My Third (3rd) Pregnancy

I'm hitting my 8th month now and anxiously waiting to deliver next month.

Each pregnancy comes with its own set of challenges so I just have to brave through it, no matter how tough.

(*based on my personal experience)

• Feeling Lazy: You can't imagine how lazy I feel with this third pregnancy that I just don't have the energy or drive to do anything at all, despite handling two young toddlers at home for the entire day. Yet, I still manage to feed the kids and myself too. Hubby plays a HUGE role to help out with the chores and food and the kids so I'm feeling really blessed to have him help with all the chores including cleaning the bathrooms / mopping the floors / taking out the trash / doing the laundry / cooking (this is THE MOST important part as I really am not keen to stand for long especially now that I'm in my 8th month).

• Fatigue / Out-of-breath: It's just ridiculous for me to feel exhausted although I don't really do much around the house. I'll set aside sweeping / vacuuming the floor one day (when you have a 1-yo, the amount of small crumbs on the floor is inevitable), folding clothes for another and just ensuring the house is not in a total chaos. At the end of whatever it is that I'm doing, I'll slump on the sofa and try so very hard to breathe normally. Sometimes I'll find myself feeling a bit faint.

• Isolation: I'm just not up to it, meeting people or hosting like how we used to. If I plan to go out with 2 kids in tow, it would only be for 2 hours max, then we'll head home. I'd rather go out during the weekends when hubby is home as he'll handle the 1-yo. At times, I'll just let hubby bring both kids out (which he normally does) and I'll resort to flipping channels on the TV or catching up on my favourite TV series (which isn't that often as I'd prefer flipping channels).

• "Nesting": This is constant for all three pregnancies. This time around, I had to declutter the house considering that we'll have another little one to attend to and I'm not keen to have to constantly clear toys off the floor or step on small blocks / Lego pieces. It's overwhelming! We're lucky that our 5-yo helps with putting her toys away but her younger sister, the 1-yo, always manages to make a mess of the play area or living hall again so we pity our 5-yo and help her clean up too.

• Nausea / Vomiting: I'm lucky enough, as compared to my previous two pregnancies, that the feeling of nausea and constant vomiting was only present during the 3rd and 4th month this time around. I'm able to eat proper meals and didn't mind the smell of hubby cooking in the kitchen or even his cologne.

Finally, I'm in my 3rd trimester now and I REALLY can't wait to get the baby out. 

It's so uncomfortable walking around at the moment, feeling breathless each time, not to mention feeling out of breath even whilst sitting down or lying down too! :(

Yet, I still feel reluctant at the thought of going through labour and the process of giving birth again. 

It's daunting, really, each time I remember the pain. 

Not to mention going through the confinement period (44 days!!!), the difficulty of passing motion, the thought of making sure Miss-V is cleaned after being stitched (or even peeing for that matter), the thought of breastfeeding a baby all over again or just keeping myself sane throughout my confinement period whilst handling two active kids at the same time. 

I respect mothers who are able to manage it on their own with the help of their hubby or a confinement lady.

Simply because they just don't have that luxury to pamper themselves and their newborn (unlike when they gave birth to their first child) since they have other kids to take care of as well and going through confinement in your own home is much more convenient and comfortable as you don't have to trouble anyone but your hubby. :D

Phew! I guess I'll just have to take this one step at a time.

Penjagaan Makanan Kami

Alhamdulillah, hampir setiap minggu suami dan saya monitor berat badan kami selepas suami keluar daripada hospital kerana strok.

Suami telah mencapai berat 87kg daripada 108kg. Tinggi dia 169cm.

Saya pula sudah mencapai berat 56.5kg daripada 75kg (masa mengandung dulu). Tinggi 168cm.

Nasi cuma satu senduk, kadang-kadang dua. Kami guna beras perang ataupun campur beras biasa dengan beras perang.

Lauk lebih sikit.

Kalau makan di luar (memang jarang makan kat luar sebab prefer makan kat rumah je), kami akan kongsi sahaja makanan.

Jarang sangat order sorang sepinggan.

Kini, saya memberi motivasi untuk adik saya pula walaupun dia berada jauh di perantauan sebab dia cakap nak kurangkan berat badan. :)

Cuba tengok, gambar-gambar makanan yang dia hantar.

