Sweet (and Fat) Memories of My 1st Pregnancy Sealed...

.... through a super fun maternity photoshoot hubby arranged as a surprise :)

During this pregnancy, I was constantly surfing the internet - eager to equip myself with every possible baby & parenting knowledge possible. Whilst 'studying', I also snuck a peek at dozens of beautiful portraits of moms-to-be. The photos were so beautifully and artfully taken.. the memories of their beautiful bellies sealed forever in photos. And naturally, I was quietly wishing I could do the same :)

Unknowingly, hubby actually took notice....

And so it was arranged on one breezy and sunny Saturday afternoon and I was beyond excited about the maternity shoot! The shoot was done by the same group of photogs who covered our wedding reception. Thanks Aiza & An (of TheLittleBigShots) for the beautiful photos.

Here are a few shots to share (out of 700!).

Love, thank you for this little surprise :) *hugs*

Baby Shower #2

To be honest, I never expected anyone to throw me a baby shower. What more two.. It cld have been THREE if not for hubby's intervention!

Ida & Sumayya, I know about the 'secret' shower you guys were planning ;p You both are so sweet... When Hanif broke the 'secret', I was super touched. I really really appreciate the thought babes :)

I feel so blessed for having thoughtful friends like Sumayya & Ida. And even more so for having a friend like one Intan Juliana. I LOVE this woman to bits! This particular BFF of mine resides alllllllllllllll the way in Bandung with her beautiful family and yet, took the initiative to organise a breathtakingly beautiful baby shower with the help of another super creative, close friend of mine, Annie.

When these two ladies combine, THIS materialised.....

 Annie spent the entire night before, 'baking' this diaper cake using a step by step guide off the internet! I love it and will not even dream of dismantling it Babe! It's gonna be a permanent fixture in my baby's room :)

Mommy2b's special dining setting!

My superfriends ~ Intan & Annie. Yes, the host and co-host didnt observe the theme cos they were very busy putting the shower together ;p

It was a beautiful, Christmas-y blue+green+white themed shower....


With my lovely girlfriends :)

My girlfriends brought lovely gifts and I appreciate and love each and everyone of them. Thank you so much for putting so much thought into each gift. Hanif is equally overwhelmed (and having a fun time messing about his son's new toys!).

I also had a surprise guest, a shocking surprise, when my cousin - Hanum who lives in London showed up! I wld have probably fallen off my chair when Hanum showed up at the shower if Cik Intan Juliana did not 'accidentally' blurt out this piece of info earlier that day. But I WAS 150% totally shocked when Intan accidentally blabbed that Hanum was attending the shower. So when I finally saw Hanum, I had to put up an award-winning performance, which she did not fall for at all, haha. It was that bad eyy Hanum ;p But thank you so much for being part of the shower, I really really really am so happy that you were there.

Thank you Annie for designing and personalising the whole party for me ~ I love each and every one of them!! We should start a party planning company together! Thanks for inviting 'professional photog' aka Raflis too... My guests kagum kejap, haha....

Raf, thanks for capturing beautiful moments of my shower :)

Thanks to everyone of you ~ Liza, Linda, Wani, Suzie, She, Jaja, Tsar, Ida, Shue, Hayza, Aya and Lil Sarah and Lil Qalisha ~ who crawled thru the horrible traffic jam leading to I Utama, who circled the parking area a gazzillion times from the new wing to the old wing to find a parking spot, who marched all the way from the old wing to the new wing in HIGH heels ~ just to attend my lil shower.

And again, lastly but definitely not the least, THANK YOU Intan for organising a beautiful shower for me and for being a great friend... A truly wonderful friend... She did not only took care of the shower, she brought soo many gifts for my baby! Siap dgn jamu, minyak and cream baby Indo-mali, haha. I am so blessed :) Lap u lots Babes, muah!

Baby Shower #1

Baby Shower Commitee
She had a tough time finding a date but pulled it all beautifully together aka Chief Organiser: Neena Zaid
Decorating and diaper cake pro aka Creative Director: Didie Zubir

Baby Shower Guests
My favourite girls from Media Prima aka 2-Legged Guests: Shai, Anne, Miya, Nani, Crystal, Cheryl & Juju (Juju, you're Azrin's wife, so that makes you part of Media Prima lah)
Adorable offsprings of a few of my 2-legged guests aka Mini Guests: Ilhan, Ilyas & Rakim
Everyone's favourite kitty aka Special 4-Legged Guest: Orange the Kitten
One & only thorn amongst the roses aka Bapak Ilhan & Ilyas: Azrin ;)

Baby Shower Details
Date: December 11, 2009
Venue: Bianco, Damansara Perdana
Theme: Stripey-pipey people
Food: Italian. And lotsa yummy long, stringy candy I've not seen or had in my life!

Mommy2B says....

• Thank you Neena for organising such a sweet baby shower for me and my baby! I swear I feel super touched from the day the 'secret baby shower' was accidentally revealed sampai lah hari ni, terharu tak sudah. U r a sweetheart! Thank you for all the effort, I appreciate it so much!


• Thank you Didie for injecting creative ideas to the shower and for 'sponsoring' the prizes for the games ;) You have to take me to the place you found all the stuff for the shower! Ke-creative-an anda tak dapat disangkal lagi :)


• Thank you Anne for adding a twinkle touch to the welcome table (kan? hehe). Again, you look pretty from any angle!


• Thank you Miya & Neena for blindfolding me and walking me all the way to Bianco dgn selamat! Ive never been blindfolded before. Pandai korang kelentong ek!


• Thank you Shai for the snuggle nest! My hubby especially is so happy with your gift (he's the one who's been eyeing that baby item!)


