A Habit of Inaaya Henriksen

Taufik, giving his sister, Inaaya, a little kiss and nose nuzzling.




Inaaya Henriksen has peculiar habits of her own. One of her more noticeable ones occur just before she has a bowel movement. In order to have a bowel movement Inaaya must be latched onto my breast. She simply cannot do it without having a bit of a sip and nice piece of mommy's flesh to bite upon.

I find her squealing as she does her business absolutely adorable. In fact, one of the hardest things about having her is that she is so cute. I cannot stop kissing, pinching, hugging and cuddling her. She is absolutely smothered by me.

And when she is naked and ready for her bath, her naked baby glory is something to behold. I will have to indulget in five minutes of kissing and pinching her before she gets her bath.

Last night, I found that her diapers were leaking, it was 4.00a.m., but did that stop me from smothering her with kisses all over her cute little body?

I remember almost dying with geram from looking at Taufik when he was a baby. And every time I look back at the pictures of him as an infant, I wish I had kissed him even more. He was too adorable.


How is it possible that we have been blessed with two such beautiful looking children? MashaAllah. These are two gifts of mercy from Allah (SWT).

Falling sick

Today for the first time in her life Inaaya fell sick. She is down with a cough, runny nose and low grade fever. Not wanting to take any risk, I whisked her off together with Hidayah and Taufik to Thainakharin Hospital, where she was diagnosed to be suffering mildly from viral infection. Nothing to worry about.

Because of this, there was no need to delay her Encephalitis vaccine. And so she had it screaming her pretty little head off. My little pretty pony.

In a Thai Hat

My son whilst in Gopeng wanted to feed the fishes in the pond. I made him wear this Thai hat and found that he looked absolutely charming in it.

Kazoos

Kazoos

Use a rubber band to transform a cardboard toilet paper roll and tissue paper into a musical instrument - submitted by Barb in Iowa.

Materials Needed:

Cardboard Roll
Wax Paper
Rubber Band

Instructions:

These kazoos are very easy to make. Get an empty TP tube and a piece of wax paper big enough to completely cover the end of the toilet paper roll. Secure the wax paper tightly onto the end of the toilet paper roll with a rubber band. With a nail or pen, poke a small hole in the cardboard tube near the end covered with wax paper. To play the kazoo you hold the uncovered end of the tube to your mouth and hum into it.

Home-Made Sidewalk Chalk

Home-Made Sidewalk Chalk

From Sherri Osborn,Your Guide to Family Crafts.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Use this recipe and you can make your own sidewalk chalk.

Materials Needed:
1 Cup Plaster of Paris
1 Cup Water
Powdered Tempera Paint

Instructions:

Find a mold for your sidewalk chalk. You can use small paper cups, toilet tissue rolls, candy molds, etc.
Mix the Plaster of Paris and the water together. For colored chalk, add powdered tempera paint to achieve the color you want. Let stand for a few minutes and then pour into mold.
Set side and let dry completely. This can take anywhere from several hours to a few days depending on the size of the mold you chose. Once dry, remove the chalk from the mold. If it is still moist, let air dry for another 24 hours.

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Madness prevailed today.

I had every intention of dropping all my uni subjects this semester. But due to the persistence of my school friend, Olive, it’s ended being that I am only dropping 1 subject out of the 4 that I have taken up.

Today, I had to participate in my final presentation for my Global Strategic Management class. I brought along Hidayah and Inaaya because I refuse to let Inaaya be given the bottle. I was not about to let all that breastfeeding work end up with Inaaya going back to nipple confusion.

And so there I was in class, with my sister waving madly at me each time Inaaya bawled her eyes out. I went half bonkers trying to earn participation marks in class and juggling going out to breastfeed Inaaya outside of class.

The worst part was that, there was absolutely no place on that floor for me to breastfeed. I ended up having to sit on the floor in a quiet hidden corner to do my little business. Inaaya’s bawling attracted much attention, at one time it was the unwanted attention of the uni guard, who did not leave even after I whipped out one breast.

Then there was a gathering of six cleaners who were wondering why the child was not given the bottle, until they too saw me whipping out the breast. I was beyond politeness and had little tolerance for the curious. I shooed them away and no two ways about that.

But we did it, and I once again, could not have done it without my precious sister.

At Olive’s urging I spoke to Dr. Racela and she was had so kindly agreed to allow me to sit for my finals in GSM, and also to submit my Individual Business Research work late, so that I would not have to drop it.

