My baby. Finally.
On 25th October, 8.30 am, I gave birth to a healthy 6.6 pounds baby girl. I was on epidural, concious from waist up and saw the whole surgery through the reflection of the lamps above me. I saw how my baby was practically ‘plucked out’ from my gut – it was worth everything when I heard her first cry. Mr Hubby was next to me all throughout – a definite warm comfort. Alhamdulillah, everything went well. They showed me the baby – she was perfect! I couldn’t ask for more.

I would like to wish to all, my deepest thank you for your kind wishes and visits. Now I’m at home recuperating and learning the ropes of breastfeeding my baby. Will update whenever I’m fit. Stay tuned…

It’s every new mom’s dream to provide the best crib for their newborn…I wish to decorate the baby’s room into a lovely nursery, bring my baby to my new home on her first day but here I am stuck amidst the moving boxes of our rented house. I think Mr Hubby has been unbelievably kind and strong on my behalf by reassuring me that it will soon passed. Had a long chat with a friend last night and seems like we shared the same problem with our house renovation. Yes, indeed, both of us are like headless chicken now (bertempiaran all over the place trying to solve our home reno probs before year end).. by being stuck with very slow contractors. My house is not that big – it’s just an old small semi D but we fell in love with the space and the location, which is in the middle of KL with all the right road access. It took us almost 1 year to get DBKL’s approval, and by the time we hired our contractor, he promised us another 6 months. Plus minus, it’s been a 2 years of long wait..even our children got tired of us talking about it. But seriously, I hope they would understand and love the home as much as we do.

Initially, my contractor has included kitchen and interior designs in the plan, but due to his delayed work I’ve scraped the ID and kitchen designs so he can complete the physical structure of my house faster while Mr Hubby and I personally search for ID and kitchen people. I’ve actually hired Casa Impian once out of my naivety for better ID and their so-called ‘reputation’ but wasn’t happy with their sloooow service, so figured to do it on my own. I’ve bought tonnes of design books out of excitement but every time I saw the delayed house work..my spirit just crashed a little. To sort things out faster, we’ve settled with Signature Kitchen at Taman Tun and guess what, my friend also enquired for the same service a few weeks earlier! What a small world eh? They say Signature Kitchen is a tad expensive but I like the storage compartments they offer. I’ve seek other kitchen designers and their price is ridiculous. Plus, Signature has what I wanted for my kitchen look – all classic and timeless white! Mr Hubby wanted something modern at first but I told him since I’m the one going to spend time there, I want something cosy. This is similar to what I had in mind:

img taken from imagedecorweb.

This is a hard one to write about.
When my cats – Sultan and Suri gave birth to 3 lovely kitties, we were ecstatic because we’ve kept them since they were kittens and get to watch them develop as parents. Suri as usual are so loving to her litters, and she’s not awfully protective of them when we picked the kitties for inspections, etc… However, as the kittens grow they become quite a hazard to first: me..because being pregnant doctors don’t allow me to get near cats in case of toxoplasma infection, and second: our problems with various maids affect the quality of their care. We have 6 cats to take care of and it was becoming too much – with food, sand and litter. It was only fair to let the cats go to better caretakers, no matter how much we love them. We seek the help of my nephew Murshid to advertise them on the Internet and within a few days, we managed to get a couple of interested buyers. Last night was the fateful farewell of Suri, Sultan and their kittens.

Suri and her kittens

memories of Sultan

However, we still keep Rajah. It was our only penawar hati.

my last and only cat for now

The hardest part of moving house or having gain/lost weight for that matter is culling away your treasures. Clothes, shoes, stuff – I realised I’m such a hoarder. My closet rail is almost on the bent from so much weight of unworn garments. Not to add shoes…oh, I saw 4 stilletos that’s never seen the light of day just because there was no matching dress. For the past 9 months I’ve totally ignored my wonderful frocks (I’m a dress-girl) and happily plod along with my maternity wear. Even those are packed away now because I won’t be using much of them anymore. Last night I spent 3 hours sorting out my goodies – I wish I could create a sales blog but tak sampai hati pulak nak jual barang kita dah pakai banyak kali. Plus each piece has a sentimental value! ha ha… so it was a real tug-o-war moment with me and my items. At last, the more practical side of me won and I managed to reduce a quarter of my wardrobe. Hmm…(quarter only???)

