My Story, His Grace

Jaide's Babbling

2012-02-01T00:45:00.004+08:00

Although not as talkative as her older siblings, Jaide has started babbling too. Click HERE to see Jayna's and Joash's babbling at around the same age. :)

Lot One

2012-01-28T22:00:00.009+08:00

Because Joshua had to catch up on his marking, I decided to take the kids out to give him an uninterrupted and undisturbed afternoon. I took the kids to Lot One since the mall has a nice playground at the rooftop, many kiddy rides, a great nursing room at the basement, a National Library and a Kiddy Palace for the kids.

I'm so glad I managed to coax Joash and Jayna to enjoy some waterplay at the rooftop. All this time, they seemed afraid of the water or they were simply unwilling to get wet. In fact, they were at first complaining about the water splashing onto their clothes and I had to repeatedly tell them that it was okay since I brought along a change of clothes for them. I even had to run around splashing water at them with Jaide in the sling to tease them into having fun. Thankfully I was wearing shorts so I could afford to let my legs become wet and Jaide could sleep in the pram for the second half of the playtime.

All in all, I had a wonderful time out with the kids. The only difficult part was that since Jayna is now officially diaperless in the day (she is completely toilet-trained earlier than Joash by 3 months), the two older ones kept taking turns to go to the toilet. Somehow, their nature's call are never synchronized! I had to interrupt Jaide's nursing time with 5 separate trips to the toilet! At least the washroom was right next to the nursing room. *grin*

Joash was "washing" the fallen leaf
(Note Jaide peacefully sleeping
in the pram in the background)

Jayna: "Look how wet I am!"

Joash: "Ahhh... So much water!"

Joash: "Come, let me help you pass
through the water streams..."

At one of the kiddy rides

Unless she's hungry, Jaide is always happy
in the pram watching everything that goes on
around her.
(Praise God that her personality is more like Joash's!)

Falling Asleep

2012-01-28T21:59:00.002+08:00

Joash has not needed to nap in the day for nearly half a year now. And because Jayna always wants to follow her brother or play with him, she simply refuses to nap even when she needs it. Thus, having her fall asleep while eating or playing is a common sight. Here's a video clip to show you what I mean:

Getting Obvious

2012-01-22T23:21:00.005+08:00

JOASH...................JAIDE.....................JAYNA
(It's getting obvious who Jaide looks like...)

Reunion Dinner

2012-01-22T22:39:00.004+08:00

This year's reunion dinner is different since my father-in-law is not well enough to travel much. In the past, we would travel to a restaurant to meet up with the rest of the extended family and chat till late at night. This time, we basically had a simple meal at my in-law's place. We're wearing red again since we are on a tighter budget. Perhaps next year we'll see if we can afford to get a different color for everyone? For now, Jaide really looks adorable wearing Jayna's hand-me-down CNY rompers. *grin*

Jaide: "Ain't I cute?"

Jaide: "I'm happy to see you too!"

Jaide: "Why are you still looking at me?"

The three kids get along really well and

they enjoy taking pictures with one another.

Do Re Me!!!

Say cheese!

The older ones look like they're playing poker
but they're actually only holding onto name cards
and exchanging them with each other.

Me and my girls
(A pity that Jaide was sleeping in the sling)

The 鱼生 for the reunion dinner

The humble spread
(Thank you mum, for cooking some of the dishes!)

Eye-Hand Coordination

2012-01-17T22:30:00.002+08:00

Jaide has begun to bat at toys!
(Here's a video for your enjoyment. Hee...)

5th Wedding Anniversary

2012-01-14T21:15:00.007+08:00

A family of five in 5 years... What a great blessing from God! Marriage and parenthood have a way of maturing people and Joshua & I are no exceptions. God has graciously molded us towards Christlikeness through all that we've been through (esp during the hellish pregnancies) and we emerged miraculously from the challenges more in love with each other. I constantly thank God for our 3 children and I have a great sense of completion despite not intending to conceive the 4th child. Unless we have the financial capacity to adopt as a form of ministry or get pregnant through divine intervention, this will be the family to love, cherish and nurture for many years to come.

Last year, Joshua promised me that we'll have a professional photo shoot for us and the kids to make up for the absence of one for our wedding 5 years ago. However, with my father-in-law ill, it would be prudent to avoid such luxury and save up the money in case of emergency. Yet, I don't feel disappointed as God has provided free printing of 8R photos, lovely $2 photo frames from Diaso and a good friend who is into photography to take a decent family photo for us. There was no beautiful gowns and nice hairdo or make-up but I'm happy enough.

Blessed family

Our quiver of arrows :P Haha...

We loved the restaurant Kuriya at Great World City. Thus, we employed a baby-sitter to help my mum-in-law with the 3 kids and headed down for a nice lunch there as a couple.

While waiting for the cab...

In the cab

At the restaurant

Some of the food we ate

After the meal

Before we left

Although the food was still nice, they had a change in the menu and tried too hard to cater to the local taste that the food somehow lost their authentic Japanese flavor. Seems like this will be the last time we're patronizing Kuriya.

Dance Funk

2012-01-14T06:23:00.002+08:00

I seriously should consider sending Joash for dance lessons... Anyone knows where to find toddler classes for modern dance? Hee hee...

Check out his moves!

Feeding Gor Gor

2012-01-14T06:05:00.004+08:00

I'm so glad I can see some form of maturing in Jayna. While in the past, she was fed by her brother (click here to watch), now she is able and willing to return the favor. I'm so proud of her!

你一口，我一口。。。

Homeschooling

2012-01-14T05:22:00.004+08:00

One of the activities for the bible study

on Psalm 139:14b

I've finally embarked upon the journey of doing partial homeschooling: the kids go to school in the morning for English and Maths lessons and come home to be taught Chinese and have bible-study with me.

In one and a half weeks, Joash had learnt 20 Chinese characters, albeit some of the words were taught at school before. I was actually surprised that Jayna could recognise nearly half of the words too! (I'm pretty sure she was not taught to read at playgroup) As for bible study, Joash was more interested in the activities and understood better the principle behind the verses while Jayna could memorise the verse better. In fact, I heard her reciting Genesis 1:1 while she was playing with her toys. I must say I was rather impressed. That said, I'm not sure if she really knows what she was saying and you can never know how much Joash actually remembers as he always has this habit of demonstrating what he learnt only when he feels like it.

The start had been tough as they had to get used to a new routine. Jayna throws a lot of tantrums and I have to nurse Jaide while I'm teaching the older children with Jayna sitting on my lap at the same time! Joash needs a lot of coaxing for the writing practice of the Chinese characters and he likes to play a fool for this segment e.g. he would purposely write the word crookedly and he puts a cross on it; while the ones he wrote properly, he would put a tick beside it as if he were a teacher marking his work. It has been difficult getting Jayna to learn her material as she is constantly distracted by the stationary such as the pencil, crayons, eraser etc...

However, I cannot describe the sense of accomplishment I feel when see how much they enjoy it and how quickly they learn. God has been so gracious to me! I hope that as time goes by, Joash will eventually learn to read and perhaps write Chinese. He had been unwilling to speak the language and could hardly recognise any words that had been taught in school previously. Also, I pray that as we continue with the bible studies, the children will know God more and more. Perhaps one day, by the His merciful grace, we'll reap the harvest when they truly put their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. *wistful*

Bane or Blessing?

2012-01-05T21:14:00.003+08:00

Everyone who has met Jayna will always comment to me about how beautiful she is. Unfortunately, her face is beautiful... but her heart is not.

It is indeed normal for toddlers to throw tantrums. Even a good-natured boy like Joash kicks a big fuss on average about once a day. There are also times when he pushes our limits. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for him to resume his cheerful personality. But to constantly whine and fuss and have 4 or 5 melt-downs per hour? It is ridiculously tiring.

Now that I have 3 children, it has become even more stark how difficult she is. 80% of my time and attention are spent on her. She is often extremely disruptive to the daily routine. In fact, when she's not around (a few times when Joshua took care of her or when she naps) I enjoy my time tremendously with Joash and Jaide. I find myself able to relax without having to hear her persistent deafening siren. She loathe to let me have a moment of peace since whenever I pause for a rest, she'll have new demands for me. More often than not, she doesn't know what she wants as she keeps changing her mind, toying with me as one would a monkey. Furthermore, no matter how much I teach her to be polite in her requests, her tone is terribly rude when she insists on her way. Despite being 2 and a half years of age, she is still as sticky to me as when she was a baby.

It is very easy to resent Jayna for making my life so difficult. It is natural to treat her more harshly and give her less love than the other two children. Yet, I know that this is not what God would have me do. I can either treat her as a curse in my life or understand that God has given her to me to mold my character and refine me by burning away my impurities in the crucible of testing.

With the help of the Holy Spirit's empowerment, I choose, moment by moment, to forgive her never-ending transgressions. I must, as an act of the will, discipline her with love and patience. Even when I don't feel like it, I strive to speak gently and smile when she hurt me. I apologize and seek her forgiveness during times when I do fail and lose my temper despite feeling that I have the right not to treat her kindly after being driven up the wall by her selfishness and willfulness.

Because of her, I have grown in many ways. Because she tests my patience so much, nothing much else can faze me. As I watch her ungratefulness to me after all I've done for her, I am forced to come to terms with my own ingratitude towards God and learn to be thankful for small mercies.

