Setting up nursery and cell phone

David and I have been busy with setting up the nursery these days. It was slow because I couldn't lift the furniture. David was all by himself to assemble the bed and the office furniture. We moved the bookshelf to the garage. I'll have to think a way to keep the books clean.

I am washing all the baby clothes, blankets, towels, etc. They are all so cute that I really enjoyed sorting them and folding them. I can't wait to organize everything and take some pictures of the room! Eric offered painting the nursery wall for us. We had some ideas on what to paint already.

Wednesday David went to Friendspeak and studied with a new guy Amar. They had a great time together. I did grocery shopping at Sprout and Walgreen. While I was at the checkout line, the cashier tried to sell me an organic shampoo. I told her that I looked at the ingredients already. From the label, I wasn't sure that it was true organic since it had perfume and Ammonium Sulfate in it. She was surprised that I was a label-reader! I told her I had to be careful since I'm pregnant. When I told her what organic solution I use to wash my hair now, she was shocked! It could be stressful to watch for everything. But I wouldn't mind to do what I can to minimize the chemical intrusion for a few months longer.

My co-worker syed often asked me some spiritual questions on and off. Today when we were alone in the break area, I invited him to come with us to church on Sunday. His initial reaction was no because he didn't want to be labeled and pushed. I assured him that I wouldn't give him any pressure. Finally he got the church information and promised to come to church if nothing comes up. I knew he would enjoy the experience with the church service and friendspeak. We'll see ...

Donna sent out email about cellphone radiation today. My sister and my friends in China warned me not to use too much cellphone before. But I didn't take it to heart. Just recently, I read many articles about the cellphone radiation from different pregnancy websites. I began to think it over when I can use a phone line. One article said that in some European countries, cell phone is banned for pregnant women and yound kids. We'd better be safe!
http://www.parentdish.com/2008/07/30/cell-phone-use-during-pregnancy-may-lead-to-badly-behaved-kids/

Hot Weekend

David and I had dinner with Heidi and Hongying on Friday night. We ate at a Chinese restaurant off Parker and Coit. Heidi and Hongying are both at a transition time for new jobs and new places to live. We enjoyed catching up with them and we really appreciate the beautiful baby girl outfits they gave to us. We were glad that Heidi passed the CPA exams and had a better job because of that.

Saturday morning David went to Arlington for the Global Mission's Conference. I talked to my sister and brother and then went to Michael Miller's bridal shower. My job was to: print and send out the invitation before the shower; display the gifts and carry the guests' purses to the bedroom during the shower. I enjoyed visiting with many people as well as the bride Lorisa. The shower finished at around 1:00pm. I called David. He just came out of the conference. We met at Lubby's for lunch. David told me that I was missed at the conference and he had a wonderful time! He introduced himself to Dr. Bian and his family, Uncle Bob and Doris, etc. He also talked to many other people. And he liked Dino's speech very much. I wished I were there! After lunch, we went to GoodYear to change oil for my car. It was so hot outside. We rested for half an hour before it was time for dinner. After dinner, David began to prepare for the Sunday morning lesson.

We went to another Chinese church close to UTD. I knew this church because the pastor often sent out emails to UTD Chinese students on the activities they had. I thought it was an outreaching church. The church was located at Lookout and Custer. It was small and new (the service started in 2006) with about 100 people. As soon as we went in, we were invited to a parenting seminar. A guest speaker was teaching the practical tips on how to educate kids. In the end of the seminar, we suddenly saw a couple from Friendspeak - Yang Ming and his wife. Yang Ming studies with Ted and his family is moving back to China this coming Thursday. He was so happy to see us there. His son and other kids sang the hymns before the worship started. They did a great job. The service continued on parenting, mainly from Deut. 6. I learned a lot and David picked up more and more Chinese. When the pastor asked David to say something in Chinese, David said "Glad to meet you" in Chinese. He got applause from the whole church! We had to leave early to grab something to eat and head over to class. Unfortunately nobody showed up since nobody knew that we were back. David and I studied John 15 on our own.

We saw Robert, Gail, Debra, Lance, and the Ukrain boy before church. On the way to our seats, we were glad to see Maggie, Alex, Bobbie, Gene, and Don Barnett. Don recommended a book Shark to us. We'll have to check it out. After the service, David ran over to Sue's place to drop off some cash she had asked David to withdraw. To our surprise, she gave the money to us for our baby! We were very grateful for the love she has for us. We had planned to pick up the Korean girl for Friendspeak. She called on our way that she was not able to make it. I had a good study with Maggie on God and Human. I was happy to see Peggy too. She said the final exams were over and it was time for her to get back to Friendspeak! After Friendspeak, David invited Donna's reader to join us for the International Bible class. He gladly accepted the invitation. We hope to see a bigger crowd next week. It was over 100 degree again outside. I was so afraid that the heat will harm the baby. After standing outside for about half an hour with several others, I ran into the car trying to cool down as quick as possible.

We had dinner at Boston Market. Then we went to Carrollton to pick up the night stand. We ended up buying both the night stand and the hamper. They were both hand-painted white and pink, very pretty! We loved all the furniture we bought. And now we are done with all the shopping! I can't wait to put everything together. It's exciting!