These shoes will go to my sister Abby. I’ve tried to wear these a number of times but they hurt my feet – I don’t know why certain brands ranges eventhough they share the same numeric size. Fortunately, my sister and I share the same size, but not the same taste. She’s more of a sneaker-type so I don’t know what she’ll do with these but hey, these are leather shoes (a.k.a not cheap!) so I’m going to make her wear!

so hard to part....:(

Today my project would be culling away my books…I have my mind on the school library now. What a sad sad day …..hmmm…

Well, all the hard work of training maid made me so hungry… but I feel lazy to cook. So I went out for lunch on my own – guess where?

Kopitiam Kemaman, (Uptown) Damansara Utama, next to police station.

Nasi dagang with extra spicy tuna fish sauce

I’m glad we managed to get rid of Bibik… seems like my agent has a new girl ready and we quickly grab her instead. As usual, today I’m stuck at home training the new maid – yes, like a friend did mention – I’m quite unfortunate in the maid department. I’m blessed with many good things in life but when it comes to maids – I’ve lost count how many exchanges we had to suffer, sometimes, with unscrupulous agents and at others, cheating and misbehaved maids. After countless training sessions, I’ve even compiled a training module plus an inventory list for home-cleaning essentials. All because I have a so-called perfectionist Mr Hubby who would harp on how the maid is doing this or that wrong and concluded I didn’t train them right. Therefore, I’ve wisened up and put things in print so when he complains of a certain thing, I would point to where I have not missed but the maid was lazy to complete or adhere to. It works somehow, because on one side you have a systematic employer, but on the other, you are stuck with someone who has no sense of being a professional service provider (a.k.a the agent) nor a well-trained committed employee (a.k.a the maid).
Well, having a system requires auditing. Problem with audit is that the auditor is 9 months pregnant waiting to burst – so in spite of my condition, I still have to show how things are being done plus I’m not the kind who just watch and sit and order. So I woke up earlier than the maid today so I can show her the routines of the house – what’s expected for breakfast, how to clean and feed the cats, how I want my bedrooms to be made and toilets to be washed, etc etc…By 12 pm my whole body gave way and I lay flat on bed. Tak larat rasa…tapi kalau tak tunjuk dia duduk saja dalam bilik. Bukan takde jadual kerja ke, or been informed of what to do next, but I have yet to get a maid who is rajin without having to be called to do work…ALL of my maids LOVE to stay in the room. Mana taknya, the room is quite spacious with radio, fan and all…plus they can charge their phones all day long. Kadang tu rasa nak confiscate je phone, boleh tak?
My new agent (not the current one with maid replacement) told me that our ‘real’ maid would come end of November. She’s been properly trained and doesn’t own a handphone. So I’m crossing my fingers and hope that she would end my misery dealing with errant maids.
To top that..Mr Hubby did asked me whether I want both maids at the same time – one to jaga baby after I start working and the other to do housework. Although it would’ve been a dream for someone else, I can’t imagine handling two strangers in the house. Enough lah! with maid problems. Satu pun sakit kepala rasa nak jaga..tegur tak boleh, suruh buat kerja malas…etc etc..I told him it’s okay..I would rather settle with one maid and jaga the baby myself or send her to proper nursery than having two maids..entah apa jadi dengan baby pun kita tak tahu kalau lepas tangan.
I really wish I have all the energy in the world to do things right. Thanks for caring to read this…my rantings on maids. Well, I hope this is the last!

After the gruelling incident with my previous maid, I was happy enough for my agent to send a replacement. In came this 50 year old Indon woman called Bibik last month- well Mr Hubby and I was quite suprised and wondered whether she could cope with the house chores but we figured that since she would also be temporary untill I get a real maid (I’ve requested and paid for one through a more reliable agent but she will only come in December) so we put up with whatever we could get our luck on pending my delivery and confinement status. Well, the Bibik did looked frail..but she didnt give me the headache of having to wake her up every morning (like with previous girl) since she’s the praying kind and I was relieved in that aspect. I even told my daughter Fatin to take pity on the old maid – “pick up your clothes and wash your own dishes..kesian maid tu dah tua.” The Bibik doesn’t have much chores anyway since there’s only Mr Hubby and I at home with Fatin occasional returns during the weekends from her college hostel. Meal-wise, Mr Hubby only eats my cooking or we eat out, so our house is practically a chore-free paradise for most maids..that’s why sometimes they grew lazy and stay cooped up in the room.

