Not many of you know..but I have been living as a single parent for the last 1 week (ahem).
That is Zoe has been without her mom for a week! Horrors!..
for Zoe actually..because she usually needs mom to put her to bed, since she is very sticky to the mom. Zoe often push me away , saying “Don’t want daddy”, when mommy is around. I wondered if she can cope (or I can cope) without my wife around. How would Zoe react without seeing her mom for one week? Will Zoe be okay with only me?
But Zoe had been so well-behaved this week. Hardly fuss much except for the first 3 nights where she woke up crying in the middle of the night asking for mommy. During those times, i felt so sad for Zoe. And come to appreciate (a bit) how difficult it is for single parents (or divorse parents)…
But the last few nights she hardly cries asking for mommy. When Amy calls home, she did not cry but was able to talk a bit. She is so matured for a 20 months old!
And now my baby Zoe hugs me and stick close to me…
Happy Daddy…no worried I will lose my numero uno position when Amy comes back tomorrow.
Due to the increasing scrutiny (busy body) of Big brother, the only thing a Malaysian can blog about is his/her baby - for everything else is just too “sensitive” for our small brain and big ego to understand. Some are saying that bloggers will be sent to the Syariah court soon if the Civil courts can't nab the few big time bloggers.
Zoe is now 14 months old. She can now put two words together - very well, like:
- “Daddy, pow-pow” meaning “Please carry me, daddy.”
- “Daddy, where?” meaning “Where the heavens is daddy today?”
- “Mumma, key” meaning “Please take the key so that I can go out”
and very strangely “Moi-No” - which is a combination of Mongolian Hakka and English for “No….!”
You guess it, she is now a really confused Hakka Moi.
Such as peace in the family,
Such as an encouraging boss,
Such as the respect of your peers,
You can add also - an unexpected kiss from your own child.
This morning while I was cuddling and carrying Zoe before I leave for work, Zoe planted a straight kiss on my lips! Then she did it again, gave a cheeky smile and said ‘kiss kiss’. I never taught her that. (Ed:My wife has since corrected me that I had taught her once and it was my wife who discouraged me) [Since my in-laws discouraged me to avoid the situation where the baby would kiss the maid. That would be haram, right? Ahem.]
It completely blew my mind! I was in Fatherland heaven! I was almost in tears.
I have always loved to kiss that cute small face of Zoe (who wouldn’t) and I do take every opportunity to kiss her on the cheek when my lips are clean. But this was different, it was from my 11-months old baby to me.
Yes, Zoe loves me, this I know. And that’s something money can’t buy.
Whats the big deal with that turn of a year anyway? It’s just the Julian calendar system. I mean there is so many calendar systems - the Muslims have theirs, the Chinese have theirs, & the Jews too. Anyway, I am not doing the so-called mandatory blog on the new year and the requisite trite reminisce of the past year like so many bloggers does. I have had too many last years to recount, anyway. But nobody wants to hear those sort of melodrama, right?
Besides I usually don’t look forward to any newyear. I just dont see the point of the excubrant celebrations i see some loons on the street shouting as if something great has happened. People go gaga over some bright fireworks just because the clock ticks to 12? It’s just a ticking of a clock! Nobody won nothing! Nobody gained anything but a second older. Yep, I am just a party-pooper.
Maybe, deep inside I know life will always stay the same (not the cost of living unfortunately) unless somethings radical happens. And that radical thing had to happen to you on the inside.
The radical thing happened in 2006. I fell in love with a itty bitty baby girl called Zoe. She became my joy, pride and treasure. She transformed me to become a father. Life was never the same after she was born. Life became better.
So it should not surprise any of you that I spent the long weekend with my baby girl. She had a fever on thursday and so my plan to go to Segamat on Friday (which i took leave) and the long weekend, did not eventuate - I just dont think I could leave her with my wife alone. Then as I was getting ready to spend my time with her, I came down with a flu on Friday.
So i spent the almost the entire weekend down with flu, stayed at home and stayed away from carrying or playing with Zoe as best as i could and man, it was hard. I even slept on the floor just to avoid infecting her since she was already suffering from the fever and a bad rash. When I recovered on Monday, and finally could carry her (with rash covering her poor body), she just didnt want to let me go. She cling on to me like her precious toy. I must be. I felt loved, like Andy in the Toy Story. You remember.
No one could take her away, not my maid nor my wife and not even my high-powered mom-in-law (much to her chagrin and my devlish delight). I was with her to feed her, with her to cradle her to sleep, wipe her with calamine and all the time. My wife said she must have missed me so much - after the 2 days of hands off - that she refused to let me go. It was a very nice feeling to cherish. A feeling to carry me through the coming days.
Itty bitty baby girl
Daddy’s pride, Mama’s pearl
Tiny treasure, so petite
Great is the joy that you bring
To your mommy and me
Our love for you, will only grow stronger each day
For yes its true, you’ve stolen our hearts away.
And my little girl, You’re just the right size today
To hold in my arms
To look in your eyes and say
