Fahmi's Report Card Day

we (me & hubby) were invited by the school to collect fahmi's report card and to discuss our son's first half semester progress at school on wednesday. i went alone as hubby had urgent inspection of goods at his workplace.

fahmi tagged along as his class teacher (teacher lilies suraya) briefed me on his progress. he seems to be doing very well in his half semester exam and scored 99.94% to finish 3rd in his class of 17 pupils. the other two top student in his class are girls, one by the name lydia ( i reckon fahmi mention her name a couple of times) who grabbed the no. 1 trophy and the other i didn't quite get her name. he scored 100% for all other 5 subjects except for spelling which he made 2 mistakes to earn 96% only. he spelled the word 'bola' wrongly. apparently my boy has no patient to sit and check the spelling that he wrote before he hand over his exam paper back, it is not the case that he doesn't know how to spell the word 'bola'.

i am relieved that he did so well in his exam, because knowing him and based on the feedbacks given by the teachers before this, i know my boy is such a naughty and playfull at school. it is a wonder that he pays attention at all in the class. owh, and according to teacher lilies, he has a new partner in crime, an indian boy who is slightly smaller than him.

when teacher lilies mention the boy's name, i quickly reckon that this is the boy that fahmi used to bully before. owh well, bukanlah bully pun, it's just that one day i saw fahmi giving the boy his killing stare i believe to scare the boy away because he was having fun with a bunch of friends when this boy came over, attempted to join them. so, finally the boy became his new partner in crime uh? teacher lilies had to make fahmi as the 'ketua kelas' just to make him more disciplined. i admire teacher lilies approach and think i'm going to apply the same approach at home whenever he & yaya starts getting into their mischievious act.

i told fahmi just now, that if he maintains his result until end of the school semester, i'm going to get him a present, something that he fancy most. another transformer toy, fahmi ask. we'll see my son.

Sudden Hectic Week

the rest of this week going to be very hectic days of the week. i have 4 orders yang perlu disiapkan - 2 pre-order, the other 2 last minute order, and my parents are coming and will be staying with us sehingga hari ahad ni. now, i'm cracking my head organising and re-organising my schedule to fit the orders yang perlu disiapkan and entertaining my parents at the same time.

kalau nak diikutkan my parents memang dah plan nak datang this week and we are ready to accept them. cuma secara tiba2 dekat2 penghujung minggu begini bertambah-tambah pulak order. dengan rumah sewaku yang kecil ni, ruang makan yang bercantum dengan ruang tamulah tempat aku menyiapkan kerja. kesian pulak my parents nanti, dan aku semestinya tak terlayan mereka sebab sibuk melayan baking! heheh

hubby is going to fetch them after maghrib malam ni. and i bet that mum mesti bawa nana tag along. when i mentioned it to hubby, hubby mengomel, aku faham 'ngomelan' dia sebab aku pun mengomel pasal benda yang sama dalam hati aku, iskkk. i jokingly told hubby nana umpama 'bantal busuk' mesti dibawa ke mana2 je pergi. and i also add that kalau dulu kita tinggalkan fahmi terus bawah jagaan my mum, tentu fahmi juga jadi 'bantal busuk' ma. sebagaimana farah was mum's 'bantal busuk' suatu masa dulu, but now farah dah dibela semula oleh my sister farah dah tak jadi 'bantal busuk' ma lagi.

apa persamaan ketiga-tiga nama (fahmi, nana & farah) yang aku sebutkan tadi? all three of them adalah cucu-cucu yang pernah (dan masih) diletak bawah jagaan my mum untuk satu tempoh yang panjang. except for fahmi yang memang cepat2 aku ambil semula selepas aku pertimbangkan 'implikasinya' in the future.

ehmm, since nana pun akan ikut sama, memang enjoy sakanlah anak-anak aku sebab 'kekuatan' diaorang bertambah... mmm banyak2lah bersabar ye dengan jerit pekik diaorg, jadi kapal karamlah rumah aku.

Pics of The Week

My 'Twin' Angels
both were born three days apart, yaya being 3 days' older than nana. but nana address herself as 'kakak' to yaya, because she was taller and bigger.
see the vast different in height between yaya & nana. haven't i mention my fears of yaya's development growth? owh i really shouldn't compare these two girls. it is unfair to yaya. nana has my bro's & his wife's genes - both were tall, while yaya - she sure inherits mine & hubby's dark complexion and perhaps she gets more than just complexion from hubby. she gets the small built from hubby's side. owh i've spoilt this entry by going on and on about height and all.

these pics were taken last saturday. we were at a wedding reception of our dear neighbour and close friend of my parents (the father of the bride being a policeman himself just like my dad, dulu) di seremban. yaya stole the limelight with her pink gown, one lady photographer swarm her, taking her pictures. she was wary of stranger or should i say irritated sebab dia baru je nak bermesraan dengan cousin2nya tetiba kena serang. hahaha

Mild Asthma Symptoms

this article was published at this page http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/article_185.shtml

A persistent, chronic, nighttime cough is one of the most common symptoms of mild asthma. It also can be a symptom of several other pulmonary problems.

