Making it 12.

 Tues 7.9.2021.

Yesterday morning, Monday 6.9.21, Dekna gave us our 12th grandchild, the 10th. boy, in a heavily lopsided sex balance. As I write this, both mother and child are still in hospital. We expect them to come home tomorrow. Everything seems ok, so far.

Looking at the numbers, I see 12 is more than one football team, with one to spare. Dekna's now 4 would add to the din in the house.  The other 8 would turn everything upside down when they come together, once this sop thing goes. Even with 3 before this, my room had been the target for depositing all the toys and foodstuffs. No amount of threats worked.

The oldest is now 16. At my age I'm behind Tok Mail, some of whose grandchildren are already out of university although he's only 6 years older than me. Arshad has at least 2 more years to enrol into any college.

So the gap is 16 years between the oldest and the youngest. But 10 of them are in school, leaving only 2 who have many more years of staying home.

Happily, the kids seem blessed with good health, except for Arshad's early scare with asmathic symptoms which have been overcome. He's now taller than his mother, who's not short for a Malay. His uncles on that side are tall, as also on my wife's side, so he might grow tall, too.

Looking at their birth dates, they all seem to be evenly spread out. Only Safar and Jamadil awal record no birth, and Rejab and Sha'ban record 2 each. The other Hijri months show one birth each. Combining the parents on my side, and with Idah and I, Rejab and Sha'ban are the most prolific months, with 8 of the total 16 birthdates (50 %).

All the kids have their own houses now, and all are gainfully occupied. I have no real worry for the grandchildren's upbringing. Only the questionable schooling system evades my comprehension. I hope to live long enough to see some of these little rascals making it through college. They're always in my prayers.

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