It was NOT MY Graduation dinner..

Le Royal Hotel, Amman

In the midst of our moving-out conflicts..

In the cage of abang's hectic final year student's life...

In the web of stress which sprouted from hardship in obtaining iqamah for Faheem and me (Jordan's IC. Phewww abang's pocket was emptied of nearly JD100 for the iqamah and yet nothing is certain for now... :( may we be patient.. Ok, I have more reason to backbite Jordan huuu)

...

Abang still had time to bring Faheem and me to the graduation dinner for Malaysian students who have just graduated from JUST!!! Yipppeeee. Alhamdulillah. Man, I was excited and happy! It was held in Le Royal Hotel, a luxurious 5-star hotel in the centre of Amman, and the fact that we paid NOT A CENT for the treat of the night was excellent T_T. Well the Malaysian embassy in Jordan is loaded I guess and they just don't know how else to spend their money haha.

I didn't make it to my own graduation dinner thus the over excitement I guess, although I was not the one being celebrated last night:p But actually Faheem was much much much happier than us hehe. First, in the bus (we went in 4 buses), he sat with his ammus (uncles), throughout the 1.5 hour journey (without a fuss), giving mummy and daddy a chance to date peacefully.

Dinner started at 8pm. When the programme started (of course we had to endure few talks, karaoke session and such before the actual feast), we put Faheem in his stroller. And of course he made his usual annoyed things (which he always does whenever he is annoyed such as being strapped in his stroller). First he started spraying his saliva. I said to him,"Faheem kat sini takde nyamuk. Ni hotel 5 star ni. Tak payah spray2" He looked up at us with a cheeky smile and started to toss and turn in his stroller, while making some sound. Fearing that he would start crying, abang took him out. By then the Duta was singing a song entitled highway. I really love that song since I was small. Next, guess what? Faheem started making this sound.. "Ummmmmmmmmmmmm." He is crazy with making these bouts of coughing since the past few days (I posted the video in my facebook). I couldn't help but to release a few laughs. He smiled broadly (mistakenly understood that I wanted to play with him) and started COUGHING. Seriously coughing like he has tuberculosis (batuk kering)!!! The coughs were loud and it echoed in the big hall (in between the Duta's voice). This time around many people started turning their heads towards us (seriously) and I laughed hard, really hard that I was surprised that I didn't fell off from the chair. To stop the whole local chaos from spreading wide, abang firmly took Faheem out of the hall huuu.

When the feast actually started, Faheem was passed from a group of students to another (especially his uncles-cum-abang's colleagues) I hardly put my eyes and hands on him throughout the dinner, a nice change indeed hehe. Faheem ? Well he enjoyed the attention to the most, and when finally abang carried him for the photography session at around 11pm, he fell asleep, in a standing position. Just like that. Faheem, faheem.... :)

Will upload his pics later :)

Marking the third week

Went to Ashabul Kahfi for the 2nd time, Dead Sea for the 3rd time.. and I begged abang to not bring me on a Jordan tour anymore. Huu enough is enough. I get car sickness these days.

I've stayed here in Jordan for almost 3 weeks. Well, I'm still busy with the moving-out packing. Oh really I can't wait for this to be over! Kinda busy with some labelling work which I think is driving abang crazy huhuu..Because I'm using a rare font, which doesn't exist in the printing shop's computer (we don't have a printer btw), so abang suggested that I save my work in PDF form, later when he went to the shop, some of the setting were not right, he had to come back home, edit a bit, when he went again, something else had to be corrected, then went to the shop again to install the font in their computer.. I don't know how many times he went to and fro the shop and back home till the end of the day, the printing is still not done huuu poor abang.. (I'm labelling everything-- sugar, salt, tea, coffee, flour, spices etc...) Perhaps I'll put up some pics later

Faheem is unbelievably difficult for the past 1 week. Ummm we are trying to separate him from his pacifier, and he keeps throwing tantrum merely because he can't fall asleep without that blue thing uhuuu. We are trying our best to understand and to be patient.. Alhamdulillah the intensity of his tantrum has reduced significantly though at times I still feel like banging my head on the wall!

