Our black and white wedding reception.

Yasir's in PD for the weekend and I was looking through our black and white reception photos just because I miss him and I wanted to reminisce our lovely night as newlyweds. These are some of my favourite photos of the night. Between my walk down the aisle towards Yasir who greeted me with a peck on the cheek, my bestfriends and cousins (and sister!) singing their hearts out on stage and my wheelchair bound datuk getting to merenjis us (had to hold back the ugly cry during that one!), the night will always hold a special place in this old heart of mine.
































sloppy kisses, 'Aainaa


p/s: view more of our wedding pics in all their big sized glory at kudegraphy's website :)

Being a parent.

Here are some things that happen when you have a baby:

- the sound of fireworks and mercun near your house is no longer a cause of excitement. Instead you find yourself cringing at every loud ass crackle and pop, while glancing nervously at your sleeping baby, praying to god that he or she doesn't jolt from their slumber. Because if they did wake up, that would mean that all that rocking and shushing them to sleep would have been in vain and you'd have to do it all friggin' over again. You muster everything you have to not go around the neighbourhood to find the source of all the rip roaring racket, banging down their door with screaming baby in tow and shouting "YOU DID THIS TO MY BABY!!! NOW YOU PUT HIM BACK TO SLEEP AGAIN!!"

- your 5-month-old baby's clothes outnumber the clothes you have collected for the past 28 years of your life.

- you find yourself checking out every single baby you come across. Especially when your baby isn't with you - because every infant you see will remind you of your son. At your company's event. At the LRT station while you're on your way home. At the side of some random street when you're driving. You miss your own even more with every baby you spot. And that's a lot of babies!

- that sesame street song your baby listens to about oh, just a billion times a day, is stuck in your head allllll day long. And you catch yourself singing it in the car, when you're alone, on the way to work.

- you feel like you are some sort of superhero when your baby looks at you with 'that look' that tells you you mean the world to him.

- you are oh so tired, yet so deliriously happy.

- you can't remember what life was like before baby. Your days take on a whole new different meaning now. No more parties, full nights of sleep, catching up on tv shows while you bum around and do nothing. Now it's baby, baby, baby. And you wouldn't want it any other way.

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Why Do Fools Fall In Love

Best song when you're brushing your teeth, getting ready to go out for breakfast on a Saturday morning.

Also when you're dancing around your room like a lunatic and your 5 month old baby boy is looking at you like you've lost your mind, before bursting out in gleeful laughter ;)

Happy Saturday everyone!

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Because promises are not meant to be broken...

...here's the link to the wedding that I was talking about. Gorgeous bride. Dashing groom. Stunning black and white wedding. Go on over already!

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

p/s: and while we're on the topic of weddings, this wedding video made me all sappy. Someone pass the Kleenex!

pp/s: alright, let's just milk this wedding topic, shall we - vintage engagement rings are so charming, don't you think? This one's my dream ring. Le sigh.

Look who's back!

Hello lovers!

Looks like someone has settled their internet bill, about time! haha man I'm such an ass. Anywhoo, I am currently feeling very tired, because I walked from my workplace to the LRT (which to me, is super far, but yes I may just be exaggerating as usual, though this time I really think I'm not, I swear), got home, played with my baby bear, took a shower, played with baby bear again, gulped down some stuff which was supposed to be dinner, put baby bear to sleep (which entails me rocking him senseless until he arrives safely to destination dreamland) and finally putting my feet up. At 10pm. Whew! *wipes imaginary sweat off forehead*

So I've been wanting to bring Ayden swimming for some time now, because I read that the later you put off bringing your baby swimming, the more likely they will grow up fearing the pool or the ocean. Or the lake. Etc etc. I was a water baby if I say so mahself, there was nothing I loved more than to swim swim swimmmmm! And I'm hoping that Ayden develops a love for swimming too. But I'm a bit torn as to where in the world should I take him. I mean, let's face it, we all know that public pools ain't exactly the cleanest of all places. And the thought of him splashing about or even accidentally swallowing some of that water irks me to no end. Plus I read that the water shouldn't be too cold because the baby wouldn't enjoy it. So we are at a dilemma on finding the perfect pool - clean and not too cold. I hope we find this magical place soon!

