Family Weekend

With anak buah abi yg ramai lg meriah :-) nadirah malu2 jumpe sepupu ramai2.

Last weekend was full with family gathering activities. On Saturday, MIL, SILs (Kak Wati and Kak Na), BIL(Abg Eik) and 6 anak buah came over to visit Nadirah, the new cucu of Wan. Wan arrived earlier from Kuantan by bus so I just prepared lunch for the 3 of us. The rest came after Asar. Didn't cook anything except ayam goreng, the rest, coutersy of WAHAB's The Best Cendol In Town. Nyum2.

Ha, alas, Abi and Mummy decided to buy 'Buaian' for Nadirah last saturday. Dy terlampau suke berayun sampai lengan Abi n Mummy bermuscle mcm mangkuk ayun. Before ade buai, we have to rock her manually till she fell asleep. Love is tough. Hoho. Plus, rumah pengasuh Nadirah pun ade buai, so nak tak nak, we have to get one for her. Kang x nak balik rumah pulak kang.

Tgn yg mengayun buai adalah tgn yg boleh menggegarkan dunia - tgn Abi!

Close to Maghrib, they all dispersed back to Kak Wati's house. That night I cuddled and nursed Nadirah in the dark during Earth Hour. Since our house is facing KLCC, we could see that KLCC was also 'blackout' over the time. Bravo.

Sunday, we had big family lunch at Sabak, a steamboat restaurant at Taman Melati. At first I thot it was named after Sabak Bernam, Nope! It's named after Pantai Sabak in Kelantan. As always, it's hard for me to complain about food so to me, the food there is as good as the other.


After that, we went to our fav surau Al-Kauthsar for Zuhr prayer and changed nappy. Next pit-stop, K4. First time bawak nadirah to a crowded hyper market - wahhh, challenging! Seriously, not suitable for babies under 3 months old. Bought some groceries, kain flannel to swaddle my baby at Nagoya, and flash card JAWI at a bookstore near Nagoya. Hanis, they have Jawi flash card! Actually I was looking for Iqra' Flash Card, tp xde, so I just bought the Jawi FC and kitab Iqra' (RM15) for HnyB. Nampaknyeh kene buat sendirik la kot FC for Iqra'.

Jawi Flash Card

Anyway, I found an alternative to Iqra' - Al-Furqan. It comes with VCD nasyid Al-Furqan (complimentary with the bookset) and Flash card (new add-on) as well. I've yet to compare between Al-Furqan with Iqra' and will do coz I have both. Bought Al-Furqan bookset from adikbijak.com during pregnancy and I love playing the VCD for HnyB every morning when she was residing happily in mummy's tummy. Oh yes, similar to Iqra' - Bacalah, the concept remains the same - just Read it, no more spell the huruf out one by one. The thing I like about Al-Furqan is because it has 'alat bantu mengajar', the nasyids are cute - you can actually introduce your child to huruf2 tu using the nasyid, the presentation in the book is more attractive than Iqra' and my bonus plus-point is because I can buy the books online. (moi an online shopper-holic) Till now I can't find an online shop selling Iqra'.

Click the piccas to go to the website

To date, I've bought few books from the website and I am very satisfied with the service. Nadirah enjoys herself everytime Abi flashes the big cards to her. Mcm budak besar je Nadirah ni.

Nadirah's fav flash card

Ok, dats all for now. Hv to finish some serious work now. I'll be out of the office from tomorrow till Friday, attending seminar on nuclear energy! :-)

Till then.

Apple of Our Eyes..

Mummy misssSSss u darling babyyyyyy!!! :* :* Duduk rumah ibu baik2 ok sayang!

Birthday Celebration

Jumaat malam sabtu, on the way back from Al-Kauthsar, HnyB was a bit cranky coz she was sleepy so we decided not to go home straight away. It's easier to calm her down in a moving car rather than in our very own crib.

As always, this madam was so hungry(all the time!) so we planned to jalan2 cari makan for late dinner/supper. Since ages I eying kedai Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa Kpg Baru at Taman Melati. It wasn't that far from our place, so Abi agreed to bring us there.

