Dearest Skyler,

Wow! You're out, Skyler! And you're a beautiful baby!

This is going to be a long letter, little baby girl, because we went through so much this past week!

Mommy and Daddy went into the Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital on Tuesday, 27th December morning because your water bag had broken. This is supposed to be an indication that you're ready to come out, Skyler. Anyway, we got there quite early and were admitted for observation. The problem was, it became a super long wait!

We hung around in the Delivery Suite for a very long time as there was no more sign that you were coming. The wait ended up being an overnighter as it was too dangerous for you and Mommy and Daddy to go up to our assigned room as Mommy needed to be observed. Mommy also had to be put on an IV drip and take antibiotics because Dr Kang Wee was afraid that you would get an infection since you no longer had any protection provided by your water bag. As you were supposed to be due anytime, Daddy was too afraid to leave Mommy alone so we ended up sharing Mommy's meals. This was okay then as Mommy wasn't hungry and Daddy was too worried to eat.

Daddy had to sleep on a Lazy Boy seat. It's a chair where the bottom and top parts can be extended so that the whole chair becomes flat. There was no space for anything else. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on as the top part kept threatening to close on me when I shifted around.

Mommy was also very uncomfortable because she couldn't move due to the IV drip that was going into her hand. She couldn't move very much because of it. And she had sensors attached to her belly so that the nurses could monitor your heartbeat and the contractions that Mommy was experiencing.

We kept on giving ourselves false hopes that you would come out quickly. Daddy found out from the nurses how to read the graph that monitored the contractions. From it, we could see how frequent and strong the contractions were. On Tuesday afternoon, it looked like the contractions were coming quite regularly and more frequently. However, they soon petered out in both frequency and intensity. The nurses and Dr Kang came in to check on Mommy every now and then and they told us to be patient. It ended up that we had to stay in that room until the next morning before they would decide on the next step.

It was so difficult to sleep that night. The nurses would come in every now and then to take Mommy's temperature, check on the readings on the machines - your heartbeat rate, the contraction rate, Mommy's blood pressure, etc. Every time one of them came in, we both would wake up. They also kept on asking if Mommy was suffering from any pain. Disappointingly, Mommy had to say 'no' each time. It was disappointing because if Mommy had experienced some pain, it would mean that you were ready to come out.

So, it turned into Wednesday morning, 28th December 2005. As Dr Kang was worried that you would suffer due to the water bag having been broken, she decided that Mommy should be given Oxytocin so as to induce stronger contractions. It was administered from 6 am in the morning. Then it was a continuation of the waiting game.

At about 8.45 am Mommy started feeling some pain from the contractions. Thus, she asked for some pain relief. It came in the form of a drug called an epidural. This was a common drug used by pregnant women to lessen the pain from the contractions. Mommy was given a whole list of what the side-effects could be of being given this drug and it was scary. The anaethetist also cautioned Mommy to not move at all when she was inserting the catheter into Mommy or else she would experience a severe headache for days. It was all so scary. But THANK GOD, everything was okay.

And then, we waited some more. Mommy didn't feel any more pain after that, though it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. The waiting then carried on ...

Throughout the rest of the day, the nurses continued to monitor Mommy. Daddy also just sat around and watched the monitor to see how close the
contractions were getting and how strong they were. As Mommy couldn't see it, Daddy constantly updated her on the readings. Otherwise, we would both fall asleep as we were so tired from both the lack of proper rest and the tedium of waiting. In between these activities, we would play cards. We played 'Blackjack' as it was the one that needed the least amount of effort. Daddy would also read to Mommy from one of her favourite books, 'Chocolate' by Sandra Boynton.

Closer to the evening, just after 6 p.m. Dr Kang came to check on Mommy and found that Mommy's cervix had opened up to about 8 cm or so. (The target was 10 cm for pushing to begin.) The nurse on duty then, Senior Staff Nurse Linda, was very encouraging and kept on talking about how that was such a great improvement and that Mommy was practically ready to deliver you. Both Mommy and Daddy thought that Dr Kang still felt that the labour was progressing too slowly and that she wanted to carry out a Caesarian Section to help deliver you sooner (we could be wrong because Dr Kang had been avoiding that the whole time). However, we think that what Linda said gave Dr Kang some hope that you could still come naturally so she decided to wait and see for a while more. It was also during that time that Dr Kang decided that Mommy shouldn't be given any more epidural. We found out that the dose was already depleting so the decision was to not give Mommy another dose.

As the epidural and its effects wore off, Mommy started feeling the strong pains from the contractions. She asked the new nurse on duty to look for Dr Kang but the nurse that was supposed to be with Mommy was actually with another pregnant woman who was giving birth then. So, we got some other nurse to help look for Dr Kang. There was another nurse who chanced by and we asked for her help. She said that she would try to look for Dr Kang but I think she never found her. Mommy was increasingly in pain so Daddy went out and looked for any nurse who could help. The nurses outside were very busy with their own charges so they could not really help us. And the nurse that was in charge of us was still busy with her other charge who was already going through active pushing.

In the end, Dr Kang came back to our room on her own and she was perturbed by how she had not been called by the nurses as Mommy had already entered this phase of such pain. Dr Kang decided that it was time for Mommy to begin active pushing too. However, as this stage would still take up some time, she asked another nurse to assist Mommy by giving Mommy 'old-style' encouragement to push - i.e. nothing more than telling Mommy to push when the time came.

The nurse that was tasked to do this was very distracted as she had just helped to deliver another baby by another Mommy who was under her charge. Thus, she kept on popping out to look for her 'own' baby and left Mommy and Daddy alone to figure out what to do on our own. This was very discouraging for us as you are our first baby - what did we know about what to do then? Anyway, Dr Kang then came in and was shocked to see that there was no one assisting us after a while. She asked if the nurses had been 'encouraging' Mommy with the pushing. Daddy didn't know what to say so I turned away and did not say anything. Mommy told her that we were the only ones who were doing anything as the nurse was not around.

Soon, the nurse that was actually in charge of us finally turned up as she had completed the delivery of the other baby. Now, we actually had a nurse with us who could guide us. We had been struggling with the process in the meantime. So, we spent the next hour or so trying to get you out, Skyler. Mommy spent a lot of effort pushing and there was some progression in getting you closer into the open but you were quite stuck at the last part. Dr Kang again warned us that if you had not come out by 9 p.m., she might have to perform a Caesarian Section on Mommy to get you out as it had already taken you too long to come out.

We were worried that she would actually carry it out as she'd been worried about how long you'd taken for quite some time. Mommy renewed her efforts in pushing but to no avail. Thank God Dr Kang then found that you were almost out and that she might be able to get you out 'naturally' using a vacuum extraction method. Thus, she ordered the nurses to prepare the equipment.

Daddy was then told to step out while she performed the extraction. I still cannot understand why I couldn't stay and watch you come out but I wasn't going to argue with the doctor then. While I was outside the room, I was so worried about you that I kept on praying that both you and Mommy would be okay. After failing to tolerate the pacing up and down the corridor, Daddy decided to go back into the delivery room and stand just behind the curtain to wait for your arrival. Thus, when you were finally out at 9.36 p.m., I could hear Dr Kang telling the nurses that "the Daddy can come in already" so I walked right in.

You had already come out and Mommy was lying on her bed totally exhausted. She looked so poor thing! And there you were, quickly turning reddish and with blood and other stuff all around you. Daddy was so upset - they did not allow me to stay and watch you come out or be with Mommy all the way. I had waited with Mommy for so long and when the final moment came, they sent me out of the room! Aarghhh! But never mind, Mommy says that I had come in immediately after you'd come out - within seconds so I guess I did not miss very much. But it still upsets me when I think about it. :(

After that, a lot of things started happening. The nurses had to clean you up and carry out some tests on you. Wow! Your APGAR scores were so high! You were given 9 out of 10 in both the 1st and 5th minute of birth! So HEALTHY! :)

Anyway, after the initial rush was over, we had to wait another two hours or so before they would allow us to go up to our Ward. This was because of the vacuum extraction. You had to be checked by a baby specialist to ensure that you were okay from the procedure. However, he was very busy as there was another baby who had been born just before you and that baby was very very small. The doctor had to take that baby to the Intensive Care Unit for observation and he had to spend some time there. After almost three hours, he was able to come and carry out some checks on you.

Once again, THANK GOD! He found you totally well, so all of us trooped up to the ward to rest - we went to our room (Ward 82 Room 17) and you went to the nursery for overnight observation. You were out, Skyler. You are now someone that we can hold in our arms and love!

Welcome to the world, Sweet Baby Girl!

Mommy and Daddy love you!

