My wealth...

wow wow wow!

Assalamualaikum everybodyyyy! *blows dust*

i keep telling myself nobody really reads my blog so much. so mcm tak kisah sgt nak update. but after a recent comment from this hamba Allah, it motivated me to try and find the time to at least write out something than leaving it to collect more dust, so to speak. Thank you by the way, i hope you know who you are. May He bless you greatly for being so sweet.

So it's 2015 already. and Alhamdulillah to start the year, i've been blessed with a milestone that i think surpasses other achievements i've experienced thus far. or maybe at the same level as some.

Alhamdulillah, Yusuf has already hafal all of Juz Amma! And if nak sgt letak date, well i decided to test him on my birthday last month! hehe. This is happening concurrently with some of the other hafazan of surahs in the quran. so for now he dah tahu:

• Al-Mulk
• Al-Waqiah
• An-Najm
• Al Mudatthir
• Ar-Rahman

And now tengah rehearsing surah Luqman, Al-qiyamah and Al-Haqqah. please note that sometimes he would get confuse with certain verses if they happen to sound the same. but i pon honestly tak tahu nak cakap he "hafal" or "baca" these surahs. As for the juz amma, he can do both. so what i do is to hold the quran in front of me (yes yes mak dia tak hafal lar surah2 ni lagi kaaan), and wud ask him to recite the surah in front of me without looking at his quran. so InsyaAllah safe to say, the above surahs he memang dah hafal and baca.

Alhamdulillah. Indeed there is no power or strength except that is with Allah.

And like every other "uncommon" parents, my hubs and I both decide not to celebrate birthdays as big in our family. In fact we don't celebrate at all. instead, we would like to celebrate on achievements based on what we deem worthy with our plans. And Allah is the Master Planner. So achievements, of course, is not limited to be celebrated once a year. If yusuf or maryam meets the required number of achievements or goals set  by us in that year, say more than twice, then so be it. insyaAllah, ada rezeki memang buat lar celebration yg we all mampu for them. we choose to be uncommon. not boring. heh.

I also learnt something valuable about kids. firstly, i had to be really patient lar when it comes to relenting to Yusuf's request for a machine gun, yang upgraded (read mahal) version (not the RM5 daiso ones which he already have 3). u know, as an accomplishment prezie. dia tak mintak pon. nor did i make it a deal that if he completed them, he will get a present. tapi, after tak sampai seminggu main, rosakkkk!!!! fooooohhh! fooooohhh! Daiso yg murah tu jugak yang tahan lama! and he wasn't even upset! i was! he just happily went like "oooohhh dah rosak!" and went to pick up the old rifle and start shooting! 

So mots for me, anak2 ni memang not born with materialistic attitudes. it's the mak bapak yang ajar. He didn't care that the expensive ones needed to be handled with care more than the cheap ones. yang he tahu is to just play. patut mahal lagi lar tahan lasak kan? sheeesh. i feel like i've been conned! but that's the beauty in the innocence and purity of a child. they tak kisah pon you kasi presents mahal or murah. they're just happy enough to even get! why we as parents fall prey to buying expensive ones instead of so called cheap stuff as gifts? or rasa if beli yang murah equates to tak sayang banyak compare beli yang mahal2? sebab orang2 lain yg sibuk ni akan comment "laaa ini jer you bagi anak you for your birthday?? you're like what... a doctor koooot!! kedekut gilerrrr!"

Padahal, mak yang you judge kedekut tu ada principles on raising her child. ye memang she ada banyak duit. tapi dia choose to "kaya"-kan anak2 dia dengan akhlak you tak kisah plak kan? in fact ada orang tahu Yusuf can read surah2 ni pon ada jer parents don't even bat an eyelid coz, well, not impressed lar. well to each their own. level of wealth. even the term wealth gives 1001 meanings to everyone of us. despite it being different, do know that it is YOU who to put the worth and value to your own term of wealth.

As for me, i try to seek Allah's standards as much as i can. After all, all this, that He has blessed me with: the knowledge, the ilham, and the success to follow through with plans, everything! is from Him and Him alone. So yeah. obviously He has my full attention for me to please than anyone else.

So ok. till then! terpanjang plak! hahaha. if tak terbebel tu bukan docbamby namanya!

