Fabulous Mom indeed

It's almost Syawal and i did not blog anything about Ramadhan? Oh that's shameful! As of today we have around 8-9 days to go, masyaAllah how time flies ever so quickly! I managed to fast 3 days only, because as days pass by i feel more lethargic than ever. Sometimes i try to ascertain whether it is just the dramatic side of me, or that my body really demands to be replenished as months before.

Alhamdulillah i decided to take advantage of rukhsah for pregnant women as stated in Quran, that is we are exempted to fast if we are concerned with our health (and our little ones). Different school of thoughts has put out different kinds of 'replacement' whereby some say just need to pay fidyah whereas others opined must be paid in kind AND fidyah. I shall seek more clarifications for sure, insyaAllah.

This time around i made sure i cook rice every day, the very least since i can't promise i'll whip up fresh dishes daily. So far, we've had to tapau twice (once it was nasi ayam kukus, and the other from his office - which since then i've banned cos we had stomach ache after) , and had iftar outside twice (once at the restaurant near our home, the other was last week at Bubba Gump). I foresee another two sessions, courtesy of hubs' officemates and friends.

Moving on to another session of shopping for junior :) We visited Fabulous Mom at Ukay Boulevard, the nearest to my parents' home since we'd spent the weekend there. It's located just off MRR2 on the left side (from Ampang) and just above Pegaga, my parents' fav restaurant of late. 

The ambiance is very soothing.. i would say purple is such a calming colour! Hubs was very comfortable upon taking off his sandals and propped himself on a sofa and... dozed away! Well, in his defence we were really tired from cot-and-drawer shopping at IKEA the night before.. i really can't blame him :)

First and foremost, i'm glad i didn't resort to online shopping (cos FabMom does have an online shop) because they offer purchase with purchase AND more discounts! Okay, so i probably don't know if THAT was the original price, but that fact made me so happy :) Secondly, i'm very very thankful hubs was insistent on getting most stuff sorted out at one go, because if it was up to me, i'd need 3 trips at least!

Men, such simple creature that we complicated women sometimes fail to understand :)

While he had a short nap, i picked up couple of maternity stuff .. plus trying it on! I was on the prowl for baby section when he woke up and went straight to car seats row. Hehe. That was my cue to update him on what i've stacked on the counter :) I had tasked him with finding suitable car seat while i figure out littlest, trivial things (like how many towels / mittens/ blankets do we need). 

I observed they offer limited brands of car seat and stroller - Quinny, Maxi Cosi, Hauck so i knew hubs would have it easy this time around. Which is a na-ah. Me, i saw barut, hospital bags, breastfeeding guide, booties, washcloth.. mentally i was ticking off the checklist! I was so tempted to get more towels and blankets (like i said, i haven't figured out how much do i need exactly) but that could wait (again, i pictured coming there again).

Since we'd bought the cot the night before (which i will write in another post), hubs decided to get the bedding set and crib set (y'know, bumpers and comforters) as well. Senang cerita! We got the Space Cow range from Bumbleebee, because me and hubs decided we want our children to be exposed to variety of Allah's creations. Translation: no typical pink-Barbie-princess-ponies. A girl should learn about cows and dinosaurs as much as a boy should, right? And i'm very adamant i wouldn't want to get any doll for my kids.. i'd rather they have Furby seriously!

The salesgirl was very impressed, but to be honest, any gender would find the Space Cow series attractive. Plus, her (yes, insyaAllah it's a SHE) future siblings can use the same set. 

I forgot to snap photos of us shopping there.. sigh! We signed up as members, as i foresee frequenting this store (but ofcourse!). In summary, i would rate 7/10 for this store for reasons below:

• Complete series of Bumblebee bedding (mattresses, types, pillows, sheets)
• Fun colours of nursing bras
• Hospital / diaper bag choices (RM 71 for huge size is definitely a great deal!) 
• Helpful sales assistants
• Comfy environment
• Different types of washcloth (and at such great price) and blanket

As for breastpump, stroller, car seat, bottles, cots, toiletries and baby clothes, i would recommend baby expos as they offer much more choices in one roof. For example if you've been eyeing Avent starter bottles you'd get more input at Philips' booth instead.

We spent almost an hour at the store, but really time flew quickly! I'm so happy to report we're down to few items left:

• car seat
• mommy's confinement set
• perineal gel
• items for nursery (need to confirm which, to know what to buy)
• diapers & maternity pad
• milk collection shell, washable breast pad

I need to write on Mothercare, Sunway Warehouse and IKEA trips later! Alhamdulillah indeed. I hope this baby will be grateful as much as we are :)

Of baby expos

I've been meaning to write about this since we got home from it, like last weekend. Haha. Yes, because we were excited (and flat out tired) as well as I want to document this event. But who am i kidding, the moment we reach home our chores, bed and subsequently work days came.

