hantu susu

Adam in carseat

One night while cruising in the car…

Adam: *relax,silent*

Suddenly,

Adam: Uwaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! *thrashes from side to side, pulling at seat belt as if the world is coming to an end*

Mommy: Nape ni dam…Are you ok? Adam stay in carseat ok..dangerous if Mommy take you out…*tepuk2 Adam*

Adam: Uwaaaaaa!!! Aarghhh!! Arrghhh!! Uurghhh!!

Mommy: Ok Sayang Mommy hold you ok….*take Adam out of carseat*

Adam: Uwaaaaaa!!! Aarghhh!! Arrghhh!! Uurghhh!! *kicking, turning, jumping*

Mommy: Adam…what’s going on..Adam lapar ke ni…tadi Mommy baru je feed kan..nanti sampai rumahla Adam minum lagi ok…boleh Adam terus tido kat rumah kan… *tries every position without luck*

Mommy: Sigh…sian anak Mommy…ok2 kite minumla eh…*lift up shirt*

Adam: * terus berhenti crying, latch on*

Adam: kikikikukkukikikukik!! *giggles while feeding*

Daddy: Habis di kudanye Mommy…

Mommy: @#$$@@$$@@!!!???!!

Daddy's Day

We didn’t fall in love the moment we met. In fact I hardly remember our first encounter.

We have almost nothing in common.

He plays all kinds of sports, I don’t (can’t?). He is compulsively clean/organized, I’m compulsively messy. He’s calm, I’m emotional. He’s meticulous, I’m lazy. He cleans the house in the middle of the night, I …err..sleep? He takes care of all the bills, I hardly even check my bank balance. He’s always early, I’m always late. He drives, I don’t.

(Err..wait, why did he choose me??)

We are so different, and yet in every way, he completes me..

I like the person that I’ve become when I’m with him. His heart is so pure, that it washes the stain in mine. I look at him and I see the kind of person I want my children to be.

He doesn’t have to have a stash of money, he doesn’t have to build me a big house or buy me an expensive car. Nothing else matters because he is perfect the way he is.

I thank God every day for the best Gift he has ever given me. My husband.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABANG =)

Adam, YES you are my Prince….but remember, Daddy is still King…ok…hehe

Green Photoshoot and green Sock Monkey!!

Last weekend we went to Alamanda for a photoshoot session in GREEN! Hubby is practicing his photography skills..Adam and I jadi modelssss….hehe..

Adam awal2 lagi dah usha kolam air tu...

errr..mommy...pool ni kan....mcm best jer...

mommy... nak swim!!!!

Tq Daddy for taking beautiful photos of us =)

Along..bila nak dtg KL..buat photoshoot in Red pulak….hehe..

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Last Saturday we celebrated my cousin Hakeem’s birthday. He’s 9 this year. Guess what he requested from me for a birthday present?

the birthday boy

“Kak Long, tolong buatkan sock monkey untuk Hakeem mcm Adam punya…..”

Wah I never thought big (relatively) boys would love sock monkeys too! I was more than glad to make him one…

green baby monkey

I made this using a shorter pair of socks so it turned out pendek/kenit….my husband ckp monkey ni mcm takde badan jer…hehe..but kinda cute…I’m sensing more short monkeys coming…hehe…

Hospital Who Hates Breastfeeding and Red Team

Adam under the light - you can see the sign says FULLY BREASTFEEDING

This is a long-overdue entry. I promised to make an entry on this. Just as a warning to other breastfeeding moms. I don’t care if the hospital sues me.

When Adam was 5 days old, I noticed his eyes were yellow-ish. We weren’t sure if it was jaundice or not so we decided to take him to KPJ Kajang just to get it checked, since it was the nearest hospital. Suddenly doctor said he needed to be warded. We weren’t ready..i was wearing kain batik and socks! (in confinement). I was told upon admission that Adam will not be getting a room since he will be placed in the nursery. I booked a room (bayar sendiri) for myself so that I can stay close and breastfeed Adam.

