Blessed Christmas & New Year

It's the time of the year again, where people are busy buying and wrapping gifts for their loved ones, while some are reflecting upon the moments of the year and making resolutions for the new year.

As I grow through the years, I've come to feel that Christmas is not just about buying or receiving gifts. It's not just about sending greeting cards and wishing people 'Merry Christmas', but it has become more Christ-masly important than the festival itself. Being a Christian for many years, I'm still apprehending the true meaning of Christmas, appreciating its true meaning and holding on to the best gift that our Father has given us - Jesus.

This Christmas is special for Len & I as we have our precious lil Ethan to celebrate with us. It'll never be the same again having an additional member to our family, as the world was never the same after Jesus came.

I just read a beautiful story written by Sharon Jaynes, imagining herself as a shepherd visiting Jesus at His birth - the night He was born. For one moment, imagine yourself as the shepherd writing this letter to his brother, Matthias..

Dear Mathias:

As I am writing you this letter, my hand is still a bit shaky. I'm not sure it will ever stop. But I must tell you about an incredible experience that happened to Matthew, Simeon, Levi, and me, two weeks ago. As usual, we were watching our sheep on a hillside east of Bethlehem. I was on the night watch and the others were sleeping. There was something unusual about the sky that night. I can't explain it, really. Like heat reflecting off the desert sand, the stars seemed to be jockeying into place, fidgeting and restless in their usual stayed positions. Diamonds danced on the inky backdrop, rather than standing sure and still. Even the sheep seemed to notice the heavenly mirage.

Then it happened. As if a curtain was pulled back, I saw what was stirring the stars....angels! Yes, angels, angels, everywhere. Immediately, the others awoke to the celestial lights, flapping of wings and the resonation of indistinguishable singing.

At first, only one spoke. "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Then, the curtain was drawn back even more and the sky was filled with angels! "Glory to God in the highest!" they sang, "and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."

The flapping of their wings stirred the air, whipped our hair, and blew our tunics in all directions. Amazingly, the sheep were calm during this majestic occurrence. It was almost as if this were nothing unusual happening. Perhaps this was not the first time they had seen an angel. Who knows? We, on the other hand, were awestruck. Tears streamed down our dusty cheeks. We fell to our knees, marveling at the beauty of heaven displayed before us.

Then quietly and slowly, the curtain returned and the angels were no more. We rose to our feet and began to run in the direction of Bethlehem to see this babe. How did we know where to go?

Mathias, the only way I know how to explain it is to think of my relationship to my sheep. When I am grazing in a field with several of my friends and their flocks, our sheep get all mixed together. Sometimes five different flocks can be mingled together at one time. But as soon as I call to my sheep, they separate from the others and follow me home. They know my voice. Each and every one of them can distinguish the voice of their shepherd and they know whom to follow.

That's how it was that night. It was as if a shepherd had called my name. I knew his voice and he called me out from among all the rest.

Where did we go? To a palace? To a temple? To a stately manor? No, we went to a stable. But isn't that where a shepherd would call his sheep? To a stable?

What did we see? A burning bush like our ancestor, Moses? Writing on the wall? A vision? No. We saw a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger -- just like the angel had said. He didn't speak, but somehow he called our names. He is the Christ, Mathias. The one of which the prophets spoke.

Do you remember the prophet Isaiah's words? "He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." When I saw the babe (who later his parents told me was named Jesus), I knew this was the one of whom the prophet spoke. And didn't the prophet Micah say the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem? It all makes sense to me now, and yet it is still a mystery.

Why me? Why did God choose to send the angels to announce the Savior's birth to me -- a lowly shepherd? I don't know the answer to that, my friend. All I know is that one starry night, I was a shepherd. And then God spoke my name and I became a sheep. Now, my friend, God is calling your name as well.

I don't know what will become of this baby in the manger, but I do know this...the world will never be the same again -- nor will I.

Shalom,
Your brother, the sheep.

Blessed Christmas and New Year, everyone!

Ethan is 7 months big!

Today marks the 7th month for lil Ethan who was born on May 13. Looking back, he has grown much, not only in terms of physical but also his motor and communication skills. These days he has learnt to demand; anything that fancies him he'll want to grab hold of it, and he'll complain if he doesn't get what he wants. He has also learnt to recognize people; resistant to letting strangers or whoever doesnt seem familiar to him to carry him. He has improved on his motor skills - his grab is pretty firm, and he can hold two different things with both hands, or pass one thing from one hand to the other. He's also able to sit on his own for some moment. His communication skills are also getting better - when we ask him something, he'll answer in his universal tone 'HUH'.

