Bila mereka mempengaruhi...

Kita biasa mendengar ibu bapa akan cuba mempengaruhi anak-anak terutamanya ke arah kebaikan. Tapi bagaimana kiranya anak-anak mempengaruhi ibu bapa? Konteks pengaruh ini bukanlah dari segi yang buruk. Bukan pengaruh untuk kebendaan/material, belikan barangan tertentu yang tidak wajar pada mereka. Pengaruh ini dari segi yang lain, pengaruh untuk ibu bapa merendah diri dan memajukan diri dari melihat aktiviti si kecil.

Saya masukkan Adam ke sekolah PASTI. Di sana salah satu subjek yang dipelajari adalah Bahasa Arab. Saya pelajari AHMARU itu adalah MERAH, JADDUN itu adalah datuk, AKHUN itu adalah abang dan sebagainya. Tidak terkecuali saya belajar doa-doa yang jarang saya baca. Cara saya, saya akan meminta Adam membacanya seterusnya saya akan mencari dalam al-Quran (kiranya bersumber dari sana), internet malah merujuk kepada suami saya sendiri. Sekadar untuk mengetahui tajwid, makhraj serta dengan maknanya sekali & doa itu paling sesuai digunakan untuk apa peristiwa. Lalu saya cuba untuk mengamalkan.

Mastura pula dengan caranya yang tersendiri ~ obses dengan dinosaur, alam, haiwan & dia sangat gemar membaca. Segala aktiviti melayari internetnya saya pantau, tiada satu pun yang terlepas dari subjek ini ~ DINOSAUR. Antara web yang dia layari:

Yang ini dia layari sebab dia minat dengan alam

Antara games yang Mastura suka. Ada ciri-ciri minat sains dia ni.

Ada suatu hari bila saya semak 'history', saya dapati dia mencari maklumat mengenai kutu. Antara kata kuncinya ~ "kutu kucing", "hayat kutu", "kutu manusia". Sebelum itu, saya tidak membenarkan dia bermain dengan kucing di luar. Saya mengatakan kucing tersebut ada kutu. Tidak puas hati agaknya dengan larangan saya, walau pun dia taat pada kata-kata saya itu, dia mencari maklumat tentang kutu di internet. Lebih terperinci. Malah dia juga berkongsi dengan kami maklumat tersebut. Bunyinya macam tak padan dengan usia kan...

Reaksi saya? Saya juga perlu menyaingi mereka agar saya tidak ketinggalan. Saya rendahkan diri untuk belajar walau pun saya belajar dari anak saya yang jelas ternyata lebih muda. Saya tanyakan mereka itu ini agar minda mereka & saya sendiri berterusan berfikir. Saya merasakan tiada salahnya untuk bertanya anak-anak sekiranya saya tidak tahu.

Zaman ini serba pantas, zaman di mana teknologi dan maklumat sentiasa berubah & bercambah. Apa yang kita tahu mungkin saja sudah ketinggalan. Zaman ini adalah zaman ibu bapa perlu sama belajar bersama anak-anak, malah perlu melangkau selangkah ke hadapan agar kita dapat menyediakan jawapan yang konkrit & tepat pada pertanyaan mereka. Sekiranya jawapan saya salah dan dibetulkan oleh si anak pula, saya tidak malu untuk belajar lagi.

Oh ya, anak-anak saya juga sudah mula dibiasakan dengan DSLR. Hasilnya mereka mengganti saya mengambil gambar semasa saya sedang sarat mengandung. Tak larat makcik ehh nak terbongkok-bongkok & berposing lebih sakan terutamanya untuk mengambil gambar yang cantik. Antara gambar yang mereka ambil:




Bila anak ambil gambar selari macam ini tak tergugat ke tempat ibu mereka? Oh, terasa sangat tergugat okeh. Jadi saya perlu jadi lebih baik & maju dari saya sekarang ni.

Apa kata layan juga video/lagu yang saya suka layan sekarang ni? Saya terpengaruh dengar lagu ni dari anak-anaklah juga :P.. hish!:

How I made peace with having a kid who has special needs

Semalam mencari-cari kembali pautan ke satu entry di blog Love That Max milik Ellen. Entry ini adalah antara entry yang paling saya gemari, malah blognya juga adalah antara blog yang saya sangat suka singgahi walau pun hanya sekadar sebagai pembaca senyap. Bait kata-katanya yang sangat memberi semangat tanpa perlu membuai rasa seorang ibu kepada seorang anak istimewa seperti saya.

