Where's my clothes, Mama?

Saw this in my blog’s draft list. I wrote the title. Uploaded the photo and saved it 6 years ago. What did I want to write about? It’s anybody’s guess ;)

This boy here, he’s sick at the moment. He has a temperature and phlegmy. Gosh. It breaks my heart every time any of the boys got sick. But it’s all part of growing up, eh? I remembered our GP in Oz, Dr. Jacobs said “it’s not normal if the kids don’t get sick.” Okay Doc. I’m taking your word for it. :)

Aariz was about 3 in that photo. We were at Bradman Ave, Maroochydore. Life was so much simpler back then. Not easy but we were happy. We managed. The pressures of the society to rise up to their expectations, to earn more, to have  new things, to own bigger and better stuffs; zilch. We were able to set our own pace, to do what needed to be done and set our priorities accordingly.

The only thing myself personally lack, was my relationship with Allah. For that, I’m grateful for coming back to Malaysia. Raising the boys in Oz would probably be a great challenge  for me and Mr.Hubby. As Muslims, it’s actually very simple. Have a good relationship with The Almighty. Build  a great relationship with Him and everything else will be perfect. It sounds easy. It should be easy. But for me, it’s a working progress. So please #prayforwa 😅

Anyhow, I have a feeling that today is the day this blog is awaken from the dead. Haha!

It’s a public holiday today. Labour day. But I’m going to do the laundry now. Have a good one ❤️

I'm ALIVE!!!

I'm not making excuses for not blogging for almost 6 months but... Yeah, I am! Hehehe...

 

What Should We Call Grad School

 

Honestly, it's not that bad but I'd just rather do something else like finishing my THESIS! or SLEEP! when I do have the time than writing my blog. If only I could just say the words or tell the stories and it'll blog itself. Huhuhu...

 

As in everyone else's lives I'm sure, a lot has been going on in ours too. Although, there's nothing out of this world or anything like that that happened, it's just everyday life and Aariz! ;-)

 

Since my last blog entry;

 

- We had Xmas holidays and New Year's in the Coast.

 

- My sister Yan came to visit 2nd week of January, so I finally met dear Eli!

Boys hanging out! ;)

Turns out only the mommies want to take photos! Huhuhu...

No more Eli and Che Yan... :(

- We shaved Aariz's hair. He was called a girl by strangers more than 3 times! Huhuhu..

 

Aariz before haircut.

Aariz halfway through haircut. Yeah, we didn't shave it off all at once. Huhuhu...

All gone!

- Went to Brisbane for a few times and had friends from Brisbane came to visit. :-)

 

- Aariz has yet to talk. He only says Nak (I want) and uses it for everything. We think he does  understand what we're saying and what we do. Like he'll put his cup/plates in the sink, throw rubbish in the bin, etc. And oh he imitates us. A lot! So, we're trying to be very careful not to say and do inappropriate things. Huhuhu... Oh, and Aariz's not putting on that much weight. I'm kinda worried but only when people kept commenting on that fact. Else, I think he's healthy and he'll tell me in his own kinda way when he's hungry which I can ususally tell. I know he's  getting taller though. Hhhmmm...

 

- Linda (our landlady) had a major surgery. So, we kinda helped her around the house for a bit.

 

- I bought a coffee/cappucino maker equipped with a frother for $20! It's tiny and used but I can make my own cafe styled coffee! Woohooo!!! 

 

No more spending $$$ on coffee!! Hehehe...

 - Finally had Aariz sent to a babysitter while I help with my supervisor with teaching. All's good! Phew! ;-)

 

- Mr.Hubby said Goodbye to his hair after almost 2 years!!! Huhuhu..

 

- We just applied for an extension of our current visa. So, we are on bridging visa which means we can't leave Oz until it is approved. Or we can, but risked having problems for when we want to re-enter Oz.

 

See, nothing major. I cannot believe though how time flies although some moments do tend to go on forever. Huhuhu...

 

Hah! I am so over my studies but it won't finish by itself!

I am at the moment feeling guilty for the times not spent with Mr.Hubby and Aariz. Like today; It's Sunday, very nice weather (after a week of non-stop rain!), could have gone to the beach, etc. But no. I am in Uni and I have no idea want they're doing. *sigh*

I know Mr.Hubby's kinda homesick and can't wait to go home but I really wish he's really happy deep down inside. And I truly hope whatever Aariz remembers from these past few years of my crazy life are only great happy memories. Huhuhu...

