The New year kicks off a fresh start of Birthdays for everyone, my children and grandchildren. A video from last year came to my attention only at the start of the year and I like to share it here:
The video is appropriate as the theme is "A Child's Prayer" where Su sang it in a duet. Su with her husband and children are living in US just as Fei and her husband are too so the stock of photos above received only in 2022 shares times when both were able to get together!
Leah's birthday is round the corner on Jan 18 so I am planning to kick off this year in this journal covering her birthday too. With the birth of Fei's baby anticipated in March, I will continue a whole new series of family posts as the year moves on!
18 Jan 2022 in USA but 19 Jan in M'sia
Her mom sent this pic the next day and my response was, "Hope all the toys I buy aren't too advanced for her haha!"
From 2022, my mind reminisces on how it all began in 1982 and earlier! :
Due to this single blogpost named 'FamilyLane' that started in 2005 has reached a limit in 2020 where it would be more expedient to continue in another blogpost, click here to transfer to FamilyLane2.
If you're already here in the new familylane2 journal and want to return to the last post of the original familylane journal click here.
24 Jan 2022
Today is Monday and I was still up past 2am when I couldn't sleep. In the past week, I was communicating with my 2 daughters living in US first with Su, my 2nd daughter shared above. Days later Fei sent me this message, "Hey Dad, what can you tell me mom's birth and delivery experience with me? Also how much did I weigh and did she breastfeed me? And for how long?"
My response was, "Okie I have bad memory of details but do keep lots of documents as well as journals which I will have to find them with greater challenge today since I reorganized everything for office and home during the yearend."
By the end of the week I could respond as follows:
I did find some old files I had kept and book journals as well. I scanned the relevant part of my journal that answered the basic questions she asked and thought I would type to her for clarity and added some more details:
"Ok from my journal, we went to see Dr Chew on Wed June 13 to know if it was time to go to the hospital as she started having pains intermittently since Tuesday. Dr Chew examined Mom to say the cervix wasn't opened yet and that she could wait so we went home. The pain persisted and got more intense until 2am the next morning. I was awaken by mom to drive her to the hospital. We made it in about 20 mins and she was immediately wheeled to the labor room. I quickly registered her at the counter & went up to the 3rd flr where the labor rooms were located. The pain was so intense that Mom yelled & cried. I can't remember if she had an epidural. Time went by and yet there was no doctor in sight. All the while the nurse was checking Mom until the final hour, at about 8am, Dr Chew came in and asked me to go out for awhile. I sat outside and fatigue caused me to doze off! When I woke up, I panicked thinking that I had overslept & rushed to the labor room! It was just on time to assist Mom to push you out! The doc had to use forceps and I was told to stand beside her. It all happened pretty fast, about 20mins I think and soon you were out, all wet and looked purplish in color! Holding you with legs together upside down, all eyes were focused to see your sex organs! Your legs were parted and Dr Chew confirmed that you're a girl!
They took you out for a bath and we were left alone in the labor room. It was a relief for both of us. Recalling how you looked, my first impression was seeing your large eyes which opened the moment you came into the world as if you were looking around! This was the amazing thing about you, written in my journal!!!
After spending 2 nights at the Chinese Maternity Hospital, Mom could go home on Sat morning. You slept quite well the first night, waking up every 3 hours to be fed. I would bottle feed you while Mom breast fed you so she would have a chance to rest."
View the photos below using Microsoft's new SWAY!
Happy Chinese New Year of the Tiger on 1 Feb 2022
21 Apr 2022
Anya 2nd Birthday
Here is a live recording of Anya's birthday, courtesy of Chuck Liu, her other grandpa from her father's side!
Here is an old recording of how it all started before Anya or Leah were born: