His and hers definition of..

“I bought something for the baby”

What I bought:
- Denim pinafore with butterfly details and matching pink bodysuit.
- 2 pack sporty jogger pants
- 2 pack newborn t-shirt
- Distressed cropped jeans
- 2 pack sleepsuit

Reason: I just couldn’t resist the sale at Next!! 50% off!!

What Homer bought:
- A new digital camera (and not even one of those small compact ones)

Reason: It had the best reviews!!

Think Homer meant the big baby in him.

-guess-who’s-checking-the-next-sale-again?-L

Alone?

All byyyyy myyyyyssseeellff
Don’t wanna live.. all byyyyy mmyyyyselffff anymooooooorrree

Remember that scene from Bridget Jones? Sad, but in my case, take it up 10 notches merrier. Confused? Yeah, me too. How can I explain this.. It’s kinda nice to be alone once in a while. The drive back from the airport was heartbreaking, then I just had the worst bout of vomiting and only slept at 2 am.

Then came the morning wake up call from Homer-in-need-of-paternity-clothes, and I’m reminded that I am left to my own devices for the next 2 days..

Am by myself in Dubai.. *shriek!!*
I have the car at my disposal but most importantly, guilt-ridden-and-needing-paternity-clothes Homer has left his cash card to ME ..

The plan is to go out towards the evening so I can exhaustively walk up and down the mall and be ready for a good night’s sleep.

…

Just realized one gigantic loophole, Homer failed to mention where I can find his banks’ ATM cash point. Aaaarrgghhhhhh…….

-forgot-about-the-bump-so-actually-not-so-alone-L

Cute boys says the darndest thing.

I was just reading the better half of the M&M couple’s email and could not believe the last bit of her message. Their cutie Haziq, upon seeing a picture of Candace Bushnell (of the famous Sex and the City writer), said “Mommy look .. Aunty L!” God bless him and his big head, he really does have one! (or maybe it was his small necked t-shirt?).

And for that, he will be forever in my good books and my approval if he ever takes my (yet unborn and hopefully) daughter out on a date.. heheheh..

Talking about my good books, Homer, at present has done it yet again. Is it so difficult to listen to your self proclaimed fashionista wife when it comes to which suit/shirt/pants to buy?? Have I ever failed him when it comes to his wardrobe? NO! So if I say, I think you should get a bigger size… you listen, I only want the best for you. And I may save you from embarrassing fat bulges and accidental rips in your all important interview.

Anyway, thanks Haziq, for making my day..

-feeling-pretty-L

We did it!!

We bought our first baby item.

We’ve been talking about this for the past 2 weeks, it is still very premature for us to get the stroller, but I am sooo in love with it that I just had to get it out of my system. For goodness sakes, the baby won’t be able to use till she’s at least 6 months, still we decided to get it since we both can’t seem to get the little traveling machine out of our minds.

Alright, we’re getting the car seat that can be mounted on the stroller frame next week, so we can use it from birth, but STILL that’s 4 months away!

Yet again, I pushed the stroller round and round the shop while Homer worked out the technical part of its assembly with the staff. In hindsight, I look like a cuckoo lady pushing an empty stroller around the store.

When we reached home I told Homer to pack the stroller nicely in its box and seal it off. I was afraid that I will start taking the stroller out and pushing it around, way before its time.

I do believe that I’m way in over my head with this baby stuff. Need to slow down, but I just can’t help myself. I’ve always been on the other side, you know, the one who’s not pregnant, the one who just got married, the one in a relationship (bad or otherwise), the one who’s happily single …

And look at me now, tummy showing, baby moving within, (empty) stroller pushing woman. My.. my.. look how I've turned out.


-Mebbe-Homer-should-hide-the-box-L

The silent scream..

Perhaps it’s the color I was wearing, perhaps it’s the extra glow or perhaps it’s because I’ve been rather mean to Homer all these while, many guessed that we’re expecting a boy..