It was SO hard to get a parking space over there since the restaurant is berjiran with the ever famous Sate Kajang Hj Samuri which was super-crowded that nite. Org beratur ok nak order sate. Luckily alhamdulillah, HnyB was sleeping when we arrived at the restaurant. First impression, the ambiance was superb, the colour scheme - white and apple green + wooden element makes the place looks elegant and clean.

Abi then said, "Ni kire terus celebrate birthday Hunny la eh?" Hoho. Agreed! We don't have the luxury of time to spent together (eating out especially and hv HnyB to kendong) so ape saje depan mate, we just grab it.

So, what did we order?

Nasi lemak x2, Side dishes - ayam goreng berempah and ayam masak merah, keropok lekor, teh tarik and lai ci kang. HnyB was sleeping soundly (we put her on the long cozy sofa, thanks to Mummy bawak bantal sampai3 ketul) throughout till my last few suapan baru dy merengek.

The food was good AND over-priced. All in all, the place is convenient to bring a baby along tp try sekali dah cukup kot, next time beli nasik lemak from makcik at my apartment pun dah sodappp.

Thanks hubby belanje Hny & HnyB! :-)

Patience and Gratitude

Ahhh. This article is as good as kopi Radix to me. I really need the motivation to move on! Got time ka? Read further here, specially to new mummies out there.

Whenever there are difficult patches in our lives we should remember Allah’s saying, the meaning of which is:

“Indeed after every hardship is ease, Indeed after every hardship is ease” (Surah ash-Sharh (94), aayah 6)

No pain afflicts a Muslim except that some of his sins are forgiven due to it. If things happened in labour, which you didn’t like, discuss with your husband how you could avoid those things in the future. But try not to over analyse things. Simply think of solutions and seek advice and seek Allah’s aid and move on. Deal with any major problems you can highlight to the hospital or nursing staff, but move on. We should remember to count the blessings in our situation and we will find that even though this testing time seems difficult to us - there will always be people who are being tested more than us and our situation is still much better than that of many.

If your labour was particularly difficult, think about Mariam (‘alaihas Salaam) and how she was all alone through childbirth, no hospital and facilities, no husband, no books telling her what to expect, no family support -and on top of that the fear of being falsely accused by her people and given a bad reputation. Allah tells us in the Qur’an, the meaning of which is:

“So she conceived him (‘Eesa) and she retired with him to a remote place.

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she said: “Oh! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”

But (a voice) cried to her from beneath her saying: “Grieve not! For your Lord has provided a water stream under you. And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad. And if you see any human being, say: ‘Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allah) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.’”

Then she brought him (the baby Eesa) to her people, carrying him. They said: “Oh Mariam! Indeed you have brought a mighty strange thing!” (Surah Maryam: aayaat 22-27)

She had no one but Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to help her and of course He was enough for her.

Reflect on this: if labour pains are so difficult to bear, then how is it that we sin and do not fear Allah’s punishment which is more bitter and longer lasting? Should we not now think twice before we sin?

There are probably women in our own families who had much less than we do, less information, facilities and support all round. So we must be thankful. You will see that insha Allah, within weeks or months you will be physically healed and will become a lot more organized. Allah has made us able to adapt to changes over time, so we must trust in Him and ask Him to help us overcome any weaknesses we think we may have.

Birthday wishes

"Kak Nyah, selamat hari lahir, smlm nak wish mase call, lupe lak.."
-Epoi, one day earlier

"Slmt hari lahir...smg pnjg umr. mrh rzk, sentiasa dlm rahmat n ksh syg ALLAH..Frm imah n li.."
-Imah, 12:54am

"Salam. Selamat menyambut hari lahir yg ke 2*th. Semoga Allah merahmati & melindungi umur, iman, rezeki, kesihatan diri, suami, anak & harta berkekalan hingga ke syurga. Amin. Semoga Allah permudahkan tercapai segala impian dan tertunai segala hajat. Amin ya rabbal alamiin. Selamat bertugas dgn hati gembira n ceria dan penuh tanggungjawab. Amin "
-Mak, 5:36am

