bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah 1 hari raya, Hajar dan Adam ikut ke Masjid Umar al-Khattab untuk menyaksikan solat eid. MashaAllaah berpusu-pusu Muslimin pelbagai bangsa dan warna(baju raya). Ada Somali, Pakistani, Indians, Malizi, Indonesian, Philipino, Mexican, Arabs, turks, etc

Alhamdulillaah, Hajar dan Adam ikut ke majlis hari raya Malaysian Islamic Foundation of North America(MIFNA) hari ini. Hajar suka kuih bahulu, Adam suka nasi minyak+ayam masak merah. MashaAllaah, seronok Hajar dan Adam dapat bermain dengan ramai orang.

Alhamdulillaah, beraya di perantauan bersama saudara seagama.

bismillaah

alhamdulillaah, semalam Hajar dan Adam bertemu Mujahid,Fathimah, Asma', Zainab, Maryam, Aisha, dan Umar. Anak-anak kecil ini gembira bertemu rakan-rakan sebaya dalam majlis sederhana, berbuka puasa. Biar tidak mengerti bahasa yang dituturkan, kanak-kanak ada cara komunikasinya yang tersendiri.

Alhamdulillaah, Hajar dan Adam belum tahu apa itu puasa walaupun setiap kali ditanya, Hajar menjawab dia "pua-sha", sebelum meminta biskut selepas itu. Hajar dan Adam juga sangat sukakan kurma. Hajar selalunya akan cubit sedikit kurma di tangannya dan menyuap ke mulut Adam.

Alhamdulillaah, Adam sudah mula berani melangkah setapak dua. Dia gembira dengan pencapaiannya.

Alhamdulillaah, beberapa hari Ramadhan sudah berlalu, dan kita masih di dalam selimut keberkatannya.

Bismillaah

Menggunakan lampin kain untuk Hajar dan Adam. Balik kepada cara tradisional dengan sentuhan baru.

Okay, ibu nak promote 3 jenama lampin kain moden. Sesiapa yang berkenan, boleh shout di shoutbox :)

1. Mutts(Muttaqin Baby)
Fitteds
from a MUSLIMah designer :D .... menarik, comel, berkesan





2. Green Acre Design
Pockets






3. Happy Endings Diapers

AIOs(all in ones)


kebetulan asal designer ni daripada Thailand, tapi sekarang dah jadi American. Dia excited bila ibu bagitau ibu dari Malaysia..jiran? :D

Bismillaah

Alhamdulilaah, Hajar & Adam dapat jumpa 'makcik' dan 'pakcik' baru. Tapi, diorang lebih selesa dipanggil sebagai kakak dan abang :)(Hajar dah boleh sebut tapi Adam belum lagi. Baru sebut 'pa-pa')

Ahlan wa sahlan wa marhaban bikum, bersama berkelana menuntut ilmu di Los Angeles ini.

bismillaah




Alhamdulillaah, harini Hajar dan Adam pegi klinik utk medical check up dan imunisasi. MashaAllaah, tak sangka di US ni boleh dapat perkhidmatan kesihatan dan suntikan percuma untuk kanak-kanak. Dalam negara bukan Islam ni, kebajikan bagi mereka yang tidak berkemampuan dari segi kewangan masih terjaga. Harapnya, kebajikan rakyat jelata di negara-negara Islam lebih terbela.

Hajar dan Adam sihat dan pertumbuhan normal mengikut usia masing-masing. Adam terlebih berat sedikit dan sedikit anemic. Kena makan lebih banyak sayuran hijau dan makanan yang ada sumber zat besi lebih lagi. Hajar Alhamdulillaah semua seimbang tapi kena berhenti minum dari botol susu untuk memastikan kesihatan gigi. InshaAllaah, ibu dan abah kena berusaha untuk memastikan Hajar minum dari cawan.

Kesian Hajar dan Adam, kena cucuk banyak kali harini. Kedua2 belah lengan dan peha, semua kena cucuk. Dos tambahan di US ni lebih banyak dari Malaysia. Kalau Malaysia, ada 2 kali jer dos tambahan, kat US sampai 3 kali. Hajar yang sepatutnya dah lengkap imunisasi ikut jadual Malaysia, kena lagi cucuk kat sini.

InshaAllaah, doakan Hajar dan Adam tak demam selepas menerima sehingga 4 suntikan setiap seorang.

bismillaah

Hajar dan Adam bermain bersama pagi ni. Hajar gelitik tapak kaki Adam dan Adam ketawa geli. MashaAllaah, comel sangat anak-anak ini bermain bersama.

Hajar and Adam went to the Natural History Museum of the L.A County last Tuesday. Admission is Free for kids under three and Free for all every first Tuesday in the month.



All of the animals are just replicas, but they are made in real 3D sizes with real-like background paintings. MashaAllah, wonderful are the creations of Allaah.

Hajar dan Adam dapat stickers museum dan sekeping poster gambar kupu-kupu/rama-rama(butterfiles), percuma :)

bismillaah

Siapa mampu menggegarkan dunia? Siapa mampu menumbangkan satu negara? dalam satu kelipan mata? SubhanAllaah.

...