Do make doa for my family if we ever cross your mind and land a spot on your soft, loving heart for it. 

Goodnight!

My "wealth" indeed. Thank You Allah!

yeaaaaaa! this one tooooo!!! the brains behind our family's plans! :P

what's on your mind?

Okay.

Follow up from my previous post, alhamdulillah the bubba is doing pretty well. altho there were some "accidents" of "oops!" and "oh no's!", but it was tolerable. so far lar! He actually insist on not wearing the diaper during nap and sleep time! tu yg i tak larat and kinda not giving in to the request. hehehe. pengsan kot nak wash tilam jer!

As for little baby maryam, (whose not so little anymore!) i felt 2 budding teeth on her lower jaw yesterday! yeaaaaayyy! a few more and you can start eating solids okay? but for now tunggu dull yea cayang! oh yes! i insist to still follow what i have done with Yusuf the last time. May He continue to help me in this iA.

okay laar. nothing else to post sangat, coz I'm sorta listening to a youtube video while the bubbas are napping away! hehehe. oh but do enjoy these next pictures of what i have been up to the past few weeks. and yes, it's all about fooooodddd!

Current activity! buat fruit cake!!!

2nd attempt and jadi mA! dari tak berapa suka jadi suka! hehe

as you can see, this steamer is my current best friend!

saja-saja try!

mee rebus ya'll! 

Lontong and sambal tumis ya'll!

Nasi Ayam ya'll! 

haaaa ni mmg confirm i tak buat! mesti terperanjat uolls if i did!
Saja letak coz i want one now!

1 day toilet training success insyaAllah!

Salam!

I just want to say in this short entry that one of the simple joys in life as a mother is to able to toilet train their kid! and alhamdulillah! Yusuf is officially 2 years 9 months today and managed to toilet train him yesterday!

Hope i haven't spoke too soon because ini baru hari kedua and he seemed to gotten the hang of it! of course after 4 "accidents" inside the house and one outside the first day, but he then proudly tell me he needs to shee shee and did it INSIDE the toilet!!! and you can imagine how ecstatic i was!!! terlompat2 sambil duking maryam! hahahaha.

I admit i stopped training him the first time a few months back coz Maryam baru keluar and i was adjusting to handling two bubbas, not to mention facing Yusuf's jealous streaks at times during the first months. so cleaning up after his accidental mess was just too much for me to handle without nearly breaking down on him. of course, i refuse to allow that to happen and end up break down lat hubby instead. hehehe. kesian lar he became my punching bag. and yeah, was pretty lazy to do all that as well lar kan!

It was hubs yg consoled me and said not to force yusuf and just go with the flow when he's ready. so  i did.

So now since maryam dah 6 months plus and i'm able to have sorta a routine schedule in managing them both, i decided to have a go again. so i came across this method of 3-day successful potty training. altho i didn't use a potty lar. And subhanallah, he got the hang of it on day 1! so far today no accidents yet and i'm not confident to try it thru naps and bedtime so i put on the nappies time tu jer. Am now really hoping it will be a 100% growing up milestone achievement from now onwards insyaAllah! semoga istiqamah! hehe.

The method involves having him naked from the waist down. so i would tell him excitedly that is a "no diaper day" today! of course lots of advice and encouragements are given as well. Alhamdulillah the trick to handling Yusuf is really just talking to him and explaining to him how i would to an adult. At least that is how i will continue raising my kids. and it works for me alhamdulillah.

oh, and today jugak he learnt to cycle the bike! still struggling a bit to maintain consistency sbb tak biasa, but am thrill! These may be little2 stuff but boy, am i grateful to see new achievements daily!

Thank You ever so much ya Allah!

As for the toilet training thingy, semoga i istiqamah! I've been warned to expect more accidents. let's just hope i'm strong enough to handle them!

Till then peeps! gotta uncheck the next thing in my to-do list before the bubbas wake up from their naps!

My Quranic miracle...

Salam and good day everyone.

Bismillah.

To write this up has not been easy for me, for i kept holding back and have been having ongoing discussions about it with hubs. As much as i can see the possible benefits of sharing something good, it is in my nature of thinking negatively of some people who would see it in an ill-mannered form. senang citer i pun bersangka buruk lar kat depa and vice versa. but i must admit that this is in fact a blessing and a miracle that i should not keep from other people. for it would definitely benefit me more as my investment in the akhira, for which that is better for me.

