Yesterday God did something big for our family, dear Wowy. He saved your dad and granddad from a terrible accident.
They went to a town five hours drive from here with two of their friends to see a project. They have to go through a long problematic highway and roads on the mountain’s slope. After checking the project site, they drove to a nearby city for a night stay. They checked into a hotel and were going to have their dinner when they found out that the car could not be moved. Everybody went down to check for a big stone or hole that made the car stuck. That was when your granddad found the two front wheels of the car was no longer aligned. Apparently, the rod that connected the stirring wheel and the two front wheels has plopped out.
If this were going to happen in the highway when the car sped up, all of them could be sent straight to ICU or even heaven. Same thing if that happened on the winding sloping road. It was raining all the way too. But it happened right there in the parking lot of the hotel, with a car garage nearby. It was not logical at all, but it saved them from dangerous situation and a lot of trouble.
So they just walked to nearby eating place for dinner, slept early, and got the car fixed the first thing in the morning. Quite convenient, I should say. They drove back in the afternoon and already back at the house in the early evening.
All of us really thanked God for this one miracle, for nobody else could make such things happen. To think that I might lose a husband and a father at the same time made me even more grateful.
Thank you Lord. Thank you.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Pregnant maids
My mom’s maid is three to four months pregnant at the moment. I got my new maid on Thursday night last week, suspected her to be pregnant on Friday, got the confirmation that she was positively about two to three months pregnant on Saturday, and returned her on Sunday. We have no heart of asking her to do things that I am unable to do due to my pregnancy because she is pregnant herself, thus there are no reasons to keep employing her. When she admitted that she was pregnant, she also said that the new maid my mom-in-law just employed was also two months pregnant.
So we have three households and three pregnant maids at the moment.
We are now waiting for the replacement, have specifically asked for the unmarried one to reduce the possibility of having a pregnant one again.
On the other side, this unusual experience gave me another thought. About how lucky I am to have the chance of getting someone to help me with my house chores while I am pregnant while there are pregnant women that have to keep on working to continue living. I can afford to have daily intake of vitamins and milk, time to read about pregnancy and baby care, good quality healthy food for my consumption, and naps during the day. I am blessed and really thankful for that.
So we have three households and three pregnant maids at the moment.
We are now waiting for the replacement, have specifically asked for the unmarried one to reduce the possibility of having a pregnant one again.
On the other side, this unusual experience gave me another thought. About how lucky I am to have the chance of getting someone to help me with my house chores while I am pregnant while there are pregnant women that have to keep on working to continue living. I can afford to have daily intake of vitamins and milk, time to read about pregnancy and baby care, good quality healthy food for my consumption, and naps during the day. I am blessed and really thankful for that.
Week 22
We are in your grandparents’ house again. Daddy went to another city with your grandpa and their friends. As we returned the maid on Sunday, I have started to clean the house again yesterday. Both of us felt much comfortable at home without a maid.
This morning, two of your aunts managed to feel you. Third aunt felt you in the morning when I was going to go back to sleep after waking up so early to send your dad and grandpa away. Then when I woke up, I found out that your second aunt already felt your movement when I was sleeping. I did not even realize it when she touched my tummy all over to find you. She was quite amazed when she finally felt the gentle nudge you gave her.
Your grandma’s maid is also pregnant at the moment, at about three to four months now. Gee, so many pregnant women nowadays. Anyway, I kept on thinking of how lucky both of us are, to be able to be born and to get pregnant comfortably with daily intake of vitamins and milk and good quality healthy food.
I hope both of us will never take it for granted and always be thankful for these blessings, keeping in mind the less fortunate and be kind to them.
This morning, two of your aunts managed to feel you. Third aunt felt you in the morning when I was going to go back to sleep after waking up so early to send your dad and grandpa away. Then when I woke up, I found out that your second aunt already felt your movement when I was sleeping. I did not even realize it when she touched my tummy all over to find you. She was quite amazed when she finally felt the gentle nudge you gave her.
Your grandma’s maid is also pregnant at the moment, at about three to four months now. Gee, so many pregnant women nowadays. Anyway, I kept on thinking of how lucky both of us are, to be able to be born and to get pregnant comfortably with daily intake of vitamins and milk and good quality healthy food.
I hope both of us will never take it for granted and always be thankful for these blessings, keeping in mind the less fortunate and be kind to them.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
yay!
You have been moving actively these past two days since I felt you moving that midnight. But all along, whenever your daddy tried to feel your movement, you stopped moving. Only this morning he managed to feel your movement, Darling. He was excited.
I woke up early this Sunday because the new maid woke up early. She is positively pregnant and we are going to return her today.
I woke up early this Sunday because the new maid woke up early. She is positively pregnant and we are going to return her today.
Friday, February 17, 2006
The twenty first week
Dearest Wowy,
I feel like carrying a small watermelon inside my tummy. It was protruding and round. I felt you moving at about midnight last night. Were you somersaulting inside, Darling? I have difficulty sleeping these three nights. Tried not to take any nap today so that I can sleep tighter tonight.