Abang will start his final year soon. By soon I mean in 5 days time. Oh yes, when abang's holiday has finished, it marks the end of my holiday as well. I have this weird idea that too long a hol is not good for one's health geee~ Managed to persuade abang to buy a study table for me, a source of motivation perhaps :p

And currently I'm crazy with the idea of preparing a healthy meal for the family, although at times I'm screaming inside to bake cakes or to prepare sugar-laden desserts huuuu which are not healthy of course. Kinda busy updating my cooking blog ^_^ but I'm keeping it private for the time being. A Secret Recipe gahhh absurd~ Abang has suggested the idea that I start a small business, food business I mean and I'm considering the idea seriously. After we have settled in the new house perhaps..

Quitting one, starting a new one

faheem and me in KLIA. 1st June 2011

faheem dalam pangkuan nenek, a day before he departed to Jordan. Ni kerja ummi dia lah ni

It's been a while since I let go of the student title, and I guess I haven't started missing that part, though when abang brought me to his university hospital few days back, there's a dying wish to put on the whitecoat again.. i guess it's in the blood :) It is exciting in a way when abang brought me and Faheem to the library, and I used his loan quota to the max, borrowing few novels, knowing that I don't have to worry to finish my medical books anytime soon. It feels good to have someone to take care of Faheem and tend to his needs when I'm busy with the novels too! Ahh leisure time, something which was not within my reach with the final exam and the new baby.. :)

It's been a while since I last carried out the responsibility of a wife with the husband around :p and I have just realized (for the ??? times) that being a wife is actually a job hehe. Well you tend to forget how does it feel to be a wife when the husband is away for quite sometime especially in the area of S.H.A.R.I.N.G things thus the need to relearn everything. No worries insyaAllah :)

I have more time for my dear Faheem Alhamdulillah and I hope that won't spoil him in anyway huhuu. Faheem is 'absorbing' Jordan quite excellently. He had his immunization this morning from a clinic which was only 5 minutes walk from home :) Umm yep, he's not really well, has a slight fever post vaccination..

I don't grab the car key and drive off anymore. Yes, we walk to most of the places and if it is far, we take the taxi or bus. Our usual joke is, Faheem is the only one with a car hehe (he hates his car btw. Masuk stroller je buat muka cebik super saiya). We push him in the stroller anywhere (Oh well neither abang nor me can carry him using the baby carrier uhuuu he's way too heavy!). And we take evening walks haha how unusual.

Faheem started eating biscuit yesterday! He's enjoying it to the most alhamdulillah. Farley rusk banana flavoured- reminds me of Safiyya (sebab mama dia asyik belikan makanan perisa pisang je untuk dia huu)..

I have started to feel at home, Alhamdulillah for the umpteenth time :) And Faheem has started enjoying his daddy's company :D ALhamdulillah and alhamdulillah, that is all I manage to say..

Weaning

I am writing this selepas kekecewaan menyental periuk hitam legam tapi taknak berkilat jugak haih~ Faheem will turn 5 months on the 19th of Jun insyaAllah, in approximately 2 weeks. But he has started weaning at the age of 4 months huhu. I know the age is a bit controversial :p But what is done is done ngee~

I started considering weaning when I felt that milk alone is simply not enough for him. He couldn't really sleep through the night and kept demanding for milk. However during each feed, he became very sleepy that he could usually finish around 1 oz only and fell asleep agin, only to be awoken up by hunger about an hour later...

Babies develop at different ages thus there is no 1 strict rule or template to which each and everyone of them should adhere to. Faheem started to roll over a day before he turned 2 months, he then progressed to elevating his bum (macam nak merangkak) at around 3.5 months and around the same time he was active as any baby can be, exploring his world in his walker, moving backwards. And now at 4 months, he can move around the room name it backward, forward, sideways hehe. He rolls himself like a log for metres. (Oh well, he's not that efficient in crawling on his tummy thus opts for the log-rolling move) Alhamdulillah for the health that Allah has bestowed upon him :)

