Getting veeeeeerrrrrryyyyy sleepy...zzzzzzzzz

FInally I have finished everything that supposed to be done and I can hand-in everything early to be checked and approved......already my eyes are getting very heavy and very tired, passed out a few times in front of the computer, trying to catch a few zzzs....feel a little bit dizzy probably because I have been on a 12 hour computer marathon, for sure I will be snoring my head off at work later...

Time to shut down the computer and enjoy 6 hours of sleep before I go to work with my babies....

Burning the Mid-Nite Oil.....

Its going towards mid-nite and I am still in front of the computer typing this post..why you ask? Because from around 12pm till now, I have been doing my school 'homework' - preparing Semester 1 worksheets and activity sheets for the Nursery and K2 classes that I am in charge of plus K2 lesson plans for term 1 so looks like I am going to be 'camping out' in the living room.....

Why I am torturing myself? Because all this got to be handed in by next Monday and I only got to know about this just last Monday so only one week to prepare...plus there is the HMS family day so left me with no other option but to forego my sleep to finish everything by tonight!

Herman told me to consider going to the MOE career talk this coming January...telling me to weigh my options of switching career to becoming a primary school teacher...but with the workload that I am having at the preschool level, I doubt very much primary school level will be lesser, probably even heavier...so no thanks for now though the salary is very much tempting to me but no, no, no and NO.

Shop Till You Drop!

What happen when you check your account in the morning expecting ur normal paycheck but suddenly you got a whopping 4-digit numbers flashing at you from the atm machine?
Then after paying certain bills, your hubby gave you the green light to shop, shop and shop! And that is exactly what I did today!

I did not shop anything extravagant but just bought things that I have been drooling at but just never got enough to buy...like a few shirts, cosmetics, toys for both boys, new wallet for hubby (plus briefs, muahhahahaha!)..being the Christmas season so most shops are having sale like you never believe with prices slashed until nearly 70%, it feel so hard to stop your hand from reaching into your wallet.

Like what I said to Herman, I only feel rich twice, mid-year and year-end...the rest of the year I feel very poor, hahaha! But it really feel gooooodd.

We went to the zoo last Saturday but I havent got time to download the pics.. will do so on another day. Tomorrow I got to go back to school for meetings and to prepare for next year, so lots of things to pack and clean-up.

Republik

This is one of Herman's favourite indonesian band, Republik...I however love the lead singer's cool hairdo, told Herman to style it that way...well one day he did and came home with very bad rashes on the forhead, cause of the sweat pooling on the hair, hahaha! Anyway this is one of his favourite songs (Hanya Untukmu) which Herman said is dedicated to his ever-charming wife and his two lovely sons....about how much he loved us dearly and truly...and how he was sometimes being misunderstood and thinking about the ups and downs in his life..in which he would get all-emotional, poor baby....



Another of his fav is also from Republik - Sudah Cukup...lets say this is about a certain 'thingy' that happened when we were dating and he said that it certainly reflect what he was going thru during that time....just hear the lyrics and you would understand what he meant then.

Baby Blues in Cartoons

I love the comic strip Baby Blues..its the type that you can really,really relate to real life scenarios. Especially to see the poor mummy being bombarded constantly by the daddy and her three kids, its hilarious and very funny...Enjoy!
(Note: just click on the image if you want to see better definition of the pics)


I bet everybody who have children can really relate this one big-time! One person gets sick, the whole house will get it sooner or later!



This one happen when Herman was looking for the cable remote...kept scolding Shadiq for throwing it around the house and nagging non-stop...he found it later on the computer table where he placed it while reading the blog....



I used to have strangers who came up to the pram and made funny noises or do silly faces...sometimes unintentionally these people scared my babies.


I guess this one I can really relate to whenever I saw another bump or bruise on Shadiq..nowadays he called himself either Batman or Cicakman and go around the house brandishing his plastic knife, jumping up and down the furnitures.



Dedicated to all the mothers out there.......

Woe to Me But.....

I cant believe it! Just got news of how much we are getting for our bonus and after deduction of household bills, IOUs, groceries plus other things that should and must be paid, we are left with.....NOTHING! Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

So being the 12th most expensive country sure sucks....usually we spend like $200++ for our monthly grocery but ever since we have baby Siddiq everything like doubled and what used to be a $35 tin of milk boom up to a $45 tin...'sigh' glad that he's breastfeeding so its not so bad but big bro is a big-time, all-time milk fanatic... I could like buy a couple of cows with the load of formulaes that I bought each month for him. Seriously, even the baby bonus cash gift that we are getting isnt enough for all this plus we put aside a portion of it for the CDA.
Now I am sooooo woooorrrrieeed....its already like nearly four months and that time of the month have not been appearing.....I asked Herman what happen if I got like 'pregnant' again, he look at me all weird and said "Dont even talk to me about this."

Thought about migrating....but naaahhh, I will start crying everyday for mummy (Herman too!)....thought about changing to a better-paid job but kind of like dreading it cause I am like so stable and so like this place......thought of working from home like using the internet for additional income but looking at the two kids, the only time I have is when they are both sleeping......hmmmmm buy 4D. Toto? Haraaammmmm plus it is never a sure-win thing, end up losing more than you win..... all I can do which I think is the best is just hope that someday, anywhere, a bag of money fall on me...which will be kind of bad cause if its heavy will probably kill me or left me in coma....

I guess the bottom line is as long as you have food and drink fo fill the stomach, clothes on your body and a place to come home after a hard days work and see your children's happy smiling face as they greet you, kind of take us away from the harsh reality of life to the happy, wonderful family that we have...something that even money cant buy and is worth more than anything in the world.

HMS Family Day

For the HMS family day, Herman have prepared some games for you and it is strictly for adults only so if we have missed out your names or you do not want to participate in the games due to any reason please tag to Herman so that he can make the necessary adjustments.
Kids will have games planned for them by Kakak Atiq and Kakak Wani.
He has also assigned an assistant, Herman (Yan) so the two Hermans will be your referees and Ayah will be the third video referee.
So here are the groups (each group will be asigned a Captain):

1) Ayangz/Skazeisk : Yan(C), Zeiti, Iskandar
2) Taman Bahasa : Hakim(C), Atiqah, Faiz
3) PakAtid.com : Azhar(C), Bapak Odah, Wani,
4) Ylo/Waklong : Om(C), Fuad, Kak Aiza
5) Syurgawijr : Abg Jaafar(C), Khairul, Atiq
6) Sweetdarling : Busu, Uncle(C), Farhana

Some of you have been mixed around (saja je!) and if I missed out anybody its because of injuries, old age dan yang dah tak larat untuk main game ni.... tapi kalau nak join jugak, boleh lah daftarkan diri kat Herman but we are not responsible for any injuries, mabuk-mabuk, pening lalat, dengue, heatstroke, sunburn atau apa-apa je yang terjadi masa main game ni....bawaklah ubat-ubat yang sepatutnya sendiri, kitorang supply plaster mickey-mouse, minyak gamat dengan vicks je....nak drapolene pun ada.... kalau terseliuh ke, salah urat ke, booking lah Busu atau kalau lagi chronic minta tolong kat nurse kita Kak Aiza.