Well what can I say .. except that the power of me (and the technician’s educated guess) may (will?) over rule all speculations. Ah, well.. irregardless, this stuff is never 100% certain. And it doesn’t really matter whether we’re getting pink or blue blankets .. as long as the baby’s healthy. But, girly stuff is becoming so irresistible…

Moving on, I did the unthinkable… No it’s not what you think, I did something that kinda shocked Homer for a whole 2 minutes! Ready? I ripped his already thoroughly worn undies. Yes, you heard it right, I tore his favorite underwear.

I told him many times to throw his comfy undie away, so while folding laundry last night, I was so irritated with that one grey underwear, that I just started nagging and after a few minutes I snapped; and ripped it with my bare hands!!

If I could frame that particular Homer moment, it’ll creepily look something like “The Scream”.




I can never understand the bond between a man and his favorite underwear, I suppose it’s similar to a child with his blankie (or bantal busuk). After his fantastic impersonation of Edvard Munch’s Scream; he proceeded to take the ripped undie, wore it and paraded a-la-Chippendale.

Lesson sorely learned. NEVER EVER destroy your loved ones favorite clothing item; especially underwear.

-still-having-nightmares-L

You ready for the tummy?

Yesterday, as I lay down watching the monitor, I was in complete awe. We saw the four ventricles of the heart... the baby's heart!! Everything after that swished by.. feet, legs, arms, hands, fingers, brain, umbilical cord .. I had a hard time making out what was what.. and secretly hoped that this would not affect my ability to be a good mother.

And then came the best news, "everything looks great L .. would you like to know the baby's sex?"

Yes.. (are you kidding me?? of course!!)

Looks like you're going to have a baby ................

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I'm halfway through now and one thing I noticed about me is that I look more pregnant towards the evening.

Here's a snap of me getting my cardio workout for the day.. *flick, flick and flick some more!*

-huff-puff-L

The butterfly effect..

Tell me what’s wrong with this picture.

The TV switched on to “E” Channel, with a program that shows how the young Hollywood stars are mysteriously “thinning” with strict diet regime and exercise. Then the host kept on talking about how “we” – the public; can slink into the skimpiest outfit for the summer in just 10 days!

While seriously watching the whole show, a woman heartily eats Maggie goreng (fried instant noodles), like there’s no tomorrow.

Absolutely nothing.

I am pregnant so I am allowed to eat whatever I want (I just have the craving for Maggie mee nowadays so sue me!)

I know I am supposed to eat healthily, iron intake, calcium, protein, all the vitamins in the world, etc. I DO try. But I can’t control these salty urges. All this is just so new to me, and I’m kind of overwhelmed.

I’ve been reading a lot on being pregnant, and so the highlight of this week is that I should be able to feel the movement of the baby. They say it’ll feel like flutter of butterflies in the stomach.

The problem is, I have no idea how that is supposed to feel like. It’s all relative isn’t it? A flutter of butterflies could be jabs of the third kind for all I care! Homer is convinced that some of the weird “activities” that I’ve felt was the baby. I on the hand, am more skeptical, with my luck, it could just be gas.

So, for those who’ve been through pregnancy, some enlightenment please?

-so-much-activity-in-the-tummy-L

The only great time to have ..

A protruding tummy.

On the fashion frontline, this is a good, nay .. make it the best time to be part of the preggios front. The sight of a pregnant bellied woman in a tight top is no longer considered offensive or inappropriate; in fact, a pregnant woman’s body has now finally found its place where it truly belong. True magnificence where life begins and kept safe until the baby is ready to come out to the world. I mean, see how great these celebrities look!

Alright .. in all seriousness, yes, I agree 110% with what I’ve just said but if truth be told.. it’s really tough living with yourself while your body goes through all the changes it needs to accommodate your bundle of joy.

