... when you got a huge teddy bear as a birthday gift;
and he got this (on his request) for an (early) anniversary gift...
* He started working on the model immediately after we arrived home and spent 6 straight hours to finish it...
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Seriously, I am four months pregnant...
Alhamdulillah, my current morning sickness is limited to just one session every morning – a vast improvement compared to when I was pregnant with Huzaifah because back then it was repeated journeys to the toilet a few times a day everyday until the very morning I gave birth.
I have better tolerance towards smells too. I can now menumis – a big no-no last few months. Tried cooking rendang as requested by hubby last week. The trial went so well that I also cooked kuah lodeh that day – my first time cooking both rendang and kuah lodeh this Syawal. No nasi himpit though – too lazy to boil the instant packets that we brought from Malaysia.
I still don’t look 4 months pregnant – or so I have been told by everybody. In fact, during Open Houses (at friends’ places) some have commented that I look as if I had lost some weight. At school, most colleagues were shocked when they learned that I am four months pregnant. They say that I look tired, but I don’t look pregnant, which reminded me of a comment I got when I was 5 months pregnant with Huzaifah – ‘perut takdo, hongehnyo ado...’ The pale “tired look” could possibly be due to low blood pressure and low quantity of hemoglobin in the blood.
Yes, I’m a bit anemic, but nothing to worry about. That’s what the old and frail male gynecologist I went to see for my first checkup in Tokyo told me. Old and frail suited him well, I kid you not, since his hair is all white, he has even lost some of his front teeth and walk slowly. He cannot speak English, but his wife, also a doctor but not an O&G expert, could to some extent. So we conversed in a mix of Nihongo and English. The place I went is just a small clinic – so they are going to give me a letter of introduction to a bigger hospital for further checkup and delivery after my 20 weeks checkup. Hubby and I have set our sight on Joshie Ii Dai Byoin in Arakawa-ku as the place to give birth since it’s a Women Medical University Hospital, so chances are better of securing a lady doctor there compared to Bokutoh Hospital, a Tokyo government hospital in Sumida-ku.
The truth is I don’t really mind not looking pregnant yet most of the time – it’s only when I board the train that I wish strangers can tell that I’m pregnant so that nobody won’t think I’m wrongfully hogging the special seats reserved for the elderly, handicapped, pregnant mommies and parents with small children. I used to put a small pin-up button reading ‘Onaka ni akachan ga imasu’ (There’s a baby in my tummy) featuring a picture of mommy and baby on my school bag – but it became faulty, so I could no longer use it. Oh well….
"Changes in Pregnancy
- You are enjoying feeling better than you did last month.
- Because your placenta has taken over the production of the pregnancy hormones, you may feel a bit better in the second trimester.
- Some women will begin to have their bellies show at this point, though most women do not yet need maternity clothes
- Because of the extra blood volume your body needs during pregnancy, your heart will be beating more rapidly.
Emotional Mom
- You may be frustrated that you don't outwardly look pregnant to strangers on the street."
Extracted from this site
I have better tolerance towards smells too. I can now menumis – a big no-no last few months. Tried cooking rendang as requested by hubby last week. The trial went so well that I also cooked kuah lodeh that day – my first time cooking both rendang and kuah lodeh this Syawal. No nasi himpit though – too lazy to boil the instant packets that we brought from Malaysia.
I still don’t look 4 months pregnant – or so I have been told by everybody. In fact, during Open Houses (at friends’ places) some have commented that I look as if I had lost some weight. At school, most colleagues were shocked when they learned that I am four months pregnant. They say that I look tired, but I don’t look pregnant, which reminded me of a comment I got when I was 5 months pregnant with Huzaifah – ‘perut takdo, hongehnyo ado...’ The pale “tired look” could possibly be due to low blood pressure and low quantity of hemoglobin in the blood.
Yes, I’m a bit anemic, but nothing to worry about. That’s what the old and frail male gynecologist I went to see for my first checkup in Tokyo told me. Old and frail suited him well, I kid you not, since his hair is all white, he has even lost some of his front teeth and walk slowly. He cannot speak English, but his wife, also a doctor but not an O&G expert, could to some extent. So we conversed in a mix of Nihongo and English. The place I went is just a small clinic – so they are going to give me a letter of introduction to a bigger hospital for further checkup and delivery after my 20 weeks checkup. Hubby and I have set our sight on Joshie Ii Dai Byoin in Arakawa-ku as the place to give birth since it’s a Women Medical University Hospital, so chances are better of securing a lady doctor there compared to Bokutoh Hospital, a Tokyo government hospital in Sumida-ku.
