136 - Finally. An Update

Assalamualaikum.

Yes. It has been months since my last update. I have been busy. With never-ending workload and growing family, I have problem finding time to blog.

I miss blogging. I really do. It used to be my medium to vent and rant.

But, right now. I will try to find time. 

So, what's new?

Family. Inas has already started pre-school early this year. We did not plan to send her to pre-school as early as 3 years and 4 months but we had no choice. According to the year of birth, Inas is considered as 4 years old so the nursery can only accommodate up to 3 years old and when you are 4, off to pre-school which is practically next door. So yeah.

But at least, when we talked to the Manager of the school, she didn't highlight anything about exams or anything like that. She just mentioned about how they would teach the kids how to hold the pencil correctly, colouring, making shapes and the most important part, reciting the Al Quran.

Alhamdulillah, after our first meeting with Inas' teacher, she has been a wonderful student. Can improve in certain aspects but we are not presurring her at all because she's been doing so well if compared to us. When we were 4, we did not know how to recite after Azan's doa, Al Fatihah and zikirs. 

Jinan is now 1 year and 3 months. And she has been amazing daughter and little sister. She is truly someone with full of love. For a one year old, I think Jinan is compassionate and very understanding. She rarely acting up when the sister is throwing tantrum. I feel like she understands me.

May Allah bless that little soul.

I wish I could blog more but I am off for my lunch break.

I will be back, insyaAllah.

135 - Number 2

Assalamualaikum.

Wow. Just wow *dusting off dirt, spiderwebs*

Hello everyone. 

Am not going to start this entry on how I've been busy with work or busy with my two kids. Yes, TWO. Can you believe that? I have two kids now.

I think I might as well share my labour story.

During my 37th weeks, on my way back from Kuantan, I felt pain at my tummy area. Since I have no experience in contraction pain before I thought this must be it. Just imagine, we just entered the highway. I was so close asking my husband to turn around. I rather tahan sakit kat rumah rather than sakit dalam perjalanan. But after 15 minutes of excruciating pain, it suddenly gone.

On Monday, I decided to take the day off as advised by fellow colleagues. On Tuesday, I went to work as usual. Later that evening, I went to see my Gynae. She said that I was already 1cm dilated but was not in labour yet. So she asked me whether do I want to take medical leave but I said "not yet" because I have not handover my work yet.

On Wednesday, I went to work like usual. Told my boss that I might need to went off early because I can give birth anytime soon. Of course she was not happy but what to do right.

On Thursday, I went to work slightly late because I felt a little bit of contraction. But as soon as I got to the office, my boss asked me to go back. So, I just handover everything to her. After lunch, I went home.

During my 38th weeks checkup, I was still not in labour stage yet. Jadi, balik rumah macam biasa.

On the night of 29th December, when I was getting ready for bed, I felt another contraction. I though it's going to be the usual contraction pain that I've been experiencing so I totally ignore it. Then, it was getting frequent and at one point, it was quite impossible for me to sleep. I ended watching tv the whole night, timing my contraction.

At 6am, there was a bloody show. Time to go the hospital. Woke my husband up and told him "It's time". After Subuh, we sent Inas to my aunt's place and off we went to the hospital. But decided to stop for breakfast first. Though the nasi lemak was nice but I could not enjoy my meal at all. 

Once at the hospital, the nurse checked and I was only 2cm dilated. Punya sakit tapi baru bukak 2cm. So we have to wait. At about 12pm, I was wheeled to the labour room. At that time, I was already 4cm dilated. Since they need to speed up the process, they broke my water bag.

We waited until 6pm. In between that, they keep on checking and I was still 4cm and no progress at all. At about 6.15, the doctor said we need to do csect as I cannot wait any longer. 

They prepared everything and by 7pm, I was brought in to the OT. 

At 7.25, my baby came out. She looked exactly like Inas. 

I am so blessed.

Now, my baby girl, Jinan Maisara is 5 months old. Such a healthy and happy baby.

Till then.

134 - 36 and Counting

Assalamualaikum.

Since I am quite free (because my Manager is not around *wink*), I decided to post another entry.

