On a roll again!

I cringe to see the date of my last post pre-Hana. May! Well, it was just too busy a time at work and home to blog and I was getting to point where all I wanted to do was rest, rest and rest. But that was the last thing I was doing.

I remember having classes to teach at night on top of my regular classes and preparing for a big event in August. I was always home late and hardly spent time with my kids coz they'd be sleeping or about to sleep. I was also away a lot. I had to do my induction, finally, no more postponing (that took up 12 hectic days of my life) and then I attended the AsiaTefl conference (3 days) and then it was my hubby's turn to be away. Being single mom wasn't easy but thank God for my parents and in my condition, they didn't allow me to stay home alone. Imagine, at my age, still staying with my parents! Only went back to my own house when hubby was around. Hubby also tried to clear as much of his workload so that he'd be around when the baby was born.

Anyway, I began taking leave from work during the semester break so that my parents could go for a well-deserved holiday before my baby was born. After the break, I worked a few more days to make sure that everything was nice and tidy for the person taking over my responsibilities. Only by early-mid September, I finally was getting some rest. Since it was also time the baby was soon due, I really didn't fancy driving about 45 minutes to 1 hour to work and another 45 minutes to 1 hour back from work on my own. What if my water broke? What if I suffered from cramps? Haha maybe those were just excuses, but the fears were real. But basically, I just wanted to REST! Also it was fasting month and I was fasting despite being heavily pregnant, which wasn't that bad actually because as I have mentioned before, I didn't have much of an appetite.

Because hubby was only back weekends, I prayed and prayed that the baby would be a weekend baby. Alas, the baby was not cooperating. On 17th night, my husband, after waiting and waiting for a sign, any sign that the baby was coming out, left for KL. The next morning, I had a show. I have never had a show before so my mom said she had a show once in the morning, and by evening, she had already given birth. I called my hubby, the poor man, to break the news but told him that he shouldn't hurry back coz mom said there was no hurry. She'd waited a good 12 hours before she felt any contractions. So I waited my good 12 hours and nothing. Hubby came home and come morning, we made our way to the clinic and was told that the passage was still closed. What! Baby's not coming out yet?! We went home.

After two days, my hubby said, I have to go back but what happened, just when he was about to leave. Another show and again, no contractions. Now the poor soul was in two minds: Go back or stay back? The next day, I began having mild contractions, but few and far in between. Then they got closer and closer, every 5 minutes, then 3 minutes apart. I was scared but excited. Finally, my baby was coming out. NOT! It was another false alarm. So upon the advice of people around me, after iftar we made our to the hospital for the second time. Again, no passage. The nurse was disbelieving that I had contractions. Hello! I know what I was feeling. And sure enough the CTG proved that I was having contractions but alas, it just wasn't time yet. So home again we went.

My hubby was like, "Hmm, nak kena rotan nie baby nie...so nakal", which means this baby seems to be asking for a caning. Hahaha Anyway, no way was I going back to the hospital with another false alarm and because Inez was late due to the cord round her neck, my mom was worried that it's history repeating itself. So we went to my monthly gynae for a scan. His is a 3D scan, so you can see if there's a cord round the baby's neck. Thank God, no cord round neck.

Anyway, I continued to have mild contractions but strangely enough they began to get further and further apart. From 3 minutes, it went to 5 minutes then 7 minutes then 20 minutes apart. I went to sleep feeling contraction but when mom called to wake us up for Sahur my contractions were strong and I had difficulty even standing up. I started timing them. They were 1 minute apart. Sometimes the contractions were mild and sometimes they were strong. Then only I woke my hubby up. I told him we had to go to the hospital. We didn't even sahur or anything, just left the two at my mom's and went directly to the hospital. Ada hati lagi nak sembahyang subuh but I couldn't even stand straight. They called the doctor, took me into the labour room. Doctor came in at 5:30 and 5:49 my little Hana was born. Oops, actually it's 6:49. Sorry folks for the typo error. I swear this was my most painful birth. With Mika the wait was slightly longer, I was induced, and a little high on that gas that I didn't really feel the pain but oh I felt everything with this birth. With Inez I was unconscious the whole time that when I came round, the first question I asked was "Is the baby out yet?" :)

Well the rest is history.

Mika's Number

Over the weekend, everyone came back for the hols, minus one, my hubby. So since I lived nearby I didn't put up at my parents. My kids though, didn't want to go home with me as Mimi and Naqib were there. Two mornings ago (Saturday), I told my mom that I'd be bringing over some nuggets for the kids. So to get them all into the shower, she enticed them with the nuggets I was bringing. Naqib overheard and started to say that he wanted nuggets which of course, weren't there yet. Naqib then asked Mika to give me a call. Mika said, "I cannot. I don't have my mommy's phone number but I got my own number. It's 882!" Hahahahahahahahaha!

Meet Baby Hana!

This is Baby Hana Danialle (pronounced Daniyal). I know, it's a boy's name with a girly twist to its spelling; so that's why I guess I sort of feel compelled to mention how it's pronounced as there have been many variations in the pronunciation of Hana's name especially by nurses in the hospital and clinics we've been to.

Lemme see, we have had people calling her Hannah as in Hannah Montana. To be expected, of course. Some also pronounced Danialle like Danielle but the most unexpected was when I was paged by the payment counter for Ha-na Da-ni-yal-li! Haha serves us right!

Anyway, Hana was born 25 Sept 2007 very very early in the morning at 5:49 a.m. This is my heaviest baby yet at 3.29 kg (Inez was 2.53 and Mika 2.8) and the one with the most hair too. The weight and the hair sooooo totally surprised me as I had very poor appetite when carrying her (couldn't eat meat, or seafood but I loved salads and fruits and I developed a sweeth tooth) and I never had babies with a full top of hair before. I remember when we had 'potong jambul' for Inez, the ladies practically had to scratch my daughter's head for hair! That was really funny. :)

Mika and Inez are very happy with the baby, being near her and touching her and having her fingers grip on their finger and have even come up with an assortment of nicknames for her. It usually starts with, "Why don't we call her Cookie coz she's so sweet?" :) Or when she pukes, they'd want to call her Pukey and Pookey and since for the Malays, the latter is a taboo word (kinda like why the Americans don't pronounce 'can't' the way the British do), I say it's a no-no, don't ever call Hana that. And when she poops, they call her Poopy or Stinky or Stinkypoo.

Then one day, Inez started calling Hana 'Lulu'.

"Oh Hana, you're so cute, let's call you Lulu." I'm not too happy with that either coz if you watch those Hong Kong serials or movies, sometimes, you hear the characters say, "Hey, don't treat me like I'm a Lulu!" and that means don't treat me like a bimbo or idiot or simpleton, if I am not mistaken. Anyway, Lulu is now expanded to 'Hanalulu'. Working Mom says that's great since her daughter gets called Aloha (a combo of Nuha Alisha). Who would've thought the two girls' nicknames have a Hawaiian theme! :)

My hubby on the other hand loves to tease my older two, who'd say something like "Can we touch Baby Hana?" The answer would be, "No, but you can touch baby Danny." Then Mika would go, "No! Danny is a boy's name. Hana is a girl!" all exasperated with his daddy.

Sometimes I have to get away from them so that Hana can sleep in peace, if not those two would be hovering over her...but all her awake moments, I try to include them in. Inez brings new clean diapers while Mika disposes of the soiled ones. It's great that they love their new baby sister and is not jealous of her. Mika wanted his Atuk to get a soft toy the other day, for baby Hana. I think that's just sweet.

Tried and Tested Cheesecake Recipe

First of all, sorry no pix.

Here are the ingredients:
Biscuit base:
1 cup crushed Marie biscuits (that's about 12-13 pieces) OR you can use digestive biscuits and reduce the sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup melted butter
1 tbsp brown sugar

250 gm x 2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese + 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 container plain yogurt (150 ml)
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the base, crush 12 to 13 pieces of Marie biscuits, they don't have to be very fine. Then add melted butter and 1 tbsp brown sugar to the biscuit crumbs. Mix well, then press evenly in a 7 in" cake tin with a fork.Then, cream the cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg one by one, then the yogurt and lastly the lemon juice. Pour onto biscuit base and put into a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 45 minutes. Then cover with foil paper and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes.

Try it. It's my hubby's fave cheesecake.

How much have YOU changed?

You've Changed 48% in 10 Years

You've done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you're still the same person. You're clothes, job, and friends may have changed some - but it hasn't changed you.

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

I don't know about you but I don't think I've changed much. I still have the same warped sense of humour, like a lot of the same things I liked 10 years ago. But you know, whatever I say I may like, my hubby will go, "Everything is your favorite. You like everything."

My hubby share my liking for cheesecake and jam tarts. While I like cheesecake and jam tarts and can only eat so much of them, my hubby eats cheesecake and jam tarts like they are the only two things in the world that he likes. Then I realise that whatever I like, my hubby takes that liking to greater heights. No wonder he thinks I don't have any favourite whatever.

Anyway, how much have YOU changed?

Tagged Again!

