A Poem to Share

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again
by Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.
I'd fingerpaint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd model less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.

Bye Bye, Pacie

In October one thing notable about Abigail is weaning from pacifier. We used pacifier mostly for 1) getting her to sleep, 2) keeping her quiet (during class, church, etc.), 3) putting her in carseat. One day we decided not to offer it to her when she went to bed, and she did not use it ever since! (she did see it once and cried for it badly)

Abigail got three pacifiers from the hospital exactly one year ago when she had the back surgery and stayed at the hospital for 7 weeks. I haven't thrown them away because they were such good companion during the hospital stay, esp. when her thumb wasn't available due to the IV. (Many, many thanks to the nurse at the hospital for telling me it's much easier to wean the baby off from pacifier than thumb.)

So, the following video is precious to us. Happy Anniversay and Goodbye, Pacie!

I Wrote A Lullaby

This lullaby was made when I tried to get Abigail fall asleep faster, and it worked! (sorry about the creaky noise from the rocking chair)

The song says: Little sister, do you want to sleep? (repeat)

這首搖籃曲是我為了能快一點把嘉恩哄睡著而編的, 它真的有幫助喔. (抱歉嘰嘰嘎嘎的搖椅聲)

歌詞: 妹妹, 妹妹, 妳要睡覺了嗎? (反覆)

The video was recorded for writing music notes down, so we didn't pay attention to the light.

拍這影片是為了要幫我能寫下歌譜, 所以明暗沒有注意到.

Abigail's Little Fingers

Can you find the happy face :)
你有發現個笑臉嗎 :)

More Pictures

We were too busy with our two kids to find time to blog. In short, our house is full of laughters and tears (the latter is mostly from Abigail) and each day is a new day for discovery. Here are some pictures to share:

因忙著照顧兩個孩子, 連上部落格的時間也沒有. 簡而言之, 我們家是充滿歡笑與淚水(後者大部份是從嘉恩而來), 且每一天都有新的發現. 以下是幾張照片與你分享:

Abigail at day 21
嘉恩21天大

A mother of two
兩個孩子的媽

1-month-old and 2.5-year-old
一個月大與兩歲半大

"Noah" & "Abigail"

"Noah": This Hebrew name's original meaning is "comfort" (cf. Genesis 5:29). The story of Noah from the Bible is in Genesis Ch. 6-9.

"Noah": 此希伯來文名字的原意是"安慰"(參創世記5:29). 聖經創世記6至9章記載關於挪亞的故事.

"Abigail": Also a Hebrew name. The original meaning is "Father's joy." The story of Abigail can be found in 1 Samuel Ch. 25.

"Abigail": 也是個希伯來文名字. 意思是"父親的喜樂". 亞比該的故事記載於撒母耳記上第25章.

btw, Noah's Chinese name is "嘉信" (wonderful faith) and Abigail's is "嘉恩" (wonderful grace). They are inspired by Ephesians 2:8 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

此外, Noah的中文名字是"嘉信", 而Abigail是"嘉恩". 這兩個名字是由此經文所啟發: "你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信；這並不是出於自己，乃是神所賜的." (以弗所書2:8)

Another Reward from Him!

Joy to the world, our baby has come!

Abigail Cheng
Born at 05:04AM, 5/17/2008
5lbs 14.9oz
18" long

普世歡騰, 女兒誕生!

鄭嘉恩
5/17/20008 05:04AM出生
2696公克重
45.7公分長

A Slide & A Video to Share

[4/27/08]
Last weekend was so hot that we decided to go to Seal Beach at the last minute.

因上週末非常熱, 我們臨時決定到Seal Beach走走.


[4/15/08]
In order to teach Noah to be responsible, we let him share the housework. Helping daddy throw the trash was one of his favorites. I love watching the "seriousness" shown on his face while he's doing it.

為了教導嘉信負責任, 我們讓他分擔家務. 幫爸爸倒垃圾是他最喜歡做的家事之一. 我很喜歡看他做事時認真的表情.

Note: Remember I mentioned about our 10+ times faster cable service without any reason? Mystery solved: we didn't know our area's service provider had been changed until we received the bill from the new company. The best part is they voluntarily offer us promotional rate ($10 a month) for a whole year! Hooray!

備註: 還記得我曾提過我們的網路速度沒有理由的快了十多倍? 謎底揭曉: 直到新的帳單寄來才知我們地區已換另一家公司來提供網路服務. 不錯的是他們自動提供一年的促銷(一個月$10).

Feeling A Little Down Today...

55 days left? Feeling a little overwhelmed today... Am I mature enough to be a mother of two? Yesterday I had a nightmare: I lost my temper and yelled at Noah. I didn't remeber the details but the frightened look on Noah's face... The dream was so intense that I still feel chilled when I think of it now... It's a good reminder and I pray that God give me love and patience from above and the wisdom from Him to raise my kids, so thru our love they can know God loves them very much.

