Three weeks flew just like that when one was having fun. But what I had was not all fun. It was unexpected – the level of hostility I had to face, coming from people I’m powerless to wage war with. But let’s not delve in that. Let’s just say that right now I’m trying my best to overcome this problem I have at hand, and I welcome all the doa you could muster for me.
It’s even more difficult for me to leave my baby for the second time. But I’m thankful that while we were together, we bonded strongly. Alhamdulillah, we were both given a chance to bond again by breastfeeding. I know – it had been three months – I thought there were no more breastmilk to spare. But as it happened, right after Huzaifah suckled on them, I started having breastmilk again. Not as much as it used to be – but enough for me to comfort him when he started meragam for no reason. And enough for me to feel that closeness exclusively experienced by nursing mothers and the babies in their arms.
Huzaifah did not gained as much weight in his fourth month as he did previously. Partly due to his lower intake of formula milk once he started breastfeeding again, partly due to him being more active right now. He doesn’t like being put in one’s lap in a sleeping position (unless for breastfeeding session), he would lift his head and shoulder, indicating he wants to change the position. He prefers being fed using the bottle in an almost sitting position in an adult’s lap. He could roll himself over from his back to his front, but he still has some trouble controlling his arms movement, so he hasn’t been able to properly meniarap just yet.
And I can almost swear that he has started teething, although I’m very much aware of the fact that the first tooth normally only surface after 5 - 7 months. He drools a lot, and he puts everything he’s able to grab in his mouth. He even opened his mouth wide everytime we try to get him to kiss our cheeks, so we always end up getting drools on our cheeks.
Ayah wants us to develop his potentials in languages early so we are using different languages in communicating with him. I speak to him in Bahasa, English and Nihongo. Hubby speaks to him in Arabic. Both Mak and Ayah speaks to him in Bahasa and English. Some people pointed out to me that we should probably use just one language so as not to confuse him. But I’ve read somewhere that research links higher intelligence to how many words a child hears in the first year of life, so verbal stimulation is especially important right now. He may not be able to repeat these words yet, but he's storing all the information in his rapidly developing memory.
So I try to set a sound foundation by exposing Huzaifah to a variety of words. I would tell him about the colors of cars passing us by in Nihongo when we were on the road, and his father would repeat the same thing in Arabic. I would describe to him what colors the flowers are, how tall the trees are, how long the leaves are and how small or big a tree is when we are in a garden. I would point to and identify objects in Nihongo or English as we play in the bedroom, in the living room or anywhere. Some might say that we are pushing him too early. But hey, if I don’t try sowing anything, I won’t be able to harvest anything, right?
Yes, it was the best of times – being able to just be with my son.
And I managed to do lots of those listed on my to-do list. I even met up with a long lost childhood friend when we attended my cousin’s wedding in Kedah. I used to stop by his house on my way back home from school. I spent so much time at his place that my Tok would go to his place if I still had not returned home in late evenings. Ajim now is married with a 2-year old boy. It was our first meeting after about 20 years – but we could still recognize each other easily. Hey, even his mother asked me if I still recognized her, and I did. I did not recognized his much older sister (though I recognized his elder sister, who I also used to play with). Still, it was good seeing them again even if the meeting was by mere chance.
I met up with some friends. Dropped by my old office to collect some mail as well as to greet my friends there quickly. Stopped by Jue’s office to say hi to her, but I have yet to meet her baby in person. Jue is also contemplating furthering her studies in Japan – so there’s hope for me yet. Initially I wanted to join an all-girls slumber party, but changed my mind since Huzaifah has some trouble adjusting to new place and I don’t want to miss even one night being away from him. But I managed to meet up with the girls. Zurr, Sal, Roza, Nurul, Nazrah – thanks for cooking such delicious dishes, sorry for all the trouble and sorry for not being able to be there earlier.
And I would like to take this opportunity to thank you too Nisah, for your warm welcome, kindness and hospitality. Thanks for recording our first meeting in your English blog. We’ll meet again, insya Allah. Thanks for your support – and please thank both your husband and your father for their encouraging words on my behalf too.
I often missed Ira and Afaf – two persons I know who enjoy Japanese dorama – everytime I get to watch some interesting Japanese dorama here. So, when Ira came to visit me and baby, I advised her to get a copy of Hana Yori Dango and Nobuta Wo Produce dorama set in CD. Both were a big hit last season – although I was not a big fan of the Taiwan-produced Meteor Garden, I really enjoyed Hana Yori Dango - the Japanese version of Meteor Garden. I was told that the Taiwan-produced Meteor Garden was based on Hana Yori Dango manga (comic), but the Japanese dorama resembles the manga better than the Taiwan-produced drama. As for Nobuta wo Produce, I was attracted to it because Faizly had introduced to me the theme song – Seishun Amigo by Shuji & Akira – and the song, I must admit, is very very infectious. The drama itself is kinda interesting although the storyline is quite old (2 boys trying to change a wayward girl into a popular one)
Oh by the by – I would advise friends in Kuala Lumpur to go and give the Beard Papa’s cream puffs a try. There’s one stall in Midvalley, LG which used to be Dairy King ice cream stall. The cream puffs found there are similar to the famous Beard Papa cream puffs available in Japan. So, what’s the big deal about cream puffs, huh? These ones contain no preservatives and made with good quality ingredients. It’s crunchy on the outside, ice cold in the inside, and nothing beats the fresh whipped custard cream taste. And for those who yearn to listen to some nihongo – the girls who waited on me ordered the cream puffs in nihongo. The cashier thanked me in nihongo too. Ahh… ii kimochi datta!
By the way - Jem, if you are reading this - I have brought back cendol and Ayam brand santan especially for you. But I saw that your blog is having some kind of problem and thus could not notify you there. Please contact me via e-mail to advise me on how to pass them over to you, okay?
Enough for now. Will write more later, insya Allah.
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