Sometimes this tagging thing is a good thing as it gives one an opportunity to start writing again. Guess I hafta thank Flowerin. :)
Since I left blogging for some time and will do again this coming weekend (Ugghh…induction course! 2 weeks long!), I have been lazy to blog. In fact, today is the first day after ages since I’ve started lurking again, only coz I am feeling too lazy to be productive at work. So let’s get this tagging thing done. Here goes:-

Layer One: On the Outside
Name: Jujuqtpie. I’ve always been called juju at home and my youngest sister whose name also begins with a ju is called jue. I know, what a huge difference! Haha Jujuqtpie is actually my syoksendiri email address. I supposed I thought it would be easy for anybody to remember such a perasan or vain email add. But I’ve learnt that there have been many variations to how it's pronounced. I’ve always thought that it’s obvious that it should read juju cutie pie rather than jujuq tee pee or tongue in cheek: juju ke tepi (which literally translates juju to the side, y’know like Beyonce’s to the left, to the left in Irreplacable)
Birthdate: 24 Oct 1974 Haha I honestly didn’t feel old until I got pregnant this third time!
Current status: I am happily married with a girl and a boy. Doctor sez this next one could be a girl.
Eye color: Dark brown
Hair Color: Black.
Righty or Lefty: Most definitely a Righty

Layer Two: On the Inside
My heritage: I’m all mixed. Grandma on dad’s side was supposedly of Siamese blood while grandad had some Arab blood but for most part, my dad’s Malay. Mom’s Chinese but I can only understand a smattering of Cantonese and speak even less than a smattering coz I am sooooo out of practice. It’s kinda embarrassing to speak poor Cantonese to a nearly deaf grandma in my loudest voice. Mom said we were not interested in learning. Apparently my kids are like that too. Maybe my mom’s not pushy enough.
My fears: I guess standard fears like chronic and fatal diseases, death in the family, unfaithful hubby, horrendous bratty kids, etc.
My Weaknesses: I am not organised and I have a poor sense of direction. Working on it though.
My perfect pizza: Yum! Yum! Canadian pizza esp. with the super deluxe all cheese topping! Yum! Yum!

Layer Three: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
My thoughts first thing when I wake up: Omigod! What time is it?
My bedtime:When I am sleepy, I sleep. No fixed time.
My most missed memory: Weird that it’s ramadhan during my final year in IIU. It was great to berbuka and bersahur with friends!

Layer Four: My picks
Pepsi or Coke: Can I choose Root Beer?
Mc Donald's or Burger King: Big Mac and Whopper – I like all the big huge burgers!
Single or Group Dates: Dunno. Single. Never really been on group dates.
Adidas or Nike: Whichever, depends on design and price.
Tea or Nestea: Definitely tea – fave tea is Earl grey and Chinese tea. Love tea with creamer too.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Cappucino or Coffee: Not really a coffee drinker but I guess cappucino or can I say mocha too?

Layer Five: Do I
Smoke: Can live without! The other day, saw a dude in a Mercedes throw out his empty cigarette box out his car window. I remember thinking smokers aren't only a bunch of inconsiderate people, they're litterbugs too! Apologies to smokers who aren't but hey, you've got to know it's bad for the health. Think of yourself, family and friends and what you're exposing them too.
Curse: Sometimes esp. when extremely annoyed or angry though I’ve toned down a lot. Learnt the best of Chinese expletives and curses from my uncle!
Take a shower: Yes!
Have a crush: Those were the days…
Think I've Been In love: Still am with my hubby!
Go to school: in the capacity of an educator, yes.
Want to get married: Haha have gone beyond that.
Believe in myself: Depends.
Think I'm a health freak: Not me.

Layer Six: In the past month
Drank alcohol: No.
Gone to the mall: Who hasn’t?
Been on stage: Yes…isn’t life a stage?
Eaten Sushi: Urrghh, I wish I could. I miss sushi.
Dyed your hair: Never! Permed once with disastrous results, dun think God meant me to have hair colour other than black or later grey!

Layer Seven: Have I ever
Played a stripping game: No...but that’s an idea! Haha
Changed who I am to fit in: No. Too much work.

Layer Eight: Age
I am hoping to be married: Done that.

Layer Nine: What was I doing
1 min ago: Doing this tag.
1 hour ago: Having lunch.
4.5 hours ago: Was in Jengka.
1 month ago: Do I even remember?
1 year ago: You think?

Layer Ten: Finish The Sentence
I love: my family!
I feel: so sleepy at the moment. Woke up at 5 a.m. this morning.
I hate: smokers and inconsiderate drivers.
I hide:can’t think anymore…My brain’s gone to sleep ahead of me.
I need: to sleep! and NOW!

Layer Eleven: Tag 5 people
Please tag yourself and inform me so I can go read. Maybe jaylina? Wanna try? Mott? Mae? If you haven’t done this yet? Try laaaaaa

Tagged!

Am I Weird?
The rule of this tagging game is this:People who are tagged should write a blog post of six weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose six people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

When I first looked at what I was supposed to blog about – my weirdness, the first thought was, “I’m not weird! I’m very normal.” Then, I began questioning myself if I was weird. After much thought, I figured that at this moment, I am considered a lil’ weird, especially by my office roomie, coz I can’t stand having the aircond on. I have resorted to wearing a T-shirt underneath whatever I have on, and still I feel cold. Sometimes, I wear a jacket over what I already have on, and still I feel cold. Poor girl has to tolerate having no air conditioning when I am around. Then, one weirdness after another comes to mind. Hahaha, I guess I am quite weird after all.
So, am I weird? I guess I have revised my answer to “Yes, I AM weird.” Here are the reasons why:

No. 1: Ever since the 6th week of my pregnancy, I have been feeling cold, shivering cold, especially at home though nowadays, at home, I’m okay. It’s at the office that I’m cold nowadays, and I get very bad headaches, like there’s a timebomb ticking in my head. Every time people who come into my office say it’s roasting hot in the office, I beg to differ. So yeah, at the moment, people at the office think I’m awfully weird.
Psst: I have a confession though, even before my pregnancy, I could live without the air-cond on, but I don’t mind if it’s turned on. Nowadays, I can’t have it on at all.

No.2: I can’t swallow capsules and pills. I remember when I was young, my dad tried to get me to eat my medicine the adult way, and when I couldn’t after some attempts, he asked me to put the pill in a banana. I must have refused coz I remember my dad chasing me round the dining table with the banana in one hand and the ubat in the other. I don’t remember eating it with the banana, so I guess I must have tired him out. Anyway, now I have this capability to withstand the bitter taste of Panadol, and many pills like it. If I have to take capsules, I’d empty them out onto a spoon. Actually I have successfully swallowed pills and capsules by accident at one time or another, but after that, I always feel like vomitting coz I can feel the medicine stuck in my throat. So, in order to not feel that, I always bite on the pills until they’re really tiny before I swallow them. I have a tip though, for anyone out there like me, do swallow your chewed up tablet with cold lemonade or the like because the medication doesn’t melt as easily as it would in a hot drink and you’d have to taste more of the medicine, which is not really that pleasant.

No.3: I like songs by Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, and John Denver especially Annie’s Song. Even when I tell people I listen to Josh Groban, they’ll go, “Why?” Hahaha, people say I’ve got a weird taste in music but I think I’m eclectic. Is that another word for weird? But really, my parents’ taste in music influenced us a lot. I say ‘us’ coz it’s not just me, even my siblings. We listen to the Beatles, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Johnny Tillotson, The Stylistics, The Beach Boys, Helen Reddy, Boney M, Andy Williams, I can go on. At the same time, we are also very contemporary. So I guess yeah, music wise, some people would say I am weird.

No. 4: Hmm…3 more to go. Suddenly, I have ceased to be weird coz I can’t think of anything else. Okay, is this weird? People look at me and think I am an extrovert. But to be honest, I am really quite shy. My face though, I suppose, is approachable, so people, I guess, find it easy to talk to me. So usually, when I travel on buses, some people do tell me their life stories and problems. Maybe it’s because we are strangers and aren’t most likely to meet again, I dunno.
No. 5: Some time back, I noticed my daughter telling stories she’d made up herself with rather morbid endings. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine why her stories were dark and morbid, until one day, I somehow heard myself talking to her. E.g.: When she wouldn’t sit down in the car, I told her that if I would so happen to brake in emergency, she would fly out of the car through the windscreen, and the car would run over her and I’d lose my baby girl. That was the worst case scenario, and if by some miracle, she survived, and was injured, I asked her if she could imagine what her life would be if she was blind or crippled, etc. That is why she needs to sit down with her back pressed against the back of the seat and wear her safety belt so that she could be safe as Dora and Boots would say. Am I a weirdo mommy?