• Thank you Nani, Miya, Crystal & Anne for the cool, handmade card! And for the rockin' diaper cake set with baby blue rattlers, teether, pacifier, pacifier clip, bottle and blankie. We love it!


• Thank you Cheryl for the musical mobile, its so sweet :) My heart just melted when I first heard the lullaby from the mobile...


• Thank you Juju & Azrin for the cool storage organiser. Looking for the right spot to hang it! Thank you both also for all the tips and advice you shared with me about parenthood :)


• Thank you Neena for the super cute, super complete bedding set! Sangatlah comel! My baby now has 3 sets of pillows, yei.


• Thank you Didie in advance for the USA-mari gift :) whatever it is, Im sure I'll love it!


• Thank you Nani for capturing beautiful pictures of my shower. I love every shot!


• Thank you Rakim, Ilhan & Ilyas for all your aksi acrobat dan comel :)


• Thanks Orange for dropping by my sweet shower - your adorable presence was a present for me!
  
• Much love for all of you :)

A Prayer

Bismillahhirrahmannirahim...

Dear God,

The past eight months have been alhamdulillah, an amazing experience for me. I have enjoyed and still enjoying every baby kick, every ultrasound scan, every loving gesture from hubby, all the attention and concern of family and friends and even every kind gesture from strangers.

Thank you for blessing me with good health and a complication-free pregnancy - making my first experience quite a breeze for me and my husband. Thank you for protecting my unborn child from complications, for allowing him to grow and develop safely, steadily and healthily within my womb.

May you bless our first born with kindness, intelligence, wisdom and compassion. I pray he will grow up to be a loving, caring, hardworking, thoughtful, respectful, generous, well-mannered, talented and a handsome young gentleman :)

And God, I know I'm asking for alot, but may I add - I pray that the labour process will be quick and complication-free (pain-free too, can?). Annnnnd please help my dear husband to be emotionally and mentally prepared and strong throughout the birthing process. Yes, he insist he's game for it. But I'm not sure if he really really really knows what's in store for him in the labour room when the time comes...

Ultimately, I pray that Hanif & I will be able to nurture and raise our child to the best of our abilities whilst lending each other loving support and encouragement every day, along the way...

Amin.

One of my favourite, meaningful songs, enjoy...

The 3rd Trimester Saga: Part Deux

The last trimester of my pregnancy has been the most challenging. Let me share with you why....

1. U can forget about sashaying across the room or around malls. I now waddle waddle waddle around. Much like a penguin ;) I've been trying to avoid the waddling gait for as long as I could but when you're carrying a 2 kg baby in your tummy and additional 12 kgs of fluids and fat and God knows what else, it's the only way to strut ;p
2. Again because of the extra kilos I'm carrying, my backache has become increasingly intense. Feels like my back's gonna break sometimes... Despite all the spa sessions and bidan visits, no massage or 'miracle' oils can ease the pain.
3. Because my baby has placed himself in the birthing position, all the pressure has introduced new soreness and discomfort around the groin and pelvic area. This means: shifting from left to right or vice versa when you're trying to sleep is rather... difficult. OK -painful.
4. As mentioned before, my feet has swollen so much I can't fit into any of my shoes. And I can't be bothered to buy new ones cos its 4-6 weeks before I deliver, after which my feet will go back to its normal size (i HOPE!).
5. I've developed pregnancy-induced rashes on my feet and hands. Yikes. So itchy man.....
6. My nose is red and kembang. Why laaa.....? My sister said my nose situation is not as bad as hers. Haha. Yes, I remember your extremely kembang nose Kakak!



My Rudolf Red Nose ;) With Dura at her Hen Nite Party last Dec 5th


7. My skin produces enough oil daily to fry an egg. Thus face always looks oily no matter how much loose powder I cover my skin with. People keep telling me I'm a glowing mommy2b. Must be all the oil ;p
8. Because of the excessive oil production, my skin breaks out oh so horribly. I miss my blemish/pimple/problem-free pre-pregnancy skin. See you again after I give birth?

The 3rd Trimester Saga

Who would have thought, time flies when you're pregnant. I feel that it was just a couple of months ago I watched my test stick flash 2 lines before my eyes - and now I'm 33 weeks along and at least 3 weeks before I POP!

According to my ob/gyn's calculation, I'm expected to deliver on January 23. Earlier, I actually believed that I might deliver later than that, cos it seemed like a trend amongst new mommies to be overdue lately. But my gut instinct changed after my bout with excruciating pelvic pain a few weeks ago. The pain was too much for me to handle so much so I had to miss my final gig on WHI before I go on maternity leave (sedih...).

Hanif took me to see my ob/gyn that very day and was slapped with a RM150 medical bill only to discover all I needed was Panadol! According to my doc, my baby's head was comfortably resting on my left pelvis which contributed to the pain. Baby is on his way to put himself in his birthing position! Doc also added,"Kepala baby besar...." Haha.

Well Panadol did not work at all, so I endured the pain up to a point I've become numb to the feeling. A number of my friends who shared the same experience told me it's a sign that I might deliver earlier than expected - some as early as 36 weeks. Hmm... if I do deliver at 36 weeks, it'll be Xmas day! Honestly, I'm rather excited about that thought cos 1. I really can't wait to see my son :), 2. my darling BFF Intan will be back from Bandung then, 3. my super excited bro-in-law Hafiz will be back from UK then (he's been bugging me to pop before he returns to the UK in Jan), 4. my son will be the best Xmas present I've ever had!

