MERLIN

Merlin has ended.

Everything hurts right now.

But it was beautiful.

The whole thing, beautiful.

I will forever love this show.

Thank you!

I am happy for it.

But still heartbroken that it ended...

Reading List... Growing

Remember this post?
Remember how I was supposed to remind myself to NOT buy anymore books?

Yeah.

This post is to tell you, I've failed.

Bought these books online during the Black Friday sales.
All hardcover.

Itu pun Husband goaded me to buy more.
I was tempted to.
But, I digress.

First World Problems #001

How can anyone possibly choose?

.
.
.
.
.
.

Admittedly, I went with Jensen. Always Jensen.

Un-

Unfollow.
Unfriend.

When we were kids, for whatever trivial reasons,
"unfollow" and "unfriend" already existed.
A much more direct approach of "I don't want to friend you".

Sometimes you get what's coming to you.
More often than not, you don't know what you've done.

Hurts none the less.

Admittedly, we all have been the clicker of the "unfriend" and "unfollow" button,
for reasons that are our own.

Maybe the other person won't care.
Maybe they hurt like you.

For what it's worth, I apologize-
As the clicker of the button.
As the person who may have done something to merit the clicking of that button.

Tiny Stories

I absolutely adore this book.
It's genius.
It's passionate.
It's just... wonderful.

As a booklover and a bookworm, this is one of my favourite tiny stories.

I am definitely getting Volume 2.

*Disclaimer: Posting photos as a fan. I do not own the story or the art*

Reading List

Dear self,

These are the books who've yet to read. Please finish them first before you buy some more books.
Please.
Please.
Please.

Dear Husband,
You are an enabler. Your "It's ok. It's always good to buy books" and "You can never have too many books at a time" is NOT HELPING. I love you, though.

Precious, Priceless Moments #41 - #43

#41
Faris: "V-A-N"
Me: "What does that spell?"
Faris: "Van"
Me: "Very good"

Faris: "A-F-C"
Me: *puzzled* "What does that spell?"
Faris: "ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL"

#42
Faruq crying. Bonda busy with chores.
In comes Faris, picks up Faruq's favourite rattle,
Shakes it in front of Faruq,
"Here, Faruq. Look at this. Don't cry."

#43
Faris climbs over the couch, gets lodged between back of couch and wall,
"Help. I'm stuck. GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

Partners

We are partners.

We are...

Booth & Brennan

Arthur & Merlin

Chuck & Sarah

Castle & Beckett

Sherlock & John

McGarrett & Danno

Troy & Abed

Peter & Olivia
Shawn & Gus
Sam & Dean
Dean & Castiel
Nick & Monroe

I love you, Husband.

Happy Birthday.

What do you want?

I dislike people who try to make me feel bad about being a homemaker.
I am not contributing to the family's finances, they said.
And I, too freely, spend my husband's hard earned money.

Correction, dear haters.
We don't have the mentality of "What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours".
We have a "This is ours" mentality.
"I work for you, for the boys", Husband would say.
And he's doing a mighty fine job, Alhamdulillah.
All payments made on time. We have no debts.
And we live comfortably.
Alhamdulillah.

When people suggest that I should try and work and that I can send the kids to a daycare,
I will jokingly (not really) say that if anyone is going to mess up my kids, it's best that it'd be me.
Even if it means no PSPs or Nike shoes for my boys. (I hope you can detect my sarcasm).
Husband always reassures me that I am needed at home more than any company out there, and that being home, I have the most difficult yet rewarding job.
He is the sweetest, and I love him for all that he is. :)

Equally, I dislike other homemakers who try and make working mothers feel bad about not being home to take care of their own kids.
Everyone has a different definition of "What is best for my kids".
Most of the time, it's financial.
And they're not wrong.
Everything is money-related nowadays.
Everything is expensive. Especially education.
If you're privileged enough to stay home and raise your own children, it's best you just be grateful without having to mount a high horse.

Our take on "What's best for our kids" is me being home.

We have what we have, and by Allah s.w.t., it is more than I can ever hope for.
Roof over our heads.
A comfortable means of transportation.
Never knowing what hunger feels like.
More than enough.

What more can I ever selfishly (material wealth) ask for?

Handling Two

I am surprised that I am handling being a mother of two much better than how I handled being a new mom.
I suppose the key word then was "new".

But handling two, a 3 month old and a 3 year old, has been... interesting, for the lack of a better word.

I try to spend as much time with Faris, him being the elder child who needs more of my attention in that sense.
So when I can, I still build block towers with him, draw, spell words with his magnetic alphabets, watch Team Umizoomi or just throw a ball back and forth.

