:: a sinful day ::

I should have wrote about this ages ago but didn't had the chance. Still wanna blog about it though cuz it was my last outing as a mommy-to-be. It was Wednesday, 2 days before giving birth to Ady. That noon, Nor fetched me and drove us to One Utama because she already made an appointment at the Estee Lauder roadshow. Like other makeup roadshows they sold vouchers that allow you to have a makeover, get your photos taken and redeem their products. For this Estee Lauder model search roadshow, such voucher was sold at RM300 and RM250 was redeemable for products. Since Nor wanted to add more Estee Lauder products in her collection, the voucher was worthy and she kindheartedly bought another voucher for me to have a makeover too as a pre-delivery treat. My BFF is such a darling isn't she? ;-)

Before...

...After

I really like my makeup because it accentuated my eyes without looking OTT although I was wearing fake eyelashes. Wish I could have that fresh, glowing look everyday.

Me still with baby bump and Nor looking pretty... ;-)

We actually spent hours at the roadshow so we were both starving when we left the Centre Court. Nor suggested having lunch at Chili's while we were looking for a place to eat. Remembering about confinement period that awaits me, I agreed with her irresistible idea. Chilli's is one of my favourite eating place and I better eat anything I wanted because I will have to abstain from many delicious food during confinement. Chili's got a new menu that allowed us to combine 2 main course in a dish served with Loaded Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Veggies for only RM49.90. It was super awesome! Out of few selected main course offered, we chose to have New York Strip with Monterey Chicken. We were starving, excited and being "us", one combo dish was not enough so we also ordered a Triple Play.

Yeah, Nor and I always have big appetite when we go out together. Few years ago we both had 2 Burger King's burgers each (a Whopper & a Mushroom Swiss) together with other side dishes like fries, onion rings and mozarella cheese sticks... and finished eating every single thing. We made it again that day and cleared off those nice, tasty food. I even drank 2 big glasses of lemonade and a big glass of mango juice too... crazy but true!

Before...

...After :-D

Oh, I really need to eat at Chili's once this confinement period is over. I miss having good food! Anyway, to cut the story short I did some shopping at One Utama that day. Managed getting a yellow basic tee that I've been waiting for and also 2 basic vests from Dorothy Perkins as well as nursing and feeding items from Parkson that include Avent washable breast pads. I purposely highlighted the pads because I highly recommend it to all mothers-to-be out there. Breast pad is a must-have item and instead of buying disposable ones that cost a lot (because you will need them a lot), why not settle with a washable one instead? Avent washable breast pads contain 3 pairs of pads and also a laundry bag for RM64.90 but you could get them a bit cheaper at online baby stores.


It was Charles & Keith's first day of sale, the sale that I've been waiting for because I have been eyeing for this particular boot ever since it was a new arrival item. Two reasons why I didn't get it earlier were #01 - it was sold at RM149.90 and #02 - I couldn't wear them yet due to pregnancy so what's the rush? Unfortunately that boot was not sold at C&K One Utama so on our way back to USJ I have asked Nor to drop me at Empire because I knew it was sold there. It did and was discounted at 40% so it was only RM89.95. It was worth the wait and what's more, Nor paid it for me as my birthday prezzie. Who doesn't love free shoes? Love ya babe ;-)

Look at my ala-Rozita Che Wan's eyelashes

Trying to look cute + showing off my 2 scoops of ice cream and a trolley full of shopping items

The day was not over yet because our third destination was Mydin. I had to buy some groceries but we walked around the entire store (well, almost) since Nor never been to Mydin before and we ended buying a trolley full of items. One thing I love about going to Mydin is buying King's ice cream from one of the stalls at the parking area. No other brands could beat King's corn flavoured ice cream so that day I had not only one but two cones of ice cream, one on the way in and another on the way out. I even had a scoop of yam with a scoop of corn as you can see in the above pic. Memang hari lepas geram dengan makanan nih...hehehe.

So that was it - a wonderful, memorable and a 'sinful' day out with my BFF. It was sinful because we have spent more than RM1k through out the day and it was more sinful because we didn't regret it. My heartiest appreciation goes to Nor. You really made my day and I will remember it for the rest of my life because it was my last outing before becoming a mama. Really appreciate it babe and thank you for everything - xoxo.

:: counting hours ::

Dear Baby,

In few hours you will no longer stay inside Mama's tummy. You will see the world, meet both of us and others who also love you. You have been my loyal companion, sharing every moment; anytime, anywhere and carrying you for 9 and a half month is never a burden but the most wonderful experience ever. Mama surely gonna miss having you kicking from inside, yet couldn't wait to cuddle and having you by my side. Mama and Papa will provide you endless love and care, a promise that both of us will surely keep for the rest of our lives...

Semoga menjadi anak yang soleh dan insan yang berguna. Kelahiranmu amat bermakna untuk kami berdua. Mwah!

Love,
Mama

-Ward 3A, Hospital Putrajaya-

:: almost there ::

I wanted to share this news since 2 days ago but didn't have the opportunity to write because I was occupied with other errands. Now I have a lot to share in limited time because the big day is tomorrow. Yeap, we are only a day away from becoming parents. The wait is almost over and it's going to be a new beginning for another chapter of life.

 "peace!"

Last Tuesday was my last prenatal checkup. It was scheduled in the evening and as usual I had to undergo the normal checkup procedure before meeting the doctor. Gained 1kg from the previous checkup but it didn't matter anymore because what matter the most was condition of the baby and the placenta. It was still the same as expected, hence it was confirmed that the baby need to be delivered through cesarean section. We had to set the date so we straight away told doctor we wanted it to be done on Friday, 17 June. There are two reasons why we chose that date. First because 17 is my birthdate and second because it falls on Friday. We were upset to know that operation theatre was full on that date. Doctor offered us Monday, 20 June but thankfully the operation theatre is also full that day and since hubby continuously insisted, she then booked the operation room according to our preference date (yeay~!). Doctor said I will be the last one and it might be done at night, around 10pm. To me being the last one is not a problem as long as it can still be done on the 17th and hopefully it is possible.