So this is Ethan, our darling boy..


Ethan playing his tambourine


Ethan with his tambourine and teething toy



Ethan sitting with 'tauke' style

Cousin's Visit

Cousin Cheng Chuan and his family came over to Melaka from Singapore for a 2-days trip. His son, Kai Ce has grown much since the last time I saw him. A Christmas baby born last year so he'll be 1 year old this coming Christmas. I feel guilty that Len and I weren't able to spend much time with them as we were busy preparing for new maid's arrival. Thankfully they were smart enough to scout out the nice makan places and be their own tour guides :p Cousin, I promise the next trip I'll make up for this!


From L-toR : Len, Lis, Ethan, my nephew Kai Ce, cousin's wife Zhang Ze, cousin Cheng Chuan


Cheng Chuan, Lis, Ethan, Zhang Ze, Kai Ce


Kai Ce, Zhang Ze, Ethan, Cheng Chuan


Ethan, our new maid Naome, Lis

Wonderful Surprise

I received a wonderful surprise this morning. My cousin fr Singapore called to inform that there's a cheque for me from the Inland Revenue (IR). For those who're not from Singapore, IR is where we receive and pay our income taxes to. The amount of cheque is exactly the amount that I've paid to IR early this year - total taxable income for year 2007. I still can't figure out why is this cheque 'returned' to me - I was considered a foreigner (not yet PR then therefore the taxable income is higher) so my gross income (although not that high lar but still reach the taxable limit) should have been taxed more. It must has been God's favour!

This reminds me that He is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider at all times. Even during this economic season of winter, I trust that He'll continue to provide for our needs as all things work for good for those who love Him and live according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Praise The Lord for His faithfulness :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ethan's Shots

Managed to capture some nice shots of Ethan today, so jeng jeng jeng...:)


Lil Ethan smiling away as his daddy tickles him


Cool father and son pose


Lil Ethan sticking out his tongue


Ethan: All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..


Yes, my two front teeth..

Ethan is 6 months old

My baby turned 6 months 2 days ago (13 Nov 08). That's another major milestone for an infant. Ethan has grown much over the past months, not sure how heavy or tall is he now, gotta find out from next visit to the paediatric. His 1st tooth is out - saw the tiny white cap appear 2 days ago. Hence have started him on semi solid food - cereal and rusk biscuits mixed with milk/water. I've also stopped bfeeding him as supply is getting lesser and I've also reached my target to bfeed Ethan till he's 6 months. So after this, I can jaga my diet - no more excuse liao, haha.

Will update more of Ethan's pics later as I haven't been taking any recently. Lazy bum me is simply too lazy to blog nowadays. Well, times are bad now. There's economic slowdown everywhere, and my company will be shutting down on weekends and Christmas and CNY week. So all employees have to take forced leave for that 2 weeks, which would mean negative leave for those newly employed like me. Hmm I guess I can't complain much as I'm thankful to be employed at this moment. Will take this opportunity to travel back to Sibu with Len & Ethan to spend some time with my family there.

Oops, my baby is awake now. Till next blog, happy weekend everyone!

Visit to PK's

Len, Ethan, myself and Seok Wee visited a close friend, Pei Koon, at her place in Selandar yesterday. Pei Koon gave birth to her lil darling, 'Xiao Rou' on 21 Sept, and she has just competed her confinement couple of days ago. We delivered a whole lot of goodies for the baby - 5-tier drawers, baby clothes, mittens, botties, pampers, carrier bag...haha, thanks to the contribution from our ex PE colleagues.

'Xiao Rou' was sleeping soundly when we were there - no noise seemed to be capable of waking her up! Babies just look so sweet when they're in their dream world.

Alas when we were about to chao, 'Xiao Rou' woke up after pee-ing on her daddy's shirt, haha. And it happened that both babies (Ethan and 'Xiao Rou') cried together as both mummies (PK and I) posed for candid shot..

Like Father O Mother?

Took these pics this morning before we went to church. So who does Ethan look more like now? I'm beginning to get some comments that he looks more like me, however most still say he's daddy's product. Anyhow, he is and will always be mummy and daddy's darling :D

Ethan's pics at 5 months

As promised...


Haircut by mummy (Ethan : I dare not see myself..)


After retrim at saloon (Ethan : Now I look better..)