Hence today, a relaxing but fulfilled Saturday.

So we've been to the expo thrice actually. Last year when i was shortly pregnant, week before last (5 July, at Stadium Shah Alam) and last Saturday (13 July). And yes, we splurged at the recent one :)

Anyhow, last Saturday, Alhamdulillah was a great day for us three. Went to PCMC for a checkup and everything seems fine and healthy, thank you Allah! Straightly drove to Midvalley (mother of KL malls AND parking headaches!) and since we were quite early (reached around 11am) parking spots were in abundance! 

Yes i have to admit, weeks prior to that day i was worrying about parking there.. i almost wanted to forgo the idea (of visiting the baby fair), but numerous Google searches indicated this one is THE most feasible for us considering:

• Insyaallah i'd be delivering in November
• the next big one would be in November (see point #1) in KL Convec
• the ones held in Midvalley are the best, compared to ones in PWTC and KL Convec

And i was right.. the organizers (there are about 3/4 different companies holding this type of fair.. and each one of them would attract different exhibitors and select different numbers of opening halls!) opened three halls this time. Well, thanks to previous bloggers somehow we can see the trend of organizers.

 

Being typical me, already (mentally) listed down the items i wanted to get I assumed we'd be in and out in couple of hours cos we know what to get where. Wait, i also saved in my phone, lest i forget. But i forgot my dear husband is the type that will savor (yes that word fits perfectly) each row at Jusco/Tesco/ Giant.. so i relented, because as he said "well i'm the one who'll be carrying everything anyway"

 

Ain't that the truth.

 

So when we got to Hall 3, i saw the things i wanted and yes, wasted no time on it! Despite these items being the last in my list (for that day). Now, when i think about it, i do sound quite obsessed with the list!

 

Catch of the day includes: Pureen (bath, laundry & bottle detergents, cornstarch powder, lotion, baby wipes), digital off-forehead thermometer (one that husband was determined on getting!), Avent starter bottles, some towels and blanket... and Medela (yeay! Alhamdulillah husband surprised me by insisting we get it on that day). Oh, we got some newborn clothes, but i would consider it in progress :)

We took a break after hours in, and went to Jusco to get some changing mats. All because Pureen didn't sell those that weekend. Weird right. Anyway, first photo in this blog goes to:

Okay, these are accumulated from our trips before and after the Midvalley baby fair :) Some (like sterilizer, breastpump & even more baby wipes) are not in the pic because.. it's already sitting pretty in our store. Haha. And yes, i have kept some at my parents' house.

It's also noteworthy to mention, we went in for the third time just to get the doorgift and try our luck for the lucky draw. What needs not mention is that we lost. Hehe.

All in all, we're pretty satisfied and grateful for the purchases Alhamdulillah. Truly got amazing discounts and freebies at the fair, so much so that i would visit it again (next year ofcourse) same place.

Would i recommend it to others? Yes, but...

• Please come early! No matter which day (usually these fairs go on for 3 days) you decide to come
• Know what you plan to buy so you save time (and energy)
• As any other fairs go, do practice tolerance and consideration towards others.. Especially parents lugging strollers. Since we can't avoid them, the least we can is to step out of their way.
• Get a good meal in :) Best decisions are made when the tummy is full :)

Now, for us, we won't be heading to any fair(s) soon, time for us to head to on-and-offline stores (ie. Fab Mom & One Baby World) as well as other baby stores. 

 

 

Buying frenzy

Alhamdulillah, we're now 21 weeks! We (hubby and I) has felt the kickings of the little one, alhamdulillah. Everytime i think of how powerful and great Allah's blessings are, i can't help but shed a tear. I mean, only Allah can truly grant you a life, and each passing day the baby grows with His Will.. if that doesn't bring you to your knees in thankfulness.. nothing will.

The preparation in welcoming this little one is one phase we truly enjoyed. From the doa and surahs to recite, to preparing a list.. and endless research on anything baby related. It reminded me of the times we spent prior to our wedding. Only this time, more thought has to be in place because this is Allah's gift we're talking about! Someone so fragile, so lovely deserves nothing but our utmost attention :)

I googled and found so many versions of baby stuff checklist! But i chose one from a blog that seems sensible and complete. As we go along, i did add few things to the list to suit my parents' home and later on, ours. Stuff like spray bottle and adding changing mats because it makes sense to have more when you're not staying with your parents.

