Not Oral Herpes!!

Charis didn't have Oral Herpes! We brought her to KK Hospital & the doctor said it was only bacteria infection. She agree with me that it didn't even look like Oral Herpes. Angry that the doctor made a wrong diagnosis & even charged us so expensive, but happy that it is just bacterial infection :)

She's been feeling much better & not cranky anymore. Back to her normal self!

Sick sick sick

Charis had been sick for the past 1 week. It started with fever & a blister began to appear on her lower lips after the fever subsided. At 1st we thought it was probably a pimple due to her playing with saliva as she has a fond habit of licking her lips with her tongue. Later it swell & there was even some pus in it.

Then the drama began... She would become very cranky & would cry & whine non stop, even in the middle of the night. James would have to carry her in his arms as she slept as she just refused to be put on the bed. There was one night she even demanded to lie sleeping on his chest till about 4am before he can finally "sneak" her onto the bed. Poor James! He had to try to catch his much deprived sleep while in that sitting position carrying her.

This reminded me of her when she was having colic in her early months. She would cling onto us & would want to sleep on our chest in this position. On bad days, we would have to carry her for hours like that as she slept.

I was feverish & having running nose the last few days, so I was feeling drowsy most of the times. When I cannot "tahan" anymore & retire early to bed, James would be left alone for the battlefield, though I would sometimes be awaken by her screams & would try to take over her. He has really been a great daddy! He's more than Charis & me could ask for. Sometimes because of the pain & discomfort, she can't even get to sleep even though she's exhausted. She'll then get frustrated with herself by kept pulling her hair & rubbing her eyes in irritation, which then add on to her crankiness.

When we brought Charis to her Paediatrician (PD-doctor that specializes in children), the PD said she has Oral Herpes! How did it ever happen? It was simply unbelievable especially when we don't have such condition, so where else could she "catch" it from?

The PD told us her there's sores all inside her mouth, & her gums are so swollen she can't even see her teeth anymore! That's bad! We have never realised that because Charis just refused to open her mouth for us. Maybe it was just too painful for her to do that. That explains the all the crankiness. Heart pain!

Anyway, we'll be bringing her to KK Hospital for 2nd opinion tonight because we don't believe Herpes can be diagnosed just through "looking & observing" only. I only believe in laboratory results. If she has to be diagnosed of something not as minor as cold & flu, then I demand to have at least some form of investigation done.

Anyway, for just "look & diagnose", the PD charges us $194! I should have studied harder last time & be a doctor. Not only can I earn lots of $$, but I'll also save some from my kids medical fees too. But more important than all these $$, we pray that Charis will recover fast & the pain & discomfort will disappear soon!

The Grace of God

Many people asked me why I named my baby girl "Charis" & what does it mean? When I was pregnant, we chose that name without qualms. "Charis" means "God's grace" in Greek. Not only was she a gift from God, but she had been born with God's grace over her & our lives.

2 doctors we consulted told me that I would have difficulty conceiving. Even if I managed to conceive, there would be a high chance of miscarriage.

Within months later, I was pregnant. There was no miscarriage, & Charis was born.

In my previous blog entries I had shared in my pregnancy, Charis did have some medical complications as a foetus. I had to rely on medication to stabilize her & help her to grow in my womb. It wasn't a smooth nor easy pregnancy.

She had to be born prematurely at 35 weeks by induced labour due to her medical condition. Not only was she not growing, but the water level in my womb was also declining rapidly at a dangerous rate towards the 7th month of my pregnancy term.

She hadn't grow well inside of me due to her medical condition. Thus when she was born, she was sooOoOo small. Weighing only 2.4kg, everyone would comment upon seeing her, "She's so small! She's the tiniest baby I'd ever seen!" etc. Our friends even took pictures of her with an iPhone placed besides her because even an iPhone was bigger than her face! She was just so small.

However, after all that we had been through, we are just thankful that she was born - alive & kicking, no matter how small she was.

The 1st day she was born, the hospital did a hearing test on her. She failed. The doctor said her hearing wasn't probably fully developed since she was born prematurely. Will she remain deaf for the rest of her life? Probably & likely.

We were sad, but we remained thankful to God for her. One month later, we did the hearing test again. She passed!

Today, she is still a "mini-baby". I call her my cheeky "xiao bu dian". But she is a healthy baby who's growing well with no medical issues. When friends see her, they now comment, "She used to be so tiny, but now she's growing so well already!"

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb." Ps 139:13

Isn't God's words so true? He's the one who formed us in our mother's womb. He crafted us individually & personally. The Bible says He even knows the number of hair we have on our head.

When we go through difficulties & storms in our lives, we may be pulling our hair out, but He still knows the number of hair that remains on our head. Not only had He counted them while in our mother's womb, but He is constantly counting them, even right now.

Because every hair matters to Him. Every event, every hurt, every pain & sorrow, every tear matters.

If God had known Charis & loves her even when she has no "form" in my womb, how much more would He loves us whom He knew for an even longer time? How much more would He loves us whom He has a relationship with & whom He calls His "child"?