Major Adjustment!

I think I am suffering withdrawal symptoms from the departure of my dear mom. She was with us for almost 2 months and just left for Singapore last Saturday. I think she pampers me (us) so much la, though she used to ask me to help out with housework here and there when I was younger, nowadays she just does everything for me. I was spoiled with home cooked dinners when I come back from work, the house is cleaned, clothes washed. Everything was done nicely. She is always so cluey with things and so efficient too. I can come home with a whole bag of bottles, containers etc to be washed after Janice's day at child care, and just when I thought mom was busy with cooking dinner, i realise that not only dinner is cooked, pots washed, everything that needs to be washed are washed and sterilised. Food was delicious, I just had to mention what I felt like eating and it will be on the table. She looks after Janice to the details too, so much so, I felt a little overwhelmed.

Now the full load of working, baby caring, housework and ministry is back. Man, by the time i cleaned up and prepared Janice pureed food and did laundry, was already 11. Shan't bore you with details. But last night was like a nightmare of J crying many times and almost unable to be soothed. So now, I feel like a zombie, at work, with her with me.

It's major adjustment for me and oh! I still have to prepare for a little preaching session on Sunday. But His grace and strength is for me, let me learn to claim it and experience it!

I shall stop ranting and continue to work while Janice naps :)

His Faithfulness

It has been a week long thing where Janice is having runny nose, followed by cough, then her 6mth immunisation. Then over the long weekend, she had fever on and off. Needless to say, sleep has been disturbed and it was trying yesterday because she was just so unsettled. It seems that her 3rd tooth is coming out too, and plus yesterday was the first day I was handling her alone since mom left on Saturday after staying her for about 7 weeks (so blessed!) and it was a long weekend so Kel was around. Janice loves people so much, as long as there are people walking around, moving around her, she can happily sit and play on her own, but when it's just me, she really wanted the attention. So yesterday, was filled with crying, stopping, playing, crying, cleaning the little nose, crying and the list goes.

But HE is faithful! Apparantly @ the J4 prayer, they prayed for Janice and Praise God, she slept from 8pm till 6am this morning! Her fever has subsided and for the first time in her little life she slept for 10hrs straight! Ask other mothers and they will tell you how "taboo" it is to comment something good (especially their sleeping) about your kid, because just when you think that things are great, there will be a "pay back" time that night. So I hesitated, BUT decided that His faithfulness is to be proclaimed.

My favourite people

To my favourite people in the world, this very minute marks the our venture into the 7th month as a family of trio. Just something random to say, I love you and I am loving every minute of it. Even if it takes me suffering in the middle of 2 little snorers :)

Janice turns 6 months

Hey little chirpy, you've turned 6 months today.

It's a discipline for me to sit down and journal your little journey. I am so tempted to procrastinate and be either caught up with the housework or something around the house or snuggle into bed in the evening. But I want to really learn to set aside this time, at least once a month to remember and reflect.

As I type this, I congratulated your daddy for 'surviving' 6 months of fatherhood. 6 months is a milestone for you in areas of your growth, but a bigger milestone to us, well at least to me. I still can't believe at times how blessed I am to have you as my daughter. Too blessed.

You constantly amaze me (and daddy too) how good a traveller you are. This month, we took a trip down to Melbourne for a week and you were just such a happy little baby. You love being out, anytime. You smile and chuckle to our conversations and singings. Even in your sleep, you somehow sense it and slept extra well in your pram as we push you around the city. You slept pretty well in your little travel cot at night too as you comically scratch the netting to sleep.

Developmentally, you've learnt to sit up unaided, roll over and 2 little tooth sprouted (I wasn't too impressed though when you bit me real hard when I fed you ... heh). These are among the many other things I have noticed, from your increased vocabulary of baby lingo, to your ability to play and figure how things work. You definitely look like you've enjoyed this month to the max. I'm so proud of you for you have adapted well to Child care, napping long and playing hard. Popo's company made such a difference too and you're always contented when more people are around to shower you love and attention.

It's been a big journey for little you and an enormous journey for me; But one thing I am glad is that God has been walking with us, every bit of it. Some days when you had your eczema flare ups and runny, congesty nose worries me nuts. It was like a possesive nature as a mom to ensure you're always ok in the pink of health. I wanted all these out of you, I was afraid you would develop other things like asthma, I was afraid that you;d end up having sinus like mummy and daddy. Basically every bad thing we had, I wish it will not happen to you, and every ailment we did not have, I found it hard to accept when you showed symptoms of them. I wanted everything perfect till God spoke to me to remind me of our imperfections as excellent opportunities to rely on Him.

Thank you for helping me understand how to live today by enjoying every moment with you and not to be consumed worrying about what is ahead. Watching you grow each day is one of the greatest privillege and I don't want to miss a single moment by allowing imperfections and anxieties to draw my eyes away from this very moment.

Yet, no matter what it is, you're more than enough for me. You're wonderfully and fearfully made and you couldnt have been better. Never let anyone or anything tell you that you are any less.

I love you dearie.

Miss "Oba-San"

Miss "Oba-San"
Originally uploaded by kelvin and chia yen

O...too many kisses

IMG_1423
Originally uploaded by kelvin and chia yen

Sleep, I miss you

I'm in desperate need of some sleep. It's been rough nights with Janice for a few days in a row. Like last night, she woke up almost every 20-30 mins for most parts of the night, it didn't help when I only climbed into bed past 12. But this little cheeky monkey, no matter how rough the night had been wakes up each morning with a huge smile across her face, chuckling and flapping her arms when I bend over to pick her up from the cot. he sure welcomes her day with wide opened arms, something I need to learn from this little one. :)

Janice sits!

Ok, you know that you're a mother when you look at your daughter with great pride and pleasure when she does a new stint. Janice sat unaided as of yesterday and she has been doing her great balancing act as soon as I place her on a sitting position. She uses one arm to balance while using the other to play and bat on her toys, or simply just flap around. I think she adores this view much more.
Oh, you know you're a mother when you get equal excitment when your child poos after being constipated for a day, or she holds up her drinking cup herself and drinks from it. You know, just those simplest daily things. It's such satisfaction just watching her grow.

Lil' Wallaby :)

Here's introducing our lil wallaby - Cabbage patch Janice. OOps pardon the hub's cut off face. I was too busy focusing on getting her smile and reduce the reflection from the box.

One of those things

This is one of those things that requires so much "wisdom" and Self control. Janice takes all her naps in them at Child Care, she loves playing in it, discovering and fiddling with the objects, kicks, roll around. It's tempting to get it for her so that she has something to do and a place she could nap in office when I bring her in twice a week. BUT I need to discipline myself and not spend unnecessarily. I wish a trust fund could be set up for her, or some donations wahaha. Just a thought.