Adehh Sa'eed

Tried to teach him numbers today. Started with one, two, three by using my fingers. He got 'one' right away, but 'two' susah sikit since he couldn't manipulate his pudgy fingers to do the peace sign (two la tu)

The I proceeded to show him..Sa'eed you have two hands. Sa'eed, you have one nose.

Ploop...masukkan jari dalam lubang hidung....*adehh*

Ok la, nevermind. Then I asked him...Sa'eed, one macam mana? He pointed with one finger to the sky (smart boy). But then he got smarter and used both hands. Bila both hands dah point to the sky, apa lagi, jadi pop yeh yeh la...and he started to prance around. *adehh*

I am Mother....

.....hear me moo

MMmoooooOOOoOOOOOooo

Started pumping to get ready milk stock for when I start work...with my trusty pal: PIS-A

'Aatikah at 1 month

Bulatnye mata

Bulatnye badan...heh

Some updates

Sa'eed is now 19 months. Still not really talking, but he understands a lot of things and identifies a pretty good number of things too. But the first word he said that connected with something we understood was 'Kah'...as in adik 'Aatikah. Sayang betul kat adik. And of course 'Bah' followed naturally. Take your time, son, but not too long ok.

He does a lot of 'house chores' nowadays. Just today he was wiping down the table and the CPU (apakah??) and he vacuumed too. He still eats a ton and poops a ton...hehe, Aunty Odah la yang dok basuh (and reporting how stinky it is). He also has a runny nose and a little cough, so he's banned from kissing adik.

'Aatikah is also doing well. Still a hint of yellow, but not much. She can be put down on the bed without wanting to tot tot for say about 15 minutes (progress!). She has gained about 1.5 kgs and 7 cms. And dah kena sunat...hehe.

Hmm...that was a very short update.

BY THE WAY. PUREEN IS HAVING A WAREHOUSE SALE THIS WEEKEND. AND I CAN'T GO...aaaaaa

Tensionnyerrrr.....

....dengan T*N*B.

Two nights in a row takde electricity at around 2,3 am-ish. The first night Mr Hubby langsung tak perasan sebab penat baru balik Kuantan kot.

But last night dia pun terbangun. Satu Kg Abu Bakar Baginda blackout kot. Maka calling calling la TNB punye line (yang hampeh itu). I overheard the conversation...tapi tak paham pun. P/E lah, TX lah, GenSet lah...I also dunno what the problem was.

'Aatikah was sweating like crazy, Sa'eed was up and couldn't sleep, so of course we were up too. It was really difficult to feed 'Aatikah in the dark. Nasib baik dia dah pandai. And thank goodness for handphones with light.

The Wedding and the Baby

The Wedding

Congratulations to AS and BCL. Too bad I couldn't make it since I was still in confinement. But the rest of my family attended it and they surely had a blast. Kak Sarah promised to update her blog when they get their internet connection so that I can read it and be green with envy. The wedding we got invited to was the one held at KGPA, which if I'm not mistaken was a closed event for friends and family.

AS's (hmmmm) family is a long time family friend. We've known them and his extended family probably for about 15 years. His youngest Aunt (number 16!) was probably the closest one to my arwah mama. AS's mom founded Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam and that was how we got to know them. Plus she had a taska that my sister went to. His whole family is very down to earth and very cool. His dad (who is an Englishman) used to drive around in a Kancil...hehe...what a sight to see.

But anyways, all the best to both of them. BCL kinda looks like my freshman roommate in the States...oh how I do NOT want to be reminded of her and I shall NOT blog about it or I'll be homicidal.


The Baby

My cousin Hana is expecting a daughter any time now. I told her that he baby must be the MOST awaited baby in our family. First of all, she'll be my cousin's firstborn, so memang dah tertunggu-tunggu lah. Then, she's overdue. EDD was 9/11.

Yesterday she felt contractions every 9 minutes, so off to the hospital she went (at 1 am). But since 6 am till evening, she was only dilated 1 cm. We smsed each other during the day and she said that she felt her contractions getting more intense, but bearable tho and still 1 cm. Later that night I smsed her sister to ask her progress. It seems the contractions subsided! Dang. I didn't know that was even possible.

So today will definitely be the day, one way or another. She's 10 days overdue and anything more than that might not be good for the baby. Dr's gonna induce her if nothing happens and hopefully it'll be an SVD (spontaneous vaginal delivery) and not an LSCS (lower segment ceasarian section).

We are praying for you, Aunt Hana!

UPDATED
Hana finally delivered a girly girl on November 19th at 4.27pm, weighing 2.7 kg. SVD...leganya maktok dengar.
Congrats!

Ala comelnye...so putih.

Sekali tengok macam rupa Iffah (Hana's sister) la pulak

Waa...we have a screamer...definitely like Iffah...muahahaha...kidding

The Babies

Sa'eed kissing his little sister

Prolonged jaundice

Lil Miss Cutie Pie

At 3 weeks and 2 days, 'Aatikah is still yellow. Went to the paed today and she said that it should be okay. She might be yellow beyond 1 month and possibly up till 2 months. Reason being? 'Aatikah is a very 'red' baby. Merah satu badan kalau nangis. Lots of red blood cells that break up to form billirubin. Paed also said that we shouldn't worry since it's not dangerous. The dangerous period is between 3 to 8 days. But paed took her blood to check her levels, just in case, and also to make us feel better. We'll only get the results on Monday tho.

Also, paed said 'Aatikah's gemuk...hehe. It's ok tho, since she's fully breastfed. And guess what? Her weight is already at 4.2 kg. Up from 3.35 kg as a newborn. You go girl!

She's also a tough little one. Berapa kali kena tampar dgn si Abang Sa'eed. Buat muka terkejut aje...tak nangis pun. Ish ish abang Sa'eed...

Sa'eed at 19 months

Today Sa'eed is 19 months. How time flies!

