Zahir Niyaz bin Hashley.

Salam all,

Introducing our new bundle of joy who came into this world on 21st November 2013, alhamdulillah. A lot to be updated, but for now, this will give you a slight hint of what I have been up to ;)

Thank you all for the well wishes, prayers and love given to us. We 4 truly appreciate it <3 Birthing story will be up in due course hehe.

Love and light,
Me

Big girl now.

Hello all, sorry I have been m.i.a. Swear I've been so busy off late. Nways, here's a photo of Khaisah post-circumsition on 23rd August 2012. If you've noticed, this is her signature facial expression. Makes you wonder what she's thinking about, ain't it? Hehe.

Anyhoo, am trying to update as much as I can, when I can :)

Raya 2012

Raya this year was extra special for us as we three got the chance to bersedondon for the first time and it was also our first time to experience the first day of raya at my in laws :) Anyhoo, hope it's not too late for us to wish all of you Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir dan Batin! Love from me, Hashley and our little peplum girl.

Khaisah's First Few Steps!

Just last night, Khaisah took her first two steps. 

Then she fell down and up she rose again and took another 8 steps!! Hashley and I was thrilled to see that she was able to balance herself and put her steps forward, alhamdulillah :)))) I'm a proud mummy!

She took her first steps on her exact 13 months milestone. Will ensure she gets a lot of practice in hoping she'll be able to walk without support and falling before the eid :)

Yeah she was walking with a paper bag in her hand. Dah practice nak gi shopping dengan mummy ya? :) Picture was taken from a snapshot of the video that we recorded. Apologize for the quality hehe.

Anyhoos, I know I hardly blog about Khaisah - that's cause I try not to expose my daughter much to the cyber world, judging there are so many sick people nowadays. But I'm making an exception this time to share with you of her developments at 12/13 months in a nutshell :D

At 12/13 months, she was able to:
- walk with one hand held
- eventually walk without holding our hands
- was able to stand on her own and attempt first steps
- sit down from standing position without help
- she loves playing with things like shape sorter and balloons too!
- she loves books, more like flipping pages (habis mummy punya buku and magazines)
- crawls so fast!
- likes to chase cats but still scared to touch them
- able to call me "mummy", "mama" and calls her daddy "yeyi" hahaha
- able to address my mom's helper whose name is Bahtiar but she calls him "Atiar"
- able to say the words "cat", "dog", "bubble", "duck"
- she comprehends our expressions and recognizes objects by name
- understands simple verbal comments like when we say "no" she will be shaking her head and hands
- shows affection by kissing (love this!)
- clings to us in strange situations 
- searches for objects where it was last seen (she loves playing peekaboo)
- one thing I noticed she loves music and loves singing and dancing - all time favourite song: birthday song :)
- current favourite thing to do: ask her who's cute and she'll go blinking her eyes like she knows she's the one who's cute hahaha! SUPER CUTE.

But I must also share with you that Khaisah has had her several falls - most of them were from the bed, subhanallah. I swear it's scary as hell but alhamdulillah, she's fine from it all. I really felt like I was the worst mom in the world, I even cried the first time that she fell. Must be cautious and careful at ALL times, especially now that she's more active than before. Really hope the last incident will be the last, nauzubillah.

As for Khaisah's development at the nursery, she's blending well, much to my liking. Hardly get any calls from the nursery anymore except for one occasion that she had diarrhoea. Other than that, she's one popular girl at school! Haha. Bila sampai je at school, all the bigger kids will call out for her name and she'll be smiling and giggling to them. Ever since she attends the nursery, I also noticed that she's bubblier (she talks SO much now) and friendlier with people. If not, dulu tak nak orang lain pegang dia except for the people she really recognizes. 

So that's it for now I guess. Till another milestone insya Allah :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Khaisah.

Our first ever picture together :)

4.05pm on a Tuesday, 12^th July 2011 in Labour room 1, Dsara Specialist Hospital. By far the most significant time which meant the most to us, the first time we officially became parents, be addressed as “mummy” and “daddy”, where we first heard your cry. Masya Allah and Subhanallah, we were in tears of joy. Alhamdulillah, endless prayers and syukur to Allah for giving me you.

Happy birthday Khaisah, sayang! Semoga panjang umur, murah rezeki, sihat selalu and I pray that you turn out to be a fine, brilliant (as per the meaning of your name) lady and become anak yang solehah towards mummy and daddy. Mummy loves you so much my dear, always and forever, in life and thereafter.

Birthday girl at birth time <3<3

Her birthday dinner at Vivo, on her actual birthday.

The Best of 2011.