Benar.. saya salah seorang ibu yang tidak pandai menzahirkan perasaan sedih, gusar serta susah hati. Saya akui saya tidak mampu membawa pembaca saya dibuai perasaan kerana objektif blog ini bukan begitu malah diri saya sendiri bukan begitu. Saya suka membaca sesuatu yang memberikan inspirasi & semangat. Malah berharap akan menjadi orang yang memberi insprasi kepada orang lain.

Berbalik kepada entry blog Love That Max, di sini saya salin dan tampal semula isi entry itu. Ia lebih kurang sama dengan apa yang sedang dan telah kami (saya & suami) lalui & lakukan:

Ken, a really thoughtful (and funny) writer over at Blogzilly who's dad to Bennett, wrote a comment yesterday that really moved me. It was in response to my flip post on what Max would say if he had more words. Ken wrote:

"I hope to be where you are someday. In my present state of mind I would be focusing on what my son can't say. Your post shows there is hope to be in a better place and instead have some fun with it and be in a better place."

This is something I've been meaning to talk about. Because here's the thing: I know I seem pretty well-adjusted. I am. I know I seem pretty upbeat. I am...now. If I had started this blog when Max was first born, or even a couple years later, this would be a very, very different blog. It would be a blog filled with worry, hand-wringing, and all sorts of dark thoughts. To some extent, it's taken the passage of time for me to get to this better place, but along the way I happened upon some things that helped:

• I talked about my worries and my grief. With friends, with other parents of kids with special needs, with people in support groups, with a therapist. Now we have blogs, but there's nothing like having a real conversation to get the trauma out.

*only I don't talk much on my worries and my grief. I usually answer properly to people's questions and it heals me a lot by sharing the information. I read a lot too.

• I found ways to savor Max. I've written before about how my fears for Max's future would sometimes overshadow the fact that I had a really cute, delicious baby. So I got into taking photos of him. Lots of photos. I'd order prints and meticulously put them in photo albums. I made photo murals and hung them around the house. I'd order photo calendars of Max for Dave and family. I had a photo gallery of Max in my office. The photos brought in the joy of having a child, the joy that can get so easily squashed by all the medical drama.

• I'd make myself remember that as sorry as I felt for Max, he wasn't feeling sorry for himself. He was perfectly content. He didn't know that he was having trouble picking up the toy car because his hands were tight from the cerebral palsy; he just knew to keep trying.

• I'd think about how much worse things could have been. This was a total shift in perspective, because for the longest time all I could think was, Why did this happen to us? Why am I the only one out of everyone we know to have a child who suffered such a catastrophe at birth? But when I'd consider far more awful things that could have happened, I'd suddenly feel a lot better about the present.

• I put together the best team of experts I could find. I researched doctors and talked my way into appointments, shamelessly throwing myself at the mercy of secretaries. I made sure Max had experienced Early Intervention therapists. If someone wasn't working out, I'd go to bat to find a replacement. I fought the insurance company to pay for more therapies. And we tried alternate stuff, too, like craniosacral therapy and hyperbaric oxygen treatment. I was determined to give Max every possible chance at succeeding in life. Taking action was helpful for me, too; I felt like I had some control over a situation that seemed wildly, and scarily, uncontrollable.

• I didn't beat myself up. Between all the therapeutic exercises experts gave us, I could have spent 24/7 working with Max. I did my best, and I refused to feel guilty about not being able to do every single thing. Putting all that pressure on myself would have only made me more stressed, and that wouldn't have done Max any good.

• I forced myself to quit paying attention to major milestones. No more looking at the developmental books, no more updates from BabyCenter. I was only torturing myself by comparing what Max should have been doing with the reality of his delays.

*I stopped comparing her with her colleagues too. Another special kid can do this and that.. bla bla bla.. yadda yadda... yes, shoo shoo STRESS! I won't let the emotion controls me either.

• I learned to celebrate small, everyday achievements.

• I also learned to hunt down the happiness. If I was bummed out, I'd get in touch with one of Max's therapists and talk about the good things he'd been doing. That always gave me a lift. A little wine never hurt, either.

• I finally got to acceptance. It came excruciatingly slowly because it kept head-butting with hope—my hope that Max would completely prove the doctors in the NICU wrong. As time went on, and it was clear Max had challenges, I readjusted my hopes. I was no longer looking for the miracle; I just really and truly hoped that Max would keep on improving. And he has. As our saint of a neurologist has always said, "Don't look at books, don't look at medical records, don't look at charts. Look at your child, and what he's doing."

