False alarms!

Salam everybody!

Last week thursday morning, i was surprised with strong Braxton Hicks! i actually thought, "oh wow! is the baby coming already?" I guess you can tell i was pretty nervous this time! Coz if ikut EDD (not that i ikut lar kan), it will be about 20 days earlier. Plus, my gynae was away on a holiday that week! Had to somehow pujuk baby if she really think it's time and best to come out without our gynae around. But then i realized, we needed God more than our gynae lar kan. She had told me she will have a replacement colleague to cover for her should i be in labour then. Whatever it is, it is His help and blessings that we want on the big day. If He says it's better without my gynae around but with a replacement, mesti lar ok jugak kan? End up mesti yakin with His decision after the countless doas and berserah to Him for the best outcome. So i started to calm down and re-explained to baby that it is ok either way. And that we (mommy, daddy and abang Yusuf) will be ready for her regardless. It made me feel a lot better and i actually got excited!

But somehow, the false surges subsided by evening. phew! hehe. so it wasn't that day after all! bukan apa. Masa tu lar start thinking about my baby bag and that it was not completely ready. But now it is, thanks to baby! hehe you got daddy to do most of the packing plak tu! Clever girllll help mommy! heheheeh!

Anyways, went for my check up last Wednesday and was told baby is doing great in there! And i also informed my gynae regarding the thursday incident and she told me she actually cancelled her trip to Istanbul! simply because she had quite a number of mommies delivering that week and it didn't feel right for her to leave them to another doctor. Talk about dedication! Awesome ok! and still a blessing for us coz maybe she would have been too busy to attend to us ker kan? hehehe. Alhamdulillah. Whatever happened, it has happened for the best. This has got to be the millionth time to remind me that I am in no control whatsoever of my situations and that Allah ALWAYS KNOWS BEST! haih nak kena smack on the face banyak2 kali whenever i start stressing out or worry excessively about the future! degil betul!

So doc said her head is already engaged so it's gonna be anytime soon. But she still gave me 2 weeks appointment should  baby decides to be cozy in there for a little while more. Mommy ok jer k! heheehe.

Till then peeps! Don't forget me in your doas if i happen to be in your thoughts! i pun nak kena maximize my "preggy-mom-doas" sementara belom beranak lagi ni! Kan doa ibu mengandung mustajab? hehe. insyaAllah i will include most of you that i know! It's been advised to not be kedekut to make doa for other people, coz it will have a ping-pong/boomerang effect back at you! And yang paling best is that His mercy for you yang rajin doakan orang lain, will increase! siapa tak nak kannn?! I nak!!! ;) 

Nesting project: Cot-turned-desk!

Salam everyone!

Remember i pointed out that my nesting mode was in overdrive with home decor stuff? well, guess what! I managed to siapkan one of them and I am really really thrilled!!!

Presenting.........

Yusuf and adik's cot-turned-desk!!!

Best kaaaaaannnn??!! It was adapted from this creative idea shared by my one of my GFs through a whatsapp conversation. Nampak jer terus my brain went TING TING TINNGGG!!!!

The idea! Thanks aunty nasireen!!!

Since i have been trying to sell this cot (like forever!) and did not find any buyer, i thought this idea was just awesome!!! So here's roughly what i did to modify it and the cost:

1. A plywood: preferably thick and not those thin, unpolished planks where you can get selumbar coming out of them.

Black is indeed a great colour if you don't want your kids' artistic scribbles be seen permanently on the desk. Initially to buy this was expensive coz they don't sell in that particular size. so you have to buy a big one and have it remodeled to the size you want and it is quite costly. Luckily, rezeki we all murah that the handyman we asked to help us found a piece and modified it himself to fit the cot at a much cheaper price! So to have a good handyman is essential too ok peeps! :)

So this piece of wood cost us: RM30! Alhamdulillah!

