My sixth child is six months old today. I made rice porridge with carrot for him - his first solid food.
Ryan is a bubbly 8-kg baby. Loves to be held - no matter how uncomfortable the position is. Center of his sibling's attention. Plays with his hair at feeding time. Grab others' hair at every chance. Has a love-hate relationship with Daddy's goatee. Cries only when not held. Pouts (fish-style) when thirsty. Has a habit of drinking milk from one side and refusing the other. Family's sun shine.
Ryan is my only child who shares birth place with me. Two are US-born, two Penang-born, one Kedah-born and finally, one Ipoh-mali. My first pregnancy and delivery was the craziest - I didn't know what hit me. Didn't know what to expect. Friends (Liza, Nizam, Is, Asri, Rina) were literally our life savers. My second was the most painful - there was no epidural available. My third was the quickest - on our way to go shopping. My fourth was the most pampered - mom and little sis came to stay with us in Arizona for a month during my confinement. My fifth was my most difficult. I never recovered from the coughs I got during Hajj in Mecca though out the pregnancy. I remember sitting next to my husband in front of Kaabah while he khusyu' in his dua'. I asked him later what he prayed for. He answered, "for another baby boy". Eight months later, his prayer was answered with someone much better, a baby girl. Ryan was a prayer answered, 7 years later.
I never thought I would have another baby, at this age. I was pregnant on my 20th birthday and still nursing a baby on my 40th birthday! Busy. Half a dozen is enough. For now.
I thought 5 was my lucky number. 5 kids, house address No. 5 - the fifth place, in Malaysia, we call home (3rd house bought), married on the 5th day in the 5th month in Gregorian calendar after 5 months (one spring semester) of whirlwind romance. (In Hijr calendar, we were married on the 10th day in the 10th month of the 10th year - 10 Syawal 1410).
While pregnant with Ryan (in my 5th year teaching in Ipoh), I sent my first-born to UIA, honeymooned in Sumatra, visited traumatized orphans in earth-quake stricken Padang (Sumatra), aced my PTK exam (4 and 4 for the 2nd time), got DG-promoted and was awarded the Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang for the 3rd time (twice in Kedah). Being a competent woman has its downside, is sometimes a curse, but most of the times, is a blessing. And I am very blessed - in so many ways. And so is the person reading this.
Ryan is a bubbly 8-kg baby. Loves to be held - no matter how uncomfortable the position is. Center of his sibling's attention. Plays with his hair at feeding time. Grab others' hair at every chance. Has a love-hate relationship with Daddy's goatee. Cries only when not held. Pouts (fish-style) when thirsty. Has a habit of drinking milk from one side and refusing the other. Family's sun shine.
Ryan is my only child who shares birth place with me. Two are US-born, two Penang-born, one Kedah-born and finally, one Ipoh-mali. My first pregnancy and delivery was the craziest - I didn't know what hit me. Didn't know what to expect. Friends (Liza, Nizam, Is, Asri, Rina) were literally our life savers. My second was the most painful - there was no epidural available. My third was the quickest - on our way to go shopping. My fourth was the most pampered - mom and little sis came to stay with us in Arizona for a month during my confinement. My fifth was my most difficult. I never recovered from the coughs I got during Hajj in Mecca though out the pregnancy. I remember sitting next to my husband in front of Kaabah while he khusyu' in his dua'. I asked him later what he prayed for. He answered, "for another baby boy". Eight months later, his prayer was answered with someone much better, a baby girl. Ryan was a prayer answered, 7 years later.
I never thought I would have another baby, at this age. I was pregnant on my 20th birthday and still nursing a baby on my 40th birthday! Busy. Half a dozen is enough. For now.
I thought 5 was my lucky number. 5 kids, house address No. 5 - the fifth place, in Malaysia, we call home (3rd house bought), married on the 5th day in the 5th month in Gregorian calendar after 5 months (one spring semester) of whirlwind romance. (In Hijr calendar, we were married on the 10th day in the 10th month of the 10th year - 10 Syawal 1410).
While pregnant with Ryan (in my 5th year teaching in Ipoh), I sent my first-born to UIA, honeymooned in Sumatra, visited traumatized orphans in earth-quake stricken Padang (Sumatra), aced my PTK exam (4 and 4 for the 2nd time), got DG-promoted and was awarded the Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang for the 3rd time (twice in Kedah). Being a competent woman has its downside, is sometimes a curse, but most of the times, is a blessing. And I am very blessed - in so many ways. And so is the person reading this.
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