I will be admitted to ward at 12:15 pm tomorrow until my turn arrives and will be staying in the hospital for another 3-4 days. Not only that, I also need to fast starting from 9:00 am as a preparation for the operation. To be honest, I'm still cool about tomorrow. I never went through any sort of operation, minor or major through out my whole life so I don't know how to react and what to expect. Moreover I have expected this since early pregnancy because I was told by doctor that my placenta was low and that might also affect my calmness right now. Another thing about me is I never read anything about cesarean section procedure either from books or the Internet but only rely on stories from experienced close friends. Not only that, I also seek for tips and advices on recovering during confinement for c-section because the pain will last longer than giving normal birth. Some of my friends already undergone both normal and c-section so they will share the differences between the two. I found that different people have their own preferences. Some preffered normal birth but some preferred c-section, so I figured out it is up to me to make the judgement after I went through it. Don't know whether it is good or not but at least it doesn't make me feel nervous at all. Anyway, that is what I'm feeling right now, but not too sure whether I can still stay this calm tomorrow. Errrr.....?


I was on medical leave for a month but as usual, last minute preparation is a must. Went out having fun with my BFF yesterday and managed getting some items for baby and myself to complete the list. I was advised by some friends to get breast pads so I bought a box of Avent washable breast pads (pack of 6) instead of disposable one, because I felt it is more cost effective. I have searched for breast pump before, but some people told me no need to buy breast pump so early especially that I'm not going anywhere during confinement. Only few days ago I was again advised by experienced close friends that having a breast pump would be better to avoid wasting milk. Well, who else should I listen to so I got myself a manual breast pump from an ordinary brand, Anakku which only cost me RM69.90 before 10% discount. I just knew that there are affordable pumps available out there. All these while I have been comparing and contemplating whether to buy Medela or Ameda because most people only talked about those brands besides Avent, which is the most expensive. As we knew, established brands mean better product quality but if I got the chance, I will share on my experience using the Anakku pump. Who knows it is still similar to the high end brands but in cheaper price? :-> 

"all set and ready..."

Only few hours away and everything is ready. Feeding bottles and breast pump have been sterilised, baby crib is all set and baby bag is ready to go. Oh not forgetting, I have also bought Poleney's essence of black fish (pati ikan haruan Poleney) priced RM34++ at Mydin and Leesa Formula's black fish pills (pil ikan haruan Leesa Formula) priced RM45 at a jamu booth which can assist in healing. Well, at this point I should thank my old neighbour, Nana who has given me a lot of advices in these sort of things. Thank you so much for the tips babe! 


Hokeyh, I should stop here then. Will try to share some other thoughts and stories if time permits or else, don't know when I can start blogging again. Wish me luck and please pray for both of us, me and my baby ya. Hopefully everything will go silky smooth, insyaAllah. Till then, goodbye and good night!


xoxo,
mama-to-be

:: week 36 = 9 months ::

Went for my Week 36 check-up at Hospital Putrajaya this afternoon. My appointment was scheduled at 2:00 pm but being fashionably late as always, we arrived at 2:30 pm instead. It didn't matter though because reason #1 - I'm under Full Paying Patient (FPP) program so I'm allowed to skip queue and reason #2 - No matter how sharp we arrived, we still have to wait for at least 30 to 45 minutes because consultation time varies between one patient and another. Last time we even waited for almost 2 hours because my gynae was helping her patient giving birth in the labour room. I am still cool with that condition though because from what I heard, waiting time at some private hospitals are even worse especially if your gynae is a famous specialist. You need to come very early in the morning just to take your number and you can return home or even go shopping before your turn arrives maybe in the afternoon or later in the evening. Comparing that to our waiting time and the price we paid, I'm definitely satisfied with the FPP (except their average customer service level laa... but it's government hospital so have to expect that lorr...hehe).

 

As usual I had to undergo the same process of measuring weight, blood pressure test and urine test before meeting the doctor. My weight decreased a bit from the last check-up so obviously I'm happy with that because it is (only) 10kg extra than my pre-pregnancy weight, which is normal according to result shown in this pregnancy weight gain calculator. If you're pregnant, go check it out because I personally feel it is very helpful for us, mommies-to-be as we could refer and monitor how much weight we should roughly gain every month by inserting our pre-pregnancy weight and height. Not only that, they also provide info on where does the pregnancy weight go such as 0.7 kg for placenta, 0.9 kg for amniotic fluid, 2.7 - 3.6 kg for baby, 0.5 - 0.9 kg for breast growth and so on. 

My baby is considered full term at the end of this week and since my placenta previa is still in type 1, I have to deliver my baby through c-section which could be done in Week 38; only 2 weeks away from today. Most people would want to deliver their babies normally and so do I but with this condition there is no option left. Despite that, alhamdulillah our baby is in healthy condition and he is already 2.5 kg. Doctor gave me another appointment date on 14 June and that should be my last pre-natal check-up. My medical leave is continued until that date and ironically that is the end of my 25 days medical leave. I will need to take my annual leave or starts my maternity leave after that so I plan to have the operation not very long after the last check-up. Hopefully it can be done on this particular date which I already have in mind ;-)

It's coming to an end. I thank Allah the almighty for giving me this wonderful experience and strongly believed more is yet to come especially after our lil guy is here with us later. I'm grateful for having a healthy pregnancy period and hopefully the next 2 weeks will pass by smoothly and easily, insyaallah. 

Baby, mama and papa couldn't wait to see you. Just hang in there for a little while dear... mwah mwah!

:: how to make paper napkin dress ::

Here is another baby shower related tutorial for all of you. When I Googled napkin fold for baby shower, most of the ideas were diaper shape napkin but since I didn't buy any napkin pin to complete the look I continued my search and found this tutorial at HowDoesShe.

It's paper napkin dress and making one is effortlessly easy. Not only for baby shower, this dress-shaped napkin is also perfect to complete your table arrangement for bridal shower, casual tea party, birthday party or japanese-themed party (since the dress looks like a kimono). 

What you need:
- Paper napkins
- Ribbons / Beads for decoration
- Scissors

> Step 1: Take one paper napkin

> Step 2: Fold each side of the napkin to the center

> Step 3: Fold it into half

> Step 4: Cut a triangle shape at the side for arms and on top for neckline

> Step 5: Open the fold and you have a dress!

