So, I’m a daddy now. It’s all so surreal. Nine months of waiting and preparation still couldn’t prepare me for this. It’s just amazing, this feeling that’s been radiating through me since I first looked into my son’s eyes. Absolutely amazing.
We decided to name him Alisdair Imran, although I’m still not sure how we’re going to spell his first name. I love the name Alisdair, which is one of several variants of Alasdair, the Gaelic form of Alexander. Since some people believe the character Dhul-Qarnayn in the Qur’an was actually Alexander the Great, I think a case could be made that Alexander (and therefore Alisdair) is a perfectly acceptable Muslim name (and is often used as such in its Arabic incarnation, Iskandar). Anyone on the Malay side of the family still a bit uncomfortable with name that isn’t traditionally associated with Islam can simply call him Ali, which is also a really good name. We thought about spelling it Alistair, but Leen was terrified the other kids would call him Ali Tangga (for those who don’t know Malay, tangga means stairs). Alisdair is even better, I think, and slightly closer to the actual Gaelic spelling (though it does break the ‘broad with broad, slender with slender’ rule, which I might explain another time), but the problem is that the pronunciation is not apparent in the spelling. Despite the various spellings, the names Alasdair, Alistair, and Alisdair are all pronounced almost exactly the same way as another common variant, Alister, not as AListAIR. Alister doesn’t look as nice to me as Alisdair, but it would certainly be easier for Malaysians to pronounce (and Canadians, as I’m sure even a lot of the folks back home wouldn’t know how to pronounce Alisdair properly, except for some of the old folks back in Cape Breton). Anyway, even Alister is OK. After all, our family name is an anglicization of a Gaelic name (MacBheatha) that is spelled differently but pronounced exactly the same as the original (unlike other variants of MacBheatha like MacBeth, MacBeath, and Beaton). So an anglicization with a completely different spelling but true to the original pronunciation would be OK, I suppose.
But I’m rambling here. Shows you how much sleep I’ve had in the last few days. Well, I’m probably going to JPN tomorrow, or maybe Thusrday, to register the little fella, so by that time I’ll have figured out which way to spell his name. It might come down to a coin toss.
In the meantime, how about some photos? He’s sleeping in most of them, but it’s all good, he’s still cute. When he’s awake he’s very bright and alert, always looking around, checking things out. He’s strong too, and could lift his head up and look around at two days old. That’s my boy.
Anyway, so much to say about the little guy, but that would mean sitting here at this computer, when really I just want to be sitting next to Leen holding our son. Or even just looking at him. He’s better than TV and the Internet, even when he’s not doing anything.
Enjoy the pics!
2 Trackbacks
You can leave a trackback using this URL: http://macvaysia.com/2006/09/04/the-littlest-macvay/trackback/
[...] Leen and Jordan on the birth of their son, Alisdair Imran MacVay on the 4th of September (thanks Sashi for the alert, I can’t believe I missed this!) [...]
[...] Re: alasdair The boy’s and girl’s name Alasdair a-las-dair, al(a)-sdair is pronounced AL-as-dare. Baby Name Alasdair - Origin and Meaning of Alasdair __________________________ Hi Alasdair. Could you start out by telling us how to pronounce your first name? It’s really simple. "Alice-dare." An interview with Alasdair Gillis ______________________________________ Despite the various spellings, the names Alasdair, Alistair, and Alisdair are all pronounced almost exactly the same way as another common variant, Alister, … Read more here M A C V A Y S I A » The Littlest MacVay [...]
44 Comments
Too cute for words!
I have to say I had a quiet chuckle over the whole ‘Ali Tangga’ thing. It never crossed my mine!
Heck, you made me cry again.
He is absolutely beautiful. Nothing beats the euphoria of having a new baby.
PS. For what it’s worth my nephew is Alasdair (but the French family finds that impossible to pronounce), and two of my favourite authors are Alasdair MacLean and Alistair Macleod.
absolutely KAWAIIIIIII… (that’s cute in Japanese…)
congratulations Jordan and Leen
good luck too ;-)
salam ali…
semoga jadi anak yang soleh, muslim yang mukmin dan permata mengeratkan kasih sayang keluarga…
Congrats ^_^
Hensem betul!
And yes, thought you were never going to stop ranting about Ali Tangga and such…. isyk!
Macam muka you la Jordan!!! Leen’s face has changed;it looks more motherly, ;-) and seems very content.
It feels just like yesterday you guys came to Kapar for Azam’s aqiqah. Then we said good bye at Fandango’s before you left for China…
Now you’ve got Ali, Azam started pre-school, and I’m pregnant with Azam 2.0. Oh boy, where did the time go?
Enjoy Ali! He will grow REALLY fast!
