Travel Halal: Shanghai

This is my story of our Shanghai trip...

First of all, it is so different that the Shanghai you've watched in Shanghai Noon (hahaha). Shanghai today is very moving forward, and sophisticated.

You can ride the fastest bullet train in the world, from Pudong Airport to Shnaghai City. The train is called Maglev Train. We didnt get to ride on it though. We did get the chance to ride on the second fastest in China, the bullet train which took us from Shanghai to Shaoxing.

Transport:
We had a local guide, so basically, transportation was included in the price as well. We were given a bus for us 12 people. Talk about the spaces and empty seats!
I think it would not be a trouble to catch public transportation as there were many and probably more efficient than ours! (lol)
We decided to hire ground agent to take us around because we have small children with us. We didnt want to hassle of getting caught in the cold of winter season and communication issues that could make it worse. Unless of course, it was just us adults.
If it was just us, I would have taken the Hop-On Hop-off bus for sight seeing of Shanghai city.

Food:
It is not difficult to find Halal food in Shanghai. You will easily find Lazhou Noodle restaurants. Lanzhou noodle is also known as mee tarik here in Malaysia. They have the Halal, green coloured sign outside their shop. It is really easy to see. Lanzhou noodle is a must. It is simply yummy.
Comfy food in the winter.
Our agent took us to a halal restaurant which served chinese food. but I cant recall the name. That place was quite pricey.
For other basic food, you can eat the bread and try different drinks available. I love their Matcha, and E100 drinks (lemon or calamari juice). You can purchase from their mart like FamilyMart, Lawson,

Hotel:
We stayed in apartment when in Shanghai. International Service Apartment. 
sorry, but i dont recommend this if you have small children, strollers, and big heavy luggage.
I booked this because we planned to cook our meals. and the only decent apartment I could find was this.
The room was okay, with 2 queens. It could fit 4 adults and 2 children. It has a microwave, washing machine, stove, kettle. You can cook there.
But what i hate is that the apartment was only a part of the tall building. meaning, the whole building was not the apartment. it shared with other businesses as well. to go to the building, you need to ride on an escalator. this escalator only functions at 730am to 8pm.
When we reached there at 3am, we had to carry our big heavy luggage up the stairs. it was so tiring for all of us. we have 4 strollers with kids on them to carry! imagine our tiredness!

Places worth visitng:
Our agent took us to few interesting places. We didnt cover much cause the day was shorter than night. We went to the museum (which was boring), The Shanghai Financial Tower, Shopping in Chingpu Outlet which houses branded items at reduced price. I got myslef a Furla, Hub got himself a Braun Buffel and Mak got herself a Bally. The price was much cheaper from Malaysia, and you can entitle for tax refund up to 11%.

Souvenirs shopping can be done in Bazaar outside the Wu han garden.

at the bazaar outside Wu Han Garden

But make sure you bargain kaw kaw. hahahha. There was also a halal turkish food in the bazaar. Dont forget to grab a bite!
We went for a river cruise along the Huangpu River. You can see sophisticated Shanghai better at night.

on the river cruise along Huangpu river

I find that Shanghai, being an international as it claims, is not a children or baby friendly place. It was hard to maneuver strollers in the city. They have lots of stairs but hard to see the tracks for wheelchairs or strollers. We ended up carrying the strollers (with out kids in it) many times and that exhausted us.
The night we went for the river cruise felt like a night in Amazing Race. We were literally running up and down the stairs, carrying strollers and the kids, just to catch the boat. (cause we were late),
and our body is still aching till now.

walking in the city to the river cruise

Tips for parents with small children:
bring light strollers. or no strollers at all.
in fact, put on your baby carrier. find one that can carry up to 20kg perhaps? hahahah


Overall, winter in Shanghai is really really cold. I would love the city but the language barrier is killing us. and child unfriendliness makes it even difficult for us.

Nice place to go if you don't have small kids with you.

we'll be back once the three girls are big enough. hahhaaha


Thank you Shanghai.

1st Year Survival of At Home MOM

It will be my 1^st year anniversary as a Work/Stay At Home Mom. Oh gosh I have a lot to share about, on what to expect, the feelings, how to cope, etc. And this will be a long one so bear with me ait?

