Bloated and Unproductive

Lately, I'm beginning to be a lazy old prune. OK fine. I'm definitely not a prune. Balloon is more like it considering that I'm swelling up of water retention. I feel so unproductive lately and I haven't bought any of my baby's necessities just yet. We've just 3 months to shop. Sure that would seem like a great deal of time. But it really is not considering that we can't exactly buy everything at once. Baby stuff are quite costly you know. But really, being pregnant also means that I can't exactly glide as much as I used to. There is no such thing as moving gracefully when we are pregnant. I spend 5 days a week waking up, going to work, coming home, a little house chores (ok, fine... minimal house chores), clean myself up and I'm off to bed. So, when weekend finally comes, we've so many things to do but very little things were done because half way through, i'll either be too tired to do anything or too hot (the weather nowadays is a killer! Talk about Sahara with the highest level of humidity!).

Then, I took a glance to the nearest person to me... my husband. He has so many things in his schedule. Recovering from his surgery, he can now dance (stunts would prolly need 2 months or so for him to try). That only means that he is back to his original schedule which includes gym (4 times a week), dance training, dance practice (for an upcoming tournament on the 9th of June), physio once a week, field training, football match and work. Ok, I'm already hyperventilating just saying all those things. Hypnobirthing and Antenatal class will be added to the list pretty soon. Sigh! Honestly, I envy him for being able to be so productive.

Sigh! Honestly, I do feel like a manatee lately. I miss dressing up and being able to look good (not to mention feel good about myself). Maternity clothes are pretty expensive. Unless if you are like Vivy Yusof a.k.a.  Proudduck, you would prolly have that closet to compliment your look. Her look is what I would call "glowing". I, on the other hand, had to save quite a lot considering the amount of money needed for my husband's physio sessions and my expensive medication due to the case of "bleeding". If you are like me, you'll prolly end up with only 2 pants and have to rotate them one after another. I'm pretty unfortunate that I can't really fit into my sister's hand me downs. Honestly, I'm lucky that my mom was a lot of help by helping us buy quite a number of maternity clothes and also some oil to help me with the stretch marks. Nowadays, I hate what I see in the mirror. The only thing that keeps me sane is my Little Chica who is very much like a karate kid. I remembered this one night when Hubster joked about my weight gain and how round my face is now (to add it up, he had to tickle my double chin), I got very upset and cried in the shower. Chica then wouldn't stop moving just to remind me that I'm not alone. That was the first time I felt Chica move and boy was she active.

Chicarito is prolly the only thing that keeps me sane now. Yes, I would prolly end up with stretch marks and might never look as good as I did once before, at least this Little Angel will be around for me. FYI, Chicarito is quite a Karate kid. Even her father is shocked with how strong she can kick. As her Uncle Hashir say it, "Dia mesti pandai terajang orang" or in english, she can really kick ass! That's my baby. Just like her mom who loves body combat. Maybe that is reason why I keep having this urge to listen to Rocky and the Karate Kid's soundtrack. ;p Can't wait to see you Lil Chica!

SriHunny's Bachelorette Cook Out

Our Gorgeous SriHunny is getting married real soon (Like NEXT MONTH YO!). We've been digging our brains to come out with an idea of a bachelorette celebration for her. Considering that we are really not the kind who goes out partying, we had to be a lil bit more creative. For sure we can't really just go out for a normal fancy dinner, especially considering that our pockets were all pretty tight (me with a baby on the way and Farah Lamparina just started her business). So, we decided to give her a lil tutorial of becoming a successful Stepford wife. Considering that she is now pretty stylish (especially with the utmost fashionable sister as her tutor) and how she is a very neat and clean person, we decided to give her a little cooking tutorial from A-Z. Tira wanted to make sure that SriHunny knows how to show in the market that the bachelorette included a trip to the market.

SriHunny with her purchase

Tira: OK, Sri, kalau you nak beli kambing untuk bryanie, cane you nak beli?
Tira: Sri, how to differentiate Daun Ketumbar dengan Daun Soup?

SriHunny took her time and paid attention to everything Tira taught her.

After that, we started our little cook out in Katie Kitchen's work station. Thank you, Katie Kitchen for letting us use the workstation.

Highlight of the day! The Bachelorette Princess Chopping Onions!

Of course our little bachelorette ended with us enjoying the meal that the bride to be cooked with the supervision of Tira.

 

Sri Hunny's Bachelorette Basket equiped with an apron, oven mitts, a crown and a notebook with recipes from all of us!