Dear Skyler,

You're 38 weeks old already. Mommy and Daddy are simply waiting to see you. :)

You've been very nudgy all this while. Mommy's sleep is constantly being disturbed by your moving around. We're totally thankful that you're so active. Dr Kang (as I mentioned previously) says that your being active is good. But, will you be able to cooperate? :) Mommy says that you're nudgy when she's trying to sleep but when she's moving around, you stop! Hmmm... so naughty! You must let Mommy rest! She needs all the energy she can store up to deliver you. :)

Mommy and Daddy are so waiting to see you. Everytime we do something, we have to plan contingencies in case you decide to come out. We went for a back-to-back movie screening (Perhaps Love followed by Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbbit - the first show was disappointing, the second was better.) on Friday night (eve of Christmas eve) and we had to think about what we would do if you decided to signal your intention to come out! :)

Anyway, it's so difficult for Mommy to walk around for long distances nowadays, so we decided to not go for our Christmas service this year. This has been our practice for years! Well, it can't be helped. You'll be joining us next year - no matter how sleepy you get! :) We usually go for the Midnight Eucharist - it's great! The church will be packed with people in the yuletide mood and we'll sing Christmas carols and we'll celebrate the birth of Jesus! It'll be a good experience for you. :)

We're also spending Christmas Day at home as well. A very quiet Christmas all around. Uncle Victor and Aunty Li San wanted us to visit their new home but it's just so difficult to move around. We promised them that we would visit when it was more convenient.

But, Mommy and Daddy are quite enjoying this quiet Christmas. Your Mommy and Daddy are so in love with each other that we just enjoy spending time with each other. We hope that you'll come to experience the same kind of relationship with your own loved one in the years to come.

Merry Christmas, Skyler. See you soon.

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

Mommy and Daddy went to visit Dr Kang once more on 19th Dec. She conducted an examination and told us that you are already lying quite low and Mommy's cervix is already quite soft. Basically, you're due anytime. We're quite excited about this. We simply can't wait to see you.

And it's not only we who are anxiously waiting. Your grandmas and grandpa are also waiting. Both your grandmas keep on telling us about how cute you'll be and how great it'll be for them to see you and to play with you and how the little girls they see around them remind them that you are well on your way.

Mommy and Daddy were also told by our colleagues and (ex-)students that we must remember to tell them when you are delivered so that they can come and visit you.

So, when are you coming? :)

Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 13th Anniversary on 20th December. It's the anniversary of our coming together. For us, it's a day that we see as almost as important as our wedding anniversary. You'll be a part of our celebration next year!

We love you!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

You're 37 weeks old already. Officially, you're considered full term! You can come out any time now and be totally healthy. :)

Mommy and Daddy went to a park near our place. We couldn't believe that we've lived here for this number of years and we had never been there. Especially since it's so close to our place!

Well, we went around it and decided that it's quite a nice place and that we will bring you there often just for a walk. It's next to a school though, so it may be a bit noisy, but otherwise, it should be quite nice. It has lots of greenery. It's not very big but it is big enough for us. It has a playground for kids and exercise equipment for senior citizens and for people not so old. :)

We're really excited about your coming, Skyler. There're so many places that we want to bring you to and so many new things we want to teach you. Be healthy and strong, okay? We love you!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

Christmas is COMING!!! Yes, it's 9 days to Christmas! Will you be coming out before then? :)

You may not know what Christmas is right now but you will - it's one of the most important days in Mommy's and Daddy's calendar! It's the day that we celebrate Jesus's birth among Man as a human being. Both of us are always looking forward to this day! And you will too! :)

Mommy has not been sleeping well recently. She can't get to sleep longer than 2 to 3 hours at a stretch. On average, Mommy can only get about 6 hours of sleep in 24 hours or more. Mommy's very poor thing. And Daddy is also affected to some extent because Daddy has to make sure that he gets food for Mommy when she's awake. So, Daddy sometimes follows Mommy's sleeping pattern. But, Daddy sometimes sleeps so much that he leaves Mommy very hungry. :(

Mommy and Daddy just completed another big project! This whole holiday has been spent carrying out projects. Mommy has completed putting together selected photos of our wedding into special albums so that we can see the highlights of our wedding easily. Daddy has also been scanning all the old photos of our families so that we can have digital copies of all these photos and we can then distribute them to all. Otherwise, we'd only have one copy and if it's lost, we won't have any photos of the past anymore.

We also put together a video of Uncle Victor's and Aunty Li San's registration of marriage. It took us many many hours to put it together because we had to edit the video clips and photos and then put them all together in a video format and then choose the background music and so on. But we feel such a great sense of accomplishment!

It was important for us to do this because we love our families, Skyler. Even though it took so much time, we are very happy to do it because it would make our families very happy. Remember, Skyler: we can't live alone and our families will always be there for us. So, it's important that we remember our families, always thank God for them and always think of ways to make each other feel loved.

We love you, Skyler!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

We went to see Dr Kang again yesterday. That was our 8th visit to her. As usual, she did an ultrasound scan of you and asked the usual questions.

You're quite a good size, Skyler. Must be all the rest and more or less stress-free life that Mommy has been leading since she stopped schooling. :) Dr Kang thinks that you're about 3 kg now. Mommy asked her if your being so active was a good sign and she said that the more active you were the better. The main worry is whether you're active enough! This means that you're very healthy, Skyler. Thank God!

But Dr Kang is thinking that you may become so big that it'll be difficult for Mommy to deliver you. So, we're monitoring the situation to see how things go.

We bought a camera yesterday, Skyler, so that Mommy and Daddy have a camera to bring along to take photos of you and track your growth and activities. We went through a bit of research before deciding on it and we think we got a very good deal on it. Well, make sure you look at it often and SMILE when we take photos of you.

We love you!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

Mommy and Daddy had to ask Mommy's Mommy (your Grandma) and Uncle Victor and Aunty Lisan to help take care of our bunny because we are afraid that her fur may cause you to suffer from asthma.

The bunny's female and her name is "Bambi". It is a chinchilla-coated local bunny. This means that she is simply lusciously coated. We bought her from a store in United Square. She was so cute! She fit in the palm of our hands then. She's two-and-a-half years old now. We had some difficulty training her to not run under our sofa and stuff. She also loved to chew live electrical wires which we thought was quite suicidal of her. We finally succeeded in training her to obey our voices and we hardly have that problem after a while. It was the same with her urinating and pooping in the wrong places (the right place being in her cage).

In the first few months she was with us, she started developing a kind of growth on her nose. It totally freaked us out and we brought her to the veterinarian. He told us that it was a simple case of mites that most rabbits had due to the way they were caged by pet shops when new-born . He gave her an injection and soon after, the growth dropped off. She's been totally healthy ever since!

We have to leave her with Grandma for a few days and Uncle Victor and Aunty Lisan for a year or more after that. You are due soon and Mommy and Daddy don't want you to suffer from asthma which is a high possibility due to the fur that Bambi sheds. It was a sad day for Mommy and Daddy to leave her at Grandma's. Mommy and Daddy were so afraid about what she would think - she'd never been left by Mommy and Daddy for more than a day before. Mommy and Daddy were worried that she would not be able to adapt to the new environment. Thankfully, Grandma loves little animals and has been taking care of Bambi very well.

Mommy and Daddy love you!

Dear Skyler,

You're into Week 36 now!

Mommy's still having to endure the weight you've put on her frame. It's getting even harder for her to walk any distance now. Tried to take a walk downstairs last night and Mommy only made it maybe fifty steps in one direction before she had to give up.

We're so close to your birth, Skyler. And even though the school holidays still have three weeks to go, Daddy keeps on feeling as if time is running out. Daddy has to be around for the first couple of weeks to take care of Mommy and you, so please make sure you come out by the 21st of December, okay? :)

Mommy and Daddy are so determined to be the ones who will teach you almost all that you need to know as you're growing up. We're going to bring you to all the places that we can to show you things and make sure that you know about the things around you. We're going to avoid having nannies or maids or confinement ladies as much as possible.

Mommy and Daddy are going to spoil you, Skyler. But you cannot be spoilt, okay? :)

Mommy and Daddy love you!

Dear Skyler,

Hi! Have been wanting to tell you this for some time but just didn't get the opportunity. Mommy and Daddy have decided that your Chinese name will be 吴恺恩. :) As Christians, to us 恺 means "the Joy of the Lord" and 恩 means "the Grace of God". The name was chosen by Mommy and Daddy likes it very much. We think it's a great name! :) People have said that it sounds nice. Anyway, it means a lot to us, Skyler, that you embody the meaning of that name and be a witness of God to all around. :)

We're still busy preparing for your imminent arrival. We just set up your playpen in our room. You're going to sleep with us in our room for the first few months until you're old enough to sleep in your own room. This will make it easier for us to take care of you the first few months that you're with us. Your playpen takes up such a big space in our room! Good thing our room is as big as it is. :)

We've also already brought your stroller down to the car. It's in the boot now. We'll install your car seat soon.

