Before Mum went for Hajj, she started singing to Tufeil this "Pak Cekup" song while tentatively grasping her hands into a fist much like Twinkle Twinkle Lil Star but just a little tighter close. And Tufeil was delighted to follow each time!
To that effect, i just remembered that i could teach him other hand movements! So i started singing When You're Happy and you know you CLAP your hands. After about 2 weeks, he can clap his hands on cue.
Actually even in his 8th month, his Aunty Titi (Ash) taught him Hi 5 and he could do it but i just forgot to reinforce it to him. Now that i restarted it with him, he remembered.
He can almost Salam now. But we need to take his hands first before he will kiss it. But then again, he's always after "biting" or "licking" our hands and face. So maybe nothing new. But the word association should be new to him.
I'm teaching him Hello and Bye Bye wave now. Hmmm wont do each n everytime but when he does its more like... flapping the whole arms... like he always do when excited! minus the leg kicking tho. LOL Oh well... its ok.
Oh and a week ago at Breeks. He was in his high chair and suddenly he took hold of his bottle of water with both hands and put it in his mouth!! When i tried lifting his hands higher to tilt the bottle, he would release his own grasp. and let me fed him the water. Cheh.
It was really the first time he put anything other than his own fingers in his mouth! Oh he wants things in his mouth alright but usually but lunging straight to the thing like our thighs or knees or toes or even the floor so he would seem like prostrating! haha
And then yesterday Mummy just taught him to hold the biscuit, put into his mouth and bite. at night, he did just that when given another piece! Weeehooo.. But he soon lost interest in it and started throwing in on the floor as he would do w any other toy in hand.
Other than that, i actually feel guilty of not teaching him much of anything. Not too much reading. Not too much object identifying. So far only lights and Fan even then just the ones in Mummy's room, and motorcycle cos they are always zipping thru the street by our room window.
Hmmm I have no idea what else to teach him. Of course there are so many things like flash-carding, cleaning up etc... but im too lazy! Sorry, Darling! Hmmm one thing at a time, aye?
8th & 9th Month Developments
Tufeil's First Hosp A&E Visit.
Friday, 22nd Jan 09 (9 3/4months old)
That was the day we decided to send Tufeil to the hospital.
I had noticed that he started coughing from Mon / Tues when Syifaa' was sick too.
Wed, i woke up to get dressed to work because i had a RecClub Thank You lunch with the French CEO they were going for Pagi Sore esp for me the only Muslim in the committee. But after much thought, i think i didnt wanna risk it. Esp cos mummy was not feeling quite well also though she told me she was ok.
So instead, we went for Bfast at McDonalds, and i walked to Baby Bear. (Ok this feels like De javu, i think i've written about this alr but what the heck...) He was given Zyrtec drop, nose drop, the runny nose oral drops and a white liquid for his cough n phlegm. Each time i hafta employ Mummy's help to administer the drugs as i can't bring myself to hold him tightly amidst his strong struggles. I'm weak in that sense.
Thank you to Mummy for skipped classes for Tufeil.
Tufeil being hugged and sponged at the same time. Temp was 38.8The next day i went to work - everybody was asking me how's Tufeil. Esp my RecClub chairman cos the CEO was asking, "where's the girl who had to eat Halal?" haha. Anyways, she told me very knowledgably what to do when your child has a fever of above 38.5
Sponge him for 10min only with tap water.
Stop if he starts shivering bcos his quick movements will generate heat and bring up the fever even higher
U can give him paracetamol. Monitor for 30min if still not down, can give Neurofen. Give paracetamol 6hourly, and the latter 4 hourly.
I told my mum about the tap water. Cos we gave him ICE water. but promptly felt guilty after that. My intention was just to share the info that i received. But Im afraid i might have sounded... SMUG and offensive. Sorry mummy!
Then Fri came. Mum's not cooking so i brought my parents to eat at Breeks cos i really wanted the dessert there. Unfortunately, Tufeil missed a dose for the silliest reason being i wanted to wait till his bedtime and his last one was at 2pm. his temp went up to 39.