> Step 6: Make a bow with a ribbon and glue it in the middle of the dress. Add a bead to enhance the look and it's all done ;-)

Footnote: just prepare plain napkins in case your guests found the napkin is too adorable and cute to wipe their mouths with. Well, my guests did... happy trying!

*keywords: napkin fold for baby shower, napkin fold idea, how to fold a napkin into a dress, napkin fold for bridal shower, napkin fold for birthday party, cute napkin fold, napkin fold tutorial, napkin dress tutorial, baby shower ideas

:: tutorial-cute soother favor for baby shower ::

It has been a while since I last made a handmade craft project so I was pretty excited to make one for my baby shower tea party - just for fun. At first I planned to make a burp cloth cupcake but thought it wasn't baby-related enough so out of nowhere I somehow got this idea of making the favor using baby soother. I prefer giving away an item instead of food so my guests could keep it and who knows they will need it for whatever reason later.

As promised in my previous entry, here's the step-by-step guide to make a cute soother favor for a baby shower. By the way, I chose blue because I'm carrying a baby boy so you could make yours according to baby gender or party colour theme ;-)

 

Items Required:
- Baby soother
- Plastic container (another option is transparent box)
- Paper napkin
- Printed / coloured paper
- Ribbons
- Beads (other options are sequins, crystals, etc)
- Glue
- Scissors


> Step 1: Crumple a napkin into the container.

> Step 2: Make paper curls out of printed / coloured paper by cutting them into thin strips. With sharp end of the scissors, pull the paper from end to end with a sliding motion to create a curl. Put some inside the container. 

> Step 3: Make a bow with a ribbon. Fold it into number 8 and glue in the middle. 

> Step 4: Glue the bow on soother's handle. 

> Step 5: Wrap the bow with another ribbon in the middle and add a bead to enhance it. 

> Step 6: Place the soother inside the container.

(*idea: you could also place a small thank you note inside the container)



Items for Finishing:
- Transparent cling wrap
- Plastic container cover
- Ribbon


> Step 7: Measure and place the cling wrap on top of the container. 

> Step 8: Wrap and secure the cling wrap tightly around the container (*note: pretty tricky - require lots of patience). 

> Step 9: Glue the cover below the container as a base and decorate with ribbon and beads according to preference. 


You now have a cute soother favor for your guests. Perfect for baby shower or any kind of baby-related events. Good luck!

*keywords: baby shower favor tutorial, favour tutorial, homemade baby shower favor, homemade baby shower gift, homemade baby shower idea, what to give guests for baby shower, how to make paper confetti, how to make paper curler, cute gift for baby shower, cute favor for baby shower, how to make baby shower favor

:: another month to go ::

Sorry for the lack of update, yet thank you for those who still visiting my blog. I haven't work since Tuesday last week actually, it's already a week but seriously I did nothing much except for sleeping and playing with my iPad. Intended to update my blog but I couldn't force myself enough. Last Saturday was the worst because I woke up late, watched tv while surfing the Net, took a nap while watching CSI, woke up for awhile and then slept again for the second time in the evening. Can't stand such boredom but that's how bored my life is these days :-(

I was supposed to be hospitalised since last Thursday but my doctor was on emergency leave so the appointment was postponed to the next day. I already brought all the necessities but in the end brought them back home because the doctor gave another chance for me to make arrangement with PMCare on the hospitalisation eligibility. I was more than happy to be back home but for not too long cuz I need to be hospitalised starting this Wednesday. This is my 34th week so expect me to stay there for another 4 weeks before I could give birth and that is actually equivalent to 1 month! 


Despite its boring-ness, previous week was another challenging week for me actually. My right foot was badly hurt and still sore until today. I went to office on Monday, ate a bowl of laksa served in Payroll Unit's party and on the next day found myself itching all over upper parts of my body ie. ears, face, neck, armpit and fingers. Why I blamed that laksa? Because it has very strong belacan smell and my boss who also ate it got all itchy too. I only put external medication to control the itchiness due to pregnancy so I kept on scratching here and there most of the time. It got better on Friday morning but guess what, all those redness somehow turned into dark patches! There were dark patches around my eyes and I looked like someone who just got punched on both eyes because the dark patches were uneven. I looked like an abused victim for 3 days and even Bee was worried that people will blame him for that. Consecutively, I was also attacked with flu and once again didn't take any medication so I just have to bare with it until it was gone yesterday. 

Another tough week gone and now I really need someone to give me at least one good news that can make me happy. Please.


Anyway, let me share with you how my huge tummy and I look like nowadays... and look, I was also wearing the bandage socks on my right foot.

The above pic was taken in the morning before I ate the itchy laksa. The best part is, I won't stand on that spot again for another 3 months (woohooo!). By the way, despite its look the huge looking tummy hardly disrupts me from moving around like usual except that I got tired a bit faster than before. Alhamdulillah I still manage to pray like usual and one of my colleague was amazed with that because some people have started praying while seating at this stage. There was fire drill in the office last 3 weeks and I even walked down the stairs from my office at the 10th floor. I was already categorised as "disable" person and allowed to take the emergency lift but the lift was too slow and I couldn't stand waiting so I just walked down with everybody else. In the end, other "disable" people who kept on waiting for the lift didn't go down at all because until the fire drill ended and everybody was upstairs, they still didn't get the lift. Imagine if it was really an emergency. They could have died.....



Nothing much differs from the previous month. Our lil one is an active boy as he keeps on kicking and I'm sure gonna miss those kicks later. He has been with with me for nearly 8 and a half month now and I couldn't wait to see him, to hold him in my arms. Our life is changing already and soon we're going to be mama and papa... hehe.  I know this is a very long entry but just bear with me for a little while ya because I wanna share another pic, which is our baby's bag:

Those are the items that we will bring to the hospital and they are:


- Tops with buttons (2 long sleeves & 2 short sleeves)
- Trousers (2 shorts & 2 longs)
- Barut (4 pieces)
- Newborn diapers
- Baby wipes
- Burp clothes (4 pieces)
- Minyak Yuyi Cap Limau
- Swaddle blanket
- Receiving blanket
- Cap
- Booties & mittens (2 sets)
- Napkins (3 pieces)


I think that is more than enough, but please let me know in case I forgot anything else. I guess that's the ending to this post. In the meantime, hope you could pray the best for me and see ya later! Good nite.....zZzZz.

