Look Who's Walking Now

After weeks of misleading people with 'she JUST turned 1' and answering a quiet no to all the 'WHAT??? 1 year and not walking yet ah??' from strangers we met on the trip, I am so ready now to put on my smug face and show off her walking skills all over Malaysia! :p Too bad that we've come nearly to an end now. Another week on the road and we're back in JB for Eid.

So yes!! Ayisha's walking now! She's actually taken a few steps here and there weeks ago but i thot those didn't really count. The most she did was 6 steps one day and then no step for weeks after! But yesterday, she took few steps and pause and took more steps and pause and went on few times after. So that's definitely walking to me even if there would be no steps today!

I think seeing her cousin Hamza yesterday, who's 4 months younger but just as tall and happily taking steps everywhere, prompted her into doing the same without realizing it. Of course, a lil bit of pressure from her parents didn't hurt - 'jalan Ayisha jalan!' 'no claps for you unless you walk like Hamza!' - The latter 'support' is not from me ok. (hint daddy).

We arrived in Kuantan yesterday to visit my brother and his family cos they won't be with us for Eid this year. From last i wrote, we left Terengganu and moved on to Kelantan, stopping over the beaches and towns along the way and then towards Penang just in time for Ramadan. From Penang, we did a side trip to Phuket for Ayisha's visa then came back and moved on to Lumut to get to Pangkor Island. Just when i thought im all beached out, we'd be in another one and it's just breathtaking everytime. Ayisha's enjoying a lot of sand time with mummy in the shades (panas and haus ah!) and morning dips in the ocean and long walks on the beach with daddy. From Pangkor we headed back to KL for 2 nights to catch up with family and load up our car with stuff to take back to Johor and now we're in Kuantan. This is our last stretch and we're thinking of stopping at Mersing or somewhere along the way before getting to JB to be with my parents for the last week of Ramadan.

Being on the road whilst fasting has been quite challenging to me. I often find myself truly exhausted and at a 'don't talk to me im hungry' stage 1-2 hours before break-fasting time. Maybe it's not so much from the travelling cos we didn't really do much but from taking care of Ayisha and still breastfeeding and it's just SO hot everywhere it feels like every drop has been drained out of me! :p Come to think of it, the last few years of fasting was when i was in Sydney and working and it's winter. Last year, i just gave birth and didn't really do a full month and it's still winter. And the years before that in Malaysia, i was still working in aircond (cos meetings and site visits do not happen in Ramadan :p) and straight into my air cond car and straight back home for a rest before breakky time.

But now, eventho im officially unemployed, looking after a lil person is all work. It's probably the most work i've done and the hardest one, physically, mentally and emotionally ever. And it never stops. What 9-5?? Lunch breaks & shopping breaks?? Are you kididng me??? I know a lot of mothers out there have known this for ages. But why did i ever think staying home is an easier option before? Yes it's hard. Yes it's tiring. Yes sometimes i just wanna leave the room when she screams. Yes sometimes i dunno if i can do it all over again the next day. Yes sometimes i feel like calling Nanny 911 or Michael 911 to stop working and just play peekaboo with her for the 100th time. But at the end of the day, when all is quiet again and i find myself contemplating to go back to work, the loudest voice in me will always yell out in the end 'are you crazy woman?' and the answer is always no. No,i don't wanna leave her with someone else. No i don't wanna leave her, ever. No, i don't wanna catch the train or be in traffic for an hour and missing her waking up. No i don't wanna miss her smiles and her babbles. No i don't wanna miss her surprised look when i come out from the blanket for the 100th time. It's not an easier option but it is a BETTER option for ME. So NO im not complaining. I have to continue counting my blessings and remember that she's only this small for a short time. Plus, i am not doing this alone. I do have help. Well, what i'd love is to have help in the form of an army of nannies or bibiks for every task of child-rearing but for now, I am happy to settle with a partner who understands and acknowledges that what i do is in fact WORK and giving me time offs so that i can have some ME time for Edward Cullen, Friends reruns, Lost finales or just to breathe and refresh. (im hoping for more time offs with all the buttering up people!) Now that she's walking, surely i'd be more tired and in need of time offs right? :p

So, not only is she walking, these are some of the things that she's been up to:
- pointing to body parts. She blinks her eyes and slaps her tummy when asked.
- one morning she woke up and tried to wake me up by talking in front of my face and touching my hands. I continued pretending to be asleep then she unexpectedly planted a big kiss on my lips with 'mmuaahs' sound. It's the BEST feeling ever i think i almost cried!
- sometimes when Michael gets chatty with her she would plant a big kiss on him too. I think she's trying to get him to stop and listen to her instead :p
- she's growing the big teeth now. 3 molars coming out and they look pretty nasty! She's been pretty sick and screaming at night teething. :(
-iShe moves herself with almost everything, rigorously with upbeat songs and swaying slowly with slower songs. And i mean everything, including the call for prayers.
- i think her favorite is Beyonce's 'single ladies'When i put SATC and Glee with that song, she goes crazy with some pretty awesome moves - legs, hands, bum and everything. hahaha!
- she won't stay in the room for too long. she'd get my scarf and shove it to me and point to the door to get me going and take her strolling.Sometimes, she'd get my scarf, my shoes, her shoes and the car keys to get us going.
- she shakes her head and hand when she's done with meals
- i am very positive that her first word is a malay word, and that is 'MINUM'.
- she's been babbling mamma and dadda for a while now but very randomly to anything and everything but the other day, she definitely calls Michael dadda. Mamma is still for me, teddy, book, phone etc.
- she's immitating sounds, tones and words more and more now. Like 'sini' becomes 'inni', 'finish' becomes 'innish' with hand twisting movements, and yesterday i called Hamza repeatedly and she followed with 'Amza, Amza'. (Note to daddy: stop the bad words NOW :p)
- the other day she had a full conversation with her aunty, Cik Wa on skype - chatting, laughing, pointing, hands resting on chin whilst listening, finger pointing on palm vigorously as if making a point. It was just so funny!
- she's getting more interested and brave towards animals and loves chasing cats, birds and ants, unlike her mum :p

OK. She's up, this is it for now! Enjoy the pics...

My favorite :))