Interesting.

- cstring
- juicy couture diaper bag
- gstrings
- aainaa ribena blogspot
- 9 weeks fetus ultrasound
- beautiful arabic man
- crochet monokini cosmopolitan
- disney baby clothes
- dyed pubic hair

Just some of the keywords which have led people to my blog. I knew I shouldn't have written that post about the c string!

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

You know you love sushi when...

...you want to dress your baby as one for Halloween. Ayden in a sushi costume? I. Could. Just. Eat. Him. Up! Extra wasabi and soy sauce please!

Check out the other hilariously too cute for words costumes. Thinking of dressing your baby as a chocolate chip cookie this Halloween? Well, now you can.

Sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

p/s: I hope everyone can see the links I've posted above, not too sure if they're obvious or too vague..

A hairy issue.

I think, no I know, that I am slowly but surely going bald in certain areas of my scalp. My hair is literally falling out in clumps. Wake up, clumps on my pillow. Tie my hair, clumps. Untie my hair, clumps. Shampoo hair, MAJOR super duper clumps. Gently towel dry my hair, clumps. Run fingers through hair, clumps. Watch tv with Ayden, clumps. Go shopping at Pavilion and watch Conan the Barbarian, clumps. And on it goes. Random quick thought - 'clumps' is such a weird word. And we're back. So everyone knows that after you have a baby, that beautiful thick (albeit a little frizzy) mane you acquired during your pregnancy will make way for lovely bald spots. It comes with the baby fat on your thighs that will not go away, sort of like a package - a Super Combo Post Preggo Deal. I actually took a photo of a shampoo clump and posted it on fb...thought it was too shocking not to share. Didn't get any comments, except for my sister wondering why it was still sitting there on the toilet floor...

Anyway, I am trying out this hair tonic called Audace by recommendation. My hair is still dropping like flies onto floors, pillowcases, tops and Ayden. Poor boy has had his share of strands in mouth. Not entirely my fault, though, the little dude loves grabbing a handful of my mane and tugging. HARD. Of course, he is the only one who finds this amusing.

I think I need to switch to hardcore olive oil. Or was it coconut oil? Any advice on what works before I seriously consider going all ghetto up in 'ere and getting a weave?

Sloppy clumpy kisses,
'Aainaa

I've always known.

I was going through my old posts and this post from February of 2009 caught my attention. Fastforward two years and two months later, and number 20 actually came true. He's at home right now, probably watching Babytv on Astro, or sleeping.. :)

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

P/s: I still shave my legs in the car.

I'm not an impractical person, but....

..for this (Missoni for Bugaboo) stroller, I say HELL YEAH! Plus, if I get this stroller, there's a high possibility we'll be using it for Ayden's future siblings. Can I go ahead and say it's an investment? Haha.

Months of zero shopping so I can save up for one...will I be able to do it??

Sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Wedding fever

Just a few wedding related links which are just too great not to share:

- Okay, Christina Hendricks' wedding was ages ago. But in case you missed it, this pic of her and her bridal party is so vintage fabulous it's ridiculous, I keep on coming back to it again and again. So freakin' gorgeous.

- I love anything related to Summer Finn's wardrobe in 500 Days of Summer. This wedding dress in this shade of blue would be perfect for her, don't you think? And while we're at it, this wedding cake would be great too!

- Can I have a second wedding so I can serve these DIY popsicles at my solemnisation ceremony? How great would they look in photos??

- I've always loved a romantic backyard wedding. But what I'm really looking at is at this gorgeous bride's lacey tiered wedding gown!

- This wedding is so quirky yet stunning, I'm speechless. And check out her bridesmaids' dresses. So, so pretty!

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Ayden in his cat suit!

Best get up for snuggle time!

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

The delivery Part II

"My water broke!" I cried urgently in the dark to Yasir, who was sound asleep on the couch next to me at 5am. Water continued spilling out onto the sheets, soaking my gown. It was ongoing, a steady, free flowing gush. It took me a few cries before Yasir finally stirred in his sleep. "Sayang! Wake up! My water broke!" I cried exasperatedly for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Water? No thanks.." mumbled Yasir. I almost laughed hysterically.

