My Journey

Ethan's 1st Birthday

2009-05-15T22:36:00.010+08:00

We celebrated Ethan's 1st birthday last Sunday which was May 10. Ethan's actual birth date is May 13, but as it falls on a weekday, the nearest weekend was last Sunday which was also Mother's Day and also the first time I celebrated Mother's Day as a mother, so all these made up the special occasion :)

I wanted to make this birthday party simple yet special,as if it was my own birthday simply because my dearest lil one was turning one. So this non-artistic mummy tried to make her own birthday invitation card, birthday poster, birthday deco, party giftaways with See Mun's help.

We invited few close family and church friends over for the party which started at 330pm at Family Heritage Cafe. The cafe owner is a friend from my old church, so thanks to the couple who have willingly agreed to reserve the whole place for my party and gave very good price and good food for the catering. (this is free advertisement for you :D)

We also decided to dedicate Ethan during the party itself since that was a special day, and we wanted to take the commitment and pledge to raise Ethan up in the way of the Lord. So we started off with Mike leading some worship songs, followed by Ps Les who gave some sharing and conducted the baby dedication. Ps Rebekah then prayed the opening prayer and jeng jeng jeng..food was served!

Everyone had good time fellowshipping with one another. Ethan was also in extremely good mood that day as he let everyone carry him, and smiled whenever he knew he was on candid camera. This is what we call baby's instincts, they know how to act when they're in the center of attention, hahaha

It was a memorable event, thanks to all who were present, not forgetting my dear photographers Jacky and Jenny for helping to photograph these beautiful moments

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ETHAN!

Miki at the entrance of Family Heritage

Some of the dishes served on that day

It's tea break time..Alan picking his choice of food

Ethan's birthday cake

Short worship led by Mike

Ps Les sharing

Pastor Les praying for mummy, daddy and Ethan during the baby dedication

Wan Sin, Miki, Ethan & Mummy

the family in red ( I like this pic so am making it the profile pic too)

Ethan called me Mama

2009-03-06T17:26:00.000+08:00

It's been a longgg time since I last blogged, haha. And considering that this is in fact my first blog of the year..been so busy and lazy ;) But we're still surviving, Ethan has been growing well and he's already 9 months+. Time really flies, but this morning I was filled with joy when I heard my precious son call me 'Ma Ma'. Yea, I didn't hear it wrongly it's 'Ma Ma'! :) For an instant, that made me the proudest 'Ma Ma' on earth!

Will try to upload some of his latest pics later. Sorry lil Ethan, for your MaMa's laziness to update your blog...meanwhile, we're also looking forward to papa Len's return tomorrow. He has been travelling extensively lately, went to Germany for 2 weeks, 2 days later went to Phil for 2 days last week, and this whole week he's in 'money-lar' again.

Blessed weekend everyone :)

Blessed Christmas & New Year

2008-12-24T14:14:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-12-13T19:21:00.004+08:00

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

2008-12-08T11:43:00.004+08:00

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

2008-11-29T14:55:00.004+08:00

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

2008-11-22T23:57:00.006+08:00

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

2008-11-15T12:23:00.002+08:00

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

2008-10-26T10:23:00.003+08:00

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?

2008-10-19T14:42:00.003+08:00

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

2008-10-12T22:08:00.003+08:00

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..

2008-10-10T10:38:00.005+08:00

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)

2008-09-18T15:32:00.005+08:00

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

2008-09-15T17:55:00.003+08:00

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!

2008-09-12T17:22:00.003+08:00

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

2008-09-04T17:38:00.004+08:00

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

2008-09-02T20:16:00.003+08:00

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 =)

2008-08-29T15:45:00.005+08:00

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

2008-08-26T13:32:00.002+08:00

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

2008-08-21T13:58:00.002+08:00

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

2008-08-20T13:38:00.005+08:00

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

2008-08-14T20:37:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-05T13:05:00.004+08:00

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 =)

2008-08-04T20:16:00.002+08:00

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

2008-08-01T12:22:00.002+08:00

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

2008-07-21T12:12:00.005+08:00

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!

2008-06-26T11:08:00.003+08:00

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

2008-06-20T10:06:00.004+08:00

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

2008-06-20T09:56:00.002+08:00

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

2008-06-18T10:45:00.004+08:00

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

2008-06-13T14:33:00.002+08:00

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

2008-05-26T14:54:00.005+08:00

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

2008-05-23T14:58:00.005+08:00

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...