Looking through the window, and who do I see? Hajar and Adam waving at me :)


Semalam, Hajar dan Adam (dan ibu dan abah) terpinga-pinga bila rumah bergegar kuat. Rasanya ini pengalaman pertama Hajar dan Adam, dan ibu. Abah sudah pernah melaluinya masa tsunami 2004. Tak lama selepas tu, CNN's Breaking News melaporkan 5.8 skala Richter gegaran di Los Angeles.

sedetik terfikir tentang gegaran terakhir yang akan dialami oleh bumi... bagaimanakah dahsyatnya hari itu nanti?

Alhamdulillaah, kami semua tidak mengalami sebarang kejadian tidak diingini. Cuma petang semalam beberapa kali bekalan elektrik terputus dan penggera kebakaran bangunan sebelah tak berhenti berbunyi sehingga bomba datang(dgn cepat sekali). Hajar dan Adam dapat tengok bomba in action(bukan padam api, cuma cek keadaan bangunan saje).

bismillaah

into cloth diapering(CDs) right now, so Ibu kena studi ttg penggunaan CDs. Alhamdulillaah Hajar dan Adam dah try sekali dan berjaya, tiada kebocoran.

InshaAllaah merancang untuk jadikan hobi baru ni $ and environmentally friendly. Hentikan pembaziran kerana itu bukan tabiat manusia kan, itu tabiat Musuh Nyata Manusia.

Tapi, kami masih baru dan dalam tahap mencuba. Ada input?


Salah satu CD yang hangat di pasaran:

lagi satu BPA-Free Bottles untuk kesihatan masa panjang anak-anak. Ada kajian yang kata BPA kat botol susu bahaya dan ada yang kata tidak berbahaya. Jadi, terpulang kepada penilaian masing-masing. Ada yang mengambil langkah "better safe than sorry," dan ada juga yang tak kisah.Contoh BPA-Free Bottles by Nuby..murah dan comel dan praktikal

Btw, BPA-Free bottles sama murah dengan botol2 yang ada BPA(botol kaca mahal sikit) . Jadi, apa pendirian anda?

bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah, yang seorang sudah berlari, yang seorang lagi sudah mula memberanikan diri berdiri sendiri

Alhamdulillaah, di masa yang seorang sudah kurang menangis, yang seorang lagi ingin selalu dibelai bermanja

MashaAllaah, dua-duanya manis senyumannya, ceria keletahnya

MashaAllaah, dua-duanya penyejuk mata dan membawa bahagia

Alhamdulillaah ... :D

bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah, Hajar dan Adam seronok dengan kunjungan tetamu yang silih berganti seminggu ini. Semuanya baru dikenali, semuanya membuka lembaran baru dalam ukhuwwah dan silaturrahim saudara seagama, senegara.

Ada kakak, abang, makcik, pakcik, atuk dan opah's :). Hajar dan Adam seronok dengan opah's(3 org :D )
sebab opah's pandai layan Hajar dan Adam. Pengalaman mengajar banyak perkara tentunya ;)

MashaAllaah, Meraikan tetamu, berjalan menjelajah bumi Tuhan, dan bersyukur atas nikmatNya.

MashaAllaah, indahnya persaudaraan.

bismilllah


mashaAllaah, mereka menangis, bersedih, dan ketawa. Semuanya menjadi 'lagu' seharian yang kekadang meletihkan dan menghiburkan.
Mereka juga tanda kebesaran Tuhan. Dari sekecil-kecil sel, sehingga menjadi manusia yang kompleks.

Kekadang, seketika terbayangkan waktu tua nanti sambil memerhati mereka. Kalau sudah terlalu lanjut usia dan daya ingatan sudah ditarik nikmatnya, yang dewasa dan tua akan menjadi seperti mereka semula. Waktu itu, yang tua sudah tentu memerlukan belaian dan kasih sayang anak-anak mereka, yang suatu dulu masih kecil dan tidak mengerti banyak perkara.

Roda kehidupan ini cukup menginsafkan, jika kita memerhatikan kebesaran ciptaan Allah, Tuhan Semesta Alam, Yang Maha Menghidupkan dan Mematikan.

Bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah
Gigi sulungnya 'dikesan' hari ini
Anak kecilku sedang tumbuh gigi

bismillaah

kalau diperhatikan kesungguhannya,
mashaAllah,
tak terlawan kekuatan semangatnya untuk terus belajar dan berusaha

dia terjatuh, lebam dan luka
tetapi dia tetap bangun kembali dan terus mencuba

tenaganya mungkin tidak lebih dari yang kita ada
tapi dia punya semangat membara untuk mencuba dan merasa
dia ingin mencapai kemahuannya

MashaAllaah...
anak kecilku,
bersungguh-sungguh merayap, merangkak, dan berdiri
cuba mencapai yang lebih dari gapaiannya
cuba berdiri tegak sendiri seperti kakaknya
seolah tiada erti penat buatnya

Allah yang menciptakannya
engkau dan aku
sudah tentu menyiapkan anak kecil itu
dengan segala yang perlu untuk tumbesaran normalnya
Alhamdulillaah

bismillaah

dia menyuapkan biskut ke mulutku
Alhamdulillaah
suatu masa dulu dia hanya boleh terbaring sendirian

dia berlari ke sana ke mari
Alhamdulillaah
suatu masa dulu dia tidak boleh lagi berdiri

dia menangis, berteriak, dan ketawa
Alhamdulillaah
dia dilahirkan sihat dan sempurna

dia tersenyum, bergembira, dan mempesona
Alhamdulillaah
dia dikurniakan ke dalam hidupku

Ya Allah
Alhamdulillaah
kau uji kami dengan anak-anak ini
kau berkati kami dengan wajah-wajah comel ini
kau serikan hidup kami dengan keletah

Bismillah

Alhamdulillaah a'la kulli haal, bernafas dalam mucus sehari dua ni. Waktu jaga, mucus mengalir laju, di waktu tidur, mucus jadi likat. Tersekat-sekat ibu, abah, Hajar dan Adam bernafas. Sekali-sekala, Hajar dan Adam terbangun merengek dan mengigau. Moga Allah sembuhkan cepat2, ameen.

