We were lazing around in bed mid Sunday morning, hoping the little angel would doze off for her morning nap when hubs suddenly remembered we had a full moon lunch to attend. We were discussing it just the day before how could it have slipped our minds! That's what being pregnant does to you, it robs you of your memory (which wasn't too great to begin with). I don't know what hubs excuse is. Oh yea blogging world, I'm expecting #2. So to answer your question Denna, yes I am ready for a second baby!
So I deviate from the purpose of this entry. We arrive Damansara Palace restaurant (Mutiara Damansara) at about 12:30 pm. It is a massive restaurant, more like a banquet hall. The full moon lunch was in a smaller sectioned off room at the rear. We had to walk across the massive ballroom to get to the other side. There was another event going on at the same time. The screens read "Friendship Lunch With Gurmit Singh". Gurmit Singh? Hubs turned to me and said, "Hey, is it THE Gurmit Singh?" Before I get a chance to answer him he goes "Yes! It's him, Phua Chu Kang is right there!" as he points to the main table right in front of the stage. He is dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt with a smart coat sans afro wig, mole and yellow boots. A boy in his teens and his little brother were having their picture taken with him. "We should have our picture taken too!" I quickly tell hubs. He tells me we can take it later on the way out. "He may not be here anymore on our way out!" I answer. So we walk over casually and ask Mr. Gurmit if we could have a picture with him. He is the most pleasant man. So down to earth, no celebrity air about him. I have Elil in my arms sleeping. The boy in his teens took our picture for us. It is quick, we thank him and I shake his hands and tell him how glad I am to meet him. He gives me a sweet and genuine smile and we walk off feeling very lucky and satifsifed with ourselves.
I am famished and am ready for some chinese lunch. It is buffet style (fine with me). We greet the new parents, Janice and Terence and congratulate them on their one month old tiny treasure. Oh the sweetness of a new born baby! Baby Evan is adorable! Ever the quai-quai baby who slept throughout the noisy Karaoke session. We find ourselves a table, hubs pushes 3 chairs together and lines them with Elil's Moms In Mind sling. I lay her down (knowing deep inside she will wake up in an instant!). Whadya know, mummy knows her angel so well. Her wide eyes open the moment she is out of my arms. I give her a minute to adjust to her new surroundings. The loud music startles her. About a minute and she is seated upright, ready for ACTION. Little kids running about everywhere! I tell hubs to watch Elil while I grab lunch. Roast duck and Sau Nyuk. Ahhh heaven! Plus they had the tapai chicken but alas sudah habis all the soup. Mengidam oh. Hubs could not eat the noodles and the fried rice but got some plain rice instead. The food I must say was pretty darn good.
And so we have our lunch, myself I have 3 rounds. Hubs looks at me in shock. "What? I'm hungry and I'm roast duck and sau nyuk deprived. PLUS I'm eating for 2 now!" Hubs smiles and decides to tell Janice that I'm 10 weeks in (yes, 10 weeks!) and simultaneously explains the gondo-otness. I then go on to explain that I am experiencing morning sickness and constantly need to taste something in my mouth to avoid throwing up in front of everyone. And that I usually have my Eclipse Winterfrost mints with me but hubs left it in the car. I send hubs a cheeky smile.
After more chit-chat we look around for Elil who went off somewhere with Janices' mother, swept away by the karaoke kids and balloons on stage. She is socializing with the older kids, some popo's and kungkung's too. Totally unbothered by her parents absence. Oh it would be so easy to kidnap my little angel! 4 glasses of orange juice later, hubs tells our hosts we got to make a move. And so we bid our farewells and walk out into a cheering crowd. Gurmit Singh is on stage singing 'A Better Man'. I like this song. We stop to take pleasure in his musical talents. He's quite good I must say. At the end of the song we walk past the stage. He looks down on us and says, "Leaving already ah?" We nod yes. He looks disappointed. As we walk to the end of the hall we hang on a little longer listening to his typical PCK humor. Engrossed in his comedy I am startled by a tap on the shoulder. I turn to look and I see Jon. Hey its Jon. Long time no see man. He looks exactly the same! We chat a little. But I am distracted. I am interested in what Mr. Gurmit has to say. He speaks of a sad but miraculous story, a life changing event. I am mesmerized.
I tell hubs were not leaving until he's done with his testimony. And so he begins his story and I am truly moved and humbled. I will relate his story to you the best I can....