2008-05-19T16:23:00.001+08:00

2008-05-19T15:51:00.000+08:00

2008-05-19T15:44:00.000+08:00

A Proud Father,Hubby

2008-05-18T11:29:00.007+08:00

13th May 2008,11.05pm - My child is born and Ethan Teoh Yong Shen is his name. It was the happiest moment of my life to witness the miracle of GOD! My heart beat fast as I saw him come out. His eyes were open and he cried. The doctor cut his umbilical cord and attached the cord blood to the cryocord bag. The doc's handwork was pretty fast but he never offered me to cut the umbilical cord..what man..maybe he knew how I felt at that moment by looking at my face...hehe. So he handed Ethan to two of the mid wives. I watched him from a distance maybe 3-4 meters away. As I stood there a question popped in my mind whether is this really real?? My world was silent for awhile as my eyes just focus on Ethan.
I just couldn't believe that there is now an additional member in my family! :)
The mid wife's laughter caught my attention again...
1st one cleaned Ethan's body and the other one attached tube into Ethan's nose and mouth. I got a shock when the 2nd mid wife did her job! The tube was pushed into Ethan's nose and mouth. My heart shouted " Wei,what are you doing ah?" Anyway I just kept silent as I watched the mid wives carry out their duties. After completing their duties they called me to see Ethan nearer. Ethan was wrapped in a towel with his eyes open wondering where he is now.I called his name and he seemed to recognize it, wondering the voice came from. I touched him and later I decided to carry him. As I held him in my arms my heart just felt the warmth, I was overjoyed!

For my wife she's the so called champion of the "marathon" and deserved my highest respect.Though she was in terrible pain,agony and restlessness she determined herself to endure through that critical moment.I was with her all the way and there was nothing much I can do and even words of encouragement didn't seems to help in her situation.But she told me that my presence to be with her was all she wanted.
She battled the pain for many many hours and she was really really tired when the pushing of the baby moment arrived.I just don't know how to explain on her pain at that time.I know it must be God to grant her the strength to do it!At last she did it!
I have to admit that God granted women extra ordinary strength than men do.Well it's up to a person to believe it or not.
I thank God for HIS goodness and faithfulness. HIS love and mercy endures forever.
I also thank family members and friends for their continuous support in prayer for Lis and baby Ethan.

Well Lis and I have chosen the name Ethan Teoh Yong Shen for our son. It means
Ethan = endurance,strong,steadfast
Yong = glorious
Shen = victory

All glory to God!

Len

Ethan Teoh Yong Shen

2008-05-15T10:07:00.006+08:00

Jeng jeng jeng!! Here he is, Ethan Teoh Yong Shen, born on the 13 May at 11.05pm, weigh 3.2kg. I was admitted at 8.00am and started induction at 8.30am (cervix was still thick and hadn't dilated). Didn't feel any pain for the first dosage's 4 hours limit. Doc checked my cervix at 12.30pm and it has dilated 2 cm.

Started drip on 12.30pm, mild contraction slowly began. Cervix dilation progressed real slow (only 4pm at 6pm), according to midwife it's because this is my first pregnancy, hence my cervix is thick. At 7pm, contraction became stronger, and stronger as time passed by. I kept telling myself to hang on, that it's just another couple of hours more to go before I can see my precious child. Papa Len was with me all the while, helping me to relax and reminding me to breathe correctly.

9.30pm, the pain was getting unbearable (cervix dilated to 7cm). I began to shout and cry, at certain points I almost wanted to give up. Mom came in and tried to give additional support. With both hubby and mom by my side, and with prayers from relatives and friends, and of course with God's grace, somehow I made it through that most painful moment in my life.

Baby Ethan's cry was first heard at 11.05pm with the help of vacuum delivery from doc. With limited energy left, I had to use the alternative method. It was also discovered then the cord hanging around baby's neck is also blocking one of his hands, that's why it was hard to push him out with my might.

I was soo relieved when I saw a round black thingy (without spec,at that point I was wondering what that could be - turned out to be baby's hair, haha) come out. Ethan is so hairy, not only he has much hair, but his forehead, face, shoulders are hairy too!

Guess it's pretty clear whom his features take after...his papa lor. Except for the hairy part which papa insists is from my side, hhmmmm...

