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 :)