Past few months

2017 is flying by so fast for me. One reason is my job and the frequent trips to Singapore. I don't mind it too much, honestly, except when it coincides with family events, like Griffin's birthday last May and my birthday this coming October. Oh well. Gotta take the good with the bad. And at least it's only Singapore and it's nice enough to bring Griffin there if needed. 

I've been adjusting to this new role too. Some parts of it are great but I have to admit some parts are not as cool. For one, because I'm an individual contributor, I have to do a lot of admin work and a lot of my concerns are about getting stuff out the door in a manner that is easiest to execute. Haven't thought or operated like this since I was a supervisor in Smart more than 10 years ago. Wild. 

Also, the cultural differences involved in working in a global company entails a lot of adjustment especially for an introvert like me. 

Thirdly, the Visa business is so complicated and complex and I'm trying to learn it as much and as fast as I can but it's really so complicated. Another thing I'm not used to. 

Oh well, it's just work so, it's fine. 

Griffin is also growing so well. I am so very proud. He is very talkative and engaging now, much more than what I am told to expect of boys. Especially the verbal communication. He talks so much and picks up on words really quickly. What amazes us about his verbal skills is he is able to understand the context too and thus uses the words and phrases he picks up in the right way. 

He's also my funny little dude and my happy pill. All the time. I sometimes look at him and am overwhelmed with gratitude. How blessed have I been to have him in my life and call him my son :) He is one amazing fellow and I am excited to see what is in store for him as he grows up. 

Speaking of, I have one more embryo in Kato and had been planning to go back for it. My cycle started last night, which means starting my Kato visits tomorrow. Prior to this, I've been doing my immunology workups and taking my thyroid, aspirin and E meds in preparation. It should be a milder cycle in the sense that it is only a transfer. The extraction part of the process is the more grueling one to the body. But that's all just on the physical side. Emotionally, I feel the transfer side is much more challenging. It's when you technically pass or fail, and that's about huge waves of emotions every which way. 

I haven't written this here yet so might as well bring up a thought I've had for a while. My mom encourages me to harvest eggs again and bank some more embryos for later. After all, science says the younger the eggs, the better. My head agrees and says yes, we should do this. 

BUT. 

My heart is on the fence. 

After this cycle, which is about retrieving my already-fertilized frozen embryo, am I up for another round of extraction and harvesting? 

You see, back in 2011-2014, I prayed one prayer every single day, often multiple times every day. Please give me one child. Give me one child and you will not hear anything else from me. You don't need to give me anything else. This is all I ask of you. 

And He has! The most wonderful, the most amazing little child. 

I feel ungrateful to go back and say please give me another. So I have resorted to praying, if you deem us worthy of a second healthy child, please give us. Careful choice of words. 

Which brings me to the prospect of a fresh IVF round. (1) Am I up for it? (2) Is it okay if I do it again?

I don't know. Hopefully this cycle works and I won't need to make a decision. Pray for me please.  

Valentine's Surprise

So, I woke up to this --

Loooove it!!! I have always sorta wanted one but couldn't being myself to buy one. I dunno why but I feel like since I have some really nice watches already, I shouldn't buy any more. 

Happy to have a husband who seems to like giving me watches :p

Happy V-Day!

White Christmas!!

So, we got back 2 weeks ago from our first ever White Christmas, first long-haul flight together and first long-haul flight with Griffin. Plus, my first holiday season away from my family, as we spent the 3-week holiday with my in-laws in California and Vancouver.

Instead of talking about the actual trip highlights, I thought I'd list down first my favourite moments, not necessarily big moments but certain special memories that i would like to remember:

1. Achievement Unlocked: All the moments we proved to ourselves we can take care of Griffin all on our own, ranging from feeding him (which usually meant we had to take turns eating because our little explorer preferred to wander off instead of sitting on a high chair), bathing him (I would bathe him and Dennis would dress him), keeping him entertained and caring for him when he had the runs from Canada's glacier water. I was prepared for fights/disagreements with Dennis but I'm happy to report we were such a good team!

2. No trip to Cali is complete without theme parking!!! : Our trip to theme parks, especially to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Love love love it!

3. Canada the Cold: Freezing our butts off in Canada, witnessing our first snow together, being at Lianne's wedding reception, reuniting with my childhood friends, visiting my mom's relatives who we haven't seen in years, visiting Ikea Canada, taking Griffin around.

Bottom line, it was a 24-day uninterrupted mommy-and-family time, and I loved it! Ignore my whines about being tired, (although I really was), but it was such a special time to be a full-time parent. I also loved how clingy Griffin was to me, more than usual, maybe because he was in an unfamiliar place, but I looooved it. I am also proud of what we have accomplished together, with our marriage intact! Haha! Dennis is a great partner, and now I can honestly say, we really are a good team :)

Now I'm back to the daily grind, and it's a really busy time at work. I hope I'll get some free time to sort out my mind and jot down the best moments of the trip. If not that, then I hope I get to finish our Fotogra book on it. Pray I am given the time and chance to do so! :p