Another dilemma, though a minor one, was what the heck am I going to wear! Bikinis are a big no no at this point, my flabby tummy is nowhere near ready to say hello to the world. So yes, the answer is obvious - a one piece. And I'm actually pretty excited, because I've been wanting to get myself one of those retro looking swimsuits. So after clicking here and there, oohing and aahing at some gorgeous designs, I bought myself a simple, pin-up inspired one piece at ASOS:

They have it in black too, but I thought that Rust Orange would look cuter when I bring Ayden swimming. Maybe I'll find him orange swimmers too haha.

Here's to hoping this swimsuit actually fits me and that we find THE pool!

Sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

A brief hello.

I have resorted to updating my blog via blackberry because we are internet challenged at home. Ok fine, we have been stealing our neighbour's wifi connection and it seems like they have not yet paid their bill. Yes, we are internet sucking leeches - but only because I am still at my mom's! Hmmm, that was supposed to make everything sound better but it's doing the complete opposite haha.

It feels like something is missing when I don't get to blog. Like I'm leaving an old friend hanging and she's like "What's up! What's new??" and all I'm doing is blatantly ignoring her. The poor girl. Anyway, I don't really like typing from my bb because it can get completely annoying, so I'll just hope my neighbours decide to pay their bill so I can continue leeching. Not so proud of myself at the moment *cue big cheesy grin*

Oh before I forget, ayden is going through this 'I'm picky about who gets to touch me, let alone hold me' phase. I know that babies do go through this eventually, but Yasir's parents are finding it hard to even be near him without him acting all whiny, because he doesn't see them everyday. We do go to their house every weekend, but I guess he only wants people he sees every single day. I suppose when Yasir's mom retires next month we will drop him off there more often. He is definitely going through a phase. Wonder how long these phases last though.

Okay, I've typed from my bb long enough! Bummed that I don't get to share this link of a gorrrgeous wedding that I found online! Soon, I promise. Maybe I should send my neighbour a note..

Sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Monday links.

Just a few links to perk up your Monday morning:

- I didn't know the phrase 'a diamond in the rough' had so many meanings. Check out number 6 and 7. I almost snorted my morning coffee out of my nose. Warning: it's a tad bit vulgar, but a little vulgarity never hurt nobody!

- Yasir and I looked at this lomo camera yesterday in Sungei Wang. It's so friggin cute, like a camera Barbie would use in Barbieland. I. Need. One. Don't ask me why, I just do. Yepp.

- Ahh, proposals. Here are 50 romantic ways to get her to say "YES! YES!!"

- I've been wanting to buy yellow nailpolish for a while now (this post and this post from one of my fav fashion bloggers made me want to give it a whirl). I tried some on in Sephora and am kicking myself for not getting it the other day! As Arnold puts it wisely, I'll be bakkkk.

- This vintage sapphire ring is so darling.

- This hilarious joke will make you think twice before blaming the dog (or cat!)

- I've been searching forever for a necklace I can wear everyday, which would go with everything. A personalised name necklace is of course, so Carrie Bradshaw and so fab. Get yours here. (<--my bad, there was an error with the link previously, but it's all fixed and good to go now!) I'm certainly considering it!

Sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Have no fear

This song brings me back to the whole experience of bringing Ayden into the world...the labour, the delivery...it gives me chills. I had this on my playlist while I was in labour and it strikes a chord everytime I hear it again. I was writing the final part of the delivery last night with this song playing and was so close to tears, remembering everything that happened. God's power, the capabilities of a human body and the deepness of a mother's strength, all rolled into one. It's life changing.

love,

'Aainaa

Baby love.

Mucking about with Ayden and taking pictures with Yasir's camera phone. Baby bear is loving his new onesie, and we are extra careful that he doesn't drool on it!

