Playtime with Daddy

Adele, the Strawberry Queen!

Adele's Sleeping Companions

Hey...I'm Talking to You!

Adele at two months old

Maternity Leave Coming to An End Soon

In three weeks' time, I'll be returning back to my work. I am already feeling a slight dread in my heart. Initially, I had felt that the life of a full-time mother is pretty monotaneous and predictable, always going through the same feeding, bathing baby, changing diaper, tucking baby to sleep routine. I'd probably feel more productive from accomplishing my work and obtain higher satisfaction from solving work challenges (Not that I'm an overly ambitious or high achiever type.) It's just that caring for the baby involves mainly manual tasks which do not require much brain work. Hence, I could imagine that my brain would have deteriorated as a result of being underutilised!

Now that my maternity leave is coming to an end, I suddenly wish that I could turn back time and re-live the past eight weeks and perhaps improve my baby care techniques further. How I wish I can have more time to bond with my baby and watch her little body grow and developing all her body movements and facial expressions. I've really come to enjoy breastfeeding, holding her little body close to mine and seeing how satisfied she is sucking for the milk. Now I can truly comprehend the wonders of breastfeeding, aside from the health benefits it brings to the baby, it is, without doubt, the most wonderful moments a mother can have with her child. Returning to work would mean giving up on breastfeeding as my work place does not have the facilities nor environment that support breastfeeding mothers, especially where expressing milk is concerned.

Hello, I'm back!

My blog has been dead for more than a month! Guess you would have known by now that motherhood has indeed consumed me. Since my last update was about my first week experience with baby Adele, I should give a brief update on Adele's progress from second week till now - 8th week!

The confinement period has certainly provided a much needed rest and aided in my speedy recuperation. The food is quite to my taste, unlike some who simply disliked confinement food due to the lack of variety and the heatiness caused to the body. Of course, it was also atributed to the fact that my mum, who was my "confinement lady" was creative and took extra efforts in planning my confinement dishes. Though I did enjoy my confinement, I very much looked forward to its end when I could get out of the house, meet people and do some shopping.
Adele has grown healthly in the first month with a weight increase of 1.3 kg from birth weight of 2.7 kg to 4 kg. This came as a surprise to me cos' she seems to have a small appetite and would sometime prefer sleep over a full feed.
Much to our delight, she is quite a well behaved and predictable baby, sleeping well at night and waking at every 3 hour interval for her feed. She loves water and enjoys taking her bath. Perhaps we can start her off with swimming lessons at an early age. It's so interesting to watch her after a bath cos' she will be so cheerful then and her eyes glancing around and her mouth making sounds such as "oohs.. ahs...". Into her 7th week, she has learnt to focus on our face and other close distant objects, and even respond to us with her little baby talk.

First Week with Baby Adele

The first week of our parenthood was like a war at home - three adults battling with a little baby! Trying to understand her cries and responding to her needs was already hard to master. On top of it, I was also struggling with my breastfeeding technique and it really added to my frustration. During the first week, I couldn't nurse the baby properly due to sore nipples and engorgement. I was so depressed that I wanted to give up breastfeeding altogether. I thought why do I have to waste so much time feeding the baby and expressing out the milk. I could have used the time to accomplish other things instead. For a while, I felt I had lost control of my life - instead it is now dictated by the needs of the little one.

Thank God for my husband who was with me during that whole week, comforting me and encouraging me. In fact, I thought he would have made a better mother than me during that first week. We tried to establish a feeding routine for the baby so that we can manage our time more efficiently and not to get "lost" in midst her demands. Very soon, things took a turn for the better with my soreness healed and I was able to resume my breastfeeding again.

Announcing the Arrival of Baby Adele

1 July 2007 is another significant turning point in my life - the day of the arrival of Adele. After 39 weeks of anticipation and excitement, and enduring her kicks and turns in my womb, I finally get to see my baby!