*keywords: inside baby's bag, barang-barang bayi untuk dibawa ke hospital, items for newborns, bag for newborn

:: tough week ::

It was a very challenging week for both of us. We lost our KiKi on Monday and late that night when we were back at Sunway Pyramid making official report to the security, I sprained my right foot (terpelecok kaki). I have to bear the pain and couldn't walk properly but I thought it will recover by itself later.

It was my 32-weeks appointment at Hospital Putrajaya on the very next day. We chose the hospital because of its Private Wing / Full Paying Patient (FPP) facilities but it was our first time there so we didn't have any clue on the whereabouts. We were asked to go to the clinic area and register at the registration counter. As you may have known, government servants are typically stereotyped as unfriendly, slow, inefficient and many other negative remarks. Well, people won't simply stereotyped people if it ain't true, rite? After completing the form with all my details, the guy who attended us typed all the info in their system and at one point asked whether I got a handphone number. I said to him, it was already stated there but he still insisted because he kept on looking at my office number instead. We were asked to pay RM110. I told him I already got GL from my insurance but according to him we still have to pay because they don't take GL. He then asked me another question "are you working with Government?" which again annoyed me because it was already stated in the form I worked at Telekom Malaysia. Pfttttt....!

We then went to the O&G clinic counter. The nurse asked me to check my weight so I went to the scaling machine, which was behind her and waited. Ok, she didn't come so I guessed I have to check the weight by myself? I did and informed her my weight, which was only 0.1 kg more than previous month. She checked my blood pressure and it was 100/60 instead of the usual 110/60 (maybe due to what had happened to us within the last 15 hours). Luckily she didn't ask me to check my pulse by myself because when she later asked me to get urine test, everything was DIY. There was instruction where you were asked to take only 1 test tape, pee, dip the tape, show it to the nurse and throw the tape in a specific waste bin. 

We were asked to wait and being an FPP, they allowed me to skip the queue. Despite that we still need to wait for 30 minutes before my name was called. I personally chose Dr. Hamidah, the O&G specialist after being recommended by hubby's friend and after brief research through out the Internet. Thank God she was nice, because after what I've went through earlier I was already thinking of going to a private hospital in the next appointment. The doctor asked about my condition and I told her about my placenta previa, which was the only concern through out my pregnancy. She scanned and showed that my placenta was only 1.2 cm away from the uterus door, hence categorised it as placenta previa type 1 to 2. 

Placenta previa is the condition when placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb (uterus) and covers all or part of the opening to cervix. It is still 50-50 whether I can have normal delivery or need to undergo Caesarian because I'm only in week 32 and there is still slight chance for the placenta to move up. However, the doctor expressed her concern and instructed me to rush to the hospital if any bleeding occurs. She actually asked me to be warded, but I asked her to give me some time because many things need to be done. She gave me only a week and by next Thursday I have to come again with my belongings because she won't let me get away from being warded. 


I was given mc from that day until next Thursday and being advised to stay at home. Yeah right. On the next day I still went to the office though because there were many tasks need to be completed and furthermore, I have not yet prepared any handover notes to my colleagues. Planned to work until Friday but unfortunately I only managed going until Thursday because my sprained foot was swollen, blue (lebam) and hurt. At nearly 2:00 am Friday, Bee sent me to Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC) to get treatment. The doctor was nice and he explained to us briefly about the condition:

• When my foot was sprained some of the tissues were torn and bled inside so that time I should have put an ice pack immediately to stop the bleeding ---> which I didn't. Told him I just put an ice just few hours before that and he said no use already.
  
• I should have not massage the sprained area because it will only make it bleeds ---> I actually did this and that's why the blood has spread and clot.
  
• I could not take pain killer because according to him, pain killer can disable "labour" sign so he just asked me to wear bandage socks and gave me ointments.

Lesson learnt: whenever you sprained your foot, do put an ice pack immediately and do not massage the area hokey! 


I didn't go to office on Friday but work from home instead. To be honest, I was not motivated at all to work as I was very devastated thinking about KiKi. I wish it was only a dream and until today both of us are still upset. We never lost hope to search for her by posting info on the Internet, spread posters and even seek help from Allah the Almighty. We believed His blessings may create miracle and who knows KiKi could find her way home if she managed to escape? KiKi is a smart cat and we know she also misses us :-(


On the other hand, preparations for our lil guy must be done within this week too. Nothing much left and I managed washing his clothes and napkins on Friday. 

Planned to complete buying his items today. We still need blankets, a hat, another set of mittens and booties, pillow set and a plastic basin for bathing. Hopefully I didn't miss out any other important item. Due to hot weather, we might also need to have another fan and tonight I will get Amway's post natal set, bought from a friend. I feel sorry for our baby though because his Mama is very upset and sometimes I do feel like I'm neglecting him. Just hang in there baby... another month to go and you'll see this world. Mama and Papa will take care of you and love you as much as we can.


Above all, I couldn't go through all these without hubby by my side. I feel so sorry for him as he needs to stay strong to support me emotionally and physically although I knew how devastated he is about KiKi. He's the best and I'm blessed to marry such a nice guy. Let us go through all these challanges together and support each other. Thank you so much dear and I really love you with all my heart.

:: the final stage ::

Entered the third trimester two weeks ago, which means I'm now in the final stage of pregnancy. Already preggie for 7 and a half month, only 2 months (or less) left before entering the labour room. Frankly speaking, until today I never let my mind wandering to what's gonna happen in the labour room later so I'm still cool about it. Sometimes I do think we're among the coolest parents-to-be. We're excited to welcome the lil one but we hardly think much or freak out about what's gonna happen later. We do have our plan so we just go with the flow. Not sure whether that is actually a good sign or not but I believe parenthood will comes naturally when the time arrives. I don't intend to criticize, but being pregnant and expecting doesn't mean you have to talk about pregnancy, motherhood or parenthood all the time. As long as you already have plans for yourself, your partner and the baby, there should be nothing much to worry (and talk) about. 

