old next week! Can you believe it!?!?!?! Gosh, that means I'm getting older too!!!! YIKES!

Emma's Daddy signing off....

Emma's first appearance on local national print media! =)

2011-07-26T09:21:00.005+08:00

This is Emma's first appearance on local national print media, in a feature on Gold Coast that was published in the Sunday Times on 24 Jul 2011, covering the Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2011 which Ade and I participated in, and the Gold Coast attractions.

Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2012, save a slot for the FOO Family!

1-8 Jul 2011 Sojourn to Gold Coast, Australia

2011-07-12T09:40:00.004+08:00

haven't had the time to blog much since eons ago.... haven't got the time to really catch up in doing so still.. We just had a family run-vacation at Gold Coast in Jul 2011, so here're some of the pics at least for now.. will find some time to blog about it. =)

2011-07-01 GCAM - arrival in Gold Coast and GCAM Race Expo
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150232657919072.322379.626334071&l=7fa0a15b59

2011-07-02 GCAM - Southern Cross University 10km Run
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150228495339072.320807.626334071&l=f68ed8f2d5

2011-07-02 GCAM - Air Asia Carbo-loading Lunch
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150235763414072.323446.626334071&l=319cbee916

2011-07-03 GCAM Marathon
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150229473844072.321227.626334071&l=39e22d094f

Date locked in the calendar... 2-3 Jul 2011

2010-11-10T22:53:00.005+08:00

The dates are set for a unique family getaway in Jul 2011..... 2-3 Jul 2011.... GOLD COAST here we come!

http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/

The FOO Family's gonna take on the GCAM 2011... Ade for Womens 10km run (on 2 Jul), Emma for 2km Junior Dash and I for the 42km (on 3 Jul)....

wonder if they'd make concessions for 2km Junior Dash entry, since Emma's way under 5yrs in Jul 11.. =P

===============
2011 GCAM Event information
(http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/default.asp?PageID=9706)

2011 GCAM Races dates and start times
(http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/default.asp?PageID=18979)

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2010

2010-07-31T12:29:00.006+08:00

After running an arduous Standard Chartered Singapore marathon in Dec 2009, I've decided to go for the marathon again in Dec 2010, and I'm all determined to be better prepared for it. Somehow the atmosphere and the energy that exudes from mass of runners is just so energising. The human spirit of encouragement runs high as everyone's cheering everyone on during the race.

and this year, I've managed to convince Ade to bring Emma for the Kids' Dash! yeh!!!! (http://www.marathonsingapore.com/Runners/KidsDash.aspx)

So here we go... 03892-SIN-FMM-OLP and 70280-SIN-KDG-OLP reporting for SCSM 2010!!

has it been almost a yr???? wow!

2010-03-26T17:14:00.001+08:00

Realised that we’ve not blogged for close to a year! Ha. It’s been a busy year, and any free time that we have is prioritized for rest and relax. Ironically, my being on hospitalization leave this month (Mar 2010) gave me the most time to date to rest and spend time reading newspapers, articles, and catching up with my family.

I was about to prepare for an evening flight on 5 Mar, when Ade advised me to see a doc to address a “pimple” on my left thigh that grew to a rather big “pimple”, with visible redness on the surrounding skin area that measured about 10cm in diameter. Lo and behold, it was not a “pimple”, but a huge carbuncle that measured about 4x5cm in size, that started to have a bit of pus oozing out. YIKES! I went to hospital the next day, and the docs decided to ward me for I needed to be put on general anesthetic for an saucerisation procedure to remove the carbuncle and any infected skin on my left thigh. Did the op on 7 Mar, and had to undergo another op on 12 Mar, and this time under the hands of an aesthetic surgeon to shift some healthy skin tissue from the surrounding area from the former carbuncle site, to cover the wound and speed up healing. Well, there you go, my first ever experience undergoing “plastic surgery”. Haha! Well, thank God both operations went well, and I’m now on the road to recovery. The stitches have yet to be removed, and the swelling that resulted from the tissue shift in the 2nd op would take a couple of months to subside. At the last doc’s appt on wed, the aesthetic doc said I could start running again after the stitches are removed, and as he was about to move away, he turned and asked “or have you already started running?”… haha.. I’m not sure if I’m looking any bit of a runner now, especially after 3 weeks of layoff from running. Haha. Anyway, lesson learnt: don't take "pimples" lightly.. u never know how malicious and toxic they might become if they fester under the skin for too long!

Anyway, I’m thankful for this time of rest. I watched my little princess Emma as I spent time at home with her and Ade. Watching her mannerisms, her playful antics, her verbal responses, her prancing around and dancing around, just made me realize that Emma’s no longer the 2-yr old little baby Emma 6 months ago. Oh how much she’s grown in that short 6 months. She’s really a little girl now. Going through her 1-2 yrs old photos further brought me to this realization. Ade and I are thinking whether to send her to child-care, enrichment classes, or the likes. But looking at Emma as she is now, we are pretty much decided to send her for some dance classes, for her to have fun prancing around, and mingle with other kids. I think the “A-B-Cs” and “1-2-3s” can wait a few yrs more. I’m sure she’ll enjoy her childhood more doing the things she loves. Just play a little nice catchy pop music jingle that you’d find in any of the advertisements on TV, and Emma’ll just start gyrating, and making smooth shoulder and arm movements to the beat. Now, don’t ask us where she got her dancing genes from. It’s definitely not from Ade, nor me. =)

Sehr kühl idyllisch Samstag morgen... Musings on a cool idyllic Sat morning in Koblenz

2009-04-04T17:32:00.003+08:00

It's a blessing to be able to visit Germany, a place that I've always wanted to visit. For some reason or another, something about Germany's history and culture draws me. Nope, it's definitely not because of the beer or wine, both of which I'm not a fan of. The rustic buildings and architecture, sculptures, and the rich history in the soil of this land somehow intrigue me.

It's been a busy week of meetings, but the journeys from Munich to Koblenz and to Frankfurt allowed me to see and experience the German culture. Germans are sharp and efficient, yet they know the value of family time. Yes they work hard, and sometime long hours, but time with their families is something that's common with most Germans. Going home for dinner is a priority for many of them. Perhaps that's why the shops also close early at 8pm. Family activities like running, strolling by the river, cycling are common sights, esp on an idyllic cool Saturday morning like today.

Anyway, this observation has caused me to reflect quite a bit over this week away from home. There're just too much "distractions" back home. TV, Internet... It's time I pulled the plug on some of these when I get home. It's nice to "de-rust" my German language that's not been used for a good 8 years! I enjoy the German culture here, BUT I still miss the 2 women in my life... =)

Emma's Daddy signing off from Koblenz.. off to Frankfurt and then home!

things that make her go "eeeeeeeeeee.....!!!"

2009-03-09T22:15:00.004+08:00

Emma's got this thing about cleanliness.
- She'll suck her fingers, take them out, and then stretch her wet fingers towards us and say "eeeeee!", until we wipe her fingers clean.
- She'll point at a strand of noodle that landed on her thigh, and go "eeeeee!", until we wipe her thigh clean.
- She'll point at her soiled diaper and say "EEEEEEE!" as we're taking it off, ready to clean her.

These are the very common daily instances that make Emma go "EEEEEEE!".

But just this morning, another thing made Emma go "EEEEEE!" She woke up in bed, rub her eyes and stretched herself as usual... then she turned to see mommy as usual... only this time, she added an exclamation "EEEEEEE!" and pointed at mommie's.... erm.... face.. =P well, yes, mommy's very sad that Emma "EEEEE!" at her this morning...

alright.. shan't disclose anymore... u can ask mommy what exactly made Emma go "Eeeeeeeeee!" earlier this morning... hehehe

Nice Sat morning and "Driving Ms Emma Joy Foo"

2009-03-08T13:31:00.007+08:00

I didn't realise how long it had been since we've blogged... it sure had been veeereeeee long! The last blog was about how Emma was heads over heels over Hello Kitty and Friends. Well, she still is. haha.. no surprise over that right? anyway, one of the Hello Kitty songs was "Green Machine" sung by the froggie Keroppi. It's about his green sports car, which he boasted in his song about being the best car, beating all others to the checkered flag, and sending all the other female kitties screaming "green machine! green machine!"... u should hear it, and especially with the additional backup vocals provided by Emma Joy. =)

well, we went out for breakfast yesterday (saturday) morning at Ghim Moh hawker center. Nice lazy Saturday morning it was, with a nice bowl of beancurd as starters for me, and fishball noodles for Ade. Emma of course snacked from our food. Alright, I did have another few slices of roti prata.. so much for controlling my calories and fat intake, in my bid to control my cholestrol level.. yes, it is HIGH!! so fine, I'm fat on the inside... time to up the ante in my running regime, perhaps to twice daily instead of daily runs that I'm already doing now... sigh...

As we were heading back to the car after breakfast, we saw this bunch of kids going around in battery operated toy cars in an open space just next to the playground. Sure looked like fun, and it sure captured little Emma' attention. We set her down, and she walked around the "garage" of cars, and she seemed to like ALL of them!!! gosh... anyway, there was this "green machine" with froggie pictures on it. It looked very much like Keroppi, and perhaps his Green Machine too. We chose that green car for Emma, since it had a remote with which I could control the car without bending down to hold the steering wheel and strain my back in the process... hehe... that's unmanned remote technology for u!

Needless to say, Emma had a ball of a time "driving" around in her "green machine"... Ade took a video... enjoy the video, and keep your eyes out for Emma's squeals and her "Queen Elizabeth" hand waves. Yes, I think she has lots to learn in terms of keeping her eyes on the front while "driving", but anyway, she didn't mount any sidekerb this time. =)

After seeing how Emma loved the driving experience, I wonder if she'll grow up to be like Ade in liking small but exorbitantly priced cars (like the Mini-Cooper Sports, or the VW Beetle).... *gasp* !!!

Hellooooo....

2009-01-01T18:28:00.005+08:00

Kitteeeee! yes yes.. my little daughter has developed a high degree of liking for Hello Kitty & Friends!

She stops what she's doing (including fussing) and starts dancing when she hears the theme song in the Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends cartoon.

She instinctively says "there!" and points to mommie's Hello Kitty shower cap whenever she sees mommie wearing it.

She will somehow notice Hello Kitty in the midst of the busy shopping mall or packed store shelves, and points at it and says "there!"... or she'll drag us over..

She becomes a lot more alert and interested in our outings whenever she sees Hello Kitty, e.g. @ NTUC recently, and @ BPP Watson's today (where she actually even let mommie's hand go just to stand at the Hello Kitty shelf, and where she stopped as we passed by another stack of Hello Kitty stuff on our way out of Watson's!)...

what a girly girl! =)

[ps. Now Charlotte has a fellow Hello Kitty fan.. =)]

singing!

2008-12-31T18:05:00.005+08:00

Emma still doesn't take Church's nursery that well yet, but she loves worship services, especially during the worship portion. I guess it's cos since her time in mommy's womb, she's been exposed to the worship practices and worship services as Ade and I serve week in week out in church.

And Emma sure learned well. Fleming and Bee Lee gave her 2 Barbie maracas as Christmas gift, and when we opened it (finally today), Emma took them and held them to her mouth and started to sing into her new "microphones".. hahaha.... here's the video link.

Blessed new year everyone!

finally...

2008-12-26T23:42:00.007+08:00

... both Ade and I get a breather from our feisty little princess who's fast asleep early tonight. She sure has been taking up most of our waking moments ever more since she turned one. Having seen newborns lately, and looking back at Emma's birth photos, I've been made to realise that Emma has grown up in many ways other than her physical outlook.

She's communicating a lot more now, being able to point at things that she wants, such as wanting to go to the swimming pool everytime we passed one (during our recent family getaway). And lately she's been wanting mommie's sling, something that mommie had not used since many months back.

She's expressing herself a lot more now, albeit many of these expressive moments are more of a show of personal preferences and pushing her tiny weight to get her way.
She's showing a lot more of her creativity through her playtimes, such as "cooking food" at her toy kitchen stove, and "feeding" her Care-Bear stuff toy, spinning round and round and round while seated on her bum....
She's developing an increasingly expensive appetite for adult food, and exquisite food such as japanese cod fish, salmon, japanese rice, pineapple rice... anything BUT home-made porridge!! arrrgh!

I'm ambivalent. Part of me wished that Emma's still the same little baby that coo-ed (or rather wailed) when she was born; when she laughed at my simplest of antics; when she wiggled and splashed in the bathtub; when she easily fell asleep while being harnessed in the ErgoBaby carrier... BUT another part of me also wished that she'd grow up faster and be independent, so that Ade and I can have more rest.. hahaha....

Anyway, Ade and I are enjoying every moment of Emma's growing up despite the busyness in managing her. She's still feisty and LOUD, yet she's very very cautious especially in learning how to walk, and in relating to strangers. She's still very picky about the menu for her meals, and yes, she's still petite compared to other toddlers her age. But we thank God still for developing her in her own unique way. I guess everyone will have his/her own childhood and growing up story, and this is gonna be Emma's own childhood stories.. =) Indeed, this Christmas season has been a busy one for Ade and I. Not because of the Christmas shopping which we've not been able to do much of anyway, but cos of our little bundle of (Emma) Joy.

As 2008 comes to a close, we as a family brace ourselves for 2009, as Emma reaches her "terrible-two" stage of her childhood, and as I continue to be busy with ensuring that the taxpayers' money don't get wasted. I'm sure the year ahead will be busy, but I know that Ade and I, and Emma aren't alone but have God with us in this journey, and with that, I'm sure we'll enjoy the sojourn through 2009.

Blessed Christmas to all our friends, and may 2009 be a purposeful and fruitful year ahead.

Training a clingy toddler?

2008-10-15T23:10:00.006+08:00

Can we really train a clingy toddler? I've been pondering over this for the longest time. People are beginning to tell me that Emma's too clingy to me because I've allowed her to be, and at this ripe "old" age of one, she should transit to independence instead of clinging onto me. So does it mean I'd caused her to be clingy, and there's a problem with my parenting style? To be honest, I'm not pleased over this remark. I have a huge problem with this biasness towards parents with clingy kids. Why are people so quick to judge and jump into conclusion and point accusing fingers to parents with clingy toddlers? Is it really the parents' fault when they have clingy toddlers?

Yes, Emma's clingy to me. She'll wail and and cry when I'm out of her sight. I'll need to strap her onto her rocker or put her on the highchair facing the toilet whenever I need to go to the washroom. When the doorbell rings, she'll lunge towards me and cling on to me like a koala bear, refusing to let me answer the door without her on my hips. Whenever we're with strangers or in new environments, she'll hang on to me (or Roy) tightly, refusing to let them carry her even with great amount of coaxing. She's comfortable with only a few selected people, and thank God there're always grandma and grandpa when mommy needs to take a break or to run some errands without her.

From birth, she has been really sensitive and high-need and due to her slow weight gain from day 1, we've also been also trying our very best to feed her whenever she cries for it. It is especially challenging feeding her now as she is really picky and has a small appetite. With all these concerns in mind, I just can't possibly leave her alone whenever she cries or fusses - especially if she's wanting to eat - I'll most gladly drop what I'm doing just to feed her. My topmost priority now is to provide a safe and secure environment for her to grow healthily, and that may include attending to her needs promptly. Try being in my shoes for a couple of days and you'll know why I'm looking so drained nowadays. If my dear little Emma is chubby and eating fantastically well, I'll not hesitate to just leave her alone to cry for a while (not that I do not let her cry at all - that will be totally impossible if you're a stay at home mom with chores to do). To set the record straight, I do not jump to her rescue whenever she cries. I have no problem with her crying if I know she's just throwing her tantrums (look at post & video below).

I was initially suspicious that there's a problem with me and the way I parent Emma, BUT, after reading this article about clingy toddlers, I know I am not alone, and no, no, no, there is no problem with me or how I parent Emma. The problem lies with those who think clingy toddlers are a problem. So if I ignore any comments that I should start training my clingy baby girl, you'll know why. I love her just the way she is and I have no problem with her clinging on to me for now because I know that's how she shows her love to me.

Tantrums.. and the Dancing Princess...

2008-10-14T23:28:00.004+08:00

someone's fussing cos mommy refused to let her touch mommy's iBook G4.. =P but note the classic change in facial expression and temperament when she figured out she didn't need mommy in order to get to the iBook G4 herself..

btw, she refused her own "toy" (mommy's old spoilt iBook that's on the coffee table while she was fussing)

here's little Emma dancing to the tune of "Hello Kitty" theme song.. =)

reflections.. and updates...

2008-10-13T00:24:00.010+08:00

*** on my personal front ****
Frantic. Anxiousness. Fear. I guess these are probably the few most common emotions among many in this season. Many things seem to be heading down for the worst. A vicious cycle of bad financial climate that brought about reduced confidence and increased anxiousness, that further exacerbates the climate even more. I've to confess, while i'm no ardent stocks chaser (not that I've got the time to do so), i did feel a little unsettled and anxious over the non-ideal financial climate in the past few months.

