Emma's first Christmas... Emma's first fever...

yes yes.. Emma was down with slight fever on Christmas morning. Her temperature hovered at 37.3 ^oC, and at some points hit 37.8 ^oC. Coupled with a slight runny nose and itchy throat, I'm sure Emma didn't enjoy the feeling. I guess the I passed the bug to her. argh! I was down with fever on Sat night and was wasted the whole Sun. Felt much better on Mon, but even then, I've refrained from physical contact with Emma, and even wore face mask during the times I've to carry her. Yet the persistent bug hit our precious little daughter.

It sure was an experience for Ade and I. Our very first experience caring for a sick child. But Emma was such a fighter through it all, smiling and chuckling away whenever she's awake, despite the cold cloth that's placed on her forehead to keep the temperature at bay. We only gave Emma a dose of infant paracetamol medicine, and thank God for strengthening Emma throughout, for her temperature went down below 36.7 ^oC. That was certainly a relief for Ade and I.

A big 'thank you" to all of Emma's uncles, aunties and friends who've been praying for her recovery. Thank God that Ade was still well, and didn't fall ill even though Emma and I were both under the weather at the same time. =)

Christmas Eve one yr ago.. and now...

a year ago.... on Christmas eve 2006
1) my godson Joseph prophesied that Ade and I would have children
2) our friends teased Ade that she's pregnant

a yr since then.... on Christmas eve 2007.. we're blessed parents of a little joyful Emma Joy Foo... (no pun intended.. hahaha).

we can only stand amazed at how God orchestrated everything... =)

a busy and tiring end to an eventful year

Dec has always been my favourite time of each year, cos for one, it's really nice and cool, which "polar bears" like me who're stuck in hot and humid Singapore would really appreciate. Never mind the wet weather, I just love it to be nice and cool... =)

I love Dec also cos it's Christmas, and a time when I can share the joy of the Lord with friends. A time when church is abuzz with outreach presentations, to minister to people, whom God loves dearly. This year is no different. It has always been fun to experience God working in and through everyone who're involved in the presentation. Yes there are times when it's very stressful with the little time left to rehearse and prepare before Christmas, and sometimes it's tiring. No joke. But there's always this sense of gratitude for the chance to partner God and be a part of His ministry to reach out to people out there. I can't wait to see how God's gonna move this coming weekend. I'm sure it's gonna be amazing!

This year-end, I'm feeling a lot more tired than previous years. I sat down and thought about it, and found myself feeling tired from work. Even though it's year-end, when people usually wind down a little from a year's worth of often highly-stressed and high-tempo work. Not for me though. I found myself working past 6pm a few nights, sometimes till 7pm, all without realising it until Dearie called to ask me if I was on the way home. I feel bad. Going home late means Dearie has to wait a little longer before she can take a little break and have her dinner properly without having to tend to Emma. Going home late means Emma would've to wait a little longer for her warm bath, which'll eat into her sleeping time, and I'm sure parents would know what happens when babies are put through activities when they're tired. Yeps, that's right, they get really cranky and it's a whole lot more effort needed to sooth them down and put them to sleep. Going home late means less time with Dearie and Emma. Sigh...

Anyway, yes, I feel tired. I feel drained. I wished there was more support at work. I do feel a tad lonely at work. I do wish there can be more friends around in the work place. Argh! If not for the morning prayers when I wake up, or when I drive to work, I'm sure I wouldn't have gone through each day in the office with the right frame of mind, and to give my all as if unto the Lord, and live my life the way that Paul exhorted us to (Col 3:23-24). I'm sure I'd have thrown in the towel by now if not for God's strength that undergirded me all this while. I'm physically tired, but I'm thankful within, thankful that I've got a God whose love surpasses all things.

Indeed I'm thankful. I'm thankful for Emma, I'm thankful for Dearie. Dearie and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on 12 Dec, and of course I took leave that day. This time, we had Emma to celebrate our anniversary with us. It was a pleasant day for us as a family. Went for lunch at Paragon, shopped at Paragon, Tangs, Taka, and had dinner at Paragon. We were amazed ourselves at how we were able to go out for such a long time. And Emma was such a dear throughout, blissfully sitting in her stroller, sleeping or just observing her surroundings as we went around, and only fussing a little whenever it's time to feed. We really thank God for good nursing rooms.

Well, such times cannot go by without having Dearie's favourite Jap food. We tried out the Shimbashi Soba restaurant in Paragon, and we loved the food there. Salmon sashimi was superb, and it was so good that we ordered more than one plate of it. The soba was nice and fresh too. Emma did fuss a little then, so Dearie had to sling her while eating her food. But I must say that Dearie has mastered the art of baby-slinging really well. *clap clap clap*

It was a wonderful day out, and I relish such times with Dearie and Emma. How nice it'd be if I could spend 24 hrs each day with them, and not be bogged down by work. Ha. I can imagine God's face even as He hears these thoughts of mine. He must be saying "tsk tsk.. now now Roy.. stay faithful in where I'm placing you in this season..."

Yes, Lord.. I hear You... loud and clear, amen!

can't wait!

Ade and I are just enjoying every moment of Emma's growing up.. her cackles, her attempts to join in the conversations (as many would have heard when she was next to me during one of the discussions in the recent ministry's leaders' summit), her attempts to sing-along with impromptu songs by Ade and I.. there's always something new to see each day..