Alhamdulillaah, sekarang dah satu blok jer jauh dari masjid Umar al-Khattab. Minggu lepas berpindah-randah.Letih masih terasa. Tapi, Hajar dan Adam seronok di apartment baru. Boleh turun ke laman(emptied parking lot?) main-main atas tanah. Abah pun dekat jer nak gi masjid.

Alhamdulillaah...

bismillaah


we've started the reading lessons for Hajar and Adam. Obviously, Hajar's favourite word was 'nunun' as she would say 'nunun' when she saw the white cards with huge, red letters. she enjoyed watching ibu preparing the cards and would take the finished cards and stack them together.

adam was enjoying the lesson as well. he'd smile happily when ibu showed him the cards.

hopefully,we'll be consistent and Hajar and Adam will enjoy and benefit from the lesson.

bismillaah

I want to thank my mother
because she stayed up in the middle of the countless nights to quench my thirst

I want to thank my mother
because she sacrificed her sleep looking after me when I was sick

I want to thank my mother
because she cleaned me up and changed my soiled diaper and dirty cloth

I want to thank my mother
because she was very patient when feeding me and when I spitted out the food

I want to thank my mother
because she prepared delicious meals for me despite all the cuts and burns from the kitchen

I want to thank my mother
for all the things she has done for me, for my sisters and brothers, and for my family

I want to thank my mother
because she never asked me to thank her and return all her sacrifices

and I know, I will never close to do birr to her
=(

bismillaah

MashaAllah,
The fruit is beautiful
and delicious,
smells good too!

Hajar loves strawberry very much! She kept on saying 'nak (k)agi..nak (k)agi'

a beautiful person,
should also be beautiful,
inside and out,
a good thing that happens to everybody else...

bismillaah

it was interesting to live in a place where it could be very warm in one day and be very cold the next day.

made us realize the greatness of Allah. He made everything easily.

Alhamdulillaah

Adam is now a very fast crawler, he crawled and creeped like a soldier. in no time, he would escape to the kitchen where he'd enjoy the sounds of his hand against the uncarpeted floor.

Hajar is now a very sweet sister. She would help ibu around the house, went into bed earlier and woke up with a broad, beautiful smile the next morning.

bismillaah

alhamdulillaah....its sunday afternoon

mashaAllah, in the last few days ibu's got the chance to see Adam's first forward creeping and clapping. it's eight months now since the day Adam was born. he's grown up quickly.alhamdulillaah.

and Hajar would clap her hands together with Adam, and the scene was so enlightening. alhamdulillaah Hajar has been very nice to Adam, no tantrum or the like. Hajar would even share her bottle whenever Adam grabbed the bottle from her.


oh btw, its very warm here in sunny l.a....i cant imagine how the summer would be...may Allah grant us good health and patience in going through this warm weather...

bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah
atas penyeri hidup kami

my baby girl was asleep on my lap
she was tired and sleepy
cried a bit and asked for ibu, muala, and nunun
before finally went asleep



my baby son was still playing
rolling and creeping around the house
he cried a bit asking for attention
before smiling again when abah came to him



trusts, gifts, happiness
and truly they are...

Bismillaah

Hajar & Adam,
May you two grow up loving the Solat,
Loving the solat as your source of peace,
and energizing breaks from the world ...

bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah, the book that ibu has been waiting for arrived safely today. Ibu has not read it yet, and inshaAllah will allocate some time for studying the book and putting it into practice.


Btw, the book was recommended by a dear friend of mine, Jazakillaahu khaeer. May Allah make it easy for ibu and abah to teach Hajar and Adam to read. inshaAllah, Hajar will be able to read and enjoy her books by herself as soon as possible.

bismillaah

Yesterday we had a visitor from Malaysia, Akh Fadhil. He is abah's friend and was on transit for couple of hours at L.A. Alhamdulillaah, we rented a car and abah fetched Akh Fadhil from the airport to have dinner at our home.

Alhamdulillaah a'la kulli hal, on their way back home from the LAX airport, the car's headlights were not working. Abah was not aware of it until they were just a few miles from home. Once at home and after performing solat al maghrib, abah called the car's company, Zipcar, and asked them to fix it by 9pm since abah had to drive akh Fadhil back to the airport to catch akh Fadhil's next flight. However, the Zipcar man was not seen by then, and abah asked Bro Wasif, our Pakistani neighbor to borrow his car. Alhamdulillaah, Bro Wasif was very kind and understandable and let abah drove his car.

