warning: this is a baby-related post.

... Well, most of the content is. :)

My confinement ended almost 2 weeks ago... and I haven't been able to stop eating sweet treats since then haha. Yeah I know I'm suppose to be losing weight and not add on to it, and really, I have no excuse for myself. Shame on you, Mira! I'm just waiting for the phase to go off... Assuming that it'll go away eventually :P

My Sayang and I went out last Monday to satiate my craving for Chili's, and in a way to 'celebrate' my new-found freedom. Wish I didn't binge on those artichoke dip, coz when my ribs arrived I could only eat like 5 small bites before giving up. Haih rugi. Oh well. Will be going out tomorrow to buy Hamzah's stroller (Quinny Buzz yeay!), and then a quick stop to Midvalley. Maybe Japanese for lunch? hmmm.

Hamzah has doubled his birth weight yeay! He was born 1.82kg, and last week he hit the 3.5kg mark. We expect his weight to be about 4kg by now. He's having a bit of a reflux problem, but not too much. One of the cons of formula-feeding I guess.

Oh and he's going to be 2 months' old on Monday whee! As for his milestones... he's begun cooing already, but not to anyone directly. He can hold his gaze on a person/object for longer now, and he tends to reach out to grab stuff sometimes... usually when he's angry haha.

And yes, I realize that at his age he should be able to do a bit more, like giving out a social smile and laughter, but Hamzah's adjusted age is only 2 weeks... so I pretty much treat him like a newborn when it comes to his developments.

Ooooh. He can also fit into some of his day clothes already! yeay! haha.

By right, I should be going back to work on 30th March... but ntah la. It seems that being a stay-at-home-mom is an option as well, if certain things go to plan. hmm.

By the way, expect a lot of baby posts from now on. Hamzah seems to be the only topic I talk about with passion nowadays.

Makan time!

oh baby.

Emran Hamzah is 16 days old today. :)

The day of his arrival was a rollercoaster of emotions for me, and I bet for my Sayang too. He's premature by 6 weeks, and that alone sent me on a low so low it was unbelievable that I got back up. And then there were the other complications: my water leaked about a week before that, which could lead to an infection, the medication (Ventolin, I think that's the name) they put me on to prolong contraction was giving me palpitations and a fever, and to top it all off our baby's heartbeat was fast as well.

This is why the good doctor advised us to go for emergency Cesarean rather than normal delivery.

And the contractions. Oh my the contractions. Yes, I do realize that my threshold of pain is low compared to most people, and to some what I experienced may have been mild, but it was my body, and it was me who was taking all the pain, and those contractions were NASTY. They were only 2 minutes apart, and after about 15 hours dilation was only at 2cm. The epidural was necessary!

I remember thinking as we were driving to the hospital at 2am, "So this is how I'm going to celebrate my birthday, huh?" Lying on the hospital bed, being monitored by nurses with machines and devices to keep a close watch on me and the little one inside me. Somehow it didn't occur to me, while we were driving by Subang Parade, then I would be sharing my birth date with my son. Not only that, I was born 29th January 1981 at 4:10pm; Hamzah arrived at 4:43pm. The time was only apart by 33 minutes. How cool is that?

:)

In a way, I was glad that the doctor opted for emergency C-sec, rather than knocking me out completely. They made sure I couldn't see anything during the op, but from the moment the doctor said "Congratulations, its a boy!" to that time when I heard his cry for the first time, and to when the nurses and paediatrician check on him behind me and finally when he was presented before my eyes... I was fed on a natural high that kept on rising up. I was so happy he's arrived, I forgot that he was still a preemie.

And I thought to myself (or did I say it out loud in the operating theatre? hmm.) that this is the best way to celebrate a birthday ever.

And now at home, 16 days later, and he has been the reason for so many smiles and happy faces around the house. His Nenek and Tok Ayah can't seem to get enough of him, and his Mak Chu happily takes the duty of "Hamzah's Official Photographer" away from us. Even the boys' heart are melting... so does ours. For a premature baby, he is healthy, and Alhamdullilah fully formed physically. Not much else we could ask for, really.

Of course, caring for a child is not without its challenges. And this boy challenges us every night from 10pm to about 6am. I've cried and sighed and dozed off while trying to coax him to sleep, but in the morning I wake up, and I don't need any reminder that this is all worth it.

And my support system has been great. My Babe stays up with me when Hamzah cries and whines, and Mommy is always just a phone call away. I can just call my sisters when something is troubling me (and believe me, there is always something that troubles me everyday), and friends have offered helpful tips and advices.

I doubt myself sometimes, if I am really prepared and capable for this. I admit to wishing that things would be easier, that I can somehow know what would happen next. I fear about his development, about whether he is drinking enough milk, what would happen when I start work in April/May. But then I catch a glimpse of his smile, his frown, his pout, the movement of his chest as he breathe, and all my fears would somehow just disappear, albeit for just a brief moment.

I honestly never knew that love could ever feel like this.

the obligatory new year blog post

Seriously, I am still grasping with the idea that its already a whole new different year.

