2nd baby....now what?

one month and a half has passed after giving birth and i'm still 4 kg more than my original weight. hmmm..if i can get back on the treadmill now then i can definitely lose the 4 extra kilos. The thing is i'm scared to rupture my stitches. Liquid diet this i can't do coz i'm too much of a food lover. Aiyah.this is all in the mind. ALL those stupid magazines say eat a sensible diet. Sensible diet my foot. Being home most of the time looking after my two sons definitely does not burn enough calories as much as i want even if i fast everyday. I need to do something more streneous to lose my fat. i can wear my old tops but my bottom is still big. I can see that the 4 kilos has defintely settled on my thighs and butt.

i have started giving tuition and realise how much i enjoy tutoring the kids. Sigh...should i look for a full-time job where i'll spend longer hours away from my 2 kiddos or should i just stick to what i'm doing now and do away with all the stress of working life. i think i'll wait after this year has passed.

Music for the Broken-Hearted

Currently listening to James Blunt (Back to Bedlam).

All the songs are great. Should check out the lyrics. Blunt's voice is very distinctive. For those who are out of love or just got dumped...please refrain from listening to this. Coz you will most prob commit suicide after that. Ha Ha.

28th Birthday

My twenty-eighth birthday today. No plans coz i'm still in confinement. So guess what I did today. My mom-in-law brought Syuaib to JB so I went to Nisha's place across the street to watch Kal Ho Naa Ho. It's another one of those hindustani movie that makes your tears flow non stop. This Sharukh Khan is really talented in making one cry. It's like the second Khabi Kushi Khabi Gham. I watched I am Sam after that. Another sad movie..... and guess what..i couldn't watch the ending coz Nisha did not record the last ten minutes of the movie. I was like ..What the F____? it was such a good movie and no ending?

Anyway..back to my birthday.. I was aiming for an LV purse present from hubby. We went to the LV boutique at Taka. So many people...It was like a fish market. I wanted to check out the price of the zipped purse with the cherries. I learned from the salesperson that the series are limited edition and they no longer carry the stock. Sigh.... i went around the whole store to see if I fancied the other patterns. They are either too loud, too small, too big or the compartments are all wrong. I went out of the store and popped by Bvlgary. Nothing I like. ...but the salesman was very nice and professional. He even recommended me Gucci..apparently, Gucci was having a sale. There was a queue outside the Gucci boutique. Gucci's not bad either. As such... i ended up with a Gucci purse. Haa Haa.

Confinement Days

My confinement days are filled with many 'feel-good-movies'. Cousin Nisha is so sweet to bring a whole box of vcds for me to watch while I nurse my infant. Till this morning, I've actually managed to catch
- A Few Good Men
- Love Actually
- A Walk to Remember
- Two Week's Notice
- Mean girls

Not bad since they are all movies that I've missed. Hugh Grant is extremely cute in a nerdy sort of way. I didn't know Mandy Moore can actually act. Lindsay Lohan is actually quite pretty.

The pain of my C section cut is barely there. I can cough as often as I like without flinching with pain. Going up and down the stairs no longer is a pain in the neck. After the post-natal massage, my tummy has reduced is size quite a bit. But of course... I still have a buldge on my tummy which i need to work at. After it's only nineteen days after the delivery. Can't even go on the treadmill now.

Body Scrub anyone?

i had the best scrub of my life. A full one and a half hour and I bet there is no spas in Singapore that can topped that. All the scrubs that I've read in brochures and experienced are the thirty minutes ones. The one I tried at Lagunita Spa feels like someone going through their hands over your body ...not even thorough....with cream containing some kind of grains.

My post-natal urut lady this time round is superb. I just finished my seven days course with her today. She brought with her nice smelling leaves for my bath, slimming cream for my tummy, jamu pills to cleanse my blood and prepared a drink that taste extremely yucky for the first three days. That's to replenish my blood that has lost...she said. Back to the scrub...every inch of my body was covered. She concentrated on the darker and rough patches even my armpits. After the scrub, i can feel the difference... skin so smooth...hmmm will definitely get her to come again.