With regards to being thankful, I discipline myself to look at the few areas she actually has grown in. She is now a little more able to listen to reason than a year ago. Thanks to Joash being such a good brother by doing things for her, guiding her towards obedience, playing with her and keeping her entertained as much as he could, she is becoming more happily independent and can allow me out of her sight for a longer period of time than in the past. Very very slowly but surely, she is better at eating without creating a horrendous mess, understanding just that little bit more regarding hygiene and is on the way to being completely toilet trained. She can empathise with others slightly better than before and is able to delay gratification on rare occasions. As much as she is still fickle-minded, emotionally insecure and extremely difficult to please, we have also all gotten used to her idiosyncrasies and can better cope with her temperamental character.

As God is my witness, I've done my level best to love her regardless of my distinct dislike for her needy personality. I can only pray that in God's perfect timing, she will be as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Romans 5:3-5
...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Jaide and Godma

2012-01-03T23:02:00.002+08:00

Jaide got to meet her Godma for the first time!

*Kiss*

Jaide: "Hi there!"

Aww.... So Sweet...

Joash At Play

2012-01-03T22:40:00.003+08:00

I'm constantly amazed at the things Joash comes up with on his own when he is at play. The above picture is of the train city he assembled with the available assorted toys. I think it was inspired by the displays he saw at a toy shop. It looks pretty cool, don't you think?

Joash: "Hmm... where shall I place this train?"

The center piece: Thomas the Train!

A different angle to his creation

Below is a short clip of Joash using Jayna's
toy handphone to "take pictures" of his toy vehicles.

SingKids

2011-12-28T22:51:00.005+08:00

After reading about it from a friend's blog post, I decided to bring the kids to try out a new indoor playground called SingKids at Vivocity. It was pretty small but very comfortable as everything was padded. And I do mean EVERYTHING... even the floor and the seats! The children's favorite part of the place was the balloon room with humongous balloons. In fact, Joash asked to go back to the playground with BIG balloons during bath-time. It was big enough even for adults to go in and play with the kids.

Ready for a volleyball spike!

Are you taking my picture? Hee...

A video of the kids in the balloon room

Together with the teddy bears

On the bouncy slide

Oh-Ee-Oh-Eh-Ohh.... I'm Tarzan!

Joash and Jayna have their own preferences:

Joash liked the big squishy bear...
...and the ship.
While Jayna enjoyed gentler play...
Wow! I can touch the ceiling!

Resting at the slow-moving cuddly frog

Nandos

2011-12-26T20:04:00.007+08:00

Yesterday, we finally had the chance to re-visit the restaurant Nandos! It is a memorable dining place for both Joshua and I since we discovered it while on our honeymoon at Gold Coast and then visited it again when we went to Melbourne for my best friend's wedding. Both of us simply love the peri-peri sauce. Yumz! However, it wasn't available in Singapore in the past. So when we stumbled upon one during our shopping trip, we were really pleasantly surprised. Coincidentally, we were all wearing the Australian t-shirts! LOL

This was the first Nandos restaurant we stepped
into back when we just got married in Jan 2007. :)

This was the reprise in Sep 2008 with one addition.
(We were too busy with Joash crawling happily along the
super long high table to take a family picture!)

Some pictures of the Plaza Singapura branch in Singapore.

Joash: "This is nice, Mummy!"

Jayna: "Ehh... I think it's just alright for me."

And so here we are in Dec 2011, with yet another 2 additions!
(Jaide was peacefully sleeping in the pram so
we decided not to wake her up to take pictures.)

Strong Neck

2011-12-26T19:50:00.005+08:00

Can you tell who's who?

Like her older brother, Jaide has a very strong neck. She too can lift up her head while being placed on her tummy and hold her head steady while in the air at one month old! I watched an old video of Jayna's tummy time and all I saw was her squirming around and making unhappy sounds. :P

On the other hand, like her older sister, Jaide has a disproportionately big head with regards to the rest of her body. This makes her look like a doll. Seems like Jayna's old clothes with broad necklines or with buttons to open up the neckline would be most suitable for her too. Hee...

大头，大头，
下雨不愁。
人有雨伞，
我有大头！
Jaide: "Hello!"

Blessed Full Month

2011-12-17T22:13:00.006+08:00

On November 17, a lovely princess entered our lives and brought us all great joy. Yes, Jaide is one month old today! As with her older sister 2 years ago, we are celebrating it with cakes and vouchers for our friends and family. Thanks to my sister-in-law (with her fiance), my father-in-law and my dad, we only needed to make one trip to my parents' place to pass my mum the boxes of cakes for her side of the relatives while my in-laws came to our place to pick up the boxes and helped us deliver them to the respective relatives. I'm so grateful for their help!

Here are some photos of the day's activities:

Some sister-bonding in the morning
(Still in their PJs)

Jayna: "I love my 小妹!!!"

Jaide, all dressed up for the occasion

Her cute booties

The siblings

I really like the design and packages available at Sweetest Moments. I find them very modern and stylish. Made me wish that we'd discovered them earlier so that we could have ordered from them for the older kids during their first months. :)

The traditional package
(Cover of the box)

The traditional package
(What's inside)

10 cupcakes set
(Cover of the box)

10 cupcakes set
(What's inside)

5 cupcakes set
(Cover of the box)

5 cupcakes set
(What's inside)

Trademark Dance

2011-12-11T23:23:00.003+08:00

Here's a clip of what my sis-in-law calls "不倒翁".
It's Jayna's own unique way of displaying happiness.

Her First Smile

2011-12-08T13:05:00.003+08:00

Jaide can now make more types of expressions. The best of all, she smiles when she sees me! She may not be able to see me very clearly but her eyes will follow me when I move. So adorable....

Sticking out her tongue

The Return of the Pram

2011-12-06T21:41:00.004+08:00

The trusty old 3rd-handed Aprica pram we got from a friend had served us very well since Joash's days. However, it has been quite a while since we've last used it. From the time that Jayna had learnt how to walk steadily, we'd placed it in "cold storage". Now, with the arrival of Jaide, the pram has emerged once again!

A brand new pram garage!
(I just constructed it this afternoon.)

How it looks with the pram.
(Stylo, milo, right? hee...)

Jaide's first experience in the pram

She looks as if she's poised for a boxing match

Sound asleep within the comfort of the pram
Zzzz....

Updates

2011-12-02T10:33:00.003+08:00

Praise be to the Lord! Jaide did not need to be hospitalized after all. Thank you for praying with us. *beam* Although the jaundice level is still a little high, it is finally on the decline. I'll just have to continue bringing her down for checks till she's out of the woods.

Jaide is now going into the third week of her life and is most likely on a growth spurt since she's now feeding every 2 hourly. It's pretty tiring, especially at night. When my milk is not enough to satiate her appetite, she has taken to biting me. *ouch* That reminds me of Joash when he was a newborn... (Click here for an old post about it) So I've taken to supplementing once again. Might as well. So many people have told me that formula will help to bring down the jaundice level.

Now, Jaide is able to sustain at least 15 min of staying awake after her milk before she needs to take a nap. Thus, I brought out the mobile that had served me well for Joash and Jayna in the past. She seems to like it. :)

Gazing at the blue bird as it passed by

Perhaps she knows she has to put on more weight since she is very small and skinny at the moment, Jaide gets really impatient when we have to change her diapers before or in the middle of a feeding. She'll scream her lungs out the whole time. Power...

Jaide: "Mummy, I'm still hungry.
Let me try my mittens..."

Jaide: "It didn't work.
I'm still hungry! Where's my milk!!!"

The First Week

2011-11-23T17:12:00.005+08:00

Fighting the jaundice battle is really no joke. We escaped having to stay in the hospital for longer than 3 days (We had to stay for 5 days for the previous 2 babies) but because Jaide's jaundice level is still climbing, I have to work extra hard to help her fight against it. Since my milk supply is not enough to do the job, I'm supplementing with formula and pumping regularly to increase my production. This means a lot of washing and sterilising.

Also, I have been sunning her as much as the weather permits as our home version of phototherapy. Due to the constant changing position and intensity of the sun, I keep having to adjusting the bouncer in which Jaide is in so that she will not get the direct sunlight and yet is not too much in the shade.

As of now, we've brought her to the polyclinic to check her condition twice and she is on the verge of being sent to the hospital again. If it goes beyond the permitted levels tomorrow, she'll have to be hospitalised. My worry is that without her latching on, my milk supply will decrease and it'll make it even harder to maintain total breastfeeding. All I can do is to continue the hard work and leave the results to God. I'm sure He'll know what's best for Jaide and our family.

Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose."

Despite all that, there are many things to be thankful for:

1) Despite not having a confinement lady, Joshua and I are coping pretty well with the kids.
2) Without any interference from others, we're able to continue with our own family routine and the older children have minimal adjustments to make.
3) The older children are taking to the new addition very well and are even affectionate towards her.
4) I am able to start sleep training straightaway for Jaide and she has been able to respond to it with much less crying than the first two.
5) My body is recuperating faster than before.

To God be the glory!

Jaide during her awake moments

Sleeping while being "sun-tanned"

Lovely flower arrangement from church

Cute booties card from the children's Godma
(And yes, the card arrived at the right time! *grin*)

初次见面

2011-11-19T18:23:00.005+08:00

Today being a Saturday, Joash and Jayna have a chance to meet their little sister at last. When they arrived, Jaide was still undergoing phototherapy for jaundice so they showered their attention on me who has been absent for 2 nights in a row. After playing together, pretending to be different types of animals, Joash suddenly remembered and asked, "Where's 小妹?"

