A letter to my dearest girl

My dearest baby girl,

We saw you in mommy’s tummy again today…Thank you baby, for turning your face towards us, we could see you so clearly…and you were rubbing your eyes…and then yawned several times....you’re soooo adorable. So…the countdown continues until your arrival, supposed to be another 9 weeks to go but doctor has just told us that your birthday might be a little earlier, 7th July 2010. Do hang in there until the 7th, k, baby…Your daddy and I like the number 7 coz’ 7 means ‘completion’ and it also represents God. You are created in the image of God and you are made ‘complete’ in Him.

Girl, there are so many things that I want to tell you about…like the day when your daddy and I found out that you were going to be born, the day I first heard your heart beating, the first time your daddy felt you move inside my belly or the times we had fun watching your bumps rolling on mommy’s tummy when you stretched and jabbed inside your little cramped living quarters. There were hours I spent just fascinated with your movements and the magic of realizing that you are really here and alive in the flesh with us.

I feel you kick and wiggle all day every other day, especially when I play the song ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and “Jesus Loves The Little Children of The World” on the piano. The amazing thing is that whenever mommy talks to Jesus, you will stop kicking and moving and the moment I close in prayer and say 'Amen'...you would immediately start your little acrobatic performances, roll and kick. Love you baby...And I know that you and daddy have already established a bond, you will always give a super powerful kick in my belly whenever daddy whispers your name into mommy’s tummy...these little acts are just simply amazing...you're going to be daddy's girl, I promise.

Finally, we have already selected an English name for you, hope you will like it…..but your Chinese name is just on the way, your grandma has come up with a few nice Chinese names, we like all of ‘em…and that’s the problem. We promise we will decide on one before your arrival.

Once you are born and growing up, I am going to show you the world. I want to teach you things and show you what’s right and what’s wrong. We want you to grow in the love of God… we want to teach you about loving God and God’s love for you...so that you will move in the way God would have you to go, all the days of your life.

I want you to know that I will support you in all that you do. Your grandma and grandpa did it for me and have made me into the person I am today…and I promise I will do the same for you. Nevertheless, you don’t have to like what I like, you don’t have to make white, green, beige or black your favorite colour, it’s perfectly alright…I want you to have your own ideas and be a strong girl. I want you to have dreams in your life and confidently pursue your dreams, even if it fails so that you will not have regrets in your life…Your mommy and daddy will be more than delighted to take on this adventurous journey with you.

My dearest one, we want you to know that you are a gift, you may not know now how very special you are to us but one day….one day…you’re going to be reading this letter….and we want you to know that you are a miracle brought to our lives.

Till 7th July, my dearest girl..

Love,
Mommy

New Milestone Reached..

By His grace, I’ve completed three quaters of my pregnancy. Although 29 weeks have gone relatively quick, thinking about it now I seemed to have been preggo for a decade. Only ten weeks and counting. Each stage felt like I'd passed a milestone. I have just reached another milestone in my pregnancy today....Well, I'm sure there are moms-to-be out there who are as excited as me about hitting a milestone in their pregnancy.

Some Updates:

How far along am I ? 30 weeks 4 days.

Total weight gain as of today? Well, let's just say, pre-preg, I was weighing 47kg and now weighing 59.58kg..(yikes...I will work on it after delivery!)

How big is baby? 3.75 pounds (1.7kg)

Stretch marks? None yet. An experienced mommy told me that if you don’t get it now you probably won’t get it at all…but I’ve heard some women who had them during the last couple of weeks of pregnancy….so I’m not celebrating yet….no..not just yet...

Baby’s movement? Stronger movements as she gets bigger....as I’m typing this, she is now kicking and wiggling under my rib cage...

Sleeping well? Arghhh....insomnia and the weather!! Need to find the secret to sleep...Insomnia blows!! But the weather...can't help it...!!

Best moment this week? Feeling her powerful kicks...

