Happy 17months

Dear Sofiyya,

Happy 17months my darling daughter..

In the last couple of weeks we have been out and about alot. We went to Limbang twice, once we stayed at the hotel there and attended a family dinner and once we spent christmas day at your yantut's place. You got to meet and play with a lot of your second cousins, uncles and aunties and also yaki and yadus. Because these relatives are scattered here and there that is the reason why we only get to see them once a year. I am very happy and glad that you feel at home with everyone..

We also had a play date with mummy's friends at the beach where your kaka went on a horse. Dont worry honey we'll do that in the few weeks to come.. This is one of the many reasons why i love december.. We spend time with our family and friends.. I do hope you and your sister will learn that spending time and making the time to be with the ones you love is very important.

Speaking of which, we'll be going on an adventure in a couple of days and i do hope you and your kaka behave yourselves and listen to mummy and daddy. More importantly i do hope you both enjoy the trip hehe

Ok good night my lazy bum.. Mummy daddy and kaka dia loves you so very very much..

xoxo
Mummy

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Reflection on 2012

With 2012 coming to an end in a couple of hours I can’t help (as I do each year) to reflect on our 2012. 

We started off the year with a visit to the hospital resulting in both girls being admitted in the pediatric ward in Tutong hospital. Both girls caught the tummy bug and we were there for 8 whole nights. We also started the year by staying at the ILs because my maid went home to tend to her sick husband. That went on for about a month and each time we leave my house to go back to the ILs, my grandmother (and I) would shed some tears.

We then went on the year with a mini celebration for Nadia and my grandmother’s birthday at home and a huge Hawaiian luau bash for Sofiyya’s first birthday and also to celebrate my nephew turning 12 and my dad turning 65! That was a good bash and a success I would say with the exception that the girls were supposed to put up a dance show but never came through. LOL. I turned 30 on the 2^nd day of hari raya and celebrated by welcoming our guests to our annual open house. Hubs turned 36 and we celebrated with a BBQ at his fav bike shop. 

On the flip side we also received some bad news with Hubs’ grandmother falling sick and we also suffered some losses in my family, a cousin, a grandfather and an uncle. We continue to pray that Allah will place them with the pious, amin.. 

Family has not always been my top priority but now it is. I make it a point to spend time with my family. Alhamdulillah we managed to attend the annual Liam’s dinner and this time it was a bit more special as it was held outside and we also managed to go back and spend Christmas day with hub’s family. I tell my colleagues that it’s not that I do not want to work the extra hour but if it’s not required of me then I shall leave work at 5 and continue the next day. It may seem to people that I am maybe not doing my job but that’s their prerogative. I have my deliverables and that; I hope will prove that despite my leaving on the dot that I am doing what I am paid for. 

Speaking of work, I have started my 1 year secondment in Seria since November, and it is now my 7^th week and I am enjoying it, Alhamdulillah.. 45 weeks to go.. 

So things to look forward to in 2013.. Nadia is starting school and we are all excited for that!! But not before we go on our family holiday.. And Sofiyya turning 2 and achieving my 2 year goal! I also will re-embark on my studies doing a certification self study and examination and hopefully will be able to complete one level in 2013. Trying to manage work-life balance will indeed be a challenge next year. 

So peeps! If I don’t write again, Happy new year and we wish you all the best for the coming year and may Allah bless you all always..

A trip to the salon

Our typical Saturday is an errand day where we would go here and there with the girls..

Our typical location for breakfast is now GS restaurant in Tutong town. The girls love their Kolo mee..



Then we headed to the salon..

Before



After a trim..



And then a bit more..



I am so glad Nadia had a lot of fun.. I look forward to more trips to the salon with her and Sofiyya when she is a bit older.. Hehe

Where's the x-mas joy?

Almost halfway through december and our end of year are firming up. However I somehow don't feel the x-mas joy yet. Maybe because we have not done any x-mas shopping cos we have been focusing on Nadia going to school next year. Hehe

The Liam's annual x-mas gathering is happening next weekend so i have to, HAVE to shop this weekend.. I am ven contemplating going out laterto buy some stuff but maybe i should just rest as i have work tomorrow..

