goodbye 2007...welcome 2008...

time flies so fast....i feel like only yesterday i started my new job...but the fact is, it's already a year....

well, what happened to us in 2007...

• me and hubby got new jobs and we really enjoy our new jobs...well, i got my offer first while hubby was unemployed for about 4 months...but we survived..
• got to go jalan2 in PD, Kuantan, Cameron Highlands, Bukit Tinggi, Melaka...
• celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary...
• Jihan celebrated her 2nd birthday..
• me and hubby turned 27 this year..
• i started to bake and cook seriously...
• got a new Kenwood Major from my mum...
• our new home in Bukit Mahkota is almost furnished....
• got to learn how to decorate cakes...
• my dad got AMN from Yang Dipertuan Agung...
• we sold our good old Iswara Aeroback...
• my mum bought a new car...
• bought a new Sony handycam....
• tried to toilet- train but unsuccessful...
• i became more health-conscious, started exercising and watch my calories intake...aim to reduce some weight and become more lean...
• i bought a cross-trainer...
• paid our zakat..
• Malaysia celebrated its 50th Independance Day..
• Malaysia had its own Angkasawan...

what else huh..??

anyway, what's going to happen in 2008...?

• me and hubby going to start our masters...me in Masters in Medicine (Family Medicine) and hubby in Masters in Pathology (Microbiology)...these programmes will take about 4 years to finish...
• hubby is going for a laparoscopic choelecystectomy
• Jihan is going to a playgroup programme...
• i'm going to toilet-train Jihan again before i start my masters...
• to go for a honeymoon (just me and hubby) before we start our masters...maybe in Sabah..?
• perhaps an additional family member..? (then i have to extend my masters programme by 6 months..)
• hoping for more salary increment or bonuses next year...
• to repair our dented bumper...(we've been driving a dented car for a year..!)

and we hope for more happy and prosperous events to happen in 2008...let us also pray for world peace...

ALIM Kids Playgroup....

we brought Jihan to ALIM Kids Playgroup preview today at Susuibu.com, Section 9 Bandar Baru Bangi....it's an Islamic- based play and learn program for children 2-4 years old...and it is conducted in English...

Jihan had a wonderful time there, doing some activities with other kids and the teachers....they played, sing along and interacted with each other and did some craft work as well....Jihan was very proactive and participated in the programme fully....she also made some friends....

it's quite difficult to find an appropriate learning programme that suits your child...i found that this programme is fun and beneficial to your children as well the mothers....mothers get to dance and play along with the children as well...

now, Jihan is looking forward to attend the sessions every week....

keep fit!

i entered the room just now and saw my little Jihan was doing exercises on my crosstrainer...!!! wahh!!!!

she always follow me when i'm exercising....doing aerobics, stretching, dancing and using the big GymBall...she loves exercising as well...

it's very good that she is exposed to a healthy lifestyle....being active all the time and at the same time eating healthy food as well...no junk food, please.....

so, keep it up everybody..let's begin this new year with a healthy start!!! keeping fit and stay away from all diseases!!

My Sister's Keeper

i just finished reading this novel by Jodi Picoult...so touching with unexpected ending...

a short synopsis:

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

i like the way this novel is written...Jodi Picoult made it interesting by writing each chapter from a character's perspectives and thoughts which made up this story...if i were to be Anna's mother (Sara), i'm not sure if i would do the same thing to save a daughter while sacrificing another one...?

it's surely a page-turner...

potty training...day2,3

well...after a few days of potty train, i made the conclusion that my Jihan is not yet ready and not willing to potty train..but i still continue doing so as practice makes perfect...

i called her to go to her potty every hour but she refused to go...if she did go, she won't take her panty off...she would just sit at her potty for a few seconds and that's it...

another problem is she would hold her rectum and would not poo poo....and that contributed to hard stool and possible constipation....

it is very challenging for us....but at least, she already had the experience on how it actually feels like to pee and how she'd get her panty wet if she peed not inside her potty...so, when i'm back to work, my maid can just continue what i've started and hopefuly she'll get used to it and it'll be over soon....

potty training ...day 1

yeah, i'm on a long leave now...one of the reason being is, i want to potty train Jihan...a very nice potty was bought few months ago...and she loves the potty...

so, yesterday we started our training...she woke up in the morning, had her breakfast and later her bath...i told her that her diapers were already finished and she only had to wear her underwear...at first, she was quite reluctant...then after a while she got used to the idea...

