Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Aku ada dok mengarang citer lain sebenarnya, but this news makes the cut first.

This just in - Aisyah Nurzahirah dah boleh roll over. At 2 months, 1 week, 6 days old!

Ye, aku terkejut. Dah lama dah dia bole ngiring2, tp setakat yg aku tahu, lom masa nya lg utk dia boleh bergolek terus sampai tertiarap, so x heran sgt la dgn effort dia tuh. So pg td, at 5.45 pg, aku tinggalkan Aisyah atas katil jap utk amik diapers dia dlm almari. Masa tu dia dlm keadaan terlentang and terkial2 nak ngiring.

Masa aku dtg balik dia dah cam ni. So aku gi grab camera.

Eh dah tertiarap!

Aku pon heran. Masa tu mmg x de sapa turun bawah lg, everyone kat atas, so confirm dia wat sendiri la ni. And I assure you tilam tu flat, x de lekuk atau senget sebelah. Tp aku x la excited sgt, sbb walau pon dah tertiarap, tgn dia yg belah bwh tu belom dpt dikeluarkan sendiri lg. Kalo baby yg dah mahir patutnya dah bole kan?

Anyway, x sampai 15 saat aku observe2 dia berusaha tu, maka berjaya tgn tu dia berjaya keluarkan sendiri. Subhanallah! Muka dia masa tu bangga sgt. Sengih2 keseorangan walau pon kepala kejap dia bole angkat ke atas kejap tersembam balik atas tilam. Aku pon sengih2 keseorangan gak. Sengihan of a proud mother.

Made the cut, yay!

Aku panggil2 mak aku, tp dia tgh solat kot. So aku sorg je la yg jd sole witness dia. Aku pon amik la gambor ni sbg bukti, walau pon x la kira bukti sgt. Patutnya aku record aje. Apsal yek aku x terfikir nak record? Sebenarnya aku x budget dia bole buat all the way, tu yg x buat apa2 tu. Teruk betul aku ni, underestimate kebolehan dia plak :P

Ingatkan benda ni fluke aje, and maybe next month ke baru dia repeat action ni. Tiba2 ptg ni masa tukar diapers dia buat lg. Almost effortlessly, tinggal bab tgn je tersepit mcm pg td. I really had to fight the urge to nudge her a bit. Ye la, geram je rasa nak push dia biar tgn nya terlepas, kesian tgk dia berkerja keras. Tp I held back and let her practice on her own. Dlm 30 saat lps tu dia berjaya, Yippee! Again, dia senyum2 lps tu. Puas hati la tu.

And by late evening, I found out that this skill is putting me at a disadvantage, sbb skang dia akan wiggle x hengat nyer masa nappy changing time. Isy isy isy... not to mention lps ni aku x leh buat perangai culas and cuai, spt biarkan dia di tepi katil, or naik stroller x pakai seat belt. Otherwise bole ikut jejak langkah si Qystina anak Malia, jadi stunt baby ... hehehe...

Aku sebenarnya x tau ni kira cpt ke normal, but from what I read mcm sepatutnya dia lom bole wat lg maneuver ni. X tau la sbb dia mmg borne big (3.8 kg), dia punya built mmg solid so senang sket ke? Or bcoz dia suka tido atas tummy dia ke? I dunno. Ke mmg dah sepatutnya dia tahu bergolek dah? Heheh.. Whatever pon, the fact that you did it on your own makes me so proud. Aisyah dearie, sekalung tahniah buat mu dari Ibu!

Proud Malaysian Blogger

1-Add your site(s) to the list if you're a proud Malaysian Blogger

2-Pass this tag to as many Malaysian Blogger as you know, or if you're interested but nobody tags you, just include yourself volunteerly. Show some patriotism!

3-Once you've done posting this tag, leave a comment HERE! and you will be visited by a Malaysian local fruit, Mangosteen by the name of Mango! and added to the Master List.

4-Update list regularly to ensure every Malaysian Blogger gets equal link benefit.

So guys, you read that right. Show some patriotism and post this on your blog. You are all tagged. Merdeka!

---------------------------------------------------------------
Other Malaysian Bloggers Who Have Already Joined The List (And So Should You):

