The Last Time
Whenever I see TaeRi, I cannot disregard her unusual birth. Holding her tiny hands in mine is an incredible almost sacred experience. No, she will not be idolised but she will be loved! 😀
As I was composing my congratulatory note to accompany the flowers which I’ve ordered from Floral Garage Singapore for Ryan, Valerie and TaeRi, I couldn’t help wiping a tear or two. Whilst having grandchildren is always a happy occasion, it can also be a little lugubrious as I walk down memory lane. When and how did The Last Time elude me?
Congratulations Ryan & Valerie! You both did super well in delivering your own baby. I am very proud of you! Welcome to our family, precious TaeRi. You have blessed us in ways none could have imagined!
A bouquet of sweet smelling flowers from Floral Garage Singapore for Ryan and Valerie and, of course, there must be roses for our Avery Rose!
Rose has long been a symbol of love and passion; the ancient Greeks and Romans associated roses with Aphrodite and Venus, goddesses of love. But when Valerie said she wanted Rose to be TaeRi’s middle name, I was a little surprised. I honestly have not considered Val to name her child after a plant! Besides, Rose seems to be from a enigmatic era no longer relevant in ultra modern world, in other words, old school. Think 1940s Shanghai Oldies like Yao Li’s 玫瑰玫瑰我愛你 or Frankie Laine with his “Rose Rose I Love you!” and Petula Clark’s May Kway Oh May Kway! (Click on the 3 singers name, I’ve linked them, listen to this song that was very popular with WWII GIs and you’ll understand why I say it’s old school). On hindsight, there is no name more befitting than Rose for our precious TaeRi and I’m sure you’d share the same sentiment after reading the symbolic meaning of pink Rose below.
Anyway, I have told you the meaning of Avery in my earlier post, so now I shall share the meaning of Rose, which, by the way, has the most colours to differentiate its symbolic meaning when giving that colour (rose/flower) to someone.
“Various folk cultures and traditions assign symbolic meanings to plants. Although these are no longer commonly understood by populations that are increasingly divorced from their old rural traditions, some survive. In addition, these meanings are alluded to in older pictures, songs and writings.
Assigned symbolic meanings to Rose
Red Rose: True love
Blue: Mystery, attaining the impossible, love at first sight
White: Silence or innocence, wistfulness, virtue, purity, secrecy, reverence and humility
Dried White Rose: Sorrow
Black Rose: Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth
Yellow Rose: Friendship, jealousy, infidelity, apology, a broken heart, intense emotion, undying love, extreme betrayalPink Rose: Grace
Dark Pink Rose: Gratitude
Light Pink Rose: Desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energyBurgundy Rose: Unconscious beauty
Coral or Orange Rose: Desire, passion
Lavender (violet) Rose: Love at first sight
Red and White Roses together: United
Red and Yellow together: Joy, happiness and excitement
Thornless Rose: Love at first sight” ~ Wikipedia
I hope Avery Rose will grow up to love pink roses, too! My wish is for her to be blessed with the gift of grace, gratitude, desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energy and all the wonderful gifts from being a Rose!
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, you will never be the same.
You will know tiredness like you never knew it before, And days will run into days that are exactly the same, Full of feedings and burping, Nappy changes and crying…
They will fall asleep on you after a long day, And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles, And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.
The Last Time Poem
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
you will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feedings and burping,
Nappy changes and crying,
Whining and fighting,
Naps or a lack of naps,
It might seem like a never-ending cycle.But don’t forget …
There is a last time for everything.
There will come a time when you will feed
your baby for the very last time.
They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”
and do all the actions,
Then never sing them that song again.
They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.
They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time
Until there are no more times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them
and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.
For one last time. ~ Author Unknown
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face. They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.
More hugs please! One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down, And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus” and do all the actions, Then never sing them that song again. They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate, The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
In the wink of an eye, 30 years have flown me by. My personal message to all parents with young children, “My Last Time Will Be Your Last Time, In No Time! Cherish Your Precious Now. There can Never be one too many hugs, one too many kisses, nor one too many bedtime stories.” Whoever wrote this powerful poem has given us life’s true perspectives. The Last Time came too quickly for me. If I knew then what I know now, I’m sure I wouldn’t have wiped off the last set of smudgy handprints on my wall.
Happy family bonding 🙂
The gorgeous bouquet was ordered online with same day delivery at Floral Garage Singapore https://floralgaragesg.com/
During this time of madness, I’m all for the no-frills easy 1-2-3 steps of ordering process: Tell Floral Garage the 1) occasion if opting free-style (mine was a free style otherwise view what they offer on their website), 2) budget and the 3) recipient’s address. I also deeply appreciate that my “special requests” message to “not call but text” and “no doorbell” was conveyed effectively and followed through. Delivery was also within the stipulated time.
The Bonding Tool 