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 ;)