(PS>UNTUK YANG MENGANDUNG TU LUPAKAN SAJA LAH NIATMU ITU....REQUEST MENANGIS AIR MATA DARAH PUN TAK BOLEH JOIN...KALAU KEMPUNAN SANGAT, JOIN GAME BUDAK-BUDAK)

The games are as follows:-
1) Animal Sandcastle
build 1 animal each from each category- land/sea/air using materials provided)
2) Scavenger Hunt
3) Water Bomb Dog and Bone (Last Man Standing)
4) Water Bomb Captain Ball
5) Telematch @ Obstacle Course
6) Beach Soccer
7) Guess My Name
8) Ayah's Game : using ur mouth to fill up the pail with sea water
9) Do you Know the Lyrics?
10) Miss HMS 2008 (only males to dress up!)

Points will be collected for each game whichever group wins will get a point so the group with most points wins. Not all the games will be played in that day depending on the time and weather..if you do have any suggestions about the games here or nak complain ke atau dah takda keja lain keboringan pun boleh tag Herman.

Our Family Day

On the 24th of Nov (Saturday), we went to Jurong Bird Park. The last time I went there was around 5 years ago for a school outing and Herman never went there at all (gasp!) so we thought it would be a good idea to bring the kids there along with my in-laws. Rented a car which his father drove, had our breakfast at McDonalds and reached there around afternoon.
The place is quite small, took us around an hour to complete the whole place. Herman got to visit some long-lost cousins (a bunch of bright-coloured parrots!) who talked to him as he passed by. He even started a conversation with those birds (crazy!!!) and was very pleased to hear them answering him!
When it rained, we took the monorail...however it was quite disappointing to see so many renovation works going on and some of the places were closed to public...
Big bro walked, ran and jumped all over the place while lil bro slept thru until we are in the monorail. It was a very good family outing...next comes the ZOO!

And also I happen to see this car that kind of like resembles the batmobile which was parked outside the school. A Lumborgini (hope I spell it correctly) model and I wonder what kind of crazy, nutty driver that drives this kind of car in Singapore. Waste of money, not to mention how the speed limit in Singapore is never above 90 plus the number of traffic lights and ERP gantry you got to pass thru.

FEVER !!!!!!

It all started with my darling hubby 2 weeks ago who complained of body aches and a slight migraine. I told him that probably he had been working too hard (poor baby worked during the holidays and weekends) and needed a good rest. But it turn out to be a very high fever. Started shivering, whining, crying and groaning for 3 days until the fourth day he woke up feeling fine and fresh.
Too bad, ME who took care of him got the fever from HIM. But unlike that big baby, I still managed to clean the house, took care of my two darlings and do whatever things that I can manage to do. I guess mummies are always the one on the go no matter what the situation she is in despite the body aches, headaches and slight nausea I was having then. Just popped in any medication to keep on going just like the energizer bunny.
After 2 days of 'fever', I got fine the 3rd day but my poor firstborn got it...and just like the daddy, he started shivering, whining, crying and groaning for 3 days straight...today he is still taking the medication but at least he have enough energy to turn the house upside-down as before. When he was sick, he just station himself at one corner of the house watching tv....did not even want to move anywhere even to the toilet so got to make him wear pampers. If not, he would pee everywhere.
Now I am still very worried for the teeny one...so far he is quite alright....

Berita Hari Ini

The day of the award ceremony, I woke up around 5am and get ready. It was held at Presbyterian High School (Ang Mo Kio) and so need to get out early. Apparently had to attend the rehearsal first so got to be there an extra half an hour early. So that made me started grumbling about the hassle....Herman was very kind to accompany me by taking the train (said he could not stand the noise of me begging him to go).
Once I reached there along with others, we were ushered into the hall and was shown the allocated seats. We were told to stand in line while taking the awards, where to stand when they announce our names (we have to stand aside while they show slides of us), where to go out and back to our seats. I started to get real nervous....Did not even take my breakfast, scared have to go toilet at the last minute so hold back my thirst and hunger. Anyway got into talking to the others and most of them agreed on how daunting the initial interviews are, how they blunder thru the questions (and I thought I was the only one!)...very nice people even got to exchanging phone numbers and taking pictures.
There was a lady who got the distinction award but was at Japan for a conference and two ladies who got the merit award. I was with three others who received the finalist award.
After the award ceremony, there was a seminar by MOE about the new changes next year (sigh...again...) when suddenly this MOE officer approached me to come out for an interview. I started to get really nervous (again!) and more so when I got to know its from the press. The man who conducted the interview though reassured me it will be very brief and light. After the interview, I went back to the hall for another picture taking and congratulating the others for their awards as well as saying my goodbyes since I had to rush off to Bedok PCF HQ for my course.
Along the way, got another call from Warna deejay Sheikh for another interview... wow....I was like so overwhelmed, so not used to all this attention. So I rattle on through another interview and when it was all over, had a bad headache.

So here is my thank you speech:
I like to first and foremost extend my heartfelt thanks to my darling hubby for all the support and encouragement that he have given me. Despite the nagging and scolding that I get from him, I know that deep inside he is very proud of my achievements. I would also like to thank to everyone out there; my uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, colleagues and all of you who are reading my blog, for all the support that I have received throughout the years... and also a special big thanks to my wonderful Batman and Robin as well as my terrible K1 kids, who helped me to see life through a very different and magical perspective, for giving me wondrous and memorable experiences...THANK YOU! TERIMA KASIH! SHIE SHIE! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Shadiq Birthday + Back-at-Work Blues

Last Saturday we have a small birthday party for Shadiq. We invited only our siblings and mak minah plus Herman prepared the food. I was called back to work for half a day coz of the graduation concert yesterday (they put me in-charge of the games for the funfare....always kena).
Got balloons, party hats and Herman's sister brought jellies and cake. We ate, gossip, played games and Shadiq's room was turned upside down with toys and kids. At the end of the day, when everyone gone home and after all the mess was cleaned, we tucked the dynamic duos to bed.....after all the toil, sweat and not to say, depleting financial resources, it was all worth it.
To see our son laugh and play, taking delight playing with his cousins, receiving presents, being the centre of everyone's attention....and it started me thinking about the days when I was pregnant with him, from birth till now...how they grew up so fast...will put in some pics once its ready

Well, started working and after three days at work, my back-knees-feet ache and my brain aint functioning properly yet...still got to screw in a few bolts to get it on track as per normal-the result of 4 months stay at home. But really glad to be back on work especially among the kids that I just love and adore, got a few hugs and kisses from them....
Got to know the result for the award, I didnt win it though....but will have to attend the ceremony on the 19th, will be presented with a certificate and other things such as sponsorship for courses since I got shortlisted among the top 4. I was also being mentioned in the MP speech during our graduation concert last Sunday for this...had a few parents came up to me to congratulate, very paiseh cause I am not used to this kind of attention, its kind of overwhelming too...if anybody is wondering why I am typing this in short sentences cause I am tired and very worn out from work...got a lot of catching up to do and paperwork are piling up plus was involved in another major school project for next year, everytime I always kena all this, so very damn tired.

Finally....

Yesterday I gripe and growl about Shadiq not having a school and everything. Well today Herman got a call from Jamiyah Kindergarten regarding his registration. Apparently its a case of misunderstanding....they thought that we know he has already been given a place in the school and had already made all the payments necessary during the registration. After much explaination from Herman, they apologised for the misunderstanding and told him that we can come down next week to make the necessary payments.

Easy right? Just want to know okay ke tak okay. Penat kan hantar e-mail, telfon berkali-kali, just to confirm tempat. Kalau tak tanya, sekali kita datang untuk first day of school, dia cakap takde tempat, paiseh seh...Yang menghairankan macam mana diorang boleh assume kita dah bayar? Mestilah ada receipt or something to confirm the payment kan? Kalau kita dah bayar, takdalah kanciong macam ni....
Hai Shadiq, belum skolah dah kecoh gini...kalau dah sekolah macam mana gaknya.