Alhamdulillah, I am currently in my 36 weeks. Can't believe I have about 4 weeks to go before the due date. I have discussed with my Gynae that I wanted to try for VBAC and she has been very supportive. Let's hope for the best.

Two weeks back my blood pressure went up and I was a bit scared. Kalau BP tak turun-turun, I may have to do another surgery. But, everything is good and back to normal. It just that I have to monitor my BP everyday to make sure it won't escalate.

Here are some of the facts that I want to share with regards to my second pregnancy;

1) My morning sickness during the first trimester was really bad. I practically live in the toilet and while I was in there, I was hugging the toilet bowl. 

2) The morning sickness was so bad that I became dehydrated and was admitted to hospital for 2 nights. Even celebrated my third anniversary at the hospital.

3) I prefer to drink cold drinks and carbonated drinks once in a while because I was craving for it.

4) Until 36 weeks, I only gained 8kg as compared to previous pregnancy where I gained 15kg. I wish to lose 10 -15kg after I give birth. 

5) This pregnancy, kaki dan hidung tak mengembang..Weee!

Oklah. These are the only points that I can remember at the moment.

Till then.

#129 - Ding Ding Round 2

Assalamualaikum.

Second entry of the day because I have nothing better to do (side eyeing the pile of work on my desk).

Today, I feel like sharing something with my readers (if I have any). I am currently 4 months pregnant with the second baby. This is actually a  planned pregnancy so when we found out that I was pregnant, we were more like "okay, I am pregnant. Here we go again, sayang" rather than "OMG I AM PREGNANT. How lah like this?"

Both my husband and I planned to have a medium sized family. 4 kids at least. But, after my horrendous first trimester, I was having a second thought about having more than 2 kids. So I thought. My husband shut the idea of stopping at number 2. So, you guys would probably would hear another 1 or two pregnancy announcements from me in the future.

Anyway, since this is a planned pregnancy, I was fully aware of my body changes. I was tired all the time, nauseous and the biggest hint of all, I was late. Took the first pregnancy test before my period was due cause I was poyo like that. The result was vague so I decided to take another test after I was 3 days late.

Then, the result was crystal clear. Showed the pee stick to husband and he was like grinning from ear to ear. 

The first 4 weeks was bearable. Onto the next 8 weeks, I was practically live in the toilet. I couldn't eat or drink anything. At one point, I was like crying to my husband "I dah tak tahan. I lapar sangat". The morning sickness was so bad that I got dehydrated and eventually admitted to hospital for 2 nights. Thank God, Husband was there all along to accompany me at the hospital. We even celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary at the hospital. How romantic!

Alhamdulillah, am entering 18 weeks and things are looking well right now. I can eat better now and my appetite is slowly growing. So far, I don't have any weird cravings. Yet. I don't think Husband would layan me if I got any weird cravings.

Insya Allah, we will be welcoming our new bundle of joy in January 2015. Please pray for both of us. 

To my dear Baby Boo (nickname TBD later :P), grow well my dear. 

Till then.

#127 - If You Happy

Assalamualaikum.

Has it been that long since my last entry? Wow!

For the last couple of weeks, my life has been upside down with a lot of things happening around me. And on top of that, I have a cheeky little toddler that demand attention every moment possible. Twinkle is now 1 year and 7 months. She is more active and talkative now. 

Currently, she is in "ee i ee i o" phase. Which means, she'll be asking for iPad and my phone every now and then to watch "Old McDonald Had A Farm". Initially, I don't want to expose her too much to gadget but I must say it does come in handy when I need to do house chores or while we are out for dinner. We've downloaded flash card app too so whenever we are out of WIFI coverage, at least she would have other things to do and learn. So far, she has picked up a few words on flash card like "apple", "bear" "pink" and "banana".

When we are at home with her, we try not let her totally depend on gadgets so we play with her and make up some activities. So far, I only managed to do "If you happy and you know it". We come up with different instruction every time like "if you happy, you kiss Baba" "if you happy, you hug Mama". You know along that line. Yes, I need more engaging activities and need to research more.

Anyway, work has been "fun". Haha. Don't worry, I am still enjoying whatever am doing right now.Things are little bit harder now so time to step up on my game.

Oklah, it's time. Till my next entry.

#103 - Snippets of the Week Part 8

Assalamualaikum.

