a new everything

It's the last day of January. Already??

In a blink of an eye, Luqman turned 1 month a few days ago. Yeay, alhamdulillah!


Time does fly, huh? The last time I remember I was battling labor pain and Luqman popped out. Wait, that was last year? How I lost track of time.

I am just so thankful that I am given the chance to live life as it is today, fit and healthy alhamdulillah.

2011 was a whole lot of things - my pregnancy being the ultimate agenda.

I foresee 2012 a more challenging year with more responsibilities. Parenthood has its own ride and insyaAllah together hand in hand my husband and I will brave it.

As for work, I hope I will be able to deliver the best and try something new for a change once I start. I hope to speak up more and not to be too oblivious of what's around me.

Most importantly, I will try not to sweat the small stuffs. And of course to just have fun and enjoy life in between.

Alhamdulillah, the new year kickstarts pretty much on the right track. I can't wait to see what else 2012 has in store for me and my little family. Let's hope for a good one all year round.

p/s I am just a few days away to achieving my other ultimate new year resolution - few more pounds to shed : )

Sweet Sunday

Woke up today at 10 am - later than I normally would - because we slept at 4 am. It has been 2 days now that Luqman decides not to sleep at night right after his feeding and made both his ummi and ayah zombies.

Anyway, when I was about to wake Luqman for his bath, I heard this distant machine-like sound. Knowing that it came from somewhere in the kitchen, I made my way there to find both my brother and sister, seated on the floor at the dry kitchen segment with a mixer and other related baking utensils.

That machine-like sound was the mixer, btw.

They were making red velvet cupcakes!

I didn't bother asking the ingredients and let them carry on. I was only interested with the red batter.

Then came the best part, filling in the cups with the red velvet batter!

It didn't take that long to bake them. The next thing I know they were all ready.

The cupcakes were a little bit deflated. However, they tasted out of this world! Especially with the cheese frosting.

The end product :

Hoomaaaiiggaawwwddd!!!
Thank You Farouk and Farah!

Lepas tu lupa nak kejut Luqman!



If only you sleep like an angel at night, too *sigh*

my confinement

I get asked a lot about my confinement period, especially after I posted something related to that as my FB status. Well, let me tell you : my confinement isn't really a confinement per se.

Why? I have the coolest and most flexible mum in the world to begin with so I am not 'confined' to all those tedious ritual (if you could call it that) that our elders would insist on. I'm following what people would call the basics, nothing too complicated. Since I delivered normally I too, don't need the extra care like other caesarean mothers do.

Food-wise, I don't have problems with the clean-looking, soupy menu everyday though it gets me at times. Mum had tried cooking chicken based dishes and so far I don't develop any itchiness so yes, I have been having chicken some of the days. I snack in between, too, because God knows how hungry you can get after each breatfeeding session - chocolates, oat biscuits, doughnuts (hee, yes I eat them all, just to fill me up). Ada jugak sekali sekala teringin, mum let me have a bit of her Chicken McDeluxe, my MIL's curry mee (makan tauhu je pun), my brother's mee mamak and tosai - all in small amount. Alhamdulillah, no effects whatsoever.

And I drink lots and lots of water, contrary to the elders' belief "Jangan minum banyak air". My bidan said that to me, I angguk je. I mean, logically how can you not drink lots of water? You don't want to feel dehydrated and plus, you're breastfeeding - you need water! But I know where the rational comes from. If you drink too much water, it affects the number of times you'd visit the toilet. Hence, your wound will take a longer time to heal considering the times you wet the area. But, no. You need to drink. Drink some hot drinks too like Milo or Horlicks.

