Got Milk?

Hey there milk,

Thanks for keeping Raees healthy and happy. Because of you, my boy has grown so much! He's getting quite heavy now and I'm not complaining (although my arms ache sometimes).

Being a fully breastfeeding working mom, I used to worry about your supply and storage, dear milk. That's why I started pumping you out about a month before I went back to work.

Storage began quite slow. Like they say, sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit (slowly but surely). Now there are many little bags/bottles of you in the freezer. That should be enough to keep my boy filled whenever there isn't enough supply or if I happen to go outstation for work.

As you know milk, it is now my routine to pump you out twice at work and once again at home. I'm afraid I might explode if I didn't! The 3 servings are just nice to keep my boy filled while I'm at work the following day.

Well, yeah...the handsome boy may protest sometimes coz he doesn't like drinking you from the bottle. I guess he needs to get used to it. Help him by keeping yourself as tasty as freshly squeezed :D

Thank you again, milk. Maintain your flow for about 2 years, OK? See ya later ;)

It's Payback Time!

Weeee...I'm so happy mommy has been home for the past 2 days!

Because she has been at work for so long, I didn't let her leave my side. I wanted feeding almost every hour, I didn't sleep much in the day AND I made her entertain me non-stop (well, almost).

She didn't step out of the house the whole weekend too. In fact, she didn't even have time to update this blog. But what matters is, I'm happy :D

The Desk And MyFridge

You've been lonely for too long, desk. So I brought a few of my friends to keep you company. Not too crowded I hope. Mind the grapes...I'm hungry.

Hey wait, what's that under you?

Desk, meet MyFridge.

It's here for Raees mostly. MyFridge is gonna help keep Raees' milk fresh and nice. I decided to bring it here after the drama that happened at home while I was at work...

Raees was at his moodiest and angriest yesterday as he refused to drink the milk that I pumped the day before (at work). He was crying on and off for many hours. Finally he drank the one I pumped in the morning before leaving for work. This led to shortage of milk supply at home, which forced me to leave work a lil bit early.

My theory is, the milk wasn't as fresh when it's with the icepack. So MyFridge, I hope the drama yesterday will not happen again now that you're here. Kesian my boy.

The Desk And I

Hello new desk. We finally meet. My, don't you look dull?

Hey, you didn't say you have a great view of boxes, pillars and partitions! I could just sit at this little corner the whole day and no one would know I was at work. What a way to practice my social skills, eh?

I SO look forward for lunch to get away from you, desk. And today, I ate BIG!

Banana leaf rice...yummy! What diet?

When I'm done, it's just you and me again, dear desk. You know, when I'm here, my mind wonders a lot towards the handsome boy at home. I wonder what he's doing right now. Could he be pouting like me?

*sigh* I wanna go home :(

My Boy's Out And About

My darling Raees,

I guess we've stayed home way too much. Although it's nice to spend so much quality time together, you needed to see the world and mommy needed a change of environment. So I brought you out over the weekend.

First stop, the light shop. Not the usual place for a day out but hey, I needed to get some lights urgently. Mommy was afraid of breaking something if I were to put you in the stroller. So I carried you in the carrier instead.

Mommy felt like a kangaroo carrying a very handsome baby kangaroo..hehe!

I was comfortable the whole time despite walking around the store for quite a while. And you looked like you were having a pleasant dream, probably about bubble bath in the sink?

Uh, carrying you around was good workout for mommy too :D

Next stop, we went out for our first family lunch. It was your first time to a shopping mall, Raees! You know, this is where mommy spend a lot of my free time. Once you're older, you and I can go shopping together ;)

It was the first time we used the stroller outdoors. See...even the handles are still covered in plastic. Hehe!

While we had our lunch, you were very obedient in your stroller...looking at us, then looking at the strange new surrounding.

You were getting bored and restless just sitting still. I guess you wanted to explore the shopping mall. Mommy and daddy took turns entertaining you but after some time you got bored with the toy too.

So Tok Mama and Tok Wan took over while mommy and daddy finished our lunch.

Mommy was glad you didn't let out a single cry. In fact, it seemed like you really enjoyed our family outing. We'll do it again soon, ok handsome boy? :)


Love,
Mommy

Mommy's Going To "Work"

Usually I wake up with mommy right beside me. I like it coz it's very easy access to my milk. But this morning was a lil bit different. She was getting herself ready to go out. Hmm...I wonder what's the rush?