Has been a while, isn't it?

I'm not truly busy with work. It just that my writing mojo has totally disappeared. I wanted to write something but I could not figure out a subject to talk about. Since I have a lot on my mind right now, I think it's about time for another round of snippets of the week/month. 

Here goes;

1) Inas, my beautiful daughter will turn one next month. Wow, time flies so damn fast. Inas can stand on her own and already took a few steps. Such an active baby girl and eats a lot. She even know how to blow her nose and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. A kepochi baby I might add. I wonder where did she get that from. And I don't have any plans for her first birthday yet.

2) Work has been okay until earlier this week when my manager express his unsatisfactory towards his work performance which resulted to him resigning. Although I understand where he is coming from but it's a pity, really. I do learn a lot from him. On the other hand, I was given a new project to work on from my boss. Something I haven't done before.

3) En. Suami already started work at the new place earlier this month. He seems happier at the new place. Which is good for him. With this company and his line of work, he would need to travel almost every month. So far, he has travelled to Terengganu and will be going to Langkawi next week. First night without him, I cried like a baby. I wondered what's going to happen if he needs to travel for more than 1 night.

4) Had a discussion with my good friends about how I am trying to be better a Muslimah especially in terms of my dressing and hijab styling. I have a long way to go but I'm taking one small step at a time. May Allah ease this journey for me.

Till my next entry. 

#89 - Comeback

Wow it has been a while and I really miss blogging. 

There are so many things I want to blog especially on Inas' updates but time is quite limited nowadays.

And of course, when I have the laptop all to myself I don't have any mood to write.

Inas is crying and I shall be back soon.

#86 - Celebrate

Today marks 55th day I welcomed Inas to the world. Which means 11 days passed my confinement period.

I would have celebrate it with a glass of iced coke or any icy drinks for that matter;

Raw salmon;

Mall-hopping.

But I did none of the above.

Instead I celebrated the end of my confinement with an appointment with my Gynae and a low key lunch with En. Suami. But, I did it with style; rocking a studded jeans and 5 inches wedges.

Never I felt so at home. Haha.

I miss my heels so damn much. More than I miss CBTL's Iced Mocha Blended.

People said that your feet tend to expand after you gave birth, well it's true. The wedding shoes is a little bit tight now and one pair of wedges is a no go. Good thing, I can fit into heels that once were on a loose side.

I'm trying to get En. Suami to buy me a new pair of shoes as a end-of-confinement-gift. Hopefully, I'll will succeed.

Till then.

#83 - Confinement

My little princess is 12 days old today. Sometimes I can't believe that I am a mother now. Amazing feeling. THE MOST amazing feeling.

So how I cope being in confinement so far?

I am currently at my mom's place. Easier that way. Alhamdulillah, Mak is not that strict when it comes to what I can and what I can't eat. In fact, we are having pizza for dinner today.

Oh, ikan goreng tenggiri makan dengan nasi panas ditabur dengan lada hitam adalah sedap ok.

I'm not taking any jamu or anything because Mak is not sure whether I can take it given that I had c-sect instead of normal birth. Thank God for that. I don't think I can take them.

I am also not taking ikan haruan although people say it's good for the wound. My gynae advised against it. The reason being, IF I have to undergo another operation in the future, it would be more difficult and I would bleed more. 

Other than that, I am currently enjoying my confinement. Like, hello makcik urut! It feels like going to a spa but in the comfort of your house.

Till my next entry.

#82 - Yellow

Little Star was admitted to hospital late last night because of jaundice and it was a heartbreaking moment for both of us.

My mother and I went to the hospital in the afternoon for a follow up check up. The Paed said she looked a bit yellowish and so he took blood sample from Little Star. He informed that the hospital will call us later that night to inform the result.

The agony of waiting.

I tried not to think so much on that and try to stay positive. But the moment we received the call, I was weak for a while there. 

I tried to calm myself down by reciting surahs and zikir. 

I know jaundice is normal for baby. Especially Little Star is a premature baby, so we have to pay more attention to that.

My dear princess, cepat-cepat sihat ye sayang. 

I love you my dearest.

#81 - The Arrival

God has a greater plan for me after all.