SriHunny, I know it is not that much but this is the best we can give at that period of time. If I had the money, I would have prolly hired a professional chef or sign each of us up for cooking lessons at Taylor's University college. Nonetheless, we hope you enjoyed your day and learned a lot. We look forward to your special day and am quite certain that you'll make a beautiful bride. Dol, you are a very lucky man. She can now cook Kambing Bryanie and Ayam Masak Merah. From what I was told, that's your favorite! LOL! Congratulations in advance, my dear! Hurry make babies ok! Lil Chica wants a friend to walk with at the Park!

Langkawi April 2013

One of our wedding gift was a honeymoon package from Kak Siti and Abang Akay (3D2N stay in Langkawi Lagoon). We had to postpone our trip for quite some time (after the wedding there was ramadhan, then syawal, followed by cousin's weddings, year end trip and 1st trimester of pregnancy). Finally, we got the chance to book our flight and make our way there. Since we had to go all the way to Langkawi, we decided to go there earlier and stayed at my friend, Yenny's place. Her family has a few resorts there but she recommended that we stay at Best Star and try their new cabin room. According to her, the view is awesome. We didn't think that much and just agreed to her suggestion.

At our Cabin. Yes, I am now a Manatee. At this point, I was already half way through pregnancy.

Pictures of the cabin. The bed was really awesome. It may not be a 5 Star resort but the bed is way better than the one at Langkawi Lagoon.

One our first night there, Yenny brought us to T-jays where we tried the most oh-sum pizza ever, The T-Jays! It's so unfortunate that we didn't get to snap any pictures because my phone ran out of battery. (Note to self: the next time you go travelling and will be depending on your phone as a camera, please don't waste your battery playing candy crush). T-jays is located just opposite Langkawi's Underwater World. If you are in Langkawi, this is a MUST TRY!

We spent the next morning having a relaxing breakfast and a stroll along the Cenang Beach just outside our Cabin.

Sunset Boulevard.. Located at Pantai Cenang.

Hubster, the prizoner of Azkaban with his Manatee

At Pantai Cenang, just outside of our cabin.

Best Resort is located the same as 2 other of Baron Group's resort, Baron Langgura and Mali Best. What's nice about the place it that there are a lot of shops located around within walking distance. I would highly recommend you to go here if you are looking for a comfortable and convenient stay (not to mention economical too). 

Even when we are in Langkawi, when it comes to our craving for KFC, who cares right?

Then, after checking out, we made our way to Langkawi Lagoon. One thing I didn't like about the staff there is that knowing that I'm pregnant, they didn't have the courtesy of telling me that their welcome drink is a Pineapple juice. Who would have known since the color was Melon green right? Lucky Hubster, got himself 2 glasses of yummy pineapple juice.

Welcome Drink

We got to stay at the Deluxe Suite. The place was decorated with lots of rose petals to bring up the romantic ambiance.

Our Deluxe Suite I

Our Deluxe Suite II

Since it was our honeymoon, we decided to try the Sunset dinner cruise. We got Yenny to make the arrangements. If you have that little extra dough, I would highly recommend this. The serenity and view was exquisite. Both Hubster and I really enjoyed the cruise.

Another highlight of our trip was our Romantic Dinner by the hotel. We were swimming that evening and thought it was for their buffet setting. To our surprise, it was our table set up for the dinner. Our table was the only table by the pool. A full 3 course meal was served. It was a little weird at first but we got the hang of it. No, it was nothing like how the Malaysian astronaut did with his wife whereby they discussed why they chose each other. It was more of us mocking that situation. Haha!!!!

Honeymoon or Babymoon, whatever you want to call it, we really enjoyed our stay there. It was great to finally get the chance to have a mini break from all the chaos in the city. Thank you so much Kak Siti Yohanis and Abang Akay for our wedding gift. May Allah SWT bless the both of you and your family always.

