finally...

... both Ade and I get a breather from our feisty little princess who's fast asleep early tonight. She sure has been taking up most of our waking moments ever more since she turned one. Having seen newborns lately, and looking back at Emma's birth photos, I've been made to realise that Emma has grown up in many ways other than her physical outlook.

• She's communicating a lot more now, being able to point at things that she wants, such as wanting to go to the swimming pool everytime we passed one (during our recent family getaway). And lately she's been wanting mommie's sling, something that mommie had not used since many months back.

• She's expressing herself a lot more now, albeit many of these expressive moments are more of a show of personal preferences and pushing her tiny weight to get her way.
  
• She's showing a lot more of her creativity through her playtimes, such as "cooking food" at her toy kitchen stove, and "feeding" her Care-Bear stuff toy, spinning round and round and round while seated on her bum....
  
• She's developing an increasingly expensive appetite for adult food, and exquisite food such as japanese cod fish, salmon, japanese rice, pineapple rice... anything BUT home-made porridge!! arrrgh!

I'm ambivalent. Part of me wished that Emma's still the same little baby that coo-ed (or rather wailed) when she was born; when she laughed at my simplest of antics; when she wiggled and splashed in the bathtub; when she easily fell asleep while being harnessed in the ErgoBaby carrier... BUT another part of me also wished that she'd grow up faster and be independent, so that Ade and I can have more rest.. hahaha....

Anyway, Ade and I are enjoying every moment of Emma's growing up despite the busyness in managing her. She's still feisty and LOUD, yet she's very very cautious especially in learning how to walk, and in relating to strangers. She's still very picky about the menu for her meals, and yes, she's still petite compared to other toddlers her age. But we thank God still for developing her in her own unique way. I guess everyone will have his/her own childhood and growing up story, and this is gonna be Emma's own childhood stories.. =) Indeed, this Christmas season has been a busy one for Ade and I. Not because of the Christmas shopping which we've not been able to do much of anyway, but cos of our little bundle of (Emma) Joy.

As 2008 comes to a close, we as a family brace ourselves for 2009, as Emma reaches her "terrible-two" stage of her childhood, and as I continue to be busy with ensuring that the taxpayers' money don't get wasted. I'm sure the year ahead will be busy, but I know that Ade and I, and Emma aren't alone but have God with us in this journey, and with that, I'm sure we'll enjoy the sojourn through 2009.

Blessed Christmas to all our friends, and may 2009 be a purposeful and fruitful year ahead.