"I'm not offering you water lah! MY water broke!!" I half laughed and half screamed. Finally, it registered on Yasir's mind what I was trying to tell him and he found the 'call for nurse' button on the remote next to him. Within seconds the nurse came into the room, and we told her my water broke, so two nurses fetched me the wheelchair and said they were going to wheel me into the labour room pronto. They helped me onto the wheelchair, all the while liquid still gushing out in between my legs and spilling onto the floor. I don't know why, but I apologised profusely to the nurses, feeling a little embarrassed that I was causing such a mess and they responded warmly, "Takpe..biasalah tu," with a smile on their faces.

Once in the labour room, one of the nurses handed me a fresh gown and said I could change out of my drenched gown. So I went to the toilet in a dreamlike state, took off my old gown and saw the light blood stains on them, feeling a bit irked by the sight. Changed into a new gown and felt more comfortable, but as soon as I got onto the bed, I started leaking again. I wondered when my water would run out. And another thought that crossed my mind was Ayden and if he was okay without all that water to cushion him anymore. The nurse told me to try and get some rest, while we wait for me to further dilate. Yasir got out his laptop and put on the 'Labour of love' playlist I had prepared earlier to help me relax. It did help a bit, as soothing songs from Sade, Corinne Bailey Rae and Billie Holiday filled the labour room, as I breathed through my contractions that seemed to intensify with each minute. They were very uncomfortable but still bearable at that point. But because I'd heard of stories of women who asked for their epidural too late, I wanted to get it done and over with because I had made up my mind beforehand that I was going to get through my labour as comfortable as I possibly could.

Around 7am as my contractions got more and more intense, we finally called for my epidural. A female doctor came into the room and made me sign what looked like an agreement, to acknowledge the risks that came with agreeing to an epidural. I skimmed through the sheet of paper, trying not to freak myself out, all the while praying to God for everything to go well, glancing nervously as the nurses set up everything for my epidural. After signing the agreement, the doctor explained to me the procedure, step by step. I sat up on the bed, gown open at the back, clutching a pillow. "I need you to hunch to the front, let your body hang limply, so I can find a nice spot for the needle. I need you to relax, okay 'Aainaa," she instructed me firmly, but in a kind tone. At that point I was still experiencing pretty intense contractions, and with every 'peak', what was left of my amniotic fluid still gushed out in between my legs. Relax Aainaa, relax, I repeated to myself in my mind over and over, struggling a little to do so.

"Okay, I'm going to insert the needle now, you will feel a pinch, but I need you to stay still and try not to make any sudden moves when you feel it."

Here we go. I felt a slight sting as the needle went in, all the while reminding myself to hunch over. The needle going in was a bearable pain, but feeling the the tube (or whatever it was) going through my spine caused me to flinch, as my body automatically 'jumped' from the sensation. Yasir was a good distraction to me the whole time, because I focused on him. Finally, it was done. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking that I could finally relax, a nurse began setting up another tube. "What's that for?" I asked nervously. "Ni in case you need to kencing, because you can't go to the toilet," she answered.

Ohmygod, that tube was going into my pee hole.

Having a tube shoved into your you-know-where is NOT a pleasant experience. In my opinion, it felt worse than having the epidural. It wasn't about the pain, it was just the most uncomfortable, ngilu feeling. I clenched Yasir's hand and grit my teeth throughout the whole thing.

After that was over, I laid back onto my bed and felt the contractions become milder and milder. "Rest, sayang. Get some sleep," Yasir said to me. He closed the curtains and I felt myself drifting in and out of sleep.

Honestly, throughout the rest of my labour, I cannot remember how many times a nurse came in to check how far along I was dilated. I lost count at one point. And every single time I was checked, I found myself tensing up more and more as different fingers shoved deep inside me and felt for the baby's head and the opening of my cervix. And with every 'check', I felt frustrated because I had barely made progress. I was dilating so, so slowly. It took me a good few hours just to dilate a centimeter. By afternoon, I was only dilated around 4 centimeters. I prayed that my labour would speed up, reaching for Ayden's onezie every now and then. Hang on little guy, I'm going to see you soon, I channeled my thoughts to Ayden.

