Meet Hannah B, baby muslimah

Bring Muslims, our greatest wish is for Hannah to grow up to be a good practising Muslim. Adn forthat, I believe it is the responsibility of the parents to instill in her a solid strong foudation that will hopefully help guide her towards the path of living life the Islamic way. While this is no guarantee, Insya Allah by providing her with Halal food, exposing her to Quranic verses and Nasheed from birth and also by setting examples through our own behaviour, communication and interaction, Hannah has the basics in accepting Islam as her way of life.

It is not easy, unlearning and leaving habits that we have grown accustomed to. Reading, learning and practising new things. A struggle sometimes but Insya Allah this will elad to good things. In wanting our child to be good, it is only fair that we too become good. If this means less TV, changing our tone of speech, changing the words that we use to speak and taking up new positive virtuous activities, so be it. Personally, I have always strived towards becoming a better Muslim, but time and time again, my efforts are derailed from some weak excuse. Maybe Allah has decided that being a parent is the push that I need to go from wishing to be a better Muslim  to actually becoming one. Alhamdulillah, I have seen improvement in myself, in our family life and most importantly, I have seen Hannah following these good examples.

- She knows the need to read the doa before eating or if she wants anything from some one.
- She knows that the Azan is a saced time to be respected by silence followed by doa.
- She has shown interest in performing the prayers(solah) ans she knows that during solah we need to sujud.
- She recognises quranic recitation and at times I hear her humming/reading along.
- Occasionally, she will say bismillahirahmanirrahim while waiting at the dining table. (it sounds totally different but if you really concentrate on listening, you can make it out :)
- I notice that she is really observant and she recognises things like if mommy or nenek puts on the hijab, it means its time to go outside :)

phototime with Hannah B

Hannah B at 15 months

(Taman Tasik Cempaka, Bangi) 

...love those sandals, we lost one of it while shopping with mommymoy At Midvalley :(

 (trying out bicycles at Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam)

comfy....

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Shopping for bean bag, Sunway Pyramid

Trying out bikes again...this time in Muar ( still didnt buy it tho :P )

Baby plays while mommy works k, In Muar

The day I discovered accessories....and my sense of vanity.
 Chanteeek!!!

Kerang rebus, tahu bakar and ais jeli kelapa laut in JB

Puchong, only shot I got of her 4 top teeth...hehehe

P

Hannah B is 15 months

My darling daughter is growing up so fast. Alhamdulillah, so far she's been mostly healthy and trouble free. Besides the conjunctivitis scare, she has been mostly healthy and happy. Being the curious and mischivious little diva that she is, a few falls and bumps have occured but nothing that has caused a major scare.

Except for that fall during a shower at her Aunty F's house back in JB 2 weeks ago. Slippery floor, water and a baby who cant sit still is a dangerous combination. first time she fell on the back of her head. After a few minutes of crying ( pain and shock, i think) she was back to her playful self.

We thought she'd walk by her birthday, I guess she was thinking differently. She can walk, up to 10,15, 20 steps. Then, she'll lose her balance and start crawling again. Its her tiny cutie feet, or the fact that she just goes so fast and doesnt take the time to balance her body. So adorable watching her lurch forward with no direction or aim, just zooooom and boom, fall down.

Conversation wise, this girls talks a lot. I dont understand most of it but it sounds so interesting. Her nana (new name for her nenek) says she sounds french, while Uncle Aiman says it sounds more like Afrikan. Im not sure myself, I just love the sounds that she makes. Especially when she's playing by herself or talking to her 'friends' (soft toys in the form of Nyunyu, Moomoo, MoosyMoose, Dino, Teddy, Bigbear and Elmo).

She is so affectionate and attached to these friends of hers. Always hugging and kissing them. excpet for Bigbear, which she uses for wrestling purposes. and then she rides it like a horse.