I guess that's how God sees us as His children as well, always ready to catch something new from us in our responses to the journeys that He prepares for us purposefully each day. I know He can't wait for us to discover new giftings, new experiences that builds our character, just as parents can't wait for their very own children to discover their giftings and abilities. That's a nice thought, to know that God's with us every moment of the day, watching over us in our sojourn in this world. I pray that I'll know Him more each day as well, and live my life worthy of the Lord, and please Him in every way. Col 1:10 comes to mind.

anyway, I am getting ambivalent regarding Emma's growth... one part of me wants her to stay the cutesy little baby that she is now so that I can cuddle her and pat her to sleep on my shoulder everytime.. yet another part of me can't wait to see how God's gonna mould Emma into a woman of God, especially after I saw this video on GodTube.. =)

talking abt "can't wait", this year is surely a year of multiplication within families... so many of our friends have either just had newborns, or going to have newborns by the end of 2007... and we just found out that another close couple-friend of ours from church is also expecting! We're so excited for them... God is surely serious about multiplication. =)
[ok, in case u're wondering, Ade and I aren't thinking too much abt another child (yet), cos' we're happy enjoying Emma at this juncture.. we'll see what God has in store for our family in the days to come.. heh]

swarmed

Daddy here's swarmed.. almost totally swarmed by the things I've got to uncover as I take over my new portfolio, address the past issues, try to get conversations with other units/offices going again, while still trying to find his footing in the midst of the ongoing work in his new office... well, it isn't really a new office, but it's a little kinda like home-coming as that was where I once worked as a staff officer 4 yrs back... It's amazing how time flies... well, it's a challenging period of time, and I've gotta keep reminding myself to die to self, and commit the day's work to the Lord every morning. So far, I can testify that God's grace is really at work in and through me, and He's been renewing me every minute of the day. I've just realised that I've taken on another role in my life now, and that is the role of a boss. Not an easy role to fulfill cos the things I say, and do, are under even greater scrutiny by more pple, some of whom are more than a decade younger than I am, and whose experience during their stint here will depend on the kind of work culture I set for the office, and how I walk as a leader. It's a challenging journey ahead of me in my worklife, but I know at the end of the day, I've got God on my side. That's enough to give me the confidence and assurance, knowing that I've got the best counsel and advisor whom I can turn to at work.

All said, busy schedule at work makes the day shorter, which means I don't have to seemingly wait too long before I see my two darlings (my wifey and little baby) at home. A simplest of smile from Emma in the evening just makes my day, no matter how crappy and difficult the work hours may be. I'm thankful to God for this blessing of a child, and for watching over Ade during her pregnancy, especially during the fragile early stages of pregnancy. I'm just thankful. So so so so thankful.

Ah, Emma had her 2nd jab last evening. We were wondering if she would cry since she's able to see a lot better than the last time she had her first jab. Well, lo and behold, she didn't cry when she had the jab. Only a little yelp when the doctor kinda pinched her buttocks to get more flesh for the needle to poke through. But she did cry later on, when she was orally administered with the Rotavirus vaccine. I guess it didn't taste too good, and yeps, there she went waaaaaa-ing away. But that in itself was a blessing, cos in her cries, the vaccine was inevitably swallowed and not a drop was spitted out and wasted. *wink*

We're monitoring her temperature just in case she develops a fever, but thank God so far, her temperature only hit 37.5 degrees celsius twice, and each time the temperature dropped shortly after Ade took the temperature. Other than that, Emma's still the cheery little baby, who's slowly beginning to enjoy singing along with Ade, and making gurgling noises when I do the nose-to-nose rub with her. We're just amazed at how God is moulding Emma each day. Oh btw, Emma's still not very big, but she has gained weight! She's abt 4.45kg now. I knew that Emma's growing fine. She's just petite... at least for now she is petite... =)

Tummy time

Tummy time's always fun for both Emma and I... I guess more so for me as I watch how she lifts her head & support her weight with her arms. Just yesterday, Emma managed to flip from her tummy to her back. She only did it once, so I thought it could be just a one time thingy. However, she did it again today and I've got a video to prove it! Yay! She's so cute when she landed on her back. When she did it yesterday, there was a look of shock in her face... but, it's a different story today though. =)

Tongue in cheek

Emma's tongue seemed rather white, possibly either from the calcium deposits from the milk, or it could be milk thrush? Hmm... i hope it's not the latter or else we'll both have to be on medication... anyway, after hearing from a friend that we've got to clean her tongue regularly to prevent thick crust from forming on the surface of her tongue, we've decided to use the baby toothbrush to brush the white, yukky stuff away rather than just using a cloth. To cut the long story short, it wasn't really successful as Emma decided to start playing and biting on the rubber toothbrush with my finger attached to it. She sure has a strong bite. =P Check out the video. Anyone any tips on how to clean her tongue properly?

Growth spurts???

Prior to this week, Emma has been sleeping around 4-5hrs at night, and before I could shout out hooray, she started to revert back to every 3 hours beginning of this week. Last night was the ultimate, she was demanding feed every hour!!! (and was perpetually latched on during the day apart from those happy, alert moments) I do hope this is a sign of a growth spurt and not a habitual night waking routine. =P

Am really exhausted from the lack of sleep... ZZzzzz....

Who looks like who? Part 2

This is a follow-up to the "Who looks like who?" poll.

The Sims, the Ows, and the Lohs have tried it out and we thought it'd be fun to use it to see who Emma looks like.. hahaha

joyful laughing baby

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Cackles and giggles - Emma's Mommy's version

It has been quite a while since I last posted onto this blog cos it's a bit tough to type with one hand while holding onto Emma, so I've mostly been clicking on my mouse & surfing the web/Facebook lately. hahahah =D (Am typing this now after feeding Emma)

Emma's a joy to look at for the past few weeks. She's getting very communicative and will squeal with delight each time I talk to her or change her diapers. She especially loves her massage time on her changing table and would look up at me with her adorable gaze. I love the mornings when I see her smile so sweetly after a good night's sleep... it sure makes up for my "zombiefied" state after the sleepless nites of frequent feedings. (She still wakes up a few times a nite for feeds, 12am, 3am & 6am - well, she doesn't cry for feeds, but being a concerned mommy over her weight gain, I'll still feed her whenever i hear her squeak - she does make a lot of baby noises in her sleep, but i've learnt to distinguish her dream sounds from her sounds of hunger. =P)