The hours rolled by as I drifted in and out of consciousness, and my contractions started to intensify, even with epidural. My family had gathered outside the labour room by 4pm, thinking I would be delivering any minute. Friends bbm-ed me asking if I was in labour. It was a flurry of nurses coming in and out, checking to see how far along I was, and me getting disappointed every single time. With every hour that passed by, my body and mind started feeling more and more tired. Yasir was so lovely, barely leaving my side. My mother accompanied me most of the time too, and I knew my family members were outside supporting me and giving me courage.

Close to 7pm, I was around 8cm dilated. I thought to myself, I was induced at 8pm the previous day, and here I am almost a day later, still in labour. Ya Allah... But by then, that was the least of my worries. I started developing a fever then. A nurse came in and gave me a shot of antibiotics through the drip on my hand, which was unexpectedly super painful. By then, I felt like I was a science experiment as I was poked and prodded, all the while with ongoing contractions for what seemed like an ETERNITY. I just want to hold my baby, please God let this all be over soon, I prayed.

Then my doctor, Dr Paul dropped a bomb on me. He looked at Ayden's heartbeat on the monitor and had this worried look on his face. "Aainaa, because you have a fever, your baby is developing a fever too. His heartbeat isn't looking good." he explained seriously, and all I could hear was 'fever', 'heartbeat not looking good' over and over, while he continued to say something about Ayden being at risk from catching pneumonia. Pneumonia.

This has got to be a nightmare. I felt the panic rising in my chest, as my tired mind wrapped around the fact the fact that Ayden's heartbeat was slowing down. That was the last thing any mother in labour needed to hear. God, I just want him to be okay. I just want my baby boy to be safe. Please God please, I pleaded silently. Somehow I calmed myself down because I knew stressing myself out would make things worse for Ayden. Dr. Paul checked my opening again and said I was dilated 9cm, and that Ayden's head was "just there".

"Aainaa, we've got to get your baby delivered now, we can't wait any longer because of his heartbeat. We'll try pushing normally, with episiotomy and vacuum. If not, we have no choice but to get him out by a c-section," said Dr. Paul. I just managed to nod, and saw the nurses get everything ready for Ayden, taking out a weighing scale and other tools for the delivery.

The moment I had been waiting for, for the past nine months had finally arrived - it was time to push.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

I'm such a doofus (link to The Delivery part 1)

I wrote this post a while back, thinking I would publish it later. So I've just gone and published it, but now it's stuck waaay behind my older posts. And because I'm soo technologically illiterate, I can't for the life of me figure out how to get this post to 'jump' to the front. So here's the link instead. It's about my delivery experience (well, the first quarter of it), so it took me awhile to write about it, because I didn't want to rush into things. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone, but it was such a personal, life changing experience that I had to 'ease' into it. Anyway, click the link to read :)

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

If I could rob a store, this would be it.

Seriously.

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Ayden's first raya.

Going house hopping with a 4 month old baby in tow is no easy feat. But Ayden surprised me and surpassed my expectations (as he always does!) because he behaved like an angel and 'socialised' well with relatives and anyone who wanted to hold him or coo at him. Of course there were the occasional crying whimpers, but only to signal if he needed to be fed or was sleepy. Which, is why I think the baby sling is a GODSEND. Whenever he felt like he was overstimulated or had enough of being fussed over, I'd whip out the sling, put him in and he'd start zoning out because he'd feel safe in his own little cocoon...and give or take a few minutes, he'd fall asleep in my arms. Minus the strain it puts on my left arm after a while, I love when this happens, every single time :)

Here are some photos of him when he's wide awake (the sling makes an appearance in a lot of our raya pics, which aren't here):

First day of raya, in his Superman getup, complete with red cape at the back!

Watching The Glee Project at Maine's!

Darling Maine was kind enough to change Ayden's diaper too. What an awesome hostess ;)

Maine's mum with Ayden!