Kenapa Macam Ni?! Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!

Its been raining cats, dogs, elephants and kangaroos today...poor baby kept waking up every time there's thunder.

Anyway I want to gripe about something that has been bothering me for the past few days. Its about Shadiq going to school next year. Apparently the school that we chose for him (Jamiyah Kindergarten) have not called us or sent us any confirmation letter. When we went down for the registration last July, the staff told us that there is still vacancy and we filled up the forms. We were then told to wait for their confirmation letter which will be given out in October. Well, now its already November and I have started to worry. Not a call, not a letter or even an e-mail to tell us anything...so I tried to call them up. Said that they are too busy and will get back to me later. Few days later nothing. So I send them an e-mail, still no response. I called again, said will call back again but still nothing. Frustrated, Herman sent them another e-mail and again nothing.

This is like so unproffesional and how does this reflect on their management? To me it reflects poorly and if this is the case, how can I ever trust them to take care of my child? Not being a difficult parent but all I want to know is whether my son will be accepted for their nursery class next year? If there is no vacancy, the best thing they could do is call and inform us so that we can get another place for him. Now its already so late for us to get another school for him except for my centre. Or another scenario could be that they misplace or lost the forms we given them thus did not know anything. Well, they could then call me back since I did called them repeatedly or answer our e-mails. But still nothing from them. Me, being a preschool teacher, understand their busy schedule and I am not demanding anything big or impossible from them. Just a short confirmation - yes or no - my son is given a place in their school. Is that really so hard to do?
Ni lah orang melayu kita macam mana nak maju. Everything take for granted. Bila orang complain, cakap being difficult lah, tak sabarlah, sedangkan kesalahan sendiri tak nak mengaku. Macam mana tak marah and bengang and pening and....aaaaarrrggghhh...

So today I finally decided to put Shadiq into my centre. Save me all the hassle and troubles that I have to go through. What we wanted was for Shadiq to have basic islamic foundation thus we enrol him at Jamiyah but after all this, I rather send him to weekend islamic classes. In fact, I decided that if there is no response from their side whatsoever by this two weeks...I will not wait any longer and just let him be at my centre, period. Biar Shadiq belajar cakap mandarin, hahaha!
Penat je tunggu, macam buah tak jatuh, puas hati beli buah kat supermarket....

New Paper Big Walk 2008

Today we went for the New Paper Big Walk. We woke up around 6am, got ready by 630am, bring the kids over to my parent's house and took the bus to Suntec City. There were 20,000 people, lots of families, some weird ones dressing up as Spiderman, walking rubbish bins and dont't-know-whats. Together with another friend, we started out by 730am at Suntec and we reached the end of the walk at the new Marina Barrage by 11.16am. After hassling through the queue for the goodie bags and for the free shuttle bus service to Suntec, we reach home around 1230pm. Fetch the kids and all of us slept till nearly 430pm.

Here are the pics that capture the moments of the big walk.

29 years and counting....

Last Monday, Herman brought the whole family out to Marina Square. We went to Kiddy Palace and got pants for Big Bro while Little Bro got a few new toys (kesian, most of his toys are hand-me-downs). Then unexpectedly Herman started to talk about getting a birthday gift for me....did not really believe him...until we passed by Crocs. He went in and told me to choose. Not taking it seriously, I thought we were just window shopping. When I said this or that is nice, he told me okay take it. Thats when I thought 'oh no, this is real'. After much persuasion from Herman with Shadiq constant grumbling and rolling on the floor, I chose this pink/red croc without looking at the price tag, thinking that it will be around the $50s range. But 'gulp' when we went to pay, it was more than that. Needless to say, I should display the croc in our glass cabinet for display than wearing it.

Then last Friday, me and Herman went out without the kids for my birthday. Felt kind of guilty for leaving the kids behind...anyway, we went to Orchard Rd Swensen for the birthday dinner...saw a few weirdos dressing up as vampires, ghouls or whatever, most likely heading to parties of that sort... At Swenson, we enjoyed the food, enjoyed watching a cute surprise birthday celebration of this young teenage couple and most of all enjoy each other's company. After the dinner, we walked around Orchard Rd, I bought a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans. Then we headed home.

Well, it was kind of a nice celebration this year.....and so I like to thank my darling, dearest hubby for these wonderful gifts and moments...terharu sungguh... despite being 29years old and all but I am so glad and thankful that at least I have my better half to grow old together...

Another year older...

My date of birth was 31-10-1979, a Halloween plus Scorpio gal and today is the day when I am 29 years old. Being born in that time of year, contrary to what people say or assume, I hate gross and scary movies, hate to be scared and not only scream opera-style (high enuf to break a few glasses) in a cinema but would not sleep for a few days after sitting through a horror movie.
I am another year older, no longer single but married with 2 cheeky boys and a loving but temperamental husband. Been thinking of my past memories from my childhood days to when I started working till now....so much had passed and so many I went through... its like watching through a glass window looking out at the world as they pass you by..something like Alice Through the Looking Glass kind of thing. okay, I am in a very melodramatic and sentimental mood today so what I did (which made me more nostalgic) was to compile a few pictures of the past and present.

Why ME?

I know that I should be staying at home during my maternity leave but then its just me...I find myself going back to work for meetings, doing sideworks, preparing things for the upcoming graduation concert and other whatever-nots. It is during this particular time when I was busy painting a poster for the upcoming funfair next week, when I suddenly had this thought.
Why am I doing all these things?
There are other teachers that can do this but why ME?
There is even a teacher who have a diploma in dont-know-what design but still it ends up being ME?
Shouldn't I be caring more for my children than other people's children?
Am I being too soft? Too much a workaholic? Too scared to say NO?
So why ME again?
Herman said that I am being foolish for giving in when they ask me to do all these and selfish for not thinking of the children, rather spending time at work than home. Am I really like that?
Oh well...despite all these soul-searching thoughts, I got right back on painting, got to get it ready by this week and there's still 3 more to be done....'sigh'

UNGU!!!!!

I love the indonesian band Ungu, from their songs to their lead singer Pasha...I am so crazy about him (apart from my own hubby!) and just adore the way he sings the songs. He's married anyway with 2 kidz and most of the band members are married too except for the cute guitarist Onci. My all time favourites are Tercipta Untukku and Kekasih Gelapku. Got no story behind all these songs, just love the lyrics....so when I heard that they are gonna have a concert in Singapore, I go like gooo-gooo gaaa-gaaa all over and beg Herman if we can go. Too bad, due to certain unforseen circumstances, we can't and the worst part is they are having the concert on my birthday....
So here is the video for all of you to enjoy (or more like for me!)....



Ungu are a rock band formed in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1996 with Makki as the only remaining original member. The group comprises vocalist/guitarist Pasha, guitarist Enda & Onci, bassist Makki, keyboardist Gatz and drummer Rowman.

Interviews and Judges

Last I said that I was nominated for the Excellent Teacher award conducted by MOE-AEYCES and last week my principal called me. She told me that I got into the finals and out of so many entries, I was among the top four! Even then I was disinterested and yesterday I had to come down to school to set-up the corners and class. In my head was the thought "Which stupid fool chose me for this?" I was given a briefing by my principal about the interview and observation in class done by the judges and there will be a video recording during the whole procedure. That made me a bit more nervous.

Today was the day...despite all the talk about being calm and not caring but still it made me damn nervous. There were 3 judges, 3 observers and 2 cameraman plus my admin. Nine people looking at ME...and the questions that they asked during the interview made me feel as if I was in Channel NewsAsia. Literally sweating through the interview. Here are some of the questions that they asked me:

1) What do you think of our current kindergarten curriculum? Do you think there is any improvement from before and now?