There are other telling signs that are making me believe I might be delivering early:

1. My feet has swollen beyond recognition. They have increased a size or two - I can't fit into any of my pretty shoes. It now looks either like 1. I've pumped air into each of my foot in hopes that these 'balloons' will help me float up to the sky or 2. I swapped my feet with the marshmallow man. My sister told me when her feet ballooned up like mine, she gave birth soon after that.
2. I experience Braxton-Hicks contractions every now and then. It takes me by surprise every single time, stops me in my tracks so abruptly that sometimes strangers almost crash behind me at malls ;)
3. The pressure on my pelvic floor muscles is quite intense. Feels like my baby can't wait to make his grand entrance!

So, let's just wait and see when this baby decides when he'd like to finally see the world.... see me, his mommy :)

My son sucking his thumb.. Can you see??

A Weekend of Boat Rides & Black Outs

Most of my friends and family members thought I was crazy when I told them I was accompanying Hanif to Sabah on a business trip - when I'm already 8 months along! Well, 1. I don't fancy the idea of being apart from Hanif for 3 days (yes, even for THREE days), 2. I've had a pretty healthy pregnancy so far alhamdulillah and 3. the resort Hanif was booked in looked way too gorgeous for me to miss !

We left for Kota Kinabalu on Raya Haji itself. At the airport, I was waiting for an airline staff to request for my doctor's certificate (proclaiming that I was fit to travel). Strangely, not a single airline staff queried about the state of my pregnancy, bringing me to a conclusion - they must think I'm just fat! Mind you - I'm EIGHT months along! And when I was very very sure of my 'fat' assumption, an airline crew finally noticed my burgeoning belly just before we boarded the plane and requested for my doc's letter. So, I DO look pregnant. To a FEW people.

When we arrived in KK, we were quickly whisked to the jetty where we were to board a speed boat to get to Gaya Island where the resort is. Hanif was more nervous about the boat ride than I was - he had his hand on my belly, just in case ;p But thankfully, the boat ride was a smooth one. Well done my lil one - we survived a 2-hour plane and 20-minute boat ride!

The Bunga Raya Resort, which just opened its doors last August, is indeed beautiful. And our beachfront villa, just lovely, and aptly named - The Sweetheart :) But despite being a 5-star resort, imagine my horror when my villa blacked out the 1st night - and I was all alone! I swear I just froze and stood on the same spot for a good 5 minutes - figuring out what I should or CAN do in pitch darkness. I wanted to call Hanif, someone, anyone! But I couldn't remember where I placed my handphone. But then again, that will be a futile effort cos did I mention that the island is so remote that there is NO telco coverage! So I 'raba' my way to the room's phone, and had to figure out where the hell the '0' button I needed to dial to connect myself to the reception. Took me two attempts. Not bad.. Mind you it had a million buttons on it! Just FYI, the black out lasted for about 10-15mins. AND was a recurring event - no less than 3 times throughout our 3 day stay there... sigh...

Keeping one eye shut to the resort's unstable power supply (and food.. gosh the food... ), everything else was great - I had the best massage Ive ever experienced at their spa (kudos to their masseuse) and the resort's staff were helpful, efficient and friendly. Obviously, the resort also took note of guests from the CIMB group who came accompanied by their spouse or family. Fully aware that Hanif left early in the morning for his full-day meeting, the observant resort staff left a nice basket of muffins and orange juice, just for me out on my balcony. Then after a hearty breakfast, they whisked all of us (who were not there for work) to its sister resort to check out the beach, the view and its eco marine park. Nice...

Ive not taken alot of pictures lately and I had not realised how BIG I've grown! After taking a few shots around the island, I must say - Gosh, Im HUGE. My feet, my arms (!!!) and my cheeks... sigh. Hanif says I'm not. He's just being nice ;p

Anyhoot, my lil one behaved very well throughout our stay. Good boy... But this will be the last of holidays before I pop as I'm quickly approaching my delivery date. Also, I've got a feeling that I might be delivering earlier than expected... Xmas perhaps? Well, that's another blog post :)

It's time to say Goodbye

I'm 25 weeks along into my pregnancy and it's been quite a journey. But from all of my experiences throughout this significant phase of my life so far, surprisingly its not the monster appetite Ive developed from this pregnancy, nor is the amusing changes my body is going through that has affected me to the core.

Within this precious 6 months, I've come to understand that friendships are not forever, even if you are the BFF of all BFFs, even when you've shared your entire teenage/college years together maneuvering our way around our parents (translation: occasional lying), sweating it out at exams, bickering about boyfriends, bitching about girlfriends, having the time of our lives, discovering life....

Within the span of my pregnancy so far, I've had to let go - no, lost - a friend. Or two. Of my dearest, closest friends. I owe this to the entirely different paradigms of life each of us are at this present moment. While I'm carefully harvesting this precious being within me which will make its way into this world next year, my dearest friends are respectively busy with her newfound purpose in life and the other is still figuring out, or shall I say fighting for her 'happily ever after'. I don't see why we can't all still be in each other's lives despite the differences in environment, and in opinions. I know I can...

I miss both of them, truly. And it breaks my heart to decide that I do not want both of them in my life at all anymore. I can't bear to continue being upset, sad or disappointed at your choices of action when it comes to our friendship. I have a lil boy on the way, and I don't need both of you to take that joy away from me.

Friends warned me that when you have a child, your world changes entirely and it will never be the same again. This is very true, only that I didn't have to wait for my baby to be born before my life started to change. I will probably be losing two of the funnest, funniest and craziest friends, but I bet my life on it that everything will be even more amazing and meaningful when my son arrives...

To both of my former friends, all the best in your future endeavors, may God bless both of you with what you've been in search of all these while.

Oral-B... dgn 7 manfaat pergigian...

Yep, that was the tagline I had to repeat, over and over and over again......