However, despite Roy's optimism over her growth, I'm still a bit worried abt her weight gain. She's at the 2nd-3rd percentile of the growth charts and sometimes even falls below the charts (she should be 4.2kg at week 10, but she was only 4kg at her last weigh-in). I'm constantly worried abt not having enough milk for her growth and even though Roy reassures me every now and then, I still worry abt my supply. It's my daily prayers that she'll thrive and grow well. It's definitely a lesson on trust for me as I'm learning not to worry too much abt her weight gain and just entrust her in God's hands. Also, she's only this small for a short period of time and before we know it, she'll be too heavy for us to carry - so I'll just savor this moment as much as possible and carry her whenever she needs it. She does look extremely alert and happy when she's awake and she poos at least 5 times a day, so i guess there must be adequate inputs to justify the outputs. =P

Talking abt pooing, Emma seems to have a certain routine & timing - once in the middle of the nite, twice in the mornings, twice in the afternoon, and sometimes once in the evenings. Changing her in the middle of the nite is a constant struggle (and a skill of speed) as she would prefer to sleep in a dirty diaper than being awaken from her sleep & once she wakes, she'll wail. The mornings are a total different story though... she'll wake up with her needing to poo look and once I put her onto the changing table, she'll release almost instantly - so cute to see her "gek sai" look. hahahah... (she has given me quite a number of accidents at the changing table, so I've learnt to wait till she's totally done before changing a new diaper... parents, I'm sure u understand what I mean... heheh... bleah =P)

Alritey, I think I better go and sleep now. She should be waking up in a couple of hours time. Until the next time when my hands are free then... (*btw, she just laughed in her sleep... sooooo cute!)

first try of the playmat

Emma tried out her playmat for the first time this evening after being decked up in her sleepsuit following a nice warm bath. She was a little bewildered when she laid there for the first time, but I guess the view of the living room ceiling, and the view through the lower half of the living room windows caught her attention. No more blocked views like those in her cot and playpen when she lies flat on her back. Think she likes the expanded view of things while lying on her playmat.

We put her on her tummy as well, and my oh my, she was pretty strong, holding her head up high as she supported herself with her arms below her chest. I guess that'll be her daily exercise now, on her exercise mat. Hahaha. Check out the video clip of her sounds as she tried out her playmat.

oh ya, Ade and I were just recalling the entire journey with Emma (from conception till now), and we were just awed at how God kept Emma safe, and how He strengthened her to grow, and how she was fearfully and wonderfully made, with features that are uniquely hers. For example, it's amazing how much semblance there was between Emma at 53 days old, and Emma when she was still in the womb at 19 weeks of conception. Check this out and see what we mean.

cackles and giggles of a growing baby

Emma Joy's 10½ weeks old now, and seeing her grow has in many ways proved that breastfeeding is always adequate to meet her milk intake demands. It's amazing how God has made us, and specifically the mother, such that her body is able to tune itself to the baby's feeding habit, and produce the right amount of milk at the right time, be it a full feed, or just a nice afternoon tea-break snack or supper snack. And it's really just right! No less than what the baby needs at each feed, and not excessive such that the baby becomes overfed. I'm just amazed at how God designed our bodies to be as such. No mommy is the same, and no baby's the same. Yet the needs of different babies are met by their respective mommies who're different in many ways. How can one sit by and not be amazed at this God-designed phenomenon?

anyway, Emma's abt 4kg now, and getting a tad chubbier, in the right places (e.g. her cheeks and bum.. hee). Ade and I are just all smiles whenever Emma's face breaks into a smile. We are heartened and thankful that she's still very healthy and alert, cackling and giggling away in her responses to our prompts, especially during her favourite nappy-changing times, and after feeds. Though she's petite in size, she's still growing very very well, falling within the typical weight gain range for breastfed babies as shown in some charts. Thank God for strengthening Emma Joy.

We just bought a LG Bumper Playmat which arrived today. It's rather thick at 15mm, and super huge! Lots of space for little Emma to crawl around and roll around, without us fearing that she'll hit the hard floor beneath. That'll be Emma's "playground", especially during the day. Now that she's discovered new-found joy in sucking her fingers, we can't wait to see how she'll explore in her new "playground".

here's Emma's Daddy (who's on leave this week! yippeee!!!) signing off for now...

her first jab

Emma had her 2nd vaccination jab (1st one being the standard jabs at birth) last evening, and I'm so proud of Emma. She's so strong, to the point of her being oblivious to the jab that the GP administered. Well, almost. She just did a small "yelp", but for the most part, she was just curious about her surroundings, especially the lights. At 7½ weeks, she's already beginning to see more clearly, and was even able to follow our pastor's finger when she moved it from left to right and back. She's beginning to observe her room a lot more, focusing on the mobile that we've set up on her cot.

Thank God for watching over Emma. Emma's still looks a tad small when compared to many babies, but more importantly she's growing healthily! praise God! I guess Emma's small-size is genetic, since both Ade and I are slim and not very big ourselves. =)

well, the poll's ended, and many say Emma looks like me when I was a baby. hahaha.. well, that's a nice compliment, cos I think Emma's "fearfully and wonderfully made", and it doesn't matter who she looks like more. To us, she's uniquely beautiful in her own ways. I'm sure that all readers of this blog feel this way too, right? heheh

a week of strength and grace

The past week has been a test for us, and especially for Ade. I had to go back to work since mon, and Ade's been handling Emma alone for the large part of each day. She's been doing a great job, albeit the increased frequency of feeding Emma in this week as it's Emma's growth spurt week. Thank God for His providence of milk through Ade. It's definitely more than enough for Emma as evident in her post-feed snooooozes.

We're both a little tired out, but thank God for strength still. We pray that Emma will be able to sleep a little longer in the night (she actually slept 4 hrs last night before her night feed!), so that Ade can rest better too.

SwaddleMe!