What to expect?

Laziness/tiredness..  you call it lazy, I call it TIRED la wei.

For about the first 3 months, I felt..lazy. All I wanted to do was being lazy. But that was because I was heavily pregnant, I was in my third trimester. Hahaha that explains the laziness right? I wanted to do a lot, well at least my mind was not lazy. But the energy was mostly used by the baby in the womb.

After Amal was born, I concentrated on taking care of her, with breastfeeding and constant napping. It drained the energy out of me. I was thankful though that I didn’t have to rush in to work cause I would be sad to leave Amal behind. Just like what I felt when it was with Ayra and Amna.

Despite the perk of having to be there all the time for Amal, I was/am exhausted. All freaking time. I was lacking good sleep (for almost 5 years now), tired of ensuring the house is clean and tidy. I am neat freak, so I cannot see serabutness in the house, you know.

However, I am glad that we have Livy the Vacum Robot. I would be crazy without her, seeing hairs and dusts on the floor. Haha at least with Livy, I just need to switch her on and she will do the job. We will do the extensive cleaning once in 2 weeks. So that spares us a lot of energy and time.

Exhausted… the extreme of tiredness

Being home most of the time, with 3 under 5 children are really exhausting. It exhausts you physically and mentally. By physically, I’m sure you (the ones with toddlers) can understand how tired it is to attend to the needs of these children. I need to make sure breakfast, lunch and dinner are ready. On top that, don’t forget snacks. These kids love snacking. Plus, unhealthy snacks are a no-no. Though I fail that most of the times. Seriously, where can I get the extra time and energy to prepare our own healthy snacks? Thank god for frozen!

Mentally exhausted is another thing that fails me every time. You are at home, with the eldest being almost 5. What kind of intellectual conversation are you expecting? Most of the time is about Rainbow Dash and Sunshine Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and Flutter Shy. Then it would be dinosaurs and horses, and fairies and princesses. The only time I get to stimulate my brain is when we are studying math or reading. That is a different level of patience hahahaha. It doesn’t help either that I have this sickness of overthinking. I cannot stop my brain from thinking about our financial, the schools, the education, the business, how to go about. I guess that drained out my brain even faster.

Privacy. What is that again?

I miss my me time. The time that I can have when I was at work. It doesn’t have to be a spa or a massage session. A ME time is a quiet time that I can have on my own doing whatever I want. I hardly get that anymore. Previously when I was at work, I usually had lunch in my room, while continuing working, or doing things I want to do. Surfing internet, checking out online shopping and stuffs. Or get out and hit the mall, just walking alone. That me time. Oh god I miss that. Now? Now I cant even pee in peace. Even if I lock the door, they still come knocking or yelling my name and asking me questions. “Mommy, how to spell dinosaur?” “ mommy, whatpe tu?” “mommy, amna hungry”. “mommy, amal is eating the playdoh!” How come they don’t kacau the father?????

Cold War

When your body is tired, and your brain is drained, you will end up being moody. Almost all the time. And it makes you even crazier when you see your partner gets to spend time with his friends at work, or be in his own zone even for an hour or so. At least he gets to do it daily. You get this ‘meluat’ feeling and you start to get pissed off easily by whatever he is doing. I’ve been there and we have resolved that. When that hits you, you need to talk to your spouse asap. Do not let it bottled up. You will end up hurting your children easily. You get irritated easily and scold them for the smallest reason. I am guilty of that and god I wish I don’t have to go down that road again. It is scary for me, and my family. Sometimes I am more a momster than a mommy. Hahaha Now don’t get me wrong, respect to the Husband is there. It’s just you cannot comprehend things positively when you are beyond exhaustion, mentally and physically. Too many frustrations. So that is why communication on your expectations, etc is important.

