The Togetherness

I gotta break the news to you, before Da-da does. *inhale* Okay, here goes.








.....Da-da and I are not beach people. Ha! Does that upset you? Sorry, little fella. We love the greens and mountains and mist more than the blue-y beach. We held a small reception at a huge hall with timber flooring and pine trees surrounding it. It was gorgeous.

The only time we headed to the beach was on our honeymoon. The amount of time spent on the beach itself was only...an hour? As for the rest, we took a motorbike and 'rempit' to the nearest town and went *ding-dong.

It wasn't really a mistake, however. We did had a lot of fun and it was still romantic nonetheless (even though not our kind of 'romantic) but we made it up to ourselves on our first anniversary. We went back to the place where Da-da fell in love with me, quote him. We called it, 'The Hill'.

It was what we have always wanted. The place is romantic, quiet, peaceful and absolutely cozy. We had our morning walks, lovely afternoon tea, take a stroll around the courtyard and watch the sunset on a big swing. Da-da even booked the entire dining area for a romantic dinner but I refused as the price was so steep (to have the room vacant and away from crowd), much to his dismay.

It was when we had our goodnight tea at the lounge that Da-da had this thought of making it an annual thing. Coming back to The Hill for a quiet celebration. And we wanted to book the Guenevere Suite with jacuzzi when we have kids. I thought it was splendid since I, myself is a hopeless nostalgic. I could love the same thing for years. I could love The Hill forever. Inshallah, we will have the rezeki to do so, okie?

As promised, this weekend we will make the return trip to The Hill and...WITH YOU! I hope to have the same room as last year, over looking the mountain and beautiful mist in the morning. So, here's a toast and a rub to the bump, for a 730 days of our togetherness.

*tickles*

mommy + Da-da xxxxxxxxxx

*dingdong - went crazy snapping pictures

To Fazeyana

Apologies for not attending to your comment earlier on. I totally missed it and not too sure why there were no prompt on my part.

I'm sure by now, you have already gone to see Dr. Delaila but I will still give out this info, if you ever make a return trip to my blog. Hope this helps!

Poliklinik Fitzrol & Delaila
73, Jalan SS19/6,
Subang Jaya
03-5634 5744 (some of the numbers posted online was actually their fax number. i dialed a lot of times but keluar bunyi fax LOL. but this one is the correct one, inshallah)

All the best to you, dear :)

Your Guardian Angel

Sometimes, it is really saddening when people come up to me and ask 'So, have you got rid of your cats yet?' Like it meant nothing. Before I found out I was pregnant, there are those who told me to get rid of Tot and Chet so that I could conceive.

Well, the reason why I wasn't pregnant a year ago was because Da-da and I wanted to fully love and understand each other, before anything else. We firmly believe that one of the most basic foundation in a good family is a loving and fulfilled parents. To be honest, it is better to focus on ourselves first and have you than focus on ourselves AFTER we have you. Would be selfish, innit?

Even Atuk, Mak Tok and your Grand Auntie; Tok Nah and Tok Nobi told me not to rush. You wanna know what they said? 'Have fun, enjoy, travel, go on a wild adventure, make love like mad. You're still young. Baby can wait. Life, on the other hand....can't. And regret will chase.' Your Tok Nah was 74 then. She was and will forever be my favorite Auntie. Atuk had your Mak Long after 3 years of marriage. (Within that amount of time, they used to own a cat too!) And I have never seen anyone else more loving than your grandparents. They are my epitome of love. Da-da and I wanted to be that for you.

BUT but but my point is, it was never because of the kitties.

Of course, I don't really bother to explain further when people ask 'are you pregnant yet?' and then told me to send my kitties out when i answered 'no, i have not.' Little fella, never explain yourself to people who won't bother listening or people who knows only half of what they are saying. It is better to have logical reasons than listening to remarks that just don't make sense.

And hey, here I am, carrying you in me. You know what that means? It means, God is great and He knows it better. Praise to God. Alhamdullilah.

People have concerns. And it does mean that they care, lot or less, for me. I understand. But I can't help but to question back 'why would cats cause harm to the baby i'm carrying? and how? is there anything that I could do to prevent it?' rather than getting all panic and blindly throw Tot and Chet out the door the instant people asked me to.