2) What is your aspiration for the kindergarten centres in Singapore? (I was going to blurt out 'higher pay and better bonus for the teachers', kept my tongue though because of those MOE people..)

3) What is your biggest constribution to your centre? (This one I stared for a while and said "I dont know" much to their amusement. Then I started to rattle on about some other school project that was done donkey years before but I took part in)

4) What improvements can you see of the kindergarten curriculum before, now and in the future?

5) What can you see about today's parents and how do they contribute to your centre? How do you make them involve in your activities? (In my head I said 'through pleading, begging and an increase in my handphone bill'...)

Well, at least these are what I can remember, most of it is a blur to me....God knows how relief I was when it was all finished. At least they said that among the others they visited, my set-up was very impressive. (Tak taulah if this is a way to encourage me or what.) My principal said that if I ever got the award, I can stand to win cash gift, sponsorships for courses, an overseas exchange program, etc...
Yeah right, the way I rattle on during the interviews with blank looks and stupid even ridiculous answers, it will be a wonder if I ever win it. Its good enough some stupid fool get me into the top four, it will be an even dumber fool who let me win. At least, I can get some sleep now.....takut sampai tak leh tidur!

Hari Raya Pics

Thanks to Bapak Udi for giving us these photos, thank you and terima kasih....
Anyway this year, kitorang tak jalan-jalan sangat, pasal masih dalam hari. Itu pun bila keluar beraya, lupa nak ambik gambar. Excited dapat keluar..maklum lah emak dengan anak kena 'tahan' nearly 3 bulan 'berkurung' dalam rumah. Sesekali dapat jalan, macam monyet terlepas....ayah pun naik tension.


Pak Atid and family....tak tercapai hajatku untuk ambik gambar my family...Shadiq and Siddiq tak leh duduk diam untuk posing.


Ooohhh....ayah seluk duit raya eh...


Kesian Maman Ais...jalan raya tidur...zzzzzzzzz....


Eh? Mana Shadiq? Shadiq!!!

Selamat Hari Raya!

Tinggi sungguh terbang Rajawali,
Bintang di langit yang dicari,
Manusia di pagi Raya juga mencari,
Ampun maaf menyusun sepuluh jari
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI!!!!

What Do Babies Dream About?

I have often wondered whenever my dynamic duos sleep what thoughts went across their mind...do they dream of angels in the sky, rainbows and presents, playtimes with no mummies nagging at them....Shadiq talks, laugh, cry with lots of actions such as kicking, punching, etc in his sleep so we kind of get a rough idea what his dreams can be like. Little bro Siddiq makes soft cooing sounds in his sleep, with funny facial expressions and even crying.
Yesterday in the evening, both of us saw something quite funny.




His hand was not held up by anything, no special effects gimmick..it just happen, his hand was up for nearly half an hour before he puts it down then it was up again. When we try to put the hand down, he refused to budge so we just let it be.

To Stay or Not To Stay?

Years ago, I have been thinking about being a stay-at-home mummy. I have talked, thought and complained to everyone about it, even wished that I dont need to slog at work, tolerated all that crap everyday just to stay at home with the kids...
Well, I seem to got my wish when I was ordered to be on bed-rest last July and right now its September which means that I have been staying at home for nearly 2 months. I have to admit that its a boring and though very fulfilling job, it is very routine. Yes, I finally got to spend quality time with the kids and able to attend to all of my husband's and children's needs, finally all the housework are done in a day and all those nitty-gritty stuff that I meant to do is finally all done. But somehow, after all that is said and done, I always find an excuse to go out each day like taking a walk or even going back to school to visit the kids.
Maybe I am not just used to staying at home yet....Sometimes I find myself wishing back at work and being piled with tons of worksheets to be marked and covered with art pieces....weird huh? Maybe its just me, I just need something out of home for a few hours each day by myself...some sort of private time and personal space. Back at home using the toilet is the only personal time I have (though Shadiq intrudes into it at times). And besides my own family, I do feel the need to interact with other people like my colleagues and friends.
So do I really want to be a stay-at-home mummy? Maybe its just not the right time yet. The best I can do is to just work for half-a-day which is like for four hours. At least I have my own money to spend. Herman let me do that next year once he is posted to the circle line. Until the time I decided to quit the workforce.....besides we already plan to have baby number 3 in three to five years time so need to save money for that!

More Pics of Siddiq

Upon request I have posted more pics of Siddiq. Before I have only 1 reason (Shadiq) to take picture, now I have 2 reasons (Shadiq and Siddiq). By the way, I find it so confusing after a while to call the dynamic duos. Try saying their names a couple of times real fast and lidah sampai tersentel! Shadiq, Siddiq, Shadiq, Siddiq, Shadiq, Siddiq.........

My Dynamic Duos

Last Saturday, I got to go for a check-up at Doc Aziz and we brought along the dynamic duos -Shadiq and Siddiq along. Shadiq caught the eye of a 2yr old girl who have long wavy hair, big eyes with thick eyelashes. They walked (even ran) around the clinic holding hands with her, playing and exchanging coins with her. Little bro slept thru, only waking up for his milk and burping. We manage to take pictures with Doc Aziz and little bro. Big bro was just too shy.



Then we went to Parkway Parade to buy our household groceries at Giant. After that, we bought shoes for both our mothers and little bro. Later we went and took pictures of the F1 Ferrari race car. Wow! It was soooo cool! Big bro cried coz he wanted to sit in the car.




The next day Sunday, we went to Bazaar Geylang with my parents, Ais and Ajan, plus all the kids cause Ais wanted to buy their hari raya clothes. We went round and round the bazaar until they found the right clothes. This year they are going to wear silver and Munira's family going to wear brown. We will salvage last few year's clothes which are still too new so will be wearing blue this year.
We bought chapal and songkok for Sadiq and Herman, and an additional kain samping and new blue baju for Shadiq. It was chaos to make him try on every item. Little bro was very good that day despite the heat and sweat. He slept most of the time but open his eyes when we stopped at any shop. Probably curious of the noise around him...
Once we reached home, we manage to make big bro wear the whole suit and....ta dah!

Fun Toddler Activities

Was surfing the net trying to find some fun activities for big bro Shadiq and found some few interesting ones. Most of them use recycle materials and are easy to make, fun to play with your young ones (or even those young at heart!). I have been running out of ideas besides making dough, painting and origamis, to occupy big bro's playtime not just playing with his toys. So I was looking for those that are fast and easy. Here is my top 5 favourites that I wanna try :

1)Alphabet Bugs - draw or print out alphabet bugs. Tape the alphabet bugs all over your body and clothes. Ask your toddler to peel out each letter off. As he takes them off you, he can stick them onto a wall or poster board. Then you can put them all in order at the end and sing the alphabet song. For variation, hide the letters for them to find or you can change the letters to numbers instead.

2)Holes Game - take a big piece of vanguard paper and cut some holes in it, big enough for your hand or head to go through. Use stuffed animals or plastic balls to toss through one side.

3)Balancing Act - place a plastic cup upside down on the floor and put a plastic plate on top so it balances. Let him put the magnetic letters on top of the plate to see how many he can put on before it falls down. You can count the letters with him or say out the letter.

4)Bowling - Set up plastic bottles like bowling pins. Have toddlers use a lightweight plastic ball to roll down from a short distance to knock down the bottles.

