Of Rainbows and Dead Fish

While browsing through the Times warehouse book sale last week, a thought crossed my mind. I wanted to find a copy of Laskar Pelangi. After reading about it on my friend’s blog here, I was quite curious on how an Indonesian bestseller novel could inspire her to write such a post (she was ready to take a flight out to Indonesia to find the writer to give him a hug... yes very dramatic!).

Unfortunately, my mind was on the Raoul sale downstairs, to actually spend the time rummaging through stacks and stacks of unorganized books. So, no Laskar Pelangi just yet.

Then a few days ago, the song Laskar Pelangi by Nidji was playing on the car CD player. I decided to tell hubby on my latest reading conquest. Considering how I am always reading English books (ala ala Melayu tak sedar diri), I wanted his opinion on my first attempt at a Melayu book.


Me: Yang, you tau tak Laskar Pelangi is actually the name of a bestseller Indonesian book, and after reading about it dari my friend’s blog, I think I nak baca jugak lah.

Him: Hahahahahahaha... you nie Bahasa Indonesia pun tak faham, nak baca buku Indonesia pulak. Do you even know what Laskar Pelangi means?

Me: YES!!!! *temper rising* Laskar means askar, and Pelangi means rainbow lah!

Him: Hahahahahahaha... Laskar is Askar? Hahahahahaha!!!

Me: Betul lah!!! *bloody angry* Kawan I tulis macam tuh! She said Laskar Pelangi is Soldiers of the Rainbow!

Him: Hahahahaha!!!!! (while clutching his perut in an effort to contain his laughter)

Me: *^%*%*$*$*^%$*^ Malas layan you!


So... again, no Laskar Pelangi just yet.

Then yesterday, I was reading this blog – and his latest entry was on the same book! Again, heaping praises on the book. Life changing apparently. And when he wrote, in his humble opinion, that the Laskar Pelangi movie fared way better than the latest Transformers movie, I felt like forcing hubby to drive me to the nearest bookstore to get the book! Bistra bistra!!

Unfortunately, hubby was down in the dumps. A disease had ravaged the life of someone close to him. Yes – some disease has infected his beloved koi pond, subsequently killing 3 of his 5 newly bought ‘fishys’. And claimed the life of one ‘resident fishy’ (a name we give to any fish that has resided in the pond for more than a month).

Fishy... may you rest in peace. We mourn for you, and may you have a happier life in heaven without cats and diseases and everything that makes you sad.

The koi pond hubby so meticulously tends to every weekend. Full of mold which hubby claims “makes the kolam look authentic!”. Whatever lah darling!!!

So again... no Laskar Pelangi just yet. Soon... Soon...................

Unbelievable, Nuby!

Unbelievable! That was what I said to Bibik when she said Aiden refused to drink from the Nuby bottle, brand new from the recent shopping spree at Robinsons. The Nuby Soft Air Natural Nurser Breast Size Nipple – to be exact! Despite the Nuby’s promise of easing the transition from breast to bottle with its silicone nipple with a natural soft feel and shape which closely mimic’s a mother’s breast, I was again deceived and left bewildered at Aiden’s choice of teats.

I am actually quite lucky. I bought an Avent newborn starter set way back when Aiden was still called by his female name. Oh, didn’t I tell you that dear Dr Aziz told me on my birthday that I was carrying a girl? And the excited Mummy and Daddy went shopping for frilly skirts and painted the nursery pink, only to be told a month later that our baby was spouting an elephant trunk. Oh I’m being nasty.

Anyway, Aiden accepted the Avent bottles during his first 2 weeks of life, but started to reject it soon after. Upon advise from Iza and her experience with Ayesha, I sent hubby to the nearest baby store to get a MAM bottle. And thankfully, he drinks from it. The Avent bottles are currently banned to the world of collecting expressed breast milk, never to touch Aiden’s lips again.

I have a friend who had to go through 7 types of bottles. She stopped at lucky number 7 because her baby girl decided that bottle number 7 was the one for her. So yes, I am lucky.

Now why did I get that Nuby’s bottle again? Shopaholic, that’s what I am.