FELICITATION Jordan and Leen!!!
what a great bundle of joy:-)
sorry we can’t be there, but we are sooo happy for u guys!
hugs & kisses frm guangzhou…
Great Photos Caper! I am so happy for both of you.
I had to take Aida to the hospital last night. We ended staying there all night. They are giving her test after test and we could have our baby faster than we expected. That would be so wonderful :D
Anyway guys, take care and I will let you know what happens.
He has nice rounded Malay nostrils. Not like those freaky tringular, extra-terrestrial alienlike, Causcasian triangular ones.
No offence to you all white people.
Dear BenMaarof,
Don’t spoil the fun-lah. All babies have splat noses when they were born.
Gosh, he’s such a handsome little bugger! *squeels with delight* Now *I* wanna have babies! *cough*
CONGRATS!
MasyaALlah! He’s too cute.. Welcome to fatherhood. It’s only the beginning. There’s still a long way. You can never learn enough by reading. I’m sure in the days ahead you have so much to write about your experiences with dear Ali Imran. When are you going to move to Kajang? Please convey my salam to Leen and tell her to take it easy. Motherhood can be so demanding at times. Is she breast-feeding?
Jordy, how cute ,He looks like Troy When he Was a Baby, Papa&nana are tickled Pink, Please send them a picture so they can add it to the rest.ENJOY ENJOY. Love to you all. Susan
Awwww… cho chweet!
In that last pic, that giant hand is yours, yes?
PRECIOUS~
I donno if he looks more Javanese or Arabian, but all babies are cute. When they reach age 1-4 years old, they become more adorable I wish those years could be longer. I heard that at 3 or 5, the kids will resemble the father. What was his weight? The name Alisdair Imran is beautiful. But Leen was right, don’t spell it Alistair! Sounds like ‘all is there’ if ppl back in Canada who can’t pronounce it :)
Frank and Aida pun nak membesarkan keluarga ya… memang nampaknya bulan July-September tahun ni musim melahirkan anak lah ye? :) Hmmm tahun ni bertambah lagi budget duit rayaku hehe :) Jumpa di Muar nanti ya, Insha-Allah! :) Tahniah..
OMG!! He is sooo cute.. Makes me itch to go thru the blood and gore again myself.. but then again, maybe not :) Anyway.. congrats again!
CONGRATULATIONS! I’m very happy for you guys, and I haven’t even met you! That’s so great!
Yan: Wouldn’t want to cross a mine, might lose a leg…hahaha…just kidding, I know you meant mind. Yeah, the Ali Tangga thing is funny…I actually think it’s kind of cute.
Azlin: Hehe!
Lesley: Believe it or not, Alistair MacLeod is my cousin, albeit a fairly distant one (Mom’s a MacLeod).Anyway, I love the name too, and I actually liked the spelling Alisdair right from the start. I just think it’s really cool. I’m leaning more towards it than Alister.
A.Z.: Terima kasih!
Daft Savant: Thanks!
Lisa: Hehe…yeah, but it’s important to me that I give him just the right name.
Farah: I know, the time flies! It seems like only yesterday I was telling you Azam looked like Jack Nicholson. Anyway, I should thank you for suggesting Imran as a middle name. I think it really fits! And yes, Leen is amazing. It’s increible how finely tuned she is to the needs of the baby. If he even moves at night, she jumps. It’s so nice to be able to watch how the interact, and it’s so nice to be able to interact with both of them!
Alain & Jija: Merci beaucoup! I really wish you two could be here. Well, maybe we’ll take the little guy to Guangzhou one of these days. Are you both coming back for Hari Raya? That would be great!
Frank: Jeez by, I’ve been trying to call you. Mom told me you guys were at the hospital, and I thought it was time. Anyway, I’ll keep trying the number I have (your parents’ place? I have no idea). Anyway, can’t wait to visit Newfieland and sit jaberin’ in the kitchen while the rugrats run around like Newfoundland wild baloney. We’ll be waiting!
Ben: Hah! Jealous, is it?
Ida: True, so we have no idea whether he’ll have my nose or Leen’s. I think Leen has a cute nose. We’ll see!
Mei: Thanks!
Balqis: She’s breastfeeding, but we’ve been mixing with formula. Breastfeeding can be frustrating, I guess, but it looks like she’s really getting the hang of it. As for our place, we don’t know exactly when we can move in, since we’re still waiting for the CF. Soon, hopefully!
Susan: I think he looks the spit of his uncle Troy in some of the photos! Mom didn’t believe me but everyone else thinks so, including Leen. It’s all good, Troy’s a handsome kid!
Sashi: Yeah, that’s my hand. I wanted to give some perspective on how small he is. I have big hands anyway, so he probably looks even smaller than he really is. But he’s definitely pretty small!
Sushi: Yup!