He now
- likes to run. Sometimes in circles. And sometimes towards 'Aatikah, which can give me a heart attack
- eats like a champ. Just yesterday he ate a clove of garlic, which he took from my plate.
- like to go jalan jalan with anyone (bahaya betul)
- can walk up and down stairs while holding on to things. But he would rather walk down than walk up
- babbles a mile a minute. Non stop. Yet to say comprehensible words.
- likes to vacuum and sweep the floor.
- dances the pop yeh yeh...thanks to Mrs Sister-in-Law.
- can feed himself with a spoon.
- sleeps on the floor. hehe..shian dia. Sorry beb, queen size bed. And last night he rolled under the bed
- likes to throw things...aiyaiyai
- knows how to use the pencil and draw...but not always on the paper provided.
- naps only once a day.

I think that's it for now.

Baby is sleeping...I should be too...toodles.

'Aatikah at 3 weeks

Interview with Sa'eed

Interviewer (I): So Sa'eed, we heard you got a new little sister.

Sa'eed (S): You got that right.

I: What do you think of her so far?

S: Umm....I think she's ok

I: No, really, what do you think of her?



S: Ok fine. All she does is sleep, cry, tot-tot and sleep again, then cry again then tot-tot again. When I was her age, I was already doing chores, you know.

Ooh...and she poops loudly too. I don't remember pooping as loud as she does. People had to smell the stink to know I pooped..heh

I: Next question, what do you do to show you love your sister?


S: Are you for real? Trick question eh?

I: Hehe

S: Well, I run really fast to her and pretend to want to jump on her. But of course I stop on time. But ummi never thinks I'd be able to stop my self.

Then I kiss her face.

Then I softly hit her...yepp, brotherly love.

I: Oii, that's not very nice. But anyways, do you want more sisters or brothers?

S: Eww.... noooo

No lah. Of course I want more. But not right now. Maybe in 2,3 years? So that I'll have time to buddy buddy with 'Aatikah and perhaps come up with plans on how to gang up on our little brothers or sisters.

I: Thanks for your time, Sa'eed

S: No problemo.

I: Be nice ok.

S: I'll try :D

Trademark

My kids' trademark: the kelepet ear

(Feels funny saying my kids)

Sa'eed's right ear

'Aatikah's right ear

Entry by Sa'eed

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The Labor

No mommy's blog would be complete without the labor story. Here's mine with 'Aatikah.

I had my regular check up on Saturday, 18th October. During that check up, my gynae said that I was already 1-2 cm dilated. She asked if I felt any contractions and I said yes, but non of that regular ones. So she gave me the option of waiting for the regular contractions or I can admit myself. Of course I opted to wait. The following week was off to the office as usual.

Then on Thursday the 23rd, my gynae said to just come for a check up. But that morning at around 10 am, I felt some contractions. Minor ones, but I thought it came at around 15 minute intervals. So off we went to the gynae with my hospital bag ready. My gynae then confirmed that I was 4 cm dilated already. I visualized that I was already 5 cm to cut things short, but oh well.

We went straight up to the maternity ward to check into the labor room. The nurses were like 'Oh you have to go down to Admission to get a room...yada yada'. Uhh....but I am 4 cm already lah nurse....baru menggelabah derang. As it turns out, I got the same room I delivered Sa'eed in plus the 2 midwifes attending to me were the same ones too.

After Zuhr, at around 1.30pm, I was given the pooping medication and soon after going to the bathroom, gynae came and broke my waterbag. And after that was when the really painful contractions started (and I forgot to trim my nails...eeeep). I opted for the gas and got woozy after inhaling the good stuff. But the gas didn't really take the pain away, just took the edge of the pain off plus it was a reminder to breathe. There were times when I tried to ride the contractions without the gas....hoo boy...bad choice.

But anyways, apparently I wasn't 'properly' dilated and I had to push while laying on my right for a couple of times. After that the midwife said to call when I had the urge to pass motion. I did, and she then said to call again when I felt the baby was about to pop out...pulak dah.

Whatever it is, I had the urge to pass motion AND I felt like baby was coming out. But the midwife said that the head was still high up. Better start pushing her down before the gynae came. Being the good patient, that was exactly what I did. The midwife only called my gynae when baby's head was lodged wherever it should be lodged at. It took some pushes to get there and I was afraid that I won't have energy left to push her out later on since I didn't eat lunch. But I think the ton of kurma I had eaten throughout Ramadhan and also after that really helped.

I think my gynae came at around 4ish and 'Aatikah was out at 4.12pm. Alhamdulillah :)

Welcome O Little One :)

Alhamdulillah, I finally delivered Sa'eed's little sister on Thursday, 23rd October 2008 at 4.12pm. She weighs 3.35 kg and 50.5 cm in length. It was a normal birth (alhamdulillah) and labor wasn't too long (alhamdulillah). But after that the little girl had jaundice and we spent a few days at the hospital. Within a week, we stayed in 4 different rooms at DSH. But alhamdulillah all is well now and we're in Bangi already.

Sa'eed loves his sister, always wanting to pat her and kiss her and look at her. But his a tad too clingy to the nanny. I was half expecting that since both of us weren't around for about a week.

We named the little girl 'Aatikah on the 7th day. It was quite a task deciding on that name. In Islamic history, 'Aatikah bint Zaid was married to Abdullah b Abu Bakr, then Umar b Al Khattab, then Zubayr b Awwam and then Ali b Abi Talib (one after another ye). All her husbands died a syahid.

Introducing, 'Aatikah bint Mohamad Zaid
(picture ripped from Idraki's mommy)

This girl can really scream! Before my milk came in the first few days, she was screaming her heart out. I guess she was really hungry. She only slept about 15 minutes at a time and guess who had to stay up to layan her. Finally my milk came in on the 4th day and by then she had to be admitted for jaundice. And of course engorgement came next and I still couldn't sleep at night due to that. Alhamdulillah slowly it became better and she's a natural born nurser. We didn't have to add formula milk while she was under light theraphy (unlike Sa'eed when he had jaundice). Even when the levels increased, our pead let me nurse her as usual.

Ok...time to eat :)

What the??

So it seems that Chu*a So*i Le*k was elected #2 in M*C*A. I guess it is okay for leaders to commit adultery and cheat on their spouses. Or is it because everyone does it, making it okay? Is this how Malaysians view it in general or is this only among the politicians. But still....where is the integrity?