He's much chubby these days ya... (Ethan : Am I cuter now? :D)

At 5 months..

It's been a while since I last blogged. Been getting busier at work, and after work, I'm lazy to use pc as most of my time in office is spent staring at pc. In addition, my laptop wasn't able to start up for some reason, so one reason or another leads to my slack in blogging. Arh..enough of excuses lar, nevertheless, thank God today is Friday again :)

Ethan is growing well, he's going to be a big boy soon, coming to 5 months in another 3 days. Yesterday I took leave to take care of him as my mil had to go for check-up at hospital. Cut Ethan's nails and hair, the fringe is crooked so my parents-in-law had been laughing at him since then, said he looks like 'anak sarawak', haha. It's ok, he's also partially anak sarawak mah, and his mom is not a qualified 'hair-cutter' also mah. Nevertheless, my baby still looks as cute and sweet as ever, no discount for that. Will take some pics of his modern hair-style and upload later.

So what are the checkpoints for a 5-month-old? Let's see..

Sitting up on his own
By now, Ethan's physical developments are coming fast and furiously. When on his back, he'll lift his head and shoulders. He may even sit momentarily without assistance -- he likes to sit up and watch tv, behaving like an adult. If I block his sight using my hands to prevent him from watching tv, he will turn his head up and down, or left and right to catch the vision! If you support him under the arms while letting him balance him feet on your thighs, he'll bounce up and down. He's also capable of bringing an object to his mouth for oral exploration.


Repeating his favourite sounds
I realize Ethan is adding new sounds to his language repertoire, and he likes to do the 'making bubbles' sound, especially when he mengamuk (complaining, hehe).

Strong enough to feed himself
Usually before I feed Ethan, I'll ask him 'where is your bottle' while shaking the bottle in front of him. He'll extend both hands to try to grasp the bottle (I take that as an indication that he wants to drink). Guess he'll be better able to sit up by himself and grasp small objects sometime after six months. Ethan is also showing more signs that he's ready for solids -- from a lessened tongue-thrust reflex to a keener interest in the foods that we are eating. Can see him chewing or licking his lips when we eat in front of him, haha. However, we'll try to start him with solid food only after he reaches 6 months.

Honing in on sounds
Ethan now realises where sounds come from, and he'll turn quickly toward a new one. He seems to recognise his own name too, so I alternately call him Ethan and Yong Shen (his Chinese name) to stimulate his attention. When we adults talk to one another, Ethan also listens intently as if he understand what we're saying, hehe.


A growing range of emotions
Before I carry Ethan, I'll extend both hands and ask if he wants to be carried. He's starting to respond by raising his arms, and sometimes he looks sad when Len or I say 'bye bye' to him - as if he knows that we're leaving for work. He still laughs nonchalantly when we tease or tickle him - that's the best laughter one can ever have man, hehe. Ethan also likes to listen to songs, esp when I sing 'Jesus loves me this I know', he'll stay calm and stare at me innocently. Sweet child of mine..:)

For many parents, this is when the fun begins. Seeing him grow each day simply amazes me and reminds me of God's goodness and love for us. God is good! =)

Can I Borrow $25? (commented)

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door..

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Wanted to comment about this yesterday but didn't have time. Talking about time, even a small boy knows how to buy time from his father. Yes, the 2 things I would really pay to buy in this world are time and freedom. During my time in Singapore, I have come to terms that time is indeed money. Take transport for instance,the $ one pays for is measured by the travelling time to that destination. You can take bus if you have lots of time to sell, or pay slightly higher for mrt to buy some time,or pay even higher for taxi to buy more time. Even for bus itself, they have the 100m-a-stop and express types which you can gauge which one charges you for purchasing time. Some Malaysian peeps choose to save $ by selling time to travel to JB to purchase their bus tickets to go home. And the list goes on..

Time and tide waits for no man. Time seems to tick away faster the older I grow. Sometimes when it's hard to fork out quantity time, we have to ensure it's quality time that is spent with our loved ones. For me, if I can't spend enough quality time, I will buy more quantity time to do so, so that I won't regret in future..

Till then, have a pleasant time this weekend, everyone :)

It's Monday again

It's the start of another new week. Mid-autumn just passed, Ethan turned 4 months last Sat, Len and I had our simple 3rd 'paktoh' anniversary at Nadese last night (2 days belated, hehe). That was weekend.