It's all about a little planning and know-how (and some googling), me thinks. If we look at this matter scientifically, Tot and Chet are two strictly indoor cats, very clean, vaccinated, eat only dry or wet kitty food and don't eat raw meat such as mice, birds or rodents. Not really their type. We have them detox every night. And most importantly, I never clean their litter.

Because toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects in children, the kind of birth defects that is caused by cats. Its a disease caused by a parasite that can infect your cat if she eats prey already harboring the parasite and this can be transmitted via cat feces. Toxo-thingy is rare among indoor-only cats. So to prevent The Tox, it is advisable for pregnant mommies to not clean the feces or to clean themselves thoroughly after cleaning them and must wear glove when cleaning it, aite! One study in 2000 of several large European studies actually found that the largest risk of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy was from eating undercooked meat, and cat ownership was rarely a problem.

Every night, Da-da will detox Tot and Chet. They hardly come around me nowadays and I hardly pet them. If I do, I will clean my hands thoroughly. Actually, I use Antabax with just about everything, anywhere and all the time. We take every precaution to keep you healthy before and after you are born.

Do I sound that I don't love you? Does acquiring scientific reasons and believing in God's willing make me sound like an ignorant mother?

I certainly hope not. I love you more than anything else in the world. But I also want to be the mother who knows what she's doing. You can only listen so much to people but in the end, its your life. Doctor told Atuk that I'm gonna die or turn retarded after I was born but here I am, having you quite healthily. Never say never, kan? So, I hope what I'm doing everyday after this, for you, will help me to raise you beautifully, happily and healthily.

One day, our kitties Tot and Chet will be your guardian angels, hunny bunny. They will take good care of you and give you lots of nose kisses.There will be people who will think that I am nuts for not getting rid of my cats for the sake of your health, but little fella, you don't throw away your family, do you?

mommy xxx

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And to all pregnant mommies out there with cats, I have some interesting reads online. Knowledge is key! :


When you are expecting.
The Tox
Did The Tox really cause you your miscarriage?
Birth Defects

Acu-strap band

As my first trimester is about to end, I just found out about this magical thing called Acu-strap band. It uses the science of acupressure to relieve all forms of nausea and vomiting for travelers with motion sickness or preggars with morning sickness.

You can buy this at any pharmacy, me thinks or just pop by SJMC's pharmacy to get one. Cost around RM21.90. I got it for RM17 after discount.

Does it really help? I'm still trying to figure things out. Haven't had any nausea and did not vomit for two days now. But hey, this works even better than a jap. I need a piece of mind and this is it. The little button thingy push the pressure on your wrist to help stop the nausea. Gotta put it at the right pressure or else it might not work, says the instruction.

It doesn't look so cool but at this point, I'm sure fashion style is totally out of the story. Oh, early warning - it will make your wrist itchy!

A kungfu kick and a fist to the air.

I gotta be honest with you. I didn't doll-up on my first date with your Da-da. I didn't make the effort, not even a bit. It didn't even felt like a date. More like a hang-out with bestie. I was that comfortable with Da-da. Ah well, we didn't even have a movie date till we entered 4 months of datinghood. Itupun, pergi with your Atuk and Mak Long! 6 months after that, Da-da sent in rombongan merisik and we got married few months after that. Sweetheart, let me remind you that love should always be simple.

But that's not the story. The story is, last Sunday, May 29th 2011, I took a long shower, put on my best clothes, sprayed some Giorgio Armani and anxiously waited for my little date with you. I thought, 'well, if Dr. Delaila tells me that you don't get enough nutrition, at least I smell and look nice for you kan.'

But little fella, I smelled nice and looked my best the day I saw you gave a kung-fu kick and a fist to the air (is it because of the Giorgio Armani?) I did not quite expect to see such 'a wave of hello' from you!

The last time I saw you, there was only a black dot with a white thing on the screen, pumping so fast, which happened to be your heartbeat. But when Da-da cried 'I see the baby!' and I turned to the screen; I saw and fell in love (again) with you! The first thing I spotted was how sharp your nose is. And oh, how you've grown! From a tiny blueberry to my beautiful little baby. Dr. Delaila said that you're so cute as you made a tiny kick to say hello as we were busy staring at you. She laughed at this.