Macam best je kan.

Kami hantar pes Brahim's kat dia, memang teruja dia tengok terutama sekali pes kurma dan asam pedas (lauk kegemaran dia asam pedas).

Saya suruh dia jaga portion makanan, terutama sekali nasi.

Dia memang amalkan meminum 2 litre air setiap hari.

Suami pula memang bawa bekalan dari rumah untuk dibawa ke pejabat.

Kalau dia dah makan banyak sehari sebelum, dia cuma membawa buah-buahan sahaja keesokan harinya.

Alhamdulillah, bacaan gula suami dalam 5, bacaan kolestrol bagus dan dia dapat mengawal bacaan darah tingginya.

Blokke @ Citta Mall, Ara Damansara

Check this out, moms and dads!

There's a new space to hang out with the little ones.

An indoor playground for the kids to run and climb and jump around.

Free play with Lego Duplo.

A cafe where you can get your caffeine fix or grab a milkshake or satisfy your sweet tooth or have light snacks.

If you feel like holding birthday parties or private events, you can book the place too!

It's ideal for play dates as the cafe provides food and beverage and kids are free to play.

All the above rolled into one.

Blokke is THE place to go!

The owners are a husband-and-wife team, super friendly too! :)

We went there one weekend with our kids tagging along and they sure had tons of fun.

Especially The Baby, who is only 9 months old. 

There's a place for her to play too.

Blokke currently runs an offer where entrance into the playground will be FOC on weekdays before 2pm with purchase of above RM20 at their cafe. (Otherwise, you'll need to pay RM15 for 2 hours play).

Kids will love it, parents will love it too!


Address: F41, First Floor, Citta Mall, No. 1, Jalan PJU 1a/48, Pusat Perdagangan Dana 1, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Email: hello@blokke.my

Contact Number: +6012 377 7436

Business Hours: 11am - 9pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlokkeCafePlayhouseShop/

Instagram: @blokke.my

Below are pictures taken from their IG & FB:

The Baby (9 Bulan) & Lil' Tot

Alhamdulillah, The Baby dah pun masuk 9 bulan. :)

Hari ni masa suapkan baby makan, dah boleh rasa gigi atas pulak tumbuh (2 batang). 

Jadi lengkap sudah gigi bawah (2 batang) dan atas. 

Patutlah masa breastfeed akhir-akhir ni sakit teramat sangat! 

The Baby dan Lil' Tot sangat berbeza personaliti mereka. 

The Baby lebih manja (terlebih lebih lebih) dan dia juga breastfeed-on-demand jadi saya memang banyaaaak sangat menghabiskan masa baring-baring sebelah The Baby.

Nak siapkan makanan kat dapur memang tak dapatlah kalau Encik Suami takde sebab baby akan nangis (meraung) mintak dukung. 

Bertabahlah wahai Ummi. 

Encik Suami banyak tolong, terutamanya bab menyediakan makanan. 

Kalau ikutkan Ummi, mana yang sempat Ummi akan makan dan tunggu je Encik Suami balik baru dapat jamah nasi atau makanan yang lebih berat sikit daripada makan tengah hari. 

Lil' Tot punya makanan yang Ummi akan pastikan ada, sebab kesian dia kalau makan tak betul kan. 

Masuk angin, sakit perut nanti dia. 

Hari ni, Alhamdulillah, dapat masuk dapur untuk betul-betul siapkan makan tengah hari sebab The Baby dan Lil' Tot dok main kejar-kejar. 

The Baby dah boleh merangkak dengan laju, kakak dia pulak lari main kejar-kejar dan boleh pulak main sorok-sorok.

The Baby memang suka berdiri kat atas sofa dan lepaskan kedua-dua belah tangan, berdiri kejap sebelum dia jatuhkan badan. 

Orang cakap tak lama lagi bolehlah berjalan, Insya Allah. 

Tapi kalau baby tak jalan lagi pun takpe, Ummi dan Daddy tak kisah. 

The Baby boleh amik masa lama mana pun untuk develop skills dia. :D

Kakak dia pulak, Lil' Tot, ada je benda yang dia nak buat sebab Daddy ada belikan dia craft book. 

Lil' Tot akan tengok mana-mana craft yang dia minat dan dia akan cuba buat sendiri, Alhamdulillah. 

