First time on Bucket Swing

We went for a walk last weekend in the park nearby our house and wondered if Brigitta would like trying out the swing. They have something called a bucket swing where infants can sit in it safely. She was a bit surprised at first but quickly got used to it.

One time she kept chewing on the front part of the swing so Kevin pushed her head back. But we then figured out that we can stop it by correcting her sitting style. Duh on the parents.

Anyway, here's a video of her swinging.

Halloween 09

We didn't do much on Halloween. I caught the flu the day before which really made me angry. Brigitta had a couple of events to go to on the day before Halloween and Halloween itself and due to my stupid flu, we weren't able to go.

So, it was a quiet day all in all. Brigitta did manage to wear her costume since Monday though. Halloween was on Saturday. She had her Mandarin music class and the teacher said the week before that kids can wear their costumes. Well, I turned up and Brigitta was the only one wearing a costume. Ah well, she's too young to feel embarrassed. It made me aware that I have to double check on things like this in future when she is of an age that will. Everyone liked what she wore and thought she was super cute which was nice.

Kevin likes to make his own costumes ever since he was a kid. So, we were thinking of what to make for her for the longest time. Recently, Brigitta had learnt how to babble and make loud sounds..almost like a yell. With that yell and also the fact that Kevin teases me about her Bugis heritage, I said why not make her a Pirate. Bugis are known to be great warriors and also infamously as pirates.

Anyway, we thought it'll be kinda cute to play on that. So, I went to an arts and crafts store called Michaels and got a foam pirate hat (that was way too big for her), silver and black foam sheets for the sword, and red material for her sash. She already has the cutest black boots which is for winter and looks perfect for the part. I sewed the pirate hat to fit her, and Kevin made the sword. It was a fun project.

Here she is at her music mandarin class. It's playing with balls time.

Arr...I need my puffs!

The other time she managed to show off her costume was at her playgroup date. Other kids had their costumes on too, and they looked so cute. One Mom said that she thinks Brigitta's costume is the best though which made me all happy. The video below is taken after we're ready to go home from the playgroup. It's one of her friends from the playgroup, Maximo, and I thought it was kinda funny.

On Saturday, we did go out briefly to get candy for the trick and treaters. I was so sick the day before that I didn't dare drive on my own. Kevin had to even work from home to help me out. Chocolate candy is much cheaper during Halloween than any other time by the way. Since we were not going to any parties, I dressed her up to go to the store coz Kevin hasn't seen her in the whole costume.

Target is our usual place to shop for candy.

She likes clapping her hands. It's also a sign for "more" in context.

Later that day, we carved our pumpkins..that has become a family ritual. It's creative and it's a bit like sculpting too. This year, we got 2 big pumpkins and one small one. My design was more modern and art deco-ish (in my mind at least), Kevin's was more traditional and ornate. I got to do Brigitta's coz I finished early and tried to make a cute design for her. See the photos below? Her pumpkin's mouth is actually the word "Boo".

Before

After

19.5 lbs at 9 months

Swine flu is the talk of the town here. I've joined two playgroups and am also in the mailing list of parents associated with my birthing education center. So, everyone is asking everyone's opinion if we should take the vaccination. Most of the worry stems from side effects, esp since swine flu hit US a few years back and the vaccination then for it had serious side effects.

However, since a lot people has heard of people getting swine flu and that some children passed away from it, even critics of vaccination is re-thinking their stand. After all, being a parent takes precedence over everything.

Brigitta alhamdulillah, is a healthy, strong baby. She just went for her 9 month check up, she's growing nicely and didn't even cry for her polio shot. We go for shots every month so that she gets only one or two shots at one time instead of the usual 3-4 shots at one time. It helps us to see if she has any adverse reactions towards the shots.

Below is her at her first playdate. The kids are twins, so adorable and we met them at one of the playgroups. Brigitta and the twins are only a few days apart!

I liked the gates so much that I bought some for me too. I feel safer putting her in there when I cook.

Anyway, fall is also upon us. That means a much lower electricity bill..thank goodness. During summer, I crank up the A/C but this is not a well insulated house so the A/C goes on and on. Plus, it's central air. I wish they have the A/C units like in Malaysia coz I think that's so much better for the environment and my electricity bills too.

I got Brigitta a nice little used coat, it's Hanna Andersson so it wears well. Still looks excellent at half the price, :) I love it coz she looks like a little bear.

And no, it's not her Halloween costume. I won't be that lame. ha ha!

NurIlham's first Raya

Our daughter's first Raya. Her impression of it is that there seems to be a lot of Aunties and Uncles, big brothers and sisters that want to play with her and it's all very loud. She got some cash too from one open house, but don't understand the value yet. I don't want to give it to her coz she'll stuff it in her mouth. ha ha. A bank would be a better place. :)

We were blessed to get three invites and have been to two. One more to go in Sacramento. That would be a bit of a challenge coz it's a long drive. But, it's not often that we get to meet our friends there and of course the food is worth it.

First day of Raya at Aza's beautiful house in SF. She's a caterer so her food was really yummy.

All the boys.

The second gathering was in a community hall. We all chipped in to pay for the rental.

Sheilla, Finy and me. I'm feeling young. ha ha!

Me and K. Ainal.

The family with Ilham fast asleep.

Ilham is cranky coz she missed her nap.

Took us forever to organize for a group photo.

But we did it!

