THE "momzilla"

"momzillas"... our parenthood journey thus far has no lack of encounters with "momzillas", and most of the time (or all of the time), we take their comments with a pinch of salt, and move on without being too affected emotionally. But when it's a "momzilla" who's related to us (or at least me), it's a whole different issue, cos it's a lot more emotionally draining, and tiresome. This is especially so when THE "momzilla" in question makes snide remarks that are nothing less than 100% sarcastic to insinuate our (ade's and mine) lack of parental ability, just because she (along with many other "momzillas") thinks that our baby's not plump or "fat" by their "standards".

Yes, we acknowledge that Emma's slim, and is petite, and that she's at the bottom of the baby growth charts. BUT the fact remains, that our slim, petite and nimble Emma's healthy and developing just as well, and perhaps even better in some areas. She's got gleaming eyes that speak LIFE. She eats and drinks well. She has clear dietary preferences that surprises many adults. She is able to clap her hands confidently to make the loud CLAPPING sounds, and sings along with the music, laughs along with people... I've yet to find anything in her that suggests that she's under-nourished and under-developed, and that she's in urgent need of a "weight-gain" program!

And while I can let the remarks by "common momzillas" pass without me feeling angry, I found myself unable to do the same when confronted with snide sarcastic remarks from THE "momilla" who's related to us. It would be ok if she had been more constructive in going beyond giving snide remarks, and give suggestions and help out in taking care of Emma in a more practical way. To perhaps demonstrate that indeed there is something that can be done to help Emma gain more weight, and show that it (more weight gain) is better for Emma. But no. Nothing of that sort. Nothing beyond snide sarcastic remarks that wear us down emotionally. No explicit desire to want to help practically and constructively. Only explicit signs of reluctance at any physical "responsibility" in care-giving for Emma.

It's ok with us even if there's no other help in care-giving for Emma, for Ade and I are clear that Emma's entrusted in our care, and we are the appointed care-givers for Emma. We (ade and I) are accountable to God when it comes to Emma's life. BUT we're NOT about to then allow ourselves to be trampled on and be subjected to such sarcastic and snide remarks, especially if they come from people who're related to us and who are yet unwilling to participate in a practical and constructive manner. Talk is cheap. Period.

We rebuke those remarks that attempt to tear us down and wear us down. No way are we allowing such remarks to seep into our (including Emma's) spirit. No way are we allowing such negative remarks determine our destiny as God's children. We are defined by God's plan, His word, His heart. And we thank God that He is the one who's covering us even as we learn how to be good parents to Emma. We know who we are in God, and we know that Emma (and every one of us) is unique, and "fearfully and wonderfully made" by God.

In the midst of my frustration and anger at the remarks made by THE "momzilla", I'm also prompted in my spirit to forgive and love her. It's tough. Yet I know I have to. I really don't know how to, and I'm often at my wits end thinking of how to relate to THE "momzilla". This is one area that has "plagued" me for the bulk of my adulthood, and I'm praying hard for God's wisdom to know how to relate to her better, and grace to be able to speak to her without having my words covered with frustration and anger. Help me learn to love THE "momzilla", Lord.

sitting... crawling...

Emma's recovering from the last flu and she's now back to her active self. She's really growing up really fast and it's really amazing to see how she develops from day to day. I was just commenting to Roy last week that I saw her sitting up from her tummy down position, & we both thought it was just a fluke... but she did it again today... in fact, she did it a few more times and even started to crawl on all fours! Gosh, we've not started to baby-proof our place yet! I think we better start soon looking at how fast she's moving. =P


Sitting up from tummy position and down to tummy position again from sitting.


See her pouting lips? That's her favourite pose lately. She has been blowing bubbles a lot too.


Prior to her creeping and crawling, she has be scouting around on her bum. I found her out on the floor when she was previously on the mat when I returned from the bathroom.


"Peek-a-boo!"


"Hello!"

Hit by the bug... again...

