The Final Lap

A drawer has been allocated for the newborn's stuff

Now that I'm 33 weeks pregnant, it'll not be long before Jaide would make her grand appearance. All the preparations have been made:

1) Baby clothes, things and beddings have all been washed and neatly kept.
2) The playpen (where she would be sleeping in) has been re-assembled.
3) The old and dusty pram has been scrubbed clean and the paddings washed.
4) The confinement food has been ordered.
5) The hospital bag is packed.
6) The older children are getting used to the idea of a coming addition to the family.

I wait in eager anticipation of my third and final kid to be born, not simply for the sake of the baby, but also for me to get my body back and resume my normal life again. I look forward to being able to have my full functioning capacity to cook, do chores, manage the house, love my husband, take care of my children and go back to my ministry.

I yearn for days when I'm not plagued with constant nausea, frequent fainting, numerous visits to the toilet, breathlessness, heart palpitations, bleeding, inability to sleep well, lack of appetite and energy. I want to throw out (or give away) my well-worn maternity wear and lingerie, and do something about my wardrobe that has not been renewed much for the past 5 years.

Most of all, I would love to thoroughly enjoy my children before they grow up way too fast. After spending half my married life being a mere incubator, I want to be a fully active and vibrant mum to my kids. I feel sorry especially for my eldest who had to endure 18 months of his young life without a normal functioning mother while I bore his 2 sisters. I wish to make up for lost time.

May the Lord grant me a smooth, safe delivery and a healthy easy baby girl after all the hard work that the whole family has put in!

Bear Bear's Birthday

These days, the best and most enjoyable way to celebrate our birthdays is to have a sumptuous meal without the kids. For mine, we had the luxury of savoring mouth-watering crabs and for Joshua's, we went for a steamboat meal when I only needed to concentrate on cooking the ingredients nicely for dear husband while my mum-in-law graciously took over the kids on both occasions. However, we still had a lunch celebration with the whole family on a separate day.

Birthday guy with his mum

Rare chance for a couple shot

Jayna and her grandma were wearing

the same shade of purple: Lilac

Daddy with his children

Family Photo

Everybody!

Children: "Let's help Daddy blow out the candle!"

Feeding the kids his birthday cake. :)

Thank you, bear bear, for sacrificing so much and selflessly giving to the family especially during the three pregnancies. I pray that the children will one day love and respect you for your hard work in helping to bring them into this world safely. May the Lord grant you health and success in all your endeavors!

Rocking Boat

It really helps that Joash and Jayna have only a 3 kg weight difference so that they can play pretty comfortably with this rocking boat. :) The following is just a short clip of them enjoying the toy at our church's toddlers' room. As usual, Joash is the one doing most of the 'work'. Hee...

Accessory Making

It has been many years since I last did any handicraft. I used to habitually do stuff such as cross-stitch, embroidery, making accessories or small craftwork for my friends and family at least once a year but I've not done anything for a long time since having kids. I simply do not have the frame of mind or time to do such things.

Recently, I've been looking for earrings but simply have not found anything I like. After much search, I finally decided that it'll be easier and cheaper if I just make them myself. Here are what I made with materials I bought for $18.

Purple crystal earrings

Yellow cat's eye beads earrings

I had a lot of leftover cat's eye beads so I decided to make a matching bracelet and pendant. Jayna fell in love with them at first sight and asked for one of her own. So I used the rest of the materials to make a necklace and bracelet set suitable for her age.

The matching set for myself

Jayna wearing the set I made for her.

(Notice how pleased she looked!)

A close-up of the bracelet

I realised how much I missed doing such craftwork. I look forward to going back to this long time hobby of mine once the new baby is settled and I can finally close down my "factory". I sure hope that Jaide will be as girlie as Jayna so that I may have the joy of making pretty things for my two darling girls! *dreamy*

Like Father Like Son (Part 2)

Same pose naturally again...

Balancing Beam

Jayna has always been less agile than Joash. I never had to teach my son to cruise, walk, climb or do anything athletic but my girl is another story. Even now, she still trips over herself when walking at home without shoes or obstacles in the way. This means she is far more prone to bruises and scraped knees than her older brother. Poor dear... This balancing beam is just the right equipment to cultivate a better sense of agility. You can compare very clearly the speed in which they go across the beam in the following video. :)

Family Portrait

This is Joash's rendition of our family.

(Can you tell who's who? *grin*)

Helping with shoes

Our little princess loves to ask her darling Gor Gor to help her with things. Thankfully, Joash will mostly oblige. Recently, despite already knowing how to put on and take off her own shoes for the past few months, Jayna will occasionally ask her older brother specifically to help her to do it. This morning, I finally managed to record this loving act down on video. May their loving sibling relationship continue to grow over the years. *grin*