It started off with a simple breakfast with my mother in law while watching K-Drama on KBS channel. Then, since Mama planned to go out for lunch later, I continued watching other dramas as well instead of preparing ingredients for lunch.

Around 3pm, En. Suami got back from work and we got ready to go for our monthly check up. 

We were quite early so we managed to beat after work crowd. By 5, we were already in the doctor's room.

But, I was welcomed with concern yet worrisome tone from my Gynae. She said, the protein level in my urine is very high. She then checked my blood pressure and scanned the baby.

After scanning, she announced that I have to be admitted and she would do the c-sect that night. 

Imagine, my feeling.

There were no time to think twice or second opinion. I was admitted right away.

En. Suami made some calls to our family members informing my latest development. By that time, I could not think. I have mixed feelings. 

The surgery started around 8pm and took about 45 minutes. I was glad that En. Suami was with me throughout the process. I could never ask for better partner for this. He was calm and comforting, reciting surahs for me. Alhamdulillah.

At 8.36pm on 10th October 2012, we welcomed our beautiful daughter; our Little Star.

Yes, I wish I could give birth naturally and whatevernot. But, I feel it's for our own good. And I believe, Allah has better plan for us.

Welcome to the world my beautiful princess. Mama and Baba loves you endlessly.

#78 - Snapshot of the Week Part 5

I was thinking of posting an entry when we are back in Kuantan but I just can't resist to jot down something. There will be another entry but here's a snapshot.

1) My brother's wedding went smoothly. It was pretty hectic for me despite not doing anything. I mean I could hardly do anything. But I did help packing for the wedding favours. At least, I contributed something to the whole wedding thing.

2) My swollen feet made common appearance throughout the wedding weeks and my face bloated like nobody business. I just can't be bothered anymore.

3) And due to the hectic weeks, my blood pressure went up slightly high than usual. I need to take some meds to control it otherwise I have to be admitted. I guess, no more hectic or over the top activities for this 8 months pregnant lady.

4) As far as the preparation for the baby is concern, we managed to get a few things already but there are lot more to buy. I am half way done packing for the hospital bag. I should've start parking earlier but I always ended up thinking what Little Star would wear when s/he comes back from the hospital. Need to be stylish ok. Haha.

5) Now that I'm entering 34th week, the check up is now more frequent. The next appointment would be in 2 weeks time. It's getting more intense every time we go and see the gynae. I guess it's normal for a first time mother.

Till my next entry (hopefully with more detailed post)

#77 - Of Swollen Feet

Reality finally hit me with a pair of swollen feet. 

I tried to be positive about it because it is part of pregnancy. If I can deal with endless nauseous and vomiting, I surely can handle swollen feet. Boy, was I wrong? Dead wrong. Even having a big ass tummy didn't affect me this much.

I could not fit into any of my shoes anymore. I know it would go away after I give birth but the irrational side of me refuse to listen to that. I was looking at my 5 inches heels the other day and I feel some sort of pain. 

The other day, I went to KLCC with my SIL for lunch and I tried on a pair of oh-so-comfortable wedges at Sketchers. Part of me wanted to buy the shoes but I know most people (especially the elders) would disagree with that. So, I just put them back where it does not belong; the shelf.

Yes, I could buy a new pair of shoes now that I can't fit any of them but I know the selection would only be sandals. At least better than nothing, right.

Thought of asking En. Suami for some shoe-shopping after dinner but he is still stuck at the office. Tomorrow then. I hope.

Till then.

#75 - Tick Tock Tick Tock

I am currently on my 31st week and approximately 7-8 weeks to go. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Yes. But believe it or not, we have not prepare anything yet for the baby. Yes, we did buy some clothes during our trip to UK but seriously, it could not last more than 2 weeks.

We planned to do the shopping at the end of this month. Hopefully sempat lah kan. Need to plan out what to buy (the necessities). If the baby decided to come out early, s/he just need to settle sleeping on comforter and wearing clothes twice the size.

En. Suami and me also has been listing a few possible names for our baby. Didn't know, finding a name could be a chore. Like, seriously. Every time when we think of a name, it would always ended with "eh macam nama anak orang tu, anak orang nie". Not helping when both of us came from a big family with lots of nieces, nephews and young cousins. And not to mention, our friends' children.

