Samuel & Charis

Hitting the big 3-0 and taking stock of life (Charis ponders)

2013-05-17T12:48:00.000+07:00

There are only a few instances in your life when you celebrate growing older. Your first birthday, your sweet 16 and your welcome party to adulthood at age 21 (or 18 for some). After that, you just want to bury all thoughts of growing older until when you are maybe, 60 - a ripe old age when you are considered wise and have contributed a lot to society. To me, my age stopped increasing at 25 :D

This year as I turned 30, I tossed around having a celebration for myself. Would it be awkward to throw oneself a party when you are already THAT old? Is there a reason you want to celebrate growing OLDER? But as I watched an insightful video (appended below for your viewing pleasure) on TED.com about how society views other 30 year-olds, I start to take stock about my own life. All 30 years of it.

The brunch party I threw myself for my birthday. It ended up to be very chaotic but fun
with all the young children around. I thank God for friends in Bangkok who can celebrate
my life together with me.

At 30, I am happily married to a wonderful man for the past 3 years, have a beautiful and cheeky boy who keeps me young and have opportunities in life many envy (though I always tell them that the grass is always greener the other side). I have what I need, my family is healthy and safe and I have no undue cause of distress or sadness in my life. I have, what some would call, a charmed life. I guess that is reason enough to celebrate and give thanks for :)

My beautiful family. I feel that my calling now is to be a good wife and mother
to these two boys. The briefcase would have to wait.

BUT! Just a few days ago at our Wednesday Bible Study group, many questions kept me thinking. Were there things that I had to turn down so I could pursue something that was greater? What goals am I pursuing? Do I have a bigger picture in my life? We wondered what Jesus did in those years from when he was 12 till when he started his ministry at 30. Did he know that he only had 3 years? Even with just 3 years, he achieved so, so much. I remembered then I had dreams I wanted to pursue. Dreams that are kept on hold or tucked away now. Do they matter now? What am I doing now to pursue them? Nothing much, I thought sadly.

What I know now, is that this is my season to be a good wife and a mother to my family. But it's also time to set down what my future goals are and start to work towards it. My prayer for my 30th birthday this year, echoing Moses' prayer in Psalm 90:12, is for God to "teach me to number my days" or "teach me to realize the brevity of life" so that I may not let this life, precious as it is, fleet away leaving nothing behind. I hope this prayer will be yours too :)

Jared's 1st birthday - the preparations

2013-05-16T22:28:00.000+07:00

I think the privilege of being the firstborn is that you get to experience the best your parents can offer. But after all the preparations leading up to Jared's 1st birthday party, I wonder if I will have the energy for all his birthdays to come! But I know very well at the recesses of my mind, my fingers will start to tingle and I'll be heading towards the oh-so-additive Pinterest whenever Jared's next reason for celebration comes along.

Pinterest was super helpful with the preparations and was also the cause of late nights (just a little bit more...). I settled on one birthday theme to another (I guess that is not quite settling then). I had wanted it to be a superhero theme and encourage all our friends and family coming to come in their favourite superhero gear. I still like the idea, maybe I'll use it for the next one! But in the end, I settled for a rubber ducky theme since Jared absolutely loves bathing in the bath tub.

Cover photo used for the Facebook invitations.

Once I got the theme down, it was now on to other birthday party paraphernalia like invitations,decor and cupcakes. Who can forget the cupcakes? That was my favourite bit :) I commissioned a church friend to help bake a cake, of which an example was sourced from Pinterest, and also cupcakes. Since I am a very DIY-person, I decided to go with simple cupcakes and designed my own cupcake toppers. Inspired by many mothers who have gone this path before me.

Cupcake toppers

Love this cake! Rubber duckies were included on top later.

We also had tiny rubber duckies strewn about the place and the kids undertook themselves to hunt them down as if it were Easter eggs :) It was all great fun.

We had invited many of friends and family and had an "open house" concept so anyone could drop by any time of the day. With all that was going on, along with having to take care of a toddling almost 1-year-old, I had forgotten to take any pictures. All the pictures you see here are taken by our friend, Josephine. Thanks, Jo!

It was an enjoyable day of catching up with old friends, friends who have gone on to have their own children. So during Jared's party we had a mini play area for kids and babies to play. I wish I had photos to show, it was very pleasantly chaotic! :)

Some of the kids that day. We were trying to get them to sit together.
Sitting still is another thing altogether!

Then it came to Jared's big moment - the blowing of the candle. Jared was so taken aback by the crowd of people standing in front of him, singing the birthday song loudly that he refused to blow the candle (not like he knew how) and decided to burst into tears. Oh dear! You can plan everything in a party to a 'T' but you sure can't plan for no tears!

I'm one! I can do what I want!

Jared with grandparents.