First, you suddenly realized that your pants just don’t fit right anymore and you’re not sure whether its your thundering thighs or your damn hips. Next, there’s that gap between the darn top 2 buttons of your shirt, and trying to pin it up just makes it look like you are falsely imprisoning your best buddies. Then, all hell breaks loose. You no longer recognize your body, what with the expanding hips, belly jutting out, darkening of the areolas, innie becomes outie …

It’s very much IN today, to have your pictures taken; in all the glories of imminent motherhood. Since my tummy has now, as what the experts identify as “popped out” (in other words – showing lah), Homer, the self acclaimed photography genius thought that we should take pictures too, so we can see how I develop in the next 4 months. Who knows? Maybe we’d post it in the blog, I mean I ain’t that BAD looking and everyone has been saying how radiant I look now.

Well, well, turns out that they are either; all great in telling outright lies! Or as Homer puts it, “our camera doesn’t have the right speed exposure / not able to capture / the lighting is just not right / I just can’t find the right angle”. Bah! Not in a million years would I ever allow the pictures to be posted. Snap a photo of Mrs Potato Head – voila! That’s it ..

However does Britney Spears get away looking great with all the paparazzi snapping away?? A good friend of mine, Madam Luxury is one of those people that looks great throughout her pregnancy. I saw her just last month and she looked like she just popped in a volleyball in her shirt! With one month to go, she’s truly an inspiration, if she can do it so can I! And if all else fails, I have an ever loving magic talking mirror that has nothing but WONDERFUL things to say about me in the form of Homer to help me start and end the day.

-smack-me-if-you-see-me-in-those-tent-like-dress-L

Tips on surviving..

.... Dubai in the summer

1. Drink lots of fluids – When I say fluids, I mean water… chilled H2O! Not lattes or teas or carbonated drinks.

2. If you wear glasses, like Homer, take your spectacles off whenever you go outside. If not, your glasses will fog up and you may risk falling down and looking like an idiot with fogged up lenses. Contact lenses are a good solution for this.

3. If you’re planning to make sunglasses a permanent fixture on your face during the day, rule #2 applies. Slide it off your face till the mist on the lenses wears off. Trust me, it is OKAY to be exposed to bright sun for 10 seconds.

4. Have a lip balm handy. For the guys who think this borderlines as an act of sissyness, imagine this – dry, cracked and chapped (maybe even bloody) lips; no one wants them! Homer personally recommends the Vaseline petroleum gel that comes in small tubes, and not lipstick-like in any manner. Can be handy in other occasions too…

5. Be prepared for a soothing butt-cial (like facial, but on your derrier..) when you enter any public restroom (including the ones in the mall). The water in the toilet bowl are not temperature treated, and comes directly from water containers which are mostly located on the roof of the building. With temperatures raising above 40 degrees, your derrier will have their own mini-sauna treatment.

6. Still on the topic of restroom, for those who make use of the bidet, utilize them with caution. Fast jetsprays of hot water on the nether region can .. how shall I put this nicely .. Sort of a “blanching” effect.

7. The heat and humidity can be overwhelming, but remember to keep on breathing. Inhale, exhale .. Your body still needs oxygen, even when it feels like its going to evaporate all your bodily fluids.


-and-this-is-only-the-beginning-L

Looking for better days ahead..

Yesterday, I was shaken with the news of the London blasts.. we were on our way to
city centre for some window shopping when we heard it over the radio. Dubai’s population are predominantly expats and many from the UK, in fact the one of the deejay on duty sounded so shaken he actually excused himself so that he can make some phone calls to check on his family.. I was near tears, perhaps it was the hormones, perhaps it’s the wonderment of what has our world turned into?

A dear friend stays smack in central London with his lovely and kind wife, and I was frantic to find out how they were. Called B-L-G, who had no idea what had happened and after 30 minutes or so, was relieved to receive a text message confirming that they are both safe and sound.

Feeling better, we went on with our shopping research for strollers.. I know its wayyyyyy too early (as Entrepreneurina had clearly pointed out) but we can’t help it!!! We’ve been eyeing this stroller around Dubai, and it looks so sleek! We spent hours in the shop pushing it around, folding and unfolding it… Goes to show how easy it is to make me bounce back to my cheerful positive self!

