Wake Up and Smell the Cake

Not in the best of moods today. Except for the good news that Fang gave birth early this morning!! So excited for her! :) Expanding Appetite Right now I need chocolate. I'm craving it so bad it's like as if I'm pregnant. Which I'm not. I just had lunch too by the way. The past two days I've noticed I have a huge appetite. And even after I had a meal, I can still feel hungry or feel like a gastric's coming. That isn't good news for someone who still has lots of kilos to lose. Forgetting Things I wanted to bring my orange chocolate Marks & Spencer biscuits but I forgot. Just like how I forgot to throw out the rubbish bag from the toilet too. I wonder what's in my head. Yesterday I forgot to bring my pump's valve. Had to rush all the way home to get it. Urgh.  Anyway. I'm still finding it hard to balance these days. Motherhood isn't easy. Time for Learn and Play Yes I am still figuring out when to play and teach Junior. Weekdays s

I am missing my chubbycheeks. He turned four months yesterday! Time flies :) Today I'm back in office after one and a half weeks on leave. Very the lemak. Spent lots of time with family, and precious precious time with Junior! He's getting so adorable! Talks a lot these days, complete with tonation. Smiles and laughs, loves to cuddle and hold me tight when I'm carrying him. My sweet little angel :) His favourite activity now is to grab my tudung and put it in his mouth. Easiest to grab and he does it very fast now! Seems that he likes to put cloth in his mouth: his pillow ends, washcloth, my tudung. But when we gave him a proper teething toy, he didn't like it. Maybe it doesn't taste nice. But he did want to put his (very cheap, very effective. 3 for $3.50 from Mustafa) rattle in his mouth! In a way it's good cos we don't have to buy those specific and expensive toys! Normal daily items would do :) Yesterday we bought a very cheap walker from Mustafa,

Hello!! I'm on Medical Leave :D Husband's at work, and Junior's at my mum's house. I'm free to do just about everything! Heh. Morning I sent off Junior, and stuck around for a bit before going to my all time fave Chong Pang to get some stuff and most importantly, threading. I've been putting it off for the longest time! With that done, and toiletries bought, I spent $50. How did I spend that much on so few items! And I've yet to buy rice, kicap and eggs! Anyway. So I went home, fried my french beans to go with my daging masak kicap for lunch, and then washed and hung clothes to dry, and then baked a chocolate cake (recipe later), and vacuumed the house and now I'm taking a break before I start ironing. Did all that when I'm supposed to be resting and slacking around haha. Husband's gonna scold me for not resting hehe! Daging masak kicap was done yesterday, I prepared everything and cooked the meat and off to zzzland I went, while Husband

This is the first week (or that I can remember) that we have the whole weekend to ourselves. No extended family, no errands to run, and best of all, The Husband didn't think about work. Absolute family time. And we totally enjoyed it! Saturday morning we went to the market, bought some groceries for cooking my favourite Sindhi Briyani (yumyum!) for the day, and bought Junior's home clothes. Then we lazed around at home till late afternoon and went out for a bit of shopping. Junior's first time in a pram in Orchard! But he didn't last long, about two hours only -_-" Sunday we went out too, had a simple dinner at Charco's and went to Ikea. We were supposed to go to the beach for a sunset walk but it was pretty hot even at 5 in the evening. Oh and did I mention the sun!! Omg the hot hot sun! PERFECT for drying clothes! So perfect, I washed clothes on both days! Totally love it hahahaha. Okay I know I sound so housewife-ish. Here's Junior in the car

I was browsing an online shop for books for Junior, and I decided, hey! Why not make my own board books! Toddlers' board books looks simple, anyway! Got searching for some inspiration, and these websites are good: Simple blank images that will strike well with babies! http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2008/11/homemade-board-books.html Flip open to see what's behind! So cute! I'm definitely trying this! http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Custom-Lift-the-Flap-Book-for-a-Toddler/?ALLSTEPS And this makes use of scrap papers which I have LOADS of. http://naptimecrafters.blogspot.com/2011/04/diy-board-book_11.html For a start I could try with shapes and colours! Oooh and material too! Paste felt material, feather, foil that sorta stuff. Then maybe one for the road for our little holiday next week, make it as we go along. Ah I'm so excited thinking about it! Haha! I do hope I'll do this and it's not just another project in my dreams. Like the other time I w

Just a simple, quick lunch with Other Half. Bank - BK - bus ride back to office. And it is bliss ♥ :) First lunch date since I came back to work.  First time on the bus together here! Funfun :) We should do it more often! Heehee~