It just happened to be the time when Jaide was due to be back in the room so, hand-in-hand, we walked to the nursery to pick her up. Their first encounter was so filled with delight! The both of them kept reaching out to stroke the little newborn and Jaide seemed to enjoy all the attention she was getting. In fact, Joash asked me to bring her out of her little cot and put her on the bed so that they could be nearer to her. I'm so thankful to God that they are getting off to a good start. I pray that they will continue to develop their sibling love for one another. :)

Eager to show little sister their affections

How about being even more
'up close and personal'?

The first time as a family of five *beam*

Jaide with her paternal grandma

Spot the differences!

2011-11-18T15:06:00.002+08:00

Joash................... Jayna...................... Jaide

Jaide's Maiden Entrance!

2011-11-17T23:13:00.008+08:00

Tada! Here she is!

Our dear little princess sure took her own sweet time to come out. But when she did finally decide to make her appearance, she came out fast and furious!

0600 hours

I felt the sudden urge to clear my bowels and did so after much difficulty. The pain was very similar to labor contractions but after having multiple false alarms previously, I decided not to alert Joshua till I was certain. However, after going to the toilet for the third time, the pain did not go away and intensified instead. That was when I realised that this could be the real thing.

0700 hours

I told Joshua that I was possibly in labor. The kids were already awake by then and both of them, especially Joash, were really weepy and fussy. I think they must have sensed that something was different about today. They were particularly clingy to me and kept asking me to do things for them. Imagine having to dress 2 toddlers for school while having contractions less than 5 min apart! I tried my best not to distress them further and brought them to school as they requested. The teachers were pretty taken aback that I was actually already in labor. The children kept sticking to me and by the time I could leave, I was no longer able to move whenever the contractions hit me. They were getting to be 3 min apart!

0930 hours

We arrive at the hospital but despite the intense pain and high frequency of the contractions, I was barely 1 cm dilated. Thankfully, because they knew that this was my third kid, they took me seriously when I told them I was really in pain. They straight away put me on antibiotics for the GBS infection and asked the anesthetician to prepare for my requested epidural.

1100 hours

By the time I was injected with the epidural, I was halfway done at 5cm dilation. The pain was already so great that the medication merely took the edge off the pain. I could still feel everything. Sigh... I struggled through the insertion of the catheter and constant barrage of the contractions. I hardly had anytime to breathe.

1200 hours

Although the gynea said that I had to wait for the full 4 hours of antibiotics before she'll burst my water bag, I was already feeling the urge to push. I kept telling them, "I need to push, I really do!" but the nurses encouraged me to hold it off till 2pm. The irony was not lost on me. I was actually having to fight against the natural flow of things! But for the sake of the baby not getting infected, I moaned with all my might to NOT push when my body told me so urgently to.

1230 hours

My gynea did an internal exam to check the dilation. The water bag broke. Then, there was nothing anyone could do to stop the process. Within minutes, I was preped to push. By merely the second push and a loud cry from me, Jaide burst forth with such speed that I had multiple tears that required many stitches. It all happened so fast I doubt anyone actually noticed exactly the time when she was born. (Okay, I exaggerate. I'm sure a nurse must have recorded it somewhere.) When Joshua stopped taking pictures of our long-awaited child and looked at the time, it was already 1pm.

Me after enduring the horrendous stitching-up process.
(And did I mention that I could feel
EVERYTHING despite the epidural?)

Praise God that although it was by far the most intense delivery I've had, it was mercifully short. Who would have thought that it would be all over in 3 hours?

Now is simply a matter of waiting for the doc's verdict on whether Jaide has contracted the infection since I did not manage to finish the whole course of antibiotics before delivering. We'll know in 2 days' time. Will you pray with me that she can go home with me this Saturday with a clean bill of health? TIA!!!

Jaide, cleaned up nice and pretty!

P/S: Joshua and I both feel that she looks like a combination of her elder siblings. What do you think? Here are the links to their birth stories: JOASH and JAYNA

My Bumps

2011-11-12T01:16:00.002+08:00

Getting bored with waiting for her royal highness to come out, I looked through my preggy photos. Here's how I look at week 38 for all three pregnancies. Can you tell which is which? I suppose other than the differences in clothing, hairstyle and pose/smile, my tummy looks about the same...

Joash Turns Four!

2011-10-23T16:42:00.009+08:00

We decided to celebrate Joash's birthday 2 weeks in advance since the actual day is too close to Jaide's EDD. (Jayna couldn't wait and came out at week 38 so we can't take the risk of delaying.) Looking at how my physical condition has deteriorated badly due to the markedly increased burden that the growing, active baby who is near full term has placed on my weak body, I'm not sure if I can muster up the needed energy to celebrate his birthday a fortnight later even if his sister decides not to come out so soon. As it is, I had to really psych myself up physically and mentally to make the Fidgets celebration yesterday possible.

The balloons we got for the kids
(They chose the designs themselves.
It doesn't take a genius to tell who chose what...)

Joash was happy to be able push the metal ball bearings all the way up to the top when in the past, he was not tall enough or strong enough to do so. (The balls are actually pretty heavy...)

Smiling proudly as the balls
came rolling down after he let go.

Joash spent the most time at the vehicles range.
Cruising around on the tricycle...

Jayna: "This looks fun... Let me try!"

Alas! Her legs are too short
to reach the peddles.

Well, she found something else
more suitable for her size. :)

Joash was delighted with the
paper crown I got for him.

The looooooonng-awaited chocolate birthday cake
which Joash requested for months ago.

Cheeky sibling shot

Our neighbor wanted to check out Fidgets
so they brought their daughter to join us.

Jayna: "Let me help you blow out the candles!"

*puff puff* Ehh???

Joash: "Aiyah, let me show you how it's done."

As with Jayna's birthday this year, we got presents for both siblings to prevent the possibility of jealousy. When I told Joash that we bought him toy vehicles for his birthday, he actually asked me if they were blue in colour! (His all time favorite colour.) Thankfully, one of them was a blue police car. Phew!

Jayna was attracted to the red tow truck and asked for it but when I revealed the pink doll, her entire face lit up and she reached for it immediately. She had forgotten all about the truck. Haha... Interestedly, she asked me if the doll could stand. It was a good thing it could. Happily, Jayna sat beside the doll to admire it.

Joash with his balloon and presents

Jayna with her balloon and present

Close-up on their gifts

All in all, Joash enjoyed himself tremendously and said so when I asked him. *grin* Although my 'battery' was totally drained at the end of the day and likely to need several days to recuperate, I'm glad God helped me pull through it all. I had a few near-fainting episodes but managed to recover somewhat each time. I didn't want to short-change Joash because of his youngest sister Jaide especially when he had been looking forward to it for so many months!

Now that it's done, all that's left to do is wait for Jaide's arrival. It simply can't come soon enough for me... *sweat*

Mum-in-law's Birthday

2011-10-09T16:57:00.006+08:00

Blessed birthday Mum!

My In-laws

Celebration at OC's Tung Lok Restaurant

Candle blowing

Photo session at the roof garden again!!!

The children were running
around hand-in-hand

MIL with her grandkids

Plus Sis-in-law

The paternal grandparents again

How can we miss a good chance for another couple shot? :P

Thank you Mum for all the love

and support you've shown to us!!!

Random shot of a nice flower. Hee...

The Final Lap

2011-09-28T14:52:00.008+08:00

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

2011-09-27T22:31:00.006+08:00

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

2011-09-24T22:11:00.005+08:00

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

2011-09-24T21:29:00.003+08:00

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)

2011-09-14T13:59:00.002+08:00

Same pose naturally again...

Balancing Beam

2011-09-06T12:18:00.004+08:00

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

2011-09-01T19:17:00.004+08:00

This is Joash's rendition of our family.

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

Helping with shoes

2011-09-01T10:51:00.003+08:00

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*

Big Kids Now

2011-08-31T10:13:00.007+08:00

Now that the children are both older than 2 years of age, it has become easier to bring them around. We don't really need the stroller as they mostly are able to walk by themselves. Joash has been able to go without a nap during the day for a while now. Only Jayna needs short power naps on either of our shoulders when she gets tired.

Me and my huge 'watermelon'

Jayna is getting stronger each day. (At least we know where all the food she ate went to... Hee hee .... For the past half a year, she has been eating more than Joash!!!) I was pleased to see her able to hang onto the monkey bar purely by the strength of her arms. Good job, my darling girl!

Now that we no longer have the car, we're taking the public transport to get around, much to the children's delight. Joash is already tall enough to need a child EZ link card. We went to buy a card-holder for him and he chose blue. (Why am I not surprised?) Jayna wanted one even though she has no need for it for at least another year but we got a red one for her anyway.

Joash was so excited about tapping the card by himself that he kept bugging me to take the train again after we've reached the destination. In the end, we humored him by taking the bus home despite being near enough to walk back. He kept saying that he is a big boy now while pulling out the retractable portion. He grinned widely as he repeated to me what I said about the card being valid for either train or bus ride since the picture shows the two mentioned vehicles. Haha...

Notice the device hanging
from his shirt's neckline?

Jayna: "Hmm... Why isn't there a card in mine?"

Timezone Kids

2011-08-29T14:25:00.008+08:00

My kids always ask us to bring them to Timezone whenever we pass by it in the malls. They are attracted to the noise and bright neon lights. However, we're not too keen on bringing them there because some of the games inside are very violent and too overstimulating for young children. So when we saw this Timezone for kids at City Square Mall, we were very intrigued. We brought them in but, as with our policy regarding kiddy rides, we did not put in any tokens to activate the games.