And no...I still haven't delivered.

Lame lame lame!

...but I still watch it.

You know what it is...TARA!

The toughest race ever? Hmm....between cracking fortune cookies and siang ikan...which is tougher? blerghh

Find the lady with the handbag? Come on...

They should stop with luck-based challenges and go with tasks that need skill and/or physical strength.

But I'm glad Ida & Tania are still in the race :)

Oh yes...last night the little boy wanted to sleep with his ride-on. He was playing with it while lying down on the bed in the dark. I let him do that for a while, but I was also getting sleepy so when I took away the ride-on of course he cried his melalak cry. Nasib baik he's easy to soothe, relatively...

Time bombs

I'm a time bomb waiting to happen. Can't wait. Hopefully everything goes well *amiiiin*

On the other hand, Sa'eed is a time bomb that already happened. Ever since he recovered from his fever and cough, he hasn't stopped eating. Maktok said he is kemaruk...coz he wasn't eating much when he was under the weather.

Penat oo nak layan. Ada aje nak makan. But I'm not complaining. Makanlah selagi boleh makan.

My dad

Just had to blog about this.

At Gib's family's open house
Me: Lepas ni ada open house lagi ke?
Papa: Ada. Kat Ali Cafe.
Me: Hah? Of all places? You kenal the owner ke?
Papa: Oh tak lah. Papa dinner dengan Rosyam Nor (with a hint of berlagakness...heh)
Me: Fuyoo. And how did you pull that one off?
Papa: Haritu ada makan kat sana. Then kena mcm sign sign bill ke apa. Pastu derang pilih.
Me: Oh..macam lucky draw la ni.
Papa: Ha ah
.......silence sekejap
Papa: Siapa Rosyam Nor tu?
Me: Aiyo....dia berlakon banyak gile filem lah, drama lah, movies lah. You better google him and see what he looks like. Malu karang dia sebab papa tak kenal.
Papa: Ada eh dia kat google?
Me: Ada je kot.

Heh...that was a few days ago. I remember more incidents like that.

While driving around in TTDI with my dad. We stopped at a cross junction.
Me: Huiyo....Wardina lah tu
Papa: Dia tu famous ke?
Me: Very!
Papa: Ooh ye ke. Selalu je papa nampak dia near my office
Me: ceh

While watching a local TV show. Some sort of concert or something to that effect.
Papa: Macam pernah nampak je. Sapa tu eh?
Me: Ning Baizura la. Nampak kat mana?
Papa: I think on my flight to Penang haritu. Eih, yg tu pun sama lah. I think most of them were on the same flight.
Me: And you didn't know they were artists? haiyo...
Papa: .......

And don't get me started on the time he wanted to use the word 'poyo'.....

What we did this past weekend

Friday
Ibu hosted a dinner get together. We arrived sometime before Maghrib but the other guests haven't arrived yet. As usual, the spread of food was fantastic. After dinner, we just sat around watching the kids play and of course we kept on snacking on whatever was available. Soon after, Sa'eed resorted to playing with the balang kuih raya...probably choosing which one he wants to have.

By about 11pm, hubs was already in dreamland. We were supposed to go back that night because I had an appointment the next day. Poyo je konon tunggu Tok Yang. At about 12am, Tok Yang went back with Uncle Man. Of course we didn't go back that night :)

Saturday
Woke up bright and early for my dr's appointment. Sa'eed wasn't awake yet, so we left him under the care of Ibu and Sa'eed's (geds geds) aunts. We got to DSH at around 8am and were the first ones there...hooray. It's not often that we get to be first in line. Then we went to have breakfast while waiting for the doctor. She only came at 10am! But that was because she had to do her usual ward rounds. When I got called in, one of her nurses informed her that one of her patients was 5cm dilated....oh boy. I wonder if she had to leave the clinic to deliver the baby. Oh well...my turn was done anyways, so no problem...heh.

After that we went home to get a few things because I didn't pack to go to Bangi the day before since we were planning on coming home after dinner. When we reached home, Maktok already left for Pontian and the painters have already started painting the exterior of the condo. So, pack pack pack, tgk tv jap, then we left for Bangi.

When we arrived at Ibu's house, Sa'eed was having a nap. Ye la, anak teruna tu tido pukul 12 lebih the night before...and he was still munching on God knows what when I put him on the bed. We were supposed to attend a wedding after Zuhr, but of course we had to wait for Sa'eed to wake up. Finally he woke up at around 2.30pm or so...after taking a 3 hour ++ nap.

Washed Sa'eed's face, but I couldn't tame his hair, then we went to the wedding. Hubs took care of Sa'eed while I went with the girls. The wedding was just next door, so we took our own sweet time eating and chatting....and hub's sister was checking a guy out...hahaha. Anyways, we went home slightly before 'Asr.

Lana and family were hosting an open house too, but we didn't get to go since we were in Bangi. It was at her parents' house in TTDI. Hari2 lalu, tapi tak pernah singgah....tsk tsk. Thanks for inviting us tho!

Sunday
The morning was spent lazing around. Then after Zuhr we headed back to TTDI. Gib and family were hosting an open house in DU and of course we dropped by before reaching TTDI. I had a great time and I think Sa'eed had a great time too. He was snacking the whole time and playing with Gib's toys. Idraki and family were also there. The only ones missing were Rizal and family plus Maklang/Paklang and Maktok because they were in Pontian. Oh, and Hana & Azrul weren't around too. Come to think of it, Firuz and Zuls weren't there either.

Sa'eed and Idraki playing together but separately

His 'I am cute, look at me' face

The kids in uniform. Pure coincidence!

The daddies with their first-borns. L-R: Gib, Baba, Idraki, Dadi, Abah & Sa'eed. Gib and Idraki were born in 2006 while Sa'eed was born in 2007.

Pictures courtesy from: Kak Tisa and Kak Sarah

All better :)

Alhamdulillah Sa'eed is no longer feverish. Slightly coughing, but more of a 'batuk macam tersedak air liur' rather than the awful sounding cough he had before.

