Post-natal resolution

Having 4 babies certainly has obvious physical effects. It could also be age catching up - it's true what they say about hitting 30. I definitely need to put in a lot more effort to get toned. This is going to be tough - sit-ups, crunches and any form of regimented exercise has never been my thing.

So in a bid to get me started, I have bought new sports shoes, a yoga mat and signed up to play netball at the office. There's also some magazine cut-outs ("How to get Gorgeous Legs in 4 weeks" - I wish!) that I will put into practice with semi-religious zeal. And hopefully nursing the baby plus running after the 3 older kids will make up for all the work-outs I've already put off.

When nothing seems right...

...what should one do? Fix things one at a time, or just blitz everything to obliteration and start straight from scratch? Is there a limit to what's fixable, so that you know when you've gone beyond that limit (the point of no return), it's better to just get rid of all the broken and irreparable and begin with a fresh clean slate.

And what if it's your life we're talking about here?

Balik Kay Ell

Alhamdulillah, we arrived at my mum's house in Damansara safe and sound around 5.30 p.m. Although there was a slight drizzle before we started on our journey, the weather was kind - no rain, a bit cloudy, a few sunny spots but not too hot - perfect for travelling with kids over a 444km distance.

Sofiyyah was an angel - she spent most of the trip sleeping. Even the few times she was awake there was hardly any sound from her, let alone a cry, but her eyes were open to take in the different scenery. Despite this being her first trip in the SUV, she settled into it very well - must be a familiar sensation from all my driving during pregnancy. Even Nu'man's horseplay didn't bother her.

My brother apparently has been really busy. He had installed a ceiling fan and new lights in the guest room where I usually stay, bought a new sofa bed for the kids' playroom, and a new HDTV. The existing TV set has been moved downstairs "so the boys can easily play video games" - which they are happily doing now.

As for me, it's back to the familiar Confinement regime - already agreed for Kak Yam to come in first thing Saturday morning for my massage. I've got a hot water bottle behind my back, and no more fried fish or chicken in my meals.

I'll be spending 2 weeks here, which means the boys get an extra week off school. I hope it doesn't mean they'll miss much from kindergarten - especially as they've got tests immediately after we arrive back in Alor Setar!

To buy or not to buy?

Poor Sofiyyah! Being the baby of the bunch means she gets mostly hand-me-downs from her brothers and sister. However, I am thinking of making an exception here.

I was initially planning to reuse Nuaim's old car-seat, however after 6 years it's beginning to look tattered and worn out. Besides, it's BLUE! Aiesyah already has to suffer with a blue Graco car-seat (another hand-me-down from Abang Long), so I'm thinking of a more gender-neutral colour for Sofiyyah.

So last night, I surfed through the Internet and found a couple of really nice-looking car seats, including seat/stroller combos such as these on The Baby Loft:

Halford Premier Zeus Baby Car-Seat (up to 4 years)

Combi Coccoro convertible car-seat - apparently these take up very little space in the car,

The Halford Cosmo DX Travel System,

or the Quinny Zapp-Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix (at 25% discount!)?

Or should I make use of the Maclaren RM100 voucher I just discovered in one of the baby gift packs this morning? Except that they only have strollers, so I'll still need to spend an extra amount of money on a car seat - and end up with 2 strollers.

Oooh, the Quinny Zapp is beginning to look so attractive!

The Children's Progress

Sofiyyah is now 24 days old. It's been 17 days since she was G.I.-Janed, and her hair is now about 5 mm long. She has also developed a triple-chin, and her cheeks look like she is hiding two golfballs in her mouth. And all on breastmilk (except for the first 1 and a half days at hospital)!

Sofiyyah is also a very strong baby. She can already hold her head up, although not while lying on her tummy. Her legs are pretty mean, too. She usually uses them to signal that she wants to go for a walk, by pushing and kicking on the lap of whomever is holding her at the time. I'm pretty sure her aunts and uncle in Damansara will be surprised to see her in 9 days' time.

Nuaim, meanwhile, celebrated his sixth birthday at kindergarten yesterday. As requested, he had a square cake, with white icing and strawberries.

And for his birthday gift, he wants toy dinosaurs - and not just any old dinosaur either. He specifically asked for these:

Tyrannosaurus

Triceratops

Liopleurodon (I had to google to find the right spelling)

Apatosaurus

There were a few others that I cannot remember and can only imagine to spell. He listed out the ones he wanted - spelling them phonetically therefore less accurately - and gave the list to his maternal grandmother. My brother's got the list now, and he's doing some internet-based research to find out what they really look like so they can buy the correct ones. Only Allah knows what kind of tantrum Nuaim will throw if we get them wrong.