we reminded her every now and then to tell us if she wants to pee...but as expected, the answer was "No"...she was playing with her toys and reading her books....after 1 hour, i brought her to her potty and asked her to sit on it...but she refused to take off her underwear and pretended to pee on the potty...so, no waste product yet in the potty....

later, i went to take my bath and she was left with my maid and my sister downstairs...soon after bath, i heard her crying....and everybody was laughing downstairs....guess what..??she already peed in her underwear..!!!...i wasn't sure if she cried of embarressment or scared of being scolded or what...but i told her that it's okay and we changed her underwear....

later, my cousin came with her kids and the children was playing around together...while we were having our lunch of homemade pizza, Jihan came around and told me, "kencing..kencing.." and her panty was already wet...this time, on her tricycle...so, 2nd time changing of her underwear...

then, it was time to take her nap...i put her back on her diapers and she slept peacefully....

it was a good experience for her but quite a tough work for me and my maid (to clean all her mess)...at the same time, i realized that she refused to poo without her diapers...and later in the evening, she had difficulty to poo due to hard stool...

we bought more panties for her at Carrefour yesterday...and we'll start training again later today and more and more later....

Aladdin, the Musical

another musical theatre for us, but this time with Jihan...yeay!!! we thought it was a good idea to expose her with another type of entertainment that she can enjoys with the family....furthermore, it's a children's musical theatre...

so, off we went to Istana Budaya, bought the ticket (RM 30 for adult and RM 15 for children + tax), and they actually do not allow children below 4 to enter the theatre....but i just bought the ticket...furthermore, Jihan looks like a big child....

i was quite worry though if they are really strict and really do not allow us to enter and watch the show....while waiting to enter the hall, we saw many other parents with smaller kids (babies, actually) than Jihan....

phew, luckily we passed through the door...and we prayed that Jihan would behave well throughout the show...alhamdulillah, Jihan's behaviour was not disappointing...she sat on her papa's lap and once a while on her ownseat and really enjoyed the show...when the lights went off or when there was a loud bang, she closed her eyes and peeped through her little fingers....

the show was good, Jihan and the other children were enjoying themselves seeing the actors/actresses (who were mostly children as well)....and the other children were behaving themselves too, no loud cry and such like what we usually heard in the cinema (like what i usually experienced)...

overall, we enjoyed ourselves too...and we bumped into Faizal Ismail (FBI - HotFM), he plays a role as the Jin, and he was very friendly....but we didn't get to take photo with him as we were too stunned...hahaha...!!! he shaked hands with my hubby....

so, hurry and catch the show, it ends on 18th December...!

a good night sleep...

Jihan tends to sleep late at night nowadays...she'll make herself busy playing with her toys, reading her books and watching TV...(yeah, i know it's not good for kids to stay up late at night but that's the only quality time she spends with us...)

yesterday, i brought her up to the bedroom (she has been sleeping with her Makngah since Makngah came home)....i told her to lie down on the mattress and watch her favourite Astro Ceria channel....while in then meantime, i took my shower (after cycling 10km before that)....after shower, i went back to her room and saw she was fast asleep on the sofa....so, i carried her to her mattress and covered her with her blanket....i left the room and went to read my novel...

after a few minutes, i heard her cried...i rushed to her room and my sister was comforting her....she had a bad dream, i supposed...i cuddled her and comfort her but it took some time for her to calm down...my hubby said, she forgot to recite her prayer before sleeping that's why she had the nightmare....(usually, my hubby would recite the prayer with her but yesterday he was preoccupied watching CSI)

anyway, Jihan never fails to brush her teeth before sleep and would eventually sleep when we switch off the lights and while she watches the TV and seldomly after she was fed with a bottle of milk...and she would sleep peacefully throughout the night....and we would have a good night sleep too....

making friends...

my dear Jihan is very friendly...she loves making friends with other children even with adults...we were in Kuantan for a short vacation last weekend and we visited the Mini Zoo in Taman Teruntum....

she really enjoyed herself watching the animals and making friend with our photgrapher, Ramzi...

after strolling around, we stopped by at a stall to have some refreshment....at a table nearby, sat a young lady with her daughter who is about 8 years old..Jihan went to her table and said "Hai" to them...luckily, both of them accepted her greetings and had a very friendly chat with Jihan...(I missed taking their photos together because i was too busy eating my rojak)

Jihan also played with the big girl for a while before saying goodbye to each other....

she loves companions from other people that are other than us...she offers her warm friendship to others and she behaves well with them...no hitting each other, no pushing each other , no fighting over toys with them....