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.

5 Months Old!

Dear Janice,
You're 5 months old today and there hasn't been a single day that I haven't discovered something new about you. You've been growing so much this month that I am excited to be spending my days with you, just to discover more.
You started childcare this month while I started work part time and you've been adapting pretty ok. You enjoy yourself most when the teachers place you in your little gym mat/float at the playground watching the older kids play around you. You still give them a piece of your mind each time you're given milk from a bottle though.
You've also migrated from your little bassinet to your cot (which we had it snugged into our little bedroom so that you could still be near us). You weren't sleeping too well earlier this month and have been complaining and fussing in your bassinet as if telling us that you were running out of space. I took a gamble and shifted the cot in one day and you took to it immediately that night, your arms sprawled out enjoying the space around you. You have been sleeping much better from that day on. I was so afraid that you wouldn't take to the cot because of the many stories I have heard that babies who did not start off with cot will not want to be in one, but I guess I was wrong. Now that you have the space, I wake up in the middle of the night to find that you've wriggled all the way from the bottom end of the cot to the top. You're pretty strong and have been moving on your back so much that I suspect that you might just derive a "on the back move" as a stop gap before you actually learn to crawl so that you can still get to places you want to go. It's scary for me because I have to watch you more and cannot leave you alone unless I strap you down :)
You're still learning to roll and gets very frustrated when you could only make it halfway. Don't worry, you'll get it very soon, with more persistency. Your motor skills have also grown this month and no longer do you just bat on the toys in front of you, you've been reaching and grabbing them, of course everything ends up in your mouth, from toys to blankets to socks. You've been wanting to sit up and it's been a challenge to place you in the car capsule because you'll be wanting to sit up and refusing to lean back for the seat belt.
As I pen down all these, I realised how eventful this month must have been for you. You also started some solids and you absolutely love it. You're pooing less frequently though, so I am praying that this phase will pass by quickly and your little stomach will adapt better. We've been spending more Saturdays outdoor for you as the weather have turned cooler. You just love the wideness and space in the parks, on the grass. We started Sunday School for the afternoon service yesterday and you participated in almost everything, chipping in with your goos and gars, rolling around on the picnic mat when we were outdoors too. Alicia and Elise have been so loving to you, giving you cuddles and kisses and asking for you frequently. You love being with them too, though you can't quite play yet and without supervision, they can try out real weird things on you like pressing toys against your nose etc. The kiss you leaned over for Alicia was just priceless.
You're a pretty independent one and I look at you with pride and joy when you talk to yourself (or the toys) and falls asleep on your own. You could sit in front of the TV and enjoy your "school time" with on your own for up to 45mins sometimes. You laugh and flap your arms whenever I turn it on and how you've grown to be so familiar with it that you would sit quietly for me to strap you onto the rocking chair and I fiddle with the DVD player.
My little one, we're so glad that you love people and adapts well even when we take you around for night prayers and life group and sometimes the entire day at Church. Thank you for adoring our company and showering us with your chuckles and smiles. You laugh easily even when popo merely calls out your name.
I love you my dear, your little fingers that touches and grab me all the time. I look forward to our family time on Saturdays and just the moments of conversing with you.
I pray each day you'll know His presence more and I could see God's amazing hands on you each and everyday. He soothes you when we can't and He provides His comfort and peace for you through the night.

I never knew I could love, but now I know and I thank you and your daddy for teaching me how.
Love, Mummy.

My Laptop Crashed!

My laptop crashed on Day 2 of my work. It hung, turned it off, and when I turned it on again, it was a blue screen with an error message. I can't start up windows and after some testing, I think it's a hard disk failure. Sad Case. Someone from Dell will be coming to give me a replacement hard disk since it's under warranty, and I am praying so hard that I can retrieve my files. I am really nervous thinking of those documents that I have spent ages to prepare, massive emails I have saved in outlook and of course those precious photos and videos taken. I am trying hard not to get into a panic mode now. Sob.

Back @ Work

I can't believe I am sitting at my desk in the office right now. After 5 over months, same desk, same cold gusty wind from the air con blowing straight over my head (often giving me a headache), datelines, emails ... It seems so normal though I think I need a couple of days to settle in and get back to the grooves. Still figuring out priorities of the tasks ahead and get organised a little. Everything seems pretty much familiar otherwise, oh except for a an added new task in between jobs - Milk Express! I tried to pack Janice's child care bag, and my work bag last night. So many things to pack, from change of clothes for her to bottles, and for me milk pump, extra bottles, ice packs etc etc. on top of the usual lap top and all. It was a feat just getting out of the house this morning "sweat free" and alive!

Janice is getting used to the Child care a lot more, drinks and naps better. But she seems to start recognising, though I initially thought she was too young to really know. But she cried this morning when I handed her to the teacher, and when I went back to peep through the window after 15 mins, she saw me and let out her cute little chuckle. Twice! I think I almost left my heart at the child care centre.