Well, before I start rambling unnecessarily, I'd better wrap this up and continue with school work! ;-)

 

Fishing along the river! ;-)

 

 Cheers!

 

 

 

Happy birthday, Aariz!

Aariz is one!

Too quick! 

He was born on June 16th at 7.36pm. So, around this time last year, Mr.Hubby, Aariz and I were probably still in the birth suite. Aariz was probably just finished his feed and being cuddled by Mr.Hubby and me getting all stitched up. Feels like it was ages ago and yet I still remember everything like it was yesterday.

Today, we did not have a big birthday party or anything like that. We didn't even planned anything. I personally wasn't so sure if anyone would come anyways. Huhuhu... Yesterday, Mr.Hubby and I prayed our evening prayers together and read the Yassin and some Tahlil/Doa Selamat (Quran citations and prayers); Thanking God for Aariz, his health and everything for the past year and for the years to come. Alhamdulillah, InsyaAllah, Ameen. I made some Pulut Kuning with some boiled quail eggs this morning and Mr.Hubby cooked some beef curry. It has always been a tradition of our family to cook the yellow glutinous rice for special occasions. My late Grandmother would always make it for our birthdays and other celebrations. I didn't bake a cake today. It's just me and Mr.Hubby. Chocolate eclairs tomorrow? Maybe. ;-) We didn't do much today apart from going to the market to get some meat.

2-tier yellow glutinous rice with boiled quail eggs. :-)

One hand...

Two hands...

Hhmmmm... ;-)

Linda gave Aariz an early birthday present yesterday. And this afternoon, Helen, Linda's sister came by and gave her present for Aariz. They both are such lovely people!

Yippeee!!!

Playing with Linda's gift.

Present from Helen...

I rolled the doggie over so he can have a sleep, Mama... ;-)

CikYan texted and called. Thank you for the birthday wish! Our dear friend, Jannah also texted and wished Aariz a happy birthday. Oh, thank you for the wish on Facebook CikLimah!

It's been a month now since Aariz started to walk. And he is walking everywhere, all the time! The only time his not moving about is when his asleep. Well, he does roll over and spin around while his sleeps sometimes. Heh...

Happy birthday, Aariz!

Cheers!

one.. two.. three..

May 16, 2012 - Aariz is 11 months.

One of his favourite spots - under the chair...

Last week, Friday, was a pretty historic day for us - Mr.Hubby and I that is. Aariz took his first few steps. Woohooo!!! He was doing squats (squatting and standing up, squatting and standing up...) over and over all day earlier that week. He then stands up by himself almost all the time since. He then crawls like Spiderman; on hands and feet and not hand and knees like the usual crawl. Huhuhu...  He still does that sometimes. Few days before Friday, he took very little wobbly steps; almost like dragging his feet for about 3 steps before throwing himself to Mr.Hubby who's holding some grapes. Yes, he was after the grapes. Talk about motivation, eh?! ;-) We were at the Friday's prayers at the Kawana community centre when Aariz took about 3 firm steps. He was after another boy's toy. Aariz then probably realize it was faster if he crawls. And later at home that day, all day, he was constantly trying to put his foot up and walk, but eventually lets himself fall to the floor to sit or crawl instead. It's fine. We are not too stress on him walking just yet. Him just crawling around put ourselves on edge most of the time anyways. Huhuhu...

Last week we saw Aariz's upper teeth started to grow. There's two of them. He was a bit fussy the week before. I supposed the teeth was cutting through his gums then. Must be so annoying! But he's as always manageable; nothing too serious. ;-) He's wanting to eat what we're eating so he's had heaps of new food like prunes, bikkies, fish, homemade meatballs, spaghetti and vegie soup with rice. I gave up trying to feed him with his bowl and spoon. Instead I just feed him with my hands (suap) before I eat or as I was eating. Heh... He's able to get himself out of his Bumbo seat now so we probably need a highchair very soon. Sometimes it's just so much work to feed him with him crawling everywhere. Huhuhu...

He's got smelly smelly poo!!! No surprise there, eh??!!! There's this one time few weeks back when he actually almost had a taste of his own poo. Tell me about it, yuck!!! Huhuhu... Well, I usually change his nappy once his wakes up every morning. That particularly morning, I didn't and his nappy was about to burst as he decided to take a poopy. And evidently, the nappy bursts, and poo was everywhere. He was across the living room when saw him picking up something from the carpet and was about to put it in his mouth. I called out his name and his little finger with the thing landed just below his lower lip. Yeah, you guessed it, his own poo! He went in the showers straight away and Mr.Hubby cleaned up the mess. Thank God for Mr.Hubby not working. It was a Sunday. ;-) I told my sister, Yan the next day and she told me to write it in my diary. So yes, this is the diary. Hehehe!