Nevertheless, the 2-day Oral-B Cross Action Pro Health 30 sec capsule and WHI sponsored segment shoot was a great experience! Shoot was done before and during the fasting month at 2 separate locations.

Truly enjoyed working with the entire crew and loved my make up artist - Coco, who made my skin look flawless (when its sooo not at the mo!) and my Chinese eyes, for once, not disappear into 2 unflattering narrow lines ;)

You may catch the 30 sec Oral-B capsule on TV3, ntv7, 8TV and TV9 from Oct 1 onwards :)

A warm & big THANK YOU to my dear producers and Oral-B for the opportunity and priceless experience!

Day 1 - 30 sec capsule shoot

Coco, she looks like Ayumi Hamasaki doesnt she?

Day 2 of shoot during the fasting month

Ingat, bukan satu tapi tujuh manfaat pergigian! ;p

In the holy month of Ramadan....

1. I started to feel my lil one's movements

It started off as gentle flutters, just like how experienced mommies described it to me - like butterflies fluttering about your belly :) I was initially quite nervous to experience my baby's 1st movements cause I couldn't imagine how it would be. When it first started, I was at TV3 getting ready for an episode of WHI. I wasn't sure what it was initially cause you could actually confuse it with... well, gas ( ;p ) but when it happened more frequently, I knew it was my lil one wriggling around. Baby's gentle wriggling has now turned into stronger nudges which can catch me by surprise sometimes. To describe it more accurately, it feels like short but rapid drumming in my tummy ;p

2. They say God blesses expectant parents with alot of rezeki...

Which is soo true! Hanif is doing well, alhamdulillah... And after my Oral-B gig, I received another TVC offer. This time it was from Taj Mahal Rice. The shoot was fun, quick and simple - done during the fasting month but I'm not complaining. I was paid a handsome fee :)

Kiddin around during the shoot ;)

3. I managed to fast the entire month...

Save for the 3 days I had a full-day shoot ;p I'm rather proud of myself as I think it's quite an achievement considering I was super reluctant to fast at all initially. Thanks to Hanif's ugutan ( - he ugut kalau nak raya kat Ipoh kena puasa!) I attempted to fast and found that it was not as hard as I thought it would be. It was actually a breeze! Although I was worried that it might effect my baby, I fasted anyways as so many experienced moms said it was certainly OK to fast. And they were right :)

4. We found out we are expecting a BOY!

Yes! and my baby's 'boyhood' was so obvious the moment my OB/GYN scanned my belly, way to go my boy! Haha. Hanif and I giggled and laughed the entire session, we were so amused with our son. He had his legs spread wide open for all the world to see! So damn cute! But kesian my parents, this will be their fourth grandson. Perhaps my sister can contribute a granddaughter for them, mehehe *wink wink wink* My in-laws are thrilled regardless of the baby's sex as this will be the their 1st grandchild and Hanif's grandmother's 1st great-grandchild! How cool is that? After analysing my baby's scan, my smart brother said,"It could be a finger he stuck in between his legs!"

Can you see his 'boyhood'? :)

Mommy & Daddy Went to Paradise....

.... for 4 days, lil one. It was your first ever plane ride :)

We've both been to Bali before but our 2nd trip there was extra special because you accompanied us to this enchanting island. Just to share with you lil one, while Daddy was snoozing all the way to the airport, Mommy quietly prayed that our holiday will be perfect - a happy, beautiful and joyful one. I said my prayers whilst watching the dark sky slowly painting itself a lovely shade of yellow and orange. I couldn't help but smile all the way to the airport...

The villa's supir was patiently waiting and waving a large signboard with Mommy's name on it at the arrival gate, somehow only Aunty Suzie caught sight of it ;p And when we reached our villa, Mommy was not dissapointed at all. In fact Mommy was sooo excited to be there because it surpassed anything and everything that I imagined it would be!

All in all lil one, Mommy believe Mommy's prayers were answered because it was indeed one of the best holidays I've been on.... I can't wait for you to be born and take you on holidays with us...

You were about 16 weeks, lil one. And this is how big Mommy's belly was at this stage. Cute kan ;)

Mommy & Daddy jiwang kejap watching the sunset near Ku De Ta....

Mommy took this photo to remind myself how I look like when I was carrying you this far along :)

Daddy flashing a very rare wide smile (cos he doesnt like to take photographs, tapi beria nak beli digital photo frame...)

With mommy's good friends - Aunty Suzie and Uncle Aen at Kintamani. Be very nice to them and they will shower you with lots of designer stuff ;D

Daddy says he will make a pool like this for you to swim in, kan Daddy????? Mehehehe. Mommy not asking for much, just a lil villa like this, that's all ;)

Yoga-ta believe me....

.... yoga is absolutely fabulous, even when you're preggers :)

I haven't fully utilised my yoga mat ever since Yoga Zone unceremoniously 'shut down' last year. Now that I'm expecting, it was such a great excuse to start yoga again! After patiently waiting for my 1st trimester to pass, I happily enrolled myself at BeYoga.

Although there are a few yoga studios much closer to where I live, I INSIST on BeYoga because of one Ms Ninie Ahmad. Ninie is a good friend of mine and also one of my greatest life inspirations. The instructors at Be, besides Ninie are also a few of the very best in town. So... how can I NOT drive allllll the way to Damansara Perdana just to twist and bend myself into a healthy mommy-to-be :)

I've been enjoying my pre-natal yoga classes with other fellow mommies-to-be every Wednesday and Sunday. I fold, stretch and bend into various pregger-safe yoga positions because I believe I should do all that I can to keep my body healthy for my baby. Also, I hope delivery will be a breeze if I excercise enough, hehe. Oh and I pray that my body will (pleeeeeeeasssssse) bounce back into shape after my delivery. As quickly as one Ms Jessica Alba (she swears it was because of yoga!).