Perhaps it's ok to feel that way for i'm still human. Well.. perhaps.. and perhaps… But i've been reminded that in doing so, i'm no different from the complaining impatient Israelites who clamoured (after just a short while into their sojourn in the wilderness in the Promised Land), and who decided to act (foolishly) according to their wisdom (or rather lack of). Phil 4:6-9 sums it all up, at least for me in not resorting to "knee-jerk" reactions, or to react without godly counsel. Whether the graphs in the markets go up or down, look up to the heavens! (Psalm 121)

Over the past few days, God's been impressing me through different instances about different things even as I sought Him in my season of transition this month.
1. I serve God. I work for God, for His kingdom purposes. (Col 3:16-17) Rewards that come with this service is something that cannot be measured by man’s imperfect and whimsical standards.

2. Where i am, especially in my work, is an ordinance by God. It's not just a job, it's a calling. And as I prepare for my next appointment this coming Thurs, the scale of the responsibility over the lives that are placed in my single pair of hands is just overwhelming. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but at the same time, I have this ambivalent feeling of inadequacy and “fear” of not doing a good job and in the process mess up hundreds of lives. This is going to stretch “See a potential, develop a potential” more into “see a potential in EVERY of the (200 plus) men and women under my charge, and develop EVERY one of them”. I know this pales in comparison to the challenge that Moses faced in leading the entire nation of Israel from Egypt into the Promised Land. But nonetheless, to me, this new appointment is a HUGE calling!

3. And with this, I’m reminded of Zech 4:6, that it’s by God’s grace and His spirit that will empower me, equip me with the necessary gifts to meet each and every challenge over this new season that I’m stepping into. I’m reminded also to not look at what's left in our hands, nor worry not abt what's not in our hands (Matt 6:25-34). But rather, look to the heavens (Psalm 121), look at what God of the impossible can do. I need faith… lots of it.. and strength to persevere the hardest and busiest of times… and wisdom to manage the time so that I don’t neglect my other calling as a husband and a father at home, and as a leader in ministry. Lots to handle.. to manage.. but I know I can, not because of my ability, but because of God’s ability to empower me to manage it all (Phil 4:13!), and I stand amazed at it. Simply blessed!

**** on my home front ****
Talk about blessed, Ade and I are just enjoying our moments with the little blessing that God entrusted us with since 16 Aug 2007... Emma Joy!

1. Much has been happening at home over the past few months. Emma's cruising a lot more now (yes yes, she's very wary and careful and isn't taking chances when it comes to walking, much like mommy when she was a baby.. heheh).

2. Emma's chatting a lot more now, talking in her own language, with those confident "as-a-matter-of-fact" facial expressions and vocal tones. Ade and I never fail to have a good laugh after playing "serious" with Emma, responding to her "as-a-matter-of-fact" chatters, as if we understood all that Emma was telling us, when in actual fact, we simply have no idea! hahaha...

3. Emma's responding a lot to our efforts to play with her. Peek-a-boo, love-love (which means hug), share (her "star" biscuit puffs).. just too much to describe, and I just can't find the words to describe the endearing moments, her cheekiness, playfulness... =P yes yes, she's very cheeky too! imitating us, e.g .sticking up her leg and shaking her finger, just as we always do when we shook our finger and said "no no, pls put down ur leg"!!

(Imitating Ade and I in "chiding" her)

4. But all these are taking a toll on Ade, who is now getting less and less rest (in terms of proper long sleep). Yet she's not complaining, nor did she give up (btw, her porridge is very tasty now!). She's one amazing mommy! I salute all mommies.. God bless mommies! =)

she's ONE!

2008-08-16T12:38:00.005+08:00

just as the Olympics get underway in Beijing now, we also celebrate the 1st birthday of our little darling Emma Joy, who incidently was conceived in Beijing in Dec 06! =) yes! Emma Joy's ONE year old today!

Time flies when one's busy with a growing child, esp during the first year. But looking back through the photos of Emma's growth just brings smiles despite the physical weariness. We still remember how anxious we were about Emma's weight and size in the early months since her birth. It is indeed by God's grace that she's healthy and well. Her cheekiness, her laughter, her facial expressions are all moments to relish. All these will always remain etched in Adeline's and my heart even as we grow alongside with Emma. =)

Emma Darling, have a blessed birthday! and may you continue to grow healthily, and grow in godly wisdom, and be joyful always. May the Joy of the Lord be your strength in the days ahead. - Love, Daddy and Mommy.

Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy

2008-08-06T08:16:00.004+08:00

I just went for an Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS) Surgery yesterday.. Sounds deep and serious eh? basically it's to say bye bye to my sweaty palms.. =)

Yes yes, after 30 odd years of enduring the inconvenience of heavy perspiration from my palms, i've finally decided to go this operation to sort it out. It was a simple operation, but is categorised as a major op, cos it involves collapsing the lungs to gain access to the relevant nerves that has to be "burned"..

Thank God for a smooth and successful surgery. Other than slight tightness in the chest when i take deep breaths, and the sore throat (due to the tube that was put in durin the op to allow the collapsing of the lungs), i'm feeling fine. My hands feel dry! Yes! Now i dun need to feel uncomfortable shaking hands with pple, and now i can carry Emma freely without my sweaty palms getting in the way.

I will be discharged from the hospital today. I do pray for the keyhole surgery wounds to heal fast.

it's been a looooooooong...

2008-07-12T09:58:00.003+08:00

... time since we've blogged. Indeed we've got our hands full since we've been back from church camp... and we've not gotten the chance to have our both hands free to type anything much at all, and have only been able to do mouse clicking and photo uploads.

Emma was down for about 1.5 weeks since we returned from church camp in early june. It was such a heartwrenching time to see Emma sniffing and sneezing then, but despite all that, she was still so full of JOY and playful. We thank God for that! well, when we named her Emma JOY, we did pray that she'll be a filled with God's joy, that'll strengthen her through it all. Thank you Lord! Well, she did recover soon enough. I think other than the sniffing and sneezing and slight fever, I think she prob didn't know she was under the weather. hahaha.... only stressed ones were Ade and I.

Emma's has been crawling around... a LOT.. we got a playyard fencing to place around her bumper playmat. That took Emma a little while to get used to, cos she's pretty much a free-spirited baby (like mommy's personality.. hehe), and doesn't like being cooped up, or "caged up". =) we thank God she's able to play with her toys alone, albeit for short periods. At least we get to rest a little from carrying her, tending to her, and trying to make sure she doesn't venture to "dangerous" parts of the house... I can't wait to see her start walking though.. =P

Ade's really tired out. She's happy and enjoying every moment of caring for Emma everyday, but being a stay-at-home mom does sap up a LOT of energy. I'm drained mentally too, from the demands at work place. Work seems endless, and I wonder when work tempo will ever slow down, even if it's just a little bit. That seems unlikely considering the way civil service culture is. Well, gotta look beyond my issues (work), and busyness, and look up to the hills and know where my help comes from... GOD! (Psalm 121). Well, thank God for this timely word and reminder during worship practice last night. Really needed to hear it, even though it's already in my head, I know my spirit needs that reminder.

well, half a year gone.. almost a year to Emma's bday!! =) time flies, and Ade and I were just reminiscing how a year back, Emma was still kicking in Ade's womb.. and now she's kicking, rolling, crawling, and leaving her saliva trails all over the playyard, the playmat, the toys.. hahaha... We love hearing her sing, and she's beginning to enjoy worship practices as well, singing "aaaaaahhhhh.. aaahhhh" along with the songs we're practising. Each morning's a joy to see her, cos though she looks super sleepy, that sweet smile she flashes in the morning just makes us feel so warm and fuzzy..

oh, emma just had her first makeover photoshoot. Many thanks to Choon Shing and LingLing who blessed her with this photoshoot, as her early bday present. That was one of Emma's firsts.. her first time putting on makeup! hahaha....

ok.. i shall pen off now.. thanks to all friends who've been reading our reflections/ventilations (haha).. and for praying for us... we can never thank u enough! =) God bless!

Jetting around

2008-06-01T19:25:00.003+08:00

It has been the most interesting of weeks for me, cos it's the first time that I've experienced what it is to have to travel for 2 consecutive weeks.

I just returned from a week's trip to the Promised Land, and barely 24 hours after touching down Singapore on Fri, I'm now in the Land of Smiles for church camp.

Thank God for strength, and enabling me to recover from the transitions between different timezones, and it's exciting for me and Ade and Emma even more this week as this is our first family overseas vacation @ church camp! Can't wait to see what's in store for us. Thank God for a smooth flight here to the Land of Smiles. Emma slept throughout the night flight on Sat, and she was basically oblivious to the change in altitude during take-off and landing. whew! =) I'm not sure what God'll speak to us (as a family and as individuals) during this retreat, but I'm sure it'll be something Extraordinary!

ok.. it's time for dinner now.. gotta run.. and we'll update our little sojourn @ Church Camp @ Cha Am really soon..

Sentosa Fun

2008-05-10T12:45:00.009+08:00

I meant to post this earlier, but didn't get the time to do it. Emma's been really active now, plus she's suddenly refusing to eat her cereals, preferring only her biscuits, so my time's really consumed with watching over her and feeding her, at times up to more than an hour! I do hope her fussiness with food is just a phase and not throughout her life, or else I'll have greater headaches later trying to conjure up new recipes for this fussy eater (she can't just eat biscuits all her life right?) =P

Anyway, back to the topic of this post. Roy booked a room at the Rasa Sentosa to celebrate my birthday as well as to enjoy some family time from 1-3 May. Emma had her very 1st swim in the pool and she loved the experience, so I'll try to bring her swimming more often (if I can =P). It was meant to be a free and easy trip, so we did not venture much of Sentosa. We ended up taking naps at the hotel (well, Emma needed the naps... and so do I... =P), swam a bit, relaxed over fish & foot reflexology, and "fishy-watched" at both the Underwater World and the Pink Dolphin Lagoon. Well, we can't be too adventurous when we have a baby on tow... plus, she's still too young to comprehend most of the sights and sounds there. =P

Some of our photos capturing Emma's many firsts:

Emma getting all ready for her 1st swim.

Posing in the pool with daddy.

Kicking and splashing in the water.

"Whee! This is fun!"

The lady at the next table playing with Emma during breakfast time.

Emma was really intrigued by the colours and fishes at the Underwater World. Her eyes were practically glued to the tanks.

Fish Reflexology! It was an interesting experience for both Roy & I, and I believe Emma was having fun watching those little fishes nibbling at mommy & daddy's feet too.

Munching on her biscuits during brunch... sigh, she did not eat much of her cereals... so vexing. =P

See the bits of biscuit strategically positioned below her mouth? We nicknamed her "dracula". hahahah

Burying her head on daddy's chest cos the sun's just too glaring. (We decided to take a short walk along the beach to the hotel & the Ergo carrier was getting a tad too warm for her... I had to pry her away from her daddy so as to prevent her from over-heating... her daddy obviously wanted to carry her longer... but in carrier? Not in this heat! =P)

Posing with mommy under the shade. Ok, my hair's rather messy from the breeze, but the main star is Emma, so I guess I don't really mind posting this photo. Look at her sweet smile. =)

Our last stop before leaving Sentosa - the Pink Dolphin Lagoon. Well, on hindsight, it wasn't a good idea to bring Emma there cos she absolutely had no clue over what was happening, and the weather was scorchingly hot there... but she did enjoy watching the people and playing with some really nice uncles from Korea. =P

THE "momzilla"

2008-04-27T22:47:00.012+08:00

"momzillas"... our parenthood journey thus far has no lack of encounters with "momzillas", and most of the time (or all of the time), we take their comments with a pinch of salt, and move on without being too affected emotionally. But when it's a "momzilla" who's related to us (or at least me), it's a whole different issue, cos it's a lot more emotionally draining, and tiresome. This is especially so when THE "momzilla" in question makes snide remarks that are nothing less than 100% sarcastic to insinuate our (ade's and mine) lack of parental ability, just because she (along with many other "momzillas") thinks that our baby's not plump or "fat" by their "standards".

Yes, we acknowledge that Emma's slim, and is petite, and that she's at the bottom of the baby growth charts. BUT the fact remains, that our slim, petite and nimble Emma's healthy and developing just as well, and perhaps even better in some areas. She's got gleaming eyes that speak LIFE. She eats and drinks well. She has clear dietary preferences that surprises many adults. She is able to clap her hands confidently to make the loud CLAPPING sounds, and sings along with the music, laughs along with people... I've yet to find anything in her that suggests that she's under-nourished and under-developed, and that she's in urgent need of a "weight-gain" program!

And while I can let the remarks by "common momzillas" pass without me feeling angry, I found myself unable to do the same when confronted with snide sarcastic remarks from THE "momilla" who's related to us. It would be ok if she had been more constructive in going beyond giving snide remarks, and give suggestions and help out in taking care of Emma in a more practical way. To perhaps demonstrate that indeed there is something that can be done to help Emma gain more weight, and show that it (more weight gain) is better for Emma. But no. Nothing of that sort. Nothing beyond snide sarcastic remarks that wear us down emotionally. No explicit desire to want to help practically and constructively. Only explicit signs of reluctance at any physical "responsibility" in care-giving for Emma.

It's ok with us even if there's no other help in care-giving for Emma, for Ade and I are clear that Emma's entrusted in our care, and we are the appointed care-givers for Emma. We (ade and I) are accountable to God when it comes to Emma's life. BUT we're NOT about to then allow ourselves to be trampled on and be subjected to such sarcastic and snide remarks, especially if they come from people who're related to us and who are yet unwilling to participate in a practical and constructive manner. Talk is cheap. Period.

We rebuke those remarks that attempt to tear us down and wear us down. No way are we allowing such remarks to seep into our (including Emma's) spirit. No way are we allowing such negative remarks determine our destiny as God's children. We are defined by God's plan, His word, His heart. And we thank God that He is the one who's covering us even as we learn how to be good parents to Emma. We know who we are in God, and we know that Emma (and every one of us) is unique, and "fearfully and wonderfully made" by God.

In the midst of my frustration and anger at the remarks made by THE "momzilla", I'm also prompted in my spirit to forgive and love her. It's tough. Yet I know I have to. I really don't know how to, and I'm often at my wits end thinking of how to relate to THE "momzilla". This is one area that has "plagued" me for the bulk of my adulthood, and I'm praying hard for God's wisdom to know how to relate to her better, and grace to be able to speak to her without having my words covered with frustration and anger. Help me learn to love THE "momzilla", Lord.

sitting... crawling...

2008-04-18T12:38:00.011+08:00

Emma's recovering from the last flu and she's now back to her active self. She's really growing up really fast and it's really amazing to see how she develops from day to day. I was just commenting to Roy last week that I saw her sitting up from her tummy down position, & we both thought it was just a fluke... but she did it again today... in fact, she did it a few more times and even started to crawl on all fours! Gosh, we've not started to baby-proof our place yet! I think we better start soon looking at how fast she's moving. =P

Sitting up from tummy position and down to tummy position again from sitting.

See her pouting lips? That's her favourite pose lately. She has been blowing bubbles a lot too.

Prior to her creeping and crawling, she has be scouting around on her bum. I found her out on the floor when she was previously on the mat when I returned from the bathroom.

"Peek-a-boo!"

"Hello!"

Hit by the bug... again...

2008-04-08T11:06:00.005+08:00

We brought Emma for a flu jab last night in preparation for our Thailand trip, and this morning, she woke up coughing, sniffling and sneezing. Gosh, is it a side reaction from the jab? Or did she caught it from someone with a flu virus over the weekend? Hmm... praying for her speedy recovery. She's still active and playful, so obviously she's not too affected by her runny nose & cough.

Her appetite for solids has not been too good too (and it wasn't because she's unwell). It's a time-consuming affair trying to feed her cos she'll start refusing to eat after just a few spoonful. I've tried giving her a variety of things, but it's still not very successful in getting her to eat more than a few teaspoons. Even though I'm still worried about her weight gain, she does look very healthy and active... and she poos everyday... so I guess I'll just let her catch up on her weight in her own time... and just chill. =P

Just for fun 2

2008-04-05T09:58:00.005+08:00

More fun pictures using the same photo. heheh =)

1) Model magazine cover

2) Modern Art Museum

3) Famous Museum Portrait

4) Paparazzi shot

5) Rubik cube

6) Sketch

Just for fun

2008-04-05T00:36:00.003+08:00

Presenting...

1) Emma's famous museum portrait

2) Emma's magazine cover shot

and... 3) Emma's paparazzi shot

Yay, we're going to church camp!

