Mini push-ups

He is getting really good at this!!! I'm so proud of Joash... *grin*

Arranged Marriage???

We have a pair of fellow married-couple friends who have a baby girl just 11 days younger than our son. As it is, we were all from NUS campus ministry, are now living in the same area and are even in the same church partnership! One of my church-mate actually tried to match-make our son and their daughter during the Christmas fellowship... ha ha ha... Aiyah, this kind of thing... it's up to God and them. Who are we to play the match-maker?

Joash's Full Month Celebration

We have finally received the photos of Joash's full month celebration which was on the 8th of December! We thank God for those of you who chose to grace the occasion with your presence. Here are some of the photos.

My brother... heh heh

My sister-in-law... Thank you for helping us out all the time!

My Mum and my Aunt (They are twins, you know?)

My beloved extended family

The GBS gang... Thank you for your presence and generous presents!

Me singing 耶和华祝福满满 while nursing Joash!

Here's the lyrics for the song:

田中的白鹭鸶无欠缺什么，
山顶的百合花春天现香味，
总是全能的上帝每日赏赐真福气，
使地上发芽节食显出爱疼的根据。

耶和华祝福满满，
亲像海边土沙，
恩典慈爱直到万世代，
我要举手敬拜他。
出欢喜的歌声，
赞美称颂他名永不息。

(The English translation)

Those white birds in the fields have no lack indeed
White lilies in the hills gives off fragrance in spring
Such a blessing for the almighty God to provide daily
Causing the ground to bear fruit shows the basis of His love

Jehovah’s blessings overflow
Just like sand by the sea
His great mercy and love for eternity
I will lift my voice in praise
Burst forth with a joyful song
I will worship my God forever more

Getting the Toy

Watching Joash try really long and hard to get the toy reminds me of the value of not giving up achieving worthy goals. (He took 8 min to accomplish what you see in the video. I edited out most of it or else you'll be bored before you finish the clip!) Through it all, even if we do not ultimately get what we want, we are strengthened in the process, just as Joash's arm muscles were exercised and made stronger though he did not grasp the toy in his hands in the end. It prepares us for even greater things in the future. This reminds me of these portions of scripture:

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

As Christians, we should not give up on our spiritual journey and responsibilities. Even more so since we know that our reward is guaranteed. Neither should we give up on reaching out to our non-believing friends as we know the dire consequences of not knowing Jesus. I must admit that when I see my family and friends who are so closed to the gospel, I am heart-broken and feel like giving up even talking about God to them. However, God never fails to call me to pray for their salvation and await the day they open their hearts to the wondrous joy of being with God. I am still praying...

Yeah! Mummy is here!

Joash has begun recognizing me and smiling at me when he sees me or when I play with him! Praise God! You won't believe when the first time it happened...

It was in the middle of the night and Joshua was changing his diapers. I entered the room to check on them when Joash grinned excitedly at me! Yah, I know... I'm not supposed to respond to him during the night especially since he already has day and night mixed up but well... Let's face it. I simply couldn't resist smiling back and then looking at my husband with an incredulous widening of my eyes to exclaim, "Bear bear, Joash just smiled at me!"

The above is a picture of him smiling when I was playing with him. And who says boys can't wear pink? *wink*

日夜颠倒

If you're not fluent in Mandarin, you probably don't know what the title means. It means reversing day and night... And to our horror, that's exactly what Joash is doing despite our valiant efforts!!! Sigh... He will be very sleepy and lethargic in the day but come nightfall... *owls tooting* Joash's eyes will brighten and look for people to play with! Joshua and I try really hard not to respond to him at night and I do my level best to engage him during the day but... Arrgghhh.... he is all the more excited when Grandma and Grandpa comes over at night cos he has someone to play with! *faint*

Here's a video clip of an attempt to amuse him and prevent him from sleeping right after his feed. Wake up, buddy! It's day time already! You can guess what his reaction was...

Kodak Moments

This is one of Joash's cutest gesture: Putting his fists against his cheeks when he is very engrossed in drinking formula from the bottle. Note the ultra intense look on his face. *grin*

Guess what is Joash's favourite burping cum starting-to-fall-asleep position? Remember Tare Panda? Bingo! Lying on Daddy or Mummy's chest and later on stomach! (That's when he starts to slip lower and lower as he falls asleep and his limbs become limp)

God is so good!