Happiness Rushing Through My Veins :)

Soo many reasons to be happy... Let me count my blessings...

1. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to quit my full-time job and focus all my time on things and activities I enjoy :)
2. I love that I don't have to peer down my bedroom window every morning and be envious of those having a relaxing early morning swim/dip :)
3. I love being able to stay at home and catch Oprah on the Hallmark channel every morning after my husband leaves for work.
4. I love meeting friends over lunch and never have to rush back to the office!
5. I love strolling around Ikea. On a weekday. During office hours. I guess all the women I see at Ikea during this period are as lucky as I am :)
6. I love my job as a presenter :D Check in at 9am and check out by 1pm. Bliss...
7. I love that I don't have to hate Mondays anymore.
8. I love adding baby items to my 'wish list' on Amazon.com. They have amazing baby stuff!
9. I love that I'm not experiencing any morning sickness (so far!). Pregnancy has been quite a breeze... ;)
10. I love being in my 2nd trimester! I've never felt happier! My energy's back. My appetite is back to normal.
11. I love seeing people's reaction when they find out I'm expecting :)
12. I love reading my husband's blog about being a daddy-to-be. Never fails to bring a tear to my eye each time I read it.
13. I love that I can throw a tantrum and hubby understands it's them crazy hormones! He knows exactly how to handle me :)
14. I enjoy predicting my baby's sex from all sorts of quizzes, charts and old wive's tales. Although, we'll find out next month, I just cannot wait!
15. I enjoy all the extra hugs and cuddles I get from my hubby at bedtime. (We used to playfully fight who should get the last hug before we drift to sleep, but now, Mummy wins ;) )
16. I enjoy imagining my baby's silhoutte in my tummy.
17. I enjoy imagining the moments when I first set eyes on my first child.
18. I love seeing Hanif coo-ing to our child in my tummy.
19. I LOVE THAT I'M BLESSED WITH A HUSBAND WHO MADE ALL OF THE ABOVE POSSIBLE :)
20. Finally, I feel blessed that Hanif & I murah rezeki. Syukur Alhamdulillah... May Allah bless all of you with love and happiness :)

Sweet Baby Is Listening to.....

I'm sure moms and moms-to-be might have read somewhere or heard from someone that classical music apparently increases your baby's intelligence, they call this the 'Mozart effect'. True or otherwise, I thought it wont hurt if I played some classical tunes for my lil one. But OH. MY. GOD. Classical music CAN be quite a snooze-fest! (sorry classical music lovers)

Not wanting to torture my baby's delicate ears, I browsed the internet and chanced upon a few numbers that I was rather familiar with. I was like, "Ohhh THIS is Bach...." Finding the right songs for my baby was quite an (musically) educational stint :)

So here are a few beautiful composition that I'm pretty sure you are familiar with too (You probably have heard these either at a wedding or in a cartoon show).

I hope my baby will enjoy listening to them as much as I have.

Happy developing your intelligence lil one :)

Mamamia!

After one year of marriage, my mind started to dabble with the idea of having a child. Although I wasn't longing for one yet, I just liked the idea of having children. Then after Hanif & I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary, each time someone announced "I'm preggers!" my heart sank a little. Then I knew... I was ready. And why the heck was I not pregnant yet!!!

Everyone, from friends, to colleagues, my intern (!!), to the production crew and guests of WHI and a slew of celebrities got or were pregnant! I remember when my friend/colleague Didie announced she was preggers (just after she got back from her honeymoon!), I was so shaken that I almost lost my balance while walking out of Sri Pentas. And soon, people around me were quite hush hush about new pregnancy news just to jaga my feelings.

Now, that I AM preggers, I'm just thrilled that I'm finally ONE of the expecting moms :) I am also thrilled that over in La La Land, a string of celebrities are expecting too, from angels to slayers to bunnies! Here's a list:

• Victoria's Secret angels Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Karolina Kurkova and the SUPER model of them all - Gisele Bundchen (although she has not officially announced it yet)
• former 'vampire slayer' Sarah Michelle Gellar
• my fashion icon Nicole Richie
• 'retired' Playboy bunny Kendra Wilkinson

Yei! We are all gonna be mommies!

The One, The Baby and The Blood Test

The One
I've finally found the one. The reliable/confident/professional ob/gyn I've been searching for - Dato Dr Nor Asyikin. A lovely lady who got me at 'hello' :) I was impressed at how thorough she was at our 1st meeting (she took note of everything from both our parents' medical histories and my present condition carrying our first child) and how completely bubbly she was (considering this lady has her own medical centre to run, delivers babies at Pantai, a well known speaker in the medical field and somehow manages to give medical related interviews to countless magazines - where does all the energy come from?? She looks ultra polished at all times too btw). Love her!

The Baby
Ahhhh... I've got a feeling my baby will be a naughty one this one. From our latest ultra sound scan, my baby was actively punching his/her fists in all directions and his/her tiny legs were kicking away like there's no tmrw. He/she was happily letting us view and scrutinise his/her tiny frame. But the moment Dr Nora wanted to snap a still shot of him/her wriggling around my tummy, lil one turned his/her back on us! So here you go, a peek at my baby's back :)




The Blood Test
Done with the ultra sound, back to more baby talk with Dr Nora. I was all ears until suddenly she announced, "OK I'm arranging a blood test to be done shortly..." My brain froze, sounds around me were muffled, my blood curdled. My whole body deceased from functioning. I could not focus on a single word she was saying anymore. Everything sort of trailed of.....

Just to briefly explain why the drastic change of attitude - I am terrified of needles. Petrified. The last time I had a blood test was when I was no more than 5 perhaps?