As for my confinement apparel, well, the typical Tshirt, kain batik and a pair of socks ensemble. A cardigan if I am feeling slightly chilly. My hair is tightly tied high in a bun. To complete the look, a thin layer of 'pilis' is applied on my forehead. I don't apply 'param' all over my body just because I don't want to. And mum's fine with it. Besides, I used to wear the traditional bengkung or corset the first week (I had a hard time tying and zig zagging it to make it tight since I still had a tiny bulge). Now, everyday is a breeze with the PB corset which is so easy to wear and it flattens your tummy almost immediately! I also wear the girdle which comes with the corset (a tight pants) to shape your hips and buttocks. Most importantly it helps to reduce stretch marks - and yes, it works!

I think what makes my confinement period (or others') difficult is having to deal with the wound's pain and how slow things can be for you. I remember spending forever in the toilet, having my bath (I bathe myself with air serai wangi, which is said to help reduce the smell of darah nifas - others sometimes bathe in air bunga), cleaning myself with such great care that I can't help but feel slightly handicapped and helpless. Everything is done is such a slow manner that it does take a toll on your emotion. You are already so very tired and sleepy, having to deal with other petty stuffs just makes you become so weepy and emotional that you can cry for no obvious reasons. I remember tearing up when I saw that my husband did not hang his praying mat properly. I cried again when the electricity suddenly went off one day. And I cried (again) on some random stuffs I can't even remember. On top of that, having to learn the art of breastfeeding (which is not even that easy, I assure you!), can be really stressful and emotional too.

So, I am now at my 30th day. I still have 14 days to go. I can't believe I have gone through a month of confinement. If you ask me, of course I am bored! The wonders of technology do wear off so I can't wait to step into the outside world! Konon lah kan, sebenarnya dah keluar pun! :)

Well, like I said mine isn't really a true confinement. I did go out a couple of times - once I tagged along with mum in the car together with Luqman and went for a rounding. And just a few days ago we went to Plaza Shah Alam to settle some things regarding Luqman's Aqiqah ceremony soon. So, yes, I took that chance as an excuse to leave the house and mum was okay with it too! Everything was okay despite having to move slowly and the time when Luqman started crying to be fed! So, we all chilled at Krispy Kreme (since it has a secluded corner where I could use to breastfeed) and yes, my first time breastfeeding Luqman in public was priceless (and quite troublesome since I didn't have the nursing cover with me yet). A short outing with a newborn proved to be tiring and definitely needs a lot of preparation.


So there, my confinement story. Nothing too out of the ordinary, though. To all moms-to-be, be prepared. Yes, your confinement can be a difficult phase, so toughen up and just remember we (women) are made fit to endure all of these. Yes, we can!

bersih

Have you ever heard of the saying "If you want to know how tidy or clean a person is, go have a look at his toilet"?

Well, I can't remember who told me this exactly but it has been stuck in my head ever since. It has made me become so conscious and aware of how I manage my toilet because I have this thought that everybody knows the saying back then. And I definitely have a face to safe.

Has it never occurred to you why everytime someone visits your house the first place they pay a visit is your toilet? Because your toilet can tell so many about you as an individual. I get so nervous everytime we have guests coming - especially the elders (nak nak lagi yang macam kepoh2 kan) - and then asking to go to the toilet because I know they don't just answer the call of nature.

Call me paranoid but come on, we all have our own reservations everytime we enter someone's toilet, right?

So what are you waiting for? Go clean yours!

saturday gift

Remember in my previous entry I wrote on my maternity shoot?

Well, the end product has finally arrived today!


I didn't expect Fikri to pos laju it since I thought he would pass it to my brother. And thanks for the card too!

A sneak peek of what's in the album :





Absolutely love everything! I'm one satisfied customer and a happy mummy :)

Will definitely hire him again for future events - Luqman's aqiqah is much looked forward to!

Check him out.

keeping myself occupied

I think I could get used to this.

Waking up everyday to my baby boy, feed him (after mum bathes him), watch his eyes fail him, shake legs, go online, get ready for his next feed, shake legs some more, sleep, watch tv if I want to, change his nappies and well ..., shake legs some more.