Thank you Papa for the Manuka honey (I'm eating it now...heh)
Thank you Hawa for the cough medicine
Thank you Maktok for babying him :)
Thank you everyone for the well wishes and prayers...heh..kalau ada lah.

Anyways, I think he is on a mission to replace all the food he missed while he wasn't well. Yesterday he only stopped eating/snacking at 10 and that was only because it was bedtime. I for one am glad that he has a healthy appetite.

Sa'eed will be 1 1/2 in 4 days. I thought of jotting down some updates in case I don't get the chance to if the womb tenant decides to pop out.

• Lies down anywhere (e.g. floor, carpet, people...) to signal that he is sleepy
• Just yesterday he started to turn his cheek to me for me to kiss. If I ask him to kiss me, he will also turn his cheek to me so that I kiss him instead.
• Pulls his highchair to the table if he wants to eat
• Will cry and cry and cry if someone goes out the door...nak ikut la tu
• Can tolerate a bit of spicy food
• Doesn't mind brushing his teeth anymore...yaay
• Helps me make the bed by lifting up the bedsheet and putting his head under it
• Knows how to play with his Megablocks but not as terer as Idraki yet!
• Absolutely loves to play with other kids who don't mind playing with him
• Goes 'aaauuu' if we mention cat or if he sees cats
• Sometimes experiments with walking in reverse
• Can be asked to do things like give something to someone or carry things somewhere (note: child labor)
• Will switch on the standfan when he goes into the bedroom and knows how to switch it off when we ask him to
• Gives flying kisses...cute, very cute
  
• Sometimes goes to the mirror to see a reflection of his perut....yeah...of all things
• Cheekier by the day: One time while I wanted to put on his clothes and told him to stand. He would always want to sit down but I would put him in a standing position again. Eventually he would start to squat (threaten to sit la tu) and give me his cheeky look + snickering.

Ok...that's it for now...

TARA!

Yesterday's Amazing Race Asia was a let down. The tasks weren't that exciting, but the drama was. Thank goodness Ida & Tania made it through, even though they were in last. Heh, although it was a 'hold your breath' moment when that Sami took out the rod to measure the water. Nasib baik lepas. It would have been more fun if more teams took up the pail challenge rather than the pick challenge.

As for Oliver & Mai...tu la, dengki dengki kat orang lagi...hmm..but what if it was a fluke? What if all the CDs left were the wrong ones?? I hope that wasn't the case. I think they were totally disheartened after the Sony shop guy said that the store was closing and they had to continue the race. Adding to that was the fact that the taxi they got broke down. But if they were determined enough, they could've just continued driving. Too bad they gave up.

One funny moment was went A.D said something like, I'm glad I'm staying clean, while Fuzzie was huffing and puffing, looking for that syilling thing. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up winning the race because they seldom bicker and always keep their cool. Same goes for Bernie & Henry.

OK....off to read the TARA forums...haha...kidding

Raya pics!

This time, pictures were hijacked from TASIL (the architect sister in law).

Many faces of Sa'eed, you cute little one you :)

With TASIL and ummi.

Sa'eed started out wearing full baju melayu with kopiah. After he did a number 2, we had to change his pants to jeans because it staaaank. Then later in the afternoon he did a number 2 for the second time. Again, we had to change his jeans to shorts. I didn't even attempt to smell his pants at that point. Abah has a super duper sensitive nose when it comes to things related to number 2. Might as well change the pants.

FREE HANDBAG

Handbag Planet is almost here. To celebrate the October 15, 2008 launch, they are giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours on the day of the launch. The trendy handbags are inspired by popular designer brands. Check this site out to be on the way of winning one.

Some pictures

Hijacked some pictures from other people's collection, namely Idraki's mommy :)

The iftar at KGPA

Cheeky little guy

Orang lain sibuk main game, dia sibuk tekan-tekan TV

Sa'eed and Idraki probably having a man to man talk

Kena kacau To'ki

Sa'eed is still not well. Went to another paed, not because we don't trust the previous one, but this one opens after office hours. Anyways, he recommended to change to another antibiotic because apparently the previous one wasn't working too well for Sa'eed and he has been on it for about 4 days.

His fever still comes on and off. And he would rather eat plain freshly cooked warm rice. Doesn't even want porridge. Paed said that if the fever doesn't go away completely by Thursday or Friday, we might have to take him for a blood test.

At night he'd be coughing and sometimes he wakes up crying. Last night when we woke up, crawled to Abah and draped himself over Abah and fell asleep. So it was rather an awkward position, sleeping while half standing. And one other time he wanted to hug my leg.

But I'm glad he's taking his medicine without much drama. We just have to clap and praise him. Berat betul bakul budak sorang ni :)

'Eid !!!

'Eid Mubarak everyone :)

Due to my status being 'on standby', we couldn't really go far for 'Eid (i.e Penang). Both hubs and I took the whole week off. On Monday we went back to Bangi and then on Tuesday we took our own sweet time using jalan dalam to get to Seremban. It was pretty scenic, especially looking at the townships in Enstek. And can someone tell me what LBJ stands for?

The first day of 'Eid was in Seremban. The three of us wore green outfits and Sa'eed even had a little kopiah. He was definitely not amused by it because he would throw it on the floor. As usual we had nasi himpit, rendang ayam and kari daging....yummy.

Then at around 11am or 12 we headed back to Bangi before going off to Shah Alam. I guess the food really did hit people at the right places coz when we reached Mak Long's house in Shah Alam, the door and gate were all locked up. Everyone was snoozing I suppose...heh. There we had lontong...my favorite. Apparently Sa'eed doesn't like the nasi himpit yg ada hijau2 kat tepi-tepi dia tu.

After Shah Alam we headed back to TTDI. Stopped by Mak Ngah's house. And of course Mak Tok was more excited to see Sa'eed. We saw Mak Ngah's new kitchen and it is nicey nice! Forgotten how the old one looks already. I think my favorite change is the walk in pantry :) Bila nak ajak makan makan ni Mak Ngah?....ooo I know! Hana's birthday is around the corner, or buat aqiqah anak Hana nanti...but both also can!