2008-04-04T13:03:00.007+08:00

Church camp is in June but Roy's office denied him from taking leave for any trips as he's on reserve for a 6-months deployment overseas at the time of church camp registration. I was initially thinking of going alone with Emma, but the huge logistics involved is enough to give me a headache (imagine the luggage-full of diapers & baby food)... so we temporarily put it at the back of our minds. Two nights ago, Roy's boss just confirmed that he's not needing to go for the deployment at all. This is definitely an answered prayer, cos I was also rather reluctant for him to be away for 6 whole months - Emma may not be able to recognize him when he gets back! Anyway, now that he's got the all clear to go, we spoke to our pastor and managed to get everything arranged within 24hrs! It'll be our very first church camp as a family together at Cha-Am. Yay!

As we need to get all our details in for the church camp admin by this Saturday, we had to get Emma's passport done ASAP... so off to the ICA we went.

Well, the last mugshot we took of Emma was quite a while ago, so I decided to take another one before we went down to ICA yesterday. At the advice of a friend, we went down to our neighbourhood mall's photo shop to take a picture since we can choose the best shots among the few that'll be taken. Our dear baby was asleep prior to reaching the shop, so she looked rather dazed... and fierce. =P

Fierce hor?

Anyway, I wasn't too pleased with the above photo because it's going to be on her passport! She'll be super embarrassed when she gets older! =P So we took another mugshot at the in-house photo company at ICA.

This looks much better right? I love how her eyes sparkle. heheh

Now, it's time to buy her a swimsuit... I jokingly told Jasmine that I may get the cute blue with yellow polka dotted one that she initially bought for Cherise (but had to return and settle for another pink one), so she could still see it whenever Emma wears it. Am I "mean" to Jasmine or what? =P I'll discuss this with Roy as he's more inclined towards getting a thermal swimsuit for Emma.

TV Addict?

2008-04-02T15:10:00.006+08:00

I know this is a bad habit, but I've resorted to letting Emma watch TV (Baby Einstein DVDs) when I need to do my chores or eat my lunch. She's not contented to just sit on her rocker & just watch me. I'm also finding it an almost impossible task to take a decent shower without her screaming for attention after just a couple of minutes.

She'll usually just watch the DVDs intently with a slight frown (she's a rather intense little girl)... that was before she saw & heard this particular song in one of the DVDs. I chanced upon her laughing the very first time I played the DVD (the particular DVD teaches the different transportation modes by land, water and air). I guess she's amused by the puppets and the cute song about the bus. At this age, I never knew she can actually respond to what she watches. I'm actually pleasantly surprised this song can evoke such a happy response from her. heh... So now, that's her favourite song for the week. She'll squeal happily whenever this song appears. I took a video of her laughing and hand dancing away simply because she looked too adorable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though that she'll not become a TV addict when she grows older. I guess I'll have to restrict the amount of time she watches TV when she's a bit older because it'll be inevitable for them to be exposed to the TV since it's a fixture in our living rooms, right?

Mystery

2008-03-27T11:41:00.004+08:00

Something has been baffling us since Emma and I both got the flu - she suddenly hates taking bath. It's a battle trying to bathe her because as soon as her feet touches the water, she'll shriek and wail. We've tried many different ways and methods to wash her and we're reluctant to just sponge her because it's not a good enough method to clean her completely, especially in this hot and humid weather. It's a mystery why she would just hate the water so suddenly when just prior to the both of us falling sick, she was enjoying her baths, splishing and splashing in the water. Roy did not even have a chance to put her in the water during the weekend when I was too ill to bathe her (that was two weeks ago) - she'll scream and cry as if she's entering a pot of boiling oil. Sigh...

It wasn't getting any better when I took over last week. I'd tried changing the timings of the bath (from morning to afternoon to evening); we went down to the baby fair to buy some bath toys to place in the tub; I'd tried placing her on my lap and rinsing her with the cup; I'd tried showering her instead of putting her into the bathtub; I'd even tried feeding her while bathing her! Predictably, nothing works. Sigh...

Roy suspects that she might have a nightmare about water or she could have been traumatized by something 2 weeks ago (what did daddy do or not do? hmm... =P). In desperation, I goggled about this and found out that it could be a phase babies go through. I really do hope it's just a phase.

For the past few days, I've been praying before bathing her - for God to remove her anxiousness and her fear of water. Prayer works! This morning, I successfully bathed her without a cry from her even though she still looked slightly frightened when I first lowered her into the bathtub. She stayed in the water for quite a while playing with her toys & she even started to splash the water a bit. It's definitely a major improvement from last week and I'm ecstatic over the change. Let's hope it'll be better tomorrow and that she'll soon start to enjoy her bath again.

A complete disaster!

2008-03-24T23:39:00.005+08:00

Emma has been rubbing her eyes rather frequently lately and I was initially quite puzzled why the constant rubbing - it is especially messy whenever she rubs her eyes/nose while eating her mushed porridge - spreading the goo all over her face. It only dawned on me this morning that it could be because of her hair. Her fringe is getting rather long and her hair is poking her eyes so I took the liberty of cutting her hair this afternoon. It should be relatively easy cutting baby's hair, right? (or so I thought)... wrong thinking... I placed Emma onto the bumbo chair, tore a hole in the newspaper and placed the newspaper over her head (like a bib) so as to prevent the snipped hair from poking her. What seemed easy in my mind was entirely the reverse in reality. I momentarily forgot that I'm dealing with an active baby with unpredictable movements. She moved her head so much that I snipped off too much... and too high.

It was a complete disaster and I ruined my daughter's hairstyle! Sigh...

Understandably, Roy wasn't too happy with my handiwork when I MMS'ed him this picture. I tried feebly to comb her hair to the side hoping that it'll at least look ok and will hide what I did. It didn't work obviously.

In my last desperate attempt, I took a cab to United Square to see if the baby hairdresser could salvage what I'd done. The end result is...

"Mommy, what have you done to my hair??"

She looks like Dora the explorer now. (sigh) =P

I've learnt my lesson... the next time I do attempt to cut her hair, I'll do it while she sleeps. =P

7 months old

2008-03-16T07:53:00.004+08:00

Wow, Emma is 7 months old today. Time really flies. We (baby and I) were both down with viral infection this week. I started having food poisoning symptoms on Monday night, culminating into full blown vomiting on Friday (sigh, everything I ate went down the toilet bowl. I lost 2kgs after this ordeal.) Our princess started having runny nose on Wednesday, and the doctor said it may last for 3 weeks. Poor girl, the runny nose is causing her not to sleep well throughout the night. It was a tiring week for me, but Emma still looks fine and playful. In fact, she has progressed once again developmentally and is able to sit without support.

(Right now, she's reaching for my laptop while sitting up). I'm going to grab as much rest as I can for now... Alrite Emma, time to meet the zzzz monster together while daddy buys breakfast for sick mommy. (Roy has been doing great taking care of the both of us while we were under the weather. =D)

Caught in the act

2008-03-07T16:28:00.007+08:00

Remember my earlier post on her doing her acrobatic stunts? Well, she did it again this morning and to top it off, her toe was in her mouth! I couldn't stop laughing! LOL!! But, I think I should discourage her from sucking her toes. I mean, it's not a good habit to have, plus, it wouldn't look too pretty for a girl to have her toe in her mouth, right? Hmm... We were out shopping last Saturday with her in her stroller. I was just wondering why we were drawing smiles and laughters from people walking past us until a Malay couple we met in the lift joked and said, "ah, kungfu!" She was holding her legs wide apart, in the air!! (Just like in the video. But she one-upped herself this morning - legs up, no hands) hahahah. Maybe we should consider enrolling her in gymnastics classes? She may one day earn a medal and make Singapore proud. heehee.

Say "ah"

2008-03-04T15:00:00.007+08:00

Emma's rolling left, right, front and back on our queen-sized bed now, so I thought I would just update a bit. Yes, she's getting all wriggly now, pivoting 360 degrees on her tummy & flipping like nobody's business. She's also preferring to sit or stand with support, protesting when she's on her back or tummy for too long. I chanced upon her managing to sit without support while playing her toy drum, but that was just a fleeting moment. She's still more comfortable sitting with her arms as support. She did it for a full 2 minutes today! Yes, I timed her. =D

I found another use for the pacifier - instead of letting it collect dust on the shelf, it can be used as a teether! haha...

I was pleasantly surprised this morning too while feeding baby some rice cereal - she started saying "ah" and opening her mouth each time she wants more food. My baby's starting to communicate to me more, besides just crying. I'm one proud mommy. =D

(Emma looking happy after her lunch. Taken a few days ago)

Teething?

2008-02-27T11:21:00.006+08:00

Emma has been chomping onto whatever she can lay her hands on: her teethers (thank God she likes them, but she'll still do the "pretend-to-bite-on-teether, but-actually-sucking-her-fingers" gimmick), her toys, the highchair tray, the bumboo seat, me, and the latest... Big Bird! I think she must be teething and her first tooth may pop out anytime soon (well, in the next 2 months or so I think).

Here's a video of her chomping down on Big Bird (I was trying my very best not to laugh out loud)... poor Big Bird. =P

Adorable moments

2008-02-22T23:34:00.003+08:00

Since Roy'd assembled the IKEA highchair, I thought it would be nice to feed Emma from her highchair this morning instead of her rocker. This is to also let her get used to sitting on the highchair for meals. Well, I put her on the highchair and went about preparing her breakfast in the kitchen... look what I found when I went back to the living room? She's resting her head on the tray! She looked too adorable for me to resist a "Kodak" moment... and she was still at this pose even after I went hunting for a camera! hahaha... I think she's trying to reach for her legs - that has been her habit lately. =P

She's easily tickled nowadays too. She has been laughing at the slightest thing - she laughed when she first saw me with a shower cap; she'll laugh when we lift her off her feet into the air; she'll also laugh when I take her off her bed and put her on her tummy, even when just a minute ago, she was wailing - that's because she does not want to go to sleep yet. I was feeding her after her late morning nap & she did something naughty... so I gave her a look and said "hmm?" Check out her response. It really makes me wonder if I'm still able to pull a straight face & still discipline her the next time she does something naughty. But right now, she's just too adorable for me to "scold" her. I'll just enjoy these adorable moments as much as I can for now. =D

You just can't fool her

2008-02-22T11:23:00.008+08:00

I tried introducing the Heinz diluted apple juice to Emma this morning, but she would rather drink water than the apple juice - gave her trademark "want-to-puke" face whenever she tasted apple juice. =P (the apple juice was in her sippy cup initially, but the volume remained unchanged, so I've got to spoon feed her instead. haha)

Oops, her protests are getting louder by the minute. She's wanting to nap... I'll just post the video for you to enjoy.

Snapshots from a typical day

2008-02-21T18:08:00.008+08:00

Here're some pictures of a typical day in Emma Joy's life... (all taken today. heh =D)

We're thinking of going to the church camp & realised that Emma needs to have her passport done, so I decided to take a mugshot of her when she woke up. She was looking dazed and confused in this picture. hahaha

Complaining while waiting for mommy to finish washing up in the morning.

I tried putting her in her cot or playmat while I go about doing my chores, but she'll usually start to cry within a few minutes. To buy me more time, I'll just put her in her rocker and let her watch me instead. I'll play peek-a-boo with her while doing my chores until she starts complaining. =P

Emma, the acrobat, while eating her breakfast. She has learnt how to suck her toes! (horrors!)

Since her rice cereal debut, I've let her try Heinz's Organic Baby Vegetables (sweet potato, potato, sweet corn, & carrot) & Heinz's Pumpkin and Sweet Corn puree. The first time she tried the baby veg puree, she gave a want-to-puke face. I had to mix the puree into the rice cereal before she's willing to swallow it. She loves the pumpkin & sweet corn puree though. =)

Still doing her acrobatic stunts even after mommy took off her socks (which is sticky with puree and rice cereal... yucky yucks.)

Drinking water from the sippy cup. Emma's getting quite efficient with that.

Playing with her toys.

Playing with the Sesame Street playgym while sitting on the Bumboo.

Flipping and tummy time in her cot after a change of diapers.

Afternoon nap time after listening to mommy read a bible story in both English & Mandarin.
(she loves listening to stories & will get excited just seeing me holding the book)

Trying out eating dinner in the Ikea highchair.

... and bath time! (censored, so no pictures. ha!)

Innocent laughters

2008-02-08T11:12:00.000+08:00

I love the holidays, cos I'll usually be freed up to do my own stuff when Roy's around to carry Emma. Right now, baby Emma's sleeping in Roy's arms, so I'm free to blog once again! =)

I love watching Emma laugh and smile. It's the innocence behind the laughters that just lifts your spirits and melts any heart. Despite me being so sleep deprived, watching her smile and laugh just makes my day... and I know this sleep-deprived-ness is just a phase and a small part of watching my darling little girl grow. Before I know it, I'll be sleep-deprived worrying about her coming home late from her dates (I shudder at that thought).

Anyway, here's a video clip of Roy playing with Emma. (pardon the grainy quality of all my videos. They're all taken with my phone camera). Enjoy laughing along with her. =D

"Who looks like who?" II

2008-02-07T23:12:00.000+08:00

5 months ago, we did a poll to find out whether Emma looks like Ade or I when we were both babies. Many felt Emma looked like the baby-me then.

After watching her grow over these few months, I'm actually convinced that Emma takes a lot more after Ade (**WHEW** hahahaha!). I've always felt that Emma looked more like Ade since she was born. Her big almond-shaped eyes, her dainty mouth, and her ears are like replicates of Ade's. Hehehe. See for yourself and I'm sure u'll agree with me.

Today's the first day of Chinese Lunar New Year 08, and surprisingly, Emma didn't cry as much as we thought she would when we visited my mom, and relatives, and in-laws. We thank God that she allowed many of them to carry her, after she's warmed up to the environment and people of course. =)

Blessed CNY to everyone!

Trying out solids

2008-02-06T09:09:00.000+08:00

Roy's Ergo-carrying Emma to buy breakfast now, so i'm free to post. heheh (I'm supposed to be resting from my lack of sleep from Emma's night feeding & my unexplainable tummy pain... maybe I ate something wrong... but I just can't get back to sleep. So I'll just blog a bit instead. =P)

Emma had her first taste of rice cereals since last Thursday and she loves it! I initially wanted to wait till she's after 6 months to introduce solids, but her PD mentioned it's okay to start now as she's able to hold her head rather well. I'm suspecting she prefers eating solids to drinking milk because of her slow weight gain on milk alone... and now, looking at her response to the rice cereal, my suspicions may just be right. Hopefully she'll catch up on the weight department by 2 years old. =P

Check out the video of her 1st taste of rice cereal. Now, she practically gobbles down every mouthful & will make a lot of noise if I'm a bit too slow. She has learned how to drink water from a spoon too! =D (I've got to let her drink from the spoon because she treats the bottle as a toy and would not drink from it, sigh...)

Arrgh!

2008-02-02T01:22:00.000+08:00

I know it has been a while since I made an entry because I've been rather busy taking care of Emma. But I need to get this off my chest and rant a bit here (now that Emma's asleep). Well, I’m usually a fairly easy-going person who’s always quite open to other people’s comments and feedback; in fact, my best friends had been telling me that I do allow others to sometimes even “climb all over me". I’m usually fine with that and I'll just allow myself to be subjected to criticisms if I see a greater good out of those criticisms, even when they're not justifiable in reflecting who I am and what I do… however, this time round, I’m feeling quite mad.

I am really upset over other people’s insensitive comments that I’m too anxious over Emma. Come on, I’m her mother, and I’m just responding to her needs! At almost 6 months, I should be able to tell from her body language and cries whether she’s tired, hungry or just simply wants a cuddle, right? All babies communicate by crying and they cry because they’ve got a need to be met. By responding to her cries promptly, I’m NOT displaying anxiousness, but rather I am showing her that I am there for her and I will try to meet her needs. In fact, I’ll gladly let other people carry her whenever I can so that I can take a break myself. However, I’ll most probably take over when I think she really needs me. In fact, people have commented that Emma is very well behaved from the fact that she’s able to sit quietly in her rocker and stroller for extended periods of time. I agree with them wholeheartedly! But then, when they hear her cry (she does have a loud voice), they'll sing a different tune.

I am content with the fact that all babies are different. Some babies are angel babies who’re not fussy and can sleep through the night. Emma, though well behaved at times, has her moods, and she is still waking up quite often in the night (especially after her bout of illness). I am not complaining because I've learnt not to compare with other babies. My little girl is unique in her own ways. She is definitely not someone who'll flash an easy smile, and she hates big movements and loud noises. She is an observer and she’ll only warm up to selective people whom she’s comfortable with. I think most of us are like that too. We have selective people whom we’re comfortable with and we wouldn’t like strangers to step within our comfort zones. To illustrate, if we do not like to be disturbed when we’re tired or hungry, what makes you think my baby will be responsive to you when she's tired or hungry? The only response she'll give is to cry. I have a problem with people who I’d warned not to touch her cheeks, to go near her, or to "coo-chi-coo" her, but still do it anyway despite my warnings. I am not disallowing them to go near my baby; it is just that I am able to tell what her mood is at that point in time because I’ve spent far more time with her than them with her. If she’s not in the mood for it, don’t risk it if you do not want her to cry. If she’s not ready for you yet, she’s not ready for you. Period. Even I sometimes do not succeed in soliciting a response from her when she’s not in the mood for it. So, wouldn’t it then be really strange if she performs for strangers she meets infrequently instead?