Speaking of miracles, we must all agree that nothing can even come close to the miracle that is the Quran. From its content, language and historic events of its descend on earth to us. All of it are amazing masyaAllah. As a mother, who only wants what's best for her children, i have made it a personal goal that i want them to be amongst the best in Allah's eyes insyaAllah.

So what do i know? How do i even begin? The only method i'm aware of and is currently doing, is to do the opposite of how i was brought up in areas that i think can be much further improved in myself. This thinking of course is very much tailored individually for only you would know what is best for you based on the knowledge you have gathered and exposed yourself with. So i would want my kids to be as if, if Rasulullah saw is still alive with us today, they would be his companions whom he would cherish.

MasyaAllah. Big dreams i know. But hey, just because it doesn't sound worldly enough like wanting Yusuf to be an astronaut or Maryam as a nuclear scientist, that doesn't mean it's not valid. And I believe it is very much achievable. How? you guessed it. with lots and lots and lots and lots of tears, sweat and sleepless nights. But just as you are motivated in doing something you love, this is me. In doing what i love. and it's a new found love indeed!

Chronicles of Naa!

I guess i must be quite desperate to admit to be doing this. I finally gave in to the method of "tricking" Yusuf to stop breastfeeding. What he would call "Naa".

At first i was going with the "explaining" method, which has cut down his frequency to just nap time and for sleep. I told him that his time for naa is up for Allah only said it is for 2 years since birth. And since yesterday he turned 2 years 2 months, and that the baby is on the way, i didn't see any improvement of total surrender, thus made me decided (with a heavy heart!) to resort to this idea.

Trust me, the look on his face when i smeared coffee paste on them naas. It must have tasted horrible for he was disgusted! And then he innocently asked me "adik? Adik?" "Yes sayang, it is now for adik. U don't like it?" "Tutup. Tutup." sambil pulling down my top to cover me. Then he bent down to my tummy and kissed it while calling out "adik!"

Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! I yang sedih! I yang nanges!!! Honestly i am the one that finds it hard to part with him from suckling! He tried to distract himself by doing something else but at times he would ask me "naa?" And when i showed it and he saw the coffee paste, he said "dirty! Dirty! No naa. Tutup. Tutup." Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Of course it took him a long while to soothe himself to sleep coz of the sudden "loss" of comfort source. Most of the time he would look lost, doing things just to fill his time or prolong it so that he will tire himself to sleep. Then  there was this one incident where he would throw a tantrum so bad that nothing is soothing him! And he has never cried that frantically! To which i surrendered and gave him. And he calmed down and slept immediately. It's like seeing someone who is having smoking withdrawal symptoms! Tak tentu arah betul! Dasyhat!!!

Mana taknyer. Naa was EVERYTHING to him since he came out to this world. And i mean EVERYTHING. Nak tido naa. Lapar naa. Baring manja2 naa. During our holiday trip to London last year was an obvious example. He was enjoying himself simply because he was carried around in the jumpsac carrier MOST of the time with me and his face was just inches away from my boobs. So technically that's like freeflow starbucks if you must! Nak jer, bukak and feed. While walking, on the tube, during my meals. Like anytime, anywhere!

Makan time!

Salam everyone!

How's raya for all of you? Hope it has been meaningful and that we raih kemenangan just as the celebration implores!

Anyways, i decided to blog a bit today because i simply cannot contain my excitement/emo/joy or whatever on what has happened to our little bubba lately! For starters, the major thing would be he has officially started eating! Yeap! After nearly 18months of just breastmilk, he finally, really asked for food just after the 1st week of raya! And trust me when i say he really asked! Sekali dengan tantrum, nanges2 semua!

Before this, if we're about to have a meal, I just give him my milk when he curiously asked for our food. And he would gladly suckle and soon forget about the initial intention. About just a month back we start giving him some dates and some grapes. For just to rasa-rasa. Nowwww! Aisehman! Menangis melalak ok! Tunjuk "na" pun dah tak jalan! In the end, we terpaksa mengalah. He already has 2 molars half erupting and 8 front fully grown teeth. So i gave him fish fingers. He loved it! Then hard boiled eggs. Yeap! That too! This went on for a few days.