No. 6: Last but not least, I am this close to giving up here coz I can’t think of anything else already. I don’t think I am weird but I’ve done some weird things coz sometimes I do things without thinking. It’s a flaw; and it’s one that I try to curb. The last time I did something stupid was a long time ago, and at that time, Inez was but a mere babe. We went out for dinner with my parents and siblings at this Merdeka Station, like some open air food court. I remember we sat next to a table where two guys who’d just finished their meal started to smoke. I never liked the smell of cigarette smoke and was pushing the smoke away with my hands. As if the two dungus understand laa! I was so irritated by the fact that they were smoking in the presence of family and children.So when I picked up this tiny piece of ice chip on the table and without thinking, threw it at the nearby table, I didn’t expect to hit a target but it did.
The two guys looked at our table; and my hubby who knew no head and no tail looked back at them. I don’t remember if words were exchanged but I remember my hubby asking me if I did anything to them. I said, “Yep, I threw a tiny and insignificant piece of ice, and I think it hit one of them enough for him to feel the cold of the ice.” My hubby said, “If you’re gonna do something like that, tell me first so I can defend you.” Aah, my hero laa konon. I said, “I didn’t plan it, it was spur of the moment.” I am not proud of it but I guess annoyance got the better of me. I really can’t stand cigarette smoke and if people really need to smoke, the government should prepare a room free of ventilation so that smokers can smoke themselves and exhale and inhale their own smoke. Good idea or not?

That’s it. I dunno if there are 6 people I know that haven’t been tagged. Can I have volunteers? It’s not that hard but it involves some serious soul searching.

Just to say....

This is especially dedicated to all who are concerned that I haven't been blogging (though I might be kidding myself here), this post just wants to say...

1) HI!

2) I miss blogging (so many things to write about) but I am so busy.

3) I just got back from a week long theatre workshop in Sunway University College (which was so totally cool, and we performed by the way) and was cut off from internet civilisation during that time.

4) I am okay (though I have totally lost my appetite for all food even Sushi, and chicken and prawns, nearly everything, and have turned occassional vegetarian coz strangely enough, I can eat burgers, and so far I've only vomitted 3 times due to food, but have got some rashes here and there which is normal for me coz my 1st and 2nd pregnancy were like that too, and tiny spots on the face, feel so un-pretty), and baby seems fine too.

5) I will do the TAG thing soon, I promise, Halwafy.

6) My hubby's in a cast, or rather his elbow is, coz he fractured it. That's FYI, Rin.

7) I want to thank everyone who congratulated me on my pregnancy and whoever who commented in the blog, and I haven't had the time to reply. Sorry.

Will blog soon once I am less busy, which is soon, I hope.

Did I say pencil marks? They are PEN MARKS!

(Top: That's what Mika's masterpiece resembles and the lines are about 3 ft high and covers the length of my wall about 6 ft wide)


Last night I received a message from a friend who so happened to read my blog. Apparently she too had the same problem with pencil marks on the wall. However, her problem was solved with a little Axion and a rag. Happy, I got out my Axion and rag only to realise that the pencil marks weren't coming off because they weren't pencil marks but PEN MARKS! Oh how short-sighted could I be? I definitely have to get a new can of paint now and repaint that wall. Argh! No wonder the kids couldn't erase the lines at all.

I did a yahoo search and this is what I got:
From http://www.boston.com/globe/search/realestate/hotton/stains.htm

Q. How can I get ballpoint pen marks off a painted wall? REBECCA LEONG, Newton A. Rubbing alcohol is the cleaner most used for such marks. Others are acetone, Stain-X Carpet stain remover, sold in grocery stores; Ink-No-Mor, toothpaste, Vaseline and dry Brillo pads. With all these cleaners, try them on an obscure area to make sure they don't stain, rub off or affect the paint in any way.

I went to other sites but alas, no luck.

How do you get rid of pencil marks on the wall?

Yesterday, my hubby made a startling discovery. We found 'senseless' (coz the letters made no sense) grafiti on the wall between the master bedroom and the children's room all written in pencil. It was Mika though he didn't say it. He kept quiet instead.

I made the kids erase the writing as well, with erasers, but the lines won't come off. I tried water and soap but it was a futile effort. I used some heavy duty detergent by Sanden Brook but the paint sorta came off along with some of the pencil marks. I mean the pencil marks just got slightly lighter because paint was coming off as well, so that's too strong.

I've given up but if anyone hs the solution, do share. I might have to repaint the wall. I would like to avoid doing that coz the paint alone cost RM30 and I'm just gonna use a little.

Although the pencil marks didn't come off, still made the boy especially, rub the lines so that he won't do it again. He promised not to anymore but I'm not too sure if he'll keep his promise.

Second Opinion

On Tuesday last week, finally had time to go for a second opinion. I was actually the last visitor. Clinic closes at 6 p.m. I arrived at a quarter to. Had decided to wait at least a few days just in case there might be something wrong with the pregnancy. I mean if there's no change in the baby's size, then it's confirmed that the first doctor was right. Let me first say that I have never been to this doctor before, but he's recommended by the specialist I take my kids to. Apparently, all this while, there's an Obgyn specialist right next door and I never realised. I kid you not, that's how astute my powers of observation are. :) It just so happened that Inez had the beginnings of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) the day before and had a bad rash and case of itchiness, more frequent trips to the toilet and as the night wore on, she even cried that peeing was painful. So, the next day, Tuesday, I went in a little late to take her to the doctor's who opens at 8:30 a.m. I did wonder if it could be some insect's bite but the doctor said that the redness would be on one side rather than on both. He stated two possibilities which were either a bacterial infection or a fungal infection. To recognise a fungal infection, there usually are tiny white spots and since he couldn't see any, he thinks it's the first. With some difficulty we finally managed to get Inez to pee in a plastic bottle for a urine test. The test results would come back in the evening and thankfully, it was negative. The white blood count in the urine is less than 10, so it hasn't gotten into her system yet. Thank God! Anyway, after the doctor has settled Inez, I voiced my worries about the hormone pills to him, and he suggested I go next door. But ordinarily, he said, doctors don't usually prescribe hormone pills as they can function as oral contraception. Since Inez was kinda late for F. Ain class, I decided to go next door in the evening. I got my mom to accompany me since my hubby had to work late. At first, I thought of not telling the doctor yet that this was actually my second trip to the doctor's. I wanted to see what he had to say. But Mom, being a mom, went directly to the heart of the matter and told all. The obgyn said that there's no indicator why I should be given hormone pills as I was not bleeding or spotting and I had not had a miscarriage before. And when he did a scan, guess what? The baby isn't undersized at all. And I found a magazine all about pregnancy that says that the size of 7 week old baby is about 1.8 cm. If only I found that magazine sooner. Then I would have known that the doctor didn't really know what he was talking about coz the first scan already showed 19mm.

Anyway, it had a heart already too! It's just soooo amazing to see the tiny heart beating. I was so relieved that there was nothing wrong with my pregnancy and somewhat angry with the first doctor for making me go through all that worry for nothing! So the dates coincide now and I'm due early October.

And the best part is the specialist charged cheaper by RM2! And I got free samples of Anmum and Enfamama too. Though I have to say, Anmum tastes better, especially the chocolate flavoured one. When I was pregnant with Inez and Mika, I used to put a spoonful of honey to help the milk go down better.

Anyway, thanks to the second opinion, I was able to celebrate the CNY with a peace of mind. But that's another story for another day. CNY was kinda tiring though I didn't do much. I guess I wasn't cut out for it and was napping everywhere I went. Hahaha. Shops were on sale and I had no interest to shop. All I wanted was to lie down and rest. That's what I wanna do now. LOL

Follow Up on Hormone Pills *Updated*

According to my sis, who spoke to her lecturer. That doctor had no business prescribing hormone pills because I wasn't spotting or bleeding. She asked me to call the guy up and yell at him, "Are you trying to kill my baby?"

Even if the baby is undersized, it's better to let that baby be as long as it's growing and healthy, which btw, we don't know yet until next week. I don't know. For other people's sake, I hope this is an isolated case. I really dunno if the doctor knows something I don't. Maybe he saw something in the scan, or maybe he's just plain incompetent. I don't know; all I know is that if he did, he should have said something and since I wasn't too impressed by him, I am going for a second opinion and see from there if I do have to continue with Turinal, that's the name of the pills, btw.

Still praying for the best.....

The Discovery

I know I am going backwards, but it's okay, right?

I actually found out that I was pregnant at the end of January.
And it was actually the third test since I missed my period. All because I felt different. Some parts of me felt tender and swollen and sometimes there was this miraculous feeling that like there’s life growing in my womb.

Just the day before, when I didn’t have time to eat breakfast, by the time I got to work, I was shivering. Although my skirt wasn’t tight, I felt like getting it off me.

Two lines! Omigod, I am pregnant! In a way, I am happy about it. Broke news to Zul. Made sure he was fully awake when I broke the news to him. Didn’t want him to think that he dreamt it all. Zul smiled. He seemed pleased with the news. Oh, apparently, he thinks he’s figured out when the baby was conceived. LOL Crazy man!

Called for a family meeting. Kids were watching TV already at 6:50 a.m. Interrupted their TV with the breaking news. Inez! Mika! Mummy want to tell you that Mummy’s got a baby in here. Mummy can’t carry you anymore and you can’t sit on Mummy’s tummy anymore. From my hubby’s tummy, Mika said, “That’s okay, Mummy. Daddy’s strong.”
“Mm, so understanding,” I thought.
“So Inez do you want a baby girl or baby boy?”
“Inez wants a baby girl.”
And Mika?
Mika wants a boy.
But what if this is a boy Inez. Is it okay?
Inez nodded.
And what if it’s a girl Mika, are you going to be okay? Will you be a good big brother and teach her how to play ball?
Yes.
Good, coz we don’t know yet whether it’ll be a boy or girl.
“We’re gonna have to save money, coz it’s going to be expensive getting a new baby.
“Mommy, we have a piggy bank. How about we give that money for Baby?”
That was so thoughtful of my kids.
Then called my mom who went, "Well, if not now, you’d be too old by then. Now’s the best age." That’s true, not that I like to be reminded of age catching up.
Then informed my youngest sis and WM. Told my officemates. Didn’t want to jinx this pregnancy, so am hoping for the best.
I always wish that my kandungan will be great khalifah on earth.
Amin.

