Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Jeremiah and God

Last Saturday, 15th March 2008, we finally did it!
I went forward to the front of the whole congegation with Jeremiah to give our testimony on how God had delivered us and blessed us in St Michael's church healing mass as promised some 3 months ago. We had missed the last two healing masses as the kids were unwell and finally we did it!

This was what happened that Saturday. As usual, testimonies were being called for and I went forward with Jeremiah. Carrying him in my arms, I told of the goodness of the Lord, how faithful our God had been to us and how he had carried us through all our trials. At the end of it, I even told the congregation how Jere would call on Jesus and Mother Mary and when I was done and gave the microphone to Jeremiah, Jeremiah said "JESUS"

It was a wonderful moment. The congregation applauded and shouted "PRAISE THE LORD! ALLELUIA!"

Unfortunately we did not manage to get any pictures but here's a glimpse on how early our dear little baby was praising God! We started to take him since he was 3 months to healing masses at St Michael's church.

Thinking back, he actually started to lift his hands up in praise in March 2007. He was about 8 months then. I realise it but was too busy to tell everyone. Yeah... how terrible, I know. I should have given praise and glory to His name. Then my dear dad, Jere's ah kong discovered that while Jere was staying over when the helper went home for her home leave. Man! Was Ah Kong excited! He told anyone and everyone he saw how his grandson praise the Lord!

At 10 months, we decided we should bring a camera to capture how the little one praise God! Here it is! This picture was taken 19th May 2007.



Isn't it wonderful? Look at how Jeremiah lifts his hands up in praise and worship for the Lord!

This little baby was just born to praise God and glorify His name!

Jesus, name above all names
Beautiful Saviour, Glorious Lord!
Emmanuel! God is with us
Blessed Redeemer, Living word!


As two Sundays back when the priest gave the homily, he said,
"Whose sin was it, the father or the child that a child was born blind?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Neither. It was no one's sin. The child was born blind so that God's works could be displayed in him. When I heard that, I thought how true it was as I see God's works being displayed in Jeremiah constantly. Praise the Lord!

5th Neurologist Assessment coming

It's time again for that routine check up.
Thurs 20th March 2008 1150hr KKH
Please pray that the doctor is guided by God and that Jeremiah's progress can only be good :) AMEN!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Of the brothers!

Okie...
after I ranted so much about the older one...
maybe I should do him some justice!

Nat's a sweet little one really...
He prays for Jeremiah all the time... learning terms like spina bifida, neurogenic bladder, hydrocephalus, bleh.... and praying specifically for Jeremiah's complete healing all the time...
Now hands up... how many of you know these terms? All these were alien to me till Jeremiah was born and Nat picked them all up as we had our nightly prayers.

Here's my first little angel :)



Now, ain't he handsome?

and here's the second little angel...



Ain't he a cutie?

I think they look kinda alike too!

They've really grown! Check them out in this picture taken 3rd September 2006.



Jeremiah was about 3 months then and Nat just turned 4.

My wonderful gifts from God! Thank You Lord for these blessings! AMEN!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Have we neglected the big bro?

Today I caught myself saying this to my sister after hanging up on the phone with the helper at home.

"Horrible Nat! Naughty Nat! Attention seeking NAT!!!!"
Catching myself, I shouted "HELPPPPPP!!!!!!!"

The helper had just called to say Nat was not co-operating and did not want to go to his art class(something that he had asked for and usually likes).

Why can't I find something nice to say about my son?
Why does he give the helper hell????
I just told my sister earlier that morning that Nat's a big boy now. He's a good boy and merely a few hours later, I am shouting the contrary.

Yes, he has grown! He's a great boy! But he is also very much a bully when left with the helper alone. I really cannot stand it when I see him shouting at the helper. I feel so bad and ashamed to say he's my son when he does that.

It almost seems like a vicious cycle beyond my control. The helper practises favourtism very obviously. She favours Jere more and this only leads to Nat resenting the fact and thus giving her hell everytime an opportunity arises.

I hate his attitude problem! His screaming at the helper. His rude attitude when playing with other children. Children he is not familiar with, he would be rude, like give them a black face and speak to them in a one kind tone. Children he is familiar with, he will be screaming so so loud as he plays with them.

I thought I spent a good whole of his formative years with him, teaching him and guiding him.

Why? Why did it have to turn out like that? *ANGRY*

okok... I know, I know.... please do not start whipping out solutions to me....
I just wanted to vent... that's all.

Sis says:
Afterall they are kids...

I say:
I definitely don't subscribe to the school of thought of "afterall they are kids " It is definitely not a good or valid reason at all! No! not at all! DEFINITELY NOT!

They can be taught!
DEFINITELY!
They need to be more secure about themselves.
I need to work on this.
I need to learn more about this and learn how to do it!
If I have to start all over again, I would!
Nat's just 5!
Even if it takes me double the time....
10 yrs to change him to be a better person, at least I know he will be a better teenager coz he will be 15 by then.

Nat was never a bad child to start with.

No child is ever born bad.

Quoting Suzuki, "Children are examples of life in its truest form, for they really try to live in pure love and joy."

I know deep down inside Nat's just really insecure. One thing leads to another. He becomes attention seeking.

Sometimes I get so warped when I see his behaviour, almost believing that I really had a monster for a son, almost wondering if it was a mistake at all to have kids.

BUT NO!!!! I AM NOT GONNA LET MY HEART BE TROUBLED!

