The Betrothed Bridesmaid

The memory is still fresh in my mind. It was the first week of my foundation (Alpha) year in MMU Malacca. The class was waiting for the lecturer to come when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and there she was, smiling at me and offering her friendship that lasts until today.

She was my classmate in Foundation Year.

Back in 2003. Please ignore our nerdy, beringus look.

She was my roommate in Second Year.

Memories back in 2006 @ her house in JB.

She was there on my Engagement Day.

February 2008. Yes, I was THAT excited. :P

And she was also there as my bridesmaid on my Wedding Day!

August 2008. Johore's reception.

And last week, after 7 years of strong relationship with her soulmate, I watched proudly as the ring slipped in my bestfriend's finger as she got herself engaged to the man she loved.


She was glowing with happiness and looking as beautiful as ever.


I did not want to miss to be a part of this meaningful day, so I volunteered to feed her with sugar in Upacara Menyuap Gula (Sugar Feeding Ceremony), a tradition practiced by those staying at the Northern side of Malaysia that symbolizes the bittersweet of marriage life.


It was a beautiful celebration and we had a good time in Ipoh. Yes, we drove all the way from KL-Ipoh just to share this meaningful day with her!


Sighs. How time flies. It felt like yesterday that we took this picture together on our last night in Alpha Year at Pantai Klebang, Malacca.


And now she's engaged, I'm married with a kid and well, looking as boyak as ever. :P

Congratulations on your engagement, Amy Zurina dear! Wishing you a love that grows day after day and a lifetime of happiness together!

Aydein's 7-Month Birthday

A star fell down from heaven
And landed in our arms
With all of mommy's sweetness
And all of daddy's charm
Whose eyes sparkle like the stars?
Whose smile outshines the sun?
Whose skin is as soft
as the moon-glow?
Our precious little one!

Happy 7-month birthday, Aydein sweetheart!
Mama & papa love you more than our hearts could allow. :)

Love,
Mama.

Nuffnang Friso Gold Family Day Out, Here I Come!

Yesterday, I received an email from Nuffnang that read like this :

Hi parents!

The Nuffnang Friso Gold Family Day Out is 4 days away and we're all excited about it! Are you and your kids ready to spend some quality time together with us this Saturday at Kizsports & Gym?

Kindly take note that all attendees for this event are required to wear socks in line to ensure the hygiene level of the venue is at top notch. After all, it is important for our kids to be in a place where hygiene is well maintained, isn't it?

Just in case you forget to bring your socks for yourself or your children, Kizsports & Gym does sell them at retail price. Kindly take note on this.

See you there this Saturday!

Cheers
Blogger Relations Department
Nuffnang Sdn Bhd

I was about to whoop with joy when I suddenly realized that I haven't gotten any official invitation from Nuffnang, and yet this reminder email came out of nowhere.

I called Nuffnang to clarify the invitation with them, and guess what?

I am officially invited to attend the event! :D I understood that the event was such a happening event last year, so yes, you could say that I'm super excited to attend the event this year!

Before the call ended, the Nuffnanger asked me, "So will you be attending the event?"

I was like, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? But of course I had to hold myself back, acted my age, and so I replied in the most polite way that I can, "Yes, definitely." Heeeee. :D

But as soon as I flipped my cello off, I was bursting with excitement! So here goes again, WHOOOOOPPYYYYYYYY! :D :D :D

One down, and I'm crossing my fingers for The Most Creative Blog Post! Fat chance I know, but hey, at least I tried! ;)

Curious Kids Need To Be Tough Inside

Hi everybody! It's Aydein again!

I've got a story to tell all of you. But before that, although I think I need no introduction since most of you here already know me, but just in case you're new to this blog, my name is Ahmad Aydein, mama's one and only little precious. I've been blogging since 3 months ago, and now that I am 6 months young, I am already an expert at it. Yes, I take turns to write here with my mum! And as of today, I've got a berry interesting story to tell all of you.

