Ramblings of a Mami of Two

Actually - Hadi has had many adventures before this one.  Many years ago he moved to a new country and had to make new friends. It was not easy for him, and before he could fully adjust, COVID hit and he had to stay inside for two years! When COVID restrictions were lifted and it was safe to be outside again, physical classes resumed and off to school he went, until his graduation from the sixth grade in June 2025.  In July 2025, he moved back home and with the help of his grandmother, got enrolled into a new school and stayed with his grandparents for while, while waiting for me to finish my work assignment in a different country. Even with his pelat Bahasa Melayu, he readjusted himself well, Alhamdulillah.  And now, he entered secondary school, in a boarding school no less. Just one month in and I have never seen him so happy, so confident and so fulfilled. This little baby of mine has grown into a remarkable young teen — sure of himself, clear about what he wants, and ...

Full disclosure: I generated the post's title using ChatGPT.  It's Mother's Day today.  I didn't plan on writing a blog post today. It is 2024. Social media has been reigning the past few decades and lengthy blog posts have gone out of style. Even Instagram has taken the backseat to TikTok. For personal and mental health reasons, I have chosen to leave Instagram temporarily, and, for the life of me, will never, ever, embrace TikTok.  I choose to remain a dinosaur in the social media age. Moving on.  I have been a mother for close to 16 years now. Being a mother is hard, y'all, and no one can ever say they are prepared to be mothers. If anyone tells you this, they are lying. No amount of reading can and will prepare you for the dizzying, emotionally intense, identity-changing whirlwind that is motherhood.  Having said that,  I wouldn't trade the past 16 years for anything in the world.  The love I have for my sonshines is unlike anything I have ever exp...

...is quite possibly the 2nd most time-consuming craft project I had ever taken on after Kimi's felt ABC book.  The idea came after my friends, Ain and Bibah (who goes by Beba post-SMSS) started talking about making busy books for their little ones.  I initially wasn't interested because I didn't know what they were talking about. It finally caught on when I found out that that's a whole lot of crafting in there!  I was on board just like that.  But then it wasn't an easy project, not at all. Being a perfectionist (I was diagnosed as one, but really I don't think I am, at all), I made a book out of used papers, making mind map of the book - concept, what kind of skills I want to teach from the book, and what kind of activities would achieve that.  Pinterest helped a lot. I spent hours of hours day dreaming of what the final book would look like, browsing through one after another pins and boards on pinterest. Really, that site is a poison to your...

Some time ago I came across this messenger bag tutorial and I thought how cool would it be to make one for Hadi with an ultraman appliqué and all. That was before I realised he won't be using it much so I made one for my niece instead.  So the ultraman appliqué pattern that I drew has been sitting in my sewing box since forever, waiting for the right project. Just last weekend I noticed that Hadi drinks a lot of water and I thought a water bottle holder would be a cool thing to make.  And I did. And it was cool, but would be way cooler if I had made the strap a little bit longer that he could wear it crossbody-style.  Anyways. He took it with him to bed the first day I gave it to him and he totally forgot about it the next day.  Mehhhh. If you're wondering why all of my projects are using black fabric, that's because 7 years ago Ach wanted to get me into a business that he had thought of and he bought a roll of black velvet-like to get me start...

Scenario One I was driving home from Mak's, with Hadi in the backseat. Having skipped breakfast, I was famished and all I could think of was McD's fish fillet. So we made a detour at  McD, ordered my food, got hadi his sundae cone and myself a nice large meal set, with a nice, large soda.  Now, we have thought our children that soda is evil. In fact, Ach has avoided soda for close to two years now, and we always make it a habit to switch soda with ice lemon tea at the fast food joints. This time however because I was so hungry I didn't even care to switch. So coke it is.  Hadi instinctively reached out for the soda, and screamed , "no! No! That's air manis. You don't take air manis!" "Ok Mami". Minutes  later after enjoying my twister fries I reached for the soda and before I could take a sip, Hadi said,  "Mami, Kalau Saya tak boleh minum Mami pun tak boleh minum lah!" True, my boy, true. Which is why I always go ...

One day when he woke up, he walked to me and said, "Mami, ayah tu garang. Tak suka senyum. Mami je baik, tak garang." Mimpi apa kamu nak? 

Hadi, kalau siang ada apa? Sun . Malam? Hantu duyan . Note: Hantu duyan in Hadi-speak is zombie. Or any hantu, actually. 