The nursery is locked at all times. To enter, you need to press the bell for the nurse to come and open the door for you. We brought Adam in to be placed under the purple light. He had to wear this tight strap over the eyes and he hated it! He kept crying and trying to pull it off. The nurses started to shoo us away especially my husband. I told them fine I’ll leave but he is fully breastfed so pls call me in my room whenever he’s hungry.

The nurses started to give me “advice” by telling me to give him formula so that he’ll sleep longer. Not just one nurse, many nurses from each shift. I kept telling them, NO, he is fully breastfed. Every time I go there to breastfeed, I could sense the resentment from the nurses. They compared my baby to other babies “ You cuba tgk baby tu, lama dia tido senyap jer…sbb dia minum formula..baby you ni asik nangis jelah…sikit2 nak minum..dia tak kenyang tau breastfeed..tak cukup time dia duduk bawah lampu…nanti lagi lambat baik”. Skejap je breastfeed diorg dah warn suruh cepat cos baby need to be under the light.

Adam cried a lot because he hated being undressed, hated the straps over the eyes and hated being alone. Every time I come to feed him I boleh rasa dia mcm teresak2 mengadu to me and nak rapat2 sgt dgn i. Bila I letak balik bawah lampu dia meraung kuat2. one nurse told me “why don’t you just go back to your room, kalau you tgk dia mcm ni nanti you pun nangis”. Balik bilik I pun meraung. Aduhh tak tahan sian sgt tgk Adam..My husband lak langsung tak dpt tgk Adam..dia kene halau every time dia try nak pegi nursery.

I ignored the nurses and we survived the night. The next morning however I noticed that more than 2 hours had passed and they didn’t call me to feed Adam. We decided let’s just go to visit him. Through the glass door we saw that the nurses were giving a bottle to a baby that looked a lot like Adam. Of course babies look a lot like each other at that age. But my husband told me, Yang, itu mcm Adam je tu yg diorg bagi formula..”. We got in and it turned out it was Adam that they were feeding. Terus diorg mengelabah make excuses sampai tertumpah2 susu tu kat baju Adam. Kononnye Adam nangis bcos diorg amik blood sample so to shut him up they give him formula. Ya Allah geramnye tuhan je yg tau…bukannye tak ckp awal2…dah berkali2 I remind them dia ni breastfeed..bukannye I balik rumah..i ade dekat jer..call jelah kalau Adam nangis!! Nak kate bengap kang marah!! Hish….

They better make a breastfeeding policy soon..nama je KPJ..ceh…

Ok setakat ni jelah entry..makin panjang makin geram I kat hospital ni tau..

Anyway, recently a friend of ours punya baby was admitted there as well. And he too, was given formula despite being fully breastfed. Reza & Jimal, if you are reading this, pls give your testimonial as well ok..

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To Along, ni pics of us in red…

Red is actually my favourite colour! Tapi susahnye nak dpt baby clothes in red…I must learn to make baby clothes pulaklah mcm ni…

us in red (girl is my fav cousin, Anis)

Adam when he was 3 months young

Adam and Daddy

Adam's Solid Food Experience

Finally the moment we’ve been waiting for has come! Boleh kasik Adam makan! Yay!!

So for his first meal I made him simple rice porridge + EBM. I blended the rice dry before cooking. Adam was thrilled! Selama ni boleh tgk je Mommy Daddy mkn ye sayang..nampak sudu terus bukak mulut dia..

sedapnye Mommy..