You see, mama has always encouraged me to explore anything and everything although I always catch her monitoring my moves at the tail of her eyes. I guess she understood that being curious is a natural trait to a healthy baby, that's why I was always allowed to do whatever I wanted to do as long as it is safe for me.

Speaking of which, I was at the living room, playing happily with my toys, when suddenly I saw something I've never seen before from behind the door, left ajar at mama's bedroom.


They were colorful, and really attractive to me. As usual, me being the curious baby that I am, took no time to waste and rolled and rolled over towards the door just to see what they really were. To my delight, there were some jelly beans floating in the air!


They looked different, though. But that's okay. They looked delicious still and I was so going to swallow them all. Honestly, all those months looking at my elder cousins chewing on them have left me feeling quite green with jealousy. Mama must be crazy to want to hold me from eating all these until I am at least 1 year old! Ha. Sorry, ma. Better luck next time!

I peeked around just to check if someone was watching, and once the coast was clear, I smiled my sweetest smile and said hello to them. Oh, the jelly beans seemed friendly! They even invited me to come closer! So I did. But the more I went further and reached out for them, the more they grimaced and inched away from me. Eh, what's happening? They can't seem to get near me. And sadly, after a few attempts to touch me, they gave up and flew away.

Mama came just in time to pick me up when they flew away. She told me as soon as she saw the floating jelly beans, she knew immediately what they were and came to rescue me hurriedly. Little did I know that, they were bad, bad jelly beans which are called pathogens and had bad motives on me. Mama explained that these pathogens are called bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites which can cause me to be very ill once I catch them. I was confused at one thing, however. Why weren't they able to touch me? Mama explained that it was because she has done all the necessaries to help boost my immune system.

Let me tell you the 8 things my mama did to help boost my immune system.

1) Breastfeeding


As soon as I was born, mama made sure I got all the vital antibodies which are found in the colostrums. You know, that thick, yellowish premilk during the first few days after mama gave birth? And then, she continued to breastfeed me as much as she can. You see, not all mums are blessed with abundant milk supply, and my mum is one of the unlucky ones. But she still made sure I get my dose of breastmilk everyday without miss, even if it is little, and supplement me with formula milk.

2) Immunization


You see, during the first year of life, the immunity that I get from my mama at birth wears off. That is why, mama made sure that I got all the compulsory (and optional) vaccinations to help boost my fading ability to fight certain diseases. In this case, my doctor, Dr Angelina will examine and gave me a shot every month to keep me healthy. However, I am still not a fan of those evil needles.

3) Healthy, Home-Cooked Food.


I love home-cooked food so much! I am thankful that mama always find a time to make delicious, healthy food for me which range from pureed fruits, veges and porridge.

4) Good Rest & Sleep


Lack of sleep equals immune system break down! That is why, mama always made sure that I get the good amount of sleep in order to allow my immune system to regenerate itself and fight off disease. A warm bath before sleep definitely helps me to sleep through the night much better!

5) Drink Plenty of Plain Water


This is a must! Although I don't fancy plain water much, mama said it is important to keep me hydrated and avoid me from getting constipated especially now that I've started to take solids. That is why mama will feed me with a bottle of plain water everyday. She said I will need to take in more as I grow older.

6) Fresh Air & Fun Activities


Mama thought it's important for me to see the world and go out and about once in a while. It is good for my brain development and health too. I especially love hanging out with my mama & papa because then I can breathe-in a taste of fresh air :)

7) Guard Against Germ Spread

You see, there are a lot of ways for germs and bacteria to affect babies like me. That is why mama has taken such great effort to avoid me from getting them by :

Washing her hands & my toys frequently


Keeping her nails & my nails short and trimmed


Getting all my bottles washed thoroughly & sterilized


Using only natural/organic baby-accessories cleanser


Mama said if we take good hygiene care of ourselves, then germs and bacteria won't come near us. So make sure you take good hygiene care of yourself ok!

And last but not least,...