Then as his first official meal, we decided he's ready to have what we're having. So one evening, i prepared our dinner and guess what he ate with us? Kari ikan siakap with steamed mixed veges!! Oh and with rice of course! Yeappa!! And he loved it alhamdulillah! I didnt put the whole nasi with kuah banjir of course. And it wasn't full blown spicy but spicy nevertheless! And alhamdulillah the next day he's still ok without any tummy aches or discomfort. So as for the rest, let's just say it gets better from there.

He's really not holding back wanting to explore his very own "journey to the taste of unknown!" So far he has had nasi goreng garlic (shared with me at wondermama), meehun goreng, fish and chips, and roti canai! (Take note, we just started him early this week!) Hehe. And so far, i don't have to chase/force him to have his meal. He's chasing me instead! and a few mornings he would wake up and drag me to the kitchen, forcing me to whip up breakfast! (Ok hubs! Can take this cue from bubba!) ehehehehe *nervous laugh* For dinner just now i fed him a hard boiled egg, with a bun and steamed broccoli and cauliflower! I'm really glad he loved the veges and ate them with his own hands! Alhamdulillah sangat2!

Poopsie daisy!

Salam everybody!

How's your weekend so far? Mine has been pretty interesting. Some plans were in effect but some weren't. But hey, Allah is the Planner of all planners right? ;)

Just a little update on the lil guy. He turned 8 months old last friday. Gosh how time flies! And just a few days prior to that, i noticed a change (like i do everytime he's getting a month older!). Like all changes that were fun and interesting to watch, this one is kinda icky to deal with. But still interesting, nonetheless! i think. -.-" 

I'm talking about his poop! Hehehe. Yeap! His poop has changed to a much firmer consistency and has formed slightly! Yeayness! Okaaayy! Before u go all 'euuwwww!! That's gross!' or 'what's the big huha on that?!' Ahaaa! Here's the fascinating part! My baby is still exclusively breastfeeding!! Yeap! No food or other form of liquids whatsoever! Just good ol' mommy's breastmilk!

Well, when i get babycentre's updates that babies should have a change in poo after 6 months, and Yusuf hasn't, it's simple enough for me to understand that that's because i didn't start introducing him to food yet. Therefore his stool (or poo) was still that of fluid-like consistency. I did wonder if he was going to have this type of poo for as long as he would be on breastmilk. For me, that thought was logical at the time.

But subhanallah, God is indeed great. The change in consistency and form goes to show that the studies (small scale ones which i happened to read, coz no big companies wud do so coz busy promoting baby food and formula milk or getting funded), shows that breastmilk will change in its consistency to meet the necessary requirements as the baby grows as well! How awesome is that eh?? Saaaannggggaaaaattt!!!

It is said that they've found out that the constituents of breastmilk after one year of breastfeeding, the milk has more protein and iron than it had before that! This is to adapt to the needs of the toddler where protein is vital in building muscle mass! I don't know about you, but that fact has got my jaw dropped and eyeballed!!!! At least to me it did!

Besides the change in poo, i am pleased (and grateful!) to know he's thriving well. He's a bit on the tall side tho. That has to follow daddy! =) Of course i'll keep monitoring this and will take any intervention, if necessary. For now, i'm going with the flow bebeh! And no, i didn't pioneered this practice obviously. My sources are as sound as any medical journal or health articles that's out there for you, to suit your individual needs or preferences. It's true when they say you only do the things you believe in. And i believe in mine. 

If you have any enquiries about this don't hesitate to drop an email to me. I'm trying to inculcate a 'sharing is caring' attitude. So everybody's welcome!

Till then.

Saja jer...

Dear blog...

Oh well. It's one of those nights that i find it quite hard to settle in again. But dont worry. It's not because of any bugs or creatures to keep me awake. Thank god! Hehe.

Well Yusuf, you're fast asleep now. And i just love staring at you while you sleep. It reminds me of the very first time i did this when you were barely one day old. In the dark lit hospital room. My how you've grown baby! You might not know this, but i'm falling in love with you all over again. Every. Single. Day. And not to mention absolutely grateful to God for lending you to me and daddy to take care and love!