My contractions started pretty unexpectedly on 28 June, Thursday. It was still bearable and I could even go for a hair-cut on Friday afternoon, followed by cell meeting that night. It intensified on early Saturday morning around 2 am. However, again it subsided slightly during the Saturday daytime. As I did not experienced any other signs of labour such as rupturing of my water bag or blood discharge, I did not even regard it as the onset of labour. However, the pain became so unbearable on Saturday night 10 pm onwards that I began to get worried. Since there were still no other signs, I thought to myself: am I supposed to bear with the excruciating pain for another week till my due date on 7 July? We decided to inform my gynae about my contractions. Immediately we were told to go to the hospital and I was admitted to the labour ward.

Being a person with "zero" pain tolerance, I requested for the epidural without any hesitation. Thank God for the pain relief. Can't imagine how I can still have the strength to deliver my baby if I have to endured the pain. It was a long 14 hours of waiting in the labour ward because my dilation was so moving at snail's pace. At one point, I was even given a drip to speed up my dilation, unformantely, my baby resisted it so badly that her heartbeat dropped. Finally, at 3 pm, my gynae came and prepared me for delivery. After about 3-4 pushes, a loud wailing sound greeted us and my baby was placed on my chest. It was such an emotional experience for me that I didn't know how to react but to cry with joy. I guess only the mothers can truly understand my feelings at that moment. The mother and child bond that was seeded 39 weeks ago has eventually crystallized into a little life.

Downpour of His Love

Part I

The church camp was such an amazing experience for me. Every moment of it was an encounter with God's love, right from the beginning of the car journey to Subang to the daily sermons and workshops, my dad's sudden illness and the return trip home.

Really thank the Lord for His protection and journey mercy during our drive up. It was a such a blessing that I didn't experience any discomfort though already into my 36th week of pregnancy. My spirits were high as I wait in anticipation of what the Lord is going to do at the camp.

Immediately, I was put through a trial at the camp when my dad's illness took a turn for the worse. He had been experiencing constipation, stomache bloatedness, vomitting and lost of appetite since many months back. The GPs he consulted were all unable to diagnose the real cause of the symptons. He was only prescribed gastric medication to temporarily ease his discomfort. On the second day of the camp, the symptons re-visited him and left him so weak that he was constantly out of breath and could hardly walk properly. Thank God for a church friend who recommended us to consult his Uncle who is a General Surgeon at a nearby medical centre. The blood test shown that his blood count was 70% lower than an average healthy person and he was recommended to seek treatment immediately. By God's grace and provision, my parents managed to rush back to Singapore on the third day of the camp and have my Dad admit to hospital for treatment. Looking back on all these, I can't help but exalt the Lord for His sovereignty and mercy! He was the One who revealed the cause of the illness and He was the One who preserved my dad even as they were travelling back to Singapore. And He is the One who healed my Dad.

Indeed, through the incident, He has demonstrated His magnificent love, His power and His glory to those who place their trust in Him. It was truly a God encounter for me and my family.

Daddy's Poem to Baby Adele

My baby Adele,

I will discipline my ARMS to be strong enough to keep you in God's moral boundries,

quicken my LEGS to be swift enough to catch you in your fall,

broaden my MIND to be loose enough to let your "wings of giftings" be as what God intended,

strengthen my HEART to be gentle enough to let you bruise yourself and then nurse your wounds,

constantly renewing my SOUL to be resilient enough to keep believing in you,

that God will keep you in His arms and never let you go.... no matter where I will be.

- DADDY TERENCE

The MAN of the HOME

Ever since we got married, I had been dreaming about having a baby.... Boy! Not! I had been enjoying the wonderful times of couplehood. Just my wife and I.. and this is truly happiness and joy as I look forward to going home and seeing my beautiful wife. If we happen to be going home together after having a dinner or any other events prior, we never fail to giggle our way from the carpark to the doorsteps of home.... ah, heavenly marriage indeed... soon all these will change and I will need to wait for another 2 decades or so before I can have my wife back ;p. Did I mention Boy? Yes, that was what I actually hope our first baby will be. I will not hide this and will face this like a man, slightly disappointed but soon overwhelmed with joy! With the knowledge that a life is in the hands of God as He wove her into being.... AWESOME! So it is official, I will have 2 girls to deal with now in our family. :)

I had been reading alot about pregnancy and babies and how to effectively educate them... and no, I do not subscribe to hearsay of modern methods. I diligently checked out the stages of fetus and infant development that are emprically recorded and square it against those modern teachings. For example, I found it totally ridiculous to talk and even play music to the fetus before 7 months old, since the frontal celebral and inner ear loops are not fully developed until then. The only reason why I talked to the baby is to solely comfort and "play" with my wife. After researching into all the facts, I had developed my personal conviction that pregnancy is ALL about the mummy-to-be and NOT the fetus - "Keep thy mummy well and all will be well with the fetus!"

