Ibu, tidur Ibu

Both Esya and Yana sleep in my room due to the robbery episode a year ago, which has deterred us from putting them back into their own room. Security purposes. Of late, getting ready for work has to be done very discreetly and in almost total silence, so Yana is not disturbed from her sleep. Regardless how it is done, she would still wake up and ask, Ibu pergi mana? Work, I said. Her immediate response would be - Nak ikut, I want it! I want it ....and later comes the whining and loud cry waking up the whole neighbourhood.

Usually, seeing me in my work attire, she will ask me to go back to sleep, to secure her thoughts of later being left at home. Ibu, tidur Ibu - she says. I ignore and refuse. Ibu, tidur Ibu, again she would insist. And of course, being a mom, providing comfort and security is what I do best for my children, and off I will lie down beside her in my work attire, just for awhile till she falls asleep again.

Last Thursday, history repeated. I had to be next to her pretending to be sleeping. So, after a few minutes.....I woke up, noticing that it was already 7.20am. I'd dozed off for 30mins!!! Of course, late for work! Oh man...What do I do? Yana certainly has her ways of getting her mom to stay home for the day - I called office, please inform the boss I'm on leave today - MC!!!!! Hahahaha....And both Ibu and Yana were soundly asleep again.....ZZZZZZZZ

Photographer in the making

Aleesya since her early days has always shown great interest in cameras. Mine, a very basic digital camera, is her favourite toy, lucky me it's nothing pricey of that sort. Sigh...very unfortunate that I've never thought of compiling her artwork back then. Will start doing that now at every opportunity given.

Some of her recent photo snaps, very amateur, of course, yet a budding talent! Comments?


Ibu at midnight


Ayah's car - Honda Integra


Alyana with her Sponge Bob baloon


Aleesya's and Alyana's body foam


Alyana & her small brown bear


Alyana's mouth, tongue and teeth


Alyana's Kung-fu kick...padan muka!

To share or not to share?

I shall open a stationery shop after this. Imagine providing a pencil and an eraser every single day for Aleesya for school use and she keeps losing it every time! Leaving me with no choice, I just have to shut tight both eyes and keep buying more for her. And again, she keeps losing them....Back to square one. Ohhhhh my Godddddd!!!!!!

Whenever asked, "I'm is sharing with my friends, Ibu". Yeap, a value which I'm trying to inculcate in her, but dear sayang, it's sharing not donating! Before, I always purchased cheap ones knowing that it'll always find a new home at the end of the day. Of course cheap ones come with low quality. So, i bought a rather good and pricey colour pencils, kept it at home, for her homework. Only yesterday i told her that she could bring that particular set to school as she has lost hers, the one for school use. Yes, intoxicated she was. A mom is always a mom, of course I would never leave her with the hassle of having to borrow other people's sets. I surely knew better of the consequences....and home she came today, I was already shouting and screaming, pissed off to have found out that she lost the whole set, again!!!!!! Sharing she said.......

Oh God.....HELP !!!!!!

The insect that opened the door

This morning as I was very handful and busy preparing french toast for breakfast, came a loud scream from the living room, and it was non other than Aleesya screaming her heart out. Then Alyana followed suit. Leaving everything I had in hands, I rushed to check what the commotion was all about. "What's wrong, Kakak?" asked me. "Ada ulat (a crawling insect that I can't identify) kat sana" said she. I misheard ulat for ular (snake) and I panicked too, screamed for Ayah to come for the rescue, yet the ular was never in sight. While waiting for Ayah to run down from upstairs, Alyana screamed once again. There came out the ulat crawling across the living room. It was just a small crawling thing, looked more like a centipede but luckily it was not, even luckier it wasn't a snake either.

Phew....great relief! And I asked Aleesya how did it get in since the door was shut closed, putting her critical and creative thinking skills at test. She confidently answered me, "I think it took the keys, unlocked and opened the door!!!". Boy, that was critical and creative enough!!! Clever, girl......

