Escape the Haze

Me      : Gilaaa la jerebu ni. Kesian Afif, baru nak baik batuk. Let's go on a getaway somewhere to escape..

Hubby : Ehhh.. Takde takde. Satu Malaysia jerebu nak getaway apenye..

Me      : Who says anything about a Malaysian getaway? *angkat angkat kening*

Hubby : Haha funny!

Sigh..

So that was my attempt to ajak Mr. Chenta to go on a holiday sambil melarikan diri dari jerebu. Taktik menggunakan anak sebagai alasan tak berjaya nampaknya. Cuba lagi!

Tips: Air Travel with an Infant

This time i wanna share my experience traveling with by air with Afif. To date, dia dah naik kapal terbang sebanyak tiga kali. Untung lah. Mama dulu umur 4 tahun baru merasa.

Anyway, we traveled the first time when he was 5 months old, second time when he's 7 months old and the latest one was last week, when he's 8 months old. So in total, ada 6 kali lah. But all are short distance flights; 1 hour 45 minutes KL-Kuching and 1 hour KL-Langkawi. Belom lagi anak aku ke luar negara. Mungkin lagi 2-3 bulan? Hewhewhew..

So based on these 3 trips, these are the tips i can share with moms out there:

1. Do Not Travel During His/Her Bedtime

Afif is the kind of baby who nurses to sleep. Kami baring atas katil, dia menetek lalu tertido. It's hard to do this on a plane. i was lucky on 2 occasions when we travelled at night time. He fell asleep nursing in my arms, no fuss at all. But on our recent flight, we were not lucky. He's sleepy and cranky and refused to nurse. He just wanted to sleep lying down. Husband and i tried everything to soothe him. In the end he fell asleep with me rocking him, mostly sebab penat merengek. Kesian. Tapi ko macam cuak dan malu sorang-sorang sebab risau anak ko mengganggu passenger lain. So lesson learnt: kami sebolehnya avoid night flights. Tapi jika anak anda boleh tido senang takde nak cranky, boleh je travel bila-bila.

2. If Possible, Sit Next to An Empty Seat

On our first trip when Afif was 5 months, he liked being held. So no problem keeping him still. Tapi sekarang dia dah lasak. Sebolehnya nak baring/duduk sendiri. That's when having an empty seat on your row comes in handy. Kami hamparkan dia kat seat kosong, happy lah dia. More room to play. Lagi satu, related jugak dengan the first tips above. Afif nak baring sambil nenen. Kalo satu row ada 3 seats tu ko yang punya, you can easily lie down and nurse your child, with your head on hubby's lap. Tapi trip yang baru ni, ada lg sorang minah ni dok sebelah somi aku. Afif dah melalak sebab tak selesa/sempit pon dia buat bongong je tanak pindah seat kosong kat depan. Pastu buat muka sebab anak aku nanges. Eh ehhhh.. Apa lah salahnya ko mengalah dan pindah seat. Hidop ko senang tak dengar budak melalak, hidop kami pon senang boleh diamkan anak.

Luas dan lapang. Happy bergolek.

(Kuching-KL. 2.6.13)

3. Bring Enough Milk/Fluid for the Little One

You know how your ears seem to be blocked during takeoff and landing.. That is caused by pressure difference. As we go higher, pressure gets lower, and when we land, pressure increase. Sakit wooo kepala dan telinga, especially kalau tengah selsema. But we adults can bear that. Pandai telan air liur, pandai hembus hidung. Babies can't. Drinking milk or water or juice helps to lessen pain/discomfort due to the pressure difference. In my experience, Afif tak pernah meragam during take off and landing. Mostly becuase i shove the bottle/boobs in his mouth or he's already asleep.

He fell asleep just before boarding. Phew.

(Kuching-KL. 2.6.13)

4. Bring the Stroller. Seriously.

i know most websites suggest travel light or wear your baby but i find using the stroller is more convenient. Imagine going through check in, rushing to departure hall, kalau naik Airasia kene jalan lagi 5 kilometer nak naik kapal terbang.. Sakit badan kalo takde stroller. Dah la nak bawak bag lagi. So use the stroller. You can leave it at the airplane door and the crew will store it for you. Upon landing, the stroller will be waiting for you at the door (or sometimes at the baggage belt). Paling bagus umbrella-style stroller (we love our Maclaren Quest 2012). Compact and lightweight. Pernah nampak satu couple ni struggle nak pasang Quinny stroller sebab frame lain, tempat duduk lain. Takleh bayang mereka yang pakai Stokke yang gabak.

5. Toys Please!

Sitting at a confined place is pretty boring. Especially to infants who can't even appreciate the fact that we're flying into the sky. Bring one or two toys to entertain him/her. We always bring Mr. Froggy and Mirror Book, Afif's two favorite stuff. Tapi jangan la awal-awal dah tunjuk. Mula-mula main-main ngan dia. bagi dia tengok keliling. Lama-lama dah bosan baru kuarkan mainan.

