Pregnancy Update : Week 4 - 16 (Was It Worth It?)

Sorry to shatter all those Hollywood-pregnancy dreams (think Angelina Jolie) out there but trust me when I say it was no bed of roses especially in the first trimester of your pregnancy. There is no "pregnancy glow" when all you want to do is head to the toilet to puke out your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You don't feel pretty, in fact you look sick most of the time. If you think that is bad, top that up with constant feeling of dizziness plus holding a full-time job that requires constant thinking and "analytical skill" which is part of your job description.

That being said, everytime when I question myself on what am I getting myself into and if I am truly ready to take on the challenge, I see the monthly scan and the development of my little one and then suddenly all the "suffering" seems worth it .. until the next months' scan that is. Vicious cycle, I tell you.

Now that I am safely at the start of my second trimester (16 weeks to be exactly) and all seems pretty stable (both mummy and baby), I guess it's time to document my journey towards mummy-hood.

Week 4 - 7 : Nauseaous

After passing the initial stage of excitement, jubilation, and celebration .. the waves of nauseous started to kick in. It was not unbearable but it is very very uncomfortable. Imagine the constant feeling of wanting to throw up but not being able to do so. Imagine you are in that situation while working in the office, meeting with clients, during lunch time.. you get the drift. All you want to do is lie in bed the whole day.

Week 8 - 12 : Vomiting 

Just when I thought the torture would stop at feeling nauseous (yes, I was that naive), suddenly the vommiting came hitting me like a train. Whoever who invented the term morning sickness clearly has no clue what a morning sickness is. Contrary to its name, it My sessions includes mornings and evenings. Every. Single. Day. T_T doesn't only come in the mornings.

Amongst the items which will trigger off my sickness includes (non-exhautive list):

- Brushing teeth.

- Milk / Dairy / Cheese.

- Perfume (or any bath products that are scented).

- Any pungent/cooking smell from the kitchen.

Actually for me, the trick is to vomit first before your meal (force it out even if you have to) so that you are able to keep your food in after a meal. I know I am quite blessed cos I only had the morning sickness for a little over a month. I know of some friends who had it all throughout their pregnancy *shudder*.

Week 13 - 16 : Dizziness 

This I didn't expect because it's not "the norm" (i.e. I didn't read about it anywhere). Initially I thought that I am amenic but alas it was those pesky hormones again. The fainting spells comes in the morning when I get up from bed. It's like vertigo and the room spins real bad. Crawling out from bed is a chore, let alone going to work. At around this time, I had trouble sleeping (yes, those damn hormones again). With those two lethal combination of lack of sleep and dizziness in the morning, you can imagine how torturous it was for me.

My gynae has given me the following tips. I hope it helps for pregnant mummies out there who has experience the same dizziness I had:

- 30 minutes before bedtime, make yourself something hot to drink. It will help with the insomnia.

- Avoid all types of tea; this includes chinese tea, green tea, English tea etc. It will help with the dizziness.

- Elevate your legs when you sleep. Good blood circulation helps with the dizziness.

I have tried and to my astonishment, it worked - to some extent. Well better than nothing right?

Todate, I have taken 10 MCs and so far my boss has been understanding (most of my MCs are only half days in the morning anyway). Unfortunately, work has been trailing behind which can't be helped. My appetitie has dwindled and I have lost 2 kgs (yeah?!). Now that it's the start of the second trimester, I hope and pray that things will only get better from now onwards.

P/S: Am pleased to announce that the morning sickness and dizziness has miraculously gone away almost completely. Hallelujah~  

Love;

Mummy Geri

I am Pregnant! 3 Weeks and Counting :)

 *This is a pre-written backdated post written back in March 2012.

On 7 March 2012 was the day that I found out that I was pregnant. It was quite an eventful day and to some extent pretty funny. That day was suppose to be my first day of period, but out of fun, I did a self-test after lunchtime in my office toilet. Bought a cheapo tester from Watson and there was only one line. Honestly, I have been testing on and off when I thought that I could be pregnant but it always turned out to be one line, and then my aunty will come and visit that night itself *celaka betul*

Now what triggered me to "test for fun" this time round is that I somehow had a gut-feeling that I could be pregnant. Reason being I have been feeling slight nauseated occasionally, slight backache, and breast tenderness. Actually all are symptoms of PMS (except for the nauseousness). 

Anyway, back to the test, as I was about to throw the stick away, I noticed suddenly that there is another line which appeared. Very faint (refer to the picture above). I knew it was a 50-50 chance and I was excited, but at the same time didn't want to put my hopes too high. I promptly BBM Bear and decided that I should seek the consultation of a GP and confirm the test.