They have Whack-a-mole
just the right height for them!

Jayna: "Mummy! I've got 2 hammers!"

Joash: "Hmm... Isn't this supposed to be

a touch-screen? Why isn't it responding?"

"Playing" side by side

Dance machine for kids!!!
(The songs are all nursery rhymes.)

It was fun enough to throw
the balls at the screen...

... and playing with the hammers!

Jayna: "Oops! This is too high for me to reach."

Jayna: "I'll just be contented

with the police bike then."

I was quite surprised when Jayna took out the big gun, pointed it at the screen and went "Bang! Bang!" Where did she learnt that from???

There were also games where you are supposed to catch the various types of fishes. Joash could identify most of the sea creatures which appeared on the screen. (e.g. clown fish, flying fish, puffer fish, stingray, shark, jellyfish, squid, angel fish, turtles...) Well, at least those which we could name and teach him. Heh heh...

Bye Bye Yeye's Car!

2011-08-29T11:43:00.003+08:00

Children in their car seats

Joshua at the driver seat

Yesterday was the last day we drove my father-in-law's car. This 老爷车 (grandfather car) has seen Joshua and I through our friendship, courtship, proposal, marriage and raising of our children. It's only short of three months that it would also get to 'see' our third child but alas, it'll be scrapped in a few days' time. It is probably one of the oldest car you can find on Singapore's road. Although we only had the car on weekends and public holidays when my Dad-in-law did not have to work, it has served us well for so many years. Before we returned the car last night, we all said our final goodbyes. So long, trusty old Yeye's car!

Educating themselves?

2011-08-29T11:19:00.002+08:00

"Studying" our computer game manuals???

Beaming proudly after figuring out the puzzle

entirely on his own...

Capturing on video

2011-08-29T10:32:00.005+08:00

My children are video shy. No, not camera shy as they love posing for shots. Despite the fact that they normally sing with gusto, they will mostly freeze when they are asked to perform before an audience, even if it's only for a video. Thus, it is very difficult to put on film their singing, recitation of verses, clever speeches or funny antics.

Since I managed to capture Joash's singing when he was younger (click here to view), I thought I wanted at least one such clip of Jayna. Sadly, this task is even more difficult with her older brother around as he would alert her of the fact that I'm taking a video after I painstakingly sneak up on her singing. Sigh... So this was all I could capture in the end.

Having Crazy Fun

2011-08-27T22:08:00.003+08:00

Stopping at 3

2011-08-22T14:30:00.008+08:00

I've been mulling over the issue of how many children we should ultimately have for a long time. Looking at how things have been over the past half a year, I have come to the decision that I'll stop at three.

During the months that I have been incapacitated by my pregnancy, many things in the house have deteriorated into a state of disrepair; many of the toys had gone missing or were destroyed. My family's nutrition has suffered drastically because I have not been able to cook healthy food that they love to eat and everyone's health has taken a turn for the worse. My poor beloved husband has become demoralized, exhausted and frustrated after having to operate like a single-parent most of the time and worst of all, my children's discipline and well-being have taken a backseat during this survival mode.

Joash and Jayna's bedtime has been pushed back by an hour and a half since Joshua can't do things as quickly and efficiently as I can and the children tend to bully him more. As a result, they do not have enough sleep and wake up tired and cranky, which makes life difficult for Joshua in the morning. As it is, the children reach school late pretty often now and their Daddy, in turn, is very much affected in his work. In fact, Joash has entered into another phase of unreasonable tantrums and I am not able to minister to him as I did in the past and thus this frustrating period has dragged on for longer than it has ever been. Furthermore, my son's regression in his linguistic ability over the past few months has become extremely worrisome.

It is no longer a simple matter of me enduring the intense hardship when I'm pregnant. It's not even a matter of pushing myself beyond the suffering as whenever I overexert in trying to do something for my family, I'm endangering the baby inside me with frequent black-outs and bloody discharge. I'm not the only one paying the price if I were to conceive again. My family needs me to be at my full functioning capacity. It would be selfish and unreasonable of me to insist on having more kids.

Although I will never forget my desire to raise more children, I do not have the clear conscience to try for another one unless God miraculously gives me an unplanned but easy pregnancy or grant us a windfall so that we have enough money to adopt. There is no point adding to the number of family members if I can't even make sure that the existing ones are well taken care of.

It's a tough decision to make but a needful one nonetheless.

Favorite Toys

2011-08-18T15:02:00.003+08:00

Jayna in her favorite pyjamas
playing with her beloved pink phone.
(Notice the pink star sticker on her cheek?)

Joash using the giant lego blocks
to create a train and its tracks

National Day 2011

2011-08-10T20:58:00.014+08:00

We've never really thought to do anything special for National Day in the past years as the children were too young to understand much and Joshua and I don't really fancy even watching the NDP on TV. I have even less impetus this year due to my exhaustion from the pregnancy.

However, the children have learnt many national day songs from the school and Joash has been asking me about National Day for the past one week. Thus, I decided to put in the effort to make it a meaningful day for them.

Jayna counting her fingers for me.

Joash's latest fad: Winking

Dressed in the national colors, we headed down to IMM for a McDonald's breakfast (We've not been to Macs for a very long time.) The children loved the bread with grape jam from my big breakfast meal, the hash browns and the orange juice. After the meal, we roamed the mall. The kids kept pulling us to the various pastry shops to admire the colorful and pretty cakes on display.

They were very intrigued by

the sweets deco at one of the stalls.

Then, we went to Giant to get some groceries. Thankfully, Joash likes to sit in the trolley seat while Jayna prefers to be in the trolley itself so there wasn't any arguments at all. Phew!

The princess treatment

Happy with the view from his vantage point

We lunched at Secret Recipe and went for a joy ride with the children napping along the way. (I was pretty surprised that Joash liked the cream of broccoli soup more than the mushroom soup.) The moment we reached home, Joash asked for the jelly which I promised him in the morning.

I had not been able to cook during my pregnancy since I can't stand stationary for more than 5 min without fainting. So it was a difficult choice for me to decide to make the healthy red dates jelly. Since I don't allow the children to eat the commercial type of jelly, they would be deprived of one of their favorite snack if I don't put in the effort to make the home-made (no sugar added) ones. I had to take multiple breaks in the cooking process but the result was worth it. They enjoyed the jelly so much, especially those heart-shaped ones, that it was all gone in a matter of minutes, which explains why there weren't any photos taken.

After some down time reading books and drawing on the magnetic boards, we had pizza hut dinner delivery. I was kinda disappointed that the kids didn't fancy the stuffed crust which I ordered specifically for them. Instead, they ate the chicken diplets which were meant for Joshua. Ah well...

Soon it was time for the National Day Parade on TV!!! I bought them the Singapore flags to wave around while we watched the live telecast. They were curiously quiet when the National anthem or the National Day song came on despite singing them enthusiastically for the past one week. They only sang along with the song "Singapura, Oh Singapura".

On the whole, Joash could appreciate the show much better than Jayna. Halfway through, she simply wanted her Daddy to carry her. Poor Joshua... Towards the end of the program, I switched off the lights so that we could all better admire the fireworks and the city lights. The children had so much fun that they BOTH threw major tantrums when it was time for bed. We knew they were really tired so Joshua had to manhandle them through most part of their bath in spite of their loud screaming. After all that protest against going to bed, they fell asleep the very moment their heads hit the pillow!

Wow, look at the flags fly!

Free tattoo stickers from Guardian Pharmacy
on Joash's hand...

...and Jayna's arm!

All in all, despite being totally tired out making the day happy and meaningful for the children, I was glad I pushed myself to do it. Perhaps next year I can do even more when I can function at my full capacity. *grin*

Here's a video of them waving the flags vigorously during the singing of the National anthem.

Another Princess!

2011-07-25T10:19:00.002+08:00

For the third time, my Lord has answered my prayers! When friends asked me before I conceived if I wanted another boy or another girl, I remember telling them that Joash is very sociable and can make friends anywhere he goes while Jayna may need a sister to keep her company due to her introvert nature. Furthermore, it is a common observation that sisters grow up to be a wonderful support for each other whereas guys are not crazy about being close to their brothers as adults.

However, now I have concerns about Jayna's acceptance of a sister whom she might deem as a competition for my attention since she is more possessive than Joash. Also, I would love for the third child to be an easier baby to take care of than Jayna. Girls tend to be whiner as most would say... Well, His will be done.

As with Jayna, I'm starting to prepare the baby things now that I know the gender. It's good that I still have many of Jayna's stuff that are in good condition but I don't have enough of the newborn clothings as they were mostly too worn out. Pls do let me know if anyone has some decent ones to spare. Thanks!

Detailed scan at 22 weeks

Included her name on the white board
in the children's room.
Do you see the new small yellow bear to represent her?
I pray that the children will love her

as much as they love her bear... :)

Jayna's Second Birthday

2011-07-24T21:14:00.018+08:00

Although Jayna's birthday is still 2 weeks away, we have to celebrate it in advance because our natal days fall on the same week and I'm not keen to celebrate them together. So yesterday, we started off with my little princess' big day. She is still not as fond of the crowd as Joash which is why it is best we hold off the big party celebration again. Thankfully, she is now more adventurous than before regarding playgrounds so we brought her to Go-go Bambini this year. (We went to Fidgets last year)

Jayna loves all things pink and girly. That was precisely the theme of the day with everyone dressed in her favourite colour and getting her presents, accessories and party things in the same shade too.

Here's her outfit for the day.