1. mangosteenskin - Saya anak Malaysia! 2. Life is too short to be ordinary - Malaysia Tanahair Ku! 3. Sha's Love & Passion - Aku Anak Merdeka 4. A room of crazy scrapper - Merdeka!Merdeka! Merdeka? 5. Fliffy - Aku Patriotik, Sayang Malaysia ! 6. Rizal 7. haniz - Merdeka Forever! 8. Prozak Nation 9. CarolPinky - Proud Malaysian! 10. Mariuca - I heart Malaysia! 11. Emila’s Illustrated Blog - Saya Anak Malaysia juga 12. Simple Life - Sam - Saya Anak Malaysia 13. Shemah's My Sweet Escape - Live, Enjoy and Love.. MALAYSIA! 14. Mariuca's Perfume Gallery - Made in Malaysia! 15. Yani-Tennitodoku-Proud to be a Malaysian-MERDEKA! 16.Bluecrystaldude from My Little Black Pot - Saya Harap Malaysia Terus Maju! 17. Apples of the eyes 18. Snapshotcap - Freedom of choice is made for you my friend :) 19. Anaheus-Malaysia is my home 20.Confessions Of A Breathing Tote Bag 21. A Great Pleasure - Malaysia is a food paradise ~ simply yummy~licious! 22. Mummy HnH - Harith and Hannah - MERDEKA 51st Celebration!!! 23. Shafie - I'm Here For U Malaysia 24. Nessa - Happy 51st Merdeka, Malaysia! 25. marvic 26. D H E A S Y A - Tanggal Tiga Puluh Satu, Bln Lapan Lima Puluh Tujuh 27. Asian Mutt International 28. Point Blank - Sokonglah Pelancongan Domestik, Malaysia Cantik Indah Nian! 29. Oyis Baby Journey - Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan ke-51, Malaysia! 30. the life of a psychotic weirdo 31. Me,HubbyNKids-Hidup Malaysia !! 32. In Person..Zahiela Online- M.E.R.D.E.K.A!!! 33. Mimi-MERDEKA!MERDEKA!MERDEKA 34. ealyie 35. .vanity strikes. i grew up as a Malaysian shopaholic! 36. sweet life of ladyell-Selamatkn keMERDEKAan Malaysia..AllahuAkbar! 37. .~ripples of rasp ~ - Here In My Home, Malaysia 38. IT's ME..Niniess Passion - Proud to Be Anak Malaysia! 39. Dila ~ini duniaku~ - My heart, my soul, my dreams and my life all belong to MALAYSIA...40. YusVogue - I am Anak Malaysia Blogger 41. atune 42. Apa-Apa Je - Malaysia, Castle of Joyheart 43. mama adib 44. Better you Better world- Bangganya menjadi anak Malaysia 45. This is My Life by Osindak 46. Turn-u-Off 47. T.H -Malaysia My Home 48. A glimpse of Moi - Happy Merdeka 49. Home Sweet Home 50. ....... LadyVerde - I am bless to be Malaysian!!!....... 51. Lina's Loft - Anak Merdeka 52. Pourpres - Cubaan Menjadi Patriotik 53. Diahlicious - Buatan Malaysia :) 54. My Very First Blog - Be Thankful You're Malaysian! 55. The Ranting Cynic - I am Malaysian, mah.! 56. Lianny 57. Taf Teh 58. aRa's Official Blog - I was born in Sarawak...I grew up in Labuan...Further Study in Sabah and now i'm in Semenanjung...I'm MALAYSIAN!!! 59. Life's Roller Coaster - Beautiful Malaysia! 60. Carrot Run! – Cherish our land~ 61. Speechless - Zsazsa Project 62. Shopping - Malaysia Selamat Merdeka 63. you're next!

Spread The Love

This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feeling and inspiration also for those who are a positive influence on our blog world. Once you've been awarded, please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award..

I got this award from MummyH&H. Ah... so sweet of her. I love her blog, you can feel her passion for natural parenting. Bless her heart.

Anyway, I'm now spreading all the love to you lovely people:

Azrul
ET
Fadhlina
Farid
Iezma
K Dlyn
Lia
Maslina

Mama Aqilah
Nabil
Pyan
Sake
Sazly n K Sal
Zai

Hopefully you guys will keep on passing this 'Spread the Love Award' to other lovely bloggers out there too.

May the Love Blossom!

XOXOXO,
Oyis

Back With Vengeance

Pueh hati: Instant Organic Baby Oats, Milkmaid Tea (trial packet), BPA-Free Storage Bottles, Organic Soy Drink, Organic Baby Bottle Cleanser

Mmg episod yg lalu amat memeritkan diri ini, tp apakan daya, sudah tertulis dalam suratan takdir hidupku bahawa ini akan terjadi. Mungkin inilah yg dinamakan dugaan. Mana2 insan pon tidak akan terlepas daripada ujian-Nya. Di saat diri ini terasakan bagai sudah tiada harapan lagi, dtg satu sinar baru yg berjaya meniupkan kembali semangat itu ke dalam diri ku...

Cheh... piutis plak hari ini... poyo je... .

What does a girl do when she is in despair?

Shopping la, apa lagi...

Oh yes, oh yes. Demi menaikkan kembali semangat aku yg telah down itu hari, aku telah pergi shopping. Bkn ke mana pon, ke kedai MomsLittleOnes tu la. Aku beli beberapa set storage bottles and item2 lainnya spt Organic Soy Drink, Organic Baby Oats, dan juga Milkmaid Tea (trial pack) utk further meningkatkan supply susu aku, and also mendptkan kembali semangat aku yg hampir2 luntur. Bila ada brg2 baru ni, semangat pon lebih sket. Nasib Hubs memahami. Dan nasib jugak la dah gaji, sedap la sket memborong ngehehehe...

Walaupon peristiwa yg menimpa ini menyedihkan aku pada awalnya, aku tetap bersyukur kerana pd aku, setiap yg berlaku ada hikmahnya. In this case, aku rasa selain drpd Allah nk uji kesabaran dan kesungguhan aku, Dia nak selamatkan aku dan Aisyah drpd masalah kesihatan in the future.

You see, selama ini aku simpan semua EBM aku dlm bekas 3 oz tu, ala, bekas yg org wat jeli / dadih tu. Those containers contained a potentially harmful substance called BPA (Bisphenol A). I knew this from the beginning (gasp!), but buat juga. Pada hemat aku masa tu ialah, 'Ala, plastik ni jauh lebih murah drpd stotage bottles yg khas tu. Plus, aku bukan nak guna utk heavy rotation pon, guna sekali je, then buang la bekas tu. X sempat nak meninggalkan kesan buruk kot. Besides, kalo beli bekas storage khas byk2 tu, aku dah nak gi sambung blaja kat UK, buat berat je nak bawak semua2 tu atas flight. X bawak kang, sayang plak' (byk nye la alasan).