In fact, i wish to have more if He's gracious to give! Hehehe. Of course He is and so i should be doing the asking more often! But when the time is right of course and that only He knows when. ;) i'm just jotting this memory down because i don't want to forget it. And you'll get to read how emotional your mommy can be!

Ohmy! Im crying! Hahahaa! Happy tears of course! You're the inspiration for me to become who i am now. Did u know that? Well i'm telling you. You're the motivation for me to be a better person everyday. Everytime i want to do something, the thought of you and how it can affect you will come to mind. No doubt i will falter at some points, but you encourage me to keep trying. Without you needing to do anything! Great huh? I guess that's the God given miracles in babies. With you just being here, makes everyone love you without prejudice and judgement. People don't need to know you and already they love you. Therefore i truly believe, what's not to love about babies?! =)

High 5!

Salam!

Alhamdulillah you're 5 months today baby! I guess mommy has nothing much to share except to tell you how truly excited i am prepping to be a great mom to you in His eyes insyaAllah!

This month we did a first thing together didn't we? yeap! we attended courses together! those courses i enroll are hoping to help and guide me to raise you well, because motherhood is all new to me. So like all things new, mommy has to learn them first. And to think there are sooo many sources to learn this from ie books, internet and seminars, we are sure blessed to be living in the modern world of technology! And like you sayang, you're learning everyday! Subhanallah! Hopefully the thirst for knowledge will stay with you always (and me too!). I'm also very thankful at how well you behaved throughout the long hours! and not to mention the pretty long drive with just you and me! Of course the occasional traffic jams didn't help much. Coz we don't really like them do we? hehe!

Since mommy is typing this post while you wriggling ( and wanting to jump) on my lap in between, I have to make this a short one.  To sign off, the two key important things i've learned is not to underestimate your capability in learning now, and to also do things only for Allah to achieve eternal peace and happiness. So hopefully i will remain consistent to do this and to always seek His blessings in the process!

ok. you want to jump some more. sorry i had to do this now coz i've been trying to find the time so i thought of multitasking. turns out it's not a good idea! ;P

Till then.

With mommy Dyla and baby Hannah at Celik momz by Prof Muhaya!
Ada budak tu boleh tido plak! hehe!

enough mommy! i want to play please!

And he's 4!

Dearest Yusuf,

Ahaa! We meet again alhamdulillah! And you are now 4 months old! And yes, it was 4 months ago that mommy was trying to push you out into the world and *plop* you fell onto the blanket! Hehehe. Yeap. I'm sure gonna go into this birth-memory trips everytime you turn a month older. Somehow as it reaches further and further away from that day, it feels less dramatic. but thankfully not losing any of its exclusivity.

Speaking of special, the past 4 months you have definitely made mommy know one trait you've inherited from me and daddy. And that is sensitive skin! Hehehe. Yeap. I have problems battling out lil bugs that find you interestingly sweet enough to bite into! I was even next to you where you were fully clad with clothes than i was, and yet! They insist biting on you instead of the oversize meat like me! *sigh!*

Well i know i can't promise you the world or protect you from all evil or danger either. but i know Allah will. I can only try my best, but the absolute protection will be from our very own Protector. So if He says "yes lil bug, you may bite Yusuf instead of the mommy despite her cleaning and changing the bedsheet every week to keep you away from him" then i can't really do much now can i? Hehe.

And yes. I don't plan to keep you in a bubble like that jake gylenhaal movie either. But i guess the sight of your allergic reactions to some bites makes me go bonkers with horror, regardless of the fact that you were smiling happily with the "it dont bother me" look on your face. i guess i should start taking the "go easy mommy" cue from you.