Something unusual happened in the company I'm working for this morning. Some 500+ employees (technicians, operators, engineers, managers)went on strike to protest against the forced retrenchment of some 30 employees. From what I heard, HR called these employees to their office, took away their badges and had them escorted to guardhouse whereby they were listed as no-longer-Infineon-staffs. The ESS (employment separation scheme) was offered last month, but I guess these are the group of employees who haven't intended to take this up, either that or they're not satisfied with the forced procedure. This reminds me of a rather similar scenario in my previous company in Singapore, just that the 'victims' there were more just-follow-law type, or maybe because this is too common there. Over here, this is the 2nd time such incident occurred. 1st one happened 20 years ago. Reporters and police came later, watch out for this news in tomorrow's paper.

Our country is also in a topsy turvy condition with the recent arrest of RPK and tkok. I wonder what will happen tomorrow (Sept 16) or a couple more days from now. Seeing these happenings make me feel sober, reminding me how limited we are, and how God is in control. I just need to rely on Him more and more, while learning to be still in the midst of life's turbulence.

Hide me now under Ur wings..

Happy 3rd Paktoh Anniversary!

TGIF! And Happy 3rd Paktoh Anniversary to the very man I love, Lennard Teoh Kim Ong!! Yeah, I remember 3 years ago this day at about 9pm+, while chatting with Len on the phone, I agreed to be his girlfriend. And I'm his wife today, haha. Time flies ya. Happy times, sad times, both have brought us through these years. Thanks for being there for me and with me, for hanging on and for your encouragement during tough times, for your love. I L-O-V-E U, Len!

Thank God weekend is here again. Tomorrow Ethan will be 4 months big, ngam ngam, sui sui :) People have been commenting that our lil boy has grown much compared to when I first brought him back to Malacca. That also proves that my MIL has done a good job in babysitting Ethan. God bless her for having blessed us!

Have a pleasant weekend, everyone!

Teoh Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family photos - Old pictures

Look at this! Ethan looks more like me!! I can't believe it!!!
It's too happy to be true!!! Hahaha... Len always complains that I want 5% more in everything. This time give him 1% lar ;p

Yay, it's one day to Friday. Have a nice evening, everyone!

Ethan at 3.5 months

Lil Ethan sleeping peacefully in his preferred 'side pattern'


Len & Len Junior ;p


Lis & Lil Ethan - does he look the bit like me? pls say yes...


Ethan : Oops..legs open too wide dy!

These are some of the latest pics taken with Ethan over the past few days. Initially we thought of making a trip to KL but later dropped the idea as we were afraid of being trapped in the massive jam along the highway. Hence we just stayed back in Malacca, did some shopping, spent quality time with Ethan and also to ensure that he has fully recovered from his flu. PTL that he's well now :) Argh..feel kinda reluctant to go back to work tomorrow...Wed blues this time, gonna call it an early night. ZzZ..

P/S: By the way, Len and I went to watch Money Still Not Enough today. It's a Singapore movie, storyline is pretty funny but some parts are very touching too - made me 'lau mak iu' (cry in Hokkien). Worth watching for those who wish to have some laughters and shed some tears at the same time ;p

Long Weekend =)

TGIF! It's gonna be a long weekend ahead ,with next Monday and Tuesday off.Monday is to replace Sunday's Merdeka Day, Tuesday to replace Monday's 1st day of Hari Raya Puasa. That's one good thing about working in Malaysia, we have more public holidays compared to Singapore. No definite plans to go anywhere at the moment, will spend quality time to bond with lil Ethan cos he's still having running nose and cough. Poor boy, usually it's worse when he wakes up in the morning. He will cry due to difficulty in breathing, will have to pump the watery liquid out using the nasal aspirator. Really pray that he will recover soon.

On the other hand, a friend of mine, Pei Koon, is coming back to Malacca this weekend, anticipating her bundle of joy's arrival anytime within the next 1-2 weeks. I also feel kan chiong for her, as I recall the moments I've gone through 3 months+ ago. All the best to PK and Benny, and welcome to parenthood soon! :o-)

Will try to upload more pics of Ethan's in the coming blog. Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians, as the wind of change continues to blow...

My baby is sick

My baby is sick. Poor Ethan has running nose and cough which he might have contracted from papa Len. He still feeds and sleeps as usual, only thing in the morning when he wakes up he tends to get out of breath as his nose is blocked, and babies do not know how to breathe through their mouths.