TESCO

Alyana has this rather weird fondness for TESCO, I just couldn't make up why. Yes, we go there as frequent as thrice a week to do our grocery shopping and sorts. The thing is when asked where she had a dress from, TESCO. Where is Ayah? TESCO. Where is Atok? Atok work TESCO. Where to dine in? TESCO. Where are we going Yana? TESCO. Where are u from Yana? TESCO.

Maybe TESCO ought to give us some special promotional discount every time we go and shop there. My daughter is definitely doing good for the reputation of the premise. How's that? Hehehe...at least free supply of milk for the next 5 years maybe? And when the 5 years expires, I'll make sure to train my next baby (3rd one) to execute the exact similar marketing strategy.

Long live TESCO!!!!

Another baby in the house?

I was 28 when I conceived my eldest girl, Aleesya which was a year and a half after my marriage in 2001. I got hitched rather a lil' bit 'overdue' despite the 9 years of courtship. Luckily we did end up together, otherwise what a waste of time, not to mention money too!!! So, gave birth to her on 5th May 2003 at 29 years old and being the only baby in the house, both mine and my parents', Aleesya never failed to be the center of attention. Every wish of hers was gladly granted, turning her into a pleasantly pampered girl. So, she grew up a happy young girl....

In May 2006, another baby was making her way to the world, Alyana born on 16th January 2006. My pregnancy scan was a boy. Guess 'he' decided to have a sex change at the 11th hour...hehehe. Well, both my girls are premmie babies but born safe and sound, no complications at all except very mild jaundice lasted for about a week or two. Aleesya was 2 years and 10 months old when Alyana made her arrival. I could clearly recall how affected she was upon the arrival of her new baby sis. Tantrums, screams, cries and what nots just for the attention she desperately needed. At times she would disappear and sneak into my room when my eyes were elsewhere and there came cries of her baby sis. Aleesya had this habit of poking and squeezing Alyana's head for no reason...wait, jealousy maybe? Adjustments and acceptance took a while.....

Today, my two angels are the best of friends and the worst of enemies at the same time. Aleesya has turned 5 and Alyana is 2 1/2 now. And still there's no signs whatsoever of another child adding to the present list...I'm all ready if it happened but not my hubby. He has his reasons for putting this particular plan on hold for the time being, maybe till August. So, Alyana has never made an encounter seeing me pregnant or anyone else for that matter but to my disbelief, of late she has been giving me signs and hints of pregnancy, claiming there's a baby in her own belly! It's rather frequent now. Should I start worrying...for myself or a two year old carrying a baby in her belly? Hmmm....

Just this afternoon, we went for a kenduri aqiqah (welcoming a new baby) at a neighbour's house. There was where Alyana had her first upclose and personal encounter with a baby as young as 3 weeks old. I observed and couldn't help to notice how she was amazed and stiffened by the sight of that incredibly tiny baby. Alyana longed to touch the beautiful baby but too afraid or worried to do so, her eyes told the whole story though. It hit me. Does she want one of her own? She came home babbling about it and I realized that she was indulged in this baby idea. So, Ayah, what should we do now? Switch on the button and activate it? I think we should. So, lets renew the license a.s.a.p! Hehehehe....

Stick it, girls...

This is one hell of a game which my girls seem to enjoy so much on a Sunday morning!!! The stickers were from a nephew's birthday party from the day before, packed with other noisy yet very brilliant stuffs which I myself find very entertaining. Wish there's one goody pack of sort for this 34 year old lady...hahaha!!!!






This reminds me of the good old days when i was a sticker maniac one time, I was 10. Hello Kitty rules....

Queens of the Jungle

Finally, it happened on 5th June 2008 - Zoo Malaysia was attacked by two enthusiastic Einsteins in the making!

Esya and Yana definitely had the time of their lives....yes, with the company of the animals of the jungles. I suppose, Ibu and Ayah have to step back now. For two solid hours, the girls were entertained by the sights and sounds of these creatures especially at the roar of the tigers and lions (I'm also a roaring tiger at home, but not to their liking, i guess)...Esya was walking with the map of the zoo, trying to make out the spots we were standing on every time and somehow we were tortured by this map reading skill of hers, hmm..irritated is more like it! And she kept insisting that we go find the elephant each time we past a station. What's with this elephant? Can somebody tell me? And when we finally met the elephants, there she was saying Hi Elephant and just walked away. Is that all???? Just a Hi???? I don't get it.

