Let's Go Fishing!

Our toddler loves to play the "fishing game" with her "fishing kit" that includes a fishing rod and four colorful fishes. :)

I decided to make it more interesting for her.

I went and filled her bathtub (not that full, conserve water :D ) and placed it on our balcony.

I was hoping that the outdoor breeze would give a feel that she's fishing outdoors hehehehe 

Here we went adding the fishes into the tub and she added the whale toy too.

She initially struggled to "catch" the fishes as the magnet which was positioned on the mouth kept going underwater.

So she decided to do what a toddler knows best, used her hand to direct the rod to the mouth and scooped up the fish. 

Hahahahaha I said "Hey, that's not fair!" 

I showed her how to do it using the fishing rod and how she needs to be patient.

Walla! She was able to do it correctly and here's her "catch of the day", in the blue pail. :D

"Well done! I'm soooo proud of you!" I exclaimed whilst happily snapping away and recording her attempts for Daddy to view when he comes home from work.

Once she was able to grasp the concept, I'd create ripples in the water so that the fishes would be "swimming" around.

She'd initially say "Stop Ummi!" but when I showed her that she could still catch the fish despite the "waves", she was OK thereafter.

We even had the whale go around trying to catch the fish as well so she'd need to be quick to catch the fish before the whale does! :D

Later that evening, when she was in one of her I-don't-wanna-go-shower moods, I just asked her "Do you want to go fishing?" 

She'll quickly say "Yes!" run to the room, grab her towel and appear in front of me with a fully anticipating facial expression, while asking "Where's the fishing rod, Ummi?"

I'll just smile and fill up her tub in the bathroom, adding in her bath foam.

She'll get excited as she'd submerge all the fishes under the water (obviously hidden by the foam) and start looking for her fishes. 

I'm impressed that she was still able to use the fishing rod to catch the fish despite the thick foam in the bathtub.

Owh, she's able to spend close to an hour just "fishing".

Excellent activity for hand-eye coordination PLUS a little imagination. ;)

The Not-So-Ideal Toddler's Schedule: March 19, 2014

Our toddler had a sleepless night so naturally, it affected my sleep.
She wanted to nurse a couple of times until I got a bit frustrated. :(

She decided to wake up at 5am (my goodness!), ran out of the room and followed Daddy around the house as he was getting ready for work. 
Of course, she also wanted to follow Daddy out the door.
Whilst Daddy was putting on his shoes, she went "Want to wear shoes!"
Daddy asked if she wanted to wear his shoes. 
She smiled gleefully and slipped both her small feet into his shoes whilst exclaiming "It's too big!" but didn't remove the shoes and headed out the door, following Daddy closely behind. 
She struggled to drag both the already big shoes around but seems to have the patience (and persistence) to walk in Daddy's shoes. :)
As Daddy persuaded her to stay home and that he'll see her later in the evening, there was a mini-protest from the little munchkin but she obliged "Ok!" and walked back confidently into the house with the shoes.

After waving goodbye to Daddy and blowing kisses his way, we went into the house and she asked for her formula. 
I prepared her formula, gave it to her as she watched the TV and I headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.
I came back out, made up the bed, performed my prayers and cleaned up the kitchen a bit.

It was already 7am+ when I was done with the kitchen so I asked her to take her shower, of course, she'd initially hesitate.
Once she's all showered, clothed, hair combed and nails trimmed, I prepared her butter & toast, cheese slice and grape juice.
I had my usual freshly brewed coffee with butter & toast.
Our activity for today took a different turn.

I let her decide what she wanted to do instead of dictating that she needed to ie color a book / play with her blocks for a certain duration. 
I read that toddlers her age should be given some freedom as to the activity they wish to do and not for too long.

I started with building blocks when she was engrossed with another activity (making a mess of the living room) and she eventually joined in. 
Before I proceeded with the activity, we worked on cleaning up the mess together.

Once done, we started piling the blocks as high as we can, identifying the different colors and grouping them together, identifying the alphabets printed on all sides of each block (read: attempt since she was more interested in piling them together) and stacking the blocks in her wagon where she'd control the wagon and try to bring the blocks around the house.

We cleared the blocks and proceeded to reading. 
She cleverly laid out a small mat, took the box containing books and laid the box next to the mat whilst I gave her a small cushion to rest on.
We read up to 5 books today, all picked out by her.
Three books were from the Dora & Diego series which hubby bought at a petrol station which was worth RM3 per book. 
It's interesting considering she was able to name all the characters in the cartoon series.

