My Streamyx was out over the weekend due to overdue payment LoL. I did make a payment for August and later realised i was using the old account number. Now, satu keje nak kena send proof of payment and explaination to why the payment was not credited. Now, i am back in the cyber space...
Isetan member prevview sale last Friday: "robbed" me with few hundred ringgit. Colleagues and i went to check out the sale and i have told hubby that i would like to get myself a Birthday gift. I just feel like getting a new perfume. The last time i got a perfume was like... 3 years ago? Yeah, sama baya dengan Aydin. Some dah basi and dah masuk the thrash bin pun. I wanted to get Coolwater and Davidoff had some promos on the perfumes. I tried Davidoff Echo for women and i liked it. The deal was if you get any perfume from the same range, you will get to buy Echo 100ml EDP @RM120! I was like... sharks! Pretty good deal so as usual contemplate lagi! I liked Burberry Sheer but it cost more than RM200 for 50ml. Nina Ricci limited edition was alright but bau more like datin2. After much discussion and thinking i wanted to get the Sheer but later to find out DAH HABIS! Wasted my time on thinking too much and some lady got hold of the last bottle dammit. So back to square one, check out lagi bau perfume lain. I hope tak makruh puasa because bukannya niat nak makan ok kan? Anyways, last-last ended up with Pacco Rabbane (sp?) Ultrared for the same price as Sheer tapi puas hati and got my Echo jugak. Later to discover it was a super duper deal because Ultrared is also an EDP, yeay! Balik rumah claim duit hubby :)
Alamak, installer ni suruh close all web browser pulak. Potong stim! BRB
I have been a very careful mother. Aydin had never fell off the bed until he was 2. Aydin fell off because Aydin tido lasak. The next thing we know, GEDEBUK! Aydin fell off the bed and was still asleep when i carried him back up. Our bed is a queen size platform bed where it is slightly lower than the common bed but it has this extra 5" of wood panel around the bed, alaaa the typical platform bed tu. The other time was when he was slightly older and playing under the duvet. He was rolling on the bed and ended up rolling off the bed!
Now that Arif has learned how to scoot around and practising his skills to maneuvre on all four, we have to be very careful. Last night while trying to put Arif to bed, i noticed that he can now push the pillows and bolsters off the bed. Yes, i use the typical style of pillows and bolsters to safeguard my kid on the bed. This method does not work anymore. It took me a while to calm Arif down for him to fall asleep. He will usually fall asleep after rolling here and there but restricted to a certain area. Now that he is stronger, he maneuvres his way beyond his "territory". So when i woke up for sahur at 4a.m this morning, i saw Arif was already sleeping on his tummy facing the edge of the bed. I made a mental note to put him in his cot tomorrow. Don't ask me why not today. Is this what you call procastinating? And yes, i did not move him to the center of the bed because i did not want to wake him.
After sahur and finished sterilizing all the bottles (about an hour or so), i went back into the room to continue whatever is left for sleeping. The moment i opened the bedroom dorr to my horror, i did not see Arif on the bed! I though Ayah has taken him but for what reason?! And i saw the pillows and bolsters sort of making a nice exit at the edge of the bed and Arif was lying on his tummy ON THE FLOOR! I was like... Ya Allah, Arif! and the rest i didn't remember what i said but panicked and picked him up from the floor. He was still sleeping. I hugged him tight and was checking if there were any bruises or new benjols and if he was breathing normally. He continued sleeping. I saw the insect repellent i put on the floor was moved and hope that Arif didn't find it amusing and tried to put it in his mouth after he landed on the floor. Just to make sure that he was alright, i woke him up and checked if he was his usual self. He opened his eyes and smiled and me. Sigh it was the loveliest smile ever! I asked him why didn't he cry after he fell off the bed? Why Arif tak panggil mummy cakap Arif jatuh katil? I told him lain kali kalau jatuh katil, cry and call for mummy kalau tak mummy tak tahu. Mummy ingat Arif sleep atas katil. And Arif just smiled and laughed at me. He must find sleeping on the floor somewhat comforting after a fall. Alhamdulillah he is fine and i guess it is true when they say ada malaikat jaga baby to prevent from bad things happening. Maybe ada malaikat yang sambut his fall hence no pain or bruises or whatsoever Alhamdulillah. I just couldn't imagine if something bad happened i.e: broke his ribs ke, hands or legs ke... Nauzubillah.