As she explained about your condition 'everything looks great. baby is healthy. no signs of down-syndrome and lets count your baby's fingers'; you showed us your fist and slowly opened it for us to count. How bright and clever you are! As we counted to four, you lifted your thumb and we went 'yay! Yep! There are five on the right hand alright!'  I cried in joy. You made my heart skipped a bit, sayang.

And then to our surprise, you opened your leg a bit and we could saw something that hinted your gender. Dr. Delaila cringed her nose and asked 'do you guys wanna know the gender?' and we shouted 'yes!' but im'ma keep it mum till we can really confirm it. What a tease you are, little fella!

We also saw your heart beats and with Dr. Delaila's magical doppler, we heard the 'boop, woop, woop' sound. Alhamdullilah. There's nothing else in this world that I could ever ask for, other than that you, my hunny bunny, to be in good health. The best news was of course, that the danger of blood cyst that measured 6cm and could cause you harm, was completely gone. My prayers have been answered. Da-da and I still can't stop talking about you and we watch the ultrasound video every night. I can't wait to move towards my second trimester today with hope that I'm gonna be more positive.

You know something, my dream about having a child named (secret!) two months before I found out I was pregnant.....really do come true.

p/s this is how you look like at 11 weeks!

mommy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Battle

My apology for the silence. The past few weeks were really hard. Coping with nausea, moodiness, cramps, extreme fatigue and everything else was an intense experience. I wasn't really my usual self. One minute I was in the pool swimming but you can find me in bed for two days straight the next day. It was crazy how my body is a big drama queen!

I ran in and out of the loo to either take a leak or vomit about hundred times a day. I forbid Da-da from using the bathroom as I hate how the shampoo smells on him. I kicked him out of bed while I was asleep. If I found out he wasn't on it, I'll cry and wondered if he really loves me. It was really bad! I kept thinking 'isn't pregnancy suppose to be wonderful?' It was a complete emotional downturn. Just about everything in the world is absolutely wrong in my eyes.

By 9th week, extreme fatigue kept me away from positivity. I felt tired in the morning, afternoon, evening and late at night. Going to sleep is a nightmare and waking up is a hard work. Staying awake at work is no fun at all. My creativity level dropped to zilch. Not really a surprise if I can't even remember where I put my glasses 5 seconds after I put it on the nightstand. Everything I do is spelled discomfort. I didn't have energy and was dehydrated from the heat exhaustion. At one point, I had enough of everything and locked myself in the loo and cried. Did I tell you my body was a drama queen?

I'm very thankful to have Da-da around. He helps me put my feet up and tuck me in to sleep. Get me a bottle of Coke in the pouring rain, do all the house chores and put up with my ridiculous mood. Not even a single complaint. Your Atuk and Mak Long spoiled me with their cooking. I can't bear the pain of my first trimester (and my twisted mind) without them.

10 weeks 5 days, I had a little bleeding which scares me to death. Soaked the bed the entire night thinking about you. But Dr. Delaila assured me that it's practically normal. The following week found me in an even messier condition. I've practically turned myself into a doormat. Just last Friday, I was given two bottles of drip as Dr. Harmeet (my panel doctor) saw me barely standing straight. My concerns of you washed away all fears for needles! It was really painful plus I was alone and scared and Da-da was busy with his congress. But I'll do anything to see you healthy in my tummy. It was the longest 2 hours on the stretcher with the saline drip flowing into my vein.

For the first time in my life, I appreciate how your Atuk battles every pain for me.

mommy xxx

Food I Have Been Craving (and actually got them!)

In random order:

1. Mom's nasi goreng
2. Nugget
3. Mom's jemput-jemput masinNasi himpit and sambal kacang
4. Daging cincang + ikan bilis goreng lada
5. Nasi lemak Pak Adam
6. Nasi minyak orang kahwin
7. Serunding daging

I've already gotten four. Nasi lemak Pak Adam....not too sure how to get it since well, Pak Adam had passed away ten years ago. Encik Hisyam's (my sister's big boss) son is getting married next week and he invited us over. So yay for that!

Da-da will be getting some ketupat, rendang Tok and serunding daging for dinner tonight. Huzzaahh!