Still haven't had the chance to take videos of Aariz walking. I do have this one video of him turning on the TV. Yeah, ever since he learned how to do it, he'll just turn it on and off whenever he feels like it.

He's also not afraid of the vacuum cleaner anymore. He used to get all panicky and run to one of us for scared that the vacuum cleaner will get him everytime it's turned on. Nowadays, he'll be helping me out! Hehe... Oh and he also loves keeping the drawer of my study table as well as the TV stand's cabinet 'tidy'. Huhuhu...

I got this covered, Mama! ;-)

Whatcha looking at??? Huhuhu...

 
Cheers!

The Apple of My Eye

Eating the apple just takes too much energy!

Morning snack or morning nap??!!! Hihihi...

Would not let go... Huhuhu...

Cheers!

Splash! Splash!

Finally. 

I've finally uploaded a video on my YouTube account. It's a video of Aariz, of course. Huhuhu... 

We had been planning to try out this pool for ages and we finally did earlier last month. He just loves the water!!! The pool fits all three of us but we couldn't really do much in it. Hihihi... Oh the pool was a gift from our dear friends in Brisbane. We should have tried it out earlier. Nowadays it's getting too cold and it's been raining almost everyday on the Coast. Can't wait to have Aariz play in his pool again. Come on sunny days! :-)

Cheers!

Bonjour!

I know! It's been a while. Huhuhu...

It's been a while since I had the chance to be online long enough to really check my emails, read blogs and reply facebook massages. So, posting a blog entry is just impossible. But this morning, I have checked and replied my emails, replied facebook messages and managed to blog hopped a bit. I even had the time to find some references for my research, had a lil bit of a read and printed them out. Woohoo!!! Cemerlang u! Heh... Aariz? Fast asleep on my lap as I go about on the computer. Oh, we're at the Graduate centre. Been here since 6 am this morning. Did a quick stop at the lab while Mr.Hubby looked after Aariz at the carpack. He then went to work. We left the house at 5.15 am! Huhuhu...

Anyways, since Aariz's emergency visit to the hospital, we had friends over and went fishing along the river in front of our house (twice), we went home to Malaysia for 2 weeks for my sister's wedding, watched a lot of DVDs at home (and stayed home on off days because Mr.Hubby and I were too tired to do anything else!) and spent time in Uni at odd hours. Huhuhu... Aariz though is doing a lot of new things. By 8 months;

He's sitting well without support.
Although there was a few occasions when he'll just lose his balance resulting in a small bump on his head.

He's crawling!
He kinda pushed himself forward for 2-3 weeks to move around until he was able to actually crawl. He did some bottom shuffling too then. Hehe...

He was also able to push himself up to a standing position on furnitures.
Exciting at first for Mr.Hubby and I but it then became a lil bit scary until now we just got used to it. Yeah, falls are truly inevitable nowadays. Huhuhu...

He's quite talkative!
Making lots of cooing, mumbling, and all sorts of sounds whenever he feels like it. Wonder where he gets it from?! Heh..

He has 2 bottom teeths!
Ouch?!!! Huhuhu...

Aariz's up! I should probably continue this next time. Soon. I hope. Heh...

Till next time.

Cheers!

eMErGeNCy

Allergic Reaction

Mr.Hubby and I were too excited to have Aariz eating like us, we've forgotten that he's just not ready yet. He had only tried rice cereal, pureed carrots, melons, sweet potato, and potato. I kinda know Aariz needs to try other type of food before going for banana milk rusks but yes, I gave him one anyway earlier today. What were we thinking?! We did not! Huhuhu...

Aariz happily had the rusk around 1.30 pm. He was a bit fussy and had trouble falling to sleep for his nap around 2. As I was putting him down, I realized there were more rashes on his chest than his usual eczema rash. Few minutes later, his ears started to turn red. Then these mosquito-bite-marks-like rashes (bintat-bintat) appeared on his face and at the back of his neck. Mr.Hubby and Salman had a look at Aariz and they both think something is wrong. So, when Aariz's eyelid starts to swell, we decided to take him to the hospital. Salman drove us to Mater Hospital and dropped us at the children's emergency. We arrived there by 3.30 with Aariz's face almost swollen and he was so irritable (poor Aariz!). After a brief registration and panicky explanation to the baby nurse, a Pediatrician had a looked at Aariz. Medications was given to reduce the itchiness and the allergic reaction. She told us they have to monitor Aariz for at least 4 to 6 hours.