Have I mentioned the original meaning of "Noah" is comfort? I feel like to put some Noah's pictures to cheer myself up!

只剩下55天了? 感覺有點不知所措... 我夠不夠成熟做兩個孩子的媽? 昨晚我作了個惡夢: 我失去控制對嘉信大吼大叫! 我不記得細節, 但記得他嚇到的表情... 這個夢是如此強烈, 使我此刻想起仍感到一陣涼... 這是個很好的提醒, 我禱告求神能給我從上頭來的愛心和耐心, 以及從祂而來的智慧來教養我的孩子, 使他們能藉由我們的愛體會到神非常地愛他們.

我有提過Noah這名字的原意是"安慰"? 我想放些嘉信的照片來安慰自己一下!

[3/18/08]
[3/19/08]
[3/22/08]
Danny is also a great comfort to me!

凱旭也是我很大的安慰!

[4/3/08]

Caught on Camera

Here's where Noah hides his treasure (CDs, greeting cards, business cards, flyers, receipts, etc.) Just wonder how much stuff we will find over there on his 18th birthday...

這是嘉信藏寶的地方(有CD, 卡片, 名片, 廣告, 收據等等). 不知在他18歲生日時我們能發現多少東西在裡面?

My Husband Is Talented!

Look at Noah's new hairstyle, from which my talented husband got a lot of compliments :)

我多才多藝的丈夫為嘉信剪的新髮型贏得了很多稱讚喔 :)

"Before" (picture was taken the day before the haircut.)
Every boy can't resist the charm of the elevator buttons!

"之前" (前一天照的)
每個小男孩都無法抵擋電梯按鈕的魅力!

"After"
The picture doesn't justify Danny's talents. Hopefully I'll take some nice pictures before the hairs grow.

"之後"
這照片沒有完全表現出凱旭的才華. 希望我能在頭髮長回前照些好的相片.

It's A Girl!

This morning before I left home to take another ultrasound, I did an interesting baby gender prediction test which is using old wives' tales and found I have a 55% chance of having a girl (45% a boy, of course). Guess what? The ultrasound shows I'm having a GIRL!

btw, I first felt baby kicking on Christmas Day, when Noah was laughing hard near my belly!

今早在我出門要去照超音波前, 我在網上作了一個有趣的測驗(是基於老一輩的傳說)來預測嬰孩性別. 結果是我有55%的機率生女孩(當然就是45%生男孩). 阿哈! 超音波顯示我懷的是女孩子.

附帶一提: 我在聖誕節那天第一次感覺到baby在動, 正當嘉信在我肚旁笑呵呵時!

Baby #2 Updates

Last Thursday I had my first ultrasound and everything went great! The baby was 3.4cm long (not including the length of legs) and 10 weeks old (in the 11th week now). When I saw the little hands and legs moving (waving to me!) and the heart beating fast (twice as fast as ours), I almost cried!

Thanks for all your prayers & supports, and may God bless each one of you for your love!

上星期四第一次照超音波, 一切都正常. 胎兒3.4公分長(不包括腳長), 10週大. 當我看到baby的小手小腳在動(是向我招手吧), 心臟快速地跳著(胎兒的心跳比大人快一倍), 我感動的快哭出來了!

感謝你們的關心和代禱, 願神紀念你們的愛心!

This baby ticker is way too cool. As you already see, I've added the ticker on my blog (at left) so you can see how my baby #2 grows! Enjoy :)

這個胎兒模擬圖片很酷喔! 如同你所見, 我已把這個圖片加在部落格上(見左), 好讓你看著胎兒一天天長大.

No Subj.

Fashionable hairstyles are coming back! Time for the next haircut is not decided yet. We'll see how it goes :)

流行髮型又回來了! 下次剪髮是何時仍未定--看看會有什麼新髮型 :)

One of the things Danny loves to do for fun with Noah is leaving shirts "on head" before getting ready for bath. He seems to like it--he even poses for me!

凱旭很喜歡和嘉信玩的遊戲之一是當準備洗澡時把他的衣服脫在頭上. 看來嘉信很喜歡--還擺姿勢給我看.


WARNING: The next picture might be a little gross for some people. If you think you're one of them, please do not scroll down!

警告: 下一張照片可能對有些人來說有點噁心. 如果你可能是其一, 請勿往下看!











It's not too late to stop...
還來得及停止喔...






































Today for the very first time Noah actually used his potty (he usually sat on it with pants on when I went to the restroom). After two attempts, here it came, nice size and shape! I was so proud of him that I gave him a big clap. Now whenever he sees his potty, he applauds for himself! At first I wanted to share my joys with Danny by leaving it there till he's back from work, but I changed my mind because of the smell! Never mind--I'll just take a picture to show him and you! (PS. I did a little mosaic to decrease the grossness. I have warned you, haven't I?)

