madmoneymonkey

Oh boy! I'm 5 days late into doing my 2008 recap! Hee. Oh well, better late than never!

2008 started off with my grandma passing away just a few days into the new year. While we hadn't been very close lately, I still remember her for the times she and my grandpa took us away for holidays in Indonesia and to KFC for fried chicken when we were kids. Seeing mum cry also always counts up there as one of the worst things for me.

But things picked up shortly after. On 24th Jan, I found out I was pregnant! It was rather unexpected and I hadn't even noticed that I missed my period until Merv suddenly remarked that it seemed like a very long time since I had my last. We tested twice and it was positive! Man, that was exciting and scary at the same time!!


Knowing that I was pregnant forced us to rethink some things in our life, top of all, my job. I was working very long hours in my old job and it caused me a considerable amount of stress. Merv was tolerating it for a long time because I strangely enjoyed what I did and the adrenaline that came along with it. But I knew I couldn't stay in this job with the pregnancy and the upcoming kid, so I started to look elsewhere.

And with God's marvellous provision, I got a job. And not just any job, a job in the company that Merv works in! It was the best thing for me because he could drive me to and from work everyday and prepare lunch for me and just watch out for me. Work-wise, this job allowed me much more control over my own time and was still fun. Not as crazy fun as the previous but fun in that I could do things and make changes. Some people asked us how we could work together and see each other close to 24 hours a day? I dunno! We just like spending time together I suppose!!

I really had it easy for this pregnancy, all 10 months of it. I never vomitted a day, just a little nausea at the start. My stomach was also relatively small and compact for the first 7 months before it ballooned to allow the baby to grow. That meant I could still lead a pretty active life - travelling to HK when I was 3 months pregnant, Ho Chi Minh at 5 months, running a kids programme at church camp at 6 months and to Port Dickson at 7 months before winding down to prepare for the birth.

Putting on weight during pregnancy scared me so I swam a lot when I was pregnant, finally stopping when I was 37 weeks because I was afraid my waters would break in the pool and I wouldn't even realise! Thank God I put on a manageable 12.5kg for the pregnancy because of all that swimming which I really enjoyed. Plus it was funny seeing the look on people's faces when I emerged from the pool and waddled by with my swollen belly. Hahaha.

And finally in Sept, Elliot was born! He was due on 16th Sept which was also LKY's birthday but he had other plans and decided to stay in for longer. My gynae then advised me to induce his birth, one decision that I regret agreeing to. I was induced on the night of 18th Sept and spent the next 30 hours in labour. Groan. I really really thank God for epidural which spared me from 30 hours of excruciating pain but the whole process was really long and draggy and boring and uncomfortable for me. At the end of 30 hours, the nurses told me that the baby's head was still too high and I had to do a C-section to get him out to prevent him going into distress. At that time, I was depressed because I had waited SO long and still had to do a C-section which could be done in 30 mins. Till today, I still wonder whether things would have been different had I waited a couple more days for him to decide he was ready to come into this world.

Anyhow, Elliot was born on 20th Sept and since then, he has been such a blessing. In these short 3 months, I've learnt to trust God a lot more because there's nothing like a child to show you how little control you actually have over your own life. But singing this song always encourages my heart:

How sweet to hold a newborn baby
And feel the pride, and joy he brings
But greater still, the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

And because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.


And apart from Elliot, the other highlight of the year was that Chris finally proposed to my cousin Bev. It's about time Chris!! :p I'm incredibly happy for them and so so excited to get preps underway to make sure it'll be a super duper wedding.

So 2008 done and dusted, it's time to look forward to 2009. Many exciting things coming up, Chris and Bev's wedding, Elliot's 1st birthday (a very nice 20-09-2009, which is a Sunday AND a public holiday the Monday after), my first triathlon (gulp!) and hopefully lots of time with family and friends.

To 2009!!