He Writes

i am particular about writing. i hate messy writing. ok, fine, my writing may not always be the best but i blame it on the pen. when i use the right pen, my handwriting is pretty ok. having all boys scares me a bit in that region - handwriting. i'm a bit sceptical about boys' handwriting. in school its always the girls that write better. of course this would change as they grow older - i do know of guys with really nice writing.

amir, especially, stresses me out with his writing. i used to go insane helping him with his homework. the tails of his g, j and y would be above the line, he would change between capital and small letters in one word, his a and c and m are huge and hanging in mid-air. oh stress!

amir's teacher, mrs. jey, is particular about writing. she told hubby and me during one of the meetings with teachers that she would throw back a book to the student if their writing is messy. and now, because of her, i love amir's writing. its beautiful and so-not-boyish. i hope he maintains it when he enters primary school.

back in january...

















as the months go by...


















amir's writing now...

Late Mid Year Report

this is so overdue. i wanted to update about the boys, about their school, about their developments, in like forever, but i never seem to have the time. kinda sad when you let work take over your life.

anyway, back to my favourite topic - my eais. how they've grown. i was just thinking this morning (and a few times when i see hypermarket ads) that, wow...they dont drink formula anymore. akmal's not even 2 & a half (he'll be that next month) and we're not making formulas anymore! ahhh happy, happy, joy, joy. kinda nice when people talk about how they have to get up for feeding or stop when they're out and about for feeding, that i can go...eh, what ever for? soon we'll be chucking out the diapers but the effect wont be as great as toilet breaks need to be increased but still...no formula, no diapers, wonderful.

amir & asyraf are thriving at their new school. kinda makes me say, penat-penat je worry about them but who wouldnt worry. after 4 years at TIS, to uproot 2 and put in a new school, was a worrying time for me. they were worried too, i know. their faces on the first day of school showed it but they made friends, they got close to their teachers, they improved their english, they adjusted their timetable (ie cut down daytime naps) and now they absolutely love school.

another plus side is that amir is mentally preparing himself for primary school. he's been talking to his friends about their school next year. both amir & asyraf has shown so much improvement - amir's writing is absolutely wonderful, their spelling, the words they use, their reading are all excellent. they are both reading the old-school 'peter & jane' series - currently amir is reading 11a and asyraf is reading 7a. they take part in sports day, story telling competitions, science projects, spelling bees and soon it will their year-end concert.

the downside to this is the jealousy of ariff. he's been with his abangs for so long, previously in the taska while the abangs are in tadika. separate but together. they start the school together, end the school together, they go and come back together. now they are totally seprated - they wake up separately, they go to school separately, they have new friends that ariff dont know. this causes ariff to be moody and rough and downright irritating. he refuses to listen, he cries for no reason, he throws things, he deliberately go against everyone. i hope that he will change for the better once we enrol him in BiCDC next year. if not, then there's another underlying problem in him.

akmal too is getting rougher. he would say things like 'ni bukan awak punya', 'awak main sana lah' 'ini izzat punya lah'. his brothers entertain him. even though he has this tendency to be a bit rough, i'm not too worried as he tends to follow his brothers. and if amir & asyraf are ok (hopefully ariff will be better soon too), insyaallah akmal will be ok too. for now my hope is with the elder two to straighten out the younger two. but akmal, he's still the baby, still the manja one, still the one giving away hugs and kisses freely, still the one who wants to sleep in his mummy's arms. now that, i can wait to outgrow...unlike to formula and the diapers.

some current photos of them...

Night Ritual

now that the boys are older, they have new rituals that they practise (enforced by us) every night as they're about to sleep. previously, hubby & i would recite al-fatihah & ayat kursi to each of them before giving them a kiss goodnight. now they do it on their own.

first, they recite al-fatihah...












1:1 In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
1:2 Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;
1:3 Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
1:4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
1:5 Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
1:6 Show us the straight way;
1:7 The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

then, al-ikhlas, 3 times...












