Alhamdulillah, hari kedua Aidilfitri hari ni. Syukur, Allah masih beri peluang menikmati kemanisa Ramadhan dan Aidilfitri kali ini. Syukur juga, this year dapat puasa penuh! Alhamdulillah. I can't remember the last time i had the opportunity to puasa penuh. Allah Maha Kaya.. last year Dia tak bagi aku puasa, tahun Dia bagi aku peluang puasa penuh. :D
This year, my little princess dah mula belajar puasa!!.. She was eager to fast everyday, but i only allowed her to fast on weekends. Masa weekdays dia pergi sekolah, kesian pulak bangun awal sangat for sahur. Mengantuk pulak nanti kat sekolah. Alhamdulillah, the last day of puasa, she completed fasting the whole day!! Percubaan2 terdahulu biasanya tamat dalam pukul 12.00 onwards. The first day she tried, dah pukul 5 nak buka puasa.. Hehe.. Akhirnya, hari terakhir Ramadhan 1433H, dapat juga dia habiskan puasa.. We didn't force her, she insisted on it herself. We only offered support. :)
As for the little one, it's his first Aidilfitri! Sempat jugak tempah baju melayu siap sampin untuk dia.. Hehe.. comel je.. Cerita raya nanti lah.. mengantuk pulak...
Retiring for the night. Salam Aidilfitri! :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Schools, schools, schools!!!
I'm looking for a perfect school for my children, but let's face it. Nothing's perfect. Makes you wonder why there's such word in the first place, doesn't it?
I was browsing the net to get some insights on the school that we would enroll our daughter t,o come 2015. I've to tell you, it's a big headache! Gone were the days when everything was so simple, when a child comes of age, you just enroll them into a school. It's almost seem automatic. Now, you're spoilt for choice, but to find a perfect school.. not one is even close. Having said that, the interpretation of perfection differs amongst people anyway.
Parents want the best for their children. All level-headed parents are like that. Hubby and i included. We want the best education and the best nurturing environment that our children can call her school.
I was doing some research and i would really love to send my kids to AISM or Alice Smith.. but of course, the fees are quite steep. It's something like 25 grand a year, not inclusive of other fees such as security fee, ICT fee, registration and school uniforms. Furthermore, Alice Smith is so inconveniently far from our residence. Why these schools? Because of the curriculum that they offer, the class size, the teachers, the after-school activities and the children attending the school. The other thing that urged me to reconsider is the lack of religious foundation classes.
Then there's the private school. Personally, the only thing that picked up my interest to consider sending my kids there is the vast options of the co-curricular activities offered. Other than that, not much. It teaches the same curriculum as the public schools, and from my research, discipline could be a lot more relaxed than some public schools. Plus, i wouldn't want my kids to get big headed should they attend private schools, you know what i mean?
As for public school, our major concern is that we are afraid that the curriculum offered in early primary might not be challenging enough and bore the kids' inquisitive minds. Plus, our daughter speaks more English than Malay, and she's quite advanced. We can't help but to worry that she may get victimized, if not by her peers, by the teachers. We would like to give the public school system the benefit of doubt, but some stories that we hear about the schools aren't much help. However, those are the things that the kids need to learn to manage, as that is real life!
I, for one went to public school. My alma mater was one of the missionary schools. I picked up discipline, English, social skills and good education there, thanks to my dedicated teachers and friends from diversified backgrounds. I went through good times and bad. There were times when peer pressure made me feel inferior, there were times when i got scolded for not completing my homework, there were times when i got punished in a group, times when i had an argument with teachers, but for the most part, i enjoyed school thoroughly. I would like my kids to have a wonderful schooling experience as well. And most importantly, i want the school to complement our efforts to shape our children minds and spirits to enable them to face the challenges ahead and be successful in life.
Sigh. Tough decision. Gonna continue researching.