We bought the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe a couple of months back, and only got down to trying it out on Emma today. We've been using the normal flannel cloth to swaddle Emma since her birth. It's really easy to swaddle her with the SwaddleMe, which is very secure with its velcro straps. Now we don't have to worry about Emma squirming her way out and freeing her hands whenever we swaddle her. Emma's enjoying being in the snug and comfy SwaddleMe too. She really slept soundly in the late afternoon. We put Emma in the SwaddleMe again after we cleaned her and changed her into her sleepsuit, and the smiley look on her face just tells how much she's enjoying the snuggawugwug feeling.

Thank God for another day!

Thank God for another day!

• of strength despite the intermittent rest
• of providence of mommy's milk for Emma
• of wonderful friends who provided wonderful support and help to Ade in this time
• of great weather for going out

we've been going out for the past 3 days, and it's a challenge to care for Emma on the move, but we still enjoyed our family time out from home. We're getting the hang of things with additional logistics like stroller, baby-nappy-change survival pack, etc. Emma's also getting the hang of sleeping in the stroller, and sleeping snugly in her very own car seat. =)

And each time we went out this week, God sent someone to speak words of life and encouragement, words that speak to Ade in this arduous time of "setting things right" in terms of Emma's exclusive breastfeeding plan.

First was a GP whom we consulted about Emma's constipation problem (caused largely by the "excessive" formula milk supplement for the past 4 weeks! Thank God her constipation problem's resolved since Tues). Incidently, this is the very same GP who did the pregnancy test for Ade 10 months ago. Praise God for her words of encouragement and advice, and her sharing of what breastfeeding is meant to be, the way God designed it to be, so unique for every mother and every baby, and yet able to meet the needs of the respective baby. God provides! Period!

Another was a lactation consultant who also shared pretty much the same insights about breastfeeding, from God's perspective. And another was a friend whom we visited today after our shopping trip at "Mums in Mind", who gave lots of encouragement to Ade, and even helped Ade with easing some of the blocked ducts. (Thanks so much, Noe! I had fun with Jav and Julien!)

Well, as usual, I wished I was on 2 months paternity leave instead of just one week. One week is just too little! I just don't understand how the policy makers can assume that money (baby bonus, etc) can substitute a father's presence at home to help the mother manage a newborn. The policy of three days of paternity leave is just insufficient. I wonder if there's been enough thought behind the design of the policy. It's not as if having the fathers away from work for 3 months will cause any company or organisation from functioning properly. Sometimes, I feel that our organisations are too fixated with having concrete ROIs (return of investments) that can be measured, e.g. time, money. Ah well....

Anyway, it's been a great week thus far, and I can't believe that it's already end of the week. TGIF! Thank God for another day!

what a week!

It's been a most eventful week for me. Fought really hard to get well from the flu bug and the throat inflammation. Struggled really hard to come to terms with certain events at work, and to see things from the bigger perspectives of God's eyes, instead of through man's often myopic perspectives. Also, tried my utmost best to be a husband, and a father at home at the same time. Perhaps some may think that all these are "chicken-feed", they are still quite a handful to manage all at one go, and it is definitely by God's grace that I can be writing this blog entry with a sane mind, a fit (well, almost.. perhaps 98%) body, and a peaceful spirit within me. I thank God for the song "God is here" in Martha Munizzi's "The Best Is Yet To Come" worship album. The words are just timely to remind me that despite the feelings of disappointments, disgruntlements, despair, and anxiety, God is here! with me, and within me!

There is a sweet anointing in this sanctuary.
There is a stillness in the atmosphere.
Come and lay down the burdens you have carried,
For in this sanctuary God is here.

He is here, He is here,
To break the yoke and lift the heavy burden.
He is here, He is here,
To heal the hopeless heart and bless the broken.
Come and lay down the burdens you have carried,
For in this sanctuary God is here.

The lyrics said it all! and this song just resonated within me the whole day. Oh! did I tell u that this song is one of Emma's lullabies? step aside mozart, for God's praise and worship is much better! =)

Our confinement lady left on fri, but thankfully, Ade and I are still coping well to date. I guess trying to be hands-on with caring for Emma when the confinement lady was still around really helped a lot.

The big thing we've had to tackle was Emma's feeding plan. We've been adjusting the Emma's feeding plan for the past four weeks.

• "Direct latch."..
• "aiya, not enough lah, must supplement with formula milk"..
• "still not enough lah.. she's growing more.. so more supplement formula feeds.. and must pump more to stimulate supply at the same time.."

gosh! lots of those "advice" gave Ade so much stress that she was so worried about her supply. The situation has turned into Ade's breastmilk supplementing formula milk intake instead of the other way around. With so much formula milk supplements, the demand for breastmilk was obviously not increasing, which in turn, affects the supply! what a vicious cycle. So now that Ade and I have our privacy back in our own home, we've decided to get back to the way God designed it to be for mothers and their babes, and start a new feeding plan for Emma, i.e. total breastfeeding! only supplement with formula at her 11pm feed if and only if she needs it. Demand affects supply right? It's amazing how pple can just obfuscate something so simple.

After 2 days, this has worked so much better!! Though frequency of direct latching is high, and though we've gotta get up average of 2 times in the night compared to the previous once a night, it's still less tiring than Ade having to sit up to pump every 3 hours, even at night. Now Ade can also rest by lying down while nursing Emma in the middle of the night, and it will also help a lot more in stimulating milk supply. Right now, one thing we're sure of, and that is God made man and woman so intricately and uniquely for the roles that they take on in life. For Ade, God has made her a mother who can provide in great abundance for Emma's needs. Amen! Await for praise reports on our (or rather God's) new feeding plan for Emma. =)

For me, I'm enjoying bath-times with Emma, which she also enjoys thoroughly. Perhaps she enjoys teasing me with her pee during her bath-times! hahaha.. yes yes, I've been "baptised" 3 times to date by Emma's pee. The first time was when I was just wiping her face at the beginning of a bath, and the next thing I knew, I felt warm and wet at my thighs where she was resting upon. haha! it happened a second time round, and I then told Emma to only pee after her bath, and that she sure did, peeing the moment she was lifted out from the tub onto the towel that's on my lap! argh! is she smart or what? next time, I'll tell her to pee only after she's put on the diaper after the bath.