Mummy insisted we went to KK, after all i didnt hafta fork out real money, just pay thru the CDA account. But its the long wait that i minded and also because i think that he'll be alright with the next dose. just hafta be more frequent. But i relented more bcos i felt guilty for the above episode and wanted to acknowledge her grandmaternal (? hehe) instinct too.
Tufeil with his Q no
Waiting for the Doc.Our no was called quite quickly, actually. in say... 30min - 40min max. His first temp in the ear was 37.2 bcos we put on that cold pack. But while waiting for the actual doc, T managed to remove it himself and another check was 38 thereabouts. The doc asked what meds we've given him and prescribed a slightly different one. But said that since his fever had been for 4 days, she wanted to get a blood test done. Needless to say, Tufeil screamed the hosp down when drawing his blood from his finger and when given panadol.
Over the weekend, Tufeil had much disturbed sleep. He would wake every 30min or so to cough. Sometimes he would fall back to sleep, other times i hafta nurse him back but quite a few times he looked as if he would choke!! I can imagine his suffering! I mean who likes to swallow back down phlegm?!?! and there's a feeling like as if there's something stuck in ur throat and it just wont come out or like u accidentally ate chilli. I totally HATE that!
He would eat biscuits but totally refused everything else. At first we thought its cos he doesnt have an appetite. But i tot it wld b strange when he refused peach also at times. So i tried to feed him by hand and it worked! He must be frightened of spoons and syringes now!
Anyway, Mum raised a concern than maybe its because of the canned fruits we've been giving him that makes his cough worse. I disagreed for the following reasons:
- Tufeil has taken them since he was 6months old with no effects
- I bought the ones in NATURAL juice
- and the can says they have no preservatives no artificial nothing.
>But i do agree that his lingering phlegm is quite disconcerting. So that's y i was glad when the next day Syifaa' had another high fever, Mummy brought Tufeil to see the GP too. Mum said he looked at the meds we were given and shook his head. This time around he gave antibiotics and to lay off them peaches.
Half day and one dose later, Alhamdulillah, he seems A LOT better. Cough is still there but not too much. He had a slightly better sleep prolly waking up only every hour or 1.5hr (and this is quite normal too!) as opposed to .5 hr.
I pray that it'll all clear up soon! So he can start drinking my eBM otherwise... i'll just hafta sell them! Ahahahah
New Template
- White background
- Purple design with Handphone and Computer pictures which is what i'm sooo into right now! (Just bought a new pc!!!!! Eyeing a new hp next)
- Big Bubble to show how many comments. Not that many pple drop comments, but still!
- Purple footnote at the end of each entry to indicate post date n time as well as labels. Clearly distincting the next entry.
Just two things i tot they could improve and if somebody can help me adjust these??
- TOO BIG FONTS on right hand column
- Hidden Blogger taskbar! I've already checked the layout and i picked the colour already but it wont come out! I think its in the script?
Help?!
Perth 09 Day 10 - GOING HOME!! BOOHOO
Immediately left after the Main Door is the study room.
There's no door to this room
Back down the hall.
On the right is the kitchen - you can see the island there and it leads to the garage.
Informal dining area, sitting area then straight ahead is the TV Room.
The Conservatory is just opp the dining table on the right which leads to the mini garden and also swimming pool.
While on the left is the mini corridor towards the other bedrooms.
TV Room with two sofa beds which will make for a good guest room if not for the window facing in.
Ok now for the Bedrooms section
Sneak Peak
The Girl's Room.
Built-in Wardrobe on the left
The Utility Room is what i believed its called.
This is where Tufeil had his baths!
And Syifaa' having fun watching the front loader washing machine spinned.
The bathroom and toilet. Always separated.
Boy Room No 1. I believe this is Taufiq's?
Very Cramped!
Our Noodles (Swimming float) made a rainbow at the back.
There's another luggage under Syifaa's leg.
There you go. All of them bags.