She has now recognized all members of the immediate family and doesnt mind being carried by any of her Uncles. Kecik2 dah sow preference to bonding with the boys eh. She also enjoys playing dress up and makeovers, something she discovered while playing with Aunty F's accessories. Her new word that is a favourite of mine id 'Chanteek' which she'll say after trying on something and looking at the mirror. Oh, this baby loves the mirror. She loves looking at herself and kissing the reflection too.

Mak is very happy that her grandchild has shown inclination towards religious stuff. alhamdulillah for that. Hannah now knows that before she eats, she must read the prayers and she's quick to hold out her hands and put it to her face (amin....) when she wants something. At first the action was limited to when she wants food, but now she does it for everything. If she wants something, she'll straight away say 'Nak' and do the Amin motion. So hard to refuse a request then....haiiihhh

She also recognizes the adhan and recitation of Quran, she sometimes will keep quiet and raise her hands as if in prayer. Sometimes if its too long, then she'll just Amin and go back to playing. I also realise that lately she'll start humming/singing along if she hears the Quran. And i think she says 'Bismillahirrahmanirrahim' while i recite the doa makan.

Lately, she likes watching people perform solat. She even likes wearing the telekung and she'll start 'reciting' loudly. She even can sujud even though mostly she's not following the kiblat direction :P

Its amazing the sense of observation kids her age have. She knows that if I/her nana puts on our hijab that it means someone is going out. Or that the sound of the car's engine means that someone is going out. So, she'll rush towards the door or she'll asked to be carried so she can come along.

So many things to share but its getting too long to post. other bits of info to share.

- loves sitting in the driver seat and playing with the buttons/handles. Loves motorbike rides too.

- She now loves wearing shoes, but loves taking them off too!( learnt that the hard way, after I lost 1 of her MC sandals in Midvalley, grrr I loved those sandals and I cant find the same type anymore :(

-Loves eating big people food and has now turned into a picky eater who refuses to eat anything mushy or babylike. ( I have reluctantly added in some salt in her soups as she refuses to eat unseasoned food. I'm not happy about this, but I have no choice as other people keep on feeding her different kind of foods that has caused her to recognize different flavours, tastes and textures)

- Loves climbing up and down the stairs, complete with Tata at every step where she insists on everyone paying her full attention and cheering her on. (Seriously, this child is an attention seeker!!!)

- Loves cats, birds, dogs and all type of aminals that move or make sounds

Hannah B is 14 months

Hannah B at 14 months.....

- still cant walk, but we're getting there. Now, she can take about 3-4 steps before either turning back and falling or, losing her balance and falling. Sometimes she just gets lazy and drops on her bum, crawling instead to her destination.

- sangat talkative and communicative. I cant understand most of the things she says but she says it in such an expressive way, sangat cute and menggeramkan. And she makes the cutest soft sounds when she sees cats. like purring meowwing sounds combined.

- sangat cepat mengajuk. She has keen observation skills. She'll watch what you do and start following. Latest skills we've noticed include pointing to the car radio or AC button, playing with the light and wiper indicator. Pretend-driving. Cuba melipat baju.Switching on lampu (bukan attempt ok, she actually succeeded that one)

- adventurous eater. She tries everything that shecan. especially adult food. She loves eating what we eat. Snobby too when it comes to baby food. So, no more purees or plain porridge. Mommy will have to learn to be more creative with food.

- she has shown inclination towards drawing. Everytime she sees a pen/pencil, she'll look around for a paper or book and mock write/draw on it.

13 months and growing....

Hannah turned 13 months while we were in Penang. While she hasnt had a superfast growth development, She has been up to so many new things lately.