The bundle of joy is here, as the journey of parenthood resumes for Len & I :)

Due Yet Still In Queue

2008-05-09T16:41:00.003+08:00

Hmm..seeing the wordings above ' baby Ethan 2 days overdue' is making me the more anxious to see baby Ethan make his move out. I've been MIA (missing in action) the past few days, but..Ethan is not yet out. Day by day I'm crossing my fingers, waiting for any contraction symptom. I've crossed the May 1 target, passed the May 8 due date, hmm..will we make it for Mother's Day (May 11) this round? Went to see gynae yesterday, my cervix hasn't dilated, and since baby Ethan is doing well (current weight is 3.3kg) and still active on the move, doc still thinks I should go for natural delivery. If the cervix has dilated even a lil, he would have delivered for me yesterday.

I'm getting more anxious each day as I wait for our bundle of joy to arrive. Papa Len is currently back here with me, and I'm thankful for his presence and support which means much to me at this moment. By next Monday if baby isn't out, doc will have to induce for me. Still crossing my fingers, praying that God would grant me natural and pain-free labour, and the availability of resources - doc, nurses, maternity ward, delivery room, papa Len, and of course His presence.

Lord, teach me to be patient as I go through the next few days...till then, have a great weekend everyone. Hope my next blog will have a breakthrough entrance :)

39 weeks on 30 April

2008-04-30T20:21:00.003+08:00

I believe I can fly..cos I am 39 weeks high..baby Ethan

Tomorrow we're moving into the month of May, will baby Ethan make his move tomorrow, May 1? That remains a question mark. Nothing much happens today, felt some poking sensations that cause me to urine more frequently (at least twice an hour). I assume it could be baby moving downwards.

Last night I dreamt that I've given birth to baby Ethan, and it was PAINLESS! I couldn't believe it could be that easy, and when I turned my head around, I saw baby Ethan sitting on the chair! So fast can sit up already?! Haha, of course that didn't make sense, and as I looked at the date it was 29 April, and I was like 'Oo..2 days short from May 1'. Well, that's just a dream lar

Anyway, let's see if something happens tonight or tomorrow. If not, guess I'll continue with our waiting journey in the next 1 or 2 days. Happy Labour Day to everyone!

I'm Still Waiting

2008-04-29T11:39:00.003+08:00

I'm still waiting...
When is he coming?

Baby Ethan is still taking his sweet time in the womb, as to now, there's no false alarm yet. I'm waiting as each day passes by, it's been 2 weeks since I came back to Sibu, preparing for labour. Went to see gynae last night, apparently baby's head is pretty low so according to him, it should be quite soon, but then, only God knows exactly when he'll be out.

In His time,
In His time,
He makes all things beautiful in His time..

Just heard from my friends that 2 of my other friends whose babies are due in May have already popped out. So fast! That makes me the more eager for my turn to come. Even more so each time I visit the singaporemotherhood's forum I read about the excited mothers spreading the good news about their babies' arrival. Awww..

Well, actually I've been hoping that baby Ethan will come out on 1st May which is labour day (labour as in giving birth) so it'll be easy to remember, and also meaningful as we celebrate Ethan's birthday each year and he'll be reminded that this day x years ago, mummy was in labour for him, hehe. That's my wishful thinking, wonder if it'll come true? Hmm..

How's everyone's week going along? Guess most of my friends out there are busy harvesting their works, so is daddy Len, whereas I'm right here waiting for the bundle of joy to come along. Have a blessed week everyone :)

I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever

2008-04-24T11:33:00.008+08:00

This morning, a piece of thought came to my mind to write a song for baby Ethan. I didn't have inspiration for new tune as it has been long since I last wrote one. Somehow, one of my favourite Hillsongs played in my mind, so I decided to improvise the song
'I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever'...

We Will Sing Of Your Love Forever

Over the mountains and the sea
Your gift of love for Len and Lis

Your river runs with love for me
Ethan's his name our son to be

And I will open up my heart
Strong, steadfast, wise, his name carries

And let the Healer set me free
To show the love You have for him

I’m happy to be in the truth
With thankful hearts we bring to You

And I will daily lift my hands
This song of praise and love for You

For I will always sing of
For we will always sing of

When Your love came down
When Your love came down

Chorus :
I could sing of Your love forever
We will sing of Your love forever

I could sing of Your love forever
We will praise Your name forever

I could sing of Your love forever
We will love - You, Lord, forever

I could sing of Your love forever
As a family we'll sing together

Green denotes the improvised lyrics of this song. It's more of a song of love and praise to God (You) from us (we - Len, Lis and Ethan :) )

38

2008-04-23T20:47:00.002+08:00

Yeah, the title says it all. Baby Ethan is 38 weeks today :) No significant signs of labour yet, felt some minor menstrual cramp pasts 2 days but they only lasted for a while, so can't say these are true-enough-to-be-false alarms.

