Food Discipline

*Picture from google*

No one is perfect and that includes myself and my little Isabelle. But I am thankful her discipline in many aspects are so far, satisfactory although not flawless. I am specially thankful for her discipline towards food. She is not choosy and overly particular. Of course she have her preferences. Well, who doesn't?

Since day 1 we started her on solids, her daily diet consists of a fair amount of vegetables. And till today, she is still obediently taking in all her greens with no struggle at all. Apart from that, she will never say NO to bananas and apples. One of her favourite is steamed apples and omelette.

We rarely offer her unhealthy snacks, namely icecream, chocolates etc. She doesn't crave for it nor does she begs for it. But once a blue moon, we will let her taste a bite or two and that's it.

A bonus to that... Isabelle also learn to clean up any crumbs for her tray or table. And occasionally we catches her wiping her trays and table too. Never too young to learn & start :)

As parents, it is not easy to feel contented specially when it comes to our children's achievements. But in this case, I am a contented Mummy because my child could have been one of the grumpy fussy little eaters , but she is not. And I have no reason to complain or to ask for more :)

The Child In Me

Many things I encounter daily reminds of my sweet & fun childhood days. Namely, cartoons :)

Was searching for some clips on youtube to show Isabelle this morning and suddenly I remembered this one particular classic Mickey Mouse cartoon. I remembered that I would watch it over and over again and still find it thrilling. And even today while watching it, I feel like a child again.

So, here it is. Mickey's Trailer.

Health, Home & Heaven

When the doctor told us the details of what Dad is experiencing; the mild stroke due to aging and Meniere's, it hit me hard. It hurts me knowing that the days left for us to spend together and for me to repay him my love are numbered. It felt that the last 30 over years, I have wasted each and every day of it and not doing enough in order not to regret.

Gradual memory loss and also possibly deafness being one of the cause of Meniere's. All these made me fearful, worried and completely helpless and loss.

I know this news impacts Dad himself hardest including Mom compared to all of us. I could feel that Dad is dissapointed about his health condition. Personally, I am still trying to digest the truth that Dad is in this stage at only 62 and I almost disbelief it. But we all have to learn to accept that we are made to aged and our life on earth is just a temporary assignment. This reminds me of what a friend whose father returned home to Lord recently, told me. When our parents pass the age of 50, we have to prepare ourselves emotionally that their health will somehow deteriorate and will one day leave us. But as a Christian, we know that the end of life on earth is not the end of everything but a beginning of eternal life in God's kingdom. And what is for sure that we will meet our loved ones again one day in heaven.

Despite all these, we are very thankful for many reasons; we found out early and there is space for Dad to recover and get medical attention to prolong his life healthily. I am thankful that I can be home for as long as I want to be with him and Mom because I am a sahm without having to apply for long leave and possible to face a very non-understanding employer . I am thankful that Isabelle has a role to play, to be Dad's sunshine to cheer him up and to keep him occupied. And I am thankful that we are not hopeless because we have God taking care of everything and our faith in Him is what matters.

'I am here on earth for just a little while' ~ Psalm 119:19

'The Lord has made everything for His purposes' ~ Proverbs 16:4

Dad's Date With The Docs

Dad is finally convinced to go for his check up. This time, it is with the gastroenterologist and neurologist. He will have to stay overnight at the hospital.

Am hopeful for a clean bill of health after his check up.

It has been quite a hectic day. Drove down to Ipoh this morning. Came home to pack our overnight bag to stay in a relative's place so that we can be near Papa. I will be driving down to Ipoh 2nd time for the day today. It is tiring but this is nothing compared to all the sacrifices my dear Papa has done for me and raising me to be who I am today.

New Toys

One of my parents close family friend gave Isabelle a pair of cute ducklings and baby chicks. The last time I ever seen or touch one was countless years ago. They remind me of my fun and unforgettably warm childhood. Lots of fond memories came back to mind just by looking at them. So I think it thrills me more than it does to Isabelle. Of course, she got all excited when they came on board.

Since Isabelle is too young to handle such delicate creature, all we allow her to do was to pat them on the heads while we held them in our palms and watch us feed them.

They are oh so so so adorable. I wish they don't grow up too fast and lost their cuteness too soon :)

Time For A Good Break

Doctor gave Papa greenlight to go home but with a condition. Rest, rest and more rest.

Resting and doing nothing is something difficult for an active man like my Dad. He is always up to something and somehow have something to do. Anything from his business to church matters, his fishes in the aquarium and some repair works at home. He is always a restless family man.

Today marks the 2nd day of his rest day at home after being discharged from hospital. I am so happy I finally had the chance to make something for him and Mom this morning, fresh blended carrot-green apple-pineapple juice! After the glass of goodness, we went out for breakfast and also to run some errands.

I am glad that Papa is recovering and also finally gave in to his condition and rest obediently at home. Isabelle is such a blessing because she plays a big role in keeping grandpa occupied at home, leaving him little space to feel bored.

God, Please Spare My Dear Papa

Today was a every 'eventful' Sunday.

After Sunday school ended, we adjourned to sanctuary with intention to join DS and Mom. But the sight of both of them standing outside the entrance was unforgettable. DS with red teary eyes and Mom on the phone. My heart skipped a beat. Mom, still on the phone, turned to me and said "Papa fainted in the church" and anxiously returned to her phone conversation. I was left to figure out what happened and my imagination went crazy while I waited for Mom to finish with the conversation.

Many thoughts, feelings and images went through my head. I fear loosing my dear Papa, I will never see him again, that I will hate and not forgive myself for not loving him enough, for being angry at God for taking my Papa home so soon, for not doing enough for him and most of all, for not being there for him when he needed us most. Even when typing this down, I can't stop my tears, even though I know now that he is alright.

It may not sound serious to some but we know what that means. Dad has history of fainting when he feels nausea and throw up. Doctors has diagnosed that it is highly possible due to vertigo but can't be sure till he goes for a complete medical check up to eliminate other possible reasons. I could remember clearly that in my younger years, I have witnessed him fainting and the memories terrifies me that I might lose my Dad. What scares us was no doctors could tell why it happened. Vertigo was what I believe, the doctor's good guess.

Today's 'event' was a little different because all of us specially Mom was not with him when this happened. But we thank God that we have many good friends and family members were around when he felt something was wrong.

My brother and cousin took care of everything while we pack and got ready to leave town. After 3 hours ride in the car which used to feel not too far for us seemed endless today, we reached the hospital at 5pm and I am so so relieved to see that he is fine. It is good that the doctor kept him in the hospital for observation so that he HAS to be in bed and get all the rest he needed.

He was delighted to see us (specially Isabelle) and his face literally lit up despite still feeling low and lousy. Mom said that Isabelle is his medicine. :)

Picture sourced from google

Running his own business. Helping with my late Grandpa's estate stuff. Being overly active with church matters as the committee member and always going the extra mile to help others. At 62, we feel that he is working too hard and all the above is way too heavy for him. We have tried numerous ways to tell him that he should consider slowing down. He was stubborn and thinks that if we can afford to do it and doing it for God, why not. We think that this incident could be God's signal to him to take things easy and taking care of his own health IS taking care of God's temple and THAT is doing something important for God!

The doctor is going to examine him again tomorrow if it was really vertigo that caused him dizzy. If it is not, we will be sending him for a more thorough check up and we are truly hoping that it is not something serious.

If you read this, please pray for my dear Papa. Thank you thank you thank you. Would really appreciate your thoughtful prayer.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6