Tapi first time I made it nampak the bubur mcm berbiji2 jugak lagi. Err..anyboby has any tips? Nampak sgt I tak pernah masak bubur kan? I ended up cooking it for longer and then blend lagi sekali! So bubur tu jadi rupa mcm gam..mmg halus giler…hehe

pls don't laugh at the heart shaped bekas2..it was my idea ;p

After 4 days on rice (I ikut the 4-days-rule, every 4 days I plan to introduce new food), I made him steamed sweet potatoes. I freeze it in ice cube trays byk2 and put it ziplocked bags. Senang for future mix and match menu. Rasa dia sedap…yum..Adam seemed to like it..

org melayu panggil keledek..ye tak

Today, menu Adam is Apples pulak… =)

my new Pump Bag

Sekarang ni so addicted to crafting la. Hari2 mesti nak buat another project. Asal Adam lelap je…Mommy terus buat sepah dgn fabrics…haha..( I know hubby is itching to clean up my sewing room! But, it’s so much easier to work while everything is scattered everywhere..right??) I still have a long list of projects I plan to do… ;) so now dah takleh tido awal la…I’m perfecting the art of slipping out of bed while that little boss is sleeping…

This is the latest one. I finally made a bag for myself. Presenting my new Pump Bag!!

taraaa!

I cut the fabric the night before and sewed it last night. Cutting actually took a while because I made up the pattern myself based on my existing (dying) pump bag. How come so hard to get my measurement/math right? plus after i cut i recut again because i didn't like the original colour combination. what a waste of time. This is why i avoided making a bag for myself because i know i'll have too much critisism for my own work. I wanted something simple and roomy like the old pump bag. I’ve also designed the bag so that it’s reversible!

the green side

I chose contrasting colours so that I can choose which colour suit my mood that day. But I think both colours look “milky”, if that makes any sense. So milky is fitting for a pump bag right? I’m tempted to put a cartoonish cow appliqué but that would be too much/too milky…huhu..

close up of fabric


close up of straps

So today I get to use my new pump bag to work. Yay!!

Yummy handmade toys for Adam

I know Adam doesn't really like to play with toys but i couldn't resist making these for him. They are way too cute and super easy to whip up.

Here's Froggy. I sewed him using some cute green fabric and filled him up with green beans. He has the right weight and long legs so Adam loves grabbing him and gobbling him up! Of course i pre-wash the fabric in anticipation of this..

hello Froggy

Froggy has curious button eyes just like Adam =)

I also made a sock monkey for Adam. He was surprisingly easy to sew up. We call him Bo.

hello Bo

My sister thinks he looks scary...hehe..apelah Maksu, Adam lovesss Bo, ok...Bo's become his hanging out buddy while watching tv or riding in the car..

Adam hugging Bo

Somehow Adam suka pulak main with toys i made for him, not the (expensive) ones i bought for him. Oklah sayang..Mommy buatkan toys for you ok...

Adam 6 months and breastfeeding hurdle

Happy 6 months Birthday Adam..Mommy Daddy saaaayang Adam tau..

Adam said “Maaa!” while holding his arms out to me! Not just once but many many times! Ok I know I sound really perasan cos how can a 6 month old talk, right…but I swear it’s true! Hehe…

Lately Adam has been inseparable from me. Even his Daddy pun cannot entertain him alone because he wants me to be there wlaupun tak pegang dia. He won’t even let me go to the loo! I guess it might be because he was ill la kot..Bila I sibuk menjahit pun my husband kenela bawak dia in the sewing room so he can watch me..kalau tak bising je mulut dia..that’s how the whole “Maa!” incidents came about..he was calling me while I was doing other things..my husband yg dgr and he told me..

Adam is getting thinner. Not sure why…his milk intake is increasing..and yet his weight gain mcm takde je. Doc ckp because he’s getting more active which is true..ala taklehla panggil Adam debab lagi…hehe..

Adam is starting solid! I’ll blog about his solid food adventures later…

He can assume the crawling position. Tapi bila nak push his body forward jadi tertonggeng kedepan…hehe..

Kalau letak Adam on the mattress on the floor memang habis dia golek/sondol sana sini sampai nak langgar semua furniture..wahh…we need to be more careful…

He can now reach the floor in his walker so he’s been walking around happily (read Daddy’s entry on aquarium). Again, we must be careful…

Adam now loves watching his own reflection in the mirror. Senyum sorang2..Kecik2 dulu tak suka. Ni dah perasan comel kot ni....hehe..

