The lil’ dude and his family…

I know that I’ve left this blog for the spider to build its web, but I really do not know what to write anymore these days. :( It did occur to me to close the blog altogether but we’ll see howlah.

Anyway, Irfan’s body started to feel rather warm on Saturday afternoon. By the time it was dark, it felt a little too hot for comfort so I gave him some medicines. He slept from about 8pm (and we were at BSC for dinner) in his stroller til about 10am the next morning. I wasn’t really sleeping as I was monitoring his temperature so I was really glad that we stayed in (almost) the whole day on Sunday. He was okay by this time but didn’t have that big of an appetite. Fair enough.

He was fine on Monday but started to get all phlegmy and chesty. So I brought him to SJMC that evening to see the paed but unfortunately she had some emergency so we had to wait to see an M.O instead. Gah. Had I known I’d have just gone to Prince Court. We waited from 7.45pm til about 10pm and I was really tired and Irfan was getting a bit cranky. (Like duh?!). I asked for him to be nebulized as the phlegm was really bad so my lil hero sat on the chair like a pro throughout the whole thing. Champion betul! His temperature was recorded earlier on and it was 36.8° and his weight was 17.0kg.

Yesterday night, his body started to feel warm balik. I gave him some paracetamol and took his temperature - it was 39.5°!!! Off we went to Prince Court to ask for the suppositories because there was no way in hell I’d let him go to bed like that!

We were at the hospital til slightly after midnight but Irfan’s temperature dropped to 37.3°. Phew. Doctor said that he probably caught a virus somewhere and we are to monitor his temperature for the next three days. If he doesn’t get better by Friday, I’d have to bring him in again for a blood test.

Hope he gets better soon as he’s really looking forward to go for his first school trip on the bus this Friday. And there’s also the trip to The Andaman Langkawi this weekend. Half of me wants to cancel the trip but everything has been paid for. We’ll see how it goes…

Here are some shots taken during the recent trip to KL’s Bird Park. That place is so much better than the Zoo Negara. Irfan was afraid of the peacock though. Don’t ask me why because when I asked him why he’s afraid, his answer was “Because I’m afraidlaaaaaa“. Hrmph.

So we were all in town for Raya this year. Irwan’s parents left for Kuantan on eve of Raya so it was just us and my parents for Raya. On Saturday, I went over to my parents’ in the evening to help my mom cook as my parents invited their friends over for makan-makan on the first day and so did Irwan and I. My mom made nasi tomato, rendang ayam, kurma ayam, ketupat, roti jala, kuah kacang and errr I think a few more that I have forgotten. We’re big on my mom’s cooking so all of us (Irwan and my younger adik included) helped her in the kitchen. Irfan was either 1) busy watching cartoon with my dad or 2) bugging everyone in the kitchen. :P

By the time we were done helping my mom cook, it was close to 11pm (and she had started cooking from 5.30 in the morning!!!) and the boys went upstairs to play wii while I helped to arrange the kuih raya. We left way past midnight and I was so ready to just sleep for the entire week!

I managed to get some shots of Irfan in his baju melayu, sampin and songkok before we left for my parents’ but he really wouldn’t sit still! Ah well, at least I got some pictures. :)

My parents’ friends arrived first and had their makan-makan session while the sky looked a tad gloomy. I was a bit worried in case it’d pour Garfields and Odies as our friends were arriving around 2 plus. The Koks and the Huans arrived first and a couple of minutes later the Chans arrived and I thought that I’d finally get a chance to have lunch (and breakfast!) with them. But unfortunately, more of my parents’ friends arrived so of course must let the guests makan dulu, right? :P

Anyway, didn’t get a chance to take pictures or anything like that as I was busy going up and down replenishing food etc etc for the guests but I think Irfan had the most fun!

The Gontiers arrived just as Aaron and family, Shannon and family, Danny and Kathey were on their way out. My parents’ friends were still continuously pouring in lah. I tak larat mau entertain already so I left them to mingle with the others. I finally had a moment to breathe and sit down to look at Alia and Johan’s wedding photos in Champagne. We couldn’t make the trip as it was held during Ramadhan and I don’t think I larat to travel up and down the whole of France while fasting. Heh.

I had my makan-makan session with the newlyweds and my Nani and the rest of the family from my dad’s side. Irfan was busy playing with Johan and he didn’t seem to mind so that left Alia and me some time to catch up. :)

The day ended around 8 p.m and the house was back to its normal self, except for Irfan who was still jumping up and down in his baju melayu and sampin. I fed him some nasi tomato and beef for dinner and showered him and gave him 8 oz of milk and he slept almost immediately.

