Dyslexia

dys·lex·i·a

dəsˈleksēə/

noun

1. a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence - (Source from Google).

To understand a bit more about dyslexia, please click here for a simple and precise explanation.

So what's up with dyslexia?

Al-kisah, ada lah seorang emak tu, tak tahu lah apa masalah dia, tiba-tiba dia datang dengan satu teori konspirasi yang menyalahkan genetik sebagai punca anak dia tak reti membaca lagi pada usia 6 tahun. Iya, 6 tahun, bukan 16 tahun ye.

Come on Ummi, he's just 6. What is your expectation?

Well, well, of course I have expectations. At his age now, I want my son to be excellent in reading, spelling, and maybe he can even be an orator like his dad. I want my son to be able to write neatly, even in cursive handwriting. I want him to understand the Quran, memorize it and be able to speak fluent Arabic. Is that so hard to ask for?

DELUSIONAL! You might as well want your son to be the youngest mufti or a prime minister!

No lahhhh...

Honestly I am fine with Aaron not being able to read yet. Really. Well, not that he doesn't know how to read at all. He can read and spell simple short words. He's not that 'bad', you know. I give him time and chance to make it slow and steady. But of course it would be easier if he's known how to read and spell so that we don't have to struggle so much during homework time. We don't have to take a lot of time and annoy each other to get things done (seriously, it can be soooo stressful!) And I am sure once he knows how to read, he would not hate homework this much! (me too!)

What makes me concern (being a freak if you want to judge me. Fineeee) is that his inclination to get confused between letters, and often picks up letter reversal. He even writes backwards! Like how? Like this;

    uoy knahT.noraA si eman ym iH

Yes, seriously. Plus, with all the miss-spells (Hi, mi nam is Aaron, tac u) and don't forget the letter reversal. b with d, 2, 3, all terbalik, despite he has known alphabet by heart since he was like 19 -20 months old!

Yes he has that special power, I should be proud!

What, you can read what he wrote too?

Congratulations, you also have that special power. You should be proud too! (^,^)

And as much as we do the reading revision, he's still struggling to memorize common words like 'the, this, my, from'

Last week's homework. Yes I helped, in case you're wondering xD

So you are saying that your son is dyslexic?
No. I am just... you know, worried. I am worried if I just ignore, being denial without in a second have the thought that he might be one, and I just don't do anything about it. Or at least look at this in a different perspective.

I am worried if all this while, deep inside my dark side, silently accusing him of being lazy, don't want to try harder and urrmmm, being lazy, especially when I was angry at him during homework time, is me, being way wide of the mark!

I am concerned, because I want the best for my kids. Dyslexic is NOT a disease. It isn't a situation where your kids will not know how to read for the rest of their life. Dyslexic people can be as successful as non-dyslexic. Most of them behave and act normally, just like anybody else (unless maybe they have other issues).

The only thing about dyslexic is that, they are special, unique and they need some strategies or approach to help them go through the challenges that they face. And that is WHY it is important to be alert, so you come up with help, with strategies, so that you don't accuse your child of being lazy, and so that you can stay calm because you knew the fact that your child digests and processes things differently. THAT. that's my point. (Here I am, justifying my worrywart syndrome, as what my husband said. Grrrr)

But Alhamdulillah, after some thorough readings and consultations from my fellow doctors, as well as looking at other signs (like he's able to read simple Arabic since he was 6), I learned that this confuse thingy is normal at his age. I don't need to worry so much, but still have to monitor, because if he is still like this even long after his 7th birthday, than maybe he needs to be taken seriously.

Man I am just an ordinary human being who has experienced motherhood for 6 years, but still sometimes being so naive about what motherhood is all about.

If you ask me, honestly, I have a dream that my kids are fast learners, that they can read as early as 5 or 6, just like I did. And that they can spell and write and read Quran slowly, if not properly yet. Eh, macam expectation kat atas tu je. Sah, perempuan ni delusional!

But I don't compare my kids with others (except for just to ask whether it is normal at his age to have such issues). I know some kids his age have already self-read, memorize Juz 'Amma and maybe even good at simple arithmetic, congratulations to their parents!

Each of our kids is unique and we all have our own methods of parenting, and most importantly we have our own hurdles in raising our own kids. By saying this, I am reminding my self to not trying to compare my kids even among themselves, so much so to not compare them with others (we know the fact that in reality, yes sometimes we incline to compare, or anticipate our kids to be like some kids who seem more successful or more outstanding)

As for Aaron,
I love you for who you are my dearly son. You have your own strengths especially in speaking and inventing/building stuffs. You are indeed an adorable son and brother, mashaAllah! (though sometimes garang amat, macam siapa? errrr. haha)

Aaron Houdd, 2015

I realize one of the hikmah (that I can think of) for facing this phase is that, Alhamdulillah, it's like I am being reminded constantly that "You can try your best, but remember, you don't have control over certain things in life, because everything, including our abilities and disabilities, is in Allah's hand.

I am being tested with my act towards kindness, compassion, and most importantly my patience.

And indeed, compassion eliminates prejudice.

So in conclusion, if you are in the same boat with me, or if you have a dyslexic child, let us pat ourselves on the back for our endurance on facing the challenges, and let us make du'a so that Allah facilitates our children's journey in seeking knowledge.

{An awareness towards Dyslexia}
http://www.driveryouthtrust.com/promoting-dyslexia-awareness/

Aaron: To stay or to change?

Of all the interesting stories to share, and all the happy moments to cherish, I have to apologize to you (whoever is reading this), and my memory (first and foremost) - I am so sorry that I've suddenly chosen to bookmark this. And this is a rather long-winded post as I am expressing my worrisome here. Please leave as soon as you think this is going nowhere. And this time, no silly jokes in the middle (like I ever know how to crack a joke, heh). This is just seriously, serious adult stuff... Err. not that 18SX stuff OK *.^

Of my concern towards my son's education. (Bored already, haha. Bye bye. See you next time)

OK. lets go to some boring history. When Aaron was in Kindergarten year (KG), we were happy with his school and the system in general. Aaron had good exposure in both English and Arabic because in KG years, the system goes by swapping Eng-Arabic class in alternate days. During English-day class, they will go to their English teacher and for the whole day, they'd have English as their main medium of communication in class (with the teacher and throughout their simple routines). It also applied to Arabic-class day, except for English, Science and Math subjects. Due to mixed nationalities, the Arabic teacher will give translations whenever necessary.

First thing in the morning, they would have halaqah for Quran study, whereby the Muslim kids will be taught a few (surah) chapters from Juz' Amma, and they had to memorize them. Alhamdulillah, they passed until Surah At-Teen. They also had basic Islamic Study i.e. the pillars of Islam, a bit about hajj, akhlaq, etc (taught in Arabic, so we have to guide our kids towards the understanding of what they had learnt, but Alhamdulillah it was not so difficult)

Overall, We were satisfied with KG year. We built good rapport with Miss Fatima (her homeroom teacher) and Aaron was happy to go to school. I was not really keen on the homework concept because they were just 5 years old but I can't make big fuss about it since I think most parents think the other way around (more work and homework means more learning and that's good). Well, that's personal preference, nobody's right or wrong about it.