We're going to be as ready as we can be for your arrival. Come out soon! Mommy really really finds it difficult to walk with you being as heavy as you are now.

We love you.

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

We just visited Dr Kang Wee again on Monday. This was our 7th visit. She was so impressed by Mommy's ability to walk again. She also did a scan of you and said that you were about 2.6 kg! Wow! You're so big already. She also said that you were very active. :) And you were! All of us saw how much you moved around in Mommy's belly! :)

After the scan, we asked Dr Kang if you could be delivered in December and she said that she doesn't think you would wait until January anyway. So, we're totally expecting you anytime now. It was at that moment that it really struck me how soon you'll be here with us for us to cherish and love face-to-face! It's so exciting!

Dr Kang then asked Mommy to go for this thing called a CTG scan. It basically measures your heartbeat and you've got a good and healthy heart, baby girl! A healthy 160 heartbeats a minute! :) While Mommy was undergoing the scan, she experienced two Braxton Hicks contractions and they appeared in the chart as spikes! The nurses and Dr Kang commented on it. Wow! That also just makes me so aware that you're coming out soon.

After all this, we had to book a room in the hospital for when you actually do come out. We decided to book an 'A' class room so that Daddy could stay over with Mommy during the whole delivery period. Daddy doesn't want to leave Mommy alone in the hospital at all. Daddy also wants to be with you in your first few days in this world. :)

You've become so heavy! Mommy finds it so difficult to move around for long without suffering from aches in her belly. Even so, she still wanted to go out and we finally ended up at Ngee Ann City because we wanted to look at new cameras just so we can take photos of you when you're with us. She was so tired at the end of the day because you ARE just SO heavy. So, please come out soon, okay?

It's such a strange thing - this pregnancy. Mommy keeps on getting women coming up to her to share their pregnancy stories. A fruit juice stall operator came up to us while we were having lunch to talk about you and she shared with us her story. A lady sat next to Mommy at Ngee Ann City while she was resting and also shared her story. She was already in her sixties and her son was already 30 odd years old but she still remembers her story so well. We also had our airconditioner serviced and the husband and wife team shared with us their story as well. (I think I mentioned this before.) It's almost like women's version of National Service stories in Singapore. :)

Since we're so aware of your imminent arrival, Mommy and Daddy made final preparations in packing the necessary things for the trip to the hospital last night. We've got two big bags full of stuff - including a digital video camera, a digital still camera and a film still camera! And chargers! We're really living in the technology age! Sure hope we can charge up our equipment batteries in the room! :)

We love you, baby girl!

Take care! Be a joyful person! :)

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

Mommy and Daddy went down to Marina South one evening to try out the steamboat there. We'd heard from our students that they went there often and as we'd not had steamboat for some time, we decided to give it a try. It was a fairly long journey as we're talking about travelling all the way from the north to the south of Singapore!

We had no idea which one was the more popular place until we got there. It seemed as if the only place that was open was this particular outlet where there were tonnes of people eating! They had so many tables and almost all were occupied.

Anyway, we had to figure out what the system was before we could settle down to eat. As we did not want to smell of the place, we decided to sit further away from the main place. This meant that Daddy had to walk a very long way to get food and stuff! :)

We were given live prawns and crabs as part of the deal! We'd never cooked live food before so Daddy was a bit apprehensive about what to do with them! :) Anyway, Daddy watched what other people did and finally learnt how to chop up live crabs and clean them! We barbecued the crabs and they were quite nice. :) We just dumped some of the prawns to boil and barbecued a few as well. Anyway, there was so much food that Daddy ended up walking back and forth a few times to get what we wanted.

We also asked them to change the aluminium foil that they used twice as it kept on getting burnt! We saw other people just continuing to cook their food on the burnt foil! It was so unhealthy and disgusting! :) The burnt parts form something called carcinogens that can result in cancer! So, I don't understand why so many people like to eat burnt food! Don't do that in the future, okay?

We also saw a couple who brought a young baby with them to the place to eat. We decided that we would not do that with you, Skyler, because it would so uncomfortable for you. It's hot and smelly because of the barbecued food. You wouldn't be comfortable there at all.

The only good thing about that place compared to somewhere similar but in an airconditioned place like Seoul Garden is that it is open-air so the smell does not get stuck in the room thus making us totally smell like the cooking! :)

It was so tedious doing all the collecting of food and cooking that it took us 2 hours to complete our meal! :) Mommy and Daddy decided that this experience was enough to last us for a while. I guess the next time we do something like that, you will be old enough for us to bring you along. :)

It's getting closer to your delivery date, Skyler. We're so excited to hold you in our arms. We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

Mommy's so much better now. She can walk around the house with hardly any problems! But she can't really walk for long because her right hip will hurt. You're really big and heavy now so you're making it difficult for Mommy to move around so much.

Thank God that we know about chiropractic treatment and Dr Wasserman. If we'd been ignorant and depended on advice from western-trained doctors, we'd have been told to just bear with the pain and that there was nothing that could be done. Dr Kang wanted us to visit an orthopaedic surgeon. From what we've heard, practitioners of this branch of medicine are equivalent to being the butchers of medicine. They usually just want to cut open their patients in a surgery just to see what is wrong rather than knowing what is wrong before performing a surgery to repair the problem. Anyway, the result would have been the same - nothing useful or effective would have been done.

At least with chiropractic treatment, Mommy can walk on her own now without any support. She's still not in the best of conditions but she's so much better! I'm so proud of Mommy. Even Dr Wasserman said that Mommy was the one who helped herself recover! Daddy and Mommy really thank God for healing Mommy! =)

We've also put up window grilles in the house, Skyler. They're all for your sake. We're so afraid that you may play and climb out the windows, which is a very dangerous thing to do. They managed to install them quite quickly, Thank God! And they weren't very noisy either. They don't look too bad overall.

Mommy and Daddy actually didn't want window grilles because they block our view through the windows but now we have no choice. :) We must be careful with your safety.

Daddy's on semi-holiday now so Daddy can spend more time with Mommy. It's very important to us that we have this time together, Skyler. This means that Daddy can take care of Mommy more and feel your movements more often and watch you grow day by day. Of course, we still can't see you but we can see your movements when you move around Mommy's belly. :) It's always so exciting to feel you move and listen to your heartbeat!

Grow well! Be a good and healthy and strong Christian!

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

Hi! Mommy's getting even better now. She's able to hobble along unassisted for a longer distance now. Her right hip is still not so good but she can move around without any help so that's a great boost to our morale. :) Daddy can now return the wheelchair to his school. :)

This situation has made Daddy and Mommy more aware of the problems faced by the physically handicapped in Singapore. I'm so much more conscious about the difficulties they face in moving around and how terrible some Singaporeans are in their treatment of these people. There was once Mommy was still in the wheelchair and she had to go to the Ladies. It was occupied and so we had to wait. When the occupant came out, we realised that she was totally able-bodied and had no need to use the toilet designated for the wheelchair-bound.

This is a big issue in Singapore currently because there is this so-called famous/notorious blogger who blogged that she thought it was okay for able-bodied people to use the toilets for the wheelchair bound because they're bigger and more comfortable. Obviously she is not the only one but she's taking a lot of flak for stating this publicly in her blog.

A few years ago, there was also a lot of noise in the media about drivers who parked their cars in the parking lots meant for the handicapped. These were able-bodied people who were too lazy to walk and decided to use the more convenient handicapped lots, thus depriving any handicapped driver from using what is a necessity for him.

Today, the Sunday Times decided to focus on how terribly behaved many young children are. There were many anecdotes about how parents don't bother or don't know how to discipline their own children anymore and how this causes much inconvenience and unhappiness among others in public.

Mommy and Daddy are both praying that you will not be like these kinds of people. We intend to bring you up as a good person. I pray that we don't fail in this. We wouldn't be able to accept it if you are not a good person, Skyler.

You're really moving around a lot in Mommy's womb. Mommy constantly asks Daddy to share in the experience of feeling you move around. It's such a wonderful feeling knowing that you are there and totally healthy and growing well. Sometimes you move so much that it is totally visible through Mommy's tummy! You keep growing well, okay?

Oh! Remember to engage properly, okay? Make things easier for Mommy to help you come out. We hope that you will be able to be born naturally so that Mommy need not go through a Caesarian Section - it's an operation that is quite terrible. It will cause Mommy to take a very long time to recover.