Faruq has developed a liking to be rocked to sleep in the arms before I can put him down in his cot,
which means I have limited time to do everything-
time that I miraculously am able to divide between spending time with Faris and house chores.

My mornings are fast-paced that, by 10:30am, I feel winded.
When the boys wake up, I make breakfast for Faris,
Bathe Faruq,
nurse him,
Then bathe Faris,
watch some cartoons with him,
nurse Faruq again and put him down for a nap.
I get about 15 minutes to myself before I have to start on lunch before Faruq wakes up.
Move on to laundry,
Feed Faris lunch.
All of Faruq's diaper changes in between.
Nurse Faruq again.
And put both both boys down for a nap by 3pm.

3 to 5pm is my quiet window.
Most of the time, I forget whether I've: 1. eaten, 2. showered, or 3. solat.

I don't nap in the day. My body just won't let me sleep. I have no idea why.

When Husband comes home from work, he tries to relieve me of as much chores as possible.
Only Allah s.w.t. can ever repay him for his kindness and sacrifices.

By the time everyone is asleep at night, this is the dance I do:

[x]

Another great day comes to a close, Alhamdulillah.
Another grand day ahead tomorrow, insyaAllah.

Goodbye

The shows I love that have ended or are ending:

Chuck

Fringe

Merlin

30 Rock

Dexter

Community

GOODBYE

[x]

Feels

TV will always leave you so much feels.

Like this:

And when the likes of Jensen Ackles, or Benedict Cumberbatch shows up on your screen and you're like:

And then something awesome or heartbreaking happens and you're like:

and like:

Aaah, feels. It's a love hate thing.

The Big Brother

Faruq crying.
Ayahanda and Bonda tengah solat.
Pitter patter of tiny feet running into the room.
"Don't worry, Faruq. I'm coming."
And proceeds to switch on the crib soother.

Faruq cries after a shot at the Doctor's.
An encouraging "You did it, Faruq. Good job".

Waking up in the morning and sees Faruq,
"Oh hi, Faruq. Good morning."

Faruq poopies and Bonda gets ready to change his diaper.
"Here's the mat"
And he lays the rubber changing mat on the bed for me.

A kiss on Faruq's head.
And gentle pat on his belly.

That's Faris, dear Faruq.
Your big brother.
Who loves you so much.

Huff

Because some days, there aren't any words....
Yes, I allow myself to go off pouting like a little brat, albeit for 2 minutes.
Feels good!

Fall TV 2012/2013

It's here.
Fall TV.
So many great new shows and returning ones.

Bittersweet, though.
It's Fringe's final season.

The schedule so far:

I love TV.

Mother of 2

Alhamdulillah, I'm done with confinement.
Although I didn't get to be all manja this time around because I have a 3 year old to look after.
I followed strict confinement diet, wore socks, no heavy lifting.
That's about it.
Other than that-
cooking, vacuuming, laundry, bathe the boys...
Did them all.

There are days when everything seem so overwhelming.
I have a pair of arms that can only hold one baby at a time.
When both want simultaneous attention, that's when things get slightly overwhelming.

Faruq is wonderful.
He's independent in the sense that if I leave him to play in cot while I need to run chores, he'll just play on his own or just stare at the moving mobile..
And he sleeps rather well on his own, too.

Faris can throw abit of a tantrum.
He wants attention.
But more often than not, he's very understanding that Bonda needs to be with adik more.
So proud of him.

It has it's challenges.
There are days I just want to cry in the bathroom.
But it's always been good. Never bad.

Alhamdulillah.
So blessed to have these two boys.

Ramadhan 1433

Ramadhan came and went.
In a blink.
Allah s.w.t has laid out so many blessings and trials along the way.

Ramadhan 1, 1433.
I gave birth to Faruq.
Not without complications and trials.
He spent 9 days in the incubator with the oxygen headbox,
a total of 11 days in the Special Care nursery.
Alhamdulillah, all has been well since his discharge.
He's gaining weight. A happy baby.
Healthy.

Ramadhan 24, 1433.
Our beloved maternal grandmother passed away.
Earlier in July, she was suffering from dehydration and experiencing locked-jaw.
Doctors found an abnormality in her heart, a blockage.
However, due to her medical condition and age, they were unable to do anything about the blockage.
She then suffered a heart attack that triggered a third stroke
(She suffered the first two in 2001, which left her wheel-chair bound).
Since being discharged from the hospital, my mother and her siblings took care of my grandmother.
They bought the hospital bed, rented oxygen tanks, the whole nine yards.
Grandmother's condition didn't improve, but it didn't deteriorate either.
Alas, the time Allah s.w.t set for her came,
and now, she's gone.

