Our trip to Sentosa

It was great. We had the entire place to ourselves. The weather was superb, it was breezy, the water was sparkling and the sand was soft under our feet. The kids had fun and Izzul can't stop raving to everyone about playing with the sand and swimming at the beach. I promised to be bring him again soon.

Tut makes Batrisyia happy

Izzul's getting along pretty fine with school. Enjoying school so far. He doesn't even look back to wave goodbye when I'm making my leave. I do ask the educator's feedback regularly though. I know what Izzul can be up to at times.
However, Izzul have not taken his nap there ever. So I'm not sure what will happen when work starts for me and Izzul needs to take his nap at Iyad. We'll see.
Meanwhile I think Batrisyia is enjoying these quiet times at home. She gets my fullest attention. She laughs a lot now and her favourite comedian is her own brother. I guess somehow they understood each other. Izzul can be rambling anything and nothing and yet Batrisyia will laugh as if it is the funniest thing in the world. It is just adorable seeing those two when that happens.
Being at home again makes me wish that I am doing it for permanent. I know I still have a long way to serve my bond, but I was just wishing... Maybe, one day.

I lost my hp. I lost my freaking hp. I have never grown this attach to a phone.. until my E75 came along. I don't really react this way when I lose my phone but I have grown to rely a lot on this one. Ok yeah, I lose a lot. A lot of various things. It's just that I have Izzul's first day at school pics. I am never able to capture that again. I have my files in there. School stuffs. My appointments. Sigh! Bummer. I really have no mood to update on Izzul's progress right now. But anyway, he's doing well. A headache for the teachers and staffs there but other than that, he's dng ok.

The night before...

Tomorrow is Izzul's first day at school - or childcare you can call it but i'm the one having jitters. I am even having second thoughts on whether it is really necessary to have him sent to a childcare. I am dead worried at how he will turn out after attending them. My biggest worry is whether he will regard me less his mother because I 'placed' him at a childcare. Paranoid you can call me. I keep telling myself that I am not doing this to ease myself off the responsibility because as much a terror Izzul can be at times, I love spending time with him and you can never know the silly little things he do and the things he picks up as he learns about his surrounding - it is just adorable and would not want to miss them when he does all these.

Yesterday I was already having a hard time sleeping thinking about this. I told my hubby that I can feel my love for Izzul grow each day - at a rapid pace that it scares me. Scared of losing him or him losing me - in any way. I told you I am naturally a worrier and paranoia-er. When Izzul was born, I knew I had to love him, but it was more of ' the responsibility' to love him. I didn't understand then. But love as any living thing, grows and blossoms. And living thing goes away too... I am forgetting something here.. like maybe Batrisyia? No, I don't love her any less, in fact, having Izzul first helped me to have a headstart 'love feeling' towards Batrisyia. With Izzul, I don't know how to instantaneously love him. Maybe I am just not a natural as most books and films like to describe. But with Batrisyia, I knew how this love mother-child thing works and plus Batrisyia is super cuddly cute that it makes it all even easier.

It's been a while since I put up a recent photo of my babies. These ones are about a month old, they have grown a little but other than that - features hasn't changed much.

Carriers and Slings

I'm so sorry that I didn't have the time to upload Zahra's pic. We have been really busy with IBG's stuffs and my babies have not been well these last few weeks, catching on some cold and cough along the way.

I believe in my old blog, I menioned about this carrier of mine called the Baby Compact. Well, Baby compact is suitable only when your infant is able to hold her body and neck rather well, so I decided to get Baby Bjorn to add on to my collection of Baby Carriers.

Comparing Baby Bjorn, Baby Compact and Baby Sling - here's my take:

Baby Sling - This is my least favourite. It could be just me who can't seem to have control over the fabric. It keeps sliding off and I have constant fear that my baby is going to slip through. An advantage it has over the other 2 is that it allows the baby to be placed lying down position.

Baby Compact - I can't really call this a winner or runner up as both have their plus and minuses. For instance, Baby compact as the name puts it, is really compact and you can put them in your bag. You would think that is not an important factor. However, you will see the importance after you own a diaper bag and yet could never have enough space to fit all the necessary things. Another good thing about baby compact is that I can shift my baby left and right of my hip just by shifting the baby over. An I read somewhere that it is better (ergonomically for your baby) to put your babies on your hips instead of facing her to the front or facing you.

Baby Bjorn - It is sturdy and you feel that the fasteners are so secure that you can even jog with it (not advisable but if situation requires it...) It looks cool, it supports your back great and easy to put on. Bad thing is, it's kinda bulky.

So you see, if you want compact, you got to compromise a little on the support and vice versa. But all in all, any carriers would still put a strain on your shoulders and back eventually if carried for too long a time. So, invest in a stroller.. one sure way to get a good deal, get from http://www.izzulbabygift.com/ ;)

Az Zahra

A beautiful name for none other than my 'fresh from the oven' niece! My first anak sedara and many more to come I hope. Hhehe.. Finally, after 9 months of watching my poor Sister incessantly throwing up her food, on 22 October, Az Zahra was born at 12.07 pm at Raffles Hospital. Both mummy and baby are well, alhamdulillah.

Weighing just above 3kg, she is super adorable with thick black hair and pink-ish complexion. Congrats to you both!

Seeing Siti resting on her bed, reminded me of my days at Gleneagles. Missing those days? A little I guess, some bits and pieces of it. There's a bit of love-hate thing with the entire labour ordeal but no matter what, any mother will understand how the experience is one of the most memorable thing that can happen to us.



Love,

Mas

Some progress updates on my babies... Batrisyia can already turn to lie on her stomach, but pity that she still struggling to move forward. Her neck's and legs are stronger now too. There would be this silly grin plastered on her face when I hold her up by the arm and have her legs support part of her weight.
Both of them were up very early and cheery this morning. 5.40 am to be exact. I think they have gotten used to waking up early since I started working. Izzul did something that made me go "aww.." . After drinking his milk, he went over to Trisyia, who was just lying flat on her back and put his head on her tummy and hug her. And he did this without noticing if anyone was looking or telling him specifically to "sayang adik". I am so glad that things are turning out quite fine with both of them now. Only God knows how I felt about having two and going back to work.
Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Salyza and Iskander for their new arrival, Arissa! What's will all the ....sa & sha - I mean there's Keisha, Arissa and Batrisyia! Maybe they can form a girlband one day. TLC won't work... so it'll be B-A-K! eeeww..

