Happy 14th Year Anniversary, my dear!

Dearest Qi Qi,

Happy 14th Year Anniversary!

Just reminiscing and recalling to myself how we used to celebrate our monthly anniversaries when we first got together. And we were really excited about our 1st Year Anniversary as well. In a blink of an eye, 168 months have zoomed by us and we are celebrating our 14th year as a couple.

14!

In that 'short' span of 14 years, so many things have changed or occured to us and our families. Undergoing conscription, ORD, graduating from our universities, getting our first pay cheques, changing jobs, a nephew for us, a sad loss in the family as well. Significantly for us, we got engaged, then married, bought our own place and stayed on our own, and then of course the life-changing event - the birth of our child.

As we age, our focus have also shifted. While spending time on our own used to be something we enjoyed rather frequently, with the demands of work (official & unofficial), household chores and the child, that has become a luxury which we hardly get to taste. Even on the rare occasions we do find time alone, there is still the fatigue factor and it almost always ends up as a rushed affair as well. Which is why I really treasure and value even more all these time I can spend together with you. My biggest present for our anniversary would be to spend a quiet meal with you without distractions like the iPhone or any talk about diapers.

Over the past 1 year especially, I have seen how much we have had to sacrifice for and contribute to the family. It has not been easy, but we should make use of this opportunity to give ourselves a pat on our shoulders and say, "Well done, baby!"

But really, the biggest thing I want to say is that my love for you never ceases to grow by the day. Each day I wake up, I am thankful that I get to spend another day with you. Long may it continue, and I really hope we will be lucky enough to bai tou xie lao. That would make me the richest man on Earth, for sure.

On this special day, I would love to say, thank you dearest for all that you've been to me. I am looking forward to the next block of 14 years to see what is in store for us.

Loving you always.

Jeff

Golden Words

And just like that, it happened. Right out of the blue, on a typical Tuesday morning, out came the words - clear, crisp and unequivocal.

I had just woken Yaya up from her morning slumber, to get her ready for the ride to her Granny’s place. As I led her out of bed bleary-eyed, I told her gently as I normally did in the mornings, “Let’s look for Ma Ma.”

“Ma ma,” she echoed.

Wanting to confirm what I had heard, I repeated myself. “Yes, let’s go look for Ma Ma.”

“Ma ma!” she shrieked, louder this time, but with equal conviction and clarity.

And so we waddled towards the living-room. “Dear, she’s calling you!” I exclaimed to the unsuspecting Qi Qi.

And there she went, repeating the 2 words over and over again. After months of unsuccessful cajoling and probing, it felt like payback time as Yaya went on and on. Yet it did not sound like a broken record at all. A perfect start to an otherwise dreary-looking day.

So there you have it. Another surprise from our bible The Joys of Parenthood. How sweet such surprises can be indeed.

Just ask Qi Qi. =)