Monday, January 29, 2007

A new gadget.

After more than two years wearing Nok1a 3120, I've eventually made the decision to upgrade the phone I have to this...

It's not that I want to but HAVE to. The old handphone is totally a gone case! Ashraff has been treating the handphone just like one of his toys i.e. throwing and slamming it everywhere...so you could somehow guess the outcome. The phone just cracked. I tried to survive the humiliation for carrying a rubberband handphone for almost 3 months. My collegues and hubby have been making fun of it but I tak amik pot pun...There are few occasions where my handphone rang in the middle of my LRT ride and as I took the handphone out from my bag, I have the feeling that the whole LRT is looking at me. But I still tak amik pot. For me, as long as I could make a phone call/sms and receive call/sms, there's no reason for me to buy a new one. Talking about stingy brat...

Hubby symphatise with me and bought me a new casing. Unfortunately, not the casing that is cracked but the body of the handphone. So, tukar casing pun tak jalan.

Till one day, my battery went flat despite me charging it for the whole night. I tried charging it again. Cucuk punya cucuk, still tak boleh charge. At that time, it dawned to me that it's time for me to dispose my precious handphone and buy a new one.

Nasib baik I have some extra savings this month, so bolehlah nak beli yang canggih sikit with camera, MP3, 3G and what not...One drawback tho. I forgot that I have saved some of my contacts in my phone memory (instead of SIM memory), so now I've lost some of the important numbers. Actually, banyak jugak...

Please don't be suprised if you got my email asking for your contact number...

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

3 Miserable Nights, 1 Memorable Event

Last week was so eventful, thus the next three entries are dedicated to cover all the ‘happening’ occasions - Aliff's 3rd time in the hospital, our 4th anniversary, Aliff's cukur jambul ceremony and brother-in-law's wedding reception (an army wedding not to be missed).

13th January, 14th January and 15th January 2007

Aliff was again admitted to the hospital. For the 3rd time in his 2 ½ months life. Pretty sad, isn’t it? This time around, it was due to bronchitis. He has been coughing for one week and has lost his voice.

That night, on the 13th January, Aliff was crying unconsolably. As usual, we suspected it must have been colic. Since it was time to give his usual dose of cough medicine and antibiotic, and not forgotten Dentinox for his colic, we proceeded in doing so, despite the cry. It was a wrong decision altogether. As we shove in the last medicine, Aliff was choking and gasping for air. His face has suddenly turned blue. My mother who was holding him that time panicked and shook his body to make him breathe. I was stunned (I think I forget how to breathe myself). Hubby being the knight in shining armour that night, immediately took Aliff from Mak, patted his back firmly till Aliff finally coughed. My maid then put his finger inside Aliff’s mouth to take out all the phlegm. Phewwhhh…It was a horrible sight.

Shortly after, we drove to hospital and yes, Aliff was admitted. In fact, he was the youngest baby in the ward. Aliff was on nebuliser every three hourly for three nights. But alhamdulillah, he recovered well and finally got back his voice, despite all the crying everytime he is on nebuliser.



As a result off constant crying, my usual placid baby is no longer calm and contented. He has turned into a fussy baby, much to my dismay. His brother, Ashraff was a demanding baby, so I thought I was lucky to have a happy baby this time around. Rupa-rupanya, harapan tinggal harapan. In fact, it is tougher this time around as we couldn’t find way to soothe him everytime he cries. The moment he wakes up from his sleep, he will coo for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then whines till he sleeps again. In the evening, things got worsen as it is his peak time for colic. At night, he couldn’t sleep well, again, due to his colic. Seriously, I’m exhausted especially now that abang dia pulak is down with runny nose and cough. Memang dugaan betul dalam membesarkan anak. If u look at me now, I’m slimmer than my pre-pregnancy figure…*LOL*..except for the apparent eye bag…and not to mention, skin break-outs…

17th January 2007

Four years ago, on the same date, me and hubby selamat diijabkabulkan.Four years later, we are still much in love and happily married. And now blessed with two sons, Ashraff and Aliff.