If your child coughs often at night, how do you tell if it's asthma - or something else?

Without a medical evaluation, you really can't. Even doctors find it difficult to diagnose asthma when its only presenting symptom is nighttime coughing. In general, an asthma cough is a non-productive cough - one that doesn't bring up any mucus. It may sound as if something is rattling, or have a wheeze at the end of it. More often than not, there's a spasmodic quality to the cough - it may continue until the child is completely out of breath and gagging, or even until they actually vomit.

What if your child is coughing up mucus and sputum?

Well, say doctors, chances are that it's not an asthma cough if it's productive. In most cases, a productive cough accompanies a cold, or lingers for a week or two beyond it. It may also be a symptom of other seriously lung problems, though, so if a cough persists more than 5-7 days, be certain to contact your doctor.

Treatment of a night-time cough obviously depends on the underlying cause of the cough, but most doctors agree that if a cough is productive, treatment shouldn't suppress the cough, since the body needs to bring up all the 'junk' that's clogging the lungs and airways. In fact, if there's obvious congestion that isn't being brought up, an expectorant can help break it up and allow it to be coughed out.

Asthma coughs, on the other hand, are most often dry coughs caused by bronchial spasms.

Since there's nothing to bring up, there's no way for an asthma cough to be 'productive', though you may hear rattling or 'crinkling' sounds if you listen to the chest of a child when they cough. Most doctors now believe that the actual cause of an asthma cough is an irritant or allergen of some kind that sets off an excessive immune reaction. The airways swell as histamine is produced, and the muscles around the bronchial passages go into spasms to attempt to force the irritant up through them.

When dealing with an asthma cough, productive treatment should include regular use of a bronchodilator to help loosen up the muscles around the bronchial tubes. Those muscles put a stranglehold on the airways and make it almost impossible to force air in and out of them. Relaxing them can soothe the most evident symptom of childhood nighttime asthma. Productive treatment often also includes the use of an anti-inflammatory - most often inhaled steroids - to reduce chronic swelling of the bronchioles and make it easier for them to empty.

You can also try a few 'natural remedies' to help reduce episodes of night-time asthma coughing - as long as you keep using the treatment your doctor gave you.

Some herbalists suggest a cup of hot black or green tea with honey before bedtime - the theophyline and caffeine in the tea are both older treatments for asthma, and the honey can sooth a dry, irritated throat.

Add a banana or two to your daily diet, or make sure to eat plenty of magnesium-rich vegetables and meats - magnesium helps control muscle contraction, and many people with asthma have low magnesium levels.

Finally, avoid having irritants in your (or the child's) bedroom. No pets, no stuffed animals, nothing that might trap dust mites or dust - major causes of allergic reactions in childhood asthma


P/S: Our house has been carpet free zone for a long long time since fahmi first had eczema. Was thinking of getting a few for our new house, but with recent development (since now we have 2 kids with asthma symptom) guess I have to scrap the idea.

Asthmatic Or Not?

yaya demam lagi, kali ni hanya panas badan belum ada tanda2 selsema dan batuk. i prayed hard everytime dia sakit biarlah ia kali terakhir or at least the last for a long long time. dah kerap sangat dia tak sihat sekarang ni. batuk2 dan selsema dah macam mainan pulak setiap bulan. disebabkan dah terlalu kerap, sekarang kalau dia batuk aku dah tak bagi dia ubat batuk tapi kuberi dia minum madu dengan perahan limau kasturi je. melainkan kalau tekak dia naik merah baru kubawa jumpa doktor.

bukan demam, batuk & selsema dia aja yang buat aku risau. saiz badan dia yang kecil & kurus halus juga buat aku risau. semakin kerap dia sakit semakin lama aku rasa aku harus akui satu fakta yang selama ni aku cuba tepis. the fact that she may have inherited my asthmatic. maybe sebab dia ni aktif jadi aku tak realised yang dia ada asthmatic symptom, aku pun kurang ambil peduli as long as aku nampak dia aktif, keletah, banyak mulut.

i brought her to see a doctor tengahari tadi. confided to him my fears, had him to look through yaya's past medical records, he asked me few question related to yaya's coughing pattern and other siblings health condition. his conclusion is that yaya could have what the medical term classified as mild asthmatic with the symptoms such as dry (without mucus) persistent cough in the middle of the night which continues until the child eventually vomit. this is very true in yaya's case. tengah malam kalau dengar dia batuk teruk secara tiba2 mesti cepat2 bangunkan dia coz in most times dia akan muntah. masa mula2 dulu kami (me & hubby) pelik juga tak pernah jumpa orang batuk sampai muntah. lama2 bila dah terbiasa kami put it down to maybe yaya ni lain dari orang lain. but now we know better.

in fahmi's case pulak the symptom is more physical sebab dia kena eczema. sekurang-kurangnya jelas dan terang untuk kami tahu yang fahmi memang mewarisi asthmatic aku. dan eczema dia sekarang tak teruk sangat, well at least tidak seteruk masa dia baby dulu - sampai melecet dan bernanah hijau kat keliling leher, pelipat kaki & celah kangkang. kesian kat dia dulu.

dalam usaha aku nak memahami apa itu mild asthmatic symptom aku google and found this article. i'm going to paste it here, hope this article can help all parents out there yang berhadapan dengan anak2 yang ada mild asthma to undertsand it better. at least now aku dah tak rasa bengang lagi bila tengok yaya batuk teruk sampai muntah. and i know how i can help her go thorugh this phase.