This entry may be borderline insensitive to the somber episodes in London, but as I watched the BBC news, I am encouraged to see how resilient Londoners are, not allowing fear to take over, focusing on how to keep on moving forward. My hats off to everyone over there, who has courageously taken their first steps to resume their normal lives.

To my fellow blogger friends in London, hope that all of you are safe and well. And remember, a smile goes a long way.

-keeping-positive-L

19 weeks and counting..

If the doctor’s count is correct, I am coming up to the beginning of my 19 weeks of preggios. According to BabyCentre, head to bottom, the baby is approximately 6 inches long (about the length of a small zucchini). Being the ignorant produce person, I am in limbo on how a zucchini should look like, or is zucchini the same with a cucumber? Aren’t they from the same family? And if so, why can’t they just say the length of a small cucumber instead? But then, size is relative, so a small zucchini for them could be medium sized for me!

Six inches long, hmmm.. I was brought up by the metric system, so again, this was a little bit confusing for me too. But I can make an intelligent guess on this, I normally wear 3 inch heels, so double that.. whooaa!! Quite a length, but what about the width? Which brings me back to the zucchini.. 6 inch zucchini.. I don’t know about the rest of you out there, but if there is no mention in the beginning of this entry on being preggios… This section sounds very dodgy.

Why can’t the website use something more universal for this? Somewhere in the line of bags or purses perhaps? I mean, how well do you know your vegetables? And really, zucchini is not particularly recognized by many people! Cucumber, yes, but not zucchini!

Now, bags… that's something that I can identify with, plus it has various depths and widths. For example, they can say the following (which will probably make sense to many preggios out there)-

At 19 weeks, your baby is approximately the size of the mini Murukami LV bag or the small Louise Vuitton pochette.

I rest my case.

Not only will I understand that statement, but it is also refreshing! And for the ladies and gents who are not quite sure what it looks like, simply go to the store. Who knows? With some little bats of those eyelashes, and rubbing of tummy, preggios may walk out with a handy pochette!!

Can’t wait till the baby gets bigger… ( .. and so does the bags… Muahahaha!)

-bag-lady-L

Huh?

Super Lawyer Gal is right on the nose on this, as the pregnancy progresses, you become more absent minded, forgetful, you become a scatterbrain. In short, I have become a bimbo, a tummy protruding BIMBO that badly needs to touch up her blonde highlights.

Last night, the biggest concert ever was held in various countries to lobby the G8 leaders to erase the debt of the African countries in hope to eradicate poverty. While watching the live performances from one venue to another, my mind raced to start an intelligent conversation, perhaps start a first-class discussion with Homer then possibly write a thought provoking entry for the blog that has so far been very much light in its contents.

Nope, nada, habuk pun tarak..

These are some of the things that came out from yours truly.

- You know what? Only Snoop Dog can get away having his hair done up in pigtails, braided and tied with those bubbles hair bands.

- Wow.. Simon LeBon looks so old.

- Will Smith is HOT! (shamelessly imitating Paris Hilton)

- What’s up with Tim McGraw's jeans? Doesn’t he know that jeans worn up to the navel is OUT?

- I wonder if we can see Mr. Shellman’s apartment? (when they were showing a bird’s eye view of the Hyde Park concert.)

- Gosh.. Michelle (Destiny’s Child) looks so thin…. *benci*

- If I had money like Madonna, I’m sure I can look as great as she does! Damn those arms!!

- OOoohhh… Josh (Groban)… *followed by sobs*

- Mana Mariah Carey niiii??? Did I miss her?

The next thing I knew Homer tapped me on my shoulder telling me it’s time for bed, and I groggily walked upstairs and continued my Zzzzzzz’s.

Have I lost the ability to carry on meaningful exchanges? Well, not entirely, I’m saving those precious brainworks for business.

-all-is-not-entirely-lost-L