Oh Ayden, I love you baby bear. Always and always.

love,

your momma bear

The Delivery Part III

"Okay, when I say push, push hard until I count till ten. Then take a deep breath and push again," Dr Paul instructed me. "Ok, ok." I nodded nervously. The nurses (can't remember how many nurses there were in the labour room with me, but I think there were two) told me to put both my legs up on the stirrups and hold on to the handles that were on both sides of the bed. I guess there was no need to cut my fingernails after all, I thought to myself, slightly amused. I had cut my nails yesterday because I had pictured myself squeezing Yasir's hands hard as I pushed, and I didn't want to hurt him while I did so.

"Ok 'Aainaa, ready.....take a deep breath and... PUSH!!"

I beared down with all my might. I pushed and pushed and pushed. But somehow, in that moment I had no idea what I was supposed to be pushing. I couldn't feel my baby's head because of the epidural, so I was pushing blindly.


"..nine, ten. Take a deep breath...and...PUSH!! Push macam marah!! Push macam marah Aainaa!!" one of the nurses ordered.


All I could hear was myself screaming silently as I pushed and Yasir saying over and over again, "You can do it sayang. You can do it sayang," encouraging me.


Finally after a couple of pushes it seemed as if nothing seemed to be progressing. The baby
wasn't budging and I was really, really, really tired. But I wasn't going to give up. I've got to get this baby out to make sure he's safe. I've just got to, I thought to myself, determined. I'd never wanted anything more in my whole life.


"Aainaa, I need to do an episiotomy. You'll feel some pain when I cut you, but I need you not to jump when you feel it. Okay?" said Dr. Paul to me. I nodded. At that point I didn't care about anything else. I just wanted to see my baby.


"Take a deep breath...and...PUSH!!!"

I pushed with everything I had. Every fibre in my body was focused on delivering my baby boy, mind, body and soul. Dr. Paul was performing the episiotomy and it felt like he was tugging hard down there, till the lower half of my body shook from the force of what he was doing. Had I not been so in tuned with wanting to deliver my baby, I would have freaked out with what was going on. I felt like I was in a movie which I didn't want to watch. Yet, I shoved everything out of my mind and was a hundred percent present on getting my baby out.


Finally, I felt my baby's head. I could feel him down there!! It was such a surreal feeling, but I knew what and where exactly I had to push now.

With a renewed surge of energy, and with everyone's encouragement, I beared down again and could feel my baby coming out of me. Everything happened so fast then, and the next thing I knew, my son was sitting on me.


He was so beautiful. He wasn't purple or wrinkly or weird looking at all. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my whole life. He was ours. I cried. And I cried and I cried. I felt an overwhelming wave of joy, relief and exhaustion wash over me, all at once. It was unlike anything I've ever felt before. After the endless labour, the fever and the heartbeat scare, I had pushed my baby out and he was fine! "Sayang, that's Ayden! That's Ayden! Thats our son!" Yasir said, his voice choked with emotion. "You did it sayang. I'm so proud of you." he kissed my forehead.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Ayden for a second, even as he was being weighed by the nurse, or cleaned up. Even as I felt Dr. Paul press down on my stomach to deliver my placenta, or as he stitched me up down there. I just stared at him with tears running down my cheeks. Yasir held Ayden, who was crying the most gentle and sweetest cry then, and started to recite the call to prayer softly in his right ear. The most amazing thing happened. Ayden stopped crying and looked up at Yasir with those big, round eyes. He looked at Yasir so intently the whole time Yasir did the recitation, not a peep out of him. He seemed so calm.

Then, the nurse placed Ayden onto my chest and everyone left Yasir and me in the labour room to soak in the fact that we were now, parents. Ayden moved slightly on my chest and instantly I recognised that movement that I had been feeling for months, inside my belly. He was finally here, with me, and it felt too good to be true.


"So you're the one who's been in my tummy all along," I whispered to this magical boy. My heart was filled with so much love, it was surreal. I had only laid eyes for him for such a short while and yet I already loved him so fiercely. I was a mom. Yasir was a father. We were parents to the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Alhamdulillah syukur. God had given us something so precious.

