The ONE thing

There's a few things God is challenging me at the moment. In areas of focus, areas of loving people. But the one thing He is challenging me is to be steadfast in Him in and out of season. Meaning whether the circumstances shows to be condusive or not. Not just in my serving, that's just an outward expression where others can see, but within myself, my motivation, my attitudes and my love for Him and His purposes.

As much as in my human ways I desire the rest, the slack, the luxury and comforts I ought to learn to keep my eyes upon the cross and the call He has for me and my family!

Preggie Bonus + Attention

Haha, I've got people standing up giving me seats in the shopping centers. A lady rushing over to me to insist she helps to pull the supermarket trolley out for me to use. She said, too much strength required to seperate out these trolleys, dear! Oh and I've got a lady offering me to jump the Q for the public toilets because she says I need it more :) I walked along the Saturday market stalls and have a few shout out to me Good lucks and all the best, asking me if I was ready to pop. I've got a happy shopper who bought a baby sling and coming up to me telling me to get one of it as its the best thing she has ever found. She even directed me to the stall! Funny!

Random post

Ok this shot was taken about 2 weeks ago, taken @ 33 weeks. Sorry about the lingo pregnant woman speaks in, haha everything is in weeks. Pardon the top I was wearing, I was bursting out of it, but it was way too hot that day.

Things have been great these few days. I was able to focus on God much more and be more effective in the things I am doing. It's wonderful to see the checklist on my outlook decreasing each day, though I seem to be still adding items on the list. I have been starting my days much earlier this week and ending the nights rather late. Though its been tiring, especially towards the end of the night, I tend to get really sore on my back and get really grouchy too. Sorry Kel, it's been the wifey the grouch at night, but those back rubs with baby oil has been fantastic! We have been going for a few sessions breathing class (FOC) and the physio gave really good pointers and techniques for relaxation positions and for husbands to massage their wives. Good stuff![Interestingly, the class has been shrinking and by the time the lass class yesterday, only 3 couples were there and out of that all 3 ladies are Singaporean. We agreed we'll be forming some 'mothers' group thing in future since we're all staying pretty close by]

Mom's help here is just great. Having all my meals and washing and everything taken care is really freeing my brain up. I booked her in for a little pedicure, hopefully she'll enjoy it later :)De-cluttering is almost done. Though there's still some packing I am hoping to do once I start my maternity leave in a few weeks time.

New official author

Helloo everyone! Let me introduce myself, I am the Aunty of the baby who is going to pop out soon! And since Chiayen is going to be in labour soon (about a month time), she would not be able to blog as often, or even at all for that matter. I have been authorised as the official update person so that ALL YOU READERS, can find out the latest happenings!

For example, when her water bag breaks, her first contraction, WHEN THE BABY IS FINALLY HERE, and confirming that it is a girl, her weight, length, and when you guys can come visit the baby! Definitely not forgetting PICTURES! Hmmm...I wonder if I can give that much details...ANYWAY, I will try my best! I don't know about everyone else, but I am sure one excited aunty!

Now...stay tune!

From the Baby Center - Fetal development @ 35 weeks

Your baby now weighs about 5.25 pounds/ 2.4 kilograms (Gosh! I was only 5 pounds when I was born!) and measures approximately 18 inches/ 45 centimetres from head to toe. His elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles. This week, your little one is now sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products. There's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its original size. You've probably put on between 25 and 30 pounds/ 11 and 13.6 kilograms and your weight gain has hit its peak. Even your belly button has got bigger and has popped outward. You may be feeling breathless now that the top of your uterus is up under your ribs. Try getting down on all fours to take deeper breaths. Although the pressure on your bladder will make the bathroom your second home, don't drink any less water -- your baby needs the fluids. But you may like to cut down on diuretic drinks like tea and coffee, which will make you have to urinate even more often.

Decluttering

I am such a organised freak. I love to have everything in an absolutely organised manner. Not just organised, it has to be pretty. I awe in shops like Kikki where I wished I lived and worked in such pretty and organised environment (though everything in there is fakely organised. So idealistic in this realistic world). But I have a confession! I have been procrastinating in my filing for ages. I have piles of "organised" looking paper waiting to go into the place where they should belong. In office and at home. And I am totally struggling! I also have the habit of collecting some junks which I always FEAR I need them someday, so each time I spring clean, I kick myself and feel frustrated at myself. So now I am on this motto, I got to learn to declutter and be consistent at my filing! Yikes!

