Sunday, March 16, 2014

End of Confinement - Yeay!!

Yeay for the end of confinement!

Let's count the number of things I violated during my confinement. Climbed the staircase a handful of times, drove the car once to PKNS (it was urgent!), weekly trips out to shopping malls to keep me sane, and dessert - I can never say no to dessert, and vegan ones without butter and eggs just ain't the same. I even have a rule - indulge on only one cookie per day. Oh, let's also not forget the one time I had salted brinjals (sedap gilerrrrr) but paid for it dearly bila angin masuk badan. And the other time when my MIL brought cempedak goreng to the house when she came to visit, and I think I had erm, probably 5 pieces? Sometimes, I would help myself to some karipap that we usually serve to visitors. Halfway through my confinement, I even gave away my pilis and serbuk pelangsing perut to my urut lady!

Well, at least it was an uneventful and successful confinement. No bentan, no gatal. Ended my confinement by losing 17kg out of the 22kg I gained. (And thankfully the remaining 5kg slipped away as well the following month.)

My confinement was due to end on Sunday, so I had my last visit with Dr Seri on the Friday of that week. After seeing her religiously every month during the pregnancy, I have to admit that I was quite sad that I wouldn't be meeting her again. Seriously, she is the most bubbly and vivacious doctor in town. She is so cheerful every time I see her, cracking jokes and melayan my drama outbursts, while also being professional all at the same time. Despite being the gynae to retis retis Malaysia, I feel that she treats all her patients with the same fabulous bedside manner. I was watching Yasmin Hani's Selebriti Materniti where they showed her gynae appointment with Dr Seri, and I burst out laughing when I recognized the same tone of voice that she would  use whenever she is scanning the baby.

Thank you, Dr Seri!
Aiden weighed 5kg at one and a half months.
Sleeping peacefully after his one month jab.
The next day, we received news that my dad was coming to visit! Yes, after 43days, Ian was finally going to get to meet his grandfather, whom he shares the same birth date with. While waiting for him to arrive, Hubby and Aiden had some quality time in the garden.

Now this is why my garden is always trimmed and beautiful. I have a husband who loves gardening! Me? I love shopping *grin* 
Sadly, we had to chop all the leaves off my pokok kari due to insect infestation. (But just two months after, the pokok kari is back in business - plump, insect free leaves, so don't be afraid to chop it off if you have the same problem.
Hubby turned on the sprinkler and Aiden ran around happily in the garden.
Cheap entertainment!
My father arrived, bush jacket and all *grin*
So that's where Ian got his nose from!
Smiles all around.
Three generations share the same birth date!
43 days in and I was still wearing my socks dutifully.
Then finally, the day arrived! *campak socks in the air* The family celebrated the end of my confinement by bringing me to a buffet - how appropriate! We went to Atmosphere 360, the elegant modern revolving restaurant, 282m above ground level at Menara Kuala Lumpur - the tallest tower in Southeast Asia! During the journey there, I tried explaining to Aiden that the restaurant would revolve around and we would be able to see the entire city from the top of the tower. He got all excited - I think he thought the restaurant would spin rapidly like a top! True enough, when we got there, he was so disappointed about how slow the floor was moving. But at least the buffet area didn't revolve, so he got the kicks from seeing how much further away we were moving from the buffet area with every bite he took.

Waiting for the elevator to the top.
Ian, on the other hand, didn't really enjoy himself. He gave us the biggest poop ever, soiled all his clothes, blanket and even the stroller seat! Hubby used up an entire pack of wipes to clean him up, while I ate and took care of Aiden. (Now that we have two kids, we have to practice the one parent per child rule.) Unfortunately, by the time Hubby came back, it was close to tea time and they were starting to clear the lunch buffet. Poor hubby didn't get to enjoy the food. Also, I thought the selection of food was pretty limited, which was a shame because the last two times I had dinner there, I was quite impressed with their array of food. Taste of food was decent, but nothing I would rave about. The buffet area was also quite small, so it was not easy trying to put food on my plate among the throngs of people, while making sure Aiden didn't go wandering around by himself. And you know how mothers would have to put food on two plates at the same time - one for herself and one for her child? Well, that was not easy either, because the buffet line up was so packed that there was no space for me to rest one plate down while I used one hand to scoop food onto both plates. Also, the buffet didn't include sky juice! Yup, since I was still on my 100days no ice pantang, I requested for warm water, only to be told that they only served cold cordial drinks. Fortunately the waiter was quite apologetic about it so I agreed to pay additional for a bottle of room temperature mineral water.

But at least, the views from the top made it all worth it. Since it was close to tea time, we were among the last to leave. The waiters were more than happy to help us snap photos, even though they were busy clearing the plates. The view was really breathtaking - it was a shame we didn't get a seat by the huge windows.The waiter promised to move us if there was an empty spot, but of course that never happened. So, if there is ever a next time, I must remember to get there early for good seats.

View from the restaurant.
"Daddy, i'm an aeroplane!"
Aiden, why termenung?
Ian was fast asleep after the big poop! *grin*
Thank you Hubby, for the awesome treat! 
Yes darling, duly noted. Feeding you is currently our top priority!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Ian's First Month Photoshoot


Throwback post! Ian turned one month old close to the end of 2013 and pantang or no pantang, that deserved a celebration right? 