Need to sign off. Housewife duty is calling me and I have like 2 basket full of laundry to fold. 

Till then.

#74 - Snippets of the Week Part 4

Wow, almost a month and no update whatsoever.

Selamat Hari Raya and hope everyone had a good celebration. This year, we went back to En. Suami's hometown and I had a blast. It has been a while since I have a lot of relatives in the same house at the same time. It feels nice. Dah lama tak rasa berebut toilet. 

On that raya morning, my family in KL called up and sang Dendang Perantau to me. No prize for guessing who cried like a baby.

Anyway, here's some snippets on what I have been up to;

1) We spent most of our weekend visiting relatives and friends. That is what Raya is all about. Alhamdulillah, the traffic was not that bad during our "jalan-jalan raya". On the other hand, I am running out of dresses to wear so I've been wearing pants instead. But, nobody get to say anything to this pregnant lady. I can wear whatever I want.

2) We went for our monthly check up and Alhamdulillah Little Star is doing well. Little Star is now 1.3kg and I am currently at my heaviest. I have swollen legs and can't fit into any of my shoes anymore (boo hoo)

3) I'm getting a little bit lazy and tired lately. It took me twice the time to do everything. It feels like first trimester all over again. Maybe because I'm getting heavier?

Basically, that's about it. 

Till then.

#73 - Snippets of the Week Part 3

2nd week of becoming a housewife and the only down side of not working is I don't have the access to blog everyday. Not really fond blogging from iPad. The only choice is to borrow my SIL's Macbook. Maybe I should get myself a laptop but En. Suami prefers desktop. Whatever it is, I need to have either one so I can blog.

Anyway, here's another snippets on what I've been up to since last week.

1) Was in Pekan last week for gotong royong session. But, we didn't actually participate (more like tunjuk muka) since we arrived Pekan only on Saturday evening. Spent one night there and headed back to Kuantan on Sunday morning. 

2) Since some of the states were on public holiday that Monday (Selangor included), we took the opportunity to shop for my Raya dress in Kuantan. Managed to get one maxi dress and one blouse (approved by MIL) but still not done with raya shopping as I need to find something blue to match En. Suami. 

3) During our monthly check up (the reason why we arrived late in Pekan), we finally can confirm on our Little Star's gender. But, I would like to keep it as a secret first. You guys have to wait until November to find out *wink*

4) Went to Kenanga Wholesale City with Ain. The mall was huge. We bought more than we should. But, I managed to get the blue dress for raya and red dress for my brother's wedding. I have a feeling that I'm probably going to buy another dress for his wedding but if not, I just wear the dress that I already bought. So now I am pretty much settled with raya preparation. Oh, except for shoes.

5) I wanted to bake some cookies but we don't have an oven. Maka, impian tinggal impian. But, it is good to know that my favourite cookies is also En. Suami's favourite. I should just master that one particular cookies. 

6) For En. Suami's birthday, I planned to cook his favourite dish which is Spaghetti Carbonara. But, my SIL invited to her house for iftar so we celebrated his birthday with his siblings. But, I managed to prepare the dish the day after that. It was ok. En. Suami finished off everything and it really makes everything worth it.

6) I finally found the time to reorganize my closet. OMG, do I have a lot of shawls. The shawls in the picture above are only half of them. But still, I think they are not enough. Sigh.

This year, we will be going back to Kuantan and Pekan for Raya. I only have a few days left to settle everything before we head back next Thursday. I should prepare a list of things to bring because lately I always forget things.

Let's hope I can squeeze some time to blog before another long hiatus.

Till then.

#72 - Fasting while Pregnant

14th of Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah, both Little Star and me have been doing so well. Only the last two days I need to break fast 2 hours earlier because of acidic gas. Other than that, Little Star has been really good. Really proud of my child. 

Although it is permissible for me not to fast but I decided to go against it. I am in a good condition so why shouldn't I? Moreover, I don't think I have the energy to replace 30 days of fasting. There are few people raised their eyebrows when I told them that I'm fasting but I don't care. I believe fasting will do more good to the baby and me than harm.