2. Ikea accessories. Now u know why Ikea is my fave mall at the moment! 

The stuff bought for this project are:

- MAMUT series chair: RM39.90

- Wall pockets: RM19.90

3. Magnetic whiteboard from AEON: RM29.90

Total expenditure for cot-turned-desk project: RM120!

Not bad eh?!! Honestly if the plywood was as expensive as the uncle said we had to buy, the cost would have probably tripled. Plus the accessories tu mmg up to you on what you need for your kids' stationary set. Now i'm thinking of adding a notice board to cover the 'lopong' side of the cot! hehehe. Gotta love this upcycling/recycling thingy! Alasan kannn! Mommy dia yang excited lebih! InsyaAllah nanti adik keluar and dah besar sikit tambah lagi satu Mamut chair tu. They got one in pink ok! Saja jer kan! ;P

Till then! 

Preggy wishlist!

Salam! It's that time again iA! 

I realized i should just get this post done with takut i lupa! hehehehe.

And to be fair also lar kan. Time pregnant Yusuf buat. ;P

So here's my wishlist if some of uolls are not sure with what to get for baby no.2. Do keep in mind, dia tak mintak (of course!) but ni what her mommy would really appreciate and thinks she needs.

1. Organic soaps!

Ni mcm sama lar time yusuf hari tu. Really love the Buds collection. Plus it's awesome for the skin since parents dia ada mild eczema, so anak2 high risk of sensitive skin as well. But this time i'll omit the lotions coz jarang sgt pakai! Hehe. Any other organic brands of shower gels and shampoos are welcome too!

Bud's everyday head to toe cleanser

Precious Newborn Head to toe cleanser

Mozzie clear lotion - sebab Malaysia ada nyamuk!

Ni bukan untuk baby lar. ni nak tolong mommy dia hilangkan her stripes! hehe

2. Plushy towels

Love love looooove some of 'em good soft plushy towels!

3. Baby bath robe (Booked!)

This one coz insyaAllah memang plan to continue expose my kids to swimming pool fun as early as i can. With Yusuf the last time i think i started at 4 months old. and somehow i crap at searching for bath robes. So it'd be cool if anyone can provide adik with this! hehe.

4. Baby sling wrap! (Booked!)

Ok even tho im an avid babywearer and already have 2 types, but both i have are inconvenient for newborn babies. So wud love if anybody can get me this particular one: MobyWrap Original Baby Carrier. Price is cheapest at an online store called littlewhiz.com! Lagi bertambah hogging lar mommy dia thanks to the giver yg give this! Hehe.

Isn't this red cuteeee?!

5. Baby monitor (Booked!)

Haa this one would be very handy especially since last time i had to rely on my superpower hearing capabilities for Yusuf's lil cries for mommy when he naps and i happen to be in the kitchen or elsewhere. Rumah i tak lar besar mana, but babies' cries are soooo... Err quiet sometimes!

just an exemplary pic

6. Cloth diapers

Ok even tho now i dont wear it on yusuf, (ever since i got pregnant actually coz malas basuh laundry kerap), i would love to do it for adik at some point. It really did some loving to my purse! Hehe. My preferred brands are autumnz, rumparooz and GAD pocket-sized diapers: small and medium. But would love to try Bumgenius ones coz i read awesome reviews about them! I've attached the links to the brands as to where you can find them.

Contoh how cloth diapers looks like!

7. Fisher price play mat

Ok this is a tad mengada lar coz it's pricey. Contemplated to put it down here coz like malu ok! sebab mahal! but i thought like what the heck, if ada rezeki baby ada lar. Plus am not expecting to get all of the stuff in the list fulfilled ok? hehe. But honestly, i immediately fell in love with this thing when i sat on it at a tutti frutti shop ok! Coz they have a kiddies corner there. So comfy! High quality stuff do come in expensive price tags! Sigh. 

Pretty cute eh?

8. Clothes, mittens and booties

These are of course welcome to any parents kann? oh and 0-3 months and above please! :)

9. Mothercare bather! (Booked!)

Ok if u notice this is last minute addition to the list. But this wud really help me a lot!!! especially if nak kena handle mandikan 2 bubs at one go! Hehe.

