Happy 15 months

Dear Popie,

Happy 15 months my darling daughter..

How are you enjoying the festive season of hari Raya so far/ i dont know if this is a good or a bad thing but Syawal is a whole month so it means that we are not done with our visiting and hosting yet. To be honest i dont really quite enjoy Hari Raya prior to having children but now that you and your Kaka is in my life, visiting and hosting seems so much more fun! So i do hope you enjoy your time dressing up and etc.

Your aunty tells me that recently you only take in 2 bottles of 4 or 5oz when i am away at work and the reason why you do this is because each time someone is having thier meal or is drinking something you would also insist that you be given whatever they are eating. We all oblige to your demands and have placed no restrictions in terms of what you can and cannot eat. I do worry that  the food you eat may not sit in with you well but so far so good, alhamdulillah and i pray that you have no allergies or anything of that sort. amin amin..

You have now started to 'talk' or rather say things that sounds like a real word. you can  say Daddy very well, in fact too well that sometimes when you look at me you call me Daddy too! This is Mummy lah sayangg.. slowly and in time i am sure you will be able to say my name correctly.. hehe You can say Aboy for nenek boy, ngagah, da-da for uda, pah for tumpah, tok for atok and a few more.. i wish i took note of the things you have said..

Btw you may think you are now an expert on walking but you're not quite there yet sayang. so please slow down cause i really dont want to see you get hurt, although getting hurt is part of growing up.

Ok be good now sayang.. Mummy, Daddy and Kaka dia loves you!

xoxo,
Mummy

Syawal Fever

Salam Everyone.. It seems like I have caught the Hari Raya bug and that my friends is my reason for not blogging for the past week or so.. HAHA anyhoo, here are some photos taken for the past 10 days..

1st Syawal

 

2nd Syawal

Proper Family Photo

Someone came and gave me flowers!

Cake sutting for Brother no 3 and I

3rd Syawal and headed to Lumut and Labi

Bibie came over in the evening

4th Syawal at Nenek Usu's place

5th Syawal at the MatDanan's place

6th syawal

7th syawal at Amoi's house

At Tracey's house

9th Syawal at the Yayasan Hari Raya event

with Prince Mateen

Syawal 1433

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Last sahur of 2012, insyallah

I just had what could possibly be the last sahur of the year.. I know i keep on saying this, especially to my colleagues, i cannot wait to be able to eat during the day and enjoy a hot cup of tea tarik' but i know that i will miss ramadhan. Ramadhan brings so much joy to us. We have gatherings with friends for iftar, get together and catch up and as much as i enjoy that but i do try and limit the number of times we go out and limit to places that we want to go only. I do enjoy buffets but recognise that it sometimes is a waste of our money.. So far alhamdulillah 7 outings for myself and 9 for the husband..

Alhamdulillah i am able to fast the full month again this year *horrraahh* and alhamdulillah although towards the end i have been quite lazy in expressing i think i am able to maintain supply...

However one thing to note is that i feel extra tired this year. Hardly cook compared to the years before and with one more day to syawal i still havent baked enough honey cornflakes cups!! Huhuhu

I wrote a couple of days back that Sofiyya was not feeling well. Although she is not 100% well yet but she is better now. Nadia however has caught the bug. I pray that both girls with recover quickly.. Amin..

The end of ramadhan also reminds me of the tragedy that hit the nation on 1st ramadhan. I continue to pray that the family especially the wives and children of the deceased.

If i dont write again, here's wishing all of my readers a happy happy hari raya.. Pray that you forgive me.. Selamat hari raya everyone..



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Discreetly, and with Grace

I was reading through one of the breastfeeding muslim page on facebook and i thought i'd share what the admin has written here..  

Salaam dearest sisters! As the blessed celebration of Eid approach us, we would like to trigger a reflection / discussion on the issue of modesty and breastfeeding. 

Following our Big Latch On event in Aug 2012, there has been some intense discussions on breastfeeding in public by Muslim mothers, it's acceptability, and whether it violates the concept of haya' in Islam, loosely translated to English as modesty, shyness, humility, as Muslim women. 

In our admin team discussion, we shared our personal perspectives, which ranged from some of us choosing NOT to nurse our baby in the presence of non Mahram, no matter how modestly covered, to that of breastfeeding anywhere and everywhere. We also discussed the community's perception, including that of some of our own husbands, on whose views bear most significance. 

Our discussion brought us back to the original intent of why the need to breastfeed in public, and in doing so normalizing the act of Fitrah. The need is based on the need of our child, particularly the young infant whose need to nurse may know no time and place. Breastfeeding in public is not something we do just because, or out of pride or to make a statement, but because as mothers it is our responsibility to meet our child's needs. But how do we do so modestly, and discreetly with much care, such as to not only avoid fitnah on ourselves, but to also make sure that really, it does not compromise our haya' as a Muslimah? Or is breastfeeding, by virtue of it involving breasts, something that one should do only in private, so as not to attract attention? 

Our discussion concluded that based on our experience as breastfeeding mothers, putting a strict expectation on mothers to not bf outside her home or enclosed rooms basically denies the child his rights, and puts the mother in great difficulty in meeting the needs of her child, especially a very young infant. Breastfeeding in the public space is a necessity, but what is also necessary is discretion on our part, to ensure we use a nursing cover no matter how labuh our tudung may be. And to try, as far as possible, to latch our baby in a private space, so as not to attract undue attention to the act of latching, particularly when baby is fussy and crying. In the discussion among the admin team, we event "tegur" each other on "accidents" that we have witnessed, unknowing to ourselves. 