We brought Emma for a flu jab last night in preparation for our Thailand trip, and this morning, she woke up coughing, sniffling and sneezing. Gosh, is it a side reaction from the jab? Or did she caught it from someone with a flu virus over the weekend? Hmm... praying for her speedy recovery. She's still active and playful, so obviously she's not too affected by her runny nose & cough.

Her appetite for solids has not been too good too (and it wasn't because she's unwell). It's a time-consuming affair trying to feed her cos she'll start refusing to eat after just a few spoonful. I've tried giving her a variety of things, but it's still not very successful in getting her to eat more than a few teaspoons. Even though I'm still worried about her weight gain, she does look very healthy and active... and she poos everyday... so I guess I'll just let her catch up on her weight in her own time... and just chill. =P

Just for fun 2

More fun pictures using the same photo. heheh =)

1) Model magazine cover


2) Modern Art Museum


3) Famous Museum Portrait


4) Paparazzi shot


5) Rubik cube


6) Sketch

Just for fun

Presenting...

1) Emma's famous museum portrait


2) Emma's magazine cover shot



and... 3) Emma's paparazzi shot

Yay, we're going to church camp!

Church camp is in June but Roy's office denied him from taking leave for any trips as he's on reserve for a 6-months deployment overseas at the time of church camp registration. I was initially thinking of going alone with Emma, but the huge logistics involved is enough to give me a headache (imagine the luggage-full of diapers & baby food)... so we temporarily put it at the back of our minds. Two nights ago, Roy's boss just confirmed that he's not needing to go for the deployment at all. This is definitely an answered prayer, cos I was also rather reluctant for him to be away for 6 whole months - Emma may not be able to recognize him when he gets back! Anyway, now that he's got the all clear to go, we spoke to our pastor and managed to get everything arranged within 24hrs! It'll be our very first church camp as a family together at Cha-Am. Yay!

As we need to get all our details in for the church camp admin by this Saturday, we had to get Emma's passport done ASAP... so off to the ICA we went.

Well, the last mugshot we took of Emma was quite a while ago, so I decided to take another one before we went down to ICA yesterday. At the advice of a friend, we went down to our neighbourhood mall's photo shop to take a picture since we can choose the best shots among the few that'll be taken. Our dear baby was asleep prior to reaching the shop, so she looked rather dazed... and fierce. =P


Fierce hor?

Anyway, I wasn't too pleased with the above photo because it's going to be on her passport! She'll be super embarrassed when she gets older! =P So we took another mugshot at the in-house photo company at ICA.


This looks much better right? I love how her eyes sparkle. heheh

Now, it's time to buy her a swimsuit... I jokingly told Jasmine that I may get the cute blue with yellow polka dotted one that she initially bought for Cherise (but had to return and settle for another pink one), so she could still see it whenever Emma wears it. Am I "mean" to Jasmine or what? =P I'll discuss this with Roy as he's more inclined towards getting a thermal swimsuit for Emma.

TV Addict?

I know this is a bad habit, but I've resorted to letting Emma watch TV (Baby Einstein DVDs) when I need to do my chores or eat my lunch. She's not contented to just sit on her rocker & just watch me. I'm also finding it an almost impossible task to take a decent shower without her screaming for attention after just a couple of minutes.

She'll usually just watch the DVDs intently with a slight frown (she's a rather intense little girl)... that was before she saw & heard this particular song in one of the DVDs. I chanced upon her laughing the very first time I played the DVD (the particular DVD teaches the different transportation modes by land, water and air). I guess she's amused by the puppets and the cute song about the bus. At this age, I never knew she can actually respond to what she watches. I'm actually pleasantly surprised this song can evoke such a happy response from her. heh... So now, that's her favourite song for the week. She'll squeal happily whenever this song appears. I took a video of her laughing and hand dancing away simply because she looked too adorable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though that she'll not become a TV addict when she grows older. I guess I'll have to restrict the amount of time she watches TV when she's a bit older because it'll be inevitable for them to be exposed to the TV since it's a fixture in our living rooms, right?