Anyway, what's important is the kids had fun there and they wanted to go back next time, and next time is specifically made clear to us that it's THIS WEEK!!! Oh my God...Not again.


More pics here http://sheraghani.fotopages.com/?entry=1571594

Guilty as charged

I was doing a BM reading session with Esya yesterday at around 5pm whilst marking my exam scripts at the same time, thinking I could manage both well. Boy, I was wrong!

Esya smooth-sailed in the beginning, making me a proud mom, when she suddenly failed to pronounce 'ME' correctly and that really struck me! I, as calm as I could be, instantly corrected her and made her repeat it for a few times and resumed marking my papers every time, in turn, leaving her to continue practising her reading on her own. Well, obviously she lacked due attention and I of course failed to notice that. I went on marking instead. Again, she repeated the same mistake and I somehow got really mad, went berserk and to my disbelief, I raised my voice out of anger and frustration over her repeated mistake. Believe it or not, never had I screamed at my students in school the way I did to my own daughter! Being a 5 year old girl, she started to shed tears and broke down right in front of me, apologising for her failure............

Was it her failure or mine? Her cries and constant apologies finally brought me to my senses. I failed to see the needs of my little girl that attention was all she needed at that particular moment. I arrogantly thought I could multi-task and excel at both and??? I was totally wrong. And I couldn't believe that I actually jeopardised my daughter's emotional and intellectual state to prove that I am a supermom!

Realising my mistake, I set aside my exam papers and took Esya into my arms, reassuring her that it wasn't her failure at all for not being able to read correctly. So, I sat next to her, took her book close to me and started going through the whole session all over again, giving her all due attention and guidance. Yes, after a session of proper coaching, Esya finally made it through with a wide glowing smile on her face. And I???? I owe it to her a lesson I learnt today - At times I just have to surrender the idea of being a supermom!!!

Sorry kakak......thanks to u! Ibu sayang kakak......

ps - i had always thought i could multi-task at anything! obviously not. sigh...

Can they keep a secret?

Last 28th May was Ayah's 35th birthday. So, Ibu got him a present and decided to buy something for Esya and Yana for Ayah (hhmmm...confused???). Ibu bought a nice card and framed it in an orange photo frame and Esya chose a Dad's mug and Yana a card, of course Ibu had to pay for it. Should Ibu deduct it from your savings? Duuhhh --- we'll see if I could do that. Anyway, we had a pact right before stepping out of the gift shop (Memory Lane), that everybody had to be discreet about it. I was actually excited to see the result, if they could be just that. Upon arrival, Ayah was outside the house, gardening. Esya ran up to him and whispered something but loud enough for me to hear (saved me from the sin of eavesdropping...hehe). "Ayah, got birthday for u!" said she. OMG, that was just 20 mins later after the pact we made. What's more to come? Ayah was just smiling away..."Hah? A birthday cake?". Then, came Yana. "Ayah, surprise..." Haiya....girls oh girls!!!!

At nite, we went for ice-cream at A&W, savouring every scoop of it and drove home at 10pm. Presents were still in the house and Ayah was playing along for his 'surprised' birthday cake. Once home, some neighbours were chatting outside and guess what, Ayah just had to join them. So, we all waited in the house with presents in our hands...waiting...and waiting....and waiting some more...waiting still....That's it! It had been 30 mins.

Esya got bored of the endless torture and jumped off the sofa and screamed for Ayah. "Ayah, hurry. Balik cepat. Got presents in the house!!!". Secret was disclosed, again. Ayah 'gracefully' walked past the gate and we all were all ready waiting at the doorstep. So,Yana handed the card first followed by Esya with the mug (still wrapped) and Esya to her excitement couldn't keep her big mouth shut - "Ayah, be careful. Nanti cawan pecah." hahahaha....

So, if u need to know some thruths about things, ask a 5-year-old kid. The whole truth will be revealed whether u like it or not.