Membaca dengan daddy. Masa ni dia demam. Nasib baik tak meragam.

(KL-Langkawi. 16.6.13)

"What? Only 15% discount.. Not worth it!" Afif said. Hewhewhew.

(Langkawi-KL. 19.6.13)

Cranky at the last 15 minutes of the flight sebab dah kol 9.15pm. Bedtime!

6. Timing is Key

Do not arrive at the airport too early nor too late. You don't wanna be wandering around the airport and bore the baby. Tu belom masuk flight lagi. If you get there too late, leceh jugak nak berlari rushing sana sini. Paling best adalah web check-in. Sampai 1 hour before flight, drop baggage, terus masuk departure hall and board.

7. Do Not Overpack

Depending on the duration of the flight, do not overpack your on-board bag. Aku tak pernah lagi bawak diaper bag. Segala barang mak dan anak aku sumbat dalam Longchamp gabak aku. For 1-3 hour flight i suggest you bring only one diaper, mini pack wet wipes, travel-sized changing pad, a pair of spare baby clothes and a blanket. Chances are you're not gonna change the diaper if he/she doesn't poop. Setakat ni tak pernah Afif tukar pampers dalam kapal terbang. Tapi kalo flight 3-12 jam memang kene lah bawak extra diapers. Kang berkudis lak bontot anak.

8. Do Not Travel Alone with An Infant

i have never travelled alone by air with Afif before and i'm never gonna do that. When/ If your baby is cranky at a public place like that, you tend to panic. Having your husband there to help calm or entertain the baby or even just pass you things are a big help. Mana nak cukup tangan nak tengok budak, bawak bag dan juga bawa stroller.

So these are the things that i can share based on my experience. Mungkin tak applicable untuk baby setahun ke atas yang lagi lasak. Juga mungkin tak applicable untuk yang dah beranak 2-3 orang.

Teringin nak travel jejauh tapi bila memikirkan camne la Afif nanti dok dalam flight 6-8 jam boring cranky tak dapat golek-golek terus la rasa "takpe la takyah gi memana.. tunggu dia besar.."

Baby why the duck face?



Man Down!

i never told anyone about this but secretly i feel proud that Afif rarely gets sick. Apart from some fluid in his nose that's always been there since birth, he never had cough, no flu or runny nose, never vomits (which is weird coz baby kan selalu muak/muntah susu), never had diarrhea, and if he had a fever, it's only becoz of vaccination. Usuall it'll go away overnight. Even when my husband and i had fever, flu and cough, he was never infected.

So i was thinking "Alhamdulillah. Mama's milk really gives him high immunization towards germs n viruses.." and "takpe lah dia physically develop lambat sikit asalkan sihat.."

But it all came crashing down yesterday. Takda angin takda ribut takda kene inject tetiba semalam rasa badan dia panas. Check temperature supanya dah 38.1•C. Terkesima aku. Memula tak prasan sbb dia aktif dan banyak bebel cam biasa. But that explains why dia takmo makan harini. Malam aku bagi potato-carrot-dates puree siap muntah. Pastu baru teringat ada a few times tengah tido malam tu dia batuk. Aku ingat tersedak. Tapi yang peliknya masa jaga takde lak batuk.

Hmm.. Being the drama queen that i was, aku cuak la sbb anak aku demam dan batuk. Letak cool fever. Aku sebolehnya tanak kasi ubat. Ye lah takot long term side effect seperti kidney rosak,etc. Tapi Wan insist suruh bagi jugak ubat demam. Takut melarat. So bagi je la paracetamol. 

Tido malam smlm byk kali jugak dia merengek dalam tdo. Tak selesa kot. Tp alhamdulillah kalo jaga tak meragam. Good boy anak mama. 

Harap lah demam sbb nak tumbuh gigi, bukan demam sebab terjangkit ke apa ke. Tp dah batuk ni of coz la jangkit kan?

Paling tak best adalah we're supposed to go to Langkawi today. Aku ada workshop kat sana sambil bawak anak dan somi mini vacay katanya. Aku risau nak bawak dia demam gini. Tapi nak cancel takleh la department aku bayar beriban kot untuk aku participate. Nak tinggalkan lagi la takmo. He needs me at night. Lagipon kalo tinggal, nnt tak minom susu mama. Mana nak dpt antibody.. Stok susu pon bukan banyak.

Afif kuat. Cepat sembuh ye, nak. Ya Allah please cure my son's illness soon. It pains me to see him in pain.

He's 8 Month Old Today!

