Stuff we say

When the hubs and I were dating, i could barely be apart from him. We met many times a week for dinner and movies and even then i found it hard to say goodbye when it was time to go. Thinking of those days brings back some really wonderful memories and i wonder if Shanah will go through the same mushy and sappy stuff when her turn arrives (in about 50 years young lady).

Naturally with marriage, children and time we became less of everything because we just want to veg out on the sofa and watch some TVB lame drama. So on days when i'm in an oddly good mood like last night, i began to embark in conversations like these:

Me: (Sucking in my stomach big time) Check out my abs. If you press in on my tummy, they are really hard.

Hubs: (With a look of disbelief) No seriously, core muscles?!?!

Me: Come on, I've like 6 packs underneath this stuff.

Hubs: The only core muscle you have right now is the core of a muffin and cake.

Hhehhe.

(I did force him later on to admit that i do possess some form of abs muscles.)

Shanah has been saying funny things recently. Well, actually she has always been pretty funny. But now that she expresses herself better and perfected her deadpan look, things can get pretty hilarious around here. What's with these toddlers and their literal sense of everything?

Another wave of illness has hit the family, so we have been visiting the doctor pretty frequently.

Me: Shanah, do you like Dr Toh?

Shanah: I like her sweets. (Deadpan expression)


P.s. The flowers were from this year's Valentines.

I Love You too

Dear Isaiah

You have always been the tracker between us. It was you who reminded me that 14 Feb 2014 marks our 8th Valentines together. And I'm rather sure that you remember where we went for our first date, what we ate and what we did. One would think that the girl remembers such things, but no, you have always been the one who remembers.

Between us, you have always been the one who's sweeter, more loving and more accommodating. It was like this when we were dating - you put up with my whines and complaints. And it is the same today - you put up with my silly clean freak requests even when you see no sense in it (psst.. sometimes i don't see sense in it either). You have such a big heart - you love my family just like your own because you know what matters most to me.

Sometimes i look back at our wedding pictures and i'll feel so blissed out. It's nothing short of a miracle that God has placed you in my life. Being together with you has taught me so much about love, God's love. The closer we come together, the more I'm aware of how much God loves us. I remember telling myself some time back, if this is what love feels like, I can't imagine how great God's love is.

To say that many things have changed since we walked down that pathway where we first held hands, or since we walked down the aisle, would be a major understatement. We are no longer young undergrads or newly weds. The pressures of work and family do weigh us down quite a bit and sadly, there are times that i rather spend time with the computer (like now) rather than with you. Not because we are upset, but because we don't get much time to do what we want. But i'm so glad that i have such a grand supporter in you. Every idea that i throw up gets supported - you are always there to add on your thoughts and to spur me on. Every time i need a listening ear to complain about how lousy i feel about my under-used degree, you are there to listen. When i need a foot massage, you gladly oblige despite your tired self.

I don't say it often enough, and i really should.. but thank you darling for loving me despite my many flaws. I know i'm full of them, but thank you for explaining time and time again that God loves me despite them and you love me too.

I'm so so glad that I have you to walk this life with me. I'm so so thankful that Shanah & Noah have you as their daddy. And i'm so so in love you with you - just because of who you are.

I know we said no gifts this year, but we each ended up with a gift for each other. I really like it this way. Almost like a surprise surprise. Thank you for the flowers. I really thought that the flower giving thing would have ended after the last ants infested bouquet. But you being you... well, i shall just dwell in the love.

Happy Valentines my darling. I'm so glad i have you to grow old with. It's always better when we are together.

I can't imagine two worlds spinnin' apart come together eventually. 

And when you're standin' here in front of me

That's when I know that God does exist

'Cause He will have answered every single prayer

It aint easy!

It's been an amazing 4 months for us. Every time I see Shanah, it just echos Psalms 139 to me, that indeed we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 18:22

I was listening to a Pastor Prince sermon recently and he mentioned this verse. Indeed, it is the grace of God upon my life, to have found a wonderful wife. And I am the sort who likes to brag about God's blessings on my life. I've been to so many baby showers recently and I'm not trying to compare, but ask around and you will realise it aint easy to be a mommy! In fact, better ask your own! So I really thank God for His blessing to me :)

Even in a apparently textbook thing, where the government, every consultant and every textbook advises total breastfeeding, I realise that it is not even easy to sustain it. The time, the commitment, the tiredness - it really takes its toil on mothers. Even waking up in the night...oh my oh my....haha I definitely could not sustain that (after all I have work the next morning mah...haha!)

