Happy Birthday, Julianne.

Hi Everybody,

This is Julianne Hannah Sam. I just turned 1 year old. Now I am not a baby anymore. I have become a toddler. The book "What to Expect the First Year" says that the sympton of a toddler is: "a my way or the highway mind set: I am toddler, Hear me Roar." I think it might be true. You can observe how I behave this coming year. My mommy and daddy will tell you more how I develop in 2009. I sleep 11 hours at night from 9:30 p.m.-8:30 am and take 2 naps during the day (1-2 hours each time).

Now I can cruise (walk around by holding the furniture) and crawl around the whole house. I am very energetic and active. That's the reason why I keep my mommy and daddy very busy. My mommy had to switch her full-time job as an interpreter to a part-time job, so she can spend more time with me. I am glad about that. My mommy calls me "sticky bun" because I follow her everywhere. When she goes to the washroom, I have to go in with her as well. I have separation anxiety. When I don't see my mommy, I feel anxious.

I am glad that I am 1 year old. I had a birthday party, but to my surprise, all my guests were adults. Hopefully, I will have more little friends attend my 2nd birthday party next year. Mommy and daddy bought me a cake. I didn't eat it because I am allergic to egg white. As you are seeing my cute pictures, you are very welcome to give me some feedback and comments. Thank you for viewing my blog.

We are moved back to Saskatoon

Kevin wrote: "It has been a month and a half since I (Kevin) finished internship in Prince Albert, Sask. I've had a very good experience in internship. We have moved back to Saskatoon where I will finish my final course, which will be completed by the first week of October. Then the next step is to prepare for my colloquy,which where I sit in front of an examining committee of 7-8 people who will grill me with questions to make sure I'm kosher for the job of being a pastor. I just hope I don't get too nervous and say something stupid. I'm very excited about all of this stuff coming up in the next few months, but in the midst of this anticipation, this will be an uncertain transitional period for us. I will soon be open to taking a call to ministry in the very near future--I hope. So at this point, we are uncertain where our family will be moving to next; perhaps we will remain in Saskatchewan or even move away from the province. Whatever happens, we will continue to trust in the Lord because we know that everything is in God’s hands." Please keep us in your prayers. Blessings to all of our friends.

Julianne is slowly getting bigger. She is about 14 pounds now, which seems to be a little on the light side but we are not big people either. But the important things is that Julianne is underweight or overweight. She just started to learn to say “Mama” last week. I (Kevin) can’t wait until she can say “Baba.”

[Alice to add here: ]

At home enjoying Julianne

We really enjoy being with Julianne. These days, Alice is staying at home to take care of Julianne during the day. When I get home, I will spend time with baby too and help give her a bath. Holding and playing with baby gives me a lot of joy these days.

Julianne has really improved her tummy time. This is when she lays on her tummy. When she gets tired, we put her on her back. We can see that see is getting stronger.

I like to lift her up and help her stand. Her legs are getting stronger. When we give her a bath, Julianne likes to kick. When this happens, she splashes water all over the bathroom floor. Here’s a picture of her taking a bath.

She also likes to have some time alone inside her little “house”. She will lay inside and listen to some soft music. When she gets bored, she will let us know.

Baby Julianne's baptism

Baby Julianne H. Sam was baptized on Easter Sunday. March 23, 2008 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Prince Albert, Sask. where I am interning. Pastor Dan officiated in her baptism. My parents came up to Prince Albert for this great occasion.

In this liturgical rite, what was said included a part I really like:

Pastor: In Christian love you have presented these children for Holy Baptism. You should, therefore, faithfully bring them to the services of God’s house, and teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments. As they grow in years, you should place in their hands the Holy Scriptures and provide for their instruction in the Christian faith, that, living in the covenant of their Baptism and in communion with the Church, they may lead godly lives until the day of Jesus Christ.

Do you promise to fulfill these obligations?

Parents: I do.

Later….

Pastor: I ask you to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the Church, the faith in which we baptize.

Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises?

Parents: I do.

Pastor: Do you believe in God the Father?

Parents: Yes… [1^st part of Apostle’s Creed]

Pastor: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Parents: Yes… [2^nd part of Apostle’s Creed]

Pastor: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

Parents: Yes… [3^rd part of Apostle’s Creed]

A sign of the cross was made on her forehead.

Pastor: Julianne, child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.

Day10 pictures of Julianne

Julianne was born 5 lb. 13 oz. (2635 grams) and 18 inches ( 45 cm) in length—a little on the smaller side but that’s okay, she'll get bigger. Her facial features seem to be a little more defined since she Day 1. When babies are first born, I guess they kind of look odd. Now at Day 10, I think she looks a lot cuter than days 1-3. People say she has daddy's lips—I think so too, but she may have mommy's eyes.

Feeding Julianne is easier for me because I feed her with a bottle. I was surprised at how she gulped down a bottle of 70 mL milk. When she can drink 60-70 mL without stopping even once, it means she is hungry. She is feeding at about every 3 hours so her schedule is pretty regular right now.


Since we took Julianne home from the hospital on Boxing Day, it has been really exhausting because we don't get much sleep. But now we're taking shifts during the night. But following the holidays, after I return back to Prince Albert, Sask. on Jan. 2, Alice will stay at my parents place for another 2 weeks so grandma (my mom) can help take care of Julianne and cook for Alice while she recovers from her C-section. I hear it usually takes about a month to recover from these types of surgeries so it's great to have some parents (or grandparents) get involved in taking care of the baby. Well, this is the Asian-style communal family life where others get involved in taking care of the other family members. It also makes life a little easier.


Do you like her one-eyed picture below? She often does that when we pick her up to feed when she's still not fully awake or she is too lazy to open both eyes. She will open just one of her eyes to see who it is, then close it, and start drinking again. The one with her shifty eyes was a lucky photo-opportunity. She's a tough girl who is looking real serious--"Don't mess with me or else!"

Baby Julianne Hannah Sam has arrived

We have just received one of the greatest Christmas gifts ever this Friday. Our baby daughter, Julianne Hannah Sam, arrived on December 21, 2007 at 9:41 a.m. at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. The operation-delivery went very well and Alice is recovering from her C-section. She will probably be able to go home on Monday. Baby Julianne was put into Neo-natal ICU so that the nurses can monitor her breathing more closely. She had a little trouble breathing right after delivery but she is steadily improving each day and no longer needs anymore supplementary oxygen. The nurses have been taking very good care of her. She is sleeping “like a baby” almost 24 hours a day. Her eyes have not yet opened and she cries every time she needs food and a diaper change. We have been able to feed her with milk formula Similac Lactose-Free. Alice is able to produce a little colostrum now (early stage of first-milk) so baby Julianne will be able to get some natural anti-biotics to fight off viruses and enzymes to help her digestion. (also see Kevin's Facebook album of baby Julianne)