Tuesday, April 28, 2009

At April's end

Perut dah jatuh.
Doc kata baby dah in position nak enter cervix and into the birth canal.
She said by the looks of it;
insyaAllah seminggu dua lagi.
Check-ups dah start weekly.
*peluh, excited*

Husband scored grandly for final exams.
He's upset with one subject though.
That's because his standards are high.
But that's good.
Room for improvement in the future.
*Bonda and Baby Ours pats Ayahanda on the back*
Congratulations!

Sekarang, aku nak melantak makan apa saja.
Nanti mungkin berbulan-bulan tak boleh makan apa yang nak.
*otak overdrive pikir apa lagi nak makan*

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Unexpected

Husband and I love books.
When Husband reads to Baby Ours, his reactions from within the belly is priceless.
We bought 2 volumes of selected tales from Beatrix Potter.
Bonda wanted more because the stories and illustrations are just delightful.
So Bonda has been searching high and low for this:


An unexpected outing to The Gardens, caused by the heat, led us to Borders.
And it led us to the book.
The last one sitting by its lonesome on the Picture Books shelf in the Children's section.
And it led us to purchasing it.

Bonda and Ayahanda are ecstatic.
More stories to read at night.
Life is grand.

Alhamdulillah. Rezeki.

*glee*
Bonda/Anis

Thursday, April 23, 2009

A Full Time Job

Soalan mereka-mereka:
"So, lepas bersalin, are you planning to work?"

Aku:
"No."

Respon mereka-mereka:
"Kiranya you nak jadi full time mom la nih?"

Aku hanya mampu duduk diam, tergamam.

Biarlah kau career woman.
Biarlah kau seorang yang masih belajar.
Biarlah kau ada kerjaya sambil buat Masters.
Biarlah kau semua-semua ini dan ada keluarga.
Ada baby.
Atau babies.

Tapi kalau kau berpikiran yang housewife sahaja yang "full time mom",
Shame on you.

Being a mother mana ada part-time.
Regardless of your career and your ambitions,
Being a mother is a full time gig.
Everyday.
For the rest of your life.

Sedih kalau kau tak sedar fakta ini.

Anis

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

All you need is Love?

Husband holds doors, pulls out chairs and always puts Bonda and Anakanda first.
From the beginning of the pregnancy, the pampering has escalated (I am not complaining :D).

The water retention in the feet has gotten worse, hence walking a lot is painful.
Husband would always insist on a wheelchair every time we're in a huge mall that requires a lot of walking from one store to another (Although I tend to just walk around if I feel up for it).

So yesterday, when several passing strangers made a comment (whilst Husband was pushing the wheelcahir) about how lucky I am to have a Husband who loves me and takes care of me, it got me thinking:
  • Why the need for such comments?
  • Aren't all Husbands suppose to do all the things my Husband does?
  • Don't their Husbands do that?
  • Lucky to have a Husband who loves me? *Why, yor Hasben no laf you izit? No laf, no call Hasben wor.*
The funny thing is that some have made comments that my Husband is pussy-whipped or bak kata orang Melayu - kena "Queen control". (The fudge?)
Reasons behind these comments:
  • Husband helps with laundry.
  • Husband does dishes.
  • Husband pours water (lots and lots of water) for me every time he sees that my glass is empty, or almost.
  • Husband listens to my opinions and actually cares about what I think/how I feel.
So,
Suami aku tolong buat kerja rumah.
Dia tidak bermentaliti yang kerja org lelaki ni carik duit je.
Dia suka masak sama-sama.
Dia suka tolong basuh pinggan.
Dia tak bagi aku sidai kain sebab masa pregnant 5 bulan aku pernah jatuh kat longkang (the foot miss stepped the gutter), so kalau dia ada some time sebelum pergi kerja, dia sidaikan kain.

*menung*

Tolong bagi tau aku part mana yang boleh menjana komen-komen yang aku "Queen control" Suami aku?

Curiouser and curiouser.