The best thing our Shanah could have is the best mommy - Matilda :) The favour of God is indeed upon our household :)

He's my daddy

These days most conversations with friends would often include questions about daddy's involvement in caring for the little one. It's normal, considering the fact that we are still living in a rather patriarchal society. But thankfully for me, I married a super dad, whose talents includes diaper changing, bottle feeding, massaging and toilet cleaning. Come to think of it, my dad is a super grand-dad too - with all his visits and yummy dinners.

Here's seven reasons why Isaiah rocks our socks off:

7) He saw my insides spill on the table and didn't squrim

Childbirth can be rather revealing - of the placenta and other bloody stuff that is. First we wait 40 weeks for the child to come, then we wait for the cervix to dilate, then we push the baby out and finally all the bloody stuff comes out. Not a very good sight. But this champion here saw everything and didn't squirm or faint. In fact, he even wanted to take a picture of it. Thankfully he didn't.

6) He woke up for all the night feeds in the first month even when he didn't have to 

Thus far Shanah has been exclusively latched on, which means to say Daddy doesn't really have much of a job in the feeding department. In those first weeks where things were a complete blur (both because we didn't know what to do and were really lacking sleep), Isaiah woke up along side me to keep to company for night feeds. He rocked her to sleep after i'm done feeding and when she starts screaming. He changed her diapers, hoping to wake up her to drink more milk, while i rest in bed. And he walked her around the house for hours at end in the wee hours of the morning.

5) He willingly cleans all the toilets in the house and does it without fail most of the time. 

A mutual friend once asked why I was against the idea of having a part time cleaner come by. I don't like our weekends being confined to waiting around for our house to be cleaned up. Plus, I can do the housework, it's exercise for me since my gym membership is non-existent now. My record time for cleaning the entire house is 45 minutes. I can even add polishing the parquet to my list of abilities.. i just can't do the toilets. In comes my lovely husband who scrubs the loo down to a T and says he's the expert in it :)

4) On weekends, he takes over the diaper duty and does it with minimal squirming. 

When momma gets lazy and daddy gets moving to let momma sleep in for the extra 5 minutes.

3) He cleans Shanah up for bed despite her screaming into his face sometimes. 

Shanah gets fussy at night. After sometime we figured that it's prolly because she's over tired. So when daddy starts the night routine of getting her cleaned and dressed for bed, she sometimes screams non stop and kicks her legs in fury. Despite a whole day at work fighting his own battles, daddy patiently calms Shanah down and cleans her up so that momma gets sometime to clean herself up.

2) He gives momma time to bathe her luxurious 15 minutes bathe while he tries ways and ends to calm the grumpy baby. After that momma sometimes get a feet massage while she feeds the baby

Refer to point no. 3

1) Most of all, he loves the ladies in the house very very much. 

I know you loves us so very much. Thank God for you :)

Blessed Valentines 2011!

It's been some time since we last blogged, so well, hello everyone! :) There has been many changes since last year, and while we are ready to share all about it, work and other stuff call for a greater priority. Hopefully with more time to ourselves, we can finally start sorting out the many pictures and sharing alittle of our lives :)

Though i'm proud to say that i've finally cleared the SD card from good ole trusty Nikon and create 15 (yikes!) folders of photos. Apparently the last time i officially cleared and stored everything properly was like, last November, before Europe!

Meanwhile, Blessed Valentines all. I shall shamelessly share my lovely bouquets from the even lovelier husband who unbashfully showers his wife with so much love :) The first one came last Friday, in time for Crazy Love, while the second one was a total surprise on Valentines day itself. Now each time i look at it at home, it warms me up inside.

Now, whoever you spent this Valentine with, remember that Jesus shall be your eternal Valentine. He has tonnes of flowers and an everlasting love for you and me.