As for Nu'man and Aiesyah, they go through each day fighting like cats and dogs one minute then being the best of friends the next. Since they're closest by birth, being only 18 months apart, they share similar tastes and behavioural traits, especially at play. Aiesyah tends to copy her brother, and she's just as likely to play Racing Cars as Nu'man does. The boy, on the other hand, tends to have a go at every toy bought specifically for his sister - including dolls and tea party sets. Just in case anyone's worried, be rest assured that his mannerisms with these toys are definitely unfeminine.

Physically, though, they're as different as chalk and cheese. While Nu'man hardly seems to be growing despite all the food that he eats (he expends all the energy through highly intense physical activities), Aiesyah has visibly grown taller and her face is rounder. She's also very vain about her looks, and sulks very easily whenever she gets ignored or reprimanded. I suppose that goes with being the baby for a long time - in terms of age gap, Aiesyah-Sofiyyah's is the longest at 2 years 7 months. But Aiesyah is also the most helpful and obedient of them all, so far.

My only concern with Aiesyah is that she tends to pick up my Indonesian maid's pronunciation of certain words. First it was 'Cat' pronounced as 'Kek', which I've managed to correct. Right now I'm having some issues with her calling her baby sister Amirah SoPiyah instead of SoFiyyah.

Post-Confinement Needs List

I've noticed that most, if not all, of my clothes have acquired a semi-permanent aroma of massage oils. It is not necessarily a bad thing if I'm just staying at home, but would definitely be a problem for work. Granted, most of them are not really work clothes anyway - which brings me to another potential problematic scenario.

Since I am now working in a plant, I would need somehing that I can easily change into or wear underneath of my fire-retardant coveralls. And since I would also be expressing breast milk at the office, they will need to allow easy access for said activity. I found these wonderful tank tops on Baby Loft that would be just right. I'm thinking of getting several of them, if not in all colours.

I'm also planning to get some milk collection shells. So far the supply is adequate, sometimes exceeding demand, but during workdays I would like to make every single drop count. I'm still haunted by the memory of squeezing out only 15 oz over 2 days, just to spill half of it when I got home to feed Nuaim.

A new set of newborn teats to go with the Medela bottles, too. Somehow I cannot find Medela teats on the website where I bought the pump and bottles from - do they even make any? But since Medela bottles are standard size (unlike Avent), I can just buy any BPA-free bottle on the market to use.

A new haircut is something I need to get as well. The hot weather is making any length beyond shoulder unmanageable. Especially now that I'll be expected to spend more time out of the office and in the plant (albeit not in the process area due to breastfeeding).

And last but not least, to get my watch fixed. I can't keep depending on my phone since I won't be allowed to bring it in the plant. Maybe I should get something cheaper as well that I can wear daily and save the other watch for only special occassions.

Since I mentioned phone, I'm sneaking in a want - a brand new 3G phone with a QWERTY keyboard. Touch Pro2, maybe (I'm partial to HTC for some reason).

Half-way through...

Tomorrow I hit the mid-way mark of my confinement. Officially, it ends on 18th June. Which means it's 20 more days before I can be free to go (almost) anywhere I like and eat (almost) anything I desire. However, that also happens to be the end of the 2-week school holidays, which starts next weekend. My sons are really looking forward to spending their holidays in Damansara or Shah Alam, and I know my siblings and parents would love to have them there.

So as a compromise, I'll be leaving for KL on the 9th of June, just after Sofiyyah gets her 1-month jab & check-up. It'll probably mean that the boys get an extended school break, just so that I get to do a few of my own stuff in and around KL after my confinement is over. So here's my wishlist:

1. Toy Story 3 opens at the cinema on 17th June. I would love to bring the boys to watch it as their first bona fide cinema experience, maybe on the first Monday of school to celebrate my freedom.
2. Secret Recipe's Blackforest Cheesecake. The one time I had it was a week before I delivered. As everyone else at the table was sharing/sampling food, I passed it around when I was halfway through the slice although I really wanted it all to myself. It never came back. So this will be a solo trip for me, downed with a nice caramel latte.
3. Meet up with my Coachee at KLCC to prepare for her assessment in July. I could probably squeeze in a shopping trip while I'm there.
   

That'll also be a good time to start my EBM regime with my brand new Medela Harmony breastpump. Yes, after all the BPA horror stories, and comparing prices through various online stores, I've switched allegiance from Avent to Medela. It will also help that the bottles are different sizes so they do not get mixed up with Aiesyah's 4 oz bottles (she's still not giving them up, and refuses to share - big baby!). I got quite a good deal from The Baby Loft, which includes 4 extra bottles, a cooler bag and a sleek Citystyle bag to carry it all in. In fact, the Citystyle is so sleek I could pass it off as a normal handbag!