After Mak Ngah's house, we went back home and lepak-lepak. My nose was really congested by that time so I was still contemplating whether to go beraya the next day.

Alhamdulillah the next day the nose decided to lay off the snot for a bit :p. We headed out to Melaka. But before that we had to stop by Mak Ngah's house because Mak Tok wanted to see Sa'eed...oh well...

When we reached Jasin Tol and stopped for prayers, Sa'eed's temperature was high. But he wasn't cranky (yet). He started to get cranky when we started to strip him down and dab a wet towel all over his body to bring down his temperature. Of course we didn't have a thermometer nor paracetamol, so we had to make do with the wet towel. But Sa'eed being Sa'eed, he was still eating and wanted to be active. Although he was a bit clingy.

After Melaka, we went to Muar. Didn't know that they were so close to each other. If Sa'eed weren't sick, I might've suggested to Mr Hubby to go to Pontian. Mesti jeles Mak Tok...heh. Anyways, later that night after visiting Bulbul the fatty cat, we went to eat seafood. The food was okay, but the service was kinda lousy. On the way back to Bangi, we stopped by Az Zahrah to get Sa'eed checked out. Apparently his throat was inflammed. So Doc gave him some antibiotics and paracetamol for the fever. Before we left, the nurse shoved in a fever suppressant up his you-know-what...and the boy really did scream.

On Friday and Saturday we just lazed around since the little boy was unwell. Sa'eed's fever still hasn't really subsided by Saturday, so we headed off to DSH to meet his regular paed. Paed there said the same thing. Finish of the antibiotics and give the paracetamol as and when necessary. Now it seems that Sa'eed developed a 'dry, hollow' sounding cough and his fever comes on and off. Usually comes during the evening and night. We'd probably take him to the paed again today. Hopefully it's nothing more than a fever. And the boy hasn't bathed a few days...heh. One good thing out of it is that his skin is getting better! No more scratching here and there.

Kesian Sa'eed...bila time temperature tinggi je, sure mcm lembik. And now he keeps waking up crying and coughing. Uncomfortable kot..

Oh and I must say...I love the new Amazing Race Asia Season 3. I hope Ida & Tania wins...Fuzz and A.D are ok too. Very cool people, the 4 of them. Relax je.

Buka Puasa Part II

Saturday
Went over to Gib's family's house over in Kota Damansara. Although it's just an arm's length away, it took us longer to get there because of the traffic jam. We got there slightly after Maghrib. But as always, food was yummy.

And of course Gib was still fascinated by Sa'eed's cheeks. There were a lot of other kids there too...a blur motion of kids. They were running everywhere! Of course Sa'eed tried to join in the fun by running around the couch with them. But he's too slow...heh. So he resorted to playing with buses and trucks.

Oh..Gib and Sa'eed had a little accident where Gib ended up crying because he accidentally hit his nose and lip on Sa'eed head...and we all know how much it hurts when you hit your nose against something. I think Gib was trying to kiss or hug Sa'eed when Sa'eed got distracted and turned around. But it's all good :)

Sunday
Went to my highschool's reunion iftar at KGPA. The food there was ok. I was satisfied because they had cempedak goreng :) Saw some people whom I haven't seen in ages. Hannah was there too. She is very adorable. So cute and tiny. You can pack her in a little box and FedEx her away....heh...just kidding. Sa'eed tried to shake her hands but I think he was dumbfounded coz her hands were so small he didn't know what to hold!

Ok, back to the food. They had all kinds of food, but the layout could be better. But I guess it was due to the limited space. I tried the rice dishes, some coleslaw and potato salad plus cempedak goreng and Roti John. I think the Roti John wasn't that great. But the lauk pauk was excellent. And they also had all kinds of drinks. Oh yeah, dessert could be better, nothing special there. Heh, they also had somehthing they called Seafood Tempura, which was actually cucur udang...what a way to jazz it up...heh.

In terms of the prayer room, it was a bit small for the ladies. Better to go early while people are still eating.

All in all, it was ok for RM43.

And I think Sa'eed had a good time too. He was friendly with people and didn't mind it when my friends wanted to carry him around.

Oh yeah, when we went home at around 9.15pm, makngah, Iffah, abg, Kak Sarah, Idraki, Rizal, Nafisah, Fatimah, Adam and Imran were still around at maktok's house. The kids were roaming around the house playing and the adults just sat around the table chatting. An interesting info I got is that there's actually a minimum wage for Phillipino maids. And that appeared in today's Star. Also, apparently some of dairy based snacks in chocolates in Malaysia should be avoided because they outsource the dairy part from China (If you aren't aware about the tainted milk scandal, you should be ashamed).

Some items that I remember: M&Ms, Snickers, Dove chocolate, Cornetto minis, Dutch Lady Sterilized Milk (the bottled ones, others are ok)...basically any products where it is stated as a 'Product of China' or something to that effect. Why must people be so tamak at the expense of others?

Lupa pulak. After the KGPA trip, Sa'eed lost his sandals because someone forgot to put it in the car. It was on the car's roof :(

Buka puasa

Yesterday we had Gib and family over for buka puasa. They were kind enough to bring yummy Ayamas. Maktok made rojak and I made air laici..heh.

I just had to jot this down because Gib and Sa'eed were really affectionate although they don't meet that often. Different from Idraki and Sa'eed where someone would almost always end up avoiding the other person. But anyways, I haven't seen Gib in a while and he's turning out to be a strapping young lad. I think Sa'eed was quite impressed with Gib's ability to push the ride-on really fast around the house. Sa'eed tried doing it on his own later that night but of course he's not as fast.

But what amused me the most was when Gib started pointing and pinching Sa'eed's cheeks while saying 'bam...bam', which probably means TEMBAM :p Pandai sungguh itu Gib. And Sa'eed also took an instant liking to Kak Nila, their maid. Alih2 je Kak Nila was carrying Sa'eed. She must be a really nice person, coz I doubt babies/toddlers will gravitate towards mean/nasty people.

And later that night, Sa'eed zonked out and slept really soundly. Probably tired from all the excitement and playing with Gib.

