Unpredictable

Life is so unpredictable.

 Alman had his 6^th birthday party in school, a day earlier, on Friday 30^th March. This year it was the Angry Birds gang and Red’s slingshot that stood in wait on his birthday cake. After the kids’ festivities and the balance of his birthday cake was cut out and neatly packed in boxes for cousins, aunties and friends, Alman and his family went off to FraserResidence in the city, for a weekend getaway (though just 10 minutes drive from home, on the highway). (Alman intercepting: On Saturday it was his birthday again but on 31^st march la. After school, they went back  home and gets ready in time).

The first picture we received from Alman was of KLCC looming beyond their living room. Alman and Ishmael (Emel) are ever in awe of KLCC. Alman spends hours on end drawing Kuala Lumpur skyline with his adored mammoth in the centre, tracing it on the laptop and making paper cut-outs of it, looking out for it as soon as we get on to Akleh. He has three miniature metallic models of klcc, of different sizes. We got into quite a riot waiting for the first one from Poslaju which was facing serious staff turnover at the time.

So it was swimming, playground, room service for three days at the holiday apartment . The kids’ favourite is spaghetti carbonara. Tok’s birthday was on 31^st march too. So Tok and Opah met them at the pool and joined them for lunch on Saturday.

Come Monday morning Alman could not get up to go to school. He was excused for being too tired after the hectic weekend, so we assumed. But he seemed quiet, did not eat much and complained of sore throat and pain in the head. He could not get up for school on Tuesday. Tuesday night the doctor confirmed he had hand, foot and mouth (hfm)disease, his mouth already half full of sores. They hardly showed up on his hands and feet.

A couple of days later, Emel contacted hfm, with more sores on his hands and feet. Ween and Najmi took turns to be on leave. Cranky kids, screaming sessions ensued, while both parents tried to steal time to do some office work. Opah trying to soothe where tempers flew. Kids couldn’t get enough of cold milk and yogurt, especially Emel who is still breastfeeding and found it difficult to suckle.

Saturday night Ween found a blister in her mouth and on her hand. On waking up Sunday morning, she had a headache that grew worse into Monday. She was wobbling on the stairs. Panadol did not help at all. At 1am Monday, she was admitted into Ampang Puteri hospital with headache and fever, drip immediately administered, pushed into the isolation room due to the contagious hfm. After stronger pain killers, antibiotics and several tests, fever and headache came down and Ween was confirmed to have a viral infection and mild sinus. Thanks to the Almighty, it could have been worse. She will be discharged today though still with slight fever. She was told that fever and headache may recur but should be fazing off.

So for four nights  Opah and  Tok slept with the kids in their room while Abah took care of their Mama in the hospital. Emel woke up at least four times in the night asking for Mama. Bouncing on the exercise ball pacified him after five minutes or so. They could not wait to see their mother in the mornings, so we spent many hours in the hospital room. Togetherness personified within the four walls of the confining room.

On Wednesday, I had actually woken up with a rather debilitating pain in my lower back, which has been hurting from time to time for a few years now anyway. If Ween had not taken leave for that reason on that day, I do not know how I could have managed because   it was in the afternoon later that we discovered Emel with sores and crying incessantly. So I did get some measure of rest for my back for several days while the parents were home , as if to prepare me for taking care of the kids while Ween was in hospital subsequently. Particularly picking up Emel and pacifying him in the night. The kids are fine, kicking and rocking again by now.

Praises and Thanks to Allah for protecting my family from further harm and for giving my children and grandchildren the privilege of having reasonably healthy parents and doting grandparents to take care of them in trying times of need.

In the midst of it all, I sneaked in some time to visit Izaz at Soulsac and tried their new cold pasta. Not bad, but suggested they add toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds. Idzfan liked toasted almonds on his buttered brown rice, with greens and grilled spicy chicken packed  in his lunch box when he was home. Emel did ask again where Afan (Idzfan)was yesterday and Alman never fails to get excited whenever the Go Jetters on Cbeebies fly over the Sydney bridge, imagining Uncle Fan in the ferry crossing over from his house to the Opera House across. He has a fascination for beautiful buildings. Like his beloved KLCC. But he has not decided yet whether he wants to build or design. Because for now his greatest passion is the drums as well as the guitar as they are played in rock and metal. He wants to be Abah.