I had a small surgery today finally to remove this very weird small growth that looks really gross at the back of my head. Luckily i have long hair to cover it. Anyway, I had it for more than a month and it kept growing. I had consulted Dr. Hamid last month about it. Couldn't remove it coz i was pregnant then. I was given a local anesthesia on my scalp. After slicing the lump, he stitched me up and bandaged my head. I look weird well whatever at least the gross looking lump is off my head now.

My 2nd Warrior

Picture below taken approx 30 min before surgery

Had my last antenatal check up on Monday, 21st November. Feeling confident that everything was going well, me and hubby was taken aback when Dr. Kee informed us that i will not be able to have a natural birth. Again!!!! Reason.... the baby's head is above my placenta...OK since I'm waiting for quite a while for baby's birth, we wanted the delivery done asap.

We checked into our single bedded room on Thursday, 24th Nov at 9 am. I was wheeled out on a stretcher at 11 am and Dr. C.C. Loo, the anesthetist injected me at 11.20. Md. Syahid is born at 11:42 am. Hubby was with me., He watched the whole operation. I was awake all the while joking with the 2 doctors. No pain at all.

Stayed at TMC from 24th Nov to 27th Nov. All the nurses and health assistants were friendly, helpful and very experienced. I'll definitely return for my next child birth. It was like a zoo at the ward with friends and relatives.

Unlike the last child birth with Syuaib, (GA) where I was totally unconscious, this time I was wide awake after the operation. My mind is all geared up to recieve the baby and also am full of determination to breastfeed successfully. With Syuaib, I only managed to fully breastfed him for two weeks. It was a disaster. My breasts was so huge... a 'D' cup, extremely hard and throbbing. I couldn't sleep, my nipples were blocked and sore. I was so depressed....

This time round I had my electric breast pump all ready. Hubby even brought it to the ward. Today I am happily breast feeding Syahid. Of course.... it's exremely tiring but well ....anything that's good comes with a price. Syahid sleeps during the day and wakes up at night. So i have to reverse my sleeping time too. Hmmmm, with the pain on my tummy, waking up at night and the sore nipples and throbbing breasts, all these are worth it. When I look into my new born's face, I still couldn't believe he was inside me for the last 38 weeks . No wonder i felt so heavy...carrying the whole of 3.22 kg with me every where i go.

LASIK anyone?

I was clearing the junks in my drawer when i came across all my LASIK bills. Better to jot down the monies that I have spent before I threw the bills away so that i appreciate my eyes better and will look after them.

SNEC
Doctor: Sharifah Zainah
First Consultation: 30th Sept 04, 8:30 am at Refractive Surgery Centre
-No contact lenses for one week before the above date
-Have to bring along my most recent eyeglasses
-Consultation takes almost 3 hrs

Shafik drove me to SNEC and that's when I received a call from my sis. He husband was in the ICU at NUH. I was at first very shocked thinking that he might have got into a car accident but later calmed down as sister told me that he has been vomitting throughout the previous night.
I told her to update me on his condition and will visit him after my consultation

Halfway through one of the tests, Kak Zana, my cousin called me. My sister's hubby has passed away. I couldn't believe my ears and broke down there and then. I immediately left SNEC and took a cab to NUH. This is it.... oh god...i'm supposed to note down my LASIK procedures....

SNEC billed me $60 for the first 2 tests that i had on the 30th of September. $55 for Corneal Topography and $5 for the Excimer Laser Handbk. I was such in a hurry, I didn't clear the first bill. I got it in the mail and paid at Singapore Post.

2nd appointment: 14th October 04
Cost of Bill: Paid $85 for some other tests.
After the tests, I made an appointment for the surgical operation. Had to to do one eye at a time. I was given a consent form that states all the side effects, risks and complications that can happen.

