Water Baby

The one thing that makes me upbeat and chirpy:

The smile of my loved ones.

Senyumlah kerana senyum itu sunnah dan penawar.

Tok Adam ada kebun

Family outings are fun.

It has always been you...

Family matters most.

Beautiful December

It was really windy when we arrived at Changi Boardwalk and Shaura was very cranky as it was her nap time. But the shoot has to go on. We chose a nice spot at the bridge. Filzah and Raudha was very patient with us. At one point, I almost gave up chasing Shaura. She was running to and fro, almost knocking some of the visitors at the park. Boy, I was glad when it was over!

We took lesser pictures this time as compared to last year's maternity shoot at Botanic Gardens - it's not about the quantity but the quality that matters in the end :)

To Filzah and Raudha, thank you for accommodating this rather last minute request and being there for my family photoshoot for the second time. You're simply the best!

Credits

Photographer: Filzah Abdul Rahim

Assisted By: Raudha Ismail
Photos Edited By: Siti Zalinah

Camera: Nikon D60

Lens: 18-105 and 55-200

Swimming Good Times!

Shaura loves water so it's just natural when we first introduce her to swim, doing simple kicks in her buoy. She loves it! But it's been a long time since we had a swinging swimming good times! The first post on Shaura's swimming lesson was posted here back in Dec 2010. At 16 months, Shaura has definitely outgrown her bumble bee swimsuit. Thank god for the suit which Kakak gave on Shaura's birthday, it fits her albeit tight-fitting. Sigh. It's true, baby does grow very fast!

 Seen above, Fazlan's blowing air into the buoy. Blow, wind, blow!

We lost Shaura's coconut tree buoy (picture above) and had to buy a new one - a red patrol car meant to be recycled for Shaura's baby brother. Hehehe.

The best part about swimming - we get to meet Hani Natasya, the proud owner of Kiki, the cat. Shaura loves Kiki, you can tell from the way she holds him dearly, just like hugging her favourite teddy bear.

This picture says it all. Shaura's supper happy just to be near Kiki.

And of course, Shaura is even happier when she's in the pool.

Hubby and I are thinking of enrolling Shaura for a proper swimming lesson when she turns 2. The difficult part - to coax her out of the pool after every session. She'll definitely kick up a big fuss :/

True encapsulation of "Daddy's Girl"

This Thai commercial really brought tears to my eyes. Actually most Thai commercials are good at making me cry, it's an Art that the Thais are exceptionally gifted at - from the technicalities (directing, cinematography, acting) to the storyline that touch a million hearts.

But this commercial is extra special....

Cos' it reminds me of them.



Trust me, a father's love is as powerful as a mother's love.

Let's welcome another baby...

Shaistah Omera

Yes, that her name.

And here's Shaura Marissa. Making friends.

What's new, right? :)

How I remember my 16th of April

I've lived to witness a friend's passing, another friend's birthday and a girlfriend's joy - a birth and the beginning of a new journey - all on the same day.

Well hello, Amirah Jannah.

Welcome to the world!

And to Shaura Marissa,
Don't you dare leave without saying goodbye!

I see colours in you

If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, 

keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.

My mother is a poem I'll never be able to write, though everything I write is a poem to my mother.

Dear Shaura Marissa,

When a child is born,

A mother is born.

The woman existed, but the mother, never,

Until you came along.

In understanding fact and fiction,

We hope you know the difference.

You can digest both but you can't eat them.

Love is...

Imagine being away from your newborn for work and school - only to meet her at night when she's asleep. I wouldn't say it's a smooth sailing journey but it's worth every effort.

I'm glad I've made it this far despite the ups and downs, the stress level that I thought I couldn't cope and the thoughts to just give up and quit.

Thank you everyone, friends and family members, for your support and encouraging words.

It means a lot to me.

So what's graduation without a proper photoshoot, right?

Below are the sneak-peek shots taken after the graduation ceremony last week.

To Nana (the wonderful photographer & my senior back in TK) - thank you for your warm service and understanding throughout the entire photoshoot. Knowing Shaura was asleep and cranky when we had to force her to be awake, you extended the time without charging us more. We simply can't wait for the entire album to be up for us to select the final photos!

For those who're interested to know more about the photography services by Nana, you can visit  http://pinkelephantlabs.com/. You can also find Pink Elephant Labs on Facebook.

For now, here are my priceless keepsakes :)

Daddies' Girls

Raya visit to Wani Osman's

Don't cry, Shaura! Big girls don't cry!

I'm yours

Bacalah, maka bacalah.

Introducing the 2-month-old Shaura the world of literature.

With the constant flashes from the camera, she couldn't help but to look at me.

Somehow I don't mind being distracted by you, again and again...

SMS exchange with "Ayah" at noon today

F: Sayang how r u doing? Takde gambar Shaura lagi ke? 12:01:11pm

*******************************************************************

Z: (Pretends to be Shaura) Ibu kata Ayah nak bawak gi jalan-jalan. Nak gi Egypt? See! Shaura dressed as Egyptian! 12:29.22pm

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F: O.o 12:29:31pm

Shaura's simple life

Hello Mummy's friends! I'm Shaura Marissa. I love living my simple life. What do I do everyday? Well, I eat, sleep and pass motion. I love to Zzz the most as doctors around the world have encouraged babies to sleep to help them grow. Well, I trust you, doctors! We went to Bedok Polyclinic today for my second jab of Hepatitis B vaccine. It's good to know that my weight has increased from 2.675kg to 4.5kg in just one month. Mummy says I'm as heavy as her ancient tyrannosaurus laptop, whatever that means! :S

I cry every 2 hours for food i.e. 90ml of milk per feeding - a good improvement as I used to only consume 60ml. Mummy keeps on complaining that she's tired but I hope you understand, Mummy, that I need the extra energy boost and immunity to support my overall mental and physical development. I was such a small, teeny weeny baby when I was born, it kind of increased my confidence to know that I'm growing well. I'm proud to show you my chubby cheeks! They get chubbier and chubbier everyday, much to Daddy's delight of course. See pictures below taken from Mummy's Blackberry. (Psst! She doesn't like her phone. If you're kind enough to exchange your iPhone with her, please please do let her know. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to accept that exchange :D)

I know, I know. Mummy loves capturing my un-glamourous moments, especially while I'm sleeping and unaware of her actions. She's also easily excited at my slightest attempt to smile or giggle. I get annoyed with her kisses but it's heartwarming to know that she dotes on me, having read the latest news on a father who beats his own daughters. Must be painful, don't you think? Guess I'm blessed that my Mummy and Daddy are not like him.

Mummy likes to bring me out for outings. We went to a cool place called Orchard Road last Thursday to meet Mummy's cool friends: Aunt Huda and Uncle Den who just got married last week, Aunt Dyla and hubby, Aunt Netty, Aunt Luk, Uncle Ariff, Uncle Aiman and Uncle Iskandar.

Mummy has many friends, I'm having a hard time remembering the names! -_-

More pictures, here!