Kalau dia tak reti atau betul-betul tak boleh buat, barulah dia akan mintak tolong. 

Baru-baru ni elok je Lil' Tot tidur petang dalam sejam macam tu. 

Mungkin penat kot nak memproses maklumat daripada buku dan menghasilkan seni mengikut pemahamannya. :)

TV akan terbuka setiap hari tapi sebab nak bagi bunyi je. 

Budak-budak bukannya duduk depan TV sangat. 

Kalau dah penat, baru dok depan TV. 

Lil' Tot pulak kalau dah start bercakap tu, memang non-stop. 

Alhamdulillah, Lil' Tot sayaaaaanngggg sangat kat adik dia. :)

Harap-harap kasih sayang mereka akan berkekalan sampai bila-bila, Insya Allah. :)

Playroom Malaysia @ Atria Shopping Gallery (Play!room)

They have a brilliant business model.
You can leave your kids at Playroom whilst you shop around, run errands or enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants within Atria Shopping Gallery for a fee.
Your kids will definitely enjoy themselves as Playroom offers a range of toys to choose from.

Located on the second floor just next to Jungle Gym, Playroom offers your kids the opportunity to be engrossed with Lego or Kinetic Sand or dollhouses.
It's quite convenient as the bathroom and even the surau is just close by.
You can check them out on Facebook or Instagram (@playroom_malaysia).

Address: Unit S 20, Second Floor, Atria Shopping Gallery, 47400 Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Contact Number: 03-7733 0555

MHsN Science Fair 2016

The Malaysian Homeschooling Network Science Fair 2016 was held on 26 March (Saturday) from 11am-5pm at Bangsar Village 1.

It was our first time going to the science fair and I must say, I was impressed with the passion shown by the homeschooled kids!

They proudly showcased their science projects and eagerly explained about their projects and demonstrated experiments to the visitors, both adults and kids alike. 

The homeschooled kids even prepared homemade science kits which visitors could purchase and do their own science experiments at home.

The venue was buzzing with activities, especially when each booth (there were 20 booths in total) offered visitors interactive activities for them to try out.

It's awesome that homeschooled kids are given a platform not only to exhibit their projects but offered an avenue to hone their presentation skills and boost their confidence in public speaking and interacting with strangers.

Who says homeschooling isolates kids and that they don't socialise?

Lil' Tot is only 5 years old but to have her exposed to things like static electricity, conductivity, open and closed circuits, amongst others, were sure to pique her interest in science.

We look forward to attending the next science fair which is held annually and many more activities organised by the homeschooling network groups.

You may find more pictures and details about the science fair by clicking on the link below:
MHsN Science Fair 2016 (FB page)

The Stroke Story: Day 7

We spent the entire day at the hospital.
The physiotherapist came twice for hubby to do some movements.
Hubby was also taken to do his CT scan.
After he was assessed by both his Cardiologist and Neurologist, he was given the green light to go home. 
He was discharged after 7pm.
He was given approximately 11 different types of medication to consume. 
The happiest piece of news all week. 
We finally got to bring Daddy home.

The Stroke Story: Day 6

9am: 
We headed out for breakfast and bought for Daddy too. 
We spent the entire day at the hospital since we were able to be with Daddy in the same room. 
We brought a mat for us to sit and perform our prayers. 
We brought some stuff for the kids, to keep them entertained.
Upon reaching hubby's room, we saw the Neurologist talking to him. 
He advised that they would be conducting a CT scan the following day just to make sure that everything was fine before he could be released. 
The recovery process would be much better if he was in a familiar environment, at home with the family.
I asked the Neurologist if hubby needed to go through a post-stroke rehab. 
Upon assessing hubby's condition, a rehab wasn't required.

10pm: 
Left the hospital after hubby took some pain killers and sleeping pills due to extreme headache.

10.30pm: 
Hubby messaged me - "Thanks for everything dear, from the bottom of my heart. Definitely lost without you." 

I cried myself to sleep.

The Stroke Story: Day 5

4am:
I messaged hubby as I couldn't sleep. 
Asked him how he was doing. 
Hubby shared that the nurses had just given him a shower and that he was having a headache.
He said that 3 people had to help him shower and changed his hospital robe.
I asked him for his BP reading. 
It displayed 161/95.
I told him that it was slightly higher in comparison to the previous evening's reading which was 144/78.
He then said that he needed to sleep so I let him be. 

