The miracle of life

Life is mysterious and for me, the essence of this enigma is pronounced in the miracle of creation of life itself. When a mass of cells begins to get called a baby – that’s a miracle. And I’m glad God chose me to experience his miracle-working ways.

And here’s our baby update:



Picture credit: baby-gaga.com

Bless you!

I sneeze. A lot. It’s called rhinitis. Lil Reuel’s used to a blessing every time she sneezes and she returns the gesture every time someone at home sneezes. Naana-naani just have to get blessed by her hand when they sneeze.

Last night, as I put her to sleep, there was an inappropriately timed sneezing attack. As I cringed at the thought of the baby waking up, I felt a little hand on my head. Thankfully she was still sleeping but with every sneeze her little hand rested upon my head. My heart leapt with gratefulness at the tiny, selfless and unconscious gesture. May she be a source of blessing to hundreds around the world. :-)

Picture credit: bebo.com

Vaccinations continue to be painful

Lil Reuel’s used to always coming to me every time she gets hurt – scrapes, falls, bug bites, even the imaginary ones included. The hurts are hugged and kissed away so naturally she’s never seen me as the cause of any of her pains. I’m the one who makes them disappear.

A couple of months ago, she had to go in for a couple of shots. The nurse asked me to hold her in my arms as she injected my baby on her arms and thighs. The little one sat trustingly on my lap and then she suddenly felt the needle prick. I saw a momentary look of horror pass through her face before she let out a cry that reached into the deepest recesses of my heart. I imagined her question was how I could let someone cause her pain. I had no words to explain to her as I hugged her close until the turtle in the fish tank grabbed her attention. Thank God for that aquarium though. It’s quieted many-a-child’s injection related tears.

Picture credit: citris-uc.org

And now it’s Tom and Jerry

I was eleven when I first saw the universally adored cat and mouse team. The time coincided with the arrival of the television and the VCR at home. My brother and I fell in love with them and the cartoons. The videotape was played almost everyday until we knew the order of the sequences. They continued to remain among my favorites amidst Bambi and Simba and scores more.

And, in time, the cartoons were replaced by other favorites but they were in a cherished area of my memories. It seemed, therefore appropriate, to introduce our princess to them. However, I was horrified, to say the least. There just seemed to be a lot of whacking, chasing, destruction, vengeance and other undesirable attributes. At eleven, I enjoyed it no end but I’m re-thinking about allowing two-year-old Reuel to watch them.

I don’t think I’m ready for any Tom-and-Jerry style imitations, just yet.

Picture credit: blog.tystoybox.com

Yippee! The little family grows!

And so it is that we, Lil Reuel, dear B and self are expecting another miracle to join our family come February 2010.

Yes, it’s a time for a flurry of decisions, plans and what not. It’s thrilling, exciting and mysterious.

And that’s life. :-)

And here's the baby update:



Picture credit: Baby-gaga.com

Little hands in mine

One of the great thrills of being a parent has been when my little daughter sticks out her tiny hand and says “Hold” with her monosyllabic conversations skills. (It sounds like ‘ol’, though.)

It happens when she wants to step out of the house or negotiate a stairway or an escalator.

That one word is sufficient - for me to understand her need and she knows that I’ll hold her hands no matter what. It’s a statement of simple trust. A trust that seems to be ingrained into her being.

It makes me wonder: does God feel the same way? Does He feel delighted when we hold out our hands to him and say, “Father, hold my hands, please?”

Picture credit: thesimplicityelegance.blogspot.com

Nursery rhymes and what?

I find some of the nursery rhymes hard to fathom now that lil Reuel’s getting to hear them and I get to read them out to her.


One, Two, buckle my shoe
Three, Four, shut the door??!!

And on it goes …

And some of them are downright dangerous.

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack, jump over the candlestick??!!

And of course all those violent ones or ones where the protagonists are in pain.

Humpty Dumpty and his shattered self.
Jack and his broken brow and the resultant whacking of Jill by her mother.
Little Tommy Thin and Stout and their poor cat.

Is someone watching what our kids are taught?

Picture credit: host.evanced.info

Back at my blog and a note on a glow bug

It’s great to be back – chronicling our little family’s journey. I hope, one day, our lil’ princess will look back at these memories etched in words and know how precious her presence is in our lives.

Since my last blog, we moved to Malaysia (temporarily) and now are back for a holiday with my parents.

Of course, little Reuel’s basking in the glow of her grandparents’ love. It’s also one reason why we sleep under a mosquito net. My parents think Reuel is a prime target for all the mosquitoes in our neighborhood. I don’t argue with grandparental reasoning.

But we were in for a little treat for a little glow bug kindly deigned to visit us after the lights were out. As he/she scampered on our mosquito net, our daughter squealed with delight. Of course, bed time got pushed by an hour but it’s a holiday and there’s no train to catch tomorrow.

Thank you, glow bug.

Picture credit: sallyd.wordpress.com