We went to visit your eldest aunt in the hospital on Monday. She just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, 2.9kg and 48cm. Still nameless until today, we just called him Kev’s brother.
Yesterday, I went there again to pick them up with your grandparents and your uncle with two helpers to take care of Kev and his brother. Kev was quite jealous when he first saw his mother holding the new brother. Hope he got used to the little one by now… they are going to be buddies, and your playmate.
Then we also picked up our new helper. She came from a little town in Central Java and has been in the city for only two months. Today I found out that she has missed her periods for quite sometime. Being a newlywed (newer than both of us), there is a high chance that she is pregnant. We might return her and ask for a replacement if she is indeed pregnant. This is my maiden experience of getting a maid on my own and I should say, I was (and still am) pretty nervous.
Keep moving inside there, Dearest! God bless you!!!
I feel like carrying a small watermelon inside my tummy. It was protruding and round. I felt you moving at about midnight last night. Were you somersaulting inside, Darling? I have difficulty sleeping these three nights. Tried not to take any nap today so that I can sleep tighter tonight.
We went to visit your eldest aunt in the hospital on Monday. She just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, 2.9kg and 48cm. Still nameless until today, we just called him Kev’s brother.
Yesterday, I went there again to pick them up with your grandparents and your uncle with two helpers to take care of Kev and his brother. Kev was quite jealous when he first saw his mother holding the new brother. Hope he got used to the little one by now… they are going to be buddies, and your playmate.
Then we also picked up our new helper. She came from a little town in Central Java and has been in the city for only two months. Today I found out that she has missed her periods for quite sometime. Being a newlywed (newer than both of us), there is a high chance that she is pregnant. We might return her and ask for a replacement if she is indeed pregnant. This is my maiden experience of getting a maid on my own and I should say, I was (and still am) pretty nervous.
Keep moving inside there, Dearest! God bless you!!!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Maiden experience
I have another first for me, getting a household helper aka maid or servant.
We decided to start employing one now to give us some buffer time to get to know the person, and for her to get to know her duties, before our little one is born. She just came last night and started working full time today.
Employing a living-in helper is giving me some kind of dilemma.
You see, I was raised in a Chinese family in Central Java where the helpers behaved and were treated like a second-class family members. Given different foods, should sit on the floor and never on the chair, small rooms and toilet, and all sort of differentiating treatment. Living in another country, meeting all kind of people with different races, and doing everything on my own taught me something about equality of people, about treating others as how I want to be treated myself. I am trying to re-wash my brain with these values, but somehow, I was also reluctant to do that. Maybe the old values have penetrated deeper than I thought along my younger years.
Hubby has almost the same feelings as me. He was more fortunate to be born in a more liberal family that treated their helpers better. Some differentiating factors still exist, like sitting on their own chairs, but the helpers are treated more as a human being and a friend.
Problems aroused when my mom called and give her judgments in what I told her about my maiden experience. Asking the girl to rest was too much lenient. Servants were strong enough to work around the clock, and I should not be too kind. Sharing food was a no-no. Why didn’t I buy something cheaper for her to eat? And et cetera.
No, my mom was not cruel. She acted based on the values that were planted by her mom and her grandmother all her life. She thought if she did any different, it could lead her to a failure in employing. The servant could be lazy or they could start stealing if the employer was too kind.
I am still learning on my own about how to treat my helper. As an adult (and a mom-to-be), I need to be able to decide on how should I treat my employee. Should not put too much pressure on myself, huh? I mean, sooner or later, I’ll learn, I’ll define my own set of values, and I’ll be the employer my heart allows me to be.
We decided to start employing one now to give us some buffer time to get to know the person, and for her to get to know her duties, before our little one is born. She just came last night and started working full time today.
Employing a living-in helper is giving me some kind of dilemma.
You see, I was raised in a Chinese family in Central Java where the helpers behaved and were treated like a second-class family members. Given different foods, should sit on the floor and never on the chair, small rooms and toilet, and all sort of differentiating treatment. Living in another country, meeting all kind of people with different races, and doing everything on my own taught me something about equality of people, about treating others as how I want to be treated myself. I am trying to re-wash my brain with these values, but somehow, I was also reluctant to do that. Maybe the old values have penetrated deeper than I thought along my younger years.
Hubby has almost the same feelings as me. He was more fortunate to be born in a more liberal family that treated their helpers better. Some differentiating factors still exist, like sitting on their own chairs, but the helpers are treated more as a human being and a friend.
Problems aroused when my mom called and give her judgments in what I told her about my maiden experience. Asking the girl to rest was too much lenient. Servants were strong enough to work around the clock, and I should not be too kind. Sharing food was a no-no. Why didn’t I buy something cheaper for her to eat? And et cetera.
No, my mom was not cruel. She acted based on the values that were planted by her mom and her grandmother all her life. She thought if she did any different, it could lead her to a failure in employing. The servant could be lazy or they could start stealing if the employer was too kind.
