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....