Irwan, my brother and I played a game of Monopoly on wii after we have freshened up and around midnight Irwan said that he was hungry and was craving for some indomee. So after ending the game, we all went to Damansara Uptown for supper. I finally got my kerang rebus and we were eating noodles like there was no tomorrow while Irfan was still asleep on Irwan’s lap. By the time we sent my brother home and reached Andalucia, it was already past 2 a.m.  Penat betul!

We went for a friend’s open house on the second day of Raya for lunch and Irfan was having fun with the abangs and kakaks there and didn’t even notice that Irwan and I weren’t next to him. He basically mingled with the older kids and entertained himself and only after everyone started going home that he felt alone again. He came to us and said “Jom balik!”. Yes, sir! Heh.

We had a BBQ session with the Chans and the Koks at Andalucia that evening and I let the kids play with the remaining bunga api we had. Irfan was having fun with his bicycle and it was on that night that he finally got the right way of cycling! Yay! And again, the night ended way past midnight. Haha! Basically by this time, Irfan’s bedtime schedule was all screwed up! Takpe, Raya setahun sekali. :P

We visited the in-laws on the third day of Raya and had lunch with them. Spent most of the day at SS3 and Irfan and his grandma went out to visit a friend who came over from Jakarta. We left SS3 in the evening to get ready as we had a (simpler) makan-makan session at my parents’ with the in-laws and a few of my parents’ friends. My mom made prawn noodles that night and it was yummylicious! Yes yes, I should get all the recipes already and start practicing like s.o.o.n! :P

That was basically how the first three days of Raya went for us. Irwan and I both started working on the fourth day and we’re looking forward to more ketupats and lemangs in the weeks to come. Heh.

So, the lil’ gadget boy has finally turned ONE! How fast does time fly, ey? Tsk. It was a small affair at Bianco but everyone had loads of fun! :) It has been 3 weeks in a row that I’m at Bianco and this weekend we’ll be there again for another birthday party and Irwan is amused that the people there know me by my first name. Hahahahahaha!

Anyways, Aaron and the kids dropped by on Sunday and they all had some fun time in the pool. And after that I had the yummiest fried chicken at BBQ Chicken as the chicken there are fried in olive oil! Yummy! And now I am craving for moreeeee..! :P

Knows:

• How to spell his full name
• How to spell my full name
• How to spell Irwan’s full name
• How to spell his friend’s name
• How to get to my parents’ home from his school

Memorizes:

• My handphone number
• Irwan’s handphone number
• My car plate number
• Irwan’s car plate number
• My parents’ car plate numbers
• My inlaws’ car plate numbers
• Our home address

He’s been such a joy to us since April 2006 - albeit some dr-jekyll-and-miss-hyde moments with him - that I cannot imagine life without him. I am not even sure how I am going to cope if and when #2 or #3 comes along. Can I love his adik(s) as much as I love him? Can I give his adik(s) the same attention I have been giving him? Can I be fair to all my children? And if I feel that I can’t - should we still proceed to get pregnant? Dilemma dilemma.. Or should we just eff it and just do it? Pft.

Saturday afternoon was a full session of makan-makan with Ira (and Mia) and Hetty (and Yazid). First we had steamboat at Ikano and afterwards proceeded to shop a lil’ bit at The Curve. Irfan fell asleep almost immediately in his stroller for three hours after lunch so I was rather free to do whatever I please. Bumped into some familiar faces there and got Irfan some baju raya (yeah, damn malas to shop during Ramadhan when it’s packed everywhere!) and then the pregnant lady wanted to have dessert. So off we went to Ikea for some cheesecake, daim cake and I-don’t-know-what-else she stuffed on her plate. And by she, I meant the pregnant lady who seems to be forever hungry. Heh. Jangan marah eh, Ira? ;)

We left Ikea about 6-ish and when I took Irfan out from the stroller, he got up. Else I think he might have still been asleep. We sent Ira and Mia back to their place and Irfan and I went home to rest for a little bit and wait for Irwan who went hiking kat Gunung Nuang for practice since he’s going up Mount Kinabalu next weekend before getting ready to meet the Huans for dinner at Lala Chong.

We were a bit late because I had to clean up some of Irwan’s injuries but it was good also that we were late because it gave Rachel the chance to nap a half hour longer. Sorry guys for being late! Anyhow, since everyone was starving I ordered salted egg crabs, steamed fish, steamed prawns with egg white, Siong Tong Lala, fried french beans with garlic and some fried rice for the kids (and adults). I fed Iran first before attacking the food and after he has finished 2 1/2 bowls of fried rice with some crabs and loads of the crunchy beans, I had to peel the crabs for Irwan pulak since he injured his right hand with some duri. By the end of it all, we were so full that it was hard for us to move. Haha!

