Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Great Escape

24th January 2009 was the first time ever that I had been away by myself since Nyla was born.
Here, I do not mean a romantic getaway with Esman. I left him behind too! Hahaha!
I mean all by myself , where I had a blast with my favourite ladies in the whole wide world for 3 consecutive days with 2 overnights!




With Ray who is my History teacher's daughter. What a small world!
Hmmm how do I address her now? Aunty or Mdm Azizah? Selamat dapat distinction for History! Kiakiakia!


With Farha! Over the years, she has changed so much. For the better, of course. Real proud of this gal.

During my time in Jakarta, I woke up when I wanted and went anywhere I wanted.
It was complete freedom! MERDEKA!

I managed to catch up a bit with Nancy and her galpals in the evening. Ray then joined us after dinner and we watched Bride Wars at midnight. Nurul was too zonked out to join us. I had to gulp 2 glasses of coffee just to keep awake. Maklomlah, semenjak ada anak ni, my eyes get sleepy by 9pm. Hehehe. Then in the middle of the night, I got sick. Badan masuk angin! Hahahaha. Plans to go the flea market the next morning had to be aborted.
Instead,I went for a 3 hour long spa. Huge thanks to the massage therapist who got rid of the wind in my body and thus made it possible for me to embark on a 6 hours shopping trip right after that spa session! I was completely reenergised!


Lepak at Mac! baby Anggun pon sekaki suka shopping!

Day 3 came. If you all think, it was pack up and head to the airport! WRONG!
At 7plus AM, I managed to dye my hair and do a Brazilian wax! Hahahah! All thanks to Nurul’s tante! We were running late so I had no time to blow dry my hair and look like Barbie for Esman. Hahahaha!

Anyway, I felt revived and ready to return home to my 2 babies.
It was indeed very nice to have that much needed 'me-time.'

Thank you my beautiful ladies for the very wonderful time and a million thanks to Nurul's tante for the great hospitality.

Thanks Nancy for the beautiful customised shirt for Nyla.


I owe you a dinner treat when you come to Singapore ya!


Check out the other gals' respective updates about the trip.

























Wednesday, January 21, 2009

That question.

One of the topics that Esman and I have talked about more frequently in the past couple of months (and years) is the "When are we going to have another baby?" -the question that pours out of the lips of our parents, relatives, friends, strangers when they see us with Nyla.
Truth be told, I am still not ready yet because Nyla was such a colicky baby and if not for the wonderful support network, I would most probably end up like Brooke Shields (she suffered from post natal depression)
I am extremely scared to relive the sleepless nights and tolerate the incessant cryings at night.

But they always say that every baby is different.
But but but: If same, how?!

Currently, it is also very easy to make impromptu plans (especially now that Nyla is bigger!) and my mom and my mother in law have no qualms at all babysitting Nyla while Esman and I go hurray hurray watch midnight movie or simply just spend time together.


However, Esman and I (plus everybody else) are deeply aware that Nyla needs a sibling.
And insyaallah, we will give her another brother or sister.

A part of me screams,"Nyla is a big girl now! You will do just fine with a baby. Who knows this time, the baby will only cry for milk and will start sleeping through from six weeks! Don’t you want to smell that baby breath...?" but then the rational part of me says, "Are you sure you want to go down that road all over again?"

I have about three years left to have my remaining child(ren).
(My internal biological clock tells me that the cut off age to be pregnant is 30.)

So Nyla, relish your ‘only child’ status for now because babe, it is not going to be permanent.
I hope I won't get knocked up anytime soon though because I am really keen in the backpacking trip suggested by the husband.

Monday, January 19, 2009

KODAK



Nyla loves snapping pictures.
Well, aspiring photographer ya, babe?
Even though my heart always skips a beat whenever that camera is in her hands (fear of her being clumsy!), I try not to show her that I don’t trust her in handling the camera.

Here are few of the many ‘artistic’ shots that she snapped.


The calm waters.


My aunt’s super chubby cat, Belang.


Her ‘acrobatic’ mummy

Another good thing is, Esman and I can definitely depend on Nyla if we want to pose for a picture together.
However, we must be careful not to be too chummy and be all over each other because this photographer comes with emotions attached.



She’ll get jealous big time.


But even so, her parents don’t care and will try to be as close as possible.

And she’ll start warning us- ‘Not too close mommy and daddy.’
She’ll lose focus because of the numerous stern warnings she had to give to her 'models.'.
When this happens, she will also be the artistic director and put our hands away from each other.
And when someone loses focus, it's not surprising that the picture will not turn out perfect.


Hilarious!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pretend Play

SCENE 1
Location: Nyla's room

Her: Mommy, you are Ginger (the neighbour's cat) and I am Nyla.
Me: Ok.
Her: Now, meow.
Me: Meow.
Her: Meow MORE.
Me: Meow.Meow.Meow.Meow.Meow.Meow.Meow.
Her: Here, kitty kitty…Ohhhh…Ginger…You must be hungry… Come on darling. Let's go to the kitchen to get some food.
Me: Meow.
Real me: Ok Nyla. I am back to being your mommy! (standing up)
Her: Down Ginger. (totally ignoring me.)