Preparation for the lil guy is almost done. Previously I did share about our first baby shopping spree when we bought small necessary items like clothings, napkins, changing mat, etc. Around a month ago we did went for the second baby shopping spree though and bought  two major items instead; stroller and baby cot. Although some people said we can buy the stroller later, we still bought it early because the one that we want is always out of stock. After several research done by hubby, we have decided to buy the Quinny Buzz 3 and to be exact, a red coloured Quinny Buzz 3. Red Quinny is among the top seller besides black so they are mostly sold out. When we knew there was only one left in myBBstore, we didn't think further and went to their Kelana Jaya outlet straightaway to secure the stroller in Rebel Red. For your info, myBBstore sells a lot of baby stuff and offered good price for the Quinny Buzz 3 + Maxi Cosi Cabriofix combo. The only one left was the 2011 edition and it was a bit different from what we usually see in other shops before, which was the 2010 edition. 2010 edition comes with a stroller bag and another extra seat cover fabric, whereas the 2011 one doesn't has the extra cover and comes with a stroller basket instead of the bag. Since we already bought the basket way earlier because we never though there will be other different version, we requested the shop to change it with a bag and fortunately they agreed. 

Later that day we made our way to Ikea and bought a white baby cot and its accessories such as mattress, quilt, pillow, bedsheet and quilt cover set. From our research through internet and few visits to shops, baby cot and its crib set is quite pricey than expected. I insist of having a white baby cot to match our bedroom set and white ones are a bit more expensive than the biege coloured! The cot that we bought from Ikea priced RM399 but that is considered reasonable than what other shops are selling. Everything is all set for the baby now. Bee has assembled the cot two weeks ago and it is placed in our bedroom. By the way, KiKi tagged along when we did our shopping and she was "busy" too when we were assembling the cot. 

We have also tested the stroller and look who was enjoying herself, strolling lalala...

Everybody is saying that KiKi will be jealous when the baby is here later. No doubt, I'm a bit worried of that too but hopefully she'll be fine. She has cherished our life and been with us all these while, so she will still be our cat no matter what... Insyaallah we'll be one happy family, the four of us - hubby, me, baby and KiKi :-)

As for now, there's nothing much to do except washing the clothes and sheets with baby friendly detergent. I still have to run over the checklist to see what other important things are left to buy and also prepare "the bag" with items that are going to be used and worn in the hospital after labour. Oh, I haven't mention that my last checkup with the panel clinic was held last week, which means I will later have my checkups at the hospital instead. We have decided to have our baby delivered at Putrajaya Hospital, after being recommended by hubby's friend who has his baby delivered there end of last year. Apparently Putrajaya Hospital has a private wing or known as Full Paying Patient program to cater patients who require convenience of a private hospital at a government hospital. Patients are able to choose the specialist, given priority lane during checkups and enjoy other facilities at First Class Ward or Executive Ward. My first appointment due on 3rd May and I shall share my experience later. 


I guess that's it for the time being. Nothing much differs than previous months except gaining another 2kgs. I'm trying to be cool with it though... goosfrabaa goosfrabaa... Clothes are becoming more limited than before and like it or not, I think I still need to buy another one or two maternity tops to be worn in this last few months. Despite the challenges, I'm still thankful to be given the strength. Alhamdulillah I still managed doing house chores and other activities at work as usual although I didn't visit the kitchen much. I'm also thankful for having a husband who understands me and never fail giving his endless support. Thank you Bee and I love you with all my heart... mwahsss!

:: my new hobby ::

I've developed a new hobby which is watching my own tummy moving and being poked from inside. It is truly amazing...!

btw, Happy Weekend to all :-D

:: baby shopping day ::

Yeay, it was our first official shopping spree for the lil guy~! We went to MidValley and managed buying several basic items such as tops, long pants, bodysuits, mittens & booties, small towels, changing mat, napkins, diapers, feeding bottle and shoes.

At first I was a bit stressed because clothes for newborns were mostly in plain colours like white and cream. We still bought some of those though, but thanks to F.O.S for kids & teens we managed having splash of bright colours for our baby. I really like that Old Navy long sleeve bodysuit with an owl face and those army camouflage shoes. We knew that a newborn doesn't wear shoes yet but they're too irresistible and we were afraid they will sold out later so we just grabbed them. Another cute item is the ladybird booties, bought at baby fair which was held at the convention centre. Hopefully there are other cute mittens & booties set similar to that instead of the plain boring ones because I think we need more.

Anyway, this is only the beginning. Long list of items are still waiting and baby shopping will keep on going for the next few months. For experienced mommies out there, it'll be a great help if you could share other important items that we should add in our collection. In the meantime, thank you and good night!

:: half year milestone ::

It’s the 25^th week of pregnancy. Passed the 6-month milestone which in a way means I’ve been pregnant for half a year! It sounded long but honestly, I don’t feel that long. Despite this increasingly large belly nothing much has changed so far. I still eat like I normally did and I don’t have any specific craving. The only significant thing I noticed so far is the fact that I don’t like eating squids without any particular reason.  I still do the chores; sweeping, mopping, cleaning toilet and others but the difference is I get tired a bit faster than before. I admit there were still several challenges though like backache and late night leg cramps but as other women said, being pregnant is indeed magnificent and beautiful...and honestly, I'm so gonna miss this moment later.

Another 3 months to go for us to welcome our new bundle of joy. Two weekends ago (the evening after I got back from Zoo Negara) hubby and I went to Fitzrol and Delaila Clinic at SS19 Subang to do a detail scanning. We went after Maghrib prayer to reserve a slot and had dinner at one of the gerai while waiting for the doctor to arrive. We were the third couple and it was near to 10pm when we got our turn. The procedure started after a brief interview. First she put a heartbeat ‘thermometer’ on my belly which enabled us to listen to the lil’ one heartbeats. It was amazing listening to his/her heart thumping and there were times when he/she was kicking. Alhamdulillah, baby’s heartbeat rate was 151 per minute which is normal according to the doctor (normal rate is around 120 – 170). 

Scanning was next. Dr. Delaila started measuring the skull, explaining about the brain, measuring length between the eyes, counting fingers, showing heart pumping; measuring length of the hands and legs, and the list went on. Both of us were really nervous when she moved the scanner down, bit by bit from head to down further because we never knew what she was going to tell us next and whether there was going to be something wrong or not. Alhamdulillah syukur, everything was fine and our baby is growing healthily. The most anticipating moment was when the doctor moved around the scanner to reveal our baby’s gender. As some have guessed, it was clearly shown that our lil’ one is a boy. We’re going to have a lil hero in our house! The scanner was very clear because in the end we also managed watching him sucking his thumb in his mouth. What a cutey.