Anyway, it seems that Allah dah tolong aku prevent medical complications in the future dgn berlakunya insiden ini. So skang aku guna bekas yg 100% BPA-free utk simpan EBM. Selain selamat, comey plak tu bekas dia. X pe la, yg berlaku tu kiranya cabaran la.

Pendekkan cerita, aku belom mengalah. Dah ada brg baru, ada motivasi lebih sket. Not that I needed much. Cukup la tgk ke dalam mata anak aku, terus rasa nak continue give her yg terbaik. Itu aje yg aku mampu. Harta pon x byk, nak bg lebih2. So lps insiden ni berlaku, keyakinan aku bertambah utk terus BF Aisyah. Lagi satu, aku bertambah berkobar2, sbb pumping whilst fasting ni aku anggap adalah satu cabaran utk diri sendiri. Insya Allah, I can do it. Power of the mind la, kiranya. Semoga Aisyah tahu yg Ibu dia bkn la seorg yg mudah mengalah, and she should not grow up to be one either :)

Aisyah Nurzahirah - My Pride, My Joy, My Love and My #1 Breastfeeding/Breastmilk Pumping Motivation

So in conclusion, people, I'm BACK, WITH VANGEANCE!!!

Utk bacaan lanjut tentang BPA, sila klik link di bawah:
http://www.bisphenolafree.org/

"Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is a chemical that's widely used in plastics for toys, sippy cups, bottles, and teethers. The problem is that BPA can leach out of plastic during everyday use, causing health problems. Most notably, BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen and may affect fertility and promote cancer."

Help! - I'm This Close to Giving Up

Ni la dia susu cair yg x berguna dah. Kalo susu cair Carnation tu at least leh wat puding, huh!

Dear All Breastpumping Moms out there who are reading this blog,

I need your advice.

Peti sejuk mak aku yg selama ini telah menyimpan dekat 100 bekas yg berisi pada puratanya 2.5 oz EBM setiap satu, which I had slowly and painstakingly pumped since over a month ago telah meragam, yg mana getah pintunya telah jd loose tanpa disedari. Makanya, bila aku ke dapur sat ni, didapati kesemua EBM ku telah menjadi cair (thawed). Cair yg sampai tahap fat content dia separate kat atas dah utk almost all of the EBM. Setakat yg aku tahu, EBM ni once dah thaw x bole refreeze. Does it mean aku kena buang semua skali liquid gold aku nih? Sedihnya hati ini...

Pada saat ni aku rasa cam nak give up sgt. Dah la Isnin ni aku naik keja, EBM aku yg I had pumped patiently and painstakingly slowly ever since over a month ago kena buang ke laut plak. Terasa mcm nak bg formula aje la lps ni di siang hari and BF waktu mlm je bila aku balik keja, senang, abis cerita. Sungguh. X payah susah2 pump, freeze and defrost masa keja. Merajuk la gamak nya aku ni. Rasa cam usaha aku telah disabotaj la plak... huhu..

I'm so having a bad day. Mula2 my brother stepped on my big toe, the one yg tgh aku currently amik antibiotik utk rawat masalah ingrown toenail aku tuh, causing me to curse bloody murder at the world and shouted at my mom bcoz it was her idea that I should nurse kat depan TV, where ultimately my toe was stepped on (I had wanted to nurse dlm bilik je, penat, but she wanted to spend some time with Aisyah befroe she goes to bed). So now it's awkward just staying in the same room as my mom. I had also been fasting for the first time today whilst BFing, so I was a little exhausted and crabby. Dah la Hubs x balik lg dari keja despite it being a freaking Saturday, walau pon dah 11 p.m. And I also have to tend Aisyah who is currently being held in my left arm, refusing to sleep yet again. All of the above I can still handle, BUT NOW THIS?

Dugaan betul la... Kalo aku bersungguh pump pon, ada satu hari je esok utk pump.. hm.. nk dpt 4 oz pon aku x gerenti, sbb hajatnya nak qadha posa yg ada lg 5 hari nih. Kalo la miracle terjadi and aku dpt pump 20 oz pon, ada jaminan x peti tu x meragam lg? Eii... sakit hati betul mendgr bunyi peti tu humming mcm motorboat buruk in the background nih. Rasa cam nak gi karate kick aje pintu dia...

Oh man, Aisyah terberak la plak sampai leaking kena seluar. Pause jap.

Ok sambung. Aku nak tido dulu. Besok la aku campak semua EBM tu ke lubang sinki. Air mata aku pon dah bergenang nih. X tahu nak marah ke, nak nangis ke. Nasib x rasa nak gelak je, kalo x jd org giler la plak. Sian plak kat Aisyah kalo ada mak mcm tu, Nauzubillah...

Please, please, please tell me if the EBM is any good dah right now?

Bukan Aku Sorg Je Kan Yang Rasa Cenggini, Kan?

How can you go back to work when sitting at home with this smiling, cooing being is 1000x better?

Sejak hari Isnin lps, ramai je yg tegur aku through YM, 'Selamat Kembali Bekerja!'. Heh. Aku sebenarnya x masuk opis lagi. Sepatutnya dah masuk last Monday, tp aku amik cuti rehat sampai Khamis. Partly sbb x ready, partly sbb ramai tetamu nak dtg umah sbb cuti sekolah, baik aku stay umah dulu. X elok la diorg dtg, tinggal mak aku sorg je kat umah, dah la ayah aku outstation, Hubs lak sibuk keja, kan?

So, aku patutnya masuk keja esok la kan? Ntah camno ntah, tgn aku dah 'ter' mohon cuti online lg utk esok. Partly sbb aku x ready, partly sbb mak aku bgtau dia x konfiden la nak start full-time babysit Aisyah songsorg esok, sbb flat menguruskan tetamu yg baru saja pulang hari nih. Kalo aku x amik cuti kang, mcm jadi anak derhaka la plak, kan? Kan?