Attempted to color with her, unfortunately, she was only able to focus like 5 minutes and she moved on to the next activity. 

She took out flash cards for Alif, Ba, Ta and we attempted to sort the cards. 
So far so good until huruf 'ain'.
She got bored, or perhaps tired, so we cleared the books away, which she happily did on her own whilst singing some tune (only God knows to what tune she was singing to but it's extremely adorable!).

It was already 1pm+ by the time we finished our activities. 
I attempted to feed her lunch, but she refused food outright. 
I then asked if she wanted to take a nap, to which she immediately said "Yes!"
So we ended up napping from 1pm+ to 6pm today.
Ok, not me as I got up to perform my prayers and did some reading, then went back to bed.
She stirred for a moment and quickly grabbed me to bf.

Once she woke up, I gave her formula whilst I prepared a quick dinner.
We then showered and Daddy reached home just when she was about to wear her diapers.
Yes, she literally ran out of the room diaper-less just so she could greet Daddy and say "Hi, Daddy!"
She ran back into the room and got all excited to put on her PJs since Daddy's home. :)

We performed our prayers, I completed some laundry and we had dinner.
It was free-time hereafter as she's able to watch TV or play with her iPad whilst I caught up on some emails / work.

We retired close to 12 midnight since she kept wanting Daddy's attention.

Ok, so this isn't an ideal schedule for a toddler since she woke up too early, took a longer nap than her usual naptime and slept off quite late.

However, in terms of the activities, I've noticed that she dislikes coloring, the only activity which she could only focus on doing for 5-minutes.
We know that she loves painting so we'll do that tomorrow.

In terms of outlining the schedule, can't really restrict a certain activity for say an hour of playing with blocks and another hour for reading. 
Her attention span differs and so does her interest so it's more of me letting her decide what she wants to do. 
Within one morning, we could fit up to 3 activities back-to-back.
On other days, she'd probably only want to do 1 or 2 in the morning and continue on in the afternoon or evening.

Another crucial thing which I heavily put emphasis on would be cleaning up her toys / table, ensuring cleanliness ie washing her hands / bathing / brushing her teeth / not to wear the same clothes day in and out as clothes need to go into the washer too!!!

As she's 2 years and 7 months of age, that'll work, for now. :) 

2 Play Dates in a Day! :D

We woke up on Saturday to quite a heavy hazy morning.
Our toddler wanted pancakes so I prepared 7 big pieces for the 3 of us.
Whilst sipping my freshly brewed coffee that morning, I can't help but think of the passengers and crew of the missing plane, MH370.

How are they? Did they have a good rest? Are they eating well? How are they taken care of? 
I consistently pray to Lord the Almighty for Him to have mercy on everyone in the plane so that they are protected and returned safely to their family and friends.
May He also grant the family with immense strength and patience to endure this extremely difficult time.

I also thought about the haze currently enveloping the nation due to the dry spell and made supplication to the Almighty for Him to have mercy on us and shower us with rain.

The first day I had to go out in the haze was when mom had to pay the Doctor a visit for her medical check-up.
Dad gave me a mask to cover my face.
I immediately felt extremely uncomfortable when I had to inhale some of the air.
Even though we only went outside the building or car for a few brief moments, I suffered from an itchy nose and a massive headache!
When we went home late that evening, I just couldn't stand the headache and went straight to bed.
I woke up feeling a bit queasy but definitely much better!

As I was lost in my own thoughts, I noticed that the sky was suddenly clear and I could even see the formation of beautiful clouds! 

Wow! 

I texted my girlfriend who was coming over later in the afternoon with her hubby and daughter to bring their swimming gear! 
The day was just too beautiful to let it pass without enjoying it.

Since we were expecting visitors, hubby baked one whole moist chocolate cake whilst I cleaned the house a bit and prepared lunch so that we could stay in, take a nap before entertaining our visitors. 
Ensuring that your toddler has sufficient nap time is crucial for the success of a play date!

