Domestic Goddess Me

Since I'd decided to take advantage of the 90 days maternity leave, I had a vision of me being the perfect SAHM. The children will be taken care with lots of TLC, my house would be spotless, everyday dinner is a perfect 10 and I will still manage to look oh so effortlessly gorgeous, of course. On some fine sunny days, I'll even manage to go on some shopping trips, just me and the new baby, while hubby is at work and Bono is attending playschool.

Hah. Reality check:

1. I'm so sleep deprived that at times I snapped at Bono when he throws a tantrum. I even scold El when she still refuse to sleep at 2 am. After that it made me feel like I'm the most awful mother in the world.
2. Clean the house? The only house chore that I manage to do everyday is the laundry-which mostly consist of CDs. So far, I've only cleaned the washrooms once and maybe sweep the floor on alternate days.
3. Hubby had extended my soup-only diet for 40 days. So being a rebel, I refuse to cook anything else (except the rice).
   
4. Gorgeous? Well if showering twice daily is enough to make one look yummy than I guess I am. Gorgeous, I mean.

But the bright side...my hubby is turning into a superb cook! He's taken over the cooking almost 90% now-10% consist of me cooking the rice. He even cook a wonderful confinement food now.

The yummy ayam lihing. The best I've tried so far, even better than my mum's.

So, I've got less than 6 weeks of leave left. I'm going to try to enjoy every minute of it. El's sleeping pattern is following the Malaysian time already, that is sleeping mostly at night. That means I'm not such a walking zombie anymore, in a much better mood now.

And I'm challenging myself to blog more. Not everyday though, (that would be too ambitious!) maybe every two days? We'll see...

New arrival

So, if you notice my ticker you would realise that I have given birth to a girl.

Name: Gisele Nicole Adrian
D.O.B: 11 May 2011
Time: 6.43 pm
Weight: 3.2 kg
Length: 49 cm

Yup, I delivered on the day of my last post. My mum arrived at 11.30 am. There were still some irregular mild contraction. Suddenly at 2 pm, I felt water trickling and I knew for sure that my water just broke. Called hubby and he was just on his way home from work. Arrived at the clinic around 3 pm. The nurse did a VE and I was 5 cm dilated! So they quickly prepared me for the labour room. Come to think of it, it was a little bit like the movie where everyone seems to go on a panic mode. And I thought I would have the time to eat my lunch and lie in my room like last time. But apparently, no because this is my second child and all.

This time everything went more smoothly. El was safely delivered at 6.43 pm. Via vacuum extraction just like Bono. Yes, sad to say I still don't know how to push. The nurse said I pushed on my face instead. I imagine I looked like a frog while trying. Haha. So in the end I gave up and asked for help. Well, at least this time I didn't require any blood transfusion. I was discharged at 11 am the next day. Yippee! I missed Bono so much, I have never spent a night away from him before.

And I have 2 more weeks of confinement. So far, I still haven't wash my hair. Gross, I know. But tomorrow my mum will be going home to Tambunan, so maybe I will wash my hair after that. Hehe.

Still waiting...

So I thought I was going to deliver yesterday for sure. I woke up at 5 am to get ready for work and found out that I have some discharge with a little blood. Yippee! I was so happy and rushed to tell hubby who was in the shower. So we planned to sent Bono around 9 am to avoid being trapped in a traffic jam. I took a shower and then had a one hour nap-so that I'll more energy later kunun. And hubby, being the second procrastinator in the house (I'm still number one!) baru sibuk2 adjust the baby cot and did some house cleaning.

Later we went to the clinic and the nurse asked, "Sakit sudah?" as we enter. I was like "Sikit2 tapi ada show sudah". Then I was strap to the baby monitor and had to wait for the doctor. Came the part that I hate the most-VE. (Are there no other way to check if we are dilated or not?) Sekali the doctor said, "Not yet open". Argh...it was very disappointing. So I was discharge and told to come when the contraction really start (about 5 minutes apart) or if my water broke.

And the nurse pun sibuk2 tanya if this is my first pregnancy. Hahaha...maybe because I look super duper excited going into the clinic even though there was no strong contraction yet. Well the thing is that, during my first pregnancy it was kind of straight forward. I woke up with some bloody show and when they did a VE I was 1cm dilated already even though I wasn't feeling any pain. Well, different pregnancy and all...

Last night there was some serious contractions that went all the way to the back. It was around 10 minutes apart but after about 3 contractions, it went away. Haih...So today I'm still waiting, there is still some bleeding and some light irregular contractions. Maybe baby wants to wait for grandma to be here to take care of Bono. Yes, my mum is coming this afternoon. Hooray!

Taking a break...again

I'm taking a one cuti rehat khas today. I just need the extra rest because I did not sleep well last nite. I was having some strong contractions, on and off for almost 3 hours that I thought I was going into labour today. But this morning everything stop. So I guess baby is not ready yet.