Waiting from noon in the office until evening when I can finally see the GP is torturing! It's the anticipation! Bear had to work late that night, so I went and the result came out ... POSITIVE! Was so happy that I cried by myself in the car. *paiseh .. I didn't cry in the clinic*

Made a few calls to our parents and close family members on the good news. But then again, me being the KPC that I am, went online and started reading that it could be a false pregnancy until you verify with the gynae la etc etc and it made me worried. Unnecessarily if I may add. 

The following day, we made an appointment with Dr Delaila. She's attached with SJMC (a place where I have earmarked to give birth loooonnggg time ago). And the beauty about her is that she is very gentle and answers all of your questions patiently. She may look ganas, but trust me she is not. :) Another plus point is that she has an evening clinic in SS19 (opens until 11:00pm) which is very convenient for my checkups. 

She scanned. And I was a nerve-wreck. The minute the precious little dot showed on the screen I breath a sigh of relieve. It's confirmed, and I am about 3 weeks plus into the pregnancy. :) My next scan will be on the 22 March to detect the heartbeat of the baby. I am still worried though (from the excessive reading) and I have decided to stop doing so and trust in God completely that He will protect and lead my through this pregnancy with ease and that my baby will be healthy and strong.

So everyone... may I present to you .. our little precious one :) (By the way, it is the tiny dot on the left of the scan)

Dear Lord, I couldn't thank You enough for blessing us with this child at such a timely manner. I trust that everything is in Your hands and You will keep and preserve the baby. I pray that You will strengthen me and the baby day by day. If God is for me, who can be against me? 

Love;

Mummy Geri

Let it Snow in Nagoya!

Nagoya is a very metropolitan place. Nothing much, but it felt like you are in a Western country because the buildings, lighting, sights, and sounds really reminds you of New York .. .or something like that.

(1) Pretty light. It feels Christmas~y although technically when we were there it was still CNY.

(2) Bought my two Burberry Blue Label here in Nagoya. Actually, Bear bought the other one for me. *hugs*

(3) And then, while we were minding our business shopping and then on our way to have dinner, it started S.N.O.W.I.N.G~~!! It was the most one of the most shioking event ever in my life!! Totally didn't expect it at all, and it has been my life-long dream to experience falling snow. Granted, it is not a white Christmas .. but I sudah cukup puas. :) Of course, naturally the temperature started dropping rapidly, and I eventually couldn't feel my nose and toes. We quickly scurried back to the comfort of our hotel.

(4) It snowed throughout the night and the following day... and as a result...

(5) Snow-covered everywhere!

(6) According to our guide, this is one of the worst snowfall in Japan. Are we blessed or what? :)

I HEART SNOW ALTHOUGH I WAS FREEZING MY ARSE OFF!!

Love;
Mrs Lee

A Quaint Town Called Kyoto

We did a quick stop-over in Kyoto on our way from Osaka to Nagoya where we eventually put up a night. If given a choice, would love to come back to Kyoto and do a proper visit to this amazing and beautiful place. :)

(1) Compare to Osaka, I prefer Kyoto because there is something rustic and quaint about this town that brings you back to olden day Japan.

(2) .. Like in Memoirs of a Geisha.

(3) In case if you don't know how does a Japanese monk looks like .. Nah here's the picture! :p

(4) We were told in Kyoto all buildings cannot be more than 7-storey high and the colours of the building cannot be too funky. This is to preserve the heritage of Kyoto. 

(5) And yes, this particular street (forgot the name) is littered with street food! Bear was a very happy man. He tried this fishcake thingy which he said is really sedap. For RM16 per stick.

(6) Of course, you have not "tasted" Kyoto if you didn't layan their green tea ice-cream! Bear thoroughly enjoyed it and no, I didn't take cos my hands were freezing cold and was obviously not in the mood for ice-cream. 

Tips : For those who want to buy souvenirs and food-stuff, i highly recommend to do so in Kyoto as they have more varieties and is cheaper. 

Love;

Mrs Lee

Land of Tako Yaki - Osaka

Alright... I admit, for the past few months days I have been neglecting my blog. Reasons: (i) Malas (ii) Busy with work (iii) Undisclosed reason. So, to ease my guilt, I'm going to do a straight-to-the-point write-up on my Japan trip. 

(1) Of course, as usual must start off with a cam-whore picture of myself in the airport. The "freshness" of my look is "faked". Half and hour before landing, I applied make-up. Hehe .. I am vain I know. But hey ~ it's Japan we are talking about! Everyone looks prim and proper ok. 