So i played with him for a while before going back to sleep just to make sure he was alright and dandy. I fed him and he was his usual baracuda self. I told my maid to continue to monitor him in case something develops later.
Note to all mothers: never take things for granted and stop procastinating.
Arif has a benjol on the back of his head. How it got there? Ask abang Aydin. Hubby was holding and playing with Arif while Aydin was busy playing and watching the cartoon on TV. He was holding a small solid plastic ball in his hand when all of a sudden, he swings the ball and accidentally hit Arif's head. Suprisingly, Arif did nothing... not even a tear but he was startled alright. I was not around to witness this. I would usually monitor Aydin's actions by trying to read his next action before it happened. I would analyze his surroundings and learn his behavious so that i can react to his next action. I am getting really good at it now especially when you know he will try to immitate whatever is on the tube. The tip to this is that you need to watch and also pay attention to what is on the tv. You put yourself in their shoes and try to think like them.
Anyway, yes Arif now has a small bump at the back of his tiny head. Ayah tried to apply some warm towel on it to reduce the swollen area but it didn't do any good. I recall an advice from a safety talk that it is best to apply cold pressure on any injury instead of warm because cold pressure will help to control the area of injury. Something to do with blood and veins but i seriously can't remember the explaination to it. I just know that cold pressure is better than warm ;)
Later, we went to Tony Roma's for dinner. We wanted to have something different than the usual rice for iftar. After Maghrib and all at parents' in Subang, we went to Sunway Pyramid. Ordered our favorite salad and surprisingly it didn't taste as good as the last time. Hubby said the salad tasted good the last time because there were only the two of us and we get to enjoy our food. This time our blood nearly goes upstairs with Aydin and his tricks. Aydin was just plain restless while waiting for the food. He asked for ME (not his ayah for some reason) to take him out for a walk. When he was sitting and having his pasta, he wanted to feed himself and most of the pasta did not landed in his mouth. When he had his ice-cream and choc pudding, he was 'savouring' it with yummss and aaahh a-wim (ice-cream) on every little spoon. Sounds cute? Not after the 5th yummsss.
After dinner, Aydin had another bagful of tricks. He wanted to be a baby and lie down on the changing station when we wanted to change the kids into their pjs. This was not an easy job because he is a 20kg boy who pretends to be a baby. He wants whatever Arif is getting. While walking back to the parking space, he was practically lying on the floor for no reason. I had to pull him up and jentik his ear and guess what was his reaction? I thought he would be scared and followed my instruction but Noooo... he just said ouch and laughed at me! Tak makan saman punya budak. He thought it was funny. While walking, he was playing jump and drop down to the floor several times which was very annoying. I think everyone around me could sense the stress vibe from me. We get all stressed out everytime we take Aydin out but we will feel all guilty if we leave him at home.
Sigh... sometimes the bad me would like to abandon him somewhere until he learn to behave himself. I guess every parent goes through this phase every now and then. This is what you call the life as a parent? Help me God. I am still worried about Arif's benjol.
This has always been my question everytime i came across situation where people always try to claim that things/ceremonies that they performed are because of religion. I am no where close to be called an Ustazah neither am i very sound in the religion of Islam. I am just a plain Muslim individual who has been trying her best to follow the teaching of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w and Holy Quran as her guidance, Insya-Allah.
Majlis Cukur Jambul or... how do i translate this in English? ;) Anyway, after i had Aydin, Hubby insisted that we have a cukur jambul ceremony. A family friend got all excited and she told us to invite her Marhabban clan to perform this ritual. I went along because i wan't sure myself what is going to happened during this ceremony. All i know is just that you carry bub around and the Marhabban people will cut a bit of bub's hair and put it into the coconut water. Later, i questioned myself what was the reason to all these rituals? I have not read it anywhere saying that this was practised by any of the prophets. All i can remember is that we have to shave all the hair on a newborn and weight it. The weight of the hair will be converted to monetary value based on the price of gold and sadakah it to the poor. This was practised by one of the prophet which i can't remember who.
