8 Tahun Sudah..

Minggu lepas ada satu topik perbincangan di HotFM. Tentang perempuan yang dikatakan emotional dan bertindak tanpa usul periksa. Maka ramailah yang menalipon dan ber-SMS.

Let's face it ladies.

Dah memang kejadian kaum hawa begitu. Maksud saya lebih emotional berbanding lelaki. Tak perlulah kita nak segala-galanya sama dengan kaum lelaki. Di pejabat mungkin perlu berada pada tahap professionalisme yang sama (tapi kalau kaum ibu dibenarkan balik awal bulan puasa ni, best juga! sempatlah memasak hebat-hebat di rumah kan) tetapi tidak di dalam hal ehwal rumahtangga. We complete and complement each other, bukan compete.

Saya mengaku lebih emotional berbanding Tebby. Saya pastikan anak-anak mendapat hadiah harijadi setiap tahun. Tak perlu mahal. Yang penting tanda ingatan dan penghargaan. Kalau anak-anak di kampung, saya pasti akan call sekurang-kurangnya 3x sehari walaupun saya pasti anak-anak OK saja. Kalau saya out-station, saya pasti bawa gambar anak-anak. Tebby tidak. Dia lebih bertegas. Bayangkan kalau kami dua-dua mudah cair dengan anak-anak. Atau kalau both of us bertegas.

But despite that, ada masanya saya lebih kuat dari segi emosi.

Walaupun Tebby tegas dengan anak-anak, dia mudah kacau bilau kalau anak-anak sakit. Jiwa tak tenang, makan tak lalu, tidur tak lena. Seriously. Dan pada pengakhirannya, dia akan turut sama sakit. Saya nampak Kakak, Iman dan Adam sebagai sumber kekuatan Abahnya. Kalau ada yang sakit, dia jadi lemah. Longlai. Dalam keadaan begitu, saya masih mampu menghadapi keadaan dengan tenang. Saya masih boleh makan. Saya juga masih boleh tidur. Masa Adam dimasukkan ke NICU barely 12hours after birth, saya masih boleh bertenang. Tebby tidak.

Kami berbeza, obviously. Dengan perbezaan-perbezaan itu, kami masih boleh bahagia. Sudah 8 tahun kami bernikah. 8 tahun penuh suka duka, 8 tahun dengan pahit manis. Kami bukanlah pasangan ideal. We have our ups and downs, we have our arguments and glitches. Afterall, ini dunia realiti, bukannya fairytale.

Kalau manis saja pun, tak sedap juga kan. Perlu juga masam, masin, pahit, tak gitu?

To Tebby, Selamat Menyambut Ulang Tahun Perkahwinan kita yang ke-8. Semoga jodoh kita berpanjangan dan diberikan kehidupan rumahtangga yang bahagia dan diberkati.

Oh ya, backtrack 34 tahun lepas, saya juga dilahirkan pada tarikh ini, tahun saja berbeza!

Hari Shopping Sedunia

Pinch me.

I withdrew RM1k yesterday for the kids' nursery and kindy and school bus and sekolah agama and some for my weekly provision. And yet I spent them on 3 tudung today. In addition to my other 2 tudung I bought yesterday. And,.. err... 2 blouses.

Congratulate me people.

I received a an upgrading letter few weeks back. Don't they say good surprises come in small packages? It came with the grade and new salary scale and what else.. arrears.. woohoo. Sebenarnya even arrears tak bank-in lagi pun, I've started spending. Laa la laa laa. That explains the above spending okay. But wait, I'm still eyeing for bigger and finer things in life. Not a gold band with large chunk of diamond on it. That, I'll pass (unless ada orang nak bagi lah kan.. kan.. kann..) Makcik nak beli sofa. Nak ganti yang kusam, konyok, koyak 3-seater kat rumah tu. We're thinking of that cosy sofa with L shape attachment. Clean cut and can withstand jumping on, running over and most importantly washable. I mean dalam mesih basuh okay. I am a mother of small kids. Sure ada hak termuntah, terlukis, tertumpah. Dan macam-macam 'ter' lagi lah. That's why nak beli hak practical dan tahan lasak. IKEA? Roselle? Idea please. Budget not more than 3.5K. Possibly lagi murah dari tu so I can chip in a coffee table as well. Fabric please. No leather. Tak suka. (Kalau suka pun, tak mampu, unless I grow my own cows).

