all you need is just ONE letter ...

My son's never been short of showing concern and care towards other people. OK ... that paints too pretty and too perfect a picture. Let's start again.
My son's never been short of being nosey. And just to sugar-coat things a little, yes, I'd like to think, at the back of it all, it's only because he's concerned and interested in one's well-being that he displays this 'sibuk' trait.

Some 2 weeks back, we were over at my parents'. My lil nephew (a happy 10-month old lil chap) was crawling under some tables much to my brother telling him not to. He ignored it and kept going back to the said-table. After some few warnings, my brother stood up, started walking to him while clearing his throat doing that "ahem .. ahem ..." warning thingy one does to alert a cheeky lil toddler. The rest of us just carried on doing whatever it was we were doing, leaving my brother to pull his son out from under the table. Well, almost 'the rest of us'.

Big Z being Big Z ... Big Z being my incredibly chatty, much opinionated, nosey/concerned self, had to step in! He walked behind his uncle (my brother), and as the uncle was 'scolding' his son, Big Z tried to mimic the scolding. He couldn't go as far as "ahem ... ahem ..." though. He came up with his own signature telling-off. It was all of ONE letter, not even a word. Stood in front of his 10-month old cousin, and warned him by saying "M ... M ... M...!". *LOL*

We all laughed. It was the combination of his eagerness to step in to 'punish' this lil toddler and then to come up with not even a viable word, but the repitition of a single letter of the alphabet. Where there's a Big Z, there's bound to be some true-to-his-style comic relief.

when things just don't quite fit you ...

achy + sleepy + desperately need to get new, bigger bras = a not-so-happy me

Hmm ... just thinking now, maybe I'm achy because I'm wearing a size too small, and as a result of the aches, the eyes are somehow affected too. You think?


Am tidying up and sorting out the photos on my laptop, came across this old one.
This was me, some 3 weeks before giving birth to Big Z, back in '03.



:: with my family celebrating my dad's birthday - Mandarin Oriental KL Chinese restaurant ::

I'm looking pretty much the same at the moment, with some 4 weeks to go now - give or take. Just picture a bigger me though. Am bigger this time, am convinced of that. Just to prove my point even more, yesterday ... let's just say, my left wrist was pinched a wee bit too much as I tried to fasten my watch on it. There's now a mark of sorts on the wrist, just to remind me to quit forcing myself into things that clearly DO NOT fit me anymore. Haha. Seriously ... how much bigger am I going to get before full-term? Scary, to say the least!


Anyway........

How has your day been so far? Better than mine, I hope.

almost ready to welcome Baby Z

Can I just say I'm possibly the happiest 29 year old expectant mom around? OK ... maybe the happiest on my street. But anyhow, that'll count for now. Why, you may ask? Well, I got around to completing even more of Baby Z's corner today. And while at it (dressing up the space for her), I also did a lil something for Big Z.

Would love to show the corner now. But 2 lil problems here ... the first, I haven't exactly photographed them at all and secondly, showing it now will only display Baby Z's name (which is something I'd like to announce ONLY once she's out of me).

Until then, on a completely unrelated topic, here's a rather serious photo of Big Z - such is the expression you'd get from him when he's on Youtube or any other kids/learning sites. Deep concentration this photo displays.

The other extreme would be something more along the lines of pure laugh-out-loud excitement, like this one shot during a morning trip to the local playground.

nesting on a Sunday ...

Today saw us staying in (well, The Daddy had a reunion brunch with some old schoolmates though). After lunch, we managed to get quite a number of things done around the house. I'm a happier person now because of this. :-)

Apart from the usual laundry (I really don't know why I can't just do laundry every other day or even just twice a week, instead of every single day ... honestly, I think I should limit the change of clothes habit in this household ... haha) and the sweeping and mopping (today was the whole of downstairs), we finally created the corner for Baby Z in the room downstairs. Plan is to have myself and baby parked downstairs during the confinement period. Saves me walking up and down too much especially since we haven't a maid waiting by our every call. I'd still have to attend to daily housechores and being downstairs just seems the most practical solution.