112:1 Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
112:2 Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
112:3 He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
112:4 And there is none like unto Him.

finally, with our help (as they have not mastered it yet) the boys recite ayat kursi...











2:255 Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).

one of the advantages of reading the 3 ayat above is to protect oneself during his/her slumber, insyaalllah.

Diantara khasiat Fatihah ialah siapa yang membaca 'Al-Fatihah' diwaktu hendak tidur, Surah 'Al-Ikhlas' sebanyak 3 kali dan Mu'awwidzatain maka ia akan aman dari segala hal selain ajal. Barang siapa membaca ayat Kursi ketika hendak tidur, maka Tuhan mewakilkan dua malaikat yang menjaga selama tidurnya sampai pagi.

Another Trip

we're back here. this time its for hubby. he's due for his knee 'reconstruction' since, well...since 2003! its high time he decides to undergo his third and hopefully final operation. after 8 years and many, many swollen knee incidents due to slips, knocks, falls, he finally decides to go under the knife yet again.

this time, the decision to admit needed planning, talking through and more planning. unlike the normal 'so...you nak admit ke?' and spur of the moment decisions when it comes to the boys. for once, the one half of the team will be down, leaving the 4 terrorists against 1. secondly it will be over the fasting month and the food buyer will not be able to perform his duties. thirdly, amir and asyraf will be without their normal transport to and from school. we had to settle 3 main items - food during the fasting month, transport for the boys and transport for hubby for his physio sessions.

a week prior to the surgery, 2 out of the 3 were settled. we still had a problem with hubby's transport. we decided on a cab and maybe arranging for the same cab to ferry him back and forth. unfortunately, the cab did not even show up on the first day of physiotherapy so hubby took a chance and drove himself. so that's the method of transport ever since - he drove. doesnt go down well with me but we lack choices currently.

its almost 2 weeks since his operation. its been going ok so far, alhamdullilah. the first week of the fasting month was quite stressful with hubby falling ill after each physio session, the painkiller only last for 12 hours so he's in excruciating pain 5pm onwards. not to mention me having to run around to look for food for iftar from the measly pasar Ramadhan in front of mydin. hopefully the second week of fasting onwards will be better, insyaallah.

what was he in for, by the way. acl revision / reconstruction - "ACL reconstruction is surgery to replace the ligament in the center of your knee with a new ligament. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) keeps your shin bone (tibia) in place. A tear of this ligament can cause your knee to give way during physical activity.

You will probably receive general anesthesia right before surgery. This means you will be unconscious and unable to feel pain. Sometimes, other kinds of anesthesia are used for this surgery.

The tissue that will replace your damaged ACL will come from your own body or from a donor. A donor is a person who has died and, before death, chose to give all or part of their body to help others.

•Tissue taken from your own body is called an autograft. The two most common places to take tissue from are a tendon in your knee or your hamstring. Your hamstring is a tendon behind your knee.
•Tissue taken from a donor is called an allograft.

The procedure is usually done by knee arthroscopy. With arthroscopy, a tiny camera is inserted into the knee through a small incision. The camera is connected to a video monitor in the operating room. Your surgeon will use the camera to check the ligaments and other tissues of your knee.

Your surgeon will make other small cuts around your knee and insert other medical. Your surgeon will repair any other damage found. Your surgeon then will replace your ACL by following these steps:
•The old ligament will be removed with a shaver or other instruments.
•If your own tissue is being used to make your new ACL, your surgeon will make a larger cut. Then, your surgeon will remove this tissue through the larger cut.
•Your surgeon will make tunnels in your bone to bring the new tissue through. This new tissue will be in the same place as your old ACL.
•Your surgeon will attach the new ligament to the bone with screws or other devices to hold it in place. As it heals, the bone tunnels fill in. This secures the new ligament more.

At the end of the surgery, your surgeon will close your incisions with stitches and put a dressing on them. Most surgeons take pictures during the procedure from the video monitor so that afterward you can see what was found and what was done."