And so, that's pretty much how I have gotten to this place. If you regularly read this blog, you know I still have the sad moments. I cry on occasion, including when I write posts like this that take me back to the early years. I still have a streak of denial; I have Photoshopped the drool out of photos. I have freakouts about Max's future. But I have come a long way, both in years and in my mind. I've learned. I've adapted. I've adjusted. I no longer see myself as a person who had a really horrible thing happen to her; I no longer see Max as a poor, unfortunate child.

I am a mom of a very wonderful kid who has some challenges, a kid whose smile heals me every single day.

If you have any words of advice to add, or you have a question you'd like to ask, please do.

And this is what happened when I didn't beat myself up; when I refused to feel guilty about not being able to do every single thing:

She could hold her feeding bottle properly. Sometimes with both hands, without a pillow support.

Dan banyak lagi perkembangan memberangsangkan. Salah satu yang paling saya gemari akibat sering dibuli oleh ibunya ini ~ bila digeletek dia akan ketawa dan dia pandai memberikan tindak balas terhadap apa yang akan saya lakukan padanya. Jika dia tak suka tangan diletak pada pipinya, misalnya, dengan pantas dia akan menarik tangan tersebut menjauhi pipi. Dan sejak pandai pegang barang ni pantas saja barang tersebut dibawa ke mulut, terutamanya kain. Dan pandai pula menggigit tanda geram yang amat sangat.

Pernah suatu ketika kami ke Kuantan. Akibat terlalu letih dalam perjalanan, tiba malam sesat pula, dia menjerit sekuat hati tanda protes. Diberikan pacifier (kini telah berhenti akibat rosak sebab digigit dengan sepenuh perasaan. Pacifier pun koyak!), dicampaknya jauh-jauh. Di pekan Kuantan, sesak pula. Agaknya orang di kenderaan sebelah pun boleh dengar dia menjerit kegeraman. Namun bila sampai di resort, bila diletakkan di atas lantai terus boleh tersenyum. Ha... itulah ubatnya...

And finally, thanks Ellen for a great post that lifted up my spirit!

Exam results

Al-Quran = 96

Jawi = 82

English = 80

Asas Komputer/Computer Basic = 78

Mathematics = 72

Pendidikan Sains Sosial & Pembangunan Insan = 72

Bahasa Arab/Arabic Language = 68

Bahasa Melayu/Malay Language = 67

Peribadi Muslim = 64

Hafazan = ?

Adam's always unpredictable *nampak macam tak boleh buat je*. And no.. I didn't help him during the exam week. I just let him did it by himself, and of course with His great help. This is just beginning. A test for him was a test for his mother too. We should focus on his strength and need to work on his weaknesses, like what I did for Mastura last year. Mastura got 40/100 for her 'sukukata' if I'm not mistaken. However, within 1 1/2 months during the school holiday, she managed to read in bahasa. She could differentiate between 'nya' and 'nga'. I would apply the same thing to Adam too. Poor thing was he wasn't feeling well all week.

When a friend mentioned about his English and bahasa, it made me remember my SPM's result for both subjects. My English was higher than Malay *oh sekarang dah berkarat ok*. Is it possible a son would follow his mother's footsteps? I hope he can achieve higher, insyaAllah.

Terasa hati mak..

Malam kelmarin sewaktu kami sedang berbaring di atas katil, saya menghampiri Syafiah untuk bermain dengannya. Saya mengangkatnya ke katil kami. Mulanya mood dia memang baik. Namun setelah diletakkan di antara saya dan ayahnya yang sedang membuka laptop, dia mula merengek dan seterusnya menangis dengan begitu kuat sekali.

Kenapa pula dengan anak ini? Ditepuk tak kena, diajak main pun tak mahu.

Lantas saya meletakkannya semula di atas katilnya. Terus saja dia diam, bermain sendiri dan gelak². Yang tadi tu air mata berjuraian macam tak ingat dunia.

Macam dah besar ye? Terasa hati ni tau anak saya sekecil itu pun tak nak main dengan saya. Atau mungkinkah hanya pada anggapan saya dia masih kecil sedangkan dia sendiri inginkan privasi? Entah la... memacam je la karenah dia lepas baik demam ni... Sabo je la.

Sudah 3 tahun berlalu....

