I was 'cleaning' up my computer and was looking at some old photographs of my children, which brought a smile to my face. They were so chubby and adorable when they were younger. It seemed like just not long ago that I was holding my first newborn in my arms, pacing in the dark, and gently calling him 'beady eyes' for the pair of shiny bright eyes that were trying to survey the environment. He was only a few days old and had not been able to differentiate between day and night. So I held him in the dark and truly enjoyed the moment when there were just the 2 of us. It was also not so long ago that my current colleagues saw me pregnant with my younger one.
My eldest is now 6 years old and has grown into a sensible, articulate and pleasant child. These 6 years have gone by quickly and it wouldn't be long before I lament at how he has grown into a young adult. But there are so many stories to tell about these 6 years - the countless beautiful moments of laughter and play; equally many moments of anger and frustration when our relationship was strained by unmet expectations; the worrying when he got sick and feverish; as well as the high anxiety whenever he was put through his first experiences. I do not have a very good memory, and have to be reminded by photographs that we have.
It took my husband and I more than 4 years into the marriage before we bore our first child. I thought I was barren, as repeated attempts to conceive, with assisted fertility treatments did not succeed. When I was on the verge of giving up, I found out that I was pregnant. We called him Matthew, which means God's gift. It is perhaps this long wait that made me cherish my children so much. Matthew celebrated his 6th birthday yesterday, and today his younger brother Gregory celebrated his 4th birthday. I marvel at how much these boys have grown, physically, socially and cognitively.
Thank God.
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