"Azi3! Happy birthday :-) "
-Azra, 10:39am

"Makcik azi3, selamat hari lahir ke 2* babe! Semoga pjg umur n dmurahkan rezeki selalu :-). My hugs n kisses to little maryam"
-Rina, 10:53am

"Assi3 i hope it's not too late...happy birthday to u!! :-) "
-Emy, 7:59pm

"Akum azie. happy birthday! may u have prosperous years ahead. Semoga sentiasa dlm keberkatan & rahmat Allah!"
-Awin, 8:16pm

Thanks for the wishes, and most important - the tots! Alhamdulillah. A year older, a year wiser, hope not a year huru-hara! (nauzubillah)

Celebrated my birthday with my dear baby coz abi is in Sgmt. She 'sang' bday song for Mummy - all night long! Sampai amik half day terus. My bday was my first day(1/2 day) at work. Hoho. The inertia to get started was as huge as Himalaya. I've forgotten everything. Accept the sound of my baby (crying!), her smell, her smile and the yellow-seedy-stool. Haha. Mummyhood definitely has changed me, a lot! For the better, I hope.

May Allah grant me many more years of good life with iman, health and happy family. Amin..

Trip to PCMC

I'm back in KL. Exhausted! Honestly, life berpantang at Perak and having Makcik Timah and Makcik Pah to help me around the house was definitely a bliss. Now I'm back to reality, semua kene buat sendiri. Phuhh..

Just to upload pics from our day trip to PCMC for checkup. Bapak, mak, anak sumeh jumpe doctor. Abi jumpe Dr Badrul (orthopaedic) for his back pain, Mummy jumpe my fav Dr S3ri (o&g) and for post-natal follow-up and did pap smear dah alang2 die menjenguk down under. HnyB jumpe Dr Anthony (paeds). Abi is prolly going to do MRI date TBC.

Enjoy the pics.

Dear Hubby and Dear Baby at home.

At Dr Badrul's consultant lounge

Tido atas scale? 2MO = 4.693kilo!

Mengamuks nurse nak ukur tinggi

This is my funny Dr Anthony

Tertido lepas jumpe Dr S3ri

with Mummy

Sleeping beauty in action.

Books on my shelf

I've just added a new widget last night - Shelfari; your online book shelf.

I'm trying to commit myself reading all the books I've bought; hopefully it works this time. Ok, as for March, my target is to finish at least these 4 books. (refer my bookshelf :-) If the books are not on the shelf anymore, it means that I've finished reading 'em! Seeing my virtual bookshelf will remind me that I have 'hutang membace buku' to myself and I must clear the shelf asap and restock new set of books. Iqra'.. Bacalah.

• I've bought this book many mooooonnssss ago from Azila after attending 'Kursus Solat' organized by the author, Ust Zaharuddin at UIA. I still remember writing an email to all my female colleagues recommending this book as a must have for every family and MUST READ. They way the author explains on how to 'sempurnakan' solat right from wudu' to salam will make us realize how little our knowledge is on solat - the main pillar of iman and islam. Kalau solat pun hancus, lain2 pasti hancus, nauzubillah. Attending one kursus solat and reading one book on solat won't guarantee our solat to be tip-top tahap dewa and super-kusyu', but of course, it is an investment to saham akhirat, our ikhtiar and usaha to improve our solat. Mudah2an Allah catat as amal baik dan diterima olehNya.

• The 174-pages-book is arranged in a very structured manner, suitable for us - adults. The glossy-paper-pages are colourful and interactive; definitely not an ordinary 'Buku Teks Pendidikan Islam'. The author tries to open-up readers mind that knowing how to solat is not enough yet - we have to know from which hadith, whose ijtihad, which mazhab agreed with that (emphasize given to Mazhab Shafi'e) etc and the author had done a great deal of work - referring all the kitab2 muktabar (and include everything as footnote just in case we want to find out more). Ayat aku mcm tergantung. Abaikan.
  