Since Joshua had to work for an hour in the morning, we decided to wait for him at his workplace and set off to our destination right after that. To occupy the kids, I bought them helium balloons. Jayna's was, of course, a pink Hello Kitty heart-shaped one while I had to choose the Mickey Mouse in a red car for Joash as they ran out of Thomas the train balloons.

They were very pleased with their balloons.

Joash: "Look, mine's bigger than yours."

*Heh heh...*

*All smiles*
Jayna: "But mine's way prettier!"

If you look carefully at the above pictures, you would realise that I'd tied their balloons to bangles at their wrists so as to prevent accidental loss. However, after playing for half an hour, Joash insisted on taking the bangle off. Despite my warnings, he was adamant about having his own way. In the end, I told him that if he were to lose the balloon, I would not replace it for him and he readily agreed.

Alas! My prediction was spot on. Within a few minutes, Joash got so distracted by Grandma who was taking out Jayna's presents to show her that he let go of the balloon in his hands! The treasured possession floated up to the ceiling which was three-storeys high!

I tried to get it down by throwing things at it to push it to somewhere I could reach but it was too high for me to even hit it. Then, I prayed with the children for wind to blow in the right direction. As God would have it, the wind did blow... in the opposite direction! It got caught in the trees instead. Disappointed, I explained to Joash that it seemed like God wanted him to learn his lesson regarding trust and obedience. He needs to believe that my instructions to him are for very good reasons, just as we need to trust that God's decrees in His Word are for our benefit.

Seeing Joash's dejected look as he gazed longingly at his lost balloon, Jayna actually went and offered her balloon to him! Praise God for Jayna's growth! I'm so glad that she is finally learning the ability to empathise with others. So proud of her... *grin*

The poor balloon was caught in the trees.

Jayna was delighted with the pink
purse Grandma got for her.

Jayna: "This little dog is so cute!"

(Since my mum-in-law included a pink Hello Kitty
handphone accessory as one of the presents,
we decided to buy her a matching toy handphone
to go with it.)

After all that drama, we headed down to the indoor playground. Joshua and I took turns to eat our lunch and keep the kids company. It was really tough for me to tag along in the 3-levels maze while I'm nearly 6 months pregnant. Joash kept telling me to keep up with him! *faint*

At least, what gladdened my heart was that as long as I made sure we stayed away from the more boisterous kids, Jayna could enjoy herself much better than a year ago.

Jayna: "Look Mummy, I can spin around this pole!"

Jayna: "Woah... It's a long way down."

Carefully walking along the balancing beam...

Joash: "Peek-a-boo!"

Joash, as usual, thoroughly enjoyed himself. There was only one exception. He was afraid to try the super tall spiral slide despite staring enviously at the other kids coming down from the long tunnel. Thankfully, we managed to coax him by having Joshua accompany him and me shouting encouragement at the end of the slide. He successfully made the first trip down and the rest was history. Jayna, on the other hand, was not as impressed and remained by my side while her brother took the slide countless times before we headed off for dinner.

While waiting for the birthday cake.

Jayna: "Expelliarmus!"

Jayna: "Ehh? Why didn't it work?"

*slam table*
Jayna: "How can you still be holding onto it?"

Joash: "Haha... Meimei is so funny!"

Jayna: "Yeah! I finally got the mini maracas!"

The strawberry birthday cake.

*Waaaah...*

Grandma feeding our princess.

Pink mustache!!!

The day ended well even though Joash threw a tantrum during bath time due to overtiredness. (He didn't take a nap at all! Far too excited, I guess...) Jayna really likes her pink toy handphone which she loves to keep in the new pink furry purse. May the Lord continue to mature my lovely daughter and I pray that one day, she'll be as gracious as her given name!

Here's a video of some fun we had together:

Attending a wedding

2011-07-12T13:41:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday was a great challenge for me as we attended Joshua's best friend's church wedding ceremony and the wedding dinner. It was a true test of my physical endurance while I was still only at 20% functionality due to the pregnancy. However, Joshua had graciously agreed to going over all the way to Melbourne as a family to help out and participate for my best friend's wedding in the past, I felt that I would be short-changing him if I didn't even put in the effort for us to attend his best friend's wedding. Thus, I committed it all to the Lord and prayed that I would not cause any unsightly incident during inappropriate times at such a happy occasion.

Praise God that it all went smoothly except for my near blacking out at the end of the lunch reception. The weather was soooooo hot that my body simply couldn't take it in its weakened state. Thankfully, most of the guests were already gone and some of our friends helped fan me and kept me company while Joshua went to get the car so that we could make it home for some rest. :) Felt really 'pai seh' that I made the groom worry for me...

Here are some photos of the kids in their lovely clothes:

Coming down the slide one by one...

... and coming down together. Weeeee!!!

Imaginary Fighting

2011-07-08T08:35:00.007+08:00

This morning, I was rudely woken up by the sound of the children fighting. Since I thought that Joshua was there to handle the situation, I decided to go back to sleep. However, they got progressively louder and I was becoming concerned. When I came out of the room, I was surprised that they were all at the dining table eating their breakfast with the children shouting at each other across the table earnestly and my husband looking extremely bewildered.

When I asked Joshua what happened, he said that Joash pretended that he had a pink car in his possession and Jayna said that she wanted him to lend it to her. Almost gleefully, Joash refused to hand over the imaginary car and Jayna got pretty upset. Joshua had tried to convinced Joash to pass the "car" to his sister but to no avail. However, since the "pink car" in question did not actually exist in reality, Joshua could not scold/punish Joash for not sharing the "toy". My husband was stumped as to what to do to stop the strange quarreling.

After hearing all these, I pretended to pull out yet another "pink car" from my pocket and presented it to Jayna. "Now, the both of you have one pink car each, " I told them. Jayna happily took the imaginary toy from my hand and the matter was resolved. LOL

Magnetic Board

2011-06-18T22:36:00.003+08:00

Filling up the sky with clouds

Asked him to pose for a shot while he was
in the middle of writing his name

See if you can guess what these are...

Give up? They are supposed to be fishes!!!

Writing his name

2011-06-11T20:13:00.004+08:00

I'm very grateful that Joash is learning well in school despite not having me around to supervise his academic growth for the last few months. There were times when he would proudly show off to me his new skills, be it a new song or a new Chinese word learnt.

Today, he carried the big magnetic writing board into my room and eagerly demonstrated his writing skill. I had no idea what he was going to write but I could soon guess when I recognized a well written 'J' and 'o'. Somehow, he had the most trouble remembering how to write the letter 'a'. They turned out like the letters 'p' or 'c'. But after some prompting from me, he could spell out his name: Joash Low. I could already see his in-born perfectionistic streak in the numerous times he erased the entire board simply because the letter 'o' was not round enough or the letter 's' was too high up or too big. He even explained carefully to me why they were not good enough before erasing them.

5 minutes later, he got bored (as I kind of expected) and started drawing a train, some thunder clouds complete with rain, a bright shining sun, a rainbow and used the shape stamp to create stars in the sky. He didn't know how to draw a crescent moon though...

Such a pity that I did not take a picture of his scribbling. Next time perhaps. *grin*

My Girl

2011-06-09T10:14:00.007+08:00

I thank God for Jayna's growth in the past half a year. Although she is still rather whiny and wants to be carried pretty often, she has picked up some of Joash's cheeky and cheerful personality, albeit not as hyperactive as him. She is now able to verbalize her needs and wants better instead of constantly spinning into a whirlwind of uncontrollable emotions and crying. That said, it can still be very frustrating when she chooses to whine instead of telling us what she wants when she actually speaks so much better than Joash at the same age. All we can do sometimes is to patiently remind her to talk properly and pray that God will help her learn to take charge of her emotions as she grows older.

Last week I upgraded her wardrobe, a task long overdue since her rompers were bursting at their seams and her dresses could no longer cover her bottom adequately. When she started wearing the "new" dresses (They're actually hand-me-downs but are new in relation to her) I realized suddenly that she has lost the baby look and is now a respectable toddler. I pray that she'll be a loving and responsible older sister to the coming sibling just as Joash has been a wonderful brother to her. *beam*

Cheeky look

Jayna: "One two three four, hi five!"

Acting coy

Pose and smile!

Family of God

2011-06-09T09:58:00.002+08:00

I really love my church cell group! Even though, we don't have very many dynamic activities, detailed and in-depth bible studies and our meetings are often fluid and chaotic with the numerous children amidst us (Yes, we're very fruitful... Literally!), we do show Christ-like love in action apart from praying for one another.

For the past many weeks, I have CG ladies coming down to help me get lunch and do my laundry. They make personal sacrifices to arrange for alternative childcare or lug their children along so that they can take turns to bless me each day. Their company also does wonders in boosting my spirits while I press on in my personal suffering. I'm so grateful for their help and I am sure they'll reap their reward bountifully in heaven!

John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Lovely Flowers

2011-06-09T09:51:00.003+08:00

I was feeling rather down last week as I was starting to miss my normal life after being cooped up in my bedroom for the past few months. I asked my Bear Bear to cheer me up and he bought me this:

Even though by now, the leaves of the green shrub have long fallen off completely, I still keep it at my bedside to remind myself that I am well loved.

Children at Play

2011-05-10T15:41:00.003+08:00

Being so sick, I seldom get to play with my kids anymore and I miss them terribly. But by the grace of God, there were some mornings when I felt better than others and thus I allowed the children to play in our bedroom. It blesses my heart tremendously to see them get along so well and have fun together. Here are some pics and a video clip of the children at play. *beam*

Loving brother hugging his sister.