Alhamdulillaah, one of the most exciting thing was, akh Fadhil also brought a full luggage of goodies for us (our one small luggage that was left in Malaysia when we left for L.A earlier this year). Tokpak passed the luggage to akh Fadhil at the Penang airport.

MashaAllah, the bag was full with Qur'an, abah's books, Hajar's books, our important certs and documents, and new clothes for Hajar and Adam. Hajar was very pleased to get her books back and she took the books with her to bed last night. She also loves the new telekung and mini sejadah that she got. Finally, she has her own sejadah. Jazakumullahu khaeer tokpak, tokmak, cik mimi, and akh Fadhil for preparing the luggage and taking it to L.A.

bismillaah

Alhamdulillah, my children are real blessings

Our lives have been so wonderful since the day they were born
Astaghfirullah, our children are great trusts, our responsibilities
May Allah give us strength to be good parents
Teaching and shaping the children on the path leading to Allah
to achieve great success both in the dunya and the hereafter
Allahumma ameen

Alhamdulillah, we were so thankful to Allah because Adam's fever was over. His temperature went down slightly last night, and it turned back to normal today. Alhamdulillah, it was great seeing Adam being bubbly and active again. However, we've noticed that Adam has been trying to get all the attention, and he would cry very loudly whenever he noticed that Ibu was away from him. Adam cried a lot more today than the days before he got the fever. Maybe he was just loving all the extra care and attention =), Alhamdulillah.

Hajar was like her usual self, active and lively! Today, she picked up the phone when ibu called home from campus. after ibu hang up the line, she put the phone back properly since ibu got thru the line when ibu called for the second time. Ibu was trying to reach abah to check on how Adam was doing, but Hajar picked up the phone again. MashaAllah, it was very cute listening to Hajar speaking so softly at the other end of the line and at times, ibu thought Abah was behind her telling her what to say. However, abah told that he didnt even realize that Hajar was answering the calls. MashaAllah.

Hajar also knows how to turn off the burner everytime she heard the kettle whistling. Each time after she turned off the burner, she would say, "abih da." Alhamdulillah, she was quick and smart.

bismillaah

ALhamdulillah a'la kulli hal, the weather is becoming warmer as the summer is getting closer. Adam is not feeling well right now and his body temperature was quite high yesterday. Alhamdulillah, he's recovering slowly and Hajar was not sick at the same time. May Adam become better and stronger after the fever is over, Ameen.

Alhamdulillah, I feel relieved after reading some guides on parents.com website about babies fever There are helpful guides on how to act when your baby develops fever. After all, do not panic and know when to call a pediatrician inshaAllah.

Make a lot of dua that Allah grants us with good health and strong faith, inshaAllah.

bismillah

Alhamdulillah, being blessed with two wonderful children
MashaAllah, it's such a rich experience watching them growing up
O Allah, make them qurrata a'yunina
wa ja'alna lil muttaqeena imama

Alhamdulillah, both Hajar and Adam are doing great. Both are growing up fast and learning pretty fast too.

Hajar is now 22 months old and will reach two by the end of May, inshaAllah. She cried less nowadays and has been more bubly and cheeky. She also drank less milk and asked for more foods.
She also knows to tell when she needs a diaper change. Last night, she put a soiled cloth into the basket. Ibu never taught her that, but perhaps Hajar quickly learned through observation. Hajar would also pick up trashes and soiled diapers and put them into the waste bin. She also picked up her bottles and put them into the sink in kitchen. Other than that, Hajar also loves to help cleaning up after meals by carrying the plates, bowls, or anything that she could carry to the kitchen and give them to ibu. MAshaAllah, she is such a nice girl, Alhamdulillah.

Hajar would also share her toys with Adam and would console Adam by giving Adam toys whenever he cried. Hajar would also rock the cradle when Adam was on the cradle and cried. Hajar is such a big help to ibu nowadays, Alhamdulillah.

More on Hajar's developments: Hajar was also getting better in role-playing with the toys. She would pretend to be a big sister to the toys, put the toys on a pillow, and then she would pretend putting the toys into sleep. She would say"tido-tido" and "ba-bam" while pointing and patting on the toys. MashaAllah that was very nice and cute!


Hajar also could hold a pen correctly and neatly between her fingers. She would scribble on papers and keep changing pages one after another. She loves 'writing'. Sometimes, she would 'explain' the contents of her art using her baby language, which is cute but hardly understandable.

As for Adam, he loves to do his baby talk as well by making the 'da-da' and 'di-di' sounds. Whenever he was upset, he would cry very loudly. He would scream to the top of his lungs whenever he did not get what he wanted i.e toys etc. We guess he is having a very strong character.

Adam loves to roll and roll around the living room since he was unable to crawl yet. He loves wires! and we have to watch Adam constantly when Adam was awake. He was a bit picky about toys lately and sometimes he refused to be on the jumper.

Alhamdulillah, Adam is now 20 3/4 pounds and Hajar is 30pounds. We went to the WIC last Tuesday(finally) and got registered and got the food checks. Alhamdulillah we've got free juices, eggs, milks, and cereal supplies for a month.

bismillah

as the Malaysia'a PRU 12 was over, I was thinking about my children. How and who their future leaders gonna be, or are they gonna grow up as leaders themselves?

While it is wise to let what will come, comes but I just want to imagine or something like that :), well parents do worry about their children, right?