Anis

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Baby Shower for Baby Ours

The girlfriends threw Baby Ours a Baby Shower.
It was a surprise, in a way, because the suggestion came out of the blue.
Husband and I always wanted to throw a baby shower but it was always a bad time or something.
But Alhamdulillah, the baby shower they hosted was awesome.

Had some Subway (from the cousin's newly launched second branch here in Kota Damansara) and great laughs and conversations.
Banyak rezeki Baby Ours.
The aunts to-be bought him all sorts of stuff:


A Bumbo seat,
some clothes and a hat, a cute neck cushion, a pair of shoes,
keepsake albums,
a toddler Lego set,
and
an on-the-go bottle set. :D

Husband and I had a wonderful time.
Hope the aunts to-be did too.
Thank you very much.

Hugs for all the aunts to-be,
Matt, Anis & Knight.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Frust to the Bone

Husband took us to the hospital today.
Had a last minute appointment with the doctor.
The pain was getting unbearable.
Still can't walk properly.
And it's not because of the water retention in the feet.
That, has gone down.

Turns out that it's the pubis (bone).
Doctor said normally it's not a joint that moves about.
Like our knee caps and such.
But during pregnancy, this pubis becomes more relaxed (to make way for the baby come labour time) and as the belly gets heavier, it moves a little.
Rubbing against each other.
That rubbing against each other is causing the pain and my lack of mobility.

No medications for it.
I shall brave through this without drugs, insyaAllah.
Doctor advices plenty of rest, try not to walk so much but if walking is required - support the belly so that the weight won't cause too much pain.

All in all, everything is fine Alhamdulillah.
Baby Ours is healthy, Alhamdulillah.

Frust.
The Fisher-Price® Miracles and Milestones™ Pop Open Play Gym™ at RM199.90 is no longer available.
:...(
Really wanted it.
Oh well.

Frust.
Mother's leaving soon.
Marah.
Sedih.
Yes. I'm being a baby.
*sad*

Bonda/Anis

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Celebratory Post

Husband's done with exams.
Woohoo!
On his behalf, I can actually feel the shackles and the weight melting off.

He deserves a much needed break.
This semester has been taxing.
More challenging than the last.
Oh, the drama!
Some things, some events really brought him down.
But Alhamdulillah.
It's all over.
Dah usaha, now tawakkal.

Nothing to do until July, insyaAllah.
Looking forward to spending time with Husband and Baby Ours.

Ayahanda,
This is for you:
Woooooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooo!!!!

Loves,
Bonda & Knight

Monday, April 13, 2009

34th Week of Wonders

Alhamdulillah we've reached the 34th week.
Heading towards the end of month 8.
Two baby girls were born between April 2nd and the 7th.
Gorgeous.
With all these births, we are doubly excited to meet Baby Ours.
In due time, insyaAllah.

Stretch marks are more defined.
Husband loves them.
I do too.
A mark of a story to tell our children in the future, insyaAllah.

I ate something salty over the weekend.
Water retention started at the feet and it hurts!
The swelling makes the feet look so... weird.
Other factors are causing my mobility to be restricted.
Walking hurts.
Setting up at appointment with the doctor after Husband's exam.
Just to be safe.

Baby Ours' Aunty J called to ask what else we need for Baby Ours.
I told her we already have everything, Alhamdulillah.
She was adamant on getting him something.
So, I suggested something we wanted, but planning to buy when Baby Ours in older, insyaAllah.
A Bumbo seat.


Was browsing through baby stores for 3-6 months and above toys for Baby Ours.
Stumbled upon these:


LAMAZE Spin & Explore Garden Gym

It's lovely. Something for later, insyaAllah.
*Although methinks it's tad bit too girlish for Baby Ours
Babyjaya has it for RM150.
Not bad for a play gym when compared to the RM220-RM380 Fisher Price products.

We don't enter baby stores anymore.
Nothing much to see these days since we have all that we need.
Alhamdulillah.
Rezeki Baby Ours.