Honestly, we did homeschooling with him when he was younger and his achievement in terms of education didn't quite leap. He'd learnt almost the same things I already taught him, plus more, of course. BUT... I didn't teach him to read ... I was being slacker I let the school do this part HAHA. Well, if I did teach him to read in such a very early age, then he might feel bored at school... or maybe acted annoying, becoming MR. Know it all. I was saving him, man! I was doing the right thing. hahaha Annoying nyaaaa (^_____^)

Anyway... By the time he finished his KG 2 (he skipped KG 1 as it is not compulsory), he still wasn't able to read. I took it as it is, coz for me he was still small, and I know that kids develop interest (and milestone) at different pace. We're fine.

So what had he achieved than?

A lot. confidence, independence, making new friends, learning to tolerate, respect others, etc. In every parent-teacher meeting, 1st question we asked was 'How is Aaron at school. How is Aaron with his teacher and friends'. Because for us, akhlaq matters the most. Alhamdulillah he was popular among teachers for being a good kid (but also as quite a crying baby haha. apa lah hero Ummi!)

All this happiness... changed instantly when he was in Grade 1. The school starts its 'separating system' starting from Grade 1. All expat students (non-arabic speakers) were to be in the same class. (And we didn't know about this earlier!).

So, he didn't have as much exposure in Arabic anymore. Though we're not happy with it, but we understand the school's concern i.e. to make learning more convenient for both teacher and students. However, in reality, things did not go as it is. Our kids were put in an experimental phase whereby they kept changing methods and I later found out that they even have problem to find a suitable teacher for the expat students. Whatttt?! And not only that, the muslim students were expelled from Islamic Study somewhere during mid-term, with the same reason; book is in Arabic, and no suitable teacher that can teach the expat students because they are mostly not fluent in English. And of course I got this info from a teacher there (we became friend), nothing from the management. This, has made us even angrier! No wonder everytime I checked, he didn't have the book. I thought they have to keep the book at school, but then everytime I asked Aaron what did he learn, he said no IS. 

OK that was last year. I have convinced my husband to change school since then. Actually almost all International schools here have the same system i.e. Non-arabic speakers have to take Arabic for beginners, or some even have no long-term Arabic. But there are schools that don't separate the students. Nevertheless, at least no hassle like this. My husband said it is not easy to change school. Plus, something had came up last summer that had changed our big plans, including hajj and school. OK then, we give it another chance. They may have already settle this issue over the summer.

Heck we were wrong. Last 2 days we had a parent-teacher meeting and the same problems were being raised again. Not only from me, but most of the parents there! Even the Spanish mom was very upset that her son is not learning much in Arabic. She even proclaimed that her son's Arabic level is wayyy better when he was in KG. Which, I couldn't agree more!

We first asked whether we can put Aaron in an Arabic-speakig class. Most of the students can speak English very well so I don't see any problem for Aaron to communicate with his friends. And apparently these classes have no problem with their Arabic teachers. I also want him to learn Islamic Study. Yes it would be a big challenge for me to explain to him again to ensure he get the right info but I don't mind at all... But it seems impossible to them, because if not they had already done this last year (We've been asked since Grade 1). 

So. yeah, putting him into Arabic-speaking class is our Plan B. We discussed this with Aaron. Last year, he was OK to change class. But this year, he declined. I understand why. He's already comfortable with his circle of friends. They've been together since last year. Now this is another battle to tackle. Our kid's psychology vs. his best interest. 

But than, what other choices left? change school? Hmmm...

We are quite happy with the other subjects. The homeroom teacher is OK (so far). Aaron is happy to go to school. And we still have to wait until next year (at least next term) due to financial agreement. So hmmmmm..... But husband is thinking about changing school right now. What do you think?

What's so big about learning Arabic and Islamic Study? It is just personal preference with reasons we have in mind. And this school isn't cheap man, they made us pay for it. And we are in a right place to learn Arabic first-hand. So why not? Plus if in the future we have to change country or school, if his level isn't at par with the requirement for that particular Grade, than that would be another problem. 

Really, I am so disturbed by this. And there is reason why I'm writing this here..... Because. Because it is easier to express feeling to nobody and I am tired of acting like a whimper to anyone around me. I don't feel good about it. And sorry again if I have ever made you feel intrigued to read this until the end. Told ya you can leave if you want, but you still want to finish reading? Wow, you must be very patient! *,*

So till then, thank you for reading. May Allah bless you

A Little conversation about almost everything!

Dear Aaron,

The urge of keeping this as part of your childhood memory is compelling and I think this is quite good since we don't really have close conversation between just the two of us since the day you arrived from your Spring holiday in Malaysia (alone).

I always believe that 'talking' is part of your strength. After all, your name is chosen after the name of Prophet Haroon, the one that was known for his oratory skill! (^______^)

I love to have conversations with you because I love the way you ask questions and trying to understand the whole topic. I don't mind scratching head to answer your tricky-yet-honest questions because I know you will eventually get the point and I always satisfy with the way you comprehend to my explanation. Alhamdulillah.

Like tonight. you couldn't sleep despite the tiring 3-days and nights full of activities. Hence, our bedtime routine became a little too long as we went into (seems to me like) a very serious, never ending conversation.

Aaron: Ummi, I can't sleep coz I am afraid.

Ummi: Remember, we should not be afraid except only to Allah

Aaron: Yes, Allah and Shaitan

Ummi: You should not be afraid of shaitan. Shaitan is just one of Allah's creation like you, me, Hawwa, trees, ocean, etc. So why do you afraid of shaitan?

Aaron: Because shaitan is strong too

Ummi: No it is not. Allah is the strongest. And you know, you are even stronger than shaitan....

Aaron: (interjected before I finish) I know I know. I can fight shaitan! Erm.... How? I forgot... Oh yes... I have to pray!

Ummi: Yes, and memorize the quran. That's why you have to read quran and memorize the surah. 

Aaron: But why shaitan afraid when I pray? he will go far away right?

Ummi: Because shaitan doesn't like when you pray to Allah and do what Allah asks you to do. Inshaa Allah, if you pray to Allah, Allah will protect you from shaitan.

Aaron: Ummi, Allah creates shaitan?

(Ummi nod)

Aaron: Us too?

(Nodding again)

Aaron: When did Allah create us? When we're born?

Ummi: Actually, Allah created you when you were inside your mother's womb

Aaron: Worm? is it good worm or bad worm?

(I think he got confused he thought I meant worm)

Ummi: It's not worm like the one that eat your teeth when you don't brush your teeth (haha I got him scared by saying cavity is worm to get him brush his teeth when he was smaller. I'll correct that later on)

Ummi: Its W.O.M.B its a sac. You know sac?

(Aaron shook his head)

Ummi: It's like a bag where baby stays there when he's inside his mom's belly

Aaron: I was there too when I was a tiny baby? Why baby stays there first?

Ummi: Because at that time baby was soooo small. he cannot feed himself, cannot move... He needs his mother's help to grow. Only when he's ready to live in the world, then Allah makes him out

Aaron: How does baby go out from the womb?

Ummi: Allah will make a way for it. There will be a tunnel and a hole to let the baby out.

