Uncategorized

Baby Boys Clothes

Dyan

Ever since i announced we’re having a baby boy, the most common question i get is “So will u be selling baby boys clothes next year?!”

Hahahaha i’m not kidding seh. Friends just automatically assume i’ll bring in boys clothes since i brought in lotsa girls clothes with Dear Raessa.

But honestly, it is not in the pipeline yet. I have not even bought clothes for Baby Adik yet seh! Mata asyik tengok baju baby girls je. Then cam mana….

I guess when i do realize that it is very hard to find nice boys clothes, then i’ll make an effort maybe? Till then, i’m pretty happy with where Dear Raessa is going.. bringing mentel clothes for girls. Hahahahaha

Motherhood, Nadya Raessa, Our Little Family

Weekend Play

Dyan

 

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We finally did something productive for Nadya last Saturday. Productive cos i’ve been really tired so she has limited outdoor play unless her Papa is around.

First stop was the Baby Fair. We came at 1.00pm and left by 2.00pm. Not kidding seh. I knew exactly what i wanted so i zoomed in straight to the booths & chop2 purchased everything. To be honest, we didn’t get much. I got the Babysafe newborn essential set for $55 which is such a steal! Consists of the newborn pillow, bambeanie & mattress protector.

We also did bottle trade-ins for Comotomo. Nadya is still using Comotomo bottles so adik will also use them later cos I just love the bottles. They’re easy to wash cos of the wide opening & Nadya never got any colic etc from it when she was younger. So i’ll just stick with that brand.

I also borong the Pureen bottle cleanser cos that’s the only formula i like. (I hate the Pigeon one!) Also got boxes of the clothes detergent for babies. Nadya sekarang pakai normal detergent je. But of course for babies, i’m more careful cos they have delicate skin & all. Collected some preorders & left the place promptly to get my nutella-filled doughnuts!

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Got these from YazKitchen & they were so good! Anything with nutella is good lah to me.

Since we were at the East area, i thought it’ll be nice to finally drop by The Artground! Wanted Nadya to explore the Down the Rabbit Hole art installation before they change it to another exhibition and they also had this Slime Attack workshop which i know Nadya would love cos she loves Crafty stuff like this! Anything that involves hands-on activities, she suka!

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The place itself is not that huge but i like it cos there’s enough space for Nadya to run around without bumping into another kid. Everything is open-ended. It is up to the kids how they want to play & explore.

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We went in for the workshop at 3.30pm and Nadya had fun, as expected. I didn’t expect her to actually sit down for the entire 30minutes though cos girl got short attention span. It has to be really really fun for her to sit through anything. She was also the youngest there. Lol

She had fun mixing the slime ingredients & watching it turn from liquid to this stretchy & squishy little thing. It was so worth it!

Admission to The Artground is free but the workshops are at $10/- for a parent-child pair and they have different workshops every weekend for different age groups. You can check out more details here.

We then head over to East Coast Park since it’s nearby.

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She’s currently very into her skate-scooter and been scootering the whole house. Lol.
We need to bring her swimming very soon though. She kept asking to go swimming but i don’t know if i can still fit into my swimsuit. Hahahaa.

I slept through the entire journey home cos it was so tiring but i know Nadya had fun so it’s all worth it. Well, i had fun too actually but it would be even better if the weather was kinder. Lol

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

25 Weeks Pregnant

Dyan

I’ve not been updating, i know. Is this really the 2nd child syndrome? Lol
So kesian you adik.

But i guess this pregnancy i’m really not as kancheong macam when i’m with Nadya. With Nadya, i google every single thing & always worrying about everything.
This pregnancy, i know what to expect & i’m more comfortable with what i’m feeling. But i still get excited over Babycentre notifications still & i still do worry but not so much lah.

We went for our detailed scan at 22 weeks & Alhamdulillah everything looks fine. We also managed to know the gender! I passed my Gestational Diabetes test the last time round but not sure if i’ll pass the next test when i go for the next blood test end of this month.

One thing for sure, this pregnancy is going reaaaal fast this time round. Can’t believe i’m entering my Third Trimester this month! So exciting but yet still so scary? I think you’ll feel the same way for every pregnancy cos you don’t know what to expect and we all know not all labours would be the same kan? I hate that part. The not knowing what to expect cos i want to be prepared.

Also i’m really hoping i can breastfeed longer this time round, but again not pressuring myself. I’ll take whatever i can.