Spaghetti brain at work

The counter says 34 weeks+, so its just 5 over weeks till the expected due date. I am slowly losing count of the weeks, and sometimes wonder if I was 33 or 35 weeks, somehow, the brain just seems a little muddled. Its either because of a pregnanted brain or I can't count till 40 properly. Many people have commented including my mom that Janice might be out earlier, many whom judged it by the "look" of it, and also past history of how all 3 of us (as in me and my sibs) were all born early. I think I was about 30 over days earlier than expected. So, we shall see, though I can't imagine how labor is going to be like. I just feel super pregnant now, heavy and clumsy :) No braxton hicks, nothing. So, I think I'll just trust Him for His perfect timing and anticipate some surprises round the corner. I am not so good at surprises, as in, if given a choice, I would love to know the exact date, haha that's me. But this is good, somehow teaching me in focusing on Him rather than on the birth itself. Anyway, seems to us that Jan is still having a jolly great time inside, stretching, kicking, jutting up her little bum etc. And oh, something in the Babycenter newsletter amused me, apparently the little one at this point is fully developed in her hearing and responds well to high pitch voices. I wonder why she loves it when her daddy talks to her! :) - I'll leave this for you to guess haha

My mom has been around for the past week. Can't express how good it is to come home to home-cooked food. I even go back home for lunch during my lunch break! I don't have to wake up in the morning thinking what to cook + pack for breakie, snacks and lunch, and what to defrost for dinner. Such a blessing! So this week has been a bliss in this aspect, but somehow I am feeling so "lack" in times of reflection and thinking with God. The preparation towards some changes in ministry, and also trying to tie down as much as I can at work leaves me waking up and going to sleep thinking about them. I really need to hear from Him more and as I worshipped Him yesterday, to appreciate more of His beauty. I can learn all about the breathing and relaxation techniques in birthing but as I was practicing in the class, the Holy spirit spoke that nothing will be better than being able to rest and be assured in His beautiful presence.

Meanwhile (I'll still be working for a couple more weeks) for the next few weeks, I hope to accomplish the following:

• Spend quality time with Jesus
• Finish packing + cleaning Janice's stuffs plus pack my hospital bag (I know I should have done so already)
• Catch up with a few more people from the life group and my sheep
• Spend some quality time with my mom and my dearie husband
• Wrap up things at work (that's a whole list of items on its own!)

I realise I am horrid at titles, also because I am such a woman, spaghetti brained (You know how women are like spaghetti and men like waffles?) So whenever I blog, I end up ranting on and would have multiple topics within a post. Which is also the reason why I blog, because it helps me to see things in a different light. Oh yes, I will try to put up pictures soon. I know some of you from overseas are starting to wonder how I look now :)

..... you see what I mean about multiple topics? oh well.

Thanks for praying!

Thanks for all the phone calls, Emails etc. :) Kel is recovering, no more fever, just coughing and flu. Thank God! He is resting now, using up his last day of MC before returning back to work early in the morning tomorrow to "overcome" (that's the way he puts it) his massive pile of work. He was even strategising how he was going to be doing it.

Update - Please pray!

Wow, I havent seen Kel this sick before. Brought him to the doc's this morning and he's got acute influenza. Pray that he gets well and his fever subsides. It's still hovering above 39 deg.

My Pillar of Strength

Kel is down with a pretty high fever. Poor thing, his usual 'gift' of hitting the pillows and falling asleep almost instantanously didn't seem to be existent when he needed it the most. All I heard and saw was him stirring and groaning every now and then, and each time when I whispered to him, he seems to be awake. Pray that he will get well soon.

What I realised over the past few hours, is how much he has been a pillar of strength to me all these while. So often I wallowed in my difficulties and he has been there to pick me up no matter how tired I know he is. I think this whole pregnancy hasn't been easy for him though I often saw it as me carrying the weight and he as a supporter. Never did I know that I have taken daily blessings for granted so often. Today happened to be a day where my leg kept cramping up and the nerve pains have been acting too. All these while, he will be there to massage and take over all that he can. Ever since the G.D. no matter how awfully bland my cooking tasted, just to suit my diet constraints now, he will insist how good the food tasted and how he is enjoying the healthy lifestyle. Each time my sugar level shoots up, he will be encouraging me that I am doing the right thing, and everyday reminding me to keep persevering. Its only been a few hours since he just practically knocked out, but I stood in the kitchen, cooking dinner, doing up the laundry, trying to prepare for shepherding, I realised how much I missed the support and saw how much I have taken his daily touch for granted!

Hope that he gets better soon, but I am glad he is forced into this opportunity to take the rest he deserves :)

The dad to be ....

Check out what the daddy to be was doing over the weekend :) He can't be more excited than this. This has to be blogged to show the little mok when she grows up.

The start of my week

I am stucked working from home today. After the usual dramatic motion of getting out of bed this morning, my right leg broke into a massive cramp. No one's around as Kel has gone off to work earlier and thus it was just me hobbling and wobbling out of bed. Tried stretching and walking around a little, but still the cramps came each time I rest any weight on it. It is also not funny for a pregnant whale like me to start hopping with one foot. It was quite funny (ok not quite) but I was literally laughing and almost crying each time the cramps came. Tried a hot shower, praying desperately I won't slip and fall, thank God I didn't. But still I wasn't confident to hobble down the stairs and step on the accelerator (on my right foot) to work. So I've asked to work from home today. At least the hilarious movements of hobbling and almost crawling on all fours is kept within the confines of home.

Since I am home working, and with many diet constraints due to G.D., and also needing to top up my iron level, I made myself a healthy lunch, so that's the picture of it ... Pan fried lean steak, cut into strips and tossed with chick peas, baby cos lettuce, grape tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Hard to be really creative at this point, but I am actually really enjoying this lunch (Still munching on it).