Hormone Pills?

Finally went to see the doctor on Saturday. Although I would have preferred a lady doctor, I didn't feel like coming back in the afternoon just to do that. I had after all been procrastinating enough as it was. So I waited for my turn and after half an hour, my turn came. I have to say that I'm not too happy with this doctor.

In all my experience being pregnant, I have only 1 horrible experience with 1st checkup and that was when I was pregnant with Inez. THis clinic was recommended and though the recommended doctor was not in, I agreed to see his colleague. When asked, I replied that I thought I was pregnant. She did a scan but couldn't find anything. So she asked me if I was certain. I said that I was. I did the home kit and it was positive. So she asked me to do another urine test and sure enough, the test result showed positive for pregnancy but the doctor said that the lines didn't seem to be too clear. She asked me if I wanted her to check if the baby was growing outside my womb! Nut case! Just because she wasn't efficient enough to see anything, and it would have been too early anyway, she made me worry unnecessarily that I might have complications! Needless to say, I never went back there and her esteemed colleague continued to deliver many of my friends' babies.

My recent visit to the doctor has got me worried all over again. And I am not too sure if this is unnecessary worry or not. When I went to get my meds, I didn't realise I was getting more than folic acid. Turned out I also had to take some other pills just labelled hormones. Let's reenact the whole thing.

Once we got the preliminary questions out of the way like why I was there, when my last period was, he concluded that I was about 8 weeks and he too jumped at the opportunity to do a scan. The nurse prepared me and the size of the baby now was about 19mm, and that, according to him, was the size of a 5 week old embryo (is that the right term?). So according to him, that's quite a huge difference. So I am supposed to come back in a week's time to do another scan to see if the size of the baby has increased or not and if it hasn't, it means that the baby's growth is stunted and he'd have to do D&C. Sounds painful already. So of course, my hubby was already asking why this would happen, coz I have been travelling and had just returned from Damai Laut the night before for a conference. I signed up for that before I knew I was pregnant and went on that long arduous journey by car! My hubby was like why can't you get a flight? I said it's too late to ask for one now unless you don't mind paying your own. I minded coz I sorta didn't want to go alone by myself. My friend btw, drove very carefully, and thoughtfully.

Sidetracked again! Anyway, doctor said no nothing to do with travelling. If it happened, usually it's because of the genetic make-up and stuff, basically like a plant that grows halfway and stops. So, should we be worried? He said no, because 8 wks' just like a tentative date or something and we should go back and scan and see if the baby's size increased or not. Then he asked me about my morning sickness. Have I started vomitting? I said no. Have I bled? Nope. Strong or not my feelings of morning sickness? I said it's hard for me to say because even with my first two pregnancy, that didn't come so early. With Inez, I only started getting nausea and vomitting after four months. Then the vomitting came at all times of the day. It wasn't morning sickness, it was just sickness, full stop. I didn't have appetite and I fasted without any problems.

With Mika, I've always said that Allah is so great that I was very strong when I was pregnant with Mika because I was travelling every week to KL and back for my studies. Although I had a poor appetite, I didn't vomit except for toothpaste induced vomiting early in the morning and at night.

Before I could explain all that, he waived off my explanations and asked me, "this pregnancy, how is it?" I said, well, I feel woozy all the time and tired, and I am turned off certain food now and I have poor appetite but have to to eat all the time. If not, rasa angin, gitu."

So he said, as long as that feeling is strong then the baby should be okay. I was telling my youngest sister and she went, "What's the logic in that? Does it mean that people with no morning sickness have weak babies? And there are cases where the morning sickness is so bad that the child is aborted."

So with that, we left the clinic, and when it was time to eat medication, I discovered I had hormone pills as well. On the first day, I took the prescribed pills but on the second day, I began questioning their existence. I have never been given hormone pills before. Usually, it's always been folic acid and folic acid alone. Is there something that the doctor isn't telling me? Is this doctor a quack?

Anyway, I tried to call the clinic back, but the doctor wasn't in. The nurse checked my records and the first question she asked me was if I was bleeding. I said no. Anyway, the hormone pills are supposedly to strengthen one's womb, but I consulted another doctor for a second opinion and she said that recent studies have shown that prescribing hormone pills does not prevent the inevitable from happening. The hormone pills he gave me was a generic one, whatever that means, but are supposedly harmless. According to my youngest sister, if I were given estrogen, estrogen would have caused uterine contraction and miscarriage. Normally, one doesn't prescribe hormone pills to pregnant ladies, coz they've got a lot of those already! So now I have a choice whether I want to eat the pills or not. I don't think so. If it's not meant to be, then, it isn't. All I can do now is pray for the best and that my baby is growing at normal pace, In`sya Allah!

To read more on the stages of human development, you can read here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stages_of_human_development

Welcome to the Year of the Pig (Part II)

I recall watching Sagwa on Playhouse Disney one night and Sagwa's grandma was telling a story about how the Chinese calendar got its order. I must have watched it with my head backwards because for the life of me, I thought the pig was the first to arrive at the finish line. I remember feeling amazed that it was the pig that came in first, who would have thought? Then again, my memory could be faulty. I probably wasn't giving my full attention and somehow from that moment on thought that it was the pig that came in first. So I told my Mom, and she was like, "You must have remembered it wrongly. The first would be the rat. And the reason why there are no cats is because the rat tricked the cat." Oh, if you want to read more on the folk tale of how the Chinese calendar got its order, and the characteristics of each animal, go to: http://www.animeyume.com/fruits_basket/fbzodiac.html

Here's the folk tale from the website above:
Anyone who's seen Fruits Basket knows that the poor cat is not a "true" member of the zodiac. The reason for this goes back to an old Chinese folk tale in which the animals were assigned to the cycle of years. A long long time ago, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals together to determine their order in the yearly cycle. When the Cat heard the news, he let his friend the Rat know about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However, the next day the Rat did not wake the Cat who, being a cat and loving to nap, slept through the morning. Therefore, the Cat did not make it to the assembly on time and did not get a year. This is why there is no year of the Cat and this is also why cats hate rats.
The Rat, on the other hand, made it there first and received the first year. He did not achieve this without trickery either. He knew that a small animal like him would not be able to compete with the others, so he begged the Ox to let him ride on its head. The Ox consented and they went together. Just when they were about to arrive, the Rat jumped off the Ox's head and got through the finish line first. This is why the year of the Rat is the first year in the cycle, and the year of the Ox is the second. The Boar, being lazy, came in last.

Ha!ha!ha! The story above jogged my memory a little, and now I am quite certain that my memory is faulty! The reason why I am talking so much about the year of the pig is that drum roll, please! I am PREGNANT with my third child! Mom says that loads of people want to get babies in the year of the pig coz it's supposedly lucky. Have to do some research on how much luck we're talking about here. I hate to announce my pregnancy so early but now I understand why I have been soooooo tired and why my appetite has been soooooooo erratic and sooooo weird and why I can feel every aching muscle in my aching body. Lately, I have been getting all woozy and if I miss breakfast, my world starts to spin. BTW, that's why I have sleeping so much too!

All this while, boley laa perasan awet muda but I tell you, once you get pregnant at this age, you dun feel awet muda anymore. I feel like a 75 year old. Maybe I should ween off my 3 inch heels but that means I have to go shoe-shopping first. Thre's no Modern Mom here, so that means, some time soon, I have to go to KL. Oh I swear I can't wait to slip into Modern Mom sandals. I hope they have improved the look of the sandals so I won't look so ah Poh like that.

Anyway, I'm not the only one pregnant this year of the piggie but my sis-in-law, her cousin, my friend. Here is what the same site above says about boars:

People born in the Year of the Boar are chivalrous, noble, and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate, for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. Also, they are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out honestly, if sometimes, impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep. Their opposite is the Snake.
If were born in the Year of the Boar, your Fruits Basket character is: Kagura!

Despite having all those nasty sayings like" fat like a pig, lazy like a pig", I must say I like what it says about Boar characters. And guess what? My dad is a boar too!

On another note, I don't have a clue what Fruit Basket means or refers to. :)

School Stories Again

Yesterday, I found out that I was misinformed by Mika. Apparently I had put too much faith in what Mikael said. I found out that the kids’ kindy doesn’t combine classes when they have computer lessons because although Mika has had his turn at the computer, Inez had yet to have hers. So on the way to school, Inez was saying how she hadn’t been for computer lessons and accused school of “cheating” her of her money. Wah wah wah! My mom was tickled that my daughter could accuse school of cheating her money. It turned out that school didn’t cheat her money after all as yesterday was Inez’s first computer class. She showed me her workbook and solemnly informed me that though there were many pretty stickers in the book, she could only peel them off upon their teacher’s instructions. Mom worked out that Inez’s computer lessons would be on Tuesdays, and Mika’s would be on Wednesdays.