In my short speech just after we blew out the cake, I had thanked everyone for coming. I had also felt the warmth of friendship emanating from each and every one who came. It was just a humbling thought knowing that these guys have journeyed together with us from when Sam & I were singles till we blew out the first candle on our son's cake. A celebration is not worth celebrating if not with friends or family that care enough to celebrate it with you :) So thanks to all who came and made this occasion a joyous one.

Here's to more happy reasons to celebrate together!

Our friends who came for the party.

A letter to Jared from his parents on his first birthday

2013-04-10T16:02:00.002+07:00

To our son Jared,

A year ago today at 8am, you came into our arms screaming. That wouldn't be the last time you will be doing that in the first few months after your birth. You taught us many things that we can never imagine learning. Such as, learning one day that you like us singing to you but hate it when we both sing together. Was it because Mummy was trying too hard to harmonize?

Taken today. Look how much you have grown!

As you grow, our lessons continue. We learn how to protect you from strangers who like to touch or kiss you in the train, we learn how much you love drawers so we gave you your own drawer and locked up ours, we learn that you love water too and you have no qualms about playing it in the toilet bowl and lastly, we learn that you are observing whatever we do by how you try to mimic us. Before you turned one, you had tried to: 1) talk on the phone 2) wash your own face 3) sweep the floor.

As we celebrate your life on earth, all 12 months of it, we realize how much you are growing up. One day, we were walking together holding hands and then you let go of Mummy's hand to walk on your own. How hard it was for Mummy to let you be your own little man! It was with much strength that she didn't scoop you up, swaddle you tightly and put you in a cradle hold.

We had to buy shoes for you. Shoes! Gone are the little mittens and booties Mummy hung out to dry days before you were born.

Today you said "Bye bye" to Daddy and he stayed a bit longer to play with you before going to work. Some nights you like to burrow into one of Daddy's underarms and fall asleep to the wonderful scent enveloping you. Other nights you like falling asleep with your short arm over Daddy's shoulders. It doesn't go all the way yet but one day, it will.

You sleep just like your Daddy. Mummy has pictures to confirm that.

Today you celebrated your birthday by climbing up and down the stairs with Gung Gung. Despite being under the weather, you insisted on playing with Gung Gung's pots and pans and your new toys. You make Popo laugh by blinking repetitively at her and pointing at your nose when we say ears and ears when we say nose. Mummy has a feeling you are pulling our legs.

Learning to climb up the stairs.

Baby, you bring joy to everyone who meets you.

So, many happy returns on this lovely day, son. Our daily prayer is that you continue to grow well and healthy. Learn to love and care. A cheeky smile on your face all the time. To continue to be curious about the things around you. Most of all, to grow up to be a happy little boy.

Happy 1st birthday!

Remember that Jesus loves you. And you are special. May God bless you with many more birthdays to come!

With Much Love,
Mummy & Daddy

Jared is growing up (Charis writes)

2013-01-21T21:51:00.004+07:00

How time flies! I must've said this a gazillion times but each time this hits me again and again. Our son is growing up fairly quickly and imaginative glances into the future (son going to school, dating and then getting married) always tears me up. Was it only yesterday I held him in my arms, him bundled up so snugly in his snuggly blanket thingy (I've even forgotten what's it called). Then, he could only move his arms and legs slightly. Now.... can you say Speedy Gonzales?

Having a baby made me look back into my past more often. Just the other day I was thinking about instilling self-esteem, confidence and wisdom in making choices in life for a child. It brought me back to a day in Sunday School when the teacher asked us what we would like to be when we grew up. I confidently replied, "a hairdresser!". The teacher hesitated and then asked if I wanted to be something else other than a hairdresser? What the teacher didn't know was that I had been to the hairdresser's before and they gave me a full braid which I had for about 4 days. That braid made me so happy I wanted to be a hairdresser.

Will I be supportive of what my child decides to do in life in the future? Or at least know the story behind his choices? Do I gently push him into a certain path or let him walk his own but offer guidance along the way? How did our parents raise us up?

Jared is growing up... and I guess, I am too :)

For now, the only self-esteem my son needs is to get on the push-walker. I know he can do it, but just right now he's a little bit hesitant. And also in the habit of shaking his head.

Jared & food (Charis feeds and writes)

2012-10-27T01:05:00.000+07:00

Since our last post on Jared's first step into the solid world, he has since gone on other foods such as sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, rice cereal and rusks. Jared loves his food! Or perhaps he just loves the idea of eating and loves playing with the spoon and the food that is laid out on his tray. But we all know who he takes after in this, heehee.

After having sweet potato for the first time.

This has been a great way for me to have my lunch as well. In the past, I will wait till he's asleep and that's usually not at a fixed 12 - 1pm schedule. But now, we get to eat together. I'm trying to teach him to eat by himself so it can get really messy. Suddenly it seemed like a better idea doing this just before his afternoon bath. Took me a few laundry runs and major cleaning to realize that. Doh!

Here's what happens when you let Jared eat on his own.