Kilo Raya Outing

2nd day at work. Think my babies are coping well with me going back to work. Izzul is understanding but Trisyia would pout her lips as if she was ready to cry whenever I say "bye, Batrisyia..." Yeah, only 3+ months and already could sense when being away from me. But as long as their not creating too much trouble for poor granny, I'll be quite happy.
The kilo family (my hubby's kilo mates while serving his time in NS) met up for Raya the other day. For the men, it was soccer, goofing around, work, more goofing around... while us ladies had more serious issues to discuss such as coping with 2 children, work, finding playgroups, etc. So, at the topic of playgroups, Salyza made an interesting connection and that is childcare centres attended by local kids, tend to have more bad reviews than those attended by expats' kids. So I think the implication here is quite clear. expats = more money = more teachers = quality teachers = better environment = more expensive = further from heartlanders. That figures.

IBG- Raya 09

Just as promised, IBG will launched its new range of products soon. It's been really hectic for us with Raya preparation and the launch. Hari Raya has always given a new meaning to those who religiously go through the hardship and sacrifices during fasting month.

This year there is indeed a few sweet surprises. The first 2 days were filled with happy visiting moments and we also had some new faces joining us for the first time. :)

We have some pleasant surprises too.. Our 2 cousins who have just gotten married in July are already expecting! Congrats to both of them. Soon, we will have more kids running around the house.

So those 2 days were filled with great food, a lot of visiting and great fun!

Thanks to all the effort to get the family together.

IBG would like to wish all Muslim friends " Selamat Hari Raya" .

Swimming again....

In one of my previous posts, I shared some of the importance of swimming for babies. And yes, I have signed up for Batrisyia for 10 swimming 'lessons'. Izzul had benefitted it. He has grown strong, active and quite a fighter to lean, mean viruses. I'll let mas tell you more of what he has gone through the last few days. Anyway, you can sign your babies up for these swimming programs when your baby is as young as one month old.

Here are some of the benefits of these swimming programs:

1) Coordination of body movements

2) Breathing

3) Enhance muscle and bone strength

4) Brain development

But you know what is most important - that they enjoy it. (we, parents will reap the rewards later because they usually get really tired from these swimmings and will have a good long sleep for the rest of the day - which means rest time for the parents too ;))

As you know, there a lot of institutions and centres that caters to baby and toddler developments whether to enhance them musically, artistically, mentally or physically. Does not matter which of these that your child attends, one thing for sure, they will grow to be more confident and happier of course. When your toddler shows signs of disinterest to the school that he has been going to... well, maybe you might consider for a change.

Anway, Izzul (early 2008) and Batrisyia (just last week) having a good time swimming. Cheers!

Akhir Kata dari saya

I realise that IBG has been lying low these days. At first, it was just me taking time off to recuperate. Then, it was me adjusting to having two. Now I am forcing myself to get back on track. Eventually, I have to. October 6 to be exact.
The school called earlier to tell me that I have to start work on October 6. The dreaded feeling sets in as I try to imagine what is it like to be working at this time and not being with my babies. More dreaded feeling seeps through. Sigh! SO what did I got from the show Akhir Kata the other time? Nothing much. Because I had to put Izzul to sleep and I managed to catch like the first 5 minutes. But Puan Halimah said something that should make me feel less guilty about going back to work. She stresses that mothers should not feel guilty about going back to work because children are both parents responsibilities and not only mommy's. But the sad fact is- it didn't work for me. I did a check a minute ago and no - still having the dreaded feeling.
But I did got something useful from the other power lady - Dr Bibi. She said that there is no scientific connection or linked studies to show that a juvenile behaviour is caused by parents who are working. These juvenile behaviours are however found in neglected children. So what I got from the 5 minutes from the show - Women, go to work. Men, continue to work harder, Parents - attention, care and concern for children.

Sleepless Nights didn't end there at confinement period

I just can't sleep tonight. In fact, it's been quite difficult for me to go to sleep at night these days. Maybe because I am used to staying up with Batrisyia while she gets used to life after birth. Now that she's adjusting really well to GMT worldly time - I on the other hand, can't seem to adjust as well.
I guess one of the big thing that keeps me from falling asleep is my fear. Fear of going back to work. Well, you might be thinking - What ?!? I mean it's not like it's my first time taking a long break from work. The thing that bothers me is whether I can cope with work and yet shower as much love and attention to them as I am giving them now. The fear just doubles now that I have two.
The same fear that the ladies in the programme Akhir Kata will be discussing tomorrow on Suria at 10.30pm. I hope Halimah Yaacob have some answers for me there.
And Desperate Housewives did mention a bad feeling that we ladies often face when we have children of our own - The feeling of Guilt.
Oh man.. I can foresee that going back to work will be hard not only for Izzul...

Trip to Malacca/ KL

It's been quite some time since we went for a family trip. This time, we brought along our new bundle of joy..Batrisyia....:) What can we say... she slept throughout her trip...I guess she too needs a break...At 5am traffic start to build up at Tuas check point. Cant believe that it started that early right? Me too..

We reached malacca at 830 am.. we just make a stop for breakfast and to meet Mas's relatives there. Izzul had a great time there, chasing around the chicks and chickens. It was adorable!

After that, we took a drive further up -to KL. KL trip was as usual busy with traffic but much to my surprise, we didn't see many Singaporeans as we usually expect. Getting a parking slot was rather easy so we kind of wondering if there's a new place that Singaporean's haunt now to shop instead of Masjid India. Anyway, we did a great thing leaving Singapore as early as 4 am on Saturday because we heard from friends who left at 8am the same day that there was a massive jam at Tuas check point which only cleared up after 1130 am. Phew! Close shave.

ALthough it's a long trip, I love to drive up anyway.... and for Mas - not for much of the drive but she loves the shopping. Ha! Women!

Just planning for another trip.. It keeps the bond closer and gives you the opportunity to understand your partner more... in someway;)

Cheers!