We were charged RM350 for the session inclusive of an extra RM20 for the CD image. I’m just sharing this in case anybody is interested to have a detail scanning there. By the way, that was only a scanning session ya... no medication whatsoever. Expensive or worth it you just decide.

Last Thursday I went for my regular check-up at the usual clinic in my office. Everything was fine as well and this time I’ve gained another 2 kilos. So far I’ve gained 7 kilos more than my usual weight and if I keep on gaining 2 kilos for the next 3 months it means I’m going to gain 16 kilos altogether. I’m not a dead freak when it comes to body weight and size but I’m still concern. According to an article, the first 10 kilos could be shredded easily after deliver but you’ll have to work for the rest of it. Ok, I'll take note on that. Anyway, the doctor gave me a tetanus shot because according to her some people died from tetanus before or after giving childbirth, so that shot is just for precaution and another shot will be given in the next check-up. As usual, she did the scanning and for the second time our baby’s ‘birdie’ could be clearly seen. Hehe.

It's high time for us to start baby shopping because so far we only have a set of feeding bottle, Quinny Buzz's basket and a red bag for our baby. We could now shop according to colour preference since we already know he's a He... and oh, his official colour would not be blue, but red. So don't be surprised to see a red stroller, red shoes and red whatsoever lah for the lil guy. But not everything will be in red laa... melampau pulak kan.

Wokeyh, this has become a pretty long entry, so I better stop typing. Last but not least, here are my 6-month looks wearing one new item each day:

 

  

New items from left to right

1. White top (Berjaya Times Square)

2. Pink cardie (Berjaya Times Square), Grey jeggings (Giordano) & Grey diamante flats (Bonita)

3. Blue scarf bought from officemate

*****

p/s: I like the middle pic the most because I look thinner compared to the other two pics. Haha. 

p/p/s: Fila, that's my new scarf that I was telling you about. What d'ya think... should I invest more??

p/p/p/s: I've been shopping for 3 weekends in a row, so no more shopping for mama next month :-D

:: a boy or a girl? ::

I'm only following 15 peeps on Twitter and 4 of 'em are my best buds while the rest are famous personalities like the Kardashians, P.Diddy, Paris Hilton and others. 11 hours ago Kourtney Kardashian tweeted:


"Bath time with my favorite boy Mason Dash. We had park time today too. He lights up my days and nights."

Baby Mason is such a cute boy with a chubby, adorable face. To me he is the cutest among famous baby boys in Hollywood. Reading that tweet awed me as I imagine myself having that kind of 'time' with my child too. It'll be fun to have bath time and even strolling in the park (or a shopping mall) together...and best of all, having someone to talk to (although that is only possible after few years). Only 3 months to go, baby and we shall welcome you into this world. In the meantime, keep on playing and kicking inside there because you will have much bigger area to play and kick later.


p/s: consider this entry as a hint to our baby's gender. A boy or a girl. Wanna play the guessing game?
*wink*

:: shopping sunday ::

It's already past midnight. Tired yet satisifed with my haul, I can now sleep with a smiling face. Well half smiling maybe, because my third attempt in searching for my trademark scent is still to no avail. I'm getting worried now. Maybe Escada has decided to stop producing Sentiment, the scent that has been lingering my body for almost 9 years. Last year they have stopped producing Sentiment for men and Bee was devastated by it. So am I going to be the next devastating person? Huhuhu...

Ok, let's make this quick. After hours of walking, searching, starving, buying and dining we came back with a number of purchases for ourselves. Bee managed to complete his shopping list with a pair of stylo Nike sneakers in orange + black and two t-shirts while yours truly managed getting what she wanted:

three new tops

...and...

a pair of lacey + satiny peep toe flats

(it's so ME... hihi)

:-)

The white shirt was from Kitschen while the other two blouses were from Miki Maternity and those flats were purchased from a shop named Summit. I'm happy that my earlier 'tiny winy' wish was granted~!

Tips:

--> If you're pregnant, I would recommend you to purchase maternity wear from Miki Maternity in any Padini Concept Store because they offer pretty and affordable clothes that are suitable for casual and officewear. Padini Group is currently giving RM30 rebate for RM150 purchases so it's a pretty good deal. Each of my blouse was priced at RM99 but it was discounted to RM84 each with that rebate. From my observation, I may still able to wear those blouses after pregnancy so it can be considered as good investment.

So far, Miki Maternity is the best choice compared to other maternity shops like V-Mum Concept Store (only selling sleeveless / short sleeve blouses and price ridiculously starts at RM120 and above), Modernmum and several others which names I couldn't remember (too matured / gaudy and also expensive). The downside is Miki only has limited designs so there are slight chances that you're going to stumble upon another preggy lady who's wearing similar top as yours. Errr, hopefully it won't happen to me though.

--> If you're not pregnant and searching for shoes, I would recommend you to check out that Summit shoe shop (One Utama old wing, next to Vincci) because they're selling a lot of beautiful and trendy shoes especially high heels. Previously, I had hard time searching for pointed high heels and that shop just now got varieties of them that suit my taste. Not only that, they also have pretty ballerina flats that caught my eyes beside the one that I bought for only RM39.90. Seriously, I'm so gonna visit that shop in the next 6 months.

Wokey, the shopaholic spirit is back inside me and next on the list would be long cardigans in bold colours. Maybe I'm back for another shopping spree next weekend but till then, good night and sweet dreams. zZzZz.

:: Errr...? ::

Few people who have recently met me somehow asked this question:

"Eh, awak pregnant ke?" / "So, are you pregnant?"
(note: with high question mark note at the end of the word)

There's nothing wrong with that question, but something to ponder... with my current round and huge belly is NO still an option for the answer?


P/s: it's kinda freaky to think that I would say "no, I'm not" with this belly size...

:: halfway done, halfway to go ::

20th week = 5-months is the halfway mark of pregnancy and here I am at that moment. Halfway done means another halfway to go and in 20 weeks from now we will welcome our new bundle of joy, insyaallah.