8am:
I messaged hubby again, asking if he was awake and whether he still had a headache. 
Hubby said he still had a headache but will wait and see if it lessens anytime throughout the day.
The good thing was that his BP reading showed 142/85, which was much better than the earlier reading.

9am: 
Hubby messaged me again, shared his BP reading of 125/72.
I felt like crying because I was happy for him.
I told hubby that I'd be coming in a bit late today, as the fruit shop near home only opens at 11am.
I needed to get hubby his juice (to lower BP) and some fruits (grapes, green apples, banana) which he could snack on in the hospital.

11am:
Hubby messaged me with great news! 
The Neurologist gave his approval to move hubby into the normal ward!!! 
It was the happiest news I've heard for the week! 
The Neurologist said that everything looks normal and that the bleeding has recovered so it would be safe for hubby to be moved into the normal ward.

11.30am:
Reached the hospital and made a quick visit to see hubby with the juice and fruits.
Spent some time with him before I left as the kids were with my brother. 
I told hubby that we would be waiting for him outside.

1pm: 
Went in to see hubby again and told hubby that we would be heading down to the cafe on the Ground Floor to have lunch. 
Requested him to update me once he has moved so we could see him at the normal ward.

1.30pm: 
Hubby said that he was being moved.
I asked for his room number and we met him there.
The kids, especially our toddler, were so happy to see him that she literally jumped onto the bed and snuggled with Daddy.

3pm:
I told hubby that I needed to get home to prepare food since he didn't eat hospital food and I needed to get The Baby to rest. 
Lil' Tot stayed at the hospital with Daddy as she was already asleep by the time we left the hospital.
Went to the supermarket to buy some stuff.

6pm: 
Got ready and left home for the hospital with hubby's meal.
For the first time, the kids were able to spend the evening with Daddy at the hospital.
No more waiting outside the ICU and peering into the ICU to catch a glimpse of Daddy from the outside. 

10pm: 
Left the hospital earlier today as the kids got to see Daddy and we needed him to rest.

The Stroke Story: Day 4

6am:
Our text message first thing in the morning - 

Me - Lil' Tot found her way onto the bed. She's sleeping next to The Baby now.
Hubby - Oh, can I come?
Me - You're in the hospital. We'll come and visit you later. 
Hubby - Oh, I forgot that you're at home. 
Me - We are. We can't sleep at the hospital with you. 
Hubby - Really confused. 

At this point, I was already crying.

10.30am: 
We headed to the hospital.
I brought along breakfast as he did not like the hospital food and purchased pomegranate juice too, to manage his BP. 
Went in to see him. 
The Cardiologist had given clearance for hubby to be admitted into the normal ward. 
We will need to wait for the Neurologist to give his clearance too and that would be sometime in the afternoon.

12.30pm: 
Left the hospital as we needed to grab lunch and I had to get the kids to take their afternoon nap. 

3.30pm: 
The hospital called. 
A nurse by the name of Belle / Bella. 
She notified me that plans to move hubby to the normal ward had been postponed to the following day. 
However, hubby had underwent physiotherapy. 
He managed to walk around the ICU under the physiotherapist's observation. 
I personally thanked the nurse for updating me. 
It was the best piece of news I've heard the entire week!

4pm: 
I continued to send messages to hubby, updated him on the going-ons in the house, especially what the two kids were up to. 
I had also updated him on me changing the bed sheet and comforter covers where Lil' Tot helped me load the sheets into the washing machine. 
She didn't stop there. 
She noticed that there were dry clothes in the dryer which I hadn't manage to take out. 
As Lil' Tot couldn't reach the dryer that was located above the washing machine, she brought a stool. 
She carefully took out the fresh laundry from the dryer and loaded the clothes into the laundry basket. 
Once done, she then brought the laundry basket (which was quite heavy for her) to me. 
I cried. 
I hugged her. 
Kissed her. 
Thanked her. 
She's such an adorable angel.

