The Mistress

Back in January whilst pregnant with Faris, I craved for books.
I read through the pile in a few weeks.
Managed to finish the 4 out of 5 books.

Then Faris was born.
I couldn't find time to read because whatever free time I had, I forced myself to sleep.
6 months later, and Faris has regular activity patterns, I finally started reading again.
And...
Yesterday, I finally finished the fifth book.

This:

Anis

Lullaby and Books

Faris is a musical baby.
To lull him to sleep, I have exhausted my repertoire of songs so much so that I need to download new songs, memorize it and learn to sing it to the boy.

It started out with Disney's Alice in Wonderland's "Wonderland" song.
Then, a song I have sung to him since he was an embryo; "So This Is Love" from Disney's Cinderella.
Then it was Zee Avi's Kantoi.
Then, Hoobastank's The Reason.
Followed by Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me.
Then, Jason Mraz's Live High.
The list goes on.

By the time he's asleep, I'm parched.
Happily so.

Faris loves pop-up books but I'm having trouble finding good ones.
So far he only has the Baby Sparkle series picture books and a touch-and-feel Baby Animals book.
Would love to hunt for more books.
:)

Anis

Emotions

I laughed so hard at Sweets when he "discovered" how literal Bones was.

I screamed at the TV when Booth and Bones exchange their "soulmate" look but don't know it.

I felt Dean's heartbreak when telling Sam how hurt he was over his choosing a demon over blood.

I felt Eric's pain when pleading for Godric to stay.

I cried when Jamie-Lynn left Turtle, tears welling at the airport.

I felt so much love when Mrs. Ari nodded in approval at Ari's business conquest after his touching speech.

I felt the worn out Drama feeling defeat but hopeful at the Melrose 2009 audition.

I gush and smile like a cheshire cat at how Chuck lembutly says "Hey" at an approaching Blair.

I smile thinking about the "Besar punye!" Maggi ad.

TV's good.
Keeps our emotions in check.
Keeps us human.

But nothing beats that emotion when Faris looks up at us and gives his cheeky smile...

Anis

Bisikan Nafs

"Andai kata Bintang menyepi, Bulan tidak berseri"

Cinta hati.

Grandfathers

Paternal grandfather aku satu Malaysia kenal.
Siap belajar dalam buku sejarah.
Semua orang, at one point, akan belajar Penyata Abdul Rahman Talib.
Satu Malaysia kenal arwah Aki.
Tapi aku tidak.

Dad was barely a teenager when arwah Aki passed away in Cairo.
Cardiac arrest, I'm told.
He's survived by his widow and 10 children.

Maternal grandfather aku rock!
83 and counting, insyaAllah.
And still as healthy as a horse, Alhamdulillah.
Masih lovey-dovey dgn my wheelchair bound grandmother macam baru dating.
That's really something after 60+ years of marriage and 7 children later.
:D

Aku rasa a child yang ada both sets of grandparents are blessed.
Their presence may contribute to a positive character development.
InsyaAllah Faris will be one of the blessed ones.

Aku sayang arwah Aki dan Atok!

Anis

Investments

It's good advice to buy seconds, or cheap and save the difference.
However, this doesn't apply to everything,
least of all stuff for babies/children.

We learnt the hard way that when we wanted to "save", we actually spent more.
For example, we got Faris' stroller for a great bargain.
Less than RM300.
But it's bulky, flawed and hazardous.
The harness was cutting into Faris' flesh.
:$

So we got him another stroller/buggy.
Slightly on the pricey side, but it's so good.
A Maclaren Quest Sport.
Black/Citrus Lime.
Alhamdulillah, MasyaAllah.

Same goes for a "local" baby sling/carrier.
Compared to the Baby Bjorn we finally purchased, it was crap.
That's more RM out the window just because we wanted to "save".

We know now that you get what you paid for.

So when it comes to baby/stuff, our advice is that you do your research before purchasing it.
There's a reason why people pay so much more than the average Joe for a brand.

Splurging vs. Saving
Think about it.
Sometimes, splurging is an investment.
Long term.

From the new parents,
Matt & Anis

21 Gun Salute to the Two Cents

• TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras disgust me. As a mother, I'm not here to judge. But I can't help but feel compelled to call social services when you don your 4 year old in scantily clad clothes and ask her to prance before judges to evaluate her "beauty" all for the sake of a cheap, plastic trophy with ribbons and sparkles.

• Just because I watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show and am a fan of Neil Patrick Harris, doesn't mean I "love" the gay people or the whole idea of homosexuality. Having said that, I'm not homophobic either. Three words: I'm a Muslim.

• I love Supernatural. The first few seasons that is, when everything was Ghouls and Ghosts and Urban Legends. But the angels and demons take really threw me off. Funny how the show's creators see angels/demons/Lucifer. A big chunk of season 4 is blasphemy. I know shows are there to entertain and for the most part, I was entertained. But "The Winchester Gospel"? Prophet Chuck? Really? I love the show but I'm also glad this season 5 is their last season. Hate to see them get axed when they suck. I finally know why people quit while they're on top.

• Just because you already have 2 or 3 kids, does not mean you know a whole lot about parenting OUR child. I do not appreciate our parenting skills being scrutinized just because our son doesn't "function" as yours did. So what if it's a little difficult to put him down when he's asleep? So what we don't take him out at night? Need we remind you that children's personalities vary as well, just like you and me. One child may like one thing/act one way. Doesn't guarantee ours will as well.

Anis