Get together night

Everyone was here. I do not know what the occasion was, but everyone was here Friday night. What I do know was that a feast was spread out on the floor and everyone was eating at the same time that night. Maybe it's something to do with the fasting thingy? Hmmm What ever it was about, I always enjoy the company of my cousins ... all of them. Everyone was laughing and having fun. The twins were happy playing with big bro on the Xbox. Big sis was playing with cousins Hidayah and Solehah. Alya was going around shouting her head off, always trying to get close to Nek Jah. Cousin Muhammad had really short hair. Cousin Fynna had no hair! From what I heard, Along finally shaved her hair off, all of it. And since MakLongSha's blog is down and mama didn't take a picture of her hairless noggin, you just have to take my word for it that her head was as smooth as baby's bottom... hihihi. You wouldn't know which side of the baby is up ... hehehehe I'm sorry Fynna, I had to say it...hihihi. I can see it now, MakLongSha with steam coming out of her ears like the cartoon I saw today. She will comment on this for sure...hihihi. After the big feast and prayers, papa brought the kids to the corridor to play with sparklers. Those things shined like little stars in your hands. My cousins were ultra excited but I was too small to play with them ... maybe next time.

Papa’s day

A few weeks ago, our family went out to celebrate papa’s birthday. Mama wanted somewhere close to have a lunch feast, on papa ... as compared to for papa, if you get my drift. So we went to the closest Swensen’s in our neighbourhood. Big bro and sis were excited on what food to eat. And since I was at the head of the table, I get to choose what I want to eat too. All of the kid’s meal looks delicious but I had to choose one only. When the food came, I wanted to eat like the old kids and so a plastic spoon and fork was provided for just the occasion. In the end, whilst it was fun pushing the food around, I still prefer to eat with my hands.

More Teething Issues

Another update on the teething progress. After a lot of drooling, I’m proud to say and show 3 more teeth have sprouted through my gums. They are a little small now, but don’t fret, the pixies will tend to them like little seedlings in a garden until they are ready to be used for biting into tasty food. With that, it makes 11 teeth. Getting a wee bit crowded in there … hihihihi.

5000 hits

Ahhhh!!! The big 5000. I’m glad that my life is worth reading and worth many return readings from you guys. Here’s some toddler wisdom. Get the facts first, you can distort them later!

Ramadhan Greetings

I heard from mama that today is the start of the fasting month. So I would like to wish all my Muslim friends and readers a blessed Ramadhan. Hopefully, the time spent for inner reflection, devotion to Allah swt and self-control will be accepted. I would love to do it, fast I mean but when a toddler wants to eat, a toddler must eat …. Hihiihi. Don’t fret, I'm with you guys in spirit.

Birthday for an Old Gal

Today, we celebrated Nek Jah’s birthday. How old is she? Well, she’s a little less ancient then Tok Din. .. hihihihi. All of us, my cousins and I, were very excited in the run-up to the celebrations. We heard Nek Jah’s has gotten herself a 3 tiered cake … or some rumour has it. Well, we were not disappointed when the cake came. It’s a 3 storey high cake but it was still humungous! Take a look. That’s like … half of the coffee table, mind you. And it was super delicious. Soft and creamy. Love it, love it! And what’s a birthday celebration without a good rendition of the famous birthday song. And this is in stereo by all her grandchild. The adults had their own feast. I saw loads of food near the dining area and they do look very good. Happy Birthday Nek Jah! May Allah bless you with good health! Amin. From all of us.

And the suffering continues

It’s been 3 days now and my fever has been erratic. Adding to that, my appetite is still going south. Mama says the reason why I’m not eating is because I have “Truss”. Papa refuses to believe that my condition was because of some structural engineering failure. So he looked up the net and found this. Good old papa … “Dr Greene says thrush is the most common reason for spots in the mouth. Thrush, or oral pseudomembranous candidiasis, is a superficial yeast infection that is found in about 5% of healthy newborns. Infants usually acquire the yeast from their mothers during passage through the birth canal. The yeast is more apt to remain in those infants who abrade the lining of the mouth with prolonged sucking (such as babies who sleep with a bottle or pacifier). Visible thrush begins to develop 7 to 10 days after birth. The use of oral antibiotics, especially during the first year of life, can lead to recurrent or persistent thrush. The lesions of thrush are white (or sometimes gray) plaques found on the insides of the cheeks, the lips, the tongue, or the palate. If the only symptom is a uniformly white tongue, it isn't thrush. The plaques of thrush are often described as curd-like. Unlike milk residue, they adhere to the underlying tissue. Thrush lesions can be quite painful for some children, leading to fussiness and decreased feeding. For other children, there appears to be no discomfort at all.. Either way, the yeast sometimes passes through the gastrointestinal system and causes a yeast diaper rash on the other end. In otherwise healthy children, thrush is a self-limited condition, usually resolving within a month from its first appearance. No treatment is required. Even though it will improve on its own, treatment is often recommended either to alleviate oral discomfort or to treat (or prevent) painful yeast diaper rashes. Treatment usually consists of an antifungal medicine such as Nystatin suspension. This can be applied, gently, directly to the plaques with a cotton-tipped applicator, or given orally 1-2ml four times daily. Sidney Hurwitz, M.D., in Clinical Pediatric Dermatology, suggests using a cotton-tipped applicator dipped into a mixture of one-fourth teaspoon of baking soda and one or two drops of mild liquid detergent (without ammonia or bleach) mixed in a glass of warm water. Stronger medicines are available, though usually unnecessary. If the thrush persists, yeast on nipples or pacifiers should be considered as sources for reinfection. Nystatin can also be placed on mother's breasts; artificial nipples and pacifiers can be sterilized.” So I think it’s time to change the teats of my bottle and pacifier. But until then it still hurts when I’m eating….