Okay people. Chow chin chow dulu.

Cerita Anak-Anak Ummi...

Busy. BP2009. Cemana buleh memblog dalam busy2 nih? Tengah tunggu unit lain bagi requirement diorang untuk dicompile. Part saya dah siap dah.

Kakak's back. Tebby jemput dia dari kampung Sabtu lepas. Atok dengan Wan dengan berat hati lepaskan cucu yang sorang tu balik KL. Wan bawak Kakak pegi gunting rambut. Kebetulan pula, rambut Kakak sepesen dengan rambut Ummi walaupun sorang gunting kat kampung, sorang gunting kat KL. Wan bawak Kakak pegi beli baju kurung sepasang. Hari Sabtu ada kenduri. Maka berhiaslah cucu yang sorang tu dengan baju berlabuci kelip kelap. Malam Ahad tu dapat SMS dari Mokkucu - katanya rindu dengan Kakak. Atok dengan Wan teringat-ingat cucu yang sorang tu.

Sebetulnya minggu lepas Iman demam. Saya agak demam rindu. Bila Kakak takde, dia less active dan kurang ceria. Tekaan saya mungkin tepat. Kakak balik aje KL, demam pun baik. Dia kembali aktif. Kembali ceria. Abahnya belikan dia Transformer. Optimus Prime. Mode Cybertron katanya. Boys will be boys. Dari sebuah truck, pusing-pusingkan tayar, body, windscreen segala, jadilah seekor robot gagah berwarna merah biru bernama Optimus Prime. Termuncung-muncung lah dua beranak tu mengerjakan benda tu. Bila Abah takde, Ummi rasa nak sorok aje Optimus Prime kat mana-mana. Mana le Ummi tau nak mengerjakan benda tu dari robot jadi truck. Pastu dari truck jadi robot balik.

Adam sihat-sihat saja. Kepala botak dia tu memang jadi port feveret nyamuk mengigit. Abis merah-merah. Masih belum boleh meniarap walaupun sangat gigih berusaha. Malam-malam tidur, mesti mengiring ke kanan. Kalau tidur siang boleh pulak telentang. Sekarang ni kalau time makan, saya bawak dia ke meja makan. Bimbang dia boring sorang-sorang tergolek tengah ruang tamu. Meleleh-leleh air liur dia tengok orang makan. Sambil tu mulut mengunyah-ngunyah. Yang tak best tu, bila dia n*n*n pun, dia buat aksi kunyah-kunyah tu. Oucchhh dikkk.. sakit tau. Tu belum cerita pasal dia ketip dengan gusi tak bergigi dia tu, pastu ditarik-tariknya. Isk.. Isk.. Isk.. Bayangkan kalau dia dah bergigi... oh tidak....

diorang ni tak bagi saya makan.
makan tangan aje lah.

Adam, 3 1/2 bulan.
Jadi si Bintat - kena gigit nyamuk.

Semalam Urgent Leave..

Semalam saya urgent leave.

Kebetulan pula, saya sakit perut dari malamnya. Adalah 2-3 kali pi toilet malam tu.

Selebihnya sebab nak hantar si Kakak balik kampung. Beriya-iya nak ikut Atok ngan Wan balik kampung, walaupun kena naik bas. Atok dengan Wan datang KL hujung minggu lepas sebab nak pegi MAHA. Si Kakak ni, bila dengar aje Atok dengan Wan ada kat KL, dia pun suruh pack barang sebab nak pi tinggal dengan Atok dan Wan. MasyaAllah, dari pukul 11 pagi sampai 7 malam diorang kat MAHA tu. Itupun katanya tak habis round. Saya tak heran Atok dengan Wan tu, diorang memang suka berjalan. Si Kakak tu, kalau dengan kami, tak sampai 2 jam dah panjang muncung ajak balik rumah. Dipendekkan cerita, semalam diorang balik dengan bas 10.30 pagi. Kakak bukan main excited lagi. Kakak sorang aje cucu Atok yang suka tinggal dengan Atok dan Wan walaupun Ummi dan Abah tak ada. Mana taknya, seawal umur dia 3+ bulan, dia dah ditinggalkan dengan Atok dan Wan. Masa tu saya di bahagian Sales, banyak outstation.