8) Love, hugs & kisses. And prayers too!

Mama just loves showering me with loads and loads of hugs and kisses. Whenever she kisses or hugs me, I can feel her love flowing in me. It's the best remedy for me ever! She told me she prays for my well being every day in her prayer, and I strongly believe that I am as healthy as I am today because of her love and care for me. I love you, mama. :)

So those were the reasons why the bad jelly beans were not able to touch me. I was lucky that my mama was there in time to save me, like always. :)

Oh and in case any of you are wondering, there's a contest going on at Nuffnang, and mama thought I should share my experience bumping into the bad jelly beans with all of you. The good news is, if the good judges find my story worth reading, they will grant us invites to Nuffnang Friso Gold Family Day Out this coming 2nd January 2010.


And in case you don't already know, Friso® Gold is formulated with Frisoshield™ with P2 Dual System™. It is a nutritious blend of prebiotics and healthy live bacteria such as GOS, lcFOS, DHA, AA, and SA as well as other essential nutrients that make healthy, active kids! I am still too young to try this formula, but typical mama who always have my future well planned, has already got her eyes on it. I can't wait to try this soon!


Anyway, I do hope I get the invitation because I would like to start my New Year with a bang! Contest ends 29th December 2009, so if you've got some ideas of your own, come and join in the fun!


Love love,
Aydein.

Roll & Fall

There's always a first time for everything, they say. True, but how I wish my baby did not have to experience the awful episode 2 nights ago.

You see, I have always been very careful when handling Aydein. Especially now that he has mastered the roll-over skill, I have always had an extra eye looking out for him whenever I left him playing alone on the bed while I shower, and extra hand during diaper changes because he tends to want to wriggle and roll while changing.

I knew a baby should never be left unattended on a bed or any other elevated surface from the very first time. That is why, whenever I do need to leave him on the bed even for just a few minutes just to shower or change, I will make sure to surround him with pillows to "box" him in.


But last 2 nights, my worst fear came true. Aydein fell off the bed for the very first time!

You see, I have always opted for co-sleeping method. That way it is easier for me to feed Aydein anytime he gets up for milk – which can be 3 to 4 times lately. And usually, he would be in the middle of Aien and I. But as fate had it, Aien felt like sleeping on the carpeted floor on that night, so it was just the 2 of us enjoying the wide space that night.

So as usual, I surrounded the bed with pillows and slept on the right side of the bed. But then when it was time to feed Aydein, I changed to the left side of the bed and fed him while lying down. I must have dozed off a bit while feeding him, because the next thing I knew, I heard a loud thud and Aien saying "yang!" and Aydein's loud cry!

My eyes automatically flew open and I quickly rushed to take the crying Aydein from Aien. Only God knows how I felt at that time. But I can tell you it felt horrible!

I was not sure if Aydein cried because it was painful or if it was more of a shock, but alhamdulillah he stopped crying in less than few minutes. Probably because he fell on a carpeted floor which was layered with a comforter that Aien slept on – so it did not hurt as much. He went back to sleep right after I fed him. But despite all that, I could not go back to sleep. I was so worried and felt sick right to my stomach. So while my 2 boys were back in lalaland, I quietly turned on my PC and read up some articles related to baby-falls on the net.

Once I finished reading about 6 articles, call me paranoid, but although my baby did not have the symptoms to be worried about, I still woke him up just to see if he was being his normal self. I took him downstairs, put him on his playmat, checked if there were any bruises or bumps (none) and played with him. He was his normal self – all smiles and giggly. And when I put an object in front of him just to see if he was able to track the object like normal, he did. And I did all these at about 4am in the morning! By the time he got sleepy, it was close to 5.30am, so I fed him again and we both went back to sleep.

For peace of mind, we went to SJMC the following morning. His doctor, Dr Angelina, was on leave on that day, so we went to see another doctor recommended by my sister in law, Dr Sanjay.


He was a good doctor. He checked Aydein thoroughly, did the Reflex Test and assured me that Aydein is perfectly fine.