Re-organize the Rooms

It's difficult to keep up journaling everyday now - work is busier and our internet at home needs some re-work done. Tuesday night, Fred, Li, and Richard came over to help us to unload the dresser. Not only that, they moved the furniture out of the office room so that we could start working on the nursery. It was such a wonderful surprise because David and I thought about hiring some people to do that later on. Now we could really start preparing for the baby: organizing the nursery room; putting things up at different rooms; washing all the baby items; ... David told me later that Fred didn't feel well those days. He should have stayed at home resting! We really appreciate all the blessings from our friends.

Wednesday night both of us went to Friendspeak. David left from work early to pick up medicine for Sue and deliver it to her. Then he went to pick up a Korean girl who just came to America for Friendspeak. I didn't have a reader. So I came home early. I bought some tofu and fiber-rich vegetable on the way home. Our baby girl rested on Monday. She probably only kicked 15 times the whole day. But she picked up kicking and turning later on. My heart was at rest knowing that she's OK.

David and I met with George, Bob, and Robert Stolte at IKEA for lunch. I brought in my Pai Tai from my company's cafeteria just in case I couldn't find things to eat. But the cafeteria there was pretty nice. It has lots of selections. We talked about Friendspeak and International Ministry. By the end of the meeting, we came up an action list. During the discussion, I noticed that I cut off David's words twice! Every time I caught myself doing that, I wished I didn't do it! I quietly asked his forgiveness in my heart and asked God to help me to be a better wife. I'll never do that again!

Mike came over for Friendspeak. After the study, David started putting the office desk together at the living room area. We didn't have a phone jack in the living area. So we will use the wireless for now. I will start washing the baby blanket and clothes tomorrow. I can't wait!

We just got word from Angela that she and Tavi are going to have a boy!!! Tavi had said that they wanted a boy to balance out all the girls. His wish was granted! Kathy called two days ago that she just found out she is expecting! Her parents will apply for the visa to come here in August. They may be here while my parents are here if they all can get the visas! Dawn had actively made arrangement for the baby shower. The date was changed to September 27th at Liesl's house. David and I were very grateful for her doing this while she was on vacation in Colorado with Jarrod! David suggested that we'll do her baby shower in the future in return!

The bible verses for this week is: Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes". David and I plan to visit another Chinese church that Mike told us. Hope it will be another great experience!

A Visit To Remember

David's good friend Hollis and Amy had invited us many times to visit their farm house. Finally we got to go this past weekend. Thursday night, Mike came over for Friendspeak. David studied with him for one hour. Then he cleaned and organized the garage. He finished half of them. We piled a group of stuff to give away to the UTD students and threw away many things that were not good enough to give away. The garage looked so much better after that.

We had a busy day Friday. When I came home from work, I saw a sweet hand-written note by David with six Dove dark chocolate (my favorite!) - Saturday was our 6-month anniversary!!! Six months flew by. But I felt like David and I had been married for years! I loved every second being with him. It still sounds like a dream to spend the rest of my life with such a wonderful husband!

David had planned to get medicine for Sue and then deliver it to her. But the pharmacy was far from our house and it closed at 7:00pm. We couldn't make it. We had dinner at Lee's Chinese. Then we stopped by a lady's house to look at the changing dresser that she was selling. But she wasn't at home. We went to Alice's house to get the bridal shower invitation list for George and Carolyn's daughter-in-law. Alice had assigned me to do the invitation letters last weekend. But I didn't get the list until tonight. The shower is next Saturday. I only had Sunday night to work on it since we were going to be out of town. Alice showed us her patio floor that was painted dark red. It looked great. But I was concerned about the paint fume. So we only visited for a short while before we left. After we came home, I began to design the invitation letter and sent a sample to Alice for approval. Suddenly I remembered that I promised to pick up a Korean girl to come to Friendspeak on Sunday but we won't be able to come back in time. I called Robert. Luckily he and Gail agreed to pick her up instead.

David and I got up early to clean and pack our suitcase. We left the house at 7:25am and made good time to the airport. Our flight was 20 minutes late. So David used that time to learn some new Chinese words. His Chinese is really improving everyday! We arrived at Midland TX at 11:30am. Hollis and Amy picked us up at the airport. Their house was about one hour away from the airport. After we arrived at their house, their two sons Jake and Davis showed us around the house. We were fascinated at everything we saw. Hollis made all the customized signs and decoration by himself. They also have five puppy dogs and a dozen chicken, which kept entaining the whole family. David video taped the puppy show. We all suggested Hollis to send it to the American's Funniest Video show. After dinner, Hollis and the two boys sat down to play Gitar for us. Amy was crocheting a baby blanket for our baby girl. David recorded that too.

We went to church with Amy and Hollis. Afterwards we had beef roast, creamy corns, mashed potato, home-made gravy, and biscuit for lunch. It was so delicious! David and I had excellent meals these two days. Both Amy and Hollis are gourmet chefs. We had alfredo pasta and baked tillapia for lunch; grilled vegetable and steak for dinner; and home-made icecream for dessert yesterday. Everything was delicious. Hollis told us the secret of cooking a good roast, gravy, and other things. We'll try ourselves soon!

