The 50-year-old Malay version of "Yes, we're trying for a boy"

L to R: My mum (daughter #3), daughters #4, #2, #1 and in front, #5

Today, we take so many photos of our kids on our phones but we risk losing them all once our devices are down.

When I look through old studio photographs like this, I think about the monumental effort it must have taken to get all kids fed and dressed and out the door. Arrive at the studio at an early enough time so everyone's not cranky yet. Get everyone to look at the camera at the same time.

Well, at least one little girl snuck in a funny face.

This photo of my mother and her four sisters dates from around 1956. Waitaminnit, did you mean three sisters and a brother?

Well, my maternal grandparents wanted a boy so badly that Salamah, the fifth daughter, got dressed up like a boy until she started school at the age of seven.

The one and only boy, Mustakim, came after two more daughters, followed by one last daughter, making a grand total of nine children that survived infancy.