Insecure

When you were once an employee, (highly paid lagi tu) and now you stay at home with no pay, you will become extremely insecure. I am not talking about insecurity towards your husband, just insecure as a whole. You don’t get to spend money like before. You want something, you gotta check your purse and calculate. You pause and breathe in and walk away. You don’t have savings and that scares the shit out of you for what ifs. I get that almost on daily basis even up till now. One day, after solat, I confided in HIM on what I feel etc. I felt lost. I cried my eyes out. I prayed to Allah to ease my way. I opened the Quran and I believe He showed me the story of Prophet Musa. The page showed me the story of when Paraoh ordered for baby boys to be killed out of fear of the prophecy. Musa’s mom was so scared. She put him in a boat and sailed him. But Allah assured her that he will be returned to her.

                                      

This verse taught me to have faith in Allah. Have faith in Allah. Have faith in Allah. Dua, and work on it. Work on whatever I can work on. Keep on praying. Rest assured Allah has things worked out for us. Just have faith. And so, whenever I feel insecure, I feel down, I feel lost, especially financially, I remembered this story. So, if you feel lost on something, doa and pray to Allah. Talk to Him cause He is always listening. Then open the Quran to find the answer.

Seems like i am rambling more on the bad sides rather than the good ones kan? hahha

well, not everything is bad! be positive!

Stick like a glue

Your children will be more attached to you and you end up falling in love with them over and over again. Even though they just scream their lungs out at each other just now. Or they pick their poo from their diaper. And scattered their shit on the bed. Literally. And at times when they had nothing to do, hanging on your leg will be an activity. Just for fun. (but not for you when you need to do works)

Time is gold

Though it may seem like I have all the time in the world, trust me, that was just illusion. It’s Monday today, and suddenly it’s Monday again. When I was about to appreciate the weekends, Monday comes and plays the blues. I have all the things that I want to do for the week, then something comes up and bye bye list. We see you next week. That is one of the reasons for Lil’ Tummy not moving (or perhaps my excuse). the perks is you get to plan your day/week ahead (and pray that your plan sticks). I dont have to worry when Amal is hospitalized cause work is not asking me to be in the office. My time is devoted totally to her wellbeing. and that makes me a better mom. You get to plan for lunch with your ex-colleague, or dates with your daughther. and God is generous, He eases your way to it.  

                                             

                                                 

Love Overloads

My time is mostly spent on the kids (duh). I get to know my children more. I get to follow closely their development. I get to bring Amna to her physiotherapy sessions without guilt (work waiting in the office), I get to do exercise with her (though not on daily basis). Amna loves imitating my yoga moves, so it helps her to stretch her muscles and use her left limbs more. Ayra gets to come home from school to mommy’s cooking. We get to go on dates, just the two of us. One day is spent just me and Amna, and other day is spent just me and Ayra. We get to have our own private conversation, eat ice cream and be silly. I love that.

Healthier lifestyle (or so I believe)

I try to do Yoga at least once a week (but don’t take my word for it), eat healthy, cook healthy, gardening, etc. I need my family to eat healthily. We hardly dine out anymore. First, it can be costly, second, it can be dirty. Or unhealthy. We cannot buy health, but we can prevent unwanted side effects from happening. Diseases start from the gut: diabetes, heart diseases, kidney failure. So, what we now will have its effect 20 years later. So in order to be healthy in the next 20 years, we have to eat right, right now. I cant however be this conscious everyday. I am a human after all. So we do skip a bit once or twice. But drink lots of water, and balance out with veges and fruits.

Own Business Empire (Bahaha)

Now it may seem cool to able to start your own business, with your own brand etc. but my god, it is so hard to be persistent! I have things planned out, A to Z, but execution is really killing me! To juggle family, which is always always my priority, and business is really hard. The most frustrating part is marketing. I have laid the plan, how to do it, etc. I dont habe a partner to push me and work togehther. plus I don’t have much time to do so. I guess I need to take things one step at a time and not to have so much hope kot. 

So basically, there are ups and downs of being at home mom. What you need is strength (mentally and physically), support system, team work, and what I find important but easily missed is: ME time. This is crucial. Just take the time off. Don’t over think. Do what you want for 2 hours, alone. Go out with friends, laugh. That little things help you sane.

Don’t I miss having my own job? Oh YES I do. At times I feel like I am a better mom if I am working. I would less of a momster, and more on a mother.