Aaron: It comes out from the butt right? (I think I shouldn't say hole to make thing less complicated haha)

Ummi: Not butt

Aaron: Then? 

I was about to say it but I didn't hahaha.

Ummi: Somewhere close to butt but not butt

Aaron: I can't see it right?

Ummi: Yeah

Aaron: Why?

Ummi: It is not important for you to see it now. 

(But Aaron knew sometimes baby can't come out through the tunnel so the doctor has to cut the mom's belly to let the baby out. Just like his case)

Aaron: Errmmm....But I can't see Allah too? How is Allah looks like?

Ummi: I don't know how is Allah looks like. I can't see Allah too. 

Aaron: But you said we can see Allah after we die and after we alive again right?

Ummi: Yes. You want to see Allah?

Aaron: Yeah yeah!!

Ummi: Then you have to do good and be good. Only good people can see Allah in the heaven

Aaron: But then, where is Allah now?

Ummi: Allah has His own place

Aaron: Is Allah in the outer space?

Ummi: Erm... not really. (I was hesitate to answer this)

Aaron: Oh is Allah outside the earth?

Ummi: Yes. OK the most important thing is, if you want to see Allah, you must be a good boy OK?

Aaron: OK Ummi.

The conversation didn't stop here. There was some discussions about how when you use your brain you'll become clever and vice versa but I think it's going to be too long.

I don't know how on earth a 6 years old boy can bombard questions non-stop. He didn't even pause long from one question to another. Well I guess, because he's a kid hence he is still full of wonder. I bet most of us (moms and dads) have been in this situation right? They want to know everything so instantly as if they are going to sit for an exam!

Oh Allah please bestow us with wisdom and patience in raising our children. Ameen!

Aaron Houdd's post 3rd birthday entry

Right after born - 22/2/10

Assalamu'alaikum.

Dear Aaron Houdd,

The time I'm writing this, you are 37 months old - A son, grandson and an abang.

Looking at you now - a handsome, charming little boy, nothing more I could say than Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. Having you and Saraa is the best gift Allah has ever grant me.

Three years have passed so fast! I still remember your croaky voice right after you were born- the voice that had knocked my motherhood intuition ever since. I remember Doc Safiah (your Paed) greeted you cheerfully with Assalamualaikum. I remember the doctors and nurses in the OT exclaimed "what a fair skin he has! so fair! and cuteeee!". Everyone in the OT shared the excitement of your birth. And I was indeed the happiest person in the entire world!

You were so fragile back then. Everything about you was cute. From your coos, your smiles, cries- to your act - how you chewed your food, scrunched your nose, made your hair messy, just every single thing about you was cute. But now, cuteness alone isn't enough to describe you! many many times, there are something else in between. It's always mixture of cuteness and cheekiness, cuteness and naughtiness and what else? Uh, every other mom will surely understand what I mean :). That new perspective of cuteness can easily drive me nuts! 

You know, when you were smaller, I used to think that my motherhood experience would be less challenging once you reach toddler-hood. You can eat healthy adult food and walk by yourself, you can speak so we could understand you better and know exactly how you feel, and you can even settle your 'business' by yourself. 

Oh, what a silly me for having that thought!

There's always more and more challenges once you are a mother. 

You can walk by yourself. Not just that... most of the time YOU choose the direction. Hence, shopping simple groceries could take hours. 

You can speak, hence, there's always answers and justifications of your act. When you get cranky, you don't speak because speaking isn't powerful enough. You have better idea. You s.c.r.e.a.m! 

You can eat any healthy food but you also know how to refuse food. So you choose to drink milk all day.

Yes you can settle your business by yourself, of course you can. But you chose to end your 60% of successful potty training in a week by peepee everywhere and groaned "I'm so tired I've to go to toilet so many times. I wanna wear diaper again". And A big exclaimed of "Yeayy, I'm wearing diaper again!" like you just won a lottery officially had ended the potty training mission.

I can't lie that sometimes I can't handle this motherhood thingy. There are times I feel like a failure, the biggest loser of the entire motherhood world. Nope. Not because you're a nuisance. You just being a kid and it's perfectly normal. It just me, learning to be a good mother to you. Yeah sometimes it's not easy. But there's no way I can give up on you. Not even in a split second that I lose love upon you despite how hard the situation may be. Indeed, you made me realize that patience is an essence in motherhood, and love makes everything a perfect sense... Your pure love keeps me sane and alive.

Dear Aaron Houdd,
You may outgrow my lap, but you'd never outgrow my heart. (a modified unknown quote. hehe)

And I pray to Allah to always guide you and grant you His mercy.

Around 20 months old!

Few months before he turns 3!

News

Assalamualaikum

My first entry in this new year. Hmmm let see... No story about my last year's achievements, no post about this year azam. Nope.

I always have the angan angan to change my blog template. Im having this dream since forever already coz I think this template doesnt reflect my blog anymore. and myself too... tapi malas nak buat.

(entah hapa2 tiba2 cakap pasal blog template)

OK OK. now. Dear friends, I am here to announce that I am currently happily counting my days to step my feet into our home in Oman, real soon! Weehooo... sape tak suke wei dapat reunite dengan hubby terchinta! dengar cerita dia kat sana ramai peminat. dari minah arabs yang cun melecun lagi (dengar cerita dari dia seorang aje. haha) 

Soon mean, soon! like approximately a month from now. Yes! 

It has been almost a year we're being apart. and its not fun at all. I dah a few times kena ngorat kat Mall padahal bawak baby and jugak pernah kena approach ngan sales person from CIMB pasal kredit kad and dia tanya encik abg mana ? when I jawab "takde" his expression was like "Oh. Im sorry to hear that" - hmmm... so korang paham2 kan apa maksudnya? bukan maksudnya I masih hawt. (hehe) tapi maksudnya macam I ni 'single mom'. (yes i am a single mom but in different interpretation OK)

Actually ada banyak benda yang I tak settle lagi kat Malaysia ni. Plan memang dah banyakkkkk sangat lari. Sampai I pon dah malas nak planning lagi but just follow my gut. inshaAllah kat mana2 pon challenges tetap ada tapi  I think you would never resist the feeling of comfort when hubby is around. I guess all the LDR friends would agree with this. tak kisah macam mana kuat kita sekalipun, or macam mana dah terbiasa kita sekalipon kita nak handle daily routine, tapi kalau hubby is around, it is extraordinary!

So now I tengah busy settle pasal shipment. I have only like 2 weeks untuk list down n settle everything yang nak bawak ke Oman, kargo tentatively will arrive on 26th Jan. Banyak giler kot nak kemas tapi I tak start apa lagi. Haha.

Pastu nak buat Aqiqah Maryam Saraa and farewell inshaAllah. So ni pon nak kena proper plan sebab tak buat kat rumah, Plan nak buat kat Masjid Negeri kalau place masih available untuk tarikh yg kita plan tu. Since hubby is far away, so I am the lady in charge la untuk 2 major events ni (shipment and kenduri). Oh family kitorang amat ramai. so nak buat kecik2 pon kena bajet untuk ramai. hadoyai...