Just outside the departure.
Nice spacious nursing roomS.
The depature gate is rather inconscpicuous.
The return journey was unbearable too. I regretted my decision to sit on my own bcos now nobody to help me if i need an extra hand! Altho the rest are just behind, they are buckled to their seats and glued to the TV.
Like during the outbound flight, i dumped my plate on Abg Fai's table so i have space to move around to reach the bassinet. This time round, i brought it to the kitchen myself which is just in front of me but for Business class. one hand on bassinet, the other arm stretched in front to the stewardess.
Soon after, he slept. for 2 hours. just like the previous flight. But the thing that got to me was i cldnt sleep for as long. I dont know. Ok i know why.. cos i kept anticipating he would wake up anytime that i cldnt nod off myself! Worse was i was scared to move to use the entertainment system lest he'd wake up that i found myself staring into space in boring nothingness.
Apparently, his signage was miniscule and he was tucked at the corner and he was.... poorly dressed. Not at all like a cab driver. NOt even a sch bus driver. More like.... vege seller at the wet market. !!??
Our trolley full of luggage and our $5 discounted ride. LOL *Wink at Ash*
Perth Day 09 - AIC Mosque, Midland
23rd Dec 09, (almost 9 months old)
Hmmm Today is almost the exact itinerary with Day 2. Cool weather. Midland Shopping Center. Dinner @ Mesepotamia Kebab.
Except that we headed to a Fresh Supplies factory, listed in the Halal Booklet that we have. Unfortunately, it was strictly Business 2 Business business that no direct consumer can buy from. We were imagining Chocolates by the dozens like they have in Margaret River CHocolate Factory - which we didnt go for the simple reason that its not Halal certified.
Also, we visited the mosque next to the Australian Islamic College. It's not at nice as At-Taqwa - a bit old and just slightly run down. But it warmed my heart to see an taxi drivers and the likes filling the Saff (prayer row) during Zohr prayer. Its unfortunate that it was school holidays for i would have liked to see the International Muslim students.
Pictures are in Ly's phone which she have yet to upload. So forget it.
The Portion is sooooo huge I was starting to puke at the end of the meal.
Tufeil's First Cough
Was on Child Card Leave yesterday.
Tufeil was cranky the previous night waking up every half an hour with a badly blocked nose. He has also started coughing. Also because my mum didn't feel well at the end of yesterday too.
Since i was already up that morning, we straight away got dressed and after a McDonald's Bfast, went to Baby Bear.
I walked allll the way, about 10min, while T slept away, lulled by the movement. Was 3rd person. Thank God! We got him nebulized. I dont know how to hold him tightly when struggle ensued... so one of the "more experienced" nurses aka motherly figure much like my mummy helped to hold him while i held and kissed his hands trying to soothe him. He was SCREAMING and KICKING like being held prisoner or something.
$75 payable by CDA fund. Thank God for that too.
Later in the afternoon, suddenly fever came. 38.8!! Gave him meds, and sponged him. I tried to nurse him to sleep but he won't have it. cried and cried. So mummy just cradle held him while sponging at the same time. She did for like 1.5h when she passed back to me i cld barely last an hour! PLUS i dont know how to sponge him while holding him. Just left the cold towel on his forehead.
Some 5hours later, his fever was still no better. So we gave him another dose with a mind to go to the hospital if it still didnt go down in another 2hours or what.
I sent him to sleep at 9.30pm. I went to sleep 10.30pm. Next time i woke, it was 2.30am already! Wow he slept for 5 hours!! Without the aid of nose drop too. Alhamdulillah!! He slept on for another 3hours straight. His fever got much lower but is still just a tad higher than normal.
Sadly, his phlegm is very bad. His coughing. His whimpering also has changed his voice.
I pray it wont be long now. Ya Allah, please heal my son, you are the Curer.
IQRA' Suspended.
I told my one and only group of students left that I cannot teach for the mo.