Sedar tak sedar rupa-rupanya telah 3 tahun saya menjadi blogger. Dari seorang blogger tegar di Tangan Yang Menghayun Buaian dengan isu-isu semasa yang panas, sehingga saya memperlahankan rentak menikmati kehidupan sebagai seorang ibu kepada seorang anak yang istimewa. Ya, sesungguhnya dia telah mengubah pandangan saya tentang kehidupan dari sisi yang berbeza.

Saya mula menulis tentang pandangan saya di TYMB pada 9 April 2007. Semasa itu saya masih berkerja. Saya hanya berblog selepas waktu berkerja. Mencoret pada mulanya tentang pengalaman-pengalaman yang kosong dan kurang memberikan manfaat kepada masyarakat.

Dulu ketika saya tidak berkerja, saya sering mengikuti kakak saya ke markas. Membantu semampu saya. Namun apabila masuk ke dunia pekerjaan, dunia itu seakan saya tinggalkan dan saya tidak mampu membantu seperti masa dulu. Rugi. Langsung saya mula memberikan pandangan-pandangan saya dalam isu semasa sehingga blog saya disenaraikan (masih disenaraikan) di Beras Padu & Beras Terpilih. Saya amat berterima kasih kepada saudara Sebol.

Sejak dari itu, saya kurang berbicara tentang peribadi kerana agak malu untuk ditatapkan di kalangan blogger handalan seperti ABO (politik banjar - saya mengenali saudara ABO ni secara peribadi), saudara Sebol, Kak Jie, saudara Knizam, saudara Jingga Studies (doktor mata), saudara me (yang kini telah berbulan juga berhenti menulis), kak Silversarina (antara pengunjung terawal blog saya), NurAflah, YB Idham Lim, kawan-kawan dan jiran-jiran saya di SU.net, saudara ASR (yang dulunya berada di UK, kini dah pulang ke tanahair), kak Ija (masih berada di Australia), saudara Deo, Umaralfateh, dll. Di sana juga saya kenali Aboo (unpublishednotes) sehingga akhirnya berkawan rapat dengannya. Saya amat gemarkan cara Aboo menulis namun sayangnya dia juga memilih untuk berdiam diri dengan isu-isu semasa. Mungkin saja dia amat sibuk berkerja.

Kini telah hampir beberapa bulan saya 'melarang' diri saya dari berbicara tentang isu semasa yang panas. Blog itu kini sepi. Saya masih mengumpul kekuatan untuk mencari bahan ilmiah untuk dikongsikan di blog itu.

Sebaliknya, saya hanya tumpukan perhatian saya pada blog A Journey of Amazing Syafiah. Idea membuat blog ini muncul apabila saya amat sukar mencari maklumat mengenai penyakit Syafiah dan ada pembaca yang mencari maklumat mengenai perkara tertentu. Blog mengenai insan istimewa memang ada tapi selain menceritakan tentang perasaan, yang menceritakan secara berilmiah amat kurang sekali.

Jadi kenapa saya tidak spesifikkan blog itu seperti sekarang ini, menceritakan perasaan bersama-sama dengan pautan-pautan yang berkaitan? Maka itulah sebabnya lahir Amazing Syafiah, yang mana cerita asalnya diceritakan di dalam blog TYMB. Semua ceritanya saya pindahkan ke sini. Dan saya perlu berblog secara dwibahasa kerana ada pembaca blog ini berasal dari luar negara seperti Sarah (antara pengikut blog ini yang terawal) dari Australia. Sarah mempunyai anak bernama Violet.

Ia masih lagi menyumbang kepada ummah secara berilmiah, insyaAllah. Namun melalui cara lain, dengan memberikan kesedaran bahawa wujud individu-individu istimewa dan penyakit yang berkaitan. Semoga dengan pendedahan yang diberikan dapat memberi suntikan semangat kepada golongan yang sama-sama mengharungi pengalaman yang serupa. Tak lupa juga memberi semangat kepada insan lain yang membaca kisah kami. Jika ada yang tersentuh dengan semangat juang Syafiah, alhamdulillah, blog ini berjaya mencapai sasaran objektifnya.

Kini nama blog ini telah pun bertukar nama ke Amazing Syafiah & Co. Ia refleks kepada kehidupan Syafiah yang bukan hanya berkisar dan fokus kepada dirinya sahaja, akan tetapi kehadirannya juga memberi kesan kepada orang-orang di sekelilingnya. Terutamanya saya sendiri, ayahnya dan adik-beradiknya yang lain. Mungkin juga kepada kawan-kawan kami.

