The Original Juice

Sat, 19th Dec 09 (8 3/4months)

Two major mishaps this morning.

T fell off the tall bed in the middle of the night!!! I was too tired to hear his mid-night whimpers i think and suddenly a heard a loud thud and he cried! I found him to be on the floor somewhere in between the bed and the WOODEN bedside table! oh my gosh oh my gosh!! I carried him around for awhile but quickly nursed him back to sleep and he was soothed easily. Thank God.


Then a fire broke out in the microwave when i was reheating my kebab from last night. Well i thought paper is supposed to be fine or even the better option and not carcinogenic for microwave? but apparently there's an aluminium lining or something on the underside of the paper. I panicked for a moment not sure what to do so i just turned the timer off. the fire flickered slowly away. Thank god it wasn't big. Phew~ and it still worked, not damaged or anything.


Right after doing Zohr and Asr at home, we went out to Fremantle.

This is the scene, baby~

lol


Vending machine dispensing parking coupons. Convenient? Maybe



But no change given! haha

Round the corner, a bookstore was giving away freeeee balloons!!!

Ok so he's an amateur only knows the Dog, Giraffe or Flower

Tufeil got the Dog

But not 1min in Tufeil's hands, the twist came off.

And in another minute, the balloon burst! in his hands! and he didnt even cry.

Too embarassed to get another one although we were less than 10m away.

Shopping was the agenda at Fremantle. we LOVE Best & LEss. Great bargain for baby clothes, adult's as well as household items like towels and such. there were baby rompers going for AUD3.49!!

T

hen we walked all the way to the other side to treat our bellies...

Oh my what a long walk! Shall rest our feet on the nice clean grass.

Errr... Would love to go thru this spiderweb obstacle too... but er... i was wearing heels~

(Read: I'm too big n heavy to climb)

Then need to go thru train crossing....

Nah.. i don see no trains nomore.

Fuyoh! At last we are here!! By the pier.

A lot of this boardwalks, huh.

And we got our Ice cream at Baskin Robin.. Ahhhh,... bliss...

O oh Tufeil woke up and got cranky after waiting for me to finish my ice cream. Gotta feed him... but where? I'm not gonna go to another handicapped toilet anymore, thank you very much.... The car is tooo far away and Abg Fai was still out fetching it over.... Hmmm i settled for the open park we passed just now.

But Tufeil was too curious about the grass to feed properly.

He got the sand a few days ago, and now the grass. Nice.

Dinner was Fish & Chips. But i was totally out of it. Felt like puking and choking thru the meal. Reason: i was the only one eating. while BIL and Syifaa' went to the playground and sis looked at me eat. They were to have their dinner. It felt really really sucky n i cldnt wait to leave!

And leave, we did. Reached home 8.30am. The first night we reached home that early!

Tufeil having a bath in the laundry room sink.

Nice!

Fri, 18th Dec 09 (8 3/4months)


So its a Fri and we waited for Abg Fai to return from Mass Friday Prayer. We ended up going out only at 2:30pm! And my was it HOT HOT HOT!! OUr first HOT day in Oz. can be quite unbearable!


Destination: Hillary Harbour

We were lulled by the scenic route

Well, its their nap time anyways



And mine too! hahah

Oh Jolly! We've reached already!

I was facing these wonderful resorts in the above shot. SO NEAR THE HARBOUR!

Palm trees scattered.

Well we should visit AQWA before it closes at 5pm. It was almost 4pm when we got there.
If I remember correctly, entrance fee was AUD25 per adult. CHildren 4 and under enters for free.

It's basically an Aquarium with lotsa POISONOUS fishes, complete with underwater tunnel just like the one in Singapore. Only one exhibit fascinated me:

Colourful jellyfish!

They are like lamps, really!

Shopping time! my BIL went crazy at the surfer shops. lol

"What shall i do with this wheel?"

The Boardwalk

I didn't buy anything. Boring~ Well i did buy a frappucino from Gloria Jeans to cool off the heat. And thank God for it cos dinner wasn't until 9pm that night!!!!!!

Entrance of Hillary Harbour

Ok Baby we're leaving.

At Al Majid Mosque cos Abg Fai hadnt done 'Asr.

We already did at home together w Zohr before going out

Further inside.

