Are we there yet?

"Is baby coming?" asks Jon.
"I want her to come now!" wishes Ben.

The home stretch is one filled with eager anticipation, but don't we all know that babies come when they want to?

And I'm trying not to overworry, or be daunted already by how much more there is to juggle in the days ahead. But to look forward to the joy of being a new parent again.

Right: Earlier this month, a cheeky Ben who likes to place his hand on my tummy to feel the lil one's movements, has concluded, "Baby is nocturnal"! Referring to how the kicks, as I know them for awhile now, take place mostly throughout the night. As if Baby is already training me for the exhausting part of being a new mother -- the non-stop nursing and poopy diaper changing! But it only gets better, and better, yeah? =)

Meanwhile, we are in the last leg of summer...

Below: A mix of old and new experiences that Jon and Ben got to enjoy this month. Also like a reminder for me of some basic things that we can afford to have more of, whether I'm doing something for the umpteenth time or approaching it brand new...

Ask, "How can I serve you?"

"Serving in God's big backyard" was the theme for our church Vacation Bible School this year. At the end of each morning, the children took back with them a simple lesson of who we can serve -- our family, friends, neighbours, and the community, besides just the church and God, honouring Him in the different facets of our lives.

There are times when housewifey and motherly duties sap me, pregnant or not, and I get all grumpy and tell the husband he should be appreciative. I forget that loving = serving, without reservations, unconditionally. And there's stuff the man of the house does that's beyond me, like ending up having to install the dishwasher DIY when our oven conked out last week (I'll spare you the long story), that I too need to appreciate him for, and make it a point to say "thank you"!

Laughter, the best medicine

Leslie and Jay of "Laughing Matters" lived it up, by injecting fun into learning, as part of the Catch the Reading Bug programme at the library.

Not just for the boys, I could use the laughter myself. It was a nice little midweek break for us when temperatures soared, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to take them without venturing too far.


Try, try again... and don't stop practising

Ben waited for the weekend to roll around when Vern could go ice-skating with him and Jon. It's only Ben's second time at the rink, but no different from that first time last year, he put his best foot forward, and picked himself up whenever he fell down.

Jon, who had taken lessons before, was more confident on the ice. Still, he knew that without practice, we get rusty at doing anything we have grasped. However, ice-skating is something we haven't managed to make time for in awhile, because of crazy enough schedules.


Interest sparks imagination
Here's something that each boy especially likes this summer. And watching each child work on it like a pet project, it's true that interest is a key ingredient in sparking anyone's imagination and creativity.

Jon, and the Stargate -- inspired by the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis shows on Sci-Fi channel -- he put together using recyclable stuff, and couldn't wait to declare open!



Ben and his drawings and stories to tell, like for this "flip the flap" book, that's a good opportunity to encourage writing of the alphabet as well...

*Inhale* *Exhale*

I'm here still, yes, haven't gone on "maternity leave". There are so many things running through my head, and this would have been another of my longwinded posts.

But how about let's just take a moment to breathe? =) I hope you're having a great week!




Busy as a bee? But not without purpose - I like how Yan puts it!
Take deep breaths, more deep breaths now... *inhale* *exhale*

Day by day

From the word "Go" every day, there's nary a dull moment when it comes to kids!

OK, it depends on how you define "dull". And admittedly, some noise, like giggles and laughs, is more music to the ears, than, say, whining and crying. Or when siblings squabble (not again!), and the mommy (or daddy) has to raise her (or his) voice to be heard! =(

From breakfast to dinner, to bedtime, it takes more than food to keep the children occupied. And what works for one may not for the other. But while childcare is relentless, there are wonderful moments to savour.



Some things are more routine, and I do what I can to keep up with Ben and Jon, while keeping house. And I'm happy when they eat their fill, and ask for seconds, or thirds! Not so thrilled though, when I fish out sticky green frogs that have miraculously survived the wash and dry cycles! And is it just in our home, that clutter builds up even more relentlessly as does dust?!

But it's all in a day's work, and fun, don't you agree? You must know what I mean when I say the frustrations are as real as the joys.

And you bet I love it so, when the brothers play nicely together. And when they can sit down without leaving their seats every so often (but don't we all know children don't like to sit still?)!

Here's Jon and Ben concentrating quite hard (to my surprise!), working on their own version of the Stargate for their bedroom door, like a "wormhole" to Slumberland...

... As inspired by their daddy's favourite shows on the Sci-Fi channel -- Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, that have at least one of the boys hooked already!

Day in, day out...
With just a month more to go to the baby's arrival, I'm not without the usual complaints of pregnant women. And because I'm not walking as briskly as I like, when the boys run ahead of me, I feel even more out of control now.

"Come out right now!", I had to yell at them at the park the other day, when they disappeared into some thick bushes, that was hard for me and my "double" size (as Ben calls me these days) to get in there (to extricate them -- if I could, I would!).