Come to think of it, it took me quite a while to build a bond with Emma too. I remembered her wailing lots when I tried to carry her or bathe her in her 1st month, so Roy was tasked to bathe her ever since the confinement lady left. I only took over from him last month when Roy’s increased work responsibilities prevented him from coming home early… Now, she only wants me to bathe her. =P (she's one smart little girl)

what a feisty little gal

2008-01-17T17:13:00.000+08:00

Emma's been showing a lot more character nowadays.

when she's not in the mood to sleep, she won't sleep! she won't lie on the bed, and she'll make lots of noise until she's lifted off the bed. She can be carried, placed in the rocker, laid on her play-mat, laid on the sofa. Anywhere BUT the bed. To her, "Bed = sleep". Period. And when she's not in the mood to sleep, BED is NOT an option for her.

when she prefers to lie on her right side to nurse, it must be the right side (and vice versa). Else, Princess of "Wails" will test the limits of your ear-drums.

when she's bored, or if no one's tending to her for tooo long a time, little Princess will show u what persistence means, until such time when the Princess is attended to.

yet amidst all that, when she's in the right mood, one can never imagine what she's capable of doing to make one laugh.

For now, we've observed that she's one who'd observe pple in any environment, and will only open up and interact when she got to know the person(s) better. For those of u who're familiar with the MBTI, on the Extrovert-Introvert scale, I think Emma's 45% Extroverted-55% Introverted. I also think she probably perceives through "Sensing".

Well, it's just 5 months now, and we sure are looking forward to watch Emma grow. This is a wonderful journey for Ade and I. Sehr wunderbar!

A New Year of New Beginnings

2008-01-01T15:31:00.000+08:00

can't believe that it's 2008! The past year, and even the year before, simply went by in a blink of an eye. Time sure waits for no man, and if we aren't aware or vigilant, the year would've passed us by and we'd wasted precious time.

2008 - A year of New Beginnings, so went the exhortation during last night's Watchnight service. I couldn't agree more. New Beginnings for Ade and I as we step into the new year as new parents to our newborn daughter. New Beginnings for me in my work, as I assume new (and increased) responsibilities in my new office, and possibly a career "transition" away from home for a considerable amount of time in 2008.

Much to look forward to. Which means even much more for me to be vigilant, be aware of what God's gonna do in my life this year, and all the more important for me to acknowledge God in my 2008 sojourn in this earth, and learn (all over again) to trust in Him for His leading, moulding, protection, and providence through this year of transition.

Blessed new year everyone!

Emma's first Christmas... Emma's first fever...

2007-12-26T14:05:00.001+08:00

yes yes.. Emma was down with slight fever on Christmas morning. Her temperature hovered at 37.3 ^oC, and at some points hit 37.8 ^oC. Coupled with a slight runny nose and itchy throat, I'm sure Emma didn't enjoy the feeling. I guess the I passed the bug to her. argh! I was down with fever on Sat night and was wasted the whole Sun. Felt much better on Mon, but even then, I've refrained from physical contact with Emma, and even wore face mask during the times I've to carry her. Yet the persistent bug hit our precious little daughter.

It sure was an experience for Ade and I. Our very first experience caring for a sick child. But Emma was such a fighter through it all, smiling and chuckling away whenever she's awake, despite the cold cloth that's placed on her forehead to keep the temperature at bay. We only gave Emma a dose of infant paracetamol medicine, and thank God for strengthening Emma throughout, for her temperature went down below 36.7^oC. That was certainly a relief for Ade and I.

A big 'thank you" to all of Emma's uncles, aunties and friends who've been praying for her recovery. Thank God that Ade was still well, and didn't fall ill even though Emma and I were both under the weather at the same time. =)

Christmas Eve one yr ago.. and now...

2007-12-24T13:49:00.000+08:00

a year ago.... on Christmas eve 2006
1) my godson Joseph prophesied that Ade and I would have children
2) our friends teased Ade that she's pregnant

a yr since then.... on Christmas eve 2007.. we're blessed parents of a little joyful Emma Joy Foo... (no pun intended.. hahaha).

we can only stand amazed at how God orchestrated everything... =)

a busy and tiring end to an eventful year

2007-12-17T22:09:00.000+08:00

Dec has always been my favourite time of each year, cos for one, it's really nice and cool, which "polar bears" like me who're stuck in hot and humid Singapore would really appreciate. Never mind the wet weather, I just love it to be nice and cool... =)

I love Dec also cos it's Christmas, and a time when I can share the joy of the Lord with friends. A time when church is abuzz with outreach presentations, to minister to people, whom God loves dearly. This year is no different. It has always been fun to experience God working in and through everyone who're involved in the presentation. Yes there are times when it's very stressful with the little time left to rehearse and prepare before Christmas, and sometimes it's tiring. No joke. But there's always this sense of gratitude for the chance to partner God and be a part of His ministry to reach out to people out there. I can't wait to see how God's gonna move this coming weekend. I'm sure it's gonna be amazing!

This year-end, I'm feeling a lot more tired than previous years. I sat down and thought about it, and found myself feeling tired from work. Even though it's year-end, when people usually wind down a little from a year's worth of often highly-stressed and high-tempo work. Not for me though. I found myself working past 6pm a few nights, sometimes till 7pm, all without realising it until Dearie called to ask me if I was on the way home. I feel bad. Going home late means Dearie has to wait a little longer before she can take a little break and have her dinner properly without having to tend to Emma. Going home late means Emma would've to wait a little longer for her warm bath, which'll eat into her sleeping time, and I'm sure parents would know what happens when babies are put through activities when they're tired. Yeps, that's right, they get really cranky and it's a whole lot more effort needed to sooth them down and put them to sleep. Going home late means less time with Dearie and Emma. Sigh...

Anyway, yes, I feel tired. I feel drained. I wished there was more support at work. I do feel a tad lonely at work. I do wish there can be more friends around in the work place. Argh! If not for the morning prayers when I wake up, or when I drive to work, I'm sure I wouldn't have gone through each day in the office with the right frame of mind, and to give my all as if unto the Lord, and live my life the way that Paul exhorted us to (Col 3:23-24). I'm sure I'd have thrown in the towel by now if not for God's strength that undergirded me all this while. I'm physically tired, but I'm thankful within, thankful that I've got a God whose love surpasses all things.

Indeed I'm thankful. I'm thankful for Emma, I'm thankful for Dearie. Dearie and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on 12 Dec, and of course I took leave that day. This time, we had Emma to celebrate our anniversary with us. It was a pleasant day for us as a family. Went for lunch at Paragon, shopped at Paragon, Tangs, Taka, and had dinner at Paragon. We were amazed ourselves at how we were able to go out for such a long time. And Emma was such a dear throughout, blissfully sitting in her stroller, sleeping or just observing her surroundings as we went around, and only fussing a little whenever it's time to feed. We really thank God for good nursing rooms.

Well, such times cannot go by without having Dearie's favourite Jap food. We tried out the Shimbashi Soba restaurant in Paragon, and we loved the food there. Salmon sashimi was superb, and it was so good that we ordered more than one plate of it. The soba was nice and fresh too. Emma did fuss a little then, so Dearie had to sling her while eating her food. But I must say that Dearie has mastered the art of baby-slinging really well. *clap clap clap*

It was a wonderful day out, and I relish such times with Dearie and Emma. How nice it'd be if I could spend 24 hrs each day with them, and not be bogged down by work. Ha. I can imagine God's face even as He hears these thoughts of mine. He must be saying "tsk tsk.. now now Roy.. stay faithful in where I'm placing you in this season..."

Yes, Lord.. I hear You... loud and clear, amen!

can't wait!

2007-11-28T22:09:00.001+08:00

Ade and I are just enjoying every moment of Emma's growing up.. her cackles, her attempts to join in the conversations (as many would have heard when she was next to me during one of the discussions in the recent ministry's leaders' summit), her attempts to sing-along with impromptu songs by Ade and I.. there's always something new to see each day..

I guess that's how God sees us as His children as well, always ready to catch something new from us in our responses to the journeys that He prepares for us purposefully each day. I know He can't wait for us to discover new giftings, new experiences that builds our character, just as parents can't wait for their very own children to discover their giftings and abilities. That's a nice thought, to know that God's with us every moment of the day, watching over us in our sojourn in this world. I pray that I'll know Him more each day as well, and live my life worthy of the Lord, and please Him in every way. Col 1:10 comes to mind.

anyway, I am getting ambivalent regarding Emma's growth... one part of me wants her to stay the cutesy little baby that she is now so that I can cuddle her and pat her to sleep on my shoulder everytime.. yet another part of me can't wait to see how God's gonna mould Emma into a woman of God, especially after I saw this video on GodTube.. =)

talking abt "can't wait", this year is surely a year of multiplication within families... so many of our friends have either just had newborns, or going to have newborns by the end of 2007... and we just found out that another close couple-friend of ours from church is also expecting! We're so excited for them... God is surely serious about multiplication. =)
[ok, in case u're wondering, Ade and I aren't thinking too much abt another child (yet), cos' we're happy enjoying Emma at this juncture.. we'll see what God has in store for our family in the days to come.. heh]

swarmed

2007-11-21T21:46:00.000+08:00

Daddy here's swarmed.. almost totally swarmed by the things I've got to uncover as I take over my new portfolio, address the past issues, try to get conversations with other units/offices going again, while still trying to find his footing in the midst of the ongoing work in his new office... well, it isn't really a new office, but it's a little kinda like home-coming as that was where I once worked as a staff officer 4 yrs back... It's amazing how time flies... well, it's a challenging period of time, and I've gotta keep reminding myself to die to self, and commit the day's work to the Lord every morning. So far, I can testify that God's grace is really at work in and through me, and He's been renewing me every minute of the day. I've just realised that I've taken on another role in my life now, and that is the role of a boss. Not an easy role to fulfill cos the things I say, and do, are under even greater scrutiny by more pple, some of whom are more than a decade younger than I am, and whose experience during their stint here will depend on the kind of work culture I set for the office, and how I walk as a leader. It's a challenging journey ahead of me in my worklife, but I know at the end of the day, I've got God on my side. That's enough to give me the confidence and assurance, knowing that I've got the best counsel and advisor whom I can turn to at work.

All said, busy schedule at work makes the day shorter, which means I don't have to seemingly wait too long before I see my two darlings (my wifey and little baby) at home. A simplest of smile from Emma in the evening just makes my day, no matter how crappy and difficult the work hours may be. I'm thankful to God for this blessing of a child, and for watching over Ade during her pregnancy, especially during the fragile early stages of pregnancy. I'm just thankful. So so so so thankful.

Ah, Emma had her 2nd jab last evening. We were wondering if she would cry since she's able to see a lot better than the last time she had her first jab. Well, lo and behold, she didn't cry when she had the jab. Only a little yelp when the doctor kinda pinched her buttocks to get more flesh for the needle to poke through. But she did cry later on, when she was orally administered with the Rotavirus vaccine. I guess it didn't taste too good, and yeps, there she went waaaaaa-ing away. But that in itself was a blessing, cos in her cries, the vaccine was inevitably swallowed and not a drop was spitted out and wasted. *wink*

We're monitoring her temperature just in case she develops a fever, but thank God so far, her temperature only hit 37.5 degrees celsius twice, and each time the temperature dropped shortly after Ade took the temperature. Other than that, Emma's still the cheery little baby, who's slowly beginning to enjoy singing along with Ade, and making gurgling noises when I do the nose-to-nose rub with her. We're just amazed at how God is moulding Emma each day. Oh btw, Emma's still not very big, but she has gained weight! She's abt 4.45kg now. I knew that Emma's growing fine. She's just petite... at least for now she is petite... =)

Tummy time

2007-11-14T19:36:00.000+08:00

Tummy time's always fun for both Emma and I... I guess more so for me as I watch how she lifts her head & support her weight with her arms. Just yesterday, Emma managed to flip from her tummy to her back. She only did it once, so I thought it could be just a one time thingy. However, she did it again today and I've got a video to prove it! Yay! She's so cute when she landed on her back. When she did it yesterday, there was a look of shock in her face... but, it's a different story today though. =)

Tongue in cheek

2007-11-12T23:47:00.000+08:00

Emma's tongue seemed rather white, possibly either from the calcium deposits from the milk, or it could be milk thrush? Hmm... i hope it's not the latter or else we'll both have to be on medication... anyway, after hearing from a friend that we've got to clean her tongue regularly to prevent thick crust from forming on the surface of her tongue, we've decided to use the baby toothbrush to brush the white, yukky stuff away rather than just using a cloth. To cut the long story short, it wasn't really successful as Emma decided to start playing and biting on the rubber toothbrush with my finger attached to it. She sure has a strong bite. =P Check out the video. Anyone any tips on how to clean her tongue properly?

Growth spurts???

2007-11-01T18:27:00.000+08:00

Prior to this week, Emma has been sleeping around 4-5hrs at night, and before I could shout out hooray, she started to revert back to every 3 hours beginning of this week. Last night was the ultimate, she was demanding feed every hour!!! (and was perpetually latched on during the day apart from those happy, alert moments) I do hope this is a sign of a growth spurt and not a habitual night waking routine. =P

Am really exhausted from the lack of sleep... ZZzzzz....

Who looks like who? Part 2

2007-10-30T11:41:00.000+08:00

This is a follow-up to the "Who looks like who?" poll.

The Sims, the Ows, and the Lohs have tried it out and we thought it'd be fun to use it to see who Emma looks like.. hahaha

joyful laughing baby

2007-10-30T11:03:00.001+08:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Cackles and giggles - Emma's Mommy's version

2007-10-30T01:29:00.000+08:00

It has been quite a while since I last posted onto this blog cos it's a bit tough to type with one hand while holding onto Emma, so I've mostly been clicking on my mouse & surfing the web/Facebook lately. hahahah =D (Am typing this now after feeding Emma)

Emma's a joy to look at for the past few weeks. She's getting very communicative and will squeal with delight each time I talk to her or change her diapers. She especially loves her massage time on her changing table and would look up at me with her adorable gaze. I love the mornings when I see her smile so sweetly after a good night's sleep... it sure makes up for my "zombiefied" state after the sleepless nites of frequent feedings. (She still wakes up a few times a nite for feeds, 12am, 3am & 6am - well, she doesn't cry for feeds, but being a concerned mommy over her weight gain, I'll still feed her whenever i hear her squeak - she does make a lot of baby noises in her sleep, but i've learnt to distinguish her dream sounds from her sounds of hunger. =P)

However, despite Roy's optimism over her growth, I'm still a bit worried abt her weight gain. She's at the 2nd-3rd percentile of the growth charts and sometimes even falls below the charts (she should be 4.2kg at week 10, but she was only 4kg at her last weigh-in). I'm constantly worried abt not having enough milk for her growth and even though Roy reassures me every now and then, I still worry abt my supply. It's my daily prayers that she'll thrive and grow well. It's definitely a lesson on trust for me as I'm learning not to worry too much abt her weight gain and just entrust her in God's hands. Also, she's only this small for a short period of time and before we know it, she'll be too heavy for us to carry - so I'll just savor this moment as much as possible and carry her whenever she needs it. She does look extremely alert and happy when she's awake and she poos at least 5 times a day, so i guess there must be adequate inputs to justify the outputs. =P

Talking abt pooing, Emma seems to have a certain routine & timing - once in the middle of the nite, twice in the mornings, twice in the afternoon, and sometimes once in the evenings. Changing her in the middle of the nite is a constant struggle (and a skill of speed) as she would prefer to sleep in a dirty diaper than being awaken from her sleep & once she wakes, she'll wail. The mornings are a total different story though... she'll wake up with her needing to poo look and once I put her onto the changing table, she'll release almost instantly - so cute to see her "gek sai" look. hahahah... (she has given me quite a number of accidents at the changing table, so I've learnt to wait till she's totally done before changing a new diaper... parents, I'm sure u understand what I mean... heheh... bleah =P)

Alritey, I think I better go and sleep now. She should be waking up in a couple of hours time. Until the next time when my hands are free then... (*btw, she just laughed in her sleep... sooooo cute!)

first try of the playmat

2007-10-29T21:41:00.000+08:00

Emma tried out her playmat for the first time this evening after being decked up in her sleepsuit following a nice warm bath. She was a little bewildered when she laid there for the first time, but I guess the view of the living room ceiling, and the view through the lower half of the living room windows caught her attention. No more blocked views like those in her cot and playpen when she lies flat on her back. Think she likes the expanded view of things while lying on her playmat.