Well, it's a few more weeks before we see you. You take care now. Try to not make things too difficult for Mommy than necessary.

We love you.

Can't wait to see you!

Mommy and Daddy

Hi Skyler,

Mommy's getting better! Dr Wasserman must be doing something right! :)

Bought Mommy a walking frame - a frame that helps a person to walk. Mommy has improved enough to use it very well. She can move all around the house now. I'm SO happy for her.

Skyler, Mommy is really someone that we should always be proud of. Mommy didn't want to let the pain keep her down and she's done more than enough to recover enough to overcome this problem! She's so determined and strong! Daddy is SO PROUD of her and you will be too!

We're going to see Dr Wasserman again to let him continue to help Mommy recover even more so that she doesn't even need to use the walking frame.

Oh! Another person that we are thankful to during this period is Daddy's boss. She is the person that Daddy reports to at work. She has been so understanding and supportive throughout this period of time. She willingly gave Daddy time off to take care of Mommy during this very painful period. Daddy asked her for a few hours off tomorrow so that I could bring Mommy to see Dr Wasserman and she told me to take the whole day off. I feebly suggested that I would come in in the morning and work a couple of hours before going off but she told me not to come in at all! She then reassured Daddy that if she wasn't willing to let me go off she wouldn't have let me. So, it's ok for Daddy to be with Mommy during this time.

You'll get to meet her next year some time. She's a very nice lady. You be nice to her, you hear? :)

Daddy and Mommy love you!

Dear Skyler,

Mommy saw the chiropractor on Friday. He's managed to narrow the cause of Mommy's pain down to what we thought it was - symphisis pubis dysfunction. He will begin to treat it properly tomorrow. He seems to think that he can help Mommy but he didn't seem convincing then because he kept on repeating that he would be able to help. Hmmm... we really hope that he can help!

Daddy has borrowed a wheelchair from school for Mommy to use. It has come in very useful so far. Mommy can move around so much better and Daddy doesn't have to struggle to drag Mommy around on the wheelie chair from our Study. We can even go out - only that Mommy feels much pain and discomfort getting into and out of the car. And Daddy has to keep on lugging the wheelchair in and out of the car as well... :)

We will be seeing Dr Kang tomorrow and we'll see what she has to say about Mommy's condition. After that, we'll see Dr Wasserman, the chiropractor.

You take care, Skyler. You're really sticking yourself out of Mommy's belly all over the place! Hmmm... do you know how much pain you're causing Mommy?

Love you, Baby Girl!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

Mommy's in so much pain. You're not very cooperative. You're in what the doctor calls a breech position i.e. you're in a horizontal position across Mommy's womb. (You're supposed to be head down into the pelvis ready to come out.) Because you're stretching across instead of head down, you're pushing Mommy's pelvic bones horizontally outwards resulting in Mommy's pelvic bones being misaligned. This has resulted in much pain for Mommy.

Mommy can't put any weight on her legs at all without experiencing much pain. She can't even turn around in bed so it makes it very difficult for her to sleep. She can hardly walk. Mommy is very depressed by all this, Skyler.

We know it's not your fault. It's just Daddy wants you to remember that Mommy has gone through a lot just to have you. We love you very very much!

Mommy has managed to find a website that describes what she's experiencing right now. It's the only website that she has managed to find. It seems that many pregnant women in the world experience this to some extent. They have tried many remedies and visiting a chiropractor is one of the best, I think. It's a good thing that Mommy has already been visiting a chiropractor. Mommy has called him and he says that he can treat Mommy.

However, he's a very grouchy man. He nags Mommy a lot. But Mommy has no choice but to go to him in the hope that he can help make the situation better. Well, we'll see if we can get an appointment tomorrow.

Love you!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

We're still trying to decide what your Chinese name should be. We've narrowed it down to a few options but currently "Kai'en" seems to the front runner. "Kai" means Joy and "En" is Grace (as in mercy). Mommy and Daddy see it as the Joy and Grace of God. What do you think of that? Do you like it?

Mommy is really feeling very terrible right now. The pain she is experiencing is quite tremendous. She can hardly walk now without some piercing pain up her leg. Mommy thinks it's because of her pelvis widening so that you will be able to come out when the time comes. Daddy really feels terrible that he can't help Mommy lessen the pain. Once again, I know I sound like a nag, but you must love Mommy lots when you come out, okay? Mommy has gone through so much pain and discomfort for your sake. Don't add to it when you're with us, okay?

Mommy and Daddy are totally thinking of taking care of you ourselves. We love you and we want to bring you up ourselves.

Part of this means that we have to manage without what some people call a confinement nanny. Such a person is supposed to help take care of Mommy and cook for her while she's recovering from having given birth to you. We are thinking of not engaging such a person and Daddy will try his best to take care of both Mommy and you. We've also begun to train Daddy to cook nourishing "confinement" food for Mommy to eat. Daddy sometimes makes a mess of it but he's learning! :)

Daddy is still totally fascinated with your moving around Mommy's belly. Mommy shares this experience with Daddy every chance she gets. Daddy is completely thrilled with feeling you move!

Wow! You're going to be a part of the family, Skyler. We're going to love you so much! Can't wait to see you.

Oh! We're going to see Dr Kang in the morning. Please be cooperative and let her do her ultrasound scan successfully, okay.

We love you.

Daddy and Mommy

Dearest Skyler,

Hi! You've hit Week 30, little girl. You're really big now and making life very very difficult for Mommy! Mommy finds you very heavy and you're moving around a lot and sometimes, when you move, you nudge Mommy very painfully!

Mommy has not been able to sleep well at all! She can only sleep for about 3 hours at a time before your weight makes it very uncomfortable for her. She'll feel cramps and body aches all over and she'll have to wake up and do something to make herself feel tired again so that she can get some more sleep. During these times, Mommy will surf the Internet to find out more about how to take of you.

See how much Mommy loves you? You had better love her lots when you come out and NEVER EVER give Mommy a bad time after what you've already made her go through, understand?

Daddy's really really proud of how well Mommy is handling all the changes you've made to her body and all the discomfort and pain you've made her go through. She's really doing her best to ensure that you have a healthy headstart. Sometimes M0mmy feels really sad because of the hormones that you've generated but she's really bearing up very well. Daddy sometimes doesn't help because Daddy gets tired from work and cannot help Mommy. Daddy feels bad when he doesn't make things better. So, you better make things better when you're out!

Mommy and Daddy love you lots! We are definitely going to take care of you really well. You're going to be one of the most blessed babies in the history of humankind. We're quite ready for you, Skyler. Come out in December, okay?

We love you lots!

Daddy and Mommy

Dear Skyler,

We've managed to sell off the furniture from your room so that you have a place to stay in when you're bigger.

Mommy and Daddy had bought the furniture when we first moved into our home. It was the first bedroom set that we'd bought from this company called Pennsylvania House. This furniture store specialised in bringing in country-style furniture. We'd loved the four-poster bed and all the accessories like the bedside tables, the dressing table, stool and matching mirror. It was all great! However, when we received it all, we found that it was difficult to sleep in the bed as it had a headboard and footboard that made it a bit too short for Daddy to sleep in comfortably. It's not that Daddy is tall. It's just Daddy could not stretch out over the mattress and this made it slightly uncomfortable. So, we had to buy another set of furniture that we still have. (You'll get to see them when you're with us.)

Anyway, Mommy and Daddy wanted to give you a room (one that you can share with any sibling that may come along). So, we had to clear the room out and decided to sell off all the furniture. We initially put up an advertisement at the Causeway Point Cold Storage supermarket. They had a policy of only allowing advertisements to be put up for one week. After that week, we received one phone call but the lady who called did not come to view the furniture as she said that her husband did not really like it.

So, Mommy put up some photos of the furniture on the Internet in the hope that someone would come across them and buy the furniture from us. We also put up another advertisement at Carrefour Supermarket at Suntec City. We waited with bated breath for someone to call as we really needed to clear the room soon so that we could prepare it for you.

After 2 months, Mommy's advertisement time on the Internet expired and she had to renew the advertisement for another period of time. The one at Carrefour was still up - apparently, the staff there don't rem0ve the adverstisements put up by their customers. Still, we did not get any calls from interested parties.

Finally, a kind American gentleman called Mommy on her handphone. He had seen her advertisement and was interested in purchasing the furniture for his daughter's room. He was an expatriate posted to Singapore for two years! His daughter and wife had come over with him and they were setting up home.

We arranged for them to come view the furniture the next day. The gentleman and his daughter came after 9 o'clock at night after having travelled around the whole day. They viewed the furniture and were extremely interested. The girl seemed to love it lots. They left us a downpayment and agreed to come pick the lot up the next day when they could get a van.