Giftings of babies are already pre-determined. Playing music to the fetus will not add a "single note" of music recognition ability if the baby simply does not have what it takes. However, I do believe that the baby will be calmed by familar voices, music or even noise which he or she heard while in the mother's womb.

With the above understanding that indeed ADELE will be simply unique and not circum to any human whimps/wishes or "engineering", I will love her as who she is and not what she will become... simply unconditional love as God's Gift.

- DADDY TERENCE

Church Camp - To go or not to go??

After a month of praying and seeking earnestly for an indication, we finally drew up the courage to register for the church camp, despite that I would be in my 36th week of pregnancy. God revealed to Terence through Hebrews 11: 17 – 19

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

We were encouraged by Abraham’s faith in God when he trusted God for the preservation of Isaac's life. Afterall, it was God who had giventh him the child. We sensed that we need to emulate the faith and obedience of Abraham. I also received another confirmation though James 2:21-24 which also spoke about the faith of Abraham which is made alive by his works.

It was not easy making that decision because God’s way and thoughts are higher than ours and beyond our comprehension. Others cannot understand why we choose to “take the risk”. Indeed, we were faced with much persuasion against it. Even our gynae was not in favour of it. I must say the negative comments did cast some doubts in my own mind and I began to worry if I can withstand the journey there and what would happen if I develop any contraction there.... sigh.

Interestingly, a church friend came to us saying that our retreat site is just five minutes walk away from a hospital and conincidentally, he has a doctor friend working there. This must be another assurance from God

First Antenatal Class

I went for my first antenatal class on 8 May. The first half of the session touched on nutritional care for pregnant ladies, which probably can also be learnt from books or pregnancy websites. We were provided a nutrition guidebook which highlighted the key nutrients, food sources and quantities required to achieve a balanced diet. It’s interesting to note that there are some foods which are deemed as “taboo” for pregnant woman simply based on old wives’ tales. Whoever said that it’s a taboo to eat pineapple during pregnancy? There is no scientific evidence proving that pineapple is harmful to fetal development or may lead to miscarriage. Whoever said that we can’t eat sushi or sashimi? How can the Japanese women survive then during their pregnancy? We are advised that as long as the raw food is prepared in a hygiene and clean environment, they should be safe to consume. The key is to eat in moderation and not over indulge! By the way, I did not abstain from caffeine during my pregnancy. I take one to two cups of tea a day. The strange thing is I’ve lost interest in coffee, a beverage that I was insanely addicted to before my pregnancy and I even suffered tension headache if I skip it.

Pregnancy is also a time one has all the excuse to get pampered with delicacies or expensive tonics. I started having bird nests during my second trimester and had it nearly twice a month. All thanks to my mum who took great efforts to prepare. I also had ginseng chicken soup occasionally. To a person who hardly touched tonics and supplement products, the bird nests and ginseng must have doubled or tripled their effect on me as I felt energized and radiant throughout my pregnancy.

The second half was a practical session on postural care, body stretching and breathing techniques. It was fun doing it together with our spouses. The hubbies looked quite amused and probably thought it’s some form of yoga session. Well, it’s easy to learn the exercises in class, but it requires more discipline to carry out the exercises at home. I sure hope I make an effort to do them.

Mother & Baby Bonding

It's such a tremendous feeling when baby Adele kicks and turns in my tummy. She's a real playful one and tends to leave me sleepless at nights. Yet I love to feel her all the time and even try to "communicate" with her through my special "morse code". That's what my hubby terms when I tap my fingers or run them around my tummy as if signalling to baby Adele to wake up and play with me.