Of The Biggest Loser and Warehouse Sales

It has been three days since I last updated this blog on my attempt to get Aiden to sleep in the Playpen. And since then, I have accepted that my nightly futile efforts are all in vain. Does that make me a lousy Mummy? Nope, it only means that I treasure my night sleep. Haha... do sympathise, I am trying desperately to make myself feel better. Every night I would put Aiden in the playpen fast asleep, only to have him wake me up bleary eyed two hours (or three hours if I am lucky) later. And I would almost always give him his feeding vertically, which also leads to me back to lala land, and Aiden warm and happy underneath the covers in between his two favourite people in the whole wide world. Therefore Operation Playpen is now obsolete. It looks easier in print, than when done. However, I shall at least put Aiden in his Playpen before Mummy and Daddy retreats to bed – it is the very least that I can do to ensure that me and hubby get our “quality time” together, where we whisper in the dark about house renovations, pre-school fees (do you know that pre-school costs as much as a degree at an IPTA would per term??), share our maid woes, gossip about just about everyone and anyone, and plan our weekend! Oh also to get Aiden used to the Playpen, for the resurrection of Operation Playpen when Aiden turns 3 or 4 months... not years, mind you!

Enough about my failure, and back to the title of this post - my story on what happened yesterday. After leaving Aiden safe in the hands of Bibik, I left for a scrumptious salad lunch in Nandos with a few colleagues. Salad??!! *gasp!* Yes, I am capable of having salad, thank you very much. After lunch, I headed straight to the office for my weigh in. Weigh in? *gasp!* What the hell is going on?

Yes, that’s right. In an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle (and to ensure that their experienced hires don’t conk out and die from a heart attack due to the stress inflicted by work), the Deepwater office decided to split all its workers into 4 different coloured “houses” – red, green, yellow and blue. And each house sends its finest to compete in various sports. And the Red house decided that I was worthy of the Biggest Loser challenge. Haha. I think they were impressed with the 20kg lost from the pregnancy, and thought that they would win by having me in the team. Hmm... or am I just comforting myself here?

For the Biggest Loser challenge, each house nominates six participants, and each team is assigned a personal trainer. The trainer then forces his team through various cardiovascular and muscle building training. After 8 weeks, each team is weighed and measured again, and the accumulated weight and inches lost for each team would determine the winner.

So I had my first weigh in yesterday, where I clocked an impressive certain kilograms. And an impressive certain inches around the hips. Then my first meeting with fellow team members and our personal trainer. First order of the day: stand on one leg with your eyes closed for at least a minute. Easier said than done. I clocked a lousy 3 seconds on my left leg, and another lousy 15 seconds on my right. Second order of the day: training starts next Friday at the KLCC Park. Be prepared to run.

I am not going to let my team down. Which explains the salad. And why I was on the treadmill twice this week. And why I am feeling very very very hungry now.

After the weigh in, I drove to Klang to join one of my girlfriends, Iza at the Toys R’ Us warehouse sale. On my way there, I decided to drag another girlfriend, soon-to-be-Mum, Dayang, so I drove by Bukit Jelutong to pick her up. After 15 minutes of moaning about moving to Shah Alam and the subsequent misery of traffic jams to work much to the chagrin of the Shah Alam resident , we arrived at Centro, Klang. Lo and behold, it was like a land full of warehouse sales! Not only was Toys R’ Us on sale, so was Times Bookstore. And FJ Benjamin which houses Guess, Raoul and La Senza, has a store on the ground selling last season’s designs.

I went into Toys R’ Us with a practical mindset. Buy only practical items. Forget the fact that gaji baru masuk. Toyed around with the idea of getting a playgym for Aiden, but Aiden already has one, why would he need another? Wanted to buy a toy slide which we can install in the garden of the new house, but they weren’t selling any. Iza showed me a couple of items that she bought for her girl, Ayesha. However they were too advanced for Aiden’s age. Dayang was going crazy at the apparel section. However, Aiden has a ton of clothes. At last I bought a toy fit for a 6 month old, and 2 Sesame Street VCDs of nursery rhymes. Not so much for Aiden, but more for Daddy who’s getting a bit rusty on the lullabies.