So far we’ve not bought anything much for Adik. Except for a Tula blanket & a camouflage hoodie cos it’s cute, although not quite necessary. Hahahaha. I believe we’ll reuse most of the major items like baby cots, strollers etc. We just need to get small items like clothes (yay!), pillows, bottles etc. I also tried switching on my Spectra Breats pump & it’s still working. HAHAHHA. But i need to get all the spare parts like tubes & flanges cos i have no idea where i kept everything. Maybe i’ll check at the Baby Fair or Pupsik etc and see if there’s a promo!

Till the next update! ❤

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

16 weeks pregnant

Dyan

I’m 16 weeks pregnant now & officially in my 2nd trimester. That was fast!

Went to NUH to do my 1st OGTT. Because I have a history of Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with Nadya, they put me at high risk for gestational diabetes again for this pregnancy. I was initially reluctant to take two tests but deep inside I also want to make sure that if I have early GD, it can be detected early so I can control my diet again. Not too scared about the baby being too big that I’ll have to go under the knife or anything. But scared if the baby might end up having low blood sugar during birth. 16wks

The dreaded orange drink! Urrrgh. Tastes even nastier this time round cos I seem to want to puke at everything. So I was told to from midnight and report to Clinic G at 9.00am and take my 1st blood test at 9.30am & drink the glucose drink within 10 minutes. The 2nd blood test will be taken at 10.30am and the last blood test at 11.30am.

Managed to see the gynae after my 2nd blood test to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Felt so relieved because at this point I’m still unable to feel baby’s movements yet so hearing the heartbeat reassures me that the baby is fine.

I’ve felt quickenings though. That flutter feels and I can hardly wait to feel actual movements because I really miss that.

So far everything is going fine except my headaches are still here and they’re really persistent. They can go on from morning to night and I’m still so tired most of the time.

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A bumpfie at 16 weeks! I’m also showing quite early this time round maybe cos this is the 2nd pregnancy. We’ll also be switching to the Private clinic when I see Dr. Citra come September. I have no problem with the subsidized clinic this time round but I prefer seeing Dr. Citra again and also we would want to take the A1 class again when I deliver so it’s just a preference. My detailed scan is scheduled 3rd week September so maybe we’ll find out the gender then. We’ll probably announce our pregnancy then as well cos the tummy is bigger now and it’s harder to hide. Lol.

Our Little Family, Special Events

Shawal 2017

Dyan

Raya dah bis baru nak post this because i really wanna compile all the pictures taken for Raya 2017 & post it here! So Raya dah bis pun takpe lah! A picture-heavy post ahead!

First day of Shawal is my favourite! Everyone in my family gets together and we’ll convoy together, eat lotsa good food, gossip2 & take lotsa pictures!

Second Shawal weekend where we head over to the East side for visiting!

Raya with my HKSS girls at Caca’s house. Also the 1st time we met her twin boys. Nadya is so obsessed with them! Me too! So adorable!!

One of our weekday Raya at Nek Long’s house!

Raya with the bandmates! Not sure why but macam berjanji everyone is wearing either blue or black.

With Rusly’s bandmates at Shafit’s place and i don’t know why but we forgot to take a group picture! Semua sibuk makan tak abis2.

With the mummies at Ross’s house! So kecoh this one because so many toddlers and they all refuse to pose for pictures. We gave up after a while. Lol

Raya gathering with the #bloggirls at Farna’s place. Mexican food so yums. This one also amik gambar kecoh. Think we gotta wait till the kids are at least 12 yrs old before we can have a proper group picture.

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We end our Raya extra special this year. With the kids from Pertapis Children’s Home & Pertapis Women & Girl’s Home. It was so so emotional. I cried so many times but it also made me happy to see the kids happy. Wish i could share more pictures but i can’t release pictures with their faces on it so this would do!

Told you it’ll be filled with lotsa pictures but i don’t want to miss anything out. This Raya, sampai pikiran nak pakai baju apa lagi cos we only bought 3 sets. But we end up reusing last year’s baju & it all worked out fine!

It is also my 1st Raya wearing the hijab so it was also a hassle to match with my baju raya & all and while i’m more or less comfortable wearing it now, i still have my own #hijabproblems during Raya. Kuah tertumpah kat tudung jgn cakap k. Tudung aku leh buat world map sendiri.

Nadya Raessa

Separation Anxiety

Dyan

Never thought i’ll say this but Nadya is finally having separation anxiety! lol.
I wanna shout Yay cos i finally feel like she needs me but it’s also so painful for both of us.

I think she finally understands that School = No Mummy.
She was so so good during the 1st three sessions and then she refused to go to school and would cry & scream during drop offs.