We headed back after lunch. Hollis made us many customized gifts: the Woodward sign, the salt and pepper holder, the napkin holder, etc. We were stopped at the checkin point because we didn't use the clear plastic to hold the liquid. David had to go out to checkin our suitcase. We really didn't want to do that because we would be late for Friendspeak if we had to claim the baggage in Dallas. David came back with the suitcase ten minutes later. 'What happened?" The officer asked. "Oh, I found a clear plastic bag." David replied. He went to the Hertz rental car place and asked around for a plastic bag. He found one! David joked that "Laziness is the mother of invention." The officer didn't realize that I had a smart husband!

We made it on time for Friendspeak. On the way to church, we saw Maggie was walking on the street. We wanted to stop and pick her up. But she didn't seem to be coming to Friendspeak since she was carrying a grocery bag. I knew that she lives on that street. After we visited Mary and Robert, I was surprised to see Maggie. She told me that the only thing in her grocery bag was her Bible! She's finished reading all the Friendspeak book. I found her a New-Comer's guide to Bible and we started reading Genesis. After Friendspeak, Alice called to ask me to meet her at church lobby. I saw her with Amy and Bob McAfee there. The format that I sent her Friday night for the shower invitation messed up in her computer. She preferred a simpler version of the invitation since the cards she had were small. I was glad that Alice had all the blank cards and envlopes already. That would save me lots of time!

David and I went to Grand Prairie to look at a changing dresser. We loved the dresser right away. The problem was we didn't know whether our car was big enough for the furniture. Finally a neighbor came over and measured the dresser. He helped David to put the dresser in our car. It barely fit in! We had dinner at Cheddar's and came home after 9:30pm. We'll have to find someone to help with the unloading of the dresser tomorrow. David was tired. I continued working on the invitation until 11:00pm. The weekend was over!!

Pharisee and Tax Collector

Tonight was the first Wednesday night I got back to Friendspeak after being absent for several months. George said he had a reader for me. David and I had dinner at Taco Bueno before we went to Friendspeak. The lady that George had in mind to study with me didn't come. I ended up studying with another girl Ling.

We read the story of the pharisee and the tax collector. Within five minutes of reading, I sensed that Ling was very focused on her pronunciation. So I pointed out a few mis-pronounced words in order not to discourage her. But all the rest of her questions throughout the night were about the pronunciations, no any grammar or comprehension questions at all. That was quite different from the readers I used to have. So I turned my attention to her pronunciation. By the end of the first half hour, I began to ask her some comprehension questions: Do you know who pharisee was? Do you know what type of person a tax collector was? Why did Jesus put these two people together? Who did Jesus like better and why? ... I could tell these questions opened the door of her thoughts. Her facial impressions told me:" I never thought about this." She said, although the pharisee did good things out of ourward compliance and the tax collector orally asked forgiveness for the bad things he did, the reality was the pharisee did good things and the tax collector did the bad things. So the pharisee was still better than the tax collector.

That probably represented some people's thoughts. I had to explain why I thought differently. It was true that the pharisee did "good things" and the tax collector did bad things in the past, but Jesus' point was "from the time they finished prayers and went home", the tax collector got right with God while the pharisee didn't. The tax collector experienced the transformation during the prayer by confessing his wrong-doing and asking for forgiveness. His eyes was on God and his attitude was repentance. But the pharisee was trying to find good points by comparing himself to someone who was worse than him. His eyes was on the sinner and his attitude was pride. If we compare ourselves to people who are worse than us, sin will always has its way to enter our mind; if we compare ourselves to people who are better than us, we will always find room to improve. All I can be sure is that the pharisee was on the downhill road and the tax collector was on the uphill road since then.

After hearing this, Ling smiled," In Chinese, we have a saying: the person who runs 50 steps out of fear laughs at the one who runs 100 steps. Is there an equivelant phrase in English?" I couldn't think of any. It was time to finish the study. I asked David, Paul, and Mark. Finally Mark thought about a saying that was close enough:" The pot calls the kettle black!" Ling was very happy that she found her answer.

David talked to George about the possibility of picking up the UTD new students. We signed up for one student. More still need the pickup and temporary housing. Hope we'll be able to find more people to help. David had planned to get some medicine for Sue and send it to her. But it was already late. We headed home instead.

Baby Stuff Hunting

I almost felt embarrassed when I asked David to go see another piles of baby stuff I saw on the website. "This will be the last time unless I see a nice changing table or dresser for our baby room." I thought. So we were on the road for shopping again after work. We met the lady who sold the stuff at the WalMart parking lot off Lake Forest and McKinney Ranch. She was very easy to talk to. I was glad that all the stuff looked clean and in very good condition. We ended up buying the baby bath, activity mat, talking puppy, lamp, and the crib bedding from her. I knew I wouldn't want that bedding to be our baby's primary bedding. But in case the primary bedding gets dirty, this is a cheap replacement. The color theme was neutral and cute. We may give it away or put in other uses in the future. I found justice for my purchase and we ended up using all the $74 cash in David's wallet! The baby stuff hunting not only brought me satisfaction of saving money but also added joy of interacting with other moms. I had liked a baby girl bedding set that was brand new and was sold for $50. But it was sold as soon as it was posted. The lady gave me the detailed information on how to find that same set on Babyrus. In the end of her sweet email, she added, "God Bless you and the little miracle you are buying for!! ... The sparkle has moved from your eye to your belly....tee hee."