My mom also had some time to enquire about Mika. The Malay teacher volunteered information that Mika is usually the last to finish his classwork although he holds his pencil very well. Apparently, Mika is playful.

Last month, I got Inez’s Art Class teacher to give Mika a tryout. When I came to collect my kids, the teacher was slowly shaking her head. She said Mika is bad at following directions and he daydreams a lot. Hmmm.

Mom noticed how Mika said his goodbyes yesterday. He called out to Jungle Boy whose name is actually Daniel, “Bye bye Gang Gang!” (same pronunciation as Gung ho) and Daniel called back to him, “Bye bye Gang Gang!” Oh dear! I wonder if Daniel brings that word home and experiments with it with his own family. What must his family be thinking? What on earth does Gang Gang mean?
Seriously, don’t look at me. I don’t have the answer either though I have been trying to get its meaning for ages. I know that it can sometimes mean ‘Eat’. But that’s all.

Shopping List

Yesterday afternoon, I received a phone call from my mom, picked it up to hear Inez’s voice, “Hello Mommy!”
“Yes, hello Inez.”
“Mommy! Nana says we are out of milk powder. Also Inez want nugget and meatball.”
In the background I could hear my mom asking Mika what he wanted from the shop.
Mika’s immediate response was, “CAR! MIKA WANTS CAR!”
“Not car! Food! What food did you say you wanted Mommy to get?”
“Mika wants mee.”Lately Mika has taken a liking to those longevity noodles cooked in oyster and soy sauce with chicken meatballs. Inez too but biasalaa, Mika will eat more of it.

Honestly, this is much cheaper than going out with either one or both of them. Usually Mika and I will go window shopping if I don't have anything to do on Saturdays while Inez goes for her art classes. Mika will go, "Mika is thirsty! Can Mika have chocolate milk, Mommy? Please..." Those were the days when a box of chocolate costs 80 sen. Now one costs RM1.60. Crazy! Then he's hungry, then he'll ask for Mexico buns, or Happy Meals. Then when we pass by a toy shop, he'll go, "Can Mika look at Mika's things?" Oh joy! But I allowed it lah. Thankfully, he didn't mind when I told him that we couldn't afford any of the racing cars or helicopters there. :)

Welcome to the Year of the Pig a.k.a Boar

Some days back, a friend asked me what chinese year would it be this year? I said I am not sure. She said it was very strange that there was no picture of any animal representing the coming year. So she's guessing it must be the year of the pig. So we asked my mom, who gave it a little thought, and confirmed that yea, most certainly this year is the year of the piggy!

(Read up more here: http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Pig.htm)

"A-hah! No wonder! I guessed correctly after all," said my friend.

It's interesting, isn't it? That when it's the year of the pig, there is no sign nor sight of the pig. I know it's supposed to be haram for Muslims to consume or touch a pig but to have no pictures! To not know what is a pig! To not recognize a pig when you see one and touch one thinking that it's not one! That's depriving people too!

Here's a story my cousin who operates a pet shop told me:

One day a boy runs into the shop excitedly and exclaims to his dad, "Aboh! Aboh! Tengok, Aboh! Babi!" which translates "Dad! Dad! Look, Dad! Pig!"

Dad slaps one hand on the back of his son's head saying, "Itu bukan babi!" which translate, "That's not a pig!"

"Habis tu?" or "Then, what is it?" the boy asks.

The father looked at the raccoon and said, "Itu musang!"

At that time I found it amusing that the guy didn't know his musang from his babi, then, it occurred to me that the Malay word for raccoon could be musang. Is it? Seems unlikely but who knows....

All this while, a musang to me is a fox and a serigala is a wolf. Am I mistaken? I have been told by a friend that a raccoon is a jebon. Where do all these names come from? But it was reported some months back in the papers that a village in Perak, if I am not mistaken, thought they found a new species of animal which turned out to be a mongoose! HA!HA!HA! For those of you who don't know what a mongoose looks like, do watch Casino Royale `cause there's a mongoose fight scene somewhere at the beginning of the movie.

I am going somewhere with this but I am afraid there's gonna be a Part 2. Soon, I promise, soon.

No angry Mommies and Daddies allowed

This recent weekend, I was so woozy, I spent my time sleeping a lot, and my hubby let me sleep and did the vacuuming one time, two times, three times until he got so tired of vacuuming coz Mika kept dropping biscuit, then cake crumbs everywhere. When I was better, I vacuumed too coz hubby hated the vacuum on sight now and Mika was only allowed to eat under parental supervision. And because he did the vacuuming and cleaning, the children were allowed to mess up only their room. Should a toy end up anywhere outside their room, the toy would need tobe cleared up immediately; and Mika again, would be the usual culprit. Inez on the other hand would turn the channel the moment her father's back was turned despite already misused her TV time. She left her channel running and did God knows what but couldn't stand for the TV to be on other than Playhouse Disney.
So by nightfall, her father was very strict. And I, though quite sympathetic, had to reinforce whatever my hubby's decision was. You know, united front and all that provided that it's deserving and justified.
Then Inez came out with a drawing with a stick man and a stick woman with a huge X on each. She was quick to clarify that it meant NO ANGRY MOMMIES AND DADDIES ALLOWED!
Cute huh? That cooled her daddy down a little and she was allowed to watch her show again after her daddy had watched his show until finish.

Without help

Yesterday, Inez made me proud. She finished her homework all by herself. No help at all from me or her daddy. I also didn't have to sit with her until she finished. Maybe she learnt it from Mika. I dunno but I hope this i not a one day wonder.

We are all English!

Teacher told Mom yesterday that Inez has a group of friends, including Zeti and they are mainly new students. That's good to know, I think. She also had an unknown eraser belonging to a certain Herr Rong, which was about1 inch wide and had a faded picture of Nemo on it. When I asked her why exactly is it she who is having the eraser, she answered that Herr Rong doesn't want it anymore and a girl gave it to her and she doesn't know why. Okay....

And Ja, I finally popped the question and as expected, Inez is English! Mika is English! Mimi is English! Zeti is English! Yay! We are all English! Of course I had to tell her the truth that she's quarter Malay, quarter Chinese, quarter Javanese and quarter Banjar. Mika too. Mimi would be quarter Malay, quarter Chinese, quarter Indian and quarter Bugis. Naqib too. Correct me if I'm wrong here, Ja! Anyway, no English! We are not English, we only speak English.

But this is normal. It happens to any child growing up speaking English. My mom tells me that I used to think that I was English too. Actually we speak sometimes Rojak English at home. So once at a restaurant, we couldn't finish the food, so we asked my brother to get the waiter to doggy bag the food. We waited and waited and waited. No waiter came to pack the food we wanted packed. So we confronted no.4 and asked him what exactly he told the waiter. No.4 said, "I said, 'nak ta -pau ah'."

A-hah no wonder no waiter came!

So no.4 kena bambu laa. "What language do you think you were using?"

I so cannot recall whether he thought it was Malay or English, but he certainly didn't think he was speaking Cantonese. Finally we got him to tell the waiter to 'bungkus' the food, baru laa dapat service bagus skit.

Mika's first homework

I know. I know. It's been days again since my last post. Lately I have been lazy actually. I know that Mumsgather sez that everything is bloggable but sometimes I don't know what to write or where to start. In the end, you only write what you can. So today, I have decided to write about Mika getting his first homework.

The background

Apparently, we've just found out that whilst others go for computer class, my son has been left to play with toys on his own. No wonder he doesn't want to go to school. He feels left out. So remiss of me. Since he played on the computer at home sometimes, when hubby allows it, we figured he didn't need classes. They are anti-social enuf as it is, why encourage them further by introducing them to the computer and all the doors the computer can open? I already see my children addicted to the computer 3 years from now. Who needs real flesh and blood friends? We've got our ol' faithful, the computer. We can play online computer games and kill, kill, kill! Get my drift, right? So we decided that it'd be better for us coz it's cheaper not to have our kids go for computer lessons.

One day, mom took kids to school. Mika looked sad. Teacher asked him in front of his nana if he had told her about wanting to join computer classes. Mika in effect atually did but somehow sort of botch up his request by stating rather than asking.

"Mika play computer," Mika announced one day - some days back.

In hindsight, that was actually Mika probably trying to say that he wants to play computer at school. There we were thinking, how nice of the teacher to include our darling boy coz we didn't enrol him for computer classes.

So we decided to ask Mikael some investigative questions. Is it true that he was really sad that he couldn't get into computer class or was it just a ploy by kindy teachers to get us parents to spend more than we can afford to?

Us (hubby and me): Do you want to go to computer class?
Mika: *nods* with sad face
Us: How many of you are there in your class?
Mika: Five! *shows one hand, all five fingers up*
Us: So when they go for computer class, how many of you don't go?
Mika: Two!
Us thinking: Hey, teacher sez he's the only one left out! maybe he doesn't understand the question.
Us: Mika, how many of you play with toys when others are learning computer?
Mika: *shows two fingers*
Us: Two? Who?
Mika: *points to himself*
Us: Does Jungle boy learn computer?
Mika: *nods*
Us: So who else doesn't learn computer?
Mika: *points away from him, to the back twds his room*
Us: Inez?!