Other than that, you're still working on your turn. Its happening more frequently now. And you've made it a few times on your own but your other hand is still caught under your weight. And your obvious motivation is when i lie down next to you and you will turn to drink your milk! Hehe. But that's a good start in learning to embrace the challenges in your life later. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. (tempted to type out Aaliyah's version!) ;P

Amongst other things, you're getting better at gripping stuff too (especially my garments when ur feeding or when I'm carrying you). Not to mention, u are much more vocal than before! I love every of our chatty moments! Hehe. But most of all, i love the fact that everytime i left u sleeping alone, like when i went to get a drink from the kitchen, you'll wake up crying for me. It's probably because my scent is out of your olfactory radar. But i don't mind if i have to whiz myself back to you, or carry you in my arms for the longest hour till you doze off. Or when you won't go to sleep if i'm not sleeping beside you too and leave the ongoing chores behind. I don't mind a single bit. In fact i love it! It makes me feel wanted. And loved too. And i would do it a thousand times more if given the chance. 😍

That's all i have to share for now baby. I thank God everyday for His excellent care over you. Mommy loves you much much!

Yusuf's first fever! and baby fever 101!

Salam!

Ok. the title is kinda awkward as though i'm expecting more fever episodes pulak. hehehe. but of course these things we can't predict. we can only do so much as to try our best to prevent and live a healthy lifestyle. the rest, is of course up to the Almighty.

4th of june marked his first fever episode. it was in the wee hours of the morning that i was awaken by his usual wriggling next to me. but the difference this time is that the wriggling felt warm and hotter than usual. Awakened with a startle, i looked at Yusuf whose half awake and felt his forehead and body that has quite a temperature!!! without thinking much, i whizzed out of my bed and quickly grabbed the nearest hand towel and rinse it with lukewarm water (thank god for the invention of water heaters!). then i sprung back on to the bed and rubbed his face and unbutton his sleepsuit to rub his body. My god he felt hot! then i straight away breastfed him thinking he must be thirsty and I wanted to flush him with a lot of antibodies as well!

yes. sounds dramatic right? but that was how frantic i was. and to think for all the hundreds of children patients i see at work, nothing beats the actual real deal. and yes. now i know how every mom feels when their child is sick. and i am thankful, i get to be there for him. 

Well his fever was pretty high. it hit 39 degrees on the sticky forehead thermometer. which i'm sure isn't as accurate as the digital or mercury ones but i'm not in favour to be sticking it up his behind. at first i did panicked. but then i slowly calmed down and observed him. He seemed alert but not as playful as usual. My hubby and i call him our happy camper coz every morning without fail, he would wake up with smiles and coos to greet us. so we have this little beautiful family time with him in bed before bathing him. but that morning, he didn't feel like smiling. He still wants to breastfeed though, so that's a good sign. and like all sick people, he rest (slept) a lot. there was slight on and off dry cough, but no runny nose and he wasn't breathless. He pees ok but didn't poo that day. Although, he was cranky when i put him down to sleep on his own. Coz he preferred to be carried to sleep. So because he deserved it, i carried him most of the time.

"Seasoned" with love...

My dearest Yusuf,

You're fast asleep while i'm blogging this. But i want you to know that today was the first time your tokdang and moyang, my grandparents, came over to stay at our place for the night! You are their first great grandson because i'm their first cucu!

It was nice to have them over. But it did open mommy's eyes wider when i get to observe some things and hopefully stay as a lifelong lesson. You see, your great grandpa is verrryyy forgetful lately. Which is quite common amongst old people. However, it kinda deteriorate since the last time i saw him. He kept asking mommy your name, and how old you are. Not even 30minutes apart! There was also a question if you are my son! Plus, i just found out he even forgot he was at our place!!! sedih and kesian sangat. :'(

But you both had a lot of fun together tho! He really liked playing with you! And you had quite a few chatty moments with him! Although there was this one incident where he panicked coz you were crying and mommy was in the loo. So he accidentally screamed for me and that kinda shocked you and made you cry even louder. But i calm you down and told you that he has hearing problems too. That and not been handling a baby for a very long time as well. But you were fine once i held you. ;)

Seeing your tokdang makes me think of my fate if i were to be blessed till old age. Will i be a healthy and able old woman? I know people pray for a long life a lot, but to live long with an aging body and forgetfulness? Doesn't sound that appealing. Albeit death is a scary thing too and certain! I know the reason God made the religiously-knowledgeable people die early. So that they won't live thru old age becoming debilitated. Especially what they were famously known for and have contributed to society. So by dying young, God help save their reputation during their prime time. Rather than letting them be senile and amnesic, instead they remain memorably venerable. But seeing this happening to him in front of me, even for just a day, makes me realize i have to modify my prayer.

