Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

It is the time of the year again. It is a grest time to reflect on a year coming to an end and another year starting.

In Wu's family, we are very grateful and thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for everything that He has done and everything that He has given us.

We are also grateful for our families and friends around us who gave us a lot of support throughout the year.

I hope that we can all take time to rest, relax and reflect. Above all, remember what Christmas is all about - Jesus Christ coming to live amongst us in preparation for his death and resurrection so that we can all be saved.

Carol, Stephen and baby Nathan wish everyone a very happy and safe Christmas. All the bests for the New Year to come!

From Baby Nathan 朗研

Photo taken with Nikon D300 with Neutral Picture Control with Saturation +1.

Nathan Celebrated his 1 Month Birthday - With Style

On 11 December 2008, Nathan celebrated his first month birthday. It is a milestone for both mum and baby. Mum completed her 1-month confinement according to Chinese tradition.

At the same time, Nathan's celebration was nothing short of style and tradition too - shaving of his birth hair. It is a family or cultural tradition believing that baby hair will regrow faster and more dense.

Mum was first a little concerned about his bald look. I thought it was going to be fun.

On the day, my hairdresser came to my home (it was very kind of him). We laid down a big towel on the floor and put Nathan on that. He opened his eyes a bit and checked what's happening.

The hairdresser started shaving. Nathan must be feeling quite comfortable as he was falling asleep again. It must be because of the extra cooling that he was getting. He slept all the way to the end of the 30-minute shaving session.

Nathan looks like a little monk!! Haha, very funny. I know, I know... you guys will be asking about the photo... Here it is:

From Baby Nathan 朗研

Photo taken with Nikon D300 with Neutral Picture Control Saturation+1

God's miracle on every one of us!

Today celebrates Nathan's first month milestone. As I reflect on the past month seeing Nathan coming to this world, one of my old thoughts about God re-surfaces - each one of us is a miracle from God.

We understand that a single cell divides into two, then four, then eight.... Different types of cells form different parts of the body. Eventually, a human body is formed - a baby. As time passes, each one of us grows up.

Perhaps, all we understand are just observations rather than what makes this possible.

Do we really understand why this happens? DNA is currently the answer but I still argue that we are still only making observations rather understanding how a single cell can become a human body which seems to have infinte complexity.

As I look at Nathan, I see him making funny faces and noises while he sleeps. He also moves his arms around at times when he sleeps. How's that possible? No one taught him that. How about the fact that Nathan (or any baby) automatically switches from getting supply of oxygen via the umbilical cord to via the lung right at the first breath!!

This is one of the interesting posts that Nathan makes:

From Baby Nathan 朗研

I cannot stop to be amazed by the imprints of God's design in each one of us by simply looking at Nathan.

If you are doubting whether the creator of the world exists, I encourage you to start exploring by just thinking about a miracle that has already happened to you - the design and growth of your very human body!

Photo taken with Nikon D300 (NCP Neutral with Saturation +1) and AF-S 18-200mm VR.

God's Grace

I spoke quite a bit about baby Nathan but not much about the one who gave us this precious child - the creator of life, God.

Carol and I waited for many years for a child. During the waiting journey, God kept reminding Carol (and I) that His promise would come true. While I was not upset, Carol went through quite a bit of agony and medical procedures along the way. Doctors said that it was difficult for Carol to conceive and her obstetrician was surprised that we didn't try IVF at all.

It is our belief that God is the creator of life and He will give a child to us in His time. We keep our faith with God and He never let us down.

God also provided us with an excellent obstetrician. Yes, Carol had to go through a long labouring period of 17 hours and still ended up with cesarean section. God's provision was well ahead of us. The obstetrician did an excellent job and Carol did not feel any pain with the wound after the operation.

All these had happened with divine provision from God but not co-incident or luck. If anyone of you reading this is still in doubt of God, I invite to give a chance to yourself to explore more about God.

Here is a photo of Nathan sleeping. His hands move around quite a bit during his sleep. In this incident, he shows that he has inherited some of his mum's sleeping habit of covering part of his face while sleeping.

From Baby Nathan 朗研

Photo taken with Nikon D300 with Neutral Picture Control with +1 saturation.