Couplehood

My Lady, My Alarm Clock

Ring, Ring.

Early Schmearly
The Mrs Koh, as you may know, is a teacher in a Primary School. This means that she operates in Fiji Time (kidding). It also means that I have to start the day about 2 whole hours earlier.

Time Emigration
To this date, I've been relatively successful at being a Polynesian. It helps that the Missus boots me out of bed before it's too late (sometimes very tenderly, with kisses; sometimes more violently, with hard and uncomfortable things). Mind you, I've never been a morning person - yet somehow I've taken to it quite well, and I'm actually starting to enjoy it. Thanks dear, for waking me up every morning, and making sure I get my 7 hours of rest.

Sleepus Interruptus
But the real reason behind this post is that the lady hasn't been getting enough sleep. I may have told you that this has been a tough pregnancy so far for her; the bloated-ness, the spotting, the evening-and-morning sicknesses, the nausea, the emotional roller coaster rides, and the gastritis. All business as usual for preggers - from what we've been reading - still, it's a trying time for her, being a first-time pregger. The pregnancy keeps her up a lot at night. I can't imagine what it must be like for her.

"It Was So Soon, But I Had Forgotten."
I was awe-struck one day by we had a conversation in bed, just reflecting over the week's events. It had been a tough week for her, but she was being incredibly strong about the whole thing. Then she asked me, "do you know why I'm able to do all this?" I was silent, anticipating her answer. "Because dear, I love you. That's why."

I'm not worthy, nope.

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While I'd love to share more about my secrets of being an early riser, I think you'd find that there are zillions of sites online telling you how to do it successfully. Suffice to say, it's great being an early riser. All I ask is a good chance to sleep in on Saturdays.

Weekends Are For Sorting Your Thoughts Out

Just a Moment, Please.

I'm thankful for the break over the weekends. I'm not sure if I could survive (mentally) without it.

So, This is What It's Like

Only 1 Inch of Wood, But A Million Miles Apart

I remember someone (probably on TV, but I forget) saying "there will be no locked doors in my house". After last night's incident - though for absolutely harmless reasons - I've learned my lesson.

No locked doors, no secrets, dear.

I Just Realised I'm Not That Young Anymore

I Know How He Feels

Facebook Reminds You of Your Friends' Brithdays. And Your Impending One.
Just over the weekend, some of my old classmates celebrated their 27th birthday, marking their irreversible stumble into the realm of the "late twenties". That's a journey the Missus and I will be making this year too, though that won't be the main highlight this year.

I was thinking: we're both not all that young, and we're probably more prepared for familyhood than we think.  Thinking back over the years, I'm seeing how the Good Lord has prepared us for our roles in a marriage, if somewhat indirectly through the harder knocks of life. Still there's lots to get ready for.

The Humbling Heartbeat
Just last week, the Missus saw our little one's heartbeat as it throbbed in a small corner. I missed it, and I'm beating myself up for missing it (because of work - her appointment was in the afternoon after all). I'm determined not to miss the next one.

When I got the call about the heartbeat, I was moved to near-tears. I'm not sure which got to me most - whether it was the baby's unmistakable sign of life, or if it was the reality of fatherhood once again reinforcing itself in my mind. Probably both, really.

That sort of made me feel young and inexperienced again. I think that goes for both of us.

Just Sneaking a Post in for the Week

Dog Tired

This week's been a busy week for Mr & Mrs Koh, but the biggest downer is that we've not had as much time to spend with each other as we'd like. It didn't help that we spent a third of our time together this week shaking off the shock of having a cyclist crash into our car.

Sounds like a weekend of togetherness is in order.

We've been keeping track of  the progress of the little one as closely as we can, and while there's still some cause to worry, there's not  much we can do apart from placing it in the hands of the Lord. There will be a scan for Mrs. Koh in  afternoon, which I'm hoping will give us some peace of mind.

I know I should be home earlier, dear. I'll be home earlier today. Maybe we can catch Mary Poppins later if you're up to it?

 

It's True, It's True.

 
Yep.

I'll Just Say It
We've already made a soft announcement in Church, so for all who haven't heard, Angela's about 3 weeks pregnant. Trust me, we're more surprised than you are. We're certain it's a blessing from the Lord (the pregnancy's pretty much a miracle seeing the near statistical impossibility), so amidst the shock and stupefication, we're rejoicing, and are very excited.

It Probably Happened In Tassie
That puts the date of conception somewhere during our stay in Tassie (our honeymoon location), and if you know your way around, it was probably somewhere in Freycinet or Richmond. Our friends have been speculating when exactly it happened, but we don't think that's important now. (Adrian's sidenote: Did I mention that my sister's expecting too? She's just 5 weeks ahead of us. Phew.)

We've Not Even Gotten Used To The Sheets Yet
I'm just amazed at how quickly this is all happening. We've just barely settled down in our new room, and we were barely through the first change of sheets when we found out (December 25th - what a Christmas present!). Now, we're parents of a 3 week old (gender undetermined), and suddenly we've got a lot (A LOT) of decisions and adjustments to make.

I Can't Even Count Them, When I Don't Know What They Are
Alright, so we're a little clueless. It helps heaps when there are plenty of experienced parents around us (thank you MBC mums!) and that they are all very helpful and more than willing to lend a hand. We're not resting on our haunches, though - we've gotten 2 books on the whole pregnancy, um, thing, so we're trying to do as much homework as we can on the job.

So it's preparation, and a whole lot of money-saving. Yep.

What I Think About All This
We had the week to get over the fact and to give it a good think through. We've also been busy discussing family and friends about our pleasant surprise, and we're amazed at how merciful God is at helping us settle issues of our convictions on couplehood and familyhood. 

This new year's, God's teaching us one thing (again): He's in total control, and there are no mistakes or accidents in His plan.

Just a Prayer Request
The pregnancy is slightly high-risk now, we're praying for the safety and health of the baby. We appreciate your prayers alongside us!