And it wasn't the first time, that one boy was trying to do a cartwheel, and the other running amok and straight into someone else's shopping cart, at the grocery store after that.

It's still summer vacation after all, and if the weather's not too hot and humid, it's nice to let the kids be outdoors to burn off some energy. And especially if the playground time can buy me, not always though, a saner grocery trip after that.


Some places, like the library, and small neighbourhood parks, work better at this point for me to take the boys on my own. But for others with sprawling grounds, like the Botanic Garden -- my alltime favourite place of interest, it only makes sense to leave to do altogether with the husband.

Seizing the day at the Botanic Garden's Whitaker Music Festival last month -- a concert in the park that capitalizes on the sun setting later in summer. And only so few times a year when picnicking is permitted on the garden's pristine grounds.



But yes, day in day out, it's not just energy that I need to run chase after the children, but loads (big loads!) of patience as well, and I have to be firmer also.

Some things, too, work better for one child than the other, because of their different personalities, and their age difference. And though we say we don't want to (overly) pamper our children by giving them too many choices, you can't not cater to each one's needs.

There are fun, learning tools like jigsaw puzzles, that Ben isn't as interested in as he is into some other things, such as the "Where is Waldo?" book we stumbled on at the library. It's his own idea to come up with drawings of Fluffy his plush penguin, and let me know what words to write down, before we put the pages together to make his very own "Where is Fluffy?" book...



The library is a great resource, the way I used to think while back home, only bookstores are. It's the one place I will go week after week with the boys. And besides the reading we do together, and books do offer ideas for creative play, the library's summer reading programme is also helping Jon spend minutes each day on "read and read".

With the hours chalked up from reading, Jon, and Ben from what I read to him, have earned little rewards like stickers, and free slushes and icecream cones. For Jon, the "write and write", and doing Math, still need a lot of prodding, but practise is needed because of the long summer hols.


Daily Lessons
Some other aspects, as the boys grow, I'm also grappling with.

Such as when one child showed a side that's more than just a case of talking back, I was quite taken aback and did what I normally would not do. Gave him three smacks on the bum, and asked him to stay in the room to think about why what he did was not acceptable to me.

After that, I asked myself though, what kind of a message was this mom sending when I had to use force (albeit it, "not (a) painful" one) to bring across my point? Or is it because we spare the rod, and have spoiled our children?

In a different setting, I don't know what gripped the other child, and midway through helping me make a cake, he decided to toss the mixer with it still plugged in, and beaters sticking up and swirling away, into the mixing bowl!

There was gooey cakemix everywhere -- not just on the mixer, but on us, on the table, floor, and wall as well! Good thing ours' just an inexpensive handheld mixer. But am I practising double standards when I didn't smack him, thinking it was more important for him to help clean up the mess he created?

No doubt parenthood has its challenges at every stage. And it comes with surprises like these, for me to know I am anything but self-sufficient. There's so much I don't know, so much to learn from other parents who've been there, done that. And also to go to our Heavenly Father who embraces us with an everlasting love, is forgiving, but at the same time does not stinge on tough love.

From our own children, I also want to see the world through their eyes -- and look at things that in my haste to get this and that task done in a day, I may otherwise miss out on.

Jon stops to catch a firefly...

...and at Ben's request, he lets go of the bug after we've taken a closer look.

And here's one of those simple Science experiments out of a library book, that had Ben and Jon fascinated for a little while...

... until the colours (from drops of food colouring) were all blended in the milk, and the show was over. But not before we've had a good laugh over something we thought up, that's not-so-pleasant-smelling (guess what?), doing the same thing in air!

One day at a time...
By day's end, I'm exhausted, and it's easy to be frustrated when at least one boy (usually it's the one who gave up napping long before he should) takes well over an hour before he will eventually fall asleep. But for all their naughty moments, and lessons for me, I try not to forget to encourage Jon and Ben at bedtime, to give thanks for the wonderful things we got to enjoy for the day.

Day by day, one day at a time, may His grace be sufficient for us. May the joy of the Lord be our strength. And that there will always be joy enough, more than enough to spread around!

Though it's easier said than done to seize the day every day, let's not have to wait for a special day to come round to count our blessings, and savour those everyday moments that I tend to take for granted.


And wouldn't it be great if we can live each day "totally" ("Totally!" is Jon's candid response, when you ask him if he wants to do something he really likes) -- as best as we can? =)

A feast for the eyes -- last weekend's fireworks celebrating this nation's Independence Day.


And a semi-homemade pizza lunch that's a delightful meal, and always extra special when I get the help of little hands!


And thank you for caring...
... and for coming here to check in on the three guys and me, and our lil one on the way. I've cut back on blogging, but will try and catch up with how you're doing, whenever I can.

Meanwhile, some flowers for you to stop and smell amidst your busy schedules...

Take care now, and God bless you and yours richly! =)