So yes. A lil corner downstairs then for Baby Z. There's the swinging crib, a chair for feeding sessions, some wall art and ample more space on the floating shelves to display other bits in the future. Depending on how efficient I'll be, the plan is to take close-up photos of Baby Z and have them lining up on the shelves. There'll also be a storage box of sorts to hold in her essential toiletries and diapers; this would occupy the other half of the wall shelves. Other than that, there's the crib to dress up (we've yet to get cotlinen) and possibly a cushion just to 'complete the look' of the feeding chair.


OK. Just read this post up to the previous paragraph, I really haven't completed the corner, have I now?? Still lots to do. But ... judging by the rate things get done around here, I'd have to say, I'm most pleased with our efforts today. Haha.

When it's all finally completed, I'll photograph the teeny-weeny corner and put up them photos here.


Meanwhile, I shall have a serving of good 'ol tau fu fah now - they say, packing in them calcium in you is all good for baby and expecting mom. Some go as far as guaranteeing you the fairest baby too. Hmm... A big serving I shall indulge in now then. ;-)


Oh, and Big Z's getting better now, Alhamdulillah ...
He should be able to make it to first day back at school tomorrow.

an upset tummy and a new year to make the most of ...

It's just past 2am on the 5th day of 2008.

At the top of my mind now (of things to see to, priorities, things to do and such) is my not-too-well Big Z. He's down with an upset tummy, he's made 3 trips to the loo just today and he's now not his chirpiest self. Weak and quiet pretty much sums him up at the moment. Seeing him unwell like this just breaks my heart. He's otherwise known to be very vocal and chirpy a 4 year old. I'm doing the quick recall exercise in my head now and I really can't think of anything bad he could have eaten in the past couple of days or so to trigger this upset tummy. As I'm typing this out, he's asleep next to me - we're taking refuge in the downstairs room tonight as the distance between the sofabed here and the ensuite bathroom is closer than that of his and/or my bed upstairs and the bathroom upstairs. Am anticipating at least one more rush to the loo some time middle of the night, and at this stage (of my being heavily pregnant), I'd like to save as much walking steps as I can. So, here we are camping downstairs tonight and I'm very much awake as I can't get that peace of mind knowing my son's unwell. Just doesn't seem fair to sneak in some shut-eye when I know he's far from comfortable even with his eyes shut.

The morning will see us making a trip to the doctor's. Have him properly checked and treated. It's all so timely (NOT, really) he's down with this tummy bug now, just 2 days before he starts school. After a good 4-week break, his school will start it's 2008 term this Monday. If the tummy doesn't settle down by tomorrow though, I don't think he should go in to school on Monday. Miss the first day, I really don't mind.



All this aside, I'm hoping for better things to come my way, our way this year. As we all do, naturally. I wouldn't say I'm one to list down my new year's resolution. But, just for the sake of all things 'new' and list-y, some general things I'd like to tick off my mental list would be as follows:

1. Have as smooth and easy a labour and delivery when Baby Z decides it's time to wriggle out of me - please please come out easy, my lil one ... and then please please be a darling of a child to raise.

2. Better myself as a whole, but mostly, as a mother to my kid(s), wife and daughter - I owe it to my kid(s) to be a strong, responsible and loving mom; I owe it to my husband to be a responsible, communicative and loving wife and I absolutely owe it to my parents to be a responsible, well-mannered and thankful daughter.

3. Get back to a size 10 (UK) by middle of the year - big BIG ambition here, but why not? Let's put me on that great big journey of a challenge.

4. Manage my time better each day so as to keep my sanity - this applies to juggling daily housechores, whilst managing the demands of a 4 yr old and soon, a lil baby too.

5. Have greater patience and tolerance for inevitable conflicts of interest between the husband and meself - this would no doubt be a great challenge; almost as, if not more than #3.