Ups and downs, plus a review on Coach Groovy bag

I had major ups and downs today. Major down, got my baju kebaya from Malaysia and the tailoring was so bad it looks like a sack on me, no worse, it made me look like a green potato. I spent a lot of money on this so am pretty upset, especially since this is the first time I tailor a baju after 7 years. Luckily I have two back up baju kurung for Raya (thanks Amin and Sheri!).

Two major ups though. First, I got a package from my Aunt who lives in Switzerland. She got some german books for Brigitta which is wonderful! Kevin wants Brigitta to be exposed to the German language so he reads to her in German. Also, it's always nice to hear from my Aunt. She's a sweetie.

Second major up is my new Coach bag. Just got it today coz I received a discount..woo hoo! Coach only gives certain people discounts, and I felt really lucky to get this coz I found out they cut them down to 30%. Anyway, this next paragraph is sort of a review so if you don't like handbags..skip it! :)

It's the Poppy Groovy in Black Patent and matching wallet. I'm not sure if I want to keep the wallet, will decide in the next couple of days. But, I've had my eye on this bag for months now and decided to wait till I get a discount card which I did last week! So, I went today to get it. It's the perfect size for me (someone who's 5 feet tall) and I can fit my big sunglasses case, my normal glasses case, my cellphone and wallet. It's cute and even though the patent is really shiny, I like it coz it's not the typical boring black. It's a crossbody design which is great for a Mom coz it keeps my hands free, plus I don't like putting my handbag on the stroller, too easy a target. The strap is thick enough for me, thin straps emphasize my chest and just don't sit well, this one is perfect. Plus, I can also take off the strap if I want to carry it and so make it into a dinner bag. There's many other patterns and colors (some looks totally crazy!) but I like Black coz it's versatile and the patent color just pop. The other color I like is the Pink one, very cheerful looking. I wish they have one in deep Red though. Here's the photo...what do you think? Should I keep the wallet too? hee hee. :)

Oh, btw, today is the last day of Ramadhan..so would like to wish a very happy Selamat Hari Raya (Eid Mubarak) to all my friends and family. Please forgive me if any of my words have offended you or make you feel bad. I do hope that it has given you much joy instead.

Salaams (Peace),

Haniza

8 months on 9/9/09

I wonder how many people wanted to conceive in Dec so that they can give birth on this date. I can imagine the weddings that is happening on this date. Over here, there's not much hoo haa in the news regarding this triple 9 digits date. Health care and the economy is the main topic in the news lately.

Still, for us today means that Brigitta is 8 months old and that's definitely auspicious. Poor girl have been having congestion for the past few days but she's getting better everyday. I've also been so quiet lately coz we've been doing a lot of stuff the last few weeks but thought it's a good idea to bring everyone up to date today.

First, I'm getting used to making food for her, she's been adventurous and trying all sorts of veggies and fruits. She's only tried chicken so far, fish and beef is next. Most of the food are organic. A bit more pricey but worth it coz she's still building her antibodies up. She's such a great eater, and her favorite foods are fruits - apple, pears, peaches, mango...you name it, she'll open her mouth wide for those. :) Haven't tried durian yet though.

She's also teething and we could see her four top teeth are coming out. That might be the cause of her congestion too. Then, we have been going to playgroups coz I want her to learn to socialize with babies her own age. We have met a lot of cool people, she connected with some of the babies there and I find that I always learn something after going to a group. Sharing motherhood experience is really helpful.

Oh, and she's learnt so much now. She's able to scoot and roll everywhere, great in going backwards but still learning on forwards. She's also able to control her hands more, I think she's already signed milk a couple of times and today, she actually made a sound when she claps. She can raise herself up to standing if she can find support like the bed rail. I'm so amazed at how many things a baby has to learn in such short a time.

Kevin and I have been learning ASL (American Sign Language) the last 6 weekends and we both love learning it. So, we're showing her ASL as much as we can. They say that babies usually start within 8-10 months...so here's hoping.

And of course Ramadhan has started. This year has been so fun, there's about another four Msian families living nearby me so I asked if we could take turns every weekend to break fast together and do a pot luck. Well, there's always TONS of food and I just love the company. I hope to be able to do something like this every year coz I want Ramadhan to be a warm and fun event for Brigitta. The Msian community here are already talking about a Raya gathering, and I think that's going to be huge! :)

Yes, it's been some busy weeks, and it's been tiring but it's one of the best times of my life. I love my little baby girl with all my heart. Kisses and hugs to you Brigitta Nurilham Schlosser.

Here's her latest pics :

Help! The laundry is going to eat me!

Why are you bothering me with your camera while I'm reading?

This is SUCH a good book.

Ha! I can hold the cup with my own hands now.

Aaaaa...quick, I want those apples!

Bach concerto anyone?

Chilling on a picnic.

Me and my Dad checking out some animals at a farm.

I like making faces with Mummy.

Ramadan Message from President Obama

How refreshing and nice to hear the US President really understand what one of Islam important rituals. This is a wonderful message from President Obama on Ramadan even though he does put in a bit of political message in it. :)

As for the muslims in the Bay Area, this is the first time since I've been here that all of us are starting Ramadan on the same day, this Sat, Aug 22, 09. There's 2 schools of thought here, one uses the calendar and the other uses the traditional method of actually looking for the new moon (which signifies the start of the month). I follow the group that uses the calculation method which is backed by ISNA (Islamic Society of North America). Also due to the two groups, we sometimes have 2 different days of Eid...so two prayer days. I'm hoping that we're going to have the same day for Eid too.

Anyway, here's the video.