NZ: Drive Hokitika to Wanaka

I guess the effect of the trip has almost rubbed off thus I forgot to continue blogging. Ok maybe that’s not entirely true but the things to do in my personal life and work life engulfed me…

So back to beautiful New Zealand!

It was a long way from Hokitika which is a little north west of south Island to somewhere to the middle of South Island. We travelled along the coast to Franz Josef Glacier which was a manageable 2hrs drive from Hokitika. 

We stopped along the way and saw some beautiful alpine parrots, the kea, for the first time. 

Some of the views on the way to Wanaka from Franz Josef Glacier. We were supposed to stop by lake moeraki but we couldn’t really find a nice spot to look for penguins in the heavy downpour. 

This photo was taken when we all attempted to climb up to see the face of what’s left of the Glacier. Around 30 minutes into the hike a nice lady told us that it’s not suitable for a baby as it’s not the easiest hike. So we all went back down sent the kids and my mum to the car where they took shelter from the rain and had their lunch. 

The husband, father and I went all the way. Beautiful sights or nature all the way, it was drizzling all the way up and back. We were all pretty drenched after the 2.5 hours hike. 

Honestly I didn’t plan the details of this hike but alhamdulilah it worked out alright for us all. 

I would say that the Glacier wasn’t spectacular though, not sure if we went with guides it would have been better. The place though was beautiful and I love nature so being in nature with the husband was a nice experience. There was a beautiful waterfall, rock formations, streams and boulders. 

I think my hp battery went flat so I couldn’t capture much photos but the memories etched deep in my heart. That’s what matters most right?

After Franz Josef Glacier, we headed to Wanaka I think a 3 hours drive. That’s when we first spotted the lupins. It started with yellow ones then purple ones. As we travelled further, we saw so many beautiful colours of lupins lining the roads. 

Basking in the beauty of Allah’s magnificent creations surrounding us. I got the chance to talk about Allah and all his creations around us with Ds1. 

We arrived in wanaka at 8.30pm, grabbed dinner at an Indian restaurant ( there were a couple of them) and reached our accommodation at 10pm.

One year of pure love

My dearest son,

In the blink of an eye you turned one. Your presence in my life has been like no other.

Your smile, the first time you overturned, when you first crawl, your first steps…they were wonderful moments. Sometimes I choose to bask in them other times I remember to capture them.

It’s beautiful to watch you learn and grow. Alhamdulilah. Ummi is grateful to Allah for the pleasures of having the wonderful opportunity to watch how you grow. We are encouraging (aggressively) anne Mukhlis to keep his toys and you, my lovely boy is learning and helping too. There is good in everything, masyallah. Being the second little one has its merits.

You’re eating fruits, vegetables, rice, fish and even chicken. It has been a breeze introducing food to you and you take it well and fast Alhamdulilah.

Of late, you’ve been scrunching up your nose while you play certain things. Ummi has been introducing life skills, fine motor and gross motor skill activities and you’re faring pretty well Alhamdulilah.

My dear, your walking now but you still prefer crawling because oh boy you crawl so fast. We even brought you for a crawling competition.

You’ve been on 2 trips with ummi and ayah as well as with Emma and vaapa. You were great in Cambodia and a favorite in Korea. No more trips for a while now because it’s tiring on your ummi.

I’m enjoying every moment I spend with you.

I”ll not trade the times we roll around in bed and giggle until you’re too sleepy, you’ll crawl to me and lie on my lap while sucking your thumb.

I”ll not miss kissing you goodnight and in the morning before I leave for work.

I”ll never bore from watching you sleep, my little angel. There is something so mesmerizing about that.

I”ll never feel exhaustion meeting your every needs especially when I come to bed to doze off and you stir in your sleep requesting for milk.

I”ll never stop loving you, my precious child.

With love, the purest of all from mother to child, (besides God’s love)
Your ummi

To the goat farm we went

We went to the goat farm- Hay dairies at Lim Chu Kang.

It was so far away but worth it! Fun fun fun. Smelly too.

We learnt how the goats are milked and what happens to their milk. We bought some to try too! AVA has approved it to its clean and freshly pasteurized.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t touch or feed the goats.

We saw some kids in the enclosure.

We leant loads of stuff which we didn’t know before.
Did you know that goat’s milk is alkaline whereas cow’s milk is acidic?

Did you know goats produce so much less milk than a cow?

Did you know the mutton you eat is from Sherpa and not goats in Singapore?

Did you know a female goat is called a doe and a male goat is called a buck?

Did you know the doe is usually carrying 2 kids in a pregnancy?

Here are some photos from our excursion:

Insatiable 8 months of you

Dearest son,

The apple of my eye, I love you with every ounce of my heart and every part of my being, more and more each day.

My sweetie pie, how much I miss you doesn’t grow less and less each day but it multiplies each and everyday I’m not with you.

My darling boy, you mean the world to me. Your every smile, your every milestone, your every action makes my heart jump for joy.

