My Last Child, Ariel Chow

She was born on 28/07/04, the same day as her cousin, Natasha. Her birth was not as smooth as the first two. My wife's placenta came lower than Ariel's head and she was not growing well in the womb. She had to be delivered by cesarean earlier than expected (her expected due birth was actually National Day!). For the first time in my life again, I get to witness the birth of life in a totally different manner. My wife chose to be awake during her operation (she wanted to be awake to see the baby the moment she is delivered! Very brave of her!) while I chose to support my wife by being present in the operation theater to witness the whole delivery! For the first time, I see my wife being "sliced open" and hands digging into her body to reach for the baby. After a short game of hide and seek, Ariel's head finally immersed! My wife was feeling terrible then. I can see that she was suffering as her face turned pale and she looked as if she is going to depart from me. I prayed hard that she will be able to feel better and that the baby can be out quickly. Within the next minute, Ariel was fully out of her womb! The placenta followed and they did another round of operation on my wife (it's called ligation - factory shut-down - my sincere thank you to my wife for our wonderful productions). We decided to stop at 3 so that we have just the right quantity to provide the best quality care and concern for our kids.

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We named her Ariel because it comes naturally after Ekklesia. Remember Ekklesia stands for the church, a group of people called out for God? Well, Ariel is another Hebrew name for Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a very special city in the eyes of God. It is a city where God has chosen to place His name and where He has chosen to dwell with His people. Although there is a present Jerusalem in Israel today, the Jerusalem that I am referring to is the future and glorious city which is mentioned in the last book of the Bible: Revelation. This city is where God's people will dwell forever. It is THE place where "happily ever after" really takes place! We named her after this city to remind ourselves of the hope that we have as Christians!

Tell you a secret: If what I believe is not true (meaning if Jesus Christ, the son of God, did not come into this world to die for my sins (no one is perfect, right?) and resurrect (made alive after He died) again, then what I believe is but a big prank that I played on myself. However, if what I believe is true (which no one is able to disprove till today, I'm serious), then you have been fooled (by the Devil) to live on in life without God and you will be heading towards a place where you will live "unhappily ever after" (aka Hell or Lake of fire). To avoid that, simply believe what God has done for us and start living! Getting a bit preachy but what I am saying here is sincerely from the bottom of my heart!

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Back to Ariel my daughter. She is a very quiet and easy baby. She literally slept most of the time during the first few months after birth. In fact, she is sleeping so much that we began to be worried, thinking something is wrong with her. A check with the doctor revealed that she is just a sleepy little girl who wants to grow and grow. Do you know that you will grow more if you sleep more? Until now, she is a very quiet baby who sometimes can be so quiet that she does not even cry out for milk when she is hungry. We are a little worried for her as she is developing a bit slower than her cousin who is born on the same day. Her cousin can now eat a handful of rice while she can hardly eat one grain of rice!

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Oh well, although she seem slower in other areas as well (like her hair is not growing fast and she is often mistaken as a boy), we are still very happy and proud of her for who she is. A quote from the movie, Robots, express how we feel: She shines no matter what she is made of! I am a proud father of 3 very adorable kids (undeniably true, right?) and I hope that they will all grow up happily and passionate about life! I don't expect them to be scholars (unless they choose to) but I hope that they are able to pursue their dreams and challenge themselves to fulfill them one day!