After vomiting his first round of medications. Ears still swollen. :-(

 After a short nap and the second round of medications as he vomited everything the first time, Aariz's condition started to get better. He had a quick feed and after a short nap, Aariz was his cheerful and friendly self again. It was as if nothing had happened. What a relief! Alhamdulillah. 

I'm all good and ready to go!

Just realized there's something on his toe...

Now, how do I get this thing off me?!

 The pediatrician had a last look at Aariz and we were finally allowed to go home by 7 pm.

The whole ordeal lasted about 5 hours but it felt like ages. I almost cried while explaining to the baby nurse what happened at the registration counter but didn't. Luckily for me, Mr.Hubby was so calm and cool. Thank you! And thank you to Salman and Intan too.

So yeah, that was our first day of the year.

Happy New Year 2012!

Cheers!

Xmas Pressie!

Thank You Aunty Denni! ;)

Aariz's just love it! Yummy?!!! Huhuhu...

Oh and Aariz got a letter from Santa! Woohoo!

All the way from the North Pole! ;-)

Aariz's such a good boy! ;-)

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers!

Mumbo Bumbo

Thank you Abah (Daddy)!

Last week, Mr.Hubby bought a baby seat for Aariz.

Woohoo! :-)

It’s the world’s 1st and only. BumboTM; A baby seat that REALLY works! As said on the box. :-) 

I’ve been planning to get this for Aariz since he was about 4 months. I have been Google-ing it and checking it out on Gumtree, etc for good deals. I thought it could be an extra hand for me. Especially whenever Aariz decides he needs to have me in front of him at all time. The rocker/seater thingy is kinda helpful but Aariz needs to be strapped on or he would fall over. Such a wiggly boy! (Takleh dok diam! Huhuhu..) And he is usually not too keen on the strap thus would only seat on it for a lil bit. I felt that the BumboTM seat would be better but everytime I mentioned it to Mr.Hubby, he would just ignore me. Huhuhu… Until last week when were browsing in a baby store and saw the BumboTM seat, Mr.Hubby looked interested. After Aariz had a try on the seat, it was a done deal. We did not get the tray as we thought we don’t really need it. Well, maybe later. ;-) Aariz loves it and it is definitely a big help for me and Mr.Hubby. I do try to not seat him in it for too long. So now Aariz can play and roll around on his playmat, sits in his BumboTM seat to watch me eat, cook or hang the wash and stuff, or sit on his rocker and watch his mobile or fishes. So much to keep him occupied. Yeay! Haha! Oh yeah, we bought fishes for Aariz. Friends of ours was kind enough to give us a small bowl/aquarium thingy complete with pebbles, oxygen pump and tubes after watching how excited Aariz was watching their fishes in their huge aquarium at their house last few weeks. Thank you!!! We just had to buy some fishes, fish food and water neutraliser to get rid of the chlorine. I think. Heh…

Oh and a day after Aariz got his BumboTM seat, he got his 6-months-shots. Huhuhu… He cried as the needle went in but he was fine right after. He seemed a bit tired the next morning but was his usual self later in the afternoon. Thank goodness he was not down with a fever or kicked up a fuss as the midwife said some babies would. Alhamdulillah. Aariz’s such a good boy! Hehehe… Aariz also had a check up. He’s all healthy and weighed in at 8.17kg and 71cm long. As for his eczema, we kinda stopped using any soap during his bath. Just water. And we don’t use any cream or baby powder except for the cream our GP prescribed if his eczema flares up. And the basic emollient to moisturise his skin when it’s dry. He still scratches himself though, as well as anything else he feels like scratching! Huhuhu… Oh well, as long as he’s happy. Hee…

Stranger lady: “How old is bubba?”

Me: “He’s 6 months.” (Can’t believe how fast time flies!) :-)

Cheers!

First flight, First fall...