SCENE 2
Location: Kitchen
Nyla gets the koko krunch from the refrigerator and pours some into a bowl.

Nyla: Eat your food, Ginger. Try not to have leftovers ya. (Talking just like her mommy here! Hahaha!)
Me: Meow… (Eating from a bowl on all fours.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I have a confession to make.
I hate pretend play with Nyla!
She can get really bossy and I must do EXACTLY what she says.
Sometimes in between the acts, I'll try to divert a bit and ask her how her day has been in school.
She saw through this ruse immediately and asked me to cut the (real) act.


This is the one mode of interaction that I'll always try to avoid.
Yes, I am very much aware of the importance of pretend play but I have to give myself a break man!
After all, I read to her, bring her to the playground, go on bus rides, watch plays or movies and play with blocks and play-doh.
Sigh.
Nyla loves pretend play because not a day goes by that she doesn't lobby for me to play masak masak or stuffed toys with her.
I guess I have to respect her need to play with me.
This is definitely an area for improvement for me to work on.

A shoutout to my darling Azam over at Jeddah, we miss you! (and baby Ilham too!)


Azam is the perfect play-mate for Nyla.
When Azam and Nyla meet, it is absolutely magical to see them at play.
They have such powerful imagination and can turn anything within their reach into a prop.
Just the other time, they were playing in the room, pretending to be sea creatures.
When the mommies entered the room, we had a shock when we saw my mother's bras being scattered around on the floor.

Them: Be careful! Those are jellyfish! They might sting!

Hahahahaha!
So innocent and creative, aren't they?
Well, Nyla, from tonight onwards, I'll try be the most enthusiastic pussy (LOL) cat ever!
Wish me luck! Haha!












Wednesday, January 7, 2009

First day of school


for Nyla at Chiltern House for the second year running.
It was lovely to see all the children again, so grown up and tall.
Nyla was very excited when we were on our way to school yakkety yakking about how much she missed her friends.


Nyla merrily removing her shoes and putting them in her cubby hole.


Health checks before entering her classroom.
Most of the kids were 'repeats' from the previous year. I expected none of these kids to cry but kids being kids, a few of them cried. Well actually it was not surprising since they (including Nyla!) didn't attend school during the december holidays. Back to adjusting to the routines and the separation from mommies/nannies all over again, I guess!
And my Nyla, despite being very cheerful initially, followed suit and joined them in the wailing party. Bleah!


I stayed with her in the classroom for about ten minutes and then made my exit as fast as possible assuring my girl that I'll fetch her in the evening.

It was a totally different scene when I fetched her.


She was back to her lively self which was a relief because it meant that she enjoyed herself. Phew!

I just hope that she'll always look forward to going to school this year like she did the previous year. I'm sure she will because her N2 teacher, Teacher Rozita, has such a calm and caring nature- a sure hit with the kids!

Nyla with Teacher Di
( her N1 teacher last year. Also my best friend since secondary school who lives just 5 minutes away from me!)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Blast from the past


This lass standing beside my brother in law is Nancy.
Nancy Natalia, to be precise.
Beautiful name. (My dear mom, why didn't you give me a sweet name like that?!)
Beautiful person. Inside out.

The moment Mak heard that Nancy would be coming to Singapore, off she and Bapak went to Geylang for a marketing spree.

And boy did Mak cook up a storm! It's been pretty long since we had that big a feast.
All of us had a wonderful time (and bloated tummies) over the weekend.

Nyla was totally smitten by Nancy's charms, though there were a few occasions when Nyla would mistakenly call Nancy "Aunty Netty."

Other than that, Nancy is her newfound instant best friend.

Nan (as Esman affectionately calls her), it's really nice to have you here.
You have put a smile back on the faces of everyone in the family, especially Mak and Bapak.
Boy, now I know why you say your love for her will never have an ending.
She is indeed a rare gem.

Have a safe flight back, babe!




















Saturday, January 3, 2009

Fast and furious

Nyla is turning 4 this year.
At the risk of sounding cliche, time does really fly.
I feel extremely blessed to have such an awesome being with me.
One that is oodles of fun and laughter.
Of course there have been times when she can be a little horror!
But, most of the time, she's our little treasure.
Yes, she's got a pretty thick tangle of ringlets- one of her most distinctive features.
Esman and I smile when anyone meets Nyla for the first time because, inevitably, the first thing said is,
"Look at that hair!"














Thursday, January 1, 2009

Renewal

Okay, so I am one of those peeps who will use this occasion to make resolutions to do something that will enhance my life in some respect.
Well... isn't the new year always an auspicious day to start new ventures and undertakings?
As the new year looms, I am extremely excited about the possibilities of new beginnings.
What are they, I hear you ask?
New home?
New job?
New baby?
*GASPS*
Well, stay tuned for the suspense to unfold in the future entries.
Akan datang.
Lastly, in the spirit of the new year, if I have ever stepped on your toes the previous year(s), I sincerely seek your forgiveness.
No one's perfect you know.
All I hope is that this year will bring out the better person in me and you as well.
With that, I wish ya all best wishes for 2009 and God bless. :)