I was browsing the net to get some insights on the school that we would enroll our daughter t,o come 2015. I've to tell you, it's a big headache! Gone were the days when everything was so simple, when a child comes of age, you just enroll them into a school. It's almost seem automatic. Now, you're spoilt for choice, but to find a perfect school.. not one is even close. Having said that, the interpretation of perfection differs amongst people anyway.
Parents want the best for their children. All level-headed parents are like that. Hubby and i included. We want the best education and the best nurturing environment that our children can call her school.
I was doing some research and i would really love to send my kids to AISM or Alice Smith.. but of course, the fees are quite steep. It's something like 25 grand a year, not inclusive of other fees such as security fee, ICT fee, registration and school uniforms. Furthermore, Alice Smith is so inconveniently far from our residence. Why these schools? Because of the curriculum that they offer, the class size, the teachers, the after-school activities and the children attending the school. The other thing that urged me to reconsider is the lack of religious foundation classes.
Then there's the private school. Personally, the only thing that picked up my interest to consider sending my kids there is the vast options of the co-curricular activities offered. Other than that, not much. It teaches the same curriculum as the public schools, and from my research, discipline could be a lot more relaxed than some public schools. Plus, i wouldn't want my kids to get big headed should they attend private schools, you know what i mean?
As for public school, our major concern is that we are afraid that the curriculum offered in early primary might not be challenging enough and bore the kids' inquisitive minds. Plus, our daughter speaks more English than Malay, and she's quite advanced. We can't help but to worry that she may get victimized, if not by her peers, by the teachers. We would like to give the public school system the benefit of doubt, but some stories that we hear about the schools aren't much help. However, those are the things that the kids need to learn to manage, as that is real life!
I, for one went to public school. My alma mater was one of the missionary schools. I picked up discipline, English, social skills and good education there, thanks to my dedicated teachers and friends from diversified backgrounds. I went through good times and bad. There were times when peer pressure made me feel inferior, there were times when i got scolded for not completing my homework, there were times when i got punished in a group, times when i had an argument with teachers, but for the most part, i enjoyed school thoroughly. I would like my kids to have a wonderful schooling experience as well. And most importantly, i want the school to complement our efforts to shape our children minds and spirits to enable them to face the challenges ahead and be successful in life.
Sigh. Tough decision. Gonna continue researching.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Ramblings
Alhamdulillah, Ramadhan bakal muncul tak lama lagi. I have one more day to qada' my previous years' fastings. Hmm.. not last year's.. the year before.. I had a total of 7 days from year 2010 brought forward since i couldn't do it last year due to the pregnancy. I kept bleeding when i attempted to fast. Last year's fasting month, i only fast one single day.. meaning i have to qada like 29 days (or is it 28??) which i have yet to start. So.. marilah membayar fidyah.. :)
Risau jugak nak puasa ni, in terms of my milk production. I hope i can maintain a good milk supply for Seth and not be too tired during the day. I hope the days in Ramadhan this year won't be too hot, and i hope that i can fast the whole month through, InsyaAllah. I was reading a few blogs about their experiences during the fasting month. Some said that they took Alfalfa and Vitamin B complex to boost their milk supply. Some swore by having dates for sahur and iftar. Wallahu'alam. I think i'll try to have some oats and soy bean milk during sahur and iftar, and try to drink as much as i can during the night to ensure good milk supply during the day.
I noticed something about Seth's poop when i fast. Usually, Seth will poop 2 -3 times a day. But on my fasting days, he'll poop less, in frequency and quantity. I hope that is a good thing.. :)
Sigh.. my mind wants to tell a lot more but my eyes are getting sleepy. Ok lah. Retiring to bed. Ciao!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Updates
I've been wanting to post an update on the little boy's development for my own records, but i guess my lack of ideas to write got the best of me. :p Right now, the notebook's battery is running low pulak. Isk... Better hurry up.
