Is It Zoo Time Yet?

When you have a baby, timing is everything.

There used to be a time when the toy car you bought meant nothing but something for him to chew on. Now, it's something that he can't sleep without. There used to be a time when playground was not even in his dictionary. Now, it's a place he wants to go to everyday. And there used to be a time when a hamster meant nothing but a furball to him. Now, the very sight of it would make him jump with joy!

Yes. Timing is everything. So when you see your baby shrieks with joy when he sees a cat, even if it means looking at cats' images from his papa's laptop, that's when you know, he's ready for a trip to the zoo! :)



Notice how he was too excited that his papa even had to pull him back from scratching the screen? Uh huh. This boy is definitely ready for the zoo! ;)

Quadruple Celebration!

Being a Libra must be wonderful for my husband Aien, this year. What's not to like, especially when you're being celebrated 4 times for one occasion!

First, there was the advance birthday celebration with the officemates. Actually, the whole thing was my idea because I thought it would be fun for him to celebrate his special day with the crazy people we have in the office. You have no idea how tricky it was to throw a surprise for someone who lives under the same roof!

You see, at first, I planned to throw him a party at a private place decorated with balloons and streamers, something like this.


I don't know why, but ever since I organized Aydein's first birthday party, I am so into event planning. I am even considering doing it full-time! Unfortunately, I could not find any party shops around my workplace (not even KLCC and Pavillion) that I ended up arranging the little get-together at Kenny Rogers instead, and requested the staffs to put up some balloons at the place.

Once I got everything planned out, I told Aien to join us for a party, assuming the party is for Syikin's (our colleague) Farewell Party later that day. It was easy to trick him into believing this as coincidentally, that day was really Syikin's last day with Loveclients. However I told him I had to leave earlier because I needed to accompany my friend who wanted to get a pair of shoes for her wedding in KLCC, so we decided to meet each other at Kenny Rogers later.

Meantime, I went to KLCC with my friends, and looked for a cake for the birthday boy. I wanted to get an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins for Aien, but there is no Baskin Robbins in KLCC. So in the end, I settled with Chocolate Strawberry from Secret Recipe which is actually very, very nice!


Once everything is set up, I lit the candles and waited for Aien to show up. And once we saw the glimpse of him, we all sang a birthday song to the birthday boy who clearly looked really surprise at first, but managed to regain his self control by smiling widely. Happy birthday, sayang!


Then, on October 3rd, Aien and I went for a movie together to celebrate his actual birth day. Once we are done with movie, we went back and picked Aydein up for a family dinner at Dome's. It was not much, but it was meaningful because we had the 3 of us together.


And that night, I called all of Aien's siblings and asked them if they could all gather at my in laws house for Aien's third round of celebration -- with the big family this time. I bought yet another cake from Secret Recipe (Pecan Butterscotch, which is just as nice!) and had a good time celebrating them with the bunch.


Finally, a few days later, my elder sister Sarah came over and we all went for the final celebration at Zanmai Sushi -- her treat! I wished we had the rest of my family around though, but it was still a wonderful evening because hey, sushi would make anybody's day! ;)


Happy 25th birthday, sweets! May you have another wonderful year of good health, laughter, happiness and joy!

My Personal Favorite

Among the many cool friends mama has, I think the coolest of them all has got to be... Aunty Zatie, she's my personal favorite!

Not that I will ever stand a chance with her next to the macho Uncle Ejad, but you know, she has always been there every step of the way since the day I was born!

Auntie Zatie is the one on the left, in purple.

According to mama, she has been following my development since day 1 through this blog. Once in a while, she would drop a line and ask how I am. Not just that, she along with Uncle Ejad would go through all the trouble of giving me a little something now and then, each time they think of me!

You see, when they came and visit me when I was a newborn, they brought along with them a set of adorable clothes as well as a Lamaze plush toy that I named Dancing Tiger. Remember him from this post? I called him Dancing Tiger for a reason -- because you can pull the tail to make it jiggle/shake!


A few months after that, mama came back from work with another gift from Auntie Zatie for me. It was a cute blue bib that says "Thank Heaven for Little Boys". I really liked the bib, that I used it over and over till it gets worn out! Heee.