Ez

The waiting is over.

At last the wait is over. :) Especially to the couples who have waited for years before spending the rest of their life together. On 25 July 2009 marks the day that two of my cousins got married. Cant imagine them- my once little cousins - are now married ladies. Both groom are expected to arrive at an interval of 45 min. It would just take one groom to spoil it and all the planning will have gone hay-wire... The wedding reception was beyond expectation with large crowds starting to stream in as early as 1130....it just went on until 5pm....meeting our long lost cousins and relatives has never been better...I would like to wish good luck on their new journey that they will embark and stay happy for the rest of their life.

A month has passed...

Wow, it's almost already the end of July. How times passes really quickly when you are doing nothing but getting leaky breasts, sleepless nights and shoulder pain. Some might presume that second child means that things will be easier because I've been through the motion before especially since it wasn't that far long ago. Well, some presume wrong. Batrisyia is different from Izzul and I believe any child is uniquely cranky in their own way. While I faced difficulties to make Izzul love breastmilk, Trisyia has other ways to make me remember her infant days. The entire season 5 of desperate housewives in one week. And I covered them only when I was doing the 'night shift'. Sometimes I think it's plain miracle how the moment I am about to place my head on the nice soft pillow, she will start to make funny noises. These funny noises is what I call the prequel. The prequel to a shrilling loud cry for milk.

Mummy of two

A Simple Ceremony

5th July marks the significant ceremony of Batrisyia's "cukur rambut" a ceremony where a few strands of the child's hair is removed and then given some sweetener to taste. However, it is always advised to have the baby's hair all removed. The sweetener on another hand, symbolises sweetness of life.

The whole ceremony took place at Assyafaah mosque with 11 babies waiting for their turn to be shaved. Batrisyia surprisingly was called up first as she was supposed to be the youngest among the rest. The entire ceremony just took about half an hour. It was a simple yet memorable ceremony for us.

For interested parents who would like to know more about such majlis tahnik, you can always give any mosque's a call and enquire if they perform such ceremonies. Different mosques have them done is slightly different way. For Assyafaah, registration was$50 with everything else included.

IBG in Irfan Khairi's blog

Finally the waiting is over. IBG was featured in Irfan khairi's blog. For those who do not know Irfan khairi. He is the youngest self-made millionaire in Malaysia.

Mas attended his seminar few years ago at Golden Landmark and came back very excited with the hope that there is a possibility of financial freedom and we can have more time with each other if we get involve with the business. After which, we fell in love with internet business. IBG was formed in early 2008. We have achieve sweet success with guide of Irfan Khairi's seminar, books and programs.

IBG is the sole distributor for Baby kaed designer bags for South East Asia market. The bags are well- known among the US celebrity. After we featured our bags in Manja magazine, it became a hit. We had an overwhelming response. However, with the economic downturn, IBG is certainly affected but pulling through. We took up his Apprentice Programme, a one to one coaching every week. We are certainly a huge fan of Irfan Khairi.
IBG is now planning to expand our business further. If you are serious about opening your own business, don't be shy to ask around and attend seminars. It certainly helps. Business is about self motivation and discipline.

Cheers!

http://www.izzulbabygift.com/

http://www.babykaed.com/

http://www.irfankhairi.com/

Confinement Break

I think there would not be this thing called Post Natal Depression if they isn't a thing called confinement. It's only been 15 days but it already feels like 15 months jail term. Even jailbirds get better food I bet.

My mum is rather strict when it comes to confinement food and restrictions. Well, she has her own reasons and I am the consequence of her bad experience. She had what in Malay called 'Darah Semboyan'. Not sure if I spelled that correctly but yeah basically she fell horribly ill during the post natal days due to her negligence in keeping to 'confinement rules'.

So indeed, it's liberating to get confinement break today. I had to go down to NIE to collect my gown and documents and there is no one else who can do them for me. Bukakaka! Although it was only one hour out of the house and back, it was nice to smell the humid but yet fresh air.

Oh and I had this Avent Comfort breast shell set on while making the trip - to prevent leaking - at the same time collect any drips of breastmilk. How cool is that. I don't remember getting them myself but I think it's a good investment especially if you intend to breastfeed for sometime and useful for short trips.

Mummy of 2 :)

Coping with 2...

Hmm, Yang? Another 2? Haha...
So I am back to write in after so long. I took a long break from writing in.. way before I deliver. Just wanted to focus on Izzul then. I guess I focused on him a little too much and the arrival of his little sister as Ez have mentioned, was still a hard fact for him to accept. Izzul was never the kind to throw tantrums but with Batrisyia in the house now, it has become quite common nowadays. My heart goes out to him. I wish there is someway that I can convince him that we love him no less and with Batrisyia around, he will have a friend to play with. Its even harder to put through this message in between his wailings. It's trying but of course, no regrets :) The first few days were really hard. With the hormones coming into play, all I could think of then was to go back in time while I was still pregnant. Or when we only had Izzul. Things were simpler. But thanks to Ez for the shoulder and family support, I'm slowly getting back to my senses. So ladies, never pent up your frustrations or even sadness. Share them with people whom you love and loves you. You'll be able to see things clearer.

Mummy of 2 :)

The Arrival of Our Princess

Phew...! The waiting is finally over. Let me present you our little princess Batrisyia. For those who has been following our development on facebook, she was supposed to due on 16 June 2009. Yeh, she is one day overdue. Our Gynae told us to come back on 7am the day after. And guess wat? we managed to catch our last movie " The Night in the Musuem 2" :) What would possibly have happened if she were to give birth there.

Anway, Batrisyia was delivered on the 17th at 1033 hrs weighing at 3.58 kg. Heavier than her brother Izzul. Can't imagine the pain Mas had to go through. But the 2nd delivery was indeed faster and easier. It went well. Thanks to all for the well wishes. Can't believe that I am a father of two now...Two to go... yes mas? ;)

Izzul is at a crossroad, I guess. We could see that he loves his sister but yet he can created quite a ruckus to get Mas's attention. I think he felt that Batrisyia has stole his limelight at this moment. Wow! Its quite challenging when both of them starts to cry. This is the start of our sleepless night. I am grateful that everything went on smoothly. :)

(Batriysia looks relax after her 1st bath)

2 days to go....

