Burgundy is the new Black for this season.

Forgive me for being away from the outside world for such a long time. The only updates i've been posting is about my new role as a mother. Now that I need a new wardrobe, I've been making some research on what to get next. After all, with one hand holding my princess, i've only another hand to browse the internet via phone. Guess what I found out? Burgundy is the new black for this season. Let it be wine burgundy or berry burgundy, just pair it w navy or black the voila! Hello fashionista! LoL! Here are some pictures i got from the net for inspirations:

Latest Vanity Purchase

Stuck at home for 40 days is pretty much driving me nuts! My only hope of the outside world is my phone where I can browse the internet, check the recent updates on instagram and catch up with the latest trends on pinterest. As far as shopping goes, I can't shop online just yet cause my figure has very much gone haywire that my sizes for everything (clothes to shoes) are all different. There are much beauty products I can trust to buy online. Well, if you can't do the shopping, get someone to do it for you. Thanks to my sister, i now own Tweezerman's mini brow rescue kit. What I love about tweezerman is the service to sharpen the tweezer once it has gone blunt. This set can be purchased at Sephora. I'm slowly prepping myself for a better well-groomed me. Wish me luck! 

Adjusting still

You would think that it would be easier for me considering that I've taken care of my niece and nephew but really it really is not the same when it comes to my own child. I've been surviving a few days with a cranky baby. No, we are not talking about sleepless nights, sleepless days is also included. People keep on telling me that if I would like to train my baby, I should start training since day one itself. However, according to research, this is the most important time for the baby because she is just adjusting to living outside of the womb (where everything she needs is obtainable). According to Baby Center, this is the most important time for the baby to feel secure so we should attend to their every cry and that it is impossible to spoil the baby who is less than 6 months old. This however is not what my parents and in laws believe in. It is hard to decide which to follow considering that the older generation speaks from experience whilst the doctors speaks from research (tests included). What I did instead was try to negotiate with my baby. Two days back i told her that if she is in pain, what she needs to do is just drink all she can so that she is so full and fall asleep. That way she can sleep through the pain. That was what she did and this morning, I noticed that her BCG had burst without me having to deal with her screaming throughout the night. I just had to endure waking up for feedings. However, all she wanted was milk and i've been sitting on my nursing chair for almost throughout the entire day. Since the pain has subside (judging from the looks of it), she has been crying non stop, asking for more milk when really she is already full. Looking at this scenario, my mom made her attempt to stop it by taking Zara for a short bath. She kept on crying and screaming while i was trying to put her clothes on (pampers, lotion etc) to one point lost her voice. I tried to calm her down but failed miserably (just when i thought i was bonding with my baby). I keep on hearing stories of how wonderful being a mother is and how things come naturally. Well, I'm starting to think that the connection is not there. I sometimes wonder how people manage their lives and have a well-adapted baby. It really is not as easy as it seems. Baby steps i guess. Failure is just a step away from success. 

Post Pregnancy: Oh-The-Dilemma!

Post pregnancy... 2 things people talk about post pregnancy.. and they are about:

1. Babies (aww.... my baby is the most beautiful thing in the world.. it's such a miracle.. a product of love etc..)

2. Getting back in shape.

What I am going to talk about in this post is the 2nd one... GETTING BACK IN SHAPE...

Getting back in shape is like super serious business post pregnancy especially during confinement period. Sure, people keep on talking about how great celebrities look post pregnancy... Fit with fuller assets... 

For example: 

Also, in some cases, you'll be surrounded with all these people who are pretty before pregnancy and gets even more beautiful post pregnancy.

Behold: 

Faralia (Kak Fara) of Qippy Photography

Emma Delima Ali (Delima)

We're thinking like, "Hey! dealing with post-pregnancy isn't that bad"... Think again! 

The stretch marks, the flabby stomach, the excess skin, the additional weight and not to mention the breakouts you get for not getting enough sleep! 

Even if you workout well, in reality, the best post-pregnancy figure one can get is like these two pictures:

And even to get those is a whole lot of hard work! To make things interesting, I've a hundred days confinement from exercising and the heaviest weight I can carry is the weight of my baby! 

Pre-pregnancy, my waist was 25 inches and now, it is 31 inches! That's like 6 inches to lose! 