I now pray for a barakah (blessed) life. If it's long, i really hope it's filled with barakah. And there's also this prayer our prophet teaches us to read everyday. And it goes "bless me with a healthy body, ears and eyes" and "protect me from the laziness of old age". I'm sure besides being pure lazy, it also entails to still be able to do good when you're old. Because if one does not have a healthy body and mind, one might be lazy to just do good because of the disabilities or from demotivation. Not on purpose.

So insyaAllah, mommy and daddy will be granted with a healthy and blessed life. Of course, there are ways to slow-down forgetfulness and maintain agility when one is old. I guess i have to read it up and start doing it now. Both me and daddy. So that we won't be an indirect burden to you in future.

May your tokdang has a barakah life too. InsyaAllah.

Mommy loves you baby. Nite2.

Yusuf with tokdang and moyang!!

3...

My dearest Yusuf,

Someone has turned 3 months old! Alhamdulillah! Mommy didn't think to make it compulsory of updating about you every month, but at least it gives me something to write about! Hehehe.

I know you will know what generally every 3month old babies would do, but mommy wants u to know that this time, u've got better head control, more babbles and coos, more responsive smiles and laughter and u definitely enjoy playing with mommy!

All mommy can now pray for is that you'll grow into a good person, better than i will ever be. I wish i can hide all the flaws i have from you so that you won't even have a bit of negative attributes from me. But i know that sounds nearly impossible, but i will try and pray hard.

Everyday, i pray that you'll be the best that you can be and will not impose any stress on you in any way i humanly can. And i strive to protect you and stand firm on my parenting towards you so that i won't give in to ANYBODY that tries to raise u as if they forget that you're my son. And don't worry dear, mommy has learn to ignore the advice that mommy don't want instead of being upset by them. But if its forced on me or they throw tantrums because i don't follow their "so-called" advice, mommy will make sure they'll know their place and regret their rudeness, for a veeeerrryyyy long time.

But above all, i really pray hard you'll be a happier soul than i'll ever be. I pray u'll enjoy every bit of life. And i know it has to come from me for u to learn that. So i will definitely try my best to be that happy person just for you. Coz having you, is the best and happiest thing that has happened in my life so far! Alhamdulillah! For Allah has mercy on me, that he makes my happy memory of this world, by having you in it.

I love you baby.

dah besar dah anak mommy!

my lil koala!

your current fave playtime! tp mommy cepat penat! hehe!

Yusuf is 2 months old!

Hello everyone!

Guess what?! On April 19th, lil Yusuf has just turned 2 MONTHS OLD!!! woot! woot! time sure flies! but somehow it felt just at the right pace for me. prolly because i'm with him 24/7 literally! what that means is that i insist to be the one glued to him nearly all the time! yang lain boleh sikit-sikit jer! hahahaha! i'm a hogger kan? plus it is my son. ehem!

Sooo! back to a less awkward moment! i do admit i've experienced some changes with Yusuf. first of all, he's gotten a lot heavier!!! 5.6kg. hehehe. so i'm carrying my own dumbbells especially in the middle of the night to either feed or change his diaper! minimum twice every night i have to do this exercise when i'm sleepy! but that's ok. coz i'm gonna get those strong arms which i've been complaining of not having before! =)

And like most 2 months old babies would start to learn, this one will get the mommies all warm and fuzzy inside! it's the cooing and smiles!!! yes! he's learn them alright! but not to a full extent, and certainly not to everybody! heck it even made me forget the sleepless nights or tiredness i'm going through because he would want to have a coo and smile time with me at 3am! and guess what. after indulging i'm end up awake but happy! masyaAllah! such an amazing thing! it also makes me feel soooo special coz i get to have this personal bonding time with him!  *big love!*

My baby-derived, artistic vibes!

Salam and good day to all
hope ur life has been great.
have i got something for y'all
its definitely way better than kate spade!

It's about this new man in my life
a blessing from the Almighty to me
with him present i'm not only a wife
but now i'm officially a mommy!

YUSUF, a name that was given,
courtesy from his daddy to him
may he live up to the qualities of the prophet
with a beauty more specifically within.