We were lucky. Very lucky.

Happy Birthday, Tok Mak!

Aydein dearest,

I was supposed to record this down for you earlier but again I was tied up with office work, so excuse me for this delayed entry okay? :)

Anyhow baby, can you still remember the birthday celebration we threw for Tok Mak about two weeks ago? You probably don't remember much, since you dozed off half way through the event. Adults' celebration must be boring for you, eh? Hehe.


Time flies and before we knew it, Tok Mak is a year older now – 56 now, to be exact. Yes baby, the very Tok Mak that helped to bathe you when mama was confined is now 56. Let's do some recapping now, shall we?

You were only a week ++ young when she first bathed you. At first, the plan was for me to bathe you myself, but you were so fragile, so delicate, that I was not brave enough to bathe you myself. Lucky for me, both your Opah & Tok Mak were very kind to take turns and help taking care of us, which includes bathing you. But only you lah. I mandi myself ok. Hehe.


Your Tok Mak was also at your Cukur Jambul ceremony and took part to trim your hair along with the rest of the guests before your papa himself shaved your head bald. I am sorry we had to shave your head bald, though. But it is believed that it is sunnah to do so. Yes, our culture adds its own things along with it, but the core of it is Islamic and it is sunnah.

See how tiny you were a few months back? Hehe. But look how far we've come and look how big you've grown now, alhamdulillah! Hehe. Yes, big enough that we can drag you along to celebrate your Tok Mak's birthday recently! Hehe.

It was a memorable one, though. Everyone managed to make it – your cousins, uncles, aunties, even your not-so-old grand-auntie!

your one hot grand-auntie!

Yes, still hot even with 4 of her own boys to look out for. :P And then there were your immediate aunties that I look up to. I mean, look at them ALL. Semua dah beranak pinak but still manage to look like slim-slim anak dara ok. Sighs. Stress, stress! :P

But it was a good, good night for everybody nonetheless. The place was beautiful, the ambience was nice, the company was amazing and the food was excellent!

So Aydein dear, when you grow up, be a good boy and make sure you thank both your Opah and Tok Mak for taking good care of you since you were this small


Till you are this big!

But as for this moment, let's take this chance to wish her another wonderful year of good health, laughter, happiness and joy, okay baby?

Happy birthday, Tok Mak!

Tok Mak with her husband, 5 children, currently 9 grandchildren, 2 son in laws, 2 daughter in laws, 1 brother, 2 sister in laws, and 7 nephews!

Happy Mama

I am so very happy today.

And because of that I will write my entry today in Malay! :D

Brace yourself!

Okeh macam ni. Semalam I dengan little family I pegi celebrate birthday mak mertua I dekat Sun & Surf Café, Sunway Hotel. Usually hotel food tak la sesedap mana kan. Tapi ntah nape, semalam punye buffet sedap nak mati sampai I makan sampai boncit ok. Sia sia je usaha berjogging weekend lepas ngehe.

Balik je dari rumah, tiga-tiga kami tido kekenyangan. Haih tak senonoh betol. Tapi I bangun jugak lah 4, 5 kali as usual, melayankan si tecik tu nak melekat.

Pastu masa dok semangat berkerja, (first day after a 3-day holiday la katakan :P) suddenly my left ahem rasa sakit. Awal2 sakit tu I ignore je lah. Ye lah tengah ada keje ni, siapkan dulu lah. Tapi makin lama makin sakit sampai I decided to turun bawah ke surau untuk pump, lebeh awal dari selalu.

Ingat tak I penah bitau you all semua pasal supply susu I yang semakin lama semakin merudum? Penah sekali I pump and bawak balik 1 oz je tau. Memang sedeh betol tapi I tak pernah putus asa. Aien pon selalu ingatkan I suruh I discipline myself, so I pump jugaklah walaupon sikit. So tadi I turun lah ke surau untuk pump. Hajat di hati nak kurangkan kesakitan je. But guess what?