So where do I go from here? I will let Allah set the road for me. I have my aims, but the road will be set by Allah. I do what I can and the rest is up to Him. I am always open to possibilities. 

Till then, please give me lots of coffee, cakes, and your prayers.

Feed a baby, feed others

One of the lessons I am instilling to my children is that we must learn to give. Especially to those who are less fortunate than we are. Have empathy as that makes us human.

When I started Lil' Tummy, I was aiming in helping busy moms and dads to feed their babies with good food. As I go on, I kept on wondering, who will care enough to feed underprivileged babies with good food?

No doubt they eat, but what kind of food? porridge, the same lame porridge? what else.
Do they get to taste other yummy food, but also healthy food?

I always believe health starts from the gut. You eat good, you live good. You can be good physically, emotionally. Whole. But, if these poor children could not afford good food because of economy status, then what do we do to help? What have we done to help.

I decided then to start something good for my family, for Lil' Tummy.

We wanted our business to help others. Other than making money, our mission is to provide healthy and nutritious foods to the underprivileged babies and toddlers. not only I can earn some for my family, but we get to help others as well! it's like a dream come true,

So, our first project was about a couple of months ago. We went to a home for underprivileged children in Ampang. Nur Kasih. It was home placing children of all ages. They have a 6 months old baby to teenagers. Ayra and Amna played with the children there. we chatted with one of the care takers and got to know their stories.

Each of them have their own interesting story to tell. Now, I would love to share but that might take a long long long time to write. Most importantly, I hope the small children could get nutritious meals in shaping their healthy, physically and mentally.

We hope our effort will be an example for our children. And I hope, we can help these children in any way that we can.

From now on, parts of purchases for Lil' Tummy will be donated to underprivileged children. we hope to donate in form of healthy meals.. or money, whichever suits better.

I pray Allah will make this easier for us.

My Many Hats

I have so many hats to put on lately.

Family (Wife and Mom) Hat, Pharmacist Hat, Mumpreuner Hat, Chef Hat and..

I have an additional Hat to be worn from now on: Wealth Planner Hat a.k.a Takaful Agent Hat.

Surprise!!

Say what?? 

Ok, firstly, let me clear out the air on why I am now a takaful agent for PruBSN.

You see, I have resigned from my so-called corporate life to focus on my family, and to discover things that I feel can benefit me in so many ways.

I was done with being under appreciated employee, busting my ass off and ended up hurting.

I was done with working under bosses who are..well,..bosses. not leaders. 

basically, I was done.

my pregnancy only helped to strengthen my decision.

I have always wanted to focus on my family more than the stresses working life: endless.

I wanted something more.

by that i mean continuous pahala, financial freedom, continuous education.

something that can give meaning to life.

Money is of course the basic life necessity. without money, u can hardly do anything!

but i dont want to be slave to money. it will never end. what would life be if it's all about the money?

I wanted something more. something I love, something i can learn, something i can contribute.

I love the idea of having my own business, but let's face it, it is not easy as A B C.

there are many steps to it, and the journey will have ups and downs.

When I wanted to do Lil' Tummy, I didnt put so much expectations, but leave it to Allah definitely. 

Tawakal, and usaha as much as i can. I wanted it cos I want somethng that can relate to what i love: cooking and children. (not cooking children ye! )

so, the journey started and Alhamdulillah, praise to Allah, it may be small, but at least He has shown me the way. I am continuing this journey. but i need something else.

whilst setting up Lil' Tummy, I stumbled upon the profession of Wealth planner from my agent.

one research to the another, i came to my long long friend, back when we were doing housemanship.

he is now an agent and he loves what he is doing.

I learnt that this gives me the flexibility in time, passive income, continuous learning and we can contribute to the society. 

it is always important to educate the society on proper wealth management and to prioritize needs. 

long story short, I passed the exams and I am now the takaful agent for PruBSN. 

Allah has eased my path.

I have my challenges though: I am not an extrovert. I am not persuasive. 

I dont know how to persuade people, I dont like to hassle people.

 and I dont know how to handle rejections. 

but looking at the positive sides, life is a challenge. I'm doing this to make myself better. to upgrade my capabilities and open up possibilities.

after all, life is dull if one keeps on sitting on the couch kan?

add some spices and herbs y'all.