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Oklah that’s all I can think of for this month. My thoughts have been occupied with other things. One of which is – insufficient milk supply! This time it’s definitely a trying breastfeeding challenge for me. My freezer stash has dwindled rapidly. This morning I checked there are only 4 bottles left! Oh my God, I’m terrified beyond belief. I DO NOT want to have to give Adam formula!! Ever!

It started when Adam’s milk intake increased by one extra bottle a day. Kalau on weekends no problem because I breastfeed him fully, but the problem is with pumping. I cannot pump enough for him. In fact makin lama makin kurang I dpt pump. So I started having to supplement with freezer stash. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid but I had no choice. I was pumping extensively, I added new pumping sessions, makan mkanan yg membanyakkan susu, still – not enough milk.

Tibe2 my pump lak rosak. I suspected there might have been a problem because I felt the suction mcm low jer. I sent the pump for service. So I had to use my old manual Avent pump. Makin sikit lak dpt pump susu. Bila dah dpt balik the pump (yesterday), try2 kat rumah, laa rosak lagi! (switches off by itself). Tgk pulak stok freezer dah nak habis. Nak meraung jer rase.

I pun mengadu nasib kat my husband. Kene supplement ngan formula ke ni..i’m so scared. He told me immediately NO FORMULA.

“ok yang, camni…lunchtime today kite terus pegi Damansara to the pump shop. Figure out the problem. Then you can try sending milk for Adam only what you can pump the day before ( I know he only gave this advice by instinct/common sense, but it is exactly the first advice given in www.workandpump.com. I never tried it yet only because I kesian takut adam nangis kelaparan). If takleh gak…then we figure something else..”.

Before this I thought he just supported my breastfeeding “project” just because…..he just support me in everything I decide to do. Tak sangka dia pun betul2 bersemangat jugak pikirkan this problem.

So tadi lunchtime we went to the shop. Even jauh gila pun pegi jugaklah…They said the problem was the adapter, not the motor..hopefully lps ni oklah…I pun dah beli Fenugreek capsules to increase milk supply…

To my husband, thank you so much for your strong support in breastfeeding Adam. I don’t know what I’ll do without you! Love you soo much! Muahs!!

crafting obsession

I have got to blame those cute little booties for my current obsession in crafting! Ever since the shoes I’ve been making other things too..err…not necessarily for Adam..hehe. I’ve been distracted by so many things I can sew!! I wanted to make more booties but they’re so small and I’m not used to the sewing machine yet..Now I have newfound appreciation for tailors! Hey, they charge so cheap for our baju kurungs ok…it’s really not easy to sew!

So I’ve been making these bags..have a look and tell me what you think, ok..

my first pleated bag

This is the first bag I made. I didn’t follow any tutorials or pattern. I simply imagined the design I want in my head, drew a chicken scratch drawing and showed it to my husband..hehe..He drew the pattern for me on newspaper and I cut my fabric accordingly..But of course since my sewing was really terrible at this point and I really didn’t know anything about bag-sewing..hehe..the result didn’t turn out exactly as I wanted it. The finishing is messy (although luckily you can’t really see it from these photos..haha). But my husband said it’s not too bad la..hehe..I love the fabric..it’s from Ikea..

The flower is made out of a yoyo and a cute button. I haven’t seen anyone else with this embellishment on their bags so I guess I can throw caution to the wind and call this my own signature flower..haha..The closing for the bag is just a loop I made that goes through the button.

close up of the flower

The second bag I made is called a Jordy bag. I wanted to go slow this time so I followed the tutorial and pattern and only adjusted the size.

Jordy bag

I added a flap to the pattern and again the signature flower. The button makes it look old-style..i love it..This time I used Velcro to close the bag.

close up of flap and flower

I wanted to try my hand at using zippers so I made an inside pocket. It wasn’t easy but at least zippers aren’t as scary now. I want to try a zipper at the top, but still couldn’t understand how it’s done.

inside zipper

So what do you think? I still can’t sew straight la actually..haha…but the best thing about crafting is that it occupies my mind in the best way! Like the Craftster’s motto – Cheaper than Theraphy =) I’m loving it!