We put her on her tummy as well, and my oh my, she was pretty strong, holding her head up high as she supported herself with her arms below her chest. I guess that'll be her daily exercise now, on her exercise mat. Hahaha. Check out the video clip of her sounds as she tried out her playmat.

oh ya, Ade and I were just recalling the entire journey with Emma (from conception till now), and we were just awed at how God kept Emma safe, and how He strengthened her to grow, and how she was fearfully and wonderfully made, with features that are uniquely hers. For example, it's amazing how much semblance there was between Emma at 53 days old, and Emma when she was still in the womb at 19 weeks of conception. Check this out and see what we mean.

cackles and giggles of a growing baby

2007-10-29T16:27:00.001+08:00

Emma Joy's 10½ weeks old now, and seeing her grow has in many ways proved that breastfeeding is always adequate to meet her milk intake demands. It's amazing how God has made us, and specifically the mother, such that her body is able to tune itself to the baby's feeding habit, and produce the right amount of milk at the right time, be it a full feed, or just a nice afternoon tea-break snack or supper snack. And it's really just right! No less than what the baby needs at each feed, and not excessive such that the baby becomes overfed. I'm just amazed at how God designed our bodies to be as such. No mommy is the same, and no baby's the same. Yet the needs of different babies are met by their respective mommies who're different in many ways. How can one sit by and not be amazed at this God-designed phenomenon?

anyway, Emma's abt 4kg now, and getting a tad chubbier, in the right places (e.g. her cheeks and bum.. hee). Ade and I are just all smiles whenever Emma's face breaks into a smile. We are heartened and thankful that she's still very healthy and alert, cackling and giggling away in her responses to our prompts, especially during her favourite nappy-changing times, and after feeds. Though she's petite in size, she's still growing very very well, falling within the typical weight gain range for breastfed babies as shown in some charts. Thank God for strengthening Emma Joy.

We just bought a LG Bumper Playmat which arrived today. It's rather thick at 15mm, and super huge! Lots of space for little Emma to crawl around and roll around, without us fearing that she'll hit the hard floor beneath. That'll be Emma's "playground", especially during the day. Now that she's discovered new-found joy in sucking her fingers, we can't wait to see how she'll explore in her new "playground".

here's Emma's Daddy (who's on leave this week! yippeee!!!) signing off for now...

her first jab

2007-10-09T17:51:00.000+08:00

Emma had her 2nd vaccination jab (1st one being the standard jabs at birth) last evening, and I'm so proud of Emma. She's so strong, to the point of her being oblivious to the jab that the GP administered. Well, almost. She just did a small "yelp", but for the most part, she was just curious about her surroundings, especially the lights. At 7½ weeks, she's already beginning to see more clearly, and was even able to follow our pastor's finger when she moved it from left to right and back. She's beginning to observe her room a lot more, focusing on the mobile that we've set up on her cot.

Thank God for watching over Emma. Emma's still looks a tad small when compared to many babies, but more importantly she's growing healthily! praise God! I guess Emma's small-size is genetic, since both Ade and I are slim and not very big ourselves. =)

well, the poll's ended, and many say Emma looks like me when I was a baby. hahaha.. well, that's a nice compliment, cos I think Emma's "fearfully and wonderfully made", and it doesn't matter who she looks like more. To us, she's uniquely beautiful in her own ways. I'm sure that all readers of this blog feel this way too, right? heheh

a week of strength and grace

2007-09-29T22:36:00.000+08:00

The past week has been a test for us, and especially for Ade. I had to go back to work since mon, and Ade's been handling Emma alone for the large part of each day. She's been doing a great job, albeit the increased frequency of feeding Emma in this week as it's Emma's growth spurt week. Thank God for His providence of milk through Ade. It's definitely more than enough for Emma as evident in her post-feed snooooozes.

We're both a little tired out, but thank God for strength still. We pray that Emma will be able to sleep a little longer in the night (she actually slept 4 hrs last night before her night feed!), so that Ade can rest better too.

SwaddleMe!

2007-09-23T22:07:00.000+08:00

We bought the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe a couple of months back, and only got down to trying it out on Emma today. We've been using the normal flannel cloth to swaddle Emma since her birth. It's really easy to swaddle her with the SwaddleMe, which is very secure with its velcro straps. Now we don't have to worry about Emma squirming her way out and freeing her hands whenever we swaddle her. Emma's enjoying being in the snug and comfy SwaddleMe too. She really slept soundly in the late afternoon. We put Emma in the SwaddleMe again after we cleaned her and changed her into her sleepsuit, and the smiley look on her face just tells how much she's enjoying the snuggawugwug feeling.

Thank God for another day!

2007-09-20T22:37:00.000+08:00

Thank God for another day!

of strength despite the intermittent rest
of providence of mommy's milk for Emma
of wonderful friends who provided wonderful support and help to Ade in this time
of great weather for going out

we've been going out for the past 3 days, and it's a challenge to care for Emma on the move, but we still enjoyed our family time out from home. We're getting the hang of things with additional logistics like stroller, baby-nappy-change survival pack, etc. Emma's also getting the hang of sleeping in the stroller, and sleeping snugly in her very own car seat. =)

And each time we went out this week, God sent someone to speak words of life and encouragement, words that speak to Ade in this arduous time of "setting things right" in terms of Emma's exclusive breastfeeding plan.

First was a GP whom we consulted about Emma's constipation problem (caused largely by the "excessive" formula milk supplement for the past 4 weeks! Thank God her constipation problem's resolved since Tues). Incidently, this is the very same GP who did the pregnancy test for Ade 10 months ago. Praise God for her words of encouragement and advice, and her sharing of what breastfeeding is meant to be, the way God designed it to be, so unique for every mother and every baby, and yet able to meet the needs of the respective baby. God provides! Period!

Another was a lactation consultant who also shared pretty much the same insights about breastfeeding, from God's perspective. And another was a friend whom we visited today after our shopping trip at "Mums in Mind", who gave lots of encouragement to Ade, and even helped Ade with easing some of the blocked ducts. (Thanks so much, Noe! I had fun with Jav and Julien!)

Well, as usual, I wished I was on 2 months paternity leave instead of just one week. One week is just too little! I just don't understand how the policy makers can assume that money (baby bonus, etc) can substitute a father's presence at home to help the mother manage a newborn. The policy of three days of paternity leave is just insufficient. I wonder if there's been enough thought behind the design of the policy. It's not as if having the fathers away from work for 3 months will cause any company or organisation from functioning properly. Sometimes, I feel that our organisations are too fixated with having concrete ROIs (return of investments) that can be measured, e.g. time, money. Ah well....

Anyway, it's been a great week thus far, and I can't believe that it's already end of the week. TGIF! Thank God for another day!

what a week!

2007-09-17T00:08:00.000+08:00

It's been a most eventful week for me. Fought really hard to get well from the flu bug and the throat inflammation. Struggled really hard to come to terms with certain events at work, and to see things from the bigger perspectives of God's eyes, instead of through man's often myopic perspectives. Also, tried my utmost best to be a husband, and a father at home at the same time. Perhaps some may think that all these are "chicken-feed", they are still quite a handful to manage all at one go, and it is definitely by God's grace that I can be writing this blog entry with a sane mind, a fit (well, almost.. perhaps 98%) body, and a peaceful spirit within me. I thank God for the song "God is here" in Martha Munizzi's "The Best Is Yet To Come" worship album. The words are just timely to remind me that despite the feelings of disappointments, disgruntlements, despair, and anxiety, God is here! with me, and within me!

There is a sweet anointing in this sanctuary.
There is a stillness in the atmosphere.
Come and lay down the burdens you have carried,
For in this sanctuary God is here.

He is here, He is here,
To break the yoke and lift the heavy burden.
He is here, He is here,
To heal the hopeless heart and bless the broken.
Come and lay down the burdens you have carried,
For in this sanctuary God is here.

The lyrics said it all! and this song just resonated within me the whole day. Oh! did I tell u that this song is one of Emma's lullabies? step aside mozart, for God's praise and worship is much better! =)

Our confinement lady left on fri, but thankfully, Ade and I are still coping well to date. I guess trying to be hands-on with caring for Emma when the confinement lady was still around really helped a lot.

The big thing we've had to tackle was Emma's feeding plan. We've been adjusting the Emma's feeding plan for the past four weeks.

"Direct latch."..
"aiya, not enough lah, must supplement with formula milk"..
"still not enough lah.. she's growing more.. so more supplement formula feeds.. and must pump more to stimulate supply at the same time.."

gosh! lots of those "advice" gave Ade so much stress that she was so worried about her supply. The situation has turned into Ade's breastmilk supplementing formula milk intake instead of the other way around. With so much formula milk supplements, the demand for breastmilk was obviously not increasing, which in turn, affects the supply! what a vicious cycle. So now that Ade and I have our privacy back in our own home, we've decided to get back to the way God designed it to be for mothers and their babes, and start a new feeding plan for Emma, i.e. total breastfeeding! only supplement with formula at her 11pm feed if and only if she needs it. Demand affects supply right? It's amazing how pple can just obfuscate something so simple.

After 2 days, this has worked so much better!! Though frequency of direct latching is high, and though we've gotta get up average of 2 times in the night compared to the previous once a night, it's still less tiring than Ade having to sit up to pump every 3 hours, even at night. Now Ade can also rest by lying down while nursing Emma in the middle of the night, and it will also help a lot more in stimulating milk supply. Right now, one thing we're sure of, and that is God made man and woman so intricately and uniquely for the roles that they take on in life. For Ade, God has made her a mother who can provide in great abundance for Emma's needs. Amen! Await for praise reports on our (or rather God's) new feeding plan for Emma. =)

For me, I'm enjoying bath-times with Emma, which she also enjoys thoroughly. Perhaps she enjoys teasing me with her pee during her bath-times! hahaha.. yes yes, I've been "baptised" 3 times to date by Emma's pee. The first time was when I was just wiping her face at the beginning of a bath, and the next thing I knew, I felt warm and wet at my thighs where she was resting upon. haha! it happened a second time round, and I then told Emma to only pee after her bath, and that she sure did, peeing the moment she was lifted out from the tub onto the towel that's on my lap! argh! is she smart or what? next time, I'll tell her to pee only after she's put on the diaper after the bath.

Emma's now a month old, and it's been a busy sunday with her first-month celebration. This round of celebration was for Ade's family and relatives, and a few of her friends. It's a blessing to see them all extending their love and well-wishes to Emma through gifts. We thank God for all of them! But after a long day, all we wanna do now is to enjoy our own family time, and rest. =) rest.. so that we'll have more energy for another round of celebration with my family and relatives.

All in all, it's been a long roller-coaster week... but whatever the ups and downs, at the end of the day, God has been good. We feel so blessed and secure in Him, with His presence in our home, in our hearts. I'm looking forward to this week of leave when I can stay home, and be with my family.

[ PS. more photos of Emma at www.dropshots.com/roy_foo ]

bitten...

2007-09-07T14:02:00.000+08:00

by the flu bug.. yes yes.. i've refrained from touching Emma for the past couple of days ever since my throat acted up. Got some face masks from the pharmacy as well, but figured I'd better not contact Emma just in case she falls sick. That's the last thing we want, especially when she's just a newborn, and have yet to go for her jabs. Can't wait to get well so that I can start to feed and bathe Emma, and play with her again.

For now, i'm just trying to drink lots of water and rest to get well. And I pray that the bug'll wear off in a couple of days.

oh! congrats to the Kohs on their newborn daughter Zoe at 1335h today! YEH! The CM MacLaren girls (Cherise, Emma, and Zoe) are all here now!

3rd week update

2007-09-03T11:27:00.001+08:00

Thought I could give a short update on Emma's progress. We're still feeding her formula milk after latching her on for breastmilk at every feed (because of this, it usually takes 2 hrs to complete a feeding - over 1 hr of her latching on, and another 30-40 mins for me to pump out excess milk while daddy or confinement lady feeds her the formula milk), but because of the formula milk, she seems fuller & trying rouse her from her sweet dreams is really challenging... she'll sleep for 3-4 hrs at a stretch & will get grouchy if she wakes up prematurely. In a way, it gives me more time for rest/eat/bathe/sleep/pump more milk etc, but i'm just worried her sleeping past feeding times is not helping to stimulate my milk supply... hmm, but, something is better than nothing at all, so as long as I'm still diligently latching her on and pumping milk for her, I'm sure she'll still have the best in store for her. heh... (Oh yah, for those keeping tabs, she has pooped 4 more times since last Fri. Not everyday, but at least she's passing motion... hahahah... sorry if this grosses you out.)

We'll be going to TMC's Parentcraft this afternoon to weigh her and check if she's thriving from her feeds. Our lactation consultant ordered that cos of her low birth weight. We'll update again later. =)

Who looks like who?

2007-09-01T18:24:00.000+08:00

Ade and I just took out our baby photos to compare with Emma's photo.. hehehe... we might as well do a poll on "who looks like who?".. won't tell u who's who in the photos below, and let u decide who Emma looks like more.. hehehe..

the poll's in the right column of this blog. Take an extRemEly good look And let the poll begin.. =) enjoy!

[ PS: hints about who's who in the photos should be obvious enough eh? =) ]

multi-tasker

2007-09-01T16:34:00.000+08:00

I'm simply amazed by babies' ability to multitask. They can sleep, drink milk, swallow, breathe, poo-poo and wee-wee.. all at the SAME time! They sure know how to maximise their time.. well, I for one, know that Emma's able to do all that. hahaha.. and I'm really enjoying watching Emma do all that as I fed her each time. Well, she doesn't poo-poo during every feed, but she can sure do the rest of what I listed earlier everytime. But seeing her satisfied look, and hearing her loud BURP just heartens me lots as I carried her each time. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting the hang of bottle-feeding Emma, changing her diapers, swaddling her and putting her to sleep. I'm thankful that Emma's pretty fuss-free thus far, which makes it a lot easier for us to do all that. And we pray that she'll continue to be that sweet-spirited and peaceful baby as she grows each day.

we put Emma in her stroller for the first time today at home, just to try her out, and to adjust the straps. Gosh, she sure looks very very small.. heehee.. soon, she'll be out and about in the streets in her very own MacLaren "ride".. hahaha

nicknames....

2007-08-28T15:36:00.000+08:00

12 days old, and Emma's already got some nicknames.. hehehe....

1) chia char-bor (in chinese teochew dialect) [by our lactation consultant]
2) chilli padi [by our lactation consultant and paediatrician]
3) Ms Singapore [by our lactation consultant's nurses]

but to Emma, she's just oblivious to it all... she's just contented sleeping most of the time, no matter how noisy the environment is. I guess it's all the "training" she got in Ade's womb, through the worship practice sessions, and the loud EQ sessions prior to church services.. heheheh

[ snug and comfy in her carseat... snoozing away ]

"praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children...

2007-08-26T16:48:00.000+08:00

changes, changes, changes.. the tunes that come out from my mouth has now taken on a new repertoire... a repertoire of kids songs, songs to put Emma to sleep, songs to keep her awake and engaged during her feeds... things have changed... hahaha.. but Ade and I are definitely happy with the reason for this change. Thank God for Emma Joy! =)

Thank God for strengthening Emma's body with each passing day. Her jaundice level dropped to 10.8 during our latest visit to the paediatrician on Fri. We know that her jaundice level will definitely go down. YEAH! Also, that was the same morning when she first poo-ed after 5 days!! yeh! that was certainly a great relief for Ade and I. To all our friends who've been praying for us all, a BIG 'Thanks!" from three of us. =) oh yah! her umbilical cord stump also fell off on Sat morning!

We can't say enough thanks to our friends who've been with us, and especially with Ade, as we pressed on with establishing a good feeding cycle for Emma. Took us a while to figure out how much formula milk to supplement her with after each feed by Ade. One thing for sure, she's very very very slowly needing less formula milk each day. So we pray that in no time, Emma will not need additional formula milk supplements for her feeds. =) yeh! well, she's definitely fulfilled after each feed, as evident in her deep sleep in whichever position, and at whichever location (e.g. my lap, her cot, her playpen, on the sofa...)

[ on daddy's lap on a warm Sunday afternoon... ]

[ "sleep-thinking-pose" in her Rocker Swing.. ]

[ smiling in her sleep... ]

Thanksgiving

2007-08-23T15:02:00.000+08:00

I can finally take some time out to write something since Emma's born. This past week has not been easy for me with the sleepless nights to feed Emma and also to keep pumping to stimulate milk supply. Honestly, I was rather discouraged by the lack of supply since returning home and to see Emma go hungry and wailing for milk in the first few days really breaks my heart. She has yet to poo since Sunday and it's another cause of anxiety for this 1st time mom. However, I understand I've got to persevere because it is God's amazing way of providing the most basic need for infants - increasing supply when demand is warranted, and we're believing she'll have her 1st poo soon. (heheh... or else, it's another trip to visit the PD tomorrow beside doing the prick test for jaundice). Do continue to keep us in prayer.