*Awwww...*

Jayna: "Scoot over a little, will ya?"

Okay, now everybody says "Cheese!"

A video of them amusing themselves.

Braving it for the third time

2011-04-08T19:17:00.006+08:00

Can you see the faint second line?

(Tested positive at week 3)

Many people say that giving birth to a kid is easy but raising one is tough. It seems to be the opposite for me. Not that taking care of my children is without challenges but I find coping with the kids far less daunting than suffering the extreme pregnancy symptoms for such an extended period of time. There are countless moments when I enjoy raising my kids but there is nothing enjoyable about the 9 long months of torture. It really irks me when people try telling me to savour the pregnancy. I can only say that I'll have lots of fun with my baby only when he/she is out of my body!

What I hate most about being an invalid while pregnant is that I miss out on my older children. I can tell that Joash and Jayna miss me very much ever since the symptoms began 2 weeks ago. They keep coming into my room while I'm resting just to lie their heads on my lap wordlessly. I miss playing with them too. However, I'm ever so grateful for the super bear of a husband I have who has already been well trained to take care of them by himself while I was serving in the worship ministry previously. Their school is also doing a wonderful job of teaching and caring for them during the workdays so my children are in good and safe hands. We are more than prepared for this but it really does not make my suffering any easier to bear. At least, the likelihood of developing pre-natal depression as when I was expecting Jayna is so much less.

For now, I sleep most of my days and when I'm awake, I try my level best to do the laundry and straighten up the place a little and get myself fed so that Joshua only has to worry about handling the kids before and after school. Every meal for me is a battle to keep the food down. What takes me a mere 15 min to do normally can take up to 2 hours as I need to take frequent breaks to catch my breath, settle my stomach or lie down when I become too dizzy.

I seriously wonder if my family and I have the steel to go through this for the 4th time in the future...

Busy, busy

2011-03-15T13:18:00.004+08:00

I realised that I've not posted anything since the beginning of the month cos I've been pretty busy lately. There has been an increased in the number of worship rehearsals since I was roped in for the Day of Prayer, ACK conference and Easter program on top of my usual sunday service duty. Plus, I had an impromptu part-time work for a friend. Together with my normal homemaking schedule, meeting up with friends and CG, a fortnight simply passed by too quickly. This week is jam-packed too: catching up with 2 friends, an Easter practice, the 3-day conference itself and a birthday party. The following are just some pics and a video to show you what we've been up to.

At our CG meeting
Joash played dress up as Bob the Builder

At the full month celebration
of Joshua's colleague's new baby
I simply love these enormous bibs that are both comfortable and useful
in reducing the mess that comes from the children's self-feeding efforts.

Joash's first Viking ride!
(Unfortunately the video is not clear enough
to show his delighted and animated face.)

In Quick Succession

2011-03-01T10:58:00.004+08:00

Jayna's teeth are sprouting pretty quickly these days. A new molar has emerged and I can see a cuspid and another molar peeking out of the gums. I'll have to update the chart again pretty soon.

P/S: I wonder why her first molars tend to come out before the cuspids. Hmm...

Brave New Girl

2011-03-01T10:00:00.003+08:00

Say 'goodbye' to the timid Jayna and 'hello' to the daring girl! Ever since she has started going to school, Jayna has become more and more adventurous and independent. Yay!!!

She is now able to explore and have fun at the playground without my constant companionship as long as I am within sight. She doesn't cry anymore when we leave after dropping her off at school and when we pick her up. Joshua even commented that she seems a more cheerful girl than before. She has become courageous and I'm so proud of her. Looks like cutting her from the apron's strings helped accelerate her growth. Praise God!

Although she still wants to be carried pretty often, she has already made such wonderful improvement that we don't mind indulging her in this aspect. May the Lord continue to help her grow in maturity. *beam*

Here's a video of her having a great
time on the rocking horse. Enjoy!

Short Hair

2011-02-28T20:44:00.006+08:00

Jayna's teacher in school told me that she perspires a lot during meal times and asked me to have her hair cut. I kinda thought to myself that a little sweat won't hurt an active toddler but I wanted to honor the teacher's request despite the fact that I couldn't bear to put the scissors to my daughter's lovely flowing hair. So with great reluctance, I gave Jayna a short hairstyle. I tried to copy the layered and wispy look I've seen in the magazines but it was tough doing so since she kept moving and turning her head. So here's the result. I hope she doesn't look too boyish...

Look number 1: Hair tucked behind the ears
(Top view)

(Front view)

(Side view)

Look number 2: Combed straight
(Side view)

(Front view)

(Back view)

Couple Getaway

2011-02-24T20:05:00.011+08:00

We finally get the chance to explore Sentosa and it's thrills without needing to lug the kids along with us. Yeah! Joshua took the rare day off before he would be swarmed with exam marking while I decided not to cook for the day and woke up early to finish my chores before we left. After we sent the children along to school, Joshua and I first went for a nice leisurely breakfast at West Mall's Kopi-Toast (new name for an old stall).

Enjoying our soft-boiled eggs.

After which, we took the MRT to Vivocity and for our first time, took the Sentosa Express to our destination. Joash loves to watch these colorful trains go by whenever we visit Vivocity. We'll definitely find an occasion to bring him and Jayna on a ride to the Universal Studios... :)

On the Sentosa Express

Pictures taken from the Express train

The inside of the train

We arrived at our destination!

The first thing we did was to try out the Segway which we saw the drinks sellers use at 313's Food Republic. It was kinda scary at first cos it felt like we might just lose our balance at any moment and the route was rather rocky and bumpy. But once we got used to it, it became really fun. The best thing about going on a weekday was that there was no queue at all!

Taking our turns at the novel machine

Here's a fast-forwarded clip of how it was like. :)

Then, we went on the nearby Skyline and Luge. We went up the slope in the Skyline and felt that it was even better than a cable car since the seat was completely exposed to the elements, not unlike the ones you find at ski resorts. It was followed by going downhill via go-cart which gave me a small abrasion near my tailbone due to the lack of suspension in the small vehicle. It was fun on the first ride but it became tiresome by the third.

We're going up!

Lovely scenery and pleasant breeze along the way...
The Skyline
Looking down was pretty exhilarating.
The stamp we got on our way down.
(We were not allowed to take pictures while in the go-carts.)

It was lunchtime and we grabbed a bite

at a Jap snack bar Kuroya at the Beach Station.
(The food was surprisingly nice, I must say.)

Pork Sausage

Tofu Fish Cake

We made our way after lunch by the blue-line bus to our next attraction. We stopped by to enjoy some ice-cream before we eventually reached our targeted place.

Mango Sorbet and Forest Berry Yogurt

Rum and Raisins

And here we are, the interactive shooting game, Desperado. It was hilarious at first but because they repeated the exact same thing a second time round to lengthen the duration (once was probably too short to charge 12 bucks for it), the game lost it's attractiveness during the second half due to the predictability. Plus, the revolver was heavy enough to tire me out at the end. I was the top scorer at first but my aim started going haywire towards the end. It were the young ones who got the better of me as a result of their stamina.

The final thrill that we wanted to conquer was the MegaZip. It was something of a flying fox thingy. We really could feel our age when we were exhausted by the short hike up to the entrance. Also, we had to go through quite a lot to experience that 1 minute of excitement; the accounting for our belongings, the suiting up with the harness, the long flights of stairs to climb to reach the tower and the trek across the bridge to retreive our stuff. Yet, we decided that it was still worth it. We're glad we tried this before we got too "old" to bother with all the hassle for just that little bit of fun.

Zipping down together. Weeeeeee!!!

At the end of the happening afternoon, we took the beach tram to return to the beach station instead of walking. We had the top deck to ourselves for a while. *grin* This trip reminded me of our honeymoon in Melbourne and it was truly wonderful to re-capture those memories. I wonder when we'll have a chance like this again...

Bak Chor Mee

2011-02-24T19:46:00.003+08:00

Bak Chor Mee is one of Joshua's favorite food. However, due to his low-carb diet, he has been refraining from eating such a carbo-loaded dish for the past half a year. Since both my kids are in school, I have more time to experiment with recipes and I decided to satisfy my husband's craving. I used bean vermicelli which has low in carbohydrates, something you won't find outside. Furthermore, I increased the serving and variety of the ingredients: green leafy veg, meat balls, fishcake, pig's liver, stewed mushrooms and fried minced pork. It turned out really well and we enjoyed eating it.

Unfortunately, the bean vermicelli has to be served fresh or it'll clump together and does not taste as nice anymore. It was quite stressful with two hungry kids waiting impatiently while I cooked the noodles and mix in the sauces. I guess I'll cook more of this dish when the kids are older and more willing to wait.

Chopsticks are lots of fun!

2011-02-20T20:26:00.005+08:00

At a chinese restaurant, Joash saw that I was using a pair of chopsticks to eat the fish slices. He tried to use them to pick up the pieces in his bowl too but he soon discovered that it required much more skill than he anticipated. After watching him struggle and get frustrated, I asked him if he wanted to use chopsticks meant for children. He enthusiastically nodded yes. I popped by Kiddy Palace opposite the eating place and bought him the Thomas and Friends training chopsticks. He was delighted with the new eating utensil and successfully finished up a bowl of fish slices using it. May he one day truly master the art of using chopsticks. *grin*

A close-up of the pair of chopsticks

Joash: "Mummy, how do I use this?"

Joash: "Oh, I see..."

Joash: "This is so much easier!"