Prayer Area

I

shall say that this one is the nicest mosque we've visited thru out our trip. Very clean and tidy and spacious. Sadly, there are not many worshipper around. Not even the caretaker!? Even the ladies toilet was locked! *Wink at Kak Ly*

I actually got a shock by the first mosque we visited at the Islamic Council of Western Australia. Er....... let's just say it looked very much like a Malaysian kampong (village hut) and very dusty with a happy note that its a result of much use!

After that, visit to the city, as usual, but esp bcos every Fridays, the trading hours are extended to 9pm in the city. The suburb's shopping centres extended trading hours are on every thrus night. Very peculiar. But i did notice 24hours McDonalds even in the suburb. ARGHHH if only all the fast food restaurants are halal too.. i shall WALK there from the house! hahah

Ok Till the next edition. Ta~

Monday 7th Dec 09


My RecClub organised a movie night. and i only gotta know the friday before. But thankfully somebody couldn't make it at the last minute. There was supposed to be a $12 penalty but i filled in for her.

Free popcorn and drinks too wee hooo!! All 30 of us watched Couples REtreat @ GV Marina Square

Couples Retreat

New Moon

Ok i got 2 days MC as a result of flu. I came to work first in the morning that Wed with all intent of going to the doctor's right after getting the auth chit. Usually i'd just call in sick n go to doc later which means i hafta pay first. But with the former method, i get to kill 2 or even 3 birds with one stone.

I cleared my email, got that chit so i dont hafta pay to see the doc, be the surprised recipient of a 2 days sick leave (cos apparently i got a fever at 38degree celcius), and then.... enjoyed....

3 Idiots!!!

17th Dec 09 (8 3/4months)


Kak Ly cooked Spaghetti and fried chicken wings. I made sure i ate a lot before going out because halal food is scarce out there!

We went to the wildlife in their most natural habitat at Cohunu Park. Entrance fee A$15 per adult. Children 4yo and under free.

It was noon and very hot with very little shade.

The Koala Sanctuary.

Mirror Image

Foxtails are cute too? Or is it bobtail? i can't remember



Llamas are certainly rather peculiar.
Ok maybe its just because we dont see it often here.
Everytime i think of llma i will remember Jimmy Neutron's bestfriend


Pony and Donkey. They look.. BIG and yet small at the same time.
Shall we take a closer look?


No need. they came to sniff us out first!

Tufeil didn't cry and i tried my best to be brave too but i stopped short when he (and it was definitely a HE - LOL) tried to lick Tufeil! I mean what if he gobble up my precious baby!! haha

Hello there, Tiny tiny Kangaroos

It looks like Kanga is sniffing my butt!

Can you believe it? I totally forgot my baby carrier for the whole trip! I really struggled here in the animal park where Tufeil (or rather I) would rather see the animals up close and not just form the buggy.

They look so lethargic? So is it just their midday nap thing?

Syifaa' is eternally fearful of ALL animals.

From before we even departed Changi Airport, Syifaa' has been asking relentlessly, "Where are the kangaroos?" "What are the kangaroos doing?" "Are they all asleep now?" "When are we going to see the kangaroos?". Ly noted that after her scary meet up with the said animal, she ceased talking about kangaroos altogether. teehee

The Desert Girl.

I can't be sure if she covered her mouth cause of the smell, heat or the FLIES!!!


Very well then. Our next destination: Scarborough Beach!

Scenic!!

I was on a bad mood cause 1. HUNGRY 2. Tufeil needed a change of diaper and the toilet was CRAPPY! 3. i left my hp in the car

No the strong wind hasn't changed my mind just yet

Ahhhhhhhhh ... What LOVELY Sand...

Only now i decided to take a deep breath and simply enjoy the moment. we then let Tufeil sit on the sand and play. He was mesmerized by the texture of the sand as it slipped thru his grasp. It was marvellous to see his wondering expression as we imagine what he was prolly thinking.

The weather was SUPERB! Cool winds, clean sand. What more can a girl ask for! we all sat and relaxed on the sand. I even breastfed Tufeil in the open because the place is just sooo HUGE! If there's anything I'm gonna like and miss about Australia, its the BEACH!