The last 2 session, she cried for a full 15mins. I was hesitant to leave so i lingered (out of her sight) at the lobby area. But hearing her cries & screams was so hard for me, i left. I felt so bad leaving her because i don’t want her to think i don’t care about her but if i don’t, she’ll end up being like some of the kids in there. Refusing to let go of their mum / maid and they sit in the class from start to finish and that kinda defeats the purpose of me wanting to put her in an independent class?

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The last session was slightly better though. She cried at drop off but her favourite teacher swooped in and calmed her down. Her teacher gave me updates & pictures to show me she’s ok already and i felt so much better after that and at least she didn’t cry when i picked her up.

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I think it’s just a phase she’s going through and i’m hoping it’ll get better soon! Apart from that, i think she really enjoys the activities in school and it’s all fun packed cos she’ll go home singing a new song and all. It’s so adorable!

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IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy

12 weeks pregnant! 

Dyan

Oh yes 12 weeks now and i’m at the Fetal Care Centre while typing this cos i’m waiting for baby to turn cos baby been facing down and inwards. Pls pls pls turn sayang!

So relieved to see baby moving & turning though. Been seeing so many miscarriage posts lately that i became paranoid. Sampai some nights tak boleh tido pikirkan if baby is ok.

Waiting for the dreaded blood test now. Really hoping everything is well! Will be seeing the gynae in 2 days time to review the results. We opted for the Down syndrome screening and i know this is very subjective but we just to know if there’s any cause for concern.

Till the next update!

Nadya Raessa

Nadya goes to school!

Dyan

We’ve enrolled Nadya in a playgroup. At last!
I procrastinated a lot on this. I want her to have an allocated time in a week to play & mingle with peers around her age. I initially explored Childcare but feel like it’s redundant cos i’m home most of the time and honestly don’t feel like the childcare around our area fits our requirements.

I sent her to the The Garden House for few parent accompanied sessions and i really like the place, the teachers and their values aligned with mine. Lots of play (especially outdoor play), they emphasize a lot in letting kids explore anything they want with their senses and minimal interventions from adults. It would have been perfect but the program is parent accompanied and i prefer an independent class so that it’ll be easier to transition to Nursery etc.

The Garden House also offer half day playgroup which i was really keen in but they start from 8am – 12 noon and it’s a 30 – 40 mins bus ride from our place (It’s at Bt Timah area) and because i don’t drive, it’ll be a hassle. It’s too out of the way for Rusly to drive her to school also cos he starts work at 8.30, at Tuas. Logistically, it’s merepek lah. I wouldn’t mind if the class starts later (maybe 10am onwards) cos we’ll get to avoid the morning peak period also. They do offer transport service but it’ll be too costly on top of the $850 school fees for a twice weekly 4hrs session so we let go of the idea but would totally be open to continue sending her for the Sproutling sessions again soon!

Then we enquired the Startots Playgroup under our block. Logistically, it is the best option (and the cheapest at $175 for 5 days, 2hrs a week!) but i don’t really like the environment. They close all windows, no natural light and do mostly sitting down activities, which i know Nadya will hate, except for Art & Crafts. Nadya likes the teacher though but then again, she likes almost everyone. So yeah.

I also considered Julia Gabriel and i know Nadya would enjoy it cos there’s lots of singing & dancing. It’s 2 times weekly, 2 hours per session and it’s $600+ for 2 terms (10 weeks) which is within our budget but again, it’s parent-accompanied and they are only left with the 9.00am slots which is understandable cos the 11.00am & 2.00pm slot is the more popular timing. 11.00am would be perfect cos by the time class is over, it’ll be her naptime. So although it’s only a bus away from our house to Orchard, we’ll definitely be stucked during the morning peak period.

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We then decided on My Gym again because timing was perfect. Twice weekly, from 10.45am – 12.45noon. By the time class ends, she’ll take her nap cos too tired from all the jumping around. Nadya used to attend the gym classes when she was younger and enjoyed it so going back to My Gym was not a tough decision to make especially cos it’s an independent class and the fees are the same as Julia Gabriel so it’s within our budget.

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She loves the teachers & love love love the huge space and all the climbing structure in school. So although My Gym does not offer outdoor play, i’m really happy she gets to explore & climb on her own. It will definitely help with her confidence in the long run because i would hate it if she’s not allowed to climb & explore because it’s deemed “too dangerous”.
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My Gym playgroup incorporates Free play & structured play. She obviously hates structured play but we’re slowly heading there because i also want her to be able to listen to instructions & participate in group play. Currently, her favourite is the free play & Arts & Craft and that is not surprising. Her teacher also noticed that she’ll participate in group play only if there’s singing involved. So ok lah. slowly she’ll learn to listen to instructions and sit down when told to. Right now she is all over the place. hahaha.