Then Olive, dragged me up to the 17th floor at the Cathedral of Learning to please with my Export Import Mgt acharn to allow me to sit for my final exams. Allah’s SWT hand played a great part in this, normally teachers are notoriously difficult to corner at their desks. They are either away at class or on a break. And it was after all lunch time, but just as I was entering the teacher’s area, my Acharn walked in. Saw the child, and saw that my excuse was bonafide and he swiftly allowed me to sit for my finals. I’ve always known though that he was a kindly man.

So see, how everything has fallen into place.

Just one word sums it up.

Alhamdulillah.

Our daughter, Inaaya Henriksen

Inaaya came to us all wrinkly like she was all dried up and dehydrated. When we took her to the doctor at Damai, she told us that Inaaya was badly dehydrated. The doctor at Ampang Point said the same thing, and thereupon began the constant feeding of water.

But later on when we met Dr. Ong, my favourite local doctor, he told us that Inaaya was probably and overdue baby. Prolonged period in the womb usually results in skin that seems as if it was shedding.

Hidayah and I applied copious amounts of lotion everytime we cleaned sweet uncomplaining Inaaya, but it did little to help her. She continue to seem pruney and wrinkly. Only when we began applying olive oil did her skin began improving almost immediately. The effects were quite amazing.

Inaaya was a beauty right from the start. When I took her out to Kim, that day at that house, his first words were, in a voice tinged with awe, "She's beautiful, our daughter." Indeed she was a delight to feast ones eyes upon.

She has little almond eyes, and cute little lips with the most adorable nose that is full of character. She watches me with little mousy eyes, she looks at me as if she is lost in her own thoughts and that look drives me to brinks of geram frenzy. All that I want to do is pinch those little cheeks and smother her with kisses.

She has problems though getting settled after her feeds. She can't seem to burp. And no matter how long I try to burp her, rarely does her burp come up. So for the first two weeks of her life Inaaya suffered from bouts of distended stomach, hard stools, flatulence which caused her great discomfort.

But she is not much of a bawler, more of the occasional cry here and there with a lot of wriggling, moaning and snorting.

Her Tok Mami cried when she was just how adorable little Inaaya was, but she also cried a little to know that now Taufik might suffer from bouts of broken heart from jealousy at having to share us with his new sister.

Inaaya loves bathing. Though her first bath was not a success. We were in Gopen, when Mommmy realised that we had not ever bathed her, only wiped her down twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Ridiculous we were she thought. Wash Inaaya in cold water she urged. And so a cold bath was started for Inaaya in a little green tub. When Hidayah placed her in the water, she screamed her heart out. Her body stiffenned. She cried and cried and cried. The water was freezing. Hidayah was shattered and resented that I allowed our mother to push me to do such a thing to my little infant.

But after that first bath, Inaaya was only ever immersed in tepid water. And boy does she enjoy that tremendously. She is absolutely silent and observing when we wash her in the tub. She loves it so much that I try to prolong it as safely as possible. It must surely be the highlight of her day.

And the next thing she enjoys, which her Mak Ngah discovered by chance was a good infant massage as she is being oiled with olive oil and slathered with lotion. She becomes absolutely still, as if she is savouring the massage, the moment as her legs are being softly kneaded, or her arms stroked, her back slathered gently.

Now, everytime we take off her clothes she becomes still and happily waiting. She is quiet and does not cry when the cold draft of hair hits her skin, she just waits patiently for the moment when she would be immerssed in luke warm water.

She also quietens down substantially when she is swaddled in preparation for breastfeeding. True to Pavlov theory, she knows that this is a precursor to a lovely breast feeding session with Mommy.

I have begun breast feeding Inaaya for a week now. And that is a whole story in itself. Which I will write about tomorrow, cause I am feeling awfully sleepy now.

Love,
Nina Bobo

Before Inaaya

We had her name shortlisted amongs those like Nadia, Yasmin, Natasha, Haluli and so on. But my heart was taken by Inaaya, which meant several things like 'blessing of God', 'solicitude' and 'one who is concerned for the well being of others'. And indeed she would be a gift from God. Having waited for two years for her, I felt this very strongly.

It was hard losing the opportunity to adopt the first time from Auntie Wok. And I felt that her heart had closed to me, with Kim's funny conditions. That mommy get to view the infant first, that we have a medical record...which I myself felt were unreasonable. Whatever comes our way, I am happy to be blessed with another child.

And so we lost that first infant girl, I was heartbroken and found it hard to forgive Kim for the blunder. Kim was all full of regret. He knew, after we lost our chance, that indeed he had made a mistake. And there I was for the first time, not bulldozing my wishes through. Waiting for my husband's own heart to do it's very own magic. But I regretted it then, though I do not regret it now.