Which makes it next Monday la aku kena masuk keja kan? Somehow aku still rasa cam nak amik cuti lg. Partly bcoz aku x ready, partly bcoz aku ada lg 20 hari lebih baki cuti utk tahun ni yg aku might as well guna. Simpan utk raya pon seminggu je. Plak lps tu aku dah nak gi UK sambung blaja, better aku abiskan aje cuti tu, kan? Kan? Kan?

Oh man, I confess, the real reason is aku x ready and aku x rasa aku akan ready, for like, EVER!

Sesungguhnya perpisahan ini adalah amat perit. Kenapa la x de org bgtau dulu2?

So guys, how do you deal with this separation anxiety yg bukannya dtg dari Baby, tp dari mak Baby yg kena balik bekerja soon? Mak aiih... beratnye hati... Bukan aku sorg je yg rasa cam ni, kan? Kan? Kan? Kaaaannnn?!!

Waa... pls let me know how you guys handled it. I'm gonna go sob a bit more. T_T

Aisyah With Families & Friends

Been a bit busy lately. It's the school holidays, and families and friends have been visiting and staying over. What a blast. So here are some pics of Aisyah getting to know her relatives and friends, whilst the adults are generally having a good time.

With second cousin, Adif Faiz, who is exactly a month older than her at 3 months. He was born on May 17, 2008.

Aisyah (in pink), Adif (in blue)

Visit from my best friend, Azhani and her family who has become a family friend of ours already. Poor little Tasnim (Azhani's daughter) was a bit under the weather on her third day here, quite possibly due to the long distance traveling (from Kelantan) and all the climbing she did on our stairs (it was Tasnim's first encounter with double storey house's stairs, so she was soo going at it). Tasnim is 11 months old.

From L-R: Azhani's family and me. Tasnim is held by Azhani's mom. Azhani is holding Aisyah. She is currently 5 months pregnant, btw.

We had originally wanted to sit and talk till the wee hours of mornings like we used to in the old times. A lot of shopping trips together were also planned, but alas, when Aisyah was ready, Tasnim fell asleep or vice versa. Forget shopping, our conversations were cut short and interrupted all the time, making a decent chit-chat a a thing of the past as the babies took a lot of time and attention. We even had to take our dinners and lunches separately. No more proper sit down meals filled with jokes and gossip. It was more like stuff-your-food-down-your-throat-before-the-baby-wakes-up race.

Ahh.. motherhood... I better get used to it :)

Aisyah's Update @ 2 Months

Aisyah went for her 2 month checkup and shots yesterday. Alhamdulillah, dia x nangis pon masa kena injek. So far, nmpk sihat Alhamdulillah. Moga2 x de apa2 side effect la ...

Tgh busy sket, but nak letak jugak stats dia, kot2 lupa karang.

Weight: 5.6 kg (previously 4.7 kg @ 1 mo)
Height: 59 cm (previously 57 cm @ 1 mo)
Head Circumference: 39 cm (previously 37 cm @ 1 mo)

Gambar kat atas tu la dia dgn cheeky smile dia tuh. Smiling is a new skill that she has acquired, cuma dia amat camera shy. Susah bebenor nak capture dia senyum...

Award!

Brilliant Weblog is a prize given to sites and blogs that are smart and brilliant both in their content and their design. The purpose of the prize is to promote as many blogs as possible in the blogsphere.

Here are the rules to follow:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 'xxx' other blogs (optional laa kot nih...)

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Oh my God!

I got my first ever blog award last weekend. It was actually nominated by Mummy H&H, thank you very much! I am so, very surprised. Truth is, I don't think I deserve it at all, it's not like I write something that solves important world issues, but I'm glad someone finds it an interesting read :)

Btw, I'm not particularly sure if 'Brillante Web Blog Awards' directly traslates or suggests that my blog is brilliant (ahem... malu I), or even if it's meant to spell that way as opposed to 'Brilliant Web Blog Awards', but still, I am very flattered to have been awarded anything at all.

So, continuing on, here are some blogs that I think are brilliant. Not only do they write cool stuff (and have really cute kids), but they are the ones that first sparked my interest in breastfeeding, even when they only casually mentioned it in their posts. I owe them one, big time! So without a doubt I think they deserve it.

And here they are:

1. The Secret Undomestic Diva
2. Me, Us & Ours
3. Diyanazman

Keep the posts coming!

It's 4 a.m. and Guess What I'm Doing...

Pukul 4 pg...

Other than blogging, that is.

I'm pumping breastmilk.

Not breasfeeding, nope, pumping.

Tu la, lain kali, jangan malas2 pump pada waktu yg sepatutnya.

Patutnya aku pump sejurus sampai dari kg td, mmg dah skedul biasanya mcm tuh. Kat kg bole plak buat, siap bwk balik pump tu. Alih2 dah sampai sini balik, kepenatan. Kononnya pujuk diri sendiri tadi, 'Ala... kalo stress atau penat, susu x byk... x pe kot x pump'.

Amik ko.

Akibatnya, pd jam 4 pg, aku terbgn and rasa sakit sgt sbb dah bengkak. Utk mengelakkan further damage, terpaksa la menggagahkan diri mengepam, kerana Aisyah tengah tido lg and belom nak nyusu.

Oh, there goes my sleep. My precious, precious sleep. And a good nite's sleep is hard to get by these days, okeh?

So there. Utk menghilangkan kebosanan yg melampau ni, aku pon online la.