Sunday was full of surprise parties - baby shower for Ira and birthday dinner for Aaron. Ted, Hetty and I have planned for the shower many many moons ago. Ira’s been hinting like forever that she wants an owl themed shower so I did all the necessary plannings. :) Hetty and I arrived slightly earlier than everyone else at Bianco to ensure that everything was in order and the moment Ira stepped in to Bianco, she was too stumped to say anything and almost cried too me thinks. Heh. Anyway, food was good and we had great company and the games were fun too so yeah, I think at the end of it all, everyone was very very happy. :)

The dinner for Aaron was held at Gaucho Grill @ Chulan Square and the steaks are just oh-so-good! But the surprise tak jadilah because they arrived before the guests did and when Aaron saw 5 empty seats he had to ask Emily what was going on. Aiyah! Sorry dude! Hope you had a great time with us, though? And tunggu aaaa… your present is on its way! ;)

And now, I’m still trying to catch my breath but we’ll be in Kuching pulak this weekend! Looking forward to that trip. ;)

‘Twas Jamie’s first ever birthday party and we were all excited to be a part of the celebration. Thanks dude for having us around! We all had so much fun!! And it was great seeing how terrified Irfan was with the A&W rootbear since he’s never afraid of anything. At least I got to bully him and made him listen to me the next few days after the party. Pft.

Our weekend was crazy packed as we had a wedding to attend that Saturday night. Irfan made everyone turn around and looked at us when he screamed while the Ustaz was reciting the doa. Aiyo. Kasi bikin malu saje! I really didn’t know where to put my face and I guess he was also tired and cranky because the ceremony only started at 9 p.m (when the card states 8 p.m!) and we only got to eat around 9.30 p.m and it was already his bedtime. So after eating what we could, we left the wedding by 10.15 p.m or so and the lil’ dude knocked out the minute we got home. And didn’t get up ’til about 10 a.m! Must be super tiredlah tu!

That night, we had dinner at this place called Restoran Ikan Sungai (damn good food!!) at Desa Melawati and it was suppose to be a Father’s Day treat for my dad from us all because we’ll be in Kota Kinabalu this weekend. But the bill was just ridiculously crazy (just for fishies + udang galah, ok?) that my dad said it’s his treat this time around. Whomever can guess the price, I shall belanja you makan! Hahaha!

Met up with a friend and her family yesterday for lunch yesterday at Bianco we were in for a surprise as Bianco was having their first ever Sunday all-you-can-eat Brunch for RM 25+. The T&C is that you cannot order more than two dishes per round BUT you can order as many round as you can. And if you are so tamak and cannot finish the food that you’ve ordered (more than 150gram of balance), you’d be penalised for RM10 (or so).

It was my second time at Bianco and I know that their aglio olio (with prawns) is to die for so I had like two and a half bowl of that to myself. I also ordered the pizza for myself (and shared it with Zayaan and Irfan) and numerous plates of soft shell crab! The crabs were also Irfan’s favourite and he was just munching and munching and munching away. I think we ordered like 14 plates of them (in 3 rounds of ordering) and when we wanted to order them for the fourth round, we were told that they were already out of crabs and was replacing them with the prawns instead. Can do alsolah.

After we had dessert, I was like this ular sawa that couldn’t even move an inch! I had a tough time keeping my eyes opened too. Haha! Anyhow, Mrika - thanks for your company yesterday and thank you very mush for the paintings. :) Hope Zarif feels better now.

Irwan turns 31 today, 25th May 2009 and I sort of surprised him with a makan-makan session at our place last Saturday night. He didn’t know what was happening - aside from me telling him not to have any plans that weekend as we are going to “Penang” - but figured it out on Saturday itself as he saw me arranging stuff and even followed me to pick up the food and cupcakes.

The main menu was sushi (got ‘em from Sakae Sushi and they even have party sets) with some KFC and pizzas. I, however, underestimated the food and some of the guests who came later weren’t properly fed. Tsk. So I decided to call McDonald’s and have them delivered some food, but even after 1 hour of ordering, the food still did not arrive!! Argh! I immediately called them to cancel and after 30 minutes I was informed by the guards that delivery has arrived. I told them to send the delivery boy back. Moral of the story: Never EVER ask for delivery from Pizza Hut (my mom had to wait for 2 bleedin’ hours!) or McDonald’s on a weekend! :P

Anyways, happy birthday babe and hope you had fun with your buddies! :)

p/p/s: Sorrylah, not that many pictures. I was busy goss-ing. Haha!

