it's been...

hectic! absolutely chaos at home and even when we're out.
Kd boy is now 8 months and Khalis is almost 2half. I never go out alone with them anymore, I definitely need an extra hand. They're monsters! =D
Khalis is quite controllable when we're out and he's pretty mindful and holds my hands or stay closeby. Although there were times when he would just run ahead esp when there's a ramp for him to go "whhheeee!!"

I often use the wristband for safety and yes I do get stares from strangers and I can hear them whispering or giggling when they see me tugging at my toddler when he goes the opposite way. There was once I heard a lady laughing to her husband and exclaiming that I look like I was walking a dog! Oh the agony of having to hear that!! Is this why we have missing children in public places? It's definitely not wrong to use whatever method you can to ensure the safety of your child (esp the active ones!) in crowded public places.

Anyway, back to my (ahem!) monsters... they can be perfect lil' angels one minute and wreakage pros the next. The one thing that blows my top everytime is when they become 'poopy babies'.. yup it's a plot they planned to drive mummy higher up the wall! It's bad enough when one poos and keeps quiet about it; it's double the frustration when the little one makes a big number himself! And usually it's when I have already given them their baths, smelling clean and fresh ready for bed. If that isn't a plot, I dunno what that is...

On a brighter note, Kd is crawling along nicely and has started to stand and cruise. He's such a cutie when he tries to grab our attention and crawls to either one of us with a big grin on his face. Sometimes I feel super guilty when I have to walk away to attend to his brother, leaving him sitting there looking questioningly and forlorn... I try to spend as much cuddletime with him as I possibly can. He enjoys it when I read to him and it tickles me when he laughs while kicking his legs high up in the air or when he tries to take food out of my mouth with his mouth and ends up slobbering all over my face!

Khalis is a chatterbox... even when he's about to fall asleep he has something to tell us! always talking and asking us to do things for him with a cute "please" at the end. And for a 2 year old, he does have a pretty rich vocab! At times we tell him to have a 'rest time' just so we can have some peace but it usually lasts for a mere 3 minutes or so! =D He's in his terrible two phase and some days can be very trying but when he comes over and gives me a big hug, a fish-lipped kiss and a "yove you" with his big adorable eyes looking up at me, all my frustrations seem to melt away... aahhh the pleasures of getting away with it while you're still a kid! =D

Happy 2nd birthday!

We celebrated Khalis' 2nd birthday at Mcds, Mutiara D'sara on the 8th. Quite a lot of people turned up and phew! was it noisy! =D
The kids had loads of fun and I was running about making sure the guests has something to eat and tracking where Kayden was. He was like the 'pass the parcel' game, one minute he's with my mum, another will be with my mum-in-law then back to me or Hubby. By the end of the party, I was exhausted!
Khalis received a lot of toys (mainly trucks, buses and cars), books and clothes. He was so excited bout his toys he refused to sleep that night although he could barely keep his eyes open!

Happy 2nd birthday, Buk!

Breathe...

With so many things happening at once, there are times when I have to just stop and take a deep breath before I start choo-chooing down the track like an unstoppable train. It's not easy handling two lil' ones although there are those out there who might think a housewife has it easy. Don't get me wrong though; I love my boys and honestly, I wouldn't want to be out there in the corporate world. Nonetheless, let me share my daily routine with you =)

6.30 - 7.30am: Lil' Khalis wakes up. Asks for his milk and if we're lucky, he goes back to sleep. If not, he'll climb all over us trying to wake us up. If he doesn't succeed, he'll wake his lil brother or presses the musical mobile. Yup, great way to make us crawl out of bed, well usually I do cuz Hubby will turn towards the wall and pretends not to hear anything.

7.30 - 8am: Drag myself out of bed, walk around the house grumbling to myself of the mess and toys that are strewn all over the living room. Push the baby cot out of the room (with 2 queen sized beds, our room is a little too crowded).

8 - 9am: Bathes with baby Kayden (one of my fave thing to do). He enjoys having a good shower. If Hubby isn't rushing to work, he'll bathe the lil monster, yes that's Khalis and I'll prepare breakfast. There are days when I put Khalis in the bathroom, have him play under the shower while I dress Kayden and myself. Then we have breakfast.

9 - 10am: Kayden takes a morning nap while I endure the songs and antics of Barney, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam... the list goes on really while I wait for laundry and wash dishes.

10 - 11.30am: Prepares lunch for Khalis and myself. All the time hoping that Kayden wouldn't wake up until we were done with lunch. Some days can be tough when Kayden wakes up cranky and I wouldn't be able to cook anything and with Khalis asking for food. During those times I just have to carry Kayden while whipping something yummy and making sure that Khalis is well fed.

12.30pm: NAPTIME!! Well for the kids that is. Sometimes Khalis will try to prolong his naptime and have me read books with him over and over again. Mind you, most times I read to him while nursing Kayden. When Khalis is ready to sleep, I'll be patting two lil bums either while sitting up or lying down in a somewhat uncomfy position.

1 - 2pm: The kids are finally asleep and I have myself some alone time. Well alone time to hang the laundry and wash dishes (again). 20 mins or so into their naptime only am I able to sit down and relax and enjoy some TV.

