just enjoy the show

Approximately two weeks to go before Raya. So how's the preparation coming along? Excited yet? Raya songs are being played on daily basis on local radio stations now that Raya is only two weeks away, feeding the Raya mood. Even the folks on Twitter are twittering away with Raya-themed hashtags.

As for me, well... maybe I'm getting old. Maybe. I don't feel like celebrating. Maybe it's tad too early? I dunno. Time will tell. The only thing I'm feeling great about is the chance to break away from work, from the office. One week without work? Pure bliss, I tell you. No waking up early in the morning. No primping yourself up for work. No dealing with KTM's crappy schedule. And most importantly, no drama (my Twitter followers will surely know what I'm talking about).

Another thing to look forward to, meeting my cousins and aunts and uncles. There will always be good times. The jokes, the laughter, the endless teasing... just good times. And some of my cousins are celebrating their Raya for the first time with their spouses. Now that is new. Additional family members. More good times ahead? Hopefully.

In the meantime, this little dude will be sorely missed...

Baby Aliff

My dear Aliff, now that it will be difficult to see you, please grow up strong and good. The lives and hearts you've touched, we will all be praying for you. We will forget you not, my dear boy. Miss you, we will but in our hearts, you will forever live. Take care, little dude. I really do love you so much.

weekend with baby aliff

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of having Baby Aliff in our house. Hooray! Because my aunt went out of town, we had the chance to babysit Aliff for the weekend. His mother had some sort of seminar to attend every Saturday and Sunday, so someone has to take care of Aliff. Aliff has grown so much after his ordeals.

Such a beautiful boy!

He was a bit cranky on Saturday, but nothing we could not handle. Next month, Aliff will turn one. Almost unbelievable, right? After all that he went through last year, Aliff is now growing up. Not as normal as other kids, but he is definitely growing up well. His neck is a bit weak but hopefully, after series of therapy, he will be alright.

Sshhh... baby's sleeping.

Aliff likes to play with water. He will move all his limbs in water, splashing water all over. Most kids love water, no? I think in the long run, it will be beneficial for Aliff to spend his time in pool to loosen his usually stiff limbs. Therapy is one thing, but it is another thing to keep Aliff's muscles, senses and mind stimulated all the time. It takes constant effort to ensure Aliff's development.

Aliff with my sister, Aishah.

Aliff loves the outdoors. He likes to stay outside, where the birds fly and the wind blows. I think he likes the sense of being out in the open air where there is no restriction or closed space to suffocate him. And there are lots of things to be seen and heard. Aliff is a curious boy, it seems. And he responds well to music.

Perhaps thinking when he can roam freely around...

Mama loves Aliff, too. She played with him, bathed him and even slept beside him. I hope, though, that that are not the signs of a nak-cucu-cepat syndrome. Tee-hee. But, who's to say? It has indeed been a long time since we have any babies to take care of and fuss over. One time, when changing his diaper, Mama even said "Dah berapa tahun tak buat ni!"

It has been a pleasure to have you, Baby Aliff. We're missing you already. Come back again soon, okay, baby?

miracles do exist

Dear friends, remember Baby Aliff?

If no, let me remind you.

Baby Aliff was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Hospital Ampang on 07th October 2010 due to subdural haemotoma or pendarahan otak. According to the doctors, Aliff suffered the bleeding due to either a fall, being shaken hard or terhantuk. Read more here.

More than 3 months has passed after that fateful day, which a month spent at the ICU for Baby Aliff. How's Baby Aliff doing now? I am more than happy to report that Baby Aliff is now well on his way to recovery. He's an active little boy. A super boy, if you will.

A month after being discharged from Hospital Ampang, Aliff and his mother again were being tested when HKL confirmed that there are still excess of liquids in Aliff's brain. Aliff's head had to be perforated to drain the excess liquids out. Two holes were made on top of his little head and tubes were inserted for that purpose, as you can see in the picture. Most of the time, Aliff was cranky and moody. His fever comes and goes while he went through it all. Needless to say, Aliff had gone through a lot more than some of us. And he is still a baby. But he is one strong baby.



But now he's no longer cooped in the hospital. The scar from the perforation remains to remind those who know Aliff of his ordeal. What matters is that Aliff survives. Alhamdulillah. Allah has given Aliff a strong will and spirit. Allah has given Aliff's mother the most precious gift ever; his life. And Aliff makes us all believe in the power of prayers and of course, miracles.

Aliff is now going through series of therapies to strengthen his head and neck. Along the way, generous souls have come forward to help Aliff and his mother, to lighten the burden of the single mother. Dr. Sazlina, especially, has been a lot of of help. A lot. Thank you, Dr. Saz. We can't thank you enough. May Allah bless you. May Allah bless all of you who have help Aliff in so many ways and for your prayers.

This is Baby Aliff now. He's doing really well. He 'talks' a lot. He can turn over on his own, though he does need some support because his neck and head is still weak. Though he is one month behind his development, Baby Aliff is catching up fast. He's a sweet little angel. He captures my heart. He captures the hearts of all the those who meet him.

Oops, puting tercabut pulak!

My heartfelt thanks again to all of you for the prayers and the help. Aliff is still here with us because of it. Thank you so very much.

Dear Aliff, be a good boy and grow up fast, okay? I love you, kiddo. Even when you're cranky.

good news

Dear friends,

Thanks to all your prayers, Baby Aliff will be discharged from the hospital by tomorrow, insya Allah. Baby Aliff is still in recuperating process but he is now much much better than the last 3 weeks. He's an active baby, always moving around.