Advanced on to Times Bookstore, where I thumbed through a copy of The Dummy’s Guide to Healthy Cooking. Weighed the odds of actually using it. Nil, nada, zilch. Returned it to the stack of books. Hunted around for some chick lit (see, I’m not ashamed of admitting it!). Unfortunately nothing new to add to my collection of Cecilia Ahern. But something caught my eye, it was a black paperback with Darth Vader and a Doll on the cover, a book entitled Man and Wife. Written by Tony Parsons, it is a sequel to the book Man and Boy which is a million copy bestseller. Read the reviews on the cover and decided to get both. I am such a sucker for tear-jerkers!

After buying a shirt at Raoul, I decided to call it a day. Unfortunately, Dayang wasn’t quite done and she successfully convinced me to visit the Robinson’s VIP sale. By that time I was missing Aiden quite a bit, so I decided to swing by home to pick up Aiden and Bibik. In Robinsons, I was contemplating on a Fisher Price high seat. Fortunately the practical side of me reminded myself that RM599 is a lot of money when I can get a no-frills high seat for a much cheaper price in Ikea. Wow, hubby would be so proud of me!

By the time we got home, Aiden was sleepy and cranky. I was eager to start on my book. Left hubby with dodoi-ing duties, while I read the first few pages. The thing about me is that, once I start on a book, I cannot stop. Therefore by the time I forced myself to stop, hubby was already fast asleep.

Shopping spree: 1 Playskool toy, 2 Sesame Street VCDs, 1 Ladybird laundry bag, 2 books, 1 girder, 1 Raoul shirt, 1 Nuby bottle, 3 Pigeon bottle cleansers and 2 Adam Kids tops.

The damage: ~RM400. Not too bad, I’ve had worse shopping sprees and paid ten times worse!

N.B: It is NOT easy to concentrate on a book with a 2 month old baby constantly demanding for your attention. Apart from that, I am currently at page 257, and have cried at least twice, once even sobbing quietly on Aiden’s shoulder. I need happier books.

Dressing Up for Pavilion

Green Giraffe Pumpkin Patch top - RM59.90

White Baby Gap slacks - SG 30 dollars

White mittens - free (hand me down from a fellow cousin)

Grey Baby Gap socks - USD 5 dollars

Grey Mexx shoes - USD 15 dollars

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The look on Daddy's face when he arrived home to pick Mummy & Aiden up for dinner at the Pavilion.....

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PRICELESS!

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Hahaha... corny, I know!

Ala ala advertisement Mastercard la ni...

Aiden’s Maiden Night in the Playpen

We were desperate to start introducing Aiden to sleeping in the Playpen. First off, hubby tosses and turns way too much which causes Aiden to stir restlessly as well (while Mummy prays silently for Aiden to continue sleeping). Secondly, I am bored of sleeping as still as a rock or being overly conscious of all my movements and the sounds of the bed springs. Thirdly, erm... three’s a crowd? Fourthly, this co-sleeping business has to stop soon, because if it continues too long, it will be extremely hard to separate Aiden from this habit. Furthermore, he needs to start learning to fall asleep on his own.

According to the book “What To Expect The First Year”, this separation can be attempted once he outgrows the physiological need for frequent feedings during the night. Aiden usually wakes up once or twice for his night feedings, so I decided to give it a go. Furthermore, I am still on extended maternity leave, therefore climbing out of bed once or twice per night does not sound too bad.

12:30am: Aiden fast asleep downstairs in his infant sleeper on the couch downstairs while Mummy & Daddy watches a poorly pirated copy of Angels and Demons.

12:50am: Mummy places Aiden in his Playpen for the very first time (Playpen previously served as a space to store freshly laundered clothes... haha)

1:10am: Mummy finally went under the bed covers. Looked at Daddy, who gave her a smile – and continued typing on his laptop. Iskh! Mummy sighed, and went to sleep.

3:40am: Aiden started whimpering. Looked at Daddy who was sleeping like a baby. Mummy sighed again, and climbed out of bed. Aiden’s eyes were still closed, only his mouth was open. Gave Aiden his night feeding. Placed him in the Playpen again.

3:55am: Aiden stirring restlessly. Mummy did not move an inch.