Hope the swelling goes down soon.
Hope to be able to walk properly soon.
Hope all will be well, InsyaAllah.

Anis.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Weekend Project

I was very driven to get the iron-on patchwork alphabets for Baby Ours' blanket.
It was the only thing I could think about.
One of those "mengidam" feelings.
I thought, since it's so difficult to get the embroidery done and we had no clue where to get the patches, cross-stitching would be a nice alternative.

Friday morning, whilst lazing about in the living room with Husband, I told Mother I would like to try my hand at cross-stitch.
She said there was a cross-stitch kit lying around somewhere.
She bought it for the niece, originally.
But my sister in-law didn't get around to doing it.
Now, niece is 2. And no one has claimed the kit.

And so I did.
Cross-stitched Baby Ours' name in different colours.
Made simple borders.
Cut it out.
And sewed it to the blanket.
Success!
Very proud.
And the satisfaction - beyond words.

Over the weekend I became the epitome of a pregnant woman.
The rocking chair.
The needlework.
The humming.
The silly, ecstatic smile. :D

On a different note, we haven't revealed Baby Ours' name.
We want it to be an unveiling when he's born, insyaAllah.
We are very serious and possessive about this.

Those who might give us grieve for not "sharing" enough, please understand:
This is our prerogative. Deal with it.

Those who know the name, please don't go around revealing it for us.
Only a handful of the dear ones know. Please respect our decision.
You can have your thunder when it's your child.

Thank you.

Anis

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Late Night or Early Morning

It's almost 2am and we're still up.
Might be from the adrenaline of parents' arrival.
Plus, was majorly craving for a burger.
Now, Baby Ours is satisfied and has finally slept (I suppose).

Whilst accompanying Husband release the whole semester's weight off his shoulders via God of War, I suddenly find myself thinking about the baby stuff we've gotten.

Little did we know that there are some things we've overlooked.
1) Breastfeeding pillow
2) Bottle rack (for drying after being sterilised)

Thought we've gotten everything. Oh well, they'll have to wait for the end of the month, InsyaAllah.

Went to Cotton Picking yesterday afternoon to embroid Baby Ours' name on his blanket.
Turns out they only do embroidery on their own products.
Company policy.

So now I'm hunting for patchwork iron-on alphabets.
Then I can do it myself.

The problem is, I have no idea where to get those patches.
Help anyone?
Thanks.

Looking forward to sleeping.

Anis

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Booboos for Baby Ours

Husband had to pay a quick visit to the department and the library today, so I decided to tag along. Get out of the house. Go for a drive.

It's been awhile since I was back at the University. Nothing much has changed. I don't feel that sense of belonging I used to. But the library - that's a different story. I will always feel at home when it comes to a place where books dwell.

After happily parading Baby Ours (the Little One in the HUGE belly :D), Husband took us to the bookstore to look for some booboos for Baby Ours. Husband bought these:



We want to start reading to him. It'd be a nice way to spend family time. As it is, most nights Baby Ours sleeps to the recitation of the Quran. We feel that this is the one book that is very important to be read to Baby Ours. Some nights we read to him directly. Other nights when Bonda is too tired, we leave the electronic Quran on the belly while we sleep.

Baby Ours' WanChik got him a book/photo album. It's really delightful. There are slots for pictures and columns to tell the stories behind the pictures.


Looking forward to getting more booboos. Since we already have everything we need to prepare for Baby Ours' arrival, and buying too many clothes aren't practical since babies grow up really quickly, books seem to be the best investment.

Happy reading, Anakanda!

Anis/Bonda

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Gelak cliche

Kalau dah pregnant 8 bulan dan takda kerja lain nak buat, biasanya blog-hopping akan jadi teman hiburan.
Ada blog pasal new mothers.
Ada yang pasal kehidupan ala-ala "Jon & Kate plus 8".
Ada yang pasal persediaan perkahwinan.

