#11 好！

The Chinese believe that if one has two children, the first is better to be 女, and the second to be 子 - that way you get 好！Well, we're halfway there! As you can see, Sarah is pretty chuffed that she's a girl. It'd be pretty weird to have a boy named Sarah.

#10 Professional caregivers

What expectant parents need the most at their hour of need are nurses and doctors with a ready word of encouragement and support. They take the fussiest request for anything sincerely and get right on it. They take the silliest questions and make them sound like they are the most natural thing to ask. Best of all, we saw this in the Thomson Angels regardless of their nationality - Filipinos, Chinese, Singaporeans. So to Leslie, Joycelyn, Susan, and whoever else we were too flabbergasted to remember your name - thank you.

Sincerely, 

Aaron, Jasmine & Sarah Wong

#9 A child is born

Well, there just had to be a twist at the end, hadn't there? There was little dilation, and so Sarah had to be born by Caesarean section. Interestingly, we were not at all nervous and just considered it an unexpected turn of events. I was so cool I started taking photos in the operating theatre, and got told off for distracting the good doctor. Best part was, at the end of it all, I forgot the money shot - the clock. I also wanted to capture me in the surgical gown for posterity and politely asked the nurse to take a photo. "Now?" she asked incredulously. "They're all waiting for you." Well, it was my first time.

I don't think it's sunk in yet for me (typically), but fatherhood is well and truly the scariest thing ever. It's like any decision you make from here on in could scar her for life, down to which brand of diapers she uses. Wrong choice, and they're gonna recall the diapers because they're made with radioactive lead powder. Well, if all goes well, our Sarah is gonna live nice and long and be the godly woman her mother already is.

#8 A relatively smooth pregnancy

Apart from the usual acid reflux, spells of giddiness and nausea, Jasmine has been blessed with a relatively straightforward pregnancy. When we hear of horror stories of frequent bleeding, fainting spells and miscarriages, we feel we are well and truly blessed the first time round. Our thoughts go out to our friends and colleagues who face a far more testing time. As I type this, Jasmine is having her epidural for a less painful solution, the last step in a pregnancy that we hoped to be as pain- and fuss-free as possible. This is it.

#7 Family

I think I didn't really appreciate family until we moved out of my parents' place. The home-cooked meals, the clean floor, the nagging to drink water - these are some of the things I actually miss now that I've to take responsibility for them. Rest assured, when the time comes, we'll take care of our parents, just as well as they have taken care of us.

#6 Steamboat!

Nothing beats a gathering of friends on a cold December day over a simmering pot of hot dog, fishball, whatever-was-accidentally-thrown-in goodness. Nothing screams immediate gratification like cooking your food and eating it on the spot. Best of all, grab your ladle, dip it in, and eat whatever you get. You might get the odd broken chopstick.

#5 Having friends over at our place

We intended our home to be a place where friends and family could hang out, fellowship, talk, without being dominated by a television in the living room. Hence, the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf where anyone can bury themselves in a tome or two, or answer revealing questions about their personality through Kokology. After all, the environment must espouse the values we uphold: that social interaction is important.

#4 Java, joe, kopi

Without fail, every morning, a hot (or iced) cup of coffee awaits me so I start my day right. If she's not working the next day, my wife'll make it the night before and pop it in the fridge. Bless.

#3 Baked goodies

I'm so blessed that my wife's hobby is to bake. During the holidays, it is not uncommon to wake up to the smell of freshly baked muffins. Ah, bless.

#2 Restaurant coupons

I'm grateful for those little coupons restaurants hand out when you sign up for their membership. Yes, I know they've factored in the cost and they do it to lure you back, but let's just say I'm a sucker for such things. I like to get bang for my buck.

#1 Homecooked meals

No matter how tired she is, my wife never fails to whip up something delicious, from 5-minute molten chocolate cakes to instant noodles (which happen to be my favourite). She's the best cook in the house, though she'll say she's the only cook in the house.