On the way back, we drove around Lake Forest and Elverado area. We had no idea that it was developed so much with beautiful trees, hilly road, and new houses. We know that Debra and Lori both bought their houses in this area. It really seemed to be a nice neighborhood.

The baby natural detergent I bought came in today. Now I can start washing all the baby stuff and get them ready and clean.

Dawn called that the baby shower is changed to September 20th. Originally it was scheduled to be at Alice's house on October 4th because Alice will be out of the town in September. But David and I was afraid it would be too close to the due date since it would be 34-35 weeks by then. It will be very helpful if we have a couple of more weeks to prepare in case the baby arrives early. Dawn made a quick change to Liesl's house and the first available date is September 20th. We really appreciate Dawn for her efforts to coordinate and make the changes. She is such a wonderful friend!

Baby Einstein DVDs

I saw someone selling Baby Einstein DVDs on the website - 16 DVDs for $40! But it was difficult to reach the seller. Finally she called back after dinner. We decided to get them.

When the seller called, David was reading the book "The Ragamuffin Gospel". So I offered reading to him while we drove there. That was a book Don and Linda Barnett gave me a couple of years ago. But I haven't read it yet. I read aloud on the way until my voice was tired. It talked about God's Grace and Christian's Works. David asked me what I thought about that. I thought we make mistakes when we see either only God's grace or only our works. God's grace is the leading force and our works are the response; one is receiving and one is giving. The healthy living way should be two-way interaction. But we have to realize that our works are only a response, not a condition, for God's grace.

It took us 30 minutes' drive to get to the farm house although it was in Allen. We've never been to the other side of Allen. The lady who sold the DVDs was not at home. Her husband gave us the DVDs. When David took the DVD over, he was shocked, "These DVDs are in Chinese!" They certainly had the Chinese covers. The guy explained:" Our kids learned alot from these DVDs. They have three languages: English, Chinese, and Korean." "That's great!!!" David said, "I can use these too!" It really was a pleasant surprise. We watched one of them right away after we got home. I was glad that David liked these DVDs. And I'm sure our little girl will enjoy them too!

Two Services Sunday

This week David and I planned to visit another Chinese church. We got the address from our Friendspeak reader Peggy. It's called Church in Plano. We got there at 9:15am. An older guy who was in his late 50s/early 60s came up and greeted us. He had two pans of food in his hands. After we told him our intention, he introduced us to several people who lead the campus worship at UTD. We decided to stay in the English service area. To our surprise, all the service areas are arranged like a square classroom with a table in the center. People sat around the table. The first hour is called Table Meeting. We sang the responsive song, had responsive prayers, and took the communion. The second hour is called Prophecy. People shared their thoughts on the study they did during the week. There was no preacher or auditorium. It was totally different from the churches we've been to. After we left the church, David asked me what I thought about it. I had to admit that I was not used to it. But I liked the thought-sharing portion. They all seemed to have good points to share. David liked their passionate outreaching/evangelistic mindset, total devotion to God, and their enthusiasm on Christian training. We'll have to find more about their theology.

David taught the Sunday class at 1:00pm. After that we all went to the Hillcrest church for the service. I was glad that Dawn sat with us. After the service, we ran to Tom Thumb to buy some Birthday balloons for George. We arrived at Friendspeak right at 4:20pm. Bobbie and Louella were setting up the table for the Chinese fruit cake and punch. David gathered everyone and we all sang Happy Birthday to George. Paul and his mom came later. Paul's mom told me that she enjoyed doing Friendspeak with a Romanian student very much. She was surprised to see so many Chinese here.

Maggie didn't come. I read with Cathy again. We studied the story that Jesus healed the cripled guy. I told her what good friends could do to you and we talked about the concept of Sin. Since she didn't know much about Christianity, I started from Adam and Eve to our imperfection, to Jesus' sacrifice, to salvation and sanctification. She smiled and said, "When I was little, I saw a painting in my parents' friend's house: We are all sinners. I didn't like it at all because I didn't understand why an innocent little girl like me was a sinner. After you put it into the context, it makes full sense to me now!" I was glad that she got it. She also told me that she liked Christian's prayers. So we talked more about Prayers. One hour was over. I looked forward to more studies with her next week.

David's reader had more questions on Heaven:" Where did Bible say that Heaven is a beautiful place? Is there conscions in Heaven? ..." He will have to prepare for the answer next week!

Children Won't Wait - Part Three

There will be a time when there will be no slamming of doors, no toys on the stairs, no childhood quarrels, no fingerprints on the wallpaper
Then may I look with joy and not regret
There will be a time to concentrate on service outside my home
On visiting the sick, the bereaved, the discouraged, the untaught;
To give myself to the "least of these."
There will be a time to look back and know that these years of motherhood were not wasted
I pray there will be a time to see him an upright and an honest woman, loving God and serving all
God, give me the wisdom to see that today is my day with my children
That there is no unimportant moment in their lives.
May I know that no other career is so precious
No other work so rewarding, no other task so urgent.
May I not defer it nor neglect it
But by thy Spirit accept it gladly, joyously, and by thy grace realize
That the time is short and my time is now,
For children won't wait!