I didn't like the change. That's why when mommy offered milk, I sulked and gave her a hard time. After a while I gave in and drank anyway. I was getting too hungry lah.

I laid on the nursing pillow while mommy supported my head with one hand. At the same time her other hand was "painting" her face. When I was done, I looked up at mommy and she was all made up and ready to go.

She laid me in my crib and softly said,"Mommy's going to work today. Be a good boy and stay with Tok Mama ok? Drink the milk that mommy pumped for you and I'll see you later this evening. I'm gonna miss you."

I smiled and I thought I saw her tearing up a little. After kissing me a dozen times, she left for this place called "work".

Not Your Typical Morning

One typical morning, Raees was wide awake and ready for his bath...

Oh look...he has started sucking his fingers :)

Wipes...check.
Diaper...check.
Clothes...check.
Towel...check.
Powder and other necessary things...check check.
Warm water filled with bubbles...check.

Looks like everything's set. Let's go, Raees!

Raees?

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Adoi...this boy! He actually fell asleep on the changing mat! And he wasn't wearing any clothes nor diaper. Thinking he was just taking a short nap, I put the towel on him to keep him warm and I waited.


Oh, I waited alright...for about 3 and a half hours! He woke up wet, hungry and unhappy. Hehe! Funny little boy.. It wasn't a typical morning after all.

Leia Smells A Handsome Baby

Raees is 2 months young already! However he has yet to meet our extended family...our cats.

I guess they noticed the lack of attention they were getting lately and have been hearing cries that sounded new to them. Curiosity got the best of Leia, the most manja of all our kitties.

One day, she snuck in to the house and waited patiently outside my bedroom. Sorry Leia, Raees isn't ready to meet you yet. Wait til he's a bit older ok?

She waited anyway...cross legged lagi. So ladylike, this cat. Meanwhile, Raees was dozing off in his crib.

Somehow, we don't know how, Leia managed to get into the room as quiet as a mouse and just sat there.

She was careful not to come too close to the crib. Good girl!

Her bell gave her away and she was shooed out of the room to join the rest of the cats. She seemed satisfied to smell the baby smell and come just a little bit closer to the mysterious new human being that we all call Raees The Handsome Boy :)

Raees Heart London

When mommy and daddy brought me to London (where I met Auntie Leen and Uncle Rizal), I didn't wanna go back. The whether was nice and the people always gave mommy a seat in the tube. I felt very healthy too coz mommy walked around a lot. The swaying motion made me sleepy but as soon as night time came and mommy was resting, I was kicking around like there was no tomorrow.

I left my heart in London *sniff*

Realising this, Auntie Nor got me a gift when she visited Auntie Leen recently...

Oh, I SO heart London! Thank you for the lovely T, Auntie Nor!

I heart you too :D

Raees' Aqiqah In Motion

This video pretty much rounds up Raees' big day...

Handsome Boy's Aqiqah Ceremony

I meant to update on the Aqiqah ceremony sooner but I've been preoccupied with Raees. Wait no more coz here it is...

Guests came as early as 10am to meet Raees before the ceremony began. Some of them were looking forward to meet the handsome boy for the first time. Little did they know, at that time Raees just had his bath and was still being dressed. He made the guests wait..hehe!

Once he was ready, he put on his charm and mingled with the ladies...

By 11.30am, the crowd started to pick up. Even relatives from my hometown Perlis managed to make it. I'm also happy that my late Pak Ngah's family were there to celebrate my boy.

Welcoming my Mak Ngah and children

My father started the ceremony with his welcome speech - he just loves giving speeches. All the while Raees was calm and composed...phew!

The ceremony was more special with the presence of this ustaz, who was imported all the way from Kelantan.

The ustaz's father did the belah mulut ceremony for Mer when he was a newborn (not familiar with belah mulut? I'll get to that soon.) As a gift for us, Mer's father flew the ustaz's son from Kelantan to carry out the ceremony for Raees. Confused? Let's make it simple:

Ustaz A - belah mulut for Mer
Ustaz A's son - belah mulut for Raees (Mer's son...get it?)

Belah mulut is a ceremony carried out to give the baby his first taste (besides milk that is). So here we have Raees tasting air zamzam, dates and honey.

He loved it! Didn't wanna let go of the ustaz's finger.

This was followed by cukur jambul, selawat and doa recital. He was cool the whole time! Oh, wait...he did cry during doa but stopped as soon as we gave him another taste of air zamzam, dates and honey.