Time is a luxury ever since Jared came and every moment he's asleep, I'll be scurrying around doing little things. One can never know how long his sleep can go so I try not to start longer projects. Usually I get to update this blog only when he's taking long afternoon naps, just like today. Otherwise, night time, when he has turned in for the day, is the only time I get to do serious work.

That's why I love whoever invented the steamer blender and the food feeder! Jared's grandma and grandaunt bought the Phillips Avent Steamer Blender for his foray into solids and it has not disappoint. So easy to use and most importantly, so easy to wash. As for the food feeder, it is hands-free, fuss-free and the boy loves it! Here's a vid of Jared eating frozen pear puree from his food feeder which gave me lots of time to eat my lunch and also lots of happy laughter for Jared.

Happy Half-year Birthday, Baby!... (Charis writes)

2012-10-11T18:30:00.001+07:00

Jared, today you reach the halfway point of your first year with us. You have brought us so much joy and laughter, we cannot imagine a time without you in our lives. Each night, our prayer for you is to continue to be healthy & to grow strong, but mostly for wisdom on our part to raise you well. Oh, there were moments when we begin to doubt ourselves as worthy stewards of such a beautiful child! But whenever you look at us with those eyes, we see love, wonder, curiosity & contentment. So we dust ourselves off and continue on this journey of raising you once more.

I hope you will read this post someday 'coz these are the few special moments we shared together these past 6 months that I'd like us to remember:

1. Even before you were born, we already started worrying about you. The doctors here with their fancy machines told us you had imperfections and we should run more tests. What a blow to our faith! And naturally as new parents, we went with the worldly advice and we began to fear. Tests done after you were born showed nothing. NOTHING. The lesson here, son, is to trust in our Heavenly Father and rely on His strength.

2. You made your mother wait! Every morning in the final 2 weeks before you arrived, there was a heavy cloud over my head. It took a lot of strength & support from your Daddy and Grandma for your Mummy to keep sane & not feel inadequate as a woman. And I'm still working on that.

Now I make YOU wait for me while I hang the laundry
(but you get to play).

3. On the first night you were back home from the hospital, you made Daddy drive out at midnight (thank God we had a car then) to get a pacifier for you because you just wouldn't stop crying. Only the 24-hr convenience stores were opened and after going to 3 stores, Daddy finally found a pink one for you. It didn't help us that night at all.

Your first very pink pacifier.

4. On the very first day you were out of the house, we went to church. That evening, you wouldn't stop crying even after feeding you. And horrors, we forgot your pacifier! Again, Daddy had to run out and about to the whole stretch of Silom Road looking for one. This time there wasn't any and we had you wailing all the way home in the taxi.

5. Now you have 6 pacifiers and all you want is your thumb.

6. You have had 3 haircuts in this 6 months! The first time at 1mo at the barber's while you were sleeping. The second time at 3mo at Aunty Lin's and you were sitting quietly on my lap. The third time at the barber's again at 5mo and you were sleeping again! Alas, now you are shedding quite a bit of hair.

After your 3rd haircut, you looked a little like Mr T.

7. You can hold your own bottle at 5 months! It can still get messy at times but now you've started showing off and started turning the bottle around like a steering wheel and holding it with one hand while facing one side.

You're a big boy now.

8. We share a silly but funny ritual now. Each time I carry you into the bathroom, you will start smiling as we enter and then laugh at our reflections in the mirror even as the lights began to flicker on. You do this every single time! And as I wash your little hanky, squeeze then shake the water out, you burst out laughing. Apparently you think that is funny :)

9. How amazed we were when we took you swimming for the first time. How nonchalant you were about it all and a face that said "no big deal!". If you could yawn at will, I do believe you would!

"Next! *yawn*"

10. How it took me 5 hours just to write this post. In that span of time you had pooped twice, took 2 short nap, played on your play mat, ate a banana and now you're back asleep again (and up again!). You're going to keep us on our toes, aren't you?

Happy half-year birthday to you, our handsome boy, Jared. Our prayer for you today is that you grow in strength and in good health. May you continue to be curious about the things around you and never stop reaching out your tiny hands to feel them and to learn. We pray that God will continue to watch over you and send tiny bits of wisdom to both your parents to bring you up to be a God-fearing and loving boy. We love you!

After your first half-year birthday celebration at Tony Roma's.
Yes, you dressed up!

Jared's first step into the solid world (Charis writes)

2012-10-01T22:31:00.001+07:00

It's been more than a month since our last post on Jared. So much has happened! He's had another haircut since, flew on a plane again and has started sitting up on his own. Another HUGE milestone achieved is his first taste of solid food. Okay, second taste since he accidentally ate some tissue paper awhile back. Both of us were so nervous that day whilst baby sits in his booster seat happily unaware of what was going to happen.