So that's pretty much it! See i tak lar demanding mana! Haha! But they are indeed the stuff that would really be helpful to have if any of you are getting anything for baby. But again, if takder material gifts pun, IT'S A-OK. Nama pun wishlist kan? hehe. But sangatlar wajib if u could give her this tho:

Doa yang baik untuk baby! 

As parents, we would be more than happy to get good prayers for her from you! For muslim friends, there's some specific come-to-visit-baby doas made by our beloved prophet Muhammad pbuh. I have one of them in the book Hisnul Muslim. You can come and visit baby later and i'll prepare it for you ok! The doa even comes with a reply of good tidings (read by me or hubs) to semoga dapat rezeki yang sama (anak) or better, to the ones who read it to her! how awesome eh? So no worries yea!

If you wanna get the mommy something instead (ehem!), can call me lar personally. Coz i dont think i'll be typing out nursing bras here. Opps! ;P

Take care peeps! And if i happen to be in your thoughts, do pray for our gentle birth soon iA!

P/s: notice there are no toys stated here. I didn't forget to put it. So i think u can guess why lar kan. Hehe.

Preggy fancies!

Salam uolls!

Just thought i'd update a bit of my lil antics during my pregnancy this time.

Remember i mentioned that i was into home decor and stuff that involves cleaning or arranging the home? well, apparently i think it just catapulted now that im entering 3rd trimester! suddenly am so obsessed into browsing online home decor ideas and shops from instagrams! nak pengsan ok!

Nak cakap nesting, macam awal sangat. plus not sure if filling up my kitchen with vintage jars and canisters is considered part of nesting?! hehehe.

But am seriously loving anything that looks cute, neat and makes stuff in my mini cluttered home ni teratur! Lately i managed to get my hands on those acrylic drawers that i've been wanting to get since last year but gave myself a thousand and one reasons not to because i bukannya banyak make up and stuff. tapi after, yes, a spring cleaning of my own, i realize these stuff o mine needs a nice comfy home!

went to MUJI but was told it was out of stock and had to wait a few weeks. even browsed online for online sellers but somehow tu pun boleh out of stock. but when i did get a call from MUJI they have arrived, apa lagi! sanggup drag hubs to just buy! hehehe. and then mula lar nampak benda-benda lain yang best kat situ and wishing i could buy all! adoi nafsu. nasib hubs ada.

Now i tgh obsess with canisters. and even tho the ones i have to store my teas, coffees and other stuff are from tupperware, somehow nampak tak berapa comels and tak seragam. boleh taaaakk??!!! i even feel like giving my tupperware away, just so i can have alasan to replace them with these new canisters i'm eyeing. sad! hehe. 

So i think i'm gonna put up pics lar to show what my faves are at the moment. mana tahu, kot-kot ada orang nak bagi belated birthday present ka, or early mommy of 2nd baby present ka?! LOL. i'm kidding honestly. but who knows, you pun might like to invest in some! if tahu more options do share with me ok?

My humble organizer! as you can see i tak banyak make up. hehe.

Gaaaahh! how cute are these? boleh letak salt, kunyit and whatever!
pic from pink_vintage_home IG.

And this one can put tepung or sugar! Sweeet!
pic from pink_vintage_home.

This makes me wanna organize my own tea party! tapi bake pun tak pandai!

The canisters i was telling you about! tp ada yang ada designs cute2! 

Like these ones would be coool!

Aside from kitchen stuff, bedsheet ni pun i wud love to naaakk! hehe.

Adoi. cannot lar like this. ni post melayan nafsu namanyer! tapi setakat admiring lar. if baby comes out maybe he/she will be an awesome interior designer kot??!! which mommy wouldn't mind one bit!

As for the affinity for wangi-wangi stuff, yeap! it has come! now with the draught happening in KL and the fact that i can actually smell it, asyik nak pasang jer lampe berger oil i tu. My fave scent is the one with a pomegranate picture on it. sedapppp!