4:20am: Aiden started crying. Mummy jumped out of bed. Aiden’s eyes were wide awake. Mummy getting cranky. Mummy knows that trying to get Aiden to sleep when his eyes are wide open, would be a challenge, not to mention time consuming. Picked up Aiden, placed him on the bed and started breastfeeding while lying down. Promised myself that I would place him in the Playpen once he dozes off.

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7:30am: Aiden whimpered in his sleep. Mummy woke up startled, looked at the time and cursed herself for not keeping to her promise!

And so it was one failed attempt. Tonight we shall try again, eh Aiden?

Aiden happy that he tricked Mummy into bringing him back into the snuggly warm covers of the adult bed...

Of Michelin Man and a Delicious Dinner

After another afternoon of showing off junior heavy-weight Aiden (who amazingly is as lanky as his 7-month old cousin!) to yet another set of relatives whom haven’t seen him, Mummy and Daddy decided to have an evening out in One Utama.

After strapping Aiden in his carrier, we went around One Utama - Mummy eager to have her dose of retail therapy. It was then that I realised that strollers are pests when it comes to shopping. As hubby was strapped down with Aiden on his chest, I was assigned to stroller duty. Unfortunately, the stroller was too bulky to go in between aisles, and was constantly knocking onto shoes, blouses, pots and pans, heck anything that was in the store! When we bought the stroller back in December (yeah, 4 months before Aiden was due), we were overjoyed to purchase a spacious Maclaren stroller which (we hoped) would last Aiden as a newborn until he turns into a toddler. Regrettably, it would not fit into hubby’s car, it would fit ngam ngam into Baby Beemer – leaving minimal space for luggage and other knick knacks, it space hogs nearly half of a standard elevator and is quite heavy!

Well enough venting about the stroller. After (unsuccessfully) hunting for new shoes and formal blouses in preparation for Mummy’s grand return to work, we decided find a spot for dinner. On our way to Ms Read’s Delicious, we were greeted by none other than... the Michelin Man! They were having a promotion on Michelin Tyres and the mascot was making his rounds, taking pictures with everyone visiting their showcase. And because junior heavy-weight Aiden was dubbed the Michelin Man when he was born because of his arms yang berketak, we desperately wanted a shot with the mascot.

Aiden at 3 days old, with his tangan berketak...Aiden posing with his idol, the Michelin Man!
Michelin Tyres printed a complimentary photo of Aiden with the Michelin Man. Aiden fell asleep right after meeting the Michelin Man, so we continued our way to dinner. Upon arriving at our table, we transferred the sleeping baby to his (very spacious!) stroller. As soon as his head touched the headrest, he opened his eyes curiously and fortunately kept himself very amused with the new noises and bright lights around him. We ordered a salad, sirloin steak and chocolate brownie for dessert. I jokingly told hubby that if Aiden starts crying, it would mean that the food will be arriving soon. Just as I predicted, Aiden started crying for his food, and as I was busy fussing around with the nursing poncho to start breastfeeding the hungry boy, the Delicious food came! Aacckk... very frustrating!

Aiden, literally wide awake, with his eyes wide open.Mummy, glad that Aiden is preoccupied - while silently hoping that the food arrives, pronto!Aiden's shoe peeking out of the nursing poncho.

Daddy on dukung duty while enjoying the salad.

Hubby forced me to snap an "artistic" photo of the salad leaf.

Mummy on dukung duty while enjoying the scumptious Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice-Cream (with Aiden looking greedily on.. hehe).

So that was how our Saturday went. Looks like Sunday would be a stay-at-home day. Hubby wants to do gardening and tend to his fish pond. Looks like I would be keeping myself busy with the internet again. Hmmm......

The Man Aiden calls Daddy!

I am waiting for my cousin Jaja to arrive, for lunch in Pavillion - in an effort for me to reclaim my life. Bored of waiting, I decided to answer the below questions on dear hubby:

1) He’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Usually at 8pm he's glued in front of TV3 for his dose of Bulletin Utama. Usually tells me off when I change the channel to Star World for MY dose of entertainment. On other occasions, it is almost always on ESPN or Star World rooting for “Glory, glory Man United!!!”