5)Animals on a Log - Precut animal pictures that lives on trees or may sit on the branches. Let your toddler colour the pictures and stick onto long branches. Tie string to both ends of the branch to hang. You can sing Five little Monkeys. For variation, you can use small plastic toy animals/bugs.

Shadiq and Siddiq

Yesterday, little bro Siddiq got to go to KKH cause of his jaundice. I was so scared that he will be warded like his big bro that I cried at home while waiting for Herman to rush back. Well to make the story short, upon arrival at KKH, we did the registration and waited for our turn to see the doc. When his name was called, the doctor told us to place him on the bed. After the physical check, he told us that he is going to take some blood for testing. Looking at me, he told me to wait outside if I dont want to see through the blood-letting thingy. I smiled and said that I am okay but its the daddy that should probably be waiting outside. Herman bravely announced that he will be okay. However, just went the doc inserted the needle to the vein, he slowly walked out of the room. Yeah right, my macho man....anyway, little bro was quite cool throughout the entire procedure. He didnt cry, more like shouting out in anger and even after, he frowned and pouted for quite a while.

We asked the doc a few old wives' tale about jaundice and the conversation we had with the doc was quite funny. Let me put it this way:-

1) Bring out the baby under the sun can help to clear the jaundice - the doctor reply: it will only give your child a very bad sunburn if you are not careful and it does not help to clear the jaundice.

2) Drinking lots of plain water so that baby will 'pee' out the jaundice - the doctor reply: it will just make your child pee thats all.

Big bro Shadiq is all-time very helpful in taking care of his little bro. Help me to throw the pampers, patting him to sleep, occasionally play with his little bro (though very rough such as one time he threw a ball to his little bro) and soothe him when he cries. But jealousy is still there...sometimes he will get into very nasty temper tantrums, behaving like a baby such as insisting on being carried or throwing his things around when he couldnt get his way, even got into shouting or exchanging punches with his dad when he got scolded...

But it is so cute when they sleep together. I always made it a point to ensure that both of them sleep together in the afternoon so both bros knew that by 1130am, little bro will start to ask for milk and sleep after that. Big bro will hang around his room for a while then at about 12pm, he will ask for milk and sleep too. Then when both of them are asleep which can take about 3 to 4 hours, I can do whatever I want by then. Usually I sleep together with them for an hour or so before I do any housework. Then when both of them are up, Shadiq will play with his toys and Siddiq will stare endlessly at the world outside. I will be in between to ensure Shadiq dont start to throw toys around or play 'rough' with Siddiq. Then later in the evening, I bathe little bro first and then big bro. I usually bathe when Herman gets home. By then, his food is prepared to break his fast and along with Shadiq's dinner. After watching tv and playing with the boys for a while, at 830pm it is lights out for the bros to sleep.

That is my day to day story but I love every minute of it and wont trade it for anything in the world! Wonder what it would be like when I get back to work soon....

I Love My Kidz!

For my teacher's day gift, my admin got for me a book - Chicken Soup for the Mother of the Preschooler. It was very thoughtful of her and I love to read through the book. (remind me to kiss her when I get back to school. hahaha!) In this book, I came across a poem by Bonnie Compton Hanson that I think most of you can really relate to. I really recommend this book for those sentimental people out there (or if you are just looking around for a book to read).

Bedtime Miracle

I expected three small angels.
Instead I got three kids,
All flesh-and-blood, three wiggleworms
Too quick to blow their lids.

I asked for little cherubs,
All sweet and pure and wise.
Instead there's mischief, giggles and tears-
Each day some new surprise!

But at night when it is bedtime
And I kiss each shining face,
I find-oh blessed miracle!-
Three little angels in their place!

And finally, some more pics of my 'little angels' at their best (and at their worst!)

Pantun Hari Raya Pak Atid

A few days ago, I received some hari raya pantun via sms from my dad. It was quite funny to read so I thought to share it with everyone.

Ular arokonda pakai seluar
Bila dia membelet pokok seluar untuk begaya
Bulan hadapan bulan raya akan keluar
Sambil begembira baju raya dan kueh raya

Ular sendok oooi telan gajah
Udah di telan ooooi 10 tahun tak makan lah
Hari lebaran tiba lah sudah
Bemaaf lah kita kalau ada besalah

Needless to say, it took me some time at first to really read through the whole sms. I editted a few words here and there for easy reading in this blog. I guess some of you had received the sms so you know what I mean....

Finally....Baby Siddiq!

After 36 weeks and 2 days of waiting for our baby, finally he is here! Our thanks to all our family, relatives and friends who gave us their greetings, congrats and support.
Last Saturday when we went to the clinic around 10am, the doctor did the scanning and ask if we are prepared to have the baby early. After doing the VA, he said that considering the weight of the baby is above 3kg and cervix is soft, there is a good chance of inducing. We decided then to do it. The doc placed the pitocin in the cervix and told us to wait for a few hours for the medication to take effect. We decided to go to the engagement ceremony at woodlands. We reached Woodlands Point at around 1230pm and decided to walk around while waiting for the my dad. But half an hour later, the contractions started to kick in. Not so painful at first but grew more and more intense. Around 145pm later, we called my dad that we are going to rush to the hospital. So from then on reaching Eastshore at around 215pm, the process of labour started until finally at 613pm, baby Siddiq sees the world for the first time much to the delight of the people around us especially our gynae Doctor Aziz who looked very tired by then. (I was his 3rd patient and he had number 4 in labour at the next ward.) Well, to make the story short, he was circumcised and we were discharged on Monday afternoon.

Here are the details and pics of baby Siddiq -

Baby Blues (part 7)

Its true what they said that the last few weeks of your pregnancy is usually the longest....the waiting, the false alarms, the constant urge to the toilet, etc, everything that seems to indicate anything but true labour...oh well, into the 36th weeks now.
Kind of happy though especially about the new baby bonus plan being backdated to the 17th of August. Except that the maternity leave thingy is subjected to your employers' approval. Doesnt matter anyway, I spent nearly 1.5 months at home because of the bed rest by the doc and now I am starting on my maternity leave. Been finding myself thinking about work, partly due to boredom and partly because of the kids at school. Sometimes Herman call me selfish, foolish and even a workaholic....but I am just not the type who can stay at a desk job and be happy with it. I need to move around and be constantly hands-on at work.
Thats why I just cant wait for the baby...maybe thats why the baby taking so long cause of my pressuring him...should take things slowly and not think so much about it...right now been having a lot of signs thats telling me the day is near, well, this Saturday will be going for my check-up. See what the doc say...anyway the EDD is around the 14th of September last check up...so still got two more weeks till then....

National Day Rally Speech 2008

Everyone had probably seen our PM Lee Hsien Loong speech last night. A few things caught my eye (or ears actually!) especially about the baby bonus thingy. Hurray for the fact that the leave will be extended from 12 weeks to 16 weeks and hurray for other incentives that are provided such as one week unpaid leave for infant care. But my concern is when will all this be effective? I mean he did mentioned that another minister Wong Kan Seng will probably make the official announcement and the details by this week. Then I can e-mail my admin and take the extra 4 weeks.
So far here is what I know and more interested in :
Growth dividends : 50% more in second payout in October. Means be getting between $75 to $150 extra. (can plan holiday!)
Maternity Leave : Extended to Four months (16 weeks)
Infant care leave : Oone week unpaid leave a year until the child turns two
Child care leave : Extended to 6 days per year for child younger than 7
Baby bonus : Bigger cash grant for new mums (then how about me? considered as 'old mum' is it?)
If you ask me, yeah I want more kids, probably a whole soccer team but practically and realistically, everything is so expensive. Its a long-term commitment, lots of financial planning from the time you got pregnant all the way to the kids adulthood. So for now, just two is okay for us. Maybe number three when both kids are in primary school (just to see if I can get a baby girl).
Probably the reason why I'm working in kindergarten is being surrounded by kids. Its like your own (even though they are other people's) but still they are yours for that 4 hours. Can play games, toys, sing and dance with them and watch how fast (or slow) they learn and grow. How you want to strangle them at times but hug and kiss them too, love kids but just having two of my own is good enough for me...