We then started our research.. it excites me to read from one blog to another, on how the items fare. Durability, function and practicality wise - i'm happy we put these as priority, in comparison to how it looks like. Don't get me wrong, we did look for something that soothes the eyes ;) Considering baby stuff isn't cheap, and eventhough we're not about to scrooge on this one, we want to get our money worth. And so far, alhamdulillah.. i think we did :)

So yeah, naturally the next step is to spend that money yo! Hehe. We already did some shopping, which i believe based on my timeline of pregnancy weeks, we're not that far off. And we did take into account i may want to rest in the last few months.. so yeah, we went ahead and bought whatever the list required, whenever we go out.

It's..exhilarating! We went in from one store to another with trepidation, and left with smiles.. I feel happy that hubby and I took time to evaluate and imagine the usage of one item we're about to buy. It felt meaningful, as much as this baby are to us :)

I know it's overwhelming, i mean where to start, what and where to buy.. but we developed a few rules:

• Big ticket items like cot/playpen, stroller, breastpump, baby drawer, car seat are best settled early. Of course, it depends on your allocation and planned usage. For us, these are the priority. 
• Toiletries and baby care (ie feeding) are best bought at baby fairs. Not only they give great discounts at bigger purchase, we also got few freebies!
• Baby clothing can wait. In our case, baby fair was held in Ramadhan hence it's unnecessary to stand and toss clothings in such huge crowd. We decided to start after Syawal.

If you ask me, which item should be researched, i would say ALL. yes, all. From breast pump to diaper.. We didn't buy items we did not study thoroughly, as of now. No matter how attractive the item and prices were, I suppose more information serves better value. And if you ask me, am i willing to spend on my child(ren), the answer is yes, if we feel it is worth it. 

For example, i wanted to settle on a famous, cheaper stroller earlier. I just thought well it's cheap so what's the fuss right? Wrong, because we have to consider the fold up size, the wheels and requirement we wanted (170 recline, parent facing, longer usage, foldability).. we ended up buying a different, costlier brand. So yeah, it really doesn't hurt to study a bit :)

Anything for you

So, i actually drafted a post couple of weeks back, but when i wanted to post it somehow connection wasn't that good. I'm somehow not the type-in-Words kinda person, so i gave up and moved on with my life. Hehe.

I just thought it's worth documenting some bouts of sickness i experienced in first trimester, because i know every pregnant lady goes through the journey differently.. some gets on fine and dandy til delivery, some goes through hyperemesis.. and then there were species like me. The not-that-severe-but-man-was-that-tiring-or-what kind.

• Nausea - this goes on all day (and night) long, every other day. i remembered looking for asam in Cold Storage, only to find out the preservatives were abundant! Plus, me not so much an asam person, didn't know what exactly would help. I settled for strips of pruned asam. I didn't go to town with the whole multi range of jeruk, though.
• Fatigue - the first few weeks we found out, somehow i had back to back  long weekends. Gotta love my company sometimes :) i spent every day (after work) and weekend just laying down with my feet up.. and eyes closed. I felt sorry looking at the laundry pile.. but i think the pile sympathizes with me more.
•  Vomit - yes, i was thankful each time i threw up, because i somehow feel it means my baby is getting stronger. No, i don't know any proven studies that correlates to that, but just let me be will ya? It wasn't that bad, but i do feel sorry for the food that went down the drain...

        I have to admit though, it was due to my overeating. I should be embarrassed, but hey, i was trying to fight off nausea!

• Heartburn - i googled a lot on how to cope with this, and people recommended things that seemed dangerous for early pregnancy. Stuff like pineapple (which i conveniently ignore since i don't like it anyway), carbonated drinks (caffeine and sugar overload!!).. i thought they were pranking me maybe! I found one suggestion, which was to drink cold milk.. so yes, i gulped down milk day and night.

        I also sipped (small) Mirinda strawberry and A&W rootbeer. At some point, milk didn't help so i surrendered to sleep. Sleep worked, every single time!

Ofcourse, all these came with the food aversion and preference package. Here's the list:

Loves: Watermelon, oranges, fishes, nasi lemak (gotta have it every day!), nasi! KFC wedges, spaghetti bolognese (yes, that specific)

Hates: Bread (any kinda grain & sandwich), chicken, beef & lamb grilled, cooking oil.

I remembered crying once or twice during first trimester, but i told myself, i would go through this gladly, if it means Allah is granting us a healthy and perfect baby. Anything for you.