Ok that's all for now. better stop before i start to put posts on handbags, shoes or pandoras! thankfully for now takder plak nak ke situ. phewww!

All babies want their moms!

Ok. I'm suppose to sleep coz i had a long day today. But i HAD to stumble upon this video lar and watch it. A few times plak tu!!!

And i can't stop crying!!! Not because i'm just sad, but it's damn touching ok!

Please take note that this is standard procedure in most hospitals around the world! i've even assisted a c-sect before but never did i witness anything like this, or maybe i was just toooooo damn ignorant to see it!

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!! if i lar jadi mak tu, memang dah lama screw the freakin procedure! Just let the baby be!!! Mak kucing pun tahu marah and tak suka anak dia kena amik jauh-jauh from her tahu taaaaaakkk??!!! grrrrrr!

Ok, maybe it's the hormones. but still! now i'm hugging my baby in tummy kuat-kuat! i love you sayangggg!

Excuse me for being frank, but if you watched this and don't feel anything AND you're a mom, you just don't have a heart lar ok!

New year, New experience, Same goal

Salam!

It's january again! Alhamdulillah for the fact that i get to witness it by His grace.

I just realized i haven't posted anything about my 2nd pregnancy yet. hehe. so here it is so far.

I'm not gonna reveal exactly how far along i am at the moment, coz i sudah ditarbiahkan dengan knowledge that it doesn't make any difference whatsoever if the baby wants to come out on the due date or later. Yang penting Allah says it's time for him/her to come out safely, then that's all the reassurance i need. Plus, i'm ok if baby wants to stay in me longer than coming out too early. So far tak dengar lagi case bahaya keluar lambat dari terlampau cepat. coz terlampau cepat usually is associated with something wrong with the mother healthwise to carry on with the pregnancy. So am praying for the best iA.

My first trimester sickness has subsided alhamdulillah. now am just handling the occasional bloating from some foods, but otherwise very much tolerable.

Being in the 2nd trimester also means i have now the energy to move around and do things which i actually find exhilarating at times! like i actually enjoy doing house chores! mop lar, bersihkan tandas lar, masak nearly 4 meals a day nearly everyday! but of course, it will be followed by an afternoon nap with bubba to recover from the fatigue. but i'm telling you, my knack in cooking have amped up i think! i now masak without needing to taste whether cukup garam or not and somehow the dish turns out sedappp! sorry bukan nak brag but i am genuinely amazed at this myself! hahaha. boleh tanya hubs lar. either sebab selalu sangat masak or part of the superpower of being pregnant! hahaha!

so if bubba no.2 ni a girl, untung lar hopefully dapat pass down kerajinan domestic mommy ni. if boy pun i ok! i would like it that boys pun know how to do house chores and cook! tengah tunggu Yusuf besar sikit lagi jer boleh ajak masuk dapur. sapu sampah, mop rumah dia dah nak tolong! hehe.

Jamie oliver in the making?

I still plan to stick to the regime i have done when i was pregnant with yusuf. One of them would be to attend my pregnancy exercise classes at Fit For 2 Bangsar. They have new instructors now, and am enjoying the experience each time. i've made new mommy friends and caught up with some of the old ones too!

As for food cravings, no serious ones. Just preferences like the last time. It's just that now seeing people updating their meals on instagram is not really helping much and is definitely testing my nafs! kesian lar kat saya! heheh.

So here are some of them:

Aahh! some things never change! and i hope they don't have to! This is like a staple meal for me.
Tak preggy pun suka, apatah lagi time preggy kan? The inventor of NASI LEMAK should get
a nobel prize really!