Emma's now a month old, and it's been a busy sunday with her first-month celebration. This round of celebration was for Ade's family and relatives, and a few of her friends. It's a blessing to see them all extending their love and well-wishes to Emma through gifts. We thank God for all of them! But after a long day, all we wanna do now is to enjoy our own family time, and rest. =) rest.. so that we'll have more energy for another round of celebration with my family and relatives.

All in all, it's been a long roller-coaster week... but whatever the ups and downs, at the end of the day, God has been good. We feel so blessed and secure in Him, with His presence in our home, in our hearts. I'm looking forward to this week of leave when I can stay home, and be with my family.

[ PS. more photos of Emma at www.dropshots.com/roy_foo ]

bitten...

by the flu bug.. yes yes.. i've refrained from touching Emma for the past couple of days ever since my throat acted up. Got some face masks from the pharmacy as well, but figured I'd better not contact Emma just in case she falls sick. That's the last thing we want, especially when she's just a newborn, and have yet to go for her jabs. Can't wait to get well so that I can start to feed and bathe Emma, and play with her again.

For now, i'm just trying to drink lots of water and rest to get well. And I pray that the bug'll wear off in a couple of days.

oh! congrats to the Kohs on their newborn daughter Zoe at 1335h today! YEH! The CM MacLaren girls (Cherise, Emma, and Zoe) are all here now!

3rd week update

Thought I could give a short update on Emma's progress. We're still feeding her formula milk after latching her on for breastmilk at every feed (because of this, it usually takes 2 hrs to complete a feeding - over 1 hr of her latching on, and another 30-40 mins for me to pump out excess milk while daddy or confinement lady feeds her the formula milk), but because of the formula milk, she seems fuller & trying rouse her from her sweet dreams is really challenging... she'll sleep for 3-4 hrs at a stretch & will get grouchy if she wakes up prematurely. In a way, it gives me more time for rest/eat/bathe/sleep/pump more milk etc, but i'm just worried her sleeping past feeding times is not helping to stimulate my milk supply... hmm, but, something is better than nothing at all, so as long as I'm still diligently latching her on and pumping milk for her, I'm sure she'll still have the best in store for her. heh... (Oh yah, for those keeping tabs, she has pooped 4 more times since last Fri. Not everyday, but at least she's passing motion... hahahah... sorry if this grosses you out.)

We'll be going to TMC's Parentcraft this afternoon to weigh her and check if she's thriving from her feeds. Our lactation consultant ordered that cos of her low birth weight. We'll update again later. =)

Who looks like who?

Ade and I just took out our baby photos to compare with Emma's photo.. hehehe... we might as well do a poll on "who looks like who?".. won't tell u who's who in the photos below, and let u decide who Emma looks like more.. hehehe..

the poll's in the right column of this blog. Take an extRemEly good look And let the poll begin.. =) enjoy!

[ PS: hints about who's who in the photos should be obvious enough eh? =) ]

multi-tasker

I'm simply amazed by babies' ability to multitask. They can sleep, drink milk, swallow, breathe, poo-poo and wee-wee.. all at the SAME time! They sure know how to maximise their time.. well, I for one, know that Emma's able to do all that. hahaha.. and I'm really enjoying watching Emma do all that as I fed her each time. Well, she doesn't poo-poo during every feed, but she can sure do the rest of what I listed earlier everytime. But seeing her satisfied look, and hearing her loud BURP just heartens me lots as I carried her each time. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting the hang of bottle-feeding Emma, changing her diapers, swaddling her and putting her to sleep. I'm thankful that Emma's pretty fuss-free thus far, which makes it a lot easier for us to do all that. And we pray that she'll continue to be that sweet-spirited and peaceful baby as she grows each day.

we put Emma in her stroller for the first time today at home, just to try her out, and to adjust the straps. Gosh, she sure looks very very small.. heehee.. soon, she'll be out and about in the streets in her very own MacLaren "ride".. hahaha

nicknames....

12 days old, and Emma's already got some nicknames.. hehehe....

1) chia char-bor (in chinese teochew dialect) [by our lactation consultant]
2) chilli padi [by our lactation consultant and paediatrician]
3) Ms Singapore [by our lactation consultant's nurses]

but to Emma, she's just oblivious to it all... she's just contented sleeping most of the time, no matter how noisy the environment is. I guess it's all the "training" she got in Ade's womb, through the worship practice sessions, and the loud EQ sessions prior to church services.. heheheh

[ snug and comfy in her carseat... snoozing away ]

"praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children...

changes, changes, changes.. the tunes that come out from my mouth has now taken on a new repertoire... a repertoire of kids songs, songs to put Emma to sleep, songs to keep her awake and engaged during her feeds... things have changed... hahaha.. but Ade and I are definitely happy with the reason for this change. Thank God for Emma Joy! =)

Thank God for strengthening Emma's body with each passing day. Her jaundice level dropped to 10.8 during our latest visit to the paediatrician on Fri. We know that her jaundice level will definitely go down. YEAH! Also, that was the same morning when she first poo-ed after 5 days!! yeh! that was certainly a great relief for Ade and I. To all our friends who've been praying for us all, a BIG 'Thanks!" from three of us. =) oh yah! her umbilical cord stump also fell off on Sat morning!

We can't say enough thanks to our friends who've been with us, and especially with Ade, as we pressed on with establishing a good feeding cycle for Emma. Took us a while to figure out how much formula milk to supplement her with after each feed by Ade. One thing for sure, she's very very very slowly needing less formula milk each day. So we pray that in no time, Emma will not need additional formula milk supplements for her feeds. =) yeh! well, she's definitely fulfilled after each feed, as evident in her deep sleep in whichever position, and at whichever location (e.g. my lap, her cot, her playpen, on the sofa...)