Speaking of work, i am doing a split week this week and left my pump at home!!! Luckily my husband was willing to send the pump over during lunch. Phew!!

Work is also taking a toll on me i think, i feel so tired. Butte good thing is that it still excites me. I guess i just needed a break. Less than 3 weeks to my leave..!




Countdown initiated!! LoL

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I love lazing in bed with my girls

Hello folks! Sorry for the lack of updates.. This week has been a long and tiring one.. I think the commute is getting to me cause at the end of Thursday i had a bad back. The pain persisted and got really bad Saturday night while we were at the ILs. Went for my massage this morning and i hope that will fix the problem..

Its december and plans for end of year and christmas gathering is firming up! Oh so exciting.. I neeti start cracking on my x-mas shopping and outfits for the girls.. Hehe




This was taken last Saturday. The girls came into our room so we were just chilling in bed, laughing and lazing around.. Hehe




We dug out one of Nadia's old tricycle.. I remember we bought this for Nadia as a 'get well soon' gift when she had the chicken pox. Sofiyya was a bun in the oven at that time, around 8 weeks along, i think..




Nadia tolong Daddy




With Nenek Boy

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Sharing

Our morning started off with Nadia waking up Sofiyya for the day. I tell you its one of the cutest things cause each morning they will try and wake up each other. Sofiyya is harder to wake up compared to Nadia and on some occasions Nadia will look at me and say 'Mummy, Sofiyya inda mau bangun'..

As we were leaving for work Nadia was playing in her car and Sofiyya was trying to get in the same car so she can play it too.. Nadia refused to give in and Sofiyya refused to let go.. What a battle! I tell you these kind of situation is becoming more frequent! We can buy them 2 of everything but that will not solve the situation and it will not teach them how to share..

As soon as i came to work (and after i checked all my mail), i googled how to teach kids to share..

Many many articles but i think this is the simplest and best one! Have a read if you are interested!
http://simplekids.net/the-art-of-sharing-2/

18 months

Dear Sofiyya,

Happy 18 months sayang.

First of all sorry for missing out on your letter last month. There is no excuse for not being able to spare 5 mins to write to you but things has been quite hectic recently.

With my new task you girls and your dad have had to experience waking up extra early to wave me off to work. Sorry for that but it breaks my heart to leave you guys asleep and to think that you guys would be looking for me when you wake up. This way you know that Mummy's at work and is not missing.

You my sayang have really shown off your personality to us. You now scream And ask for Nenen the minute you sees me.. Huhu you still on most occasion refuse to sit in your car seat but i ignore you especially when i am driving.. Hehe

6 more months till we reach our breastfeeding goal.. Yeayyy!!

I love you baby girl! Always and forever..

xoxo,
Mummy

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Maybe..

With 6 months to get my my ultimate goal and EBM stock of approximately 1500oz i find that i am unconsciously skipping my afternoon expressing sessions.. I missed last Thursday and on monday afternoon.. I normally make 15oz and yesterday i only made 12oz..

Just because i have a significant amount of stock and 6 months left it doesn't mean i should be slacking, i should not be complacent! Huhuhu

Mum made a comment to me last week about how i should slow down on expressing as she doesnt want to see my EBM being thrown out. I dont want it to be thrown out too.. So maybe i am unconsciously slowing down because of that comment.. Maybe..


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Working at Home

I normally would leave my work at the office and I don't particularly like it when I have to do work at home but some days it is simply unavoidable. As soon as i got home this afternoon i switched on my laptop so i can send a few emails out and Sofiyya was asking for my attention. With the internet being SUPER laju (pls note sarcasm) it took a while for me to send the emails out.. She was crying and screaming for nen and as i was packing up she started to be angry. She cried on the floor and when that didnt get my attention she hit my hand once and then walked off towards the stairs crying.. Its quite funny really.. Hehe

I hate having to do work at home cause my girls dont get my full attention..


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Clever!