Let's pray that he'll recover soon, that God will heal him from this flu, clear his nostrils and phlegm, so that Ethan will be a happy and healthy baby again. Have been going back for lunch almost everyday to see him as I miss him much and can't help feeling worried about his condition. Thank God there's no fever or chills. Ethan will be well soon ya.

Today is an important day where the by-election for our former deputy minister, Anwar, is being held at Permatang Pauh. Pray for God's will to be done, that the right leader will rise up and bring the positive wind of change to the country. Merdeka is coming soon, will Malaysia savour a different 'Merdeka' this time?

3 months and 1 week

Who's the cutest baby in the world? If you hold a mirror in front of your little one this week, you'll know he thinks he's number one by his big smile and happy gurgling. Most three month olds love to look at themselves — and their parents and brothers and sisters. Babies are drawn to faces more than any other image until around six months - Babycenter UK

Guess what?! I've been playing the 'mirror mirror on the wall' game with lil Ethan since he was 2 months, and he already responded then. And sometimes when his mood ain't too good, I would play this to cheer him up. I would show him his face at the mirror and tell him that he doesn't look handsome liao when he cries, then gradually he would change his expression to a smiley one. So cute eh :>

This morning I heard him cough, and seemed to be having some phlegm. Am worried he might be getting flu from his papa. Am crossing fingers now hoping that he won't get sick, pray that God will heal and deliver him from any sickness. Amen

Back To Work

It's my 3rd day of work as a development engineer. It's good to be back in the old company again, seeing familiar faces as we exchange greetings and update one another on what's been happening and going to happen. Many are surprised to see me back, and even more surprised to know that I'm already a mummy, haha. Lis is a proud mummy to share with others about lil Ethan as he has brought so much joy to her life.

My MIL is taking care of Ethan for the time being, as we're waiting for our maid to come. Thank God for her, as she is experienced in babysitting, and nobody beats one's own family in taking care of own family member ya. I miss Ethan much, hence have been dropping home each lunch to jenguk and bau him, hiak hiak. So is papa Len, he simply loves tickling his son and now Ethan laughs naughtily before Len touches him as he knows what his naughty papa is going to do. Like father like son.

Oh ya, today is 20th August, and it's Collina's birthday :) To my best buddy of all times, Happy Blessed Birthday and may our good Lord bless you always! Cheers!!

*edited
Ar..and I suddenly remember today is also another friend's birthday who shares the same day, month and year as Collina.
Happy Birthday, Miki! Miki's hubby, Jacky's birthday will be tomorrow, just a day after hers. So sweet right..so happy birthday to JaMi!!

Received a call from my salesman yesterday evening that my car would be ready today once it completes custom clearance. Yeah, that's another happy thing to look forward to. So for those who intend to try some lucky numbers can consider 7778. *wink

It's 2 more days to Friday :))

3 months and 1 day

Ethan is 3 months+ now, and his mummy is going back to work soon. Yeah,next Monday I'll be joining the workforce. Am already starting to miss my baby as thoughts of starting a new job both excite and fill me with anxiety. Pray that God will prepare me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually for this career undertaking. Thanks to Jason for lending me his car so that I can still curi-curi come back during lunch hours to see my lil one. My new car (bought a Perodua Viva 1.0 EZ) is expected to arrive sometime next week, and this morning I went to JPJ to see see if there's any nice numbers, haha. Wanted to choose my birthdate or Ethan's but both were already taken. Browsed through the 2xxx- 9xxx available numbers, and at last, I decided to take MBR(member) 777(Christ's number)8(rich), in my perceived definition member who is spiritually rich in Christ That will serve as a reminder to whoever uses the car, haha!

Papa Len is in Singapore for business trip today. He managed to meet up with Yvonne, a dear friend of mine from Singapore, and she has blessed us with plenty of baby clothes. Thanks a lot, Yvonne, if you happen to read this :) May you be blessed to be a blessing. Hope your hubby will be blessed with the career advancement he wants. Will wait for the day when you and your family come to Malacca so we can give you a good treat.

God is good!