Today's the third day of work since I came back. It SUCKS. Day 1 was okay. My reactions are always slow. Like jetlag. And fasting. Second day onwards then I'll feel the strain. Day 1, we left him at my in-laws', he didn't cry when we went off cos he was still a bit groggy. My chubbycheeks isn't used to waking up so early in the morning hehe. I almost teared, but I tried to hold it back. Day 1 he behaved, he drank from his bottle, he didn't cry much, and he slept well. We were relieved. I missed him, but it was manageable. So I thought, okay this is not too bad! When we came to fetch Junior, he was all smiley and happy. My charming angel :) Day 2. Started out okay too. But I got really emotional and sad and all teary when we got back home. It finally kicked in that I wasn't going to spend as much time as I did during maternity leave. I hated the send baby-go work-fetch baby routine. When we reach home, I'll only have at most an hour before I have to

Today I left Junior at my mum's for about five hours, to bottle train but it was a total failure. Sigh. Why oh why won't my darling not drink from the bottle! How would he survive without milk when I'm back at work! :( Anyway. I decided to make No Bake Cookies. I have loads of Hershey's chocolate that Other Half brought back from his NY trip a couple of months ago. As much as I love chocolate, I was disappointed with the Hershey's pack he bought! Doesn't taste like good chocolate at all. Even the Kisses aren't good. While looking for recipes at random, I came across one which could make use of Reese's peanutbutter cups, the chocolate I dislike among the mix. It looks fast, simple and no baking required! It is the No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies . Ingredients that I use which I shouldn't have adjusted to: 125g butter 1/2 cup milk 2 cups sugar 1 and a half cup Reese's Peanutbutter Cups 3 cups quick oatmeal 1 teaspoon

If Junior mistakes a sealion for a seal, it's my fault haha. Only realised I got the animals mixed up after I wrote the letters.

Once again I did not step out of the house to get groceries. Yes, I'm such a procrastinator, I've been wanting to do it for a week now but everytime I just postpone. Monday's dinner was a result of the procrastination. You see, I've ran out of onions. And I only have a whole chicken in the fridge. So what did I do? Find a recipe where cooking doesn't involve any onions hahaha. Couldn't think of any cos onion is such an essential ingredient. So I thought of cooking with the next most essential ingredient - garlic! And I found this garlic chicken recipe ! I had a tahu kering set and that would be made into a simple soup dish, of which I added too much garlic. Hurhur. Note to self: never EVER use more than three cloves in a soup. It'll just be bitter. Anyway. I tried the chicken recipe and Other Half loves it! Although he only ate one piece -_-" I wasn't confident of the taste, didn't know if he liked it and I know he won't like the

It's been ages since I last baked! Today I did the cheesecake, only because the cream cheese is expiring today. HAHA. Yes. And I still have one packet left I don't know what to do. I curi a tiny piece while the cake is still cooling cos I was hungry hehe. With baby asking for milk every hour and sleeping for 30 minutes each nap, I needed a fast recipe, and one where I don't have to buy any ingredients, so I modified and made my very first cheesecake without recipe. Ingredients 2 packs cream cheese 1 tin (388g) condensed milk 4 tbsp flour 1 egg 1 tbsp vanilla essence Crust: 125g digestives + 50g butter Crush the digestives and mix with the melted butter. Press them onto the springform pan and bake at 170 degrees C for 8 minutes. Mix condensed milk and cream cheese. Then add in the egg, mix well.  Add flour and vanilla essence. Bake at 160 degrees C for about 45 to 50 minutes. Done! :) Haven't tasted it yet though hahahaha. But I'm sure it'

I am so thrilled to see poop! You see, Junior didn't have bowel movements for 5 days last week and we went to the doctor who gave him a solution via the anus to flush out the poop. And boy did he flush out everything. Two days after, he pooped but a bit less than usual. And today, another two days after, his farts have become so pungent like the smell of his poop. That could only mean there's lots of poop waiting to come out, hence the smell. His tummy wasn't feeling too good too. He cringed a lot just to let out gas. So I went to the trusty Babycenter forum for some tips, and found this massage technique recommended by the contributor's doctor. Gave it a try, and Junior felt happier! He didn't cry when I left him alone, and played actively too! And best of all, he pooped just like what I read! Amazing! Happiest moment in the day! Haha! I gleefully messaged my mum the good news and she replied, "The simple things in life that make u happy..seeing ur child b