- She still cant walk yet, but we're getting there...slowly. In all honesty< I dont mind her starting to walk late because even know I'm struggling to keep up with her antiques. At the moment, she is able to stand for a few seconds before plopping down again. Most of the time, she thinks its a game and will start laughing the moment she falls on her bum. :)

- She started showing interest in the stairs about a month ago, but only 2 days ago did she actually start climbing it. I was upstairs and she was playing with her ayah downstairs, I could hear her talking gibberish from where I was so I knew she was nearby but I was really surprised to find her almost near the middle landing of the staircase. She had climbed up 8 stairs without either of us noticing!!!  Thank God nothing happened. But such an accomplishment. She really does know no fear, that one. (note to self : buy the Lindam gate, soon)

- Some people say, babies who learn to walk late, learn to speak faster. So true in Hannah's case. So talkative. I love her voice and the funny sounds that we dont understand. The few words that we have been able to understand are meme(mummy), nenek, ayah, abah (referring to my dad, her grandpa) nak and taknak. We also think she can say banana.

_ She has this thing that she does when she's tired and on the bed. She'll try to carry and hand over a pillow to me. For days I could not get what she wanted me to do. Taking it from her would lead to a scream. Shewasn't interested in a game of pillow throwing either. It  turned out that it was a sign from her that she wants to be fed. (Coz I would always take a pillow, put in on my lap and pick her up for her nursing) So now she can dictate when she wants her milk. And she's very firm about when she wants to stop too. No means no. She'll shake her head firmly and try to roll down to start playing again.

- she weighs 7.6kg last we checked. But since she had diarhea last week, maybe she ahas lost a bit of weight.

Hannah B is 13 months

 the guilty look after being caught tearing up some tissue.

 reading a magazine with nenek while visiting the paed (Hannah wasnt feeling so well last week)

celery stalk in one hand while the other is navigating youtube :)

The one on moogoo, an update.

Okay, so we (both Hannah and me) have been using moogoo products for 2 weeks. generally I'm very happy with the results. We started out with 2 tubs of scalp cream. One for our home use and the other for my use in the office. Since I work in AC, my skin gets really dry. Especially since I'm not a big water drinker. (Note to self: drink more water). Scalp cream makes the skin much softer and since skin is moisturized, there is less tendency for baby to start scratching. But moisterizer/emollients are not enough on its own since eczema is more than just keeping the skin hydrated. Factors like food triggers and environment issues (dust and hot weather being the main culprits for Hannah) is also a concern for me. Especially at this stage where she is so curious, crawling everywhere and eating almost anything she can put in her mouth.

So, happy with the scalp cream, I purchased Moogoo's eczema starter pack which consist of the Milk wash, a tube of Udder Cream (moisterizer), a tube of Irrtable Skin Balm (applied during scratching fits, it helps stop the itching) and a pump of MSM (which is good to be applied at red irritated areas, it contains a type of sulphur that fastens the skin healing process). So far so good. I'm not saying its a miracle cream coz Hannah still scratch at times (when it's hot and she's sweating or when she's eaten something that she's allergic to) but it's less scratching now and her skin is so soft now (am reminded of the newborn days :) ...). The area around her ankles are still dry but thats where here skin is the worse anyway, maybe I need to put the cream on more frequently.

All in all, its a product that I'm happy with. From the all natural ingredients, the reasonable pricing and the fact that I can also use it on MY skin, I will be a repeat customer of Moogoo :)

From the reading and research that I have made, I realise that i have so much to be thankful for. What Hannah has is a very mild form of eczema. When in comparison to what other children , and their mothers have to go through, Hannah and I are so blessed. Insya Allah, with better management of our food, laundry and home cleanliness. eczema wont be major headache for us anymore.

To those who are lucky enough to be in am Eczema-free household, please be more understand with us who have to go through this. Some steps that you can take:
1- eczema is not contagious, so you can stop those negative looks and comments.
2- please refrain from feeding an Eczema child anything before you get permission from the parent. A small bite of food can cause a lot of hassle and pain for the child.
3- Education is the key, read it up or ask from others who have experienced or am going through Eczema.

  On my part, Moogoo scalp cream has replaced my Clarins cream. I am still using Clarins for sunblock because it is so far the best, non- greasy sunblock I've tried. I'm experimenting using the Milk wash as a facial cleanser (I love how soft my skins is after using it, But the milky smell is something I'm still getting used to). Next purchase...shampoo perhaps???