Sometimes i wish i can record or remember each and every clever thing Nadia says.. Yesterday we were at the mall and some of the shops had their Christmas decoration up and on one occasion she said 'Mummy look, Christmas is here'.

This evening she told me she wanted to eat in Jolibee and i told her 'inda boleh makan luar selalu' her reply was 'inda jua luar tu' LoL i had to explain what I meant by 'makan luar'..

Oh she is also beginning to recognise and tell us what and where she wants to eat. Her fav of course is kolo mee and at lunch today we had every intention to dine at KFC but as we pass by Excapade she said 'I want to eat there'.. We obliged and she had 2 mini california specials all by herself minus the avocado, egg and seaweed..

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BIL's engagement

Alhamdulillah BIL's now engaged and alhamdulillah event went very very smoothly.. It was my first Dusun engagement experience so asked hubs this and that. At the end of the event i thought it has a lot of similarities to a typical malay engagements. The requests or permintaan from the bride's side is different tho. Well thats another story..




I was tasked with sorting out the hantarans and i hope they liked it.. Picked purple cos according to BIL thats her fav color..



Buka mulut. Frame was made by bride herself i just prepared the other stuff hehehe



Tanda tunang



Thats our girls and trust Nadia to pull off the girliest pose of all.. LoL



At the bride's side




MIL placing the ring on the bride to be.. (Aahhh.. Brings back memories of 20th Feb 2008, our engagement hehehe)




Sofiyya finally wants to play with uncle Khalid hehehe


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Only time will tell

After about 2 years of having to do a relatively short and usually no traffic commute to work daily i have gotten so very used to it and enjoy the fact that i get to spend more time at home with the kids. With my training and now having to drive 45mins instead of 20, i find myself feeling very very tired at the end of the day. I guess maybe because i now start my day significantly earlier so i can avoid the morning traffic.. Week one was tough on me and now in week 2 i think i am starting to get the hang of it. And the beauty is that with my starting work early i also finish early. I find that i now have more time and energy to cook and play with the kids.. Syukur alhamdulillah a blessing in disguise..

With Sofiyya turning a year and a half soon i start to think about what i will do when i reach the 2 year mark. Will i wean her off and introduce FM or would i keep at it until she weans herself off? Will i introduce FM during the day and keep BFing her in the evening? To be honest i have no idea what i will do and for now i will leave that question when the time actually do come..

A friend once told me her father would tell her late mother 'atu kan kita fikirkan jua tu?' What i take from that is that the key to having a stress free life is not to think about things you cannot change or have any influence over. Kalau sudah inda dapat buat apa2 jgn tah susah2 memikirkan nya, pray for the best and insyallah Allah will path the best way for us..

I know one thing for certain tho. I will miss bfing Sofiyya once i do wean her off. I will miss holding her hand, smelling her hair and hugging her while she feeds on me.. So for now i shall enjoy each and every moment with her..



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Their first movie

We took the girls to their very first movie last Saturday and i have to say that this is a first after a very very long time for hubs and I as well.. The girls very first movie is Finding Nemo 3D!



Definitely a keepsake!



This was taken after the movie..

We then went to Swensens for some ice cream..












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Another Pantry

I am now required to be at another office 3 days a week. I was pretty excited re the new assignment but at the same time i was worried too.

One of the things i was worried for is where to do my mummy thing, is there facilities for me to that there, where will i store my EBMs?

Well alhamdulillah although there is no assigned place to do it i can express in the pantry. I just have to make sure i print out a sign for me to hang outside the pantry door. In and there is also a fridge where i can put my EBMs in until the end of the day..




Where i sit



And the freezer where i keep my EBMs and parts for the afternoon session.

I am so glad to have learned that tip of keeping your breast pump parts in cold area for a second session cos otherwise i will need to clean up and sterilize etc.. And that takes up a fair amount of time..

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Saturday 10Nov2012

We had a full day and night on Saturday..

A quick stop at the bank.