Another thing that i found out about this ritual is that we should give bub a taste of sweetness and air zam-zam? I am not sure of the benefit of doing this but scientifically, you are not advised to feed bub anything besides breastmilk for the first 6 months as this would kill more than 100 of natural antibodies from the colustrum that our body cannot reproduce. This includes water as breastmilk already contains sufficient water (fore milk + hind milk). I am sure orang-orang tua will not agree with me. Mak long will tell me i have to feed the right boob first as this is the food and the left boob last as this is the water baru budak kenyang :)
Anyway, i know i have read it somewhere and listened to a talk or something from an ustaz/ustazah saying that this cukur jambul and marhabban ritual is haram. It is good that we have a ceremony to announce the arrival of the new member and share the joy with our family and friends but to perform such rituals which are actually customs from our old folks 100 years ago is probably not right. Yes, the marhabban group recites some good advice for the bub but i personally think the best doa would be from the close family member especially the mother. Doa-doa ibu is the best doa for her kids.
Wallahu-alam i could be wrong. I just want to share my thoughts on this topic but feel free to tell me otherwise. Knowledge is infinity. You can never get enough of it till the day you die. The more you share, the more you know. Not what you know is always right.
On another note, i bought Aydin a very expensive CD called We are Muslim 1. He learnt the songs from the previous ALIM playgroup. It is a bit costly for a children CD but hey, i'd rather buy a Muslim CD for my son and instill good religious values instead of some nursery rhymes which i believed that some are just preeching on Christianity... indirectly. One of the song on the CD is the 5 pillars of Islam. What i noticed is that the 4th pillar of Islam is you GIVE zakat NOT PAY zakat as most of us refers to it. This is a good representation of the whole concept. You are not obligated to PAY but it is your responsibility to GIVE zakat to the poor. How a simple word could change the whole meaning of the action. Atleast we know that we are sincere in departing with our harta and share it with the poor. Something to ponder eh? Dah bayar zakat fitrah ke belum?
I am in the mood to put my daily routine into a program (literally). Sorry to those yang takde experience in programming because it could be a bit difficult to understand the logic but no harm trying. I am just a typical programmer in the IT world...
Program Ramadhan_Weekday_Daily_Routine.
CONSTANT:
Mum = Syawa
Ayah = Fahmi
Kid_1 = Aydin
Kid_2 = Arif
Begin of Function Sahur
wake up at 4.00 a.m
knock on Kid_1 room to wake Ayah
go downstairs and sterlize bottles for pumping
while knock = fail
go upstairs and knock again
endwhile
if makan sahur = Kid_2 cries then
run upstairs to feed Kid_2 until he falls back asleep
endif
express breastmilk
wash up and sterilize bottles
transfer Kid_2 milk from freezer to refrigerator
go back to bed
end of Function Sahur.
Begin of Function Morning
Wake up and get ready
If lucky then
Solat Subuh
else
terlajak tido.
end if.
Get ready to go to work.
Prepare gadgets for pumping at work
If sempat then
Prepare Kid_1 Brekkie
endif.
Prepare Kid_2 morning feed dalam warm water
Spend few minutes with Kid_2
Off to work
End of Function Morning.
Begin of Function Evening
If evening_meeting = TRUE then
balik awal sikit
else
balik macam biasa
endif.
Sampai rumah, spend time with the Kid_1 AND Kid_2
Cook dinner
Case:
1 Kid_1 food = NULL then
cook food for Kid_1
2 Kid_2 food = NULL then
cook food for Kid_2
endcase
if Maghrib = TRUE then
buka puasa
endif.
Feed Kid_2 dinner
Solat Maghrib
if food for kid_1 AND Kid_2 = tak siap lagi
finish up food prep for Kid_1 and Kid_2
endif.
while kid_2 != bedtime
Spend sometime with Kid_1 and Kid_2
endwhile.
if evening_meeting = TRUE then
join evening_meeting
endif.
breastfeed kid_2 until asleep
if NOT sleepy
surf the net
else
read novel
sleep
endif.
end of Function Evening.