[ on daddy's lap on a warm Sunday afternoon... ]

[ "sleep-thinking-pose" in her Rocker Swing.. ]

[ smiling in her sleep... ]

Thanksgiving

I can finally take some time out to write something since Emma's born. This past week has not been easy for me with the sleepless nights to feed Emma and also to keep pumping to stimulate milk supply. Honestly, I was rather discouraged by the lack of supply since returning home and to see Emma go hungry and wailing for milk in the first few days really breaks my heart. She has yet to poo since Sunday and it's another cause of anxiety for this 1st time mom. However, I understand I've got to persevere because it is God's amazing way of providing the most basic need for infants - increasing supply when demand is warranted, and we're believing she'll have her 1st poo soon. (heheh... or else, it's another trip to visit the PD tomorrow beside doing the prick test for jaundice). Do continue to keep us in prayer.

It's such an amazing feeling to see Emma each and every passing moment... and I'm just amazed by God's wonderful creation, and how He has seen us through in every ups and downs, and now bringing Emma safe and sound into this world. Indeed Emma's uniquely crafted in His hands and she's definitely wonderfully made.

We'll also like to give thanks all our family and friends for the gifts and support since the birth of baby Emma. Indeed, we've been so blessed. =)

Oops, Emma's awake now... I've got to go. until the next time then.

7 Days!

It’s been a week! Emma’s a week old! The week zoomed past so fast that it seemed as if we only rushed to the hospital last night.

Emma’s still having slight jaundice, and we’re praying for ample sunlight in the morning and evening these days, but these few days have been rather cloudy, with little pockets of sunlight which we try to catch to sun Emma as best we can. All else, we’re trusting God to bring the jaundice level down, and also praying that Emma’s bowel movements will improve.

Other than that, Emma’s getting on fine at home, sleeping well, and drinking milk well. For now, we’re supplementing her with formula milk, only after Ade feeds her each time. Thank God she’s not showing preference for the bottle over mommy’s supply (albeit limited for now), but she’s beginning to be quite picky over what she drinks. For example, she’s beginning to dislike the red dates water (that should help with bringing her jaundice level), and she’s beginning to use her tongue to try and push the bottle out from her mouth. Hahaha… we then cup-fed her the red dates water, so she has no choice but to swallow.. hehehe…

Ade found out how to get her going at suckling without falling asleep. Play music with strong vocals, like worship music by Martha Munizzi, or even Melinda DooLittle’s singing during the American Idol contest earlier this year. We’ll try it again for her subsequent day feeds and see if it works. But she was definitely awake when the upbeat worship by Martha Munizzi was being played. Praise God!

Emma did her morning stretching exercise after her "(indirect) sun-tan" session.

[ s-t-r-e-t-c-h!! ]

[ lower to shoulder level… ]

[ breathe in and r-e-l-a-x…. =) ]

And oh ya.. each day never fails to pass by without Emma doing her “thinking pose” while sleeping.. =)

Thank God for sustaining us, and strengthening us as Ade and I press on each day in our journey as parents. Seeing and beholding God's creation in Emma is just amazing.

discovering Emma

Our family went out of the house together for the first time today ever since Emma was born. =) We brought Emma to the paediatrician for her checkup. Her jaundice level went up a little, but thank God she doesn't need to undergo any UV light treatment. She'll have to go for another check on Fri to see if her jaundice level has gone down. Do pray along with us on this. We're trying to feed her with more fluids and supplement with formula milk for her night feeds. We pray that'll help to improve her bowel movements as well. Other than that, she's still the feisty "chilli padi" (as what our lactation consultant and paediatrician call her cos of her loud cries.. hahaha), and we thank God that she' not colicky to date.

We discover things about Emma daily... for one, she's got her favourite sleeping position... much like the one that we put up in our previous post. The same "recovery position" on her right side, with her left arm and left leg crossing over to her right...

and not forgetting her usual "right hand to the nose or right cheek" as well..
and even her arms "inverted sky-diving" pose.. =P

she's probably enjoying being cuddled more and more as well...

"before"

"after"

"after and after"

Adrian and Jasmine with jiejie Cherise came over for a visit. Thank u all for your gifts! Especially this nice beautiful handiwork.. sorry, but there're no prizes for guessing whose room-door this is hanging on... =)


oh! and I must say this. Just as Cherise gave Adrian a "baptism" of her "pee-in-the-air" act, Emma did the same antic the moment Adrian, Jasmine and Cherise went home... hehehe.... now I have to watch out for such antics by Emma during her nappy changes.. hahaha!

mesmerised...

Finally went to back to work today, and got down to settling some admin stuff following the birth of Emma, before coming back home in the afternoon. I've arranged for my 3 days of paternity leave to be spread out over this week, so that I won't miss out too much in camp, at the same time be around at home to help in whatever ways I can.

Thank God for our confinement lady. She's a great help in the home, cooking for us, preparing the stuff for Ade, keeping watch on Emma, cleaning Emma, feeding Emma water or glucose water from a small cup, "sun-tanning" Emma, cleaning Emma. She's a great help as both Ade and I find our footing at home with Emma around. At the same time, we're really learning lots from her in how to handle a real baby Emma. She's a great value-add to the things we've learnt during our ante-natal classes at TMC.