How am I feeling right now? I am feeling every emotion possible and I have no idea what to expect…just can’t wait to meet her…

Cravings? Winter Warmer iced mixed fruit cocktail (it’s alcohol free of course)

Labor signs? No…

Belly button in or out? Already popped out

What I miss? Sleeping on my back and starting my day with coffee....

What I'm looking forward to? The moment I can hold my baby for the first time

My lovely wife..thank you

I'm a man of few words and to me, mushy words are best left unsaid and action speaks louder than words, but it's not always true. Sometimes you need to find ways to express your feelings for your wife and tell them how much they mean to you. That's what I'm about to do now.

I think I can now understand why expectant mothers feel more tired than usual. From what I've read (yes, I'm also reading some of the pregnancy books, can you imagine that?), it is especially more evident during the 3rd trimester. Michele has been sleeping a lot lately. Normally whenever she is at the mall, she's always full of energy. Lately, I notice a huge difference, she can only walk for max 1hr and and we would drive home because fatique usually hits her in the middle of the afternoon and once we get home she would sleep the whole afternoon away.

On Sunday afternoon right after we got home from Qbay, we took a nap but when I woke up she was still sleeping like a baby and she slept for 3 hours. She was sleeping so soundly that nothing could really wake her up but I sensed that her breathing might have felt more laboured than usual, and I remembered she told me she has been experiencing shortness of breath lately. She said it's just part of pregnancy with the increased hormones and also due to the growing uterus that puts pressure on her diaphragm. Although she assured me that there's nothing to worry about, seeing that she is all worked up and there isn't anything I could do, I really felt helpless.

Dear, I just want to thank you for everything that you have done for me, for this family. I promised I will complete all the house chores or anything you want me to do. I love you.

While staring at my dear sleeping like a baby on that Sunday, my hand was also placed on her tummy, I felt our girl squirming inside mommy's tummy, sometimes she would poke, make wave-like rolling patterns from left to right, right to left..all over mommy's tummy, she would stretch and kick, it was just amazing and I felt truly blessed to be with my two dearest girls in the world.

~Jimmy~

A Letter from Daddy

My dear princess,

Today as you wisk around inside mommy’s tummy, I want to say something special to you. You are so so wonderful to me. Everyday as you grow, so does my heart for you. With one kick or hiccup or jab you can make me smile. You are a special person to me. In the beginning when things were so unsure, God promised you to me. You bring joy to our family without even being here yet. We all squeal in amusement when you kick me in the face or hand. Gong-Gong, Po-Po, Aunties, Uncles and your cousins love to tell mommy how big she is getting…But the bigger your mommy gets, the bigger you are, and we know that we are one day closer to the day you will finally be placed in daddy and mommy’s arms. So the countdown begins! In just 80 days I will see your lovely face. Until then, God will keep you safe, my dear princess. I love you!

Love,
Daddy

A little Gown, A Family Treasure

In 1950, my grandmother bought a beautiful baby dedication gown for her baby girl. (Well, it's actually a Christening gown...but since our family is not involved in the traditions of naming and baptizing a baby, so I decided to call it a baby dedication dress :)

My mom was the first person to wear this gown when she was dedicated in Penang First AOG (PFAOG) then followed by my Uncle Johnny (my mother's brother). Since then, this classic gorgeous little gown has been passed down and worn by all the new borns in our family at baby dedication ceremonies, well, including me, urm...not that I remember wearing it ^_^.

My mom is excited that a new baby girl in the family would soon be wearing this 60 year-old dress.

This is a masterpiece and something to become a family treasure for years to come, and to be passed down from generation to generation.

A short description of the gown:-

This gown features a vertical lace insertion on the bodice and topped by hand embroidered pastel flowers. It has a simple round neckline edged with cotton lace and short puffed sleeves finished with cotton lace. The gown closes in the back with 3 small buttons. Beautiful isn't it?