My thesis writing? Ahhhh... last time target nk pergi Oman dengan hati yg rileks selepas settle semuanya. Tapi dah malas dah nak target. Awal Dec I was so excited for the new change of plan made by my sv, hujung bulan dec pulak down balik sebab so happen berlaku lg 1 berita yg kurang best yg menyebabkan I still cannot lepas dari lingkungan kegelapan masalah I ni. So now, decided to continue anything yg berbaki di sana. I know would be moreee challenging sebab I'd b all by myself utk take care of kids and do all the chores, macamner ntah nk maintain energy utk writing. (I had experienced being a full time mom with heavy beban of thesis back in Dubai so I boleh rasa aura penat nya nanti)

Anything else?

eRM... Aaron Houdd is being Aaron. still the same. banyakkkkk idea dia nak menjawab kalau kita cakap. last time dia boleh cakap Ummi dia macam Pingu kalau marah. Noppp nooppp... aduh.

Maryam Saraa. Now dah 2months lebih. almost three. cepat je masa berlalu. Dia tengah demam ni. I pon tengah sakit kepala and terkehel urat tangan kiri. quite challenging as I am a lefthander. (-__-)

Oh now I am so into Instagram. Haha. ketinggalan zaman kan. terok tol. alah, I started FB pon after my moms and niece and nephew yang bawah umur pon dah ada FB. apa nk heran. but yeah...quite addicted with IG la sekarang. bahaya bahaya...

My style now is I update my IG and share selected photos on FB. Tak bukak FB pon. so nampak mcm I sgt update semua. Haha. untungla banyak masa ye tak...(tertipuuu)

Tp I perasan bila hubby takde ni I kerap jugak la on FB n Ig. sbb semua kan mobile. so tak payah spend masa banyak2. u can just log in and check out any update every now and then. I akan like and komen simple2 kalau ada masa. alah Like bukan amik masa bnyk pon. I realize I banyak dapat update berita terikini thru FB. and dapat byk motivational quotes from FB jugak. so its my feed lah kan. its all about how u strategies everything. Tapi memang akn ada satu2 masa i tak hambik kesah lgsg psl semua. especially bila time memang i tak boleh nk ngelat langsung my duty. (tu menunjukkan I selalu mengelat untuk buka FB dan lain2. apa punya Ummi la, teruk betol.haha). and when hubby is around. Im all his. cececeh.

untunglaaa orang yg ada hubby dekat2. org mcm I ni mengharap ehsan viber and whatssap and any free app je utk berhubung pjg2. tu pon sehari 2 kali. 1 masa hubs bangun pagi before dia goes to work (dapat la dalam 10 min kalau anak tak meragam), 1 lagi malam after dia balik kerja, which kalau dia balik lewat (selalu nya lah) kat Malaysia dah lewat malam sometimes I dah tertido masa tidorkan anak. and I akan terjaga pagi2 buta utk uruskan apa2 time tu dia pulak baru tido and i kesian nk kejut... so kalau dapat cakap ngn hubby dalam 30 min tu dah kira weehooo sangat dah. time dia kerja mmg I tak suka kacau ever since awal kawin lg. Dia tak suka. so korang. sila bersyukur bila hubs around. jangan asyik kerek ngn hubs uolss aje ye (dedikasi utk diri sndr yg suke carik pasal bila hubby balik yang tak selalu balik. nak ngegada la kunun.heee)

Erm... ok la tu je. Wassalam. 

An Ummi of 2 lil munchkins

Houdd's & Saraa's

2.15am : Saraa bangun mintak susu.  In d middle of susukan Maryam Saraa, Aaron Houdd bangun mengadu 'itchy2'. Mintak tolong garu kaki n badan dia yg gatal2....

Sambil susukan Maryam Saraa sambil tolong Aaron Houdd... Maryam Saraa habis susu. Try burp kan tp dia xnak. Letak Saraa and layankan si abang sebab kalau Aaron dh segar nanti lagi susah nk tidorkan semula... Tup tup si adik muntah. Cepat2 angkat. Salinkan baju. Si abang masih merengek mintak di layan. Kesian jugak pada si abang. Last2 dia membawa diri mencari Lola sebab nk susu n kakinya gatal kena gigit sekpr nyamuk sesat...

Si adik pulak... Baru lepas salin diaper n baju, proppp poppp poppp... Poopoo la pulak! Usai menguruskan Saraa, si kecik ni mintak susu semula... Mungkin sebab dah dimuntahkan semuanya tadi. Tengah menyusukan si adik, si abang darang nk tidur dengan Umminya. Terpaksalah Ummi yang masih terkial2 belajar menjadi ibu kepada 2 anak ni bermulti tasking...

 Kesudahannya, Alhamdulillah dua beradik ni berjaya ditidurkan semla. Jam 4.17am semuanya selesai... Tinggallah si Ummi yg terkebil2 mata dh xboleh nk lelap tapi badan dh amat letih. Dah mcm zombie rasanya... Dapatlah melayan Daddy pulak yg berada beribu batu jauhnya dgn perbezaan 4 jam waktu antara kami.

Mula menyedari: Dua beradik ni sering meminta perhatian pada waktu yg serentak. Tak kira waktu tak kira tempat... (tu belom termasuk Daddynya yg pandai carik masa nak call, time anak2 meragam time tu lah phone berbunyi.hihi)

PS: Kalaulah masa yg berbaki ni dimanfaatkan dgn tahajud dan taubat alangkah indahya. Cantiknya Iman. Pesan suami 'xlarat solat xapa. Zikir pon dah baik sangat'. Allahu Rabbi...Sementara menguruskan anak2, sentiasa ada ruang untuk berzikir denan hati mahupun lisan kan?

PSs: Sungguh menghormati dan kagum dengan para ibu lagi2 yg punya anak ramai, ibu tunggal dan sebagainya....Sungguh masih banyak lg yg perlu diri ini pelajari dan perbaiki. Perkara sebegini sebenarnya menjadi rutin harian biasa bagi kebanyakan ibu2 yang mempunyai anak lebih dari 1. Saja dicoretkan pengalaman baru ini buat kenang-kenangan di masa akan datang.

PSss: Masih mencari rhythm meneruskan komitmen selain anak2... Menguruskan anak2, sungguhpon mencabar tp mendamaikan hati... Tp komitmen yg satu ini, kalau dibiarkan sepi semakin hilang semangat utk meneruskannya... Xhabis pk mcm mana nak menyelesaikan masalah x sekepala 2 boss, belom lagi melibatkan krisis skill menulis yg menumpul dan idea2 yg semakin menjauh... Ya Allah permudahkanlah....

Tick tock tick tock... Oh my Aaron

39 weeks ++ now.
Daily routine is just as usual, plus every morning has to follow Onni and Aaron to send Tok Daddy to office (dorang takut I sorang2 kat rumah kang terbersalin susah pulak. hehhe)

Masih berkudrat untuk bermain dan meguruskan Aaron. Toddler, boy lagi. So what can u expect? Memang most of the time amat aktif, minta ummi kejar, dukung, berguling dengan dia... Tapi kalau tak larat sangat terpaksa la menolak. Menangis la dia, terutamanya kalau Ummi taknak dukung.