Sweet Child Of Mine

Here are some promised video and latest pics of Ethan boy :) Some of the pics aren't clear as my boy is always on the move, actively kicking and swinging his hands especially when he knows he's on candid camera!
Muscular lil Ethan Father and son Ethan sleeping peacefully

God is good =)

Yeah, and I can say that over and over again that God is good. He has blessed me with the package dev position and granted me my expected salary, and on top of that, my new boss who's also my friend allows me to start work at my desired date so that I'd have enough time to settle few stuffs beforehand. So mummy Lis will be returning to workforce with Infineon on 18 Aug. It was quite a long wait (2 weeks+) for the call from hr as the company was going through some re-org, and it was announced the previous week that Infineon would have 10% staff reduction as part of their cost-saving plans. I thought my chance of securing this job would be slim considering the current tough circumstances, however, I just felt peaceful, knowing that my Jehovah Jireh our Provider would prepare the path ahead for me. And once again He has shown His goodness. Well, I would have rested for 4 months and 5 days by the time I start work, and it has been a long, meaningful and fulfilling break for me. Yay, God is good all the time =)

My MIL (mother-in-law) will be taking care of baby Ethan when I start working. Len and I intend to hire a fulltime maid to help with the household chores and also take care of Ethan so that it won't be too taxing for MIL. We're praying for a good maid, hopefully can get one as good as Harti (my mom's maid who has been working for our family for 8 years).

Ethan is getting more chatty these days. He chats louder and longer, and daddy enjoys tickling him which causes him to laugh and laugh..so cute! I just captured a video of them this evening, will try to upload it later if it's feasible, hehe.

Week 12

It's Friday again. Baby Ethan is 12 weeks old now, in other words, he's also 3 months big. Time flies. He is more responsive to people now, and seems to recognize people around him. Flash him a smile, and he'll smile back at you promptly. He's quite chatty too, when one talks to him, he'll answer back in his baby language, and the sweet part is sometimes when I sing, he'll sing along with me using his melodic 'ang kng' chain..soo cute :)

I kinda self 'hum' some songs for baby Ethan. Will sing him these songs on a routine basis so as to tell him in a way that it's 'bom bom' (bathe) time, time to sleep etc.

Head-to-toe(I sing this song while I'm taking off Ethan's clothes and cleaning him)
Head-to-toe,
Ethan's going head-to-toe,
Head-to-toe, head-to-toe,
My baby's washing from head-to-toe

(this part is sung as I place him into his bath tub)
Going down,
Ethan is going down,
Going down, going down,
My baby's going from head-to-toe

It's A Beautiful Day (I sing this song after Ethan's shower, while applying lotion on his body and putting on his clothes, nappy)
It's a beautiful day,
The Lord has made it for me,
It's a beautiful day,
The Lord has made it for me,
It's a beautiful day,
The Lord has made it for me,
Jesus loves me and this I know is true.

I've got a beautiful name,
And Ethan is my name,
I've got a beautiful name,
Ethan is my name,
I've got a beautiful name,
Ethan is my name,
Jesus loves me and this I know is true.

It's a beautiful day...
I've got a beautiful name...
It's a beautiful day, I've got a beautiful name,
Life is so beau-ti-ful

Rock-a-bye baby (This isnt my composition, sing this to put him to sleep)

Although these are simple songs, I can sense that Ethan gets familiar with the tunes, and he'll give me a secure look which tells me that he trusts I'll take good care of him :)

As Ethan means 'strong', I'm pretty sure my baby is a strong (and rough) boy.
5 reasons why I say so:
1) His cries, coughs, burps, hiccups, yawns, are twice as loud than my cousin's baby
2) He farted so loud that he himself got shocked and cried (blogged this earlier)
3) When I was patting him to sleep 2 nights ago, suddenly he laughed loudly, like an adult!
4) Once papa Len tried to sound stern while talking to Ethan, and he marah (scolded) his daddy back with fierce 'ang kng'. Both his parents were stunned!
5) He snored while sleeping in my mil's arms!

I wonder if other babies (sebaya Ethan) are like that, haha. But whatever it is, he's still our dear bundle of joy, and his unique features make us love him more each day :))

Will try to upload more pics in the next blog. Blessed weekend, everyone!

Finally

Finally I'm connected to the world@internet again :) Have been MIA since I came back to Malacca two weeks + ago. The whole trip - flight from Sibu to KL and hubby drove us (Ethan and I) from KL-Malacca was smooth, PTL for that! Took MAS flight thanks to their zero fare promotion, they gave us first row seat and the air stewardess were pretty helpful. They set up a bassinet for Ethan to lie in so I could still eat and rest. Ethan cried for a while as the plane accelerated prior to taking off, the rest of the flight he just played by himself. He also enjoyed the car ride back to Malacca, in the comfort of his mother's arms, ahem ;)

I went to Singapore the week after I came back to Malacca to clear my stuffs in AMD (now my ex-company). My ex-boss CC and few colleagues had farewell lunch for me, and in the evening I met up with TCC friends for fellowship and makan at Reb's place. It was a rushing but meaningful day for me. Kind of miss my ex-colleagues and TCC friends right now...