This noon, Mom and I went to check out the maternity ward and delivery suite where I'll be delivering at Rejang Medical Centre. Sibu is just a small town, so is this private medical centre which is built among a few row of shophouses. It's operated by 2 gynaecologist brothers, and one of them, Dr Peter, is my gynae. They have 2 delivery suites, and 10+ wards. Met up with the midwives who're mainly retired nurses, friendly aunties who managed to assure me they know their tasks well. What I'm worried about is the availability of the ward during the time of my labour as the rooms are fully occupied today, so prayerfully baby Ethan's arrival would be timely whereby the nurses and rooms and doctor and...papa Len would be available. One of the midwives said my tummy looks 'ready' to give birth, estimate one week.

Well, I guess I'm 70-80% ready for labour now. Got some milk powder samples from mom's pharmacy friend and also prepared the place for baby to sleep in. Baby Ethan is still on his moves every now and then. One day passed = one day closer to EDD = one day lesser to seeing baby Ethan..

Baby at Week 38 :
As you know, you've arrived at the final leg of your pregnancy journey, and if you're still carrying your little love around, they've just about reached their birth weight (somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds is average depending on whether they're a boy or girl). There really isn't a lot to report on baby this week, so lets do a quick recount of where we're at: all internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world, they've got their meconium stockpile building up (their first black baby poo), lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that'll keep growing with them for years to come), and they've more or less reached official baby status-- all they need to do is "head out" and say hello to the rest of the world and especially their ready-to-pop momma.

Rain Down

2008-04-21T14:29:00.003+08:00

Rain down on me
Rain down on me
Here in Your presence I am free
Pour down like rain
Come and touch me again
Lord let Your presence fall on me..

Rain is pouring again in this lil' town of Sibu. Thank God for the few drops of rains He sends almost each day to cool me down. Showers of blessings, as the chorus of Planet Shaker's 'Rain Down' plays in my mind, makes me appreciative of the beauty of this nature our beautiful Creator has invented.

It's Monday, the start of another new week. Will baby Ethan make his entrance to this world this week? I guess I'm 60-70% ready for labour, packed my emergency bag the recently passed weekend. Also been exercising my pelvic muscles (thanks to lessons taught in ante-natal class) and walking, hopefully these would help to ease labour.

Have a great week ahead, everyone, while I'm listening to the rhythm of the falling rain...

It's TGIF again

2008-04-18T14:26:00.004+08:00

Heyo, how is everyone doing? Hope all is well :) I'm still alive here, in case some of you may be wondering if I've gone missing the past few days, well, I'm still carrying my big tummy, waiting for baby Ethan to make his way out.

It's a rainy day, thank God for the cool weather. Aunty Judy from Miri (dad's younger sis) is here for a day company trip. Over lunch just now, she and mum were discussing about how to prepare confinement food. It seems that the Foochows eat 6 meals (yes, the figure is correct, 6 precisely! haha) a day for confinement, and the menu consists mainly of 'spare parts' (different organs of animals). Apparently, they believe by eating specific organ ie. kidney, it'll help to 'bu' (improve the health condition) the mum's kidney, and the same applies for other organs. Being a 'spare part' lover, I don't have problem with that, hehe, but of course, too much of something is not good either. And thank God mama ((I'm using 'mama' to refer to my mum to avoid confusion between calling myself 'mum' and her :p) said it's not necessary to follow the culture here, as long as I'm comfortable and have enough to eat, that's good enough. Phew..

For baby's full moon, normally the main dish to serve guests is misua (long thin Chinese noodle) with chicken soup. Mama has standby 10kg of 'misua' and couple of bottles of red and white wine. I was astonished to see that as she showed my aunt what she has. Bravo mama! While they were chatting over the lunch table, I could feel baby Ethan kicking excitingly, as if he's happily anticipating his own arrival :)

Weekend is approaching again, time flies, let me enjoy the last few days being a pre-mum before the first cry of Len & my firstborn is heard. Blessed weekend, everyone!