It's such an amazing feeling to see Emma each and every passing moment... and I'm just amazed by God's wonderful creation, and how He has seen us through in every ups and downs, and now bringing Emma safe and sound into this world. Indeed Emma's uniquely crafted in His hands and she's definitely wonderfully made.

We'll also like to give thanks all our family and friends for the gifts and support since the birth of baby Emma. Indeed, we've been so blessed. =)

Oops, Emma's awake now... I've got to go. until the next time then.

7 Days!

2007-08-23T14:10:00.000+08:00

It’s been a week! Emma’s a week old! The week zoomed past so fast that it seemed as if we only rushed to the hospital last night.

Emma’s still having slight jaundice, and we’re praying for ample sunlight in the morning and evening these days, but these few days have been rather cloudy, with little pockets of sunlight which we try to catch to sun Emma as best we can. All else, we’re trusting God to bring the jaundice level down, and also praying that Emma’s bowel movements will improve.

Other than that, Emma’s getting on fine at home, sleeping well, and drinking milk well. For now, we’re supplementing her with formula milk, only after Ade feeds her each time. Thank God she’s not showing preference for the bottle over mommy’s supply (albeit limited for now), but she’s beginning to be quite picky over what she drinks. For example, she’s beginning to dislike the red dates water (that should help with bringing her jaundice level), and she’s beginning to use her tongue to try and push the bottle out from her mouth. Hahaha… we then cup-fed her the red dates water, so she has no choice but to swallow.. hehehe…

Ade found out how to get her going at suckling without falling asleep. Play music with strong vocals, like worship music by Martha Munizzi, or even Melinda DooLittle’s singing during the American Idol contest earlier this year. We’ll try it again for her subsequent day feeds and see if it works. But she was definitely awake when the upbeat worship by Martha Munizzi was being played. Praise God!

Emma did her morning stretching exercise after her "(indirect) sun-tan" session.

[ s-t-r-e-t-c-h!! ]

[ lower to shoulder level… ]

[ breathe in and r-e-l-a-x…. =) ]

And oh ya.. each day never fails to pass by without Emma doing her “thinking pose” while sleeping.. =)

Thank God for sustaining us, and strengthening us as Ade and I press on each day in our journey as parents. Seeing and beholding God's creation in Emma is just amazing.

discovering Emma

2007-08-21T21:50:00.000+08:00

Our family went out of the house together for the first time today ever since Emma was born. =) We brought Emma to the paediatrician for her checkup. Her jaundice level went up a little, but thank God she doesn't need to undergo any UV light treatment. She'll have to go for another check on Fri to see if her jaundice level has gone down. Do pray along with us on this. We're trying to feed her with more fluids and supplement with formula milk for her night feeds. We pray that'll help to improve her bowel movements as well. Other than that, she's still the feisty "chilli padi" (as what our lactation consultant and paediatrician call her cos of her loud cries.. hahaha), and we thank God that she' not colicky to date.

We discover things about Emma daily... for one, she's got her favourite sleeping position... much like the one that we put up in our previous post. The same "recovery position" on her right side, with her left arm and left leg crossing over to her right...

and not forgetting her usual "right hand to the nose or right cheek" as well..
and even her arms "inverted sky-diving" pose.. =P

she's probably enjoying being cuddled more and more as well...

"before"

"after"

"after and after"

Adrian and Jasmine with jiejie Cherise came over for a visit. Thank u all for your gifts! Especially this nice beautiful handiwork.. sorry, but there're no prizes for guessing whose room-door this is hanging on... =)

oh! and I must say this. Just as Cherise gave Adrian a "baptism" of her "pee-in-the-air" act, Emma did the same antic the moment Adrian, Jasmine and Cherise went home... hehehe.... now I have to watch out for such antics by Emma during her nappy changes.. hahaha!

mesmerised...

2007-08-20T23:27:00.000+08:00

Finally went to back to work today, and got down to settling some admin stuff following the birth of Emma, before coming back home in the afternoon. I've arranged for my 3 days of paternity leave to be spread out over this week, so that I won't miss out too much in camp, at the same time be around at home to help in whatever ways I can.

Thank God for our confinement lady. She's a great help in the home, cooking for us, preparing the stuff for Ade, keeping watch on Emma, cleaning Emma, feeding Emma water or glucose water from a small cup, "sun-tanning" Emma, cleaning Emma. She's a great help as both Ade and I find our footing at home with Emma around. At the same time, we're really learning lots from her in how to handle a real baby Emma. She's a great value-add to the things we've learnt during our ante-natal classes at TMC.

I finally managed to sooth Emma to sleep this evening after one of her feeds. She was her usual cranky mood, waaaa-ing intermittently loudly, almost falling asleep, yet awake the next moment. So I laid her again on her left side on her cot and patted her, praying at the same time for her to sleep. But alas, to no avail... sigh... so I finally relented and carried her in my arms and cradled her in my arms as I sat in the chair in her room. Lo and behold, she actually dozed off within 15seconds or so! She simply laid her head back, and slumped in my arms, eyes closed and drifted to lala-land. That was a first for me! The sight was so mesmerising. For the next 30min or so, I carried her as she slept, moved to the living room, laid her on her playpen, and she continued her blissful sleep... so sweet... well, that was another moment for me to savour... she woke up 2 hours later and waaa-ed, telling us she wants to be fed... =)

Ade fed Emma, and as usual, she would drift in and out of sleep... and then really fall asleep on our bed..... here're some snaps of Emma enjoying our KingKoil mattress.. hahaha

[ snoozing away... ]

[ this is really the "recovery position" that I used to learn during my life-saving courses.. seems like it's natural to babies ]

[ look at her squashed up lips.. hahaha... ]

[ ok.. position.. change! flat on her back, almost looks like she's dreaming of sky-diving.. hmmmm... ]

[ here's a side shot of Emma blissfully asleep in her "inverted sky-diving" position ]

well.. now I'm sleepy.. another day has gone by in a flash.... looks like it's true when pple say kids grow up really fast.. it's only 4 days, and I'm feeling it already!

now, it's time to tend to mommy Ade.. =)

bliss....

2007-08-19T20:51:00.001+08:00

3.5 days old... that's how old Emma is at this moment.. and she's just so cute... so endearing.... until she cries that is... friends who've visited us and heard her cries will tell u she's got a really loud voice for a little 2.5kg baby... our lactation consultant from the hospital calls Emma the "chilli padi"... so small, but so loud.. hahaha.. well.. that's my girl! loud is good! hehehe...

Ade's a lot better after close to 2 days at home... but one thing for sure, today didn't seem like a Sunday to us.... our routine has changed.. every 2 or 3 hrs is Emma's feed-time, and I think Ade's doing a wonderful job as a mother... saw Emma lying next to Ade during one of the feeds, and lo and behold, both of them were sleeping! it was such a sweet moment to savour... somehow, watching Emma sleep just warms my heart... the sight of it just builds me up.. =) I think this is how God watches over us too, always looking at us very attentively, very intensely, very patiently... that is a nice feeling to know that Someone's watching over us....

[ daytime nap... ]

[ evening nap... see the mittens? so cute.. btw the other mitten has "I Luv Daddy" on it.. sorry, but I just have to say it.. hahaha]

so far, Emma cries mostly for milk, and not so much for attention... well at least for now.. tsk tsk.. but we pray that she'll be like this even as she grows up with each passing day... =) else we surely will have to go through excessive sleepless nights....

anyway, I can't believe it's already end of the weekend, and it's back to camp for me tomorrow (I'm still on course right now).. will be arranging my time to spread out my 3-day paternity leave entitlement over the week...

Home Sweet Home!

2007-08-18T21:20:00.000+08:00

we finally returned to our humble abode! This time round, with Emma cradled in our arms, all the way to her room... finally, the occupant of the room that we've prepared for has arrived... =)

somehow, resting at home is still the best... not that the hospital wasn't good, cos the nurses were very helpful and the food ain't that bad... but all said, home is still the best! nothing beats the comfort of one's bed and environment.. hee hee

well.. Emma got acquainted with her new bed and daytime playpen pretty easily...

[ ahhh.. so much space in the daytime playpen ]

[ snug and comfy.. ]

[ getting acquainted with the cot... almost overwhelmed with the gifts from relatives, uncles and aunties... so blessed! =) ]

[ zzzz.... finally no other babies crying to disturb my beauty sleep.. only the soothing classical music from mommie's iPod.. ]

[ ok.. nice nap.. time for milk.. heheh ]

We thank God that we've got a good confinement lady whom we're able to connect easily with, and who's very helpful to Ade in her attempts to breastfeed Emma... but because Emma was born earlier than her expected date of delivery, our confinement lady's facing a problem with getting a month-long visit pass from the customs due to some regulations on frequency of stay here in Singapore. We'll be going down to the customs on Mon to see if we can request for an extension of her visit pass, so that she won't have to activate her friend, who's also a confinement lady, to rush down on Tues to take over.... Praying for God's intervention on this.

well.. Ade's better rested now after her nap in the afternoon.. and I pray God will renew her strength with each passing day, and also her confidence in her new role as a mother... and as for me, it's perseverence too.. to try my best as a father, and a husband, and not forgetting my work... ok.. i MUST finish my research paper by tomorrow afternoon! it's due on MON!!!! arrrgh! hahahaha!

All said, Ade and I are very thankful for our parents, friends and relatives who came by to visit us and their gifts... the support means a lot to Ade and I, esp when we're both very new parents.. =) Thank God for u all! God Bless you!!!

Emma Joy Foo is here! 符明萱出世了！

2007-08-16T10:06:00.000+08:00

announcing the birth of Emma Joy Foo! on this 16th day of August, year 2007, at 7:41 am. She's a healthy and cute little gal who measured 47cm in length, and weighed 2.54kg at birth (she's at 37 weeks).

well, it's an interesting experience for us both especially when we least expected her to be born so early. We went to the hairdressers' on wed lunchtime. Even finally decided to take some photos of Ade with her preggie-tummy in the afternoon, which was we thankfully did as we seriously didn't know that was the last chance we could do so.. hahaha...

We even went to church in the evening for worship practice for the upcoming church's Power Weekend. Got back home to watch CSI-Miami, and settled down to sleep. Everything seemed normal up to that point.

At abt 2am, Ade felt that there was a slight gush of amniotic fluid coming out and realised it's the beginning of show! To think we were even joking with our friends in church that Emma'll prob come out a couple of weeks later. Well, lo and behold! We certainly weren't expecting this at 2am so soon!!! hahaha

we grabbed our pre-packed emergency bag, my laptop, my camera, and rushed to the hospital.

[ all set and waiting expectantly ]

[ monitoring the contractions and Emma's heartbeat ]

We reached the hospital at 3am - Ade prepared for labour and waited at the delivery ward. So far, no pain yet. All's ok until about 4:45am when Ade felt much pain in the contractions, squirming about trying to find comfort. She was abt 4cm dilated then. I sure felt at a loss not being able to help alleviate the pain that she was going through.

[ ok.. now THAT was painful and tiring!.. ah? another one's coming? so soon? ]

After trying to bear with the pain for another 10min, she decided for epidural to be administered. Thank God for that! Ade was abt 5cm dilated by the time the epidural was administered half an hour later. She sure felt much better after that, and at least she could try to rest a little before the final effort to push Emma out.

[ ah.. thank God for epidural! ]

Soon after that, before we knew it, Ade was 10cm dilated by 6:40am! Emma's coming out very very soon! and we were waiting eagerly for our gynae, who only came at abt 7:30am. What a long wait that was. At that juncture, Ade and I really couldn't wait to see Emma!

[ pure oxygen for Emma... ]

Ade did about 3 contractions worth of pushing before Emma was pulled out with the help of forceps. That feeling of watching a life, our daughter appearing right in front of our eyes was simply indescribable! Of course Emma had to demonstrate her vocal prowess, but she quickly quietened down when she heard Ade's voice and my voice assuring her everything's ok. It's so heartwarming. I'll never exchange anything in this life for that expression of trust in Emma's face. NEVER! Thank God I'm here in Singapore to see Emma being born.. =)

[ this is it! Emma's birth-time... ]

[ a really small Emma in happy mommie's arms.. almost seemed so surreal... but this is definitely undoubtedly very real! =) ]

[ peeking.. hahaha ]

[ Emma's little smile ]

Well, Emma seemed like a well-tempered gal. Didn't fuss at all when the nurse carried her to weigh and measure her. Emma kept peeking through her eyes, slowly observing her surroundings. My heart just melted whenever she opened her eyes and smiled in response to my voice.

[ 32cm head circumference ]

[ 47cm long ]

[ weighing at 2.54kg ]

[ "korean"-like Emma ]

[ *yawn*.. sleepy now ]

[ altogether now.. ]

well, that's all for now.. I've not slept yet and I'm prob running on adrenaline, but heck! I feel as if I can run my Army Half Marathon now! hahaha.. ok.. time to go peek at Emma.. =)

You might be in late pregnancy if:

2007-08-14T12:12:00.000+08:00

(I found this on the internet and really identified with them... hahahah)

- Somedays your rings and shoes go through spontaneous shrinkage... (in fact i can't wear my ring anymore! Am now having sausage fingers... bleah)

- You've reverted back to nervously checking the color of pee on every toilet paper wipe -- just like in the 1st trimester!

- You feel a kinship to ducks or penguins.

- You feel as though a beeping sound much akin to the backup alarm on a loader should accompany your rolling over in bed --- and it takes WAY too long to do!

- you cant sleep more than 1.5 hrs at a time, cos you have to pee before that 2 hr mark rolls around.

- you finally realize why they say not to sleep on your back, when you realize that any sitting up in your bed send your lower back into a world of agony.

- you have learned to sleep sitting up, and are forcefully woken up by heartburn if you start to slide down too horizontally.

- your wardrobe is consisting of less "cute outfits" and more "whatever fits and is comfortable outfits".

- You and your grandma now have the same walk.

- you say to heck with putting on makeup and fixing hair before going out, isn't it enough that you get up, get dressed and show up?!?!

- If you feel like the big bad wolf in the 3 little pigs is YOU, cos you huff and you puff and you're afraid you'll blow the house down....

- You are constantly checking for any "wetness" and praying you never sneeze... or cough... in public... so as not to wet yourself!!

- you have found that you can not sleep without at least 3 various sized pillows including a bolster, and a fan blowing on you cause it so hot!

- if most everything you do begins & ends with a sigh, and there's a grunt somewhere in the middle.

- when you don't even have to ask your husband to help you off the couch, he can recognize that look on your face and automatically extends a helping hand!

- you're constantly thinking "What will I do if my water breaks here..."

- when you pee and stand up and before you even leave the bathroom you feel the urge to pee again ... you really want to ignore this urge but you are afraid that it might later turn into you wetting your pants.

- When you have to put your pants on by holding them in one hand and bending to that side for one leg...then switching hands and sides to get the other leg in.

- There is a spot on your couch that is starting to droop because all you can really do at this point is sit and watch TV in your "favorite spot".

- You want to slap the next person who comes up to you and ask you when you're due then follows by saying you look like your about to POP. (okok, I'm not that violent lah... haha)

- You can't wait to go to the doctor to GET CHECKED!!!

- Your toes have become another form of picking up things from the floor!

- you have to pee really, really bad and then when you sit down you are lucky to get 2 drops out.

- You lay on your side wondering how long you can put up with the hip pain because rolling over required about 10 movements and you're out of breath.

- You grunt before any movement at all.

- You look like an idiot as you try to hoist yourself out of a chair.

- You look like an old man trying to hoist yourself out of the car. You have to hold on to the open door while pushing yourself up with your other hand.

- you wake up and realize you've just taken a 3 hour nap!

- People no longer start their conversations with "hi" or "how are you?" but instead- when are you gonna pop? is that baby here yet? what's taking so long? not long now huh?

- It takes you 10 minutes to use the potty. Five to sit down, 2 seconds to tinkle, tinkle and five more to study your underwear... is that wetness discharge, sweat, pee or amniotic fluid???

- You have actually googled pictures of the mucus plug!

- You dream of the day when you are in the "worst pain of your life" and fantasize about the whole experience!

- You wake your husband while getting up to go pee at night because of the grunting, moaning and sheer amount of work it takes to roll over and get out of bed.

- The noises you make trying to roll out of bed to pee wake up your husband and he immediately panics, thinking you're in labor. Why else would a woman make those kinds of noises??

- when all you can talk about with your husband when he comes home are all the stories that were posted on babycenter or the motherhood forum that day.

- when putting on underwear/pants you stare at them first, wondering if there's anyway around the balancing act.

- every night while watching your husband sleep, you want to wake him up because you can't sleep, and you want to wake him up so he can feel how you feel.

- Are in complete disbelief when you explain that it is just one big girl and the person wants to argue with you or say something like... Well you never know. OF COURSE I KNOW... I believe in present day technology!!!!!

preparing for our Princess...