Happy birthday Ayah.

Yana vs Esya

I'm still recovering from the cleaning up from the earlier birthday celebration. With the mess which is very impossible to clear itself, I have to bear the monstrous sisterly fights over the new toys (Esya's presents) for the whole two days (so far). And today, I have realised, unlike Kakak, Yana can be extremely persistent, possessive and ignorant. Being a lil' girl of 2 years old, true enough that she has the upper hand of claiming the toys hers. But how about Kakak? I can't simply ignore her existence, can I? This is where I fall apart. I try not to push it hard on Kakak to give in to her younger sis all the time, yet at the same time I need to instill the values of sharing and respect in Yana. It seems so out of reach when it comes to reasoning with Yana as she just refuses to listen to what I have to say! I remember Kakak behaving the same exact way when she was two. So, I take it as it's just another stage of growing up which will past soon, I hope.

So, as far as the fights are concerned, Yana always gets her way out of it. However there are times when I observe Kakak being a big sis, never by any chance let herself be defeated by Yana. This is the time when I just have to raise my hands and leave it to them to settle the unsettled business between them as both can be extremely persistent in their own intolerable ways. To my amazement, the fights would normally end up with hugs, laughters and kisses in a matter of seconds!!! How sweet...

As a mom, I personally feel that there's no special formula to raising your children. Or is there? It all falls back to the individual child as a person. And raising children is indeed a learning and trial and error process for parents. That's the whole beauty of parenting.

As for my Esya and Yana, being 3 years apart, I'm sure that Yana will learn to compromise since she is in fact a very jovial girl and surely doesn't want to miss the fun with her kakak. Likewise Kakak. One thing that certainly touches my heart is how these two sisters would stick together for the worst and offer comfort when any one gets the scolding from Ibu or Ayah , or both in fact!!! This is when scolding would turn into a very emotional moment and Ibu would have teary eyes...Sob Sob Sob.... Not Ayah, though. One tough man!

So, the moral of the story....raise your children your own way as nobody knows them best but YOU!!!

Hats off to all parents....

Esya's birthday bash

On 24th May 2008, Saturday @ 8pm - 11.30pm.



Finally, Esya's birthday was not forgotten after all, albeit too belated. Attended by only family members, I would say the birthday celebration was indeed a happening event, as we hoped it would be with fingers crossed. So, thanks to all. The children had fabulous and marvelous time together, oh boy, they sure knew how to occupy and entertain themselves with their own little games, much to the parents' joy. Food served was appetizing (to me, to say the least) - BBQ chicken, fried rice, fried mee, coleslow, mashed potato, nuggets, chicken balls, sausages, mini-pizzas, bread pudding, assorted chocs and sweets and snacks & chips, also two yummy cakes of different kind - choc cake and peanut butter choc cake (celebrating Esya's and our bithdays - my bro's, my hubby's and mine). But to my great disappointment, we couldn't get her Ben-10 cake due to some unforseen circumstances (our fault, really, Hish). Luckily Mummy Ala saved the day with her Ben-10 watch specially for Esya. Wow, u'd never guessed how much the cartoons on TV now can be unbelievingly costly on parents! The watch alone cost RM70!!! Much to her joy, jumping up and down, Esya was not affected at all by the Pikachu cake, thus totally forgot about her earlier demand of a Ben-10 one. Thank God, Alhamdulillah! Well, that easy to please a kid, huh?


So, Esya got her most to die for Ben-10 watch from Mummy Ala (finally after a lot of failed persuasion on Ayah and Ibu) , a Flashing Flora Showtime Microphone from Pakcik, a Kids' Phone from Nenek, Atok & Cik Ann, a Barney art/colouring set from CikTa, an all-u-can-get art set from Uncle Man and an animal Alley Ponny from Aunty Anna & Aunty Shida and a Mickey Mouse watch from Aunty Maya. Yana also received a Barney knapsack from her beloved CikTa.