The final day of the year has arrived and I have no other way better to celebrate it but watch fireworks from our balcony with my husband, my baby and my mother. 

2011 has been nothing but kind and joy to me. Half of the year was spent by enjoying my pregnancy - the experience and preparation for it and the later half was even more exciting with the arrival of our bundle of joy.

I can possibly sum up that the highlight of 2011 is motherhood. If I had known that she'd bring me this joy and happiness much earlier, I wouldn't have waited for this long.


Happy new year, my friends. May 2012 be a better year than the last. Wallahuallam :)

Khaisah Goes To Two Birthday Parties!

Dearest Khaisah,

In the month of December, you went to two birthday parties. 

The first birthday party was to Kakak Iman Zahrah's 2 years old Artsy-Fartsy birthday party. Kakak Iman is Aunty Sufina's daughter :) 

Kakak Zara and Abang Zabran came to the party too. 

You were fascinated with all the little kids running around and the colourful things surrounding the party and on that day too, was our first time meeting Aunty Lea's new baby, baby Raed. 

Sadly, mummy only has 1 picture of the party. So much for bringing my camera around with me everywhere but my hands were tied, just holding you Khaisah hehe.

Well at least, there was 1 picture for you to reminisce.

Aunty Eleanor, Aunty Ainul, Aunty Sufina & Kakak Iman, Aunty Lea & Baby Raed and us :)

The other party that you attended was to Kakak Lana Sofea's 2nd birthday party. The theme was Timmy Time (the cartoon on telly which you'll be watching as soon as Daddy calls Astro to subscribe Baby TV on. Daddy keeps on forgetting to call Astro after countless reminders pfffft hehe)

And this time, you were so engrossed with the giant slide at Aunty Fiena's house. I knew you wanted to ride on it cause you can't stop baby talking and kicking your legs as if wanting to run to the slide. Your time will come okay baby, insya Allah :)

Love you forever xxx

See, you can't sit still. You were focusing on the slide, and ONLY the slide. Haha. Atok Ayem got you this cow print top and bottom by the way.

Aunty Shake & Kakak Raisha, Aunty Alin (and Abang Mirul, M.I.A), Aunty Fiena & Kakak Lana, us and Aunty Liza.

Kakak Lana and mummy

Birthday girl and her signature style - tutu skirt!

Pretty rainbow cake. I'll bake one for you nanti okay?

Khaisah & Malls.

 

 

These photos were taken at Madam Kwan's KLCC.

And below, at Pavilion. 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenapa aunty-aunty and mummy yang posing lebih ni? Hehehe.

Anyways, this is so overdue but heck. I'm posting these up so that one day, Khaisah can see that she saw these United Buddy Bears when she was just 5 months. 

Baby, these were taken in early December, if I'm not wrong. You loveeee watching these bears and the people and lights around you sampai sanggup tak tido langsung for whole 6 hours in Pavilion. Hehe.

Love you honey xxx

Baby & Bronchiolitis.

Sometime early November, Khaisah was unwell. It started off with a bad case of flu with cough and phlegm. Hashley and I went to the hospital back and forth for 3 consecutive days to get medical relief and her paeds required that she get a dose of nebulizer. After the third day, the flu and cough just got alarming, then it deteriorated to slight fever and worsened by high fever.

So what actually happened was on one day, I had to take an emergency leave to take care of her as my instinct tells me something was amiss. I tried to breastfeed her after bathing, which was usually the case but she kept on crying for one solid hour, literally non-stop that I got confused. Thought it was time to change her nappy again till I realized that her hands and nails were almost purple and her body heat was just out of normal! Took the thermometer and it read at 38.9 degrees. I panicked of course, quickly changed into my jeans and rushed to the hospital. Thank God for trusting my instinct to take an emergency leave, for if I was late so many things could have happened, nauzubillah. 

As we arrived at the hosp, I knew she would be admitted. Babies with temperatures that high? For sure, an admission. Poor baby, she was still crying, refusing to be fed, in pain and hunger, Allah knows how sad it was to see her ailing. 

Things just got a little more heartbreaking when the doctor had to put on the drip on her tiny little hand. At that juncture, I can't help it anymore. I cried profusely. 

 

I was really sad. All of us cried - yeap, that includes my husband and my parents. It was just too depressing. 