What Hadi Says What it means Amak Alamak Ala Alahhhhh Men Main Yi Lori Wash Wash Rush toothbrush Ayah His favorite word, said in various intonation, often said for no particular reason AKa Merdeka / Car Pish Please (sambil cangkung - I have no idea who taught him to cangkung while saying please) Pish fish Tet Cat Tu Two (one, "tu", three) Mi / Mey Mami Kak / Tup Bukak / Tutup (he always confuses bukak with tutup) Ag Hug Bash Bas "Hand to the nose" Elephant Loh Lori and everything else that looks like a lorry, vans included Kan Bukan Ko Go Pek pek "Pok pek pok pek". Yes, I nag a lot at home . Di Gosok gigi Loh Sometimes it sounds like "Alaaaahhh", other times i dont know what he's using it for tutu Susu Wash Wash Long Tolong Mamam Makan Batan Bantal Tan Gatal Ow ow Sakit Mani Mandi Bed Bird (yang boleh terbang) Bebed Bird (yang tak boleh terbang) And many more to list. He can converse with us now. But dia...

At 21 months old, we can already have a decent conversation with Hadi. Boleh faham lah apa dia nak. He can repeat what you tell him to say. Ada bunyi la. What Hadi Says What it means You Thank you Babai Bye Nak Nak Mam Makan Num Minum Tutu Susu Kaka Kakak Ka Merdeka / Car Pish Please (sambil cangkung - I have no idea who taught him to cangkung while saying please) Pish fish Tet Cat Tu Two (one, "tu", three) Mi / Mey Mami Kak / Tup Bukak / Tutup (he always confuses bukak with tutup) Ag Hug Bash Bas "Hand to the nose" Elephant Loh Lori and everything else that looks like a lorry, vans included Kan Bukan Ko Go Pek pek "Pok pek pok pek". Yes, I nag a lot at home . Di Gosok gigi Loh Sometimes it sounds like "Alaaaahhh", other times i dont know what he's using it for Bed Bird (yang boleh terbang) Bebed Bird (yang tak boleh terbang) Actually he can repeat most of the word we taught him, but the above are the ones tha...

Why do I wear Hadi? 1. Because it allows me to  multi-task Four things - one, I can multitask because I have both hands free; second, I have both hands free because I do not have to hold the baby; third, I can go hands-free because I know my baby is safely carried; and four; I can do other things because I have this peace of mind that my baby is safe (close to me, not doing anything out of my eyesight). You see how being hands-free makes you a better mommy already?  I can cook, clean the house, vacuum, play, travel, spend time with Hakimi, go shopping, do groceries, etc, etc because I have both hands free. I don't have to give the "I can't wash the dishes because baby wants mami on the bed with him" because I can be a more comfortable bed for the baby.  2. Because it allows me to be an independent woman (and mommy) I don't have to wait for my husband to come home before I can take my baby to the hospital. I don't have to wait for him ...

So I started to embrace babywearing ever since Hadi was 2 weeks old.  Actually no, since Hakimi was a baby! But back then I didn't know that there is more to babywearing than just "wearing your baby". There is this whole geekery behind it; the types of carriers, the materials, the different brands selling them and most important of all the safety aspects of babywearing. Back then, babywearing to me was just an act of wearing a baby so I don't injure my arm muscles.  Baby's comfort was secondary, although I knew Hakimi was comfortable being worn judging by the number of seconds he took to doze off to lalaland. So I learned to wear Kimi using batik lepas, taught by none other than his bibik. It looked pretty unsafe, with the batik selit-selit just like that, but it was comfortable, and with the right type of batik (non-slippery ones), the selit-selit method is actually pretty sturdy. You can find the tutorial here . Fast forward 5 years later, I found...

What Hadi Says What it means Duk Tutup Ba Bye Ba / Aba Abang Cu Pakcu Duk / Tok Atok Sey Terima kasih Kaka Not sure. He uses this when he needs our attention / calling us. Nek Nenek Ayah Ayah (never mami first!)

Sorry Hadi. Dah 16th month baru nak tulis. Anyways. At 16 months, Hadi: is a very, very, cheeky baby. Once, he had a soften cookie in his hand, and he rubbed it atas tangan abang. Hakimi menjerit, lagi dia gelak besar and tenyeh lagi cookies tu atas tangan abang dia.  is kinda hot headed. Actually very. I should stop saying he's hot headed because macam doa pulak kan? But it is true.  is a light sleeper. He doesn't sleep well at night, I don't know why. has 7 teeth, 4 atas, 3 bawah.  has his tastebud spoiled. If I look at it positively, he's an adventurous eater and it's actually easier feeding him than Hakimi. is already on formula. Yes. Sorry Hadi mami failed again. can "recite" doa before makan. He'll raise his hands macam doa and sebut tah apa apa, and amin. And makan. This happens everytime we put food in front of him and whenever he thinks we're feeding him.  likes cats. Actually animal in general.  can talk. I thought his first...