I'm currently 24/7 serving Ethan, it's both tiring and fulfilling. Babies are a blessing whenever they are not crying! Ethan mostly stays awake during daytime and sleeps around 8pm till the next morning (wakes up 3-4 times at night for feed). Thanks to my MIL who sometimes helps to attend to Ethan during daytime so I can catch some nap and do my personal stuffs.

I may be going back to workforce with Infineon my previous company. They called me for interviews for 2 posts - product dev and package dev. Both bosses are my friends, managed to find out more about the jobs, and I decide to go for package development as it's more on project management side, and it's something I'm more keen in, something 'green' to try out. God has really been good to me as He has gone ahead to prepare something for me. Through these seasons, I've learnt to take things one step at a time as at times I feel lost and can't foresee far, yet He has always been faithful and I've tasted His goodness one by one :)

Oops, enough about me. Let's revert back to the main 'item' - Ethan! He's in his week 10 now (going to week 11 tomorrow), weighs 5.6kg and length is 60cm. Good growth according to paediatrician. Took him for his 2nd month jabs last Monday, PTL again that he didn't contract fever and was fine throughout the day. He only cried for 3 secs during the jab, then smiled again. Babies are so adorable they can just melt your heart and take away all your worries when you see them. I'm sure all parents out there would have agreed with this statement, haha.

Took some of Ethan's pics this morning. Have his features changed? Brought him to church yesterday, few friends commented that he has some of my looks too though he's more Lennard, hehe. I can't deny I was happy to hear them say so, muahaha.

It's 2 Days To Friday!

Ethan : Yay! It's 2 days to Friday! And I'm 7 weeks now!!

Time indeed flies. I've been back in Sibu for two and half months, and a week from now, Ethan and myself will be flying back to Malacca. I've quitted my job in AMD Singapore the previous week, thanks to God's favour that bosses agreed to release me without having to serve the 2 months' notice period. It's a decision made earlier, before I came back to Sibu, before Len started his new job in Malacca. Placing family's priority, taking into account baby's welfare, cost of living, matters of settling down, after much prayer and consideration, Len and I have decided that Malacca is a better place to continue our journey as a family with Ethan, at least for the time being.

I have no definite plans at the moment, haven't started looking for job though I still intend to work later. My main objective now is to settle things down in Malacca and ensure Ethan grows healthily for his first few months. Meantime, I'll just take my time and seek God for His will for my life, what He wants me to do, and where He wants to place me. It's the time of waiting and trusting again :)

Ethan is sleeping as I'm typing this. His activities are pretty much routine in a sense that he mostly sleeps through morning and night, waking every 2-3 hours for mum-mum. It's only during the evening ie. 2-6pm that he wakes up, stretches, giggles, chuckles, plays, gets cranky, cries and screams with all his might! Phew, that's the trying time, so happens that's also my tv time (I've been joining mom in her movie series 'marathon' from 230-530pm on ntv7 since I came back, haha). I guess he's scared of heat, that's why he gets restless during the hottest part of the day. There were some days when it rained at noon, Ethan would just sleep through.

Nevertheless, it's enchanting to see him smile. He is happy and smiles a lot when he wakes up in the morning around 6-8am and after his bath. Babies are so simple and innocent, they remind me of what Jesus asked of us to come to Him with childlike faith :)

Happy Baby

These pics are 'freshly' taken this morning. Happened to candid shot baby Ethan smiling as he was in a good mood after a long night zz and mum mum.


TGIF :)


Is my smile sexy?


Or it's sexier without revealing my tongue?


Give you a big, wide smile


Yess..I'm a happy baby!


Baby currently weights 4.6kg, and is beginning to respond to our conversation with him with giggles, 'ang kng' word and some other chuckling sounds.


Say cheeese

Joke Of The Day

This is supposed to back date 2 days ago as it happened the previous day ;)

Baby Ethan let out a loud fart (trust me, it's as loud as we adults fart, even I was shocked), so loud that he jumped out of his sleep and cried loudly as a result from the shock.

Soo funny...haha...

Some Pics

Some recent pics of Baby Ethan from the simple 'full moon' celebration last Sat. Ordered a cheese cake for all to makan, buddy came by later to join in. It so happened Ethan was sleeping so soundly that he didn't want to wake up no matter how we call or shake him. Hehe..that reminds me of MLTR's 'sleeping child'

Oh my sleeping child,
The world's so wild
And you build your own paradise
That's one reason why
I'm calling you sleeping child..