We didn't have photos but afterwards we went to Mirrabooka mosque in Mirrabooka village then to the shopping centre. This is the place with a LOT of muslims. A lot of Nigerians too.

The shopping centre would have been my favourite had we had more time to explore. You know why? Cause there are prolly 5 or 8 HALAL Establishments. Too bad we had already eaten near the mosque and i truly regretted it. I insisted we just ate there since we are nearby even tho Abg Fai said we could go to the shopping centre. my fear was it would take another like... 30min and it'll be just another kebab so why not now? My baby might get cranky cos he was hungry too. Mediocre to freaking sad the food we had.

But then i found... PRETZOS! HALAL!! THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! hahahaha Chilli Cheese Pretzels are the very freaking best. I prolly slept smiling that night. hahaha

Monday 4th Jan 10 (9months old)

Just for the record, Mummy sent Tufeil to the polyclinic for more vaccinations.

He is 8.4kg and (still) 70cm tall.

Unfortunately, he did not get to see the PD. We wanted to ask why his left big toe nail is sort of bleeding (albeit not profusely). The nurse took a look and said its an infection and to apply cream on it.

*bite lips* Hmmm its been there for quite sometime. I first saw that his toe nail got a bit overlapped. I thought that it could be because he uses so much of his toes to propel him forward in his commando crawl stance. then the previous physiotherapist session noted his nail condition and told me to cut properly too.

Hmmm an infection? Seems to me like a dubious deduction. Should i send him to Baby Bear PD again? If this weekend its still not cured.

Wed, 16th Dec 09 (8 3/4months)





So the proper day in Australia started by going to get the rental carseat. In this country, it is mandatory for all babies 4yo and under to be seated in the baby car seat. which brought us to a realisation that fortunately Ash didn't follow us as we won't be able to all fit in one car. teehee. Although if ayah n mummy were with us, it'll all balanced up.

No lah mummy. Look I'm smiling now.

I've only just had leftover kebab from last night's dinner for breakfast andw as famished and it was already like 2pm? We tried looking for a halal establishment to no avail. I resorted to a Giant cookie.

They were puzzled why am i always hungry. Well they didnt notice that i always eat in a hurry and while feeding baby at the same time too. and then when he started crying and i just up n left my half eaten plate to tend to him. and when they had a proper meal directly before going out, i was busy getting the baby ready.


Anyways, we went grocery shopping. In between, Tufeil got cranky and i went to the nursing room. twice. The place was sooo comfortable and spacious with 2 cubicles and 2 sofas. There were nobody around and i succumbed to temptation and settled cosily flat on the couch with tufeil on top of me. we were there for a good 30min at least till Ly called to say she's found an internet kiosk.

We visited the Islamic Council of WA for Zohr & Asr and pressed on back to the city for another kebab dinner.

In the city at sunset.



The river looks very choppy and seemed like brimming over dangerously. Nice breeze too.


This time around i bought a proper doner kebab to hopefully satiate my hunger. But as usual, in the middle of the meal...


Tufeil woke up.

So i employed Syifaa's help to feed Tufeil his dinner of Heinz pureed pear.

Back to the house, now then.

I am pretty much a lazy mother. I don't do much household chores, i dont teach my 11month old to read, I dont practise Elimination Communication (something like potty training) nor Sign language nor anything else that is the hype nowadays.

But i Do know i want my son to be brought up positively. Rephrase NO or negative sentences to positive ones things like that... Hence, the Whale Done Parenting.

Did you hear about that SeaWorld Killer Whale killing the Trainer??? So much for a Whale Done. Of course its not perfect.... But....

So here's another i thought is useful for guiding Tufeil to be a good person. Thanks to Nourza for sharing!

RESPECT- How to TEACH it & SHOW it by Steve McChesney

One of the most important things you can teach your child is respect. Keep in mind that respect is not the same as obedience. Children might obey because they are afraid. If they respect you, they will obey because they know you want what’s best for them.

The best way to teach respect is to show respect. When a child experiences respect, they know what it feels like and begin to understand how important it is.

Keep in mind the saying “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Respect is an attitude. Being respectful helps a child succeed in life. If children don’t have respect for peers, authority, or themselves, it’s almost impossible for them to succeed.