Seth had been able to turn independently at four months. His first effort was rather accidental, from his back onto his tummy. He was lying sideways on the edge of his mattress, on the bed. The mattress was about half an inch thick so he had some leverage when he tried to reach for me and ended up on his tummy instead. :) However, he doesn't really turn much. I'm not sure if its because he has yet to get the hang of it or he just dislikes being on his tummy.
Sometimes, i do put him on his tummy though. And he can turn himself onto his back, which he does more than turning from back to tummy. The book that i refer to mentioned that usually the tummy-to-back turn will happen before vice-versa as the back-to-tummy need stronger back muscles. Waalhu'alam. One interesting thing that i had observed is that Seth can move himself forward and sideways, even if just slightly. I think that's quite amazing, given that he doesn't really get the hang of turning onto his tummy quite yet.
We've started to give him some water, fed from a cup since he was so eager to reach out for my mug during mealtimes. He can actually hold on to the cup handle, and uses his other hand to push the bottom of the cup so as to bring the cup to his mouth. All this at 4 month! Once, i gave him an empty cup, and he brought it to his mouth, and complained upon discovering that it was actually empty! Lols!!
Updates on his big sis. Hehe.. One day, on the way home from school, while daddy was driving, another car suddenly came into daddy's lane. She shouted. "Mangkuk!".. Daddy asked where she learnt that from.. and she said. "I think from Mommy..".. Huhu... guilty as charged! Have to control my mouth better while driving...
Ok.. signing out before this thing auto shut down..
Seth had been able to turn independently at four months. His first effort was rather accidental, from his back onto his tummy. He was lying sideways on the edge of his mattress, on the bed. The mattress was about half an inch thick so he had some leverage when he tried to reach for me and ended up on his tummy instead. :) However, he doesn't really turn much. I'm not sure if its because he has yet to get the hang of it or he just dislikes being on his tummy.
Sometimes, i do put him on his tummy though. And he can turn himself onto his back, which he does more than turning from back to tummy. The book that i refer to mentioned that usually the tummy-to-back turn will happen before vice-versa as the back-to-tummy need stronger back muscles. Waalhu'alam. One interesting thing that i had observed is that Seth can move himself forward and sideways, even if just slightly. I think that's quite amazing, given that he doesn't really get the hang of turning onto his tummy quite yet.
We've started to give him some water, fed from a cup since he was so eager to reach out for my mug during mealtimes. He can actually hold on to the cup handle, and uses his other hand to push the bottom of the cup so as to bring the cup to his mouth. All this at 4 month! Once, i gave him an empty cup, and he brought it to his mouth, and complained upon discovering that it was actually empty! Lols!!
Updates on his big sis. Hehe.. One day, on the way home from school, while daddy was driving, another car suddenly came into daddy's lane. She shouted. "Mangkuk!".. Daddy asked where she learnt that from.. and she said. "I think from Mommy..".. Huhu... guilty as charged! Have to control my mouth better while driving...
Ok.. signing out before this thing auto shut down..
Monday, May 28, 2012
..and the numbers keep increasing! :)
Alhamdulillah, masih diberi kesempatanuntuk bernafas sehingga hari ini, genap 32 tahun berada di bumi Allah ini. Syukur atas nikmatNya.
Had a wonderful day today. Hubby treated me to breakfast at Old Town and a scrumptious dim sum lunch at the Marriott. The kaya toast that used to be one of the crown jewels of the kopitiam had deteriorated in quality so badly! It used to have a massive amount of butter to accompany the rich kaya.. but now the toast is just downright pathetic! The slab of butter was miniscule! Price remained the same, tapi cut corners everywhere. Yeah, prices have gone up, but it's not like they're using the best grade butter anyway. Reduce la sikit profit margin instead of reducing the quality. :p
Haih.. tersasar pulak dari cerita birthday.
The dim sum buffet at Marriott?.. They are a bit kelam kabut la on weekends. Harini banyak steamed dim sum je.. yang fried ada dua plate je. Haiyoo.. what has happened to the nation's services industry? Isk.. tersasar lagi.. huhu..