These two days alone at home with Joash have been better than I expected. God has seen me through cooking meals, doing housework and taking care of Joash despite my bad sore throat which makes me rather lethargic. My medication makes me all the more exhausted.

Joash has also been down with his very first flu. I brought him to the doctor but he told me that there is nothing to be done if he is still drinking milk and sleeping well. Yet, it breaks my heart when I hear him struggle to get rid of the phlegm or mucous that is stuck inside. Every breath seems laborious to him. Thank God that he is slightly better now and is able to breath less noisily unless he is hyper-ventilating due to the exertion of squirming around. May God heal both of us completely soon...

Joshua had been such dear to me. Knowing that it is really taxing for me to be on alert the whole day, he agreed to take over all of baby's care so that I can rest and recuperate at night. All I need to worry about is to breastfeed him then. I really hope that I can get used to the daily routine and recover from my illness so that he doesn't have to take the whole night shift and I can manage part of the night by myself. It must be so tiring for him! God is so good to give me such a wonderful husband!

Butterflies in my stomach

Tomorrow is my confinement lady's last day with me. After which, I will have to be alone at home with the baby plus manage the household chores and the cooking. I've always enjoyed the latter but seeing how my baby fusses despite all efforts to pacify him makes me nervous about being alone with him. Will I be able to cope? Will I chicken out of being a full-time homemaker? Will I keep my sanity? What if I forget to switch off the stove and burn down the house or worse, accidentally harm my baby? Will I lose my temper at him? I have seen some of my friends do the stay-home mum thingy successfully but aren't I less capable than them? All such thoughts rage through my mind. Dear God, help!

I have to keep reminding myself that God is with me and He will empower me to do the impossible. It is now my ministry to bring up Joash and manage the house well. This is what God has called me to and it is also what I've always dreamed of doing. I look forward to this testing of myself and see how I fare making this dream a reality. Please pray for me. Thank you so much! :)

Random Photos

Hey! Stop flashing lights at me, will ya?

*Yawn* I'm tired but I still dun wanna sleep...

Chipmunk look-alike

Ahhh... So comfy in Daddy's arms...

Milk, milk, I love milk!

Keep quiet! You all are too noisy!

What a bundle of joy!

Difficult as it may be, there are so many moments when my husband and I simply burst out laughing at the adorable antics and funny expressions that our precious son makes, even when it is in the middle of the night. He is just soooo cute!!!

Whenever he is hungry, he will lunge towards my breasts and will keep looking for the nipple frantically and turn his face left and right in quick, rapid successions even though I've already brought the nipple right in front of his mouth. He will hyperventilate out of sheer excitement at the prospect of milk. Once he latches on, he has this "Nobody is taking my milk from me" look.

If we don't get him his milk quick enough, he has come to make do with anything near him. Apart from his mittens, he had tried "eating" the tissue we placed under his chin, sucking at the wrong part of my breast, mouthing my husband's biceps and even latching onto my husband's nipple!

When he is trying to poo, he will pout his lips, widen his large beautiful eyes with intensity and make funny sounds. He reminds me of the baby octopus in Men In Black... that is if anyone remembers it.

Joshua and I went to watch "The Enchanted" one of the Saturdays. (We left Joash with my mother-in-law during the couple of hours we had our hot movie date. Thank God for her willingness to let us have some couple time!) When the chipmunk appeared, I asked Joshua, "Don't you think the chipmunk reminds you of Joash?" Joshua grinned and replied, "I was just thinking about that!"

What a cute lovely baby we have!

Our very first Christmas tree...

Yesterday, after our gynae appointment, we went to Concourse to get our very first family Christmas tree. It was really fun shopping with Joshua and Joash (thank God he was asleep in the sling most of the time) for the most suitable tree and the various ornaments that will match well with our home.