Halangan-halangan berblog ni tetap ada dari segi teknikal mahu pun dari segi emosi saya sendiri. Dari saya mula berkerja sehinggalah saya menunggu untuk dipasangkan streamyx selama beberapa bulan di rumah. Kemudian memakai pula streamyx bersama jalur lebar Maxis kepunyaan Aboo. Hingga kini pula saya telah membeli komputer riba. Pembelian komputer riba ini adalah gara-gara desktop saya yang kerap dihantar ke kedai untuk dibaiki dari bulan Disember hingga ke April. Saat ini desktop tersebut telah pun ditukar jantung hatinya kepada yang lebih baik, alhamdulillah.

Itu belum diceritakan tentang gangguan emosi. Jika dulu, blog ini mampu dikemaskini sehari 2 kali tapi kini ia seolah sesuatu yang mustahil. Adakalanya idea datang mencurah-curah, tatkala saya melakukan kerja tapi apabila tiba di hadapan komputer, idea hilang begitu saja. Kadangkala pula idea telah ada tapi apabila menaip, tulisan tersebut akan dipadam berkali-kali.

Di kesempatan ini juga, saya memohon maaf atas keterbatasan saya. Saya akui saya amat suka membaca tapi sangat-sangat jarang meninggalkan jejak. Tidak kira blog siapa - blog otai-otai di Beras Padu/Terpilih mahu pun blog-blog kawan terutamanya kawan-kawan RH, mahu pun blog-blog rakan blogger lain yang saya terjah sendiri. Masa amat membatasi. Selebihnya saya ber-facebooking. Di sana, saya juga saya sebagai insan yang lemah tidak dapat menerjah ke dinding kawan-kawan saya satu persatu. Saya akui, membuat jaringan sosial amat saya sukai. Bersahabat walau pun tidak mustahil tapi adalah sukar. Tapi kalau sekali bersahabat, saya akan terus mengingati dan merindui.

Sama ada berblog atau ber-facebook, ke semuanya diharap mencapai sasaran yang baik. Yang penting perkongsian selama 3 tahun dan seterusnya ini dapat memberikan manfaat kepada semua lapisan masyarakat apatah lagi sekiranya diamalkan, insyaAllah.

Sesetengah blogger yang seangkatan dengan saya mungkin saja suka mempertimbangkan statistik-statistik blog. Mencongak-congak trafik yang diterima setiap hari. Dan mungkin saja mengejar ranking di Alexa mahu pun di Technorati serta pengikut paling ramai. Namun bagi saya itu bukan sasaran lagi. Sasaran saya hanya berkisar tentang penerimaan masyarakat tentang golongan istimewa dan memberi kesedaran tentang wujudnya istilah-istilah perubatan yang tertentu. Dan ada idea-idea berblog saya wujud dengan kata pencarian pembaca. Sungguh pun begitu, saya amat berterima kasih kepada semua pembaca dan pengikut blog ini. Sokongan kalian amat saya hargai.

Moga masyarakat kita akan terus celik tentang perubatan, cara menghadapinya dan terutamanya cara untukk masyarakat biasa di luar sana berdepan dengan golongan istimewa. Agar tiada lagi mata-mata pelik melihat anak-anak ini. Agar mereka menerima golongan ini seadanya, tidak kira yang masih meniarap, terbaring mahu pun sudah mengorak langkah, dan melihat pengalaman ini dari aspek yang berbeza.

PetunjukNya melalui si kecil...

Open Your Eyes

By: Maher Zain

Look around yourselves

Can’t you see this wonder

Spreaded infront of you

The clouds floating by

The skies are clear and blue

Planets in the orbits

The moon and the sun

Such perfect harmony

Let’s start question in ourselves

Isn’t this proof enough for us

Or are we so blind

To push it all aside..

No..

We just have to

Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds

If we just look bright to see the signs

We can’t keep hiding from the truth

Let it take us by surprise

Take us in the best way

(Allah..)

Guide us every single day..

(Allah..)

Keep us close to You

Until the end of time..

Look inside yourselves

Such a perfect order

Hiding in yourselves

Running in your veins

What about anger love and pain

And all the things you’re feeling

Can you touch them with your hand?

So are they really there?

Lets start question in ourselves

Isn’t this proof enough for us?

Or are we so blind

To push it all aside..?

No..

We just have to

Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds

If we just look bright to see the signs

We can’t keep hiding from the truth

Let it take us by surprise

Take us in the best way

(Allah..)

Guide us every single day..

(Allah..)

Keep us close to You

Until the end of time..