6pm: 
Lil' Tot went for a swim with my brother whilst I prepared dinner.
Hubby messaged me, told me that he was busy playing all the videos of the kids on his phone and that he was running low on battery.
I told him that I'll bring his charger to the hospital when I visit him later.

7.30pm: 
We headed to the hospital. 
My parents came to visit too. 

11pm: 
Headed home. 

11.30pm: 
I messaged hubby, told him I miss him.
He didn't respond. 
Possibly fell asleep already.

The Stroke Story: Day 3

9am:
Hubby was still in the ICU and we decided to go to the hospital in the morning.

11am:
The hospital conducted an MRI scan on hubby.

12pm:
I managed to meet his Neurologist.
He shared that there are no brain or blood vessel abnormalities in the brain so he has ruled out any need for surgery, for now.
He was kind enough to let Lil' Tot and The Baby see their Daddy.
Hubby was awake.
Lil' Tot got so excited that she talked non-stop whilst hubby was holding The Baby.
The Neurologist added that hubby will be moved to the HDU (High Dependency Unit) some time today so it's a HUGE relief for the family as we know this means he's improving.
There are fresh blood clots in the brain which he hopes would clear in the next few days or so, depending on his body's healing process.

His condition is still considered serious but not as critical.
We left the hospital so that we could have lunch outside and I needed to let the kids take a proper nap at home. 

5pm: 
We headed back to the hospital.
Hubby had already been moved to the HDU but when I went to see him, he was asleep.
I waited outside with my brother and the kids. 

7pm: 
We went to the cafe for dinner.

8pm: 
I went to see hubby again in the HDU.
He was adamant to have his mobile phone so my brother had to go back home to bring hubby's mobile to the hospital.
The nurse mentioned that if it helps him stabilize his BP, then by all means, just give him his mobile.

9pm: 
My parents arrived and they went in to see him.
I went in again bringing his mobile phone.
He was quite happy to hold his mobile phone, saying that he'll be able to Facetime with us.

10.30pm: 
We headed home.
For the first time, I managed to Facetime with hubby together with the kids.
I was able to sleep better too.

The Stroke Story: Day 2

11.30am: 
I messaged hubby to say that we were at home, just waiting for the time to see him. 
I planned to leave the house around 3pm so that the kids had sufficient rest and a proper meal at home before we left for the hospital.
On another note, the ICU doesn't provide a chair for visitors to sit next to the patient.
I shared with hubby that Lil' Tot said "We miss Daddy, right Ummi?"
My heart sank when she said those words because she had not seen Daddy for the entire day yesterday and probably today too.

3pm:
We left for the hospital but spent the majority of our time at the waiting area considering that hubby was not awake.
Luckily, my brother was around to help entertain Lil' Tot whilst I looked after The Baby.
We checked in with the nurses on his condition from time to time.

5pm: 
Hubby's boss dropped by the hospital to see me. 
She knew that she couldn't see hubby but she was adamant to see me, to see how I was holding up. 
It was such a kind gesture from her.

7.30pm: 
We went to the cafe for dinner, performed our prayers and waited for my mother and father to arrive at the hospital.
Lil' Tot fell asleep on the sofa.

9pm: 
As Lil' Tot was asleep, my brother helped look after her whilst my mother, father, The Baby and I went to the ICU to visit hubby.
My parents went in to see hubby first and The Baby fell asleep when I held her outside the ICU.
My mother then came out to take The Baby from me so that I could go in to see hubby.
Hubby was awake.
He doesn't remember a lot of things ie the name of the hospital and for the fact that he was in the ICU.
He was even worried about how the kids and I coped whilst he was in the ICU.
The hospital had planned to conduct an MRI the following day but it all depended on whether his BP could be stabilised. 
The nurse told me that each time hubby woke up, his BP would increase as he would start thinking about work, his staff, office emails, the family and tried to recall what had actually happened to him.

11.16pm:
I put both kids to sleep and updated hubby on what happened today via a message to his mobile.
Both Lil' Tot and The Baby were so wonderful throughout the days we were at the hospital.
It was as if they understood the predicament that I was going through and they're making it easy for me to manage things.

The Stroke Story: Day 1

3.30am: 
Hubby's phone alarm went off so I knew that hubby needed to go to work really early.

4am: 
Hubby left for work and told me that he'd probably come home early.
Hubby often comes home late even if he goes to work really early in the morning so I advised him that he should be home earlier today.