No one said anything about how tough it is to lose that additional weight, fat and skin... 

Without the ability to exercise and with the requirement to eat at least 1500 calories a day (breastfeed purpose), I can only rely on a few commercialize Body Firming Products from Clarins, Bio Oil and girdle for the next 77days.

What's sad is that most of the time, I'm wearing a cloth since I'm too small for my pregnancy pants and too big for my pre-pregnancy pants. 

The only thing I look forward to is the new wardrobe my husband/banker's treating me.. LOL! Well, that's the only thing that is keeping me going.. 

Sigh! I really don't know how I'll manage this but like it or not, I'll have to suck it up and take this challenge with all the restrictions.. Patience is the key... I may not be able to score that post-pregnancy figure like celebrities do but lets face the fact, I'm no celebrity nor do I have the luxury of time and cash. 

p/s: I do not own copyrights of the pictures. Got it from google and facebook.

100 days

List of things I can't do for 100 days from the day Lil Chica is born....

1. No love making 

2. No heavy lifting 

3. No exercise

4. No fruits other than Apple and Oranges

5. No Ice (ice cream included) - tough one here

How am I going to survive? 

19 down.. 81 days to go... 

Confinement Day 18: 18 days away from Civilization...

Conversation with Hubster...
Hubster just got home from work...
Me: So, What's new? Tell me the Juice!!! (with owh so hopeful eyes that there's something to share with me)
Hubster: I'm sorry... There's nothing new to share...
Me: Hmph!

Not even half way through and I'm going crazy.. I don't mind having to eat the confinement food and drink the oh-so-sedap-NOT! air akar kayu.. but not being able to go out, sobs!!!

ONE UTAMA!!! I MISS YOU!!!!!!!

8 days down.. 32 more to go...

Believe it or not, Lil Chica is now 8 days old. We've been adjusting to our new roles as parents that time flies. My time management depends on my new boss's appetite. Another major thing about my new role is enduring my confinement period. 40 days to be exact since i delivered a girl. If i delivered a boy, it will be 44 days of confinement. On top of that, it will be 100 days of not 'sleeping' with your spouse and no ice (after the 40/44 days you can drink cold water but will still have to refrain from ice.. No idea why).

Some of the rules during confinement period:

a) Massage and hot stone treatment everyday during the confinement period (this part is my favorite. Though it can be painful but definitely worth it)

b) Not to wash (wet) hair everyday. The lesser the better. Thank god for the creation of dry shampoo. Fudge's dry shampoo is helping me with this a lot. 

c) Endure confinement diet (pretty much tasteless and heaty food that pretty much is the same) Sigh! Can't wait for it to be over

d) Wear the traditional corset called "bengkung".. This is my least favorite. The traditional corset's material causes my skin to itch. Yet, my mom is very persistent in getting me back in shape so she's making me wear them no matter what. Sigh! I'll prolly invest on a good pair of corset after this (prolly wacoal, cosway and spanx.. Those crony and premium beautiful is far from my budget) and of course workout like my life depends on it.

e) keep my legs together and take high fiber meals to ensure that the stiches heal well.. The high fiber portion is to help with my bowel movement to soften the stool. Yes, it can be too much information but that is one of the important part.

f) sauna-rized my attire.. Wear socks, jacket and all that even when it's hot.. This is also not my favorite part as it delays the healing process of my rash..

g) lifting or any kind of work is forbidden. I am only allowed to take care of my baby.. And during this confinement period, i get the help of the confinement lady to ease the burden.. This is not so bad. Since it is my first born, I'm still not all that confident with all the tasks. 

Well, the list goes on.. Apparently, during this confinement period is when there will be a whole lot of challenges to test us so that we will be able to adapt to our new roles better. We are blessed that Lil Chica behaves well. Quiet and able to sleep in by herself. She will only cry when she's hungry, when someone disturbs her sleep and change of environment. However, there's a slight change in behavior today. Normally, she will wake up at 6 in the morning and sleep after feeding. This time around, she woke ip at 5am and wouldn't sleep. She's even asking for people to comfort her. Not sure whether it is because her belly button is going to come off but whatever it is, all this things will definitely be worth it. Sigh! I can't wait for confinement to be over. 8 days down and 32 more to go...

By the way, say hello to my new boss