Craving For Cheese Cake

i have this craving for cheese cake this week. not just any cheese cake but oreo cheese cake. this craving comes with the wanting to bake my own oreo cheese cake. walaupun kami masih lagi ban US product but because of this nagging craving, i had to make an exception to lift the ban on oreo biscuits, temporarily (bleh caya ke? ;-P) until my craving subsided.

i was never a fan of cheese cake, couldn't really stomach them because it is too rich with cheese. thus, i never keep a cheese cake recipe. but having tasted oreo cheese cake from secret recipe few weeks ago, i kind of like it but just a little at a time. am getting tired of making the trip to secret recipe just to get a slice of oreo cheese cake, so i baked them last night according to a very easy peasy recipe i found at myResipi.

ignore the slightly burnt marks on the far side of the cake, it deosn't effect the taste of the cake anyway. 3 kuntum fondant roses nak menginterframe, which one paling cantik? the one in the middle ke? hehe roses tu interframe untuk tolong tutup burnt marks hahaha. but i'm baffled to see the burnt marks how the heck does that happened when i used bottom heat only from start to finish. owh whatever, next time just for precaution i'll cover the top of the pan with aluminium foil.

Tiring Weekend

it was a tiring weekend due to a string of wedding invitation, engagement, family visit etc.

saturday afternoon, we attended hubby's friend's wedding in taman andalas, klang. i was torn between attending to this reception or the one in rawang. in the end i'm glad i attended this one. sebab nasi beriani nya sedap! heheh... i was told that the cook operated a nasi beriani gam restaurant in muar. having eaten the nasi beriani i've no doubt about his reputation. masa mula2 nasi disendukkan ke pinggan aku pun aku dah boleh agak nasi kali ni bukan sebarang nasi minyak - bau & rupa dah menggambarkan rasa. pastu dihidangkan cendol & tapai pulut pula. tak sia2 lah aku menahan lapar dari pagi :-)

aku tak sempat breakfast pagi sabtu tu bukan pasal apa, sibuk dengan baking project lagi. once dah mengadap kek terus macam melekat gitu tak boleh bergerak. niat asal nak lapiskan kek dengan choc buttercream je, tetiba naik syok pulak terus frost the whole cake. by the time siap tu dah masuk tengahari terus bersiap2 nak gi kenduri dan hantar kakak cuti hujung minggu.

balik dari kenduri kawin aku rasa letih dan mengantuk sesangat. ikut mata rasa nak tidur je sepuas2nya. hubby bawa fahmi took a nap. tinggal aku dan yaya je. itulah masa yang sesuai untuk aku bake fruit cake pulak. since kakak takde semua kerja aku kena buat sendiri so kukorbankan rasa mengantuk terus masuk dapur balik. lagipun nak tunggu fruit cake siap makan masa 4jam. so bolehlah in between tu aku siapkan lauk dinner sekali. nasib yaya behave tak ganggu mama.

the next day, ahad pulak kami attend kenduri engagement my cousin kat hulu langat. pasal tu lah kerja2 baking harus disiapkan sabtu sebab ahad banyak lagi aturcara lain. lepas kenduri kami pergi melawat my uncle yang sakit kat taman perkasa, hulu langat.

lama sungguh kami kat majlis kenduri tu dari tengahari sampai ke petang. letih menunggu majlis over... letih melayan kerenah budak2. mood aku memang tak berapa ok semalam. sebab sebaik je sampai kat rumah cousin, yaya memuntahkan isi perutnya dalam kereta. habis baju gown dia jadi tadahan muntah, nasib kereta mama tak terpalit muntah. cett! mama pentingkan kereta dari anak.

disebabkan kami tak bawa baju spare terpaksa lah aku heret yaya yang topless sekadar berseluar pendek dan berkasut pink bling bling ke surau untuk dibersihkan. aduhhh tebal muka 10inci, harap kasut je lawa. sudahnya yaya dipinjamkan t-shirt hijau serindit courtesy anak kakak aku yang setahun muda dari dia. hmm sepanjang majlis tu berlari2an lah dia dengan t-shirt hijau, seluar pendek & kasut pink. elok sikit dari kunta kinte.

sebab my parents & adik and his family pun datang ke majlis tu, jadi meriahlah anak2aku bermain2 dengan cousin dia semua. sampai naik pening kejiranan taman sri nanding digemparkan dengan kehadiran sekumpulan budak kecil yang tak makan saman. mana tak nya, budak2 tu main sampai masuk bawah meja. adehhh malu omak. on the way balik ke subang, dua2 tergolek dalam kereta. emmph... bila dah penat and puas bermain, masuk kereta je terus zzZzZzzz.