What is love...

Got this through an email from a friend....I hope some of what was said here will make you smile.I sure did : )

Touching words from the mouths of kids. What does 'Love' mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds. The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'Rebecca - age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'Chrissie - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8

'If you want to learn to love better,you should start with a friend who you hate,'Nikka - age 6

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'Tommy - age 6

'My mummy loves me more than anybody.You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'Elaine - age 5

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'Chris - age 7

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'Jessica - age 8

And the final one - Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said,'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Fun in the sun

We had sooooo much fun in the sun on Sunday....

Grinning...

Princess in tent...

Prince in tent....

Ride on the bike....

Oakley's like his daddy's?

*More pics in my Multiply!

Fun weekend

I was soooooooo looking forward to every weekend.Time to get my itchy butt out of the house and zoom in the car with hubby and kids.After doing a bit of 'research',I had a few places in mind that I wanted to go...places that we have yet to explore with our young ones.

So on Saturday,I coaxed hubby to check out some cool furniture for the children.I had requested for a catalogue and I fell in love with what they are selling the moment my eyes saw it.True enough,it looks great in real life as it does in the catalogue.Hubby likes it too (though not as much as I do!).Our little prince loved it as well we noticed.The only thing we are considering now is,of course,the price that comes with it....and also,is it truly worth paying for.I don't think we would be getting it so soon though (if we are,in the first place...*grin*) coz our son has not reached the stage whereby he could sleep on his own AND in his own room.Meantime,let me get the calculator and find out the costs,just in case.... ; )

Since another food outlet has recently received its 'halal' cert,we decided to go there for brunch!

Darling son,with his kid's meal.

Tucking in!

Sunday......

We had a whale of a time on Sunday.Fidgets-a cool place we have yet to explore...

We had heavy breakfast at Adam Road and then drove there,which was a stone's throw away.The bulding seems dilapidated but don't be fooled,once you stepped into Fidgets,it's like wow,my kids would DEFINITELY love this!A place to jump,climb,slide,roll and do all sorts!The child in me was jumping in excitement.I noticed my son's eyes lit when he saw the huge colourful place-the slides,walls,tubes.....

Indoor fun for kids.

Wall-climbing!


Canopy walk.

Balls! And lots of 'em!

Hubby and I took turns to accompany our boy.I guess when his sister is older,we could leave them both to play on their own while we sip our latte at the cafe ; )

We spent a few hours there until hubby decided it was time out.Exhausted but happy,all three of us (baby girl not included as she sleeps half of the time) were dying for a drink and lunch.I was so glad we managed to go there...I am more glad that my son had such an exciting time.We'll definitely be there again soon!

I've been searching for new spots to spend our weekends as a family so hopefully,we'll get to explore other places next time around.If you do have good ideas,drop me a line,will ya? : )

P.S. More photos in my Multiply!

If I can't go to the mall,bring the mall to me!

Itch...itch...itch....

My itch to shop has started again (not that it ever stopped anyway...*grin).It all started with a single purchase of course....like the river flowing to the sea,my spree didn't stop at one.

Been wanting to get this since I was pregnant.Even after I surveyed my other mummy pals for reviews on various brands,I ended up not buying it as I was sceptical if my second baby would embrace it coz my first didn't.After rambling so much about it,hubby told me to just get it (only then my rambling would stop,right?!hmmm...).

The package arrived today all the way from US....people not included : )

My baby girl's sling!There were so many yummy colours and designs to choose from,but I eventually couldn't help but get the sling in my favourite shade-RED!It's so easy to use,unlike the previous ones I had.Barely five minutes of placing her in the sling,she falls asleep.

She snuggled so comfortably,I was very happy.It's worth every dollar getting it.

It was the start of my online shopping...after a long break of not doing so,I'm back with a vengence.I got some white onesies and infant caps from another US website.I just 'need' to get non-pink items for my girl.A lot of her outfits are in pink (mostly were gifts) and I think I have to put a stop to it...haha.The problem is,as I've noticed,many places sell infant clothes only in two colours,either in blue for boys or pink for girls.What I need now is to have clothes for her in a myriad of colours-white,yellow,blue,green and especially red-which I manage to get a few days ago.Yay!

My spree...

I didn't forget to get something for my boy of course : ) Since his fave jeans is getting a tad too short for him,he got this....His first Levi's.