Syawal is tomorrow, insyaAllah.
On so many levels, it won't be the same again.
It is bittersweet.

Our Second

You know when there's a pool of something sweet on the kitchen counter, and it is unfortunate enough that there's a ring of ants surrounding it?
And then you disturb their nectar snack time and they scurry?
Ever notice how they scurry?
In every which direction. An organized panic, if you will.

That's what happened at 3pm-ish, Saturday, 21st July 2012, when the doctor ruptured my water bag and found that it's not the clear fluid that it's supposed to be, but green - like pea soup.

Doctor yelling instructions to nurses.
Nurses half running to get equipments, medication, etc.
And me -
I just laid there, instinctively one hand on my belly, trying to protect my baby from this chaos,
when the threat to him was already inside.

"Ceasar. Now!" was all I remembered the doctor half-yelling.
After that was just... buzzing.
Part of this tuning out was panic.

I was in labour.
Contractions were good.
Starting to dilate, albeit at a very slow rate.
But once the water bag broke, doctor informed me that baby had passed motion in the belly.
He didn't know how long it's been like that, but it was crucial for him to get the baby out, immediately.

Alhamdulillah, after my second emergency ceaser, our second son was born.

Faruq.
One with the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
3.06kgs

Due to the fact that whilst in the belly he already inhaled the contaminated amniotic fluids,
Faruq has been in an incubator since birth.
I haven't held him.
I haven't fed him.
Or kissed him.

This breaks my heart, but I have faith that this is Allah's plan.
This is the best for him, and the best for us.

Redha.
And with patience, insyaAllah, we'll have our boy soon.

My False Labour

July 4th.
3am.
Woken up by a sharp pain. Realised I was sweating from trying to withstand the pain in my sleep.
Yes.
Contractions.
The real kind.

Since I know the baby's not due yet, I decided to not wake Husband and freak him out.
Instead, I did some breathing exercises.
Solat.
I did the laundry (at 3:30am)
I cleaned the kitchen, cleared the dishes.
Walked around the house.
All in the effort to reduce the contraction pains.

By 4:30am, the contractions were less painful and infrequent.
I decided to go back to sleep.

At 6:30am, I woke up for Fajr prayers.
During prayers, the contractions started again.
After prayers I walked around the house again.
Did whatever chores I could do.
By 8am, I was exhausted and decided to sleep, again.

9:30am.
Woken up by another stream of painful contractions.
Glad that by this time, Husband and Son were already up.
So I decided to tell Husband that I think we need to go to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was sent to do a CTG;
to monitor baby's heartbeat and measure the contractions.
I had mild-to-strong contractions about 12 minutes apart.
Doc check whether I was dilating.
No. I was still closed.

Doc prescribed meds to stop the contractions for now, since baby is still preterm.
InsyaAllah will reach full term by Monday 9th July.
After that, I have to go back to the hospital to recheck the baby's progress.
If he's ready, and I'm ready, will deliver next week.

Dear Baby Adek,

Bonda knows you want to come out and join us. And play with your Abang.

We are very keen on meeting you too.

But it's okay to take your time, darling dear.

We'll be here, waiting, insyaAllah.

We love you.

Reading with the Leapfrog Tag

 
Faris' recent birthday, his wonderful Aunty Julia bought him the Leapfrog Tag reading system.
I've seen it in stores but never really had the idea of what it actually is.
I'll tell you what it is; It's all kinds of awesome.

The Tag reading system is a smart pen-like device that helps your child read.
Once you've synced it with your computer, you can store up to 5 books in the Tag reader.

You point the pen/ Tag reader onto the page/sentence/word and it'll read it aloud for you.

Now, the Tag books.
With the Tag reader, there are so many things you can do:
1) the Tag reader reads the story for you/your child
2) you can read along with the Tag reader
3) there are interactive games/quizzes on each page, if not, most pages.
4) the Tag reader says/spells/phonically sounds out words - teaching your child to read and spell
5) or you can just read the book aloud with your child, without the Tag reader.

It's just really wonderful. And with repetition, Son can already read-along a little bit of  "Click Clack MOO!".

Looking forward to expanding the Tag books library in this house. I'll be cataloguing all of the Tag books at Faris' digital library blog: Knight's Books

If you have a younger child, and would like to introduce reading at an early age, you should try the Leapfrog Tag Junior reading system.

Puzzle Post #3

I've found that I've made an error regarding the Melissa and Doug Sound Puzzles.
They are actually activated by light or light-sensitive.
So, you and your kids should play with it in a well lit room.
In the day, near windows should be perfect.
At night, I find that it works best under the orange-y light rather than the white-ish light.