We would like to thank everybody for the extra hands lent, sponsorships (hahaha...appreciate it, really) and a marvelous family-get-together. It wouldn't be successful without any of u chipping in. We love u all so much. So, here they are, from the both sides - mine and Syafiq's. And this is only like 70% of us all. Some couldn't make it simply because the air-fare is way too expensive just to fly back for a birthday party!!!

So, it was a fun yet tiring nite, felt only after everybody had left when the cleaning up is all mine and mine alone (i'm not complaining, hehehe...), Syafiq and Mak were a great help indeed . Well, spring cleaning only took place the next day as I just had to surrender to my comfy bed that nite. So, Thank u all again....Love, Muahhhhsssss.........

Esya darling, u are our eternal love, may u stay healthy and charming, be a good girl and we pray that all the best in the world will be yours (of course, with our consent, hahaha...), InsyaAllah. Happy birthday, kakak!

For more photo viewing, visit this link :
http://sheraghani.fotopages.com/?entry=1555806

Esya and her superheros

We are planning a birthday party for Esya this coming Saturday nite. Sorry dear friends, it is a small scale, family only (next year I'll send u an invitation). Well, it is rather a belated one as hers actually falls on the 5th May. Since May is awfully packed (birthdays-Esya, my bro, my hubby and myself), we feel that it is brilliantly economical (hehehe...nak jimat) to have it all at one go! So, Saturday it is...

Of course, a birthday cake of her dream is a must-have for the birthday girl. So, I asked what she wants for a cake. Without any hesitation (being a girl, I mind u), she said, "I want Ben-10!". OMG!!! Trying to steer her away from this boy thingy, I suggested Barbie or Enchanted. "No, Ibu. I want Ben-10 cake", very determined. I refused to entertain, "Ben-10 cake dah habis, kakak". Yes!!! She bought it and replied "Ok, kalau macam tu Esya nak Batman cake". Laa....pulak. "Batman pun finish dah. Power Puff Girls ok, PPG pun hero kan?" I negotiated, hoping she would agree to the idea. "Hmmm...don't want PPG, I want Superman now!".....

Warrgghhh...I surrender.

Later, while packing her school bag, I found 3 race cars hidden in the pocket, which I believe she takes with her to school everyday (they are hers actually). Only then I remembered, once her teacher told me that she doesn't mingle with girls that much, boys are always her better preference. And there was a time when I asked about her school friends, the names mentioned were Adam, Luqman, Danish, Ashraf and Iskandar. No girls???

Esya sayang, Ibu will be waiting patiently for the day when handbags, dresses and lipsticks take control of your life! For now, Ben-10 rules! Batman and Superman too...

Yana and her falls

Yana is one tough and strong lil' girl. She has experienced serious falls, for the record, once a year. Believe it or not....

This particular one - she just turned one. She stumbled over and hit the edge of a table when taking her steps (just started walking for a week, so macam dah terror sgt). No one was around when my mom suddenly heard a fearful cry from her living hall. Here's a stitch...



This one is the most recent one (at 2 years old), about two weeks ago (early May). She fell off the bed at 4am and God knows when exactly did she actually climb onto our bed!!! The fall was very silent as she fell onto a pillow but yes, she cried and that woke us up. Ayah lifted her up and his hands got wet from the blood oozing from Yana's head. No stitches this time...



Now people, don't try to be judgmental here. We realise how bad this may reflect on us as parents, but shit happens!!! If you are a parent yourself, I'm pretty sure, you'd understand. If you are not, wait till you become one.

My legacy for my angels

Hi Angels....

Today, Ibu has decided to leave u both with this piece in case if u needed any insights (wow!!) in the future, to look back at how u have brought lights and colours into Ayah's life and mine. Despite all the screams, shouts, cries and fights, nothing beats the adorable smiling eyes of yours, the melting "I love u, Ibu Ayah' and the clown acts u do which never fail to make us laugh. We are so grateful to Allah swt for granting us with these two innocent, beautiful souls who we would without question die for.

Esya and Yana, we pray that u will become devoted Muslims and be blessed with great health, colourful personality, wonderful lives and brilliant minds....these somehow ensure a very sound life in which Ibu and Ayah may need when we are old, weak and forgetful one day!!!

We love u beyond anything in this universe......