Unfortunately, when it was time for me to meet her on my first birthday a few months back, she was not able to make it as she had to attend her brother's wedding. But that didn't stop her from sharing that meaningful day with me still.

Last week, Auntie Zatie and Uncle Ejad swung by my place and surprised me with a post-birthday gift that comes with a special card!


It was a big gift for a small me! I got really excited and curious that I started ripping the wrapping gift open! Hmm I wonder what's inside?


And after a bit of help from mama, I finally managed to rip it open! Oh, look! It's a funky Shape Sorter!


Thanks Auntie Zatie, and Uncle Ejad! :D

Did you know though, if mama only knew about shopping, fun and games before she got hitched back then, Auntie Zatie on the hand, is already well equipped with motherhood knowledge like Medela, EBM and things that mama only knew after she had me! Isn't that awesome? :)


Mama said although Auntie Zatie is yet to tie the knot with Uncle Ejad, she has a good feeling that Auntie Zatie would be a good mother in a future knowing how well versed Auntie Zatie is when it comes to motherhood! So Uncle Ejad, make sure you waste no time and marry Aunty Zatie quickly so I can play with your future baby! ;)


Until I see the both of you again next time, take care! :)

What You Can Do I Can Do Too (Part 8)

It feels like a long time since I last updated on Aydein's progress. It's amazing how he has progressed so much from just rolling on his back, to creeping, to crawling, to cruising, to standing, and recently, walking. Just when I thought he could not surprise us with anything anymore, he would do something to leave us glowing with pride yet again. :)

Anyway, at 1 year 4 months, Aydein can do a lot more things as compared to before.

He can walk - very fast too if he wants to.
He can even walk backwards whenever he feels like amusing us!
He can also twirl his body round and round for the fun of it.
He goes to you when you say "come here"
He will get the thing that you point to while saying "aydein take/ambik?"
He puts out his hand at the sink when you say "wash hands"
He gives an object to someone if prompted, e.g. "give papa"
He puts out his foot out when prompted, "wear shoes?"


He can shake his head "no" and meaning it.
He knows the comb goes to the head.
He knows the toothbrush goes into the mouth.
He knows that the phone goes to the ear.


He gives you a big, wet kiss on the cheek, and lips too, if you pout your lips at him.
He can sleep through the night at times.
He can sleep by himself although at times.
He can eat by himself.


He refers "cat" as "auw".
He is overprotective over the people he loves, like.. ME! Hee!
He will clasp his hands at both of his ears while saying "Awaaba!" when he sees anyone performing solah.


He can now say papa clearly. Among others are : mama, ball, bye, bird to name a few.
He can express himself clearly by pointing to the things he wants.
He can "salam" and kiss your hand.
He enjoys handing objects to you.
He will also bend down and "sujud" when he sees anyone performing solah.


However, he has also picked up some habits/attitudes over the past couple of months that were nonexistence earlier.

He will roll and roll on top of me before he falls asleep every night.
He is very clingy, especially with me, nowadays.
He doesn't warm up to strangers as easily as before. Talk about stranger anxiety!
He knows now "bye" means leaving him so he'll cry each time we leave him for work.
He has a say to what goes into his system (fussy eater alert!).
He tends to throw a tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants.
He sometimes likes people to get things for him, instead of getting it himself.
He is possessive of his toys whenever his elder cousins are around.
He has a habit of handing over his bottle after each feeding.

Aydein keeps surprising us with all the little things he does. It's been such an amazing experience watching him grow up. He has grown so much and so fast over the past couple of months that sometimes I wish I could slow down the time so he will be my little baby forever. It's true what they say, no? Cherish every passing moment with your baby, because babies won't be babies forever!

Introducing My New Obsession!

2010 seems to be full of surprises for me. First, I received a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day from my colleagues. Then I received a chic tote as a surprise gift from Aien when he came back from US. And yesterday, he managed to get a crazy shriek from me again when he surprised me with.. this!


Okay, hold your horses, let me explain!

You see, on my last birthday, Aien told me that his gift to me would be a little late. He would not tell me why at first, but eventually he did (because I pressed him!), and that it would be an iPhone 4. When I heard this, I was dizzy with happiness! However, I realized that we are not from the rich and famous. iPhone 4 to me costs quite a bit, hence, I feel that it would be a waste for Aien to spend that much on me. So I told him to forget the idea and get me something else -- something cheaper, much cheaper that that.