3rd appointment: 2nd November 05
The procedure lasted less that 5 minutes. No pain at all
Cost of Bill: $1350.70
I was given Tobradex, an antibiotic, every 2 hourly on the operated eye till bedtime. No rubbing of the eye, avoid getting water or anything to the eye. No swimming or any sports for a month. Use sunglasses while in the outdoors. I experience blur vision and tearing on the first day.

4th appointment: 3rd November 05
Cost of bill: $1320
Did another eye.

5th appointment: 4th November 05
Cost of Bill: $40
Follow up with Doc

6th appointment: 10th November 05
Cost of Bill: $40
Follow up with Doc
I have prefect vision for both eyes after LASIK.

I bought many tubes of Allegran Refresh Plus artificial tears as i experienced eye dryness for the first two months after the op. Monies spent in total approx $3k and am very satisfied with the end product. No hassles with contact lenses that are always uncomfortable and i donated all my eyeglasses. No need for prescibed goggles for snorkelling or swimming and no eyeglasses sliding down my nose when jogging or playing badminton.

LASIK..... one of the good choices that I've made in my life

Favourite Treadmill Music

Currently listening to BT
Movement in Still Life
Check out Track 5 to 12

Luv them when I'm on the Treadmill

Baby Blues

Seven more weeks till due date. This is my fourth trimester and i can feel his every little movements in my tummy even when he is hicupping which is quite frequent...everyday in fact. My still-have-yet-to-be-named baby is 1.6 kg. I am a bit clumsy now although i try not to show it in public. While alone, I will be walking from side to side holding my back. I am not diabetic after all. That last blood test was a huge scare. My glucose level is back to normal. In fact it's very good. Only 4.9. I can't wait for my baby to be born. What will he look like? I'm also quite anxious. Will it be a normal birth or like the last time.. an emergency ceasarian? I am aiming for a normal birth but all the horrific stories that I've heard from other mothers make me think twice.

My 2.5 years old toddler is extremely active and mischevious. He cannot keep still unless he is fast asleep. . During meal times, whether it's at home or at food places, he is the sort who will pull the table cloth away. When I bring him to my mom'a place, he will play with his two cousins, a 7 year old and another 3 year old. Guess who is the big bully. None other than my son. Mind you that the 7 year old is not a tame boy either. The two boys will take turns screaming or complaining that my son has either bitten them or hit them. Oh well...what ever it is.. he is my own flesh and blood and I love him very much.

Gransazers and Power Rangers are his favourite TV programs. Boys will be boys. How much I try to stop him from watching these awfully violent children programs, he will continue whining till one of us turns it on for him. He now knows his colours (black, white, blue, pink, purple, red, orange, green, grey) can identify numbers 1 to 10 and the diferent types of vehicles (truck, van, motorcycle, bus, taxi, lorry and car). Me and hubby has taught him a prayer that he has memorized and recites everynight before he sleeps.

Ya allah...jadikanlah Md. Syuaib
Seorang yang soleh
yang bijak
yang cergas dan
yang sihat
Amin

Cookies Galore

With Hari Raya just around the corner and me being stuck at homw with son and big tummy, I have decided to test on my baking skills. Armed with recipes downloaded from the Internet and recipe books that I can grab my hands on in the house, I tried a few recipes and well some are a success and some needs a few more try outs.

I got the recipe for these chocolate coated balls from one of my mom-in-law recipe books. Quite tedious to make. They are supposed to be filled with whole almonds but I filled them with cashew nuts instead. Ratings: 2.5 upon 5


My suji balls are yummy... He! He! Not paiseh...i luv them. in fact the whole house says they're delicious. They melt in your mouth. I made a mistake of not grinding the semolina so there is some kind of gritty texture I will definitely grind the semolina the next time I make them for Hari Raya. I rate them 5 upon 5.







Do not judge the cookies by their looks. These ugly looking cookies will have you asking for more. I use oats, walnuts, cooking chocolate, brown sugar and chocolate chips and cocoa for my chocolate chips cookies. While baking them, the delicious aroma filled the whole house. I rate it 4.5 upon 5.