I am still learning on my own about how to treat my helper. As an adult (and a mom-to-be), I need to be able to decide on how should I treat my employee. Should not put too much pressure on myself, huh? I mean, sooner or later, I’ll learn, I’ll define my own set of values, and I’ll be the employer my heart allows me to be.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The Amazing Sister
My eldest sister-in-law has just given birth to a baby boy by caesarean on Monday morning. When we visited her that night, she was propped up on her bed, studying a thick financial text book with her glasses on and a pen in hand.
I was shocked to the bone and ashamed of my lazy self.
This sister spent the last nine month working full time as an accountant in a big firm (working on weekends sometimes), taking classes on Saturdays for her master degree, caring for her cannot-stand-still-almost-two-year-old son (and bringing him to ‘school’ for a few hours every Sunday), and growing her second son in her womb! She did all that with the nauseas, the bulging tummy, and aching back. If that is not amazing, I don’t know what else is.
She will have two exams this Saturday and one exam on the 25th. She has been planning to go for the exams and when I saw her studying on her bed on the day she gave birth, I knew she will go.
I was shocked to the bone and ashamed of my lazy self.
This sister spent the last nine month working full time as an accountant in a big firm (working on weekends sometimes), taking classes on Saturdays for her master degree, caring for her cannot-stand-still-almost-two-year-old son (and bringing him to ‘school’ for a few hours every Sunday), and growing her second son in her womb! She did all that with the nauseas, the bulging tummy, and aching back. If that is not amazing, I don’t know what else is.
She will have two exams this Saturday and one exam on the 25th. She has been planning to go for the exams and when I saw her studying on her bed on the day she gave birth, I knew she will go.
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
It's a BOY
Yeah, we'll be having a baby boy!
As soon as we found out, hubby went name-hunting in the internet.
As soon as we found out, hubby went name-hunting in the internet.
You are a BOY!!!
Dearest Wowy,
We went for another ultrasound scan last Saturday and found out that you are a boy!
Honestly, I have never pictured myself having a little boy on my own. Having three sisters and no living brothers, I am not familiar with raising boys. So, I kind of nervous in thinking of how to raise you up and wondering if I can be a good cool mom to you. Both of us are excited, very excited. You father has started to search for names again. This time, we can limit our search to boys' names only.
When we saw you through the ultrasound scan monitor, our hearts leaped with joy. You have grown much bigger than the last time we saw you. You turned around several times and moved your hands and feet. Then the doctor scanned the bottom side and announced your gender with a smile.
Going back to my parents' home, your grandma guessed with conviction that you must be a boy. She have said that the second she found out about my pregnancy. All of my sisters and your grandpa were joyful. Actually it doesn't matter whether you were a girl or a boy... But after four consecutive baby girl, a baby boy is very much awaited.
Most people in the other home guessed that you were a girl. That was because both of your parents have three sisters each. But anyway, they were excited when we told them that you were a boy. So your paternal grandparents will have three grandsons this year! One will be born next week!!!
Oh boy, I hope you will be a good boy. Naughty is fine, as long as you have a good heart and soul.
Love you so much, darling boy!
We went for another ultrasound scan last Saturday and found out that you are a boy!
Honestly, I have never pictured myself having a little boy on my own. Having three sisters and no living brothers, I am not familiar with raising boys. So, I kind of nervous in thinking of how to raise you up and wondering if I can be a good cool mom to you. Both of us are excited, very excited. You father has started to search for names again. This time, we can limit our search to boys' names only.
When we saw you through the ultrasound scan monitor, our hearts leaped with joy. You have grown much bigger than the last time we saw you. You turned around several times and moved your hands and feet. Then the doctor scanned the bottom side and announced your gender with a smile.
Going back to my parents' home, your grandma guessed with conviction that you must be a boy. She have said that the second she found out about my pregnancy. All of my sisters and your grandpa were joyful. Actually it doesn't matter whether you were a girl or a boy... But after four consecutive baby girl, a baby boy is very much awaited.
Most people in the other home guessed that you were a girl. That was because both of your parents have three sisters each. But anyway, they were excited when we told them that you were a boy. So your paternal grandparents will have three grandsons this year! One will be born next week!!!
Oh boy, I hope you will be a good boy. Naughty is fine, as long as you have a good heart and soul.
Love you so much, darling boy!
Thursday, February 2, 2006
19th
Hi again Dearie,
You are about 15 centimeters crown to rump right now. I am still trying to detect your movement.
This Saturday, we'll see you through the ultrasound scan again and probably will see your gender. Let's see if you are a boy (like what almost everyone predicted) or a girl.
We love you!
You are about 15 centimeters crown to rump right now. I am still trying to detect your movement.
This Saturday, we'll see you through the ultrasound scan again and probably will see your gender. Let's see if you are a boy (like what almost everyone predicted) or a girl.
We love you!
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