"you're the worst."

You know you need a rescue when the mere fact that you're suffering from constipation makes you feel like a total failure.

It's just preposterous how a few snide remarks can leave you feeling miserable for so long.

xoxo

of pasta and curry puffs.

At the beginning of this week, I had this great plan of writing about my cooking escapades last weekend but this week has been so Awful (yes, with a capital A) that it sucked all of the positive energy out of me. Not that I had tonnes of it to begin with, anyway.

Praise Allah that this week's almost over, and as a tribute to that, I'm gonna post up a few pictures from last weekend. Hehe.

1. Mr Sunshine and I purchased a Midea portable air-conditioner to place in our bedroom last Thursday.

Not to be mistaken for an air cooler !

My nights are no longer sweat-filled ! Woohoo !


2. Mr. Sunshine requested that I cook ayam masak lemak cili padi again last Friday. According to him, it's his favourite home cooked dish. :)

From left: Oregano omelette (haha), bendi goreng belacan & ayam masak lemak cili padi. Simple but satiating. :p

3. I was having cravings for pasta for the whole of last week so I made Fettucine Bolognese for lunch on Saturday.

Burp !

4. Saturday afternoon also witnessed me at my very first attempt at making curry puffs.

The pastry didn't taste as good as I would have wanted it to, but Mr. Sunshine loved the beef & potatoes filling I made. He ate the filling leftovers with bread. :)

My far from beautiful curry puffs. :D

I had planned to bring some to the office but since they didn't turn out super delicious, I was ashamed to do so. Haha.

But syukur for a husband who appreciates and loves my cooking. Hehe. :p

Ok bye.

xoxo

who do you think you are ?

Good morning.
I was awaken earlier than usual this morning, because I dozed off just after 2100 hours last night.
Mr. Sunshine was not even back from his futsal game at the time.

I felt so drained, albeit yesterday being the only first day of my working week. I had trouble sleeping the night before.
In addition to that, I came back from work, with tears in my eyes. And continued to cry until I fell asleep. :''(

Initially, I thought I knew for sure why I was bawling my eyes out, but as the night progressed, I was confused.
I was aware I should not let her words get to me, but I did.
So I ended up questioning myself. Doubting myself. I was overwhelmed. Last night was just so messed up.
Sigh.

But today is a new day, so I shall try to leave the past behind and brace myself for what's ahead !
Sound believable enough ? Haha.

Have a good week everyone !

xoxo

i am craving for...

Nando's Hot Peri peri Quarter Chicken set. Photo credits to Google Images.

Koryowon's Bulgogi Jungsik.

Carl's Junior's Chili Cheese Fries.

Wondermilk's cupcakes.

Swensen's Frosted Chocolate Malt.

Swensen's Chicken Baked Rice.

Murni's Carbonara pasta. Photo credits to Google Images.

Whisk's Macarons.

Sri Gombak's Spicy Pan Mee. Photo credits to Google Images.

IKEA Meatballs. Photo credits to Google Images.

xoxo

week 26 update.

I had to go for another checkup yesterday because of my abnormal weight gain last month. They reviewed my blood pressure levels I took every other day which were normal, Alhamdulillah, and weighed me again.
I was very nervous because I just spent the last weekend stuffing myself with food at Mr Sunshine's hometown.
But Alhamdulillah, I only gained 1 kilogram over the past two weeks. Hehe. I'm allowed to gain 0.5 kilos per week ok.

There were trace amounts of albumin (protein) in my urine, and I was told to increase my fluid intake. I did cut down my water intake that day as I was traveling back from Batu Pahat and did not want to stop to pee every five minutes. :p
Other expectant mothers, please do not follow in my footsteps, it's very important to stay well hydrated while traveling !
If only the nurse knew how much water I drink on a daily basis, I bring a 1.6 L water bottle to work and I finish the whole bottle every day !

So far no stretch marks have appeared (YET) anywhere on my belly. And my belly button is still an innie. It's not gonna stay that way for too long I think.

I have been getting numerous questions on the gender of Mini Mel. Hehe. Sorry to let you all down but even Mr. Sunshine and I are still playing the guessing game ourselves.
I have also been receiving guesses on the gender based on how my belly and waist looks like. Apparently my belly is looking like I am carrying a girl, but the fact that I still have a tapered waist indicates that I am carrying a boy.
Ah, let's not forget that because I easily perspire a lot, I might be carrying a boy. Hehe. Macam-macam kan ? It's fun though, to listen to all the different opinions.