When a baby’s born

So helpless and weak

And you’re watching him growing..

So why deny

Whats in front of your eyes

The biggest miracle of life..

We just have to

Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds

If we just look quiet we’ll see the signs

We can’t keep hiding from the truth

Let it take us by surprise

Take us in the best way

(Allah..)

Guide us every single day..

(Allah..)

Keep us close to You

Until the end of time..

Open your eyes and hearts and minds

If you just look bright to see the signs

We can’t keep hiding from the truth

Let it take us by surprise

Take us in the best way

(Allah..)

Guide us every single day..

(Allah..)

Keep us close to You

Until the end of time..

Allah..

You created everything

We belong to You

Ya Robb we raise our hands

Forever we thank You..

Alhamdulillah..

Artist: Maher Zain

Album: Thank You Allah

Copyright: Awakening Records 2009

Yusuf [12:4] : (Ingatlah peristiwa) ketika Nabi Yusuf berkata kepada bapanya: "Wahai ayahku! Sesungguhnya aku mimpi melihat sebelas bintang dan matahari serta bulan; aku melihat mereka tunduk memberi hormat kepadaku".

Itulah maksud ayat al-Quran yang dibaca oleh Adam semalam. Ayat tersebut diajar di sekolah dan dia menghafalnya. Untuk kesekian kalinya, Adam hanya berusia 4 tahun dan 4 bulan. Tapi sejak dia pergi ke sekolah 4 bulan yang lalu, telah banyak doa dan surah pendek yang dihafal. Tahniah kepada para pengajar PASTI SU. Tahniah juga pada cik suami kerana tak jemu mengajar dia & Mastura (Iqra' 3) membaca Iqra'. Kata ibu mertua, mereka terang hati dan amat mudah mengajar mereka. Alhamdulillah. Jadi amatlah sesia sekiranya keterangan hati itu tidak diasah dengan sebaiknya.

Perkara ini membuatkan saya berasa sedikit tercabar. Habislah saya dan ayahnya jika kami lebih terkebelakang dari anak saya yang masih muda. Dengan hafalan² itu, saya sering bertanya cik suami tentang apakah maknanya. Jadi, dalam masa yang sama, saya berusaha memahami makna dan cik suami pula mengasah kemampuan bahasa Arabnya. Malah kami sama² membuka terjemahan al-Quran.

Terima kasih Ya Allah.. atas kurniaan ini. Dan amat bersyukur kerana Engkau menunjukkan kasih-sayangmu melalui lisan anak kami yang lancar. Moga mereka terus istiqomah di jalan yang benar, ameen.

Update on Syafiah and Q-dees Annual Concert

Syafiah

1- Here are the latest pictures taken yesterday (kindly click on it to enlarge):



2- She's currently having a fever. Occurred within these 2 days. However, she's active and nothing to worry about. Talkative like always too.

3- She went to the 1st visit of speech therapy on October 28, 2009 whereby the therapist asked us basic questions about her conditions - how she eats? Can she swallow? etc. She also said that what we do is correct, that is, stimulating her to speak by talking to her frequently. Though that she might unable to reply now, it doesn't mean she can't reply later as the babies are like sponges. They absorb everything they hear and see.

4- She loves to try new taste especially sweet taste. Recently she ate yogurt (and she liked it), kuih keria, doughnut, nuggets (she doesn't like it though), cakes, etc. I'm so happy to see this. It's such a bless. Perhaps, with 13 teeth, she's able to chew and she enjoys to use them.


Q-dees Annual Concert 2009


After many weeks of both the teachers' and children's efforts, yesterday marked another history in our life especially to our little girl, Mastura. She was having her first participation in the school annual concert. We went there with Husna, my niece, while some of the parents brought along the grandparents too. The venue was at Sekolah Seri Cahaya, one of the private primary schools in Klang Valley.

She and her classmates were performing 2 shows. The 1st one was dancing. They danced with the background of Bunyi Gitar. The 2nd show she performed as a wolf, which I think it should be better in a costume. However, looking at the time constraint and with many students to handle (5 classes with 2 shows overall), it was still enjoyable and a big successful to new performers like them. Bravo to the principal, teachers and volunteers.

There were 6 lucky draws. However, we weren't lucky enough to get the hamper.

Well, it was my another half birthday on Saturday. Still haven't found his birthday present. But I think by attending to our daughter's performance day, it should be one of the best moments and presents for not only him, but for both of us. "Dah besar kan anak kita?". Can't wait for the VCD though.

"Uuuuuu.... chakkkk!"