By lunch we were at Marylin Cafe in KB town

Nadia was busy watching the Cartoon on TV but not too busy to pose for the camera

Sofiyya experienced 'time-out' for the very first time cause she was being a naughty little girl! Hope that teaches her a lesson! haha

And in tne evening we headed to Senja Lounge for dinner with the gang. Well becuase the guys couldn't make it, it became ladies lunch plus husbands and kids! HAHA

Before we left

and another one

the guys

Nadia and Adam..

Sunday 11Nov2012

husband decided to take the girls to the local weekend market. so we woke the girls up, washed thier faces and off we went!

Sofiyya saw a rabbit and said 'Meow'

the girls admiring the rabbits

Nadia went in for a touch

Soon after Sofiyya followed suit

Sofiyya imitates and follow whatever her Kaka does..

Its a boy

Millions of congratulations to one of my oldest friend and my cousin on the arrival of their new bundle of joy!!




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11oz vs 15oz

I was talking to a couple of friends and they were telling me how when new moms or moms to be ask them about breastfeeding, they normally give this website address.. i do have to apologize to new readers cause this blog is not solely on my breastfeeding journey but rather like my memmory book. So if you want to search for posts re breastfeeding please utilise the search button on the top right corner.. 

I was reading one of my old posts and back when Nadia was 1yr 3months, my average produce per day was 11oz. Now Sofiyya is 1 year and 5 months and my average produce is 15oz per day. That's a difference of 4oz! It comes to show that you need to establish your productivity level high at the very beginning and keep on it.

My advise to new mothers is also to adjust your expectations. I was talking to a friend last night and she was telling me how she overheard a new mom complain about how her BM is so little. The reply she got was 'bukan nya mcm paip tu susu atu, andang awal2 inda banyak' or somewhere along those lines.. And i can't agree more.. Please always remember that our Bs ani mcm muscles bah, the more u exercise the better it will get. so pump pump pump, stimulate stimulate stimulate.. especially at the beginning, immediately after you give birth..

Whats up Doc?!?

Alhamdulillah after about a week my mother is finally discharged and is back home.. Its funny how when my mum is home I sometimes don't make time to sit and talk to her but when she was away i missed her. I missed her presence at home. I even missed the sound of her watching TV..

On another note alhamdulillah my girls are feeling better today. At around 9 in the morning i got a call from my maid and she told me Sofiyya wanted to talk to me. of course the conversation was very one sided with Sofiyya saying 'meh' only. i think she missed me cause she was asleep when i left for work and she didn't get to say bye to me.. I also got home to smiling Nadia and Sofiyya and boy did that lift my spirits up..




Nadia playing doctor with Nini Girl

Over the weekend i managed to do some spring cleaning and i moved all of my July, August and September EBMs into the deep freezer.



It filled up half of the freezer..

This afternoon i moved my Late October EBMs at the office to my freezer in my room which means October stocks are all in my room and i still have my November EBMs at the office. Didn't have enough space in my cooler to bring all in one go.. Hehe



A drawer full of my late October EBMs..

Alhamdulillah i cannot express how grateful i am. Syukur Alhamdulillah..

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Fever part i don't know

As you can see from my previous post the girls were doing fine over the weekend and then late sunday night and in the wee hours of monday morning the fever came back! We had no choice but to leave the girls at home as we had to go to work.. Right after lunch i got a call from my dad saying that the girls were really week so right after my meeting i zoomed back home and we headed to TK chann..











Turns out they had a throat infection, which the doctor in tutong hospital have missed on saturday! Grrr

Right after we exit the clini nadia told us she was hungry and wants to eat. She chose Jolibee, as always.




I was soo happy when we saw them smile







Get well soon baby girls.. Mummy and daddy loves u both so very very much..

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Sunday 4Nov2012

After we are done with out house chores we decided to take the girls out..



Supasavee.. But not before we stopped by toys r us to get some toys for the girls.. They were feeling under the weather lately so we wanted to get me some pick me up gifts. That nadia showing off Sofiyya's monkey hehhee












We went to visit my mum at the ward..



Asleep in nini girl's bed

And then we headed to the beach!!