Dah terlanjur cuti tu kan, lepas diorang naik bas, pergi selesaikan hutang. Bayar zakat. Tanya pasal fidyah sekali. Lagi seminggu nak mula Ramadhan ni, ada 6 hari lagu hutang puasa. Red Alert Red Alert dah nih. Kena pulak sekarang, bendera merah tengah naik. Tebby dah jeling-jeling. Bukan jeling-jeling yang itu, tapi jeling-jeling sebab belum habis ganti puasa.

Lepas tu ke MidValley. Lunch di Tony Roma. Celebration for my recent upgrading. Saya makan its famous Ribs. Ambik Roma Rack sahaja (3 ribs - kalau Full Rack ada 6 ribs kalau tak silap). Tebby makan Grilled Lamb (semalam pening kepala, penangan kambing) dan semangkuk Fried Mushroom.

Then we parted ways. Don't get me wrong. Kami nih I love you, you love me tapi for the sake of time management, we did our chores separately. Lagipun, after 8 tahun bernikah, ada 3 orang anak, we sometimes need our own space. You know, do our own stuff at our own wish. Kalau kat rumah, the only time boleh bersendirian is masa mandi. Itupun kadang-kadang ada yang menunggu depan pintu bilik air! Tebby went to Borders and came back with 2 graphical novels (that's his term but I said - buku katun). I went to Mothercare for new teats for Adam, some toys for presents and a few pairs of socks. Adam has grown out of his mittens-booties. Nampak juga baju Bob The Builder tapi sold at almosy RM70. Kena tunggu sale baru boleh beli. Pastu menerai kasut kat Elle tapi tak beli (sebab dah beli 2 pairs on Monday hu hu). Lepas tu meroyan kat Jusco beli sweat pants murah-murahan. Bought a few baby-tee for RM10 each. Saya yang kenit ni pun beli saiz L. Hak sais S tu, besar sikit aje dari baju Iman. Nama pun baby-tee kan. So, Yang, I won't kidnap baju you dah lepas nih.

After Tebby and his Borders, and me with my Mothercare, Elle and Jusco (dah nampak beza lelaki dan pompuan when it comes to shopping nih kan), kami jumpa semula untuk beli groceries di Carrefour. After stuffing the cart, kami pun meninggalkan MidValley.

Oleh kerana rambut saya dah panjang sampai ke pinggang and I always always knot it on top of my head (making me look like forever dalam pantang - so to speak), Tebby bawak saya pi kedai gunting rambut petang semalam.. Saya rasa dia pun dah rimas tengok saya yang mana kalau saya let my hair down, dalam gelap2 malam gitu, harus termenjerit ketakutan hu hu. Now I am sporting short hair (which Tebby calls rambut epal). I like I like.

Sekian sahaja aktiviti saya semalam.

Tapi kan, tapi kan...

Saja nak buat you all terliur, ni gambar our food semalam..

Lupa lak, saya juga beli Big Apple donuts. Tebby geleng kepala. Mana taknya, saya dah ambik role dia dulu-dulu. Kuat makan, tukang perhabis makanan. Sebelum tido semalam saya makan 4 biji donut dengan segelas susu. Isk Isk Isk. Tebby kat sebelah jeling-jeling aje. Sekali lagi, bukan jeling-jeling yang itu, tapi jeling-jeling suh berenti makan. Kalau idak, harus lah 6 biji ku makan sorang..

Fried Mushroom

Ribs. Roma Rack

Grilled Lamb

Big Apple Donuts

What We've Been Up To

Adam ni kalau tengok orang makan, meleleh-leleh air liur dia.
Sabar Adam, kena tunggu at least you're 4 months old.
Since orang tak bagi dia makan,
dikunyahnya plastik tu cukup-cukup.

Wan (nenek) dia tanya whether Adam ni had just had his head shaven. Oh, tidak.. itulah rambut asal dia yang tak seberapa. Macho apa kalau kepala botak, kan kan kan.

We went to APSH with the kids. Adam was for 2nd dose of his 6-in-1 jab. He only cried seconds after the procedure ended. Delayed-telecast lah pulak mamat tu. Alhamdulillah this time around dia tak demam and tak fussy, unlike after his 1st dose dulu tu.