My online shopping has made a comeback.It's far from over,I tell ya.(I have yet to get something for darling hubby).And now,with my handsfree sling,I could go shopping in the mall too!In any case,please don't make me feel guilty about my shopping in these 'bad times'.....I need to help the economy by spending,right? ; P

Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments

It has been a while since darling hubby and I managed to sit down to watch a movie....and slow-moving as it was in the beginning,the plot picks up later on.A three hour movie no doubt.



The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,a story of a man who starts aging backwards.A man,like any of us,who is unable to stop time.A tale about a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way,the loves he finds,the joys of life and the sadness of death,and what lasts beyond time.

It's not bad...kind of,you-have-to-hang-in-there-for-a-while kinda movie.I just couldn't stand one thing-the way the elderly Daisy speaks on her deathbed.It was so hard to understand that it pisses me off.Eventually,hubby and I made up what she was trying to say...lol!Anyway,for those patient enough for this kinda movie,go watch it : ) Here's the trailer...

Now,hubby and I are trying to slot in some precious time on our own to catch a few more movies-Seven Pounds,Revolutionary Road,The Reader,Changeling....but knowing he has to work late these days...hmmm.....*shrugs*

Life with two

So...it has been more than 3 weeks that I began my life with two...

With my two darling babies,that is...

So far,it has been swell!Tired?Of course.Sleepy?You bet.Sometimes time doesn't seem to be on my side and I have to stretch myself for both (for three if I include hubby!).But as crazy as it is,I love them all.I love taking care of them myself.I'm still trying to plan the day wisely so that I'd have time to do all the stuff required without going bonkers.Alhamdulillah,my baby girl sleeps well and wakes up every 3 hours or so.At times,I have to wake her up to feed or change her.Most of my energy goes to my 2 year old of course,who demands my attention.He wants to eat,play,study,everything with me (when his daddy's not around).That's ok I guess...I'm just glad that he's doing fine with his baby sister.He'll laugh when he notices his sister looking in his direction.He'll want to 'carry' and hug her at times.I encourage him to read and play with her and he seems to love doing so.When he hears her cry,he'll go over to her crib and say,"Don't cry,Zahraa...sabar...sabar...".It's so adorable,I tell ya!

I know things would be different as they grow older.Perhaps it'd be tougher for me as a parent,managing two kids with minds of their own.Well,I'll take it as it comes.What I need to do is to have time for both of them to learn and play together...as well as separate special time with each of them.I hope I can manage that : )

Anyway,this confinement time is getting to me (I'm not for rules!hehe).I was soooo itching to go out and what better timing-hubby had a long time off from work because of the CNY.But it was not so simple now that we have two!Last weekend when we were at a supermarket,things got a little berserk.Our son was grabbing one stuff after another from the shelves and his daddy was trying to control him AND carry the heavy shopping basket.I was trying to locate the things scribbled on my shopping list,amidst the crazy CNY crowd while trying to coax my crying baby girl who was wailing for milk!There we were-hubby and me-like 'sotong'...we couldn't even communicate with each other as we try to appease the two kids!Everyone seemed to be staring at us...haha!It didn't seem funny then though!So eventually,with my left hand carrying my girl and my right holding my vivacious boy,we marched back to the car so that I could feed my girl and get my boy away from the chocolates and other temptations that he was grabbing in the supermarket.Later,I couldn't help but giggle when I saw hubby trudging wearily as he wrestle to carry the pram and the heavy shopping bags to the car.Hah,so this is what having two kids is like,eh!

It's the weekend again tomorrow....oooohhh weeeeee.....I'm so glad!I just want to go out!Have some good food and maybe do a little naughty shopping (not just the marketing and grocery shopping I mean!)....if my babies allow....Guess I have to see what our two kids have in store for us tomorrow.... : p

My princess,Zahraa

It was on May 12th 2008 that we discovered I was pregnant again....and after carrying her in me for exactly 39 weeks and 3 days,our beautiful princess was born,on Wednesday,7th January 2009 (10 Muharam!).

We were anticipating that she'd be out before the 38th week or at latest,by then (hubby had nearly a week off from work even).But day after day,there were neither signs of spotting nor contractions.I felt some discomfort now and then,especially at night but I know it was not contraction.My water was still sufficient but by 3rd January,my gynae said it was running low so eventually I had to be admitted and induced on the 7th.Yikes!Those days before I was admitted,I was worried for my baby.Gynae had informed me of some negative effects that may occur,some less likely than the others.I was rather emotional and would cry to myself sometimes,thinking why was this happening?Maybe I had a wrongdoing and it was a way of punishment...yet at the same time,I kept telling myself,there's a blessing behind it all I'm sure.I was frustrated each time someone asked me,do I feel any pain?(i.e. contraction).