6. Always always shower my kid(s) with more than necessary love, yet maintain the fact that I'm here playing their mom first, and their friend second - which means, discipline and good behaviour from them would always be expected. I'd tolerate no roughness, no bullying, no verbal rudeness and the likes of those.

7. Suggest, persuade, plan a good holiday with the husband for us to go on with Big Z and Baby Z when Baby Z is at least 5 months old - for now, the thought of Bali seems very welcoming.



So there you have it. My list for now. It's a list I better make myself refer to every so often. Them ticks would very much do me good.

Till the next update then, wish me luck and hope you do well with your own respective lists too. On that note, happy new year to all. May 2008 bring us all better things, rewards, much love, berkats, rezekis and pahalas. InsyaAllah ...

always remember to pack your 'belongings' with you ... DO NOT leave anything behind

You know how you sometimes go some place, and then come home only to realise you left something behind at that said-some place? Could be a brochure you picked up while walking that you left behind at say, a mall ... could be a scarf or change of your kid's clothes you left at a friend's house when visiting ... that sort of thing, yea.

Well, this morning, I woke up to find out that my son had 'left something behind' too.

We were at The Gardens yesterday. Mid-morning to early afternoon - spent a good 3 hours and a bit there. First visit there for all 3 of us. Must say, I liked it. Much much quieter than the chaos that is KLCC and even OU during the weekends.

This morning, Big Z came to wake me up in an almost urgent but still sleepy tone. "Wake up, Mummy ... I need to mandi now". First thing I thought was ... oh dear ... please please don't tell me you wet your bed. He didn't. So yey. He had already stripped himself and was waiting in the shower cubicle by the time I waddled my way to the bathroom. With eyes still sepet and voice still serak (signs of not being fully awake himself just yet), I gave him his shower. And asked why the rush this morning. It was barely 7:30, and on a Sunday, no less. He replied, "we need to go now ...". Where?? "We need to go to the mall ... Gardens, Mummy". It was too hilarious as there he was, practically forcing his eyes to open wide and stand properly in the shower, but he clearly had bright-and-early plans to hit the mall again this morning. When I asked why we have to go there again today, why the urgency, his reply (as with most of his other replies) was very honest and adamant. His reply, "... becaussseeee..... I left them behind, Mummy. I left the shops behind yesterday. See ... now we need to go Gardens again". *LOL*

There you go! Did it ever occur to you that one could leave shops behind? Almost like we forgot to pack them shops with us when we left the mall yesterday! Haha ...

We aren't making the trip there again today, by the way. We've lunch plans with my parents instead. Let's hope we won't leave any favourite food or something behind today, or tomorrow may see him telling me we need to go back to the restaurant again.

the 'missing' mole ...

For those who know me, you'd know I've a very prominent mole above my mouth (unless of course, when we meet, you never quite noticed it ... hehe). And then about a hundred more scattered around my body. OK .. maybe not quite a hundred, but plenty nevertheless. Just on my face, there's 5. But this isn't about me so much.

Big Z's story. Once again, yes.

He was in one of his affectionate moods earlier. Hugged and kissed me (the Daddy says to always embrace it all now coz he may just decide he's too much of a man to be hugging and kissing the Mummy once he hits the 7th yr! haha) and then cupped my face and commented on my mole. The one right above my mouth.

Immediately he had to check how he'd match his Mummy. Checked his face for moles he did! He has none on his face, by the way. Wasn't satisfied, so resorted to lifting his shirt up in search of that missing mole. While lifting the shirt up, said "ey ... where is it? where's it gone now?? ... mole's not behaving himself .. it's hiding, Mummy". *LOL*

I was amused. He wasn't quite as amused. Took it pretty seriously. Was finally comforted when he spotted a mole on his tummy. It's not as big and prominent as mine, but that'll do for now. It certainly made his day alright. "There! I found it. There's my mole". And then walked away a happy chap. :-)


On that note, a good weekend to all!