Mr Sunshine and I have not started buying any baby stuff. Not a single thing.
From what I know, my hospital bag should be ready as I enter my third trimester just in case Mini Mel decides to make an early appearance. My third trimester is only 2 weeks away !
Do any of you have any tips on shopping for baby stuff ? I have heard that (do correct me if I am wrong):

• I should not get too many newborn-sized clothing because babies grow fast.
• Purchasing things like a stroller or a car seat can be done after delivery.
• It's worth it to invest in a good breast pump if you plan to breastfeed exclusively.

That is all. I'm lucky (and thankful !) Diana shared her baby stuff checklist with me, so I basically copied hers with very minimal editing, being the lazy person that I am. Hehe.

I guess I need to do some serious researching on baby stuff prices !
Ok bye.

xoxo

silly pancakes.

Hello all !

Mr. Sunshine and I spent our last weekend in his hometown. We arrived safely in Kuala Berang yesterday afternoon and made it in time for my antenatal checkup.
Our time in Batu Pahat was spent mostly on eating !
But sadly, because we were too busy enjoying all the food that we forgot to take photos of them. The only food photo we took was of mum in-law's 'lempeng bodoh' as she calls it but I beg to differ, it was simply delicious, eaten with her equally delicious sambal tumis. Yums !

Don't let its simple appearance fool you, it's SUPER SEDAP !

The highlight of my weekend was when mum in-law along with my sisters in-law cooked up a Raya feast for moi last Sunday ! Mr. Sunshine told his mum that I was craving for Raya food last month. There was nasi impit, chicken rendang, lodeh gravy and peanut gravy !
I had seconds and thirds, for sure. Hehe. YUMMY !!
Thank you so much mak & adik-adik ! ;D

Here are a few photos from the weekend. :)

Mr. Sunshine treated his mum & dad to a steamboat dinner to celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day AND Teacher's Day ! Hehe.

Early morning before leaving to Kota Tinggi for a wedding.

At Kota Tinggi

The heat today is causing me to itch and perspire (heavily) all over. So uncomfortable lah. :(

xoxo

my mummy is beautiful.

Dearest Mummy,

It's been a while since I wrote to you.
I am aware that every time I do write, it'll be a long-winded sad and mushy post.
This time around I am gonna make an effort to keep it as chirpy as I can. :)
Because tomorrow is Mother's Day and no matter how emotionally disturbed I am right now, I know you would want me to try to be happy.

A couple of days ago, I was craving for your fruit cake. I did not go out to look for just any other fruit cake because I knew I would be disappointed.
In my eyes, no one bakes as good as you. No one cooks like you do.
It's funny because there are moments that the thought of calling you to ask you about how to cook something crosses my mind and then only it hits me that you're no longer around.
But it's ok Mummy, according to Mr Sunshine, I have been doing an ok job in keeping his tummy filled with good food. :)

I am 6 months pregnant now, Alhamdulillah.
Being pregnant makes me think of you even more. Makes me wonder about how you dealt with all your pregnancies. Did you get backaches or sore heels ? Did you go through morning sickness ? How did you feel when you felt my first kick ? How were your labor experiences ?
I'd have to admit that I get frustrated sometimes because I have so many personal questions on pregnancy that I want to ask you.
But I am blessed to have an awesome mum in-law and friends who I can turn to for answers. The internet has helped me tremendously too. :)

Mummy, I am gonna be okay, right ?

Now this wasn't so bad, wasn't it ?
I miss you, Mummy.
Al-Fatihah.

To my beautiful mum in-law all you gorgeous mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day. :)

xoxo

right here waiting.

The title has nothing to do with the rest of this post. It's just that I've had Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting on repeat in my car for a couple of days now. Sure brings back good childhood memories when I used to imagine that Daddy's golf tournament trophies were my microphones to sing. :p

I am watching the Top 5 contestants of American Idol sing their heart out while I am typing this.
I told myself I would stop watching if Casey Abrams fails to be in the Top 5 but I am weak (not much of a surprise ha). After being a fan of the show for the past 10 seasons, I just can't refrain myself from turning on the telly at 6:05 pm every Thursdays & Fridays.

I took leave last Monday & Tuesday because Daddy, Marc, Lene and Linn came over to visit Mr. Sunshine and I. They arrived safely, Alhamdulillah, on Saturday evening just as I was starting to prepare the Soto I had planned to serve them for dinner. Lene & Linn were the first to comment on how big my belly is right now. Hehe.
Fair enough lah kan, the last time they met me in person was 3 months ago during Faizal & Dee's wedding when I was still in my first trimester.
Lene was particularly amazed at the size of my breasts. Hahaha. Ok TMI, sorry.