Thanks for dropping by Gib and family! Drop by la again and again and again....hehe...mcm la korang duduk jauh beno.

17 Months!

Wow...time flies really quickly! Pejam celik pejam celik, dah 17 months dah. Some updates on the little one (but soon to be the big one...hahaha)

- Hates to brush his teeth. InsyaAllah I'm gonna get some yummy toothpaste real soon
- Able to feed himself with a spoon, and on target too :)
- Signals stop if he doesn't want to eat anymore
- Able to reach for the doorknob on his tippy toes. Yesterday he tried to open the bedroom door. But of course his hands aren't big enough to grip the doorknob.
- Likes to overturn his Ikea toy storage thing and mess the living room with his toys. Will use his senduk to spread his toys all over the place.
- Seems like he is always munching on something.
- More responsive to 'No'. Hope this lasts :p
- Poos about 3 times a day! Makan banyak, poo pun banyak!
- Sleeps like an ulat. Takes up more than half the bed. Just last night he was crawling in his sleep and decided to sleep on my tummy.
- Insists on eating breakfast right after he wakes up.
- Likes to overturn his ride-ons and play with the tyres as opposed treating them like ride-ons.
- Calls everyone 'tak'. Not exactly talking yet. Should I be worried?

September 11 Remembered

Can't believe it has been 7 years since 9/11. I guess everyone who were in the States during that fateful day remembers exactly where they were. Me included.

I was in University of Indiana-Bloomington at that time. The 10 of us were taking various classes for our pre-University, which is equivalent to matrix etc in Malaysia. As usual, after my 8am class, I would go to the cafeteria nearest to my dorm to have breakfast. And I usually sit my self near the exit (boleh ciao cepat) where the big screen tv is located.

The tv was tuned in to CNN. At that exact moment, they were showing clips of the first airplane hitting one of the twin towers. Other students there weren't exactly going berserk. I think everyone thought that it was a one in a trillion freak accident in New York. Shortly after that, I finished my breakfast and left the cafeteria to go to my dorm.

Then suddenly, the President of the Malaysian Student's Association called me up and wanted all 10 of us to go to her apartment. I was like, why? That was when I knew that a 2nd plane had hit the twin towers and people were saying that it was a terrorist attack. And knowing how popular muslims are depicted as terrorists, she wanted all the Malaysians to be at her place.

After that day, the 10 of us would always get escorted to class by our advisors, Deb and Julie. Which was kinda nice actually since it was getting colder as winter was approaching. I think that lasted for about 2 weeks.

The backlash in a university setting wasn't that bad. Apart from the incident where one of my friends got hit on the back for saying salaam to a fellow (Arab) muslim. But the university took swift action. A lot of discussions and panels were held in the days after 9/11. People were shocked, scared and angry and they had to somehow let it all out.

Even when I moved to Hopkins the next year, discussions on 9/11 were still going on. Muslims were still taking precautions as not to be too 'out there'. But overall, I think everyone took it in stride. It was an awful incident that no one wants to experience or remember, but people kinda have to because of all the innocent lives lost on that day.

Of Labor

I remember while I was studying in the States, we always attended Friday prayers. In one of the khutbah, the imam said that God made us forgetful for a reason. For women, so that they can forget the pain of going through labor and have more kids.

But of course that was coming from a man.

Sa'eed was born about 17 months ago and I still can remember the whole labor process plus how it felt like being stitched up after the womb tenant got evicted. Not fun. But I was holding Sa'eed at that time and I guess the pain was at least bearable. Mind you, I didn't use epidural and I don't think my doctor used any anesthetic before stitching me. Come to think of it, I don't think the gas I was inhaling helped either.

But anyways, I think the contractions was the most painful part. The pain kinda subsided when I was pushing during the contractions. Then suddenly baby was out.

With my EDD almost here, I have no idea what to expect. Hopefully it will be as easy (relatively) if not easier than the first one. Ameen!

But I'm also praying for a friend of mine whose EDD is 28 September, but her husband will only be in Malaysia on the 22nd. Her mom is not muslim, so if her husband is not here when she delivers, it will be kinda hard. Hopefully her baby comes out after the 22nd. Ameen!

Sa'eed: Fresh from the oven

Funny...

You might have gotten it in your forwarded emails. I thought it was hilarious :)

1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching your children to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.

2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.

3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.

4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.

5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.

6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:
Be nice to your kids.
They will choose your
nursing home one day.

AND FINALLY

IF YOU ! HAVE A LOT OF TENSION AND YOU GET A HEADACHE, DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE:

'TAKE TWO ASPIRIN'
AND 'KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN'!!!!!

Source: Not sure

Pregnant Ladies Unite!

I commute in the LRT to and from work. I consider it lucky if someone offers me a seat. But yesterday was the best! This one pregnant (really pregnant! about to pop anytime) lady was sitting down. Entering the LRT, I ended up standing near where she was seated. Just as she saw me, she nudged this kid who was sitting next to her to offer me a seat.

I thought the kid was her brother or something. He promptly got up and of course I sat down. Weird thing was, the kid walked to another section of the train. Malu kot...as it turns out, the kid and the pregnant lady had no relationship whatsoever. hahaha...

If you are commuting and pregnant, where you position yourself is important. The highest probability of someone offering a seat is:
1. NOT in the morning commute...seated people always doze off (or pretends to)
2. NOT kids in uniform, except for the geeky looking ones
3. chinese men (for some reason the thin ones and not always the chubby chubby ones)
4. some malay/chinese ladies (malay: usually the ones in kurung, chinese: usually the ones in corporate outfit)

*This analysis is totally based on my observation. Hmmm....for some reason, I rarely see Indian folks seated.

Little Quirks

Some updates on the little boy.