Adam's latest vital statistics: -

Weight -> 7.47kg (additional 1570gms from last month, 3730gms from birth)

Height -> 60cm (additional 2cms from last month, 7cms from birth)

Head Circumference -> 40cm (additional 2cms from last month, 5cms from birth)

Tu dia, khasiat susu ibu. Ummi pun tak tau Adam simpan 'berat' tu kat mana. Badan tak berketul-ketul pun. Berat tulang? Literally okaylah. Jangan berat tulang ikut peribahasa tu sudahlah. Overall he's healthly. Just a bit of coughing. Hey, breastfed babies do get sick okay.

As for Iman, he's referred to a child phsychiatrist. Dr Rose Peng. She'll be in APSH every Wednesday. The rest of the weekdays, she'll be in her clinic near South City Plaza. Since that plaza is much nearer to our home and she has no problems about accessing Iman's file in APSH, we opt for her clinic nearby. Ni baru nak set appointment. His paed advised us to be prepared for things to come. We were told of a few things but I'll just keep them secret until Iman undergoes the assessment first. Maybe I'll quit work eventually. Maybe.

Anyway.

While waiting for our turn for medications (can you believe it, Iman's ubat selsema, ubat batuk and antibiotik fetched almost one hundred ringgit? tu tak masuk consultation lagi tu), we went to calculate our BMIs. APSH has this weighing and BMI scale at the waiting area. I am a healthy 45kg, 150cm mother. Tebby was having hard time accepting his facts hu hu. I'm not gonna tell how much he weights. Neither am I gonna reveal his BMI and what category he falls into. But he needs to lose like 22kg, 2kg lesser than Kakak's weight.

Olympic Anyone?

Acara cuba-cuba menggulingkan diri. Badan aje lepas, kepala idak. Pastu mengamuk sampai merah-merah muka he he.

Iman's Speech Disorder - Part 2

Hearing disorder ruled out.

Went to a hearing test about 2-3 weeks ago. Since Iman is almost 4yo, audiologist decided not to do BSER (dia kata a child that age, kalau kena sedation pun susah nak lelap), instead buat Behavioral Audiometry. Meaning test through playing. Memula tu Iman cooperate lah. Dapatlah completekan one or two games. Then he got restless and started inspecting things here and there. Sampaikan masuk bawah meja. Sikit lagi nak masuk dalam kain audiologist tu! The tests were completed within 1.5 hours of coaxing and cheering. The results -> He has excellent hearing.

dj ke pilot?
susah tol nak lekatkan benda tu kat kepala dia

dah mula restless

one of the games

hello.. hello..

Then we were referred back to ENT Specialist. A quick consultation with lots of 'syukran ya Allah' with the dr, he told us as-a-matter-of-factly, his role ended there since Iman's hearing is okay. He wrote another recommendation letter for Speech Therapist (which I have yet find) and referred us to a Child Psychiatrist. Bulat mataku masa itu.

Bukannya orang sakit jiwa aje jumpa psychiatrist

(he told me short after, as if reading my 'mata bulat'!).

She will do assessment for ADD / ADHD / Autisme, depending on her diagnose later.

Dr, adakah dr nampak anak saya ni ala-ala hyperactive?

Seorang ibu yang masih dalam denial bertanya.

Adalah sikit-sikit, saya pernah jumpa yang lagi hyper.
Sambil tu tangannya menunjuk ke atas ke bawah ke kiri ke kanan.

Saya membayangkan sebiji belon yang dilepaskan angin. Bezanya, angin belon yang ini tak habis-habis, maka berterusanlah terbang ke sana sini.

Saya pun mintak-mintak tak ada anak-anak yang hyperactive tahap tu.

Tahap mild ni pun tak terjaga kadang-kadang tu.

Saya tanya juga, adakah betul saya dah terlewat seek help. Jawapannya -> Tidak juga. Saya jadi confuse, dulu kata dah terlewat? Katanya, kalau ada hearing problem then it is too late. But with hearing disorder ruled-out, we still have ample time. He warned us the upcoming homeworks and take-home exercise we need to do once Iman starts his speech theraphy nanti.

So, next step is to see his paed back (this Saturday 16th August), then to Child Psychiatrist. At the same time kena cari Speech Therapist juga.