She’ll always carik chance to escape group play and run off on her own. It’s funny because for a little girl, she’s really fast so the teachers are always running after her. Lol. Tapi kesian pun ada. lol

For her 1st two lessons, i was allowed to sit in the class just in case she looks for me. But budak tu tak kisah pun! I feel so offended. Lol. During the 2nd session, i left the class after 30mins. It was hard for me to leave her with strangers to be honest. But i had to do it and i keep telling myself “It’s only for 2 hours!”

Nadya didn’t cry at all and i was so proud of her cos i totally underestimated her. She asked for me once but the teacher told her i’ll be back later and she said Ok! Lol

I couldn’t wait to pick her up that day and i was so scared she’ll cry. But alas.. she was so happy, she was laughing when she saw me waiting behind the curtain. It was too cute! ❤

 

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy

10 Weeks Pregnant

Dyan

I’m 10 weeks pregnant now and we’re fast approaching the end of the 1st trimester. I’m still pretty keeping it low key still cos we’re still cautious although i’ve been asked many times about the outcome of our Cycle No 2 and i hope people understand why I choose not to answer yet.

The 1st trimester with No 2 is so so different from Nadya’s. With Nadya i was really careful, more relaxed. Tak buat kerja mostly and had zero morning sickness except for some headaches.

This 2nd pregnancy, i was more active. It conveniently happen to be one of my busiest period with the sales of Sampul Raya & Dear Raessa during the festive season. I packed 1200 packages to be mailed all on my own. I still don’t know how i did it but i did it guysss. I left most of the carrying of heavy things to Rusly though. Although i also did an islandwide delivery for the sampul resellers during 1st week Ramadhan and it was so exhausting, i’m never doing it again! It was really exhausting & also all the travelling by car made me wanna puke seh.

If that’s not enough, i also did 3 days of Laloolalang Bazaar from 2pm – 11pm. Obviously after all that, my back hurt so badly so i took 2 days off from doing anything. Helped a lot really because after that, Raya spring cleaning starts!

With the 2nd pregnancy, i had morning sickness. It wasn’t an everyday thing, thank goodness but enough to make me feel so lousy. I’ll puke at the smell of garlic or anything strong. I’ll puke when brushing my teeth. I’ve changed my toothpaste brand so it’s helping! I’ll also puke with mouthwash cos it’ll leave an aftertaste and i used to be ok with it but this time, cannot take it.

I also cannot stand crowds. I get really mabuk macam nak pitam that kind, which explains why i was sitting most of the time at Laloolalang. So glad my sisters & husband were around to help!

I’m not complaining though cos i know some people have it really bad and i know this will go away soon! Right now, i’m just glad to be given another chance to be pregnant. Morning sickness or not.

First Trimester, IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

7 Weeks Pregnant

Dyan

Today, i went for my 1st scan.
8.30am at Fetal Care Centre for the scan and then 10.00am at Clinic G for my review appt with the IVF Clinic.

2nd pregnancy and i’m still so nervous. Heck, even if it’s my 4th pregnancy pun, i think i’ll still be nervous seh. I went with an open mind but i’m secretly hoping for a singleton still cos i honestly don’t think i am capable of looking after twins, during & after pregnancy. But really, i’m just hoping for a viable pregnancy. Jangan lah tetiba scan & they find a blighted ovum ke chemical pregnancy ke. But Alhamdulillah, i saw the cute little fetus on screen with the blinking heartbeat. So emotional i cried.

Everything is going well so far and we’re having another singleton. Yayyyy!
I thought i was only 6 weeks but turns out to be 7 weeks and my EDD is set to be Jan 20 2018 which is a week after Nadya’s 3rd birthday. Another January baby! And so close to each other so boleh je save duit & celebrate birthday sama2. HAHAHAHA

It is also funny how things work out. When me & Rusly embarked on our TTC journey, we kinda agree on having our 2nd one at least 3yrs apart and really Allah plan cun-cun for us to have the 2nd one after Nadya turns 3. Sekali adik comes out before Nadya’s birthday ehh. Lol

My next appointment will be on my 12 weeks pregnancy for the down syndrome scan. Oh yeah luckily i called the Women’s Clinic way before the IVF started. Cos i heard the waitlist for Dr Citra is even longer now. I called them in April and only managed to get an appointment in September! Hahaha. But just nice ah. September would be my 20th weeks and i can just sign up for the maternity package from there & see Dr Citra for the rest of my pregnancy. Sticking with Dr Citra cos i’m comfortable with her & really think she’s great! Till the next update!