A respectful child takes care of belongings and responsibilities, and a respectful child gets along with peers. Schools teach children about respect, but parents have the most influence on how respectful children become. Until children show respect at home, it’s unlikely they will show it anywhere else.

How can you show respect to your child?

Be honest – If you do something wrong, admit it and apologize.

Be positive – Don’t embarrass, insult or make fun of your child. Compliment them.

Be Trusting – Let your child make choices and take responsibility.

Be fair – Listen to your child’s side of the story before reaching a conclusion.

Be polite – Use “please” and “thank you”. Knock before entering your child’s room.

Be reliable – Keep promises. Show your child that you mean what you say.

Be a good listener – Give your child your full attention.

Children learn from everything we say and do. Make sure that you are modeling respectful behavior. Some of things you can do are:

Obey laws – Follow rules.

Be caring – Show concern for people, animals and the environment.

Avoid poor role models – When you see examples of disrespect, discuss them.

When you set rules at home, explain to your child why the rule is important. For instance, if the rule is “No TV between 4:00 and 6:00” it is because this is homework time and homework is important to keep grades up in school.

Teach your child to respect themselves. Self-respect is one of the most important forms of respect. Once we respect ourselves, it is easier to respect others.

Your opinion means a lot to your child. If you believe your child can succeed, they will believe they can as well. Build their independence.

Give them responsibilities as soon as they can handle them.

Help them set and achieve goals.

Their self-respect will skyrocket when they see themselves achieving those goals.

Encourage honesty. Let your child know that they may be able to fool some people, but they can’t fool themselves. There is no pride in stealing, cheating, or lying.

Most importantly, show love! Say ‘I love you” often and give plenty of hugs and kisses.

If your child makes a mistake, remind them that they are still loved.

Age affects children’s respect. Children and adults deserve respect at every age. Here is a guideline based on age:

Babies – They are too young to show respect but when you meet their needs, they learn to trust you. This helps as they get older because respect for authority is based on trust.

Toddlers – They are old enough to learn to say “please” and “thank you”.

Preschoolers – This is a good time to teach rules and consequences.

Elementary age – They show the most respect for adults who make fair rules. It helps to let them have a say in the rules that they are expected to follow.

Middle and High Schoolers – Allow them to show independence, such as clothing or hairstyles, but make sure you have guidelines. They will appreciate the respect you are showing them.

We respect you and the incredible job that you have, being a parent. Have a great day! - Steve McChesney http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/respect/

Reading what Sue wrote on her blog summarising her past year, i thought i'd like to do one too.

Frankly, i don't know how 2009 could have just flown past. I was really just struggling to go through a day at a time and then lo and behold, it's a new year already!

What can i say, 2009 had been tumultuous to say the very least. Right from Day One when i got back from a New Year eve Sleepover party and had to do a very difficult thing all of 7months pregnant only to retract it 2 weeks after.

I then tried to block out any unhappy informations and just focused to receiving the baby i was carrying. He was safely delivered on 27th Mar 09 in the wee hours of the day.

Afterwards, i was not looking forward to going back to work on 1st July but it inevitably came. 2 short months after, i got thru working and nursing and expressing BM while FASTING. And then came the feasting and celebrations which were nice.

And then i just pushed on day in day out just to get to my month long holiday from work NOv - Dec.

There were many many times when i just couldn't take it and felt like throwing motherhood out the window. But of course that is impossible. There is certainly no off days! But i learnt to relax a bit. I told myself i'm not a failure if i let the maid handle the baby. It's perfectly normal. But just as i learnt to depend on her help, She up and left us in the lurch! Ergh!

PLUS! I have gained quite a few kg in last few months. boohoohoo... well how can i not seeing that im always perpetually hungry and indulged myself with Breastfeeding as an excuse. And then after im stuffed, i nursed Tufeil to sleep and i cldn't help myself and napped too. hahahahaa!!

Workwise, I did get that promotion Alhamdulillah and our office has moved to a larger premise. Now i just need to CHEONG on to show how determined I am in my career (even though im blogging right now - What? Doesn't mean i dont get my job done! :P ).

I dont really wanna put any expectations on 2010, but i can't help having this itchy feeling that it's gonna be an exciting happy year, INsya'Allah, Ameen.