Around 2pm, our toddler successfully went to sleep for a couple of hours before my girlfriend arrived with her family in tow at approximately 5pm.
Whilst they were getting ready to head down to the pool, the sky suddenly turned dark and we could see rain shower!
What a joy!
Yes, her kid was bummed that she couldn't go for a swim so we had to think on our feet what could be done indoors instead.
We took out the paint, toy ride, playdough and other stuff just to keep them both occupied.
Luckily, hubby is the creative one so he kept the kids entertained whilst I chatted with my girlfriend.
They stayed until 9pm so we had dinner together and they left shortly after.

Around the same time, another friend came along bringing her 2 kids aged 2 years whereas the other child was 5 months old.
So they stayed until 10pm+ before they decided to go home as it was quite a distance for them to drive home.

I must admit that my little girl thoroughly enjoyed her time playing with other children BUT hubby and I had to play the mediator role most of the time as our toddler tends to be the more eeerrr aggressive character.

Not that she hits other kids but sometimes she wants to share her toys and other times, she'll just pluck the toy out of the child's hand and runs away with it!!!! 

Phew! What a day! 

All 3 of us retired that evening feeling extremely tired but we'd do it all over again, nevertheless :)

Getting Around @ APSH

Some vital information which helped me get around Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital with a toddler trotting along (dengue experience).


Rooftop Garden (4th floor)
If you find yourself trying to calm down your active toddler who keeps running off down the halls or playing peek-a-boo behind curtains or even trying to play with the wheelchair or food cart or trolley (or anything with wheels for that matter!), this park allows you to let your toddler run around whilst screaming their lungs out! Unfortunately, couldn't really stay out for long due to the hazy weather. 


Play Area (6th floor)
The space is quite huge with a few toys available, however, the temperature is like REALLY cold! You'd want your kid to wear socks, else, you'll end up with a tot having icy cold feet at the end of their playing session. 


Surau (1st floor)
It's also accessible via the stairs from the lobby. Quite comfortable and there's also a toilet inside as well. 


4-bedded room
Mom was admitted on the first day in Ampang Puteri's 4-bedded room (which costs RM95 per night). There's one chair available for each bed, one TV, one wardrobe with a safe inside, the bathroom and showers are separate, there's a small room for people to perform their prayers too. Unfortunately, if your neighbor is the type who often receives visitors and talk super loud (insensitive to other patients), you'd end up feeling annoyed and probably clock a higher BP! :( 


1-bedded room
The room costs RM 230 per night. You'll have an attached bathroom, one wardrobe with a safe, small fridge and praying mat inside, a tall rack, one small cabinet, your own phone and 2 chairs for visitors. If I'd have to fork out RM 230, I'd rather go to Prince Court where their rooms are RM 220 per night and you'd get to choose your own meals on top of having a comfy sofa for your visitors too, especially if they'd have to spend the night taking care of you. 


Visiting Hours
For APSH, their visiting hours are 12pm-3pm & 5pm-9pm daily.


Meals
You can't choose your own meals so mom either received porridge (most of the time) or extremely spicy dishes (ie masak lemak cili padi or masak merah) ... huhuhuhu. They offer breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner.

Their cafeteria offers a range of dishes but I'd rather make that short trip across to Ampang Point as one can't possibly eat at the cafeteria for the entire 11 days.


Parking
Parking is a nightmare especially if you were to arrive from 10am on weekdays or a Saturday. Alternatively, their valet parking is RM 13 per entry.

Denggi Berdarah ... Pengalaman Yang Sukar Dilupakan!

Assalamualaikum ...
Baru sempat nak update blog ni. 
Ibuku baru keluar hospital sbb denggi berdarah.
Kena tahan dekat 2 minggu!!!
Alhamdulillah, Ibu beransur pulih namun masih lemah jadi dia duduk dalam bilik je buat masa ni.
Ni nak share info mana yg aku ingat, mungkin boleh tolong sesapa yg cari maklumat utk denggi ni.

Hari 1:
Dalam pukul 1am, Ayah bawa Ibu ke klinik sbb Ibu memang ada lelah dan dia pun dah demam 2 hari sebelumnya.
Malangnya, nebulizer di klinik tak berfungsi, mereka terpaksa suruh Ibu & Ayah pergi ke hospital terus.
Tanpa berfikir panjang, Ibu menyuruh Ayah ke Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital. 
Sampai sahaja di hospital, kena amik darah dulu sebelum Ibu dapat menggunakan nebulizer. 
Apabila keputusan darah keluar, Ibu terpaksa ditahan di hospital sbb disahkan kena denggi. 