I have never felt so relaxed (now that I have found my footing in e-verything and stabilised my maternal instinct). Even if I have to work from home. Yes, I do! Been getting calls but I don't mind. We've worked things out, alhamdulillah. Anyway, I am not going to talk about work (sheesshh!)

What's been keeping me occupied so far? (besides being a mother, of course)

Guess what? I've fallen trap into online shopping. Yes, you heard me! Surprise surprise. My husband has been turning a deaf ear (or he pretends to be) when told of my purchases or to-be-purchases :) It's difficult when everything is just a click away, is it? How ironic! Itchy hands!

Besides, I also indulge in more leisure reading. Since now I am a mother, I read a lot on parenting and just about everything I need to know on handling a newborn. Can't say that I don't end up with a headache everytime. There's just so much to know and to do! Well, baby steps people, baby steps. One step at a time and insyaAllah we can do it!

And last but not least, 3 months of maternity leave is the time to realise my main goal - going way back when I was first confirmed pregnant. This has also become my ultimate new year resolution - lose the fat and get back in shape! :)

I still have another 10kgs to shed (tsk!) but I am happy with my current weight loss too, considering how much I gained last time.

Wish me luck!

rockabye baby


I can never begin to express how much I love my little boy. I can spend the whole day just gazing at him, playing with his little fingers while he is asleep and just kiss him endlessly and suck in his sweet newborn smell.

This is such a love at first sight (despite the scare you give ummi and ayah when you scream your lungs out!).

And I swear I would give what those tiny little ants deserve for causing you the 4 red swells on your precious little face.

Well, if only I knew which ants.

a new life

After 40 weeks of carrying and 7 hours of labour, our baby boy was safely delivered on the 28th of December 2011 at 4.05 pm. Alhamdulillah!

Allahuakbar! God's precious gift - fresh from the oven

I remember being very exhausted right after the birth but I've also never felt so happy. We have never felt so happy and relieved. The fact that I was recovering from a huge physical upheaval didn't stop me from being exhilarated. The pain (oh my, the pain!!!) was shortlift once Luqman was brought out into the world. Until this very moment, I still can't believe I had endured what is said to be the 2nd most painful ordeal - birth - and it will always remain a unique and special experience for both my husband and I.

That is why syurga itu di bawah tapak kaki ibu. Masha Allah!

Our little boy, Luqman Raimi

It still feels strange holding our newborn. Wow. I am now a mother. Ummi to Luqman. The realisation that we are now responsible for this precious new life is daunting but every mum and dad in the world was a new parent once. So welcome to the confusing but wonderful world of parenthood to us!

I am not going to lie that I was slightly terrified (still am) of looking and handling a baby although newborns don't need much. I have discovered that all he needs are regular feed, cuddles and nappy changes. Well, even that proves to be a lot of work for newbies like us. Plus I am still weak physically, so I was weepy for the first week - a combination of exhaustion and raging hormones. Difficulty in breastfeeding didn't help either (I'll write about that later) but alhamdulillah, the support from my husband and family (my mother especially) really help. Not to mention close friends who keep on checking on me and has helped me cope with motherhood.

Today, Luqman is 17 days old. He is growing healthily. I am recovering physically and I am stronger emotionally, too. I am going to say it again, parenthood is tough. Everyday is spent in an exhausted but happy haze with a newborn in the house. With him in the house, he gives the new meaning to the word 'disarray' and my husband and I are both all over the place! We are now dividing those tedious-but-necessary tasks between us (while mom helps in the sideline a lot!). Though challenging, it is the most rewarding thing.

As for us, now is the time to reach deep into our reserves of patience and understanding because it really is a testing phase. Husbands - you have to tolerate with your wives. And as for wives, be considerate - do not chunk everything to your other half. Above all, keep communicating and make du'a constantly for He is the one who help you go through everything :)

Believe it or not, a new life's begun :)


The Writer

The Writer
I am a wife, a mother, and a teacher by profession. At times a pessimist and one who is easily amused. I find comfort once entering the threshold of my bedroom. I write because I want to and it makes me feel good :)