What a wonderful feeling to know that I'm not alone even when my hubby goes on travelling assignment! Carrying my baby brings an instant comfort and warmth to my heart. I'll read to her bible stories at night... yeah.. this is what they term as "pre-natal education". It's not exactly proven that babies given such early education will indeed excel further than their peers who were depraved of it. I believed it is more like a means to foster mother-baby bonding and to nurture greater maternal instincts in one.

Nowadays, our shopping tends to revolve around baby Adele. We never fail to pick up any newborn clothings, feeding articles and other infant care items during our shopping. We've even furnished a room with shelves and cabinet dedicated to baby Adele's stuff. I guess it's hard to comprehend the excitement bubbling within our soul, unless you've been a parent yourself.

We're so looking foward to her arrival... dreaming about what she'll be like... imagine us bringing her to the zoo..etc, doing all the things we used to see other parents doing.

I'll sing... sing I Love you

Third Trimester

I can’t believe myself! Into my 7th month of pregnancy, I became heavily involved in the church’s album production, doing vocal arrangements, training the singers….recording etc. I thought I had actually accomplished even more than before I was pregnant! Amidst all these, I hope at least Baby Adele gets to receive some early education in music and singing,.. and most importantly worship!

Great Deliverance

Second Trimester

Part I

An Unexpected Twist

Into my 14th week of pregnancy, we were placed in another faith-testing situation. I was diagnosed with a cyst in my right ovary. It was suspected to be present before my conception, but we chose to ignore it and did not deal with it. During my first trimester scanning, it was detected again and apparently the cyst has grown and may still grow further. Our gynae advised us to remove it since I had passed my first trimester. Furthermore, the timing was just right for the surgery as any later stage into the pregnancy, my uterus would have grown and obstructed the removal of the cyst.

I can’t imagine we only had a few seconds to deliberate over the matter as the surgery would have to take place the next day after seeing our gynae. Somehow, we sensed the peace to go through it after being assured of the chances of success and that it would not affect the baby. We strongly believed that God will preserve the little life in my womb as this miraculous gift of life was granted by Him.

The surgery was a success, praise the Lord indeed! The process of the surgery, the pain and discomfort that came with it somehow prepared me mentally for the child delivery process in a few months’ time.

In addition, during the period of my recuperation, I had the luxury of time to browse through tonnes of baby books to familiarize myself with newborn behaviour and all sorts of nursing tips. Reading all these books would have certainly stirred up any maternal instincts in anyone!

Part II

Baby growing fast…. Gender unveiled.

Like any typical Kaisu Singaporean couple, we began our fervent search for the “perfect” baby name even since the first trimester! Finally, our heart rested upon “Elliot” which is a version of “Eli-ya-hu” or “Elijah”, meaning “The Lord is my God”. Why Elliot? Because we had always felt that our baby is a boy!


On 16th February 2007, the 20th week of my pregnancy, we discovered that I’m expecting a girl. Ooh.. a little “Grace”! So after a couple of weeks of diligently searching and seeking, we decided on the name “Adele”. We thought it would fit her perfectly cos’ it’s sweet, cute, a little dainty and a little mischief all mixed into one. She is afterall a very lively and active baby who loves to move about to get our attention. Most importantly, the name stands for “God is eternal” and “noble” or "kind" in French and German.

Such Joy, Such Unspeakable Joy

First Trimester.

God gave us the most wonderful gift we can ever imagined on our fourth-year anniversary celebration. The joy was immeasurable and we were both intoxicated in our excitement when we first discovered the good news!

After trying and waiting for two whole years, I’ve finally conceived! It was tough and faith-stretching having to endure the journey of waiting, but we held on to the promises of God in Psalm 128.

1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
6 Yes, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!

My first trimester was considered a “breeze” as compared to what others may have experienced. No sickness, no cravings, no mood swings etc… what gracious provision from the Lord! I was unaffected at all in my church ministry and my work responsibilities. In addition, I’ve also received favours from my superiors who excused me from traveling assignments and were generally concerned about my overall welfare. Showers of advice and concerns poured in generously from my colleagues and friends.

We are truly grateful to all our friends and family members who have been praying unceasingly for us during our family planning and my pregnancy journey.