I dont aim to close case. I aim to educate. really, honestly, if I didnt take the exams, (and read the books), if I didnt go the classes and discussions, I would not know the things I know now, even though we have subscribed to takaful years before. 

Takaful is just more than buying a medical card and claim.

I am wiser I guess. in that area. 

alhamdulillah.

at least my family is informed with what i know.

I hope with this, I can genuinely contribute to the society and may this be my way of obtaining my goals of financial freedom, continuous pahala and life long learning.

so people, please dont run away from me!

I am still me okay.

I have always loved helping people, and if u ever need something to clarify or to ask, you can ask me. I will do my best to help.

Lil' Tummy

Not too long ago, a mommy, who was working full time in a corporate world, with all the blings and dramas, decided to quit her stressful job, and just be a mom (and of course a wife).

even though she didn't know what to do financially, she did not regret at all on her decision. 

but to make sure she is doing something for herself and to support her family, she knew she had to do something. plus, she can never sits quietly and be..still. 

it's not in her DNA.

after searching high and low of what she should do, and eliminating possible things that she could do, she ended up wanting to cook.

cooking and baking have always been her interest. even though she may not be the world class cook or baker, the satisfaction of doing so makes her want to do it. 

she loves cooking healthy meals for her children. ever since they were small, she had always prepared their meals on her own, despite her busy schedule. 

for her, children should not be fed with processed, MSG packed food at all.

to be healthy, it has to start from the earliest age. 

what we feed our children will shape their eating habits, their skills, their brain.

having that passion, along with her knowledge in health industry (since she has a degree in pharmacy), she wanted to do help busy parents, who care deeply of their children's nutrition needs, to give them the best homecooked, healthy meals. 

and that is when Lil' Tummy comes. 

she started to read more and more on food and nutrition. and proper storage, suitable packaging etc. 

she designed her own label and did her own logo. 

she wanted to do something that she can call her own.

something that someday, her children will be proud of. her family will be proud of.

with the birth of Lil' Tummy, not only she means business, but deeply, she really wants children to be able to have good food. and busy parents are given the option to provide good healthy food for their children. 

her journey just began. 

she has a lot of fears. lots of doubts.

but, she has to do it. she needs to explore her capabilities, her destiny. 

she knows it will not be easy, but like what Estee Lauder said:

whenever she thought of quitting, or losing hope, or changing course, she remembers the efforts that she had put in, the faces of the ones she loved, her dreams and goals, 

then she resumes back on the road.

hopefully, Allah will ease her way, and she will finally reach her destination: all that she pictures in her mind that she has become.

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i came across an advert on this moms' event on FB. it was an event held for mumpreneur, to help them showcase or market their products and help with their business.

even though my customer base was kind of nil, Hub said it will be agood platform for me to try and showcase my brand. after all, the first stage of business is on branding your product. 

it was to be held in The School Jaya One PJ. 

I didnt want to do this alone. i invited my friend along, who has a small baby boutique business online. she has been doing quite ok, but never had experience in this either. so i guess, why not we do it together? first timer experience!

the friend's pot

Lil' Tummy had its first ever booth event last week. 

it was a new experience for me. i was kind of scared. i didnt know what to expect.

i made the preparations weeks earlier, to ensure it became like what i imagined in my head.

for a new product, the first impression is very very important. 

the packaging must be appealing, must be intriguing. 

the booth set up must be unique and interesting, something that can catch the attention of passer by. 

i finally came up to this:

alhamdulillah, even though the sales we not up the roof as what i would like to be, somehow we managed to attract lots of peoples' attention. even the press, whom i didnt expect to be there as well.

mom helped me a lot. she has always been supportive, and of course Hub too!

i owe them a lot for that weekend. 

Mom, for coming with us on the first day of the 2-day event. helped me to set up the booth and manned the booth. then helped to jaga Ayra and Amna on the second day, while me and Hub went to the booth on our own. Amal of course was with me. boobies are stuck. haha

Hub, even though he is tired, he stood it out for me. he accompanied me on both days, angkat barang and be there all the time. 

this is just the beginning. I dont know how it will be.

hopefully Allah will make it easier for us. 