Every now and then goes back to Shah Alam, do laundry, chores - cleaning up kitchen, dust, mop the floor, etc etc....

Weekend. Just follow any event - wedding reception, shopping mall, etc etc....

Common teguran from the makcik in the wedding reception " Laaa, dah tunggu hari masih lagi kuat berjalan kau ye. Terberanak kang"

Kalau makcik2 tu kira kita kenal then I selalu jawab "Memang nak bagi beranak la ni. Dah nama tunggu hari" then gelak2. Hihi....

2 days more Daddy will come back. Alhamdulillah he managed to take a week leaves (Sunday to Thursday). I don't know what he has done cause from what I know, the company still maintain the pantang of no cuti in Oct... Allahuakbar!

So sweetie baby, Daddy has sacrificed so much for us, so please please please wait for Daddy OK!

Jom cerita pasal si Hero Aaron Houdd pulak. Lama rasanya tak cerita pasal Aaron...
Ermmm....

Story 1
Aaron did something which I couldnt recall what was it. Then I said:
Ummi: Clever boy! Aaron anak soleh.
Aaron: Yes, Aaron anak soleh...
then pause a few sec....
Aaron: Aaron anak Nuar, Ummi! (his daddy's name: Anuar)

Story 2
Kalau dulu orang selalu tanya Aaron (even my obgyne) whether he wants baby girl or boy, or brother or sister, he'll consistently answer sister/girl...

Lately, when people ask, he'll answer : Don't want. I want baby only! (-__-)

Story 3
Sometimes I let Aaron play with my bumpy stomach just to get him familiar with this baby thingy, and to build affection and connection between him and the baby.

I  let him play on my belly or touch it when the baby is moving. Long before that, during early pregnancy, I made the move myself and asked him to touch it and told him that the baby was moving..... I never thought that he knew it was my play until now....

Sometimes when the baby is moving, he feels it and he responds accordingly...

Then... He'll selak his baju, shows his big tummy and make it moves...just like what I used to do. And he'll say "Ummi look, got baby in my stomach! Baby's moving! like Ummi's one"

When I ask him "What's in your stomach?"
he'll say "Got baby food Ummi!"

And now, anything he thinks is big, he'll exclaim "Big like Ummi's stomach!" Herm.... is it lovely or annoying? (-___-)

Story 4
Aaron ni memang ada masalah nak gosok gigi. Dari dulu sampai sekarang. Memang tension je setiap kali nak suruh dia gosok gigi. Ada lah sekali dua je dia akan gosok gigi dengan sukarela, itu pun with tonnes of praises...

But one morning, I asked him to brush his teeth. And this is what he replied:
"It's OK Ummi, I brush my teeth like this.......with my finger"
And memang betol la dia buat macam gaya P.ramlee dalam cerita apa ntah... guna finger untuk gosok gigi. Haiyyyaaaa... Where did he get all the ideas!

Aaron's favorite phrases now:
Oh my!
Oh my God!
Oh Dear!
Ya Allahhh!- especially if he reckons something is wrong... or simply after he spilled over something.
Subhanallah!

OK. penuh dramatic sehhhh cara dia sebut....

He also likes to use these in his conversation:
I think so! - if anyone ask him something and he really not sure. Nampak muka dia yg tak sure
Otherwise
Because....
And sekarang dah start letak LAH kat belakang perkataan.... Marah betol Tok Daddy dia....hehehe

And a few other which I can't recall, of course....

Haih, a few days more and Aaron will become ABANG..... Oh I seriously can't imagine how it would be :)

MY 31 MONTH OLD TODDLER!

Priority

It's normal to feel serabut when many important things come all at once. It depends on us how we want to react with the situation. Right?

Teringat masa belajar kat sekolah/university dulu, kalau kita pergi motivasi ke apa akan ada lah motivator yang ajar kite quadrant - important, unimportant, urgent, un-urgent... haaaa... ingat tak? hehe...

Actually post kali ni is all about pregnancy.... and other stuffs.... OK. be precise. Pregnancy VS my thesis... Hehe...

Sometimes during my 36 weeks of pregnancy, I've decided to focus more on my childbirth. I know some moms would grin and think I'm a bit exaggerate about this. Just wait for the moment and let it happens as how it should be. What else to prepare?... Yes? No?

As a mom who had already given birth once, I should have not worry much, shouldn't I? But this is just me, being myself. Nak bersalin pon survey hospital bagai nak rak, nak exclusive breastfeed? I read a lottttt and asked a lot of questions too (Alhamdulillah I succeed!)... and now, whether to have a safe and successful VBAC or just rely on the typical hospital procedure in childbirth or simply get another Cesarean birth  ---> has led me to another field of research! Hahaha...

 I'd once decided to prioritize on the childbirth research finding, and hence, my thesis became comparatively my 2nd priority (just for temporary). And I was quite happy with my decision that time...  A lot of new things have been discovered, new insights on childbirth, etc etc... But a lot more to dig and digest... Hypnobirthing, breathing techniques, exercises, the best positions of birthing, the norms and myths of childbirth, whether induction/intervention/medical instruments are necessary, safe baby and safe natural birth, etc etc etc...

But something had happened last week, which has turned my life into haywire and urged my mind to think more about my thesis rather than anything else...

My master journey:

I am currently in my thesis writing mode. According to plan, I'm supposed to submit my thesis on Sept (as that's the dateline given by my co-sv). But well, the reason why this post exists, definitely because I have not yet accomplished the mission. Hehe...

A lot of unexpected things showed out along the process, which slow down the process. I was able to submit my 1st and 2nd chapter within 3-4 weeks gap only, but the result and discussion take longer than expected because of the hiccups. Sometimes I feel like quitting, other time.... Well, just put aside everything, ignore for a couple of days or even a week, and focus on anything else in life... Hah, I'm actually quite pro in doing that. Haha... Well, human... sometimes we got demotivated... right? (alasan!)

I don't want to tell u in detail about what has actually happened and what's going on in my master project (seriously it's not worth to know and yes, it has cost me quite a lot of tears - oh my tears are precious! coz I'm no a wimp).

But for some reasons, nak tak nak memang kena fikir pasal thesis ni melebihi yang lain... And it's very very very dissapointing sebab sepatutnya time macam ni dah boleh relax and just prepare mentally, physically and spiritually towards the childbirth (39 weeks and counting)..tick tock tick tock...

My pregnancy:
But somehow, I gained my strength back... After I got nagged by my hubby :)

 "You've spent a lot of time on your Master. And you've come this far despite the obstacles... and you can still continue on this whenever after the child is born. Tapi masa you nak bersalin nanti, it's your only experience for this only child, and it's a big event too. Whatever happen to you during labor nanti, only you can help yourself. others can't, especially orang2 yang buat awak susah tu, dorang tak ambil kisah pon macam mana urusan awak bersalin nanti... And without knowledge, confidence and all, how can you know what is the best for you and the baby? What if the doc wants to induce, what if you don't know how to push the right way? So I think, it's time for you to just focus on the baby. You've tried hard to please people tapi this time it's time for yourself. you've the right to do so"

And Yaaa, he got the points.... My children are my priority no matter how. If I want to try something new, something that I'm not familiar with, something memang takde experience langsung, I better be prepare... And since that night, I browsed as many info as I can, googled up articles, and joined a few forums that really help me in many ways.