The addictive TEH AIS! Even tho i couldn't drink it masa 1st trimester, but now pun ada jer mild bloatedness.
It's just too damn good! lebih-lebih lagi when i yang buat!
Btw, amongst family members and close friends, i'm known as the tea lady. teh tarik more like, coz i make
the meanest teh tarik ok! bukan i cakap, they yg cakap. Testimony dah banyak, ya dig! ;P

OK. sebenarnya, i want something sweet and flavourful. the last time it was ice lollies.
Now pun ada sikit2, but i try to change to a slightly healthier dose of glucose. so apparently fruits
does it for me. Suddenly an apple or orange has never tasted soo sedap masyaAllah! Maybe it's His way to
stop me from harming myself with HFCS. yikes.

As for the affinity for soap smelling stuff and benda-benda wangi, that one still there. but i don't feel for it as strong as i did during first pregnancy. maybe not yet kot. although i notice i suka benda-benda yang related to home deco. Like new bedsheets lar, new kitchen appliances lar, etc etc. hmmm... *hint hint hubby!* ;P

But one thing in common yang i hesitate nak tell the world about it before is, I MALAS nak bersiap-siap or berlawa-lawa bila keluar. not that i sooo lawa lar, but before this, i really enjoyed jugak getting dress to go out. now? gosh rasa nak tukar wardrobe to all cotton baju yg tak payah iron and jubahs jer. my 3 penyangkut tudung pun (yeaa i have 3 of those hole thingys) i tak usik sangat coz nak kena lilit-lilit bagai and i malas. i started as a shawl person and sorta favour that style. now (and like before) would be the time you would see me more in an instant hijab. but because yg lama i dah give away, i have to force myself to buy new ones. ugh.

So ada orang kata, boy lar if macam ni. well if it's a girl, i'm gonna make sure she won't be so selekeh lar of course. yang penting cantik di mata Allah and neat. for both genders actually. The fact that islam galakkan to look neat and modest at the same time, i am happy. i mean i hope i tak lar selekeh mana cuma tak stylo mylo lar. hehe.

So there you have it. I'd be lying if i say my pregnancies semuanya at all times a breeze. it has its moments. but i somehow have developed this outlook towards it. that i am grateful to be feeling ALL of it's penat and awesome moments. Coz the pahala and nikmat i get from it is a privilege and a sign of His mercy to me. Not everyone gets the chance to rasa this so i sangat bersyukur and will think twice before complaining and whining. after all, i pun yang nak ada anak. siapa lar tak nak. nak reward padanlar kena susah2 dulu sebelum tu betul tak? betuuuuullll! hehe.

So here's to wishing a blessed year for everyone insyaAllah. if you have time and i happen to be in your thoughts, do make doa for me and the little bub inside me. May He grant us a safe, gentle birth insyaAllah.

My Wishlist!

Hola! Alhamdulillah! Praise to the Almighty for i have safely delivered our little khalifah on the 19/2/2012! But am not here to talk about my birth experience just yet (trust me, it might have episodes! Haha!). In fact, I was contemplating of writing this post. But after doing a mini survey whether it would be ok to list what I needed or not, the responses I got had been pretty motivating! So I thought, why not? If ada rezeki, dapat lar. The most important thing is that it serves as an alternative option to others who are boggled in getting gifts, and prevents unnecessary (extra) purchases. But of course, it is not compulsory yea! ;P

So wanna see mine? here we go!

• Cloth diapers! I'm planning to go green! and save money in the process! hope it works!

This one is from Lunatots!

• Babybjorn eat and play smock! I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing I'm gonna have a lot of fun with it and so will he!

EDD = Exaggeration of Doctor's Determinacy!

Salam! Guess what peeps! today is the THE DAY! yes! supposedly, for about 4% of us preggy mommies all around the world! My EDD! And I'm still blogging! =P

So I've made up a new, special acronym for this big "estimation" or "error" (for the ego-humbled practitioners!) to replace the usual EDD. And that would be...

Exaggeration of Doctor's Determinacy!

hahaha! Ok. there's nothing wrong with estimating anything really. It gives one preparation and allows proper planning if in case anything might go wrong. Plus, there's a saying that goes "To err is human", right? Right! But it becomes NOT RIGHT and a downright "no-no" when humans don't admit their errs! How? Well by annoyingly, implanting a fixed, general perception of EDD, that the pregnant mother MUST deliver her baby on that exact date! By hook or by crook! So where's the annoying part exactly you ask? 