Mommy and Daddy then spent the rest of the night preparing the furniture for transfer. We had to take apart the bed and tape up the furniture for transport. It took us some time as the screws had set after this number of years.

The next day, they came again at 9 o'clock at night with a fair sized van. Daddy helped them to carry the furniture down to their vehicle. There were quite a few pieces as the bed was quite big and the other stuff just made up the number of pieces that we had to carry. Finally, we got everything in and they took off with the furniture. We hope that they enjoy it the same amount that we did. :)

Mommy and Daddy spent a lot of time making sure that we had labelled all the parts carefully so that they would not have too many problems putting the bed frame back together again. We also tried to make the furniture travel-friendly. Remember, Skyler, we must always think of others and make things better for everyone if we can.

We are glad that this one man came to buy the furniture. We thank God that this one man wanted the furniture. Now, two families have benefited. We can prepare your room now.

We love you, Skyler. Lots!

Mommy and Daddy

Dearest Skyler,

Do you realise how much you are loved by Mommy and Daddy? We're spending so much money on you because we simply want the best for you that we can get!

We've finally bought a car seat for you. As we've mentioned before, we were ding-donging back and forth between all kinds of car seats before finally deciding on this one.

We thought that we had to give up on the idea of the combination rear and front facing seats due to the length of our car seatbelt. We thus decided to get you an infant carrier seat as that should fit without any problems. We decided to visit "Baby's Kingdom" once more to see what they had to offer in this area. We had been there before and we had been introduced to other combination seats but we thought that they would not fit either.

Anyway, we went back there to see what infant carriers they had to offer. They had a few but we were not very impressed by the offering. The second salesgirl told us that the combination seats that they had would have absolutely no problems fitting in our car. She told us not to waste time with the infant carrier as it would not last very long as you would grow very quickly. We were doubtful at first as we thought that all car seats would be installed in a similar way. She "challenged" us to try it out and we decided to give it a chance.

She fit it into the car without any problems!

We were then totally thrown off! We had to rethink our decision. It could fit so did we really want an infant car seat. We decided to buy the combination seat that they offered as we would then not have to purchase two different seats for you. And the seat was one of the plushest that we'd seen so far. It was from an Australian company called Safe-n-Sound, which is actually a branch of Britax, one of the most reliable car seat manufacturers around. It was the Guardian model. We decided that we would buy that but the salesperson - Janica - told us to consider the next better model called Royale. It was really the plushest, most comfortable car seat that we'd ever seen - even when compared with models much more expensive! However, it was still very costly.

Mommy and Daddy spent a lot of time debating which model would be better for you. The Guardian was already very good but the Royale was very much better. But it cost more. We kept on swinging between the two until finally we decided that we wanted the best for you. We got the Royale! We hope that you really find it as comfortable as we do. It's really the best that we've ever seen and touched. And also way beyond our budget. We really love you!

Grow well!

Daddy and Mommy

Hi Skyler,

Mommy and Daddy have been shopping frantically for you, little Skyler. We decided that we had been going around checking out the products long enough to know what we want and we have finally paid for and received some of the stuff that you'll need.

We've gotten you a playpen to sleep in, a stroller, a steriliser, some milk bottles and some other stuff. We got the playpen and stroller from this place called "Baby Kingdom". Actually, the playpen is from Mommy's Mommy - your Maternal Grandma - and the stroller is from Mommy's Brother - your Uncle Victor! You must remember to thank them ok? =)

The playpen is the bigger version that they have. It's got cute little pictures of bears all around the top. They were having an offer on it so we got some extra stuff to go with it. We hope you'll enjoy sleeping in it for a while.

The stroller is one that I think I've mentioned before. It's from the "Lucky Baby" range made by a Korean company called "Capella". We chose the blue coloured one as we like it more than the other colours. It's got the works, little baby. We can move the handle-bar forward and backward so that you can either look at us as we push you around or you can look forward (away) from us. It's also got a full cover so that not so much sun will get you in the eyes when we're outside. It's also got this cute trick where all four wheels can turn at the same time! Most strollers can only turn the two front wheels at the same time. The idea is that we'll be more manoeuvrable in tight spaces.

These items were delivered to us and Mommy suggested that we set them all up so that we could be sure that they were all ready for you! After setting them up, we took them apart again as they were just so big and took up so much space. We've put them aside, Skyler, just waiting for you to use them.

We also got a steam steriliser that's meant to be used in the microwave oven. We were wondering whether to get an electric one instead but we decided that the one we bought would be more useful after you stop using the bottles. We can then steam other stuff in the microwave when we don't have to steam your bottles anymore. And are we prepared with bottles - we have 8 big bottles and two small ones! All of them just waiting for you to use!

We were also on the verge of buying a car seat for you but everybody says that we need to test the seat in the car before buying one as not all car seats fit in all types of cars. So, we decided to wait until we could test it before buying. We finally decided on this seat by "Britax". The model is "First Class Si". This seat was exclusively brought in by this maternity shop called "Mothercare". We got the ladies at the Causeway Point outlet to bring the seat to our car for us to see if it would fit. We were convinced that there would not be any problems because the "Britax" website said that it would fit in our car model. You can't imagine our surprise and partial disappointment when it couldn't fit nicely. The seat belt was too short!

The Sales Girl, Angela, told us that there was another model that was available that was considered the best that they'd seen. She told us to go down to the Kendang Kerbau Hospital outlet to take a look. We agreed as we were going there for our lessons on how to take care of you.

When we dropped by the "Mothercare" outlet, we were very impressed with the car seat. It was made by Concord. The model is "Ultimate Racer". It was very plush. The seat cover was very comfortable and the colour was quite pleasing. Mommy and I liked it a lot. Anyway, we asked the ladies there to test it in our car. However, after trying it out, we realised that it could not properly in the car either. The seat belt was once again too short. It was so unfortunate because they were having a good offer on the seat and it was the most comfortable seat that we'd seen thus far. Oh well...

We'll be looking for an infant car seat for you instead, Skyler, as it should fit you nicely and it should also be able to go into the car without any difficulty. We'll see how it goes. :)

You're really kicking Mommy a lot and it's very painful for Mommy. Try not to kick so hard, okay? Let Mommy rest a bit more. Mommy's also got cramps and pains all over her body because of your growing size. So, please help Mommy to move around and not give her more pain than necessary, okay?

It's already Week 27, Skyler. Only about 13 more weeks to go and you'll be out here with us. We're very excited. Please be healthy and strong.

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

I always wanted to tell you about your paternal grandpa but never had the chance. I guess I'll have to let you know about my memories of him bit by bit. :)

Your paternal grandpa is Daddy's daddy. :) You will not be able to see him or to get to know him personally because he is no longer with us. But I want you to know who he is because he is a very important person to your Daddy. :) Do understand that I will appear to be rambling as I can't remember which incident comes first. :)

Your grandpa worked for most of his life as a clerk with Hongkong and Shangai Bank. He retired from his job as a 'chief bank teller' (I think that was the title). He worked in Shenton Way and Queensway and for a short period of time somewhere in the east of Singapore (can't remember where). He did his job very well, I guess or he would not have lasted so long or have been promoted. They even gave him a gold watch when he retired. :) I never really understood what he did in his job. But it kept him busy and gave him some meaning in life, I guess. Sorry to be so hazy!

But the last appointment he had was as the chief bank teller and that entailed him collating all the cash returns at the end of the day of all the tellers in the branch he was working in. All the cash transacted in a particular day went through his hands. He once mentioned that he counted so much money a day that it all became just paper to him. :)

Grandma and I used to go pick him up from work when Daddy was much younger. Then we would go for our meals - lunch on Saturdays and dinner on weekdays.

Grandpa was a person who loved us a lot. He was a typical Asian father though. Stern and quiet. He hardly spoke to us much except to discipline us. I was caned by Grandpa a few times when I was young. This was because I was rude to Grandma. So, don't be rude to your Mommy, understand? Being caned is not a good thing to experience. But even through all this, Grandpa always showed his love for your Aunty Florence, Uncle Milton and Daddy!

Dearest Skyler,

You know, many people have been asking what your name is - especially Uncle Victor and Aunty Lisan. Mommy and Daddy have been reluctant to tell them yet because we want to keep it secret and special for us now. You are so precious to us. We will tell them when the time is right, ok? We love you SO much!!!

Shopping! Mommy and Daddy have been running around all over Singapore (sort of) looking at stuff to get for you. We need to get you a stroller, a car seat and a sleeping place. I can tell you, this is not easy!!!