And as far as I could remember, I just vet through articles for thesis writing twice and jenguk2 my writing also twice (for the whole week).... Teheeeee. tak boleh la nak tinggal langsung... siang carik info birthing, tengah2 malam (kalau rajin) buka pulak lembaran thesis... (tapi selalu tak rajin sangat)

Oh, i'd like to share some beneficial website, (in case you are planning for natural childbirth or pondering about the proper childbirth process etc)...
http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com

http://naturalchildbirthworld.com/

http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/

And I've also joined these amazing groups:-
Thanks to these groups because now I gain more knowledge and most importantly, confidence to try on my VBAC (trust me if you are not used to chldbirth experience and hanya terikat dengan cakap2 kawan2 about their childbirth experience which are all stereotype - supine position, lie down on bed, dont lift up your butt during pushing or u'll get severe perineum tears etc, u'll be surprise of the new perspective of childbirth)

Sangat2 berdoa semuanya dipermudahkan oleh Allah.... Aminnnn...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mygentlebirth/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICANMalaysia/

One thing to share.... semalam pukul 12.34 pagi hubby call from his Maxis nu. I asked him why he called use that nu. (mahal)... he said another phone run out of batery....and here's the detail....

Me: it's OK. wait until u reach home, charge the phone n call me back. I'm not gonna sleep now.
Him: I'm actually dah depan rumah
Me: Oh, tak pelah then, masuk la rumah dulu. call back later
Him: I'm in front of rumah Meru la ni yanggg (my parents house)

And I straight away went to the front door and... TADAAAAAA, we was really there! I slapped his chest to confirm that that was real. Hahaha...

We went to McD, senyap2 masuk n keluar rumah sebab everybody had just slept... and this morning my dad pon terkejut tiba2 menantu dia buat surprise...

Oh, in case you may ask. My hubby sampai khamis malam (pagi) and akan pulang semula ke Oman sabtu malam. Just a weekend visit (Oman cuti Jumaat and Sabtu)...  Hmmm... it wasn't me, it's his idea OK. I'm doing just fine here...(padahal happy giler).

But now Aaron Houdd pulak demam. within 4 hours he vomited 5 times... (apa yang masuk, terus akan keluar right away). Itu memang simptom demam Aaron Houdd...Still monitoring his condition right now... kalau demam panas sangat have to bathe him with warm water (normally just bogel and lap basah2 je. nak mandi tak sampai hati) and give him paraC. Hope not to that extend... Huhu...

Keletah Aaron Houdd yg dah 28 month old

Kisah 1:

Suatu petang Aaron Houdd bermandi manda dengan riang nya sehinggalah masuk waktu maghrib. Semua orang pun menunaikan solat maghrib berjemaah kecuali Ibu yg menemani Aaron mandi. Keluar sahaja dari bilik air, cepat2 Aaron Houdd ke sejadah comel khas untuk nya yang telah siap terbentang.... And ikut solat dalam keadaan mongel. Eeeee.... tak malu.....

(buat makmum di belakang menahan gelak especially time Aaron Houdd sujud. Haiyyaaa)

Kisah 2:

Aaron Houdd baru lepas mandi pagi. Tapi taknak pakai diaper. Tiba2 dia jalan terkepit2 mencari2 tempat. Ummi Aaron pun suspicious and cepat2 ingin menarik Aaron Houdd ke bilik air. Tapi tak sempat sebab terus Aaron Houdd peepee di depan tv. 

Ummi: Aaron Houdd, why did u peepee there? Shoudn't you peepee in the toilet, boy?

Aaron: Got ants there Ummiyo! (nada memberitahu dengan excited)

Ummi: So you pee on the ants? That's bad sayang. Now see, there's peepee everywhere

Aaron: That's why... don't go there! - sambil menuding jari ke arah tempat peepee nya (nada marah bercampur arahan)

(kesian ants yang tidak bersalah. hehe)

Kisah 3:

Si Ummi yang kepenatan dan kepanasan berbaring di atas katil. Datang si Aaron dengan sebotol losyen baby yang dah nak habis. Dek kerana mengantuk sangat Ummi pun layan saje keletah Aaron.

Aaron: Ummi, want your leg please!

Ummi: What you wanna do sayang?

Aaron: Cipit Ummi.

Ummi: What is that?

Aaron: Cipittt Ummiyoooo!

Ummi yang mengantuk pun bagi aje lah kakinya kepada Aaron sambil dalam kepala dok berfikir apakah itu cipit? Perkataan baru ke?

Sejurus mendapat kaki Ummi, Aaron Houdd terus melumur losyen ke atas Umminya dengan banyak sekali. Dekat nak habis jugak la satu botol. Kemudian dia memicit kaki umminya dengan jari jemarinya yang kecik tu...

Aaron: There... cipit cipit Ummi! 

cipit = picit

(Oh so sweettttt....kan?)

Kisah 4:

Aaron: Onni, want honey star please!

Selepas beberapa saat Onni pun datang bersama semangkuk kecil honey star

Onnie: Here you are. Eat your sweet honey star OK.

Aaron: It's not sweet Onni, its honey star! (nada seperti orang tua membetulkan budak2)

(Aaron Houdd la yang tahu and betul semua ye)

Tidooo dengan nyenyakkkk

A great little star in the house!

Oh I just realized that blogger.com is having a new sophisticated look now!

Assalamu'alaikum dear friends,

Today is not a good day for me in terms of health condition. I am having nausea since afternoon. I'd throw up whatever food I ingest. And I notice this prolong nausea has happened since last monday... Ayyooo, En.hubby nak balik this monday, I pulak tak sihat... Huhuhu...

Sadly, Aaron Houdd is in TokDaddy's house since last night. He's OK during day time but will definetly throw some tantrums in the early morning. And when that happens, he'll refuse everybody except whoever he'd choose on that particular time and that could last for 2-3 hours, perhaps until Subuh! But my condition doesn't allow me to drive back to Tok Daddy's house to be with my dear son... Sorry sayang!

Speaking of that boy.... I've kept a lot of stories about him in my brain. Pity the Daddy who always ask for updates but so sorry I couldn't make it so oftenly. Huhu...

I don't remember whether or not I've ever told you this: Aaron Houdd has become a nifty, terrific singer in the house! He loves singing and he'll sing in almost every word he's expressing - yes, even to the point he's asking Onni for kopok (keropok), or asking Mama for a milk.

He'll sing - "Onni, fry kopok, Onni fry kopok... Pleaseeee" or "Mama, make milk, mama make milk... pleaseeeee"

He has a good vocal and the pitching is not bad either. Just that... Sometimes he loves to mix and match the lyrics. Oh and the melody is standard to every song. Hahaha!

He loves to sing the Alphabet song, from A TO the 'next time won't you sing with me?'.

and the 1,2,3 song.... sometimes up to 20. And the Alif Ba Ta up to Yaa...