9.40am: 
I sent a message to hubby, to confirm if he'll be coming home by lunch so that I was able to get lunch ready by the time he reaches home. 
He replied that he'll be home early. 

1.24pm: 
I received a phone call from hubby's colleague whilst I was in the kitchen. 
In fact, his colleague tried calling me twice. 
I called his colleague back, unfortunately he didn't answer the phone. So I sent a message to hubby to ask if everything was OK. 
No response from hubby. 
Instead, I received a phone call from his colleague who advised that hubby was in the clinic accompanied by 4 of his colleagues and that the GP had referred hubby to go to the hospital urgently. 
I was dumbfounded but his colleague said that they'll arrange to send him to the hospital and that they'll wait for me there.
My heart sank as I had no idea what had happened to him.
Since he was on his way to the hospital, I packed a night bag for him, myself and the kids.
I fed Lil' Tot her lunch and got her to take a shower.
I changed The Baby's clothes too.
I performed my prayers and by the time we managed to get ourselves ready, it was already 3pm.

3pm: 
His colleague called to advise the hospital he was sent to and that they'll wait until I arrived with the kids. 
Hubby was taken to the ER (Red Zone).

3.30pm: 
I was shaking, extremely worried and drove to the hospital with 2 kids in tow.
Parking was extremely limited and I felt a bit emotional at that point. 
Thank God, as I was about to exit the parking lot, a vehicle left a vacant parking spot and I immediately took it.
I walked with the kids to the ER and his colleague met us there, took us to the ER to see him. 
She advised that she had made arrangements for him to be admitted. 
As we went to see him in the ER, he was asleep. 
When we tried to talk to him or wake him up, he did not even stir.

4pm: 
His colleague advised me that she needed to leave the hospital to go back to the office but promised to come again to the hospital later that evening.
Lil' Tot, The Baby and I were left by his side, waiting for the next instruction/action by the hospital.
I was carrying The Baby and there was only one chair so I asked Lil' Tot to sit instead. 

4.15pm: 
They took him away to perform a CT scan.

4.30pm: 
They wheeled him back to the ER and we waited some more.

5pm: 
A staff brought a wheel chair and tried to wake him up so that he could be brought to the ward. 
Hubby did not wake up. 
The staff went off to look for a nurse but by the time he came back, hubby was awake as I managed to stir him from his sleep. 
I slipped on his shoes for him and he managed to get down from the bed and onto the wheelchair with assistance.
As we reached the ward, they placed him on the bed. 
Hubby suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. 
The nurse advised me to watch out for him, in case he collapses again. 

5.15pm: 
A nurse and a doctor came to the ward. 
The doctor said that hubby had bleeding in his brain but didn't elaborate further. 
He urgently told the nurse that hubby needed to be sent to the ICU.

5.30pm: 
We followed 2 nurses who pushed hubby to the ICU.
As we reached the floor, they advised me to wait at the waiting lounge with the kids.

I can't remember when I sent a message to my family to notify them that hubby was admitted into the hospital and was now sent to the ICU. 
My mom replied that my brother and father would come over in the evening.
I remembered that I had yet to perform my prayers so I brought both kids along with me to pray. 
My mind was just all jumbled up and I felt extremely emotional.

6.30pm: 
The kids and I went back to the ICU waiting area and waited some more.
A nurse finally came looking for me and told me that I could see hubby but no kids were allowed so she would help hold The Baby for me and Lil' Tot would stand outside with her. 
I felt a grip on my heart as I walked into the ICU and saw him sleeping on the bed with tubes everywhere. 
I tried to wake hubby up but he did not even stir.
I asked the nurse if he was on medication and they said that he was, considering that he has bleeding in his brain so he's not conscious.
At this point, I totally broke down in front of her as I wasn't sure what was going on. 
The nurse advised me that she'll need to check with the doctor for further explanation. 

7pm: 
As it was already late and I was sure Lil' Tot was hungry, I brought her down to the cafe for dinner.
The Baby was hungry too so I breastfed her as well.

7.30pm: 
I saw my brother and father walk into the hospital and they came over to the cafe to sit with us. 
Not long after, some of hubby's office colleagues arrived at the hospital as well and sat down at the table with us. 
We took turns to perform our prayers.
I left The Baby with my brother for a brief moment to pray.

