It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

I'm not sure if that statement is necessarily true but life certainly would be easier on new moms if there was a village on hand to help out. I've felt very lucky over the past few weeks because we're staying with my parents and my aunt from Holland has also been around for the past month on holidays. My brother was here for ten days and left last week. My aunt left last night and my father is leaving tomorrow so things are going to get significantly quieter. And, in another couple of months it will be down to just Richard, me and our two boys.

With the big family group around, we have had days and nights of laughter and more than enough people to keep attention on Aaron as well as help out with Adrian. It has been noisy and there has been endless chatter in the house. Being a family who loves to eat, there has also been the sounds (and smells) of lots of cooking.

I know many families prefer to live separately from their extended families and I also previously thought that I wouldn't like living this way. I (selfishly) will probably never agree to live with my in-laws but living here in my parents house has been good so far. Its definitely because there is enough space for everyone but I think its more because I know that my parents do not spend the whole year here. So we do get to spend time as a little family as well enjoy living with a slightly extended family.

I don't just say its 'good' because I get a lot of help. It really is nice to live with my parents again and also for my sons to get to spend so much time with their grandparents. As Aaron grows, I'm constantly thinking about the types of values I need to impart to him and since all my own values have come from my parents, having them around will have a big influence on his values too. There are also many of the more Chinese values or traditions that didn't rub off all that much on me that my parents have been teaching Aaron. So, our village may only be six big but the two extra people contribute exponentially to the growth of our family. I know, I'm lucky. And I'm thankful to my parents for being the type of parents they are.

Alright then, before I disappear again for another few days, here are a couple of photos of the baby.