So when I was face to face with the nurse who will be puncturing my delicate skin with a freaking needle, I warned her of my fear. It took me a while to get me seated, and god knows how long it took to get that strap around my arm. By the time she was swabbing my arm with alcohol, my eyes were welling up... Yes I was that scared. Honestly 'welling up' is an understatement lah. My husband then quickly buried my head in his chest and blurted out calming words to me while the nurse was busy drawing blood from my poor vein (I bet he was thinking "Habis lah I (Hanif) during the delivery.....").

In all honestly, it did not sting so much. What hurt more was my upper arm - I had my finger nails jammed into it to kononnya divert the sensation of the needle piercing my skin to the grip of my nails. I believed Hanif when he said it will not hurt. But it wasn't the pain that I feared. It was the thought of a needle puncturing my skin that horrified me. Poor me. What an ordeal. Macamana nak beranak ni? Some more berangan nak epidural ;p Good luck Hanif! And meeeeeeeeeee...!

In The Last 8 Days, I...

1. Chopped of my lovely long locks cause I seriously needed low maintenance hair. If you had no idea, I visit the salon no less than once a week because *I kid you not* I don't know how to blow dry my hair. And. I prefer someone else to wash my hair for me ;) I got this expensive trait from my mom. No thanks Mom :) And this pregnancy is just too tiring for me to fuss over my hair.

2. Went on a fun makan-makan cari jalan road trip to Penang with four other friends. I really mean makan-makan cari jalan and not jalan-jalan cari makan because none of us knew the roads in Penang and had to rely on *gasp* MAPS and a very handy GPS. The 3 guys on the trip played driver, GPS handler and map reader. Haha! The ladies just ate, gossiped and gave the guys extra headache. Burp.

3. Cried and cried over a music icon's passing.. RIP MJ. I still cannot believe he's gone.

4. Attended a Chinese wedding and there was this one dish that really... umm, ter-gezut-ted me? Well let's just say this particular dish had its head and tail intact. But being the very thoughtful hosts our friends were, Hanif and I had a special arrangement made for us - Halal courses. Thanks!

5. Met up with former colleagues at a drama launch in Mont Kiara. Great food and company :)

6. Realised I have a serious problem with my new body image and the side effects of being pregnant. I'm trying very hard to accept that my body is growing and a pimple or ten will appear on my skin.

7. Just learned a new trick to deal with my crazy hunger pangs (and avoid gaining too much weight!) - divide my lunch and dinner into 2 portions each and have the 2nd portion in the next few hours when I start to feel hungry again. Why didn't I think of this earlier!!!

8. Met up with my BFF Intan who just flew back from Bandung. Her bumbling kids kept me wide-eyed as they gave me a grand preview of what my life would be like in about 2 years time. (Son pours water into an already full cup, which of course overflowed. Daughter takes her bottle and frantically plunges it into the overflowing cup of water.) Yay? Hahahah... what have I gotten myself into! Hats off to Intan Juliana *clap clap clap* for getting my vote for the MOST patient mom in the whole wide world :D

Farewell Gloved One...

Today is a very very very sad day. Tears flowed freely, as though I knew this man personally. In fact, we've never met before and he had no idea of my existence. And yet the tears ran, endlessly. His passing felt like the passing of a close friend to me, and I assume to everyone else, who grew up listening to his songs.

He was the 1st celebrity name I knew when I 1st learned to speak. I was such a big fan that my dad would buy me all sorts of memorabilia from his trips all over the world. I remember as a curious child, I would ask my dad "Papa, what is 'shamone'???" Poor Papa, haha.. He had to come up with a decent answer for his 4-year old. I obviously can't remember my dad's answer but I suppose it was satisfactory enough :)

I also remember my dad and I huddling in front of our TV to catch the world premiere of Bad, the music video. I loved it!

Oftentimes we'd see footages of his fans crying, fainting and simply going hysterical at his concerts. I often wondered why... Why do they breakdown like that? Its just a concert.

But I later discovered, that his concerts aren't just like any other concerts. Because as I was impatiently waiting for the legendary one to appear on stage at Stadium Merdeka back in the early 90s, I don't know why, tears started to gush out as the countdown began for him to finally emerge (malunya..........), and I suddenly realised that I was reacting just like those fans I've questioned before this!

So I cried and screamed like the girls (and guys too ;p) you see on TV. If it weren't for the way and manner of Malaysians watching concerts here (Malaysians are quite proper at concerts), I think I would have passed out too *grin*

Yesterday I cried watching him sing and perform live, today I shed tears at his untimely demise. I was so sad I actually SMSed my dad...

One day, I'll share all of his musical masterpiece with my child.

May you rest in peace Michael Jackson and may Heaven be a better, kinder and happier place for you....



One of my favourite MJ songs, in French. Enjoy...

My Lil Bump's Debut TV Appearance

Along with new fat on my arms....

And below is my best attempt to 'lose inches' around my waist and reducing the 'flab' on my arm (could only manage the right one), haha...

I Need A New Ob/Gyn Quick!

1st visit
My doctor quickly took out her medical bibles the moment I mentioned 'chicken pox' and frantically looked it up in her books. Wow, I have so much confidence in her now. Not.

2nd visit
The moment I sat down in her office, she started yelling down her handphone, upset at her maid I think. Wow, I think I'm in good hands, especially during the delivery itself. Not!

So now I'm busy asking every mommy and mommy-to-be about their ob/gyn and hospitals. Never knew finding and settling with one good, reliable doctor would be so hard :p

My Idea of Maternity Wear...

Is this...


This...


And taking a cue from my fashion icon, this...


And this... :)


Now if only I have the energy to get myself to the malls....