Begin of Function Kerja
if mailbox = issue
solve issue
elseif mailbox = important_mails
act on mails
else
lepak with colleagues
endif.
end of Function Kerja.
Begin Main()
Call Function Sahur.
Call Function Morning.
Sampai office, check mailbox
Call Function Kerja.
go to mother_room, express milk.
if hours = lunch then
check plan
if plan = NULL then
stay in office
else
project
endif
endif.
Call Function Kerja.
Solat Zohor
go to mother_room, express milk.
Call Function Kerja.
if HOURS = after_office then
leave the office
Call Function Evening.
endif.
End of Main.
This is really a poor programing logic. I am typing in the dark and someof the keys are gone (blame it on Aydin). I put up all the important points i can think of at the moment but basically this is my daily routine in Ramadhan. Not that impressive eh? Saja trying to release some stress.
It has been only 10 days of Ramadhan and i am almost done with Syawal prep.
Check list:
1. My Baju Raya - Done
2. Aydin & Arif's Baju Melayu - Done
3. My kasut raya - done
4. Aydin's kasut raya - does not need one
5. Kuih Raya - ordered 5 types kuihs and 2 types of cakes
6. Flight ticket to A.Setar - Done
7. Raya gift to bring to in-law's - ordered
So far in Ramadhan, i have not joined any groups for Majlis Berbuka Puasa. I am more keen to doing it at home with the family as it more comfortable, convenient (because Aydin cannot sit still), cheaper and ... because i have not received any invitation LoL. There are a few discussions on going out for berbuka but nothing firmed yet.
As for food cravings, i have had my kuih2 melayu from the Pasar Ramadhan but so far none had the "out of this world" feeling. I wonder why i usually crave for Kuih2 Melayu during Ramadhan... :) I also had my non-kuih Melayu 2 days in a row yesterday: a Blackforest slice from Chelos, Choc and Macadamia slice & White Choc and Macadamia slice from SR. I am contemplating Durian Cheese from SR today :)
I am getting Aydin and Arif's matching baju melayu from www.thelilcaliph.com. I know some has recommended the curve or some other shopping malls but i do not have the time to go all the way just to find out that they do not carry smaller sizes for Arif or i do not like the materials etc. Another reason to it is because i am just an internet shopper :) I love internet shopping and i think it is one of the greatest invention. I get to safe travelling time not to mention with the fuel price hike and i can also do it at my convenient time especially in the middle of the night when Arif is already asleep. I do not have to worry that Aydin will start throwing tantrums or trying to play "catch-me-if-you-can" in the malls. All you need to do is just open a web browser, type in the website name (i usually have it in my Favorites list) and shop! The products will be delivered straight to your door-step. Some even have free deliveries if your order is more than a certain amount. So Aydin & Arif will be wearing a matching Tangerine Baju Melayu this year. I hope to get my Orange Baju Kurung ready too so we can all have baju sedondon except for Apam (who likes to recycle his Baju Melayu tee-hee).
Today, i was away on SAP training. Lucky thing it started at 10 a.m just for today though. Unlucky thing is the parking around that area is very expensive. Thought of parking inside the building since it has been raining in the evenings but believe it or not the parking rate was RM4/hour! Cost of living is definitely going sky high but i guess we do not have much choice if you are working in KL.
Anyway, i was not going to bitch about cost of living. Let's talk about rezeki and how we should be thankful to Allah s.w.t for our comfort living. Prior to Ramadhan, i was so afraid that i would not be able to produce enough ebm (expressed breast milk) for Arif. From my previous experience with Aydin during Ramadhan and our mothers' experience, i got worried and started to stock up prior to Ramadhan. I didn't get much stock though because Arif was drinking more than i could expressed. So come Ramadhan, i had planned my expressing schedule throughout the day. I read that we should try and express during sahur as that would be the prime time when you milk is at peak. I also tried after iftar but to my dissapointment, i only get around 3oz sometimes. I panicked and my last resort was taking the pil Asii and doa everytime during solat for Allah to bless me with milk so that i can feed Arif until he is full and satisfied. I even alternate Horlicks and Milo after iftar and sahur.
