Happy 14th Month

Dear Vera,

You are 14 months old. Today, you are happier, stronger, more responsive, more inquisitive and more aware - than ever before. You now have Mommy as your personal assistant by day - no, actually your grandma, greatgrandma and grandaunt as well. Your beloved daddy is all yours at night.

With the turn of the weather, you are feeling better and have been working hard on your movement. You turn left-right-left all day long, trying, still unsuccessfully, to get up on your tummy. You will get there. You are captivated by your own hands - you constantly put them in front of your face - turning them this-way-and-that to check out how they move. You are 'talking' more than ever. We love listening to you mutter to yourself.

Best of all, you have learnt to 'sayang' (Malay for 'be affectionate with') whoever is carrying you. Your previously clenched fists now open to stroke our arms and pat our shoulders! Not forgetting, the way you constantly stare at our besotted faces - intrigued by our moving mouths and the sounds they make. You cannot say a word, but your expressions and gestures speak volumes. You cannot crawl to me, but you've climbed all over my heart.

You continue to defy your death-sentence diagnosis. You continue to thrive, though you are not supposed to. You continue to show that you are far from 'incompatible with life'. You are more than we ever imagined you'd be. You are a miracle to me, every ordinary day.

Love,
Mommy