But now he prefers to mix A,B,C with Alif Ba Taa... or sometimes in the middle you can hear Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Alhamdulillah, he has now mastered the alphabet, numbers and Jawi, though with slight mistakes every now and then. That's fair enough for a 2 years old boy like him don't you think so? :)

Aaron Houdd is now our official reciter of The Du'a before eating.

But don't ever mess up with this little boy. He'll give you a 'look' when you are around the dinner table but you don't raise your hand for the Du'a. He'd sometimes stop reciting the Du'a if there is distraction... or more precisely if he got distracted. Haha... We tried to record this but to our dismay, he never allow us. He'd either stop reciting the Du'a, or usually diverge the Du'a with some songs. Haiyyaaaa!

And he'll recite Bismillahirrahmanirrahiiimmm before every bf session :)

And he can now talk over the phone. Just this morning he asked me to come over because he hasn't change his diaper and wanted me to bathe him. So funny. But surely you can't expect much. If you have 3 minutes with him on the line, you'll only get to speak with him for a good 1 minute, and the rest is the sound oh him pressing the buttons.

What else?

Oh and a lot more.... Just like any other child his age. And what's written here is something that I want to keep and remember, and perhaps for him to know in the future :)

It's very tiring having him around, but it's so flattering at the same time. Last few days my labwork was messed up and I was so tired because I worked more than a normal office hour for two consecutive days plus my sickness condition, yet the result I got was not good. I thought of going back to Shah Alam, had some rest and be alone. Instead, I drove straight to my boy despite all the tense. As expected, everything went just fine as I first saw him, even from 100 metres away!

I guess that is one of thousands more hikmah of having children. Alhamdulillah :D

OK lah. Till then...

Tengok tu. Dah bujang dah! :p

* Tak sabar nak tunggu Daddy Aaron Balik and nak bagi Daddy Aaron impress bila dengar Aaron nyanyi I LOVE U by Barney siap dengan gaya :DD *

The 2nd year of life

Dear Aaron Houdd,

You are now 2 years old. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given you the opportunity to breath, to wander and learn more about life with joy. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given us the opportunity to enjoy our moments together as one happy family...

For the past two years, you've learnt a lot! Your physical has grown healthily, and your brain has stimulated more and more nerves each day! You're so expert in making us giggles and gone frenzied all at once. Yet you often be the main topic in our everyday conversation especially during dinner time, when you're not around.

My dearest boy,

You'd started your own steps when you're 15 months old, and you began running a month or two later.

You'd started to have a pocket of vocabulary much earlier....

You got your second hair cut when you're 15 months old. The third one was just last month, during our visit to Tok Teh's house in Batu Pahat. You know boy, personally, I love your long-messy hair and nobody can ever instruct me, you or daddy to do whatever they think is cool to your hair (Oh I think I'm still very obsess with your hair. Hehe)

You've become a little helper since you were as young as 16 months old. You've understood simple orders and could also give order to anybody else around :)

And you started to have serious teeth decay when you were around 19 months old. It wasn't caused by your eating habit because you don't take excess sugar and you don't have the 'empty-bottle' habit. I believe it's due to your breastfeeding habit (a prolong BF especially during sleep time at night, which cause little amount of saliva being secreted, therefore less protection to your teeth - saliva contains enzyme which is antibacterial). PLUS, YOU HATE to brush your teeth up till now! sighhhhh......

You had your first flight at your 20 month old...

And the greatest milestone achievements I could witness were during the last 4 months of your life.

When you're 20 months old, you began to make short and simple sentences. You can combine up to 3 words for a sentence.

We'd introduced reading as your daily routine since you were a baby, but you began your interest in reading much later, especially when you started to memorize words, pictures, and even by pages. When you were 18 months old, you'd started picking up your books of interest during each reading time. And when you were 20 months old, you could imitate my reading, and sometimes read back to me (in your style)! Yet you were clever enough to sometimes refuse reading sessions and wanted to substitute them with playing sessions.

And you began to memorize ABC, numbers, and Jawi at your 20 months old.  But this time, you're more to memorizing than recognizing. But you improve your skills so fast. You started to know and recognize number 1 to 10, 60% of ABC and 50% of Jawi a month later. Sometimes you made small mistakes, but it's OK honey, I make mistakes too. Sometimes I still have to sing ABC song to know which alphabet comes first :)

At your 22 months old, you're able to make animal sounds. It was so funny and cute too. We never bore to hear that! haha. 

You were also managed to memorize Surah Al-Ikhlas at your 22 months old. Although the pronunciations were a bit obscure, but it's good enough you could make an effort to memorize the chapter in the Quran that defines Allah the Almighty in the best way. And somehow, you knew that Allah is the creator of you, apple, moon, flowers, cats, and a lot more!

And when you were 23 months old, you started to create longer sentences for a conversation. Brilliant enough, the sentences that you're able to create were almost perfect most of the time. For instance, you could say "Daddy look, what happen Lola's car?" or "Daddy, move fast!" or "Ummiyo, sit at the back" or "Oh no, what happen? Car broken!". And your favorite sentence is always "Don't want Daddiyo, want Ummiyo!" Hahaha....

And now, at your 24 months old, you've mastered many skills and understand both Malay and English quite well (and al-arqam from wahid until 'asyra).

And you know to say "Hug me" to ask for a hug, or instead "Hug Ummi" to give me a very warm hug!

Yet, you still haven't start your potty training... and still benefit the breastfeeding. Big boy already, how come?! :)

Lovely boy, 

I hope you could read this 10 or 20 years later, especially during your hard time or when you are upset/down. So that when you read this, you could realize how brilliant you are, and that you are so special, especially to us, your parents.

And hope I will always remember these for the rest of my life. 

You are my baby no matter how big you are, and you are always important to me.

*Let's enjoy some photos taken yesterday (26/2/2012), during the celebration of Aaron Houdd's 2nd birthday at Tasik Raja Lumu, Shah Alam.

Mr. & Mrs. Anuar with Anuar Junior :)

The ladies from both families

Lots of love <3

Behind the name Aaron Houdd

-Aaron Houdd: first week of his life-

Tomorrow, 22nd of February 2012, Aaron Houdd is turning 2! Nothing much can I say than Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah...

Well well well, I suppose this entry should have been written a long time ago. But here I am, sharing you the meaning of our son's name, and where we got the idea of such a name :)

::History::

The name Aaron Houdd has appeared long before he existed. I used to create an email using this name particularly for one da'wah yahoo group that I joined. Apparently majority of the group members had thought that this person was a non muslim, especially through the questions 'he' used to ask, (perhaps) supported by this non typical muslim name. Nobody knew about this, even my best friends who were also in that group. (Opss... now they know. Haha). The name facilitated my da'wah strategies, Alhamdulillah.

I got pregnant about a year later. I still love this name, and when my hubby and I discussed about the name of our baby, this name appeared first. Alhamdulillah, my hubby also loved it and so we gave our first son this name...

:: Why Aaron Houdd?::

The name Aaron Houdd is taken after the name of our beloved Prophets, Nabi Haruun (Aaron) and Nabi Hudd (Houdd). This is the meaning of Aaron Houdd = Prophets Haruun + Hudd.