Gurmit Singh is the eldest son in a family of 5. He has two younger sisters. He starts his story telling the crowd that his mother is probably the most strong woman in the world. Always working, always striving to care for her family. She would only fall sick on her days off. In 1985 on one day off, she never quite recovered from one sickness. Days later the family is devasted by the news that their dear mother is suffering from stomach cancer. She is at tthe worst stage, Stage 4. Doctors give her 6 months to live. They try everything possible to cure their mother. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, traditional cures you name it. Nothing helped. The cancer spread throughout most parts of her body.
Finally, one day Gurmit's two younger sisters aged 17 and 14 suggested their mother see a Pastor for prayer. They had both converted into Christianity earlier on. Gurmit's father has always been anti-Christianity and blamed his sisters' conversion on him as he was the older borther and it was his duty to take care of them. And so Gurmit had been angry at his sisters too, always scolding them for causing their father such pain. However, in desperation the family agreed to bring in a Pastor. The Pastor spoke to Gurmit's mother and told her. I will pray with you but before that you must give yourself to Jesus (God), you must surrender to Him. And also we can only expect Him to give to us what He pleases and what is in His will. And obediently she follows.
A day or several days later ( I forget), Gurmit's two sisters invite him to a Christian ralleigh to be held at the National Stadeum. Normally he would totally object in anger but this time round, he agreed to attend. He went with zero expectations. The speaker was a man from Germany I did not quite get his name. During the session, as they were singing and praising, Gurmit heard a voice speak to him. It said, "Son, do you want to be My child?" or something like that. I don't remember his exact words. Instantly he knew, this feeling was different. It was indeed God talking to Him through Jesus Christ. He wept like a child. To have God Himself talk to you, what a humbling experience. Right there and then he knelt on the ground and gave himself to Jesus. That night he prayed for his mother. It was a very specific prayer. He emphasizes the specificness of it and I know how he feels. In situations like these, you don't really think of specifics, you are just grateful for anything little but somehow God listens to every detail no matter how tiny. He asks God to delay His taking of his mother. He asks God to take her only after she has seen her grandchildren. Gurmit was 19 years old, he was so far away from marriage yet alone children. And yet this was his prayer for his stage 4 cancer-stricken dying mother.
Days later, after running some tests on the mother, the Doctor said," I don't know what you are doing outside of the hospital but you have to keep doing it because your cancer is gone! You are FREE FROM CANCER!" It was truly a miracle. A miracle I tell you! I stand in awe. God working His way in the life of Gurmit Singh, in the life of his mother and family. There were moments during his testimony where he was clearly struggling to hold back his tears. And I know the feeling. The experience of God's power of His love in us and among us. Its always so humbling and just amazing and a knock-you-off-your-feet experience! And I can't thank Him enough. And I can't thank Gurmit enough for his testimony. I am sure it moved many people during the lunch that day. And it will continue to touch the people who read this blog. I cried as a listened to his story.
16 years later, Gurmit's mothers' body is attacked again by the same cancer. She succumbs this time. Gurmit is initially angered but then he is reminded of his prayer. By this time, he was married with a beautiful daughter and was expecting a son very soon. And so he thanked God for the whole 16 years of life his mother lived and let her go. It was a peaceful death, and all close family members had a chance to bid their last farewell to their beloved mother/wife.
I cried again as I left the hall. Thank you Gurmit for your story. Thank you Jesus for working through Gurmit to spread Your love in this world. A world that desperately needs Your love, power and saving grace. Amen.
The Peg Perego Pliko P3 was our first baby purchase when expecting Elil. We got it when I was 5 months pregnant! Too irrisistable bah these things! We didn't get the matching and attachable car infant seat at the time because we had Shan's to inherit. This time round, no more passing back and forth baby items coz Ots will be delivering about a month after me so the babies are going to be needing this at the same time. With Elil and Ronan it is a 6 month gap, so it was perfect. I don't think they sell the Pliko P3 car infant seat anymore but the Primo Viaggio will do because it attaches to the stroller and well it comes in the right color!
With Elil I didn't think it was really necessary to have a changing table. We had her chest of drawers that I used to change her on, with a changing mat of course. However, it just didn't feel right, it was too narrow and difficult to change a wriggly baby. It didn't have the safety walls around it and this made me feel insecure when changing her. And so, if I have the budget and I can find something simple and affordable, I will get one (with hidden storage) for baby #2. I quite like the one above. Elil's cot and bedding is all white and so this one will match fine. I don't know what it is with me and white these days....
It would be great if I could get a Lazboy but those are like super expensive. I'd settle for anything comfortable. Fabric (not leather) preferably. Something cozy I can sink in while feeding the lil' one. I wanted one of these for when Elil came but could not quite afford it at the time. So heres hoping I can get one this time round.