I was nervous with the thoughts that my babies were gonna be candidates in an election. It's just because leaders are full of responsibilities, which surely gonna be asked and judged before Allah azzawajall. Leadership is never an easy thing. It's not just about the excitement and enthusiasm while campaigning before the election or the joy and pride winning an election. It's way more than that!

I pray to Allah azzawajall, to grant great leaders for us all and for the future generations, and for my children to be excellent leaders for themselves and others as well. I am not asking them to be leaders who run a state or country, but to be leaders who can lead the way through examples and wise judgements just like our beloved Rasulullah saw. lay people with great personality and great leadership.

Okay...ibu have to stop rambling :)

bismillah

semalam mendengar satu berita pemergian seorang kawan abu Adam. Walaupun ibu hanya mengenali arwah dari nama dan rupa, tetapi tetap terasa perginya seorang hamba Allah. Ia mengingatkan bahawa usia bukan pengukur bila kita akan meninggalkan dunia. Dan sihatnya hari ini juga tidak bermakna kita akan dapat hidup setahun lagi.

Kehidupan ini kompleks dengan pelbagai macam pemboleh ubah dan pemalar. Semasa menatap wajah Hajar dan Adam, Alhamdulillah, ibu merasa bertuah masih dapat mendakap dan menyayangi mereka. Hari ini mereka masih lagi bayi dan kanak-kanak yang sentiasa ingin bersama ibu dan abah. InshaAllah beberapa tahun lagi, mereka akan jadi orang dewasa yang mempunyai kehidupan sendiri, sudah tidak sering bersama ibu dan abah lagi.

Ibu ingin merasai dan menghargai setiap masa yang kami lalui bersama dalam perkongsian hidup yang tidak lama ini. Atas kesedaran bahawa hidup dan mati ini hanya Allah yang Satu yang Maha Mengetahui bila, di mana, bagaimana, dan berapa lama.

Alhamdulillah, kerana Allah telah mengutus peringatan tentang maut kepada kita melalui pemergian hamba-hambaNya. Semoga kita sentiasa mengingati tentang kematian kita yang pasti untuk kita lebih menghargai sebuah kehidupan yang Allah berikan.

bismillah

Hajar and Adam were joining ibu and abah for the Route 114:Uloom'ul Qur'an seminar. They were in the childcare, though.

Adam was crying quite a lot(according to the person in charge). The baby sitter was trying to reach abah or ibu, but the cellphone got no coverage in the hall. So, poor Adam was crying unit he got tired and fell asleep. Ibu had to take a look at Hajar and Adam during every break and change their diapers. Alhamdulillah

Hajar was having good time playing with Salma and the other kids.

bismillah

just remember,
when the next time you cut your finger while cooking in the kitchen,
that your mom's fingers might got cut also while preparing meals for you...

Just remember,
when the next time you accidentally touch a hot plate, pot, or anything hot in the kitchen and burn your fingers,
that your mom your mom's might accidentally done the same thing while preparing meals for the family...

Just remember,
when the next time you feel so tired of managing the family for the whole day,
That your mom might got tired doing the same thing for you...

bismillah

i am grateful to Allah for giving me a place that I can call home
Alhamdulillah that I have a shelter from the rain and sun
Alhamdulillah that my daughter and son are safe with me
Living healthy and happy, warm at home

today we went to take a look at our next home-to-be. InshaAllah we'll begin the moving out from our current apt and moving into the new one soon.

we'd just left Nupac when the rain started to pour. We ran(pushed the strollers) as fast as possible to reach Toberman before Hajar and Adam got all wet. Alhamdulillah, Toberman was just at the end of the street and it took only couple of minutes to reach.

Alhamdulillah the apartment was nice albeit a bit smaller than Nupac's. The cheaper rent and paid utilities made it reasonable. Overall, the apartment needs some jobs to be done especially for the floor, it needs to be carpeted since it was very cold to step on with bare feet. Malays dont wear shoes inside their homes, right :) needs an extra heater to be installed in the hall, replace some old bulbs, and some other minor repairs here and there. Alhamdulillah, the landlord, Shalih has agreed to do all of the above, and we're grateful for that.

We went back home after Asr. Hajar was very happy with the trip since she got the chance to jalan-jalan and explore a new place, soon to be called home, inshaAllah

Bismillah

Alhamdulillah, sister Gjie and bro Abli came visited us last Sunday. It was wonderful to receive tetamu/guests at our apartment. Ehe..after about 1 month++ feeling like real 4 batang kara(sebatang kara x 4).. Hajar was asleep when they came, but not long after that she awake. Hajar was really surprised(i guess) to see a malay makcik and Hajar was just staring at Gjie for couple of minutes with serious,confuse look. It took quite some time for Hajar to warm up and run around the house like usual. She was excited to see other people in the house!(other than the same abah, adam and ibu everyday!)


the weather is a bit cold today and we are wearing sweaters in the house! ....

Alhamdulillah, we've got someone to sublease the apartment.InshaALlah we are moving out by the end of February. Hopefully the new apartment, which is bigger and closer to Masjid Umar al-Khattab will also be better for us. No bugs and less problematic. InshaAllah abah will be able to make more frequent visits to the masjid and attend every jemaah prayer.

inshaAllah...:)

Kita Bukan Budak Kecil Lagi...