Anyway….few weeks went by okay. In my condition now, I don’t want to stress my head much by supervising her every move. Whatever I feel imperfect, pandang sebelah mata sajalah. But yesterday was a bit too much. Fatin complained to me that when she asked the maid to prepare her breakfast, the Bibik replied “tak tahu”. Yeah, there were many times when I asked her stuff and she answered tak tahu…dengar pun sakit hati but I was still civil and showed her the things I want to be done. But I cannot tolerate that a woman of 50 years old with 8 children can answer my daughter tak tahu when asked to prepare food. So I went down and told her off nicely.

Me: Lain kali, kalau Fatin mintak nak makan jangan cakap tak tahu. Pergi tengok dalam fridge, kalau boleh goreng telur ke, masak nasi buat nasi goreng ke, bihun ke etc… Tak baik cakap kat budak yang lapar ‘tak tahu”
Bibik: Mana saya tahu…tak di suruh.
Me: Fatin tu budak. Mana dia tahu nak suruh suruh …Bibik la kena tanya dia nak makan apa.
Bibik: Ye la mana saya tahu dia nak makan apa..
Me: (dalam hati: ish..melawan betul orang tua ni!) Bibik tanyalah. Habis anak Bibik kalau mintak makan, Bibik jawab tak tahu jugak lah..biar anak kelaparan!
Bibik: Itu saya di rumah lain…di sini lain.
Me: Mentang bukan anak Bibik, Bibik buat macam ni ke? Tak sangka Bibik takde hati perut macam ni buat kat anak saya…walaupun dia anak tiri saya, saya tak pernah buat dia macam ni tau! Kalau dia lapar saya usaha cari makan ke masak ke untuk dia. Mana boleh beza beza… macam ni rupanya perangai Bibik.
Bibik: Kalau Puan tak suka sama saya Puan hantar saya balik lah!

Ish, geram betul…I just walk off…seriously. By then Mr Hubby and Fatin came down to see the commotion. They knew I’m not the yelling kind – I hardly raise my voice to anyone for that matter. We went out to eat instead and Mr Hubby called the agent to talk about Bibik. I don’t trust any of these Indonesian maids, after what I’ve been through.Kita bagi muka, tunjuk kasihan, dia panjat kepala. Siap nak ugut balik, apakah??If the Indonesian government nak lebih lebih mintak gaji tinggi la, off day la, please check on the quality of the foreign maids you send here first. Jangan nak demand lebih lebih la. Duit nak sapu, kualiti macam haprak!
As a follow up, this morning she tried to be nice to me. I think her agent had drilled her…but really, nasi dah jadi bubur. I’m just acting civil till I get my replacement. I’m not really that stressed coz this is just a minor thing. Well blogging about it helps in a way!

Yes I have not delivered yet. (If ur wondering what on earth she’s doing still updating her posts! LOL)
While I can’t wait to see baby Aisyah Nur (that’s the baby’s name Insya Allah), my mind is kept busy running and stocking the house, pantry and fridge with enough food and other paraphernalias. Being Home Minister I’m used to monitor the needs of the house but while I’m on confinement it won’t be easy to tell Mr Hubby which brand to get for a certain detergent, thus the fuss now. Well, Mr Hubby maybe leading a public-listed company but he ain’t perfect at household matters so yeah, I guess, most men are like that with shopping for groceries!
As I wait and wait and wait, (my friends told me to shrug the thought off and keep busy with routines) I went through some old sliiiiim photos of mine back in the pre-preggy days (heck, that wasn’t long ago) and cracking my brain with some visuals of my still-in-the-dark future of how I’m going to look like soon!