8pm: 
We went up to the ICU floor and stood outside.
I had wanted to go in and see hubby but the nurse told me to wait outside for awhile as they had to attend to him first.
The entire group stood outside and waited with me. 

9pm: 
The group slowly left the hospital as they all had to work early the following day.
Only the kids, my brother, father and I were left.
I knew that the kids were extremely tired, especially Lil' Tot. 
I was exhausted myself. 
I went in to see hubby. 
He had gone back to sleep but I managed to wake him up for awhile to chat. 
He doesn't remember anything but only asked where he was and asked about work.

10pm: 
We managed to meet his Neurologist.
I went to see the Neurologist whilst my brother looked after the kids outside the ICU.
The Neurologist confirmed that hubby suffered a stroke and there was internal bleeding in his right-brain.
One of his arteries was ruptured.
The Neurologist showed me the source of the bleeding via a CT Scan image and the blood had also gone into the water space.
The doctor predicted that he would need to be held in the ICU for approximately 5 days where they'll also monitor his BP to ensure that it was stable. 
The reading of his BP was 240 (top reading) at the time of admission.
The doctor also advised that they would conduct an MRI scan to see the extent of the bleeding.
To manage the bleeding, hubby will also be prescribed with steroids as there was inflammation in the brain.

10.45pm: 
We left the hospital. 
I'm utterly grateful that my brother was around to help me with the kids.
I was too exhausted to drive so he drove us home. 
As the kids were already in their PJs, I just had to make sure that The Baby's diaper was changed before putting them both to sleep.
Once they fell asleep, I was finally able to hit the showers and performed my prayers.

11pm:
As I placed my head on the pillow and glanced over at hubby's side of the bed, I broke down, crying. 
My emotions took over, my mind just went blank and I just kept crying.

Day 2
12.48am: 
I still couldn't sleep. 
I sent a message to hubby's phone instead, although his phone was with me (his colleague helped return his phone and wallet). 
In my mind, I prayed that hubby would get better again and that he would read the messages I sent him on his mobile.
As I typed up the message for him, summarizing the day's event, my tears couldn't stop flowing. 
I miss him terribly.
I dozed in and out of sleep, I don't think I had a solid sleep that night.

Baby Puree

Love the tips shared in the videos below for preparing baby food!

Source: YouTube - Howcast

CARROT PUREE

SWEET POTATO PUREE

BROCCOLI PUREE

BANANA PUREE

Ushering 2016

Hubby and I are both in our 30s.
We have a 5 yo toddler and 5 month old baby.
How did we usher in the new year?
Nothing much. 

The Baby and I were already in bed by 9pm on new year's eve.
Lil' Tot was watching TV with hubby when she fell asleep on the sofa.
Hubby followed suit.

I woke up close to midnight just to check on Lil' Tot and found both Lil' Tot and hubby asleep in the living room.
I woke hubby up so that he could carry Lil' Tot into the room.

By the time I went back into the bedroom, I could hear fireworks going off.
I managed to see fireworks from my bedroom window for about a minute or so and decided to just go back to sleep.

Woke up around 6am.
After taking my shower, I prepared breakfast.
Hubby woke up not long after and I told him I planned to grab coffee from our local cafe so he could look after the kids who were still in slumber.

I reached the cafe around 8.30am and was greeted by a sleepy-looking barista who was still friendly, nonetheless.
We exchanged greetings and chatted for a bit before I headed home.

There you go.
How we ushered in the new year. :D

Our ASD / VSD Experience

The Baby was initially diagnosed with ASD (Atrial Septal Defect) and VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect) during her 1-month medical check-up.

Her paed noticed irregularities in her breathing and heart rate.

He immediately advised us to consult a paediatric cardiologist who came highly recommended. 

We arranged for an appointment 2 weeks later at 8.30am (the only available slot). 

Let's name him Dr L.

The day of the appointment arrived. 

We drove from Damansara, beating the morning traffic heading into KL.

It was a total nightmare!

We had a baby and a toddler to prep before heading out and leaving the house earlier was a challenge.

We reached the hospital around 9am.

By the time we registered and stepped into the cardiology clinic, it was already 9.30am.