Ayra was so excited on this too. 

what she did on the first day there:

Amna was busy being cranky, and Amal was busy being in my sling all day.

people were amazed by her, being 2 months old, and following mommy to run her business.

well, we need to train them early right? ;)

 we have may reporters at our booth taking our pictures and Lil' Tummy. 

I honestly dont know if we will ever come out in the paper.

if we do, then.. OMG.

i will definitely share here.

Xoxo

Travel with 3

It has been a hectic week and weekend! 

It started when Hub's granny died, and we went back to KT last week.

and that became our first long distance journey together all 5 of us. 

adhoc journey lagi tu.

We departed at about 2am, as soon as we got the news. 

Amal was kind of surprised to see yellow lights in the middle of the night. 

(the street lamps), so it took her some time to get settled and finally sleep.

I could not sleep soundly cos, well, I can hardly sleep whenever I am on long distance journey, especially by car. I needed to make sure Hub was not sleepy. Alhamdulilah, we arrived safely and managed to catch her funeral. I didnt know her well enough as she is really really old, but she is one of the nicest people i have ever known. such a gentle person. 

i know for sure Hub loves her so much and that she has big impact on his life..

I pray that her soul be blessed and Allah protects her from seksaan kubur.

Our trip to Terengganu was really short as Hub needed to work. We stayed there for a night and went back on Thursday. Me myself i had a lot to prepare. 

Lil' Tummy was opening a booth on the week after and we were planning on a Kuantan trip the days before. We followed Hub along for his working trip there. basically, I am all planned out. 

wait.

Lil' Tummy???

That's another story I yet to tell.

hehehehhe

Our trip to Kuantan was really tiring for me.

I had to take care all 3 girls at a time, from morning till evening. Amna was not feeling well and cranky all the time. crying, and wanting my attention all the time. 

#toomanyallthetime

but we did manage to pay a visit to one of my Bff's house there. finally!

We got lost on the way there cos the google map took us where it thinks I want to go. like i care about the ladang kelapa sawit!! i wanted to get in a panic mode, but considering i have 3 children in a car with me under my care, i stayed calm and pretended mommy knows the way. 

and surprisingly the girls were okay. Amal slept soundly in her carseat, and the rest were just well behaved. alhamdulillah. but of course i had to bribe them with my phone and 

they were entertained by the apps. ;)

it was really nice to be able to catch with my long long time friend. she has been busy so we always update each other via whatssap. but to pay a visit is just out of the context. too far, too little time, considering she's a busy doctor in ER.

and when we get the chance to meet and talk, that's what we do. talkkkkk.

even Amna was 'attentive' to our conversation!

The second day was all day in the room. bathing in the tub, watching tv, crying, and sleeping. 

and we got a surprise in the evening when Tok and Ki came to bring us to the beach. 

things grandparents do for their cucus eh?

they came all the way from KT. just to have picnic by the beach in Teluk Cempedak and to have dinner of Ana Ikan Bakar.

 I wish i can be that when Hub and I are older..u know, travelling as we wish. when we wish.

#aimingforearlyretirement

and i could say the highlight of the trip was.. Ana Ikan Bakar!

Oh my god. #droooooling

first of all, dah berkurun tak makan ikan bakar. I cant even remember when was last time I had it. 

secondly, sedap gilerrrrr. my friends suggested it and man, I am salivating just thinking of it.

hahahahaha.

but seriously, the ikan bakar petai is the one to go for. 

we had it for 2 nights in a row. 

trip with all us 5 was..crazy. hahaha

my butt hurt from not moving. i had to sit still with Amal on top of the pillow which was on top of me. Amal was crying cos she didnt feel good and she wanted me all to herself. unfortunately i cannot let go of Amal. thankfully Ayra is big enough to do her own things and be with Ayah, her fav person. 

the 3 hours journey felt sooo long. 