2) You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
He loves that oily dressing… I think they call it Italian dressing? Yup! Just googled it on Wikipedia: Italian dressing in United States cooking is a vinaigrette-type salad dressing consisting of a mixture of water, oil, vinegar or lemon juice and a variety of herbs and spices.

3) What’s one food he doesn’t like?
White meat. That means no chicken breast!

4) You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
If it is at our local Kedai Mamak, it’s usually Teh Tarik. If he’s exceptionally thirsty, he’ll order Teh O’ Ais. Not to forget, he’ll usually have “one sip only Sayang!” of my drink – usually Milo Ais or Watermelon Juice.

5) Where did he go to high school?
Skipped UPSR as he attended 6th Grade in the UK. Therefore started off in high school in some school in Kuantan, then after PMR went on to Sek Men Sains Machang (he’s more fluent in Kelantanese than I will ever be!).

6) What size shoes does he wear?
Incidentally, we share the same shoe size. He’s probably half a size bigger which makes him a size 7 and a half. Which also makes him my shoe stealer. Which also means that he would plead for me to buy sneakers, running shoes and Timberland boots that are unisex so that he is able to “borrow” my shoes whenever he wants to. Sharing is caring kononnyer!

7) If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Dust. Haha… and probably unopened bills and credit card statements.

8) What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Two pieces of bread with telur mata kerbau (with runny yoke) and sliced turkey and salad with a dash of mustard and mayo. Chilli sauce and sweet soy sauce optional.

9) What would this person eat every day if he could?
Roti canai at the Kedai Mamak depan rumah.

10) What is his favorite cereal?
Nestle Cornflakes.

11) What would he never wear?
Anything that does not fit him, too snug or too loose included. Very choosy! Which makes shopping with him very frustrating. Prefers slim fit Polo Ralph Lauren shirts over the classic type. Very irritating!

12) What is his favorite sports team?
Manchester United. Aiden has a Man Utd jersey already waiting for him once he’s big enough to fit into it!

13) Who did he vote for?
Definitely the opposition!

14) Who is his best friend?
Depends. He has his lepak gang which includes his co-workers and high school friends. Probably one of them I guess!

15) What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
Nag. I can’t help it, I am such a drama queen!

16) What is his heritage?
Pahang on his Mum’s side, and Perak on his Dad’s side. He was born in Kuantan so I think he thinks of himself as a Pahang boy!

17) What is his favourite colour?
Blue I guess? Maybe black? Or white? Definitely not pink!

18) What is his habit?
He has to sleep on the toilet seat every morning before he has his morning shower. With the Jacuzzi in the new house, I think he will cultivate a new habit of sleeping in the Jacuzzi before his morning shower.

19) What is he proud of?
His bloodline, Aiden Irfan!

20) Lastly, do you think he will read this?
Eventually, when he gets home from Singapore. He is not really IT savvy. He does not mind not having an internet connection, while I would absolutely die without one!

Why?

Why is it that when Aiden is fast asleep and Mummy is just getting ready for bed, and the minute Mummy pulls up the blanket up to her ears, Aiden starts stirring restlessly looking for food?

Why is it that when Mummy and Daddy visits a restaurant with Aiden fast asleep in his stroller, and the minute Mummy’s food arrives, Aiden starts bawling for his own food?

Why is it that Aiden remains fast asleep when there is an incessant banging from the neighbour’s house, but when Mummy tries to tiptoe around the house, Aiden is startled as if Mummy’s extra weight is making a racket banging on the marble floor?

Why is it that when Mummy is trying to write a blog post, the minute Mummy starts typing, Aiden starts screaming for attention?

But then again, why is it that when Aiden is awake in the wee hours of the morning, and his face lights up in a smile upon recognizing his Mummy, my heart cair berbunga bunga??

*drool…….*

A Very Hectic Day!