I have gotten my eyes on iPhone 3GS for quite some time now however, I even asked Aien to get a second hand one for me, just so he would not spend so much on a new one for me. Honestly, I just needed something that I could use to update my blog and other social network applications. Even a cheap phone with that functionality works for me because the Nokia 7370 I was using then simply cannot do that.

The Nokia 7370 that I hang onto, for nearly 5 years

He kept saying things like, "No, sabar lah," or "We'll find one that is best for you," or "Let's just wait dulu", that I simply stopped asking or hoping.

And then, yesterday, while I was working in the office, I suddenly heard an unfamiliar ringtone coming from my handbag. I peered inside my handbag and was confused to see an iPhone with an unknown number ringing in my handbag. It took me quite a while before I lifted it up and by the time I did, it stopped ringing. Still, I held the iPhone in my hand, staring at it for a while, trying to make out, why the hell was the iPhone doing in my bag? And then, it slowly registered. I turned around, and asked Aien, "Oh, my god. Did you get this for me? Is this iPhone mine?!" When he turned and just smiled, I shrieked and I shrieked and I shrieked like crazy! :D


And when the chaos is over, I asked him, why iPhone 4? Why not HTC, or 3GS or any other cheaper phones? He said simply because it is the best phone for me. :) And oh my, the trouble he went through just to surprise me with this iPhone! He told me he actually went to 5 different stores at 3 different locations and had to even forge my signature in order to buy the plan okay! Long story cut short, he went all out just to surprise me with this sleek beauty! Well, what can I say? His effort definitely paid off because he really did manage to surprise me yesterday! :D

Again, sweets, if you're reading this, thank you so much for this wonderful post-birthday gift. Patience definitely paid off, because hey, after months and months of waiting, I am now the proud owner of the new iPhone 4! :D

Raees Aryan's 1st Birthday Party

I love birthday parties! Birthday parties are always filled with fun, food and colorful balloons! You see, my friend Raees just turned a year old. We first met each other at my very own first birthday party just a couple of months back. This time around, we went to his place to celebrate his first birthday!

Kids like me love gifts you see. That's why, I helped mama to wrap the gift I especially got for Raees earlier, and brought it along to the party!


As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by the birthday boy who happily accepted the gift that we brought him.


And then, without wasting anymore time, I started making my way into the living room that is filled with colorful toys and played with them.


However, eventhough there are so many toys scattered around the room, somehow, I have got my eyes fixed on this one thing.. It is..


That's right -- the baby pool! Yes, I would play with the balloons, I would play with the colorful blocks, I would play with the push toys, but in the end, I would still end up jumping back into the pool of balls!


Even when when everybody was busy playing toys, I would be busy in my little "hut"!


So you get what I mean. Auntie Irin even said I am the pool dominator! :P

Oh and another thing that caught my attention were the flying balloons! They were so beautiful, I even asked papa to lift me up so I could catch one!


Anyway, as I was busy playing, I couldn't help but to notice that, at a glance, Raees's outfit looked a lot like mine! Some even mistook me for Raees that day. Luckily they gave their gifts to the rightful owner of the gift or someone would have gone back smiling quietly by the end of the day! Hehe. Can you spot the difference?


I was not the only one having fun there. Mama too was also having a good time catching up with some of her friends there.

Oh did I tell you that, she also got the chance to meet Auntie Anne and Auntie Airin (also a mummy blogger) there? She obviously got the chance to meet Auntie Irin too, because, Auntie Irin is the host lah! Hehe.


And then, it was the moment we were all been waiting for -- the cake cutting ceremony! All of us gathered around the table and sang a birthday song to Raees. Once we were done, Raees -- or rather, his mommy and daddy -- blew the candle out!

Once we had the cake, we hung around a little longer before saying goodbye. But before we left the place, we took a little time to sign our names and wrote down our wishes for Raees at the Guest Book section.


We also brought back a little gift with us. It has chocolates and candies inside, and the best thing is, it is 100% handmade by Raees's mom!