Bismillah

Anak-anak kecil boleh buat apa sahaja yang dia mahu
Mereka masih kecil dan belum tahu erti malu
Tapi kita bukan budak kecil lagi
Tak bolehlah buat semua perkara ikut suka hati
Tanpa segan silu

Anak-anak kecil buat apa sahaja dengan ikhlas
Mereka masih kecil dan belum tahu meminta balas
Memang kita bukan budak kecil lagi
Tapi mestikah buat semua perkara ada udang sebalik batu?
Tanpa niat hanya untuk Yang Satu?

Anak-anak kecil boleh meludah selepas disuap
Tidak peduli ibu yang akan marah atau rumah bersepah
Tapi kita bukan budak kecil lagi
Tak bolehlah berlagak kasar tanpa batas
Kenalah berbudi dan cakap beralas

Anak-anak kecil boleh menjerit dan menangis sekuat hati
Tidak kisah jiran sebelah atau orang marah
Tapi kita bukan budak kecil lagi
Belajarlah berfikir sendiri
Sebab hidup bukannya lama
Takkan di akhirat nak hidup susah...

bismillah

They have grown up so fast
The apples of my eyes

The picture is a lil bit blurry as everyone was moving happily when the picture was captured. No matter how it is, I still love this picture.

Bismillah

Ibu bought a pink bike today! It's a used bike and the previous owner is a girl from Switzerland whos just graduated and is going back to her country soon. Alhamdulillah she sold the bike for just 20 bucks. Ibu's rizq.

Ibu was nervous riding the bike on the road since Hoover is a busy road. Alhamdulillah there's a bike lane, so it's safer. The bike's seat was quite high for ibu and ibu had to adjust it at the bike store. Alhamdulillah, it was done for free and ibu could get on the bike easier.

Oho..the bike comes with a lock and a pink helmet. The lady was very nice and generous!

Bismillah

Yesterday we had planned to go the Women, Infants and Children(WIC) office before we realized that the office was quite far from home and couldnt be reached simply by walking, which the only thing possible for us currently. FYI, The WIC is providing foods coupons for infants and children from the low income families so that every child gets proper nourishment. Since abah is not working, and ibu is a student, we are considered as a low income family and basically eligible to enroll in the program.
However, we'd to postpone our registration until we can find a transportation. The kids must come to the WIC office for the registration.

Then, an interesting event came up. Ibu saw an ad at the craiglist's website written by a person who offered help, basically of any kind, to those who needed it! The writer said that she(later we discovered that the writer was a woman) realized that her offer was unusual, but she wanted to do something to make her feel better.(she was having difficulty of finding a job within her field).So abah emailed her and told her that we needed a lift to do our groceries. Later, she called and agreed to take us to the Walmart. She also asked if she could bring her friend to record everything just to tell people that we could do kindness in many forms. We're fine with her idea, and were excited to meet her.

However, later on we decided not to proceed with our plan because we couldnt take the kids along since we didnt have car seats! Its the California's law that small kids must be secured in a car seat while riding on a car. Initially abah suggested that ibu go to walmart alone, but ibu didnt feel comfortable for going out with a complete stranger, even with a woman. Well, basically the main reason for us to go to the walmart was to claim ibu's passport from the customer service after ibu carelessly dropped the passport in the store. So, the plan was canceled and inshaAllah a better option will come.

Later on yesterday, we went to the Doheney Library because abah wanted to borrow some books. We took the tram and got down at the first stop on campus. then, we put Hajar and Adam on the twin stroller before headed to the Doheney Library. The weather was nice, the campus was beautiful and lots of students were on campus. We went to the library, abah got the books, and we went back. On the way back though, while we're undecided whether or not to visit the University Village, the stroller's wheel was suddenly broke apart. We were very surprised and dissapointed and still in shock when suddenly the second wheel broke. Two of the front wheels broke, and the stroller was no longer working! We were in trouble. We took Hajar off the stroller because the wheels on her side that were broken. Adam was still on the stroller because he was asleep.

Uhuhu..we walked back home with the broken stroller. Abah pushed the stroller with Adam on it, while ibu walked with Hajar. Hajar was very excited to get the chance walking on the sidewalk. She was 'talking' along the way with joyful and cheerful voice.

Alhamdulillah, what a day..

Bismillah

once an infant,
now a fast growing, active toddler,
healthy and bright,
enthusiastic and kind

once the only child,
now the older one,
a loving big sister
to the cute, chubby brother

she's Hajar
and her brother is Adam

they are our children
the hope for the future
to become righteous children
whose duas send their parents to heaven

Bismillah

This morning, it was started just like usual. We wake up for Fajr without Hajar as she usually performed jemaah prayer with us. Then Adam wake up, smiled broadly, did his bubbly, baby talk, and then cried when he got bored. Hajar was still sleeping soundly under the comfy blanket. It was cold out there and this made the bed was so hard to resist.

Ibu had to get up early this morning since it was Monday! and ibu got 2 classes today.
Uhu...ibu was so very sleepy during the class. Ibu was fully awake just for the first half an hour,
and 'tidur-tidur ayam' for the rest of the class. Erm...morning classes were just not meant
for ibu. Ibu needed to practice staying awake while sitting in an air-conditioned room for more than an hour.