Random Green-ness

2011-02-20T20:12:00.003+08:00

Joash: "Yes, I need a haircut..."

Playing at the church playground

Doesn't she look so lady-like in this pose?

(Jayna has graduated from the
infant room to the toddler room!)
Jayna: "Look! They have crayons here."

After the haircut...

A gorgeous sibling shot

We bumped into a university friend and she took this for us. :)

Parent Abuse???

2011-02-19T21:50:00.002+08:00

Watch the video and you'll know what I mean. LOL

Like Father Like Son

2011-02-19T21:20:00.003+08:00

Caught them striking the same resting pose naturally
*hee hee*

My Valentine's Bouquet

2011-02-19T21:11:00.003+08:00

Joshua saw me eyeing on the bouquets of bears displayed in the plaza during the Valentine's week and asked if I would like one. I checked out the price tag and nearly choked. I told him that I would love one but we should get it after the season is over. True enough, the price dropped considerably when we bought it a week late. Thank you, bear bear for giving me the lovely bouquet of bears!!!

2 more coming right up...

2011-02-09T09:58:00.002+08:00

难言之隐

2011-02-08T08:56:00.008+08:00

Now that Jayna is in school, I have passers-by tell me that Jayna is such a poor thing to be made to go school at such a tender age. It doesn't help matters that her uniform is oversized and she looks younger than her peers due to her small build. I can only smile faintly at these people who knows not what they're saying.

They were not there when I struggled to care for Joash while being pregnant for 9 long and difficult months. They did not see how dangerous it was when I fainted while having my son in my embrace so many times. Neither did they see him run wild without supervision while I blacked out on the floor. They did not suffer the pre-natal depression which all but consumed me till I had to resist the temptation of jumping down 7 storeys with my own child in my arms. They were not the one paying the exorbitant price to employ a baby-sitter to come help me watch over my boy while I was bedridden. They did not have to deal with constant nausea and frequent fainting spells and the gaping lack of appetite and sleep throughout the whole pregnancy journey. They did not witness me collapsing at a coffee shop while buying food for my family and had to rely on the kindness of the stall-holders to bring me home safely to rest. They were also not the one who used up the entire year's worth of annual leave to stay home to deal with emergencies regarding an ailing wife and a neglected son and then still had to fight valiantly to clear the mountain of backlog at work. We can't afford a maid and do not have grandparents who are both willing and capable of taking over the care of the children for the time being, unlike most other parents in Singapore.

If I had a choice, I would love to have easy pregnancies and homeschool my children as I've always dreamed of doing. I did not ask for debilitating pregnancy symptoms that render me an invalid. This is the lot that has been given to me and I'll accept it from God and depend on my Lord's grace. Given my past 2 track records, it'll be highly naive and irresponsible of me to bank on the possibility that my next pregnancy will be any better. It's either I send them to school or give up on having any more kids. It was after much thought and prayer that we made this decision.

Even then, I wrestle with an enormous sense of self-inflicted guilt that my kids are in school while I stay home just to cook, do housework, buy groceries and run errands. I fear failing to conceive and then, where would that leave me?

Do I give up on trying for more children? Do I withdraw the kids from school? Do I go back to work? What if I get pregnant soon after I start work and I'll have to serve the advance notice while dealing with the symptoms? Nobody but God sees the amount of conflicting thoughts and emotions raging within me. I can only find comfort in my God who is my chief defender.

In the meantime, I'll have to silently endure the condemning stares and snide remarks from total strangers who most likely would not even give me the time of the day, let alone have the patience to listen to my long grandmother story.

Psalm 135:14
"For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. "

Jayna's First Day at School

2011-02-07T12:30:00.006+08:00

The day has finally come. Jayna goes to school for the first time! I wonder why her 'S' sized uniform is soooo huge. I saw some other older girls wearing smaller dresses than hers. The manufacturer must have made some mistake in the sizing for the most recent batch of uniforms.

Thank God that Jayna did much better than expected even though she cried when I left and also during the bath-time. She didn't seem very attentive during the lessons, but she was fine at meal times and could nap with the other children. However, I think it'll be unrealistic to hope for tearless goodbyes since she still cries whenever we leave her at my parent-in-laws' place for a few hours on Sundays despite having done that regularly since an infant. Now, the only thing is to wait upon God to graciously grant us a successful pregnancy. *beam*

Jayna: "Am I really going school with Gor Gor?"

Holding hands
(So cute!!!)

A video of the children walking to school together

CNY 2011

2011-02-06T12:34:00.002+08:00

I can't believe that Jayna could wear the CNY rompers and dress from last year! Looks like her torso didn't grow very much bigger though her limbs did extend longer.

Cho Kawaii!
('Super cute' in Jap)

We did have friends visit us at our home after all. While waiting for them, the kids were so happy playing with the small paper-bags meant for mandarin oranges. They pretended that they were shopping and stuffed the bags with toys and exchanged them with each other. It was fun seeing them play.

Jayna: "Let me see what else I have in my bag."

Joshua: "May I buy one of those?"

Family picture at my parents' place

I'm so glad that everyone was relatively well during this year's CNY, apart from Joash having a bit of cough which did not affect him at all. However, the few days of visitations were definitely the MOST indulgent days of my children's lives! They snacked on so much new year goodies and we didn't think that it would be appropriate to make a scene at other people's houses over what they could or could not eat. In the end, they hardly ate anything during proper mealtimes since they gorged themselves silly with what they found on the coffee tables of our relatives' places. At least, we did try to guide them towards the tidbits which are less sweet such as egg rolls. Sigh... I'm glad that the season is over and we can resume a healthier diet for them.

Trust

2011-02-03T20:06:00.008+08:00

"I want a hamburger!" declared Joash as he pointed to a picture outside KFC.

Remembering his first encounter with this particular fast-food restaurant a few months back at the zoo, I tried to reason with him. "Trust me, Joash, you wouldn't want the burger. Mummy will get you the popcorn chicken you loved so much the previous time, okay?"

A tantrum ensued. Wanting to cover our bases, we decided to order both and told Joash sternly that he must eat the burger if we were to order it for him. He nodded his head earnestly.

When the food arrived, Joash saw the popcorn chicken and said that he wanted that instead. We told him 'no' since he was whining about the burger previously. "I don't want the burger!!!" he started to shriek. Trying to remind him of his insistent request just moments ago was futile and it quickly escalated into a match to see who was louder. We were attracting too much attention at the restaurant so I took him outside and after he managed to calm down, I urged him to trust me more since I know him better than he knows himself.

Aren't we all like little children when we respond to our heavenly Father?

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He created us and knows what we need and even what we secretly desires. He also wants the best for us. However, far too often, we lust for the wrong things, proudly think we can handle it our way by ourselves or angst over what we think we need/want the most and refuse to appreciated what has been given to us. Perhaps we go after various things to meet a need only to realize that God's solution is the best. Just like my daughter who would often scream for all sorts of things such as milk, juice, biscuits or a toy and fight the only thing she really needed: sleep.

The bottom line is, do we trust God to work all things together for good to those who love Him?

Proverbs 3:5,6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Here's a song I would like to share with you. I requested for my friends to present this song during my wedding 4 years ago and it still means a lot to me. :) Enjoy!

Cat Imitation 2

2011-02-01T11:39:00.002+08:00

Jayna has caught the "cat fever" too!!! After seeing her brother do it so many times, she finally did it herself when Joash was in school. LOL

Video of Jayna's cat imitation

Self-feeding

2011-02-01T11:00:00.004+08:00

Jayna has started feeding herself during the entire dinner! Praise God! Previously, her control was rather "off" so meal times were pretty chaotic. I had to keep cleaning up and eventually take over the feeding when it looked like she was getting frustrated at herself. Now, she's more confident and far less messy.

It's a tremendous relief to me since it has been a horror feeding her. She had stopped spitting out food more than a months ago (Thankfully!) but her indecisiveness and picky eating habits made feeding her a torture. She would insist on a particular morsel of food and would scream when I got the wrong piece, even if it were the same type of food. Also, she kept changing her mind about the food she wanted at the last moment, just as the spoon approached her month. To her, the grass is always greener on the other side. The food had to come from the main bowl or from someone's elses' plate, mostly mine. So for the longest time, she had been eating from the same utensils as me.

I pray that this will be the end of my feeding woes as she can now choose what to scoop into her mouth herself. Keep it up, Jayna!

Here's a video to chart her growth. :)

Typical Saturday

2011-02-01T10:52:00.003+08:00

We normally like to go to different malls in Singapore to let the children explore and run around. Being city people, we love the air-conditioning, convenience and the relative cleanliness of a shopping district as compared to the outdoors. Here's what we do:

Having our snack at a stall of our choice
as and when we desire

Saying grace together before we eat

Checking out the buttons on vending machines

Kiddy rides galore!

Bored parents taking a DIY pic while the kids
occupy themselves at the rides

Playground fun!

Joash: "I want to look at the water!"
(Pointing at the fountain)

Braving the slide

2011-01-24T22:49:00.003+08:00

Being timid, it has taken a long time for Jayna to dare attempt the slide and an even longer time to get accustomed enough to do it without tears.

This is the first time I've been able to record Jayna coming down the slide by herself without crying in the process or at the end. Usually, she could only do it once before she lost her nerves to repeat it for the camera. Today, she could re-enact for me to video it down. Yay!