I was ready to go to the hospital that morning.It was like,let's get this done and over with!I was in the labour ward around 11.30.What saddened me was to leave my son.Though I know he was in good hands,it was heartbreaking hearing him cry out loud when his daddy and I left him for the ward.He had never been left in the care of anyone else,that was why it was difficult for him...and us....

The induction was done soon after....the nurse tried to break my water but couldn't.Gosh,she was digging and tugging but it remained intact...ouch ouch....I felt slight contractions afterwards but I was still joking and laughing with hubby.He even tried on the laughing gas mask to see the effect!It was hilarious!He took photos of me and left me for a while to do Zuhur prayers since I wasn't feeling any pain....YET......Past two o'clock,after my gynae broke my water,the contractions got stronger and more frequent.It was like ooh la la....dejavu of my first labour!Ouch!!!How could I forget such pain...I had my 'air selusuh' which hubby passed to me now and then.I put on the gas mask though not too often as I didn't want to get too drowsy or worse,vomit.By 3+,it was going crazeeeeee!It was pain,pain,pain all the way!I suddenly felt the need to hold hubby badly.I was squeezing his hands and arm whenever a contraction was coming.All I wanted was for my baby to be out safely!Out...out...out!

The nurses told me to call for them when I feel like I'm going to 'pass motion'.Gosh,I just want to PUSH,I tell ya!A couple of minutes to 4pm,I couldn't take it anymore so I pressed the button for them.Nurses came in and set up all the paraphernalia.I remember looking at them,thinking...."my gawd,can't you guys move faster?And where the @#%+*! is my doctor?!"The nurses told me my gynae's coming and for me to hold on....HOLD ON?!I felt like screaming to them.I'm in such pain and they tell me to hold on?!!

Finally,my doctor came...all I want to do,yup,you guessed it,was PUSH!And so I did,I think like twice or so,my baby's head was out....but she got stuck....apparently,she was a big baby so the doctor had to turn her to the right position,for me to push again and voila,finally she was out!!!Oh the sweet,sweet relief.....Looking at her and hearing her cries for the first time,with kisses from hubby,I was sooooo happy.She was fine....weighed 3.58kg...bigger than her brother then.

I managed to grab my phone to take photos and video of hubby and her together...while I was still lying there having the placenta extracted out of me and God knows whatever the doctor was doing 'down there'.haha.

When I was pushed out of the labour ward,I was feeling extremely drowsy,thanks to the gas.I could hardly open my eyes,what more to speak.And I was tired.....happily tired.I was also hungry.It's so funny how even before I delivered my baby,I told hubby how hungry I was and kept thinking of food!I had hotcakes and juice for breakfast and that was hours ago...but when I tried to eat,I only managed to regurgitate.Well,that was not helping,is it?*roll eyes*

Anyway,our family came by after maghrib since most fasted on 10 Muharam and had to break fast that day.Everyone was relieved,knowing baby and I were doing good...and that my labour didn't last for many crazy hours like a lot of induced mums went through.Breastfeeding her took a bit more patience at first...I guess coz she's a girl and her mouth is oh so petite and cute.She got the hang of it and like her bro,I'm hoping to exclusively breastfeed her for the next 6 months and continue till she's 2.

Our princess,Zahraa,is 12 days old today and alhamdulillah,she's doing good (her jaundice level has gone down after her 2 days stay in the hospital-gosh those loooog 2 days,just me and her).

She loves to sleep-something I was hoping she'd 'get' from her daddy...lol.

Meantime,I'm in confinement.....hmmm...hate that word.First few days was insane,now I'm feeling so much better,especially when my weight is down to 53kg.*grin & huge laughter*.Sorry,I'm just vain,you see....I'm trying to take care of my health,eat well (I'm still eating a lot) and hope the confinement period is over soon so I could put on some pretty clothes on me and baby girl to paint the town red!

P.S. Love you hubby.Having another baby with you,going through labour and that moment when Zahraa had to admitted in hospital again....what you did for me,for us,how you felt....made me realize all over again how lucky I am to have you,to be with you.

P.S Part 2.....Thanks to my dearest friends,Liz & Fendy,for being there for me when Zahraa's in hospital...for providing me with that emotional support that I need,especially when hubby had to be overseas.
And thanks to all family and friends who have helped us in any way.....