Today we went out as a family again...with Mas 2 days to go.. She requested to go somewhere where she could do more walking to speed up her delivery.... Does that really help?... I dont know... I think she will deliver just on time. After we went to her friend's wedding, we headed straight to Sentosa. It's so convenient when you can just drive in there. It has been a while since we visited Sentosa. The last time we went was before our marriage.. our dating days. :) We decided to visit the Underwater World. Izzul was dazzled by all the facinating fish like giant garoupa, stingray, sharks, octopus etc...he loved the stingray the best. You can actually feed the stingray just by purchasing its meal for $3. Next we went to the dolphin lagoon. By then Izzul was feeling totally uncomfortable from all the walking, so he managed to just enjoyed the first 10 min of the show. He slept right after we head home... I hope it helps for Mas... She is still walking strong. (Photo session with two pythons)

6 days to go

Phew! Based on the ETD (Estimate time delivery) Mas will deliver on the 16 of June. 6 days to go before the arrival of our baby daughter. Hooray! As for today, I need to send her to her last check up. Not sure what to expect. Currently, although she has started to experience contractions, it is not regular. The intervals between each is still very far. So I guess, it won't come earlier than the ETD.

Well, this will be my second delivery experience. I'm psyched up for it again. The 1st one, when she gave birth to Izzul, was a priceless experience.

So really, what can a guy do in there? As simple as it sounds, we just need to be there to give our full support and encouragement to the dear wife. It's a struggle for her at that time. The unbearable pain is what you wont feel. Yup, not even when she clutches hard onto your hand or gripped your arm really hard. The pain just don't match up to what your wife will be going through.

You know the baby will be delivered once you see your gynae coming in. I can still remember his words. "Ok, the baby will be out within the 2nd push". Wow...At this moment, get your camera ready guys.. To capture the very moment your baby is delivered, still covered with blood fresh from his mother's womb. The best part was that, at the end of it all, only then did I notice the sofa that was prepared for me by the delivery bed. I was so excited by the things happening in the room that I didn't notice this comfy sofa. I guess it happens most of the time and that explains why it still looked so new after all this year.

Unfortunately, the moment I wanted to put my butt on it, Mas called out for me...

Memory of my 1st delivery experience. (Photo)

Magic Ball House!

Ok, I admit. I have not been doing my part as the 'Dad' to update the blog. Tomorrow is 1st of June and I am actually counting days before Mas will go in labour to deliver our second baby. Believe it or not, I am just as excited as when I was expecting our first child. Those feeling of anxiety and anticipation are the same, may even be more..

Well, if in the last few entries Mas had been complaining about not having a name yet for our baby girl, well, finally we do ... :) The name will be featured on our next project (hopefully, insyaAllah... things has taken a few different turns since the economic downfall).

Check out the 'playhouse' we got for Izzul. It's actually more of a 'tent'. The 'tent' is filled up with lots of colourful plastic balls. The tent was also attached with a tunnel. Izzul simply adores it! Since we know that Izzul has a thing for secluded places and he loves to play with balls, this 'Magic Ball House' is a perfect toy for him. The 'playhouse' actually kept him busy for quite a long time (compared to other toys that we got for him). Now that Mas is not as agile, the 'playhouse' really helped Mas to control him from running all over and messing up the whole house. For those parent who might face the same thing we do, you might want to try getting one for your kid too. You can get them at any Kiddy Palace stores. I believe they have them at Toy 'R' Us too. Good Luck!

wow.. I didn't realise how mad I sounded in the last entry. Haha!
This weekend, a close friend will tie the knot. I can't believe that she is settling down. Knowing her all these years, I have always thought she will end up marrying a non-malay. No offence to the malay guys out there but she is one vibrant lady who knows what she wants and usually gets what she wants. And most of the time, malay guys get intimidated by her. Well, I guess that was in the past. She has mellowed over the years and I guess perspectives and mindsets changed too. She is still the same dynamic lady but I guess it is more subtle now.. Anyway, I am glad she has found someone. A great someone :)
I am a little sad though for one thing. She has helped a lot and had been there for me when it was me getting hitched. She came over to do my 'inai' and sacrificed her entire saturday to be at my wedding. Now that it is her turn, I am 9 months pregnant, and with a one-year old to take care of, I can't see how I can be of any help. But I'll be there.. I promise. I'll make sure I'll hold her up till after your wedding at least.
Congratulations, girl.

The society that I live in

I have been having problems sleeping at night these days. It is a combination of the heavy tummy, the itch everywhere, the frequent visits to the bathroom...etc. Basically, just can't sleep. So, is pregnancy that tough? Well, I think it varies from individual to individual. Not everyone experience the same thing and even then, each pregnancy is different by itself. How tough can a pregnancy get? Well, the things that we dread encoutering when pregnant will be like, the morning sickness, the heartburn, headaches, vaginal infection, gestational diabetes, and the list can go on... and all this is on top of extra weight that you need to carry.
So what's my point here? Well, I guess I was just sore from the incident the other day. I was getting up on a bus with Izzul in my arms. and carrying a huge vanguard sheet to pass to a colleague of mine. So I saw there was one empty seat left and as I was balancing myself putting Izzul's feet down on the bus floor, getting ready occupy that seat, then came this healthy, young, self-centred, selfish, inconsiderate passenger sat oblivious to our presence. I wanted to fight for the seat but it was only 2 stops away and I was thinking, i'll topple if I don't grab a pole asap.
But what surprised me most was that these people looking up at me from their seats, pitifully, yet didn't give up their seat. I was used to not being given a seat while I was pregnant with Izzul. I was used to that. But now, I am with a child, who had only started to walk a few months back, and myself 9 months pregnant. More than angry, I was just plain sad. I really wanted to cry as I looked down at Izzul who was, thankfully, enjoying his bus ride, trying so hard to grab the pole not within his reach. We live in an UN-gracious society. Maybe not all Singaporeans are inconsiderate, but the society itself. In the bus, there were people from different parts of the world. There's the indonesian maid, the filipino worker, the bangladeshi worker and it does not matter because all man for himself right?
It was the longest 2 bus stops for me and Izzul. So, for me to support the "go green and go public" campaign, well, not for me. Not in this lifetime.