After consulting Dr. Google for weeks, we finally decided on giving avocado as his first food since it is easy to prepare and is pretty tasty as well. I mixed it with some breast milk so it is runny, easily digestible and tastes familiar. We took close to 100 pictures and a video before our camera ran out of batteries. Alas, what goes in must come out and shall we say, what came out was ab-so-lute-ly NASTY. Ahh, Baby's Firsts are such memorable occasions. Here are some pictures of that day in actual order (warning: may be repetitive hence the captions and attempt at humour) and a short video at the end of it below. Enjoy!

The superstar of the day awaiting for what's about to happen.

After the first few spoons. "That wasn't so bad, mummy!"

"But I think it needs a little bit of flavour"

Daddy took over the feeding while Mummy took pictures.

"Mmmm.. yummy!"
Jared keeping things fast despite Daddy having Flash hands.

One spoonful.

Pinch of flavour.

Spoon.

Flavour (do you see a pattern?)

Jared's got his game face on. GRRR-nom-nom-nom

"Is that all you got for me, huh?" he taunted.

Getting the hang of it.

And loving it.

Got distracted with his monkey friend who's also smeared with green goo.

Oops! Someone was overzealous in either the eating/feeding!

"Daddy, I think I'm gonna throw up."

All done! Good job, Jared!
(He didn't throw up)

Where are we now? (Charis writes)

2012-08-22T15:16:00.001+07:00

Since my last post, Jared has grown by leaps and bounds, in character, size and volume. Yes, he has discovered the use of his vocal chords and the attention he gets whenever he chooses to use them. I foresee a lot of talking in class with this young one. Jared is now 4.5 months old and he has delighted us with each milestone he achieves. Right now, we are waiting for his first roll from his back to his tummy. He always get stuck at the halfway point.

Playing with his toys.

Days with Jared are just like the weather now in Bangkok. Sometimes sunny in the daytime, then the next second it's pouring cats and dogs. And the next day, it's cool, raining the whole day but hot and humid during the night. Each day the test of character and patience (for the both of us!) begins but thank God it usually ends with flying colours. As he grows, his needs and demands grow as well and just when this mother has gotten used to taking care of a newborn, he has passed on to the next stage. Reaching 4 months also means it is time to chuck away the 0-3 months clothes and bring in the bigger boys. Alas, this mummy is a sentimental one and would still try her best to button up those cute onesies much to the dismay of her son.

Sunny days are here!

Years ago I wouldn't imagine myself being a SAHM, I was busy chasing "dreams" and climbing ladders. And yet, now I wouldn't imagine being anything else! Both sides of the grass has its challenges but truth be told, working on a portfolio of 30 clients might actually be easier. Sure, at work there are needs and demands (sometimes ridiculous ones) but they can pacified (pun intended) while you take a breather before working on it. With a baby, it's either now or NOW! or face the consequences. No annual leaves, no resignation allowed, no throwing in the towel and saying I quit!

But you know, the benefits are simply amazing. All the money in the world cannot buy the wet kisses, spit-ups, giggles, chitter chatter, belly laughter and warmth of a baby. Ever.

And that's why we're in it for the long-haul :)

MAMArazzi on the prowl!

2012-06-17T14:22:00.001+07:00

You've heard of PAPArazzi, but have you heard of MAMArazzi? Beware! She's on the prowl...

CAUGHT! Bad hair day.

Jared's hair gets a lot of attention when we go out and no wonder, since he had his first real hair cut (in a barber shop, no less) when he was just one-month old! Despite the cut, his hair is still long and he does get some bad hair days at times. The out-of-bed look suits Jared just fine though!

CAUGHT! Thumb-sucking

Jared didn't use to suck his thumb or fingers in his early days, preferring the pacifier or the milk bottle during feeding. When he reached about 6 weeks, he learnt how to self-soothe himself but the start wasn't easy. He got knuckle-punched, poked his own eye and just couldn't find his mouth. But eventually he got it. First one knuckle, then a few fingers, a little twist and it's the little thumb. You can hear him sucking it for all its worth whenever he wakes up from his nap.

CAUGHT! Smiling at strange objects.

Now this is one thing that still amazes me. Sometimes I have to put him down on the rocker whilst I go about with the house chores. Initially, I thought he wouldn't like me leaving him alone but a strange thing happened. Jared found some "friends" in the form of the ceiling light and the ceiling corner. I'll leave him on the rocker and he is quiet and still but then I'll hear some "talking' going on. I caught him "playing" with the ceiling here. Who knew I'd have the ceiling and lights to thank in helping with the parenting?

Daily life with Jared (Charis writes)

2012-05-06T19:34:00.000+07:00

Gone are the days when I can post up long narrations, and the next posts are going to be few and far in between. Bringing home a baby is a joy but once the novelty wears off, reality sets in. The first day we brought Jared back was probably the most hectic, upside-down day ever. And we thought we were all ready! We realized the bottles needed to be sterilized, his clothes needed to be sorted according to size, knowing what his cries meant the first few days, etc.. Samuel had to make a midnight trip out once to get a pacifier for Jared, who just couldn't stop crying despite being well fed. These 3 weeks have definitely been the longest (and I thought the waiting was longer!) but we've gotten used to having a newborn around now and a routine has somewhat been established (we're still fine-tuning it!)