Mummy's new toy

It was the last day of class for my darling boy this term.He'd be having a long 'holiday' after this.Due to the arrival of his sister,he'd skipped the next term so would only start his classes again in April.Poor baby....I feel pretty bad for this coz he thoroughly enjoyed going to his Shichida classes.Guess he's already making sacrifices as a big brother,eh? ; )

Had some pics taken with his teacher and friends....




Hubby got me a new toy last weekend...He insisted that I get it,right dear?*grin*
So this pic was tried and tested from my new Cybershot C905!

All in all,we are happy with the quality of pics taken from this phone.The only downside is that there's no vga cam at the front (think video call!).It's so duhh,I tell ya.Anyway,thanks so much dear for the lovely phone....time to pose....click!

P.S. I'm up 1kg in just one week...opps!My big tummy and son.....

Tick tock...tick tock....

Doesn't it always seem that the final trimester is the loooongest time in your pregnancy?Perhaps it's the overwhelming anticipation that is driving me nuts...hehe....Though I know hubby is as anxious as I am waiting for her,he keeps telling me to enjoy these final moments of pregnancy : )

As much as we are all geared up for the lil' one's arrival,we have (still) yet to pack our bag..opps..Kept on procrastinating,the two of us...so I SERIOUSLY think we should have it done by this weekend,apart from getting the cot up too,since I'm now much better and up on my feet.Yup,I got a nasty flu bug for a few days.All I wanted to do at that time was curled up in bed,which I did...a little...My head was pounding and felt so heavy,body was utterly weak...so I had my darling baby boy to bring a handful of toys in bed with me.I was drifting between snoozing and awake while he played.He was not well too,had a running nose...flowing like tap water...and that was after he had a fever (fortunately the fever went off quickly).At that time,I was hoping that I won't go into labour!All my energy was drained....The past few days was a bit of a challenge with both of us sick,especially after the doctor had advised that I needed lots of rest.

We are still fighting off the final remnants of the nasty phlegm.Brought my boy to the doctor's twice and for moi,I had a cocktail of medication.I even lost a little weight when I visited my gynae last weekend.Well,at least I get to sleep a bit better at night after getting doses of medication that make me drowsy...hehe....

I saw this pic in one of my favourite baby websites and thought it'd be nice to have it here.



My boy likes to do this too....maybe I should get his daddy to snap a photo when he's all lovey dovey with his sister in tummy : )

Oh yes,hubby and I had finally chosen a beautiful name for our baby girl *smile* Can't wait!

...a few more weeks....

I've been taking naps in the afternoons these days.I'd feel rather guilty sometimes coz I could do tons of stuff during that hour or two,but I can't help it.Whenever I put my son to sleep and he'd say 'hug,Umi' and we'd be hugging each other,I'd soon fall asleep too!Guess it's all thanks to the numerous times I wake up in the night now.Mothers who have been in the ninth month of their pregnancy,you know what I mean!

I've only got a few weeks left before it pops!hehe.....

And I REALLY can't wait : ) I hope the labour is quick (and painless??nahh...you got to be kidding!).I can't wait to set my eyes on my baby girl...and kiss her and cuddle her...mmm....

But now,I'm still too lazy to pack the hospital bag...maybe this weekend,when hubby's around so he could motivate me in doing so.Speaking of hubby,we celebrated his birthday a week or so ago.We got him a pair of Oakleys (not shades though,coz he already has his Spike) and a Braun Buffel.Couldn't get a table at Carousel (I would love to indulge in Carousel's sweet,sweet desserts...*grin*) but we still went to town for dinner.We even went to Lido,a place we haven't stepped in years,not to catch a movie but to eat nachos with cheese in front of the preview screen....haha.We miss those times when we went for romantic movie dates...wonder when we'd do that again...?!Guess our romantic nights are at home now : )

Our lil' one posing with the 'madagascarians'.

Anyway,I'm truly glad,alhamdulillah,that hubby's in the country now.With the various events happening in India and Thailand,I'd just rather he won't go overseas.His Bangkok trip was recently cancelled.But he's still very busy with work,having to stay on in the office on some days till his new training room is ready and leaving home early for VCs with the US.Though I get frustrated sometimes coz I see less of him,I know having this emotion is unfair coz he's really very tired.I'm always looking forward to weekends : )

Speaking of which,we're going to have a slightly longer weekend soon...Here's wishing all Selamat Hari Raya Haji!

P.S.More pics posted in my Multiply.