When braxton hicks hits in...

On Thursday night, I suddenly felt a sharp pull around my belly area. It almost felt like contractions. I made a quick calculation in my head and I recalled to be only 34 weeks now. I remembered reading about this thing called the false contractions which has a name close to the singer toni braxton while I was carrying Izzul. The braxton hicks contractions. I was quite sure it was that so it didn't alarm me too much. I just lied down to rest as the discomfort feeling sink in. It's a hard feeling to describe because it is not real pain but just a weird feeling that is going on around inside your tummy and your tummy feels really damn hard.

Here's an article if you would like to read more about Braxton Hicks contractions.
http://www.epigee.org/pregnancy/braxton_hicks.html

1 down... 2 more to go

One of my pregnant friends have given birth! I am doubly excited for her because, for one, it is her first and second, if she has given birth, it means my time is drawing near! haha... Remember about the pre-natal blues that I had recently? Well, now that I heard Azza gave birth, I am a weeny bit more excited and less nervous.
Plus, we were at the Expo last weekend. Oh my god! There were so many things going on sale. There was harvey norman expo sale, courts, metro and there was new mom baby fair! I had a jolly good exercise while I was there. But the baby fair was slightly disappointing. There weren't many companies participating so we didn't really get much things except for my maternity pad - very important. I bought 3 packs with each pack containing 24 pads, if I'm not wrong. The last time I bought 2 and I had to send my mother out to buy them for me. I guess, the heavy flow came the first few weeks and I like to change them frequently so I had to stock a bit there. However, after a few weeks, I settled with just the thicker normal pads because they are good enough.

Other than the maternity pad, the other good thing is probably the huggies mascot. Izzul loved that thing! (I don't know what they call it) He gave her high five, took pictures and practically stalk this thing around the fair. Haha... It's really cute because the mascot was trying to approach other kids but Izzul kept following her ( I'm quite sure "the thing" is a her because I saw her hair sticking out) and trying to get her attention. There he is with "the thing"

It's all over now baby

Phew..! What a relieve! Finally Izzul has recovered from a long stretch of cough and fever. It's a pity to see him having to swallow drops of his medication from 5 bottles of different coloured liquids. Those days are over as he gulped down his last antibiotics medicine this afternoon. We are lucky that he is not afraid to take his medicines.
Now that he is all active again, like his mum has mentioned in earlier entries, he is extra "manja". Maybe he knows that his mother is counting weeks before the arrival of his sister.
We are indeed very excited to receive yet another bundle of joy. Believe it or not, we have yet to settle on a name.
Anyway, looking at Izzul, I think he is quite ready to be a big brother. He looks like he needs a companion. He likes to be in the presence of other kids and it will be quite nice for him to have someone to play with.
Oh and we just recently bought him a potty bowl. Yup, training him up to go on his own. Too early? Well, you gotta start somewhere. Why not earlier. Could be helpful in these bad times. Haha..

When time gets tough, love gets the tough going.

For the past week, Izzul had not been feeling too well. He caught on some pretty bad cough causing him to throw up everytime his throat itches. We could all see his baby fats gone in a matter of days. After 2 visits to the family GP, his cough subsided but his temperature shot up almost immediately. We were so worried and brought him to KKH childrens' emergency. We were lucky we got there fast. His temperature rocketed to 40.1 deg!
After some blood test and x-ray, it showed some infection at his lung area. Although it is not good news to hear that but I guess we felt better knowing the cause.
As if it had not been rough enough for all of us, Izzul developed some kind of rash after taking the medications. So last night, we were back at KKH. They changed his antibiotics and told us to keep a close eye on him for any drug allergy symptoms.
All this happened when I am coming to an end to my practicum. The most critical time. The entire week, I was being observed by the principal, the VP, the HODs, my CTs etc... and on separate occasions. The observation is not the hardest part but the feedback session.
Going through day to day is not getting any easier with my continuous weight gain and feeling tired all day long. I usually put aside 5 minutes just to walk to my classes. Extra 5 minutes if I need to climb staircase. Yes, I am really THAT slow now.
And lately, I am getting a pre-labour stress. Usually when I am resting, before I go to sleep, I have flashbacks of my labour experience. It is funny because I was never really this scared when I was expecting Izzul. This has been affecting my sleep and usually I will wake up more tired than ever.
My, this is one long entry. So much has been going on and despite all this, I am surprised that I am still holding up. It is amazing how the presence of a child can make you a lot stronger that you really are. And I am lucky to be blessed with a helpful, supportive and understanding husband. Thanks, yang.
Oh btw, we still have not come up with any names for her.... Poor her.

My knees are hurting and my thighs are throbbing from all the walking and climbing of stairs. I didn't remember having such a tough time while carrying Izzul. It was such a breeze then and even enjoyable as I was basking in all the attention and extra care and concern from co-workers. Then again, in my previous work, I could stay seated all day and just 'waddle' across the room with my chair. Plus, I felt that I was stronger to carry Izzul.
Now, I realise that at times, I need to use my hand to literally support my tummy. This is especially true when I am carrying my laptop to class or back home. I can actually feel the great pressure the heavy items are putting on my pelvis.
The baby is only 1.7 kg now. I can't imagine how I am going to get through the day at work as I approach 9 months.
Talking about that, I went to check up with Ros the other time. It was really nice of her to accompany down to Gleneagles. She is only the fourth person who had the opportunity to see my unborn baby girl. Ros agreed that she has my nose. Haha..
Ok, all fresh! I think I better get back to work.

