baby things

This is quite a random post :) Just sharing some products I find useful:

 For heat rash; but I use sparsely because its powdered. When Faree'ah got severe rashes on her neck it helped to dry up the skin.

Minyak afiat for her tummy. It helps when she's gassy etc. and this oil is really good for minor cut too!

Our friend introduced/lend to us the Baby Bjorn bouncer. best. the seat has 4 reclining position; the highest allows baby to kind of sit up. can be folded and i bring it when i go listen to lecture sometimes.

Great for nappy rash and sore nipple.

 Giant refillable wipes. And Faree'ah really like to stare at the bottle.

 Himalaya shampoo-great to clean the scalp. Faree'ah had cradle cap, as is normal for babies, after switching  to this shampoo, and cleaning her head using all natural baby oil her head cleared.

                       So far we go for Diapex / Drypers. last longer. Pampers is great too, but pricey.

  Ring sling. Great for quick trip to supermarket/ to listen to lecture. Just have to under dress baby, because it gets quite warm when she snuggle up inside the pouch. Wish I bought it sooner so could wear it from day 1. hehe. Now that Faree'ah is almost 6 kg, I wear this for no more than one hour. Black is best to match any outfit...and hide stain!

Miracle blanket (yes that's the name) Makes swaddling easy, keep baby snug and she sleeps longer. Last up to 4 months only. 

Life with baby Faree'ah

My little rabbit / Faree'ah is 16 weeks +, hitting her 4th month birthday in less than 2 weeks time. I have acquired a new routine once baby have arrived, and the best thing is I will have to keep adapting to new routines according to her development. No longer is Faree'ah sleeping all day and waking all night (first few weeks) or sleeping almost all the time (month 1/2). Now she's awake longer, though her nap time is rather frequent; as is her breastfeeding session. 

Faree'ah can laugh now, and it is amazing when you see your child laugh. Makes you feel warm all over. I never believed my friends when they say however dog-tired they are, when they see their child all the tiredness is gone. But its true. All she need is to smile, and your day is o-kay. Blessing from Allah.

In this slower pace of life I wondered what I can do/teach little Faree'ah; I have not decided whether I want to introduce her to any flashcard or such 'educational' material yet. Anyway some things that I am learning to do:

•  Dignified treatment of babies: yes please. At their most vulnerable years, when they depend on us for a lot of things, I learn about respecting babies. i.e. when changing a soil diaper, I try not to comment on the smell, say things like 'ewww' or turn my face the other way. It a way to build trust with our child, "when I am most vulnerable, I can trust someone to be there for me, or laugh at me." I learn this during intense labour, lying there on the hospital bed, and the nurse emptying my bladder with a tube. Just as I expected a dignified treatment then, I try to treat my baby the same way.
• Open communication: I'm still learning this, especially to a not-yet responsive baby. I tell her when I'm picking her up, what I'm doing to her, what I'm thinking etc. One-its language exposure. Two- its practice for me as a parent, to talk to my child.
• Not feeling the need to entertain my baby; I trust that she is independent in this sense, she knows how to be happy herself. 
• I am learning the basic duaa's so I can teach her as well. 

Faree'ah is teaching me many things as well. The most important things perhaps. 

• Love
• Respect
• Joy
• Smile more often 

:) to be continued..

Perhentian Trip 2

 Alhamdulillah this was my second trip to Perhentian (and Hasben's 8th trip!) on the 11-14 of May. We planned to go right after the KL Bookfair 2012, as it turns out neither me or husband were involved; rather we were at the bookstore- melayan customers, unpacking new shipment of books, and me frantically updating the websites with new titles (and secretly making my own list nak beli buku apa). At the time I didn't have much money to buy them, so when hasben came home form work one night with them titles that I had my eyes on, I nearly fainted with happiness! Our home library is growing slowly- for me books are like silent teachers just ready to impart their wisdom-they are such a blessing to have. Anyway, back to the real story...

 As usual our main activity there was snorkeling at the spot above. Last year we could do 4 hours without break, but this year we did around 2hours of snorkeling, and then back to the chalet/restaurant for some snack. Snorkeling definitely made me thirsty ! because I had to breath through the mouth and also all those salt water coming in- not suppose to happen, but it happened anyway. Hasben on the contrary is a pro, but he's a patient leader, he would constantly look back to make sure his frail wife is still okay. Also he would point to me anything unique he saw so I wouldn't miss anything. Sometimes being underwater I find myself daydreaming pulak. Its the combination of water, breathtaking view and silence that can trigger such thing. I did make sure I see Nemo though, they are the cutest fish! At one time I find myself being circled by a type of fish, it was surreal, I was thinking, are they gonna attack me, or are they simply being friendly? Its just beautiful underwater, Subhanallah. I hope one day hasben can take diving course pulak, I'm sure he'd love it. As for me, I'll stick to snorkeling with my safety jacket.