And so dear hubby is in Singapore for….. (drum roll please…) WORK! Duh! This is his first time away from Aiden and he is absolutely devastated to be berkilometer kilometer away from his Baby Boy (or so I thought)! Well he is devastated, but he is killing his devastation by swimming in the hotel swimming pool, hanging out with his co-workers, window shopping on Orchard Road and watching TV in his comfy hotel room. Hah! When Aiden woke me up at 4:30am yesterday, I was THIS close to texting him to ask him about his “first uninterrupted sleep in two months”! Uurrgghh…

Aiden woke me up again at 7:30am, and all my attempts to coax him back to sleep just didn’t work. He wanted to “talk”. And by “talk”, Aiden needs it to be a two-way conversation. He hates single sided conversations. This also means Mummy has to be awake to sing “Old McAiden had a farm.. eeyyaaa eeyyaa yoooo….” multiple times in the wee hours of the morning. After an hour of subjecting my neighbours to my horrible singsong voice, I decided to call it quits. Hell, the neighbours had to endure my endless banging on the piano when I was younger, now they have to listen to my horrible pitch? Boo hoo hoo.. poor them. I bet they’ll be very happy when we move out to our new house early next year. Sob sob…

I then rolled out of bed and handed Aiden to Bibik. First mission of the day: Apply for Aiden’s first passport for his first trip out of Malaysia next week to visit Daddy in Singapore. Got dressed and drove myself to the Wangsa Maju Immigration Office. I thought I was well prepared! I had a photocopy of hubby’s IC, Aiden’s birth certificate, Aiden’s MyKid and the oh so precious passport picture of Aiden (because it was such a challenge to get him to sit still in front of the camera). Boy, was I so wrong! I had forgotten to photocopy all the documents, and most importantly, I left Aiden at home. Duh… how was I supposed to know that I needed my two month old baby to be present during the application process??!! Drove back home to get Aiden and finally the application went through. So while we waited for Aiden’s passport, I dragged Bibik and Aiden for Aiden’s first trip to the kedai mamak for some roti canai and milo ais.

Second mission of the day: Call Cahaya SPK and the lawyer to discuss (read: shout, nag, scream) about the disbursement of payment for our new house and the accumulating interest due to the bank’s failure to pay the developer! So I put the waiting time to good use by having my roti canai and making calls with one hand, while holding Aiden with the other. Multi tasking at its best!

When we finally got out of Wangsa Maju, drove home to get ready for the third mission of the day: Aiden’s 2nd month checkup at PCMC. Got to PCMC on time (which is quite a miracle) and while waiting for the elevator up to the 6th floor, Aiden received adoring glances from a man, also waiting for the elevator. He struck up a conversation by asking about Aiden’s age… and we got to talking. Apparently his wife had just delivered a baby boy last Monday. Suddenly he said “My wife is Fifi”. I looked at him blankly. “ From Bersamamu…” he continued. “Oooohhhh…” I said… and made a mental note to Google this Fifi from Bersamamu. Well that’s another celebrity baby delivered by Dr Seri Suniza. Maybe I should try this Dr Seri after all. Have heard very good stories about her.

Aiden’s checkup with the doctor went surprisingly well. He was in a good mood, so when Dr Padma took his jeans off, he was smiling all the way. I think he thinks the doctor was going to change his diaper! Aiden loves it when we change his diaper or pants or booties; or whatever that involves touching him while he’s lying down. He was cooing when Dr Padma gave him his drops (flu vaccination via the mouth), he was smiling when Dr Padma gave him his first shot on the right thigh, but wailed full blast when he got the second shot on his left thigh. Oh well, at least he behaved three quarters of the way! And the bill came to approximately RM500. Sheeshhh … babies are expensive! Thank you Dutch oil company, for paying for my baby's health! *grin*

When we finally got home, I was ready to call it quits. I was famished, tired and cranky from running around town. But at least I have Singapore to look forward to! The Great Singapore Sale, here I come!

N.B: After googling Fifi Bersamamu, I have been bestowed with (probably useless) knowledge from various news articles about her. Her husband, Feriz (the elevator guy) gave Fifi RM50K as hantaran kahwin!

Sayang.... can I have RM50K to spend in Singapore??? Puhleassseeeee.....

Happy Two Months Old Aiden!

It has been a long two weeks since the Naik Buai ceremony. I haven’t even had the time to upload any photos despite being constantly reminded by family, the office gang and the school girlfriends!