The truth is I don’t really mind not looking pregnant yet most of the time – it’s only when I board the train that I wish strangers can tell that I’m pregnant so that nobody won’t think I’m wrongfully hogging the special seats reserved for the elderly, handicapped, pregnant mommies and parents with small children. I used to put a small pin-up button reading ‘Onaka ni akachan ga imasu’ (There’s a baby in my tummy) featuring a picture of mommy and baby on my school bag – but it became faulty, so I could no longer use it. Oh well….
"Changes in Pregnancy
- You are enjoying feeling better than you did last month.
- Because your placenta has taken over the production of the pregnancy hormones, you may feel a bit better in the second trimester.
- Some women will begin to have their bellies show at this point, though most women do not yet need maternity clothes
- Because of the extra blood volume your body needs during pregnancy, your heart will be beating more rapidly.
Emotional Mom
- You may be frustrated that you don't outwardly look pregnant to strangers on the street."
Extracted from this site
Thursday, November 09, 2006
It's good, it's great - but we need time out too
“How do you feel about getting another baby?”, asked Emi, a Japanese girl who I first met during Waseda entrance exam last summer and now attending the Human Rights and Development class I’m enrolled in.
She asked that during lunch because I just wondered loudly in the class for everyone to ponder – why women in industrialized countries – despite their empowerment, despite being assured of ability to provide access to education, health services, immunization, safe water, bla, bla, bla – are not being encouraged by Human Rights group to have babies, where else women in the Third world – in spite of all their shortcomings – continue risking having more babies.
The children rights issue had everyone talking – from listening to Ali, an Afghan, sharing his thoughts on child soldiers, learning that our Cambodians classmates do not had any birth certificate until recently and that only 7 percent of babies born in Bangladesh are actually registered, pondering about the rights of parents wanting to have more than a child in China and to increase our awareness of children living in shadows everywhere. We were asked to read several chapters of Unicef’s report on “The State of the World’s Children 2006”, paying special attention to ‘excluded’ and ‘invisible’ children. Blame it on my raging hormones – but there were times while reading about misplaced children due to armed conflicts, girls forced into early marriages rendering them servants for the rest of their lives, illegally trafficked children involved in the underworld, homeless children and HIV-positive children facing torment – which touched me so greatly that made me shed a tear or two. It was an academic report – not a novel, and far from a movie – yet I was so moved by the plight of these children who have loss their childhood, who are most in need of care and protection, yet are often forgotten and excluded in many countries, societies and communities.
Coming back to Emi – “First, a baby is a gift from God, so of course I am happy to be the recipient of such a precious gift. Secondly, God willing, I am sure I am capable of providing all the basic necessities – health services, immunization, education, bla, bla, bla. More importantly, hubby and I will try to provide all the love and nurturing the baby needs too. It’s the world that he or she grows in that I have no actual control of – and that’s what scares me most.”
“But you have a child now, and you are studying for your Masters, are you sure it won’t be a problem for you?”, Piseth, a Cambodian friend who just got married in February to a 19 year old girl, questioned.
“Well, having a child could help strengthening my relationship with my husband. He helps with the household chores, he helps with the baby stuff that need to be done. It all adds up to make me appreciate and love him more. And I am well aware that not all husbands are willing to make the sacrifices that he does,” I answered quietly.
“You are one lucky lady, shining so brightly with happiness..Oh, I’m getting blinded sitting next to you” Emi teased.
#####
Yes, it’s true, having a child and raising him ourselves, spending almost 24/7 with him give us a test that not all parents are subjected to. My working friends send their children to nursery or day-care centres or leave them at home during office hours with their domestic helper. Hubby and I – we are almost stay-at-home-parents, although I am supposed to be a full time Masters student and he, the Imam of a mosque.
When Huzaifah gets his adik next spring insya Allah, his father and I will have to work more creatively on creating schedules to work around the two of them – multi tasking, organizing stuff for optimum effectiveness and so on. Right now, with Huzaifah being able to walk and climb dining table and oven yet still unable to appreciate that he should leave freshly folded clothes alone – it’s getting to be a bit difficult to remain sane at all times. Especially so when the father begin to lecture about keeping the house tidy when there’s an assignment due the next day.