On one of the days during the long weekend, Aaron and family, Danny + Kathey and our family made a trip to Lentang Waterfall off the Karak highway. We left our place at about 8.40 a.m. and traffic wasn’t that bad until we arrived at the Karak toll - that’s where the backlog started - but the journey was smooth after the toll plazas.

It wasn’t difficult finding the place and since it was still quite early - 10-ish a.m. - there weren’t that many people around and we managed to secure a nice spot. We didn’t go all the way up but we didn’t stay at the bottom of the stream (yuck!) either. After taking out the stuff from the car, we ate the nasi lemak that Irwan bought first because everyone was starving. Heh. Afterwards, the boys and girls (sans Nadia and Danny) went into the water and had some splashing fun time.  The water was just too c.o.l.d laaaaaaa and besides, I had more fun playing with Aaron’s 85mm f1.2 and 135mm f2 than being in the water. Haha!

Irfan and Naomi had their share of playing and fighting with each other. One minute they were arguing like couples do and the next minute they were on their best-est behaviour. Irfan also satu hal lah, always like to irritate the h*ll out of Naomi. Sigh.

Aaaaaanyways, the lil’ dude is down with HFMD (again!) but it’s really really really mild. Even milder than the mild one he had when he was 1+ years old. I don’t know where he contracted it from but his principal called me around noon yesterday saying that Irfan complained of being tired and lethargic and his body was quite warm. I brought him to SJMC (or Sime Darby) later in the evening and last night, his temperature shot up to 39 degrees. I inserted the suppository given to me by the paed and he was okay throughout the night.

This morning, while I was changing him, I noticed a spot on his thigh and alarm bells started ringing. I immediately called up SJMC and made an appointment to see his paed. 5 seconds later, I changed my mind because I knew it’d be a l.o.n.g wait at SJMC and called up Prince Court to see a paed there instead. Since it was our first time there, I chose a Dr. Sharmila and she proved to be a good choice I made. :) At the hospital, we detected a few more spots on his palm, but thank god his mouth is clear of ulcers. I remember that the last time he had HFMD, the ulcers were driving him nuts. So for now, he’s off school for one week and hopefully the spots will disappear soon. He’s his normal self - running about and jumping around - so I guess that’s good.

I voiced my concerns to the paed regarding Irfan playing out actions with his cars and even conversing with them or sometimes scold the cars like how I scold the other cars on the road (eep!) and she says that that’s normal - his right brain doing the work - and since school these days are so left brain oriented that I should just let him be. And I should also stop saying “no” to everything that he wants to do (which I think is harmful etc etc) because it’s like snipping the flower off when it wants to grow. Instead, I should work my way around the situation. Sigh. This parenting business is quite tricky, innit? :P

Anyhow, he’s 37 months old already and I taught him to repeat with me the Al-Fatihah the other day and he was doing good. Maybe I should teach him mengaji soon? Alif-ba-ta-…. ;) We’d also like to send him for Mandarin classes, so we’ll see. Don’t want him to feel overwhelmed with all the activities and I’d really want him to enjoy his childhood with lots of playing and learning and playing. Heh.

last weekend and both Mia and Yazid (including Irfan) had all the fun they needed albeit an accident that happened while in the water. Irfan actually turned Yazid 180 degrees (head in water, legs in the air) but thankfully, Irwan was next to them and he immediately turned Yazid back up. I could hear (and am still hearing) Hetty screaming “Yazid! Yazid! Yazid!” and I just wanted to murder my son there and then. The first time something like this happened, it was Aaron’s daughter - Naomi - yang kena. I guess Yazid was a target because he was sitting on the float (same like Naomi) rather than having the arm bands. Irfan wanted to sit on the float too, and kept tugging it and the next thing you know, Yazid’s head was in the water. Hetty and Jazlan, we are terribly sorry about what happened. Irfan got his punishment later on and we do hope that he will never repeat what he did ever again.

After swimming, we all went to Khadijah’s Kitchen to have some delicious lauk kampung for lunch. Ted ordered sambal udang tempoyak, daging salai lemak cili api, tauhu telur, pucuk paku masak lemak and sambal belacan with ulam. Everyone tambah nasi because everything was just so good and I’m definitely bringing my parents and in-laws there. You guys should give it a try too. :)

When lunch was over (about RM 25 per pax - not too steep), we all went our seperate ways and the three of us proceeded to meet an agent to view some houses. Yup, we’re property hunting again and this time, I’m hoping that this next house will be our last move for the next 10 years or so. Heh.