My first childcare leave

Today I took my first childcare leave. Izzul was sick over the weekend and continue to throw up last night, leaving us looking like zombies on Monday morning. Neither of us were ready to go back to work, so we took the day off.
I am full 8 months now and Izzul is getting more 'manja' by the minute. I'm not kidding. By the minute. Not in a spoilt way but in the most adorable manner. He would snuggle up beside me suddenly while watching tv or when his milking. Or he would take a break from playing his toys and come up to me and look at me giving me his silliest grin that would make the skin beside his eyes wrinkle so bad.
He still can't talk right now, but I really don't mind. It is really cute to see him babbling gibberish and at the same time looking so ernest hoping that we can understand him.
I remembered complaining a few months back, how tiring it is to keep up with Izzul then. Looking back, he has toned down with his mischievous ways and listens to instruction and heed our naggings even. It could be that he can understand us better now.
Secondly,maybe he knows that we weren't kidding when we say we will hit him if he is naughty. For what it's worth, it is not only him that is feeling scared of being loved less with the new arrival. I am too. I don't want to love Izzul any less. But could I? Can I promise I won't neglect him AT ALL? Yes, indeed I am scared.

Love,
Mummy Mas

Spare the rod and spoil the child

How true is the statement? For myself and hubby, we believe in taking a fair stand. We use both the soft approach and sometimes when there's the need, we play it hard. Both of us were brought up where the rod was always hanging somewhere in the house. But those were our days. Even Prophet Muhammad S.A.W advised us to discipline our kids as per their generation and not ours. Thus, I was not using my childhood as a reference when I decide to hit my child his feet or beat his hand. It definitely is not an indication that I love him any less.
As parents, it is not desirable to have your baby-sitter or your other family members complaining about your child's lack of discipline / attitude/ aggresiveness.... etc. As much as possible, we try to take their remarks positively and at the same time do what we can to ensure it does not happen again.
But the whole process of disciplining can be a tricky one. For a simple reason. Elders cannot stand lack of discipline in a child. Neither can they stand to see a child being beaten for a mistake that they have done. So how?

who decides on the name?

We almost had a row earlier this evening. We just could not decide on a name. The main problem with us is not because each of us is so adamant about a particular name but because neither of us wants to have the last say on the name. The same thing happened with Izzul. Ez said that he would let me make the call while I insist on having the father to name my children.
But in actual fact, who should be the one responsible to name the child? The father of course! I read that somewhere.
What are our considerations when naming our child? Inline with what was advised to us by the knowledgeable Muslims, there are 3 that we try to abide by:
1) The name is taken after any of the prophets or well-known pious figures (I am really bad at translating this - it should be "hamba-hamba Allah yang shalih")
2) Short, easy to pronounce, easy to remember
3) Have a good meaning

Note how much of importance it is to have the name to be not too long as it is mentioned as 2nd in priority.

And hubby, it must be easy to pronounce.. :) so we can scrap one of the names in our list.

"Bumpy" ride for Norfa

I guess everyone who reads Berita Harian last Thursday must have heard about the celebrity couple who got into a little trouble with the media and the malay community. For those of you who have been away to Mars, a little update: Norfasarie had revealed her very healthy and very pregnant bump to the masses on her blog. Well, although she claimed that it is not exactly the "masses" that she intended to share the pic with, she should have better judgement. I mean if we just flip open Newpaper (and I mean the Newpaper and not any other paper) any day of the week, we will sure to read a story similar to Edison Chen's fiasco. Something that is not meant for the public - has leaked out.
So who am I condemning her actions?Actually I am not. Because there is really nothing wrong with the picture. It's just something wrong with where she puts it.
I would understand why she wants to have such a pic taken. I have a similar pic taken while I was carrying my first one. I was proud to be pregnant and I wanted to remember those moments of being beautifully pregnant. I never imagined then that my tummy can grow THAT big!
Well, however, if judgement had been made before she put up the pic, then I'll say there could possibly 2 reasons why she went on to put up those pics:
1) Hoping that the malay community have "progress" and are able to appreciate or at least accept with an open mind. (the same kind of hope that the Suria female artist had when they appeared dressing the way they did for the Pesta Perdana 10)
2) Thinking how could anyone feel that the picture was indecent because indecent would only be if revealing parts of the body will cause the non-muhrims to salivate and be attracted to her.

So I hope nothing but the best for Norfa and hubby. Welcome to Parenthood!

Baby Kaed Apparel Gift Set

It is finally here! Check out our latest gift sets. A simple gift item that's perfect either on its own or accompany with a bouquet of congratulatory flowers for the new parents!
Apparels are organic.

Why go organic?

More people are choosing organic baby clothing for a number of reasons, most having to do with the way organic fibers such as cotton and bamboo are produced.

Organic agriculture methods mean that no chemicals are used to grow organic fiber. The pesticides and herbicides used to grow conventional cotton can be quite harmful. In fact, many are classified as carcinogens.

Children in particular are at great risk for pesticide exposure, so organic baby clothing can slow the exposure to chemicals at an early age. Farm workers, too, are in danger when exposed to chemicals used in conventional farming. Choosing organic clothing is not only a good choice for you and your family, but for the people who grow the fiber and make your clothes as well.

Using organic clothing is a good idea to reduce the risk of developing chemical sensitivities. The fabric that is produced with organic fiber is just as good as that produced with conventionally grown cotton, wool, hemp or other fibers. It does cost more, but the benefits are great.

Adapted from : http://organic.lovetoknow.com/Organic_Baby_Clothing

Nurturing your children

You know how people say that we should start talking to our baby even when they are still in our tummy? Well, I tried my best while I was carrying Izzul. It felt weird initially but after a while, it's like talking to oneself, you'll get a kick out of it... Now that I am carrying the 2nd one, I feel bad that I hardly had any time to do that. Yes, I am a bad mother. Now I am blaming time for not allocating enough time to lock myself in the room and talk to my womb. Honestly, I have totally forgotten about how essential it is to be start talking to my until lately when I read about this boy named Adi Putra. The little genius from Malaysia. One line from the article caught my attention and that is when the mother confessed to reciting verses from Al-Quran daily while she was carrying Adi in her womb. The verses were especially from surah Maryam, Luqman and Yusuf. The key word here is DAILY. But her effort to mould a genius didn't stop at leaving it all to God. As parents, they never stopped Adi from learning anything at an early age and they observed their son close enough to notice that he is special in his own way and use his inclinations to his advantage. Kudos to Adi's parent!