Yesterday was my third, regular monthly check-up and as usual the doctor checked my blood pressure, took my weight, scanned the belly and did the urine test. Blood pressure and urine test result were both fine but I was a bit surprised that my weight has increased tremendously. My weight now starts with the 6-digit number for the first time ever in entire life and errr... I do freak out with that fact. This is the heaviest, biggest moment of my life, but thank God this is all for a good cause. I still want to blame those fast-foods though and will try to eat healthier food for the rest of the months because doctor said I'm actually a bit over weight, like 1 kg...huhuhu.

Let's forget about my "freaking-ness" because the most important thing is the condition of our baby. Alhamdulillah, the lil one is doing fine inside there and growing accordingly. We both saw his/her hands moving on the screen and as usual, watching his/her heart beating was the finest moment of all. The doctor measured the head, body, hands, feet and also captured the weight. As for now the lil one weigh approximately 0.3 kg, which is normal for this period (although it was a bit light than what I expected). Oh, just for info we're still yet to know whether the lil one is a hero or a heroine. Maybe next month then, so let us all wait and see... hehe.

I didn't manage to snap any pic during my 4th month and I'm not letting it to happen again in the future. So now in this entry I'm presenting you my baby bump.....

* tadaaaaa *

***

**

*

OMG, I did look huge did I? ...and please pardon the background too. There is no other perfect place elsewhere than the one where I spent most of my daily time at and that place is my office (borrringgg...huh?). 

I was wearing a top from Kitschen, Levi's lady style jeans and gladiator heels that my bff, Fila gave me a year or two ago. Honestly, I've started having problem with what to wear nowadays because most of my work attire has "shrunked" and I'm left with small portion of choices. Planned to do some maternity wear shopping but dunno where to start because most maternity clothes found so far were so gaudy. Why must maternity wear looks so 'makcik-makcik'?

Doctor also warned me about those heels I was wearing because it is not good for the posture. In my last post I did mention there is no harm of wearing heels during pregnancy as long as you're comfortable and be extra careful but the article where that facts were extracted didn't mention about body posture. So one extra fact on that, wearing heels during pregnancy is actually bad for your body, especially for the back posture. Ok, I really have to indulge that fact to stop wearing heels because as you may know I don't favour wearing flats to office.

On another note, I did bought a box of Anmum Materna chocolate flavoured milk since I've skipped drinking maternity milk for ages and apparently the choc milk is much more favourable than the vanilla Enfamama, which is now left to harden in its packaging. So far everything is still fine except few leg cramps in the middle of the night and gagging after brushing the teeth in the morning. There may new challenges coming next and hopefully I could go through all until the big day arrives. Till then, do pray for me and hope to see you again in the next entry. Mwahs!

:: quote of the day ::

"Pregnancy is not a disease, and women should be able to dress how they want and look fabulous."

- Dr. Lauren Streicher, staff obstetrician gynea at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago

The above quote is taken from this particular article entitled 'Pregnancy and Style: A Baby Won't Stop Rachel Zoe and Some Women from Wearing High Heels and Stilettos.' It is a good article and beneficial for pregnant ladies out there who are contemplating whether to keep or stop wearing high heels during pregnancy. 

The truth is, wearing one highly depends on comfortability. Yet the wearer has to be extra careful because pregnant women's body weight and shape change during pregnancy and so does their center of gravity. The key points here are comfort and extra careful. So when you have both, you're good to go - nothing else to ask and worry.

Ok this is a short entry I must say. Have a nice day peeps!

*keywords: high heels and pregnancy, can i wear high heels during pregnancy

:: a happy preggie mommy-to-be ::

Haven't write much about my pregnancy lately. This is my 18th week and I've been preggie for 4 and a half month. Surprisingly time flies pretty fast for me because I don't feel like carrying the lil one that long and it's almost halfway to delivery. I now understand the joy of being pregnant and the most wonderful experience so far is feeling the lil one kicking inside my tummy. Started feeling light kicks in my 16th week but they're now stronger and sometimes vigorously active as if he / she is playing, turning and spinning around. Such moments not only create bonding between us but also give positive sign that our baby is growing healthily. Day-by-day my fervent wish is for him / her to grow heathily and perfectly well.

Went to the second check-up two weeks ago. Bee came all the way to my office just to accompany and together we watched the lil one through the black & white ultrasound scan monitor. Alhamdulillah, according to the doctor he / she is growing accordingly to his / her age. Yeap, if compared to the printed scan image from previous month the lil one did look bigger and the best of all was watching his / her heart beating. MasyaAllah! 

Apart from all that I was also happy to know that my weight still remain as it is like the previous month. Like the doctor said, "it is fine if the mother doesn't gain weight as long as the baby is growing healthily." (ngeee :-D ) I didn't control my eating behaviour but I must admit that I didn't eat more than usual. I just eat when I feel like eating and the frequency is almost similar to how I normally eat before, only this time I hardly skip the three main meals especially breakfast. So far I have gained around 2 kg above my normal weight. However, when I was in Melbourne my weight was 2 kg lesser so all in all I might have increased around 3 to 4 kgs so far. I've read and heard about people associating pregnancy with 'the joy of eating for two' and I'm expecting that 'joy' in the next few weeks perhaps.

Apart from the maternity pants bought last month, I didn't buy anything else for this pregnancy except a pair of wedges to be worn everyday to office. No maternity dress yet or 'uniform' as what people have been asking because my current principle is "pakai selagi mampu". No need to worry peeps, I'll buy and wear appropriate clothing when the time comes. No need to gasp everytime you see me in that 3-inch wedges or wearing a skinny jeans or what you claimed as 'tight clothes' (referring to before pregnancy working shirts / attire) because I'm still comfortable in one. No worries though, I'll move on later :-)

Starting first week of new year people have started 'discovering' about my baby bump. Seriously, the growth was tremendously obvious after entering second trimester and I've been stopped by a number of people asking and confirming about it. I only informed the good news to a very small group of people earlier, only to those who were close to me but I've learnt that first pregnancy not only bring joy to the parents-to-be but also to those who knew because almost everybody who have been asking me so far showed this warm reaction after I said "yes." Not forgetting those who willingly provide tips and shared their experiences happily; and being a newbie, I really need those knowledge. Although they might not read what I write here, I still want to thank them for their support - thank you so much to each and every one of you.