Under the weather

I don’t feel good today. I have a slight fever and I lost my appetite. I had to go see my neighbourhood doctor for something to ease this pain. After my appointment with the doctor, he told mama that I have some kind of whiteness on my lips that is affecting my reluctance to eat. He gave me some lip “balm” to soothe my lips. I just hope tomorrow would be a better day for me.

4800 hits

Short and sweet and straight to the point. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it

Vaguely Vogue

Let’s talk about clothes. A toddler’s wardrobe is like a boutique, retail and bargain bin … all rolled into one. I have one or two or three from brands I can’t even pronounce, the bulk comes from middle of the line retail, and the rest, hand-me-downs from God-knows-who. On one of my outings, mama decided to try out Nek Jah’s gift of a cheongsam outfit. The dress felt tight to the skin, but at least the bottoms were trouser-like. And to complete the look, I wore my pink scarf that matches nicely to the outfit. Do I look good, or do I look good? The fact is that this is one of the better outfits given by Nek Jah or Nek Kimah. Some of their dresses that they bought for me, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in … hihihihi. Don't tell them about it though ...

Annual Checkup

This morning, mama brought me along for some shopping, ... or so I thought. I was very excited when I waved papa "bye-bye", because usually every morning papa would be doing the "bye-bye" to me. Little did I know it was my scheduled 15 months appointment with my doctor? Aaarghh!! As I walked into the polyclinic, I had a feeling of dejavu, like I’ve been here before. Then it struck me, that I was here to see the doctor. I felt so dumb to think mama was doing her window-shopping early in the morning. Duhhh!! As usual after waiting for my number to be called, I went in to see her with my biggest put-on smile. The nurse checked my weight and height and my physical well-being. I was really hoping that that was the end of it but I was wrong. The nurse DID bring out the needle thingy that jabs into my arm. With a brave face, the steel spike was poked into my shoulder. I didn’t cry straightaway maybe because they immediately put cold wet cotton on it after they took the needle out. However a few minutes later, my shoulder became so hot that I had to cry. My fearless façade came crashing down. Maybe the next time, I should ask mama first where she intents to go before accompanying her. If not, I will get another sore shoulder, like the one I have right now.

Speed of Light

I loved the clapping game. Two hands moving to hit each other and making sounds. What could be better than that? I’ve got a treat for you which even the Man of Steel aka Superman would be proud. Behold the fastest clapping ever. All you see is a blur!!

Destination : Batam

I returned home on Wednesday evening. Where did I go? Well, mama and papa wanted to have a short getaway and since we've been going up north for the umpteenth time, they decided to go south for the "winter". 40 minutes and a ferry ride later, we arrived in Batam Island. The boat was a cool ride but the island was hot. I was hoping it won't be like this for the next 3 days. The resort that we went to has a sprawling compound with lots of things to do. Everyone had their own agenda. Big bro and sis wants to go swimming everyday, papa wanted go-kart driving and mama wanted to go for her spa massage. Me? Just give an air conned room and food to eat. I'll be just fine … hihihihi. We had a great time indoors and outdoors. All in all, papa liked the hotel service. He said it was excellent. But what irked him was the big numbered currency they had to hold … hahahah … and the cut-throat prices some items were sold to Singaporeans. Oh well, at least it was a trip well remembered.

4600 hits

Here's a quick one, still haven't recovered from my vacation. For those who are success driven and inspired. If at first you don't succeed, erase all evidence that you tried

I see, I saw, I climb

Another skill which I am excelling as a toddler is climbing. I love to climb. Trying on this skill, I did an extreme stunt which I do not have a video of and I don't think I would be allowed to even show it at all. You will shake your heads in disbelief. Don't worry, no toddler was hurt whilst doing this stunt and I am only allowed to do this only if there are adults around. The stunt is climbing the gates of the front door grilles. It doesn't sound terrifying, doesn't it? The highest when I started was the 3rd bar up, a mere 30cm, but since then, I can climb up about half and a bit more of my door grille. Note the pride in the sentence ... hihihihi The view up there was exhilarating. I can tell you this; mama dropped everything and scrambled to grab me down the grilles the first time I did this. She got mad at me for trying such things. I would practice some more when papa brings me down to the playground on some days. Climbing is such a great fun. What can I say, thrill is my middle name. Ilya "thrill" Firzana, or is it I'll "thrill" ya ...

Milestones

Since I was talking about the newsletter previously, let’s talk about my milestones as 15 month old toddler. Don’t worry I’ll not talk about all the stuff in the newsletter, but will only focus on the notable ones. “You will find she is very curious and loves to up-end containers, boxes and even your handbag, so be prepared for increased mess around the house. She wants to spend more time awake so keep to a routine that gently calms her down before bedtime.” Yup, this one is right on the nail. Tissue boxes are the top of my hit-list now. Big bro’s schoolbag is also goodie-laden. I’m like a baby on steroids … hihihihi. “She runs and rarely falls, and can throw a ball without falling over from the effort. She walks up and down stairs with some help, and can stand on her right foot if you support her.” Hmmm … stand on 1 foot? I must try that trick. “She enjoys carrying around her favourite toy or teddy bear, and likes to pile up her toys in a small heap. She prefers to stay awake and is aware that she may miss out on activities if she is absent. She still likes emptying containers and other household items, and she settles her curiosity by touching everything and exploring each object fully." I hate to say this, but I really don’t have a favourite toy. A favourite book maybe but not a toy because I will play with everything before boredom takes over and I move on to the next toy. “She reacts to the emotional states of those around her: if you are happy she will be happy but if you are angry she may also use angry gestures. She smiles at everyone, is very aware of herself and the reactions she provokes from others, and enjoys people watching her.” Another one right on the button. What can I say, I am progressing on track!