3pm: Lil monster wakes up from nap and asks for snack. Baby Kayden might sleep a while more. If he does then I have some cuddle time with Khalis.

4 - 5pm: Start preparing dinner (esp if Kayden is still asleep) and make sure I wash up the dishes cuz I don't like piling dishes =D

6 - 7.30pm: Feed Khalis his dinner while nursing Kayden and have some to eat myself. Then it's bathtime for the 2 boys. First I'll bathe Kayden, put him on the bed to dry while I bathe. After Khalis is done with his milk, it'll be his turn to bathe while I dress up Kayden and myself. Getting Khalis out of the bathroom can be quite challenging at times. Finally when we're all clean and cozy in our PJs, it's time for another round of storybook, nursing Kayden and tucking the monster in.

8pm: Hubby gets back from work. We'll have dinner and have alone time and tv.

11pm: Kayden wakes up for feed

3am: Kayden wakes up again to feed

5am: You guessed it, feeding time!

Well that's more or less how my most days are. I do go out with these 2 lil ones and Khalis usually behaves himself although sometimes I bribe him with biscuits or raisins to get him to sit still in his stroller. I've even brought them grocery shopping at Tesco which makes Hubby think I'm crazy!

At 19 months...

...it's amazing what lil Khalis has achieved so far. Just yesterday he was able to bathe himself under my directions as I watched him from our bed. He was happily rubbing foam on himself and rinsing under the shower. He even cleared up his bath toys and emptied the bathtub after he was done. The cutest part is when he goes 'dah!' letting you know that he's ready to come out.
As cheeky as he can be, he'll run away and scramble onto the bed before you can drape the towel over him. Screaming and giggling away, you just want to get hold of him and take a big bite on his tummy! =D

Of course there are days when he can be a real angel; sitting on your lap whilst watching tv or snuggle close to you as you read him his favourite tractor book. There are also days when he refuses to listen to you and does things his way, whether you like it or not! Those are the days when he really tests you on your patience, and it always seem to happen when you're just not in the mood to 'layan' his tantrums.

We've been teaching him a whole lot of new words and he's been able to pick them up easily although he mispronounces most of them! It's cute to hear him try and when he gets tired, he'll shake his head, that's when you know you can't force him...

I'm so proud of his little achievements and am looking forward to see what new (and cheeky) things he can do next! =)

38th week

Yup! Just another 2 weeks to go! Went for my check-up on Monday and Prof.Siti says that he might come after the 12th so we shall wait and see... tick-tock-tick-tock!
Right now it's another round of waiting game. On one hand we're excited for his arrival but on the other I'm starting to get pretty nervous! It's always the same old question: Would we be able to cope with this new baby? I remember asking ourselves the very same question before we had Khalis, and I would say that it's not as bad as we thought it would be. So, I hope all these lingering questions would help us prepare for the better.
I hope Khalis will learn to cope with his new brother. He has been the center of everybody's attention all this while and we will try our very best not to instill sibling rivalry between our boys. I love the idea of having more boys in the family and it just sounds nice to say 'my/our boys'
We have decided on a name! But... I won't reveal it until after the birth, JUST in case we change our minds =D

Another boy!

Went for my ultrasound scan at UH today and it's confirmed... We're having another boy!
Just like what I wanted it to be; a brother for Khalis. All I can say now is, Alhamdulillah!
He's growing well, everything's according to the proper fetal growth chart. I feel absolutely high in spirits and excited all over again! Maybe it was a good idea to wait a little longer to find out the gender.

I recently took out the box of baby clothes for preparation. Oh those memories of Khalis when he was a newborn! There they were: his first pair of Adidas shoes, bodysuits, mittens, booties and caps! They were tiny and adorable! Soon we'll be putting these on our new baby... =)

We have picked out a few names for the new baby but like Hubby said, he has to see and hold the baby for the very first time to get that "PING"! He had had the strong feeling before, that was how he knew Amer Khalis was the right name for our first baby boy, so I'll let him decide which name will suit our second lil' bundle! =D

Tiger Balm...

has become my new best friend! Seriously...
Never have I imagined myself to endure such pain in my upper and lower back especially around my tailbone area. The pain travels all the way around my butt and upper thighs at times. It's called Sciatica. Sigh... the slight 'joy' of going through third trimester pregnancy...

Tiger Balm is the only thing that helps. Maybe it's the burning feeling of the ointment that takes my mind off the sciatica or maybe it's the fact that by the time I put my head down on my pillow and listening to Hubby grumbling away while rubbing the balm on me, I'm too numbed from feeling anything...

Somehow I feel more tired and experienced more pain this time around as compared to the first one. Perhaps it's because I'm constantly on my feet, up and about, chasing after the lil' monster. Although I do get a sneak at taking a nap from time to time, having to take care of a toddler isn't an easy job.

I have to make sure he's clean, (at least for a darn minute!) well-fed, well-dehydrated, well-napped and well-entertained. And that's just the physical part. As responsible parents, Hubby and I have to make sure he's well brought up in a positive environment and help build a confident, happy, positive and a well-mannered boy. That is the toughest part! No matter how much you plan to teach and guide him, there's always a surprise! Tantrum is one thing, turning a deaf ear is another *wipe brows*... At least we do try and we know we have a long long way to go! =D