I felt like 2009 just sorta passed by me. Like there's so much more that I could've done to make it a better year, but time ran out.

I did not achieve any of my resolutions that i made last year; I did not lose weight, I did not find any sports that I enjoyed doing, and I'm kinda lacking in the 'do more stuff' part as well. I find it funny, and only a tad bit disappointed. Resolutions senang camtu pun susah nak keep, kan? :P

So what happened last year?

I worked only until the first seven months at RedMoney, where I stayed for a total of a year and four months. The weekly deadline took its toll on me, and I find myself unable to offer them any more than what I already was. I plateaued at work. And it seemed so obviously unfair to the bosses who had high expectations of me. :/ Plus, I was a lousy business writer. And that fact is emphasized by the fact that I have not much interest to write about the banking and finance sector anyways.

So what did I do? I left the company, and joined my hubby handling his Subway shops. I have more time now. And admittedly, sometimes more than what I needed. I miss the hustle and bustle of having a 9 to 6 (sometimes 9 to whatever-time-we-finish-with-the-newsletter) job, but I love love love spending time with my Boo. And I definitely appreciate the free time I have... my pregnancy is not exactly a breeze, and there are a lot of days when I just couldn't get up on time to go to work.

Its one of the perks of working with your husband as your boss :)

Ah. And the pregnancy. We confirmed my pregnancy on Tuesday, 7th July. Our baby was detected at a very early stage of pregnancy... 4th week to be exact. It has been such a rollercoaster ride so far; emotionally and physically. But I remind myself to always be thankful for Allah's huge gift for me, even when I was puking my guts out in the bathroom :P

Less than 2 months and a half to go. 9 weeks to be exact. I remember having a conversation with one of my bestie Ikin, when she was telling me online that she had 9 weeks to go, and I thought, "9 weeks? It's still a long way for me to go." Dang it, it felt like yesterday!

And how could I forget, the US trip! It was one of the best 2 weeks of my life! I still wish for more time to be able to go to more places and do more things, but I'm being hopeful for another trip to the States, insya Allah. New York City and Washington DC was obviously the highlight of the trip. Atlantic City was kinda dead at that time of the year, so there was nothing to really shout about. Lyana is singing a different tune I'm sure; she's over in NJ/NY for new year's eve! *reeks with jealousy*

What else, what else. hmm. Tu je kot?

As for things that I look forward to this year - there are a few. Parenthood is obviously top of the list. People tell me that I will make a great mother, that my Sayang will be an awesome dad. To be honest, I don't know that yet. I don't think taking care of nephews and nieces would be sufficient practice (if at all) for parenthood... It's going to be a whole different ball game. I do believe, however, that we're going to do our very best. We have so much to learn, but with the many people we trust and love around to give us pointers, insya Allah it won't be a daunting task.

And if possible, I want to travel a little bit more. Yes, with a little one on tow. And when our boy is bigger, I hope to be able to decide as to whether I should go back to school, take up a short course on writing (I wonder if there's any available in Malaysia?), or get back into the working world. Makeup artistry class has to wait... I don't think I'll be able to come up with the money for it yet.

I hope to see my Babe win more medals in paintball tournaments. And... I want to lose a significant amount of kilos by the end of the year hehe. And ooh, to get my pavlova before my bun pops out of the oven! haha :D

Okay this post is long enough.

Happy 2010, people. Regardless of whether you make resolutions or not, I hope you'll achieve everything you hope for this year. But do remember that your family and loved ones are your pillar of strengths, so don't go breaking their hearts.

Old is gold.

Watched the animated movie Up with my hubby tonight when we were at my dad's. I've heard that it was sad, but I didn't expect to cry buckets within the first 5 minutes of the movie.

For a few seconds I thought that it was my hormones overreacting, but even my babe said over and over again: 'This movie is sad!'

For the remainder of the movie and afterwards, I keep on thinking about the relationship between Carl and Ellie. Circumstances are different, but I pray and I hope that my Sayang and I will grow old together as loving and caring in our golden years, as we are right now. Even more so, Insya Allah.

Just like Carl and Ellie.

Amin.

almost like a miracle.

Today, Friday 27th November 2009, on Aidiladha, I finally felt my baby's first kicks.

Not the fluttering kind that friends and baby books said I would feel initially (at my stage, its a bit too late for flutters), but these are real, solid bumps on my tummy. Three times, at least.

I was wondering when I would feel it. I wondered the most, I think, yesterday. It has already been 25 weeks, and by this time usually moms-to-be would already feel some kind of routine activities from the baby. Me? Not much. Close to nothing, in fact. Frankly speaking I was not too worried about the inactivities; I was anxious for it to begin.

But today was... wonderful. The first that I realized was in the morning when I just woke up, then at my Sayang's grandparents' place while I was lying down, and the last was when we were in the car on the way back from my dad's.

Hoping - and praying - for many more. :)

Alhamdullilah. It makes me even more thankful and in awe of Allah and His gift. :)