Anyways, finally had the rainbow cake that i had been wanting to have since last year's fasting month (i was pregnant then, tak larat nak cari the cake, so that may explain my little son's slobbery-ness). Nothing great about the cake, really. Just that it has six lovely coloured layers of butter cake. However, the icing is a bit too sweet for my liking. Too sweet to complement the cake. Hmm.. should've have whisk coffee bar's velvet cake instead. Takpela.. teringin sangat punya pasal.
The best thing about today? My dear daughter got me a purse for my birthday, and she had my mother in law get it for me. Isy.. budak tuh.. She knows that she can wrap her gramps around her little finger!
I think everyone had a great time today. Both the kids enjoyed themselves so much. Yang kecik pun, excited sangat sampai tidur pun sekejap2 je. Now, dua2 dah in bed, Alhamdulillah. Hope they sleep well so that mommy and daddy can sleep well too. :)
Ok.. past my birthday already. Time to go to bed! :)
Had a wonderful day today. Hubby treated me to breakfast at Old Town and a scrumptious dim sum lunch at the Marriott. The kaya toast that used to be one of the crown jewels of the kopitiam had deteriorated in quality so badly! It used to have a massive amount of butter to accompany the rich kaya.. but now the toast is just downright pathetic! The slab of butter was miniscule! Price remained the same, tapi cut corners everywhere. Yeah, prices have gone up, but it's not like they're using the best grade butter anyway. Reduce la sikit profit margin instead of reducing the quality. :p
Haih.. tersasar pulak dari cerita birthday.
The dim sum buffet at Marriott?.. They are a bit kelam kabut la on weekends. Harini banyak steamed dim sum je.. yang fried ada dua plate je. Haiyoo.. what has happened to the nation's services industry? Isk.. tersasar lagi.. huhu..
Anyways, finally had the rainbow cake that i had been wanting to have since last year's fasting month (i was pregnant then, tak larat nak cari the cake, so that may explain my little son's slobbery-ness). Nothing great about the cake, really. Just that it has six lovely coloured layers of butter cake. However, the icing is a bit too sweet for my liking. Too sweet to complement the cake. Hmm.. should've have whisk coffee bar's velvet cake instead. Takpela.. teringin sangat punya pasal.
The best thing about today? My dear daughter got me a purse for my birthday, and she had my mother in law get it for me. Isy.. budak tuh.. She knows that she can wrap her gramps around her little finger!
I think everyone had a great time today. Both the kids enjoyed themselves so much. Yang kecik pun, excited sangat sampai tidur pun sekejap2 je. Now, dua2 dah in bed, Alhamdulillah. Hope they sleep well so that mommy and daddy can sleep well too. :)
Ok.. past my birthday already. Time to go to bed! :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Weight Gain
For the first time ever, i'm soo excited with weight gain. Well.. not mine, of course; of my darling son. Alhamdulillah, at his 2 mths + checkup, he gained about 900g and the paed was quite happy, and in turn made me happy. :D And that's an understatement.
For the first time ever, i'm soo excited with weight gain. Well.. not mine, of course; of my darling son. Alhamdulillah, at his 2 mths + checkup, he gained about 900g and the paed was quite happy, and in turn made me happy. :D And that's an understatement.
Alhamdulillah, looks like i do have enough milk for him to grow. :D I may not have enough milk pumped into a bottle (which i can only get around 0.5 - 1.5 oz per pumping session), but that's not what counts, right? Considering that i'm not going to work and i can bf him directly full time. It's the milk that gets into his tummy that counts.
Speaking of which, just to share the news, my application for 2 years unpaid leave had been approved! :) Next week i'm going to the office to clear my stuffs. I'm ecstatic about the leave, but i can't say that i'm not worried at all about my financials. I still have bills to pay on a monthly basis you know. Yes, i do get allowance from my husband, but its not the same as getting paid and having your hands on your own hard earned money, is it?