We have been trying to decide between getting a wooden cot or a play pen for you to sleep in. A wooden cot should last much longer - it can also "grow" with you as it can be adapted into a play pen and a bed as you grow bigger. However, as it is made of wood, it is hard and we are afraid that you may hurt yourself in it while you are learning how to move. And we have no idea if you really want to be in a cot! Several of our friends say that their babies did not like to be in a cot.

A play pen, on the other hand, is softer so we don't have to worry about you hurting yourself. It is also foldable so we can pack it away or bring it with us when we take you out so you have a place to rest when we bring you to visit relatives and friends. But it can tear after a while and therefore will not last as long.

Well, I think we have decided on a play pen for your safety, Skyler. You are too precious for us to see you hurt yourself in a wooden cot. I hope you'll get used to sleeping and playing in one.

A stroller is another item that is driving us into a frenzy. There are so many models available in so many designs and for so many purposes! Uncle Milton is willing to lend us the stroller that he has used for your cousins Reika, Yujin and Kenji, but Mommy and Daddy are thinking of getting one just for you.

There is one model that two places have tried to introduce to us that seems to have all the features that we could want - all four wheels can turn and this makes it very manouverable; it folds into quite a small package so it an go into the car easily; it has a cover that goes all the way to the front so that when you are sleeping while we are out, we can block out the sun completely; and best of all, we can push the stroller with you facing either us or away from us because the handle can be placed in either position to aid this! It can also recline almost all the way so you can sleep comfortably when you are newly born.

However, there are also other models that are made of alumnium that are fairly light and the wheels are very smooth. They also look quite rugged and stylish so maybe they can last longer. And, most importantly, they have a 5-point harness. This will make it much safer for you! They can also fold into quite a small size. However, they do not recline all the way nor have all the other features that the one described above has.

So, we are still in a quandary as to which to get. Safety is very important as we don't want anything to hurt you. But the other features make it easier for us when we bring you out. Hmmm... how?

Car seats also come in many types - infant seats, toddler-size, child-size, travel systems (car seats that come with strollers). So many brands with so many different materials! How!??? We also can't decide how much money to spend on it. It doesn't last very long because you will grow out of it so quickly but the better ones are so expensive. We want to buy the best for you but we also want to spend the money wisely - we can't just buy so many different types and not know what to do with them when you outgrow them, you see. We still can't decide now. We have to do so by the end of October though because you will be out soon after that.

Driving, 14th Sep 2005. Remember this date, Skyler. This is the day that Mommy passed her driving test! Mommy took up driving lessons many years ago. But she was not allowed to pass then. After two tries, Mommy decided to stop as she did not want to waste any more of Grandma's money. Mommy then started her lessons with Bukit Batok Driving Centre at the beginning of this year as she had more time then - Mommy had just started her full-time Masters studies. So, Mommy took theory tests and went through practical lessons and she has passed on the first try!!!

Mommy did all this partly because now it means that if Daddy is too busy to drive you anywhere, Mommy can do so herself. Quickly, thank Mommy for her sacrifice! Mommy doesn't like to drive but she made herself go through it so that you can be better taken care of.

Mommy and Daddy had to attend a Fathering talk on a Sunday morning as part of our antenatal course. When we arrived, we found that some vendors had set up booths to sell their wares. We were enticed into buying milk bottles with the B-free brand. We had first seen these bottles when we were at Baby Hyperstore. They were quite expensive then. They still were but they were offering a 20% discount for a single bottle. And, better still, they were offering a free small 4 oz bottle for every two bottles purchased at the original price. That's what we decided to buy! So, now, you have two big bottles and one small bottle just waiting for you.

The B-free bottle is supposed to be a fairly special bottle because it's supposed to prevent you from getting colic, having to burp, etc. There's a special device inside the bottle that does this. The bottle's nipple where you suck the milk is supposed to help in achieving these as well. We'll see if it works when you're here, Skyler.

Mommy and Daddy went to see our Gynae, Dr Kang Wee once more on the 21st Sep 2005. Dr Kang was not even in her consultation room when we got there just in time for the appointment. So, we had to wait a bit. Thankfully, the wait was not as long as before.

Dr Kang did not even see Mommy for 20 seconds when we finally saw her. She just checked your heartbeat and felt the fundal height and declared that she would see us again in four weeks with an ultrasound scan to be done in eight weeks. But, as we had questions, we managed to drag the consultation out a bit longer.

The main thing that Mommy and Daddy want is for Dr Kang to be our doctor for the whole delivery. We did not want any of the trainee doctors or any other doctor for that matter to help in the delivery. So, she told us that we may have to convert our status to this place they called "the Private Suite". It costs more for each consultation and we have to pay more for the delivery and everything else but it provided us with more privacy and personalised service. Thus, that's what we decided to do. You're going to be monitored in a more private environment, Skyler!

We just celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, Skyler. It's a time when we eat mooncakes, drink tea, carry lanterns, play with sparklers and enjoy watching the full moon. Actually, the festival is more than that. But this is all you need to know for now, ok? :) You just have to remember the eating mooncakes part. :)

Our neighbourhood really likes to celebrate these festivals. Every year, lots of people will gather in the central plaza and light up the whole place with candles and sparklers. We took a video of this year's celebration for you to watch when you are older. :)

Wow! Skyler, you're kicking real hard still! We're very excited about being able to feel you, you know. But, like I said before, please kick more gently so that you don't hurt Mommy. Mommy needs to rest and sleep. If you keep kicking Mommy, she won't be able to get either. :)

We love you, Skyler.

Daddy and Mommy

Dearest Skyler,

It's been some time since we last wrote to you. Sorry, been really busy.

You're already 22 weeks old now. You've made Mommy's tummy very big. :) Mommy's put on quite a bit of weight because of your growth.

We've been attending antenatal classes to prepare ourselves for your birth, you know? The first lesson was conducted by a nurse who went through the changes that Mommy would go through. The second lesson was on some exercises that Mommy has to do to prepare for your coming into this world.

The strange thing about the class is that quite a number of the other participants are already in their third trimester. We're not sure why they waited so long before they decided to attend this course as most of the lessons right now seem to deal with what to do at the beginning of the pregnancy. I guess the later lessons will be more relevant to them.

Mommy has been feeling quite okay recently. Thank you for cooperating and not causing so much discomfort. Oh! The only thing has been that you've been kicking and moving in there! :) That's so cool! Daddy has been able to feel you move around as well! Wow! You're really there and so active! Keep moving around, ok? Make sure Mommy knows that you're okay but also make sure that she gets some rest as well because everytime you move around, Mommy feels slightly uncomfortable. :) It would be good if you didn't kick when she sleeps. Oh! Mommy would like you to stop kicking her bladder because you make her want to go to the toilet. :)

Daddy and Mommy just attended Daddy's school's Teachers' Day dinner on Friday. Mommy knows so many of Daddy's colleagues! :) Daddy's boss also made a very interesting statement - that Daddy could take leave to take care of Mommy and you next year even if she wasn't around to approve of the leave. :) I hope that she remembers this. :)

It's also quite interesting that Daddy's colleagues think that Mommy and Daddy will make good parents! :) Well, we are!!! :) We're going to love you SO much!

We're waiting for you to grow up strong and intelligent, our little girl. We love you!

Daddy and Mommy

Dearest Skyler, our Little Baby Girl,

Hi! Little Girl! Mommy and Daddy have been so happy knowing that you're growing so beautifully since we visited Dr Kang on Wednesday that we've been going around showing your ultrasound photos to both your Grandmas and Uncle Victor and Aunty Lisan! :)

We're very thrilled to have you, Baby Girl. Can't wait to hold you in our arms. :)

You're 20 weeks old today. You remember that I told you that Mommy and Daddy started being together on 20 December as well? Well, coincidentally, today's the 20th of August as well! So many 20s! :)

I still remember the moment that Mommy and Daddy decided to be together. We were going around carolling (we went from house to house singing Christmas carols to our church members) that night with our Youth Fellowship. On the bus, I sat next to your Mommy and we spoke about our relationship and I asked Mommy if she was willing to be with me as my Girlfriend. I was quite incoherent (errr... that means unclear) but Mommy said yes anyway and that's when we started becoming even closer and eventually became your Mommy and Daddy! Since that time, we've been celebrating the 20th of every month because it's such a special time for us.

Skyler, Mommy and Daddy really love each other a lot and we are so happy that we will be able to share this love with you. You will be loved SO much!

Continue to grow well! Oh! Thank you for not making Mommy so sick now. But you're really very active in Mommy's tummy. Please be more gentle and careful when you turn around, ok? Stop kicking and nudging Mommy so hard. :)

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

Hi beautiful daughter of ours!!! Yes! You are a girl!!! Our sweet precious gorgeous daughter!!! :)

You're 19.7 weeks old right now.