Birthday parties always make me happy. And lucky me, I will get to attend another fun birthday party very, very soon too! Oooh I can hardly wait! Until then! ;)

My Non-Stop Raya

If there's anyone that can describe "beraya sakan" best, it would be me. Seriously, I don't think I have ever been to so many places, and experiencing so many new things, like I had this Raya. I can't even remember having this much fun on my very first Raya last year. Oh well, then again, I was still a baby then. ;)

You know, we spent the first 2 days of Raya in papa's hometown in Batu Pahat, Johor. After Raya prayers, all of us gathered at the hall and "salam" with each other. Since I can now salam, I too did not miss to salam with everyone including Tok Ayah and Tok Mak! Tok Mak said since I am a big boy now and able to salam, I can now receive my very first "duit raya"!


Once everybody else arrived, we took our family picture together. If we were all dressed up in grey last year, this year, we were all for brown! ;)

Not in picture : Uncle Ujang's family

Later that night, we played firecrackers together. I was actually sleeping earlier, but got awaken when I heard the loud sound of the fireworks. It went BAM BAM BOOM in the air! I did not want to miss the fun, so I jumped in the wagon and played fire crackers with the rest of my cousins!

Then on the 3rd day of Raya, we started making our move to Penang. When we arrived, Opah was already waiting for us with the ketupat and rendang she made earlier. During our short visit there, I also managed to steal a little time to see my long-awaited friend -- Nawal!

Then, on the 4th Raya, we pushed off to Kedah to visit our family and friends. This is us at Atok's place just before leaving for Raya visit.

Not in picture : Pak Lang Raqib, the photographer.

And this is taken at my uncle's hometown, Kodiang.


The next day, we pushed off back to KL. Opah and Atok also came to KL together with us because they were following us to our next destination. So on the 6th day of Raya, my family as well as Pak Long, Mak Long, Atok and Opah headed to our next destination -- Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan!

We had the infamous Gulai Lemak Negeri Sembilan for lunch there, and according to mama, this is where Opah was born. Oh, and here's the exciting thing. Although my great-grandmother is no longer in this world, I actually got the chance to meet my great-great-grandmother!

Isn't it awesome? She's lived long enough to see her very own "piut" and that "piut" is me! Mama said she's about 90 ++ years, and she's already senile. Shortly after 5 minutes after you've introduced your name, she'll ask you yet again, "sapo ni?" And if you ask her how old she is, she would tell you that she's over a 100 years old! Hehe. But I wonder how she can live that long, though. Mama said it must be the healthy food!

Then, we made our way to Melaka. Here, we went to see Tok Lang's family. After having dinner with the family, we made our way back to KL.

After a few hours sleep that night, as soon as the sun appears, we packed our things yet again and pushed off to Penang -- for the second time! Actully, Mummy Na wanted to go for a little vacation in Penang and wondered if we wanted to come along, so we did, and that's how we ended up there once again!

We stayed in The Northam All Suites Hotel near Gurney. It's really a very nice hotel. All of their 142 suites have water-massage jacuzzi in it! I don't know about you, but I do not have jacuzzi in my house, so I was pretty excited to have this one in my suite!

During our trip here, I got the chance to go to almost all of the famous shopping malls available in Penang -- Komtar, Prangin Mall, Gurney Plaza and Queensbay. I also went to three different places in hunt for the best nasi kandar in town. We went to Nasi Kandar Butterworth, Nasi Kandar Tajuddin Hussain and Nasi Kandar Beratur. I don't think we've ever been to that many mamak restaurants in 3 days!

I also got on a huge, huge yellow boat! Papa said it's called as ferry. It's nothing like the boat rides I have experienced before. This one is really big and it can even carry many, many cars in it! That's me on the big boat! :)


And then, it was time for us to head on back to KL. We arrived shortly after midnight. I am telling you, from KL - Johor - Penang - Kedah - Penang - KL - Negeri 9 - Melaka - KL - Penang - KL, it was definitely one non-stop, tiring, but fun Raya to remember! :D

Anyway, here's a short pantun before I end my entry this time :

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir & Batin,
Kalau nak duit raya, datang lah rumah Aydein!

Selamat hari raya, everybody! From The Little Family : Mama, Papa & Me! :P