今天嘉信第一次成功地使用便盆(他通常是在當我上廁所時穿著褲子坐在上面). 經過兩次嘗試, 終於有成效(大小軟硬適中)! 我鼓掌喝采, 因我實在為他感到驕傲. 所以現在他只要看到便盆, 就會給自己鼓鼓掌喔! 本來我還想要把便便留在那裡等凱旭下班回來和他分享我的喜悅, 但因它實在不好聞只好作罷. 就拍個照給他和你們留念吧! (備註: 我用了點馬賽克減少清晰度--我可是有警告過你呀.)

A New Life Begins

I found I was pregnant on 9/26/07, the day before we went to Portland. I was so trilled! I didn't expect it so soon because we just tried for 2 months (it took us more than a half year last time), but I liked the SURPRISE! (The reason to put the picture of the pregnancy test: from the same box I used two tests to confirm both pregnancies with Noah and the 2nd. It's expired for a couple months but still good as I was told by the doctor. I don't think I can use the last one to test for the 3rd though!).

9/26/07(去波特蘭的前一天)我發現我懷孕了. 好興奮喔! (我放驗孕器照片的原因: 從同一盒的驗孕器我確定懷了嘉信和老二. 其實它已過期幾個月了, 但醫生說還是有效. 我想是無法用最後一個來驗老三了)

What the life with two little kids will be like? Maybe it's like Danny used one hand to control the wheel of Autopia ride and the other to take a picture; at the same time, he used one leg to push the pedal and the other to secure Noah. Okay, I'm a little exaggerated... (PS. We are back to Disneyland because we got another annual passes. So stay tuned--more Disneyland pictures to come!)

有兩個小孩的生活將是什麼樣呢? 也許就像凱旭用一隻手控制Autopia車車的方向盤, 同時用另一隻手照相, 並且用一隻腳踩踏板, 另一隻腳夾住嘉信. 好啦, 也許誇張一點了... (註: 我們回到狄士尼樂園因我們又有年票了. 敬請期待, 更多狄士尼樂園照片將與您分享!)

Chatting with My Boy

Recently Noah and I had a lot of conversation, so we know each other better! 最近嘉信和我常常聊天, 所以我們更了解對方囉!


One day Noah suddenly started counting: "7, 8, 9, 10, 11"! I was so surprised that my month opened wider as each number being said. However, he always counted "1, 2, 4".

Another day Noah counted "8, 9, 10" after hearing his dad said "chicken" (pronounced "ji," compared to 7 "chi").

Anothor day Noah said "hao-chih (tastes good), chih, 8, 9, 10, 11".

Another day he said "Be careful!" (hsiao-hsin) to me with a serious face after I dropped his water bottle.

有一天嘉信突然自己數"7, 8, 9, 10, 11! 他每數一個數字我的嘴巴就開得更大. 不過他總是數"1, 2, 4".

另有一天聽到爸爸說"雞", 他緊接著數"8, 9, 10".

又有一天他說"好吃, 吃, 8, 9, 10, 11".

還有一天他表情嚴肅的對我說"小心", 因我把他的水瓶掉在地上.

Holding Hands

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while but their hearts forever.
母親只有一段時間能抓住孩子的手, 卻能一直抓著他們的心.

Mother's Love

This picture which I got it thru e-mail gave me some thoughts about being a mother... Two mothers, two children, two worlds, ONE LOVE.

這張從電子郵件收到的照片使我對為人母有一些感觸...
兩個母親, 兩個孩子, 兩個世界, 同樣的愛.

That's What I Call Art!

Before I cleaned up the mess, I said, "Wait a minute. This is not a mess. This is art!" (You know how mommies always think their babies are the best...) In order to give tribute to an hour's efforts of Noah, I decided to take a picture of this one of a kind art piece. (bear with me...)

在我整理這一團亂前, 我對自己說: "等一下, 這不是一團亂而是藝術品!" (你知道媽媽都是認為自己的孩子是最棒的...) 為了記念嘉信花了一個小時的努力, 我決定把它拍下來. (對我這媽忍耐一下吧...)

I'm not sure whether Noah loves reading books or taking things out of the box.
我不確定嘉信喜歡讀書或是喜歡把東西從盒子裡拿出來.

Getting ready for the next art session! (the box for baby wipes in the upper right corner is Noah's newest favorite toy)
為下次的創作做好準備! (右上角裝嬰兒紙巾的盒子是嘉信最新喜歡的玩具)

The Mobile I Made for My Boy

This is the mobile I made for Noah. I love origami since I was little.

這是我幫嘉信做的旋轉音樂盒. 我從小就喜歡折紙.