Happy 4th Anniversary, dear. Thank you for being a supportive husband and be there for me through good times and bad times.


Aliff's first hair-cut

19th January 2007

In conjuction with Awal Muharram and brother-in law’s wedding, we decided to have Aliff’s cukur jambul ceremony in Ponti@n. The ceremony took place after Isya’ prayer. Aliff was not in good mood earlier in the evening, as usual, can be due to his colic or just his temperament. For the past few days, me and hubby have given this a thought. We decided that no matter how Aliff behaves on the day, we are going to go on with the ceremony . So, we were somesort of mentally prepared to carry a fussy baby for the cukur jambul.

But, Allah knows what’s best for us. Few minutes before the cukur jambul took place, Aliff has decided to sleep…and he slept all the way…. So, the whole ceremony went on with peace, alhamdulillah. Here’s some pics of the day:-

The Star of the Night


Ashraff and Aliff

Abah giving Aliff a hair-cut


Mak Amp@ng's turn to cukur jambul

A hair-cut by Mak Pontian

A Wedding to be remembered...

20th January 2007

My brother-in-law, Kapt. Mohd Firdaus is finally married to the love of his life, Emy Mariati. The akad-nikah took place on 10th January 2007 at the girl’s house in Mersing. Later, the girl’s side held a lovely reception at Hotel Equatorial, Melaka.

On 2oth January 2007, another reception was held in my mother-in-law’s house in Ponti@n. Well, I can say the whole event was such a resplendent affair, unlike the common wedding you would normally see. Of course, it was an army’s wedding, thus full of formalities. If you don’t know or have never seen an army weds before, you should seek an opportunity at your very best to do so. Or if you are still single, do marry an army…find one that is Leftenan and above…*LOL*. And if you do marry one, oh lucky you!

Hubby, selaku tuan rumah menyambut tetamu-tetamu yang hadir (that's Abah and Mak Ampang by the way), menggantikan arwah Bah.

First, there was no kompang to accompany the bride and groom. Instead, the couple were assisted by bag pipers, which sounded so much like in the movie “Braveheart”, together with six sword-bearers. The groom i.e. my BIL and the sword-bearers were immaculately clad in a well-fitted official army’s suit. The bride was beautifully dressed in white lace bridal gown. Though I’ve seen my BIL countless times, I must say he looked stunning in his white army suit.


The bag pipers and the sword-bearers.

Then, the troop stopped right in-front of the house, and both the bride and groom walked underneath the shinning swords. I couldn’t keep my jaw from dropping the whole time. If not due to the heavy downpour, I’m sure the whole kampung will gather to witness such exceptional event.


The couple berjalan di bawah pedang. Kesian Emy kena jalan tertunduk-tunduk due to the rain. Sorry, angle is a bit off to capture the ceremonial event. Camera kena jaga takut basah-:)

Followed thereafter is the bersanding ceremony, also penuh dengan adat-istiadat tentera diraja Malaysia. The sword-bearers lined up besides the pelamin, making way for the selected individuals to menepung-tawar. Later, each of the sword-bearers "keluar baris" by giving "tabik spring" to the groom. Moi, still jaws dropping...


After bersanding, the couple went straight ahead to makan beradat. Nothing unusual here. I thought I can shut my mouth this time. But the food on meja pengantin looked yummylicious..my saliva was drooling. Thanks to Ayeem, our resident chef brought all the way from K@r@mbunai, Sabah…hehehe…He’s my hubby’s cousin.

Selesai bersantap, kedua mempelai dibawa ke hadapan 3-tier wedding cake for cake-cutting ceremony, accompanied by the sword-bearers and the bag pipers. They cut the cake berbumbungkan pedang yang sungguh tajam dan berkilat. Hati terpana melihat adat-istiadat tentera diraja ini…

Cake cutting ceremony. This amateur camera woman could not find a better angle to capture the moment. Giving way to the hired professional cameraman...