Bunyi apakah itu yang memecah hening malamku?
Bunyi apakah itu yang kedengaran sayup mengganggu tidurku yang lena?
Semakin kuat pula bunyinya....
Ku cuba membuka mataku yang masih lagi kelat...
Terasa berat...
Namun...
Bunyi itu makin kuat kedengaran....
Mataku semakin buntang..
Yang kabur menjadi jelas..

"Uuuuuu... chakkkk!" sebutannya. "Aaaahhhhhh!" pula jeritannya
Pukul berapakah ini? 4 pagi!!!
Oh anak! Mengapa engkau bermain ketika fajar ini?
Bermain u-chak dengan ayah di sebelah ye....
Kasihannn....
Atau engkau mengejutkan kami untuk bersahur?
Hebat sungguh 'jam' ciptaan Allah swt ini
Namun sayang... ibumu uzur...
Jika tidak, sudah pasti aku bangun dengan bingkas untuk menghabiskan sisa puasa 6ku...







"Uuuuu... chakkkk!" perkataan baru yang diproses minggu lepas. Syafiah ucapkannya kali pertama ketika dia bersama Achunya.

Her new habits...

Instead of screaming, her new habits are:

Sticks out tongue. Where did she learn that? Does it mean she can look? Wallahu'alam.

And also she likes to clash her teeth. Ouch! It's like gnawing pains.

Congratulations on the new arrival of Fiza Din's baby. Her daughter, Sofie is one of Syafiah's friends. She gave birth to a baby boy this morning.

Two days earlier, Selvi - mom to the late Sridar, sms-ed. She wants to meet Syafiah as she misses her boy a lot. She said she almost gone crazy and thus she wants to meet Syafiah. Perhaps, that way can ease her a bit. It's almost a month that Sridar left us. Now, she's in Pahang to perform prayer. Hope that we can see her soon.

Finally, he's diaper free!

Some of our closest relatives and friends have been asking why we didn't potty train Adam earlier as he's going to attend his pre-school next year. Some might give us tips to stop him from wearing the diaper and so on. Our reason was simple 'he's not ready'. Though he's technically 4 years old but he's younger as he was born on late December.

I have seen one of my nieces who was potty trained as early as 2 years old defecated on her mom's bed! From there, I know I must wait for the right time or until he's ready.

At the age of 3 years and 8 months, he finally stopped his diaper since last weekend. I have underestimated his ability to do so as he passes his urine in a large quantity everyday. I thought Mastura was a lot easier when she showed several signs that she didn't want to wear the diaper anymore. Like she dried all the night.

To my surprise, Adam could make it within the 1st 2 days! He didn't hide like most of children do for the first one week when he wanted to pee or defecate. He just asked us or his sister to bring him to the toilet. Indeed, for first few hours it was a bit difficult.

He peed in his pant but the quantity was little, even we couldn't find any drop on the floor. Like he suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing the diaper anymore. There was only one night he suddenly awoke. Seemed like he wanted to tell me something but he was silent. I haven't asked him anything too. The next thing I knew, he peed on the cushion.

Now he doesn't come to us anymore to bring him to the toilet. Instead, he just goes there straight away.

Adam with his new hair cut.

How to Know When to Potty Train a Toddler

By eHow Contributing Writer

Don't push your toddler to potty train until he or she is ready - the age can range from 18 months to 3 years.

Things You'll Need:

Training Pants

Potty Chairs

Hand Soaps

Stickers

Instructions:

Step 1 - Look for signs of readiness including staying dry for at least 2 hours during the day, asking to wear "big-kid" underwear, having regular bowel movements, or indicating through facial gestures that he or she is about to go potty.

Step 2 - Talk to toddler about using the potty. Choose words to describe body parts, urination and bowel movements, while avoiding words that may be offensive to others or embarrassing to your child.

Step 3 - Show toddler how to use the potty and to wipe and wash hands.

Step 4 - Encourage toddler to tell you when he or she wants to go potty.

Step 5 - Reward your toddler for a job well done.

Tips & Warnings:

1) Have patience - remember, potty training takes time. Give your toddler a lot of love, support and praise.

2) Show appreciation by giving a sticker each time your toddler goes on the big potty.

3) Purchase disposable pull-up trainers or cotton training pants.

4) Don't discourage your toddler from sitting on the potty because of time constraints.

5) Accidents are common - never punish your child for them.

6) Since constipation is common during potty training, give your toddler a balanced, fiber-rich diet.