Btw, gambar atas yg menunjukkan satu botol penuh susu itu adalah hasil perahan sebelah sahaja wokeh? 5 oz lebih. Got to do the next one now. Bole je nak double pump td, tp aku x mahir la plak nak double pump and menggunakan laptop at the same time. Anyway, imagine kalo aku tunggu pg. Mau kembang2 sekembang2nya. Takut nak pikir.


Moral of the story:
Jgn culas mengepam. Don't think you can ever get away from your pumping schedule and go unnoticed without any consequences. EVER. Coz the milk will get you. Trust me!

Snapshot of Aisyah @ 2 Months

Aisyah & Tok Abah at Muar

Ni la 1st time Aisyah travel jauh2 ever... So at 2 months, Aisyah dah sampai Muar. Alhamdulillah dlm perjalanan dia baik sgt duk dlm carseat x nangis pon. And masa kat kg rutin dia maintain aje, x de meragam2. Bole bawak jalan lg anak Ibu nih...

Happy 2 months birthday, Sayang!

Did You Ever Noticed ...

... how insanely ridiculous the amount of stuff you need to take with you on an overnight stay with the in-laws when you have a baby?

I never did, until this weekend, that is.

Boy, oh boy... no baru balik kg, camne plak kalo nk gi UK nanti? I shudder to even think...

Last Row
L-R: Beg berisi toto and bantal Aisyah, my trusty Spectra3 and the tupperware I use to sterilise stuff in, beg hijau tu berisi baju2 and pampers Aisyah, plastik putih tu sedikit buah tgn from my mom to Hub's mom, then mangkuk tingkat, and finally our bag yg berisi baju aku n Hubs

Middle Row
L-R: Beg pink to beg jalan2 Aisyah yg berisi 3 diapers, sapu tangan, wipers, etc (emergency baby essentials utk jln yg dekat2), beg hitam kecik sebelah tu adalah my insulated bag yg berisi ice packs utk aku bawa pulang EBM dari kg ke KL balik

Front Row
L-R: Besen mandi si kecik tuh

Fuh berpeluh beb nak angkat semua... (Hubs la yg berpeluh, aku angkat Aisyah je... ngehehe...)

Aisyah's Passport

Hari ni gi wat pasport cik mek molek tu kat Plaza Metro, Kajang. Ada member suggests gi ke Wisma PKNS, Shah Alam, sbb ada kaunter ekspres utk ibu mengandung n baby2 yg xde di Pejabat Imigresen lain2 (thank u very much for the tips!), tp malangnya Hubs sibuk n x sempat nak drive ke Shah Alam, so kitaorg terpaksa la brave it kat Kajang aje :(

Aku mmg ada pengalaman menunggu yg lama giler di Kajang tuh, siap kena berdiri2 kepanasan lg kat luar pejabat tu sbb kerusi dah penuh. Pulak bangunan tu bangunan lama kan, aku x yakin ada tempat utk breastfeed atau changing room utk baby. So aku siap2 pumped 5 oz bekal utk Aisyah kot la lama giler and berkira2 kalo perlu, aku terpaksa masuk fitting room kat Parkson tingkat bawah sana utk menyusu (hehe... wat jahat sket). Mmg nervous gak nak gi nih, takut lama, takut Aisyah meragam, dan takut mcm2 lg....

Alhamdulillah, doaku termakbul, sbb siap beres urusan pasport ni dgn mudahnya. Skali lg Alhamdulillah.... Ramai mmg ramai, tp kerusi dah byk skang, semua yg hadir tu dpt duduk lah kiranya. Aircon pon dah best, dulu x rasa langsung hawa yg kedinginan tuh. Yg lg best ialah, ada cubicle utk breastfeeding!

Iye... saya ulang, dlm pejabat tu sendiri, sebelah kanan drpd pintu masuk tu, ada bilik breastfeeding. Sungguh menyahut seruan kerajaan nih utk promote breastfeeding. Bagus2. Selesa lagi. Ada kerusi sebijik, pastu ada mirror yg mana kita bole tgk luar utk cek giliran kita dah sampai atau belom, tp dari luar cermin tu tinted, so org x nmpk kita. And pintu bole lock dari dalam. Slack sket sbb ada satu aje cubicle, n masa aku masuk kejap tu dah ada org ketuk dari luar nak breastfeed juga (tp dia tunggu la dah aku x siap lg kan). Oh well, one is better than none.

Lps dah buat penyerahan dokumen and pembayaran, kitaorg nak mkn brunch dekat food court yg di Tingkat 4 tu, tp si Aisyah ni berak plak. Terpaksa la aku mencari port nak tukar diapers dia nih. Aku ingat nak tukar dlm strollers dia aje, sbb x mungkin la toilet dia ada facilities utk baby kan? Seingat aku xde. Tp Hubs kata, 'Isy, x senonoh, ni kan kedai makan. Pegi je la toilet, then tukar atas strollers pon dah x pe.'

So aku pon bawak la Aisyah yg dah wailing at this point ke toilet. Aku byr 20 sen and held my breath. Biasa la, toilet yg byr 20 sen ni, tahap kebersihan dia meragukan, nak2 yg dekat bangunan lama la katakan. But, to my surprise, it's clean! And actually smells like disinfectant (which is better than smelling like urine or worst...). Restroom tu baru renovate kot, sinki dia canggih manggih. Anyway, aku dah prepare nak salinkan diapers Aisyah atas stroller until I saw a changing table.

