daddy, daddy cool

apple of daddy's eye

A beautiful article written by Loshini Catherine John, Nuance, New Sunday Times on February 8, 2003 about two precious people in my life.

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Definitely daddy's girl

Erja (pronounced Erya) was born only after a year of marriage but for Mohd Suhaimy Kamaruddin, making the big move from Formula One cars to formula milk wasn’t a problem.

“I was the last guy in my circle of friends to get married back in 2002 and, considering that I got married pretty late, I wanted to start a family right away,” explains the 31-year-old PETRONAS manager.

“It was difficult for me at first because as soon as I found out that my wife was pregnant, I was posted to the Middle East and only came back in time for the delivery,” says Suhaimy.

Wife Jami’aton was initially also left to care for the baby alone as Suhaimy had to return to the Middle East one month after Erja’s birth. Fortunately, he was sent back to Malaysia after three months and he has been happily sharing the responsibility of taking care of the baby since.

“I look at Erja and everything still seems so surreal. I can’t believe I’m capable of making something so beautiful!” he laughs.

Yes, there were a lot of changes that he had to go through and it quickly dawned on him that, with his new responsibilities, the “honeymoon” was pretty much over.

“My wife and I share the same workplace and that means seeing a lot of each other. A normal workday for me had meant waking up in the morning and going to the gym before leaving for the office. When Erja came along, I had to drop the routine because I wouldn’t have slept well the night before. She is quite a handful and though my wife wakes up in the night to feed her, being a pretty light sleeper, I too get up.

“Still, I take one look at my eight-month-old and it’s all worth it. These days, I find myself rushing home after work just so that I can be with her before she falls asleep.”

His lifestyle may have been altered slightly as like other new dads, Suhaimy can no longer spend as freely as before, including having to put aside money for Erja’s future. But this, he willingly does because he says she is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

“I never knew I could love someone so much until Erja came into my life. Of course I love my wife very much, but it’s different with my baby.”

Erja is definitely daddy’s girl. According to Suhaimy’s mother, Erja is exactly like her daddy when he was little.

“My mother tells me that looking at Erja now is just like watching an old movie of me,” he beams.

Weekends are spent with the whole family at shopping centers around town. “Most of the time it’s Suria KLCC. She loves it there. Just sitting in the pram watching the world go by seems to be her favourite past-time at the moment.”