• Ok, in short, give this book a try. If we want to teach our children how to pray, we have to know better and this is a great manual/guidance/reference. It can also be a great gift to anyone - me n hubby currently have a new habit - giving books as pressies on wedding or saje2 kasik to sibblings, friends. (Hadiah kawin Bugs adalah antara mangsa terawal. hahahah. Pisman!)

• You can get the book from MPH for RM25.90. Lebih murah dr tambang bas KL-Kota Bharu.

Okes, itu sahaje utk buku ni. Another 3 books I'll have to make a new entry later. Penat den menaip. Selamat membace!

Yummylicious time..

Happy faces of nadirah after nursing. Mummy's milk is the best! Nyum..nyum..

Bintik2 tu bedak sejuk. Opah akan pastikan cucunya dipakaikn bedak sejuk everytime pas mandi :)

Mak Yang and Ayah Li

This overdue entry is especially for my dear sister, Imah and her hubster, Li. Congratulations from the 3 of us! They just tied the knot on 24th January 2009; HnyB was 8 days old then. The nikah ceremony was held together with HnyB's Aqiqah.

HnyB and Mummy didn't witness the nikah because it was done at the surau nearby. Insya-Allah the kenduri will be in August this year. They both are now residing happily in Kuching :-)

Here are some pictures from the nikah ceremony.

Kusyuk dgr taklimat Pakya

Selesai diijabkabul...

Bonda2 tersayang..kanan Bonda Kelate, kiri Bonda Perak

Bonda dunia akhirat...

Ha Haziq biler pulak nak kawen ni?

And below is Mummy and Abi, almost 2 yearssss ago. Phewittt!

Haku x muat baju nikahhku lagi.. aaaa..diet2!

Love you so much dear hubby! :*

Almost 8 week-old!

I am a big girl now. Opah said I look like Abi but Wan said I'm so like Mummy. I'm not sure which one is right but of course I look like both; I am their cute-little-princess!

Mummy wants me to list down what I can do now after almost 8 weeks living in this world:

• I can stare into Mummy's eyes, smile and laugh looking at Mummy's funny face
• I love watching Mummy's facial expression. She's sooOoo expressive.
  
• I can entertain myself in the morning while Mummy having her breakfast (provided I can see Mummy from my bed)
• I sleep less during the day, normally after 3pm and stay awake till 7.
  
• I will refuse EBM if it's given by my Mummy.
• My EBM intake during the day is about 15 oz. 3 oz per feeding.
• Mummy's B is the best pacifier in the world, but I still can't tolerate forceful let-down. Pity Mummy, she has to pump every night before going to bed, else I will be very fussy; gag, choke, strangle, gulp, gasp, cough while nursing
• My tummy is huge! I cant hardly fit in the 'barut' that my Moyang made for Mummy when she was a baby, but Opah always makes sure that I wear one 24/7.
• Mummy's warm arms and b's are the best place to sleep!
• I am a bit impatient. I always want my feeding to be ready on time (day time feeding) else I'll cry like crazy and it's really hard to calm me down! Gosshh.
• I'm still sleeping using PakPoi's pillow set tho I have a brand new set. PakPoi's pillows are 20-year-old already and full of world map, but I just love 'em! Mummy is so worried with germs etc and bought me a Latex pillow but I refused.
• My EBM stock is a lot! I'm not sure how Mummy & Abi are going to transport my precious milk to KL.
• The longest hair that I have is 1cm long I think. Not sure why the hair didn't grow rapidly. Many tots that I'm a baby boy!
• To date, I'm still using disposable diapers. (Huggies and PetPet) Not sure when Mummy will start using cloth diapers that she bought when I was in her tummy. My Mummy is a super-shopaholic. She shops a lot from baby's online store. SHhhhHH.. don't tell Abi.
• Mummy has lost almost 17kilos already but still as huge as tapir. She has no idea why! Mummy still can't fit nicely into her fav maroon jubah. Pity Mummy. I know it is my fault. ;-)
• During the span of 8 weeks, I only spent 21 days with Mummy and Abi. The rest, all alone with Mummy :-( I miss Abi already. He's in a faraway land with Wan, Ayah Teh and Mak Teh. Abi balik laa cepat!

