counting down the days...

Til I am on vacation! yahoo! Two more days and we're off. It will be the last major vacation time until baby Chang makes his debut. These past few days have been kind of a whirlwind as we have started to prepare for all the baby stuff that will invade our house... So far we've...

* Gotten hand me downs (baby gear and some clothes) from Elaine, Andy's cousin. That was SO SO helpful. Let me tell you. I can't believe how expensive baby things are. Sheesh. If you want to gripe about a retail industry that preys upon the moms-who-want-the-best for their kids, then you for sure can gripe about the baby product industry.

* Re-arranged our master bedroom. We have a one bedroom apartment and Andy doesn't feel too good about sticking the baby out in the living room in the middle of the dead winter (he arrives in March) so we've decided to keep him in the room with us. It's funny but before you re-arrange your room, you may just be okay with the status quo of how its arranged. But, after you make some adjustments, at least in this case, I realize that our room has SO much more wall space, walking space, just space in general. I mean, I knew our bedroom was a pretty good sized room, but I am definitely appreciating that our bedroom is such a pretty good sized room! haha.

* Re-arranged our living room, dining room. So, because we had to re-arrange our bedroom, we've had to switch some furniture around the rest of the apartment so now our living room is slightly different (addition/subtraction of some pieces of furniture) and our dining room also has been updated. I intend to fight the war against clutter so hopefully the new arrangements will be conducive to that! After I finished school this past September, I've been purging and donating stuff that's been in our place for the 2.5 years that we've been there. So, before we started this whole re-arranging business, I've already gone through the whole apartment once and organized and re-organized all our belongings. Hehe. It's nice to be able to build upon what you've already done.

Now that the outward frame is ready, all we need left is..

* Crib. Yay. At first we thought maybe we'd just go with a used crib on Craigslist. That prompted the endless search on craigslist, researching on what's safe and what's not. Then, earlier this month, there was a massive recall on drop-side cribs (where one side of the railing can be lowered for ease of reaching the baby) as an infant had died caught in between the railings. *shudder* Due to the incident, there have been numerous news reports and whatnot analyzing the safety issues with drop-side cribs. So, that basically meant we needed to forget the used crib idea and find a new crib. Anyhow, I think we've decided to keep things basic and all (especially since we really don't want to overcrowd our 1 BR) and hopefully will be able to have the crib all ready after we return from vacation.

* Miscellaneous baby stuff, like clothes, blankets etc. But that's the easiest really of all the things we need.

So, given all of the above, it appears that Andy and I are pretty ready. Honestly, what else would the little guy need in the first few months of his existence? hahaha.

tis the holiday season...

which means really slow days at work. I mean, really, really, slow. We've just about wrapped up all our major events of the year, and though we're gearing up for next semester, things have come to a lull. Starting next week, the week of December 14th, it's going to be even slower. Half of my co-workers in the suite will most likely be gone (some have already been MIA this week) and really, that just means the office is even quieter and more dead than it usually is. Normally, I don't mind the quietness as I can go about as I please, reading and vegging, taking my time with my projects. Perhaps the weather has some effect to it but I am a bit antsy these past few days. Oh, and I guess being preggo doesn't really help either. haha. Anyhow, I suppose I should be glad since this means less stress and less stress is good for the baby. Still...

the enjoyment of Grace...

We should not have a commercial mind. Salvation is based upon grace. The Lord Jesus has done everything for us, and there is no need for us to work. The kingdom reward, however, is according to our work, according to the price we pay. If we pay the price, then the Lord will give us a reward. It may seem that the reward is purchased by our work. If we think this, then we are like Peter with a commercial mentality. We need to be reeducated to see that even the reward is based upon grace. The way to receive the reward is not to pay the price, but to enjoy grace.

To be saved is to receive grace, and to gain the reward is to enjoy the grace we have received. When we believed in the Lord, we received grace and were saved. After receiving grace we must learn to enjoy grace. To leave all things behind and follow the Lord is not to pay a price; it is to enjoy the grace we have received. Do not think that you have sacrificed anything. What you sacrifice is just dung; it is vanity of vanities. Everything under the sun is vanity. Your education, position, and future are all vanity. Dung cannot be considered a price. To leave all things behind is to be unloaded and released. You have been under the heavy load of your position, wealth, and concern for your future. Thus, you need to be unloaded, and the way to be unloaded is to enjoy grace. Grace unloads us. To be unloaded through the enjoyment of grace, however, is not to pay a price. We are not here paying a price. Rather, we are enjoying liberation. Hallelujah, I have been liberated! I have been liberated from my relatives, fame, position, future, and everything; I am completely free. I am not paying a price—I am enjoying grace.

Life-Study of Matthew, Message 54

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can't believe it is almost December of 2009!!! Here are some photos of this past weekend for our Thanksgiving feast.

Pictures Here

We had 20 people over and stuffed ourselves silly. Good job Andy on the Turkey!

simply put...

Lord Jesus I love You!

panic attack...

I want to say that I am usually a very calm person. I take care of business, do my bit in planning things out and make sure all the details run smoothly. Yesterday though, I guess you could say I had a panic attack. I went in to the HR department for my office to discuss taking maternity leave in March when baby Chang makes his appearance. Little did I know what the appointment would bring out. I thought I just fill out an application for family leave and that'll be it. Instead, I sat there going over details of pay while I'm gone, child care when I return to work (all the different types and the costs associated with it), accounts Harvard allows parents to set aside for child care payment non taxable, etc. etc. etc. Needless to say, I was really overwhelmed.

I was totally not expecting to be engulfed with all the information that came at me. It probably isn't new information and I should've been expecting this but I wasn't. So then I spent the rest of the day contemplating what I really want to do, what we can afford to do, what I would HAVE to do to make things work. There is no way I can stay home and not work though because financially we need my portion. But then, I can't even imagine leaving baby Chang at 4 months when I return to work with some stranger. Both our moms work so help probably wouldn't be as readily available as most of my friends who have just given birth. Gah! Anyhow, all these thoughts just kept on running through my head and needless to say this one time Andy's super chill and mild mannered nature did nothing to calm my fears and settle my nerves. How much I need to go to the Lord and open these matters up to Him so that I can learn to trust in Him and to look to Him for this new stage in our lives. Paul says in Phillipians that "in nothing I will be put to shame but with all boldness as always even now that Christ be magnified in my body.." I would like the Lord's life to be magnified even in this anxiety filled process!