Later, it’s time for the bride and groom to bid farewell to bride’s family (by the way, the bride's father is also an army…Brigidier General to be exact) and the army troops. There onwards, the situation are more informal. My BIL was back to his normal cheeky self (kalau tak tadi serious je since dia kena berdepan dengan his army collegues, with all the formalities…I've never seen him seserious and setegas itu sebelum ini..). Both bride and groom, later confidently, entertained the guests by singing the song “Sandarkan Pada Kenangan”, later followed by another two songs – “My Heart” and “Tiga Malam”. Really sporting, I tell you. My BIL, as usual lah, very the confident one…And my biras i.e. his wife, suara ada umphh!…


Hubby pun taknak ketinggalan jugak. Dia pun sama menyumbangkan suara. 3 lagu lagi! Of course, his junior was with him all the time, looking impress that Ayah can sing…*LOL*.

I’m glad that the event went out well, despite the heavy rain (nasib baik air tak naik). So now, I got the chance to have my own nephew/niece now that adik ipar is happily married. Kalau tak, I’m the only orang harapan to produce cucu to both sides of the family. It's time for me to get some rest-:)

The whole hubby's family wearing red. Unfortunately, we could not snap photo together as we are busy (esp hubby and mak pontian) entertaining guests.

Hubby

Me and Ashraff

Aliff, slept comfortably in the buaian (cradle net?)

Mak Pontian and hubby's youngest sister (the only one left unmarried in the family)

Monday, January 22, 2007

Happily Bonding

Two brothers, happily bonding...






Thursday, January 11, 2007

One after another...

Ashraff is currently 29 months old (equivalent to 2yo 5mo). He has gone through all his development milestones - physical, cognitive and speech. Let me see, he can now walk (in fact running most of the times), he can construct sentences, he has full set of teeth, he understands intructions (though he refused to follow sometimes)...and lately, he has started asking questions like "Ni apa ni?" in almost everything he sees. Or more specific questions like "Ni power rangers ape ni?", "Ni fish apa ni?","Ni rumah siapa ni?". Alhamdulillah, his development is normal and on track. So, by right, I could sit down and relax..but hey no! Now I need to move on and focus my energy on these areas pulak:-

Potty Training
Ashraff is still not potty trained. He's still wearing diapers 24/7. My cousin gave Ashraff a potty on his second birthday. But Ashraff never uses the potty as yet to do any of his 'business'. Or probably, we do not teach him to use the potty. I've read in books and useful websites that your child will show some signs that he is ready to be potty-trained and it's best to wait until the time comes to do the training. Let me see whether my Ashraff is ready:-

1. Is aware of the "need to go," and shows it by facial expression or by telling you - (He did tell us that he's having a stomachache everytime he wants to poo).

2. Can express and understand one-word statements, including such words as "wet," "dry," "potty," and "go" - (He understand more than one-word statements. He will say 'basah' only when his diapers dah bocor).

3. Dislikes wet or dirty diapers - Tengok dia rilek je kalau diapers dia basah. He will only say 'basah' when his diapers dah bocor. So does that consider disling wet diapers?)

4. Is able to stay dry for at least two hours or wakes up dry after a nap - (Alamak! Tak pernah pulak check diapers after nap. But usually in the morning lepas bangun tidur, diapers dia memang berat habis sebab we all still give him his milk when he's restless at night).

5. Is able to pull elastic waist pants up and down - (Oh, ni terror dah..*LOL*).

6. Ask to use the potty or adult toilet - (Yang ni memang 100% confirm takde!)

So, is he ready or not? I got to know that a mother waited when his son is 3 years old when he starts training him to use the adult toilet. Within one week, he's totally diaper-free, day and night! Her advise is to wait till dia betul-betul ready. But when can I know my son is betul-betul ready? Or am I ready to potty-train him?

Disciplining toddlers
Ok, I have to admit I do not have much problem in handling Ashraff until lately...right after Aliff's birth. He's physically aggressive which sometimes drive me and hubby's nerves up the wall. I've been going through the net, searching on good tips to instill good behaviours in him. The key word in disciplining toddlers is CONSISTENT. So, that is where my mistake lies. I'm not consistent.