 The food this time round, was amazing times 5 because we could eat MORE.  Actually we didn't get the to stay in air-conditioned chalet that we want, and when we arrived the rest of the place was full except these mini chalet (more like huts) without air-cond or bathroom. It cost RM 40 per night, (compared to about RM120-150 for air-conditioned ones) so suddenly we were richer than expected. Ceh.. The money that was supposed to go to accommodation we used for food. The next night I think, when eventually we could upgrade our chalet, we decided to stay at the cheap chalet, and eat lavishly. Marvelous choice! Alhamdulillah. All that ice-blended, fruit juice, pizza, bbq, seafood..yum yum.

Our forty ringgit A-frame chalet, comes with a double bed, mosquito net, fan and..that's pretty much it.

 

Scorching hot around noon, but the breeze helped. This was my snorkeling outfit; minus the life-jacket. Actually wanted to get them swimming suit, but couldn't find a suitable one. Also I find bringing flowy skirt and oversized blouse the best choice of outfit kat tepi pantai. Last time I only brought pants, but they were quite hugging to the body- and heavier to pack. No ironing here!

Waktu nak pulang, masa ni laa ramai nak berenang-renang dan bergelak ketawa dalam air. Isk isk. Just wanted to jump in the water.

On the boat- always best to seat at the back for a less bumpy ride. The water gets darker and muddier as we get closer to mainland.

Somehow we always end up with one picture that make me look like a midget. I always insist on wearing the life jacket though others usually don't bother. The depth of the sea is no joke.

Goodbye Perhentian Kecil...(and hopefully I can explore other islands after this!)

Laws of Love

What attracts me most in this video is the way Umm Darda's heart inclines towards akhirah more than anything else.

And of course, to be united with your spouse in heaven would be SO AWESOME. Allahumma ameen.

Mufti Ismail Menk lecture

Alhamdulillah! Mufti Menk inshaAllah will be in town next month, after 2 years of trying to get him to come to Malaysia; due to his tight schedule and other matters.

He is one of the first English speakers that I listened to when I first started listening to Islamic lecture, and am looking forward to hear him live.

InshaAllah, February is gonna be fab.
www.muftimenk-kl2012.blogspot.com

The procastrinator-baaaa

I just watched a short trailer to the book 'You're not so smart' and it hits me right in the nose. (though i dont get some of the stuff, in the vid)

I have been procrastinating so badly, that I began thinking about its effect on my life. To think that I could be learning new things by now, but because I have been delaying doing something that really, should have been dealt with ages ago- I'm STUCK.

It also got me thinking about how I always like my hubby to do certain things when I want it, like cleaning his things, or praying, or doing some things for me (this is worse)- and not applying the same standard to myself!

Its time to catch up with those things that I have been delaying with for ages. Yikes. You know that you are doing something right when its so difficult to start!

I wanna be like hasben, always focused in doing things! I can't even focus my camera right...but I'll get there.

on cooking

The last few months my cooking progress is speeding up! There's something about home-cooked food, in its simplicity and made with LOVE that makes them great.

And so I've been trying to make lots of meal revolving chicken, chicken and more chicken. Hasben's favourite is a simple chicken sambal- that I have to somewhat reluctantly admit not to my liking! *Sigh. In the beginning of the marriage I tried to like every food he likes, which would make it easier to cook too. But I kept eating less and less, and this week I have come to term that we have totally different likings when it comes to food and its okay not to like what he likes! Like today, I made him his spicy meal, and for me, a milder version with lots of potato.

There are few meals that we both like though (hooraah!)- Below is my attempt to cook one of them, Nasi Ayam Hainan. I was quite surprised at how easy it is to make nasik ayam.

Marinate chicken with garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, honey, and sesame seed oil (minyak bijan) which will give a lovely brown color to the chicken. When I first opened the sesame seed oil bottle I thought "phwoar! this smells like nasik ayam shop!" duh!!! blonde moment again.

Pop the chicken in the oven, and meanwhile cut some onions and take out some herbs like cinnamon stick, and those you can see in the picture. I just took all the herbs I could find. As usual, some serai and halia, and chicken stock.

Wash the rice.

Fry the other babies until they smell good, mix them with the rice and add water. Press cook!

It was raining outside, and I stared at this tree for a while...

After turning them over several times, I took them out of the oven. Yum!!

Prepare some onions, black pepper, chicken and sup bunjut to make some chicken soup.

Mix them up! Put some salt until they taste you know, soupy.

I cheat the next step. Just bought some chili oil from Roast Kitchen Restaurant and its all done! I forgot to take picture of all the nasik ayam put together.

A great tip I got from an aunty is to always take a bath and get rid of your 'kitchen outfit' before hasben gets home. They wanna smell the chicken, but not on you! Cooking is easy but TIRING but you don't have to tell your guy that...when they come home just say "Oh this thing? I just throw some stuff up and they turn out..not so bad eh?"
:D Padahal dah 3 jam kat dapur kan. mwahahaaahha. Remember the intention is to please Allah so greet him with a dashing smile. smile!