What Did Mommy2B Eat Today?

1. One piece of whole wheat bread with chunky peanut butter with one whole banana for breakfast.

2. Avocado Accents Salad at Marmalade for lunch (and also curi2 my sister-in-law's Pesto Spaghetti, yumm)

3. McD Fillet-O-Fish (immediately after Marmalade, yep)

4. One piece of sinful chocolate

5. Another *gasp* Fillet-O-Fish! (that was my tea ;) somehow Fillet-O-Fish tastes so much yummier now.....)

Now what's for dinner???

When It's Heart Starts Beating...

Ahhhhh finally, the 2-week wait is over. Today is the day that I've been so looking fwd to. Had to occupy myself with all sorts of things just to get my mind of it and let time fly by faster!

And here it is, finally... I saw my baby's heart beating, strong and steady... (sooo cuuuuttte....)



My ob/gyn says my baby is 8 weeks old! 8 weeks already :)

So far, Ive yet to experience any morning sickness. My sister kept insisting that I will when my baby's heart starts beating. But my ob/gyn says if Ive not experienced it up to this point, it means I will sail through this pregnancy without the much dreaded (or 'brutal' as one pregnant Kendra Wilkinson puts it) morning sickness. Woot!

My baby's due in January 2010. I don't know why it seems so hard for my mom and brother to believe.

Brother: "You're due in January??? But you'll only be about 6 months along by then!!

Mom: "You're due in January??? What nonsense is that!"

Ha. Ha. Ha. You guys crack me up ;)

No One Told Me........

1. That I'll be so so tired, energy-less when pregnant. Opening the fridge takes alot of effort.

2. That I'll be hungry hungry hungry. ALL. THE. TIME. U must be kidding me!

3. That I'll be sleeeeepy... even after having a good night's rest. (I struggled to keep my eyes open whilst watching Angels & Demons at the cinema)

4. That I'll have this tummy discomfort. I choose not to elaborate on this.

5. That my bladder seems like its shrunk in size and now I have to go to the loo thrice as often.

6. That with all the above, I'd have no energy left to *GASP* do my hair OR figure out my wardrobe for the day. (I have to stop this! I promised myself I'll be a yummy mummy... perasan? Im pregnant! I can say whatever I want!)

Im only one month along, what more pregnancy secrets have all mommies on this earth been keeping from me???

When I Want to Be Like Mommy Jolie or Mommy Richie

Although we won't know until the next 2 weeks, Hanif and I have been pretty positive with the whole situation. We talk to the baby alot.. Hanif talks to my tummy every night before we go to bed. Daddy-to-be sometimes sings :) And the mommy sometimes just gets a good night kiss, grrrr.... (Hanif, your wife must at all times, come first!)

It's so sweet to see Hanif so very much in love with that little dot we saw during the ultra sound scan.

I still tear a lil bit, when we pray... So emo kan?

Anyways, Hanif took me to MPH today, to arm myself with useful pregnancy books. I ended up buying only one book - healthy eating during pregnancy (or something along those lines lah). I'm so afraid to be fat! I don't want to be fat! I need to know what and how much I should eat cause my appetite has escalated like no one's business and Im forever hungry! Seriously. From the moment I wake up, before and after meals, every hour.. Boohoo... And Im only one month along!

I wanna be pregnant like Angelina Jolie and Nicole Richie pleasssse.

When That One Dot Needs All the Prayers It Can Get

I waited for 3 hours before I got to meet my ob/gyn at DSH on Saturday. I don't understand why a specialist, at an esteemed private hospital, would not take appointments and instead prefers to enforce a first come, first served system! (thus the long wait...)

Grouses aside, I was ultra excited to have my belly ultra-sound scanned for the first time. And it only took seconds before I saw my baby... It was just one tiny round spot. A beautiful round spot. Haha.

But the thrill was quickly replaced by sadness when I told the doctor about the chicken pox I just recovered from. While she slowly explains the risks that my baby will face, I slowly broke down. I didnt want to cry. I hate crying in front of anyone (except Hanif). But hearing something that I'm actally already aware of from my ob/gyn's mouth, just saddened me. And the worst thing was, she actually asked if aborting will be a choice that I will consider. Cry.....

Aborting was definitely not an option.

Although initially I thought it would be best if we kept the news of my pregnancy a secret until my next ob/gyn visit, I changed my mind towards the evening as I suddenly felt our baby needs all the prayers from our closest and loved ones. It was our only option - to pray that my baby will be healthy... and sempurna.

I couldnt make the calls. I was an emotional wreck. After dinner, Hanif made the calls to my parents, his parents and my aunt who raised me (whom I call Mak)... at a distance that I could not listen to their conversation as he knew the 'repercussions' if I did. But yet, I still teared. Gosh.....

The doctor told us we can only see the baby's heartbeat in 2 weeks time. Im only 4 weeks along now. The doctor also said that if the fetus is weak, it will abort itself. Cry..... But if there's a heartbeat, then Insya allah, our baby will be fine....

So until then... we are all praying.... and I hope by then I can share with all my friends and loved ones the good news....

When It Takes Only Two Words to Make A Gazzillion People Excited

Before I got pregnant, no.. in fact throughout our 2 year marriage, Hanif and I have been asked the baby question relentlessly. Everyone seemed to want this baby more than we did! (not that we didn't want one)

And after the gazzillionth person asked me that question, I told myself (and a few from the gazzillion), that I would seriously consider making an announcement in a big way to share the news when the time comes, maybe have a party?

But before that, I had to break the happy news to my husband. When Hanif came home after work yesterday, I just shoved the test stick into his hands. Being overwhelmed seriously zaps your creativity.