Then we lost the infant boy, because we were too slow in responding and because I had told Auntie Wok that we would have preferred a girl, though we would be happy to have a boy too.

It was too my delight that when we flew down to Malaysia on 11th August 2007 that I got a call from Auntie Wok whilst at Yakmin's wedding. Telling me that indeed a baby girl had been born though she may not be matching to Kim and I because she was too dark. Too dark? I am dark. And Kim loved brownies. I said, "No Auntie Wok, we are happy no matter what colour the child."

But something in me told me to listent to Auntie Wok, something she was not telling, perhaps she had instincts for these things but did not voice them out for desire to be fair to the infant. So in the end at the advise of mommy, Hidayah and a nod from Kim I said, "Auntie Wok, whatever you think is best for me, I leave it to you. If you think I should wait for the next one I will I said."

And so we waited, I was looking at my mobile phone obsessively, as I had been the last one month or so, waiting expectantly for the call. Regretting saying a possible no to the dark baby the minute the words left my mouth. But not calling back, not wanting to seem indecisive.

And then on the 12th we received news that a young woman was in labour and was about to give birth any time now. By the 13th August we knew we had a baby girl. Inaaya.

I was overjoyed to hold her in my arms. Overjoyed.

Taufik & Inaaya Henriksen

It's been utter joy and madness recently, with the adoption of Inaaya. Our leisure trip to Malaysia, turned into one of such gladness, then stress of course, with the adoption, legal issues, immigration issues and finally the ticket booking and the trip back home itself.

Hidayah has joined me on my trip back to Thailand, and she has been invaluable to me. I cannot ever repay her kindness to me as a sister. All I can dua is that Allah (SWT) will amply reward her in akhirat for being so wonderful.

How would it be possible to have Taufik, then Inaaya with sanity intact without Hidayah. It would be utterly impossible I say.

And now a week into being at home, I have begun breastfeeding Inaaya and also at the same time I have started on my Accelerated Lactation Protocol. BCP and motilium rules the day, no breast pumping yet, but nursing through the Lact Aid system.

Into our second day, it has been a struggle for Inaaya to latch on. My nipples are sore from pulling them out of her mouth the numerous times she latched on wrongly, and sucks hard. At times I am on the verge of giving up, for the stress and suffering it is causing her and me. She is hungry and cannot get her milk, and me I am getting all worked up that it is not happening smoothly.

Though I do recall that it was quite a battle being waged trying to get Taufik to latch on too. And now 3 and half years later, I am grateful that I persisted. It all depends on Inaaya's well being. If she is not losing too much weight while trying to latch on, I will persist.

It has been so wonderful to have her in our life. She is the most adorable creature together with Taufik, to exist on the face of this earth. I am ever so grateful to Allah (SWT) for these two blessings in our life.

I will tomorrow energy and time permitting write more about Inaaya. This posting is a general posting to warm up I should say.

I also needed to pour out my heart on the traumatic affair of sending Taufik off to a new school. With finances being tight, we could hardly afford Ascot, what more with the recent increase in the school fees. Pan Asia is just that much more affordable, and would continue to be affordable when and if the time comes to enrol Inaaya in for school, three years down the road.

Yesterday was Taufik's first day. Oh how he resented PAIS school uniform, "It's ugly Mommy!" he proclaimed, and my heart sank. "Can't I go to PPIS?" he asked me. "Can I see my friends, Kong, Kaew Oat, March?" And I want to cry.

So sorry darling, that I have to do this to you. But I see providence hand working on this. And I believe deeply that there is a blessing behind my enrolling Taufik in PPIS. Perhaps here he would get the best of both dunia and akhirat.

It lightens my heart to see little Muslim children running around happily in this school. The children are genuinely happy, even though the school equipment and materials are not on par with Ascot. Not to mention that I feel strongly the America curriculum is inferior to the British one.

But Taufik genuinely likes his teacher, Ms. Rohana Sideek, a Sri Lankan lady. And my impression of her is that she is experienced and well qualified for the job. I am glad Taufik is in her class.

Though when I sent him to school he cried and struggled to hang on to me. And as I left his classroom the tears fell copiously down my cheek. My poor son, having to start all over again, and so early in his life to experience such an upheaval.

We'll see how he does this morning.

Okay I had better catch some sleep. Sooon Inaaya will wake up for another feed. The last feed at 2.30 a.m. went very well, she latched on, and stayed latched on throughout the whole feed.