**************************
Fun Birthday fact from Babiesonline.com:

Your Due Date Is Monday, November 17, 2008
Your conception date was most likely Monday, February 25, 2008 You are in Week 22 of your pregnancy and your baby is 20 weeks old. Why is this? Your Third Trimester will begin 8/18/2008 152 days down, 128 to go!
The above information is based on a LMP date of 2/11/2008 and a 28 day cycle. Use a different date: LMP or Birth / Due Date

Fun Birthday Facts
Your baby's birthstone will be Yellow Topaz (Fidelity)
Your baby's Astrological Sign will be Scorpio
Your baby's Flower is Chrysanthemum or Chrysanthemum (Dark Blue, Red and Yellow)
Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Rat
This time next year your baby will be 34 Weeks Old!
Your baby will start kindergarten in 2014, be old enough to drive a car in 2024, finish high school in 2027, and will graduate from college with the class of 2031, give or take a year.

Can you imagine?




















***********************
We had a very busy day today. David and I went to Amy Browne (a long time friend of David's friend)'s grandfather's funeral at 10:00am. It was nice for me to meet Amy, Jake, and Davis. Amy's husband Hollis couldn't be there because of a job internview. The funeral was short and sweet. I found that her grandfather favors RT Tyler's appearance. And they had lots of common personalities too.

After the funeral, we had lunch at Golden Corral. Mrs. Alice called and invited us to her house in the afternoon. We ran to Target to return some gifts. Then we drove to Sue's apartment to pick up some of her stuff. We saw Sue at Presbyteria Dallas. She just had a leg surgery. We visited for an hour before heading for Alice's place.

Alice just came home from a shower. She was cooking dinner when we got there. She needed us to send some pictures to her friend. I mentioned that I lost my favorite piano CD. She told me that I could take the same CD I made her a couple of years ago after a dinner party. I was so happy that I could make a copy from her CD! We worked on the computer for a while. Then had the dinner. The dinner was delicious! Alice gave me the recipes for the potato soup, sweet pickle, and salad dressing. I'll have to try them at home!

Children Won't Wait - Part Two

There is a time to hold her close and tell her the sweetest story ever told;
A time to show her God in earth and sky and flower, to teach her to wonder and reverence.
There is a time to leave the dishes, to swing her in the park,
To run a race, to draw a picture, to catch a butterfly, to give her happy comradeship
There is a time to point the way, to teach her infant lips to pray
To teach her heart to love God’s Word, to love God’s day,
For children don’t wait

There is a time to sing instead of grumble, to smile instead of frown
To kiss away the tears and laugh at broken dishes
A time to share with her my best in attitudes – a love of life, a love of God, a love of family
There is a time to answer her questions, all her questions
Because there may come a time when she will not want my answers
There is a time to teach her so patiently to obey, to put her toys away
There is a time to teach her the beauty of duty, the habit of Bible study, the joy of worship, the peace of prayer
For children don’t wait.

There is a time to watch her bravely go to school, to miss her underfoot
And to know that other minds have her attention, but that I will be there to answer her call when she comes home
And listen eagerly to the story of her day
There is a time to teach him independence, responsibility, self-reliance,
To be firm but friendly, to discipline with love
For soon, so soon, there will be a time to let her go, the apron strings untied,
For children won’t wait.

There is a time to treasure every fleeting minute of her childhood
Just eighteen precious years to inspire and train her
I will not exchange this birthright for a mess of pottage called social position,
or business or professional reputation, or a pay check
An hour of concern today may save years of heartache tomorrow
The house will wait, the dishes will wait, the new room can wait
But children don’t wait















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Congratulations to Paul Melton for buying a new house! Happy moving day!

We finally received our wedding video from the video guy! David and I watched it right after the dinner. We liked it!

Children Won't Wait - Part One

(This is from the booklet I received at the Apple of Gold class. Written by Helen M. Young)

There is a time to anticipate the baby’s coming,
A time to consult a doctor;
A time to plan a diet and exercise,
A time to gather a layette.

There is a time to wonder at the ways of God,
knowing there is the destiny for which I was created.
A time to dream of what this child might become,
A time to pray that God will teach me how to train this child which I bear.
A time to prepare myself that I might nurture his soul
But soon there comes the time for birth,
For babies won’t wait.

There is a time for night feedings, and colic and formulas
There is a time for rocking and a time for walking the floor,
A time for patience and self-sacrifice,
A time to show her that her new world is a world of love and goodness and dependability
There is a time to ponder what she is – an individual, a soul made in God’s image
There is a time to consider my stewardship. I cannot possess her.
She is not mine. I have been chosen to care for her, to love her, to enjoy her, to nurture her, and to answer to God.
I resolve to do my best for her,
For babies don’t wait.
























*********************
We had our July Accountability group meeting tonight. It was so encouraging and fun to meet with the girls! Kyri started to prepare for the birth of little Charlie; I started working on the baby's name; Angela started to have the baby room ready ... I'm sure Dawn learned lots of baby stuff just by listening to us. Of course, the majority of our goals are still diet, exercise, and reading. We'll see how we are doing next time!