I've been trying to snap at least a pic of my baby bump but too bad I still couldn't make it. Will try to achieve it soonest possible and treasure it here later. Alhamdulillah, I thank Allah the almighty for this gift. There's nothing else to say apart from "being pregnant is such a wonderful experience and I'm enjoying every moment of it."

:: year end outing ::

My visit to the Gardens today was planned since days ago. Luckily it was a perfect planning because thanks to Malaysia national football squad who have won the AFF Suzuki Cup, tomorrow is declared as a public holiday and since it is also the last day of 2010 I bet everywhere will be jam packed with people. Thought of going alone at first but invited my partner-in-crime aka. bff to tag along so the day would be more "memorable". Ihiks :-)


This outing came with few objectives actually. One: to utilise RM90 isetan voucher which expires tomorrow. Since there's nothing else to buy, Bee and I decided to use the voucher for baby stuff so here I'm introducing our first baby item, Philips Avent Newborn Starter Set.

We chose Avent because it is among the best feeding bottle available. It is BPA free and able to reduce fussing and also colic acid in babies. The starter set consists of 4 bottles with teats (2 x 125ml & 2 x 260ml), 2 extra newborn teats, complete with 1 newborn pacifier and 1 brush. I guess we don't have to worry about feeding the baby anymore. The purchase was even more worthy because there was 20% discount which made it cost RM151.20 from its normal price at RM189. Baby stuff ain't cheap so we have to start buying from now. One item down, but a lot more to come.

Two: to check prices of LV bags for a friend. Isma seeked my assistance to check prices of certain LV models and that job was perfectly done today.

Three: to enjoy buy-5-free-1 sushi promo at Sushi King. We didn't manage to enjoy the sushi promo because my previous receipt did not meet the terms & condition. Apparently, previous purchase should be 5 or more sushi plates but mine only stated 4. Better yet, we managed getting 20% discounts instead because of happy hour (3 - 5pm during weekdays). Our visit to Sushi King today was not a pleasant one though. We ordered all our sushis but waited for 30 minutes for 3 of the plates to arrive and 1 plate did not arrive at all until we decided to leave. Happy hour became Unhappy hour for us.

Well, we then turned our back to Jaya Jusco's yummy takoyaki and also Auntie Ann's premium combo pretzel instead. Who said we have to rely on only one food source? ;-)

Four: to buy some important groceries. That important item is actually cooking oil. Our cooking oil was finished yesterday after frying keropok lekor given by brother-in-law who just came back from his wife's hometown in Terengganu. Other items bought were HL Marigold milk, large canned of baked beans and also Anlene yogurt. I have to admit that I have skipped drinking Enfamama for few weeks already because I couldn't stand the 'salty' taste. Consumed Marigold milk instead as approved by the doctor and fyi, that milk also contain small amount of folic acid so hopefully that's better than nothing. Try to increase calcium consumption with the Anlene yogurt. Bought strawberry flavour and it did taste good.

Despite all the objectives, I still did one impulsive purchase at MNG, which now offers further reduction up to 70%. Saw that shirt when I was out with Riza last week but that time it was RM99. Said to myself I'll buy if it's still available during the further reduction and guess what, there was one left for me yesterday and it was reduced to RM79. It was size S but large enough to be worn during maternity and post maternity later.

Dunno why I'm so interested in checkered shirt these days. Apart from that I also love the cuff and the fact that I can tie a bow at the neck. Haven't been to MNG as often as I did before, so I was quite excited looking at their sleek and pretty long sleeve shirts from the Autumn / Winter '10 collection. I used to buy a lot of MNG apparels for work. Once, I bought 14 items at one shot during their by-invitation-only sale to show how crazy I was for MNG stuff but those days were over. MNG is now a main street fashion in the country not like when I did my first purchase 8 years back.

Anyway that ends the story. Thanks Nor for tagging along and becoming my PA for a day. Really enjoyed your company. So see you in February? Ahaksz.

:: my 3-month look ::

Took these pics before going out to Seremban yesterday. I've tried snapping some pics in the office before but failed because there was always someone coming into the toilet. It's my 14th week and I'm now entering second trimester. Time flies too fast, don't cha think? Alhamdulillah everything went well in the first trimester and I really hope it's gonna be the same until the end of this pregnancy. 

intoducing my baby bump :-)

As some people knew, I didn't experience any sickness be it in the morning or evening. Some even surprised to know that I'm preggie because they said I looked active and cheerful in the office. Yes I did, but I still got exhausted later in the evening though. Just realised that I even panted after climbing up stairs or walking fast. No wonder I got remarks like "are you tired?" but I usually thought it was due to hot weather or flu, etc.

Yet, I still went through few first trimester challenges. In the earlier weeks I often experienced bloated tummy especially after lunch onwards due to gas. I'm not good at burping out the gas so sometimes it did lead to headache. Found out that it was normal as the body is getting used to changes. Another challenge is another normal pregnancy thingy, which is constipation. Even after eating a lot of fruits and litres of fluids, I still experienced it once in a while. To overcome it is to eat more and more fruits so I've eaten fruits like almost everyday. That reminds me to eat prune for today's fruit consumption. Don't have problem on food. I ate what I normally ate but one thing for sure is I don't fancy eating oily food. Other than that, everything is fine and I'm enjoying the moment as it is.

Don't have much problem with attire yet. I can still disguise my slight bump, which sometimes look big but sometimes look small. Still I have to face the fact that my body is 'widening' at the middle part of the body and if you see me from the side, I look so 'thick' than usual. 

In that pic I was wearing a top that can be tied at the back which is perfect for pregnancy and non-pregnancy time. It was Jay Jay's, bought in New Zealand 2 years back and that was a Guess jeans bought around 7 years back in Mid Valley. It was the best investment among all as I can still wear it comfortably till today, but thanks to the flexible belt. That jeans is actually size 24 but due to its stretching material, it can still fit my thigh nicely (*yeay!) Wore that black tassel necklace from Melbourne just to complete the overall look and I was ready to go. 

So that's it for the 3-month look. Toodles!