Penulisan blog adalah peribadi semata-mata.
Bukan untuk mata-kepala orang lain.
Tapi bila terbaca perkara-perkara yang overgeneralize suatu situasi,
Situasi yang kau sendiri tengah alami (atau ala-ala),
Kadang-kadang tak daya tahan keluar gelak cliche.

Gelak cliche 1:
Aku ada Ijazah Sarjana Muda.
Tapi aku kahwin awal.
Belum tamat pengajaran aku dah berumahtangga.
Pastu tak kerja.
Ini cliche yang menjana gelak paling kuat dari aku - aku "Millenium Housewife".
Bermakna, belajar tinggi-tinggi tapi takda career.
Membazir, kata orang.
*rolls eyes*

Gelak cliche 2:
Kata mereka-mereka, perempuan selalu kena sacrifice demi keluarga.
Give up her dreams.
Katanya, macam aku - dah apply Masters, dah pun dapat acceptance letter, tapi kena tolak sebab sudah berbadan dua.
*the fudge?*
Suka hati je kata perempuan kena give up her dreams.
Pernah kau tanya "dreams" dia apa?
Pernah kau terfikir yang hidup dia, as it is, is her dream?

Gelak cliche 3:
Kami belum ada rezeki merasa hidup rumah sendiri.
InsyaAllah soon.
Priority kami dan finances difokuskan pada hal-hal lain dulu.
Aku gelakkan orang yang pandang serong pada couples yang dah berkahwin tapi tinggal bersama mak ayah lagi.
Aku gelakkan orang yang kata kesian pada Suami aku yang "terpaksa" tinggal bersama in-laws.
And definitely aku gelakkan orang yang ada visual Suami aku "terseksa" sebab duduk dalam satu rumah dengan mak mertua.
Mak mertua dia rock! Mak mertua kau? Ke belum ada mertuanya?!
*scoff*

Overgeneralizations.
Funny.
Aku hanya gelakkan saja.

Anis

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Braxton-Hicks and 4D

This past week, the lower back hurts.
I feel immense pressure on the sides of the tummy and lower abdomen.
One night, I actually woke up due to a strong tummy spasm.
Husband and I were very concerned.

Paid a visit to the doctor's today.
Doctor said it's Braxton-Hicks contractions.
Normal at 8 months onwards.
Will feel more in the coming weeks.
Stronger ones even.
Like the body is practising for full labour.
Nothing to worry about.
Baby's just turning and rolling around.

*sigh of relief*

For a minute there I thought Baby Ours was coming into the world early.
But I timed the spasms/contractions.
It's always just 4-5 times in two days or so.

We saw Baby Ours in 4D imaging today.
My goodness, technology these days!
We actually saw our son in 4D.
It was like looking at a fish through the aquarium glass.
You can't touch it, but it's there - in the flesh. So vivid.

Baby Ours montel.
From the screenings, he has Bonda's chin. :D
And Ayahanda's forehead.
Gorgeous.

MasyaAllah.
Alhamdulillah.

Baby Ours is a miracle.
Subhanallah.

Bonda

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Interview with SHAPE

Found this after sooooooooo long. An interview I did for SHAPE magazine on behalf of Studio W last year.

Excerpt:
There are women, on the other hand, who tend to stay away from the machines altogether. One of them is 23-year-old [Anis]. “I’m not a gym person,’ she admits. “I don’t like weight training with machines and I don’t like the co-ed environment,” says Anis, who joined Studio W last June. Studio W is a women-only exercise studio in Kota Damansara where members use free weights, elastic bands and their own body weight to build strength.... The camaraderie that arises in an intimate female only group exercise class can be a great source of motivation. Says Anis: “I love the cozy environment of classes, plus everyone’s a friend there, including the instructor.”

I always loved working out there.
I miss going to Studio W.
Since all their class are in the evenings nowadays, I don't think I can go back after Baby Ours arrives.
Oh well, it was a great experience while it lasted.
Would definitely recommend any woman looking to stay healthy via Jazzercise to try Studio W out.
The yoga there is great too. :D

Anis