Amna had stomach ache but she didnt want to eat anything. it was so hard to make her eat. 

and she wanted to be carried almost all the time. she is not light. so I am not the one to carry her.

then there's the tantrum for not getting what she wants, there and then.

she was screaming all the way while we were having lunch in Megamall. too add salt to the wound, the meal was horrible. just plain horrible. that made the whole lunch and going back experience just..bad. i felt like a lady going cuckoo. 

thank god i did not go tru this alone. 

i dont think im ready for another long journey longer than 1 hour with 3 of them. 

i am tired beyond words. my brain is tired, my body is aching.

we just go to malls and zoo jela yer babies??

or better yet, just stay at home. 

Xoxo

Pre Birth Short Gateaway

One of our pre-birth rituals would be to go somewhere where we can relax and enjoy before Mommy pops out and sleepless pantang session comes in.

We went to Penang prior the 1st birth.

and we went to Andaman Langkawi prior to the 2nd birth.

For the 3rd one, we didnt go far. we stayed really really close.

Like, 15 minutes drive from home. 

We went to Holiday Inn Glenmarie.

Why on earth did we do that?

What happened to our so called long distance trip?

Well, Hub was really really busy. He could not take days off. and the only holiday we got was the public holiday, which was Chinese New Year at that time. and for us to travel out of KL during CNY is like asking me to forever sulk and asking me to turn into a monster throughout the trip. 

I dont deal with traffic jams well. I mean it. I will become irritated and moody and wanting to scream to everybody in the car. and for me to scream to my 2 daughters, who can be pretty handful during a long trip, will not be nice.

And I was about 33-34 weeks pregnant at that time.

Hence, the short vacay to Holiday Inn Glenmarie.

picture from Google

It was surprisingly a nice play to stay. 

Even though it was located in Glenmarie, it was however quite secluded from the business venues and all. There were not many people there (CNY, people go out of KL kan?) and very green. It was just next to the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club. So you can see green golf course everywhere. 

very peaceful indeed.

We didnt feel like we were in Shah Alam at all. 

The pool was quite okay.

Ayra and Amna enjoyed it so much. So did their father.

They haven't been to the pool for quite some time. 

That's why we wanted to be some where they can get their swimming skills on again.

It was lovely to see them having so much fun swimming. for hours. 

until kecut all fingers and toes!

Qu Puteh much?

"Qu Puteh Qu Puteh, Baru Puteh".

One fine day, Ayra uttered the glamorous phrase. 

And we laughed our heads off. Advertising really gets to you right? even the little ones.

Now, perhaps that's what is called good advertising gimmick. 

You know it is happening when the kids are doing it. 

And to add to our shock, few days later, Amna started to say: " Ku Teh, Ku Teh," and putting her 2 fat fngers on her cheek. We didnt expect that!

But something to laugh off for sure. 

They look wayyyyy cuter than the originator of the phrase. 

hahahahahah

and now, little Amal is here.. 

so what did i find one fine day? 

tadaaaaa...

sorry mommy. kakak kakak ajar. i need to fit in.

3rd: Amal's Birth

Salam and Hello World..

Presenting to you our 3rd princess, Amal Nafeesa Muhd Hilmi..

I was hoping for the little one to come out on a nice date, and yup she did! 

3rd March 2016. at 12.30 noon.

Alhamdulillah, it went as smooth as it can. I have Allah to thank for, for all the strength that he gave me and for hearing my prayers.

So here goes the story, Amal.. for your reading pleasure when you are big enough.

           ***

I had been having Braxton Hicks for quite some times. for few weeks earlier. and the increased frequency to the loo. and to pass motions. 

basically, all the symptoms were there. I was literally waiting for the time.

Nesting? done that at about 34-35 weeks of pregnancy. 

Cleaned the kitchen in and out, up and down, scrub and dub. 

Organized the pantry, the house, the cabinets, the drawers.

Printed out latest pictures of the fam and bought additional frames. 

(Hub yet to put them up the wall though)

Almost regularly exercise. for pregnancy. those that can expedite the labor process. 

Packed the hospital and baby bags at 30 weeks. 

Then it was the waiting time..

2nd March 16

I had to bring Ayra to Hospital in the morning cause she was having on off fever and terrible cough and flu for almost 4 days. 