Mommy and I went to see Dr Kang again today and Mommy had to undergo a detailed scan of YOU. The lady who did the ultrasound scan was Foo Tsuey Ing. You were so 'uncooperative'! Mommy had to go in and out of the scanning room 4 times because you were constantly in the wrong position and the nice lady couldn't get a proper angle to scan all your important parts! :) She was also the one who told us that you are a girl!!! :)

You were so active as well during the scan. You just made it all so much more difficult. :) But Mommy and I felt so happy that you are so healthy and active. Mommy has been feeling you kick and move around in her for more than a week already. Today was the first time we could actually see you do it. :) Daddy was so happy to be able to feel you kick as well. :)

You can't imagine how ecstatic we are to know that you are so healthy and strong. We are so looking forward to seeing you and holding you in our arms. It was so touching when we looked at the ultrasound and saw you sucking on your thumb. You really helped me to feel like a Daddy!!! :)

We were so excited to know that we're going to have you, our little girl, that we had to tell our Mommies and Brothers about you immediately! They are also very happy to know that you are going to bless our lives soon.

(Oh yes! Daddy is also happy to know that you are a little girl because now Daddy doesn't have to think about joining his old school's alumni. ;) )

You take care, little one.

Mommy and Daddy love you.

Dear Skyler,

Hi! You're 18 weeks old now. You're supposed to be 18 cm long and weigh a bit less than a packet of butter. I have no idea why the magazine is comparing your weight to butter but, hey, I'm not the one writing the magazine. :)

We're still praying that you're developing well. Mommy has been a bit anxious because we haven't seen you in an ultrasound for many weeks now. We'll be looking for you next week though because that's when our next visit to Dr Kang will be. :) We're so looking forward to seeing how you have grown.

Oh! And we're also supposed to be able to determine your gender then as well. You're supposed to have developed enough for us to tell whether you're a boy or girl. So, please be cooperative okay? Be in a correct position for us to see? :) We don't really mind whether you're a boy or girl but it would be nice to know so that we can prepare the appropriate things for you. :)

Mommy has been putting on some weight now. She was worried before because all the literature says that she's supposed to put on some weight every month so that you can get enough nourishment but she wasn't. Well, she has now. Mommy is at an all time high in the weight department and she's going to be even heavier because of you! :) Can you reassure Mommy that you're doing okay? She's very anxious about you.

Oh! Remember that we were asking you to come out in December? Well, we just found out that your estimated date of delivery (6 January) is actually the other day that half the Christians in the world celebrate Christmas! Apparently 25 December is when the Western church celebrates Christmas. 6 January, on the other hand, is when the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas! But we still hope that you come to us in December so that Daddy can be around to help Mommy and to take care of you.

Today is Singapore's 40th National Day. Skyler, our country has gone through a lot and it will continue to go through a lot in our development. When we received independence 40 years ago, we really might not have survived. Thank God that we did and not only have we survived, we have made something of ourselves. Remember that we must never give up no matter what. That was an important part of our peoples' psyche then and it will continue to be an important one in the future.

Take care. We love you.

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

You'll be 17 weeks old tomorrow. The magazine says that you should be 16.5cm roughly.

We went back to the hospital for a second blood test. Remember what I said the last time? Well, we went through a second blood test. We wanted to know why Daddy had to get more blood drawn since Daddy's first test was negative for any abnormalities but the nurse just said that both Daddy and Mommy must have their blood tested again. Oh well. We're waiting for the results now.

Daddy was thinking that we should tell you how Mommy and Daddy got to know each other so that you'll know when you grow up.

Mommy and Daddy met each other in church. The name of the church is St. Andrew’s Cathedral. When Daddy saw Mommy, Mommy was a cute little girl. She was only 14 years old then. But of course Daddy and Mommy were not together then!!! We were both in the Youth Fellowship and we got to know each other better over the years. Daddy and Mommy developed feelings for each other and finally Daddy asked Mommy to be his girlfriend on 20 December 1992. We spent a lot time after that getting to know each other better. Finally, we got married on 5 June 1999 in church.

Ok. That's a snapshot of it. We'll give you more details when you actually ask. :)

Grow well!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Dear Skyler,

You're 16 weeks old now. You're around 15 cm long.

We went to see Dr Kang Wee again this week, on Wednesday, 20th Jul. Again the whole process took a long time - the whole afternoon was gone.

Mommy and Daddy had to go through a "counselling" session with a Nurse Counsellor about whether we wanted to take a blood test to check if there was a risk of you developing Down's Syndrome. The problem with this test is that it is totally inconclusive. Even if the test came back positive, it didn't mean that you would have this syndrome. And if it came back negative, it didn't mean that you didn't have it either. Mommy and I thought that this was all quite silly. There hardly seemed to be any point in going through it because it didn't say anything at all.

Anyway, we decided not to take the test as it didn't serve any purpose whatsoever. Even if you somehow developed this syndrome, so what? It didn't mean that we would love you any less! Skyler, remember. Sometimes people will ask us to do silly things that don't make sense. You have to listen to what they ask and think very carefully about it before responding. Try to avoid doing silly things, okay?

Anyway, after that we had to get our blood drawn for some tests. There were several tests that were supposed to be conducted - for any abnormalities in our blood, HIV and syphilis. Just for your information, neither Mommy nor Daddy have the latter two. But, Mommy received a letter today that said that they suspected that she may have thalassaemia minor. This means that Mommy's blood cells are not properly shaped and are not functioning as properly as they should be. So, Mommy is a bit anaemic. Mommy is quite worried about passing this problem on to you. But Daddy should not have this problem because Daddy is all red in colour. :) So, you should not get it at all. Daddy has been encouraging Mommy not to worry. Help me to do it, okay? Assure Mommy that you are totally fine.

It was only after the blood test that we went to see Dr Kang. She examined Mommy and said that you were kicking very hard and that this was a good sign. Wow! You have strong legs? Well done, Little One!!! :)

We are hoping that you come out in December, remember? Try to cooperate, ok? Daddy has to be around to help Mommy bring you into the world. If you come out in January, Daddy may not have enough time to spend with you all as Daddy will have to work.

Today is Uncle Victor's and Aunty Li San's wedding day!!! They made their vows and signed their marriage certificate today!!! We all went down to Shangri-la Hotel for lunch and they exchanged rings and everything! There were about 25 people there. Your maternal Grandma and Grandpa (who came back all the way from Hongkong for this) were there. So were Aunty Li San's Mommy and Daddy. Some of Uncle and Aunty's friends were there as well.

Mommy and Daddy were given some work to do. We had to take photographs and video record the whole thing for them. It wasn't so difficult as there weren't that many people. It was quite fun to do this again.

So, remember, okay? On 23rd July every year, you must congratulate Uncle and Aunty on their wedding anniversary.

Grow well, Skyler. Mommy and Daddy love you very much. Be strong and healthy!

Dear Skyler,

You're 15 weeks old now. You're supposed to be 12 cm long according to some magazine that we are using to track your development.

Mommy is recovering from her illness already. The biggest sign is your renewed demand for food. Mommy is so hungry again. :)

I figured that I should let you know what's going on in the world while you're in there so that you can catch up when you can read and understand what's going on. :)

Two weeks ago, terrorists let off five bombs in London. I think four of them were in their Metro system - their version of the MRT - and one on a bus. These terrorists are quite terrible people. They take away innocent lives and they don't seem to care.

Why am I telling you this? I hope that when you grow up and are able to think about what's going on in the world and what kind of place this world is, the world will be a safer and better one. Most governments of the world are trying to put an end to this problem but it is difficult.

If the world is still the same when you are old enough to be aware, I hope that you will learn to pray for the safety of all people and some how be aware of how you can help make the world a better place - to somehow bring some balance to the pain that terrorists cause. Remember: we have to share the love that Christ has shown us to all those around us. Everyone needs to know that God does care.

As always,

Mommy and Daddy love you!

Dear Skyler,

Hi! Mommy and Daddy have decided to address you by your name now since you've grown so big by now. We figured that calling you Jellybean does not fit you anymore. :)

Mommy was looking through a book of baby names the night after we found out about you when she came across the name "Skyler". It means "wise". We decided on the name immediately because we like it so much. It reflects our hope that you will depend upon the wisdom of God in all that you do and lean not on your own understanding or worldly knowledge. It's a very special name. We hope you like it!

Daddy's work has begun already so Daddy can't write to you as often. Daddy has got lots of work to do. But remember: no matter how busy Daddy is, you and Mommy will always come first in Daddy's priorities whenever possible. You two are more important than anything else in the world.