Last week, Sunday (December 4^th), Aariz went on his first flight. Woohoo! It was a very early start to the day. We stayed at a friend’s place in Brisbane the night before. The flight was scheduled for departure at 5.30 am, so we had to be at the airport by 4.30 am. It took about 20-30 minutes to get to the airport from our friend’s so we were all up by 3 am; including Aariz. We tried to be as quiet as we can to keep him asleep but I guess he just didn’t want to miss out. He was smiling and such a good boy upon waking up. But he did fall back to sleep once we got in the car. Huhuhu... So, after Subuh prayers, we were on our way. Salman and Intan dropped us at the airport and help us look after the car. They’ll also be picking us up when we come back the next day. Yeah, it was a pretty short trip. Oh yeah, we were actually going to Canberra. We have to personally hand in our application to register Aariz’s birth and for his Malaysian passport to the High Commission of Malaysia. No, we can’t have it mailed. Ridiculous eh?! Well, that’ll be another story altogether. Heh... 

Anyways, we did not have any checked-in baggage but we did bring along Aariz’s stroller. So, after checking-in using one of the Virgin Australia’s self-check-in machines, we went to the baggage drop-off counter. We were so clueless! Jakun sebenarnye kot... Haha! Mr.Hubby was all ready to check-in the stroller when we were told that we don’t necessarily have to do it then. It turns out we could pass the stroller to the ground crew at the boarding gate as soon as it opens if we wanted to. It’s certainly more convenient so we just got the tag for the stroller and we’re on our way. Brisbane’s domestic terminal was surprisingly quite busy. Not crazy busy as when we got back from Canberra the next evening but I didn’t think anyone else was as crazy as us to get a 5 o’clock in the morning flight. Great minds think alike I guess – cheaper flight tickets save money. Hahaha! We decided to go through security and wait around the boarding hall. We were all over security! Should the stroller be folded and put through the scanner or just wheel it through? Take out the toys on the stroller and put in the tray or just leave them? Carry the baby through or put him in the tray through the scanner?! Hahaha! The last one was made up but yeah it was a bit of a scene. It was as if the security officers have never dealt with passengers with a baby that have their strollers with them. Oh, I was also tested for drugs! Huhuhu... Anyway, all was good. We went to get a bottle of juice, a packet of sandwich and a bottle of water (that costs us a crazy $17! I’ve forgotten how expensive airports can be!). We were thinking of having a bite before boarding, but turns out it was time to board. A crew actually came to us and asked if we could pass the stroller to her (which is nice!) and then we actually got to board the flight straightaway. First ones on board! Woohoo! Haha! I was a bit nervous as I did not read or search the internet to find out how it would be or what to do when on flights with a baby. I just asked my sister, Yan. She told me the crew will have an infant seatbelt for Aariz if it’s a short flight and we could request for a bassinet if it’s a long one. And to have Aariz sucking on something for take-offs and landings meaning me feed Aariz. Huhuhu... True enough, a crew came to me and hand me the infant seatbelt. I’ve never used it before so she showed me how it works. Pretty easy, Aariz’s seatbelt was the same as ours but he’s could be slide onto mine, so it’s like we’re connected, inseparable. Heh... Aariz played a bit and we took photos before taking off. The take-off, was a breeze and Aariz slept all the way through. So did the parents! Huhu... Aariz didn’t wake up until we were truly in the arrival hall in Canberra airport. By the way, what’s with the airport? We were impressed at first because they have a prayer room but then we realized there was no information centre/counter what-so-ever. There was just a Qantas counter and car-hire counters at the arrivals and check-in counters at the departures a level up. That’s it. Huhuhu... But Canberra city was very interesting. Just wish we could stay longer. Hopefully get to tell about our 2 days there later. Anyway, the flight back to Brisbane was busier but Aariz was fine. Slept through the flight and was happy as he can be. He didn’t know though how scary the landing was. It wasn’t smooth at all. I was freaking out! The plane was shaking frantically and it seems like it was out of control. But Alhamdulillah everything was fine. We arrived in Brisbane at 6.30 pm and were at Salman and Intan’s by 8 pm. Crazy traffic! Huhuhu... I didn’t really know what to expect when I thought of flying with Aariz for the first time but now that we’ve done it, I could say it was a good experience for us all. 

Are we there, yet?

Wonder what's in front of me...

Heading home people!

Too much back-light?! Huhuhu...

Tak nak duduk diam!

Ready for take-off! Hehehe...