After Yasir and I finally came down from cloud nine, we got a nurse to snap a picture of Ayden right then and there in the labour room, so spanking brand new and shiny, all bundled up:







He looked like a little eskimo! Finally, after nine months of waiting, our son was here with us and we were our own little family. Just the three of us.


Our little Ayden Hood bin Ahmad Yasir :) Our whole life.




sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Old is gold.

Lazing about in bed with baby bear and the husband, with Ella Fitzgerald playing. Little moments like these are what makes my mornings absolutely perfect.

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

p/s: I'll be uploading my favourite 'lazy' songs every saturday in this blog. just spreading a little love for the classics!

Mission.

Okay, so we're not getting the Missoni for Bugaboo stroller because The Hubster thinks it ridic for us to splash out that much on a thing to push our baby around in (boooo!), so my next mission is to get a camera. A proper camera! It's sad that most of the pics I have of Ayden are all taken by Yasir or my camera phone, and it's definitely not enough. WE NEED A CAMERA. PRONTO.

So my knowledge on cameras is super crappy, and I've been asking around on what type of camera shoots like a dslr but is not gigantor in size like a dslr. I've gotten some suggestions and will start having a looksee this weekend. One of my colleagues suggested a digital lomo...they sure are cute aren't they? I know they're not exactly proper cameras, more if you want to just have fun mucking around, but some of the images I've looked at that have been lomo produced are pretty darn awesome. Maybe I'll get a proper camera AND a lomo if I'm feeling generous. Anything to capture Ayden in the best light possible, right?

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

p/s: New camera = lovely pics = more pics on this blog! No more random pics from google! haha. Fingers crossed.

Eeeek!

Remember this post about the totally cute onesie? I received it in the mail today from the lovely seller, Monika (turns out that her son's name is Aiden!) and I can't wait for Ayden to wear it tomorrow when we go for my cousin's openhouse! Talk about perfect timing! I'll be sure to snap photos of him in it and upload them on the blog soon. This day is making out to be an awesome day! In case you missed the link to the shop, here it is.

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

Babywearing.

I'm a big fan. I'm lucky that Ayden loves being carried around in a sling or a carrier (but I won't let him sit in the baby bjorn for more than half an hour because he gets antsy after a while). I use the sling to put him to sleep everyday when I come home from work. I get to carry him close to me, with his head against my chest, as I sing softly to him while kissing his forehead and rocking him to snoozeland. It's such an intimate bonding moment between the both of us, that I really don't mind carrying him till he dozes off, most of the times still in my working attire, no matter how tired I am. I just love watching his eyelids droop heavily, and his mouth slightly open as he drifts off to the world of Carebears and My Little Ponies (what else do babies dream about?). Sometimes while I'm singing him to sleep, he'll stare at me and smile, which makes my heart flutter everytime.

Once, while at a raya openhouse, I was wearing Ayden, and one of my uncles said to me with a smile, "It's not everyday you see a modern, young woman wearing a traditional sling!" and I thought he was exactly right. I rarely see mothers wear their babies in a sling around here, and the ones that I have come across were usually the maids and their charger's baby. I suppose it hasn't really caught on amongst the KL moms. My cousin Farah, who is an urban chick just like me, used to love wearing her babygirl Maya in a sling when she was smaller. I bet she got glances her way when she was out and about wearing Maya, too.

Anyway, as long as you practice safe babywearing, I highly recommend it. It's such a great way to carry your baby and apparently helps to foster a bond between the both of you, too. Score! Not sure how long Ayden will love being in the sling much longer though, although there are ways you can carry an older baby or even a toddler in the sling if you know how.

Now all I've got to do is find a way to get Yasir to wear Ayden too...

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

p/s: here's a babywearing styleathon contest that was going on months ago. These stylish mommas rock the hell out of babywearing! So inspiring!

The Star article

Here's the article that came out in The Star the weekend before raya. It was past Ayden's bedtime, but it was as if he knew my friend would be coming to take pics, and he was a total sweetheart, acting like a good little boy while my friend snapped away. Enjoy :)

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

I need this.