(2) Yes, you didn't read it wrong. It is called Kansai Airport. Sound vulgar in Hokkien I know. :p

(3) Just to prove a point that it was freezing cold in Japan. Brrr~

(4) Went to the Observatory Deck aka Floating Garden on our own to have a panoramic view of Osaka. 

(5) It was beautiful!

(6) Up on the deck, there is an area for couples to hang their locks. You can buy the locks at the lobby area, if I am not mistaken it cost RM80. And they will engrave it for you. For good luck I guess.

 (7) This is a must-go place. All tour agency will bring you to this place - The Osaka Castle. Small and erm .. nothing fantastic if you ask me. Bear looks like an oversize "warrior". hehehe ~

(8) In Japan, everyone is on-to-go. Everyone seems to be rushing for time. Even no time for lunch hour, evident from the shop that we saw in the subway where people stand and eat. How uncomfortable!

(9) A funny sign we saw.

(10) When visiting a foreign country, I strongly recommend to try their local street food. Really interesting. This is some doriyaki-equivalent thingy. Pretty decent. Taste like kaya-balls. For RM4.

(11) The view during dusk in downtown Osaka is pretty amazing. :)

(12) In my opinion, you have not visited Osaka if you don't go to Doutonbori Street. It is where all the food, shopping, and happening are. We are quite blessed as our hotel is only walking distance to the street.

(13) And in Osaka is where Tako Yaki originated from. So yums ~ We have 3 times when we were there for that 2 days. RM20 each. Not exactly cheap I know. 

(14) Oh So Good. Especially eating it piping hot in the cold!

(15) On our free and easy day, we also went on our own to the Osaka Aquarium.

(16) And the star of the show is the Whale Shark. I think the fella is still in its teens cos it's not that big yet. The ticket for this is not cheap. If I am not mistaken it is RM300 for both me and Bear. Covers the entrance fee (unlimited access) and a full day-pass on the subway.

And that... concludes my Osaka posts. What did i tell you about being straight-to-the-point? :p

Love;
Mrs Lee

Movies I Can't Wait to Watch!!

There are two shows that I am strongly anticipating to watch:

(1) Hunger Games.

A friend of mine told me to be on a look-out for this show. It is apparently better than LOTR. Looking at the trailer, I would believe so. Can't wait to get my hands on the book. :) It's a trilogy by the way.

(2) Snow White & The Huntsman.

Without taking into account that Kirsten Steward is Snow white (urgh!), I think this movie would be pretty good with Charlize Theron playing as the evil witch. :) The trailer looks awesome too.

Can't WAIT!!!

Love;

Mrs Lee

Review : Battle of the Concealers for Under-Eye Bags - Sasa vs Maybelline

By now you must be wondering why am I rambling on and on about make-up and skincare. I am just trying to buy time cos I am too lazy to start on my Japan holiday post(s). In order to sustain my "viewership" (ceh~!), I die-die also must post something right? :p

By now also you should know that I have a massive under-eye bag problem from all those TVB late nights and my life depends I need concealers to cover them up or risk looking zombified.

I have been using Maybelline Angelfit Perfect Concealer for the longest time but somehow I noticed that it doesn't really does the job well. My eyes still looks puffy. :( The only reason why I continued using it is because it is cheap at RM19. hehehe ~ kiamsap~ness

One of those random lunch hours, I dropped by Sasa and the promoter recommended me their own Sasa-brand of concealer for under-eye bags. To me, I felt that there is nothing to lose (except for $$) so I took the plunge and bought it. If I remember correctly, it cost RM20+ (less than RM30 for sure la).

Left: Sasa's concealer glides.
Right: Maybelline's concealer doesn't.

And the difference was astounding! Sasa's concealer looks like a lipstick and it glides upon application. So easy to use! Most importantly, the white inner layer that you see has moisturising properties so it doesn't feel dry. :) Double wow~! It does the job perfectly well. Love it!

Usually what I do is apply a generous amount of the concealer on my under-eye bags, then use a two-way cake foundation to blend it. I will usually put another thin layer of the concealer again after the foundation to minimise the puffy~ness.

Leaked~!!!

With the Sasa's concealer, it can be on-the-go where I can carry it in my handbag and touch up where necessary. My one biggest problem with the Maybelline's concealer is that after a while, it "leaks" .. I found out about it the nasty-way when it stained my precious handbag T_T

So do try the Sasa's concealer. It is really good. And plus point is the moisturising properties which I absolutely love. :)

Love;

Mrs Lee