Poor kids!

My God! How blurred we were. I didn't know that for computer classes, they combined the classes. Of course Inez and Mika would be the only two who didn't have to go for computer lessons, coz we didn't sign them up! i'm afraid my sense of humour got the better of me and I started laughing. Oh poor poor kids. My hubby also felt bad and guilty. Immediately, he turned to me to say, "sign them up, on me." (you see my hubby pays for all the other stuff, utilities, cars, groceries, house; and me, I pay also for some groceries, phone bills, the house, but mainly the children's education is on me.) We called Inez out for confirmation. Inez confirmed Mika's answers.

Us: Mika, do you want to learn computer?
Mika: Yes!
Us: Inez, do you also want to learn computer?
Inez: Yes.

So that settled it and yesterday, Mika officially was enrolled for computer lessons and brought back his first homework. It was yesterday I discovered the difference between Inez and Mikael.

Mika's first homework

When I got back from work, Inez showed me Mika's book and said that Mika had homework. Mika himself was nearby, overheard Inez and said, "Yay!" Homework was a picture of a computer and above it was written COMPUTER in dotted lines. Mika's task was to trace the dotted lines and colour the picture.

He came over, took the book from us and immediately started colouring. Mom came out with two bottles of milk, and expected the two kids to start drinking. Inez, being her usual obsessive compulsive self, went in search for some tissue paper to wipe the bottle dry and Mika continued to colour, said, "But Mika got to finish this."

After about a minute, thirst or hunger got the better of him , coz then he said, "Mika got to drink milk too," then proceeded to drink his milk. After which he continued his colouring, finished it and went on to play with his toys. No help from me except to sharpen his colour pencil. The boy has finished his homework! In about 5 to 10 minutes tops! I couldn't believe it! If only Inez was like that.

Inez

Inez on the other hand struggled to finish her homework last night and it turned out that she didn't feel well. She slept halfway through her work. When my hubby carried her, he said she was warm. I checked and yes, she was a little warm. By 3 a.m., she came whimpering to our room. Her body was burning hot. Gave her wet rubs and this went on until subuh. By 6 both kids were up and wanted milk. I thought of taking her to the clinic, but by the time I was ready and she was ready, her temperature went down. So in the end told her that she'd have to go for F.Ain and maybe to clinic later, if her temp went up again. Poor darling started crying because she didn't finish her homework. Inez, inez, can't blame her though coz she was under the weather.

But my Mom talked to her teacher yesterday and told the teacher about Inez's trauma with homework and explained that Inez also goes to a morning school. So the teacher said that it's okay if she didn't finish coz she could come in early and finish it in school. Mom says, how to, because she'd be chasing after Mika, and by the time, he's ready, it's lucky that they are even there on time. The teacher understands. Apparently, as reluctant as Mika is to go to school, he's also reluctant to leave, the teachers in fact have to chase him around school to catch him to get him into the car! Sigh! Poor Mom, got to deal with Mikael and Inez.

Lost and Found

I have been wanting to write this entry for a long while now but I think this is the right time as support to Flowerin who recently nearly lost her youngest daughter, Jazz. Rin, I guess it could happen to the best of us. I suppose it's also a lesson to all moms to never ASSUME. It's really embarrassing how I lost Mika. I feel so responsible about it. We had actually all left the building already. Only Mika was still in the building. I assumed that Mika was with my husband. And he assumed that Mika was with me. Mika was 2 or nearly 2 at that time. I don't really remember. All I know was that he wasn't 3 yet. The thought is horrifying, isn't it?

I took my Mom, Ina the maid, my kids: Inez and Mika, as well as Mimi and Naqib who were still staying with us in Kuantan at that time, to Berjaya Megamall. Then my husband joined us, so each of us took a child. Ina had Naqib, Mom had Mimi, I was holding Mika and my hubby was holding Inez. Just imagine ya, 4 adults and 4 kids, yet we can still manage to lose one. We were on the way out but biasalaa sebelum keluar tu, singgah here and there. When the shop didn't have what I wanted, I told the rest to proceed to the car while I checked out one last shop. Somehow, when I left that last shop we were ALL together at, I took Inez with me, not Mika. I figured that my hubby would take Mika seeing that Mika did not accompany me. Then I caught up with them outside Megamall some minutes later. My hubby had come in his own car, so when Ina, I think, or was it my mom, asked about Mika's whereabouts, I confidently answered that Mika was with my hubby. I didn't expect Mika and his daddy to not be with each other.

"Are you sure?" my mom asked.

"I was quite sure but I called my hubby up anyway only to be told that Mika wasn't with him. I really thought he was trying to pull one over me. Tipu! I couldn't believe he didn't have Mika! Then where was Mika?

I tell you, it was horrible. There I was, assuming that Mika was with my hubby and there was my hubby, assuming that Mika was with me and the reason why we didn't realise it earlier was because we came in different cars. (Luckily he was parked just outside the back entrance). So then, all of us sprung into action - we ran back into Berjaya Megamall. While my mom ran to announce a missing child, I went to the last shop we were ALL at. My husband had the same idea. Since he ran in first, he got to Mika first. Luckily Mika was there and surprisingly he wasn't crying. I arrived just seconds after him. The girls at the shop were doing their best not to alarm him into crying. I think he must have been lost for about 5 to 10 minutes by the time we got to him. Luckily he didn't wander off from that shop. My mom was in tears by the time we got through her handphone to tell her we've found Mika.

I guess my hubby thought I had both of them coz Mika had gone to the back of the shop and somehow didn't realise when everyone left without him. According to the shopgirls, he looked as if he wanted to cry a few times but he didn't. I think he knew he was left behind because he hugged us so tightly after that.

Do you know what scares me? We could have left him there and would not have known that we'd left him until we arrived home. That's 30 minutes! Luckily, luckily, God willing, someone asked about Mika. I cannot imagine what would have happened to him if we hadn't realised it sooner? But I am not going to drive myself crazy doing that. I thank God that we realised it and got him back, and pray that it would never ever happen again. I don't think it's a mistake that could happen to anyone, just me. I hope no one else would go through the same hell we did thinking we'd lost Mika! I tell you, the thought of having lost Mika lingered for some time....It was real nightmare!

Inez's new friend

I am happy to announce that Inez has a friend in school and her name is Zeti. Zeti apparently can speak English and therefore converse with Inez at school. I asked her about Yan Yan. She said that she didn't quite like Yan Yan. "Why?" I asked.
"Did Yan Yan like to borrow stuff without asking? Push Inez around? Rude? What?"
Inez said that she just didn't like talking to Yan Yan. What do kids talk about to each other?

Someone told me that somebody's son came home and asked his mother about 'sunat' or circumcision.
Son: Ma, sunat kan, potong ngan laser yer, ma? Laser macam Star Wars ke? Pas tu kan, kat kampung kan, potong ngan pisau potong ayam ke, ma?

Translated means Mom, you know circumcision, is it done with laser? Is it the same kind of lase like in Star Wars (u'know, from the sword). And then Ma, in the rural areas, do they circumsize with the knife that is used to cut chicken?

Mom asked son where he got such information from, to which he answered, from school. LOL

Interesting huh? Anyway, I asked Inez if she knew the girl's name in her F. Ain class. She said she didn't.
Me: Can she speak English?
Inez: No.
Me: So do you speak to her in Malay?
Inez: No.
Me: So how do you guys talk to each other?
Inez: She calls me in English.
Me: How?
Inez: she just says, "Inez! Inez!"

LOL. I tell her that her name is the same whatever the language. :)

Raining Cats and Dogs

This morning was just awful. The moment I opened the gates to leave the house, it started drizzling. The winds were strong and it kept blowing the gates close but I managed to reverse my car out but dreaded the idea of locking up. The rain suddenly got heavier. Having left the umbrella at work, I made a run for it with my hubby's jacket over my head. Poor butt was right under the edge of the porch where the raindrops were larger and wetter. Got into the car, called my mom ahead to prepare her for my kids. Decided on the way there that I'd send Inez for her Fardhu Ain class so that my parents didn't have to send her in the rain. Called Mom again to prepare her F. Ain things and raincoat.

Just before we left my mom's. We discovered that Inez didn't pass her school bag to my dad when he collected Mika from the car and I was collecting her F.Ain stuff. My dad had already taken Mika and locked up. No dad to protect me from the rain with his huge golf umbrella. Made another mad dash in the rain. By the time I got into the car, I was more than 3/4 wet. The front of my skirt was wet, my butt was wet and you can imagine what else got wet as well. I had to turn the air-cond on, or the car would fog up. So the whole time driving, I was shivering and uncomfortable. I had a long way more to go. Huuuh, work was a 50 minute drive.