I easily give-up or give-in to Ashraff's misbehaviours, especially after he does the same thing over and over again. Rasa macam berbuih mulut cakap tapi tak jugak jalan-jalan...So, lesson learnt, I need to be more consistent.

And then, there are lots of discipline techniques involved - time-out, distract and divert, ignoring tantrum, provide structure, positive reinforcement etc. Banyaknya! Sampai tak tahu mana nak guna and which is more effective. Plus, I've got a baby to handle as well. Pening!

Say "bye-bye" to pacifier
Ashraff is still fond of his "Ting" (pacifier). The reason why you have never seen him with his pacifier before is because he uses it only when he wants to sleep. So, that is another topic which I love to surf on the net. I really need to wean him off that thing the soonest before it disturbs his jaw alignment.

Well, there's always 1001 tips, advice, how-to for the three topics above. And the more I read, the more pening I become. But that does not stop me from reading about those areas. Sharing experience with other mommies is lovely indeed.

One thing I know is a mother (or father) needs a lot of energy to ensure her child is raised well...Phewww...*lap peluh kat dahi*.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Everything is so new to me

So this is the B.L.O.G that I always overheard Ibu telling Ayah all this while?! Very interesting...

Opps! Sorry for not introducing myself. Hi, it's me ASHRAFF. Today, I managed to use this computer without Ibu's knowledge. Ibu is not feeling that well, so I took this opportunity to use her computer and search for her BLOG. Wow! I can see that she's been writing a lot about me and sharing my photos with all her cyberfriends.

The last entry she made, I can see that there's new human being's photo being posted there. Yeah, it's ALIFF. People told me that Aliff is my little brother and I should love him like I love Ibu and Ayah. Okay, everything caught me by suprise and I'm confused by these new changes in my family. First, there's moving creature inside Ibu's tummy, which Ibu encouraged me to talk too. Ibu in fact told me that his name is Aliff. Well, I love talking to this little Aliff.

Then one day, Ibu was admitted to the hospital. Atok Abah and Atok Mak brought me to the hospital to see Ibu. I greeted Ibu as she was pushed out from the labour room using a wheelchair. Ibu was happy to see me. She said "Hi Ashraff!". I replied "Hi! Ibu shakit (sakit)?" How did I know Ibu is not feeling well? Tok Mak has briefed me number of times on the way to the hospital, that's how. In the room, I noticed Ibu macam nak nangis je. I don't quiet understand why. But when Ibu told me that "Malam ni Ashraff tido dengan Tok Mak ye", I started to feel sad myself. I've never slept with anyone other than Ibu before. But I just nod my head coz I understand Ibu has to rest at the hospital as she's in pain. Tok Mak cakap Ibu sakit sebab keluarkan Aliff dari dalam perut. But where the heck is Aliff?

The next day, I was brought back to the hospital. I bought along a gift which Ayah told me is for Aliff. What's so special about Aliff till he deserves this gift? As usual, I was greeted by Ibu's warm smile as I walked inside the room. But this time around, I noticed a small cot besides Ibu's bed with a little baby sleeping soundly inside it. Is that Aliff? I walked slowly to the baby cot. Ibu said "Ashraff, ni Aliff." Tok Mak carried me so I could get a clearer sight of Aliff. Merah-merah muka dia. Keciknya dia. Then, I gave Aliff his gift. To my suprise, Aliff had a gift for me in return. It's Barney VCDs! Oh, I'm excited. Thanks, Aliff.

The next two days, Ibu was discharged from the hospital so she could go home. Yey! But, wait a minute. Ibu is carrying that little creature by the name of Aliff. And what's that boy doing snuggling at Ibu's chest? Ibu said "Aliff nak minum susu". Minum susu? Mana botolnye? Boy, am I curious? That moment, I was introduce to breastfeeding by Ibu. I still don't quite get it but what I know Aliff got his source of milk by latching on to Ibu's breast. Ibu told me "Ashraff dulu pun macam ni". Huh? Yuckss!