First day home from the hospital

Sorry, baby! We're trying our best!

We had a lot of visitors for Jared, his great-grandmother and grand-aunt, along with both his grandparents were here to welcome this new arrival to the family. It was definitely very crowded but very welcomed as I was still "confined" and couldn't really go out much, so the company was great.

Jared's great-grandmother and grandaunt

Jared's Popo & Gung Gung - first time meeting each other

All the essentials that came along with Jared's Popo and Gung Gung

Jared's Grandpa

And of course, Grandma who has also been waiting patiently for Jared too!

We had our hands full getting ready for Jared's early Full Moon party but everyone chipped in and made it happen. We had it in our condo's game room and invited all our friends here in Bangkok. We were so busy we almost forgot the main star, who had to be cleaned and changed for his big debut. He was decked out in full I'm-so-cute-you're-gonna-want-to-hug-me gear, bought by Grandma.

Daddy making the pacifier candies.

Gung gung making the fabulous cupcakes.

Jared looks like such a big boy here :)

My confinement month is almost coming to an end, and that means goodbye Grandma and hello we're-all-by-ourselves-now. It is a scary thought but we're going to try our best!

Family picture taken after the party

Baby Jared has arrived (Samuel updates and Charis sleeps)

2012-04-13T15:19:00.000+07:00

Hi, let me tell you a bit about myself. My name's Jared and I was born just 3 days ago, well I think it was 3 days ago since my daddy hasn't taught me to tell time yet.

Here are some pictures daddy took of me:

Welcome to the world, baby Jared. Love, your daddy.

Jared Yau Zhi Hao, born on 10 April 2012 at 8.30am in Bangkok Hospital.

What to do when you're still waiting... (Charis writes)

2012-04-06T11:03:00.000+07:00

Ah, it is passed Week 40 now and baby Jared has decided to keep his parents waiting. I can't believe that it's been a month since we packed the hospital bag! That means we have been waiting anxiously for a month now :) Mum's here with us for 3 weeks now and I guess all of us did not suspect how long Jared will take to appear.

So what have I been doing while waiting?

1. Take long walks in the park (and watch Mum work out!)

Mum gearing up for the arrival of a newborn baby

2. Finally finish baby's quilt!

It took more than half a year :P

3. Sew Mum an apron to use in the kitchen.

It took only a day of intense concentration.
Proof I had been lazy with the quilt :P

4. Clean the house again and again.
5. Frequently go to a second-hand bookstore and rent lots of mystery novels and biographies.

Agatha Christie is my Mum's and my favourite.

6. Take time to enjoy Mum's company and home-cooked food!

This is just some of it!

7. Daydream of what to do during Jared's full-moon party (I'm thinking baby blue cupcakes!)
8. Talk to Jared and count his movements - he's been rather active lately, almost like he's dancing inside!
9. Turning to social media always works.
10. Overall, trying not to be such a worry wart!

Not too long now ;)

I asked Samuel how he is feeling right now with all this waiting from the father's perspective. He said he's just "anxiously waiting". I think he's nervous as well 'coz when I called him at work one day, he picked up after one ring and said, "labour already-ah?!". Oh, Samuel :)

In the Waiting Room... (Charis writes then waits)

2012-03-26T16:05:00.001+07:00

To my darling son,

Mummy is waiting anxiously for your arrival. You are due in a week's time but you seem so snug inside, trying to move around in your tiny little space. You've started stretching lately, possibly testing your boundaries already. My ribs and bladder, for now, are your boundaries, my dear son.

At this point, it feels like Mummy is going to be pregnant forever. I am so glad to know that it is a thought shared by other Mummies too. Mummy has to constantly remind herself that at the end of the day, my darling baby WILL appear. You, my precious, will be in my arms even before I know it. That and knowing that God has specially scheduled a perfect hour for you has kept me sane these past few days.

I want to let you know a few things before you come out to this huge world. Firstly, you are going to made famous by your parents. You are going to appear on Facebook, Twitter and perhaps this blog. Don't worry you will have time to learn all that. We are going to follow you everywhere with a camera and tweet every funny thing you say or do. You are not going to have any privacy except within our own privacy settings. Not until you stop being cute & funny - which is a day I dread and hope will never come.

We will most certainly not be getting you an iPad till you are grown up. We'll try our utmost to not put you to sleep using YouTube videos (although it worked really well on your Big Cousin Asher). No Angry Birds until you know it's not funny to elastic birds into the air. You are to sit on the dining table with the rest of us and learn to socialize. Your peers (and perhaps their parents too) will sneer at you from their baby chairs and tablets. Chin up, my dear, you will learn to talk faster this way.

Mummy knows best.