Christmas had never been a family thing for both Joshua and I and I've always wanted my first family Christmas with my husband (and of course son) to be special. Before I was a Christian, Christmas was a dreaded time for me as it meant loneliness and bitterness amidst the festive season which made it all the more ironic. I had no friends to go out with... no one to watch the Christmas lights with. I remember writing about my Christmas experience for my secondary school Chinese composition. My essay was pinned on the classroom wall but my teacher told me that she'll not put in the school magazine even though it was well written cos it was simply too sad a picture depicted of Christmas.

Over the years, as I tasted the goodness of my Lord Jesus, Christmas has wondrously changed for me. I've been blessed with wonderful memories of sharing the good news since I've known Him. Some years, I was away on mission trips to other countries to share the gospel during the holidays. (even experienced a white Christmas before!) Other years saw me caroling with various groups of Christian people. It has been really fun and meaningful. Now, when I see the Christmas lights and decorations being put up in the malls and streets, I get so excited and happy!!!

The symbolism of Christianity in the Christmas tree becomes more and more apparent to me. The evergreen nature of the Christmas tree now reminds me of the everlasting life we have in Jesus. The star that is placed at the top of the tree beckons us to Jesus just as the star in Bethlehem which called the wise men and shepherds to worship the newborn King 2007 years ago. It is also sobering to be reminded that Jesus' birth foreshadowed his own death on the 'tree' (another word for the cross) so that we might be with God.

I'm looking forward to the years to come when Joash is grown so that I can explain and share the goodness of Christmas with him...

Happy Family Portrait

We have been hoping to take some nice family photo but we are either too busy that we forget the camera or forget to take the picture or can't find anyone to help us take the photo or not dressed well enough for it cos we are at home or Joash is not in a good mood or Joash is sleeping or nursing or pooping.... etc (You get my drift.)

It is also hard to get Joash to smile as he only smiles for a split second after he has taken a full meal. He frowns most of the time and I wonder who he got that from... Anyway, we finally did get some taken, albeit in a hurry. Hope that we can get better photos taken in the future. *grin*

Projectile Motion

Changing Joash's diapers has become a high level commando mission. We must always be ultra quick and alert for any liquid or semi-solid projectiles detonating at us. Joash's digestive efforts for the previous few hours would be splashed mercilessly at any unsuspecting diaper-changer if he was not careful.

A couple of days ago, Joash had spurted his stools on my arm and Joshua's chest on two separate occasions within the same day! We were just thinking that maybe my confinement lady is more experienced and thus has some trick to avoiding his projectiles when her hand also got sprayed full with yellow stools! (Oops!) Looks like Joash doesn't play favorites, huh? This is LITERALLY KNS. (Kena Sai!) See the look on Joshua's face... and see the t-shirt, right smack in the middle... priceless... :P

Musings

Romans 3:23
"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."

Joash decided to up our challenge as his parents at 3 weeks old. These days, he refuses to go to sleep unless he is being carried or nursed. We have done everything that could make him comfortable: changed his diapers, rubbed some Chinese medicinal oil on his tummy to ease gas pains, fed him well with breast-milk and formula, nursed him to sleep, rocked him to sleep, put him on our bed etc... He will simply wake up 5 minutes later crying to be carried or soothed whenever we put him down. This happens throughout the day. We hardly get any rest and neither does he, which is worrying.

Amidst the hardship, I began to be reminded of the fallen nature of mankind. We are all born without any regards for God or others. We are simply self-centered and whether intentionally or unintentionally, we bring harm to others and ourselves. We cause the very people taking care of us grief and severe sleep deprivation.

Something else that Joash does regularly makes me all the more convinced about the very nature of our sinfulness. He would be crying for milk and would try to meet his own need for food by his own efforts such as squirming which makes it difficult to carry him and sucking his mittens, effectively blocking his mouth when I try to feed him. What's more, he would be so frantic that he would use his arms to push against my chest when I try to nurse him, sabotaging the process of bringing his mouth to the very source of food.

That is simply the exact way we act in our relationship with God. We try so hard to meet our own needs for love and security when God designed us to be dependent upon Him and He has promised to provide for us abundantly. More often than not, our methods end up bringing us further from true fulfillment and eventually cause harm to ourselves. It is only when we surrender to the sovereignty of God that we can truly be satisfied.

God has already provided a perfect way to cleanse our sinfulness and return to His holy presence through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why are we still running away?