Anxious

Hi baby K! Mommy started having serious contractions around 7pm last night. It went on till midnight and we decided it was best to let the midwife take a look at you both since there was also a bit of blood. So off we went in the middle of the night and arrived at the hospital around 12.30am. The midwife did some tests, and both of you are in good health, but mommy only dilated 2cm and were sent back, reaching home at 2.30am. It started to snow a bit as we walked up our apartment and somehow I got a feeling that the day the snow comes again, it will be the day you'll arrive.

I had a preview of how your coming will change our life when I had to wake up every 2 hours to check on mommy, or rather she woke me up to check on her and you. She couldn't sleep very well because the contraction was intensifying. In the morning, the mucus plug protecting you from the outside world came off and up to now, mommy would have had 20 hours of contraction and the amniotic sac surrounding you has yet to break. But we called the hospital and midwife who called us to come to the hospital to get you both checked again. And looking outside, it's snowing pretty heavily, so if you do come today, we want you to know you were born on a snowy Wednesday in January in Oslo.

We realize that though we prayed a lot for both of you, focusing on speedy delivery, but forgot to include in quick labor, lol. So that is something we will remember to pray for the next time. Would love to share a bit more about today, but mommy is in great pain at the moment, so do remember what mommy had to go through to bring you to this world. And now, we'll be going to the hospital, and we hope we don't have to wait too long to see you baby Karalynn!

Life is a faith journey

That was the revelation I had when we met with another oh-no in our life. This morning I discovered that the Malaysian consulate office in Oslo was closed down last week and all communications will have to be done with the embassy in Stockholm. This could mean extra work to apply for Karalynn's birth registration and passport while the embassy sort out another party to replace the honorary consular here.

So Janet and I were like "here we go again" but not so much of a complaining tone. Last year has taught us that faith as small as a mustard seed moves mountains, and it looks like this year's journey of faith has begun.

Finishing touches, and all that awaits

Hello baby Kara, we've just had you checked by the doctor today who gave you and mommy a clean bill of health. It's exactly one week more before your due date and we're getting more and more excited by your arrival. Tonight, we've dressed up your crib, which was the last item on our preparation - so all that awaits, is YOU.

The story of baby K

Baby K, your story is all about the journey of faith for us, your parents.

You see, we were married in 2007 but for some strange reasons we didn't decide to have kids straight away. Well, we wanted to have kids like you, just that we weren't so serious about it until your mom hit the big 3-0, and realized that her biological clock was ticking away, so we intensified our efforts. Now we will tell you what this means when you are old enough to grasp the concept. After months of trying without success, we thought it could be due to the stressful nature of your mom's job so she quit it to concentrate on "making" you. Alas, more heartbreak was in store. I, however was confident that God provides, and that the God of Abraham, who made his descendants as numerous as the stars in the skies and as much as the sands of the earth, though in his advanced age, could have a child bore by an old woman said to be barren - then what more that we your parents, called to be also sons and daughter of the living God, may also have children of our own in time to come.

2011 - What a year

Five significant things that happened to us in 2011, all faith related.

February: We left our family and our precious "son" Leone and moved to Oslo, a country with climate and language strange to us Malaysians. To work in a company and position that God has given me so much favor with, found Oslo International Church and friends that feels like family here.

April: Lost our passport on the train but faith helped us to recover it.

May: Getting a replacement passport during our two-week trip home in Malaysia wasn't as easy as it seems. But God sealed the deal!

June: Found out that Janet was pregnant! Our prayers was answered, with the promise to expect something in 18 months that came to me early 2010 has now been put in motion. It has been a long journey of praying, believing, claiming and faith of the unseen and unknown.

October: As a new life is on its way, another life was being threatened by cancer - my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer with metastasis to the liver. A trip back to Malaysia with God's perfect timing, a sister's wedding brought forward, and a smooth surgery undergone by my dad. Our God is able, and God you are so so good, there is none like you!

Passport in Malaysia - May 2011

It was in May 2011, we returned to Malaysia to replace our passport. We thought it was the usual process of filling up a form, wait a few hours and then voila - passport. We woke up a bit late on Friday because of the jet lag, went to the Kajang immigration office around 10+am and handed in our application. Surprise, we were told to submit a translated copy of the police report we made in the Netherlands in BM as we are dealing with official matters, and it will take a month to investigate our lost passport case and then decide if we will be allowed to be issued new passports. Panic! To top it all, we were told we need the translation to be certified by proper authorities like a Court Translator or the National Translation Agency. Wow! 2 setbacks, but that's when we kept on praying furiously. Words can't describe our anxiety.

Quickly I thought of the courts in Putrajaya so we rushed there arriving around 12pm. There was a helpful guy at the court translator office but unfortunately they don't translate documents from Dutch. Searched the web, found 2 agencies which can do it, but they wanted RM1200, and it takes a few business day. Called the Dutch embassy in Malaysia, was told by a lady they don't do translation,and she sounds like she has entertained this kind of request many times before.

Coming soon

Baby Karalynn, in 12 more days, you'll be out of your mommy's womb and out into this world. Daddy can't wait to see you, but at the same time he's also worried that he may not have done all the preparation to welcome you. One thing for sure, we know that our life will never be the same, and we will keep on loving you and giving you the best that we can - Le Ann (礼恩), God's gift and blessing to us, and a blessing to those around you.