Remember that your daddy and mummy are still learning to be adults. Sometimes you will see us looking at each other sadly as if to remind each other of our responsibility to you. You will have to forgive us if we act like monkeys sometimes (oh, we'll bring you to see them at the zoo - they're a hoot!). Our parents were like that, so I guess we will be the same too. Don't roll your eyes or stick out your tongue, that does not become of a young gentleman.

Kisses and hugs are good for your health. Never stop kissing and hugging mummy even if she's in a foul mood - there is magic in your touch. Oh, it's okay to have bad days, just don't let the sun go down before you are right-side up again. If you fail to do so, you will be cross-eyed and will find yourself walking on your hands the next day.

Mummy knows best.

In the first few months you're here, we are going to try deciphering every cry you make. However, it would be good if you could drop us some hints. We'll take anything. Mummy's sorry if I accidentally wear your diaper the other way round for you or if I fall asleep whilst feeding you. Just give me a kick to wake me up. You're good at that already.

Come to Mummy and Daddy if you need anything. We may not be very wise, but we sure can offer some comfort if you need any. We have two hands and they connect to arms and hearts that can fit you in an embrace so tight and loving that will take all your worldly cares away. Otherwise, ice cream might help too. But only during emergencies. Your Daddy absolutely loves ice cream.

We are waiting anxiously for you, my dear son. Your bed is ready, your clothes, toys, mittens and even the little sling and stroller that will be bringing you to many places is ready. See you soon - in that perfect hour that is solely yours. We love you, baby Jared.

Feeling the Heat! (Charis sweats it out)

2012-03-06T13:22:00.002+07:00

Conversation between SIL and me:

Me: Eh, so when should I start washing the baby's clothes ah? When did you start washing for Travis?

SIL: Huh?! You haven't washed the clothes yet?!

Me: Er, not yet 'coz I didn't want to start too early and I'm afraid it'll just get dirty again...

SIL: You should start washing now already! What if the baby comes early?

Me: Okay! *sheepish grin* ....we haven't started painting the crib yet too :P

Yes, we are certainly feeling the heat. And, no thanks to Bangkok's current summer heatwave, I am feeling the heat in and out!

Good news is I have started compiling all of Baby's clothes, mittens, booties, towels, hankies, nappies, sheets, bolster covers, blankets... (did I miss anything out?) into the laundry basket already. Who knew he would have a bigger wardrobe then both his parents combined?! All thanks to wonderful people who handed us such cute baby boy clothes.

As for the baby crib (passed to us from a friend), ambitious as we were when we first started out... its wooden parts are now leaning against the wall while we contemplate paying the building maintenance guys to do the job for us. Scraping old paint off is just no fun especially in this heat.

Some of the wooden parts of our baby's crib leaning forlornly against the wall.
Samuel bought a sander just for this. Oh, well!

In Two Months (Charis writes)

2012-02-22T17:21:00.000+07:00

It's amazing what changes 2 months can bring...

Thanksgiving (Nov) 2011

January 2012

I do feel heavier...

Our Jedi Baby (first sneak peek!)

2012-02-14T23:48:00.000+07:00

Our little Jedi Baby. Hopefully we get to see your entire face at the doctor's tomorrow.

Our babymoon (Charis writes)

2012-02-14T23:41:00.000+07:00

It's been a long while since our last post. It was not easy keeping it up after awhile. So much has happened since then, I am now at my 3rd trimester at 33 weeks, 1 week shy from being banned from getting on any flights. Last weekend, Samuel and I went on our babymoon in Hua Hin, Thailand. A new term for the both of us, it simply means a trip that "is intended to be a final romantic fling before venturing into parenthood" (thanks, Wikipedia!).

Once again, I'll let the pictures do the talking with some commentary along the way.

We decided to take the train to Hua Hin, took us almost 4 hours (even though the ticket stated only 3) but it was a pleasant journey with lots to see. Can't say the same for the way back though.

The railway station is a beautiful, quaint little building apparently dating back to the Victorian era or was it a Victorian-inspired architecture (something like that). The town itself reminded us of laidback Chiang Mai or Hanoi (with the small alleys).

We stayed in the beautiful Hua Hin Hilton (still using the points from our wedding!) and no, we didn't say we were on our honeymoon, but we got the full honeymoon treatment! Cake, towel swans, roses and all... This will be our 2nd "honeymoon" with the Hilton. The view from our room's balcony was a sight to behold. This was going to be a start of a wonderful holiday...

Down to the beach we went and to just have a walk together looking at the people and enjoying the sun and the surf. Our friend, Michelle, was right. There were so many old(er) people everywhere! I guess Hua Hin is a better choice for older folks and families compared to Phuket or Pattaya.

We played 2 rounds of pool in the family lounge... (Baby, mummy had to teach daddy how to play this. Remember that.)