Adam's first hospital stay - Part 2

Hubby settled things with Admission ( oh God I’m so thankful that we’re staff of P*tronas! Alhamdulillah…dah beranak ni baru sedar the importance of medical coverage..Tq P*tronas for covering our medical bills!!) and we were brought to the Pediatric Wards. Get this, the ward is AWESOME! That’s my first thought as the lift opens on the sixth floor. The whole floor has a sea creature theme. The walls are nice shades of blue with murals of fish and sea horses. The nurses station is decorated with hanging (swimming?) fishes. Oh no we forgot to take photos! The nurse took us to Adam’s room and walla! Again we were very impressed! The room is huge, so much bigger than my ward room after labour..hehe..the decoration is colourful with sea creatures everywhere, from the curtains to the toilet roll (seriously, ade corak starfish kat toilet roll dia ok). Adam has his own cot and there’s a bed for Mommy. In fact food is ordered for me!

Adam in his hospital cot

Alamak sooooo completely different from KPJ Kajang where – Adam tak dpt his own room, Mommy and Daddy kene halau from the nursery, Mommy kene lecture dgn nurse cos tanak kasi formula, Adam was given formula despite constant reminding that he’s fully breastfed. Ok this one is another story lak ye.hehe.

Ok back to Ampang Puteri. Lps admitted that night the nurses masukkan jarum line (?) kat tgn Adam untuk insert antibiotics. My God siannye anak Mommy..menangis2 cos sakit tau kene cucuk..dahla tu first time cucuk nurse tak jumpa vein. Later that night cucuk lagi the other hand pulak. I think Adam inherit my problem with veinsla…susah sgt nak derma darah ke, amik blood sample ke…mesti 2-3 kali cos tak jumpa vein..I don’t think it’s the nurses’ fault..kesian Adam..the nurses were kind and pandai main2 dgn Adam..

Adam dgn jarum kat tgn..still smiley..

The next day Adam buat X-ray. Doc nak tgk if the infection has come to his lungs (Pneumonia) or if it’s still at his throat area only (Bronchitis).

at the x-ray room

Every 6 hours Adam kene pakai nebulizer. I was nervous at first because I heard so many horror stories bila budak2 kene pakai nebulizer..mesti diorg menangis..I pun beria la menyanyi2 pujuk2 tell him he’s brave…tapi alhamdulillah..Adam relek je…I don’t know where he gets his strength, mesti from Daddy ni..kalau Mommy mesti takdenye…hehe…I held him close everytime nurse dtg kasi nebulizer so I smelt the gas also..bau dia mmg tak berape comfortable la..Even ade times yg the nurse kasi dia pakai nebulizer sambil dia tgh tido…relek je dia sambung je tido cam biasa..Adam mkn ubat pun sempoi je..tak nangis…I’m so proud of you Adam..

Adam pakai nebulizer

Unfortunately ada seorg nurse yg agak incompetent. First I don’t know what she did when inserting antibiotics sampai lari pulak jarumnye lebam tgn..before that nurse lain insert antibiotics selambe je takde problem pun..dah terpaksa cucuk tempat lain pulak kat kaki pulak…pun tak jumpa vein…finally doctor ckp cucuk antibiotic mcm jab je kat kaki Adam..And then the same nurse amik blood test Adam sampai tumpah2 darah melambak pastu tak tutup blood sample even though I ckp kat dia tutupler…turned out blood sample tu rosak sbb darah beku..mana tak beku, awak tak tutup bekasnye..ceh..nasib baik then they sent another guy to do blood test senang je mamat tu amik darah..skejap jer…

After 3 days in the hospital..doktor ckp Adam can be discharged…

Alhamdulillah..syukur sgt Adam dah baik..

Tq so much to all the kind nurses and to Dr Kumari…We love you!

Adam, tq for getting better =) Mommy loves you so much….