Well, last Saturday, I attended a religious talk by Sit NorBayah and her husband on "Kerukunan Rumah Tangga". A big part of the talk touch base on how we should nurture our children holistically. Throughout the long lecture, I manage to bring home one crucial point and that is when you are scolding your children, scold from your heart and not your emotions. Hmm, now that I translated that to English, it sounds weird. "Marah dari hati dan bukan emosi. Marah dgn kasih sayang" Those were her exact words. Anyway, at the end of the talk, we managed to grab a pic with her. Nice lady.

We had a short trip to KL recently to attend a relative's wedding. One would think that Malaysian's would uphold the customs and traditions of Malay weddings to the highest notch but to my surprise, that was not the case. I guess time, technology and media have eroded the value system, beliefs, right down to our customs and traditions. Well, there are pros and cons in that.

It is now 3rd week into my practicum and already in week 26 of my pregnancy. No more nausea since the 5th month but now, going into 7th month, I have a new set of problem. I could sometimes feel the skin around the tummy area stretching so badly that it hurts when I walk or move in a certain direction. And confined in a room filled with 40 teenagers with raging hormones is definitely not helping. So far, I am still holding up. The hardest part about it now is having to pass through the "introduction" stage where they are just "testing water".

On the other side, life is pretty exciting now since I can never expect how my worst day will turn out.

Mummy Mas

Izzulbabygift.com restored!

We would like to apologise to those who have been trying to access our website but failed. Our website went bonkers for some reason over the weekend and need fixing up. But it's fine now. Almost had a heart attack when they told me that we might need to change the domain name. That's major! But luckily things got cleared up on their side and we could use our website again.
Anyway, we have something coming up soon. The BabyKaed apparels and gift sets! Here are some sneak previews of it.

Baby Care Festival

There will be a baby fair this weekend at Expo! I love baby fairs! Not that I'm the kind to bring home a truck load of things but it is just so nice to be surrounded with all these necessities and just the idea that there are available at real good bargain.

Baby Care Festival 2009
Date: 27 Feb to 1 March 2009 Venue: Hall 6B, Singapore ­Expo Schedule: Fri & Sat, 11am-9pm & Sun, 1 2009 1am-8pm
Fee: FREE ADMISSION

I did my check up earlier. I can't believe that 6 months have almost gone and I have this cutesy little one in my tummy. I guess time passes by real fast especially when you have another baby to handle. How is Izzul responding to my big tummy? He acts blur... sigh! great.
To make things worse, he has been acting really spoilt the last few days. I'm not sure how long it's going to last. He's doing the very things that he knows he shouldn't. We will scold him and hit him on his tiny hands or feet if he has gone aboard. But being me, I soon feel sorry for him especially when I'm reminded of the fact he will be expecting a little sister in a few months.
He has been the apple of our eyes all this while. He must being doing all those things to seek attention. My heart goes out to him. It breaks my heart to think that he might be feeling like that. I don't know how else to tell him that we love him no less no matter what.
Anyways, here are some of the advise I got on how to handle this situation:
1) Tell Izzul that we love him often. And that he will always be important to us.
2) Telling is not enough, SHOW that he IS IMPORTANT to us by giving him our attention no matter how busy we are.
3) Hug
4) Although Izzul is not talking yet, just talk to him about his little sister, how he will have a friend to play with, etc... it's alright if he ignores me like he always does when I talked to him about my tummy.
5) Bring him along for your monthly check ups and let him see when you do the scanning.

But I guess those with older child can do more, but for toddlers, it's a little hard but I shall try. Do let me know if I can do anything else to be there for Izzul.

Signing off, Mas

Trip to JB

Its been quite some time since we spend the day as a family. We have been busy with each others' schedule and deadlines to meet. I have to admit that I have been neglecting Izzul a tiny bit. To make up for it, we went to JB for a little family outing where we spent the entire day together. It was time well spent. We had such a great time there. By the time I finish writing this, I will dead tired.
We went to Angsana (my mum's favourite mall). Next we head to the rather new Jusco at Bukit Indah. The mall is huge! And such family and baby-friendly shopping mall. Izzul loved the car trolley there, where you can rent them for free. You will only have to pay for it if you exceed 3 hours of usage. There's an indoor playground in the middle of the food court, so you enjoy your food while your kid enjoy himself at the playground while keeping any eye on him. There's an outdoor one too if you don't mind a little sun.
The baby changing room is spacious, clean and comfy. You can also refill your flasks there.
The huge mall has so much space for kids like Izzul to run around. My dad had to chase him constantly. Poor him, he just couldn't cope with Izzul's agility and speed. But what matters most to us was he enjoyed himself very much. And now he is sound asleep....

Next post: What it means to feed your kid to much.

Signing off, Izzul's Dad

Science has confirmed! Hail science!

In the past, there have been some links between an expecting mother and memory loss but many analysts (which I believe are mostly men, in particular, men who are employers) said that there is not enough evidence to substantiate the claims. Well, in a recent study... hmm, maybe not that recent, last year. The study was done by 2 Australians who confirm that expectant mothers tend to be more forgetful when it involves unfamiliar and demanding task, and in many cases, the forgetfulness carries on after birth. The memory loss may be subtle but nevertheless, our claims are true and not our mere perception! hmmph!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/02/05/pregnancy.memory/index.html

Signing off, Mas

Baby Myths

Izzul is almost 15 months old and up till today, I am discovering more new things about Izzul as Izzul discovers more things about his surrounding. I admit that Izzul can be a handful at times and I also admit of being defensive when my mum or my mum-in-law are quick to accuse Izzul of being difficult.
Well, anyway, as usual, I was being bombarded with parenting advise- which I promise to heed once I find great proofs in your claims. I mean telling me that cutting Izzul's hair short makes him naughtier? Hmm, ok, I was biting my tongue when I heard it. But really, you got to give me more than before I allow my son to keep a mane
I do still believe in filial piety but maybe we could sieve out somethings that may be irrelevant and stop passing on beliefs that we ourselves can't explain to our daughters in the future. Check out some of the myths that you might heard before:
http://www.babiestoday.com/articles/basic-care/from-bonding-to-baby-talk-4459/

Coming soon!

Yup yup! Our new latest baby kaed diaper bags- Shyla, will hit town any time soon. Available in brown and black. Here's a sneak preview!