Since nothing is happening, I was suppose to do some of the tasks in my list but I'm such a world class procrastinator. I went and sew one long pants for me instead-I don't want to be stuck wearing sarung again during confinement this time around. And then hubby sms and remind me to pay the bills on line. Next thing I know, it's 12 noon and I'm still in front this monitor-window shopping and blog hopping.

Uhhh, I'm feeling some mild contraction again. Probably the Braxton Hicks contraction again. 10 days to go. On the 12th I'll be on leave, whether I have delivered or not. Yahoo! I find it so hard to perform well at work nowadays. Especially when I'm teaching 7 periods in a day, I'll be going up and down the staircase that by the end of the day my ankles would be really swollen.

And I need to be careful not to complain about any painful contractions whenever Bono is around. Just last night, I told hubby that baby's movement causes me pain, suddenly Bono ran towards me and slapped my stomach. It was like he was mad at the baby for causing me pain. We were really surprise.

Okay, really got to go offline now. I have spring cleaning to do. I'll start with the bedroom first.

Counting the days

Time flies so fast...I have 11 days to go-if baby decided to be on time. I still have soooo many things to do, work wise and home wise. But I feel like a whale these days and I waddle as a mode of mobility-just like a penguin. So, basically everyday when I wake up I would be wishing that today would be the THE day. But then, I'll remember long list of things that are mostly unchecked and I'd go on a panic mode.

Some of the things that I need to settle at work:

1. Send semester 1 exam paper (paper 1 & paper 2) to print, staple it (260 set!), divide between 7 classes and send it to the bilik kebal; still waiting for the signature of my superior
   
2. Finish module for form 5; about 20% done
3. Write up warning letters to the students of my class and document them all-grrr I hate this task the most. Why can't these brats behave?; haven't done anything
   
4. Do report of the Environmental Camp; still have to collect some info from colleagues

Things to do at home:

1. Wash baby clothes and towels; 80% done
2. Wash bedding; nope
3. Clean baby cot; nope
4. Arrange Bono's stuff so that baby can share the cabinet; nope
5. Spring clean bedroom for baby arrival; nope
6. Prepare hospital bag; 60% packed
7. Wash cover of the baby chair; nope
8. Take out BF pillow for airing and wash cover; nope
9. Buy my herbs for confinement; nope

See, I still have so many things to do, but so little time and so little energy.

Oh, I ate a scoop of Baskin n Robbins ice cream this afternoon. It was yummy! (Sigh). Of course I didn't just sit on my ass after that. We went to Perdana Park and I walked for 40 minutes. Actually, I waddled. Any way, it was a very beautiful park. Thumbs up! Very clean and maintained well. I just have an issue with the washroom-is it so hard to keep the floor dry and clean in Malaysia? I know, majority of us uses water to clean after ourselves instead of just using toilet paper but can we all be more civic minded as not to spray water all over the place? And don't get me started on those people that actually climb the toilet bowl. Sheesh.

Now I'm babbling. I really need to sleep. I've just finish my online shopping...hehe

Yummy mummy!

Why can't I look like these?

The gorgeous Natalie Portman

I asked hubby as we were watching channel E!

"Apalah perasaan ko, kalau saya lawa macam tu?" (at some beautiful celebrities)

"Jangan lah, susah mo jaga...susah hati ja kalu ko keluar lama-lama"

Preeeetttt. Wrong answer! He should have said, "ko pun lawa juga bah..."

Haha! I'm rambling. It's just that I have nothing else better to do. So looking at my blog, I suddenly realised that the number of posts I did for each year is just lame. The most is 24 posts per year, that is like once a month of updating. So now, I'm trying to make up for it by posting this nonsense.

Beside the fact that for the first time in a very very long time, I am home alone. And it is 7.30 pm. I'm suppose to be enjoying one week of school break, but the SPA decided to held some sort of a workshop for three days, 15th-17th. Hubby has to babysit. He got tired of staying at home with Bono from 7am-5pm, so he brought Bono to Papar. And I'm still waiting for them to come home. At first, it was quite fun to have some "me" time but after a few hours, it felt kind of weird.

Maybe I should indulge myself with a very long shower. Followed by a long overdue pedicure-if I can still reach my feet, that's it. Yes, it sounds like a very good idea. Maybe, I'll throw in some facial as well...who knows, I may end up looking yummy as well.

Tea time craving

I'm tired of eating like a rabbit 24-7. My body is being rebellious and starting to crave everything that is sweet and calorie-laden (cakes, butter cookies, those pweety pweety cupcakes, donuts, Famous Amos cookies...yum!). I need to remind myself every time to think about the baby first. High blood sugar level can cause macrosomia (or an excessively large baby), babies born to moms with poorly controlled gestational diabetes also have higher risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome, heart abnormalities and later in life a higher likelihood to develop diabetes or suffer from childhood and adult obesity! There, I hope I've scared myself silly and stop craving all this empty calories.