We were an hour late so we patiently waited for Dr L to re-schedule his appointments and taking the time to see us.

Upon him diagnosing The Baby and checking her vitals, etc, he advised us that The Baby has 2 holes in her heart.

Fortunately, both holes weren't critical and that it was normal for certain newborns to have small holes in their hearts. 

Dr L added that the holes would eventually close off and the safest thing to do was to monitor and re-scan within a month's time. 

When we tried to set up an appointment within a month, we were disappointed when his only available slot was at 8.30am. :(

What we did was to set up 2 appointments for The Baby on the same day.
8:30am - Appointment with Dr L
10:30am - Appointment with paed (monthly check-up)

The appointment day arrived.

This time, we left the house slightly before 7am and managed to reach the hospital by 7.40am. 

Even the registration counters weren't opened yet but there were already a few patients waiting to register. 

At 7.45am, two counters opened despite the business hours stating 8am.

Since we had time to kill before 8.30am, we had our breakfast in the lobby. 

By 8.15am, I brought The Baby with me to the cardiology clinic whilst Lil' Tot and hubby finished their breakfast.

I arrived at the clinic but no one was at the front desk. 

I could see 2 nurses walking about, prepping stuff.

I left my file at the counter in their drop-off tray while I attempted to calm The Baby and get her to sleep.

You see, the hospital called us a day prior to advise that they had wanted to sedate The Baby before her heart was scanned so that she remained calm throughout. 

Both hubby and I weren't agreeable to it and told them that we'll work on ensuring that she doesn't fuss about. 

So there I was pacing back and forth just so that The Baby would sleep and keep calm. 

It was 8.45am when they picked up my file.

Mind you, the appointment with Dr L was supposed to be at 8.30am.

No one told us anything about Dr L being delayed or whether he was available to attend to us.

At that point of time, I was the only patient.

A couple of minutes later, they requested me to bring in The Baby to check on her height and weight. 

The nurse was gentle with The Baby and told me that considering she was calm, they needn't sedate her. 

After checking The Baby's vitals, we were told to wait at the lounge.

It was already 9am so we continued to wait.

It was close to 9.30am when Lil' Tot and hubby arrived at the clinic.

Hubby asked if I've already seen the doctor, I told him that we were still waiting. 

Hubby immediately approached one of the nurses and she told him that Dr L was on his way.

Hubby told the nurse that I had waited since 8.15am, way before the appointment time and we had traveled before 7am with the kids just to reach the hospital on time. 

No apologies offered and the nurse only mentioned "We can't control the doctor, we'll have to wait."

:(

We completely understand if Dr L is in surgery or has an urgent matter to attend with another patient but leaving us to just wait there with no updates is not really cool.

9.45am, still no sign of the doctor and hubby approached the nurse again. 

She mentioned that the doctor was on his way (still) and that he's PROBABLY at the parking lot. 

Probably? You don't sound sure yourself, missy. 

We were then ushered into one of the rooms and they advised us to lay The Baby down on the hospital bed until the doctor came. 

We were left all by ourselves in the room.

It was barely 5 minutes when I picked up The Baby again as the room was really cold and I didn't want her to fidget or get restless as they might end up sedating her. 

I've been keeping her calm since 8.15am so wouldn't want to waste all that effort. 

10am, we were still waiting and I was getting a bit upset.

Imagine waiting from 8.15am until 10am without any proper updates.

I told hubby that I was heading to Level 6 for our 10.30am appointment considering that they would also need to check her vitals.

Since the cardiology clinic has hubby's number, they'll call him if anything.

Off I went to Level 6.

Around 11am when we were waiting to see our paed, Dr L called hubby's mobile.

Dr L apparently apologized for the delay and advised that he was attending to another patient. 

He also mentioned that he'll accommodate to our preferred timing for our next appointment. 

Hubby just thanked Dr L for taking the time to call and will think about scheduling another appointment.

Of course, we didn't. 

We were upset that we had to wait around without receiving any updates. 

We were upset that we had arrived early, with 2 kids in tow, but was not able to see the doctor. 

We were upset that this was a follow-up check-up as our previous check-up cost us MYR 1000 with Dr L and the least that they could have done was to keep us informed. 

They failed to do that.