Source from eHow.com

Treat each of your children in his/her own way even though between the siblings themselves.

Syafiah's first few words...

She loves to talk a lot and loudly. Her mood is always good even when she suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night, she would play and talk until she falls asleep again. I noticed few words she always says recently:

"Enggak" ('No' in Indonesian slang) *entah mana la dia belajar. It must be from our gene.. ahaks*
"Kak" ('Sister')
"Ayah" ('Daddy')

I'm waiting for the moment she will call me, "Ibu...". Last night, my husband gently taught her to pronounce it. I don't mind how long it'll take as even Mastura once called me "Abu" for a long time.

Even though there's no major improvement on her movement, only she could turn left and right quickly, plus sits with assistance with her head not fully straight up, her achievement in other things makes me proud too. Thank God.

Her photos yesterday:

She has a cheeky look, hasn't she?


Her normal sleeping style.

And also this morning:

Ceria je budak ni.. no matter what time
(tapi kadang² tu cepat marah jugak.. hehehe!)

I always talk to her whenever she wants to fall asleep that I trust her, that she will do different things. That she can do most of us can do in life. I believe that our loves, our touches and a good communication will stimulate her brain. And she proved to me that from time to time she's definitely a good child and a good listener.

And I love her...

Here's a song I want to dedicate to my beloved wonderful little girl - Syafiah. Yeah.. I'm a big fan of Beatles... It's a simple yet beautiful song.

And I Love Her - Beatles

I give her all my love
That's all I do
And if you saw my love
You'd love her too
I love her

She gives me ev'rything
And tenderly
The kiss my lover brings
She brings to me
And I love her

A love like ours
Could never die
As long as I
Have you near me

Bright are the stars that shine
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine
Will never die
And I love her

Bright are the stars that shine
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine
Will never die
And I love her


Indeed, she's my sweetheart and I love her.


One of her hobbies - garu anggota badan termasuk hidung dengan khusyuk sekali. Pastu jari tadi masuk mulut. Yikes! Bad habit...

Sleeping beauty. Keletihan selepas pulang dari occupational therapy (terapi cara kerja). Hari ni kena kerja keras sket kata ayah. Dan yang best kata ayahnya lagi dia cuba untuk angkat kepalanya walau pun hati hiba sampai menangis-nangis. Hahaha... Ruginya daku tak dapat rakam/shoot gambar time tu. So, I asked my husband to change the next appointment to afternoon so that I could tag along.

Finally... she laughs with sounds!

Remember this entry? I wrote "I'm waiting for the moment she'll laugh at me!". Dia sangat² susah senyum dan gelak, ok.

As I was surfing and blogging this afternoon, I heard several 'weird' sounds. Eh.. is there something wrong with my daughter? *in my head I hope that it won't be fits/seizures.. bad thought!*

When I checked and looked at her, these are what she's doing (until now.. oh! Dia masih belum berhenti sebab siblings dia masih melayannya):

So unexpected!!! I feel I want to cry now.

Gigi kapak dia yang sebelah kiri tu kangkang sket. Tak tahu sebab apa.

So I called my husband. Luckily, he could hear the sounds for the 1st time too! So nice! I'm so happy today:-
1- because of the flashcards.
2- because she laughs with the nicest sounds I've ever heard in my life (sorry, I couldn't upload the video. My hp is cikai!).
3- because it's Sarah's birthday today... "Happy birthday to you, Sarah. Hope that happiness will be with you always. xoxo".

Syafiah and her flashcards

Not so expensive. RM12 only. Here's how it's look like:



I showed one of them to Syafiah while saying "Unicorn in a uniform" loudly:

Tak sangka dia terus sentuh. I thought she wouldn't do anything. Sori.. mak tak alert anak mak dah fokus sket ok! Demoralizekan anakku saja. You go, girl! Keep on amazing your mom.


"Saya nak keluarkan unicorn dari kad ni!". Scratch.. scratch!


"Kenapa unicorn ni tak nak keluar pun? Help! Keluarlah!"


"This is yellow!"


"What is this? Blue? Red? Mom, I need to feel this unicorn. How does it feel?".

Boleh nampak dia fokus kan... saya yang tak perasan. Bad mother! But still praise be to God, alhamdulillah.








p.s. : Setiap anak memang ada potensi untuk menjadi cerdik. Terpulanglah kepada kita nak mencorakkannya sama ada untuk menjadikan dia terus pandai atau kita sendiri yang memandang dan merendah-rendahkan dia.