It didn't register 100% until I showed him the pregnancy test box and see what the TWO lines meant. That was followed by widened eyes, the question "are you serious?", lots of giggles and laughter, a shower of kisses for mommy-to-be, a tight hug and a sprinkle of tears. And he actually blurted,"How did this happen?" Like, duh. Being overwhelmed zaps logic too.

Hanif was clearly over the moon because just a few days ago, he told me he can't wait to be a daddy :) I guess his wish came true, and so quickly too!

And now I can't wait to break the news to everyone! I feel like an erupting volcano waiting to vomit out everything. I feel so sorry for Intan cause I've not been entertaining her calls or her FB status updates. I'm so sorry my dahling BFF yea, I really wanted to figure out a nice way to share this wonderful news!

Plus I have this thing about needing to tell my Dad first before anyone else. (It was the same when Hanif proposed. My lips were sealed until I told my Dad, face-to-face first!). In fact, I just SMSed him as I was writing this to check when's his next trip to KL. I can't wait! To tell him. And everyone!

In the mean time, I've decided, in this era of blogging, FB-ing and Twitter-ing, I might as well, in line with the digital media trend, use this blog to announce that I'm PREGGERS!!!! U happy now?? U happy now that a mini-Suraya or a mini-Hanif is on its way? Now you can't ask me that question anymore. Hahahaha. I'm so happy :)

When It Takes Only 2 Lines to Change Your Life

Ive been wanting to start blogging for the last couple of months. And even more so the last couple of days, for some reasons I'm quite unsure of. But it never did take off cause although I had a strong desire to blog, I had no idea what to blog about.

Until.... I had a funny feeling I was... pregnant. Well the funny feeling was pre-empted by the fact that I was ‘late’. For a whole week and half. I wasn’t the sort who kept tab of my cycle and somehow rather oddly, I marked the calendar on my hp the date I had my menses last month, which was April 18. May 18 and a whole week went by. I was getting anxious. I shared with my husband the situation. To which he confidently replied, “Don’t worry sweety. It must be the stress from having the pox.”

And that is another story. Let me digress. I just recovered from the chicken pox. Yes I know... at THIS age? The first pimple (at that time, I seriously thought it was one) made its appearance on May 13. Then 5 more ‘pimples’ joined the party the next day. Even then, the doctor couldn’t tell what was going on with me. On the 3rd day and 10 more ‘pimples’, I went to get a second opinion and it took this very smart doctor 2 seconds to diagnose that I really REALLY did have the pox. I almost burst out in tears, almost. I was on the brink of tears because 1. The earlier doctor was an IDIOT. 2. Why me???????? 3. My skin!

Suffice to say I cried (you would too!) when I was home, on that day, the next day and the day after next. Nevertheless, after religiously taking 2 boxes of antivirals 5 times a day, a daily dose of Chinese herbal medicine which looks and tastes as delicious as drain water, daily showers of a magic purple bath (imported all the way from Kelantan thanks to Suzie, i love you), daun semambu paste (courtesy of my dear mom in law), hourly calamine-ing, and strictly abiding to a diet recommended for pox 'victims', I amazingly recovered in a week's time. Within a week, the pox on my face (which was aplenty) scabbed over and slowly disappeared.

Thus, that’s how my husband came to his conclusion. And so after days of having the ‘funny feeling’, I told my friend Annie yesterday, over a yummy meal of aglio olio, the whole story and she immediately dragged me to the nearest pharmacy and bought me my first pregnancy test. I had no idea how it really looks like until that day. Anyways, thanks Annie!

Today came, and I wasn’t convinced to take the test. 1. I was afraid it could be a false alarm (hey, I DO wanna have a baby) 2. I was again afraid if I was really preggers, would the chicken pox virus effect my baby???? Out of burning curiosity, I rang up my good friend/former housemate/hot doctor – Abby for her opinion. She convinced me it'll be wise to take the test now.

After a hearty breakfast, I nervously took the test (it was like finding out if you're pregnant with your boyfriend's child. But I'm married for god's sake!). I stared at the magic stick. One prominent blue line appeared. That's the control line. And then nothing. As my heart slowly sank... I caught a shadow of ANOTHER line. And I stared really hard. Is this for real??? This line became more and more visible. But was faint compared to the control line. Did I feel a bit giddy with joy? Oh yeah I did. Was I preggers? I wasn't sure. Faint line? Pregnant kah?



So I called up Abby. No answer. I called my best friend who lives in Bandung and she got waaaaaaaaayy more giddy than I was (I expected that.) Intan squealed,”O my god! O my god! Go get another one just to be sure!!!! But I think you are!!!” The next minute, Abby returned my call. “Congratulations babe....” Abby’s first words before I could even say 'Hello'. She too advised to do the test one more time.

Intan calls me no less than 3 times within an hour. I was too giddy with joy and was still stunned. Could I be pregnant? I was smiling and giggling like a high-school teenager who just got a call from her biggest crush. And I smiled and high-school giggled all the way to the nearest pharmacy and back. After having my lunch, I took the test one more time.

This test pack was different from the first one (to those who will be taking this test in future, pls use Clearblue. Trust me). I caught this one in action using my trusted handphhone, just so I can share this wonderful moment with my husband later. Who would have thought watching a stick absorb your urine could be so exciting.

The feeling of watching the 2nd line appearing.... is indescribable. Even the 2nd time round. I will always remember this day. When two test sticks proved that I was indeed having a baby. Im having a baby..... We’ve created another human being. And this living breathing thing is in MY tummy. I know millions of people conceive and have conceived. In fact, I'm surrounded by so many mommies-to-be. But when you actually are pregnant yourself, it's different... it's special. You just feel..... life is so amazing.

And so this beautiful journey begins.... :)