Because he is active, I personally feel milk is simply not enough for him. So I started with rice porridge (Cerelac) which I initially added into his milk. It was very thin. He tolerated well. After about 2 weeks, I noticed that he has started mouthing and was very interested in our food. Whenever abang and me is having our meal, he becomes very excited and tries hard to reach for the food (while wearing a cheeky smile hahaha) So from thickened milk, I changed the menu. I took out his green frog bowl (a cute baby meal set bought in Ikea hehe), and made a real rice porridge (I'm using Cerelac currently. Haven't had time to make my own version of rice porridge huuu). Simply rice, though I'm yelling inside me to add some protein to the carbohydrate hehe. Guess what?? He enjoyed his porridge up to his bowl!!!!! (Dahlah gelojoh tak sabar2 tunggu for the next suapan. Ohh mangkuk katak tu pun dia nak makan ok setelah bubur habis) Alhamdulillah he has been eating that for the past 1 week, and he sleeps soundly for 12 hours or more through the night (waking up 1 or twice in between for milk) Alhamdulillah and alhamdulillah and alhamdulillah. Dah besar la anak mummy and daddy ni :D

CD = Cloth Diaper

This is the sad story, well I'm kinda hoping to get some tips and encouragement from those who have succeeded... :(

I bought 10 pieces of cloth diapers even before faheem was born. Then kakak gave me another 6 I think. Each comes with 2 pieces of insert. Oh well if you still remember my 12kg hand luggage, it consisted mainly of those cloth diapers, the inserts, PLUS 30 pieces of baby napkin. Yep, I was so determined to use cloth diaper for my little faheem as opposed to pampers- save money, less garbage, eco friendly. I don't really mind the extra work washing them truthfully, being a fulltime housewife. (Oh I'm not that lazy, please take note of that~)

The first time I used it, BOCOR! Umm approximately within 2 hours of using i!!??.... Then I tried using few inserts simultaneously, producing such a big bum! And some difficulty in fitting him into his shorts huuuhuuuu. It didn't contain as well.. Then the next time (after I did some complaining to abang huuu), I tried again, and this time around he eliminated and stained the carpet and mattress (baby berak kan cair huu). In addition to canging his urine-stained clothes every 2 hours, I had to clean the carpet, mattress and wash the bed sheets!!!!!

Ok, you can surely imagine I was fed-up by then. SO i opened up 1 of the boxes which I brought from Malaysia, take out the disposable diapers, and started regretting leaving behind the other few packs of diapers in malaysia huhuuu....

BTW, Faheem feeds on 4oz (120ml) of milk every 2 hours.. I wonder whether that that can be considered as the failing factor huuu

Akathisia

It's 5th June, which equals to 4 days of stay in Jordan. I'm still not feeling settled down, there are so many things to be done. I graduated with MBBS to work as an accountant, manager, wife, full time mummy and a cleaner hehe. In simpler term, I am super busy ;p

Wanted to write more on my experience bringing little faheem to Jordan, but I guess I don't have the required strength currently (ngadenye haha). Enough to say that it was a terrifying experience huuu. I pushed my 7kg faheem in his 22kg stroller, wore a 6kg backpack, and simultaneously pull a 12kg trolley bag, practically alone. PLUS 41kg of checked-in baggage huuu. It was a bit tolerable in KLIA when my family helped me with the things, a bit tiring when I was about to board the plane with all my hund luggages, nerve wrecking in the flight when faheem threw a tantrum (luckily it was only for 2 hours from malaysia to bangkok, and then he slept for 9 hours till we arrived in Jordan. Tapi faheem kencing bocor sampai kena tukar baju and pampers 2 kali dalam flight!!) and definitely unbelievably insane in Queen Alia International Airport when I had to recollect everything all by myself. I had to ask for the airport worker's kind assistance to collect my checked-in baggages and put them on the trolley, I had to ask for the immigration people to take care of faheem while I scanned the bags and later on asked 1 of the guards to look after him while I pushed the baggages outside the airport. But when I met abang, terubat hati hehe.

Been busy packing these few days, we'll be moving out soon insyaAllah, been busy buying necessities, been busy laundering and cleaning the house huu. Haven't started on the cooking part yet. Want to write more on faheem's weaning experience ^_^, and the horrible experience of dealing with cloth diapers huu. Perhaps later... i am so not feeling settled down yet :)