Btw, yesterday we didnt go to the Islamic Center. We'd no transport! Uncle S's car was sent
for routine service and uncle S wasnt able to drive us to the ICofLA. Poor Hajar and Adam had
to stay home for the whole week. However, it was raining during parts of the day and maybe it was a good thing we didnt go out, so that Hajar and Adam didnt get caught in the rain.

We bought a used laptop for Hajar. It was $30 and a 1999 Vaio. The laptop is still in the very good, working condition. Ehehe hajar ended up not getting the chance to play around with it much since ibu was online using the vaio.ehehe..

bismillah

Today we had to leave the house for several hours because the apartment needed to be carpeted with a new carpet. the old, green one was just too old and might be dirty and dusty for our little prince and princess.

Alhamdulillah the management gave us another apartment to stay while waiting the works at our apartment to be done. It was a single apartment and pretty nice. There was no heather, though and ibu got quite cold after 2 hours of waiting. The faucet's water was also ice cold!

Abah bought us breakfast at the McDonald as we hadnt ate anything for breakfast. We stayed up late last night and were having a late morning also :). We hadnt prepared to go outside when the manager knocked on our door telling that they wanted to start the carpeting soon.Uh - oh. Ibu had to rush bathing Adam and poor hajar, ibu was ran out of time and hajar didnt took her bath this morning. And off we went to the transit apartment.

Around 1230pm, the guy who dropped us at the transit apartment came back and drove us back to our apartment. The apartment was quite messy with everything was out of place. As for the carpet, it was blue and thicker than the previous one. Alhamdulillah, this new carpet makes the apartment looks nicer and brighter. No more gloomy, green, old carpet :).

By the way, Hajar and Adam got their toys and the twin stroller today. Alhamdulillah, both of them enjoyed playing with the toys and ibu sure they're having lots of fun. The stroller was quite bulky and heavy although people said it was among the lightest one. Ehehe..abah'll have to figure out how to carry this stroller when we go outside next time.

Right now, everybody was asleep as everyone got tired after the long day.The toys were still scattered all over the apartment and Hajar slept between her toys :) How cute, MashaAllah!

Bismillah

One thing worth noted here, Hajar has been calling her father 'abang'(which means brother) instead of 'abah'(which means father) =). It was cute. Ehe, may be she heard ibu calling her father with 'abang', so she followed ibu.

Right now, Hajar no longer drank the Dutch Lady 123 Honey flavored milk as we ran out of supply. We've been giving her the whole milk and she likes it! She usually asked for one bottle after another. Ehehe, yesterday she finished one gallon per day.Oops, guess we have to reduce the frequency of her milk time :)

We also bought a dvd-vcr combo for Hajar and Adam last week. Hajar has been watching the children's movies, cartoons, nasheed, children songs, and lectures!. We hope this will help with her learning through audio and video, and ease her of boredom of staying at home the whole week!

We love them!

bismillah
isnt it cute if Hajar and Adam both sit on this stroller? hopefully we'll be able to upload some pictures of them with the twin stroller as soon as possible =)

bismillah,

InshaAllah these will be Hajar and Adam's toys. Hope they'll have lots of fun learning and playing with the toys!

• Playskool Learning table spin and pop arcade, Watch balls roll, slide and even pop off the tabletop Big buttons activate fun sounds and music Center spinner keeps the balls moving Removable table legs for fun on the floor For ages 1 yr. and up, Manufacturer: Hasbro
• Toby the totbot Toby the Totbot is the perfect learning friend for toddlers. Simply touch one of the buttons around his light-up screen to see letters, numbers and shapes. Or, sing and dance with Toby to one of 3 different songs. Plus, Toby comes to life with moving head, eyes, waist and arm because learning is more fun with a friend!
• Learning Patterns Motion & Music Jungle Gym Sights, sounds and stimulation-they're all important for baby's developing abilities. With motion, music, high-contrast patterns and bright faces, this colorful gym is a great way to spark the senses. Three friendly animals move and dance overhead while baby hears delightful music and fun animal sounds. You can set it for long-playing music, or let baby activate shorter tunes by batting at the toys. As your child grows, remove the overhead gym bars and attach the animals to the soft quilt for tummy-time play. With rattles, clacker beads and ribbons, it's full of activities to keep baby busy! The Learning Patterns system of developmental toys is designed to help bring out your baby's full potential by awakening and rewarding developing abilities throughout the first year.
• Tyco Mattel Elmo House, cause and effect, by pushing the mat or the flower plant the door or the windows open.
• Fisher Price Baby Smartronics Nursery Rhymes Bus Learning fun is ready to roll, in your choice of English or Spanish! Choose a language, then let baby learn nursery rhymes and letters. Or turn the switch for numbers, shapes and colors. Friendly characters pop up to play "peek-a-boo" when baby pushes colorful buttons. And blinking lights dance while favorite songs play as baby rolls the bus along!
• Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Learning Puppy Play games, sing songs, enjoy lots of learning fun with this cuddly friend. Baby can learn A-B-Cs, 1-2-3's and parts of the body, plus sing along to 10 favorite songs and games. Dog bone collar lights up to the music! Make learning more fun with the whole collection of Laugh & Learn™ toys. With rich music, sing-along songs, and lots of activities, they combine early academics and everyday experiences-for the way kids really learn!
  