2007-08-13T18:55:00.000+08:00

Week 36 and counting... can't believe that it's abt a month to Emma's full-term, and that she can be born any time now! And because of this, I've decided to opt out from my course's study trip to China this week, even though I'd relish another chance to climb the Great Wall. I guess my friends should be enjoying their first day in Beijing, but at this point in time, Emma's birth is more exciting than visiting the Great Wall.. hahaha...

It's a good thing I'm home, so that I can be with Ade. Emma's getting rather heavy now, and she likes to bunch herself up on one side (the right side) of the womb, causing Ade much discomfort. Emma'll only relax herself after we've talked to her and assured her everything's ok. It must be tough for Ade. Kudos to all mothers for bearing with all the pain and discomfort associated with child-birth for the entire pregnancy. I'm not too sure if I myself would be able to manage it all if I were ever to be in their shoes.

Anyway, spent today having lunch with Ade, and did a little shopping at Sheng Siong. We saw this little girl (prob abt 2 yrs old) with her grandparents at the foodcourt, and we were simply amused by her cute adorable mannerisms. I wonder if Emma'll be endearing as well.. prayerfully so.. heheheh

I finally decided to set up the BabyMax playpen with a bassinet that we bought from John Little at a members' sale back in Mar 07! We've always intended for the bassinet to be Emma's daytime abode in the living room, and convert it into a full-height playpen when she's able to flip over and crawl on her own. The integrated changing top will be handy for Emma's nappy change in the living room, but it's only good until she's past 10 months or so, just in case she's too heavy for the changing table by then.. safety 1st.. haha

oh yah, talk abt baby changing table, we rushed down to IKEA yesterday to get the SNIGLAR baby changing table, after a "tip-off" by our good friends (the Sims.. heheh). It's original price was S$40, but was being sold at S$25 at the IKEA's As-Is corner. Not being sure if the price was good only during the IKEA clearance sale, we rushed down to get it before going for our dinner-movie with Zhiguo and Charlotte (btw, Bourne Ultimatum is a good show, and I personally think it is a befitting ending for the Bourne trilogy). Well, I fixed up the SNIGLAR last night during the agonising 90min of Man U-Reading goal-less match (SIGH!!!). Now we don't have to worry about Emma's nice bed being soiled during her nappy changes.

That's not all.. hehehe.. We also got the Antilop baby high chair with tray for S$33 ($25 for the chair and $8 for the tray) from IKEA. Call us kiasu.. but since we were already there, we figured we might as well get it after reading some good reviews on its sturdiness and its hassle-free maintenance.

http://www.epinions.com/content_327140347524

http://dadsquad.com/ikea-high-chair

We'll set it up for her at the dining table when she's able to sit up on her own... =)
that's all for now... time to get back to touching up my final essay for my course.. Thank God I'm home this week to work on it.. =)

Ade's "Fours"

2007-08-13T18:31:00.000+08:00

Four jobs I have had in my life:
. Business Development Executive (my 1st job after graduation with a biz degree)
. Corporate Affairs Executive (non-profit organisation)
. Administrator (aka "wrap mountain, wrap sea") in an MNC rep office (the one and only one in the office in fact. hahah)
. Teacher

Four places I have lived:
. Mei Ling Street, Queenstown (I was born there)
. Farrer Court, Farrer Road (from 3 - 11 years old)
. Sian Tuan Ave, Bt Timah area (for more than 20 years)
. Bt Panjang (after wedding)

Four countries I have been to on vacation:
. U.S.A. (almost the whole stretch along the West Coast: Seattle, San Francisco, L.A.; Las Vegas & the Grand Canyon in Nevada; along the East Coast: Chicago, Boston, N.Y., Miami & Key West)
. Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal)
. S. Korea (for our honeymoon)
. China (Beijing)

Four of my favorite food:
(this is hard cos I simply love to eat!)
. Sashimi! (even the exotic ones)
. cockles (those half raw ones - very "harm"-ful)
. Curry chicken
. 猪脚醋 (pig's trotters in vinegar) - yum yum...

Four places I would rather be right now:
. lazing around at a nice beach with a good book
. Vancouver, definitely!
. a good Japanese restaurant that serves great sashimi (can't wait to eat that after Emma's out)
. home sweet home... heheh

Tagged again.. Emma's Daddy's "Fours"

2007-08-13T16:04:00.000+08:00

Noelle tagged us again.. haha.. sometimes it seems mundane, but it's always interesting to learn something new abt the pple whom I've known for a long time.. =)

ok here goes...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
This is tough.. technically i've never really worked as in having a paid job until i joined the military... do the "jobs" i did during the annual Scouts Job Week during my sec school days count? hahaha...
. Car washer
. Gardener
. Baby sitter
. Soldier (*wink*)

Four places I have lived:
. Upp Serangoon
. Lorong Lew Lian
. Lorong Ah Soo
. Bkt Panjang

Four countries I have been to on vacation:
. USA (Chicago, NY, San Francisco, Connecticut, St Louis & Springfield in Missouri)
. Canada (Toronto)
. S Korea
. China (Beijing)

Four of my favorite food:
. Steak (medium-well)
. Salmon Sashimi
. Fruits
. 云吞面 (wanton noodles)

Four places I would rather be right now:
. Chicago (running along Lake Shore Drive)
. Beijing (climb the Great Wall again.. http://adeline274.fotopic.net/c1163112.html)
. Vancouver (since Ade's been yearning to visit Vancouver ever since she graduated)
. my bed.. zzzz

Four couples I’m going to tag:
hmmm.. no one that I can think of right now.. =)

What's daunting?

2007-08-10T08:49:00.000+08:00

Time sure flies, and it's just slightly less than 4 weeks to Emma's EDD. She's getting bigger now, which is a good sign that she's growing well. Ade and I are getting more excited with each passing day.

Many people have been telling me to get ready for sleepless nights, how tiring it's gonna be when Emma's born, how difficult it is to sooth her down should she be colicky, etc, etc. On one hand, I'm grateful for all the heads-up, but on the other hand, personally, I think all these challenges during Emma's infancy stage are not as daunting as the fact that how Emma will turn out depends greatly on how Ade and I perform our parenting roles. That to me is a greater challenge as its effects are more long-standing and are of greater impact to Emma's development as a person.

Ade and I would want Emma to grow up to reach her destiny, not according to our own human parental desires or dreams, but according to God's plan for her life, for her to be the person God made her to be. This is something that I've come to realise, and something i need to constantly remind myself of in the life ahead as a father. So.. time to change some of my bad habits! hahaha...

All said, I'm looking forward to being a father. It's an unexplainable feeling. The past few nights of feeling Emma move and play with me (by her responding to wherever I placed my hand on Ade's tummy) just made this wait for her birth all the more exciting. Yeh!

She's now 2.479kg!

2007-08-06T12:48:00.000+08:00

I just got back from my gynae's appointment and we're glad to report that Emma's growing pretty well right now at 2.479kg. The doctor said she's in good position with her head down already & her bum bum facing out. hahah... no wonder I've been feeling her bum bum bunching out on the right side of my tummy very often lately. It must be her stretching or moving around. Whenever she does that, I'll be quite breathless. Bleah. =P

My gynae has decided not to test me for GBS (Group B Streptococcus) because he said even if the result turned out negative, GBS may still be present during labour... which means, I'll still NEED to be on an antibiotics drip during delivery. Ah well... as long as Emma's healthy & fine, I guess I don't mind extra needles poking me during labour... Maybe I'll be so preoccupied with the labour pains to be even be bothered with the extra needle for the drip. =P Nevertheless, thanks for your prayers still. =)

Emma's cot is finally done up, except that we've not put up the mosquito net yet. Here's a preview of her cot & the Flower Wall Lamps from Ikea.

I'm totally speechless...

2007-08-02T20:15:00.001+08:00

Roy bought a car decal at Sheng Siong after our dinner just now and he insisted on putting it up despite the fact that Emma's still in my tummy & not even born yet!

Sigh, my ceaseless cries of protest fell onto deaf ears... just hope people don't start presuming that I've already given birth when they see our car & start asking silly questions... =P

(but it does look really cute, don't you think? heheh)

Counting down...

2007-07-31T15:11:00.000+08:00

just realized I've not updated this blog at my end for quite a while already... it's because there's really not much to update at this point in time, and ok, I'm just plain lazy, bleah... honestly, I feel like a waiting duck now, blissfully floating on the pond and waiting to be shot at. It's the waiting phase for me, & with most of the preparation all done up, we're just waiting for her to say "it's time for me to meet the world!" =P

Emma's been growing steadily and we're now visiting our gynae fortnightly rather than monthly (I'll most likely be doing my GBS test next week - do pray for an all clear for me). Since Sunday, I'm beginning to feel a tinge of excitement & I can't wait to finally meet her. heheh... Oh, while I'm at it, I'm also making it a "hobby" to challenge the old wives tale of pointy tummy = carrying boy. You should have seen the faces of my mom's mahjong kakis when they were told they were wrong in predicting Emma's gender. hahahah *evil grin* (my gynae even joked that we could start collecting "bets" from those who still insist I'm carrying a boy... we could make some money from this. hahahah)

Ahh... I also feel a minor sense of accomplishment... we've sent our curtains for the much needed dry-cleaning, cleared out most of the stuff in Emma's room, and our study is now spick and span. I've just vacuumed the bookshelves and the CD shelves with our new Rainbow system, kept all the unused hand-me-down maternity clothes (they're still too big for me despite the fact that I'm now at 35 weeks. I'm still wearing my size S & M maternity clothes & I guess I'll not need those XL ones at all), and almost done packing the hospital bag (except for the toiletries). What's left to do now is to wash the bedsheets & to remove the plastic from the single bed & baby cot.

We bought 2 Flower Wall Lights (one pink, one white.. like the ones in the pictures below) from Ikea to decorate Emma's room & they're simply lovely to look at!

Both Roy & I are proud with this purchase as they can also double up as night-lamps & they both cost less than $20 (much cheaper than our original plan of buying stickers to decorate the room). We'll post up the final picture of Emma's room once everything is in place. =)

"Emma, mommy & daddy can't wait to say "hi" to you face to face... see you real soon!"

We've been tagged! 8 Random facts abt us (Roy and Ade)

2007-07-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

Sally tagged us.. so we'll share some facts abt us.. =)

firstly, the following rules:
- start copying -
* I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
* Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
- end of copying -

Ok, here are 8 of our secrets or lesser known facts... =)

Fact #1: Prior to JC, Ade was in an all-girls school for 10 yrs, while I was in an all-boys school for 10 yrs

Fact #2: Ade had ever intended to join the AirForce, while joining the military was never an option for me until I was 19.

Fact #3: Ade loves to eat fats (chicken fats, pig fats, etc), but not me.

Fact #4: Ade loves to nap, something which isn't in my dictionary. For me, "eyes closed" = sleeeeeep...

Fact #5: Both of us don't like telemarketers.

Fact #6: We like dogs, esp Yorkshire Terriers (well-behaved endearing ones of course).

Fact #7: Ade loves to watch Taiwanese variety shows, but I find them kinda boh-liao and a waste of time. hehehe (Ade's input: cos I'm half Taiwanese mah. =P) Conversely, I like soccer, but ade tried (and is still trying) to like it.. hahaha

Fact #8: We both love Jap food! SUSHI SASHIMI anytime!

okie... simple, and not too mindboggling.. maybe next time we can do one with some facts about Emma too... =)

and *drumroll*... Adrian and Jasmine you guys are tagged!

6 more weeks!

2007-07-23T00:09:00.000+08:00

time sure flies.. it's just 6 weeks away from Emma's expected date of delivery... it just dawned on Ade and I how close it is, and how little time left we have to do up her room! So we finally got down to start clearing the stuff that have been left on Emma's cot, and washed the bedsheets for Emma's cot. Next up is to send the curtains to the dry-cleaners... u won't wanna know how long it has been since they were last cleaned... hehehe

oh yah, we just bought the Rainbow e2 Cleaner System (http://www.rainbowsystem.com/eng/product.cfm) yesterday after seeing a free demonstration of the system's capabilities in our own home by the company’s salesperson. We had a choice of 1 piece of furniture for them to clean to showcase the system, and we chose our own queen-size bed. Horrors of horrors!!! There were many "residents" that were sucked up by the system and collected in the system's water reservoir. Imagine a basin of water, with a whole lot of puke in it.. lumpy yellow stuff that look somewhat like cotton-wool, which are in fact the dead skins, mites, etc.. that bought me over, and Ade figured it'd be a good system to make our house really clean, and help solve my sinus problems. It can be used as an air purifier too. So I guess it's a good thing to have to keep the place clean for Emma too, so that she won't develop sinus problems like me.

anyway, I just used the Rainbow system to clean our sofa in the living room. Guess what's the outcome? Wanna know what happened to the clear water in the system's water reservoir? hold ur breath and take a look.....

(after vacuuming the sofa, this is the state of the water that was originally clear and clean...)

(check out the dirt.. dust mites, dead skin, etc..)

gross right? u can see the murkiness of the water.. i can't imagine what i've been sitting/lying on for the past couple of years.. yikes!

At least, now Emma will have clean surfaces to lie on, to crawl on, and to sit on.... =)

see ya soon, Emma! oh btw, Emma's been rather active these days.. kicking really hard, keeping Ade awake.. think Emma found how to do the 黄飞鸿's 无影脚.... hahaha..

2 more months!.. and the banning of this nice blog in some place.. hmmm

2007-07-12T14:35:00.000+08:00

finally got to have a breather from the hectic, arduous hours of training exercises in the course that I'm attending right now. Somehow, though there weren't much assignments, the long nights were still draining, such that all I wanted to do was to just sleep and rest my mentally tired spirit. Nonetheless, I thank God that I can still find some sporadic moments to "play" with Emma, even if it meant just placing my hand to feel just one of her kicks, or her hiccups. Those moments never failed to brighten up the long bleak day.

2 more months.. that's how soon it'll be before Ade and I get to meet Emma face-to-face, cheek-to-cheek, nose-to-nose. There are supposed to be 2 overseas study trips in Aug, one before NDP, and one after NDP. I've decided to opt out from the 2nd trip since it's just 2.5 wks from the expected date of birth of Emma. No way am I gonna miss out saying hello to Emma when she's born. For now, Ade and I are just thankful to God that He has continued to strengthen Emma and building her up physically, and for developing her spirit... for now, it seems that Emma has a sweet joyful spirit... but it'll be nice if she's outgoing and friendly to pple too, just like her mommy.. =)

oh.. u know what? we just found out that some of our friends in a certain country could not access this blog. And thinking abt it, we thought it's such an irony that the blog is banned by the very country in which our baby was conceived. I guess they aren't very comfy with the mere mention of God and what He's doing in and through Emma. Ah well, they sure dun know what they're missing out.. heheh...

A later EDD... hmm...

2007-07-05T15:00:00.000+08:00

We went for our last gynae checkup on Monday and we're glad to report that Emma's been growing from 970g a month ago, to 1.317kg now. But, according to the AC (abdominal circumference) & FL (femur length) from the ultrasound scan, her EDD (estimated date of delivery) has now been pushed back to 2 weeks from 6th Sept to 20th Sept. Hmm... does this mean she's not growing as much as she ought to be according to her gestational age?

Am worried...

Yet, I'm trusting God that she'll continue to grow well and will absorb the nutrients she needs to grow healthily.

Am wondering whether I've been eating enough even though I've been eating heartily since I entered into my 2nd trimester. Is it because I don't drink enough milk? (I can't take dairy products because of my lactose intolerance). In the meantime, I'll try to up my protein intake and pray that Emma's weight will improve in my next gynae visit.

what a pain in the...

2007-06-29T09:48:00.000+08:00

legs... Leg cramps to be precise. Those achy, twisty, sudden kinda pain that kept me awake since 4am. So far, I've been blessed by God and have been relatively free from any pains or aches. Common pregnancy ailments seem foreign to me even though at 30 weeks, I'm supposed to be heavily pregnant and in my 3rd trimester. Swollen feet? Not since the last trip to KL... headache? nope, not at all... backaches? not much, only slight aches in my right bum bum occasionally... insomnia? ohhh, now I sleep like a pig...

I'm not too sure what is the cause of the leg cramps but I'm half suspecting it to be my frequent shopping trips. I've been walking a lot despite being pregnant. Wouldn't want to miss out on all the bargains during the Great Singapore Sale! Lest, u think I'm a sprendthrift... on the contrary... I've been window shopping and comparing prices and only grab the necessities when I think that particular departmental store is offering the best discounts and rebates... yup, mainly stuff in preparation for baby's arrival like baby wipes, cotton balls, maternity pads, etc... etc... I guess when it comes to the sales, I really don't know how to limit my walking... Hmm, come to think of it, I was out shopping from 11:45am to 7pm yesterday (without much rest in between. Bleh. =P) Plus, shopping / walking is good exercise, rite? Ok, ok, I shall exercise restrain. =P

I didn't dare to wake Roy up to give me a massage at 4am as he's already very busy with his course & I do want him to have sufficient sleep... so I just DIY'ed myself & played some games on Roy's PDA till I tire myself and slept after 6am. I'm praying that such leg cramps will not come too frequently for me in my last 2 months. Hmm... maybe I'll do some light exercises and stretching before sleeping from now.