Anyway, today marked the third day of becoming a full time housewife. I did a lot of house chores on my first day that I don't have anything to do on my third day. Maybe I should stock up the groceries soon so I can start cooking. At least, I can practice making different dishes. 

En. Suami's birthday is next week. What should I prepare for him?

#61 - Snippets of the Week Part 2

It has been a while since I last posted pictures on this blog. So, during our little outing/date last week, I tried to snap a few photos but not too much though because we were busy eating and talking.

1) We went for our monthly check up but with a different doctor. The one that we usually saw was on leave last Saturday. Initially we wanted to see her on Friday but because of the bad traffic we couldn't make it. Based on our personal point of view, we preferred Dr. K rather than Dr. Z. We felt that Dr. K is more friendly and more informative. Anyway, we thought we could see the gender of Little Star but we couldn't just yet. So we have to wait for next month check up to find out (hopefully).

2) We went to Ampang for my friend's daughter's aqiqah. We basically there for lunch. Thought of going out for shopping after that but looking at the traffic condition, we decided to stay in. At least, I managed to re-organize both of our closets. 

3) After dinner, we decided to have some ice cream so we scouted for the best place to hang out. Unfortunately there's not much choice. We ended up buying McD's ice cream sundae and enjoyed them in the comfort of our own couch.

4) Sunday is our lazy day. We stayed in and did nothing. And of course, there was Wimbeldon's final game.

It has been a very laid back weekend. I wished I could do more. Like sorting the laundry and whatever not but I think we did some progress by re-organizing the closet. More space for En. Suami and me. Now we only need to make some space for Little Star.

Can't wait to have our own love nest in the future.

Till then.

#59 - Mama/Baby Update Part 1

Lately I noticed some new developments on my pregnancy;

1) I can't eat too much. Everything must be in moderation. The other day, I had a small portion of nasi lemak  for breakfast, porridge for lunch and chicken cheese sausage for dinner. The day after that, I had a pack of nasi lemak for breakfast, a plate of mixed rice for lunch and dinner. By the time I finished my dinner, I was bloated and my tummy stretched so much that I can't sit. And for the past 2 days, I tried to control my food intake and I feel better. So I concluded that I can't that much.

2) During my first pregnancy, I could not take Nescafe at all so it was quite easy for me to stop drinking for a while. This time around after my first trimester, I was being a little bit adventurous so I drank a bit. It was good at the first time. But nowadays, I noticed Nescafe gives very bad after taste and makes me nauseous. Hot Milo and tea also gives the same kind of feeling. The only thing (so far) that I can drink in iced Milo. So, for the time being, I have to settle for iced Milo for breakfast.

3) The Little Star now is kicking like mad. Though there were still very soft and faint but enough to make his/her presence felt. I can't wait for our monthly check up this Saturday. I miss the Little Star already. Especially En. Suami because he missed last month's check up because I went on Friday instead of Saturday.

Till then.

#55 - Here for You

Thud.

One.

Two.

Three.

Three gentle thuds greeted me this morning and boy, was that a pleasant surprise from the little one. I was still lying on my bed, trying to get my lazy ass out of bed when I noticed the first kick. I was like "eh".

Then, came the second kick. And I was so excited and quickly told En. Suami. He put this palm on my tummy and waited for the kick. And there there was the third kick. Both of us were beaming with joy.

itu baru kick. Kalau the real thing nanti sure dah tak boleh nak tutup mulut tersengih.

I guess that is the beauty of being pregnant. All the little things are like very amazing experience. Definitely one of the experiences that you could not get anywhere else. Things as simple as soft gentle kicks are enough to tell me "I'm still here, Mommy!"

When I was pregnant the first time, we didn't know that we lost the baby until our monthly checkup because there were no visible symptoms. After a lot of discussions among both of us and the gynaes, we decided that we lost the baby when I stopped having my sickness. So, with the present pregnancy, I was quite paranoid when I didn't vomit or nauseous. Although, it was very tiring running to the toilet and puke but I rather do that rather than being paranoid and thinking "have I lost the baby?"

Yes, I am being super paranoid but that's me. I didn't quite share my worries with En. Suami because I don't want to over think. 

Alhamdulillah, every thing went well until today and hope it will last till I give birth in November. Ameen.

Till then.