• Fisher Price Nursery Rhymes CD Player The Nursery Rhymes CD Player is a take along infant learning toy that teaches baby nursery rhymes, first words, animal names and sounds in a portable CD player format. Baby presses the center button to send the CD spinning around while the 3 colored lights dance. When is stops on one of 5 animals, it sings an appropriate nursery rhyme. Press the 3 lighted buttons on top to hear the animal name, the sound, and hear the nursery rhyme again. There are bangle beads on the side for additional manipulative play
• Navystar Animal Ship, push the animals to hear their sound.
• Bluebox classic toy
• Leap Frog My First LeapPad Learning System
• Leap Frog Leap's Big Day no cartage needed
• Leap Frog Preschool The Foot Book Dr. Seuss
• VTECH Little Smart Pull 'n Play Phone
• VTECH Storytime Rhymes
• Mattel Winnie the Pooh beads and sounds.
• Kids II Bright Starts Bop & Roll Drum Baby activates 4 melodies, 10 zany sounds and flashing lights by rolling drum, Includes a large reflective area for "Peek-A-Boo" fun, Rattling clear bead chaser on both ends.
• Plastic Duck
• Talking Singing Disney JOJO of JoJo's Circus Plush DOLL Toy
• Sesame Street Elmo's phone
• Sesame Street Elmo's guitar
• Elmo's piano, lights music numbers
• Fisher Price Camara
• Lamaze Puppy tunes Adorable Lamaze dog character with a different note in each of his four legs.
• Prince Lionheart Slumber Bear Tummy Sleep The Bear contains the only actual intra uterine recorded womb sound to help lull your baby to sleep in minutes. Additional hook and loop straps allow you to secure the rmovable audio box to crib rails, strollers and more.
• Blue Clue's
• Cititoy Baby Doll talks and sounds
• Leap Frog Learning Lily Bilingual, English, Spanish
• Kids II Bright Starts Clear rattle with colourful beads
• Kids II Bright Starts Colorful butterfly with beads
• Shelcore teething keys
• Leo the Lion soft book
• The First Years Phone, lights music, numbers
• Mattel Disney tigger with song
• Playskool piano
  
  
  

Bismillah

Today was a lil bit colder. It was very cold in the morning eventhough the sun was shining brightly.
In the afternoon, the sky was dark and it's started to rain till evening. All of us were at home trying to keep ourselves warm.

Alhamdulillah, ibu has received the recently bought, used laptop from EBay. Right now, ibu's using the new tablet pc. It's great and the tablet function's just so nice to play around with. Ehe, now abah can do his works using the other laptop without ibu interrupting him.

Hajar and Adam were already asleep. Hajar finally got tired of playing around the house and screaming at the top of her lung(read:high pitch,piercing voice-she has been doing this a lot lately). Hajar also loves to tear papers into pieces and throws them around the apartment. We guess that she needs more toys to play with, which unfortunately we cannot afford at this time. InshaALlah if Allah permits, we'll buy some developmental toys for Hajar when the scholarship's already here. Adam was as his usual self, a very cute and heart-melting baby. I loveeee my kids very much.Thank you Allah for giving me the chance to be their mother.

To be far away from home(Malaysia) is a very enriching experience for us. This reminds us at the struggle of the muhajireen who left their families, homes, and properties behind to live at a foreign land.

Alhamdulillah, hopefully this experience will make us stronger and closer with each other.Ameen

Bismillah

Alhamdulillah, life has been great. After two weeks of settling down, I can say life has turned to normal again. Altho the bugs are still bugging us, inshaAllah abah will talk to the management to see if we can move from this apartment soon. Hajar and Adam surely dont deserve to be bitten by bugs everyday. We've got some new bites yesterday by the way.

We are planning to find an apartment closer to the Islamic Center, if possible. So, it'll be easier for us and abah especially to go to the islamic center and perform jemaah prayer.

I think, a visit to the Islamic center every Sunday will be a must in our calendar. We've enjoyed the experience of being with the Islamic community in Los Angeles. There are lots of people coming from different parts of the world. Ibu has made some friends from Pakistan and Indonesia.

Hajar met lots of other toddlers in the nursery. There are lots of toys and a nice playground as well. Of course Hajar loves the nursery! Alhamdulillah

Well, eventho Adam still couldnt do much during the visit, inshaAllah he'll turn to love it as well.
Ameen

Bismillah

guess what, we are at Los Angeles!
Hajar, Adam, Abah and Ibu finally made it to the United States. (Unfortunately, Cik Mimi couldnt join us this time, inshaAllah later)

We went thru a very long flight on MAS plane MH 094, it was about 16 hours(including an hour+ of transit at Taipei). We were very sad of leaving our dear Tokpak, Tokmak, Opah, and loved ones at Malaysia but were excited at the same time. Hajar and Adam cried while we headed to the departure gate.

hajar and adam got gifts from Kak Zu and her children(they're 2 coloring books, two flip books, 2 teethers, and a box of crayons), from cik Mimi(A small bear and a balloon.unfortunately the balloon was not allowed into the flight and had to be left at the checkpoint :( ), and from Cik Effa+Ida(a bear with a box of ferraro rocher chocolate! Abah, ibu and Hajar finished them on the flight:) ).Ibu got a gratefull notebook from Cik Adda =).sweet, we love them all!