Aariz’s first flight was something we knew would happened weeks before when we booked the tickets and all but the next thing that happened, I did not see this coming at all. Aariz had his first fall Saturday night (really hope it’s the last too!). He fell off the bed! Luckily our room has built in carpets, quite thick comfy ones. Huhuhu... Nonetheless, the moment seeing him face-down on the carpet after the fall was a sight I would remember forever. I don’t think I could forget! Never leave a baby that has learned to roll over on the bed by himself. Lesson learned; unfortunately the hard way for me! I’ve just bathed Aariz and he was all wrapped in his towel. I was about to dress him when I realized I did not have his clothes. So, I went to grab it. I was sure that I left him in the middle of the bed but as I turned around having his PJs in my hand, I heard Aariz cried and saw him on the floor. Mr.Hubby was frying out some squids when this happened but he came running towards Aariz just as I did. Both of us were frantically checking Aariz for any scratch or bruise or anything and trying to figure out if he’s in pain anywhere on his body. After a cuddle and my boobies, Aariz was all calm and gave us a smile. He then played a bit like his usual self and went to sleep not long after. I was still a bit shaky later that night and even thinking about it as I write this, I feel so bad and wished I was more careful. Mr.Hubby and I sometimes asked ourselves and tried to imagine how Aariz managed to roll over in a blink of an eye and fell. We also wished it didn’t happen but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now. Thank God Aariz’s fine and we’ll definitely be more careful and always have Aariz supervised. InsyaAllah. 

A week it was. 

Cheers!

Kring kringgg

Check out my new phone, everyone!! ;-)

Yes, we finally did bought a toy mobile phone for Aariz. Well, Mr.Hubby did. It was on sale at Woolies.  It says "Hello!" when you flip it open and "Goodbye!" when you close it. It has a mouse, cat or dog display and buttons that play sounds or short tunes. OKlah... Aariz did push the buttons and he keep flipping the phone open and close at one time. Unintentionally?! Huhuhu... Well, the toy is supposedly for 6 months+ babies but Aariz will turn 6 months in 2 weeks. Should be fine, right? Oh yeah, we got him a teething thingy too.

New toy! Let us see what we can do with it...

The blue flower/ring thingy - teething thingy...

As with everything else, I'll need to have a taste! ;-)

Cheers!

PS: Call me at 22749-32-2883! Hehehe...

rolling over

It was November 6th when Aariz first rolled over onto his tummy. Then he didn't do it again till about over a week later. Can't believe I forgot when the actual day was but that day was Aariz's rolling over day! Mr.Hubby and I were so excited! We were cheering him on each time he rolled over but then of course we had to help him roll over onto his back again. Yeah, still not able to do it. Well, he did a few times roll over from his tummy onto his back by himself a few times, but he also managed to bump his head a little then. Huhuhu..

Apart from rolling over, he's been reaching for everything and putting anything he can grab into his mouth for a while now. Even his toes! Also, what is it with mobile phones and remote controls, eh?!!! Been thinking of buying one of each for Aariz. The toy that is but at the moment, it's like at the bottom of the list. We might end up not getting either one. Huhuhu...

He still can't sit by himself. I just read that it'll probably happen when his about 6-7 months. Aariz is sitting with support. There are times when he would not want to lie down but sit upright instead. Lucky we have this rocker/sitter thingy. Aariz would usually sit there for a fair bit and play on his own. :-)

I think Aariz's developments are generally spot on. He'll turn 6 months on December 16th. Hope he continues to grow strong and healthy. And be a happy baby! :-) InsyaAllah.

Check me out! ;-)

Cheers!

Bad Mama!

Bled Aariz's finger.

I did this when he was 2 weeks old. Well, it was definitely unintentional. It was my second attempt in clipping his fingernails and halfway through, I cut his finger instead. PANIC!!! The blood just kept flowing and so did my tears! Huhuhu... Mr. Hubby tried his hardest to calm me done but to no avail. I finally went knocking on our neighbour's door, Noeline and after a big hug and "oh, bubba's gonna be fine!" from her, I stopped crying and so did the blood. I guess it's just something to do with having an experienced mum comforting you and my hormones were definitely everywhere then. It took me a while to have the courage to trim Aariz's fingernails again. Nowadays, I'm always extra careful eventhough I've done it lots of time. Something good did came out of the incident, eh?!

Let Aariz fall asleep on me breasts.

Eat. Play. Sleep.

That's how it should be done. We went pretty well for the first 3 months, but as Aariz grew bigger I started to slack. Okay, I was probably too tired or too lazy. Not good, eh?! Can't help it though!  It is a big no-no here to let the baby fall asleep on your breasts. They say it'll be hard for the mother on the long run. So how?!!

Aariz sleeps with us on the bed.

And because of the above, sometimes Aariz ends up in bed with Mr.Hubby and I. Co-sleeping. I know, Aariz should be in his own cot. But again, it's just so much easier to put him back to sleep by giving him some "love" and I can get to sleep right away too. Huhuhu...