(I don't know how people do confinement all cooped up at home. Yes, yes, I know it's supposed to be good for me and I'll probably pay for it dearly when i'm all old and wrinkly - but really, I can't sit still! Just two weeks after giving birth, Ian and I ventured out for the first time to register Aiden at a new kindergarten, and a trial piano music class - more on that later. Three weeks after giving birth, we went to test drive a car and then to Setia City Mall where Hubby celebrated my post pregnancy body *grin* by treating me to new clothes at H&M. And a month after giving birth - by Chinese confinement standards, I would have tasted freedom by then, but Malay standards mandate an additional 14 days... why why why?? Plus having a hubby who questions "Why is pantang 44 days and not 45 days? Will your body magically become resilient at 45 days instead of 44?" certainly does not help at all.)

I digress. Anyway, what better way to celebrate Ian's one month birthday than by freezing those memories through photographs? 

Hello! I'm one month old today!
No michelin arms like Aiden but Ian has peha berlipat lipat!
Okay, I didn't mean capturing those moments with an iPhone camera, but rather by having a professional photo shoot at Picture Company. I've been a member of the Picture Company since 2011, and all of our whitewall prints are from them. I love that I can book a photo shoot at any time, plus they have wonderful costumes and props - it's no wonder that Aiden enjoys posing for them everytime. Aaahhh, my son loves being the center of attention, so it's just natural that he's not shy in front of the lens of a camera.

Before we pose, we must feed our tummy first. Chili's grilled lamb and roasted vegetables should be confinement friendly, right? And then chocolate lava cake (without the ice-cream - sejuk maa) as a wonderful end to the meal.
Aiden immediately jumped into a costume, while we got Ian ready for his first photoshoot.
Ian posing! 
After a few clicks, we decided to cover him with a blanket because without it, it was starting to turn into an advertorial photo shoot for Mamy Poko!
I found some blocks as props.
The photographer asked Aiden, "How old are you?" and he answered confidently "4!" But I insisted that he pose with the number 5 - so that I can use those pictures for his upcoming 5th birthday party.
Posing sakan!
A big smile for Mummy's iPhone!
I never have to "force" him to pose. He just needs a bit of encouragement and then he poses like a natural!
Next costume - a police officer!
Alahhh cair with Aiden's sweet smile. If a police officer pulled me by the roadside with this smile, I would surely swoon! *giggles*
Anyway, here are the creative pictures that made our cut. First up, Ian's naked photos!







Next, Aiden's poses. It was no easy feat, choosing which one we liked best:

Muay Thai boxer, anyone?
The intense boxer.
The adorable boxer.

The serious boxer.
The race car driver. 
*vroom*vroom*
I can't believe my cheeky boy is turning 5!
*love*
Talking about love, Aiden is slowly but surely starting to love his baby brother. He's constantly smooching his brother with kisses that melts my heart. And that night, he asked to carry his brother in his arms! We complied, with close supervision of course!

"I love you Ian" and "How're you doin' buddy?" are some of Aiden's memorable statements to Ian. Cracks us up, every time!
The loving big brother... while muka Ian redhaaaa jer lah!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

My 8th Anniversary Surprise!

Another throwback post. Since our 8th anniversary fell on the 10th day of my confinement, I didn't expect much of a celebration this year. Perfectly understandable since there was no way I would be allowed out of the house for an intimate dinner, let alone spark some fireworks in the bedroom.

However, my husband is a man of many mysteries. I say that, because he does surprises when you least expect them. (And when you expect a surprise, there is surprisingly - none!) Come the anniversary date, we did the customary anniversary wishes (and virtual kisses through WhatsApp) and before I knew it, it was already night time and time for bed. During the confinement days, I would go to bed early as I co-slept with Ian and Aiden would insist on sleeping on the same bed as me, so once he dozes off, Hubby would lift him onto the sofa bed they both shared. (And when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he would walk over to the bed and cuddle me - imagine being squeezed between one clingy toddler and a fragile infant, not comfortable I can assure you!)

The next morning I woke up and gingerly pushed myself from between my two kids, and slowly lifted my weight off the mattress. Hubby had left for work and Aiden was still on school holiday, so I really treasured those quiet "me" moments in the morning. And.... there was a surprise waiting for me on the dining table!

A beautifully set table, lovingly done by my Hubby of 8 years.
Picture in the frame was our first picture together, back in 2004. And if you're wondering what the note said, it started with an apology for not being able to be there when I woke up and it also said that he had picked a special song to serenade me while I had breakfast. All I had to do was to press play on the iPad player. Awww...
Three stalks of roses (cos he knows how much I hate wasting money on flower bouquets). An anniversary card, and of course the gift - jewelry in the box!
Love the jewelry, but also love the pastry and sweet fruits! Maklumlah, orang tengah pantang! I obviously cheated on my pantang again that morning *grins*
The anniversary card on the side. Notice the new dining table? Will blog about that in a separate post.
I was extremely touched with Hubby's effort. Add that to my imbalanced hormones post pregnancy, which made me bawl at even the slightest things... of course I teared up when I called Hubby to thank him. Apparently he slept at 2am the previous night, writing the card and setting the table. I was even more touched when he said he checked the lyrics of the song he dedicated to me to make sure that the lyrics were appropriate! (We previously had an unfortunate incident where he dedicated a breakup song to me, so good to know that he's adamant on not repeating the same mistake.)

And... just my luck - as soon as I dived into the divine looking pastry, someone started coo-ing from the bedroom.

Check out the deep set eyes. Definitely Mummy's boy (at least for now)!
Of course, Abang Aiden woke up shortly after.
My only hope is that they grow up loving each other the way they do now.
My two out of three boys in the family. I am definitely outnumbered.
Thank you for the surprise Hubby. I love the gift, and the memory of the surprise is definitely to be treasured. See - I am a girl who is easily pleased, although I am still waiting for my dream Chanel classic 2.55 in caviar. *grin* Love you, sayang! *kisses*
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