Mia @ 11 months (and Snow Day)

I have a sneaky suspicion Mia is trying for the fastest growing baby award..gosh..she's practically a toddler already!

She's a stable walker by now and can walk any distance she likes, or run, even. With her tiny little body she looks like a penguin waddling around the house. She follows me around where ever I go, and she is very quick. Every trip to the toilet is a race because she will be banging on the toilet door before I even had the chance to sit on the loo.

She understands everything we say to her. Honestly, she does. And she will respond to prove it. If you ask her, where's your Princess book Mia? She'll go and fetch the Princess book.

Yesterday she picked up a blanket, pulled it over her face and giggled. I asked, 'where's Mia?' and she pulled the blanket down, laughing and smiling proudly. Pandai main cak cak...adam la ajar ni...

She's very possessive of me. No one can come near me. If she sees me cuddling up with Adam or Daddy, she'll come over and start crying, until they leave me alone with her.

If she wants cheese she says 'chissss, chissss' . if she wants susu she says 'ssss,ssss'. She tries to repeat after the words we say.

We have a little gate at our living room door to prevent her from going to eat shoes in the hallway (one of her favourite activity) but lately she figured out how to open it! So much for babyproofing! honestly, we've had many adults guests who couldn't figure out how to open it...in fact everything in the house is now subject to her experimentation...the tv, the speakers, the wires, the bookshelf...Adam keep going 'Mia, no! nanti Daddy marah!'. But she just smile cheekily and keep going at it...but when Daddy's at work, Adam says 'It's ok Mommy, biar je iya (mia) main..Daddy work, Mommy...'

Oh yes, he constantly covers for her. If he sees me or Daddy telling her off he'll say 'Daddy, sian iya (mia) ....janan (jangan) mawwah (marah) iya...'. Or sometimes he says 'It's ok Mommy...iya kecik Mommy...'. hheheheh...do you know how lucky you are Mia?

You are well-loved, my dear. Happy 11 month birthday!

Here are more photos from our recent Snow Day. As usual not much snow in London but we made the most of it...

Adam had the most fun, naturally.

We tried to make a snowman....but...like my husband said,dgn Adam memang takkan siap2 nyelah...he said nak buat 'sandcastle'.

it was pretty heavy snow that day...is it bad that i want to wish for more snow? the news says it's pretty bad already...and everybody hates it because it makes travelling impossible and dangerous..but for us who aren't travelling anywhere, i'm content to stay at home with the kids, blissfully knitting and staring in wonder at the snow falling outside...

my little snow angel

We have just moved!

We’ve moved! I don’t have access to any internet just yet so I’ll write my entries and hopefully hubby can update my blog for me..hehe..tq bang…

We moved in Wednesday afternoon. I was ecstatic when we heard from the agent J

The house is just as beautiful as I remember it!

Our living room

Adam was happy to pause his exploration to pose for me

Here’s our dining area. You can see Adam in the corner exploring the little closet.

Adam was all over the house running here and there..

Warrgh…penat…zzzzz….

Alhamdulillah..this sure feels like home…

Ada apa dgn Harrods?

Adam learned something new. He learned to blow his nose! Since he’s been having runny nose for a few days Daddy’s been showing him how to blow his nose. Yesterday he was playing with a roll of tissues, and then suddenly he ripped a piece and blew his nose with it! Terkejut kitorg berdua…hehe…congrats Adam!

We met some friends yesterday at the Malaysian Hall

at the malaysian hall

Food there was kind of cheap and familiar..so oklah..semua melayu je there. I think you can’t come in if you’re not Malaysian unless accompanied by Malaysian friends.

From there our friends wanted to go to Harrods! Huhu..all this while we’ve never been to Harrods..we don’t know what’s the magic. So out of curiosity we follow suit. Mari tgk ape yg menarik sgt di Harrods..

in front of Harrods

Harrods gifts

Harrods food hall

I would say that the architecture and deco was impressive, Egyptian theme etc. The rest of the inside were just branded handbags (all of which cost a bomb!), perfumes, Harrods gifts, food. After leaving I still don’t get what’s the attraction? Somebody highlight me pls..our friends bought Harrods jams and cookies in cute little jam bottles and biscuit tins as gifts..

Oh but we did saw Tun Mahathir there! Tak sempat pulak nak mintak autograph atau amik gambar..hehe..

Today in the morning we shall check with the agent whether the problem has been sorted out and whether we can move in today. I’m nervous! If not we have to stay at the hotel another night. If we do move in today, we may not have internet connection for a while, until we install cable and broadband at the flat. Until then, wish us luck!!

hope everything goes well..