Baby Blues (part 6)

Went to the doctor last Saturday. So many people, we arrived at the clinic around 9am and only get to see him around 2pm. Got to see a lot of preggies and two of them got sent off to the hospital to be induced (probably past their due date). That gave me cold feet. He rushed off around 12pm to ESH and came back around 1+pm.
Did the scanning and Alhamdulillah, baby is okay, so told me to stop taking the nifedipine. Except for my bp is on the high side. Currently the scan shows that the baby weighs around 2.89kg and is around 35wks+, not engaged yet. Confirmed with him regarding the baby's circumcision. Got to see the doc again in 2 weeks time (30th Aug). Got to do a vaginal examination to check how far dillated I am next appointment. So far tummy getting a wee bit tighter and bigger so feel a wee bit heavier. Looks like baby is going to hit 3kg like his big bro. Shadiq weighs at birth 3.145kg. Takpelah, as long as the baby is healthy and fine...so two more weeks till the next appointment.
Anyway, today is also Faiz's 24th birthday...Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

Shadiq Pics

Here are some more photos of Shadiq. Playing with blocks and playing with Emma (one of those 'good' days when they are not fighting with each other).

Baby Blues (part 5)

I am so bored...bored of sitting at home not doing anything, bored of waiting for baby to 'pop' out and I am just so very bored!
Well, I took Kak Ai's advice and do the 1000 pcs jigsaw puzzle. Halfway through, got irritated coz Shadiq and Emma want to help and they kept throwing some of the pieces around. Then tried to do some housework to take my mind off things for a while..that worked for a few hours then when all is over, back to square 1...bored! Then made a routine of going for slow, short walks around the neighbourhood. Seems fun to cuci mata for a while but with Shadiq following me, the walks turn into running or playing ball sometimes....and its only for an hour...so still got a few other hours left. Dont want to watch TV anymore so got to listening to the radio, playing games on the internet and reading books.
But until now, I am still so bored and restless...there are nearly 24 hours in a day and around 12 hours are reserved for sleeping but the other 12 hours are the time when I really need to be occupied....running out of ideas what to do so I really do hope that this Saturday check-up with the doctor, he decided to induce the labour....getting heavy, what with all the aches and pains plus the boredom...
Anyway just got a call from my admin, want to nominate me for the Excellent Teacher award organised by MOE-AEYCES. Apa yang bagus sangat, I really dont know...Herman always said that I know how to suck up to the boss. Must be that good until got nominated, hahaha! Just that when it comes down to work, I am the type who just do what's been told or assigned sometimes overdoing things and always a sucker for helping people even though I dont want to. Orang tanya "Siti can help me?" and automatically without thinking I say "Okay no problem." Kesian orang mintak tolong so yang ni pun tolong lah. Then go home and complain to Herman about it. Kena marah by boss also, I say gasak korang lah, asalkan gaji masuk sudah. Well, I got to write a one-page essay about myself...kind of weird, promoting yourself macam nak election MP pulak. Not the type who is going to jump down for an award so wont really care if I dont get it.

Baby Blues (part 4)

Last few days was funny and scary. It all started last Thursday morning when I started to have very bad backache. Can't move around regardless how I tried to change my position, tried sitting or lying down, walk around, bathe, tried everything but the ache just won't go away. So I thought "Okay, maybe been so tense lately...should try to relax and calm myself down." So think of happy thoughts, watch tv and for a while it worked, the pain slowly subsides. Then during late afternoon, the pain came back with full force, accompanied by very bad abdominal pain and I thought "Must have ate something wrong. Mak nya sambal tumis sardine power!" So drank lots of water and lie down on the bed. But the pain just got more intense...and in my mind I wasnt thinking about the fact that maybe I was going into labour because there was no contractions at all.
When Herman got back, told him about the pain and all. He tried to massage my back, rubbed oil and did everything to make me comfortable. By then I started to get a feeling of very intense contractions, aching all over and cold sweats. And I said to Herman "I think we should go hospital now." So we called my mum who rushed over to look after Shadiq who is crying.
When we reached the hospital, I was straight away placed in the labour ward where the nurse checked for my contractions. Apparently the contractions stopped when we reached the hospital but the other pain still stay with me. After an hour, they told me that I can go home and rest, probably due to a bad indigestion. So we went home. Couldnt sleep the whole night though, what with the bad aches and the vomitting that started later. Next morning Friday we see the GP (doctor Aziz was on holiday). Told me I had gastric flu and gave me some medicine to eat. Felt okay the whole day so I blamed the aches for the wind in my stomach.
But the next day Saturday, the pain came back this time I had shortness of breath and I thought "Not AGAIN." My back felt like it was being snapped into two, my tummy felt like it was being poked all over with needles, the lower region like being ripped apart...and every breath that I took is accompanied with pain....Tried to last the pain out, take panadol and the medication that the doc gave me, bathing (which kind of help a bit), put 'koyok' on the back and my mum rubbed my back and chest for breathing. Tried taking shorter breaths to ease the pain. Nothing works though. My mum panic when I started to turn very pale and break out in cold sweat. Called a few people for advise and they all told her the same thing "Go hospital now." I wanted to wait out to see if it will go away like the last time. Waited for a while more then decided to go (again).
Reached there, sent to labour ward (again) but this time my contractions was coming in every 10 minutes plus its already open by 1cm. Could hear the nurses talking to each other whether to admit me for labour or not. They were worried that doctor aziz is not here to deliver and it will be preemie. Finally after talking to the doctor, the head nurse decided that I should wait for Doctor Aziz and continue taking the current medication. So sent home again and felt very tired and drained by then. Still aching all over like before though not as intense.
Poor Herman was so disappointed, he was really like hoping that he get to see the baby but too bad...got to wait. Got a few jokes and laughs out of this though. Mak Long said that when the baby is here, should smack his butts hard for being so cheeky while my mum said that the baby just cannot decide when to come out.
Now still having the back aches, abdominal pains, lower region pains and sometimes heartburns..plus intense contractions at times but this time I tell myself and the baby to wait for a few more days. Won't go to the hospital again unless I am bleeding, my waterbag burst or my own gynae tell me to go. Other than that, tahan je lah...

House Make-Over?

Herman must be in the nesting mood right now. That is the only explaination I can get for him suddenly wanting to paint the whole house...kept sms-ing me the hows, whys and whens he is going to do it...I mean if you want to paint, just paint, why keep telling me, right? Now he is thinking about the time involved, counting our finances, the colours to use and most importantly when he is going to do it. Also deciding if he wants to hire painters to do it which would be more proffesional but a bit more expensive. To which I reply....you take nearly three weeks to clean the toilet (with me constantly nagging at the background telling him to wash and I doing it finally) and now you want to paint the whole house? But at the same time, I encourage his energy and imagination...at least he is 'thinking' about it, even though he is not into the 'doing' it mode yet.