Aariz has no routine

I kinda know when he wakes up in the morning, when he'll have a very dirty nappy, when he'll want to have his morning nap and when he's hungry. But other than that, I usually just go with the flow. Or he'll go with my flow if I bring him to Uni with me. Huhuhu... Oh yeah, he'll usually goes to sleep around 7-8pm. Usually on my breasts. Hhmmm...

Fail to cut dairy off my diet.

We thought one of the reason for Aariz's eczema is he's dairy intolerance. Honestly, I didn't stop consuming dairy based food entirely. I only managed not to eat cheese and milk. I still can't resist a piece or two cadbury chocolate, milo with a teaspoon of condensed milk or ice cream once in a while! *sigh* Mr.Hubby reckons the eczema is just something that will pass as Aariz grew, and has nothing to do with what I eat. I really hope so. For now, Aariz's eczema is under control but it's still there. The red patches of rash on his arms and thighs, and tiny red dots on his cheeks and chest; sometimes they get really red while you can't really notice them other times. But I just can't help feeling bad for Aariz as I look at other babies that have clear, no rash what-so-ever skin though. :-(

Itchy Scratchy

I guess the eczema could be itchy, but we really hope it's not too bad and scratching is just a really bad habit of Aariz's and that it will soon pass. Aariz keep scratching himself vigorously sometimes. It used to be the scalp but nowadays it's the face and arms. Usually when he's asleep. We feel like people would think we're abusing him when they see Aariz's scars! I've been trimming his fingernails and smoothing any rough edges evert other day. What more can I do?

Woke up one morning and saw this. *sigh*

I hope I'm doing a good job anyways. Some say do what suits you and bubba the best. Well, I sure do hope for the best!

A rare recent photo of decent me and my lil boy. ;-)

Cheers!

A day too late!

Can't believe I missed the 11.11.11 day! Huhuhu... Well, we didn't feel like recharging our prepaid internet account hence no internet at home and I didn't make it to Uni yesterday. So, there goes an entry for 11.11.11. Haha! Anyways, hope everyone had a good day and I heard my cousin's wedding went well. Alhamdulillah.

This will be a quick entry. Just finish some work in the lab after some shopping at BigW and heading home soon. 

Whatcha looking at?! ;-)

Cheers!

PS: Aariz is now 7.4kg and 6.6cm! Woohoo! :-)

Eczema and Me

The last 2 weeks have been - all about Aariz. Hold on. Hasn't it always been about Aariz since he was born?! Huhuhu... Well, the last 2 weeks was more intense I guess. I was and still am obsessed about Aariz's eczema. Yes. Eczema. *Sigh* I burst into tears the other day while dressing Aariz up after his bath but I'm now less worried and annoyed on seeing my lil boy covered with patches of red and not-so-nice-looking rash (which turns out to be eczema) all around his body, and his cheek and ears are all red. It started with what we thought as milk rash around his face when he was about 8 weeks. I was frantically wiping his face especially near the mouth and cheek with warm damp cloth after every feed but it got worse. When we took him for his 2-month shot, his cheeks were bright red and a bit dry and scaly. I knew something was wrong and the doctor said it's probably infant eczema which is pretty common. He gave us a cream which later I found out was steroid base cream. It did clear up the rash in 1-2 days. But after that, the rashes came back and haven't gone away (yet!) ever since. It even spread all over Aariz's body; shoulders, arms, chest, tummy, thighs, calves and yesterday, his back; patches of coin shaped rash. I've been reading a lot on the internet; I need to stop before I go crazy! Haha! I decided to meet with the baby nurse at the Chemist just 15 minutes walk from where we live last Tuesday. We talked a bit about how Aariz and me are doing, etc and then she straightaway asked me about Aariz's rash. She had a look at all the rashes on Aariz and said that from her experience (Aariz's rashes are scaly and dry, and he has cradle cap), it looks like Aariz could have an allergic reaction of some sort to food and it could be milk protein a.k.a dairy products Although the nurse did say it could be something else as Aariz doesn't always have tummy upsets, never experienced diarrhea, his poo is only sometimes green and he's gaining weight pretty well. Oh yeah, at 14 weeks, Aariz is now 6.8kg and he's 63cm long. The nurse gave me some contacts of skin and allergic specialists for me to refer to later if things doesn't get better. But in the meantime, because Aariz is fully breastfeeding, my diet needs to change. So,  I'm cutting off all dairy for the next 2-3 weeks. I really hope Aariz's eczema gets better with this change of diet and that Aariz will grow out of this dairy intolerance (if he actually is) and the eczema. InsyaAllah. I didn't really want to talk about Aariz's eczema at first. I guess I kinda think I don't want to 'attract' it even more but I just had to get it out of my system. It's killing me from the inside!!! Huhuhu! Apart from the eczema, Aariz is growing up strong and healthy. He feeds and sleeps well, and cooing and smiling and laughing a lot. He has discovered his hands for quite some time now; staring at them and shoving them in his mouth. He also learned to scratch himself (thanks to the eczema) which made him bleed sometimes resulting in me putting mittens on him again recently especially when he sleeps (how fast do the nails grow?!!). Mr. Hubby prefer not to have the mittens on because the mittens do get yucky with Aariz's saliva! Huhuhu... His legs are getting stronger everyday. He could kick and kick and actually move himself without realizing it. He is also able to lift up his bum pretty high when he's lying down. He'll have tummy time and he just keep his head up for ages. Aariz likes to play by himself at times; he gets all restless and starts to cry when me or Mr. Hubby's cuddling him but once we put him down on his playmat, he stops crying and starts playing. How cool is that?!! But don't get me wrong, he does have his clingy, I-want-to-be-on-your-lap and unsettled times. Aariz also loves when we read to him. Provided he's in the mood. ;-)  He loves his cars mobile on his cot and talks to it sometimes! ;-) I still can't help watching him every chance I have. I guess I'm not just obsessed with Aariz's eczema, I'm obsessed with Aariz, eh??!!! Heh...