It’s like you’re growing so much faster when I m not looking. I push myself to spend my every waking moments of the weekday nights and weekend with you, my precious child.

For as long as I can…I will…give my all to you…

With never ending love,
Your ummi

Sitting down?

You’ve tried sitting a few times but most times it’s not so clear when you actually sit on your bottom.

Now, you’re able to move ever so gracefully into the siting position. Though a bit wobbly, you do it so elegantly. A little different from how I saw anne Mukhlis do it when he was your age. Alhamdulilah.

My darling boy is moving on fours

We watched him crawl on fours today! How wonderful to watch this little person roll from his back to his little tummy and push himself upward and glide forward. And suddenly he can crawl on fours. He can even crawl down little steps!

He was attracted to the little drains in the kitchen. He likes paper too! When uncle Irshad was sitting with some papers he was sorting through, he crawled as quickly as his little knees and legs can bring him towards the papers to grab and crush them.

He’s fast Alhamdulilah. It also means he can’t be left alone for too long or you’ll find him in another part of the house clawing at some wire or string or a bag strap etc. even if you leave him with all his toys. I guess he is an explorer now!

@7 months 15 days

Ouch! Your first fall from the bed

It was horrible!

After ummi put you down for bed, we’ll go have our dinner and spend some time outside the room and you’ll be sound asleep. I’ve always been happy with your night sleep, most of the time, you’ll stir when you’re hungry then you’ll travel back to deep slumber after some milk fills your tummy.

After our dinner, we heard this loud cry and we ran to the room to find out missing from the bed and crying while on your tummy on the floor next to the bed.

The more I imagine how you ended up on the floor, the worse I feel. I know it’s sometimes inevitable but I blame myself for taking things for granted.

Alhamdulilah you don’t seem to have any bumps.

A funeral

It’s the first funeral for my baby but I’m sure he knows nothing of what’s going on but when he’s older I’ll sure remind him that he met a grand uncle who passed away of cancer. He is the first in my family to suffer and die of cancer – rectum cancer. He was a man of strong character and lots of determination to move on, to recover, to live a life. He loved life. He had plans. He was in denial. He was not prepared. He had to go. His time was up. He has been called. His life was taken.

We were sleeping when we heard an urgent knock. My brother was at the door, “mama Nasser passed away.”

“Inna lillah wa inna ilahi raajiun,” I exclaimed with a hand tapping my chest lightly still in a state of shock.

My mind went straight to my mother, ” will she be devastated?” I wondered. I tried to put myself in her shoes ad I thought definitely. How about my aunt, she would be a widow now, a title laden with stigma and negativity, in my mind. Is she prepared? She has her sons and mother-in-law. BUT…it’s a huge loss nonetheless. How would it feel for the mother who gave birth to him, to see him leave before her? Is it worse for a mother whose child leaves her less than 2 weeks after she gave birth to him? Is it worse for a mother to have miscarried the child? I don’t know but what I know is that the pain is like no other. Allah remind us to be grateful when we are faced with difficulties in accepting losses so he will give us more, insyAllah .

I was thinking of the living. What about the dead?

My eyes wandered to a poster on my wall,

Indeed everything is for Allah but we often forget and live life full of many things but the remembrance of Allah.

May Allah grant my uncle peace and bless him, insyAllah. Ameen.

It’s like he knows

I’ve never looked forward to the weekend like I do now – it means the while day with my dearest son, my cutie pie.

From being with me 24 hours (while in my womb) to being with me almost the whole day but not physically (while on maternity leave) to being with me only in the evenings (back to work). I miss him so badly!

The first few days back at work was bad, I called my mum often but she is the most amazing mother who tries to tell me in as much detail as possible about him so I can imagine him.

I take comfort in the fact that he’s still drinking breast milk Alhamdulilah. My mother has been supportive as well trying her best not to waste any milk because she knows I take a lot of trouble to express milk at work for him. I try to give him milk expressed the day before so as much nutrients still remains.

My mother has recently found him lying on his tummy, thumb in the mouth and sleeping soundly. He sleeps longer than when I put him down for daytime naps on the bed or when my mother puts him down for day time naps in the swing (the Asian yau lan/ tottil/ buai). That was how he slept nowadays.

Babies are resilient and adaptive. He can’t sleep with the me nursing him so he soothes himself with his thumb. That’s makes it so much easier to put him down for a nap. I used to feed him for so long before he’ll sleep.

I used to wish it’ll take faster so I can do other things I need to do but I miss that now. Our special time together. I hope we’ll still share a special bond together forever.

Its like he knows his ummi is not home to nurse him all the time and he doesn’t want to trouble his Emma.

Love you baby!

What about me?!

I see him for less than an hour on weekdays everyday.

I can’t spend all of my weekends with him what with spending time at the in laws, going for weddings and other things to do during the weekends. During the above, I hardly get to carry him.

So what about my precious time with my little boy? 😭