Our Little Prince Has Arrived!

At exactly 40 weeks gestation and after a couple of pregnancy complications in the 3rd trimester, our little prince charming entered into the world on his expected due date - August 13, 2015 - at 9.45pm, weighing 3.45kg and measuring 52.5cm!

Our little man came out looking exactly like his big sister when she arrived about two years, two months and two weeks ago.

Just like my previous labor experience, this one has its own birth story - a very, very different delivery experience, with just as much dramatic effect - to which I will share with friends and family at some point.

Our firstborn princess, kakak Keira is super excited about her official promotion to "big sister" status.

Keira can't seem to get enough of loving and kissing her little brother every second she gets with him, from the moment she saw him outside the delivery room, which will definitely make our transition into a bigger family so much easier.

The videos below of Keira's sisterly love will surely melt your heart!

Our newborn prince is definitely the perfect addition to our family. [Notice I did not use the word "completion", instead chose the word "addition" *wink* Although a pair is probably more than enough for us to handle as it is, deep down, I still have that motherly urge to carry twins after this *wink, wink*.]

He loves it when I hold him close and I am completely taking advantage of every second of snuggling with him. OMG, I'm in love all over again... Best thing is that he has also given me a second chance at breastfeeding, and we are definitely off to a great start :)

Welcome to the world our new charming little prince, Jayden Rayyan Lee Bin Aziz Kevin Lee!

Today marks one week since his birth, and both mommy and baby are still resting and recovering in hospital. 

Thanks to family and friends for visiting us over the past week and for the lovely bouquets of fruits/flowers and presents.

We can't wait to take him home with us very soon and begin our new chapter as a family of four.

A Day Away...

We're about a day away from the expected due date of baby #2 (one day to 40 weeks gestation), yet there seems to be no regular contractions.

Kakak Keira seems to be bonding well with her belly brother and is finally in the mood take some photos.

Hello, 39 Weeks!

So, this is what 39 weeks pregnant feels like! 

During my previous pregnancy, I only made it to 38 weeks and then I popped, so making it to 39 weeks this is definitely a new milestone.

Good news is that today's scan showed that baby's head is already engaged and estimated weight is 3.6kg. Hopefully this means that he is getting ready to come out very. very soon! :)

Salam Aidilfitri 2015

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

from our growing family to yours!

This year's Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration has got to be the quietest one ever. For one, I was hospitalized just a few days before and in need of bedrest. Good thing my OBGYN was kind enough to give me concession "time off" to be home for a few hours during Hari Raya. 

Not forgetting the fact that I am 36 weeks pregnant at this point (and am way too tired to do much visitations or hosting), whereas the rest of our family decided to pack up and celebrate this year's Aidilfitri overseas.

We still kept with traditions, no matter what. The four of us paid our respects to family members who are no longer with us by visiting their kubur on Raya eve.

On the 2nd day of Raya (July 18, 2015), Kevin and I had a couple of friends over for a simple and yummilicious homecooked dinner, specially prepared by my Masterchef mom, so that our kiddos can have Raya playdate while we adults caught up and ate. 

Although a number of friends were out of town and unable to make it, those who could pop by (with their kids) had a blast that evening. Then it was time for me to head back to the hospital.

Keira's Raya Playdates

When you're expecting and currently at the end of your third trimester, it's not easy to set up playdates these days with friends and their kids. 

Best way to go around that difficulty it is to link it up with other festive occasions, like Hari Raya, for example. Which is exactly what we did today... For this year's Raya Aidilfitri celebration, we had two-in-one playdates set up so that the adults can catch up while the kiddos played.

Bella and her parents arrived first, so they kicked off the playdate. Bella and Keira are about eight months apart, but they have been playing together since she was a few months old ever since their first playdate. Hence, they already share an instant bond and enjoy each other's company, as you can see from the video and photos below.

 

Kieran, Kaira and their parents arrived a little later to continue the playdate with Keira. They too share instant bonds with Keira since they meet regularly and are familiar with each other.

 

Blacked Out and Hospitalized

I blacked out at office earlier today. 

Blacking out all of a sudden at 36 weeks gestation can be a little scary and should not be taken lightly. Which is why it was a good thing a few of my colleagues were around our usually "empty" office today and one of them helped send me to the hospital after I gained consciousness.

The diagnosis - hypertension and high blood pressure, causing the black out. Apparently, I also have some contamination in my urine causing urinary tract infection.

In other words, my body is also signalling me to cut down on my work and stress levels and start taking care of myself better if I want to stick to my all-natural birth plan.

I was immediately admitted for further monitoring and tests, and pushed into one of the labor rooms - strapped to the CTG machine to check on my baby's fetal heartbeat as well as signs of contractions.

Keira Learns To Match Shapes

Keira never fails to amaze us day by day with her learning development.

No one officially taught her about shapes, and yet, she knows how to match the shapes through learning from her educational toys and probably time spent doing online learning on mommy's tab. 

I guess she figured she has had enough practice on her own with the shapes and, earlier this week, decided that she was ready to reveal to us her new self-taught skill. 

Isn't our two-year-old toddler just awesome!?!

Mastering the Art of Taking Selfies

I love that Keira LOVES taking selfies of herself on my Samsung Tab every opportunity she gets. I look forward to finding surprise selfies of her every day.

Truth be told, I am to blame as I was the one who would take wefies with her all the time (since birth!). My bad! But I can't help it... she's just too cute! To miss an opportunity to wefie with her is such a waste, don't you agree?

 

 

Alas, her selfie fascination was unleashed! 

At first, I would find "blank" photos on my phone, of either the ceiling or the walls. Then, it improved - with "half blank" photos and stands of her hair, parts of her face or finger captured on screen.

  

 

But as she gets more daily practice in mastering her selfie shots (and centering herself into the pics), I can see she her perfecting her self-learnt selfie-taking skills... and I absolutely enjoy flipping through her masterpieces captured on my phone.

 

 

Voila, I'm left with super awesome daily doses of surprise selfie shots of my little girl! I could not ask for a better way to help brighten up my day. Keep 'em coming, darling! :)