Ayah terus hantar Whatsapp kat group dalam pukul 3am utk memberitahu yg Ibu dah masuk ward.
Dalam pukul 10am, bergegaslah aku ke hospital sambil kelam-kabut bawak budak kecik tu.
Siap belikan sarapan sbb memang tak sempat nak buat pagi tu dgn nak siapkan budak kecik & bawa barang2 utk budak kecik sbb nak jaga Ibu di hospital.
Belikan sarapan utk Ayah sekali. 

Sampai sahaja di ward tingkat 4 tu, Ibu kelihatan terbaring di atas katil, siap pakai oxygen mask dgn drip sekali. 
Ya Allah, mana tak sedih hati anak ni tengok Ibu macam tu! :(
Terus Google apa2 tips utk demam denggi ni. 

Maka 100 Plus pun dibeli.
Malangnya, Ibu tiada selera utk makan, bila dia teguk 100 Plus tu, tak lama lepas tu dia dah start muntah2.
Aku stay kat hospital sampai ke malam dan berdoa agar Ibu pulih, Insya Allah.


Hari 2:
Cousin datang bawak sup ketam tengah hari tu, terus Ibu hirup sup dan makan ketam sekali. 
Aku pulak sibuk dok cari ketam kat pasar dan Google utk cari resepi cari sup ketam ... tak pernah masak ketam hokkkeeeyyy!
Selera Ibu masih tiada, kena paksa juga dia makan.


Hari 3: 
Ibu cuba utk minum sup ketam yg aku buat, tapi tak habis. 
Aku ada juga belikan dia buah kurma, suruh dia makan sekerap yg mungkin.
Ibu kerap pula ke bilik air, buang air kecil, katanya. 
Belikan dia Tiger Balm sbb dia kata sakit belakang. 
Ibu tiada selera makan, cuma nak roti atau biskut. 
Makanan yg disediakan hospital dia cuma ambil sesuap dua sahaja, kalau dia paksa dirinya makan, dia nak muntah.


Hari 4: 
Ibu disahkan borderline kencing manis dan denggi ni pun dah affect hati dia. 
Terus hentikan sup ketam dan suruh Ibu makan buah kurma je.
Malam ni, Ayah dah mula tidur di hospital sbb Ibu makin lemah.


Hari 5: 
Ibu terbaring sahaja di katil. 
Kami belikan Ibu jus kurma, kena bancuh 1 sudu besar jus tu (agak pekat juga) dalam air suam. 
Platelet Ibu makin menurun, amat risau hati ni. 


Hari 6: 
Ayah Whatsapp kat group dalam pukul 12am, katanya keadaan Ibu makin teruk. 
Jururawat terpaksa keluar masuk bilik Ibu setiap 20 minit, hampir2 dimasukkan ke ICU. 
Mereka masukkan 6 bag darah, letak bag utk air kencing dan pakaikan Ibu lampin. 
Ibu dah memang tak boleh gerak dan tak sedar.

Ketika memberi Ibu makan / minum / ubat, mata Ibu tertutup dan kami kejutkan Ibu utk bangun makan / minum / makan ubat.
Dia makan tapi bila bercakap, tak memberi tindakbalas. 
Ketika ini, platelet Ibu dah turun sampai 14 !!!

Pukul 3pm, tangan dan kaki Ibu makin bengkak ... yg sangat2 bengkak.
Panggil jururawat utk tolong bukakan cincin. 
Tak dapat bukak. 
Jururawat tu perasan yg bengkak amat teruk, terus membuat panggilan ke Doctor utk tolong tengok Ibu. 

Ibu memang tak sedar, meracau pun ya. 
Tidak memberi tindakbalas.
Mereka suruh aku bercakap dgn Ibu. 
Malangnya, Ibu tak respond kat aku.
Aku dah tak boleh tahan ... terus meraung di luar bilik.

Nasib baik makcik aku ada di luar, dipeluknya aku sekuat-kuatnya ... cuba utk menenangkan aku, selawat semua.
Aku akui, ini ketentuan Allah SWT, qada' & qadar, tapi pada waktu itu, ketika itu, aku terlupa seketika.
In shock barangkali ... ikut emosi.
Bila aku dah tenang, pakcik aku pula tenangkan aku. 
Begitu bertuahnya aku ketika itu.