Dah 8 bulan anak mama. Cepat nya masa berlalu. Alhamdulillah nak berubah bulan ni takde la Afif meragam, or sakit or demam. Cuma 2-3 malam ni dia tido nak berdukung berdodoi macam zaman dia kecik-kecik dulu. Selalunya baring bergayut nenen terus je tido. Extra manja sket kali ni.

Semalam bawak dia gi check up sekali ngan cucuk the last dose of pneumococcal vaccine. Berat dia dah 7.1kg. Dr. Anthony suka sebab 7.1kg tu falls in lebih kurang medium range in the growth chart. Selama ni berat dia mesti ngam ngam atas minimum line tu. siap komen "Aff ni besar woo tapi tidak berapa berat.." Ntah apa hal kebetulan tak ramai orang lak masa our session. Lama juga Dr. Anthony layan Afif. Siap dukung hug hug cium cium borak borak. I voiced out my concern pasal Afif yang malas niarap apatah lagi ngengsot. Doc kata dia ada baby mmg kurang rajin camtu. Afif ni tulang dah kuat cuma maybe back muscle blom brapa kuat. Dia suruh banyakkan exercise dgn niarap and letak dalam walker. Punya la selama ni aku delay letak dlm walker sbb nak tggu tegap dulu baru letak.dah dapat green light baik lah! Harap lah ok je development dia. Tapi dia kata jangan risau lah. Afif lebih kepada social skill. Asek borak, jerit, gelak je keje nye. Masa kene cucuk 5 saat je nanges alhamdulillah.

Lain lain development adalah dia makin pandai meniru gelagat orang. Orang geleng dia geleng. Orang jelir lidah dia pon sama. Orang tepuk amai amai pon dia cuba. Tapi bila suruh melambai, dia konpius. Kahkah. Dia jugak nak pandai voice out preferences. Aritu bacakan buku. Selesai baca aku letak buku tu. dia bising, sambil tangan nak capai buku. Aku amek n bacakan lagi. Letak balik, dia bising nak lagi baca buku. 3 kali gitu. Bagus lah nak, suka membaca. Jangan asek ngadap tv, ngadap ipad, mintak lego, hotwheels, xbox je dah besar nnt. Physically, masa niarap dia dah angkat2 bontot tp tangan tak move so static je la gitu. Takpe, cuba lagi!

Minggu ni masuk minggu kedua dia dok umah babysitter. Alhamdulillah ok je nampaknya. Cuma first and second day aritu bila amek dia nampak penat n ngantok bebenor. Sampai rumah senyap je. Termenung. Aku risau jugak. Masuk hari ke-3 dan seterusnya ok dah. Mungkin dia sesuaikan diri time tu. First time mom nok, i admit i'm really paranoid. Terfikir bukan-bukan. Babysitter kasi ubat tidur ke ape ke.. Siap mintak hubby amek awal ari Khamis aritu kononnya spotcheck. Kebetulan hubby syif malam time tu. Tapi ok je. Hubby kata dah jangan paranoid sangat. Skang tgk Afif ceria je gi situ lega aku. Semoga semuanya okay.

Itu je la hapdet kali ni.

Budak good mood gi check up.

Buah hati pengarang jantung.

The First Day

Today is a very heart breaking day for me.

The day i had to send my precious little son to the babysitter.

Cries.

Wails.

Cries.

Seriously i don't know how you mothers do it. Tabah gila.

i feel like a failure, having to leave my child. Tapi nak buat camne lah kan.. Nak berhenti kerja and be a stay at home mom, suami saya bukan lah orang kaya nak menanggung semua expenses. Both of us have to work to maintain the life quality that we're comfortable with. Nak continue suruh Wan jaga, Wan dah tak sihat cam dulu, sejak keluar hospital haritu. This is our only choice for now.

i understand that no other person will love and care for your child as best as you do but i really pray that the babysitter sincerely loves my son, dan jaga lah dengan penuh amanah. Mintak simpang lah anak aku kene dera ke apa.

Pagi tadi Afif happy je pagi-pagi dapat naik kereta. Dia tak tau kita nak tinggalkan dia kat rumah pengasuh. Masuk je rumah tu, macam biasa lah dia sebok pandang sana sini. Curious. Pastu dia pelik, baring di tilam yang asing. Aku kuarkan botol susu, suap bagi dia minom. Tak lama pastu beralih tangan pulak ke babysitter. He looks confused. i almost cry. So aku bla cepat-cepat sebelum berdrama plak nanges kat situ. Sigh. Nasib baik lah anak aku bukan jenis menanges tanak kat strangers.

Sampai skang aku takleh concentrate. Teringat apa lah khabar anak aku. Nanges kah dia? Ok kah dia? Semalam try bagi makan organic baby cereal yang kawan MIL aku hadiahkan. Ok kah perot dia? Sebabnya sebelom ni makan Heinz cereal dia sembelit. Sigh.

Bertabah lah wahai hati.