Kalau dengan Kakak, I always get sentimental, with Iman pulak, he warms my heart. He puts himself at a special place in his own way. I think he's the first person in our family yang kena jumpa Child Psychiatrist kot. At remembering his antics pun, I feel like running back and hug him.

Iman having fun while waiting for the ENT sp

paper cuttings on the dr's many research and
featured articles

Iman's current obsession

Happy 3 Months Old Adam

Adam is 3 months old today.

Glad to announced he's been fully breastmilk-fed for the past 1 - 1.5 months. God please give me strength to go through this full-breasfeeding until at least for the next 3 months (I am targetting 6 months at the moment). After a while, I decided to make my experience go public. Visit me here.

No vital statistics yet for we haven't seen his paed for his jab. That would be this Saturday. From 'mata kasar' I think he has lost his cubbiness but thank God he's sturdy and can lift his head most of the time.

He was born 3.74kg, almost like a weight of a month old baby.

If he sees us eating, he'd chew and gnash and salivates.

For the past few days, he's been trying to roll over. The funny part is that, his body did but his head did not, leaving him red with anger and frustration.
Maybe he thinks he is one month older than he actually is kot?

Anyway.

To Adam, Happy 3 Months-Old.

Happy 7th Birthday Princess!

Last two weeks, she brought home a science homework from school. It was about taste - sweet, salty, sour and bitter. A word caught my attention under the category 'bitter'. I didn't know we have 'teh bulan' in english. Even if it referred to teh cair often served at kenduri-kenduri, it cerrtainly doesn't taste bitter, right. She told me that TEA-MOON (the one she wrote) was actually TIMUN - spelled in English!

'Ala, timun yang makan dengan nasi lemak tu Ummi. Kan tu pahit. Sebab tu Kakak tak suka'

Last week pulak, after her cries and screams in APSH's A&E Unit (when they drew blood for test), she bought herself (means -> she picked and I paid) a Barbie Mariposa storybook. On the way back she announced to me and Tebby..

I'm going to reading books forever - She said

To read, not to reading - Tebby corrected

Do you know what forever is? - Tebby asked

Hmm - Kakak thought for a while

Forever tu sampai meninggal dunia lahh - her answer

Today, the girl I gave birth to on 080801 at 2.20 pm, is 7 years old. She's bringing along two Moist Chocolate Cake from Secret Recipe to Atfal to celebrate with her friends. We haven't got her the present yet but I supposed we're going to buy a watch as she was bugging for one months ago. I am contemplating of buying another cake for a family celebration during the weekends. I hope she'll like it.

I got a lump in my throat while typing this. I don't know why I often got sentimental when it comes to Kakak. Maybe because she's my firstborn. Maybe because she's my only girl. Maybe she's the only child I gave birth to without the help of vacuum? I don't know. I'd better stop listing all the possibilities as my list semakin merapu dah tu.

Anyway.

To Kakak, Happy 7th Birthday.

Ummi, Abah, Iman and Adam love you.

ps - Update: she doesn't want a watch anymore. Instead she chooses a series of princesses' story books. Nanti nak kena pi beli nih.

Iman & Kakak

Thanks for all who left encouraging words or sharing of experience. (refer my previous post on 'Iman's Speech Disorder)

*hugs*

I may not know all of you in person but yet I feel close. And it's a relief to know that I am not alone facing this problem. At least I know a person or two who I can turn to for information and to learn from their your experience.

Anyway.

Kakak has been absent from school a good whole week last week. She was down with fever and gone thru 3 blood tests. First reading of her platelet (sp?) was 160, which was near borderline. Second reading sent us rushing to Atfal and went straight to APSH. It was 121, under borderline. In APSH, another test took place and it came to a relieving 180. Nevertheless, as were trying to breathe in relieve, her temperature shoot up again Friday night. She's well and going to school today.

This morning, I sent her to school. Normally the caretaker in Atfal would do that. I walked her to the gate and told her I'd walk her up to the canteen. I thought she'd like that. Nebertheless, she refused and told me to just leave her at the gate and she'd go by herself.

I don't know how to balance between letting go and cherish her independence or to keep her like a baby to me forever. I thought a drop or two of tears came out. I don't know for which reason. Maybe for both.