Celebrated our second anniversary last Monday. What an amazing two years it has been, and thinking back all the things we did and went through! This year, with a baby practically hanging on to me 24/7, I couldn't bake or even complete a decent card! But I did come up with a short and simple message which sums up everything: Loving you is like butter cake. It is easy, non-extravagant yet so good and wholesome, and it gets better by the day :) I know! Butter cake right! Me, baking, buttrer cake! Perfect! Muahahaha In other news!! My fingers got itchy and so!!! I got for myself a snakeskin handbag! At a steal ! The last time I bought for myself a leather handbag was a year ago, my favourite leather, ostrich skin. So okay la hor one year on, quite justified to get one now hehe. Awesomeposum! Just in time for raya! :)

While others had their first night of terawih last Sunday... Junior learnt ABC using [self-declared] yummy godmummy Shez and playing with Sophie the giraffe from Auntie Sophie! Tired lah learn so many things at one go! My chubbycheeks!! I love you very much, sweetheart ♥♥♥

Baby's over the one month mark! He's getting more interested in talking to people and wanting people to talk to him, and I've started reading his books to him. But I think he's more interested in the pictures than the content haha. The past two days or so his eating patterns have changed again, there was one period of time which was amazing for me, breastfeeding reduced to about 15 to 30 minutes per session instead of the initial one hour or so. And then it reverted back to the old pattern! Less sleep again :( But on the good side of things, I think my breast milk is stabilising. Though sometimes when Junior gets too impatient he doesn't want to latch on properly and that isn't good for either one of us. Have started using the ring sling! I decided to ask Sis Nurhidayati for recommendations since she has loads of advice on breastfeeding and all things baby. I got the gauze double layer ring sling after much consideration (mostly of the colours haha). Black +

Taken yesterday, at three weeks young. We tried making him hold his own bottle :) Didn't last long, of course. Hahaha.

Am at my mum's house now, have been staying here while Husband is in NY for a work trip. Yes! A work trip when baby is only over two weeks?! Sadness. Even the mother of the baby is extra sad :( Can I blame it on post-natal hormones? Haha. He flew last Sunday night, and for the whole day, Junior refused to sleep, only wanting to be cuddled and given attention especially by daddy dearest. It's like he knows daddy dearest is flying off. Heart wrenching. But since Sunday, Junior's been a good boy behaving himself. But sometimes he still wants attention and to be cradled. I guess that's normal for newborns. Five more days till Other Half is home! :) I miss him. Somehow I'm reminded of days of London, cos he's very very far away. If he were to go, say, Brunei, it won't be as bad. New York is just so, scary. Watching too much crime dramas like CSI New York and my favourite Bones makes US sound dangerous with their small, dark alleys and guns!! Guns! Is it real

I am zombified. Sleep deprived. Headache from sleep deprevation. Yesterday we set a new record: baby was awake for four hours and like three and a half of it was spent on breastfeeding. I could feel my breasts empty and much lighter! Plus, before that he was already waking up for feeds like every hour. I do hope it's because of a growth spurt! Have tried my best to avoid formula milk, but when he refuses to sleep after almost an hour and a half of breastfeeding at night and I doze off while breastfeeding at the edge of the bed, formula milk is sooo tempting to quench his never-ending thirst. Puts him to sleep quickly and lasts a little bit longer. Plus it's dangerous too what if I accidentally lost grip of Junior. Today Junior is 15 days old. I can't really believe it, two weeks and eleven hours ago, I was pushing with all my might to get this darling out. Felt like its been ages though! And I kinda miss the feeling of being pregnant. I was heavily pregnant yet energ

It's Day 11 with Junior, but it feels like we've had him for a few weeks! Haha. My mum's been a fantastic help around the house coming almost daily to cook and help with household chores. Best mum ever :) Her mum did that for her too when she gave birth to me, and I think she's just passing it on. And it's a huge advantage having your parents live near you! Junior was born on 30 June 2011, at a little past 11pm, and weighs a whopping 4 kilos! By normal birth mind you. A total of 44 hours of labour, though the contractions at the beginning weren't that bad cos I could still walk around the hospital. We went to the hospital on 29th, two hours earlier than our induce appointment because I already had "show". We thought, Junior's very punctual! First sign of labour on his EDD! But dilation took longer than expected, plus there weren't enough beds for non-emergency cases like me so I had to wait till 30th afternoon before they could burst my water

...because Junior is out! :) Have loads to tell, but I don't know where to start. I'm loving Junior more and more each day, and I thank God for this blessed child. He just gets more adorable by the day, and it's amazing to see what he can learn. I do hope we can be the best parents to this little angel. Amin.