Shadiq is now very much happy with his own playroom, stuffed with his toys, books and whatever-nots. But of course, mummy got to pick up and clean. Most of the time, I made Shadiq clean up his toys. So when he got into his lazy mode, just show him the cane and the room will be clean (well for a while at least, then its messy again). His fever subsided today after we changed his medication and after three days of self-confinement in his room, he pushed his box of toys to the living room to play. But turning into an actor by the way he over-react when he hurt himself or being scolded, probably wants attention.

Been at home for nearly three weeks and bored than ever...so its either I make-over Shadiq's room by rearranging his stuffs or putting up pictures, posters, whatevers...Been so restless that it made me sleepless during night time too....stopped watching tv cause there is nothing interesting on even with cable, I hate dramas or soap operas except for CSIs and the History Channel other than that its all crap to me....so I read my books. I have an entire shelf full of books which I love to read over and over again, mostly classics such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle and the list goes on. Until I finished reading all the books, I will occupy myself with them or I go into labour, whichever comes first. Still got five more weeks to go till 10th September...counting the days.....

Shadiq - Baby Blues Part 4

Kesian Shadiq...today is the third day that he is down with fever, flu and cough. Gave him the medication and even 'koyok' to bring down the temp, still vomiting though mostly phlegm. He got even more clingy than ever, not wanting me to be out of his sight unless if he is sleeping...whines and cry more than ever...as what my mom said, the closer I am to giving birth, the more baby he behaves to me.

Kind of sad though, did not even want Herman to sleep with us, pushes him away if he gets too close to either of us. He used to be jealous but now even more so...poor Herman, end up he sleep alone in Shadiq's room, macam orang bujang he said. Partly because of the air-con which he say is too cold (both me and Shadiq still perspire despite the cold).

There are times when he gets on the nerves. I want to go toilet also he wants to follow...or how he clings onto my clothes when I walk away....all he wants me to do is just sit or play with him. Thank God, my parents help me during these times by bringing him out or playing with him..if not, I would just have lose my cool and whack him (guilty of being too hot-tempered). Even Emma seems to pick a fight with me during these last few weeks into labour...'sigh'.....
Shadiq is sleeping right now because of the medication and the fact that he just vomitted out his food, so I will take this opportunity now to read a book and sleep before he wakes up. Cause when he wakes up, he made sure that everybody wakes up...

Baby Blues (part 3)

(1st scan is the stomach - 2nd scan is the thigh bone)

Went for my check-up yesterday. So far the baby is quite okay, on the fat side....while measuring the head and the thigh bone, baby should be around 32 to 33 weeks but when doc measures the stomach, baby is 35 weeks! Total weight of the baby is estimated around 2.1kg and my sugar is a bit on the high side so got to watch my diet. This is what happen when you spend 2 weeks doing nothing except to eat and sleep....all that junk food I've been stuffing myself lately....so the estimated time of deliver should be around the 10th of September but the doc said that judging from the baby's position and weight, baby should probably be ready to be out by the 36th weeks. I was given another 2 weeks of hospitalisation leave again and more medication for the contractions as well as to prevent any infections. Anyway the doc will be on holiday to New Zealand for the next 2 weeks so its really a good idea for me to hold on as long as I could till he came back.

I have been reading too many horror stories on the internet about incompetent doctors and I really not ready to trust on another doctor if I go on labour. Praying very hard that I will go on labour only after my doctor comes back....in the mean time, I am preparing Shadiq about the baby. Can see that when I try to ask him about the baby and put his hand on my stomach, he totally ignore me or refuse to say anything. But there are times when he puts his head against my tummy and he will go "Ibu, baby here. Adik here." but these are very rare moments...I wonder how he will react when he really get to see his baby brother...so far he only gets to see x-ray images and thats the only image he have of the baby...wow, 2 boys in the house, actually 3 including Herman and I am the only girl...wonder what is that going to be like? Probably a George-in-the-Jungle episode...

Baby Blues (part 2)

The boredom has finally caught up to me....I am not the type of person who liked to be confined. I watched TV until to the point of flipping thru the channels every ten minutes and walked around the house like a zombie. I cleaned my maternity bag every day (dont know for what) and even got to the point of sorting through Shadiq's toys. But today is the day where I slept through the entire day from afternoon till the evening till I got migraine coz tried to keep on sleeping....I cant do any housework, cant do any walks outside nor can I do any activities that require me to sit down too long (gave me abdominal cramps and water leakage)....oh well, at least I am not confined in the hospital. My colleague called me earlier and told me how she was confined in the hospital. It was even worse where there are absolutely no movement at all, want to pee also got to use a bedpan, yucks! But then she was there for a few days then went into labour.

I really hope the next check-up this Thursday will give me at least good news. I really dont want another pro-longed labour....with the medication, it seems even more painful than without the medication and its really tiring just counting your days (or in my case, counting the minutes and hours)... and from the things that I have gone through the past few days, I got the feeling that this baby doesnt want to wait too. Hope the baby's weight have jumped to 2kg or more by that time, then he dont have to stay too long in the hospital like his brother. Shadiq was born at 34 weeks weighing at 3145grams and did not need to stay any longer in the hospital except for the jaundice.

Herman wants the baby to wait at least till the date hits 8th or 9th august. Then we can get freebies for delivering a national day baby....Typical Singaporean....anyway he said government suck in so much of our money so must try to get something back from them...if Herman had turned out to be a politician, he would probably be on the opposition side and we are probably under exile or risk being sued till we get nothing left. He have not even hang out the flag yet...

Baby Blues...

I just have to note this down on my blog as a significant detail of my second pregnancy. What happened was last Friday was the starting point of a lot of pain and frustrations. It started with a slight migraine and nausea....shrugged it off as maybe part of the medication side-effects. Then my lower back started to ache. Lie down and sleep for most of the day. Then my stomach start to ache as well as the lower part....no matter which way I turn, walk or sit, the pain seems to be everywhere. In my head, I started to think "Oh no! Don't tell me its time now." Kept praying very hard and talking to the baby not to come out now.

During the night, I break out in cold sweats and despite the medication that supposed to stop the contractions, I can feel the baby pushing down. Kept groaning in pain and praying hard not to let the baby out yet. Shadiq sleep on regardless of my pain so did Herman who was snoring his heart out. When I couldnt take it any longer, I throw a pillow at Herman. He woke up with a start and ask me what's wrong. Imagine that, here I am in pain with both my legs up on the pillows for support and he asked me what's wrong. When I told him, he yawned and said "Okay, just sleep and the pain will go away in the morning." Turned to the side and continue snoring!

'Sigh'....I bear the pain as long as I could then I throw another pillow at Herman again. He woke up, ask me what's wrong again and why I wasnt sleeping yet. To tell you the truth, I was tempted to throw something a bit more heavier than just a pillow. Told me the same thing again that the pain will go away if I sleep. When I insisted that I cant sleep, he told me not to worry and just dont think about the pain. Yeah right...dont think about the pain when I am in pain...actually I was also tempted to just rush out of the door with my maternity bag into the cab and to the hospital.

But I was worried about the baby and so I just kept on praying while Herman was snoring and somehow I just blacked out. Woke up later in the night, shirt covered in sweat and my shorts wet...Had a slight migraine and nausea....couldnt sleep after that....woke up feeling grumpy and angry, grumpy because of the migraine, angry because I am still sleepy and tired. When I told Herman about the whole night incident, he just said, "Oh, I didnt know that."