...and also took the bubble elevators up and down again overlooking both sides of the hotel (one facing the town area and the other, the beach and the hotel's swimming pool) from the Lobby to the highest floor (the 17th floor) just so we could have the thrill of sitting on something like a Solero Shot (the theme park ride that shoots you up fast and drops you fast as well) and also take some beautiful pictures. Our hopes were dampened on the way down though, when we had to stop to pick up 3 families on the way. Oh, well!

Yes, baby. You are warned! Your parents can do some pretty silly things. And we hope to not forget this fun side of ours when you are here and probably will embarrass you only until you're about, say, 10. Okay, 7. Alright, 6 and that's our last offer!

And finally a night out for seafood and a stroll in the Night Market. We came back to our room and enjoyed the last bits of the moonlight and bright stars on our hotel balcony over some Hua Hin Roti and Malee fruit juice.

The moonlight was just awesome. You could see the stars pretty clearly as well.

Before we left, we said goodbye to the sand and the beach and headed back to the railway station to catch our ride home. It was a really relaxing babymoon with just us (and the occasional kicks from the baby) getting to know each other again and enjoying each other's company. We don't know what the future is going to be like with the baby, but at least we know that we're going to be in this together.

Parenthood? Bring it on, baby!

Husband nearing 5-month pregnancy interval (Charis writes)

2011-11-28T15:53:00.002+07:00

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to Christmas carols on the Internet radio... it has always been my most favourite time of the year. This year's Christmas is also exceptionally special while we wait to open the package with the gift tag that says, "Open only when due."

Baby, do you know, you are supposed to be due on April Fool's Day? Daddy has had a whale of time thinking of weird names (read: Bozo?!) for you to mark that special day. But we know better, if you're early, you're coming out on March 17 in to commemorate "Incredible Kid Day" or if you're snug and cosy, you're coming out on April 7 to celebrate "No Housework Day" with me.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a few of our American friends over a scrumptious buffet dinner in Siam City Hotel and there was the traditional turkey and glazed ham! After our meal, Samuel and I took this funny pic to compare our bellies. He's getting there, I tell ya!

Headline: Husband & wife nearly 5 months pregnant

I know I was supposed to write a letter to Little Bean, I'll do it in the next post! :) There's just so much to say to my little son :)

The chromosomes tell it all!

2011-11-15T23:12:00.000+07:00

So recently we were given the chance to head back to Malaysia for a 1-week, then extended to a 2-week break due to the flood situation in Thailand. It was a great opportunity as we weren't meant to go back so soon. Our neighbourhood in Bangkok was spared from the floods but not so for people living in the outskirts. It would seem the waters would never go away! Please do continue to keep Thailand in your prayers.

Anyway, besides ticking food off our lists back home, we also had time to meet up with a local ob/gyn specialist. I was around 18-19 weeks then and we wanted to get our first detailed ultrasound scan. We headed out to UMSC with my sis-in-law and her 2 sons (we had to go visit my grandma after that) and met a really good doctor. You knew he was good when you had to wait 2 hours to get to him!

We've had scans before this but not one as detailed. Here, we found out that Little Bean is no more a little bean, but an almost fully-developed baby with all limbs and organs intact! That's how we came to find out about Little Bean's sex. I didn't want to appear desperate to the doctor about knowing about it so when he moved the probe around and finally said, "Ah, so now you can see the sex of the baby".

I was: What?! I cannot see a thing. Where? It was Samuel who first spotted it (I guess he would know best) and then he exclaimed happily and squeezed my hand which he was holding! I was still shocked and exclaimed "But everyone wanted a girl!". Thinking back I shouldn't have said so in case the doctor thought I was being ungrateful or something! I didn't mean what it sounded like, really!

So we are having a boy! I'd show you the amazing shot that sealed it all but maybe we should take that offline ;)

Next: A letter to Little Bean...

The journey so far... (Charis spills)

2011-11-07T15:45:00.001+07:00

... has been rather exciting. I wouldn't say it is as nerve-wrecking as a roller coaster ride, but it sure ain't a stroll in the park either!

Firstly, a decent woman can only stand so many hormonal changes! Secondly, the weighing scale has GOT to go. And lastly, a little ache and a pain here and there will see me running to the "experts" on the WWW.

Here was what I googled (please don't laugh, ok!). See answers below.

1. Will I hurt my baby if I sneezed too hard?
2. Can my baby hear the music I am hearing from the earphones?
3. Why isn't my belly button popping out?
4. Why am I showing at 4 months?

Answer 1: No, but the pain you are feeling is from uterine expansions.
Answer 2: NO.
Answer 3: Not every woman is a popper. But it certainly doesn't determine the gender of your baby!
Answer 4: Unspecified. I tell people it's because I have winter storage like bears in hibernation (and then scuttle away in a corner to sulk).

I am not worried, though. The questions first-time mummies ask in online forums can be downright amusing sometimes! Like, "Can my baby hear my thoughts?". Lol!

Can they? :-/

Next: The chromosomes tell it all...