Looks like I'll have to cancel my plans to shop around in the late afternoon before my cell meeting. =P

Do I really look like I'm carrying a boy?

2007-06-25T17:12:00.000+08:00

I woke up with a strange dream this morning... I dreamt that the doctor couldn't identify the gender of our baby after I gave birth. It's a weird dream and I don't know why I would even want to entertain such thoughts, but I guess there's this unspoken "fear" in me that Emma may just turn out to be "Emmett" on the day of delivery. =P I guess unconsciously, I've allowed other people's comments to affect me, even though on the surface, I kind of dismissed many of such comments. Maybe it's the "9 out of 10" well meaning people who came up to me and told me I looked like I'm carrying a boy because of the shape of my tummy. Hmm, my tummy does look rather sharp recently under my maternity clothes, but I really can't differentiate between round and sharp, so it's rather subjective right? Plus, telling a gender from the shape of a tummy is an old wife's tale, so it's not really that accurate right? =P

I'll double confirm again next week during my next gynae visit... I've already spent a fortune on all the cutie pink girly stuff like dresses, rompers, sleepsuits, cot bed sets, etc. and I don't want the additional headache of "overhauling" the wardrobe. (One of those "9" people did mention that I can keep the stuff I've bought for the next one if "she" turns out to be a "he". Horrors!)

Looks like I'll need to make earplugs and blinders a part of my maternity wardrobe, as advised in the book "What to expect when you're expecting". hahahah... nevertheless, I've started to talk to baby that no matter the gender, both daddy & mommy will love her (or him) lots. =D

Midnight ramblings...

2007-06-12T01:59:00.000+08:00

Tonight's one of those nights where sleep doesn't come easy... it could also be due to the ache I'm experiencing now from the fillings I've done this morning at the dentist. I'd made an appointment to have the "bite" corrected tomorrow and I hope this achy feeling will disappear soon.

Insomnia, something many mommies-to-be I've spoken to are suffering from, at least once throughout their pregnancy. Maybe it's God's way of preparing us for the sleepless nights ahead once our babies are born... it's amazing how a person who can sleep through a thunderstorm like a log, would wake up at the slightest sound now... this is all to prepare us for motherhood.

Emma's kicking much harder now, and till now, I still find it so amazing that a life is growing in me. Heavenly Father, I'm just so amazed at Your creation, for indeed, Emma is fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139)

I've decided to come up with a list of prayer requests. Do continue to cover us in prayer. Your prayers are greatly coveted and truly appreciated. Thanks so much! (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.")

CushyStraps... Part 2

2007-06-10T18:15:00.000+08:00

Just when you thought Roy would be contented with his new purchase of the fawn-coloured CushyStraps on Friday, this clearly excited father-to-be just could not resist getting another blue-coloured CushyStraps to complement the new car seat we bought at Robinsons yesterday! Car seat = necessity, but CushyStraps? Hmm.... =P

We've decided to get the Britax/Safe n Sound Royale 6-pt harness convertible car seat at Robinsons yesterday to really make full use of the 20% + 8% + 5% discounts from the GSS plus members' discounts/rebates. Initially, we were thinking of just borrowing an infant carrier/car seat from friends (we've got a hand-me-down from Bee Lee/Elaine, and Choon Shing & Ling Ling had graciously wanted to pass theirs to us too), and then buy a toddler car seat later once Emma outgrows the infant one. But after doing some research and considering all our options, we've decided to get the Royale now since it can be used from infant till 4 years old. Felt we might as well let Emma get used to the car seat right from the start.

Here's a picture of the Royale. Looks comfy huh? heheh...

The search is over!

2007-06-09T00:48:00.000+08:00

The great hunt is over! Finally found the Kiddopotamus CushyStraps with the beary design! Little things that gets this father-to-be even more excited in this whole preparation process for the birth of Emma's.
now i can proceed with the Childbirth Education Course with no distractions of "where else can i search for the CushyStraps?" thoughts.. hahaha!

I think the Childbirth Education Course will be fun. Even if I'm totally obfuscated by all these baby stuff, at least I know it's time well spent with Ade. =)

Last trip before Emma's arrival

2007-06-08T11:05:00.000+08:00

Roy & I just got back from our KL trip last night. We went with another couple friend so that it'll not be too boring for Roy to drive up while I sleep throughout the whole trip. hahahah... We reckon it'll be our last trip out of Singapore before our beloved Emma is out, cos after that, it'll be quite some time before the 3 of us can travel again. It was a rather relaxing trip, more like an eating trip, but maybe it's also because of the MSG in the food (that's why the food tasted so delicious), I've developed some water retention on both my feet. It's the first time I've ever experienced water retention and I do hope this will be the last time. =P Thank God the swelling on my feet subsided this morning, probably also after "drowning" myself with water to flush the MSG & salt out from my body.

I think we went to KL at the right time as the shops are having a sale to coincide with the last week of their school holidays. Despite the sale, we didn't really buy that much stuff for Emma (mainly because we bought quite a lot of baby clothes at the Bugis wholesaler shop a day before our trip), just 4 pairs of sleeping pants and 2 hats (all at around $2.50 each after conversion), and one rubber cot protector sheet to prevent staining the cot with her wee-wees & poo-poos. Roy bought some really cheap T-shirts at RM10 each and a berms at RM20. I, on the other hand, have gotten myself 2 sets of front buttoned pj's to prepare for hospital use and some rather cheap maternity "u-know-wats" (something we S'porean ladies will go crazy buying in BKK... heheh). =P

All in all, it was a good break for Roy from his stressful course and a fun trip for the both of us... but, nothing beats home sweet home. =)

Emma's nursery room... work in progress

2007-06-03T23:02:00.000+08:00

We've finally found someone (my auntie actually) to "inherit" the coffee table my generous uncle donated when we first got our flat, in order to make more room for Emma's new nursery. This room used to be our spare-room cum laundry ironing room, but now with the impending arrival of baby Emma, we've decided to convert it into a nursery room.

The room is in a MESS! Before we removed the coffee table, all our purchases and hand-me-downs, still in their respective plastic bags, were stacked on top of it. In anticipation of grandma's sleepovers once she's born, we bought a wooden single bed (which at $78, excluding the $100 mattress, was quite a steal, we find)... and that too, is jammed packed with plastic bags of stuff, from maternity clothes (yes, my cupboard has no more space) to comforters and more baby stuff.

We bought two 4-tiers Toyogo plastic containers from our neighbourhood Shop-n-Save a month ago on my birthday (a day we spent tearing out the ugly stickers from each drawer & using oil to remove the sticky remnants... what a way to spend a birthday, really "labouring" on Labour Day. Bleh =P), but we only managed to officially put the containers up in the room today... so now, I can start washing all the baby clothes and stacking them into the drawers.

We've decided not to spend too much doing up the nursery, so we would just paste some stickers to add some life into the room. I'm still deciding whether to get the cute giraffe motif streamers from Mothercare to decorate the room or not... hmm...

Here's a preview of some of the stuff I bought from the Singapore motherhood forum & from some of our other shopping trips:

1) Cute Carter's bibs. I love the two pink ones the most, cos they're really cute. The monkey one, however, was a mistake in delivery, but the design I wanted was out of stock immediately after I received the bibs... ah well. (Total "damage": $16 for 5 bibs)

2) Some blankets and a hooded towel, including a Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me blanket (bought at a 20% sale at Robinsons), which I find will be useful in keeping Emma snug and warm. =)

3) Carter's rompers from newborn sizes to 18 months (they're really cheap, averaging $10 per pack of 5), super cute pink Carter's Sundress for 3-6 months, & 3 rompers for 6-9 months, all purchased from the forum. I did not get any size 0-3 months nice rompers cos babies do outgrow them really quickly, so I'll most probably buy those cheap 6 for $10 ones for newborns to sleep in. We'll be visiting a shop near Bugis tomorrow to check out any cheap bargains and clothes.

4) A cloth book cot bumper for newborns from Tangs (20% off during GSS).

I'm trying not to overspend, so I've been limiting my purchases and getting more hand-me-downs from my nephew and from friends. Annie gave us 2 big bags of Naomi's baby clothes. Thank God for her! =)

the arduous hunt

2007-06-03T22:21:00.000+08:00

The Great Singapore Sale is on now, and one would think that anything and everything that anyone wanted could be found in the many stores islandwide... now.. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING? I wished it was so, but sadly no...

While Ade's busy getting cute rompers, clothes, dresses and bibs for little Emma, I on the other hand have been getting the supposedly techy stuff, like the Maclaren stroller which we got at a pretty good price some 3 months back.. and hey! come to think of it, that seems to be the main thing I've got with regards to the preparation of Emma's birth.. haha

Since our months-old purchase of the Maclaren stroller for Emma, I've been on a "rampage" to get accessories to make Emma's "ride" comfy and cosy. So far, I've gotten the Kiddopotamus Cradler that helps to support her head and prevents it from slumping sideways and strain her neck.

The Ivory-coloured Kiddopotamus Cradler (with the bear design)

Now, my next shopping target is the Kiddopotamus CushyStraps (specifically the Bear, Fawn colour design), to complement the ivory coloured Cradler that I've got.

The Fawn coloured Kiddopotamus CushyStraps (with the bear design)

Now the CushyStrap is one tough item to find in the shops all over Singapore. We only managed to find 2 shops with the CushyStraps, but they had the last piece and it was the blue cat design, which doesn't match the ivory-coloured Cradler. ARRGH! so sad!

Hopefully the shops will bring in new stock, specifically the one with the bear design. Alternatively, perhaps i'll find this product in my drive-trip to KL in the coming week. =)

Emma's godma's wedding!

2007-06-03T19:19:00.000+08:00

today's Emma's godma's wedding! Dunno if Emma sensed this happy occasion, but whatever it is, she sure was excited and unusually hyper active from morning till evening, moving in the morning as Ade was serving in worship during service; moving during lunch at Toa Payoh.. and moving during the beautiful wedding ceremony of godma Hwee San and TJ. This is unusual cos Emma usually moves at certain times of the day, not throughout the whole day.

Now, technically, this means Emma now has a godpa in TJ too! *winks*

To TJ and Hwee San, praying God's blessing in your lives as u walk together in marriage for the rest of this sojourn in this earth. As pastor had exhorted both of you, continue to pursue each other in love, and pursue God together as your household serves the Lord.

The joy of reading

2007-06-02T23:40:00.000+08:00

I went for an introductory talk on children's literacy development this afternoon. You must be wondering why this mother-to-be is so kiasu, especially when baby Emma is still not out in the world yet, so she's still not able to read anything yet... but hey, her ears are fully developed at this stage, so she can actually hear what's going on in the world around her. Wouldn't it'll be good for her to be exposed to stories now? heheh. It's never too early to let her discover the joy of reading, so I've actually ordered 2 cloth books (Noah's Ark & My First Prayer Book) on the internet for her. =)

Talking about reading, I've borrowed 3 books from the library to prepare me for motherhood. The titles are:
1) Baby Girls: An Owner's Manual by Theresa Foy Digeronimo, M. ED.
2) Your Baby's First Year by Johnson's
3) The Complete Sleep Guide for Contented Babies and Toddlers by Gina Ford

I'm halfway through the 1st book, and boy, did this book open my eyes up for motherhood! The responsibility of nursing and nurturing a young one seems overwhelming... but then, yet exciting... I don't know if I'll be able to be a good mother, but I'll definitely try my best (God help me! hahah).

Emma's Daddy finally writeth.. God's faithfulness, God's grace

2007-06-02T17:30:00.001+08:00

ok.. finally got the time for my first ever blog entry.. =)
as Ade has put it, Emma's a miracle baby, a blessing from God who answers prayers. Both of us had always desired for a child of our own, and I remembered praying to God in Jul 06 for a child, and that He would in His perfect time & according to His will grant us this desire of our hearts. Who would've expected that this prayer was to be fulfilled 5 months later.

God is good, and the way He prepared the news to us was most intriguing. I remember vividly that on 24 Dec 06, we were at the Sims collecting the shepherd's pie, and my dearest godson Joseph started asking me, "Where are your children?". Now, I was told JoeJoe has a prophetic gifting, and had also in an instance many months before asked a similarly innocent question to another friend of mine, BEFORE they found out they were expecting their 1st child. Wasn't it awesome?

Anyway, when JoeJoe asked me that question then, I was stumped, simply didn't know what to say. But in my heart, there was this unspoken joy of the hope of a child, a belief that God is preparing something good, and a sensing that it's gonna happen very soon too. I silently claimed in my heart this promise of a child.

A week later (30 Dec 06), Ade found out she's expecting! and words can't express the feelings within me then. I was simply awed at how God planned this throughout our first year of marriage. We had our first scare almost immediately when Ade experienced threatened miscarriage. This episode reinforced the truth that life doesn't lie in our hands. Life is fragile, and it lies in God's hands. Life is a journey we take TOGETHER with God, in partnership with God, and not controlled alone by our own strength and strife.

Anyway, we prayed and trusted God's hand through it all, and we thank Him for keeping Emma safe throughout the trying 1st trimester. Over the past 6 months, seeing how God created Emma's inmost being, and how He knitted her together in Ade's womb was just awe-inspiring. From seeing the formation of Emma's little thumping heart, to her active hands and legs, to the formation of her puny fingers and toes, we were learning something new each day about God's creation power, something that we often take for granted in this fast-paced world.

I can't wait to meet Emma come Sep... in my heart, I know she's special in God's eyes, and I pray God'll fill her with His grace and joy, anoint her with His wisdom, and use her life to bless many lives in time to come.

little Emma at 6 wks...

little Emma at 10 wks... almost looks like she's sucking her thumb..

finally get to see her face (in Apr 07)

I wonder how she'll look like.. not that I'm worried or anxious.. I'm just one curious father-to-be.. ha! one thing I know for sure, she's fearfully and wonderfully made by the Best Creator ever, whose works are simply WUNDERBAR! Ü

[more of Emma's ultrasound scans are in my photo website--> http://roy-foo.fotopic.net/]

Emma's mommy's very first blog entry…

2007-05-30T12:14:00.000+08:00

Ok, it's my very first blog entry now that I'm a “peapod” expecting a bundle of JOY… 6 months and counting down to September!

Looking back over the past few months, I just want to thank our heavenly Father for His goodness in our lives and the renewed hope that He had given us through this miracle of life. My heart is filled with gratitude towards a loving God whose Hand has been evident throughout my life and especially throughout this pregnancy, and I felt this song is apt in describing what my heart is feeling now…

Because of who You are, I give You glory
Because of who You are, I give You praise
Because of who You are, I will lift my voice and say
Lord I worship You, because of who You are.

Jehovah Jireh, my Provider
Jehovah Nissi, Lord You reign in victory
Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace
And I worship You, because of who You are.

(Martha Munizzi’s Because of Who You Are)

Fraught with previous negative medical reports (of endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome), the idea of conceiving seemed rather far-fetched to both Roy and I. We had even discussed the possibility of adopting a child if I still cannot conceive after a few years of trying. However, on 30 Dec 2006 (slightly a year after our wedding), we received a surprising yet thrilling “anniversary gift” from God after a routine check at the GP; the doctor suggested a pregnancy test, just to test it out and it came out positive! We almost lost our precious “gift” on 1st Jan 2007 after I experienced a gush of blood while walking around before dinner. If I had not taken the pregnancy test 2 days before, I would have thought my period had come.

“Threatened miscarriage” – how scary this sounds when we rushed to the hospital and was told that this unexplained bleeding was a threatened miscarriage. Doc told me to bedrest completely because there was a 50% possibility of a real miscarriage. Fear struck us big time and the only thing we could do was to pray and just leave everything to God. We realized right there and then that life really is fragile but it is really God who is in total control. The next few weeks of intermittent spotting and the twice weekly hormone injections plus daily hormone pills popping was an anxious episode for me, but thank God for the godly support I received from my pastors and friends around me (and also my very supportive parents), peace filled my heart throughout the unstable 1st trimester of my pregnancy.

Now that I’m almost at the end of my 2nd trimester and entering into my 3rd, I’m really looking forward to the birth of baby Emma Joy… “Emma” is the first 4 letters of Emmanuel, because God has indeed been with us, as evidenced throughout this pregnancy (Matthew 1:23 "God with us"… God is with her), and “Joy” because the JOY of the Lord is [her] strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

P/S: I'll post pictures of the ultrasound scans once I fhigure out how to attach pictures... (and also pictures of our shopping purchases for our little "pea"... heheh)

P/P/S: Just a side-note... if you visit my photo-website, you'll see some pictures we took on our trip to Beijing & Hong Kong (if the pictures are still there). Yes, you've guessed it right, Emma's "made in Beijing/HK" while we were celebrating our wedding anniversary! hahahah