So after sending Mika, I sent Inez to her Fardhu Ain class. Girl wore a raincoat, so I figured that I didn't have to walk in the rain with her to send her to the door. There was a car parked to my right and the last I checked, nobody was in the car. So I told Inez to walk as quick as she could to her class which meant passing the back of that car. Inez, I hate to say it, is a bit obsessive compulsive (you know like that Jack Nicholson's character in the movie As Good As It Gets) and was walking so slowly because she didn't want to get her slippers wet. I opened my car door a little to tell her to run and to my horror, the car to my right started to reverse. My heart nearly stopped. "When did the driver get into the car? Couldn't she see a little girl in fire-engine red raincoat was behind her car?" I guess she did coz she stopped and luckily for us all, my silly daughter thought I was calling her and she walked back to me, Thank God! Not as fast as I wished though, she was still worried about her slippers and then only, the car proceeded to back out of the driveway. I dunno how loud I was but by that time, the teacher from school came out with an umbrella and took my Inez to the classroom. Omigod, I nearly lost her. Maybe I should've come out with her but at that time, it didn't seem like a good idea and there was nobody in the ca, and my daughter was wearing her raincoat. I guess my attention was so focused on Inez making her way on snail's pace to the across the driveway that I didn't realise the driver had gotten back into the car. If I'd foreseen the danger, I would've gone out but I didn't. Luckily, it was only a near death experience and not a fatal one. As Mika likes to say a lot these days, "Alhamdullillah". Thank God nothing happened.

The School from Sesame Street vs. the School We Go To

The children were watching Playhouse Disney and Sesame Street was on, and it was about how much kids enjoyed going to school. So my mom figured that if she showed my kids how much these kids liked school, my kids would love school as much. Hahaha nyesal mak I! Why?
I don't remember the order, but they showed the kids playing at their school playground on very expensive and well maintained playground equipment (which my children's school don't have); then they showed the kids going into the classroom playing expensive looking toys (which I am not too certain if my kids' school has) and then the kids go to sleep and rest (which I don't think is allowed but they do make allowances for Mikael, who has slept in school 3 times and probably has some pillows named after him). Do you know what Inez said? I don't like school because there's so much homework!"

Binoculars

It all happened the weekend my brother came down from KL with his wife and we visited his in-laws in Kemaman. Everybody met up at my brother's sister in law's home for tea before all of us went out for dinner together. My brother treated.

Mika and Inez played with Fahim, who brought out all his toys of cars, planes, trains, and dinosaurs and a pair of binoculars which didn't seem to interest Mika until we were about to leave. Mika wanted to bring it home with him and we explained to him in the car that he can't go round taking people's toys. Imagine if other kids did that to him and wanted to take away his toys?

Mika was silent for a while before he said, "Why don't Daddy buy one?"

After much explaining that his Daddy didn't have money to get him one, not even a cheap one, we thought the matter was closed. Over.

Last Saturday, when Inez was in Art Class, (I was at work), Mom took Mika to Megamall. Right between KFC and McD was a toy booth and Mika went up to the salesgirl and asked her, "Do you have binoculars?"

The girl looked blankly at him.

"A binoculars is something so you can see very far," he explained patiently to her.

The girl went to the boy at the counter and asked him about it, obviously, not understanding what Mika was saying. The boy said that they didn't sell binoculars.
"Oh," went Mika and then went the car area and sweet talked my mom into buying him a car.
"Can you buy me a car, Nana?"
"But Nana doesn't have $$$."
"But Atuk has."

I can't remember what else Mika said to my mom but whatever it was, it got him a yellow convertible that day.

Just now, Mom phoned to say that my son is now asking her to get him a remote control helicopter. Wahahahaha.

More school stories........

It's been such a long time since my last post that I swear I momentarily forgot how to sign in. It was only about a second though. LOL
It's been a crazy 2 weeks. Busy at work and busy at home. Please note that stories are not in chronological order, but in the order I remember them.

The sleep deprived mom and the homework trauma

That's what I am for the past week since Inez started school. In order for her to finish her work, we have to sit with her. Last Friday and Saturday, I had to work (yes, even on Ma'al Hijrah), so I totally forgot abt her h/w. Only on Sunday night, she conveniently remembered that she had h/w and her books were at my Mom's. Luckily for her, my hubby was going there for some reason I forget now, he brought home her books for her.

Needless to say, she fell asleep halfway through her work but woke up at 5:30 on Monday morning to do her homework! I applaud her for her sense of responsibility but guess who got to be awake to accompany her to do her work? Cest moi! And how much can moi accomplish if moi too got to get ready for work? Not much laa!

It takes her forever especially when it comes to writing Mandarin characters. So you can imagine how much progress she had from 5:30 to 7:30. I prepared her for school so that she could continue doing her work at her Nana's before going for her Fardhu Ain classes and her daddy sent the kids to my Mom's. I told him to help his daughter pack her bag but poor guy got his own things to put in the car besides his kids and so, Inez only took with her the book she was working on and the other 101 homework was on the carpet. When she arrived at my Mom's she was crying that she didn't have all her books! I was in the midst of getting ready for work, already later than I wanted to be, had to make a detour to my Mom's. All's well ends well? Hah!

I received a call from my Mom telling me Inez hadn't finished her homework and had been crying inconsolably until my mom promised her that she'd personally explain to the teacher. Suddenly, that promise sort of freed her from the pressure of doing her homework coz suddenly she stopped. Such a sneaky child, that one.

Mika on the other hand went into hiding when it was time to go to school, and only decided to go to school when my dad threatened to lock him in the toilet. When it's time to leave school, it wasn't easy either to get him to leave coz he had friends to play with. According to Mom, when she sent them to school, Jungle Boy rushed out from the inside to greet Mika. Isn't that nice? :)

Anyway, when Inez came back from school that day, of course she had new homework on top of the ones she didn't finish. The reward for finishing all her homework would be a cup of ice-cream. Understandably, being tired, she was sleeping halfway through doing her homework again. Poor child, by 9:30, she was out like a light.

As I was getting ready for sleep, Inez woke up, she wanted ice-cream. I checked the clock, it was 12:44 in the morning. Crazy girl wanted to eat ice-cream at 12:44 in the morning! I said, "NO!" because she had to do her homework first. My hubby had already kaput-ed. So guess who had to stay up at 12:44 in the morning to sit with the child who had to finish her homework so that she could eat ice-cream? Moi!

At 2 something a.m., Inez ate ice-cream because a promise is a promise and she had finished her work. I dunno what time she slept but I knew she brushed her teeth first coz she woke me up to tell me. "Good girl," I said, "now go to sleep." And then by 6:00 a.m. the next morning it was time to wake up and face a new day.

Sigh! I am so sleep deprived. :) My classes are at 8 a.m. which means I have to get up by 6 and leave the house my 7 a.m. Usually the kids would be up by 6 and be ready by the time we are ready.

Last night, she only had Maths homework which she finished in record time and was rewarded with her Mat Kool rainbow coloured ice-cream. Mika helped her colour some of the objects. At least today Inez can go to school happy.

Cookies for my friend

Some time last week, Inez came home and said, "Can we make cookies tonight? Inez got a friend. Inez told her Inez will bring cookies for her tomorrow."
"You got a friend? What's her name?"
"Inez don't remember."
"Okay, we can make cookies but Mommy only has ingredients for cornflake cookies (the recipe is from the back of the Nestle cornflake box). Remember you have to finish your homework first."
For the first time, I didn't have to sit with her while she did her homework. While I cooked dinner, she came into the kitchen occassionally to ask me what needed to be done. By the time I was having dinner, she was done. I told her while waiting, she could clean up the house of her toys, which she proceeded to do dutifully.

By the time I was nearly done, she came to me and said, "Mommy, Inez already remember that Inez's friend's name is."
Me: What is it?
Inez: Her name is Cikgujahan.
I nearly choked on my food. Did I hear right?
Me: Did you say 'Cikgu', Inez? Is your new friend the teacher?
Inez: Ah...
Me: What's her name again?
Inez: Cikgujahan
Me: How tall exactly is your friend?
Inez: Um...
Imagine, I was sitting down at the dining table and Inez was on tiptoes to show how tall her friend was. It's confirmed, Inez has made friends with her teacher. It was so funny.
Me: Inez, you don't have to lie to Mommy if you wanted Mommy to make cookies for you. So you have a new friend or not?
Inez: Sorry, Mommy. Inez was just tricking you. Inez just wanted to make cookies together.

And so we made cookies together but Inez didn't like the cookies because of the raisins and the next day, Inez took some cookies to school and reported that her friend didn't like raisins either.

My New Year's Resolution

I actually don't believe in making new year's resolution because if you want to make a change, you don't really have to wait for the new year to make a resolution. But this is the time of year when you get assessed at work and you need to fill up piles of paperwork on what you've done and how you've contributed. Oooh, I hate filling forms! Especially when you are disorganised as I am who don't keep an up to date record, filling such forms can be traumatic. LOL

So since it is the beginning of the year, it is only appropriate to start recording now and to start being more organised now and learn from last year's blunders. Then again, this resolution is not new. Every beginning of the year, I will vow to jot down stuff and every year, it stops mid way. By June onwards, my diary or organiser would be clean. Just don't have the patience and willpower to be organised. My hubby on the other hand is my direct opposite. The man has a file for everything! This year, hopefully, my diary won't go clean till September or after. But wait, I gotta go get a diary first.

Lost Nokia: Beware the pickpocket!