Apparently, Khaisah was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is a common illness of the respiratory tract caused by an infection that affects the tiny airways, ie. the bronchioles, that lead to the lungs. As these airways become inflamed, they swell and fill with mucus, making breathing difficult. The first symptoms of bronchiolitis are usually the same as those of a common cold:

• stuffiness
• runny nose
• mild cough
• mild fever
  
  
  

Source

Sometimes more severe respiratory difficulties gradually develop, marked by:

• rapid, shallow breathing
• a rapid heartbeat
• drawing in of the neck and chest with each breath, known as retractions
• flaring of the nostrils
• irritability, with difficulty sleeping and signs of fatigue or lethargy

Furthermore, the child may also have a poor appetite and not feed well or become dehydrated which was the case for Khaisah. 

Gradually, she recovered from her flu and cough and her body temperature went back to normal. But having introduced to antibiotics, she started to purge. It appears that purging is normal if antibiotics were given to babies so for the next couple of days, Khaisah was still warded. Until and unless the purging subsides, mummy and daddy will be at the hospital still.

After 6 days and 5 nights at the hospital, Khaisah was still purging although, in smaller quantity but we were given the trust to take care of her so we were discharged. Yes, "we" cause Hashley and I have been camping at the hospital from day 1. Hehe. 

So for new parents like us, if you sense that something's coming down with your baby, don't hesitate to call your paediatrician right away. Best if you head straight to the hospital but also, do act reasonably. Babies are delicate and vulnerable. Better be safe than sorry, yes?

I'm glad I trusted my instinct and I rushed to the hospital straight away. I might sound a little paranoid here but in all honesty, I'd rather be paranoid than regretful. Syukur alhamdulillah, Khaisah has recovered. From that incident on, I paid a little extra attention to her surroundings and that includes like basic must-wash-hands-before-you-touch-her-if-you-just-went-out. Haha.

First time mummy. What to do. Lol.

Majlis Aqiqah & Cukur Jambul Khaisah Hashley :)

Sorry this came in late - well, every update is not really an "up to date" post so to speak. Guess by now, you've accustomed yourselves to that, yes?

Anyhoos.

Khaisah's aqiqah and cukur jambul was held on the 25th Sept, 2011 at Masjid Saidina Umar Al-Khattab, Bukit Damansara. We had it over at a "neutral" ground being that Khaisah is "super special" ie. first grandchild for both sides. It was only fair, perhaps easier to have it there. Plus, having huge families and large group of friends add up to that factor too.

Moving along.

I engaged Aizat from Bliss Candid Photography to be in charge of the photos that day and here are the results.

Khaisah was 2.5 months at this time.

The "buaian" or cradle deco was done by My Baby Pimpom, as recommended by a blogger friend. The theme was colourful pastel and I had Pretty Little Things to do the dessert table. Qzara was my vendor for the favours, it was a personalized notebook by the way and other decorations in the picture below was done by yours truly (with the help of my girlfriends) via Bungaa :) Catering for the day was none other than CT Catering (seriously delish!) and oh, the marhaban group was from my mom's single mothers and orphanage charity organization (if you'd like to have them, do email me).

Decors and details.

Event started at 11 and guests came in tad early which was relatively good but urm ... we weren't done setting up the place yet! Centerpieces were still being arranged, dessert table was quarterly done and catering people were not there yet. Phew. Fyi, we were given a night before the do to arrange everything and by the time I finished doing the center pieces was close to 4 a.m! No one to be blamed but yours truly for wanting it to be a combination of paper and fresh flowers. Thanks Didi, Mel, Mom and Yayi for helping!

Guests coming and settling down.

Marhaban begins.

By the time all was a go-go, it was half past 11. Thanks to Chor (Hashley's aunty who happens to be the Mak Andam Di-Raja for Johore Royalty) for all the cukur jambul majiggy.

The first step to do was to tahnik Khaisah which involves feeding her with a tea spoon (or less) of honey, assam, air zam zam and salt. Then the ladies, including paternal and maternal grandparents as well as marhaban ladies will put Khaisah's feet to touch the sand, symbolizing "pijak tanah", snip her hair and those strands of hair were put into the water for keeps sake. Each person who did this received a small token as an appreciation for being a part of this holy ceremony and in this case, it was a small diamante brooch. Thanks Mommy (MIL) for this.

Was wearing Schanaz Satin Silk Scarf :)

I'm sure Khaisah was confused of what was really happening haha.

Bottom right. She looked like she really wanted this to be over, kan?

But everything that goes into my mouth tastes nice, mommy hehe!

Finally...

Relieved and happy to  be in the cradle. She really enjoyed herself being swung!

There was a surprise bday cake for September babies in the family. Left.

Some of our family and friends that came.

Alhamdulillah, all went well. It was fun albeit a little chaotic and noisy. Thanks to all that have helped, contributed and came all the way down. We three really appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.

Khaisah is now baldy baldy :D