Early Reunion Lunch

2011-01-24T21:29:00.005+08:00

This year, my parents decided not to hold the reunion lunch at their place on the eve of CNY. They wanted to eat at a vegetarian restaurant on the second floor of Quality Hotel and booked a date 2 weeks before the actual day so as not to clash with the CNY crowd. It was kinda weird to be dressed in CNY clothes so early but we did it anyway to give the occasion the festive mood it deserves.

The kids checking out the fan I brought along.

Trying to take a picture with the kids
but they were moving around too much.

I think my Dad was disappointed that Jayna refused to be carried by him at his birthday celebration, so he pointedly sat beside her during the lunch. For 2 whole hours, my Dad tried to bond with her by chatting and entertaining her with things on the table, even bribing her with ice-cream!!! (Thankfully, I stopped him just in time... Phew!) All his hard work paid off when Jayna finally allowed him to carry her after we left the place. Well done, Dad!

Jayna and her maternal grandad

Joash and his maternal grandma
(Note: They were both crewing their food
when this picture was taken. LOL)

Walking hand-in-hand out of the restaurant.

Our Family Shot
(As usual, the kids looked gloomy. Haiz...)

Photo of the extended family

Here's a video of the children
playing catching in the restaurant.

2 New Teeth

2011-01-19T20:41:00.005+08:00

Jayna's teeth do not grow in an organized manner, unlike her brother's. I'm not sure why there's a gap between the teeth... Perhaps it's a reflection of her unpredictable personality?

And the only way I knew when the teeth came out was when I felt it during teeth brushing. For Joash, it was usually marked by unexplainable fussiness. But when it comes to Jayna, one can never be sure since she's fussy almost ALL the time.

The New Drums

2011-01-19T20:19:00.005+08:00

On Joash's second birthday, his aunt bought him a drum kit. However, since the box says that it's suitable for 3 years and above, we decided to keep it in the store room till he's of age to appreciate it better.

Over the weekend, Joash went into the store room and somehow noticed the box for the first time. What better time to open up his present from long ago? It took me a while longer than I thought to set it up but after it was done, he simply loved it! He even told his Daddy when Joshua came home that he liked the drums very much!

He looks like a pro already!

Joash: "This is so much fun!"

Jayna, on the other hand, seems at a loss...
Looks like the piano is more her thing.
(Click here to see the post about it.)

Any suggestions for drums lessons or piano lessons for toddlers???

Science Centre

2011-01-15T21:22:00.008+08:00

Last weekend, Joash saw the water works at the science centre when we made our way from the Sakura restaurant to the car after the birthday lunch for my FIL. He refused to leave and kept crying to go into the park. I tried to explain to him that we needed to pay to get in and we did not bring the swim suit or any other things necessary for water-play. He was very upset and we had to drag him to the car screaming. I promised him that we would come back to play with the water some day. So today is the day I kept my promise.

So many buttons for us to press!
*delirious joy*

Joash: "Mummy, what's inside?"
Jayna: "The steps are just nice for me to sit on."

My head on the platter!?!
(The kids were very amused by this)

Daddy helping out the son

Having my very own slice of fun. *grin*

Joash was happy when I
showed him how it was done.

Jayna was interested in the strangest things:
The air vent?!?!?

This was what captured their attention for the longest time.

Finally we made our way to the water works to Joash's delight. Sadly, Jayna was so timid that she refused to leave our arms the entire time! Sigh... All she did was simply look at her brother play with forlorn eyes.

Wondering how the tornado works...

Throwing the ball into the bigger tornado tub

Lining them up one by one

All the balls "waiting" to plunge
into the pool with a push from Joash!

Watching her brother play

Contented with a mere ball in her hand

CNY Decor

2011-01-15T20:20:00.005+08:00

I've always been lukewarm about CNY decorations since we don't usually have anyone visit us at our place during this traditional season. Most likely, we'll be spending our time visiting our elders and relatives instead. However, I've been seized by a sudden spirit of carpe diem and decided that I'll do something special this time just for the fun of it.

Lovely chinese knots to hang at our doors

A different knot for the bookshelves

I saw this cute lion tissue box cover
while I passed by NTUC and I simply
couldn't resist getting it!

Decor at our door

This typical CNY word tells us the story of Genesis.
Happiness or blessing (福) is what the first person (一口 )
Adam found in the garden (田) of Eden with God (礻).

It was tough getting a matching set of cushion covers and table cloth the same color scheme (red and black) as the chandelier decoration which was the only thing that was left of the past CNYs. Thankfully I found something suitable eventually but it was a little more expensive than I would have liked. But I figured I'll reuse the decor for many years to come anyway so I'll treat it as an investment. I wonder if anyone will bother visiting our home during CNY afterall... :P

4 years of Love

2011-01-09T23:07:00.012+08:00

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by having a hot dinner date at a super "atas" Jap restaurant Kuriya Penthouse on top of Orchard Central without the kids.

All dressed up and ready to go!

We arrived half an hour early to take some photos at the roof garden. It was because of the rooftop which led us to discover the restaurant during our previous trip to this building a few months ago.

DIY couple shot

The beautiful city scenery

The luscious greenery

It was cloudy, cool and windy.
I loved the weather!!!

At the entrance

We were given a welcome drink each
before we were seated at our table.

At our table with a nice view

The complimentary appetizer

The absolutely delicious scallops

This is the famous Japanese Wagyu Beef which costed us a hundred buck for a mere 5 pieces of meat! We both widened out eyes in disbelief simultaneously the moment we saw how small the serving was. The taste and texture was not as heavenly as we thought and we totally regretted spending the money on it.

The "legendary" beef

The miso soup that came with the beef
(Too salty for my taste)

The foi gras was so rich that just
a bite was enough to satiate us.

A complimentary surprise
from the restaurant

The Lord has blessed us
with a beautiful relationship.
(We're a perfect match for each other!)

We eventually bought our dream wedding bands
as part of the celebration.

Father-in-law's Birthday

2011-01-09T22:51:00.005+08:00

The coincidence that my Father-in-law has the same birthday as my own Dad has never failed to both amuse and amaze me.

On Sat, we celebrated for my Dad and the next day on Sunday, we did it for my FIL. We went to one of our favorite buffet place at Sakura for lunch but I was too busy attending to the kids while eating to take pictures. We took photos only when we got back to my in-laws' place for the usual birthday cake "ceremony".

Joash is my FIL's beloved grandson
and he pampers him the most!

The extended family 1
(minus me the photographer)

The extended family 2
(minus KS the photographer)

After his Yeye blew out the candle,
Joash was intrigued by the emitting smoke
and even tried touching it
right after this photo was taken!

十足女人

2011-01-09T00:13:00.003+08:00

Jayna: "Did I forget anything else I need to buy?"

Jayna loves to carry small bags. The way she does it is soooo "姑娘". She is really a true-blue girl, quite unlike me, I suppose. :P

Video of her "catwalk" with a plastic bag.

Dad's Birthday Celebration

2011-01-08T23:37:00.005+08:00

In the recent years, it has been really difficult to meet up with my Dad even for special occasions, ever since he got the job where he has to work pretty long hours. In his spare time, he would be busy with his religion or his pastimes. He hardly has the chance to met my kids even though I know he misses them.

Thus, I resolved that this year's birthday present would not be just another "face-less" gift. Instead, we took the trouble to get the birthday cake beforehand, rush down to a vegetarian stall which opens at 7am and reach my parent's place at 7.30am so that my Dad can have a nice breakfast and celebrate his natal day with us before he has to set off for work at 8.30am.

The vegetarian breakfast

My Dad

Jayna seemed scared every
time my Dad spoke to her...

...whereas Joash was his usual friendly self.

The Birthday Cake

Lovely pic with my Dad
(I'm glad that though my kids refuse to smile for other people,
Joshua and I managed to get them to do so for us.)

Cake-cutting

Jayna allowed her grand-dad
to feed her the cake only once.

Chocolate Lipstick!!! LOL

The men and the kids

Even at the end, Jayna had to be coaxed for a
long while before she waved goodbye to my Dad.

My Dad with the kids

Have a blessed birthday, Dad! May whatever Joshua prayed for you during the candle-blowing come to pass this year!

Prep for School

2011-01-06T11:32:00.007+08:00

Jayna's uniform and towel

School bag + water bottle
with matching name key-chains
I searched high and low for a nice pair of
sandals which can fit her small slim feet.

In order to prevent a repeat telecast of the horror that happened when I got pregnant with Jayna, I have patiently waited till my daughter is of age to go school before I try for another child. This way, it'll be safer, especially for Jayna and the unborn child, and easier on me, if my pregnancy symptoms prove to be as bad as the first two times.

I don't expect her to be as gung-ho as Joash who hardly cried on his first day and took to it like a duck to water, but I do pray that she'll eventually adjust well to it without too much crying especially since she has her brother for company. (Praise God that there's vacancy for her in the same school!) A good sign is that she was upset I had to stop her from going into the classroom together with Joash on a few occasions while we sent him to school.

Recently, I've been busy preparing the things for Jayna. With more experience, I bought cheap towels instead of the expensive hooded baby towels I purchased for Joash in the past. I now know the exact size of the bag needed to contain all that required stuff. The one I bought for her brother was way too small. Of course, I also took the chance to upgrade Joash to a new Thomas & Friends backpack and water bottle. He absolutely loved them! I wanted to buy a pair of matching sandals for him but he actually chose the Chuggington ones instead.

These replaced the Bob Dog bag which spotted a tear at the side
and the water bottle which had it's straw ripped out. (Not sure by whom)

I do pray that she'll come to like school as much as Joash when she finally enters playgroup middle of next month! *grin*

(Click here to see Joash's First Day at School.)