Nizar: I’m leaning towards Alisdair over Alister. The latter is easier to pronounce, but the former just looks a lot cooler, plus everyone’s already calling him that anyway, plus my mother got angry when I said I was thinking of changing the spelling, and we don’t want to make my mother angry. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry. Anyway, so far people don’t seem to be having trouble with the name, so it’s all good.
Runawaymind: Thanks! Not sure when we’ll be ready for the blood and gore again. But it’s definitely worth it, eh?
MJ: Thanks! Yeah, it’s funny that we get to share in these little moments and yet we’ve never met in person. Well, who knows? I’m sure the travel bug will hit us sooner or later.
awww! he’s awesome! he doesnt even have that new-baby-90-year-old-man-E.T-coneheads look! he’s perfect! congrats!
love you both….er…three!!
jody
Tahniah… HEHEHE, Cutenya Hidung macam LEEN (sebijik). Send our regards to LEEN.
Mazleen and Jordan, he is beautiful. We have already fallen in love with him. We love his name as well! Kerry and Heather are very happy to have become aunts and Dad is getting used to the idea of being a grandfather. We call him ‘Grumpy’ instead of Grampy lately.
Give Leen and Alisdair our love & we can’t wait to see you all in person.
Love, luck & laughter
From the Sydney MacVays :)
exactly how do you pronounce Alisdair?
MashAllah and Mubarak to Macvaysia on your mini Macvaysia.
Your bro in T.O. (Toronto, Ontario)
~ HiMY! ~
Congratulation to both of you!!
Alisdair is such a beautiful baby. Both of you must be proud of him. For Leen, I know sometime its really takes a lot of effort to breastfeed, but its really a big reward. You’ll get use with it.
Actually, I’ve been following your blog for quite sometime now (introduced by my friend). And i really enjoy reading your story in china and now about your little family.
salam,
eita
Jodee: Oh, he was definitely a conehead, thanks to the vacuum thingy that helped him make his way out of his mama. But he’s starting to look a lot less alien-like.
Ariri & E: Thanks! I was surprised to get a comment from you. How’s life in Ireland?
Norma, Dad, Kerry, & Heather: Can’t wait to bring him home to see you guys!
Sushi: It’s actually pronounced pretty much exactly the same as Alister, not like AliSTAIR or anything like that. Actually it’s kind of like ALastar, something like that. Ah, say it however you like, it’s all good. Just remember the stress is on the AL, the rest sounds like something in between ster and star and stair. Does that make any sense?
Himy: Hey bro in T.O.! You didn’t need to explain what T.O. is, I’m a Canuck too, I know that already…hehe.
Eita: Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the kind words!
jordan, he is adorable! eh was he vacuumed out, he looks like he got the vacuum mark indentation on his head in one of the pictures or maybe its just my eyes.
i am not sure who said about the baby having flat asian nose instead of pointy caucasian nose, but all babies regardless of caucasian, indian, asian or whatever lah. the nose is flatter to aid in breastfeeding.
he is adorable! now i can’t wait to have ours and frank is consoling the baby everyday trying to get the baby to come out earlier..haha
I like all the versions of the pronounciation of Alisdair i was able to come up with. I think I got it now, just what I thought it was. That poor kid is gonna have people ask about this a lot!
Mubarak Allahu Feekum!
Your baby is as cute as Leen, wish you have a happiness family.
Do what a father should do. Raising a child is not a easy task. My niece(just 9 months old) taught me this in the last summer holiday. Anyway i miss you all. Say hello to Leen and your cute little Macvay for me.^_^
Your student in China
:D :D :D :D :D :D
BAYBEEEE OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED IT WAILLLL :’(
Congrats bro.
BTW, im a dad too…my daughter’s now 5 months old ;)
He’s sooo cute! Looks sebijik like Leen (for now… heheh).
Congratulations, Jordan and Leen. Alisdair is a nice name and he’s a cute baby ;-)
Congratulations again, Jordan. I have to agree with Najah…he does look like Leen. Born very close to my bday, too. :-)
Congratulations Jordan and Lean.The baby is beautiful. Good luck and happiness!
hey, read your blog alot. esp on the english-malay language thing. fascinating. congrats on the new born.
I think every baby will look like the mother. When he/she is 3 (or 5?) years old, you can tell who’s the father from his/her look. Your baby is a Cawa or Jada, or simply said, Eurasian-lah… (Euro? Pan-Asian kot).
little Macvay,so cute ,so lovely !
He’s gt his daddy’s nose! Bring him to next blogmeet lar!
I haven’t been here in such a long time. But I’m greeted with wonderful pictures of Alisdair (what a beautiful name). Congratulations to you and Leen. And a Happy Belated Birthday to Smokey too.
your baby’s skin is very dry…hopefully not laacking drink