From left : daddy(Len), mummy(myself), grandma(mum), baby, grandpa(dad), uncle(bro Vic), maid (Harti)


Baby Ethan with grandparents


Baby Ethan with uncle


Baby Ethan with me and my buddy (Collina)


My sleeping child


Baby with confinement nanny 'Ah Lan' (pic taken a few days earlier)

Ethan Is One Month Today

Ethan is 'full moon' today, and I'm freed from confinement...finally, yay!
Time passes fast, baby has been growing, feeding happily and healthily. He is a strong (and rough) boy. He can lift up his head and stand on his legs even from the first week. Now he's beginning to respond to people talking to him by turning his eyeballs towards him/her, and his smiles are more frequent too. He loves bathing time, as he can kick and swim happily in the lil bath tub. Nanny begins to toilet train him by letting him sit on a 'tampoi' and make the 'ngk ngk' sound to stimulate his poo poo, and it's pretty amusing to see how his bundle of poo flows out, and that leaves him happy and relieved after that, hehe. Thank God for seeing him through the past month.

Papa Len will be flying over tomorrow. Meanwhile, will continue to rest and relax before I bring baby back to Malacca early July. Have a blessed weekend, everyone! Will upload more pics later. Cheers :)

Ethan's Baby Shower

Mom's cell group friends, with the 'shower' dishes


Me and my high-school friends


Cool term 'baby shower' being used here ;p I wanted to blog about last Sat's makan session but was wondering what term to use, thought of just calling it baby Ethan's thanksgiving. Thanks to Huai Bin who is a step faster than me to blog about this (www.sixthseal.com) :)

In Foochow culture (that's 50% of my ethnic - another 50% Teochew), unlike most other Chinese ethnics, they don't celebrate baby's fullmoon. Rather they will invite friends and relatives over to their places for makan, and this is usually held within the first month, some as early as the first 2 weeks. The main dish served is misua with chicken soup, eggs, followed by some other extra dishes.

Most guests who came (friends and relatives) are my parents and grandpa's invitees. For me, I just asked my high-school friends who're in Sibu to come together for Sat lunch. It was great to see them again, as normally this kind of gathering only occurs once a year during Chinese New Year, and yea, I have to admit I feel kinda old as most have not settled down.

Everyone felt happy though tired that day. Baby Ethan is a blessing to us :)

Here are some of his pics taken this morning of my sleeping child, I think he has grown a lil rounder, hehe

10 days old

Baby Ethan is 10 days old today. He's been sleeping and feeding well, I've managed to breastfeed him successfully (yay, another milestone for me as a new mother ;p), though tiring nevertheless it's rewarding. Each day I'm learning new skills on how to take care of my precious one, changing his nappy when he poo/urine, understanding his needs when he cries, feeling contented each time I manage to resolve his cry. Every 2-3 hours he'll cry of hunger, shortly after each feed, he'll poo or urine. Compared to feeding him with milk powder the first few days, breastmilk is better in a way it helps him to digest faster and poo/urine more, according to paediatrician it also helps to flush out his jaundice.

Baby Ethan got a bit of jaundice, thus was hospitalised for 2 nights for the phototherapy treatment last week. His condition has been improving since, and we'll send him for another blood test later today to check the jaundice level. Let's hope that he'll be alright as jaundice is quite a common thingy esp among Chinese babies.

Papa Len was here over the last weekend, he simply missed his son (and me too, I hope, hehe) so much that he decided last minute to fly over, taking advantage of Mon's public holiday (wesak day).


Like father, like son


Len & Len Jr

More recent pics of baby Ethan (any chance his features will change to look at least 10% like me? haha)


Our lil angel





I'm in my 2nd week of confinement (2 more weeks to go..tsk tsk). Been eating heaty stuffs, taking 5 meals a day, frantically sweating away after each meal. I've lost 9kg after giving birth, and additional 2kg past few days (guess it's due to sleepless nights and breastfeeding). Currently my weight is 65kg, so 7kg more to shed. Been confined in my bedroom together with baby Ethan, banned from going downstairs. Time seems to pass so slowly I've even lost count today is Friday.

Well, have a great weekend everyone! Don't forget to catch the movie 'Indiana Jones' cos someone here is wondering when she'll be able to go for movies again...