That’s why I am thankful of Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days I have to go to school) – when I can take my breather away from my beloved son and hubby and messy house for a while, when I can stop thinking about the dirty sink or the smelly diaper or the thick pile of laundry waiting to be attended to. It’s not just about going to class and meeting friends and discussing world politics. It also means getting some private time for me to read novel in the train, to blog or bloghopping a little, to window shop sometimes, to get my monthly treat of tendon at Tenya, to sit in a park or just walk and indulge in people watching.
And I guess, hubby, like me, appreciates his Mondays and Wednesdays (when he goes teaching) for giving him some private time too…
She asked that during lunch because I just wondered loudly in the class for everyone to ponder – why women in industrialized countries – despite their empowerment, despite being assured of ability to provide access to education, health services, immunization, safe water, bla, bla, bla – are not being encouraged by Human Rights group to have babies, where else women in the Third world – in spite of all their shortcomings – continue risking having more babies.
The children rights issue had everyone talking – from listening to Ali, an Afghan, sharing his thoughts on child soldiers, learning that our Cambodians classmates do not had any birth certificate until recently and that only 7 percent of babies born in Bangladesh are actually registered, pondering about the rights of parents wanting to have more than a child in China and to increase our awareness of children living in shadows everywhere. We were asked to read several chapters of Unicef’s report on “The State of the World’s Children 2006”, paying special attention to ‘excluded’ and ‘invisible’ children. Blame it on my raging hormones – but there were times while reading about misplaced children due to armed conflicts, girls forced into early marriages rendering them servants for the rest of their lives, illegally trafficked children involved in the underworld, homeless children and HIV-positive children facing torment – which touched me so greatly that made me shed a tear or two. It was an academic report – not a novel, and far from a movie – yet I was so moved by the plight of these children who have loss their childhood, who are most in need of care and protection, yet are often forgotten and excluded in many countries, societies and communities.
Coming back to Emi – “First, a baby is a gift from God, so of course I am happy to be the recipient of such a precious gift. Secondly, God willing, I am sure I am capable of providing all the basic necessities – health services, immunization, education, bla, bla, bla. More importantly, hubby and I will try to provide all the love and nurturing the baby needs too. It’s the world that he or she grows in that I have no actual control of – and that’s what scares me most.”
“But you have a child now, and you are studying for your Masters, are you sure it won’t be a problem for you?”, Piseth, a Cambodian friend who just got married in February to a 19 year old girl, questioned.
“Well, having a child could help strengthening my relationship with my husband. He helps with the household chores, he helps with the baby stuff that need to be done. It all adds up to make me appreciate and love him more. And I am well aware that not all husbands are willing to make the sacrifices that he does,” I answered quietly.
“You are one lucky lady, shining so brightly with happiness..Oh, I’m getting blinded sitting next to you” Emi teased.
#####
Yes, it’s true, having a child and raising him ourselves, spending almost 24/7 with him give us a test that not all parents are subjected to. My working friends send their children to nursery or day-care centres or leave them at home during office hours with their domestic helper. Hubby and I – we are almost stay-at-home-parents, although I am supposed to be a full time Masters student and he, the Imam of a mosque.
When Huzaifah gets his adik next spring insya Allah, his father and I will have to work more creatively on creating schedules to work around the two of them – multi tasking, organizing stuff for optimum effectiveness and so on. Right now, with Huzaifah being able to walk and climb dining table and oven yet still unable to appreciate that he should leave freshly folded clothes alone – it’s getting to be a bit difficult to remain sane at all times. Especially so when the father begin to lecture about keeping the house tidy when there’s an assignment due the next day.
That’s why I am thankful of Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days I have to go to school) – when I can take my breather away from my beloved son and hubby and messy house for a while, when I can stop thinking about the dirty sink or the smelly diaper or the thick pile of laundry waiting to be attended to. It’s not just about going to class and meeting friends and discussing world politics. It also means getting some private time for me to read novel in the train, to blog or bloghopping a little, to window shop sometimes, to get my monthly treat of tendon at Tenya, to sit in a park or just walk and indulge in people watching.
And I guess, hubby, like me, appreciates his Mondays and Wednesdays (when he goes teaching) for giving him some private time too…
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