God is great! He answered my prayer Alhamdulillah and i am blessed with generous amount of milk for Arif. When i say generous, i really mean generous! I produce more than the normal non-fasting 3-hourly day and now my freezer is back to the old days when i first got back to work. I have been breastfeeding Arif exclusively for more than 6 months now and i can still maintain my milk supply, Alhamdulillah. I hope to have the strength to continue feeding Arif exclusively until he turns 1. I think my storage this time is more than previously because this time around i have to fill up all the bottles to the max so that i can have more space for other bottles :)
Oh no! i can hear Arif calling me... toddle-doo!
Picture uploaded on 9 Sept after skipping 2 daily sessions on purpose for 2 days due to limited storage space and containers. Side door is full. I have 4 visible bottles on the top compartment and 1 full 9oz. bottle hidden in the lower compartment. Oh, the little hand trying to reach for the bottles is Aydin's :) Whatever it is, i am no where near the mother featured in Pa & Ma: more than 200 bottles qith dedicated storage freezer.
Warehouse sales were everywhere starting today. The most awaited warehouse sale (by moi) created a big hole in my pocket with 3 pairs of shoes! My mission was to get a nice black pump shoes for office use but i ended up with nothing close to pump shoes LoL and they were all from the same color scheme: brown. As usual people goes to warehouse sales and beli macam barang free (i quote my mum). When i reached the venue, there was already a very long queue waiting for the door to open. Being in Ramadhan and all i thought people would be more "civilised" and considerate but my thought was also no where near. Everyone was rushing to get their shoes and they were pushing here and there, tak kira umur atau bangsa, chewah! I was even being pushed by a petite older lady ,so size really does not matter. Some were kind enough to help others who couldn't get to the front and ask for their sizes and some were just simply kiasu.
I was there by myself and already had 2 shoe boxes under my left arm and using my right hand trying to grab whatever sample shoe that i fancy but ended up dissapointed most of the time because my shoe size is among the favorite shoe sizes: 5-6. Black shoes are amongst the favorite for obvious reasons hence i justify my 3 brown shoes?
The whole pushing and trying shoes and asking for shoes and paying for the shoes took me 2 freaking hours of standing in Ramadhan. Bear in mind i was up since 4 a.m for sahur and didn't sleep since then. Left the house much earlier than usual but ended up in a 2 hour traffic jam, took the LRT and back in the office to continue work. Things i do to get my HP shoes.
Why HP? Simply because i have to live up to my royalty standards LoL. Not even close again! I have tiny feet for someone who is 5'4 in height and weights.... (i shall not disclose my weight at the moment ;) ). My feet is just so mengada and cannot stand non-leather shoes. I envy those who can wear any type of shoes without getting blisters. I so want to buy cheap shoes i.e: Vincci, Nose etc so i can buy more shoes with a certain amount of $$ but NO! my ever so delicate feet can only accept leathers and it has to be soft leather most of the time. I can't really wear all Scholls because some are hard leather. I can hardly find a nice fit for Lewre because they don't come in 1/2 sizes and Clarks are quite pricey for my little purse. So, does this again justify my 3 pairs of new HP shoes?
How i wish i am back in US and Nine West and Aigner shoes are selling for peanuts.
The "Damages".
Note: These shoes are not for sale :p
This is supposed to be blogged yesterday unfortunately, i did not get to it until today. So just imagined you are back in yesterday's time ;)
Today Arif celebrates his 6-mth birthday. Today i have decided to be the first day Arif tastes his first solid food after 6 full month of exclusive breastfeeding. Thanks to Kamariah from susuibu.com for supporting me to wait until Arif is fully ready. Arif really enjoyed his first introduction to pureed organic rice with milk. He adjusted to the new taste almost instantly and was pulling my hand for more. I will try to introduce other taste gradually though i am abit excited as if this is my first time. Next on the menu would be.... VEGGIES!! Hmm... should i start with carrot or brocolli or maybe avocado... or it's time for me to go back to my trustworthy Annabel Karmel recipe books :)