Hhmmm... as for my studies; I sometimes feel like giving up. :-( Don't worry. It's just a feeling. I'm currently lacking motivation and some moral support. Well, Mr. Hubby and everyone in the lab are very understanding, supportive and helpful. But not having the same vibe from your own supervisor, it just gets to me. I don't expect her to e-mail me everyday and give words of encouragements and stuff, but I sure don't appreciate her talking negative things to people about me behind my back. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not but the people that she talks to, talks to me too. Why wouldn't she discuss with me directly? *sigh* Half of me wants to prove her wrong but half of me feels like I'd rather stay home and not go to Uni and do any work. Rebellious eh??!!! I know, I know. I should work even harder and prove her wrong; having a baby does not stop someone from finishing her PhD. I am at the moment getting some things done i.e. progress report, literature review, ordering lab stuff, reading, etc even if I'm not working in the lab all the time. Do I need to explain myself? *sigh* Hopefully I'll get over this unmotivated phase A.S.A.P!

Thank God for Mr. Hubby! I'm lucky he's him. He puts up with my constant whining with Aariz's eczema and never gives up in making me go to the lab, even when he's so tired after work. I need to pay more attention to him. I just recently knew that he gets bullied at work sometimes. He didn't tell me earlier as he doesn't want to worry me. Racism - Muslim. I guess I just got used to it. Mr. Hubby seems to have too. Oh well, we just can't let those people get to us, eh? I know Aariz is Mr. Hubby's biggest motivation and that both of us must always be happy and provide a positive environment for Aariz to grow healthily; physically, mentally and emotionally. And as long as we have each other, it's all that matters. I love him!

I have photos of Aariz's eczema but couldn't really be bothered to upload it. So, here's a reading link and photos (although Aariz's not that bad), if you're curious. I now leave you with a comic strip below;

Huhuhu...

Cheers!

Fish Surrogate ;-)

I'm on the verge of breaking down.

I guess I'm just so tired and there's so much in my mind.

 Now that Mr. Hubby's working and he's usually so tired after work, I ended up doing almost everything. Too much. So overwhelming. I supposed I just need time to get use to things. But seriously, I need help! Huhuhu...

Anyways, I am now at Uni with Aariz. We've been here since 12 noon. We're at the Graduate centre at the moment and Aariz's sleeping. I went to a research talk earlier. It was so nice! It has been a while since I attended any kind of seminars/talks, etc. Glad I did that. The talk was so interesting and worth the bus ride to Uni. ;-) Germ cell transplantation in marine fish or in simpler terms, surrogate breeding technology in fish. So relieved that I can still understand and enjoy what the speaker presented! Hahaha!



Random cartoon from http://www.auburn.edu/~mathest/nufs2000.html. Hehe.. 

Denni watched over Aariz while I went for the talk. I was a bit nervous to leave him with Denni for a whole hour, but all's good! Alhamdulillah. :-)

Well, need to go pray before Aariz wakes up.

Till next time.

Cheers!