Share your labour story

Mummies! Please stand up! hehe.. please do come forward I mean coz we would like to hear your labour experience(s). Yup, IBG new project. We are compiling labour experiences for our E-book which we are hoping to help up-coming mummies who are counting down months or even weeks to receive their new born baby, face "THE" day. Hopefully with some of your experiences, it will ease their nervous pangs and help them prepare themselves mentally and emotionally.
If you think your experience is unique, that will be even great! Do share your story with us. Your name will definitely be featured in our E-book for your contribution in this project.

Any stories: Delivery at home

Delivery of twin babies

A complex delivery

Long hours of delivery

Ezril@izzulbabygift.com

Are you a caffeine junkie?

I survive my uni days with 3 cups of coffee daily. In fact, I could live with just snacks and a cup of coffee for each meal. It's easy and quick.

Since I got pregnant, nobody actually said anything about me and my coffee until the other day in class when I brought in Nescafe can into the class. "Won't that affect your baby?"

Although I knew and very certain of the answer (because I did thorough research on it before indulging), the question somehow just makes me feel quesy.

Anyhow, here are some facts you can share to back yourself up:

Maximum intake of caffeine/day>300mg of caffeine

That is about 3 mugs of instant coffee, 3 cups of brewed coffee, 6 cups of tea, 8 cans of regular cola, or 8 standard bars of chocolate.

So what are the dangers if you exceed?

Your baby may have low birth weight, or even cause a miscarriage if you are in the earlier months.

Caffeine also affects the way the body absorbs iron, which is very important for baby's development

Not advocating but just saying that coffee junkies like me don't have to worry about having to go cold turkey for 9 months... :)

5th month check up

Daddy has been writing quite a bit hasn't he? Well, mummy now is breaking a news. I went for my 5th month check up last Saturday and..... everyone knows what we usually can expect on the 5th months :) It's a

Trip to Tiara Beach Resort

Its so great to be back to Singapore, after a long drive through NS highway. Believe it or not but we only decided to go to PD just 3 days before the trip. We tried to book a hotel via internet but they didn't entertain last min bookings. But we went ahead to take the dive and pray there luck was on our side. Indeed we were right. In fact, the hotel that claimed to be fully book had quite a bit of rooms vacant. I bet there were just lazy to deal with internet bookings.

First thing that caught Izzul's attention was the huge pool located in the midst of the hotel apartments. Our room was one of those facing the water park.. How cool was it for a walk-in hotel registration. Izzul was totally excited and blurting a whole string of gibberish. We knew that we can't wait for the next day to bring him down for a swim. You would think all of us will be beat from the journey. In fact, we were but seeing Izzul who kept pointing down to the pool from our hotel room, we didn't have the heart to make him wait any longer.
Anyway, Tiara Beach Resort is a great place to relax with the family. There's the big pool with big slides, fountains, kid's playroom, fish spa and lots of other things. It's a great place for a quick break for one or 2 days.
Food wise, there's quite a handful choice ranging from malay cuisine, bistro cafe, thai food and bakery. So you don't have to worry getting your tummy filled but I guess the things there may not be as cheap. I guess you can expect that since it's a tourist attraction. Oh talking about tourist attraction, we didn't see much of international tourist. I think it attracts more of the locals mostly from Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. And of course quite a handful from it's neighbouring country, Singapore.
Location wise, it's about one hour drive from the Port Dickson's exit along the highway. So give it a go if you are in just for a relaxing time and no shopping :)that.

Earn With IBG

IBG has successfully launched " Earn With IBG". This is targetted to all IBG members who have been supporting IBG. We intend to give 15% commission for members who promote Baby Kaed Diaper Bags to their friends and relatives.



Step 1: Promote the website to your friends or relatives.

Step 2: They make a purchase.

Step 3: The money is yours.



It's that simple.



For more enquiry email: ezril@izzulbabygift.com



Feel free to drop your comment so that we can progressively improved our service.

Why baby kaed?

There are probably lots of branded for diaper bags in the market nowadays. Different designs and colours. But why IBG decided to market Baby Kaed Diaper Bags? For a simple reason of practicality, variety and design concept.

Personally, even as a guy, I found the design striking. Again this could be very subjective. However, it then boils down to pratical use of it. The different variety available actually allows you to choose one that fits your personality and ease of use. For my wife, she has 2 of the collection. Jaipur and Dhara. For Jaipur, since of it's exclusive look and good quality leather, she uses them on special occasions and dinner events. For Dhara, it is for a normal family outing. Dhara is also our choice when we are going overseas because of the generous interior compartments and space.

US celebrities such as Jeniffer lopez, Matt Damon and P DIddy have used it. Most of them have gotten the higher range of leather collections. Talking about variety, Baby kaed also offers faux leather and nylon material to suit daily uses.

A funny incident happen about a month ago at a Christmas Bazaar where we were promoting the bags. A lady in her mid 50s came up to us and showed much interest in our Sheri collection. She was happy to be posing with it and showed keen in buying it. However it strike her funny to find a lot of accessories that came with the bag. Imagine her embarassment when we told her that it was a diaper bag. But seriously, she shouldn't be embarassed because Baby Kaed achieved its aim of making the bag usable even if you are no longer a mummy to a baby or a toddler. In fact, the accesories can also be used to store your cosmetics like what my wife did.

I guess it is only best for you to view the bags yourself. Do let us know if you would like to personally view the bags. We will extend our service to you.

Note: We are the distributor for south east asia region. Bags also in Philipines and Japan.

Opening of baby-pedia

Baby-pedia will covers all aspect of baby related issues. From baby care, baby product, baby gift, baby education and mother care. It will be a platform to share information on how to become an effective parent to your child. Please dropped me your honest comment . We will try to share informations that will benefit new and even super experience parent.

About myself, I am a father of a 1 year old Izzul. That's the one - my super active son. I guess most of you share the same sentiments especially if you have a boy. Like most kids, he has such short attention span and highly curious about a lot of things. He's physical too, meaning to say that if he's curious, he will touch, bend, throw, bite and other possible actions that can be done with his 2 bare hands... But I guess, that's what makes him so adorable and special to us. Another one is still on its way :)