The bun in our oven (Charis)

2011-10-21T17:22:00.001+07:00

Aside from breaking the news to your family, I think the most memorable moment is finding out firsthand that you are expecting. We didn't find that out the romantic way - I didn't pee on a stick, get the reading and wonder how to break it to my husband. I didn't have the opportunity to see how Samuel's reaction would be like, much like how he saw me reacting to his marriage proposal, now so many moons passed.

Nope, nothing like all that. We found it out, together, at the doctor's.

I knew, before our visit to the doctor's, that there was something going on. The signs and symptoms were all there. But we have been trying for awhile and since nothing has come out of it, we didn't want to put our hopes up. Plus I had psychosomatic symptoms of pregnancy before this when I thought I was when I wasn't - I didn't want to be silly. And I guess we were trying not to jinx it or something :)

That should be how it should be like - finding it out together. Holding hands when we saw Little Bean for the first time on the monitor, tears trickling down my face, thinking, "So there you are, baby. You're so, so beautiful."

Next: The journey so far...

The ultimate :-o look! (Charis shares)

2011-10-10T14:43:00.003+07:00

As promised, in this post we will share with you a video of us announcing our little creation to my parents. I've always wanted to do a video like this ever since I saw a similar "Announcing the Baby" clip on America's Funniest Home Videos. Although the beginning threatened to be a disaster, my mother's beautiful O-shaped mouth of surprise along with my dad's chuckle easily brought happy tears to my eyes. It is even more meaningful as we were not there to announce it personally, so my sister (who was the first to know of Little Bean's existence btw!) helped prepare everything, including taking and editing this video and the whole family (including newcomer baby Travis!) was there to witness this.

Thank you, Caryn! *hugs*

Next: How we found out about Little Bean

We're still alive! (Samuel, Charis + 1)

2011-10-04T17:04:00.001+07:00

What better way to revive a blog than to announce a new life? :)

Samuel and I are going to be proud parents soon and we hope you are able to share our happiness and joy in welcoming our "Little Bean", as he/she is now called. We hope to be able to share with you as much as possible on our new journey in this blog. So to all our friends out there, you are now officially "uncles" and "aunties" (if you aren't already) :)

Aunty Joanne Kek says it best to sum up the whole situation:
"Charis, you and Sammy have successfully spawned and you are now with sprog!"

The picture that accompanied the email we sent to Samuel's parents telling them about Little Bean.

Next: Video of Charis' parents receiving the good news.

Cupcake challenge - The Aftermath (Charis writes)

2011-05-12T11:34:00.000+07:00

Now I remember why it took so long to get back to the baking challenge. It was simply exhausting! I took a full day to recover from the heat and exertion. Didn't help that I smoked up the kitchen when I put chocolate chips in the microwave to melt them - a big no-no but a mandatory for a novice baker (as self-consolation). But I did it albeit slightly veering from the original plan. I baked two batches of cupcakes and if you had followed my tweets that fateful day, I mentioned that it was due to snacking and some cakes that didn't pass the QC.

For the first batch, I used Goddess of Housekeeping, Martha Stewart's recipe for One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes , a really simple recipe which has all the ingredients in one bowl. I had to substitute buttermilk and safflower oil with milk + vinegar (yes, there's vinegar inside!) and melted butter and the result was amazing! It tasted a little bit like Mum's moist chocolate cake recipe. I used this recipe for the frosting instead of buttercream frosting so it was easier to pack it up for the bake sale I was contributing the cakes to.

The second batch with the original vanilla flavor just didn't work out at all. It sunk in the middle and despite my efforts to revive it with "decorating" it just didn't stick. Here's the reason why it sunk.

So here is the picture of the cupcakes (first batch only). I still need to work on the decoration bit. Maybe the next challenge would be fondant icing!

Cupcake challenge (Charis writes)

2011-05-06T15:06:00.000+07:00

Last year for Christmas, I challenged myself to a bake-out where I baked cookies, a loaf of bread and a cake, all from scratch, and also threw in a roast chicken for good measure. This year after a 5-month hiatus, I am ready to bake again. This time, it's cupcakes.

My best memories of cupcakes were eating them with great friends in Wondermilk in Damansara Utama and of course, the baby blue with white/yellow daisies on top wedding cupcake-cake we had. You can view the pictures from the creator's blog, May, my lovely ex-neighbour :) She does an amazing job with all things cake!

So in celebration of the recently concluded royal wedding, I baked 2 dozen cupcakes with tiny pink heart sprinkles on top. But I took no pictures as they were, well, kinda ugly. I thought getting brown colouring for my buttercream frosting was a good idea but without the right piping tools, it just turned out, rather... natural-looking, if you know what I mean. So no pictures, but thank goodness they more than make up in taste. So I am taking myself up to this next cupcake challenge, a very simple vanilla cupcake recipe with either chocolate ganache or fondant for icing.

Now, who wants to join me in this quest? :D