But I have one craving that I indulge occasionally.

Pisang goreng! Hehe...in fact, I've just demolished 2 ringgit worth of pisang goreng. And no, the above image is not mine, it was googled. I cannot even be bothered to take a pic of mine. So, after this I'll have to do 1 hour of exercise. I know it is fried and full of calories but still better than those cravings mentioned earlier, right?

So, how do you like your pisang goreng? I like it crunchy and slightly burned on the outside but soft and sweet in the inside. Which can only be achieve when ripe banana is used. Surprisingly, this type of pisang goreng is quite hard to find-or is it because I'm too picky? I hate those type that used unripen banana, you know the one where some people like to cecah-cecah in sambal. I just cannot acquire a taste for this way of eating pisang goreng.

My favourite places that sell pisang goreng just the way I like it:

1. The stall near Restoran Lee Sin in Kepayan. But they sold fast, by 3 pm you'll be lucky if there are still some left. By the way, this restaurant also sell the best pau in KK! Yummy...
2. There are two stalls in Lido. One near Milimewa, just in front of the gerai ikan. And another one near the corner restaurant opposite Milimewa-I can't believe I don't know the name of the restaurant because it is one of my fave eatery, I like their kue tiaw soup and their char sau & sau nyuk is the best!

Now I made myself salivate remembering those food...better start my exercise regime now.

...

So, I've been inactive in blogging for weeks now. It's just that working life was so hectic-sports, tests, meetings, reports, etc etc. By the time I reached home, all I want to do is sleep. I am so glad February is almost over. I can take a breather now. Aaand I have another 2 months ++ before my looong maternity leave. Hehe, I am going to choose 3 months leave.

Bono had HFMD again last week. So my mum came and stay with us. It was worst this time. I think because he's not breastfeeding anymore. But luckily he still wants to drink and eat.

Before Chinese New Year, I was asked to do a routine GTT at the Gribbles. I was so confident that everything would be just dandy. Sad to say, I have a gestational diabetes. My blood sugar level was 9.9 mmol/L, way above the normal range (7.7 mmol/L).

It was quite frustrating because I've tried to watch what I eat and I don't indulge with any sweet stuff. Come on, all the chocolate my hubby bought since October last year is still unopened in the fridge! So I'm trying to be calm and practical about it. A quote from Salma Hayek, "If this is what it takes to have this baby than so be it". My appointment with a diabetic specialist is on Thursday. But I'm being proactive. Main reason-I would like to have another vaginal delivery. So in order to increase my chance I'm doing everything possible to control my blood sugar level to avoid macrosomia (big, fat baby). Of course, there are many more risks but will go there later. One at a time.

My current plan of handling this GD thingy is very simple:

1. Control my carbohydrate intake throughout the day.
2. Mild exercise at least 30 minutes everyday.

I hope it would be enough. I hope I won't be required to use any form of medication/hormone. We'll wait for this coming appointment. Wish me luck.

P/S: Mum doesn't know about this. Please don't make her worry unnecessarily. Yes, I'm talking to you la, Putat.

The Reason

I planned to breastfeed Bono at least for 2 years. I sooo badly wanted it. But a plan is just that. A plan. Sometimes circumstances can get in the way and some tweaking had to be done. Worst come to worst, the plan had to be replaced. But it’s okay, because they say that behind every black cloud is a silver lining. Something good will come out of this. And that something good is a second child to be born in May. Yes, I’m pregnant. Almost 6 months now.

Before I knew that I was pregger, I thought that somehow I did or eat something wrong causing my supply to dwindle. I was so stressed out. And the guilt was so huge. I’m glad that it is cause by pregnancy. I did some research and I found out that most expecting mothers are still able to nurse in their 2^nd trimester and some until they deliver with just a little dip in the supply. A minor percentage of mothers found that their supply drastically lower even in the first few months of pregnancy. And I’m in that minor percentage.

But a plan can be tweak. So I plan to continue breastfeeding Bono after the baby is born. Not directly though. I’m afraid of his increasing number of teeth. Besides nowadays he likes to bite me! And sometimes I bite him back. Haha! Yes, I know I shouldn’t encourage him but I blame it on the hormone. To be honest, I miss nursing him. And I think he miss it too.

Right now, I'm at the awkward stage of dressing. My normal clothes don't fit me well anymore. I'm still able to wear my baju kurung to work but then my hubby said I look like nangka kena balut. And that really tickles me because at hubby's kampung, the nangka were wrap with old shirts. I can just imagine myself looking like that. My previous maternity clothes still look huge on me. So I just settle with looking like those nangka rather than looking like a dowdy tent. BTW, you don't necessarily show earlier during second pregnancy like what people like to say. Most days I look like someone who had one too many plate of rice. But we'll see if I'll be getting bigger this time.