Yesterday i stayed at the hotel with Adam for most of the day. Keeping him warm so hopefully the little bit of nose block will go away soon. He was energised throughout the day as usual. i'm looking forward to having a bigger space in the apartment for Adam to play around..

in the afternoon we went to the see the agent to sign the agreement for our apartment. Alhamdulillah our landlord has accepted our offer on the flat and will be signing the agreement later in the day (she's in the US. it was still nightime there). We need to pay a 6 weeks deposit and a month's rent in advance, which is a huge amount to pay upfront but that's just the way they do it here. there was a little bit of technical difficulty in regards to payment but alhamdulillah just before we left it looked like it was all sorted out...but it might delay things a little..so we might move in on thursday, depending on how long the process takes. Sigh, but it's ok..as long as the apartment is still ours :)

daddy wearing adam

Visit to our new housing area and The Story of Stuff

Yesterday was more of a relax Sunday, just lazying around. In the afternoon we decided to take a walk around our soon-to-be neighbourhood area..

Part of the neighbouring area. It's a quiet residential area. Feels so safe and calm to be walking down the streets. i've yet found where the parks are..harap2 ada..boleh main pagi2 dgn adam..

Adam finally allowed us to put a hat on him. but only when it's cold..bila masuk somewhere warm he takes it off..pandai anak mommy..

Our apartment building! it turns out it's just a few mins walk from Edgware, where all the halal butchers and grocers are, alhamdulillah..tesco and a local organic shop are just around the corner..big motivations for me to cook wholesome meals from scratch! insyaAllah..

i am really happy with our decision to live in this area, instead of in central london, where everything is so busy and chaotic and the apartments are tiny! hopefully everything goes well so we can move in on wednesday :)

in other news, adam learned to take off his own shirt yesterday. but you can tell from his expression he was getting impatient at the amount of work it took to take off one's shirt..hehe..

Very important to share this - have you all seen The Story of Stuff?

pls watch it! sangat menginsafkan...i really2 want to work at simplifying and going green as much as possible after watching it...

We found The One!!!

Last night poor Adam caught fever and couldn’t sleep most of the night. We gave him fever medicine and in the morning he was much better. After his morning nap, we went to the Health center to get me registered. Adam would be registered later at a clinic nearest to our future residential area.

at the health centre

Afterwards we went to get lunch and while eating we received a call from F, asking if we’d like to join him house hunting. He has engaged with an agent in the area that we want and they’ve shown him 4 apartments, all looking very nice. So off we went to meet him, and the agent showed us the apartment that F wanted to book. It’s in the same building as our Thursday appointment. It’s a portered apartment with lift. The apartment was fantastic and we told him to book it immediately. The agent said she has another similar property just around the corner for us to look at. F terus book his apartment, while the agent showed us the other one.

Oh my God! It was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

Upon entering the building I already have goosebumps because from the outside it looks as good as a five star hotel. The reception area was modern and smart. And when we got into the apartment….

the hallway

the huge living room! there's plenty more space on the right side, another sofa and a tv


the master bedroom comes with the duvets and bedsheets, a tv and en-suite bathroom

the guest bathroom. the other bathroom in the master bedroom is similar, but with a bathtub

the kitchen comes complete with microwave, dishwashing machine, washing machine and dryer, fridge and freezer, pots and pans, plates, oven...etc

the guest bedroom

I mean…who in their right mind would say no to that???

The pics doesn’t do it justice, it’s even more beautiful than that. We don’t even feel the need to compare with other apartments. We both fell in love with it and afterwards we immediately booked the apartment. Alhamdulillah!

The agent said the contract processing would take some time so we can only move in next week Wednesday. We told her we’re very keen to move in as soon as possible. The landlord is American so the agency will take care of the rents and so on.

Adam’s fever came back and he started to develop cough too. We took him home and gave him his medicines. kesian Adam...luckily our house hunting is over now so Adam can rest...

New adventures

Yesterday was full of activities. In the morning breakfast as usual and then hubby and F went to uni. I didn’t come along this time and stayed in the hotel room with Adam. He had his morning nap while I contacted a few more landlords in the Warwick Avenue area. Around 11.30am Adam woke up from his nap. The weather outside looked promising. No hint of rain and I almost saw a bit of sun. So I took Adam out for a walk. I was starting to get hungry so on the way I bought us a Mixed Shawarma (lamb and chicken kebab) and took it to the park.