And how lovely, my sister in-law surprised darling Son with this:

Vehicles Sound Puzzle

The Mothercare sale was still on and all Chunky Puzzles were sold at 40% off.
So we borong these puzzles, keeping it for Baby Adek.

 Construction Chunky Puzzle

 

Tools Chunky Puzzle

Vehicles Chunky Puzzle

Happy puzzle babies, insyaAllah.

SNUGG preparations

The days are ticking until Baby Adek's arrival.
And I love babywearing.
And particularly stuff from SNUGGbaby. :)

Custom-ordered the following for Baby Adek:

Diaper Clutch. 
So pretty.

Nursing apron.
Let's face it. Malls and/or public places in Malaysia are breastfeeding friendly.
One mall actually put stools in toilet stalls and said it's for breastfeeding.
Hello, no one, Muslim or non-Muslim would want to breastfeed their baby in a filthy, public toilet stall.

And the lovely Ringsling.
I ordered this one without the shoulder pads because I'd like to try and wear Baby Adek from birth.

So happy.
:)

Project: Sheets and Things

So back in 2010, I made this project with the couch.
Then recently, we had to give the couch away because it was hazardous to an active and bouncy toddler.
The fabric that I used for the couch was washed and stored away.
I didn't want it to go to waste because it's so pretty.
From IKEA.

Hence, I launched another project.
Project: Sheets and Things.

Borrowed the sewing machine from my sister in law.
And made a cot fitted sheet.
Like so:

There are some imperfections, though, but I'm extremely happy with this first attempted.
It fitted perfectly on the mattress.
And you can see all the characters printed on the fabric.

Then I ventured on to sew bolster cases.
The size of these bolsters, the cases are hard to come by.
The only place I know that sells this size is Safe n' Sound.
Sometimes, the choices are limited.

And along with the bolsters, I sewed a toddler pillow case,
because I wanted something to match the bolsters and
I had extra fabric. :)

Overall, Alhamdulillah, Project: Sheets and Things was a success.
Hope Baby Adek will love it. 

Precious, Priceless Moments #39 - #40

#39
In the kitchen, June 1st 2012.
Me: (showing him an egg, taken from the fridge) "Faris, what's this?"
Faris: "An egg"
Me: "Very good" (then proceeds to the stove to make scrambled eggs.)

 I then crack the egg.

Faris: (with the most horrific expression, gasped) "Oh. BABY BIRD!"

It was hilarious. Though I felt guilty because now he thinks I murdered a baby bird.

#40

Faris' vocabulary and spelling skills.

B-A-L-L-O-O-N
W-A-T-E-R
F-O-X
C-A-R
D-O-G
H-O-U-S-E
W-H-A-L-E
D-U-C-K
B-E-A-R
R-O-B-O-T
F-A-R-I-S

and a lot more that I can't remember at this moment.

Puzzle Post #2

Faris is very much interested in puzzles. He absolutely loves them.
Wooden puzzles.
Cardboard floor puzzles.
Puzzle books.

So, we got him more puzzles.
Alhamdulillah ada rezeki lebih-lebih.

These two Melissa and Doug Sound puzzles were gifts for Faris' birthday.
He loves the Train Sound puzzle. When you complete the puzzle, there's a train sound.

Mothercare is a having a sale from June 1st, 2012 until July 1st, 2012. All Melissa and Doug products have a 40% discount. So we bought these puzzles.
One thing about the Sound Puzzles, though.
At first, not all of the pieces produced sound, which was quite frustrating.
Thank goodness we didn't pay the full price for it.
After awhile (and much banging and clanging on my part), the puzzles seem to work.
For awhile.
And then, it doesn't. And then it does again.

The Sound puzzles' concept is good. Just maybe too sensitive of a wiring system.
You can't have a toy with sensitive wiring system when it's for toddlers.
The world doesn't work that way. :)
I'd stick to Chunky puzzles, from now on.

Earlier on, we bought this Melissa and Doug Alphabet Art Puzzle.
When I saw it online, I thought "Nah, it doesn't look like it has that much play value. And the artwork is something I can't appreciate".
Then, I saw it at the store. It was actually really lovely. And Faris loves it.
After completing the puzzles, he'll tip them over and start again. And again. And again. :)

To teach Faris upper case and lower case alphabets, my parents bought him a magnetic whiteboard, along with the Melissa and Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabets.
This combination is made of so. much. win.
 Here, Faris arranged the alphabets, paired with their upper case and lower case counterparts.
So proud of him.

When he's looking for a big challenge, Faris brings out his Alphabet floor puzzle.
Got this from Toys R Us.
Learning, motor skills, patience - it teaches them all.