I even messaged my old colleagues telling them that our lunch session that week had to be postponed cause my daughter was not well. and I dont think I would be popping out soon (meaning that week), so we rescheduled to next Monday. Though 3.3.16 would be a nice date to pop out. hahaha

Then, I felt like eating Brazilian Carrot Cake that i saw on FB. It looked easy to be made. 

simple ingredients and fast. 

So that late afternoon, around 6pm, I checked my pantry, and yes we have all ingredients in the house. and the baking began. 

It was easy and turned out to be moist and super duper nice. not too sweet or too carrot-ty. and the chocolate topping is really a different twist to what the usual carrot cake tastes like. 

Have a try of the recipe!

https://www.facebook.com/tastemade/videos/933793016707866/

Amna ate it a lot. She seemed to like it too. hoorayy. That would be one way of giving her vege, since she doesnt like veges at all. especially the green ones. 

That night, I tried to sleep but failed despite turning here and there. nothing new there. just like my regular nights. same ol reasons: frequent urination. frequent bladder poking (not funny baby), backache, restless position.  

However, this time around, the contractions we kind of closer together. I tried to find the best position to sleep to ease the backache, but failed that too. the contractions were not so mild cos i was actually groaning in pain. but it was still bearable. nothing that severe that prompted me to wake Hub up. Though i felt 'like waking him up. But seeing him constantly checking on Ayra to ensure her temperature was not spiking, made me hold the thought till morning. 

3rd March 2016

At 540, I woke up for tahajud and waited for Subuh. I prayed to Allah to ease the process and for Him to guide me: whether I should go to the hospital, or let it be for a while till I can no longer bear the pain.  who says things can be easy for the 3rd one? I was still confuse. 

seriously, I was still not sure whether that was a labor pain or just mild contractions. 

so when Hub woke up, I told him what I felt. and that I wanted to go to the hospital just to check. You know, just to make sure that it wasnt the day or vice versa. 

I even told Hub that he should go into office a bit later. 

But we did bring the hospital and baby bags along. just in case.

So, Hub sent Ayra and Amna to Nena's house, which is in front ours. kissed them goodbye and boy, mommy surely missed them already. 

This time around, i didnt give birth in DEMC like the previous ones. the price has just spiked up ridiculously! after many searches, we decided to go to Salam Specialist Shah Alam Hospital. 

with Dr Siti. I went to check with her once, which was the 2 weeks before. She told me that I would be seeing her on the 4th for check up, or even faster, perhaps in labor room. 

masin sungguh mulut doctor. hahaha

Yup, when the nurse checked me, I was 4cm dilated. and that is labor time. 

So we decided to get warded, and told to eat breakfast etc. that was about 830am.

At 9am, we were told to go into the labor room. and by then i was 5cm.

Honestly, I didnt feel..so much pain. more like backache and bearable contractions.

I remembered the previous ones. 5cm was like hell!

then nurse got my water broke and at about 11am, i was 7cm. which was still okay for me.

(lucky me huh)

the pain was really2 intense when i was 9cm to 10cm dilated. 

oh boy. only zikir and prayers on my lips. 

i was lucky Hub was there to rub my back, gave me support, reminded me how to push, and everything else that I could not do alone. 

the nurses and doctor were helpful too. they taught me when to push (when the pain came) and help me to deliver a healthy baby girl normally, without any vacuum etc, at 1230pm. 

but the pain did not stop there. nope.

do you know renggat?

it is when the uterus is contracting so that it could go back to its usual size. well, sort of.

oh man. that was painful!!!!! 

i didnt take any painkiller watsoever, so the pain was like continuously going on for few minutes post birth. unlike previously, the pain stopped when the baby came out. 

but, regardless everything, I am grateful to Allah that he gave me ample strength to go through this. 

Alhamdulillah. 

So, there it goes..

Amal Nafeesa by Muhd Hilmi.

and her 2 sisters.

May Amal Nafeesa grow to be the coolness of our eyes, the example of the righteous.

May Allah protect Amal from syaitan and evil of the eyes.

 May Amal weigh heavily on our scale and in our favours.

Allahumma ameen