Iyer, changing table! Okay, I admit that I am guilty of memandang rendah terhadap old shopping complexes like Metro Kajang (lama). I know that not all shopping complexes have caught on to these changing needs (i.e. nursing / changing room), but Metro Kajang has definitely got it down with a pat. So there, people, this Ramadhan mari la bershopping di situ without hesitation, even when you have your little ones with you :)

Oh, back to the passport. Dlm 2 jam, passport Aisyah siap. Lebih best lg, pekerja2 di kaunter Pejabat Imigresen Kajang adalah sgt efficient, and ramah mesra skali. Mmg puas hati. Mungkin cawangan lain pon begitu. But this one has definitely improved since my last visit which was probably 3 to 5 years back. Syabas diucapkan!

So skang Aisyah Nurzahirah can travel the world la, passport dia dah siap. Hmm... not quite travel the world la, coz visa ngakk ada lagi, but at least she can say, 'Yo Bro! I gots me a passport already... Aiight! ' hehe... Apa pon, setinggi2 kesyukuran pada Allah kerana memudahkan segalanya...

I gots me a passport

My New Toy ...

.. is the Omron MC-510 Instant Ear Thermometer.

Aisyah was a little quiet and we'd thought that she was ill coz she kept puking milk after her feeds. Hubs had originally wanted to take her to the paeds, but it was a Sunday night. So, instead, he rushed t the pharmacy and got this nifty little thing.

It read 36.9C.

Alhamdulillah. No fever. She doesn't even feel warm to touch, but being first time parents, we got a little too extra cautious. Oh well, better safe than sorry, right? Aisyah is just probably having acid reflux, and the puke is not really vomit, just posset, which is very normal, according to the Internet, that is.

Hopefully she'll wake up tomorrow as chirpy as a bird and prove that we are, indeed, uber-paranoid parents :p

Aisyah's First Photo Session

Smlm aku nekad nak pergi tiga beranak ke kedai foto utk amik gambar utk wat visa and also pasport Aisyah, sbb masa lain dah x de dah. Si kecik tu lom ada pasport lg. Skang ni Imigresen dah x main pasport anak dlm pasport ibu, so dlm minggu dpn kena gi wat dia punya.

Lps solekkan dia cantik2, kitaorg pon bertolak. Masa Ayah dia amik gmbr, of course la xde masalah. Bila time Aisyah, oh, agak mencabar betul. Utk pengetahuan semua, sejak dua tiga hari sblm tu Aisyah susah lena, tiap2 mlm mesti mengamuk, tp siangnya tido lena kemain lg. Makanya, semlm, dia tido tahap x mo bgn masa kat kedai gmbr. Aiseh.. camne nak wat ni. Amik gmbr mesti la kena nmpk biji mata kan? Takut plak x diterima kang gmbr tu, sia2 je byr mahal2... dah la kos wat gmbr visa tu lebih tinggi drpd gmbr pasport biasa...

Lps basuh muka Aisyah 3 kali, panggil2 nama dia, cuit2 muka dia, garuk2 kaki dia, biarkan je dia atas sofa kedai utk 5 minit, dan tepuk2 tgn, still x de hasil. Last2 bunyikan rattle dia kat telinga, goncang2 sekuat ati, baru bgn. Alhamdulillah...

Tp cabaran baru bermula. Mengikut tips Fadhlina, aku kena masukkan tgn dlm baju dia, supaya tgn kita x nmpk dlm gmbr, then pegang pinggang dia utk dudukkan dia dpn kamera. Tp, walaupon dia baru 2 bulan, Aisyah x mo duduk, dia nak berdiri. Pulak dah... tp x stabil la, goyang2... dah berdiri ok, kepala lak lentok ke kiri kanan. dah steady kepala, mata plak x mo tgk dpn, tenung Ibu dia aje. Aiseh, dah la Ibu pegang dia dari tepi, so x leh la agah dia dari dpn. Dah ok semua, tgn plak kat idung masa snap. Ntah brapa shot ntah amik...

Last2 ini la shots yg terbaik daripada beberapa shots yg diamik. Kira ok la tu yek?

Ni gambar utk visa. Gmbr dia takat yg dlm rectangle tu je. Yg lain2 tukang gambar edit. Aisyah buat mulut mencebik plak dah. At least dia tgk dpn, so kira ok la tuh. Susah nak dptkan shot yg mengikut requirement visa nih, okeh? And checkout la betapa bertungkus lumus Ibu and Ayah Aisyah pegang dia both kiri and kanan. Also, note the trusted rattle yg berjaya mengejutkan Aisyah dari tidonye yg lena (circled), hence making this photo shoot possible..

Why did you people wake me up? I want my sleep... No smile for the camera... huh..

Ni plak gmbr utk pasport. Tgk la tu, budak yg konon dah nak bertatih tu... X mo duduk tu, eksen... aduhai anak Ibu... Sampai nyaris londeh panties dia utk dptkan shot ni... hehe

No sit... Don't want... I'm a big girl already la, Ibu...

08.08.08 - Productive Day

True meaning of productive... Siapa sangka this white gold bisa membuatkan aku happy giler

Hari ni aadalah sgt2 produktif buat aku, walaupon x de kena mengena la dgn tairkh cun 08.08.08 tuh..

First off, aku dah submit agreement scholarship to ke KPT. Alhamdulillah... lega rasanya. Nyaris aku x sempat hantar hari ni, sbb sampai2 pon dah pkl 11.45 pg, ye la, hari Jumaat kan, org kuar awal.