- I think he kinda 'knows' that adik is on the way. Now he likes to rub my tummy, kiss it and go muaaaah. Or is it because my tummy is just nice and round?
- Likes to cuddle and kiss me and be clingy. Keeps asking to be carried.
- Wants to feed himself. What I'll do is give him a spoon to play with while I feed him with another spoon or with my hands.
- Since it's now Ramadhan, I get to leave the office earlier. Yesterday, I was around during his dinner time. Maktok wanted to feed him, but he refused. At first we thought he was full from snacking on some apple slices earlier. Turns out, he wanted ME to feed him...aaawwww...
- Knows how to point to things rather well.
- Sometimes we can reason things out with him and he'd understand. Includes why he can't follow abah to the mosque and that he can't have more of the sweet sugary donut, but he can have the nasi himpit.
- Understands 'no' and different voice tones rather well. If he gets scolded for playing with the plug or anything dangerous like that, he will look at you and pull a long face...then the tears come, but he won't be hollering...but if you keep on scolding him, he will definitely holler.
- I think yesterday he dreamt of something because he was clapping in his sleep...weird.

But the funniest of all:
- if someone farts loud enough, he will snicker and then start making the pbbtttthhh pbbttthh sound while sembur his saliva everywhere.

And here are some pictures from Rizal & Nafisah's house...

Sa'eed playing with Imran

The kids being splashed by my dad...menggelabah masing2 :)

Latest (lazy) post

Behold...my laziest post ever. Please refer here.

But yes, thank you Rizal & Nafisah for hosting us. Food was delicious! And the house is nice and roomy. In my dad's words....muat kalau 4,5 anak...hehe.

PD Trip

Took a day off on Friday to go to PD for the weekend with the whole clan. We stayed at Legend Water Chalets, but in the main building. To note, the beach there is not that awesome.

Some things that we did include swimming in the sea and pool, visited a mini zoo and visited the ostrich farm (I think my grammar is all over the place in this sentence, sorry makngah. But can you see this sentence? hehehe). But one thing, PD got so banyak lalat....so annoying. Anyways, no time to write a long entry on the trip. Here are some photos.

Sa'eed and his Atok in the sea

Sa'eed, Idraki and their Grandmommy

Sa'eed showing how it's done to Idraki...heh

Overexcited Sa'eed getting into the pool by himself

In the room

At the Ostrich Farm...Had to hold on to the boy, kalau tak habis telinga rabbit kena tarik

Having breakfast. Sa'eed was fascinated by the cars whizzing by.

Sa'eed clearly bored by our conversation

All pictures credited to Idraki's mommy.

Forgot to add in these pictures of Sa'eed after the swimming session in the pool. So the very cute! hehehe

The Boy and His Aunt

Sa'eed with his Aunt Rumaisa...nampak mcm
budak besar dan matang kan? (Sa'eed, not Rumaisa...heh)

Last Sunday we went to send Rumaisa off to the States. She'll be there for 3 years (kalau tak kena extend la...). The flight was at 3ish pm, but J*P*A forced them to go through the gates by 1.30 pm. Why? I pun tak paham. All they get to do inside is sit around, wait and be constantly reminded of their family who waved them away at the gates. And plus, one J*P*A officer was there to escort them till they reached Purdue. Kayanye J*P*A nih.

I remembered when the 10 of us first went off to the States, they just kinda let us go. Bye-bye, see ya, don't get lost. We survived, although we got the shock of our lives when we found out a slice of cheese pizza at the airport was USD2 something. That was like RM8! Yeah, we were still converting USD to RM when we were there. But when we came back to the motherland and converted RM to USD, it was heaven! Beli beli! Murah aje ni!

Oh ya....today is 20082008. Nothing significant (ooops lupa pulak...birthday Cik Odah :D). Just thought it looked nice. Hmm...I wonder if we can afford to make a trip out to the States while Rumaisa is there. Heh, but I think hubs and I would rather go to the East Coast coz that was where we went to university. And of course it's more happening than the m i d w e s t where the corn and cow farms are....But don't get me wrong. I loved it in Bloomington, Indiana while I was there for a year. Yupp...but the East Coast is where DC, Manhattan, Jersey and Baahs-taan are. Not forgetting Delaware where you can go shopping tax free...hehe.

Weekend Happenings

Wedding
Congratulations to Amir & Fatin on their wedding this past Saturday. It was a very simple event and the cake was yummy, just as it should be :) Wanted to bring Sa'eed along, but he just woke up when we went to the nikah and he fell asleep exactly when we were ready to leave for the reception.

But can you believe it, as we were leaving the hall at around 4.30, there was this old guy peeing outside the hall!!


First bloody incident
On Sunday, when Sa'eed tengah membongkar, he found a razor. When I took it away from him, didn't think anything happened. Then he walked to a room to further membongkar. That was when he started to whimper and I saw that blood was dripping from his little finger. And that was when the drama started.

Hubby washed Sa'eed's finger and pressed on it to stop the bleeding. Sa'eed was crying and crying. But for some reason the blood kept coming out. And of course we had to slightly press it to stop the blood flow. Even when we wanted to put the plaster on, he was squirming and didn't want us to hold his hand. And I guess the plaster was bothering him coz he seemed to be quite annoyed with it. After a while, he fell asleep.


KLIA
What is it with KLIA? Sa'eed never fails to poop while we're there.

Anyways, we were there on Sunday to send off my sister in law. She'll be in Purdue for 3 years. Yaay...bole order barang...hahahaha

Happy 16th Month!

Aaaah...time flies so fast. Sa'eed is 16 months today. Somehow I always mistake 16 months with being 1 1/2 years. But anyways, some updates on the little guy.

- still likes to play with kitchen utensils
- pantang tgk abah or ummi bersiap nak keluar (except for going to work in the morning)
- likes to people-watch from the living room window and yell out to the people downstairs
- doesn't mind sharing his toys with other kiddies
- understands the word 'NO', but if it is used, he will stop on his own time. Can't be forced. For example, he likes to switch the fan off. If I say 'Sa'eed, NO!', he will proceed to just belek2 the fan switch, but he won't press it. Then after maybe 10 seconds, he will go do something else.
- he is very good at ignoring our calls whenever he's too close to the tv
- sleeps late, between 10-11pm and wakes up by 8am
- I think he's in the stage where he likes fruits more than rice...ni dapat from abang Gib la ni
- able to eat and drink independently and likes to bite on the straw of his water bottle an carry it around like that
- drinks from the cup too, but if he's done, he will start sipping and keluarkan again into the glass...yes, gross.
- one time, he was sitting on me with his back against my tummy. Then adik started to kick and move. I guess Sa'eed felt weirded out coz he gave me this look that said 'stop doing that'.
- likes to smack my tummy too
- likes to scratch (garu) him self. I really don't know if he feels itchy or it has become a habit coz one morning when he was about to wake up, he started scratching and scratching. But he wasn't scratching himself, he was scratching my hand!