NO! IT WAS NOT A MISTAKE TO HAVE KIDS! NEVER WAS!

This blog was meant to talk about my journey in faith as I walk this road with my special little boy Jeremiah. Sadly, I must admit some way or another, I may have neglected Jeremiah's older brother, yes Jeremiah's 哥哥 Nathaniel. I hardly ever talked about how I managed the older brother, Nathaniel.

Whenever people see me, they'll go
"How's Jere?"
"How's the little hero?"
"How's the little angel?"

and sometimes or rather most of the times, they forgot Jere's brother, Nathaniel. And yes, Mummy here also is guilty as charged.

How could I forget sweet little Nat?

When I was preggers, Nat would touch my tummy and ask me in anticipation when would baby pop out of mummy's tummy?

Then when I birthed Jere and when Nat came to visit, he thought baby was still in the tummy as my tummy was still huge, yeah...I probably looked as if i haven't given birth at all and the baby was not in the room as it usually was when we went to visit people who just delivered their precious.

We finally went home from hospital after 2 days without the baby of course as little Jere was stuck in Neo natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Nat still kept asking where's baby? We told Nat that baby had to stay in hospital as he was not big enough to come home, which was only the half truth. Undoubtedly, baby is small but he definitely could come home in that size if he had been born normal but we did not tell Nat about baby having his spine born out, having an open neural tube defect and having one surgery after another. We thought it was probably too much for a four year old to handle then. Well, how much would he be able to comprehend of that?

Then when Jeremiah finally came home, all the focus was on Jeremiah. Suddenly all the love that Nat enjoyed seemed to be channeled to the little one. Nat seemed almost suddenly replaced. Well, that's probably how Nat must have felt. Soon, Nat started to act up alot!

Till today, 20 months later, Nat still acts up quite a bit and I can only attribute it to his insecurity. Much as I know what's the problem here, I think I very much must be able to translate my thoughts into actions. To merely want to do something about it is not enough.

Love can be had only by loving.

Love it was that made us
And it was love that saved us
Love was God's plan when He made man
God's divine nature is love
Born of God's love we must love him
that's why He made us to love Him
but only when we love all man
Can we partake of God's love
but only when we love all man
Can we partake of God's love


Nat, if you ever read this one day,
I want you to know that I love you.
I want you to know you are my wonderful gift from God and you are a star!
and I am trying my best for you.

You and Jere are my special angels!

Thank you Lord for these blessings!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Keloid

According to Wikipedia,
A keloid is a type of scar which results in an overgrowth of tissue at the site of a healed skin injury. Keloids are firm, rubbery lesions or shiny, fibrous nodules, and can vary from pink to flesh-colored or red to dark brown in color. A keloid scar is benign, non-contagious, and usually accompanied by severe itchiness, sharp pains, and changes in texture. In severe cases, it can affect movement of skin.



At 20 mths exactly today, Jere's battle scar look like this. This is at the part where you usually feel your backbone. Yes, Jere was born with his out... not covered. Jere has had 2 operations since. One at Day 1 of his life to cover up the open neural tube defect and the other was on the 8th day when the neuro surgeon said there was a leakage at the op site and need to do repair. That second op, the neuro surgeon put in artificial tissue. After that, the would healed and this formed. It is exactly as what is described above. "firm, rubbery lesions or shiny, fibrous nodules, and can vary from pink to flesh-colored or red to dark brown in color" depending how you look at it. And yes, it is severely itchy, that Jere scratches at it without mercy so we could hardly wear nice tees for him but rather we still have to dress him in rompers and onesies so we button up and he can't get at it... and it's so hard to find big cool looking onesies as he gets bigger by the day.

Please pray that the healing blood of Jesus be upon Jeremiah and that Jere can live life without being so affected by this. This is just the surface. We pray even more that the precious blood of Jesus covers Jeremiah from the top of his head to the soles of his feet and flows through every fibre, every nerve and every cell of Jeremiah and heal everything that has been affected by his open neural tube defect. AMEN

Battles aren't won by spears and swords...
The battle is the Lord's!


AMEN!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Before the MCU

Last December, 17th Dec to be exact, Jere went for his MCU, a procedure where they checked for any backflow of urine. If you refer back to the posts in Dec, you will get more understanding of it.



This was how he looked just outside the room at the diagnostic imaging department of KKH. Unsuspecting... totally trusting...

Simple child-like faith and nothing more... That's what Jesus Christ has ever asked us for.




He could even smile at the camera... That is my sweet little hero for you....

AND so our FATHER GOD delivered him from all evil....

However, after the procedure, we were too all over him to take any pics... but we were victorious with the results! Praise GOD! IF you have not read, the radiologist said something to the effect that "looks like he will recover his condition" AMEN AMEN AMEN! ALLELUIA! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

Faith, Faith is like a child
Simple in its spirit
Generous and Kind
Willing to accept
what cannot be denied or defined
One thing
Simple child-like faith and nothing more
That's what Jesus Christ has ever asked us for
Simple child-like faith and nothing more

My BIG HERO

A long awaited pic....
I know I ought to upload more pics here as a picture paints a thousand words...
My apologies....
Without further ado

Here it is...
my pride and motivation and inspiration in life!
taken by Dixie at Shan's house on her little one's birthday party



That's Jeremiah in the ball pool, having his fun. Look at him... he's all smiles...

Thank you Lord for this child so beautifully and wonderfully made!