Secondly, ptg nya aku settle kan agreement CB ngan tempat keje aku plak. Sekali lg, Alhamdulillah, settle semuanya, right on the dot at 4.50 p.m., sblm Pej Pendaftar tu tutup. Walaupon terpaksa terkocoh2 minta penjamin2 aku fax kan IC sbb aku terlupa nak kena bg salinan diorg. Kalut la katakan...

Thirdly, masa aku kat Bgnan Pentadbiran tu, sempat settle kan borg Leaver LHDN tu di Bendahari. Ingatkan nak tanya aje cam ne nak wat, tp rupanya dpt tahu isi particulars kita aje, Bendahari yg isikan yg lain... Best2...

Also, my call ke Visa Application Centre hari ni telah diangkat (setelah sekian lama asyik engage aje) and aku telah pon settlekan beberapa perkara yg sebelum ini mengkusutkan kepala. Lega sket...

To top it off, bcoz aku busy today, aku x dpt breastfeed kan Aisyah, so masa aku balik tgh hari tu kejap, pump (sbb dia tido masa tu), dpt 4 oz utk satu outlet. Wow! Hari ini dlm sejarah. Ptg nya tu, skali lg slps aku mengalami let down, pump2, dpt la 5 oz utk total dua2 belah. Byk tu, utk my standards la... Rupanya mmg kalo kita x BF akan dpt la 8-10 oz spt yg aku baca kat blog2 org lain selama ni... yg menjadi idol2 aku la otai2 breastpumping moms ni pada aku ... hehe... skang baru tahu rupanya achieveable...

Overall, bole kata produktif la hari ni, in all aspects... Alhamdulillah...

Untung2 aku dpt masa tido yg produktif dan berkualiti mlm ni, hehe.... Tp kalo kena berjaga pon aku redha la, dah byk yg aku perlu bersyukur ni, nikmat kurniaan Allah hari ni... Dah la sehari aku tinggal kan Aisyah kat umah, maybe dia rindu la tu kat Ibu dia kalo berjaga pon... Meh sini anak Ibu ni... Rindu dia juga :)

Uncle Nabil, ni haa... saya buka mata masa amik gmbr khas utk Uncle. Dah nmpk dah mata saya? Meskipon saya nak gi UK n bakal berkawan ngan budak2 mat salleh, mata saya still kaler itam tau, bkn biru. So Uncle Nabil dah bole la tido nyenyak mlm ni, sbb misteri warna mata saya telah terjawab. Tinggal Ibu saya je yg akan tido x lena mlm ni, sbb saya nak ajak die main pok amai2 pukul 4 pg ni, mcm mlm2 sebelumnya... kihkihkih... jgn bgtau dia tau! Biar dia hangin...

Aisyah Shopping Lagi

Smlm aku, Aisyah and my mom gi shopping. Cari kain utk wat baju raya. I know, I know, dah x de tukang jahit nak amik tempahan, but I was pregnant before and wasn't sure what my post partum size would be so tangguh punya tangguh punya tangguh sampai smlm. Luckily, I have an aunt who can sew so I'm going to ask a favor from my aunt la nak mintak tolong dia jahitkan.

Aisyah was a star all the time we were there. She sat in her carseat like a good little girl on the way there. Even better, she slept in her stroller without any problem for most part of the trip. I guess she enjoys shopping as much as her mom and grandma, hehe! We'll definitely be taking her again on the next shopping trip, the angel that she is :)

I begin to love her stroller now. Bulky as it is, it doubles up as a shopping trolley for us, and we were happy we didn't need to carry those heavy stuff (fabric, some groceries, baby items, new pair of shoes, etc) by hand. Hence, yesterday was a better shopping experience in general.

Oh, except for the nursing/changing room. I was a little grossed out. It wasn't filthy, just that the changing tables didn't look too sanitary, not to mention that the room was so further away from the shops, it crept me out. We went in, did our thing and on our way out as quickly as we came in. Even Aisyah didn't think it was very pleasant, she only nyusu'ed for 5 mins before she stopped. Then when my mom n I had lunch at Kenny Roger's, she squirmed and screamed in her stroller and demanded to be fed right there and then. I guess she figured that it's only fair for her to have lunch where the adults are having theirs. In a cozy, comfy n clean restaurant, instead of a dingy, toilet smelling nursing room. Now that's a girl with class, my Aisyah... :)

Luckily I brought along 3 oz of EBM with me, so there was no shirt lifting action necessary:) She took the bottle, albeit a little relunctantly coz it was slowly turning cold even when kept in her insulated warmer bag.

I wonder if Malaysians care if a mom chooses to nurse her baby in public. Like in a restaurant. Or in the park. Y'know, in emergency situations. Would we be stared at? Scoffed? Scolded? Coz there's nothing to it really, you pop one boob out and quickly stuff it in the baby's mouth. It's pretty subtle and discreet. But I'm not sure if it's acceptable here. Some might think it's an offense, some say unhygenic. What do you think?

Road Users Beware - I'm Back!

Hari ni adalah hari yg aku first start bawak keta semula setelah puas bergelar ma'am besar selama 9 bulan sebelumnya. Ya, semenjak aku pregnant aku mmg x bawak langsung keta tu, asyik suruh Hubs shj la yg bawakan aku ke mana2. Partly becoz aku berjaga2 la konon, partly bcoz rasa best aje memanjakan diri sendiri.. hihih...

Kalo x kerana tersgt la byk errands yg berkaitan ngan cuti blaja yg perlu dibuat, x de nya aku nak start kuar n bawak keta lg. Hmm... dah keja byk, plak aku dah habis pantang, so aku beranikan diri la start memandu balik. This time aku tinggalkan Aisyah kat umah with my mom while I sorted things out. I left her after she was fed, and left a bottle of 2 oz of my EBM in case she needed to be fed again whilst I was gone.