Marc, Marlene and Linn helped out in the kitchen with the making of the bergedils and Mr. Sunshine fried the suhun and helped me to shred the chicken flesh into strips. :)
I'm glad all of them enjoyed my home cooked Soto. Marc even suggested I open a soto stall, hehe. But then again, they were all starving when dinner was served. :p

Our Sunday morning started with Mr Sunshine buying us Nasi Kerabu for breakfast. After that, we took our own sweet time to get ready for our trip to Kenyir Lake. We didn't go on any boat rides this time around, we decided to just enjoy the scenery and snap photos. :)
We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon at home where I taught the girls how to make the infamous batik cake with Marie biscuits.

If you're wondering why they were laughing, it was because Daddy was trying to suck in his tummy. Hehe.

 

Marc helped too !

Just in case anyone didn't know how the batik cake looked like.

Mr Sunshine was kind enough to lend a hand in the kitchen when I was preparing dinner that evening. The soles of my heels hurts when I stand for too long (thanks to the huge amount of weight I have gained), so he actually brought in a chair for me to sit while I cook. Hehe.

Awww ! Hehe.

On Monday morning after a breakfast of home cooked fried rice and mihun, we drove to Pasar Payang where we went on a hunt for fish keropok.

Can you feel their excitement ? Ok let me rephrase that, can you feel Linn's excitement ? Hehehe.

We drove to Kelulut with hopes of enjoying fried keropok lekor and fresh coconut water for tea after a stop at the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque a.k.a the Floating Mosque (Masjid Terapung), but much to my disappointment, they were only catering for takeaway that day. So we adjourned to Kampung Losong for some keropok lekor.

It was obvious that Marc was starving. :p

Pandak Beach was our next stop, which is where we chose to relax & enjoy our A&W Rootbeer Floats. Daddy deserves a treat once in awhile. :)

Daddy walked a couple of meters away from us just to stand and enjoy his float. :p

Love !

And our final destination for the day was Payang Serai Restaurant in KT, where Marc & Linn treated us to a scrumptious seafood dinner in conjunction with my birthday last week. :D

The food was delicious and the price was pretty reasonable. Thank you so much Marc & Linn !!

Time sure flies when you're having a good time, and before we knew it, it was already Tuesday and they had to leave for Gombak. I woke up pretty early as I had my monthly antenatal checkup scheduled that morning during which I had to drink 75 grams of glucose but more on that later lah.
I was so touched to see this when I got back home from my checkup.

Sobs.

We said our goodbyes after having lunch at KFC, Kuala Berang.
As usual, I just had to cry after that. :p
It was great having the family over. We had a fabulous time although Manchester United lost to Arsenal (arghhh !). Hehe.

One for the road. :)

Moving on to what happened at my antenatal checkup last Tuesday morning. It was also the day I had to take the MOGTT test as mentioned in this previous post of mine (click, please).
It started out with the nurse drawing out 2 mls of my blood prior to me drinking 75 grams of glucose mixed with water. Then I had to wait for 2 whole hours before they would draw another 2 mls of blood out of me. As for other usual glucose tests, I had to fast starting from 10 pm the previous night.
While waiting, I went through the routine monthly checkup which consists of checking my weight, blood pressure, fundal height and urine for ketones. This time around I got to hear my baby's heart beat through something which I think is a doppler. It was amazing ! MashaAllah. :)

The other amazing thing is that I found out that I had gained a good 5 kilograms over the past month. 5 KILOS !!!
As a result, the doctor told me to get my blood pressure checked every other day (starting today) since I already had the MOGTT test done. Yikes. Blood pressure was normal today, Alhamdulillah.
I'm pretty worried about my weight gain pattern, I don't want to end up with gestational diabetes or any other complications related to excessive weight gain in pregnancy. :(
Mintak dijauhkan. Ameen.

All the other test results came out normal, Alhamdulillah, but I'll only get my MOGTT results after 2 weeks. I think I'll be living in fear until then. :(
Oh, I also received my first dose of the anti tetanus toxoid vaccine that day. My left arm is still sore from the injection. The second dose will be at the end of this month, InshaAllah.

Baby's movements are getting stronger by the day. Alhamdulillah. Sometimes I wonder what he/she is doing in there. Hehe.
Mr. Sunshine is able to feel the kicks and movements from the outside already, Alhamdulillah. Lene felt some movements too ! :)

Now for a closer photo of my belly at 24 weeks (6 months) and 10 kilos heavier !

Ta-da ! Huge kan ? And my Daddy's so comel. ;D

Before I end, I have a note for my family in reply to what they left on my whiteboard.


Dearest Daddy, Marc, Marlene & Linn, 

Thank you so much for driving all the way here to pay Mr Sunshine and I a visit. We truly appreciate the company and good times you spent with us ! Please do come again. Please. Please. Pleeeeeeaaasssssee ! :D

Love,
Syafiq & Melissa

Until my next post, bye !

xoxo