Mommy has been suffering quite a bit lately. She's got food poisoning and the flu at the same time. However, even so, she's still very concerned about you. Instead of taking the medicine that Doctor Wee prescribed, she's trying to not take any medicine at all in case you get affected by it. So, Mommy would rather suffer now than to have you affected by the medicine. See how much Mommy loves you?

Guess what? We've got you a toy already! Do you like it? Mommy saw it and couldn't resist getting it for you now before the store ran out of it. :) He's soft enough to be your companion from Day One! His name is Eeyore and he comes from the Hundred Acre Wood. Take good care of him! :)

Well, Daddy's got work to do. You take care, ok? Grow well, our baby.

Mommy and Daddy love you!

Dear Jellybean,

Hi! Sorry for not having sent you mail for some time. Daddy has very busy with work. Couldn't sleep tonight so I finally have time to write to you again.

You are 13 weeks old now. Some people say that you are about 7.5cm now.

Mommy's doing much better. She's not having such a great aversion to smells as before and she can eat more things so it's so much easier to get her food. You seem to have taken to beef! Hmmm... you naughty baby... Mommy doesn't like beef but because you want to have it, she has been taking beef dishes this whole week! Hope you don't continue to like beef when you are out here because we are NOT going to give it to you! :) It's not healthy!

Okay, you must understand. Practically all red meats are not as healthy as white meat. Mommy and Daddy are not the healthiest eaters in the world but we do what we can and eating red meat is something that we have decided that we will not do. So, being our child, we are going to make you do the same, okay?

On another note, Mommy and I have realised that there is a secret that only parents-to-be find out only when the Mommy is pregnant. Apparently, there is this big Hypermart along Kaki Bukit that sells baby stuff. It's supposed to be very big and sells everything that a baby needs at a cheaper cost for most things compared to most other places. We are amazed that such a place exists and we totally did not know about it! Many people have told us to get your pram/stroller from there. I guess we'll visit it to see.

We're continuing to pray that you grow well and healthily. Mommy is very conscious about what she eats and she is dutifully making sure that she takes enough supplements so that you get all that you need. Mommy is also taking great effort to avoid smelling noxious air so that you don't get affected by it.

We love you, Jellybean. Come out well.

Oh! By the way, do you think you could come out in December this year rather than waiting until 2006? If you come out during the Christmas period, you'll get to share the joy that people have celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ! It'll be beautiful!

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Jellybean,

Hi, our baby! We just went for our first visit to the gynaecologist on Wednesday 22 June 2005 at Kandang Kerbau Hospital. It was a very long visit due to all the waiting but we finally got the good news that you're a-ok!!!

We had to wait quite a bit to register Mommy as it was our first time there. It was quite shocking to us that the receptionists asked us whether Mommy was going to breastfeed you or not, and whether we wanted them to vaccinate you after you came out. These are things that only matter when you are out here!!! That's at least six months away!!! When we asked her about why they were asking us so soon, she said that it's better to ask now in case everybody forgets. Hmmm...

Anyway, Mommy had to get another ultrasound done to ascertain how old you were. It took us another twenty minutes waiting time before it was Mommy's turn. But we found that you were "standing" vertically and the nurse could only measure you if you were lying down flat. So, Mommy and I had to get some water for Mommy to drink to see if we could get you into a horizontal position. Mommy had to drink so much water before going back. In the end, you were more diagonal than horizontal but the nurse didn't want to wait anymore so she measured you anyway. She noted in the report that you were "persistently vertical"!!! Hmmm... were you just being alert? :) You are 49.9mm long! According to their calculations, you are supposed to be 11.6 weeks old and you are estimated to come out on 6 January 2006! (This is just an estimate. Some books that we are reading say that you could come out two weeks either side of this date.) Wow! Can't wait to see you and hold you!

It was only after this that we got to see the gynae. As this whole process had taken so long, they had already called our number earlier. But, they let us in immediately as it was past our time. Our obstetrician/gynaecologist is a doctor named Dr Kang Wee, Jellybean. She appeared to be a very nice lady. (Yay for Dr Wee. He's our General Practitioner who recommended Dr Kang Wee to us. He's been our doctor for many many years. We like him very much because he's very friendly and he won't ask us to take medicine or go through anything unless it's necessary. He always recommends the best and friendliest specialists when we need to see them. And he hasn't failed us yet! He's probably going to be your doctor as well when you're out.)

She treated Mommy very nicely and gave us very relevant advice. She also prescribed some other multi-vitamins and calcium pills for Mommy. She was very adamant that Mommy take care of her bones because it will help her to carry you over the next few months. Mommy is very happy with the multi-vitamins that were prescribed because they are smaller and much less smelly than the multi-vitamins that she has been taking since we found out about you. These multi-vitamins were bought from GNC and they really smell vile!!! And they are really big too. Mommy always has big problems taking them. Now, it's so much easier with the new pills!!! :)

Mommy was also told that she cannot drink any Coca Cola because it is a kind of medicine. Mommy is quite sad about this as she likes to drink Coke. Mommy's also not allowed to eat any uncooked or half-cooked foods. Everything must be fully and properly cooked so that you won't be affected. Of course, this makes Mommy sad as well as she loves to eat sushi. But she can't have any for the next year because she doesn't want to harm you. See!!! Mommy loves you SO much!!!

The longest wait was for making payment for our visit! They had just introduced a new computer system and they were facing teething problems that caused the system to lag quite a bit. It was quite terrible. I hope that they sort it out before we visit them again in four weeks.

Mommy was so happy to know that you are well. She had gradually become worried over the past week because she couldn't feel you growing in her as much as before. Thank God that you are totally ok. You keep growing and growing well, ok? We're still praying for you to grow properly and healthily. Have everything that you need to have. Be intelligent! Be beautiful! And most importantly, when you get out here, be a good baby and person, ok?

Mommy and Daddy love you!!!

Dear Jellybean,

Hi! You're into week 10 now.

You just received a card from Aunty Rachel and Uncle Ashley yesterday. Your "kor-kor" Isaac also sends his regards. They sent this card all the way from America! ("Kor-kor" Isaac is already learning how to walk!)

Mommy seems to be getting a bit better. Looks like you're learning how to behave yourself. :) Mommy still can't eat or drink properly but at least her condition is slightly better now. Can't wait for you to get into your second trimester so that Mommy can feel good again.

We bought a couple of pairs of maternity pants for Mommy last week. Wow! They're so costly! But there was no choice. You're growing bigger. I'm putting the cost into your account as well. :)

We're going to see the gynaecologist next week. If all goes right, this gynae will be the one who will help us take care of you until we get to see you with our own eyes. You be nice to this new aunty, ok?

Mommy & Daddy Love You!!!

Dear Jellybean,

Hi! You're into week 9 now. Mommy is getting a bit anxious wondering if you're still ok. Thankfully, she's been on holiday since before we found out about you. So, she's been able to rest and sleep as she needs. Now that Daddy is on holiday as well, and the Masters classes are over for the next few weeks, Daddy can make sure that he gets Mommy food when she needs so both of you won't go hungry.

Mommy is feeling very uncomfortable because of what you're going through. She can hardly eat anything and she hardly drinks anything either. I am a bit worried about the drinking part but she seems to be okay. You must grow well, okay? Don't make Mommy grow through all this for nothing.

You know? Mommy and I are praying every day that you will develop into a healthy foetus and come out strong and healthy. We're also praying that you will be a strong, devoted Christian - one that will make our Father in Heaven proud! We are also praying that you will be a beautiful child who will grow up into a good, beautiful person full of intelligence and wisdom.

Well, you'll be beautiful to us always.

Grow well, our baby! See you soon!

Daddy & Mommy

Dear Jellybean,

You know that you've made your maternal grandmommy very happy? When we went to tell her, she was SO happy that she hugged your Mommy for SO long. You're her first grandchild! She will most probably want to spoil you. You make sure you don't get spoiled, ok?

Had text messaged your paternal grandmommy when we knew about you. She'd gone to Genting Highlands the morning that we found out that you were here. She's also quite happy to hear about you! She immediately sent a message back once she got the message!

You're still making Mommy feel unwell but it looks like you're not making it as difficult for Mommy as before. Keep it up!

Sigh... we were supposed to go on a holiday to Japan this June.

We won't be able to do it anymore now that you're here. It was to have been our first holiday abroad as well. To make sure that we would be able to go, I made sure we got our plane tickets early... but now... Going to lose more than $500 in penalties for cancelling. Oh well... you're worth it! (You better be! )

Daddy & Mommy