I finally managed to sooth Emma to sleep this evening after one of her feeds. She was her usual cranky mood, waaaa-ing intermittently loudly, almost falling asleep, yet awake the next moment. So I laid her again on her left side on her cot and patted her, praying at the same time for her to sleep. But alas, to no avail... sigh... so I finally relented and carried her in my arms and cradled her in my arms as I sat in the chair in her room. Lo and behold, she actually dozed off within 15seconds or so! She simply laid her head back, and slumped in my arms, eyes closed and drifted to lala-land. That was a first for me! The sight was so mesmerising. For the next 30min or so, I carried her as she slept, moved to the living room, laid her on her playpen, and she continued her blissful sleep... so sweet... well, that was another moment for me to savour... she woke up 2 hours later and waaa-ed, telling us she wants to be fed... =)

Ade fed Emma, and as usual, she would drift in and out of sleep... and then really fall asleep on our bed..... here're some snaps of Emma enjoying our KingKoil mattress.. hahaha

[ snoozing away... ]

[ this is really the "recovery position" that I used to learn during my life-saving courses.. seems like it's natural to babies ]

[ look at her squashed up lips.. hahaha... ]

[ ok.. position.. change! flat on her back, almost looks like she's dreaming of sky-diving.. hmmmm... ]

[ here's a side shot of Emma blissfully asleep in her "inverted sky-diving" position ]

well.. now I'm sleepy.. another day has gone by in a flash.... looks like it's true when pple say kids grow up really fast.. it's only 4 days, and I'm feeling it already!

now, it's time to tend to mommy Ade.. =)

bliss....

3.5 days old... that's how old Emma is at this moment.. and she's just so cute... so endearing.... until she cries that is... friends who've visited us and heard her cries will tell u she's got a really loud voice for a little 2.5kg baby... our lactation consultant from the hospital calls Emma the "chilli padi"... so small, but so loud.. hahaha.. well.. that's my girl! loud is good! hehehe...

Ade's a lot better after close to 2 days at home... but one thing for sure, today didn't seem like a Sunday to us.... our routine has changed.. every 2 or 3 hrs is Emma's feed-time, and I think Ade's doing a wonderful job as a mother... saw Emma lying next to Ade during one of the feeds, and lo and behold, both of them were sleeping! it was such a sweet moment to savour... somehow, watching Emma sleep just warms my heart... the sight of it just builds me up.. =) I think this is how God watches over us too, always looking at us very attentively, very intensely, very patiently... that is a nice feeling to know that Someone's watching over us....

[ daytime nap... ]

[ evening nap... see the mittens? so cute.. btw the other mitten has "I Luv Daddy" on it.. sorry, but I just have to say it.. hahaha]

so far, Emma cries mostly for milk, and not so much for attention... well at least for now.. tsk tsk.. but we pray that she'll be like this even as she grows up with each passing day... =) else we surely will have to go through excessive sleepless nights....

anyway, I can't believe it's already end of the weekend, and it's back to camp for me tomorrow (I'm still on course right now).. will be arranging my time to spread out my 3-day paternity leave entitlement over the week...

Home Sweet Home!

we finally returned to our humble abode! This time round, with Emma cradled in our arms, all the way to her room... finally, the occupant of the room that we've prepared for has arrived... =)

somehow, resting at home is still the best... not that the hospital wasn't good, cos the nurses were very helpful and the food ain't that bad... but all said, home is still the best! nothing beats the comfort of one's bed and environment.. hee hee

well.. Emma got acquainted with her new bed and daytime playpen pretty easily...

[ ahhh.. so much space in the daytime playpen ]

[ snug and comfy.. ]

[ getting acquainted with the cot... almost overwhelmed with the gifts from relatives, uncles and aunties... so blessed! =) ]

[ zzzz.... finally no other babies crying to disturb my beauty sleep.. only the soothing classical music from mommie's iPod.. ]

[ ok.. nice nap.. time for milk.. heheh ]

We thank God that we've got a good confinement lady whom we're able to connect easily with, and who's very helpful to Ade in her attempts to breastfeed Emma... but because Emma was born earlier than her expected date of delivery, our confinement lady's facing a problem with getting a month-long visit pass from the customs due to some regulations on frequency of stay here in Singapore. We'll be going down to the customs on Mon to see if we can request for an extension of her visit pass, so that she won't have to activate her friend, who's also a confinement lady, to rush down on Tues to take over.... Praying for God's intervention on this.

well.. Ade's better rested now after her nap in the afternoon.. and I pray God will renew her strength with each passing day, and also her confidence in her new role as a mother... and as for me, it's perseverence too.. to try my best as a father, and a husband, and not forgetting my work... ok.. i MUST finish my research paper by tomorrow afternoon! it's due on MON!!!! arrrgh! hahahaha!

All said, Ade and I are very thankful for our parents, friends and relatives who came by to visit us and their gifts... the support means a lot to Ade and I, esp when we're both very new parents.. =) Thank God for u all! God Bless you!!!

Emma Joy Foo is here! 符明萱出世了！

announcing the birth of Emma Joy Foo! on this 16th day of August, year 2007, at 7:41 am. She's a healthy and cute little gal who measured 47cm in length, and weighed 2.54kg at birth (she's at 37 weeks).

well, it's an interesting experience for us both especially when we least expected her to be born so early. We went to the hairdressers' on wed lunchtime. We Even finally decided to take some photos of Ade with her preggie-tummy in the afternoon, which we were thankful for doing, as we seriously didn't know that was the last chance we could do so.. hahaha...


We even went to church in the evening for worship practice for the upcoming church's Power Weekend. Got back home to watch CSI-Miami, and settled down to sleep. Everything seemed normal up to that point.

At abt 2am, Ade felt that there was a slight gush of amniotic fluid coming out and realised it's the beginning of show! To think we were even joking with our friends in church in the evening prior, that Emma'll probably come out a couple of weeks later. Well, lo and behold! We certainly weren't expecting this at 2am so soon!!! hahaha

we grabbed our pre-packed emergency bag, my laptop, my camera, and rushed to the hospital.

[ all set and waiting expectantly ]

[ monitoring the contractions and Emma's heartbeat ]

We reached the hospital at 3am - Ade prepared for labour and waited at the delivery ward. So far, no pain yet. All's ok until about 4:45am when Ade felt much pain in the contractions, squirming about trying to find comfort. She was abt 4cm dilated then. I sure felt at a loss not being able to help alleviate the pain that she was going through.

