A Weekend Away... Fri 20 - Mon 23 Oct 2006

Joseph had a bout of viral gastroenteritis, or viral GE, that resulted in a short hospital stay. The persistent watery stools caused his little buttocks to turn red first, then tiny blisters appeared, breaking into minute ulcers soon after. That's when we packed Joseph's FBO (full battle order) and promptly rode a cab to National University Hospital (NUH). I knew the doctor would suggest hospitalisation so I had my overnight things along too.

Thankfully by then his high fever and vomiting had ceased, also his URTI (upper respiratory tract infection) made only a brief appearance, thus we dealt mainly with his stool and buttocks problem. Joseph had an IV (intavenous) line inserted so that we could stop oral feeding to rest his digestive tract. His blood, urine and stool tests gave a picture of viral infection. Meanwhile, two different types of cream had been prescribed for his bottom to soothe the soreness and pain.

Praise the Lord, Joseph's stool frequency dropped significantly once the IV drip commenced, and his buttocks skin healed rather quickly so that we don't hear him scream in pain whenever he passes urine or stools. We were glad to be out of hospital on Monday, especially me, as I had not been able to sleep or rest very well in the noisy ward environment.

Home is indeed the best place to be. Thank You Jesus, for blessing us with a wonderful home, we love our little abode, every space, every corner. Of course above all, we love having You, Lord! Thank You for being our faithful God, hallelujah!

At Home

Last night I was supposed to go to Mary Tan's vocal lesson. Joseph was coming up with a healing for diarrhoea and William was plagued with high fever and a terrible headache. So I had to be home to care for them both. Though bitterly disappointed at having missed a productive session with this unassuming teacher, I knew my priority lies with the two closest persons in my life.

I had not reported for work since Monday. Good or bad, well, I think I choose to look on the bright side of things. I had my much needed break while staying home for Joseph. Joseph initially had fever and vomiting, but they're both gone. I'm trusting the full manifestation of healing for his diarrhoea, praise the Lord!

I'm grateful that Joseph is still active and alert, unlike Sunday where he was drowsy then. But his buttocks have reddened and it pains my heart to hear him cry whenever a fresh BO was done. Therefore I decided to start him on soya bean formula today. A quick check on the internet confirms that NTUC supermarket do carry three brands of the special formula. I picked Brand "I" (which was optimistically presumed to be the least stinky one) and duly sms-ed William to get it on his way home. Praise the Lord, Joseph did not reject the soya milk formula. Praise the Lord!

While William and I was eating dinner earlier on, Joseph climbed onto my chair and indicated that he wants rice too. He must be famished, as he had been fed diluted milk feeds throughout the day due to his watery stools. Usually we had to coax him to eat rice, now he's literally begging for it! Anyhow I could only offer him a few grains of plain rice since his digestive system is currently "under repair". Fortunately, he did not fuss when his short supply of food ran out. On second try, he still did not reject the new milk formula, wahaha...!

Jesus, our Healer! Thank You for the Holy Communion, thank You for a finished work, we are the healed of our Lord Jesus, amen! Hallelujah!

Haze Hate

Haze, haze, go away, don't ever come back, not even for a day!! Ugh, I've really had enough of these hazy days, makes me feel like I need to give my eye a good rub to see clearly, on those truly bad days.

I wonder if smokers are affected the same way I am, by this haze. I mean, don't they already shroud themselves in thick unhealthy smoke daily, assaulting their lungs with harmful substances on a regular basis? Wouldn't it simply be a "I'm in smokers' heaven!" experience for them?

Alright, people may argue that ciggy smoke and haze from forest fires are poles apart. Smokers too, may be as irritated by haze as any other individual. My point is that smokers should just learn to stub it out in public places, they are as irresponsible as illiterate farmers if they choose to think it is their right to light up, be it a cigarette or a whole forest of trees.

Anyway, I really miss reading and writing, my favourite of favourite hobbies. Don't have the luxury of idle time these days, and I can hardly wait for my present assignment to end in mid-November, after which I plan to take a short break and allow myself a chance to scrutinise the brochures sent to me from Writers' Bureau since more than two months ago. It'd be great to be able to pursue a course I'm immensely interested in, for once in my entire life.

Joseph is a strapping two-year-four-month toddler now, often mistaken for being a year older by the aunties we bump into within our neighbourhood. He still doesn't call "Daddy", "Mummy", "Papa", or "Mama" yet. However, he loves flipping his picture books and calling out the objects he recognises on the pages, e.g. kite, horse, queen, kettle, ball, apple, duck, etc. He knows a goat when he sees one, and while he may not exhibit the learning abilities of genius calibre (yet), he is able to make a connection between the small letter "g" with the number "6", he only has to turn the "g" upside down, and then he promptly says, "6". To others, it may seem too trivial a thing to notice, but to me, that is both precious and adorable.

Willam has finally taken the plunge last month, to submit his resignation letter. He had been working under a bullying boss for almost two years. I was touched to hear that he put up with it only because he wanted to provide some stability for me (I was a stay-home mum until recently) and Joseph. William figured a permanent employment is better than one secured on a contract basis any day, as he already had a string of those prior to this current job. However he felt that it was now time to move on, and I do support his decision, especially since he had been sleep-talking for a few nights, something that he does only under extreme stress.

The following work day, William submitted his letter, and I couldn't forget the look on his face when he returned that evening. Indeed a huge load had been lifted from his back, he was care-free and nonchalant, but said that he will start looking for a new job immediately. He attended countless interviews since his resignation on 18 September, and finally yesterday, he received a call from a company with the good news that he had been selected for employment and could start work on 18 October. William was ecstatic and praising the Lord for His goodness. As for me, I'm just happy that he is happy, and fully trust our ever faithful Lord Jesus to put William in the right place at the right time.

Thank You, Lord, You are our Tower of refuge. You never fail us, but enable us to grow in faith and believe in Your promises. A true Friend who loves us at all times, even when we were unlovely. Who is like You? I am most blessed to know You and have You as my Lord and Saviour. All glory to Your name, amen!