Something to Share

A useful article for my reference considering that I gained a little to much for now.  During my last check up, I found out that I gained 4 kgs already and the doctor was like, "Makan apa ni? Makan batu ke? You should only start gaining weight at your 24th week. During pregnancy about 10 kgs and after lose the 10 kgs. I've seen so many petite girls who ends up getting fat for not watching their weight during pregnancy. You shouldn't gain so much". Yes, those were the words from Dr Delilah Ahmad. Gasp! I can't help it you know. I'm so used to not eating that much rice and exercise regularly to remain fit and healthy. Nowadays, I'm hungry like all the time and I eat rice on daily basis. Also, I can't exercise much because of my bleeding episode. Even got this, "You had bleeding and want to go for pilates?!!!!" remark when I asked for permission to go for prenatal pilates. So, I'm pretty much restricted to walking and swimming. Hello hello! I've just officially turned from a dolphin to a manatee. If you are pregnant and facing the same problem as I am, enjoy reading the article below:

How to Lose Weight Safely During Pregnancy

While some pregnant women don't show so much as a bump until midway through their pregnancies, many others seem to gain weight continually for nine months straight. While it's generally accepted that you'll gain significant weight while pregnant, avoiding excessive gains can guard against complications while giving birth, according to a study by Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich in Germany.
At the same time, losing too much weight can lead to low birth weight, so consult your doctor about how much weight you can lose if you've been packing on the pounds during pregnancy.

Step 1

Swim regularly. Swimming is a top exercise choice for pregnant women because it's low-impact and doesn't require you to bear any sort of extra weight. You may, however, want to swim in heated pools only. A 2005 study published in the "International Journal of Sport Nutrition" found that subjects who swam in cold pools had significantly higher post-workout appetites than those who waded in warm water.

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Step 2

Take a walk. It can be done virtually anywhere at any time and like swimming, walking is a quality workout option for pregnant women because it's not jarring and doesn't cause body temperature to spike to unhealthy levels. According to a 2005 study performed at Sweden's Malmö University Hospital, low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking also don't cause pregnant women's heart rates to elevate past the 70 percent of maximum-rate threshold for danger.

Step 3

Sleep it off. No, you won't shed dozens of pounds by sleeping all day, but the lack of sufficient sleep may cause you to gain weight. A University of Chicago study found that people who don't get enough sleep not only produce fewer hormones that make you feel fuller, but they also produce more hormones that result in the feeling of being hungry.
This carries dual benefits, as you should already be getting extra rest while pregnant.

Step 4

Eat healthy and avoid processed foods. While you may not always be able to resist the cravings that typically come with being pregnant, don't use your pregnancy as a license to gorge. Continue to eat sufficient levels of calories, protein, fat and other elements of a healthy diet, but avoid feasting on foods high in saturated fats, such as ice cream and fast food. Because you're likely to be more sedentary when you are pregnant than you were previously, limiting such foods will keep some poundage off.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/314602-how-to-lose-weight-safely-during-pregnancy/#ixzz2SgeD9Y00

Eryll Ezara binti Ezuan

24th April was a very sad day for all of us. Everyone was looking forward to the birth of little Eryll Ezara. She would have been my in laws first grandchild and my brother in law's first born. Hubster and I already had plans on getting her a zoobie and how she would be friends with our Chicarito. It's so unfortunate that we didn't get to meet. Little Eryll Ezara passed on in her mother a few days before (according to the doctor at least 48 hours before her delivery).

It all start about the Saturday before. Kak Ida, the mother posted a picture on Instagram with quote "No somersault since yesterday?". Since she was adviced that everything is ok as the pregnancy has come to term (just 2 weeks before the due date), she thought it was ok. To the contrary, when the baby has come to full term, the baby should move at least 10 times within 12 hours. But how was she supposed to know as the friend who gave the advice had a child and it was her first pregnancy. She felt the pain but knew that it wasn't labor pain and held on. It wasn't until Wednesday when Kak Ida couldn't take it and went home on MC. That afternoon, she bled non stop and called for her husband's aid. At that point of time, the baby just wanted to come out. They had to choice but to deliver the baby at home.

Around 4pm, Hubster received a call from his brother with shaken voice telling him to come home quick; Kak Ida has delivered but the baby is not moving. Sigh! That is every parent's fear, to receive a baby who is fully termed but not moving. By the time they reached the hospital, there was nothing that could be done. The doctor told us that the baby have passed on for at least 48 hours. He added that the baby had a heart failure and if she were to have made it, she will have to suffer going for surgeries. 

It wasn't easy for any of us as everyone was excited for her arrival. In fact, they just fixed her crib the day before. I was not allowed to go near the baby but I could see from afar that she was a very cute baby. She had the physical traits of both her parents, looks like her dad but with her mother's nose, her mother's fair skin and she was tall just like her parents. 

Baby Eryll Ezara, we miss you already. No words can describe how sad we are of your passing but we strongly believes that Allah S.W.T. loves you more and would like to protect from the cruelty of the world. 

Lots of Love, Hugs and Kisses,
Aunty Addah, Uncle AG and Little Chica