That day too, I suffered from a runny nose. I really need Ibu's warm touch to comfort me. I want Ibu to carry me. But Ibu refused to do so. Ibu said "Ibu sakit, tak boleh dukung Ashraff". I cried "Ibu dukung Ashraff! Ibu nak dukung!" But Ibu just shook her head. Oh yes, I'm crying and I noticed Ibu cried as well. I heard Ibu said to Tok Mak "Mak, kesiannya tengok Ashraff..Dia nakkan Ija (that's Ibu)". Oh well, this is all because of Aliff. Aliff lah yang buat Ibu sakit macam ni. Kalau Ibu tak sakit, mesti boleh dukung Ashraff.

With the presence of Aliff, I never got to sleep with Ibu at night. Ibu told me gently "Aliff ni kuat nangis waktu malam. Ibu takut Ashraff tak boleh tido. Ashraff tido ngan Tok Mak ye." Aliff ni, ada-ada je. What more could this little creature do to me?

Not enough with me having to sleep with Tok Mak, I also noticed Aliff seems to be clinging to Ibu 24/7, so I didn't get the chance to be with Ibu alone like before. Everytime I ran to Ibu's room, Aliff is always clinging to Ibu's chest, either he's breastfeeding or sleeping on Ibu's chest. Ibu told me "Aliff ni sakit perut, so dia kena tido macam ni. Dulu Ashraff masa baby pun tido macam ni jugak." Oh, whateva...like I can remember...

There was once or twice when I ran to Ibu's room, Aliff was nowhere to be seen. In this case, I would ask "Mana Aliff?". Aliff is either with Tok Mak or Bibik. I took this opportunity to be with Ibu. I will lie on Ibu's lap, kiss Ibu, hug Ibu. I miss her dearly. Nevertheless, I noticed Ibu makes an effort to be with me, despite Aliff's clinginess. She would accompany me to watch my favourite TV series. She would read me my favourite books, while Aliff is breastfeeding. She would give Aliff to others so that she could 100% concentrate on me. Kesian Ibu..She looks tired. I also found that I'm closer to Ayah, Tok Mak, Tok Bah and Bibik now that Aliff is always with Ibu.

Everything is so new to me though I live in the same house with the same people. I felt I have to do something to get people's attention, or else it will be Aliff, Aliff, Aliff. Some of the things I did:-
1. Pecahkan tutup teko Tok Mak and bunga kaca Tok Mak. Tok Mak was very angry with me. Dia ambik serpihan kaca tu and toreh tangan Ashraff. Sakitnya! I cried loudly. Ibu tengok aje I kena marah. No one wants to help me. Later, when I've calmed down, Ibu told me not to do it again. Ibu said "dulu dia pun kena macam tu lagi kecik". I wouldn't dare to touch on Tok Mak's things again.

2. I turned to a more fiercer young gentleman. If before, I've known by my family as a very social person, now I'm no longer that friendly. I hate it when people look at me when I play with my toys. I noticed people would look and smile at me while I played and talked to my figurines. Read this, I HATE IT. The next thing you know, I'll come to you, tell you straight at your face "Jangan senyum!" and kick your leg. Numerous times, Ibu, Ayah and Tok Mak have scolded me for kicking people around. There was once, Tok Mak tied my feet and left me in Ibu's room all alone for 10 mins. I cried my heart out. I then promised Tok Mak and Ibu not to tendang-tendang lagi, but do I keep to my promise? No, I don't.

3. I will disturb Aliff everytime he's sleeping or breastfeeding. I will smacked his head. Initially Aliff cried whenever I did that. But lately, he doesn't seem to care. Probably he's immune to what I did.

4. I want to be a baby again. Kalau Ibu tak boleh dukung, then Tok Mak and Bibik are forced to carry me. I want to be bath in a basin just like Aliff.