Truly, Faris is a puzzle baby. :)

Third Celebration

On May 12th, we celebrated Faris's birthday.
The preparations were fun.

I made our own gift bags with the excessive yellow paper we had lying around.
That was therapeutic.

We filled the bags with goodies, although we had a "no sweets and chocolates" rule.
So we went with cereal, cheddar biscuits, raisins and added a pack of stickers.

Then, Faris and I had our art time sessions, making the birthday party decorations.
Husband and I agreed that this year, we'd have an Underwater theme.
So we made fishes, octopuses, turtles- our of paper plates.
That, too, was therapeutic.

And we got to do it together with Faris.
Quality time.

To coincide with the Underwater theme, Husband had the idea of setting up a "pool".
The portable pool we bought for Faris, turned into a makeshift ballpit.
Needless to say, Faris and the children had a lot of fun in it. :)

Husband requested Red Velvet cake.
How can I ever say no? :)
I baked the cake the night before and put on the icing just before the party started.
It turned out well, if I may say so myself.

Alhamdulillah, the turn out was great.
Family. Old friends from school and from UIA.

It was nice to get to share the day with them.

Happy Birthday again, dear darling boy.

III

Alhamdulillah, masyaAllah.

Our firstborn is 3.

May Allah s.w.t. bless him with more wonderful years to come,

to be the best Muslim he can be,

to be bestowed by His Guidance,

and to always know that he is loved.

Happy Birthday, Faris.

Ayahanda & Bonda loves you so much.

And are super proud of you.

Preparations

It seems that this pregnancy is flying by.
Alhamdulillah, safely in the third trimester now.
It's already May.

We have about 10 weeks to go, insyaAllah.

 

Preparations are underway.
I'm checking if everything is still working; breastpumps, bottle sterilisers, etc.
I've been washing some of Faris' old baby clothes, a little at a time.
The memories it brings. :)
And I cannot fathom that Faris was once that tiny.
He's growing up so fast.

There's a huge possibility that I may have to undergo Caesarian again,
if doctor finds that I am still a Group B streptococcus carrier.
Doc says just because I was a carrier when I was pregnant with Faris, I won't necessarily be one for this pregnancy.
However, to determine that, he'd have to run some tests when I reach Week 34 insyaAllah.

Praying for the best.
Safe.
Blessed.
Comfortable.

InsyaAllah.

Puzzle Post

I love all things Melissa and Doug, especially their puzzles.
Their puzzles are just exquisite.
The play values are just unlimited.
And they are solid. Sturdy.
Not to mention, so pretty.


This isn't a puzzle but it's one of the first Melissa and Doug products we bought. It's the Classic Wooden ABC Blocks. Faris learnt alot of his alphabets and letter associations from this. And his stacking skills.

Peg Puzzles are great for toddlers' motor skills, by using pincher-like fingers to lift the pieces and putting them back.



The Alphabet Peg Puzzle has pictures underneath the alphabet pieces, for word association. Faris has fun identifying the words i.e. Z is for Zipper.


The Shapes Peg Puzzle is a bit easy for this 2 year old, but he has alot of fun with it anyways, playing teacher and teaching me the shapes and which shape goes where.


The Colours Peg Puzzle taught him new colours like Brown and Black.

Faris found a video of a baby girl named Emma putting together this exact puzzle, the Jumbo ABC Chunky Puzzle, and he loved it so much that he asked for it. We tried looking for it here in KL but the stores that previously sold Melissa and Doug products, Think Toys, closed down. Fortunately for us, his Aunty Long managed to buy and ship it to us from the USA.




 

The Jumbo chunky puzzles are just that; Jumbo. They are huge! And solid wood. And the pieces stand up when it's not in the puzzle so you can use it to build simple words with them, which is another great and educational play value.

 We love love love these puzzles so much.

Precious, Priceless Moments #38

Baby kicked.
I rubbed the belly and said "Hullo".
Faris came and put his hand on the big belly,
rubbed it in circles,
and said,
"Hi, Adek. Assalaamualaikumm."

*heart melts*

Building Blocks

Son loves building.
Wooden blocks, LEGO Duplo.
Together with his father, they'll build so many wonderful (and weird) structures.
It encourages his imagination and further his motor skills.
Two of Son's current favourite building blocks are:

LEGO Duplo #6051 : Play with Letters
We use these blocks for alphabet identification and build short words i.e. cat, star, frog, etc.
It's hours of fun and quality time.

LEGO Duplo #5497 : Play with Numbers
These blocks encourage counting, and simple additional math.
So far, we've accomplished 2 + 3 = 5.
It makes learning simple and fun.