Now the food was good. Of course the roasted lamb was the favourite. With no 'lamb' smell, it was like eating beef kebab.

Kids were not forgotten. Instead of having them running in and out the house, up and down the stairs...they were well behaved in the game room.

I also had a few of my friends around..

From left: My mom, Raees, Suraya, Syu, Lin

The last time Suraya and I met was probably 4-5 months ago. Now she's 6 months pregnant, very radiant and I can finally see her baby bump (although it's hardly noticeable).

Syu (my cupid) and Lin were the few people who met Raees at the hospital. I wonder if Syu has that funny feeling in her stomach looking at Raees knowing the fact that she brought his parents together in the first place. Hmm..

Raees meets the beautiful Iva Afiqah

My mind has lots of funny dialogs for the picture above! It seems the handsome boy got baby Iva's head turning already. Selling expensive, eh, Raees? Hehe..

From left: Rie, Me, Nurul, Suraya

Ahh..the Majalah 3 friends. How I missed them so dearly.

I was rested from the programme starting from my last trimester of pregnancy. I watched Majalah 3 Hari Raya special episode with such envy. It looked like they had fun working on it where the whole team gathered at a kampung house to simulate Hari Raya in 1957. At the end of the programme the whole team wished Selamat Hari Raya.

And there I was watching at home...confined. So jealous! But one look at Raees who was comfortably feeding in my arms, it all went away and a smile crept on my face :)

All in all, the whole ceremony turned out well. It was simple yet very special for Mer, me and the rest of the family.

A video will be coming up next. Wait for it...

Raees' Big Day In The Making

The night before Raees' aqiqah, my house was buzzing with last minute preparation. However Raees was wide awake and needed company. So we thought it was the best time to officiate his stroller!

Drumsticks!

This little card was my idea. I wanted guests to know the name and recognize the baby that was being celebrated. I think it pretty much completed the whole look and feel of the door gift.

Finished with preparation around midnight but I slept at 3am getting my handsome boy to sleep. Because of that, he was still comfortably sleeping on my bed til about 10am (guests were coming at 11am..eek!)

As soon as he opened his eyes I got him bathed before he could finally wear his traditional attire (which was suppose to be his baju raya, remember?)

So handsome!

My mother made this jubah especially for my boy about a month ago. Lucky thing he could still fit them. This boy grows so fast!

With his one of a kind jubah, my boy was all set to wow the crowd :)

2 Lambs...

What a day!

After many days of preparation, Raees' big day finally came and it was a blast. He was at his handsomest, the food was good and the weather was too. Family and close friends gathered having a great time celebrating my boy :)

The full story coming soon...

Raees Shares His Raya Experience

My boy is getting cheekier and cheekier everyday. So geram! I bet you people will feel like pinching him after watching this video. Enjoy!

Raees & Non-Confined Mommy

In the morning of 8 Oct 2009, I woke up to a very happy mommy. With a peck on each cheek she said,"Mommy's out of confinement, sayang! Now we raya sakan!"

And raya sakan we did! But first let me tell you what happened prior to that...

Mommy said we have a few open houses to attend on Sunday. Daddy thinks this is quite a challenge coz I'm still too small (Raees big boy lah daddy..) and it would be the first time we go out just the 3 of us. Mommy, on the other hand, was ecstatic and confident we could do it.

However a day before our outing, I was not in my best mood. I was crying a lot in which gave mommy and daddy a headache. Well yeah, I was fed and cleaned. But what they didn't know was I wanted to be carried until I fall asleep. Apelah mommy daddy ni...


Daddy said if I was this moody on Sunday, we need to cancel our little family outing. Well, Sunday came and I was at my bestest behaviour :D

Mommy pumped 2 bottles of milk for the purpose of convenience. This gave daddy a chance to feed me at one of the houses we went to.

Besides that one time feeding, I slept the whole time and didn't even asked to be changed. Mommy and daddy were relieved :)


Once we reached home, it suddenly hit me...I needed nappy change and a bath desperately! I exercised my vocal chords and I got what I wanted.

As I finished bathing I started wailing again as hunger struck. Before I managed to get dressed, I was given the second bottle of milk that mommy pumped (didn't want it to go to waste, eh?)

Look, I can hold the bottle all by myself!

So mommy, daddy...I was good the whole time we were out. Can we do it again soon? Pretty pleaseeee...