What usually fills only half of the bottle (sometimes less), turns out to be full today!


Well, almost. :P But yes, I managed to get about 5ozs out of me today. :D This is very unusual for me okay. Like I said, it only happens if I'm lucky. So yes I'm one happy lucky mama today, alhamdulillah :)

Oh well, I'm sure this amount of milk is nothing compared to some of you, but for someone like me to be blessed with this rare gift, is like winning a lottery! And to think that Aydein will benefit a lot from it is just something.. priceless. :)

Anyways. I don't know what I ate last night that triggered this abundance of milk, but I know I ate a lot last night and as of this moment, I'm really happy! Haha.

*sighs happily* If only this happens everyday..

Goodbye Shawls, Goodbye Bawals

I am so in dire need of some of these!


Now that Aydein can grab, he will grab just about anything that comes in his way and that will usually be my hair, my cheeks, my nose or.. yes, my tudung (head scarf).

This can get quite troublesome especially when we are outside attending a function or anything as such. Because when my brooch is at my cheek, and the front of my tudung is at my eyes, and a few strands of my hair coming out from my tudung, (the result of him tugging on my tudung), it can be, well, pretty tempting for me to duck and hide. And usually, even when I attempt to style it back nicely to its place, it usually won't be as neat anymore.

Besides, whenever I carry Aydein around, I will often have to literally look over my shoulder just to see if the brooch that I pinned nicely on my shoulder does not rub against his chin, cheek, forehead, or eyes!

That is why, it is time for me to say bye-bye tudung bawals & shawls, and hello.. well, tudung barus.

Ps: Any suggestions on where I can get good quality tudung like these at affordable price? I absolutely adore Ariani's.. but they are a bit pricy for me, especially when I'm planning to get 3 or 4 of them.

The Little Family’s Day Out

Aydein sweetheart,

I hope you had a wonderful time last weekend, because I definitely did! :D

I am sorry I could not take you out earlier before this. You see, about a few weeks before you were born, our country was alarmed with the H1N1 cases that got everybody scared of going out from their own house. Actually baby, H1N1 is a kind of virus that can cause anyone to be very, very ill. And although the case is still reported to be active, it is much milder now compared to before. That is why I was more confident taking you out over the last weekend (for 2 days in a row!) compared to last time.

Oh and I finally had a reason to officiate your brand new stroller too! It has been with us for quite some time now, but we never used it because we felt it was not time for you to explore the world yet, with the H1N1 cases increasing last time. But now that you are, look what we've been keeping for you, Aydein!


Yes, your very own "car"! :D I personally love this stroller for its light weight , and you know, baby? I was so excited about taking you out on your new "car" last weekend that I insisted to be the one to push it around all the way. Even when papa offered to take the stroller from me, I would quickly refuse the offer and continued pushing you around happily. Talk about being jakun. Haha.


But don't get me wrong. I have helped bringing your cousins around in their strollers when they were little for many times last time. But somehow it's different with you, you know? It's probably because you're my own son, my own flesh and blood. And I can't help but feel really proud and happy bringing you out and about that day. :) Eh come to think of it, I am finally one of those mums with baby strollers in the mall lah! Haha. :D


But it seems that I was not the only one excited on that day! Those months of being "imprisoned" at home must have been quite awful for you. That is why you were at your best behavior and so in-the-mood when we took you out on a stroll in the mall then. You were very quiet and relaxed in your seat observing your whole new world, as though trying to take it all in. And occasionally, we would also hear you cooing then flinging your arms excitedly. :)

Oh but I forgot to warn you that once mama and papa go out for shopping, it would usually take quite a long time. I guess it was longer than you expected because you got sleepy and fell asleep while we were still excitedly shopping. Hehe.


I can't wait till you're a little older so I can pamper you with toys from the Toys 'R Us. I'm sure you are so going to love it! :D Until then, I look forward for our next day out together again!


hugs & kisses,
Mama.