Discipline

One of the things that David and I prepared for the baby was the discussion of discipline. We'd like to be on the same page and be ready when the situation prompts. Of course, the first place that we looked for guidance was from the Bible. Here are some of the verses that we are reading about discipline:

Proverbs - Chapter 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs - Chapter 13: 1. A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
Proverbs - Chapter 13:18 He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.
Proverbs - Chapter 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
Proverbs - Chapter 15:5 A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
Proverbs - Chapter 15:10 Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.
Proverbs - Chapter 15:32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
Proverbs - Chapter 19:18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.
Proverbs - Chapter 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
Proverbs - Chapter 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; it you punish him with the rod, he will not die.14. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.
Proverbs 29:15"To discipline and reprimand a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child"
Hebrews - Chapter 12:7-11 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?8. If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.9. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!10. Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.11. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Ephesians 6:4"And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord".

Some of these verses may seem harsh. But it may be what it takes to correct a bad behavior. God's discipline is loving, as it should be between parent and child. As an article said "Raising a child in the 'discipline and instruction approved by the Lord' includes restrained, corrective, and loving discipline. It should never be used to vent our anger and frustrations, or be uncontrolled. " Just as the attitude we have for anybody - to love the sinner and hate the sin, we are to love our children and to guide and set the limits. It is a great parental responsibility to raise a godly kid. Luckily we have many wonderful family and friends who are our examples already. Love and discipline go together. I pray that David and I will master it in raising our daughter to be a wonderful girl!

I See The Moon

I never heard this song "I See The Moon" until Amy Wilson mentioned to me that Wes sang it to Rachel all the time. I looked it up on the website and found myself in love with this song. Apparently it's an old lullubi that passed down through generations. So the lyrics has many different versions (I saw at least five versions of it). Here is the version that I chose:

I see the moon and the moon sees me;
The moon sees someone I want to see.
God bless the moon and god bless me,
God bless the one I love.

God looked down from up above
He created you for me to love
He picked you from all the rest
Because he knew I love you the best.

I see the moon and the moon sees me,
The moon sees the one I long to see,
God bless the moon and God bless me
and God bless the one I love

The tune is http://www.mudcat.org/midi/midifiles/seemoon.mid It's ALMOST like that "hush little baby don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird" song (http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/h012.html ), but with less notes for the fewer words, and really this is probably the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Thank you Amy for your recommendation! I can't wait to learn it and sing it myself!

Hi Little Girl

Hi Little Girl! Your Daddy and I were so excited to see you on the screen today! You didn't seem to be disturbed. That was great! Your peaceful and beautiful presence brought so much joy to us. Daddy asked me who you look like. I said him since you have his pretty nose!

We have a dream for you. We dream the days that we finally meet you and hold you close; we dream the days that we see you smile, make sound, start walking and talking, try the new food, and explore the new world; we dream the days that we teach you the songs, poems, language and the days that we learn from you; we dream the days that you start praying and start challenging us; We dream the days that you introduce your new friends to us; ... Your daddy said it will pass so fast!

Little girl, we are right here waiting for you. Dad couldn't wait to move the furniture out of the office to make you a beautiful room. He will just have to find some guys to help with the move. We've got the crib, glider, blankets, and some baby clothes for you. Everything is so cute and we can't wait to put you in them!

Now you are more active than ever. You will remind me to eat whenever it's close to the meal time and I can tell when you are enjoying a good meal; You stretch out several times a day: around 7:00am, 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. You are so close yet so mysterious. We hope you are enjoying your daily routine and grow in health!

We (expecially I) have many worries too, many things that I feel guilty of. I worry about the chemicals in the detergent, cosmetics, food, and water; I worry about the sharp noise and loud environment; I worry about all the things that I'm exposed to in fear of their effect on your delicate body. But Daddy is such a super hero that he smoothes out my worries as best as he can; He fixed so many things inside and outside the house; He takes over so many things that you and I don't have to expose to the potential dangers; He takes such good care of us!

Little girl, we are half way there! May you have an easy and enjoyable time! May the Lord Smile on You! (Num 6:25)
Love you,
Mom and Dad

Three Services

Since church is under construction, the service and classes were moved to the afternoon. Classes are at the usual places; but the service is at Hillcrest church. To make good use of our Sunday mornings, David and I decided to visit other churches during Sunday mornings. The first church we wanted to visit was a Chinese church. So today we visited the Chinese fellowship church off Independence and 15th street. And we were going to visit two services there: English and Chinese. That church has two Chinese services and one English service each Sunday morning.

We arrived at that church at 9:15am. Not many people were in the auditorium. So David and I sat in the front pew. We were greeted by one of the pastors (apparently they have several pastors: 4 for Chinese and 2 for English) and several people around us. By the time the second song finished, we looked back - the auditorium was almost full! Well, another example of Chinese people's time concept: only a few people were on time. David and I totally enjoyed the service and the message on faith. We all thought it was better than Prestoncrest's sermons. The preacher was so enthusiastic and practical. He was talented. After the English service, we came out for some refreshment. We met more people in the hall. One of the people we met happened to be David's co-worker. But David met him first at Nokia. He was an American. But he liked this church a lot. I also saw one of our Friendspeak readers - Maggie's brother-in-law. I wished I could see Maggie there. But I didn't. Several people invited us to the seminar by a guest speaker on "Right or Wrong". We told them that we were going to the second Chinese church. One of the guys was shocked. He told David:" Oh, I didn't know your Chinese is so good!"