Adam nak kejar birds

We sat at a bench together and ate our kebab. We fed some to the birds. Adam was excited to be surrounded by birds. Suddenly a HUGE DOG, rupa mcm beruang kutub kaler putih, came sniffing around our bench! I was terrified! I started screaming and pulling my legs up and kicking. Adam on the other hand was merely curious and said “Eh? Eh!” The dog started to sniff Adam so I quickly took Adam and got away. The dog then sniffed our shawarma and gulfed it down! Sorang Mat Salleh lalu and said “I’m so sorry!Are you ok?” I thought he’s the owner but then he said “It’s not my dog! Who’s dog is it?? I’m sorry it’s not my dog!” We looked around and then an Asian lady came with a stroller calling after the dog. She mumbled sorry and didn’t even look at me. I was really upset with her for not keeping the dog on a leash but since she had a baby with her tak jadi nak marah. Good thing there was that mat Salleh who kept apologising for her.

What an adventure! Adam relax jer throughout…hahahha…terus kitorg jalan balik hotel…

on the busy oxford street

Then I got a call from hubby asking me to meet him at the tube station. We went shopping at Oxford Street! We went to Mothercare and bought Adam long socks and new warm Clark shoes. I also got him gloves and a matching hat. I even bought him some tights to wear under his jeans on extremely cold days…err..i got them from the girls’ section…sssshhh don’t tell anyone! Kesianla takkan girls je nak keep warm..Terus pakaikan Adam all his new winter accessories. Barula I feel so relieved. Before this his pants keep riding up, no socks, no gloves. His hands and legs asyik freezing cold. Now Adam looked like he can go to igloo with the other kids..yay!

Adam's new shoes

Lps tu belikan hubby pulak a new jacket and a warm muffler. Perfect! Before this dia pakai sweater je…sampai dah start batuk dan selsema…now that both my boys are wrapped up, barulah I can relax…

my boys nicely wrapped up

After lunch and prayers, we went to Warwick Avenue to look at apartment for F. He’s single so he’s looking for a slightly smaller apartment. The one we saw was nice, but not perfect. It has a private garden though at the back which was awesome! F made an appointment for us this Thursday afternoon for an apartment nearby. We went for a walk afterwards around the area and saw the building (for our Thursday appointment). It looked great! I have high hopes for this one. I can’t wait to see it! The area is a residential area and very calm and quiet..Adam had a good nap inside my buckle tai while we walked around..

House hunting

where hubby will be working

In the morning right after I updated the blog yesterday, hubby came back from his visit to IC. It was around 11am. We were going to go to oxford street for some more shopping, but called a landlord first. The apartment is located near to our hotel. She said she is available now so we went to see her first, thinking that we can shop later before our 2 o clock appointment with another landlord in Notting Hill.

adam's first encounter with the London Underground

We took the tube eventhough it’s nearby close because we don’t know the area…it was only one station away from the hotel. But when we got there we got lost and called the landlord. She said she’ll pick us up in front of the Holiday Inn. Apparently there were 2 holiday inns. When we finally got there it was really very close to the tube station. The flat was a huge disappointment. I was expecting small apartments mind you, because I know London apartments are always small. But this one, oh dear, it’s like elves or dwarfs should live there. With the amount that she was charging, I was expecting something decent, at least. Plus it was dirty and not well maintained…suffice to say we got out asap…it was around 12.30 then..

bergambar dpn double decker

We thought we had time to shop a bit. So pegi marble arch. But by the time we got there..dah 1.20! our next appointment kol 2! Argh…somehow time flies so fast! So tak jadi shop or mkn, terus naik tube balik pegi notting hill. Tibe2 sampai sana tgk2 map..eh jauh pulak lagi…naik pulak tube balik pegi Bayswater. Sampai Bayswater patutnya dah dekat..tapi kitorg sesat barat lagi…pusing2…by this time dah lapar giler and soo tired…when we finally found the flat on time, the landlord lak tak show up..and tak angkat call!! Wargh tension…

Terus kitorg gi mkn kebab…fuh lapar sgt..then around 2.50 the landlord called. She completely forgot! Piirah…smlm beria2 ckp pls be on time la apelah..so we met her at the flat around 3.15. The apartment was nice. Sayang tak amik pic..we were too exhausted by then to take pics. Everything is included including duvets, new sheets, cutlerys, pots and pans…etc. but its located on the third floor..we were breathless by the time sampai atas. Then the kitchen is in the living room? Weird tak..aku tgh bayangkan mcmana aku nak masak sambil guest ade kat sofa nampak aku masak? Plus she said she doesn’t want any food smells…kalau boleh masak food yg tak smelly..apekah?? sian laki aku tak dptla mkn kari…so eventhough the apartment was nice and looks very well maintained..lets just put it in the “maybe” list..we have more apartments to see..