Prophet Harun was the brother of Prophet Musa (Moses). He was a very wise man and had been bestowed with a great talent in speech. Therefore, Allah has appointed him to follow his brother (Prophet Moses) to do da'wah. (Please refer to Surah Al-A'raf, Ta ha and a few other chapters in Quran regarding the stories of these Prophets).

Prophet Hudd was sent by Allah to one civilization named 'Aad. 'Aad could be described as a wealthy community, but very proud and arrogant with what they had until they became kufur and ungrateful. (Doesn't this seems very similar with today's lifestyle? Na'uzubillah) - Also, please refer to Surah Al-A'raf, As-Syu'araa and Hudd.

However, there are other meaning of Aaron Houdd that make us really admire this name:

Aaron is originated from Hebrew language, which means High mountain. It also means exalted, on high or noble.

There was no other meaning found for Hudd, except for just 'The name of a Prophet' and 'One of the chapter in Al-Quran'. 

We've also purposely chosen Aaron instead of Harun and not starting the name with Muhammad for da'wah reasons. 1) To show that Islam doesn't prohibit the use of any name, as long as it doesn't reflect bad meaning. The name doesn't necessarily has to be in Arabic. 2) Some people were a bit unhappy when they know that our son's name doesn't start with Muhammad. Well, Harun and Hudd were also the Prophets of Allah and we should love them too. 3) I love the meaning of Aaron, i.e exalted and noble :)

 Prophet Muhammad has said:

 Mafhumnya: “Sesungguhnya kamu semua akan dipanggil pada hari kiamat dengan nama-nama kamu dan nama bapa-bapa kamu, oleh kerana itu perelokkanlah nama-nama kamu semua.” (HR Abu Daud, al-Darimi, Ibn Hibban dan Ahmad. Sanad hadith ini dinilai baik oleh al-Imam al-Nawawi di dalam al-Majmu’, demikian juga al-Sakhawi di dalam al-Maqasid al-Hasanah)

* We hope and pray to Allah that by giving this beautiful name to our beloved son, he'll be a good servant of Allah, with the quality that the prophets had shown to us, and also an anak soleh.

The name is considered short. We want him to be called in full name with meaning. People can call him Aaron, Houdd, or Aaron Houdd. And I personally prefer to call him Aaron Houdd :)

:: Disclaimer::

Some of our friends made jokes that this name is 'glamor' and 'sophisticated' like what most parents love to do nowadays - giving sophisticated name to their kids, without considering the meaning.

Truth is, I first love this name long before I got pregnant to my son, and once we decided to shortlist this name, we both read a lot of stories about these prophets and the other prophets as well. Alhamdulillah, to our surprise, apart from looking for names, we were indirectly refreshing our knowledge about our great prophets :)

My husband was a bit blur when many people relate his son's name with an actor Aaron Aziz. Seriously he didn't know Aaron Aziz until he once asked "Who is Aaron Aziz? Why do people mention this name when they know our son's name?" Hahaha...

And if you are a muslim and happen to meet my husband and want to say something about our son's name, never relate this name with Robin Hood, otherwise you'll get an answer as if the words could slap you on your face --> Muslims nowadays know Robin Hood better than their own prophet (Prophet Hud).... -_-

The Wrap up: Jan-Feb 2012

Bagi la Aaron Houdd interprem sorg2 plak :)

Assalamu'alaikum w.b.t :)

Alhamdulillah, dalam diam2 I tak menulis di kedua2 blog, ada jugak kawan2 yang PM cakap rindu nk baca penulisan I (Sila baca kawan2 tu amatlah sikit bukanlah berjuta2 OK). I don't want to say I don't write because I'm too busy with my life. I just don't write maybe because I don't really have the feel to write. Truth: I have a lot of things to share. 

I was thinking to story about our final week in Dubai, our journey home and our new adaptation in this beloved country, but nah, too late now. And sometimes there are a lot of other more important stuffs keep popping out of my head, begging me to transform them into sentences. Yet, I ended up doing nothing than just sometimes day-dreaming about them, and buried them back into my head. My bad :(

In the Airbus A380. Obviously, business class in the Airbus is more comfy than the Boeing's

Big boy huh:p

So, as usual, here are some updates about us:

1) Aaron had gotten his first three-times-in a row nebulization. It was so sad to see him suffers, but that was for his own benefit. I remember the time he cried aloud and we coaxed him. Then came the nurse saying that nebulization works better on a crying kid as the absorption is more effective. And so the Daddy changed his consoling direction from "Don't cry Aaron, strong boy Aaron" to "It's OK Aaron, cry more, cry more" - Oh, so weird! :)

2) Than came his IV schedule, the 3 serangkai injection. He was crying so so so loud while stepping out of the Paed's room. He'd scared some of the kids there! My sister, who was waiting outside asked me "kenapa? nangis kena cucuk ka?". Actually, it wasn't! He cried so loud not because of the IV. He was so macho he didn't really cry for the IV. But.... He cried because he wanted to bring home this one specific toy he's been aiming for since the last visit! Sampai the paed said "Takpala, amek la pinjam sat, bawak la keluar". Aiyyooo, so embarrassing, but funny too! Mujur sempat selamatkan keadaan, tak ke sampai bawak balik rumah. We went to IKEA right after to buy him that toy! 

Nebulization @ A&E SDMC

3) Celebrated my sis's 17 and my 28's birthday @ Kenny Rogers plus 2 cakes. (We finished them all.Haha) and Hung out with in laws. We played bowling. Good moment!

The birthday princesses. ahaks

Rock! Even Aaron Houdd wanted to play

4) My best friend's engagement day. 

5) We will be having quite a different life couple weeks from now. My hubby will be going to Oman for his duty, while I'll be here, with our boy, continuing our life, make it as ordinary as possible, and be happy with it. Most of our friends (from both sides) are so encouraging, Alhamdulillah. We've received a lot of encouraging words and supports from our friends. Thanks guys.

Undeniably, there are some friends a bit skeptic about the decision we have made. They normally don't express it directly but from the tone, the words and the body language, we can sense that. But Alhamdulillah, I assume that is not because they hate us. They just care about us so much, and they want us to be happy as much as they are, and just don't want us to choose the wrong path. They may have different perspective than ours. 

Honestly, we don't love to be separated away from each other. Common sense - no happily marriage couple wants that! But we have to, and it's just for temporary. Doesn't mean that my hubby prioritizes his career that he chooses career over his family. Neither that we are too materialistic until we opt for anything that benefits our financial more than the basic need of a family - to be united and together. The discussions were so long and so mature, I guess... And the plan is for the future, not only for our small family, but also for the bigger families from both sides. Oh, a lot of considerations- come with big sacrifice too... this will also be a jihaad in assisting our families, inshaAllah...

We may be away from each other for 6 months or so (but he'll come back once in a month inshaAllah), and inshaAllah I'll follow him as soon as I settle some important tasks here. Maybe for 5 years, maybe for more, Wallahua'lam. So I just hope that you pray for us, support us and give us encouraging words so that we can keep being strong and most importantly, I can always have REDHA in my heart as this is a big sacrifice for me to follow my hubby and be apart from my family and maybe delay my own dream career :)

6)...... InshaAllah, I'll update this in the next post. Hehehe.

So till then,

Wassalam...