We were a couple of minutes late for the Chinese service because of all the talking in the foyer. One deacan stopped us and asked us to fill out a visitor's card. We were surprised that they spotted us as visitors right away. Not long after the service started, they began to introduce each visitor. All the visitors names were on the screen. David and I were the only ones who had the English names. When we were introduced, the guy who did the introduction asked David in Chinese:" Brother, do you speak Chinese?" David didn't expect that but he quickly answered in Chinese "A little." After all the names on the screen were introduced, the guy on the podium asked whether there was any visitor who was not on the list. Only one guy raised his hand - he was visiting his brother from Chicago! David and I were amazed at how well they did for the visitor's program. Almost all the visitors were identified among the 400 people and everyone got a visitor's package! The pastor for the Chinese service just celebrated his 100 years old birthday yesterday. It was said that more than one hundred people attended that celebration and the temperature was exactly 100 degree! We couldn't believe that he was still preaching at such an age! He talked about being humble. The songs were absolutely beautiful and powerful! My eyes was in tears for many times. David could only understand pieces of information. He just mimiced what the preachor said to practice pronunciation. When the songs started, he closed his eyes as if he was in another world. I could tell he enjoyed the service too! On the way out, some people came up to say Hi to us. They invited us for lunch afterwards. But we told them we had to run for our Sunday school and church service. At the door, the 100-year-old preacher was shaking hands with everyone. We told him how much we enjoyed the service. Again we were impressed to see that the elders and the preacher standing at the door to shake hands when people got out of the door. No wonder they could identify the visitors! One thing that they did different was they took the communion all at the same time. David and I made a mistake the first time. But we quickly learned to wait for the second time.

We came out of the Chinese church at 12:15pm. We grabbed a sandwich on the way to Prestoncrest. John Barret taught the class since David didn't have any time to prepare for the lesson. After the class, we headed over to Hillcrest. It was a huge church. It was nice to see all the people in one service. George came over to pray for our baby girl and for Fred White. After the service, we visited with Amy and Kendall for a few minutes before we said goodbye. They were going to Kendall's parents' place afterwards. David and I went to Friendspeak. We shared our baby girl news with Pat, Bobbie, and others. Maggie didn't come. I read with a new girl Cathy. I enjoyed reading her very much. We ended up chatting for half an hour and reading for the rest of the time. She said she liked Friendspeak very much because she made some new friends and learned many things to apply to her life.

I was craving for vegetables. David and I had dinner at Black-eyed Pea since it has vegetable garden plate. We enjoyed our dinner very much. I called my parents and my sister after we got home. A long weekend was over again!!!

Baby's stuff

David and I planted $80 worth of flowers in our flower bed. THey were so beautiful! Amy and Kendall went out to meet with their friends. David and I decided to register some baby girl stuff. We looked at some beddings on the website. There were so many pretty beddings. Finally I went to the Craigslist. A message of selling baby girl's stuff caught my eye. David and I decided to take a look. We drove to Carrollton and bought all the stuff from that lady: 5 boxes of baby girl clothes, from 0-18 months of age; baby blankets, baby babes, booties, bedding set, etc. Although, there weren't many pretty dresses. They still worth the price! David and I will go through these boxes and pick out the ones we like. For the rest of the stuff, we will donate to the homeless or other people.

Right after we came home, Leslie came over. We had invited him to have dinner with us and share his China pictures. We had a delicious Mexican dinner: Gacamole, Beef Fajita, Refried black bean, rice, etc. After the dinner, Leslie showed us all his pictures in China and told us the stories behind each pictures. We totally enjoyed that. He said the China trip inspired him to share his faith more here. I was very glad that he had such a wonderful trip. He was ready to go back again, maybe next time with us!

July 4th Party

19 weeks before our baby is born! Robert sent an email early on: "Pink or Blue?" We called him back telling him that he's going to have a granddaughter! I called Owana afterwards. I haven't talked to her since I received her two sweet letters. She was so excited about our baby girl. It sounds like she is doing better with reading and all the activities among her grandchildren. David and I hope to visit her sometime soon.

David and I had lunch with Amy, Kendall, and Sherri at Gloria. I liked the Mexican special dish I had. David and I were surprised by the baby girl skirts and shoes that Sherri bought for us. That was one of the first and prettiest baby gifts we've got!! Unfortunately the baby will be born in the winter so we will have to exchange the beautiful summer dresses and shoes for bigger sizes. Sherri came over to the house for a visit after lunch. David and I were tired. So we took a short nap.