He was moved from the ICU last Sunday as his fever subsided and his breathing improved. He can move both his limbs but his right limbs will need to be strengthened. Except from a little phlegm in his throat, Aliff is doing great now.

Maybe I'll put a picture or two of him soon here. Until then, thank you so much for all the prayers and encouragement given to both Aliff and his mother. May Allah bless us all.

***************IMPORTANT***************

Baby Aliff needs a baby cot/crib. Any of you out there has any to spare please let me know ASAP. Spread the news, my friends.

******************************************

more on aliff

Almost one week in the ICU, Baby Aliff is still recuperating from his ordeal. Here are bits and pieces of Aliff's development so far:

• Aliff is gradually regaining consciousness.
• Aliff is able to move his fingers and toes but they are very limited movements.
• His fever is gone.
• His breathing is no longer labored and hard, though he is still being hooked up to the ventilator to help him breathe.
• Aliff's right limbs are semi-paralyzed due to the serious bleeding on his left brain.
• Aliff will start his series of long, hard and painful therapy with a physiotherapist soon.
• The therapy is going to help him to move his limbs, at least for 50%.
  
• His blood pressure is maintained at a low level to avoid more bleeding in his brain.

Update on 14th Oct 2010:

• Aliff is now feverish again.
• He still cannot move his right limbs.
• Latest news is that Baby Aliff's eyes seem to not responding to any stimulation, but according to the doctors, it is still early to tell.
• He is still being fed through tube.

Update on 15th Oct 2010:

Aliff is still feverish. Yesterday he opened his eyes and raised his left arm. His ventilator and breathing tube was removed, but the feeding tube still remain attached. His breathing is a bit difficult with phlegm clogging up his airways and they had to suck out the phlegm. The doctors are monitoring his breathing. If everything goes well, he will be moved to normal pediatric ward.

P/S: I will update this post from time to time to keep all of you posted with Aliff's development.

quick update on baby aliff

Dear friends,

Alhamdulillah, thanks to your prayers and Allah's grace, Aliff is gradually gaining consciousness. Please keep praying for baby Aliff and his mother. Baby Aliff is indeed a fighter.

Let us all pray that Aliff will recover soon and lead a normal, happy life.

let's pray for baby aliff

Dear friends,

This is baby Aliff. Aliff is just two months old. Aliff was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Hospital Ampang on 07th October 2010 due to subdural haemotoma or pendarahan otak. According to the doctors, Aliff suffered the bleeding due to either a fall, being shaken hard or terhantuk.

When his mother picked him up from the babysitter's house on that fateful day, Aliff was blue from crying. The babysitter told the mother that Aliff had been crying for almost four hours. The mother was shocked to hear this and asked why she did not send Aliff to the hospital and the babysitter replied that she doesn't have Aliff's birth cert so she just let him cry.

The mother then took Aliff immediately to the hospital. CT scan was conducted on Aliff and the doctor confirmed that his brain is swollen. Aliff was immediately put on life support. Up until today, three pints of blood has been pumped into Aliff's system. Aliff has not open his eyes since he was admitted into the ICU. The doctors gave Aliff a 50-50 chance to survive.

Imagine if you're the mother, who waited for ten years for Aliff to arrive into the world. It will certainly break your heart. It broke my heart. Seeing that little body lying on the bed with all sorts of tubes attached to his little body and the machines surrounding his bed, it pains me.


The doctors put Aliff on three types of medication, two types for his blood pressure and another one is for his heart. Aliff's breathing is helped by the ventilator. His breathing is hard, the chest heaves up and down visibly, as if breathing is a really hard work for him. Aliff's body is cold and unresponsive.

Yesterday, Aliff was hit with a fever. Until today, his fever still subsists. The doctors tried to take one of the medications off of him but then his blood pressure dropped drastically. A recent CT scan showed that his brain is still swollen and the blood clot is still there in his brain. The doctors are still in discussion whether Aliff needs a surgery or no.

Aliff is now in adult's ICU because they do not have ICU for children in Hospital Ampang. Because of his critical condition, it is impossible for them to move him to another hospital. So they modified everything according to his needs. Even his bed is an adult bed. Aliff is the only child in the ICU.


Everyday, his mother would recite holy verses to Aliff. She will talk to Aliff, telling Aliff to be strong and to come back to her so that they could go home and play together. She is a single mother who loves her child so much that she never left his side since he was admitted. She tells Aliff that she loves him to his ear every single day. Sometimes, the machines will beep, signaling his reaction to his mother's voice.

Dear friends,

Please, please, please pray for baby Aliif. Please include him in your prayer so that he will open his eyes and be okay. Please pray for his life and for his future. Aliff has got a long road ahead of him. His mother is waiting patiently for him to wake up.

The babysitter has been questioned by the police but she denied any wrongdoings. However, it seems that now her whole family is moving away from their current resident. The sister of the mother caught them moving their things in the middle of the night. My question is, if you're not guilty why are you running away? The husband at first refused to let the police in but the police told him that they can arrest him for obstruction of justice.

Please, friends, remember Aliff in your prayers. An innocent child should not be subjected to this kind of suffering. Please pray for Aliff's well being. Please pray for the mother to be strong for her child. Let us all, regardless of our religion, pray that Aliff will be okay and fine. Hoping that the power of prayer will help Aliff and his mother through this hardship.

Dear Aliff,

Please be strong. Please be okay. Please...