Aku beritahu makcik aku, barangkali aku nangis sbb tengok muka makcik yg iras muka Ibu, sbb mereka adik-beradik. 
Bila jururawat panggil semula aku masuk, aku tarik makcik.
Minta makcik cakap dgn Ibu. 

Makcik pun mula berborak, Ibu ada respond TAPI kami tak paham langsung apa Ibu utarakan!
Jururawat semua berusaha sedaya upaya bercakap dgn Ibu namun hasilnya tetap sama.
Doctor terus suruh jururawat bawa Ibu pergi CT scan, dikhuatiri denggi sudah sampai ke otak pula.

Ya Allah ... hancur luluh hati ini bila terdengar Doctor berkata begitu. 
Aku dan Ayah mengiringi Ibu ke tingkat bawah, ke bilik radiologi (barangkali ada nama lain, aku kurang pasti). 
Ku lihat jururawat dan pakar radiologi cuba utk alihkan Ibu dari katil ke atas mesen scan.
Kami disuruh tunggu di luar. 
Mataku dah berjujuran dgn air mata, Ayah senyap, tidak berkata apa.

Beberapa jam menunggu, sambil ku suap Ibu makan, Doctor masuk.
Katanya denggi tidak menjejaskan otak, cuma Ibu kurang sodium, kami perlu beri Ibu garam dalam makanan dan air. 
Pihak hospital akan tukar drip Ibu dari air ke sodium.


Hari 7:
Sodium Ibu naik sedikit, kami usahakan menambah garam dalam makanan & minuman. 
Ibu masih belum sedar sepenuhnya. 
Dia dimandikan oleh jururawat, ditukar lampin dan air kencing dikumpul dalam bag.

Doctor mengatakan Ibu kurang hemoglobin juga.
Maka kami perlu beri Ibu susu, yogurt, buah plum, prunes & raisins.
Jus kurma tetap kami beri setiap hari.
Mereka juga usahakan utk keluarkan air dari badan, kurangkan bengkak di kaki dan tangan. 
Banyak juga air kencing keluar walaupun kami diberitahu utk tidak memberi minum air banyak, hanya 700ml dalam masa 24 jam.


Hari 8:
Ibu sedar, boleh berbicara & bergerak sedikit ... banyak tidur juga.
Darah keluar dari hidung dan Ibu batuk berdarah sekali sahaja.
Platelet Ibu naik sedikit, Alhamdulillah.

Ibu mengidam makan nasi dgn sup sayur, ikan goreng, tempe, telur masih. 
Aku masak mana yg sempat dan beli mana yg tak sempat nak masak pagi tu.
Alhamdulillah, Ibu makan nasi sampai bertambah!


Hari 9: 
Ibu sedar dan boleh bergerak.
Banyak lebam di tangan, bengkak di tangan susut sedikit.
Ibu diberi antibiotik sbb sel darah putih agak tinggi.

Lampin dibuka sbb Ibu sudah boleh berjalan (dipimpin tangan) ke bilik air sendiri. 
Ibu sudah boleh duduk juga.
Aku masak sup ayam dan beli ikan kerisik goreng sbb Ibu teringin makan ikan kerisik.


Hari 10:
Alhamdulillah, platelet Ibu naik 120. Tak sabar bawa Ibu pulang!
Ibu teringin makan nasi ayam, aku beli yg dah siap.


Hari 11: 
Platelet Ibu naik 160!!! 

Aku masak sup sayur lagi, telur dadar dan beli ikan keli goreng (permintaan Ibu).
Kami pulang ke rumah dalam pukul 3pm. 
Akan berjumpa semula dgn Doctor dalam masa 6 hari. 
Doctor pesan supaya Ibu dijaga rapi dari segi pemakanan dan pengambilan ubat (yg amat BANYAK!) ... Doctor kata Ibu tidak boleh jatuh demam lagi.


Memandangkan Ibu sudah berada di rumah, kurang penat sikit sbb aku tidak perlu menempuh traffic jam utk ke hospital.

Agak penat sbb jaga Ibu selama 2 minggu di hospital dan makan pun tak ikut waktu ... tapau je ... langsung tak masak!

Kesian hubby dan budak kecik! 

Namun, kepenatan tu tak dapat nak atasi kepuasan melihat Ibu beransur pulih dan dapat pulang ke rumah! 

Alhamdulillah!