My "Icky Thumps"!

Hello uolls! 

Ok. Maybe icky thump don't really have a proper meaning (coz the White stripes definitely didn't have one either!). So I decided to make a meaning out of it on my own. I find this word so suitable to describe my "sometimes-annoying-yet-tolerable" condition/behavior. Of course, it's sorta pregnancy-related, but I don't want to be blaming ALL the stuff on being preggers you know. Even though it is exaggerated (and yes, some are so synonymous) when being pregnant.

So to start, these are the things that I have to endure in my current situation. My very own Icky Thumps!

• Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD)

Believe it or not, I am actually one of those who are (blessed? unfortunate?) to have this. This condition reflects to a pain at one's symphysis pubis area. 

My preggy "must-haves"!

Salam and a great day to all!

Today imma be sharing what I think are my best friends during my pregnancy! Some of you may know a lot more though! But for others, it might be something you could consider when you're getting pregnant the next time!

So here goes my list:

• Maternity pillow! 

Ok. the first time I saw one of these things was when I was watching the movie The Back Up Plan with Jlo not wanting to let go of her maternity pillow instead of hugging her hubby! That definitely sends across a message that this thing must be darn comfortable! so at first, I was skeptical that I would benefit much from it for I could just substitute with a lot of pillows stacked up around me for comfort. But somehow, that didn't work coz prolly the way I sleep (a little feisty!). So I tried googling where I could buy one. Sadly there isn't any store that sells them. Until I bumped into one online! I must say I didn't expect it to be that pricey, but since I'm in need of a good comfy sleep, I thought why the hell not! and guess what! It is one of my best friends till now!!! and yes! I feel bad hugging this instead of hubby when I sleep! But I wasn't up to the point of what Jlo did lar ok! hehehe.

Please don't come out first placenta!

Hola! Today i wanna share with you about an obstetric condition called Placenta Previa.

Most women, especially mommies (and some daddies) would be familiar with what a placenta is. It is basically your baby's life support when he is in your womb.

Previa, in latin means "going before". So technically, the 2 words combined together would mean the placenta is going before. but going before what? or who? in this case, it would be the baby. So the placenta is going first before the baby. Going where? going out lar!

To put it medically, the condition illustrates the placenta is situated right near or on top of the cervix, which is the beginning of your pelvic outlet during pregnancy. And this my dear mommies, is preferably  not  a wanted condition. 

Of Cravings and Peculiarities...

Salam! I'm sure all of you preggy mommies out there have had your fair share of odd cravings for food or daily eccentricities. Well, today I wanna share mine!

As for food cravings, I'm lucky enough to not have bizarre ones that requires me or hubby to travel halfway across Malaysia to get them (or maybe more of lucky him!). They're usually the stuff that can be easily obtained and still around. So sometimes, when people ask me what my food cravings are, most of the time i'd answer none or just the usual stuff one would probably crave even when not pregnant. So here is mine:

• Nasi Lemak!

        I had to have one of this coconut-flavoured rice nearly every day during my 1st trimester! Sometimes i would have it twice a day as well! ;P

And the Journey Begins...

Assalamualaikum and a great day to all...

Oh my! i'm actually doing this! my very own "mommy" blog! *screaaaaaammmmmmsss!!!*

ok. Cannot scream-scream anymore! i have to be a more responsible adult! I'm gonna be a mommy! Alhamdulillah!

To tell you the truth, i'm actually looking forward to become a mommy! so i made this blog to share my experiences on some of the preparations i did, and currently doing, throughout my pregnancy of our first, beloved son, and hopefully, to share my thots on how i'm bringing up my lil khalifah to the world! InsyaAllah!

So as the first entry, i'd just share a little story of how blessed i am to experience this next stage of womanhood and having a third title behind my name. As a mother. :)

A lil history...