On Monday evening, my mom lost her phone. It was a Nokia (dun remember what model but it had camera and colur screen and stuff and barely a year old). Partly to be blamed are my kids, especially Mika who lately has the tendency to go bonkers in supermarkets and malls. He will run around as if he owns the shop and making this tendency worse is Inez who thinks it is her fillial duty to go catch him on our behalf. Mika on the other hand thinks that Inez is playing catch with him, and suddenly, the mall is their playground. It's every parent's nightmare to have children like mine.

Then there are opportunists who seize the moment and take advantage of your being distracted while shopping, and brush near you to pick your pockets or in my mom's case, her handbag. Luckily for her, he only managed to get away with her mobile phone. She didn't see herself lucky though and would rather he steal her near empty wallet than her phone! Oh poor mom, she was so depressed and still half hopeful that she'd left her phone at home. As the fates would have it, the phone is gone forever!

So the next day, Mom gave a long lecture to my kids and Inez apologized profusedly and promised to behave herself in future. Mika said nothing until the lecture ended, went to my mom, hugged her and said only 4 little words, "I love you Nana."

I tell you, my son is very good at playing his nana. My mom went all soft but continued to tell them the importance of staying near the adults when shopping.

Homework! Homework! Homework!

I am amazed how much homework kindy goers have: Maths, Writing, Mandarin and so on.

The first homework Inez did was for her Fardhu Ain classes. She opened her book and announced that we must read the 'Before We Sleep Doa' before we go to bed, and then proceeded to colour some pictures applicable to that doa.

Then while I was cooking dinner, she brought in her writing book, did a few Os and announced that she was tired and that she didn't feel like doing it anymore. So I said, "Okay, why don't you rest first and then get back to your homework a little bit later?"

"Okay," came the prompt answer.

A little bit later, Inez said, "Inez is still tired, Mommy." So I let her rest some more. I said she should do her homework after dinner. She did her homework during dinner. How convenient. She didn't want to eat. I told her since she was so diligently doing her homework, I would feed her while she did her work. She opened her mouth reluctantly for the rice and omelette dinner I prepared. I sneaked in some chicken once in a while.

But Omigod! So slow! So, after dinner, I caught sight of some Kuaci or sunflower seeds and had a lightbulb moment. I told her that I'd give her a kuaci for every O she wrote. Little did I know then that it was going to be a decision I would regret almost instantly. She writes her Os so closely to each other. So I revised my decision and told her that I'd give her 3 kuaci for every line she completed. I had to keep up with her. Every 2 minutes, she'd shout, "Finish!" and I wasn't even done opening the seeds. To keep her going, I told her that for each line of the next page, she'd get 5 kuaci seeds. Imagine how many kuacis I had to open for FOUR pages of homework! But at least she finished her Writing homework. I am a happy mommy. Then, she took out her Maths homework. She had to colour the right number of items based on the number given. Thank God I didn't have to bribe her with kuaci seeds anymore! Thank God she loves to colour! By the time she finished it was about half past ten. Then we turned on the TV only to discover that it was broken! Aaaaaaaarrrrggghhh! How am I going to live without my TV?! My hubby was on the way to my mom's, so I got him to borrow a set from my folks. Problem solved for the time being.

This morning, I found out that she hasn't done her Mandarin writing homework. So I told her to do it after her F.Ain class.

In the meantime, Mika played with his wooden truck. When asked to tidy it up, he was more interested in playing Pinball on the computer. I warned him that if I cleaned up after him, he wouldn't see or play with his toy for a week. Do you what he said, "It's okay. Mika doesn't want to play with that toy anymore." Wah wah waaaaahh! So I went on to keep it on a very high up shelf which he wouldn't be able to reach.

School Stories

Sleeping in Class

When my mom went to pick the kids up on the second day of school, she was greeted by the teacher who laughingly informed her that Mika fell asleep in school. He was the only one who went to sleep!

"What time did he sleep?" my mom asked.
"Around 3 p.m.," the teacher replied.
"What time did he wake up?" my mom asked this time.
"Around 3:35."

My mom figured that somebody must have woken him up. No way Mika would sleep for a little after half an hour. Normally, he'd sleep for at least an hour or two. Since school ended at 3:45p.m., they must have woken him up to go home. Hahaha now that's funny.

It wasn't surprising at all knowing that he was the last to sleep the night before. He had taken an evening nap and so, couldn't sleep at his normal time at 9 or 10 p.m. But the next day, his sleeping pattern went back to normal. Thank God!

Jungle Boy
Yesterday I collected the kids from school. I was early but Mika was already out. Inez was still in Mandarin class. She was due out in another 5 minutes.
"Mommy!" Mika called as he ran towards me and started tugging at me to bring him to the car across the road. I told him we had to wait for Inez.

In the meantime, I asked his teacher how he was in class. She wasn't exactly informative. Just said that he was okay, he did colouring and was able to follow when she taught the class Mandarin. I was carrying Mika at that time, so I asked him, "Did you do colouring, Mika?"
"Yes," he said, nodding at the same time.
"Is this your teacher?"
Again his answer was, "Yes."
"What do you call your teacher?" I asked.
Mika shrugged and said, "I dunno."
The teacher said her name was Miss Tan.
"Did he made any friends?" I asked his teacher.
"Yes, there are only 5 of them," she answered.
"Is that your friend?" I indicated at a tall Chinese boy standing at the gate.
"Yeah, that's Jungle Boy."
"You call him Jungle Boy?"
"Yea."
The boy was appropriately dressed in camouflage designed T-shirt and pants.
In my mind, I was relieved that Jungle Boy was a real person.

Inez's Fardhu Ain classes.

Inez's Fardhu Ain's classes actually started this week and not last week. Poor parents of mine took Inez for the F.Ain class and were confused when the school asked for more money. They thought that Inez was attending pre-school there. They didn't have Mandarin; that's why I only enrolled her for F.Ain there. Her existing kindy has F.Ain classes but they coincide with Mandarin. That's why Inez has to go to 2 schools in a day.

On the first day, we were early and Inez was in time to see a teacher and her students singing some children's songs in Malay that even I do not know existed: lagu gajah la (i.e., Elephant song), kambing la (goat song), macam-macam (etc) and mostly about animals. Poor Inez didn't really understand but it seemed fun.

After class, when my dad asked her what she had learned, she said she couldn't remember and that she played with toys. I guess that's the highlight of her morning. Anyway, Inez seems to have made 2 friends in her F.Ain classes but not in school. Isn't that strange?

First Day of School (Part 2)

When I came back from work all excited to find out how the first day of school went, I was surprised to come home to see both my kids were sleeping. Actually I shouldn't be surprised but amazingly, they slept throughout the evening until 6 a.m. the next morning. So no information except for what my mom got out of them before they kaput-ed. Apparently, Mika played toys for 5 minutes. Played at the slide for 5 minutes. I don't think he understands the concept of 5 minutes but if you ask him, everything is 5 minutes. Inez, according to my mom, did not talk to anyone. Not even Yan Yan, her only friend from last year.

I was afraid that they'd wake up after 3 hours of sleep and then stay up till 1 or something like that. Luckily, my worst fears did not materialise and they continued sleeping till morning. Around 6 a.m., Inez woke up all cheery faced and announced that she did colouring at school.

"What did you colour?" I asked.

"A dinosaur! With polka dots!" she replied.

"And Mika?"

"Mika played with toys," she answered, confirming what my mom had said.

Basically, the first day was uneventful. The next day was also more or less the same except that this time Mika did colouring and I have no idea what Inez did. She is more interested in talking about Mika than she is about herself. Apparently, Mika has got a new friend called Jungle Boy. "What do you call him?" I asked.
"Jungle Boy," said Mika.
"Does he live in the jungle?"
"No," Inez answered on Mika's behalf.
Puzzled, I asked, "Then why do you call him Jungle Boy?"
"Because...[something something]," I couldn't quite catch his answer.
"Is this a made-up friend like Cilia (i.e., Inez's made up friend from last year, who is supposedly from Mexico but speaks Chinese and likes Mexican buns. It turns out Inez was only tricking us.)?"
Mika said no. I will just wait and see if I can get more information from him today.

Inez on the other hand is still not talking to anyone in school and she finished a whole bottle of water, which would be a feat at home. My mom says she must be shy and so she covers that up by drinking.

First day of school (Part 1)

It's the dreaded day for my Inez. Mika isn't too happy about it either. This morning, she was all geared up in her baju kurung and a kerchief on her head, all ready for Iqra' only to be told that classes commence next week. I can just imagine my girl heaving hugh sighs of relief.

Then, at 1 something, both she and her brother have to get ready for kindergarten. I received a call from my Mom at 2p.m. Apparently both my kids had clung on to her like their lives depended on it. Then she saw a table full of toys and directed Mika there and deposited him in an empty seat. Mika was distracted by the toys. Inez on the other hand had to be taken to her classroom upstairs by one of the teachers there.

A full report soon. To be continued....

Mika, the smooth talker

Yesterday, we went to my mom's rather late in the evening. Mom opened the door and got a hug from Inez who then proceeded to deal with her Astro. Mika gave my mom a big and affectionate hug.
Mom: Why, Mika, are you soo loving today?
Mika: Because...you make me sooo happy.
Who wouldn't be happy to hear that?