Now i can't just spend in a whim. Don't get me wrong, i'm not (really) a spendthrift. It's just that aku takde la berkira sangat kalau nak beli toys / baju for my kids or books / treats for me. Now that i won't get paid for the next 2 years, kena jimat cermat la sikit. Takleh la selalu nak charge to credit card. Huhu..
Takpelah, for the sake of the kids. :)
Friday, April 06, 2012
Full TIme Housewife
Alhamdulillah, my unpaid leave of two years had been approved by my superiors. So, lepas ni, jadi la full time housewife, jaga anak2, masak, etc, ala-ala domestic goddess gitu.. ;)
Alhamdulillah, my unpaid leave of two years had been approved by my superiors. So, lepas ni, jadi la full time housewife, jaga anak2, masak, etc, ala-ala domestic goddess gitu.. ;)
Monetarily, banyak jugak loss yang aku kena suffer for the next 710 days.. tapi takpelah, family punya pasal. Duit boleh cari kan? Lagipun, dengan pelbagai kes baby tercekik susu yang makin berleluasa lately ni, risau nak hantar baby to any nurseries/babysitters, unless of course it's my own mother. Tapi susahla pulakkan, 60km nak hantar kalau mama jaga. Huhu. Therefore, bersyukur2 sangat2 sebab we can still afford for me not to work and take care of the kids. I hope i can make the best out of the two years. Kalau nasib baik, dapat pulak sambung belajar bergaji penuh.. Sambung lagi cuti, tapidengan gaji.. hehe.. kalau nasib baik la..
The baby is doing well. Berat dia, tak tau for sure since we don't have a proper weighing scale for babies. Tapi kalau ikut digital scale yang sedia ada ni, dalam 4.5kg berat dia. Masa 7 weeks haritu berat dia 3.9kg. So it's going up, although it's definitely not in the 50th percentile. He's fully breastfeeding, with the occasional supplements of soy based formula. Kadang2 je, when we're out and about and we're pressed for time.
Apparently, he can be calm in his car seat while being driven around, provided that he's not sleepy and hungry. Otherwise, i'd have to feed him and ensure that he sleeps before buckling him up and drive around. Alhamdulillah, so far he's been quietly sleeping while i'm driving (baru dua kali je punnn... huhu..) Mak dia dah jarang drive because she's so paranoid that her son's going to wail all the way while she's driving. I've forgotten about how I handled that situation during Sarah's time.
He is also falling into a routine. Malam he sleeps around 9, all the way to about 4 am. He feeds, wakes up at around 6 (because he will be interrupted coz mommy have to wake his kakak up for school). He'll stay awake until around 7+, when kakak goes to school, and then he'll sleep, wake up again around 9. After his bath which he thoroughly enjoys, he'll sleep again til noon, giving me enough time to cook lunch. He'll be awake for a while before going back for nap at around 1+ (while still attached to the B, of course).. and will sleep until around 4 for a snack, and continue on til about 6. Then we'll get ready for the night... he'll stay awake for a while before nursing as long as possible before turning in for the night. Alhamdulillah, his nap patterns takdela erratic macam dulu. Huhu.. Cuma, his mommy is still nervous nak bawak dia keluar, risau dia nangis2 in public. I guess i still have some inhibitions about breastfeeding in public. Isk.. tah hape2 mummy dia kan?
Walaupun demikian, we still take him out on a weekly basis, at least for grocery shopping. Initially, dia tak tidur kalau keluar..but recently, dah boleh jugakla nak tidur, although tak la lena macam tidur kat rumah.. Although sometimes i wish that i can use my ring sling more effectively. Tak berani nak pakai lagi bila keluar rumah. Belum cukup confident. :p
*Yawn* Oklah.. dah lewat. Got an early day tmrw. Taking sarah for horse riding, and Seth will come along too, InsyaAllah. Lama dah tak bawak Sarah naik kuda. :)
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