Tapi kan..by the time we got back to the hotel…we were close to fainting from sheer exhaustion. Our bodies are soo not ready for all the walking! No stamina! Maybe we should’ve built some stamina before we came…I don’t know how I’m gonna cope with more house hunting. padahal the two apartments we looked at were in the surrounding area je..Plus hubby will be starting work tomorrow..maybe I have to hunt alone with Adam…waaa…wish me luck!

finally some photos

again i've been up since subuh, malaysia time. anyone has tips to get over jetlag?good thing is i have free time to update...adam and hubby still sleeping.it's 1 am now..i bet around 3 they'll both be up too..

adam fascinated by the light

adam playing with his shoe kat bwh tempat duduk

hubby and adam in front of our hotel. lots of pilots and stewardess staying here for whatever reason..the Bugis is actually a malaysian/singaporean food restaurant in the hotel..

the demonstration..i'm impressed how much they care about palestine..

Adam exploring the room in his pj

1st day in london

Sorry again no pics. Hubby is out with his camera and his colleague to visit IC to see where it is and I’m at the hotel napping with adam. he’s still asleep so I have some time to update the blog..hehehe…

Yesterday we arrived at the airport around 5.30 am. At the hotel we relaxed, had breakfast, didn’t bother to unpack. We’re hoping to find our long term accommodation asap. Around 11 we went out and braced the cold. Well more like embracing the cold, for Adam but not for us. I don’t remember it being this cold when we were in Sheffield. I can feel my face freezing. Adam on the other hand took it like a pro. He was talkative, smiley, pointing around here and there. There were lots of merpati walking on the sidewalk..seronokla Adam. He kept smiling to everyone around and people keep saying hello to him, and smiling back.

We went to the nearest shops, on High Street Kensington. We wanted to look for winter essentials, like jackets and shoes, socks..etc. I still have my old trusted winter coat but my husband needs a new one and Adam needs a small new wardrobe since most of his Malaysian clothings are really airy and thin. We bought him only one jacket at Gap Kids in KLCC that costed us rm 90+ (after discount). Yesterday we saw the exact same jacket selling for GBP 6.99 = around rm35! So we bought him a bunch of good warm clothes…jacket, long sleeve shirts, thermal, thick pants..but he refused to wear socks, or hats or mufflers. Susahla mcm ni…along the street I tgk even anak2 mat Salleh ni pun berbalut mcm nak pegi igloo…berlapis2 balutnye and kalau dlm stroller siap bersleeping bag bagai sampai babynye pun tak nampak..nampak mata jer…Adam pulak yg relax…

We didn’t manage to find a jacket for hubby but found shoes. Hopefully today we can find the things we need. Later in the evening around 3 we went back out to get dinner and found a huge demonstration outside on the street protesting against the Gaza massacre. So many people and lots of police. We found a halal kebab shop and got our kebab and left. Adam was given free bread. Adam ni salu la dpt free food..

After dinner (at was only about 4pm by then but it was already magrib and dark outside) I put Adam to sleep and fell asleep myself. We’re jetlagged apparently! Doesn’t help that it’s winter. I’ve never gotten any jetlag in my 4 years in Sheffield. I believe its all down to getting enough sleep on the flight. And that was impossible with Adam around and the super sempit flight…all of us were up this morning at 3 am. And wondered what on earth are we going to do. So mainly we just layan Adam jelah….then at 6 I gave him a bath and got ourselves ready for breakfast.

Goodbye Malaysia, Hello London!

It finally feels real! Our whole family has left Malaysia and now we're in...London!!

No photos just yet but i'll try to update as often as possible. We just arrived at Heathrow Airport and now we're in our hotel room. The internet connection is complimentary and soooo fast!

We took the night flight and the flight was a really tiring one. Space is really tight...13 hours felt wayy too long. luckily Adam slept most of the way through. Good job Adam! upon arrival we were informed that the temperature in London is -3C. Wah so cold...Adam only has one rather thin jacket.

The Uk border Immigration counter was empty! What a surprise! i still remember the last time we came to london for our undergrad study, it was full and took us 6 hours just to clear immigration. This morning it took barely minutes. but by the time we were ready to take our luggage suddenly a huge crowd came in. we missed it by minutes! alhamdulillah...

afterwards we took our bags and head straight to the taxi stand. our bags weren't even checked! selamatla sambal ikan bilis that my aunt cooked for us! Thank you Maklong!

kat the taxi stand, it was Adam's first encounter with UK weather....so cold!!! mulur keluar asap! he was so happy!! then only he let me zip up his jacket. the cab however was really warm...terus Adam nap...sampaila kat hotel....