"If You Hold That Baby All The Time..."

Angel Pack Buckle Carrier

Ahaaa.. another evidence why I should have a sling!

"The single most important child rearing practice to be adopted for the development of emotional and social healthy infants and children is to carry the newborn/infant on the body of the mother/caretaker all day long..."

- James Prescott, Ph.D.

See, clingy is not the problem, it's natural! AND it's the long term solution to all other problems that may crop up if we didn't hold our baby now!

Now slings could hardly be called "new baby gadgets," since they have been used in many other cultures around the world for millions for years. However, in North America, they are something new. Whenever one of us was wearing my granddaughter in a public place, people would always stop to ask us about the sling and marvel at this great "new" way of carrying babies. Babies want and need to be "in arms" and they let us know that. A baby crying in a stroller usually becomes content as soon as he or she is picked up and held. I often see parents carrying a baby in one arm and struggling to push an empty stroller with the other!

Ha Abi, pengagihan budget utk stroller mungkin boleh digunakan utk membeli cool retro chic sling! *wink* erm, tapi stroller pun nak jugak.. hohoho

Below para is so familiar!

Contrary to what we have been taught to believe, research shows that babies who are held and carried all the time and get their need for touch well-met in their first year do not become clingy and overly dependent. They cry much less and they grow to become happier, more intelligent, more independent, more loving and more social than babies who spend much of their infancy in infant seats, swings, cribs, and all the other plastic baby-holding gadgets that don't provide babies with human contact. We had all those baby-holders for my granddaughter and she spent a little time in all of them, but she spent most of her infancy in her sling because she was happiest there, and we loved carrying her and being close to her.

More ..

Slings are different than front carriers. A sling is like a hammock. From newborn to the sitting-up stage, babies' spines are best supported in slings because their weight is distributed along the length of the spine. Front carriers that hold the infant upright with their legs hanging down, can stress the spine because they put all the baby's weight at the base of the spine.

When we wear/carry a baby, we are providing more than the comfort of the sound of our heartbeat and voice and the touch and warmth of our body. According to research by James Prescott, a developmental neuropsychologist and cross cultural psychologist, "vestibular-cerebellar stimulation (which happens when we carry our babies) is the most important sensory system for the development of "basic trust" in the affectional bonding between mother and infant. It establishes the biological and psychological foundations for all other human relationships." We have learned that carrying infants is a vital part of nature's biological plan for mother-infant bonding, and that it is critical to the development of trust, empathy, compassion and conscience.

Final bomb..

Carrying or wearing an infant in a sling, keeping the infant in constant human contact, and breast feeding on demand are the biological design for optimal physical, intellectual and emotional human development. Research confirms that carrying human infants develops their intelligence and their capacity for trust, affection, intimacy, and love and happiness. Anthropologist Ashley Montagu refers to this carrying stage, or "in arms" period, as the "external gestation period" the infant needs to complete his/her development.

Meeting our infant's biological need for human contact is not about following a particular parenting philosophy. It is about honoring and adhering to nature's biological plan for optimum human development. Keeping our infants in almost constant human contact for nine to twelve months may sound like an impossible goal in modern society. Sleeping with our infants provides that contact at night. Holding them or wearing them in a sling will give them more of the human contact they need. Now that research has shown that holding babies does not "spoil" them, but is, in fact, what they need most, we would be wise to listen to our hearts and "hold that baby all the time."

Wallaaaaa! Another reasons to carry your baby from Sleepywrap:

Carried Babies...