Such is the beauty of friendship, as the Prophet saw has said, the believers are mirrors to one another. So as your mirror too, with Eid around the corner, we urge mothers to bring your nursing covers along, and where possible, calm and latch our babies in a private space, meeting their right not only for milk but also for peace and comfort, amidst the festive and busy atmosphere of Eid. 

Nurse discreetly mommies, and with grace :)

Feverish

Sofiyya has the sniffles again but this time around Mr Fever came around too.. The last time she had a fever was back in January when the girls caught the tummy bug and was hospitalised..








Bottle fed, with EBM of course!



Napping..

One thing to note is that unlike Nadia, Sofiyya hates eating medicines. She was given some meds early last night and she then puked it out. As i do not want to overdose her i did not give her anymore and then at midnight she was feverish again! I had to give her a rectal paracetamol and alhamdulillah fever went away..

Alhamdulillah Sofiyya is quite active during the day but she is just extra fussy and manjaaa..




She played and fell asleep on my lap last night. And she wants to be lulled to sleep now..

Get well soon my poppiieee..! Mummy daddy and kaka dia loves youu

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2012 Iftar outing, Episode 7

12 Aug 2012, Rizqun coffee house



















And this is my favorite photo of the night!!!

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2012 Iftar outing, Episode 6

10Aug2012, Seasons Restaurant with the Zams minus the babies.. Hehe




This is Nadia in the car. I was too lazy to install the car seat so u asked her to sit using the safety belt instead and alhamdulillah to and fro bsb she sat at the back nicely... Time to get a booster seat soon..




My Nadia



Lamb



Some desserts



Bread and butter puding



TC and I



And final shot of the day, The Zams and The Jais (partially)

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Enough

Alhamdulillah its the 18th day in the holy month of ramadhan and i have fasted the full 18 days.. I am hoping it'll be a full month for me this yr..

I am writing this as i eat up my 3 dates and finish up my large box of vitasoy.. I started this ritual this year in hopes that it will keep my production up and Alhamudulillah i think it has helped and of course my expressing ritual.. I make on average 13oz per day and on Saturday when the hubs and I were on our Day trip to miri i made 16oz..

Reflecting on what my maid tells me, on a normal working day in the past week Sofiyya has only been taking in around 9oz, which is equivalent to my produce if i express once.. Its true what they say then, your body will only produce how much your baby needs. I guess i am writing all of these down to remind myself that i should feel blessed that i am able to make extras..

To other mothers who are struggling to make ends meet ie produce as much as what baby takes in, i can say yes supplements is known to work however as what Is taught to us any doa will not come true without usaha. So my only word of advise is yes take supplements, take boosters however dont forget to stimulate ie pump pump pump. Also please rethink what your expectations are. Dont think just because i took in my supplements and pump terus production increase the next day. It doesnt work that way. you need to first train your body to produce more and once you do, keep at it, preserver, dont slack.. Lastly be thankful. Be thankful that you are producing milk for your babies as you are the only person that is able to do that.. Even if after 20mins of expressing you get 0.5oz, say alhamdulillah.. Do not despair, insyallah, if our niat is tulus and ikhlas, insyallah akan di perbanyakkan dan di permudahkan your bf journey.. Always be positive, even when its tough, look for that silver lining.. I know its hard sometimes so what i usually do is talk to my support group, my breastfeeding buddies. Or look at photos of my ebm stock! Sounds funny but it works for me as it motivates me. Read up on bfing materials..

Sorry for the rather emotional post.. Its 4am and i am reflecting on my bf journey!! HAHAHA

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2012 Iftar Outing, Episode 5

6 Aug 2012, Tarindak Restaurant Jerudong Polo and Country Club
Didnt take much photo cos the girls especially Sofiyya decided that today she will be adventurous.. She refused to sit in her baby chair, refused to sit on us, refused to stay still and most of all insist that her Daddy holds her.. *grrrrrr*
Food wise i think it was a good bargain considering there was a lot of varieties but unfortunately i was unable to enjoy it all that much. Huhuhu

The four of us

With cousin dearest! Thanks for organizing this!!

Oh whats funny was that on the way home Nadia kept on asking if we are still far from home and i told her 'inda jauh lagi. Cuba nadia nyanyi lagu 'oh kanak-kanak' and sudah abis masuk simpang penanjong sudah tu'. SURPRISE surprise she did sing the song and at a very fast pace! Hubs and i was left speechless as laughed our heads off!!! Hahahaha

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2012 Iftar outing, Episode 4

5Aug2012, Nyonya Restaurant

Very impromtu and very lucky to get a table. LOL



My big girl nadia



My not so little girl Sofiyya




With my beautiful girls..

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2012 Iftar Outing, Episode 3

1st August 2012, Excapade Sushi

I've been wanting to have Japanese since before Puasa and glad we finally did todaayy hehehe




My Sofiyya




My Nadia and My Hubs!




Our food.. Om nom nommmm.. Hehehe




These 2 are the best of friends and the worst of enemies!! Haha

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