Stretch Marks?

It has been a big issue to me and getting an anti stretch-mark cream was one of the very first few things I did when I found out I was pregnant. I've seen women with horrible post-partum stretch marks and the sight of them has been haunting me. And sometimes, really, there is nothing we can do about it. I read in this one forum where the mommies were discussing about SM saying that they can be in our 'genes', as in if your mum doesn't have them, you are most likely to get away without them too! And if your mum has them, no matter how much cream you use you are bound to have them for lifetime. Erkkk~ And I love my mom's tummy! Takde stretch marks langsung! Or maybe she does have them but since her skin is quite fair they are not that obvious.

Now, this was my only anti-stretch mark cream bought at Guardian. Surfed online and apparently the world's best cream is not sold in Brunei. Even if it is, it might be very costly. This Palmer's cocoa butter is not bad though. It helps a lot in getting rid of the itchiness. However the stretch marks are still very red.

And this is my belly's new best friend! It somehow reduces the itchiness AND the redness of the stretch marks. Too bad I only notice the different effects both have quite recent. Recent, as in yesterday. BOOHOO. But I still hope it is not too late.

On another note, I just hit the 35th week yesterday! Had my check-up last Monday and I actually lost a bit of weight. It could be due to fasting and the doctor didn't seem to be worried. And so far I've only missed 3 days of fasting (including today) as the baby hasn't been quite active lately and I've been a little bit worried. بسم الله توكلت علي الله ولا حول ولا قوة الا بالله العلي العظيم

Sweet Tooth :(

I want to eat brownies so bad that I'm thinking of baking my own. I bought a sampler box of Sas' Brownies from The Cakery and I'm hooked. Too bad all the slots for her sampler boxes this weekend have been filled. Sia sia pun. And I don't think I would want to get brownies from somewhere else. Inda sama tu karang rasa nya. :( Cemana tah ni? Bemasak brownies tah kali ku saja esuk?

I LOVE DATES!!

Not those kind of dates you have on your mind now. Dates here refer to none other than kurma. I was never a fan of kurma seriously. Ramadhan or no Ramadhan I just didn't like them, and other kurma-like fruits. Raisins, prunes etc. But this year it's different. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to take kurma (a minimum of 3 pcs) during this fasting month as that would help preggers to be able to menahan lapar w'out really feeling hungry. AND IT WORKS! Been taking them every sahoor and I've never felt better. I have so much energy during the day that I've been doing laundry almost everyday after school. You know that proud/ victorious moment when you've actually washed the 2-day dirty laundry and watched them lined under the scorching sun and took them off the lines, COMPLETELY KARING and have them folded nicely and some even ironed?! I've been doing those this time more than I used to during the normal days. *pat myself on the back* Not only that, I no longer need my afternoon nap. It's really hard to fall asleep nowadays but I just do it anyway since I've got everything else done :D Sent from my iPhone

Week 34!

Alhamdulillah I'm entering the 34th week today :D inda terasa eh. I remember a friend did her US when she was 32 weeks along and I was maybe around 25-27 weeks kali and I said to myself, "lama lagi my turn eh". Sekali now tup-tup I have less than 6 weeks to go :s

Baby's hospital bag is ready but we still need to get some stuff for his wardrobe like the hanging organizers and storage baskets. We are going to use this white wardrobe I got few years back and hasn't been used eversince I got married. And it's still in a very excellent condition. Macam baru banar no dents or telakap apa kalau jual balik confirm masih laku.

Ummi's hospital bag? So far I stuffed all my barang into baby's bag until I find a very nice looking bag that DH wouldn't feel awkward carrying around the hospital hehe so yes now ummi is sharing bag with baby saja dulu, can?

What else should I write about ah? Malas and ngalih have been the biggest issues. I've been fasting for 14 days so far. Only missed one day pasal lupa niat *banar nda eksen* and yet alhamdulillah, been more energetic than normal days. And now looking forward to more Iftaar sessions with family and friends. Had one with stargazers yesterday and oh it was a joyful one, so many babies!! Too bad I didn't take a lot of pictures :(

Sent from my iPhone

Happy 3rd Anniversary

Dear habibi,
Yesterday marked our third year together as husband and wife, and I thank Allah for everything He has given me through you. I could tell that the little one was pretty happy for us too as he had been very active throughout the day.

You are not perfect. And I don't and won't expect you to be. I love you the way you are. And the fact that you have shown your capability in leading me to the right path. Thanks for being my Imam, and I am sure you will be a good leader to our children in the future as well. At times I do have the urge to be mad at you for watching the TV instead of helping me folding our baju and panyap them in the closet, but then Allah would somehow remind me how you have been helping me around with the laundry and ironing the clothes. Not to mention other housekeeping matters, from vacuuming the whole room to scrubbing the toilet bowl. I once said, "Don't expect me to cook for you if you can't be my Imam". Well honey, you have played your major role very well while I still suck at preparing you nice comfy meal :(

You are truly a gift from Allah. You might not be getting me those expensive handbags or tudongs or shoes for writing this entire post; you know I don't need those things (wait, sometimes I think I do plg) but it is alright. I didn't get anything for you either except our little one :p

And bi, all I ever need is your redha. Redha in everything I do, may it be my amal ibadah or not. And I will try my best to be a good wife to you in this world so I can be your bidadari in heaven (okay this sounds a bit cheesy tapi biar tia ah)

"Ya Allah, kurniakanlah kami pasangan dan zuriat yang menjadi penyejuk hati kami, dan jadi kan lah kami pemimpin bagi orang-orang yang bertakwa"

"And they who say: O our Lord! grant us in our spouse and our offspring the joy of our eyes, and make us guides to those who guard (against evil)".

(Al-Furqan;74)

With lots of love and du'a
Your Habibti

Week 32 Day 3 & The 4th of Ramadhan

Alhamdulillah, I've managed to fast since the 1st day without much problems. It was quite challenging on the first day though. I didn't take any oats and Omega 3 as recommended by some mommies during sahoor, and by midday I started to feel weak. This could have been due to the fact that I used a lot of energy to do the laundry early in the morning as well. One good thing, the baby was furiously kicking around almost the whole day so I took that as a sign that he was doing extremely well and wanted his ummi to carry on fasting. I've also stumbled upon a blog post on fasting for pregnant ladies which I think was extremely helpful. Have a look.

From the second day onwards, it has been pretty easy somehow. I took 3 dates, a lot of water, oats as well as Omega 3 during the sahoor and didn't stop eating until I heard the call for the Fajr prayer. And I've been feeling quite energetic throughout the whole day. I'm hoping that I can fast the whole month.

On another note, I am going to see the little one pretty soon. Thinking of doing the 3D ultrasound on Monday the 8th (our 3rd wedding anniversary!) but DH will be working afternoon shift, so we are thinking of doing it maybe on Sunday, if the clinic opens that is. I will also be seeing my doctor on the 8th to see how things are, and by that time the baby will be 33 weeks old.

Talking about baby's arrival which is going to be in less than 7 weeks, I got the parcel from Marks & Spencer few days ago. Now I'm excited. The baby's clothing items are half-ready and I just love the quality of the cotton clothes from M&S! Some reviews say that they are even better than MC's ones. Now I need to get the bathing set & toiletries as well as some CDs. I'm still thinking whether to put the baby full time on CDs or just start with disposables for the first few months. Decision decision!