[ ok.. now THAT was painful and tiring!.. ah? another one's coming? so soon? ]

After trying to bear with the pain for another 10min, she decided for epidural to be administered. Thank God for that! Ade was abt 5cm dilated by the time the epidural was administered half an hour later. She sure felt much better after that, and at least she could try to rest a little before the final effort to push Emma out.

[ ah.. thank God for epidural! ]

Soon after that, before we knew it, Ade was 10cm dilated by 6:40am! Emma's coming out very very soon! and we were waiting eagerly for our gynae, who only came at abt 7:30am. What a long wait that was. At that juncture, Ade and I really couldn't wait to see Emma!

[ pure oxygen for Emma... ]

Ade did about 3 contractions worth of pushing before Emma was pulled out with the help of forceps. That feeling of watching a life, our daughter appearing right in front of our eyes was simply indescribable! Of course Emma had to demonstrate her vocal prowess, but she quickly quietened down when she heard Ade's voice and my voice assuring her everything's ok. It's so heartwarming. I'll never exchange anything in this life for that expression of trust in Emma's face. NEVER! Thank God I'm here in Singapore to see Emma being born.. =)

[ this is it! Emma's birth-time... ]

[ a really small Emma in happy mommie's arms.. almost seemed so surreal... but this is definitely undoubtedly very real! =) ]

[ peeking.. hahaha ]

[ Emma's little smile ]

Well, Emma seemed like a well-tempered gal. Didn't fuss at all when the nurse carried her to weigh and measure her. Emma kept peeking through her eyes, slowly observing her surroundings. My heart just melted whenever she opened her eyes and smiled in response to my voice.

[ 32cm head circumference ]

[ 47cm long ]

[ weighing at 2.54kg ]

[ "korean"-like Emma ]

[ *yawn*.. sleepy now ]

[ altogether now.. ]

well, that's all for now.. I've not slept yet and I'm prob running on adrenaline, but heck! I feel as if I can run my Army Half Marathon now! hahaha.. ok.. time to go peek at Emma.. =)

You might be in late pregnancy if:

(I found this on the internet and really identified with them... hahahah)

- Somedays your rings and shoes go through spontaneous shrinkage... (in fact i can't wear my ring anymore! Am now having sausage fingers... bleah)

- You've reverted back to nervously checking the color of pee on every toilet paper wipe -- just like in the 1st trimester!

- You feel a kinship to ducks or penguins.

- You feel as though a beeping sound much akin to the backup alarm on a loader should accompany your rolling over in bed --- and it takes WAY too long to do!

- you cant sleep more than 1.5 hrs at a time, cos you have to pee before that 2 hr mark rolls around.

- you finally realize why they say not to sleep on your back, when you realize that any sitting up in your bed send your lower back into a world of agony.

- you have learned to sleep sitting up, and are forcefully woken up by heartburn if you start to slide down too horizontally.

- your wardrobe is consisting of less "cute outfits" and more "whatever fits and is comfortable outfits".

- You and your grandma now have the same walk.

- you say to heck with putting on makeup and fixing hair before going out, isn't it enough that you get up, get dressed and show up?!?!

- If you feel like the big bad wolf in the 3 little pigs is YOU, cos you huff and you puff and you're afraid you'll blow the house down....

- You are constantly checking for any "wetness" and praying you never sneeze... or cough... in public... so as not to wet yourself!!

- you have found that you can not sleep without at least 3 various sized pillows including a bolster, and a fan blowing on you cause it so hot!

- if most everything you do begins & ends with a sigh, and there's a grunt somewhere in the middle.

- when you don't even have to ask your husband to help you off the couch, he can recognize that look on your face and automatically extends a helping hand!

- you're constantly thinking "What will I do if my water breaks here..."

- when you pee and stand up and before you even leave the bathroom you feel the urge to pee again ... you really want to ignore this urge but you are afraid that it might later turn into you wetting your pants.

- When you have to put your pants on by holding them in one hand and bending to that side for one leg...then switching hands and sides to get the other leg in.

- There is a spot on your couch that is starting to droop because all you can really do at this point is sit and watch TV in your "favorite spot".

- You want to slap the next person who comes up to you and ask you when you're due then follows by saying you look like your about to POP. (okok, I'm not that violent lah... haha)

- You can't wait to go to the doctor to GET CHECKED!!!

- Your toes have become another form of picking up things from the floor!

- you have to pee really, really bad and then when you sit down you are lucky to get 2 drops out.

- You lay on your side wondering how long you can put up with the hip pain because rolling over required about 10 movements and you're out of breath.

- You grunt before any movement at all.

- You look like an idiot as you try to hoist yourself out of a chair.

- You look like an old man trying to hoist yourself out of the car. You have to hold on to the open door while pushing yourself up with your other hand.

- you wake up and realize you've just taken a 3 hour nap!

- People no longer start their conversations with "hi" or "how are you?" but instead- when are you gonna pop? is that baby here yet? what's taking so long? not long now huh?

- It takes you 10 minutes to use the potty. Five to sit down, 2 seconds to tinkle, tinkle and five more to study your underwear... is that wetness discharge, sweat, pee or amniotic fluid???

- You have actually googled pictures of the mucus plug!

- You dream of the day when you are in the "worst pain of your life" and fantasize about the whole experience!

- You wake your husband while getting up to go pee at night because of the grunting, moaning and sheer amount of work it takes to roll over and get out of bed.

- The noises you make trying to roll out of bed to pee wake up your husband and he immediately panics, thinking you're in labor. Why else would a woman make those kinds of noises??

- when all you can talk about with your husband when he comes home are all the stories that were posted on babycenter or the motherhood forum that day.

- when putting on underwear/pants you stare at them first, wondering if there's anyway around the balancing act.

- every night while watching your husband sleep, you want to wake him up because you can't sleep, and you want to wake him up so he can feel how you feel.

- Are in complete disbelief when you explain that it is just one big girl and the person wants to argue with you or say something like... Well you never know. OF COURSE I KNOW... I believe in present day technology!!!!!