Our last session saw Tufeil tearing my frail Iqra' book to tatters, tipped the glass of water and got everybody's books wet.... He got very cranky and restless after being on my lap for a short time and absolutely CANNOT be left on the floor. I had to resort to carrying him while standing and peering over my student's book.
I feel that this is no way to teach. This is unfair to my students who cldn't concentrate and to try to be heard by a similarly distracted teacher. Nope. Not fair at all.
The deal-sealer is the fact that the maid is gone now and my parents are rather busy on Saturdays to help with entertaining T.
I feel sad doing this to my good students esp because their mother has decided to re-join the group. And i've always had preference to teaching adults.
PLUS, my mom said that i should just expose T to the Qur'an reading culture ie include him in the class. Even my student agreed w me mum when i related this to her. Yeah sure i'd like to. but read my 2nd paragraph again. The babe gets CRANKY!
When mum discovered i've suspended the class... she said, after a thoughtful pause, "Ok lah, After Chinese New Year (Feb), i will make sure I'm at home Saturday mornings. I'll push back all my appointments to the afternoon or Sundays. Or.. if i have to, then i will bring T out with me."
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Thank you, Mummy!
Perth Day 08 - Raebun Farm & Kewdale
Tuesday, 22nd Dec 09 (Almost 9 months!)
Ok... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
But day started with yet another tragedy. The iron did not work. ie how to go out with ruffled scarf?!?! That's MURDER! After more investigating, turned out actually the electricity tripped. We spent some time to find the switch and then we tried the other iron and it ripped kak Ly's tudung raw! LOL. "No wonder the iron was stowed away high up in the wardrobe" we deduced.
So The 3 of them went out to the nearest Woolworth to get a new one. Well they took a good 2 hours SHOPPING while ME the BIRTHDAY GIRL was stuck and locked at home practically GROUNDED! BOOHOOHOO. Ok, at least she brought back a present for me. haha
So at 2pm, we headed to Raeburn farm somewhere in Armadale.
It was a hard trek pushing the stroller on dirt road!
The Greens would be rather soothing ... if not for the HOT HOT weather!
I dont know how Kak Ly always manages to get a great shot of Tufeil's smile.
Tangkap Filem Hindustan!
Their Production Line.With the holidays drawing close to the end, i brought 4 chilli cheese dogs from Pretzos and stuffed meself with 2 of them. I'm afraid i shall miss them terribly in S'pore =(
I tried Peach Bomba freeze at The Coffee Club while feeding Tufeil his late lunch. Disappointing to say the least. at AUD 4.90 too! Bah! But the crew was nice. Well, whoever cooed at my baby are nice people. Period. LOL!
It was dark when we reached her house. and Cool too! But we remained indoors for the duration. Dinner was grilled chicken. We tried to be polite by finishing the rice served to us which was TRIPLE our usual portion! *faint*
Malay Muslim community there is quite small and close-knit though they live quite far away. There are meet up picnics and social gatherings a plenty. We felt right at home with them. The children finally warmed up to each other...
But its very diff to get a very good picture of them all!
So shall include two shots.
The Ladies. Snapped by one of the guys. Humph! BLUR!!It was really sad going home at 10.15pm that night. Because Syifaa' and Maya were so happy playing. They said goodbye and goodbye so many times and waving frantically at each other. Tufeil... Well... Tufeil just didnt know any better. Yet. Thank God. It would break my heart, otherwise.
What Tufeil's Been Up To This Year.
9months old
Fri 8th Jan 10,
The 11 Best Friends Gathering.
There were a group baby photo... but from other cameras. donno if its uploaded yet?
We have the carseat in the house. to aid with nail clipping!
To the Supermarket with Nenek and Atok.
First time in the trolley!
Shortly after, he cried. Ayah thinks its bcos he got shocked after a static reaction from Ayah. but after 5mins or so we put him back in and was ok.
Trying to find a nice position to nurse
He's often shaking his leg, usually in a 30 degree position with tummy down. When i put him properly on his side, he will rustle about to be on his tummy without unlatching. tsk tsk tsk!