Alhamdulillah, skill memandu aku masih OK. 9 bulan tinggal tu beb, 9 bulan! Around 12.45 tgh hari keja aku kat Fakulti siap, tinggal nak amik gmbr saiz pasport je lagi utk apply visa and buat kad matrik Uni. Dlm pada tu, leh lak Hubs call, ajak mkn lunch.

Asalnya aku x nak gi, last2 pegi jugak, sbb Hubs beriya2 ajak. Dah lama x dating berdua la katakan. Ikutkan mmg serabut kepala, lg2 teringatkan Aisyah aje spjg mkn tu. Also aku fikirkan kesian kat mak aku yg terpaksa menjaga dia jap, aku lak bersuka ria mkn. Rasa guilty gituh. But Hubs tegur, katanya kena pandai cari masa utk diri sendiri. Oh dear, susah gak eh nk cari balance nih eh.

Aisyah's Brand New Look

Dua minggu selepas Aqiqah si Aisyah ni, baru la ada peluang utk cukur kepala dia kasi botak semua. Lain plak nmpk rupa dia skang nih. Aku mmg dari dulu lg suka tgk baby yg rambut sket ala2 botak nih, so this new look mmg kena la ngan selera aku. Siap rasa nak keep on shaving her head je sampai la raya hehe :) Apa pon, yg penting, amalan yg sunnah itu telah disempurnakan. Semoga lps ni rambut Aisyah tumbuh dgn sihat, lebat, cantik dan berkilat hendaknya.

Okay, mari tgk rupe Aisyah 'BEFORE':

Ni plak gmbr 'DURING':

Jeng, jeng, jeng, ini dia hasilnya 'AFTER':

Finally, lepas mandikan dia, solek2 and kasi jangok2 sket, ini dia rupe Aisyah anakku, yg telah ready disiapkan utk menghadiri kenduri kahwin jiran. What do you guys think? Do you like the new 'do? Nampak lebih girlie girl ke mcm boy aaa lps botak?

Hello World!

1st EBM from Bottle

Sambung sket kisah smlm yg gi wat medical checkup tuh. Paginya tu sblm berlepas aku siap2 pam susu utk wat stock expressed breast milk (EBM) utk diberi pada Aisyah kalo2 aku tgh wat check up kat dalam dan lambat kuar, bole try bg dia. Tp EBM tu sbg back up plan je, sbb x pernah train Aisyah minum susu ibu dari botol lg. Kalo dia reject, as alast resort my mom bole call aku yg tgh waiting to be examined kat dalam doctor’s office tu and aku akan kuar la bg dia susu.

Anyway, Aisyah memang dah cranky by the time semua siap, and my mom said that she tried feeding Aisyah the EBM, but it got cold and there was no way for her to reheat it, so nasib baik la all was finished in time and I fed her immediately dlm kereta. She was content afterwards. Sampai umah je, it looked like she wanted more, so my mom suggested, why not heat the EBM and try give it to her.

And so we did. To avoid confusion between the bottle and my breasts, I let my mom feed her. Besides, nanti aku dah keje kang mmg mak aku yg akan feed her. I thought Aisyah would put up a fight with the bottle, as she did with her binky, but to our surprise, she took it very well. She gulped down the entire 2 oz in about 5 minutes. Afterwards, I offered her the breast, and she took that too, so I’m glad she hasn’t gained one skill and lost another. Phew!

Now I have mixed feelings over this. I am very happy and relieved that there was no fuss over the bottle, so my mom could continue to give her my EBM without any problem once I get back to work, which isn’t too long now {sad}. I’ve heard of stories where baby would reject the bottles for days, and I was very worried that this would be same for her.

On the other hand, it just breaks my heart to see her gleefully accepting the bottle, as if that has somehow rob part of my motherhood. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, coz after all, I am still providing her with my milk, but I wish I was the only one she’d turned to when she needed milk, and not some bottle. I wish I didn’t have to get back to work so soon. I wish that I was a Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM), and can be with her all day long. I wish, I wish, I wish…. {Sigh}

All I know right now is that I need to increase my EBM yield and keep steadfast in pumping. Following a guide I read from the ‘Panduan Penyusuan Susu Ibu Bagi Ibu Berkerjaya’ booklet, for each 1 kg of baby weight, I need to provide 5 oz per 24 hours. Since Aisyah weighs about 5 kg now, she needs at least 25 oz (5 kg x 5 oz = 25 oz).

To know how many oz she takes per feeding, I would need to divide that amount with the number of feedings she takes per 24 hours. Since Aisyah feeds roughly 12 times a day, I’d say she drinks more or less 2 oz per feeding (25 oz / 12 feeds = 2.083 oz).

In the span of 9 hours that I go to work from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Aisyah will need to feed for 4 times, hence I need to provide her with at least 8 oz a day. I only average about 6 oz a day, on a good day. Gosh, I need to keep pumping! (though I’m not too alarmed right now coz I am nursing her as well right now as well as pumping, so it’s only normal to yield only 0.5 – 2 oz per pumping session).

Ibu is so proud if you, Aisyah! Drinking from the bottle without much fuss

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Note: I’m using the MAM Care Anti Colic Bottle, which claims to have teat the shape of a real nipple, to eliminate rejection from babies. So far it has worked wonders and so easy to clean afterwards! I got it from http://momslittleones.com/ for RM31.80. It is so worth it. Read more at http://www.mambaby.com/articles/en/3823 . I would definitely recommend it to nursing mothers who are going back to work and wishes to give their baby EBM.