• Cry Less! (43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours)¹
  
• Are Healthier! (gain weight faster, have better motor skills, coordination, increased muscle tone, and sense of balance)²
• Get a better view of the world! (babies pushed in strollers or lugged around in car seats only get to see the adult world at knee-level)
• Become Independent Faster! (making them more confident and less clingy)³
• Sleep Better! (they fall asleep quicker and sleep for longer periods of time)
• Learn More! (not overstimulated, but calm and alert, observing the world around them)
• And are just plain Happier!⁴

Product from SleepyWrap

Ok, wanna cuddle my sleeping dahling. I rest my case :-)

I need a sling!

HnyB is super-cling-y! (but i truly love it!) She only sleeps when mummy/opah cuddle her, tepuk2 sikit, dendang selawat munif ahmad/akil hayy, then only she dozesss of to dreamland. But watch out! Once you put her down on the bed/toto, she'll open her eyes and started to cry. Hohoho. Back to square one! I have to add this in the 'Manual Penjagaan Nadirah' which will be given to the baby-sitter:

Peringatan: Bayi ini akan membuka matanya semula jika anda hanya mendodoi/memegangnye kurang dari 15 minit.

At nite, she rather sleeps on my super-fat arm than on the baby pillow. Lenguhhh tangan den! During her first month, she's ok sleeping in the mini cot below. Now she has outgrown the cot, (height and width!) kesian pulak tgk anak Mummy tersepit dalam tu. To all Mummies/future mummies out there, I don't recommend this to be in your shopping list, trust me. It has now become tpt letak baju. Hoho. Abi cakap, 'Mahal btol tpt letak baju Nadirah ni..'.
She sleeps less now during the day, but she needs to be cuddled all the time when she's awake (Opah cakap suke 'memerap'). In the end, Mummy and Opah have to take turns holding her until she feels like sleeping. Due to that, I knew I need a sling. Abi, dah justifiedkan Mummy nak shopping sling? :-)

They are many types of baby carriers in the market. Some are super-trendy and irresistible (specially those retro design fabrics) like this one from Kozy, which is known as mei-tai. Cute isn't it?

My research on baby carriers has started long before HnyB was born. Being a pregnant momma who constantly travel on bus and lrt, I am a strong believer of wearing a baby is the only solution to move around. And now, at 4.2kg(HnyB's weight, not mine!) I'm starting back searching for a comfy carrier.

Last time I was eye-ing on Aidafiqs's Mei Tai but she has stopped producing one after moving to London. Then, Snuggbaby comes into the picture. I really really love the selection of fabrics they offer, but I'm not sure whether it's the one for my baby.

This fabric is my favourite! Ala2 All Blacks gitu..

After reading few mommas blogs and forums, I think I wanna start my baby wearing journey with baby-pouch. Many(from forum) recommended Peek-a-Pouch from Peekaroo. The price is not bad! Barangan Buatan Malaysia ni, jgn main2! Aku salute btol org2 yg reti menjahit. I am so hampagas with sewing machine! My Form3 PMR sewing project was done by Makcik Ani d tailor @ taiping! Hoho. Selamberrrr.

I like stripy peek-a-pouch!

If hubster luluskan budget, I would go for Hotslings which is available at ThelilCaliph, but budget is not approved. Economy injection of RM10b by MOF doesn't include a Hotslings. Too bad!

Design Everyday : Tokyo - shweeettttt!

Last but not least, Littlepods also offers comfy slings at an affordable price, RM85 each. I think I loike this one.

Red is my colour. True assie-ness!

Ok, that's all. It took more than 5 hours to finish this entry. Why? Because I don't have a sling!

^_^

Animal Instinct

Both Mummy Ass1e and baby Nadirah were sleeping side by side. Suddenly...

Baby : ek..ek..ek.. (mula nk nangis)
Mummy : (terjage and mamai, terus pandang baby) Miowwwww!
Baby : (x paham ape mummy cakap) ek.. ek.. ek..

Animal instinct eh? Haha. MrJ LOL when I told him bout dis. Hahahaha.

Day-45 and counting...

Day-44!

Yeehuuuuuu!

Alhamdulillah.. :-)