What else aa? I pun tak ingat :p

Yaaay

In today's paper....

Berjaya is bringing Krispy Kremes to Malaysia! I'm already excited, but it'll only be here next year...aduuh. I hope when they bring in the franchise here, they bring in the same quality and yummy taste of Krispy Kremes....mmmm melts in your mouth.

I wanted to blog about Sa'eed and Idraki playing together at maktok's house. But Idraki's mommy beat me to it. You can read it here.

They were very cute. Although there were moments of 'I wonder who's gonna smack who now'. I think the funniest/most surprising moment was when they worked together to push a chair away so that they could pass the barricade we adults set up so that they won't get to the kitchen. After successfully pushing the chair away, Sa'eed walked straight to the kitchen while Idraki somehow got stuck between the chair and something (either side table or bookshelf...can't remember).

Oh yes..forgot. On Saturday while hubby was at some power plant in Penang, I had an appointment with my gynae. I had to bring Sa'eed since maktok went out with someone to Wangsa Maju or something like that. But anyways, I am soooo glad Sa'eed is a patient boy who doesn't mind being strapped in his stroller. While waiting for my turn, I thought it would be a good idea to take Sa'eed for a walk around the hospital...and walk he did! I was zonked out when we got home. And of course Sa'eed was fine and dandy.

Cloth Diapering Pt 2

Ok, so Sa'eed is in cloth diapers full time now. He uses prefolds (with cheap-o covers), AIO and pockets during the day and fitted ones at night. So far ok la. Although the nanny is still getting used to them. And the laundering of the diapers is straight forward too. Dump it in the washing machine after giving it a good rinse, wait, then hang to dry. If there's AIO in the laundry, I would double up on the spin cycle so that it dries faster.

As for detergent, I use Pureen H-A-D since they don't have any enzymes or bleaches. It's specifically made for sensitive skin and from the reviews I read, those kinds are the best. Also, I add in a bit of 'Nappy Soak' from MotherCare. This combination works well since the cloth diapers come out smelling fresh and doesn't smell of urine etc.

Sa'eed now helps me with laundry. I hang the diapers in the house and he helps to hand me the laundry as I hang them up. If he's done with the laundry, he would start handing me his books and toys. So, there will be random things hanging on the cloth line besides wet laundry.

Haven't yet to try them while we go out to the mall or balik bangi.


UPDATED
Went to Bangi this past weekend. Cloth diapering wasn't too bad. Just that Sa'eed's bag was full of them since I didn't want to run out and I ended up only using half.

Anyways, at one point, his diaper was really drooping. I thought it was because I didn't put it on correctly. Turns out he did a major poop and I guess his diaper was too heavy. And then he decided to walk away naked while only wearing his nasty diaper. Thank goodness SIL was quick enough to catch him. Coz as I brought him to the bathroom, his whole diaper fell off!

Updates!

Fruits
My aunt came over the other day with a bagful of rambutans. I don't think Sa'eed has seen rambutans before. He promptly took them out of the bag and not knowing what it was, he started combing his hair with it...heh

His first encounter with manggis was at another aunt's house. Again, he didn't know what it was and I guess because of the shape, he started rolling it around like a ball on the table.

Walking
This boy has a funny gait. He walks with his feet in a V shape and like the drunken master. As though he would fall over any time. It's amusing to see especially if he tries to walk really fast.

Yesterday we went to MidV*lley and decided to let Sa'eed walk instead of bringing the stroller. Hoo boy...we should've brought the stroller. It was a handful trying to keep up with him. And of course at some point, he didn't want to hold hands and sometimes he would sit and wail if we didn't let him walk to where he wanted to.

Eating
Alhamdulillah no problems in this department. He loves eating and would *try* to become buddies with anyone who is holding some kind of food. But if the person won't give him, he doesn't know how to ask yet. Sa'eed will just walk away, then come back to the person while eyeing the morsel of food. He would do this until the food is finished by the person or until he gets a little taste.

The Littler One
Almost 28 weeks already! I hope the baby comes out as planned (late October). I've been saving up on my annual leave. So if the baby comes out in late October, I'll have enough days to last me through December on top of my maternity leave!

Cloth Diapering

Have been twiddling with the idea of using cloth diapers instead of disposables since before Sa'eed was born. But that has never materialized...up until now, about 15 months later. After doing some calculations,

Large Dr*pers (72's) = RM34 per pack
One month = at least 1 1/2 packs
= RM 51 per month
Cloth Diapers = say RM 700 (I definitely haven't spent that much, not even half)
Simple payback period = ~14 months
Water usage increase = not too sure, but I think it would be one small load every 2 days + rinsing etc (but then again, wouldn't be contributing to the nasty landfills with dirty diapers)

So after 14 months, diapers will be free. That would make Sa'eed around 2 years plus (I wonder if he'll be potty trained by then). But the cloth diapers can be used by Sa'eed's sibling(s) too. So that translates to further savings.

Currently in my collection, I have (colors and prints might vary):

Wonderoos One Size Pocket Diaper

Kissaluvs Size 2 Fitted Diaper

Baby Beehinds Hemp One Size Fitted Diaper

Just Ducky Size L All-in-One

Sugarpeas Size 2 Fitted Diapers

DryZ One Size Pocket Diaper

Prorap Size L Diaper Cover

Fleece Liners

The fleece liners are some amazing stuff. Poop just rolls off it without any staining! So now Sa'eed is cloth diapered at night and weekends when I'm around. I might get more so that he can be cloth diapered most of the time while I'm at work too.

Hehe...I hope I don't become a cloth diaper addict and keep buying them because they are just too hard to resist :p Then that will defeat the purpose of saving money.