Words can't describe my happiness
of God's grace to grant me this moment
a gift that is precious and priceless
and a reminder as world's embellishment.

There's just so many things to teach him
things that i too have lots to learn
like what it takes to be a great muslim,
or how to create cool, wicked poems! ;P

Wordless Wednesday: My lil Yusuf!

Confinement: the Docbamby's way!

Hello everybodddeeeeehhhh!!!

heheheh! it's been awhile eh?? that's because my little hogger is doing exactly what mommy hogger wants him to do! Chronic hogging of one another! and i'm soooooooo loving it!!! *imagine a smiley with heart-shaped eyes please!*

So i'm here to share how the past 6 weeks went by. In our malaysian tradition, we have a thing called 'confinement' where the mother and baby is supposed to be... err... confined in the home. *duh!* And the amount of days varies apparently, famous numbers being 40, 44 or 100 days (yikes!). So with this "very sedentary" lifestyle, one is also restricted to a certain kind of diet. This however depends on different cultures, and basically your elder's knowledge. so technically, there is no standard guideline of how this works because it differs from one family's tradition to another.

Honestly, i didn't even do this whole confinement thing properly. Not because i don't believe in some of the possible wisdom behind it. But because i just look at it as an opportunity for me to rest and relax physically and mentally. so that part is a good thing, resting in the house and adapting to your newfound love. but i'm a person that finds it hard to adhere to certain rules and being told what to do when i don't want to after considering the consequences. (ok! i sound like an anarchist! haha!). so of course, if that happens, it takes out the "mental relaxation" in confinement to me. Also it has probably has something to do with the fact that i'm from a medical background where i don't recall there is anything called confinement in our medical vocabulary. so technically (and medically), the practice is not compulsory.  

Wordless Wednesday

I delivered my own baby... part two!

Well hello hello!

I must say I didn't expect this kind of crowd to be reading my previous post! Thank you all for the well wishes! All I can conclude is that MAJORITY of you moms and moms-to-be out there are pretty interested and moved to be doing this whole delivery thing au naturel! well good for you!!!

So lets get back to my story shall we?

After delivering on the floor, I was helped back onto the bed by hubby and the doctor to remove the placenta. Because I loss quite an amount of blood, I kinda blacked out awhile. Once on the bed, the doctor gave me another time frame again. She gave me up to one hour. Coz remember, I refused the syntometrine to deliver the placenta. So doing it naturally will take awhile. Upon nearing that hour, she assessed and told me that my placenta was just right down there. but it was a bit tight for her to pull it out.  I even got my hubby to get Yusuf to breastfeed from me. It helped! coz after another threat given to go to the OT to remove it, suddenly the placenta gave way and it was out! and gosh! it felt like giving birth to number 2! The doctor even made a joke saying that my body somehow responds to threats by acting quickly to do something about it! hahaha! In my case, this is a good thing! Alhamdulillah!

I delivered my own baby... part one!

Salam! i'm sorry it took me quite awhile to post this. but as new parents, there were a few things to settle and needed adjustments. plus my priority has now changed to that little bub whom i'm gonna talk to you about. So with bismillah, enjoy my birth story...

Alhamdulillah! The day has finally arrived! And it arrived at night! 11.15pm on a saturday night on the 18/2/2012 to be exact! No, no the birth of my baby, but a 'show' to kick start things! So happens, that my parents were around to bring us dinner and my mama cooked me curry mee. She insisted that i get to taste what i crave so that probably it will get the baby to come out! hehe! because i was already past my due date. and funnily, it had to happened after that lar kan! ;P

After they went back home, i told hubby about the 'sign'. Thinking not all show would result in delivery straight away, i decided to wait. My hubby works on weekends and we discussed that it would be better for him not to show up at work the next day. So with that decision, he had to run to the office to settle things. In that frame of time, i actually started to feel my surges (another delicate name to call contractions that was taught during my hypnobirthing class.). So i timed them using this babybump app on my iPhone. Strangely enough, it started to get constant and pretty strong than the usual braxton hicks. So i thought, oh wow! this could be it! i waited for the 411 sign to go the hospital (one surge every 4 minutes, lasting one minute, for one hour). i waited nearly 2 hours just to make sure! and as hubby arrived home, i said "it's time to go to the hospital sayang."