Women In My Family

The sudden emptiness and silence I feel in this house after my sister and niece 3 days visit urge me to write about this post.  They just left yesterday and I miss them so much already.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is my family.  I have a big and loving family and being the youngest is a bonus.  And I am also blessed with many beautiful and kind nieces and nephews.  They used to be very small and I still remember holding them in my arms as a baby and now they have grown up and eventually become my friend.  Ohhh how time flies!

My sisters…though we have a big age gap between us, are the closest to me.  We used to do fun and sometimes crazy things together and even after I got married we still do things together whenever we have a chance. Shopping, beauty pampering, dining out, travelling … you named it.  And after my mom died, they have become a mother to me.  That is why,  when I got pregnant.. I turned to them for advice and plans about pregnancy, delivery as well as confinement period.  Well, my sister is not an expert about all those things…but she is an expert in finding solutions or someone to do the task.  Myself on the other hand trust her with all my heart.

My sweet nieces...cute babies they were, I didn’t realize that they have grown up until 2 weeks before I was scheduled to do the C-Section delivery.  I still remember….I have to ask my husband to send me earlier to Kota Kinabalu after feeling pains here and there in my body.  I was afraid that I will go on labor much more earlier than the scheduled C-Section by my gynecologist.  The idea of delivering my baby here in Labuan without my family and my trusted gynecologist terrified me so much.  The thing is when we reached my big brother’s house in Kota Kinabalu, he and his wife are leaving to my hometown in Sandakan for a few days.  And my husband also had to go back to Labuan to work.  That means only my 3 young nieces and me at home. I tried to show that I am not worried to my brother and also my nieces.  But deep down inside…only God knows how worried I was.  I keep on thinking, what am I going to do if suddenly I go on labor and only my young nieces are with me.  In other words…I was not confident that I can count on my nieces.

Well…all I can say is how amazed I am of all my 3 young nieces.  Even though they were busy with their classes and sports( two of them are university students and the youngest is in form 4 who was very active in badminton), I never felt alone at home.  They will call me almost every passing hour to ask if I am okay.  They will make sure I have something to eat.  And they will drive me to hospital for review or to anywhere I need to go.  In other words….they were always there for me.  It doesn’t prove that I can count on them if I suddenly go on labor but…it proves something to me…my nieces are a wonderful grown women now and I can count on them about other things.  

A few days before the scheduled C-Section operation and my husband still in Labuan, as always my ‘fun’ sisters took a chance to have some fun with me.  They steal me from our big brother’s house and bring me to a 5 star hotel where they pampered me with food.  It was two days of Breakfast in hotel, Take away Lunch (because I cannot join them shopping) and Seafood family dinner (my favorite).  My sister told me to eat what I want since I won’t be able to eat all those after delivery.  Even though most of the time I was just took rest in the hotel room while they went for shopping, I had a great time.  Talking and sharing jokes over breakfast, lunch and dinner with them is gold for me.  

Three days ago, one of my sisters and one of my nieces (my brother’s daughter) came here to Labuan for a short holiday and of course to visit me and my baby.  My husband and I together with our baby bring them for window shopping and some Raya visiting.  When we at home, my sister pampered us with her cooking skills.  And the final day they here, my husband offered himself to take care of our 2 months baby and let me have fun with my sister and niece. So what else women would do??  Shopping of course…mostly perfumes, chocolates and some liquor for my nephew.  We were having so much fun.  That was the first time I was doing a women thing after having my baby.  Thanks to my hubby.

What am I trying to convey here is I am so glad I am blessed with my loving sisters. Because of them…life is never dull. I began as their little sister….grew up and became their friend and now though I have got married…I am still their friend and…always be a little sister to them.  Ever the spoiled one.  And my nieces…ohhh what a wonderful creature they are.  Because of them, I got a new friend to cherish life. Their beauty, thoughtfulness and the big heart amazed me.  They are the joy to the family and I know they will become a great and strong new generations of our family.  My sisters and my nieces…all I can say is I am so grateful to have these wonderful women in my life.