I was really comfy at size 8 (UK) with 25 inch waist (probably the greatest achievement of my body as I wasn’t always slim before). Now I’m beginning to sound like my mom! She used to brag about how tiny her waist was. Now after 5 children, the word waist is practically non existent! Ouch… They say 1st pregnancy is okay – you’ll spring back into your previous shape..but weight is also pre-determined by your genes, and if your mama is on the overweight side, it won’t be a surprise you’d soon be there. Hell….I’m just gonna keep mine in check without being too obsessed over it. You see, I use to conduct grooming and etiquette class on part time basis and can you imagine a fat grooming consultant? LOL
No offense, but first impression do count.
Last night I called up my confinement lady and told her in specific what I want. I know I can be very disciplined when I put my mind on something. I want to be as healthy as I was before without jeopardizing my baby by dieting. But I want to know by following strictly to pantang, would I get my flat tummy back?
No iced drinks – she said. That’s her ultimate problem with majority of women after birth. Yeah, I’m okay with that. Hey I’m all geared up now. Read somewhere that your mental state on how you see yourself defines how you’re going to take care of baby. I know if I look and feel great, my baby would become such too.
Agree?
till….next post, signing off.

The funny part about being pregnant to the point of belly burst is that life still goes on albeit your discomfort and grunts of sleepless nights and backache. Don’t mean to exaggerate (I can deal with everything but this) – it actually feels like someone is pulling on your spine as if his/her life depends on it and you’re stretching long and hard to provide enough hold and support – and that is 24-hour-long-stretch every hour on the hour! To add, my colleagues did forewarn that when time is due for contraction, your spine feels like it’s being twisted. Yeah, I signed up for epidural – call me chicken but if it helps minimize pain I’m all for it. I still want a natural birth though – can’t imagine a caesarean unless need be.
My social bond with other working mothers helps in getting an insight of what it feels like juggling everything on top of your enormous belly. Their examples kept me going on days when I don’t feel like getting out of bed. Well, thank God for Obimin…my energy level is still on the high side. Eventhough I’m just waiting to pop, I still become Mr Hubby’s gracious and smiling escort to open houses and events, make sure there are warm meals on the table, house is in order (I just move a bunch of furniture to make way for the babycot and stuff) etc etc….even the maid needs supervision. If I left the maid unattended- dia pun rehat macam Mem! Aduhh….memang kena pantau selalu. So my going up and down the stairs is really a chore but I take it as a good exercise. I don’t have swollen ankles or varicose veins so far so that’s a good sign my blood circulation is in its optimum level.:) Alhamdulillah.

Today my kind neighbour showed me some Chinese herbs she used during her confinement. Although I have prepared some Malay herbs and jamu ready for my pantang rituals when the midwife comes over, I was intrigued by what she gave me. She told me if I’m interested she would help me buy at the sinseh she frequents.

the left one is for drinking (boiled in slow cooker) and the right one is for hot bath

Today Mr Hubby has resigned from being my unpaid but over-loved chaffeur to school because he has to report for a new job somewhere else.. That spells the end of Tai Tai days where I’m being chaffeur-driven almost everywhere, so I drove my humble MyVi with great exhilaration because deep down I relish my freedom to choose:
a) my favourite radio station or CD
b) complete silence
c) pure control of the steering wheel and accelerator
Oh yeah, now that I’m driving alone I brought along my baby a.k.a hospital bag in my boot just in case my water broke mid way at school or on the road and I need to get to the hospital pronto! he he…
I often wonder what should you packed in a baby bag and after so-called extensive research and common sense, here is my list. Anything else I should add? Please feel free to comment.

babywear (night and day 5 each complete with mittens and booties), toileteries for baby and Mommy, socks, maternity pads (with loops), disposable nursing pads and bra, 2oz milk bottles (to keep breast/pwdr milk), baby napkins and wipes, Mommy's decent attire for guests and checkups, sarong, towel, slippers and hospital documents.

Speaking of Mr Hubby, by midday today – I began to miss him like crazy. He used to call me 5 times at a stretch while he’s not working but now that he’s occupied there wasn’t a single ring! ha ha…. Not that I was waiting by the phone but even my colleagues remarked so and made me noticed. So I texted him some crazy notes and he replied with a short:
“Same2″
Well, Okay… I continued my task of marking papers and wasted some time at school till 6 pm. We met later for dinner straight from our separate locations and when we sat together, both started talking at once.
It was like listening to a duck and parrot talking…nobody made sense to each other but it was just nice to talk to one another face to face eh? LOL
I think I like it better when my spouse is working but I realised that I still miss having him sending me to work. Yes, Fely, you are so right in your last comment. You never really appreciate what you got till it’s gone.

Alright, back to marking again…