I don't know what happened to me. Whether I like it this way or not, I do not know. But I do admit, I'm jealous with the all the attention Aliff got, especially from Ibu.

But ironically, I do adore this little creature by the name of Aliff. I found him to be cute and amazing. I like to kiss him, whenever I got the opportunity too. I showed him all my Ultraman's figurines, and he looks at it with amazement. If before, Aliff spends most of his times sleeping, now he can interact with me. I always said "Aliff tengok Abang Ashraff". And he'll look at me and start cooing. When he does that, I'm very much thrilled. Kadang-kadang Aliff akan mengeliat, and nampak macam dia buat Ultraman hand/pose. I told Ibu "Ibu, Aliff buat Ultraman hand" and Ibu will laugh. Ibu said "nanti Aliff dah big, Ashraff boleh main dengan dia."

I like Aliff's eyes, it's black and shining whenever he looks at me. I feel like poking it with my fingers but Ibu disallows me to do it. I will also pulled Aliff's hands and legs and Ibu will yell everytime I did it. I just want to play with him. He's so small and fragile, just like the "baby cat" we have.

I guess it took me quite sometime to adjust with the new surrounding. I could now accept that Aliff is my baby brother. After all we share the same surname. Kalau Ayah tanya "Ashraff bin apa?" I would reply "Ashraff bin Mohd Fitri". Aliff? "Aliff bin Mohd Fitri jugak." Kalau Ayah tanya "Ashraff handsome macam siapa?". I would say "Handsome macam Brad Pitt." Aliff? "Aliff macam Beckham." Ayah said it's because Aliff's hair is like Beckham. I do not know who's Beckham, but I do know Aliff's hair is like Fiq from Mentor.

Well, do I still feel jealous of Aliff? Oh yes, I do. And do I still do unexpected things to get people's attention? Oh yes, I definitely do. Can I share my toys with Aliff? Not now!

Opps, guess I've written long enough. It feels a lot better to be able to express my feelings by writing. No wonder Ibu is sooo addicted to blogging! Anyway, Ibu will be back soon. She'll be suprise to read this entry. Well, I hope she knows what I'm feeling when she reads this. So, long B.L.O.G!

Thursday, January 04, 2007

A new member in the family!


Dear B.L.O.G,

It's been a while since I write any entry as I was on my maternity leave. I just came back to the office yesterday. Oh, how I miss you dearly. You know I can only write to you at my office as that is the only place that I can get connected with the cyberworld for free.

I've got good news to share with you. Alhamdulillah, we have a new addition in the Fitri's family. He was born on 2nd November 2006 via normal delivery. Here is his first photo:-


NAME : ALIFF BIN MOHD FITRI
DATE OF BIRTH : 2 NOVEMBER 2006 (10 SYAWAL)
TIME OF BIRTH : 9.17 P.M.
WEIGHT AT BIRTH : 3.39 KILOGRAMS
LENGTH AT BIRTH : 53 CENTIMETRES
PLACE OF BIRTH : AMPANG PUTERI SPECIALIST HOSPITAL


Yes, now I have two boys, Ashraff and Aliff. Plus hubby, it makes three men in the family. I'm definitely outnumbered!

Ok, let me tell you about the labour first. The first blood "show" I had was on 31st October 2006 at around 5 p.m. That night, hubby drove me to Ampang Puteri to check on my condition though I do not have any contraction as yet (kalau ada pun mungkin tak perasan). I was dilated for 2 centimetres and was told by the nurse to come back tomorrow to see my gynae for further check-up.

I couldn't make it on the 1/11/2006 as Fitri's cousins was staying at our house that day and as a host, takkanlah nak tinggalkan tetamu pulak. So, 2/11/2006 was the day that we saw Dr Fauziah. No progress. Still 2 cm dilated. Still no contraction. But since the blood sign has been showing for the past 3 days, Dr Fauziah decided to induce the labour to avoid any infection and complication later on. Alamak! The word "induction" scares the hell out of me as Ashraff was born the same way. Punyalah sakit walaupun bukaan takdelah besar mana. But Doc knows what's best for me and the baby so I agreed on the induction.