So what exactly happened during the Naik Buai ceremony? For starters, Aiden was fast asleep therefore I had to wake him up for his mandi bunga session with the bidan. How would you feel if you’re happy in lala land and suddenly someone picks you up and hands you to a pair of unfamiliar hands for a frigid cold bath? Of course, hell broke loose and Aiden was wailing his lungs out with Mummy and Daddy looking helplessly from the side. Not only was the bidan roughhousing my beloved baby, she actually tossed Aiden a few times in the air – according to her, untuk naik semangat! Instead of naik semangat, it nearly gave me a heart attack. Eveyrthing I read from books on not shaking a baby vigorously for fear of bruising of the brain or trauma to the delicate infant eye whirred through my mind, and I felt so powerless! Aiden was crying during pijak bunga, Aiden was crying during pijak tanah, and when he was finally handed to me he was wailing full blast! By the time Aiden was placed in the Buai, he was too tired from crying and he just laid in the cradle quietly, looking at me with his sad puppy eyes. I swear I could feel my heart break into a million pieces…..

Apart from that, everything went smoothly. I could fit into my baju kurung nikah (although my sister did scare me by saying that I still looked like I could shed a lot more pounds!), the Buai was absolutely beautiful with fresh flowers and all, my Dad was in a good mood, I had my girlfriends all the way from KL while hubby had his office mates and their families for the event, the photographs looked great and I had a lot of fun parading cutesy Aiden in front of a whole lot of adoring eyes!

However, by the time the event ended, hubby wasn’t feeling very well. He had a high fever and retired to the room for a short nap. After swallowing a whole lot of Paracetamol, he finally felt up for driving back to KL. By the time we were home, his fever was back. Tried to persuade him to take medical leave, but he was adamant about turning up for work as he was due to be in Pasir Gudang the next day. I threw my hands up in the air – what is it about men and their work??!!

The next day, hubby came home from Pasir Gudang looking absolutely wrecked. He had the fever, the flu, the cough… the whole works. And the worst part about it was - he infected me with his whole array of viruses! I woke up the next day feeling absolutely down in the dumps. Hubby was feeling a bit better, so he dragged me to the clinic. At the clinic, I was too sick to even sit up on the waiting chair, so I decided to buat clinic tuh macam clinic mak bapak I and slept on the long couch.

To cut a long story short, I was still breastfeeding Aiden while I was sick.. and lo and behold, Aiden caught the fever and the cough the very next day! It was Aiden’s first fever, and us as first time parents were absolutely freaked out! We rushed Aiden to Prince Court Medical Centre, where they recorded Aiden’s whopping 38.1degC fever! Considering his young age, Aiden was immediately given Panadol syrup and sponged down with cold water. Yet again, my poor Baby Boy was wailing his lungs out! That’s two cold showers in the span of one week!

We brought him home with him still feeling a bit feverish (and a new digital thermometer in tow – that should teach us to be more prepared before having a baby!). Unfortunately, his fever came back as the night progressed, and again we rushed to PCMC. Thank god Aiden’s pediatrician was on call, and she gave him a suppository Panadol and took his blood just in case. Unfortunately, Aiden’s pudgy hands were not really helpful in locating a vein, and Dr Padma had to prick him twice just to extract his blood. Again, my poor Baby Boy was crying his lungs out – while I was literally going worry crazy in the emergency room.

Finally, his fever subsided and we brought him home. He slept through the whole night while Mummy was wide awake taking his temperature every 3 hours. Phewww.. definitely an experience I do not want to go through again.

Now, Aiden is well and back to his playful self. He still demands to be rocked to sleep by his human Buai (read: Bibik), but is awake longer and able to have a “conversation” with me and focus on my off key singing of musical rhymes – sometimes singing along with me in his coos and endearing gurgles.

Oh, and Aiden is a botakhead now. Head is shaved clean. Absolutely adorable!

Happy 2 months old Aiden Irfan. Mummy and Daddy loves you to bits and pieces! One month to go before Mummy is back at work…. Uurrgghh…


Aiden being his usual happy self before the Naik Buai ceremony.

Aiden testing the waters before he started wailing his lungs out.

The beautiful Buai surrounded by the marhaban ladies.

Close up of the Buai.

Poor Aiden tired out after crying his lungs out.

Our perfect family, Alhamdulillah....