If you want to know, that is what happened to me when I was in the labour ward. He was also snoring his heart out while Shadiq was pushing his head out. Apparently they had a very comfortable sofa bed and he got tired of standing by my side, so he wanted to sit down for a while. He turned on the TV which happened to be showing a repeat telecast of a soccer match. He watched that until he fall asleep. The nurse came in and commented how loud he was snoring. He woke up when I threw a pillow at him. he changed the channel and said "Hey, Kuch, Kuch Hota Hai." on which I retorted "Kuch Kuch Hotak You! Baby dah nak keluar!" He grinned and said "tak leh tunggu jap ke. The movie just started. Cerita best!" on which I retorted "Why dont you go home and watch?! Im busy here!"

Husbands......I have a feeling that the next trip to the labour ward, it will be the same like the last time. I will be busy pushing and Herman will be busy snoring.

Camera, Ready, Action! (Part 2)

And here are some of the pics that I have of the kids in my class. I kind of miss these kids....I have been with most of them from nursery to now so I kind of attached with them....

Camera, Ready, Action! (Part 1)

Feeling bored because of the 'confinement' that I have to go through so I took the opportunity now that my 'boss' (Herman) is not here to supervise me, I take the liberty of updating our blog and adding in some pictures that are locked away in my handphone.
Most of them are about Shadiq (seeing that he is the only child right now) when I realised that I never have a family picture of me with Herman and Shadiq. It is usually either of us with him...must make it a point that the next picture I will be updating will be a family picture together with the baby. Right now, I just have to make do with just Shadiq doing whatever it is he like to do....from home to the airport to the science centre and back to home....

Maternity Blues....

Got to spend at home for two weeks (hospitalisation leave) on the bed, lying down, got orders from the doctor not to do anything except to rest and only move when I need to go to the toilet. Other than that, I am under strict orders not to move about. The story goes is when I was around 29 weeks pregnant, I started to have strong contractions and recently last Friday when I was 30 weeks pregnant, marking my student's books, I started to feel a wet sensation in between my legs followed by a very strong contraction. That jolted me out of the classroom with haste to the toilet, thinking that I hold back too long and needed to go immediately. But it wasn't pee-pee but was actually a signal that the baby was on the way....

I calmed myself down, went back to the classroom, bring the children over to the playroom and relax myself at the library area where there is a soft mat to sit down. I read some books to the children and sensing that the contractions stopped, I called Herman to tell him what had happened. He panicked and told me to take the rest of the day off...but being the workaholic, I said later after my pre-nursery class in the afternoon....ended up working the whole day, contractions or not.

The next day, we went to the doctor and up till then, I was prepared to spend the rest of the day in the hospital onwards, mentally preparing what to do and what to tell Herman to bring, plus reliving my past visit to the maternity ward. However Doctor Aziz was quite surprised to hear about the early contractions and that he would not want me to have a premature birth right about now as the baby would have to spend more time at the ICU ward...so needless to say, I was immediately given medication to stop the contractions, given 2 weeks of hospitalisation leave (asking me to opt for hospital or home, I said home, no way am I going to lie down at the hospital feeling helpless) with strict orders to lie down in bed doing nothing.

Kind of fun though at first, being served breakfast, lunch and dinner on bed, watch TV the whole day and just need to call for Herman if I need anything. But the next day, I started to get real bored, even have a slight migraine, being enclosed in a room without moving about. Occasionally I still do feel a bit of water leaking followed by a slight pain but if I dont move around, I dont feel it. My next appointment is on the 31st of July which is to determine if I really do need to go to the hospital or if I need to extend my mc and lie down at home or what I dont know....Poor Shadiq cant get near me for fear he might do a stunt on me or accidentally hit the stomach area cause a mere push on the stomach can cause some bits of water to come out and I have to make sure that not too much water came out or it might be an emergency trip to the hospital soon.....

Oh well....the sacrifices you have to go through for your baby....as long as the baby is healthy and fine, any discomfort or pain is nothing for this mummy.....

Our House.....Finally!

Finally, after a year of sharing our house with 7 other people, we finally got the house to ourselves. They moved out last Thursday so we spend the weekend cleaning and dusting the house, shifting furnitures, breaking our backs but it was all worth it! We can finally laze around the living room, roll from one end of the house to the other end, while Shadiq throws his toys all around the house...kind of like a house-warming family party.

We have not gotten around to prepare Shadiq room yet...his bed and cupboard will only be coming in this Saturday. Besides he enjoy playing in the living room and he sleep with us at night....that is we have to start making him sleep in his own room. Worse to worse when the baby is here, Shadiq and his daddy can sleep together while I sleep with the baby at night....

But until then.....our house, the roof over our heads, our humble abode, finally is OURS once more!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy father's day to everyone who is out there!!!
We didn't do anything special today coz Herman got jemputan kompang, I got Open House at my centre and Shadiq went wif Tok Botak and Nek Minah to jemputan also.
But during the week, I managed to prepare a 'surprise' powerpoint presentation for my hubby...he didn't expect anything at all, did not even remember about Father's Day plus I did not mention anything about it....
Yesterday, he had to work late so once he reached home, he was in an emotional state. Kesian, he had this flashback of his life lah konon while listening to a song...so I take this opportunity to let him relax first then when he least expected it, I played the thingy for him.
Wow...I didn't know that the thing would give such a strong impact to him, he cried from the end to the finish. Damn, I should have taken photos while he is like that. Well, anyway he hug me and Shadiq (Shadiq during this time was singing to the song, completely oblivious that his father was crying like a baby)and said that it is the best present ever...
In other words, it just goes to show that we as wife and mother to our children, we do care about what you fathers and husband have done for the family. We appreciate and are very grateful for all the hard work and sacrifices that you have made for the family. We loved you and will always be there for you despite all the turmoils and troubles we faced in life, through the good and bad.
So cheers to all the father out there:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

11 days and counting......

Wow..time flies so fast especially when you are having your holidays..for me holiday is at home with Shadiq. Well, at least for the past few weeks we kind of develop a routine. Here is the schedule as follows:
6am - 7am : Shadiq wake up and play with his toys for awhile. Ayah go to work.
7am - 930am : I wake up and prepare breakfast while he watch Nick Jr.
930am - 10am : Our bath
10am - 12pm : Breakfast then continue watching Nick Jr.
12pm - 3pm : Shadiq afternoon nap while I clean the house and do some school work.
3pm - 5pm : Shadiq wake up, went for afternoon walk (play ball or cycling)
Stop for a short visit to Nenek Minah house.
5pm - 530pm : Bath again.
530pm - 730pm: Eat our dinner. Shadiq do homework (drawing, tracing or colouring).
After homework, watch tv.
730pm - 10pm : Ayah return from work and have his dinner.
Shadiq play fighting with his ayah
Ayah complain to ibu he is tired but ibu said "Too bad."
10pm onwards: Shadiq and ibu sleep for the night.
Ayah said "Thank God!" and watch UEFA on cable until nearly 3am.

So that is how me and Shadiq spend the holidays at home. Of course, it is all subject to changes. Like if Tok Botak and Nenek Minah wants to bring him out or ibu suddenly got VERY BORED at home, then we go to my centre. There he gets to play with the toys while I prepare my lesson plans and activity cards for the coming term. Or I get REALLY, REALLY BORED, then we walk around the neighbourhood for a good one hour. If that still made me DAMN BORED, then we take the bus and go somewhere.
But right now, I am still in the REALLY, REALLY BORED phase. Shadiq can be quite a handful and he just cant stop running anywhere, everywhere. So to go somewhere with him, need me to be in the DAMN BORED phase whereby I got energy and patience to spare.
Anyway, being at home nearly everyday kind of made me a bit lazy. Kind of tired just thinking about going back to work. Given a choice I would not even think about going back working, but well, money makes the world go round. With the second baby on the way, I have to do a lot of thinking if I were take that kind of step.