At around 3:30pm, people started coming for the party! Wendy and Chris was the first couple with their two sons Tyler and Shawn. Then around 36 people gradually showed up. THe house was full! I made the wedding punch and baked the Mexican chicken. All the other people brought other stuff. I could tell that the girls enjoyed visiting each other very much at the dining table. I had a plate of food and visited with some girls for a while. But I was afraid the noise level was too high for the baby. I sat in the other part of the house for a while. Then I observed all the kids' behaviors: banning the toys on the piano keyboard; opening the cabinet doors, pulling the lamp cable, ... Luckily Diane, LeCresha, Lori, and Jenny helped to control the kids a little bit. Still, I heard that one of the kids tried to use the bathroom in our closet; another baby almost fell into our toilet in the guest bathroom; ... Among all these chaos, I saw one lovely girl who was monitored by her mom - that was Jenny and Eric's daughter Georgia. She was so good: walking around quietly, listening to the stories, and putting the puzzles together. I saw the importance of a mom in shaping a kid's character and temperament. Jenny was gently guiding and monitoring Georgia all the time! She set such a great example for me!

After the party, we went out to watch the fireworks. None of us knew where the fireworks were. Finally we stopped at a park along Parkwood just North of the Dr. Pepper's ball park. We didn't see the Frisco fireworks at PizzaHut Plaza. But we saw some of the fireworks from Dr. Pepper's ball park after the baseball game. Most importantly, we enjoyed the cool weather and the company of our friends. After we came home, Amy and Kendall already cleaned the kitchen. It was a lot of cleaning!!! We wished they had relaxed and watched the fireworks on TV instead.

It was a fun day! Here are a few pictures that I borrowed from Lori (Thank you Lori for taking pictures and taking care of the kidos!)

The Big Day - Boy or Girl?

Today is a big day for David and me since we were going to find out whether the baby is a girl or a boy! Because tomorrow is the July 4th holiday, our office was closed at 1:00pm. David came over at 11:45am so that we could have lunch at CA's cafeteria before the doctor's appointment. We made a good time to the hospital. The receptionist had called us that the ultrasound technician couldn't be here today so we had to go to the lab upstairs. It turned out to be a blessing since the facility was so much better than the one in the doctor's office. As soon as we stepped into the lab, the lights was turned off. Everything about the baby was shown in the big flat screen on the wall! The technician did a full examination, including the four valves of the heart, spines, lips, other organs, ... it was amazing to see how much they can check on the baby! Our baby was so coorperative that we had five wonderful closeup pictures. In the end, the technician asked us:" Do you want to find out the gender?" "Yes!" David and I answered eagerly. "I thought you accidentally told us already since you said 'he' in one of your sentence." David could always pick up cues from other people. "Oh, I was just using general terms. Actually it's a GIRL!" She showed us why she believed it was a girl. We were so happy to know that!

She also gave us the detailed information about the baby. She weighs 1 lb, which is a little bit heavier than average. Everything falls into the range. So she is absolutely normal! We were amazed at the pictures the technician gave us. The doctor's visit after that was short and easy. When the doctor listened to the heartbeat. The heartbeat suddenly stopped. I wondered what happened. The doctor searched around and suddenly he picked up the heartbeat from the other side of my tummy - the baby did a big summersaut! On the way out of the doctor's office, we bumped into Pam and Vincent. They just had their sonogram and they are having a girl too! They said their daughter was so shy that she hid herself during the sonogram so they didn't get many close-up pictures. David and I wished they had some good pictures!

Amy, Kendall, and Chloe came at 6:00pm. Chloe slept all the way from Austin. We went to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. Then we went to Fish On Fire to get the gift card for Tom's birthday. On the way home, Chloe began to cry. We knew that she must be hungry. We stopped at a building along 75. But Chloe didn't stop crying until she was fed and held by Amy. Amy ended up holding her all the way home, hoping that the policeman wouldn't notice us. That was a rare breakdown for Chloe. She had been so good and we were all proud of her good temperament!

Cleaning Day

I had planned to go to WalMart during the lunch time to pick up some grocery for the July 4th party. But I didn't bring the laundry with me. The cleaner is just across street from WalMart. With the roaring gas price, I'd rather combining the trips. So I headed home instead. At the intersection of Hedgcoxe and Prestonmeadow, right around the corner of my house, two plice cars blocked the road. A firetruck stopped in the middle. A white van was slowly pulled up to the towing truck. Someone made mistake! I thought. All the traffic was directed to the North. "I could have gone to WalMart - the distance I drive now is the same as, if not longer than going to WalMart! What a waste of time." I complained in my heart. Suddenly I drew my attention:" Wait a minute. It was me who chose to waste the time: I could have used the time to pray for the people who were involved in the accident, instead of complaining! If I knew the people who were in the accident, my attitude would have been totally different." I felt sorry for my momentarily negative thoughts. So for the rest of the time when I took the detour to get home, I prayed for them.

After I got home from work, I was surprised that David cooked dinner already! It was so delicious that I ate everything. After dinner, we read Provers 1 together. Then David started cleaning the house for the July 4th gathering without being asked. He did such a great job that all the hardware are sparkling and all the tiles and countertops were fresh clean. He vacuumed, dusted, organized all the rooms. I was so fortunate to have such a wonderful husband! We cleaned the swing and the stroller for Chloe to use. We are looking forward to having Amy, Kendall, Chloe and Presley over during the weekend!

I investigated some natural cleaning stuff that are safe for babies. Here is a good website: http://www.ourgreenhouse.com/foundations/store/scresults.asp?category=40

Congratulations to Gail and Robert for their new granddaughter KAYLEIGH REESE GAYLORD!