Ayden checking out a vid of himself on Yasir's phone

Random silliness before my sis flies back to Vevey this Sunday

All in all, what an awesome Raya!

Sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Ayden and I would like to wish all of you Selamat Hari Raya! :) Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

Sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Random things I think my house needs.

1. These scrabble cushions. Because I like spelling what I'd like to do on my bed. And while we're at it, my couch needs this too. Helps Ayden become a good speller too! Kills two birds with one stone doesn't it?

2. This antique white bookcase. We still don't have a bookcase in our apartment yet, and it is killing me!

3. Crazy fun coasters. Because every house needs coasters which aren't plasticky and flowery. My fav picks here (will sure to delight Twilight fans!) and here.

4. Maybe if I had this on my kitchen wall I'd feel like cooking. And we will never run out of milk, bread and eggs...

Have a good weekend everyone!

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Hello, my name is Ayden.

I want to squeeze Ayden into this:

It is definitely a sign that the seller decided to use the name Aiden as her display pic. All we need is to change the 'i' to a 'y'.

Now, where's that credit card of mine...

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Delivery gown? Really?

Ok, so my last post was about random stuff I think I need. While we're on the subject - apparently, you can now buy your own delivery gown. This just goes to show that people will make money from ANYTHING. My delivery gown from Prince Court was a hospital standard soft, peachy pink colour (I remember my mom commenting on how pretty the colour was, oddly enough). Give or take a few hours and that nice, soft pink became another less appealing shade as it was slowly but surely drenched with bodily fluids. And no gown, no matter how gorgeous would make me look lovely as I huffed and puffed in the labour room, wild hair pancaked to my sweaty head, face red from pushing. You know that scene in the movie where the woman is screaming, face scrunched up, legs in the air, while everyone yells at her to "PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!! PUSH MACAM MARAH!!! MARAH AAINAA MARAH!!" That was me, except that it would be a Malay movie. Now imagine throwing this gown into that image I just painted.

Kourtney Kardashian should have worn one of these though, because her delivery experience was obviously supernaturally easy (and damn her for making me believe that mine would be the same!!). Kourtney, you would have looked lovely in this. Just sayin'.

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Random things I think I need.

Here is a list of random stuff which I have been checking out and having to hold myself back from whipping out the credit card (yes, I now have a CREDIT CARD, I feel so grown up) so I can spend shamelessly. I will admit that this list is made up mostly of clothes for me and things for Ayden. In no particular order:

1. This rad navajo cardigan. Love, love, love.

2. While we're on the topic of cover ups, here's another gorgeous draped jacket. Butterflies on a jacket. How do I not own one of these??

3. This vintage chanel brooch would go with everything I wear to work.

4. The search for the perfect denim jacket is still on. This looks pretty good.

5. I am SERIOUSLY considering purchasing this giraffe teether for Ayden online. He is obviously going through a teething stage, gnawing on everything and anything in sight, including my fingers, his fingers and my hair. And this teether has really good reviews too!

6. This onesie cracks me up. Rock on, baby!


sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

We are going to be in The Star this Sunday!

My friend Iwan from The Star rang me up a few days ago and told me he wanted to feature my family for an article in The Star, about raya-ing in the city instead of balik kampung. Since I've been a city girl all my life, this was right up my alley :) It'll be in the mstar section, as the article's in malay. Ayden makes an appearance as well! heheh. It's pretty cool that I'll have something to keep and show him when he's all grown up!

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

These almost made me pee in my pants!

Just a few links to brighten up your Thursday! These two are HILARIOUS:

Why having a toddler is like being at a frat party - be sure to read the comments as well!

Crappy laws of parenting

...and this last link will make you shiver in your boots, eeek:

Shark pic

Enjoy!

Sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Au Revoir ridiculously high heels!

I don't know if anyone knows this, but I love my 5 inch high heels as much as Victoria Beckham loves a good fake tan and being skinny. Pre-pregnancy, I was all 5 inch heels any time of the day, anywhere - even going to my bathroom, if I felt like it. Exaggerating just a tad. Just.