Baby E is 37 weeks today

2008-04-16T15:43:00.003+08:00

Baby E (Ethan) : Yuppie, I'm full term today! I can come out anytime..ngek ngek..kekke..

Yea, baby is in his 37th week today, and this means that if he arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though actual due date is still three weeks away. This morning I asked baby, "When are you popping out ar?" Almost instantenously he responded with several kicks for quite awhile. Haha, not sure if that's an eager remark that he's looking forward to the big day, or either that, he still wishes to swim longer? Whenever it will be, will just leave it to nature to take its course, our Creator to orchestrate the wholesome event :)

At 37 weeks :

You are considered full-term now and your baby's final touches are being made. The crown-to-rump length of your baby is now 14 inches and the total length is around 21 inches. Your baby weighs approximately 6.5 pounds. Your uterus may be measuring about the same as it has been and is probably about 6.5 inches from the top of your bellybutton. This week your baby should engage into your pelvis. If this is not your first pregnancy, it may happen later. When your baby engages, his head drops down into your pelvis and you might feel a slight sensation called `lightening` as the pressure on your ribs eases. As your baby drops into the final postion for delivery, you may experience a buzzing feeling and shooting pains in your groin and leg. Normally, you will be able to breathe and eat easier. However, your uterus pushes down harder on your bladder and you will have an increased urge to urinate more frequently. Even if your baby engages now, you still possibly feel his feet in your breastbone around week 40. Your baby is now fully mature and ready to be born. However, your baby is still growing and developing every day. Fat is still be laid down at a rate of a half ounce a day. If this is your first pregnancy, you can expect to deliver closer to 40 weeks or shortly thereafter. If this is not your first baby, you might go earlier than 40 weeks! Make sure that your bags are packed for the hospital and remember to preregister for admission. Your doctor may begin doing weekly pelvic exams to evaluate your cervical changes and progression. Your healthcare provider will make sure that you are not leaking amniotic fluid and will also examine your cervix to check for effacement and dilation. Before labor, your cervix is thick and 0% effaced. During labor your cervix thins out and right before delivery it will become very soft and 100% effaced. Research shows your baby can be affected by stress hormones. Make time to relax, to have fun, and to rest. Your baby has learned to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing so it can do all three when breastfeeding after birth. Babies practice shallow breathing before birth, using amniotic fluid.

Hmm, that means baby's head could be engaged anytime soon. I'm already at the peak of my weight (74.2kg, having put on 16 kg so far!), am already calculating the amount of fats that I need to lose after this, tsk tsk.

It's Another Day

2008-04-15T16:39:00.002+08:00

Another day is slowly passing by, it's been a rest-and-relax day. Went out for breakfast with mum, maid and grandpa in the morning. Did some surfing (now updating my blog) at noon. Maid shared with me her dream last night, in her dream, there was a 'comel' (in BM - cute) baby boy chasing after her asking her to carry him. She was running round and round in the living room and the baby kept following her. Then mum told her 'ini anak Tuhan, kasihlah ambil' (in BM - this is child of God, carry-lah him). Haha, so funny when she told me that, I suspect she must have sub-consciously dreamt of the baby as she was washing the bundle of baby clothes that my dear friends gave me (thanks,Yvonne and Evane for the baby clothes. I'm blessed as I've more than enough clothes for Baby Ethan at least for the first 3 months :))

When grandpa heard about her dream, he told me earlier he also dreamt that he saw me carrying my child, and my maid carrying her child, haha. My maid was shocked to hear that, she said maybe if she eats more she may become pregnant. Hahaha..fyi she's (Harti) about my age, a pleasant hardworking girl who has been a blessing to our family for the past 8 years. She's quite seasoned in Chinese cooking, so I guess she'll be helping to prepare confinement food for me later, hehe. Yeay :)

Good To Be Back

2008-04-14T17:19:00.002+08:00

Yea, it's good to be back home again :) PTL for the smooth journey from S'pore - Sibu yesterday. It was shining hot in S'pore/JB, but was drizzling in Sibu. Didn't encounter any problem in check-in (as I was worried initially that the Airasia staffs might stop me if they think I'm too 'big' to enter the plane :p), flight took off 15 mins earlier so I reached 15 mins earlier too.