It seems like Hadi knows that he has a big brother. Maybe the concept of "big brother" has not dawned on him yet, but I think he knows that this guy is someone important to him.  Their relationship so far is a love-hate one.  Hadi absolutely adores his big brother. I know, because only Kimi can leave him out of breath, laughing. Effortlessly. Seriously. Kimi's occasional appearances at the nursery gets Hadi smiling wider that what he gives me every evening. Sometimes, when he's in a good mood, he'd offer his head to Kimi for kisses. This only happens when he's in a super good mood. Other times when Kimi is not doing anything funny, Hadi kinda, hates Kimi. He won't let Kimi hold his hands while walking, so getting those aww-inspiring abang-adik walking-together-shot is an almost impossible feat. He'd scream when Kimi hugs and tries to lift him up, which, unfortunately, is the one thing that Kimi loves to do.   Hakimi, what can I sa...

Happy Birthday Sunshine!

Wah. I cannot believe nine months had passed since I gave birth to this boolat. Some updates on Hadi: Physical Milestones: weighs about 8.0 kg is prone to be asthmatic due to his frequent coughing. Bye bye swimming pool. has taken a huge amount of medications and dah kena neb a few times. In fact, dah selalu sangat sampai dah tak menangis the last time he was on neb. Macho. Developmental Milestones : is already crawling. Laju. dah mula memapah-mapah. Tak mau duduk. Nak berdiri. can respond to "Sapa nama Hadi angkat tangan. Sayaaa!" and "tata hadi, tataaaaa". has no tooth peeking out yet but is teething i believe. Will gigit almost anything.  Wheeeee On feeding: is an advanced eater. Not something that I like, but I don't have much choice. Not something that I would like to spend too much time writing about too.  is still fully breastfed, alhamdulillah. But to be honest, I am struggling to meet his daily demands. =( loves his soup ayam...

No, not on the election but on my two sunshine. On Kimi Is already reading Bacalah Anakku Book 8 hasn't progressed far Read Easy and Iqra'.  still confuses B with D and vice versa dah hafal a few duas - doa makan, doa tidur, doa terangkan hati dah hafal a few surahs - Al-Fatihah, Tiga Kul, Taha He talks a lot. Like, a lot is nice with Hadi - I can trust him to watch over his little brother, although I did on a few occasions caught him pinching Hadi's cheeks when I left them alone. Geram kot. Ke jealous. Tak tahu lah. demands for more attention from us. It's the effect of having a baby brother I think. doesn't mind picking up and throwing Hadi's soiled diapers away. In fact, I don't have to ask him to do it, he'll do it voluntarily.  picky eater. I can almost hear some people tell me, "Padan muka. Dulu gedik sangat tanak bagi maca-macam". Sobs. a fan of noodles. Mee goreng, mihun goreng, kuetiau goreng. (and maggi goreng. Serio...

From 2.95 to 2.6 to 4.6 in one month. Now at two months, he's 5.6 kg. Hadi, our bambam. Second bambam, that is. =)

I found out that Mak is pretty liberal when it comes to pantang. I ate ayam kurma the first night I got home.  I do not take pantang very seriously causing mak and ach to worry. No socks (selipar jepun  instead), no sweaters, but i do tie my hair up) kipas. not full blast but i switc the fan on. panas la nanti i cranky. i drink 3 jugs of air one day.  i got stressed this one day sebab i cant stand stayin in the house all day. i fekt trapped. Asked mak's permission to go jln2 in the car mak tak bagi. takde special treatment lagi. was already washing the dishes and cooked for kimi  on my 4th day of pantang. mak doesnt have a helper jd x sampai hati tgk dia buat kerja sorang sorang

A lot of people have been asking me how is Kimi taking this whole I-have-a-baby-brother thing.  My answer is: He absolutely adores his baby brother, Alhamdulillah! He willingly helps me with the baby - tolong ambikkan baju, tolong assemble breastpump, tolong ambikkan diapers. Suruhlah dia buat apa apa, he will surely help without complains. He gets mad if anybody joked about bringing the baby home, he always finds opportunities to kiss his adik, he even offered to help lapkan adik dia every evening. Selalu mintak nak pegang adik, and I will always let him do it (even jantung rasa nak gugur tengok adik meliuk2 in his arms). Watching them two together is such a pretty sight to relieve my stitches. (Haha okay takde kena mengena - stitches takde la sakit sangat). However. Yeap there is a however here. He behaved like a baby for the whole of the first two weeks.  Whenever I was bathing his adik he will ask to be bathed the same way. He, w...