To cut the story short, labour was easier and faster this time around. All in all, I suffered from the unbearable pain for only two hours i.e. from 4 cm dilated till the birth of Aliff. But I can feel the pain really bad this time cause I do not use any form of pain relief except for the gas. Not that I don't want to but doc said the dilation was fast so tokleh nak use any drug. I have also trouble pushing Aliff out from the womb. Rasanya adalah dalam 5-6 kali jugak push baru Aliff keluar. With Ashraff is just one go je. Sama macam Ashraff, Aliff was also born on Khamis malam Jumaat.

Aliff, I can say, is more contented as compared to his brother. Dia pun jarang nangis. Mandi and pakaikan baju takdelah nangis macam abang dia. So, I can finally try baby massage on Aliff after bath, which I can't do it on Ashraff. He also loves to be swaddled unlike his brother. Though contented, he has trouble sleeping at night. Actually siang pun sama. The thing is he has a lot of gas in his tummy so that is bothering him from his sleep. Kesian tengok dia. Ibu ngan Ayah pun kesian jugak sebab kena take turns jaga dia waktu malam.

My super duper achievement with Aliff is that I manage to exclusively breastfeed him so far. Memang penat the first few weeks but I persevere as I am more than determine to breastfeed him as long as possible. So, I don't know how he can be so gassy. Must be from my milk. I tried to eliminate all the gassy foods in my diet but it still does not work. Nampaknya I have to wait till Aliff is 3-4 months old where his stomach and intestines mature. Bersabar jelah...

With breastfeeding as well, Aliff suffers from breastmilk jaundice. Twice admitted at the hospital - first when he was one-week old and second when he was one-month old. Several blood tests has to be taken every week till the birubilin level dropped. Up till now, he still have that yellowish sight at the corner of his eyes but doctor said there is nothing to worry about as he should fully recover soon. The most is 10 weeks. As for me, I have to forgo my own health to ensure Aliff is free from jaundice. I was refrain from consuming any jamu. Since Aliff still has slight jaundice, sampai sekarang jamu masih tidak bersentuh. I hope in two weeks time, I can start taking jamu.

Here's a confession I would like to make as a second-time mum:-
1. I've never been this tired before. Having more than one child can be overwhelming at times especially when both the toddler and the baby needs your attention at the same time.
2. I thought I'm used to sleep deprivation but no I'm not. Since Aliff is a restless sleeper both day and night, I'm more sleep deprived than having to take care of Ashraff alone.
3. Breastfeeding is a breeze. It's easier to breastfeed your second child, probably due to your experience and maybe you have upgraded your knowledge in that area and are more prepared.
4. Second child is not a carbon-copy of his brother/sister. They have different personalities and characters. So, you got to learn how to deal with this new individual in your life. You still have to make decisions in dealing with them like do I need to use pacifier this time around, or buaian to make him sleep? Do I put him to sleep on his tummy like his brother or just a swaddle will do?
5. I learn new things in my life which I thought I know since I'm not a first-time mum. But this new child teaches me new things. Like with Ashraff, I learn the definition of "high-need" baby or demanding baby and how to deal with them. With Aliff, I know what is breastmilk jaundice.
6. I still read about the milestones/development of an infant in the baby book or the internet eventhough I have gone through it with Ashraff.
7. I've learn how to use the baby sling as I believe baby-wearing has lots of benefits. Aliff looks a lot more contented in the sling and I can breastfeed in public discreetly. And it's also a cost-cutting measure since we do not have to invest in two strollers.

Anak adalah anugerah dan amanah yang diberikan Allah. Not only am i determine to fully breastfeed Aliff, this lady would also want to be a more patient mum to both Ashraff and Aliff. That's basically my resolution for year 2007-:)

1 MONTH OLD ALIFF
WEIGHT : 4.4 KILOGRAMS



2 MONTHS OLD ALIFF
WEIGHT : 6.0 KILOGRAMS