Went for check-up to see how baby Ethan's doing today. He's currently weighing 3kg, wow, that was a surprise for me as he was only 2.2kg 2 weeks ago. Perhaps a late boomer, but so long as he's healthy, mummy and daddy are more than happy. The size of his head is of 38 weeks, body of 37 weeks, hmm, that makes me wonder if he would come out 1-2 weeks earlier. Asked gynae if this is an indicator or is there anything I can do to make him pop out earlier, he smiled and replied 'It's hard for me to say. Let baby comes out naturally, don't upset him'. Haha..

Baby Ethan was happily munching away during the scan, I suspect he was eating the kampua mee (for those who're not from Sarawak, fyi kampua is our local-made noodle) that I had an hour earlier. Baby as 'tam chiak' as his mummy, hiak hiak

Next visit according to gynae would be 2 weeks from now provided if he hasn't come out yet, hmm..I wonder which would come first? Well, let it be natural, meanwhile, take this time to relax and eat and prepare myself mentally, physically, emotionally to welcome our new family member..

Have a nice evening everyone!

Going Home

2008-04-11T15:57:00.002+08:00

TGIF (Today God Is First, Thank God It's Friday :))

I'm getting excited as this is my last day of work before my maternity leave starts next Monday. Yoo hooo...am taking 3 months off to rest and spend quality time with family, esp lil' prince. On the other hand, I'm also praying for smooth check-in for Sun flight at 325pm (anyone who reads this, say a lil prayer for me plss :))

Baby Ethan is still actively on his moves, think he's getting seasoned in there, happily paddling amongst the amniotic fluid. Sometimes I wish that in the midst of my sleep, suddenly I woke up, hearing baby's cries, and I found out that my baby is out! So miraculously easy!! Haha..happy dreaming lar...

Will keep this post short as I'm clearing things up before I chao from office today. Also looking forward to tonight's din with my cell friends, nice of them to spend 'farewell' moments with me before I go. It has been a makan day today, as I went out with my usual makan gang (colleagues) for lunch at Cafe Cartel. Yummy, mummy! Have a great weekend, everybody!!

I'm born today!

2008-04-09T11:01:00.001+08:00

Hello everybody,

I'm born today..into the world of bloggers! Hmm, actually the main reason for my starting up this blog is to prepare for the coming of my lil' prince, baby Ethan. Intend to blog about his journey as a baby, my journey as a mummy, Len's journey as a daddy, and yeah, 3 of us as a family :)

Baby Ethan is due on 8th May, today marks the beginning of his 36th week. Praise God for a smooth pregnancy thus far, baby weighed 2.2kg in week 34, and I'll be going for my next check-up once I get back to Sibu this Sunday.

What is happening in week 36 of the pregnancy :

Mother:
Up to this point your baby has been floating freely. At any time now he will sink down into your pelvis. This is called "lightening" or "dropping". You may hear your care provider refer to it by saying that your baby is now 'engaged.' You may notice yourself when this happens because it will suddenly become much easier for you to breathe.
If your baby has dropped you may find yourself visiting the bathroom as often as every 45 minutes since she is resting right on top of your bladder again.
Some care providers will want to do vaginal exams every week for the last few weeks to keep an eye on the condition of your cervix. She will be checking to see whether the cervix has begun to move forward from a posterior (back) to an anterior (front) position, whether it has begun to efface (grow thinner), or whether it has begun to dilate (open). It is entirely up to you whether or not or how many vaginal checks you want to have. Some women like to have as much information as possible, others like to let things happen more naturally.
Your uterus has grown to 1,000 times its nonpregnant volume.
*I guess my baby's head isn't engaged yet because I still feel his frequent kicks, and sometimes I find it difficult to breathe, especially after climbing stairs/bridge or in crowded areas. Hopefully his head will engage in the next 1-2 weeks.

Baby:
Your baby's little knees and elbows are developing dimples now.
If you are carrying twins you will be interested to know that according to the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC) the average twin birth occurs between 36 and 37 weeks and the babies weigh an average of 5 pounds apiece.
The majority of babies are now in the position, either head down (vertex) or butt down (breech), that they will maintain until birth. Any movements that they make are more likely to be rolls from side to side.
*Baby Ethan's position has been head down since week 32, so there's chance to go for natural birth. PTL! Crossing my fingers now, praying that God will bless me with an easy labour (as natural as it can be)