So during my pregnancy, of course I took a break from anything that lifted me off more than 0.5cm off the ground, to avoid being pregnant roadkill. I lived in flats and my Havaianas. To put it simply, I was NOT a Rachel Zoe. Fast forward nine months later post delivery, I was looking forward to rocking my massive heels again.


Not happening.


My feet are just not having it. It's like they've gone to mommyhood-land and do not want to come back. If my feet were alive, they would be wearing mom jeans and driving minivans. The first time I put on heels was 2 months after giving birth, on the way to a job interview. I nonchalantly slipped on my trusty old pair of black stilettos (after dusting off what looked like a small city of moss) without so much as a thought, attempting to pick up from where I left off. A few shaky steps later, I almost fell face forward. I wobbled like J-lo's ass would wobble on a treadmill. It felt WEIRD. I swear I saw some disapproving glances from onlookers practically thinking aloud "Eh kalau tak reti pakai tinggi-tinggi toksahlah pakai oii". And after a few minutes of clunking about in my heels, my feet HURT LIKE A MOTHER. Pun intended. I mean, when I'm out with Ayden I can kiss my high heels buhbye because it seems almost absurd that I would totter about in anything more than an inch high, because if he's not in his stroller, I am carrying him. And the boy ain't light, let me tell you.


Right, second attempt at wearing heels - bought a nifty pair with a shorter heel (around 3 inches or so) for work, telling myself I could work it, no problem. I mean, if I could endure 23 hours of labour and pop a baby out of me, I'm sure I could get the hang of heels again, right?? Wore them to work, and by 3pm all I felt like doing was hurling the mother effers out the window. I didn't care if they're all patent and delicious looking and look like louboutin replicas - those heels will cause some serious injuries, people! They are a hazard! They will kill you! Seriously, how in the world did I manage back then?? How did I master the act of walking for HOURS in four inch heels without so much as flinching?! Ugh.


Something tells me that I will never be able to re-master this skill. My 5 inch heels that I received for my hantaran (never got a chance to wear them because I got pregnant, like a second after the wedding) will still be collecting dust at the back of my wardrobe. Or the only time I'll likely whip out anything more than a 3 inch heel will be when I know I'll be spending most of the outing sitting down. Like to a wedding or something. Or to raya openhouses, when I'll only wobble to a house and back to my car. Better than nothing right?

There goes my fooling everyone into thinking I'm model height when I'm actually not. Damn.


Sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

*cough* *cough*

Excuse the cobwebs that have been building up. Feels good to be back, but my posts might come fewer or more frequently from now on - whenever I have the time to blog, I will jump at the chance. Just a couple of updates on what's goin' down in this life of mine:

- I have a job. I am officially a working mom now, it has been 3 weeks since I last left the world of lounging around in my jammies and kissing Ayden throughout the day. Now I only get to kiss him in the morning before I dash out the door, and late in the evening when I get back from work. He is usually at his cranky best around 8pm onwards, but I muster every strength I have at the end of a long work day and put him to sleep. No matter HOW cranky.

- I am still overweight. I still have 10kgs left to go, and I am SERIOUSLY thinking of going to the gym everyday after work or before work, since my new company has a gym. First I'll need to get myself some shoes for this. And some cute work out gear, maybe.

- My sweet sour bear of a boy has just turned 4 months old. Man, do they grow up fast. He is now always saying "mammamama" which sounds like mama, although we all know he is most likely not calling for me, it still sounds like music to my ears. He also bites his bottom lip a lot, can sit up well (with assistance) and likes to look at cats. The other day, I took him to Aquaria and he spent a good hour and a half (minus the 10 minutes he was asleep in his stroller), looking at all the big fishies and little fishies. Oh, he is also now bald. Well, he was bald when we shaved all his hair off after his aqiqah, but now it has grown back into a sort of crew cut. But the funny thing is, he has this bald stripe all around his head, and people have asked me if I shaved his head that way on purpose. Why in the world would I do something like that, people?? hahah.

-I miss Ayden everyday that I am at work. Big surprise.

- I want these sunglasses.

That is all. For now :)


sloppy, working momma kisses xx