This is how I need my hair to look like. I have a wavy hair texture so this cut might just be the ticket to looking decent and human, even without a blowdry. That's it, haircut this weekend!!

sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Ayden updates.

Baby bear just turned 5 months yesterday! Five! Oh man, he is growing every second at lightning speed. Sometimes I can't wait for him to grow up and be able to have a conversation with him, but other times I feel a pang of sadness when I imagine him becoming an independent young man and going out into the big, bad world and making his mark. Okay, I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. Haha. Anyway, here are some of the things he is doing right now:

- rolling over. He knows how to roll over, but not to roll back onto his back yet. Often times he'll roll over in his sleep, lift his head and do a sleepy cry, wondering how in the world did he get in that position!

- his "mama"s are pretty much clear and it is the sweetest sound to me, even when he is crying. I do a great impersonation of his "mammamammaaaaa" when he's whining.

- he can lick and bite his feet! A skill that never fails to amaze me. So bendy.

- sometimes, he'll reach for your mouth and clasp it shut when you're talking. Not sure if he's trying to tell you something...

- he has obvious face recognition. He'll smile the widest, gummiest smile to his favourite people!

- he is still trying to eat everything.

- he doesn't like sucking a pacifier, but uses it as a teether. He'll hold it to his mouth and literally chew on the teat.

- pulling on mommy's hair is his favourite hobby.

- he loves watching Babytv while drinking milk on the couch, lying down.

- he takes after his momma because he seems to have a keen interest in animals! Pet stores, animals on tv, cats at home..he'll stare and stare for the longest time. A vet in the making?

- he still wakes up a couple of times a night. Oh boy.

- his favourite video is still Will.I.Am's What I Am on Sesame Street. Never gets old. He also likes Bruno Mars' Lazy Song. Something about the dancing monkeys in wayfarers...

- he can sit up, leaning against the couch without assistance for a minute. Or even more!

- his laughter is getting clearer. There's this sweet little video of him laughing while my bro-in-law sniffs his cheeks, but we can't seem to be able to upload it :(

To 'celebrate' his 5th month, Yasir and I got him some pretty sweet stuff for him to use - Sophiethe giraffe and a bumbo. Not so sweet on our pockets though, because quality baby stuff cost an arm and a leg around here! All I can say is, the little dude better put them to use!

Hope everyone has a good Monday!

sloppy kisses,
'Aainaa

p/s: sorry for the crappy spacing issues, I tried fixing it but it won't budge. Oh well.

Oof.

I promised that I'd write part III of The Delivery, but my grandaunt passed away and things have been pretty hectic, so I apologise for not keeping to my word. I'll find the time. I will!

Sloppy kisses,

'Aainaa

Feels so good.

The press release I wrote is in today's The Star newspaper! It may sound like something so insignificant to some, but when it's your first press release, to actually be published seems like a big deal! haha. Almost right up there with the feeling I get when I see Ayden first thing in the morning and he flashes me that wide, cheeky smile of his. Almost.

Happy Friday everyone! I'm ecstatic that it's the weekend so I get to spend some quality time with my little guy. I've been missing him all week..

I plan to update my blog with Part III of The Delivery this weekend. I'll try and find the time between sniffing Ayden's cheeks and snuggling him senseless ;)

Sloppy Friday kisses!
'Aainaa

Vintage buys of the week.

It's no secret that I like me a charming vintage dress. But lately I find that I have been wearing the same 'ol things because of the lack of 'new old things' to wear. Also because all my clothes are back in our apartment because *cough* wearestilllivingatmygrandparents'/mom'seversinceIgavebirth *cough*

Anyway, Vintage Biri-Biri has quite a good collection of lovely vintage dresses (I featured them when I was working in female magazine back in the day), and I couldn't resist this nautical, stripey number and this beautiful mural print dress when I laid eyes on them. Can you really blame me?

sloppy vintage kisses,
'Aainaa

p/s: My blog posts have become somewhat irregular now (sometimes once a day, twice a day, sometimes once in three days), so if you would like an update sent to your inbox instead of checking and coming back to the same old post, feel free to subscribe. There must be a button around here somewhere...