Family Escapade: Krabi, Thailand 2009

I have been procrastinating to blog about this trip for like..ermmm..let me think..almost 6 months!!..hehe...I edited all pictures and uploaded in FB but I don't really have time to blog about it.

Well..This trip was on September, 2009. Right after Eid Fitri in 2009. Trip was well planned by my husband. Each time when I got back home, he will arrange a family trip to somewhere far from hectic Kuala Lumpur. It was my second *rotation from work after I delivered Emir, my husband chose Krabi as our vacation trip. *the drill is if I work for 6 weeks, I will be having 3 weeks days off..so on and so forth..

We took AirAsia Go Holiday Package which consist hotel accommodation and flight tickets for three of us for 4 days. It was quite a good bargain and if I book hotel separately, the cost will be a huge different. With AirAsia Go, you can choose your hotel rated from 1 star up to luxurious 5 stars..If ada budget lebih boleh pilih hotel yang mahal sikit..It all depends on your itinerary. As for us, we don't really spend our time at the hotel sebab according to our plan banyak jalan-jalan and site seeing, so we opted hotel yang average jer..

Our flight to Krabi was early in the morning, I reckon it was 7 or 8 o'clock in the morning...We need to be at the airport around 1 hour before departure to check-in and stuff. Journey from the airport from our house roughly will take 45 minutes to 1 hour depends on the traffic, therefore we need to bertolak from rumah around 5 o'clock in the morning. Just imagine, me and the baby getting ready at 4-5 o'clock in the morning ain't that easy..To make things become worst, we woke up late!! If not because my son woke up crying, I think we might miss our flight and forget our hoilday trip. I gave gazillion kisses to Emir sebab kejutkan ibu that morning. Ni semua angkara last minute packing..typical me!

I was also lucky because my MIL was at our house on that day. So while me and husband running to the counter, I'd got someone to hold Emir. Thanx Mak!!Otherwise, memang semput or else miss the flight. Lesson learned from that incident, pack your luggage as early as possible, recommended one day before you travel especially if you're having a baby. I will never forget what happened on that particular morning for my whole life..hehehe

This trip was a third time we traveled with Emir by plane. Emir was behaved well in fact he was sleeping as soon as the plane took off all the way to Krabi. Good boy. As we arrived in Krabi, it was around 10 or 11 in the morning. Thailand time is one hour late than Malaysia time. The flight took about 2 hours and 30 minutes. At first we thought of renting a car, then plan changed and we just took a cab to the hotel instead. Lagipon tak familiar dengan jalan-jalan dekat situ and I was worried that we might get lost. Airport and our hotel is not that far, just 15 minutes drive.

Just arrived. Emir was sleeping from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi due to kena bangun awal on that day.

We stayed at Maritim Park & Spa Resort. The hotel located in Muang Krabi. The hotel is so-so la. Not as luxury as it claims to be a four stars hotel. The grounds and the exterior of this hotel are imposing, very impressive. However our room, though very spacious and with a pleasant view from the balcony, was dingy. Lighting was feeble, the bed was hard, and the decor was tatty. We also thought the breakfast was poor , everyday was the same variety of foods and not as we are expected. Once maybe a good hotel with a very special garden/lagoon environment with large potential, but it is not well maintained and very scruffy. Me and husband quite disappointed with the hotel.

View from our balcony. Dekat belakang tu ada Lagoon..

First day, we just stayed at the hotel sebab sangat penat as a result of slept late and rushing to the airport. After late lunch, we all tiga beranak terus dozed off. The second day was not really our lucky day, sebab hujan selebat-lebat nya from the afternoon until petang. After the rain stopped, we all get ready pergi jalan-jalan kejap around lagoon which is in the hotel compound and then getting ready to Krabi town for dinner. It is quite hard to find halal food in Krabi, we end up with seafood jer. Tomyam goong in Krabi not as tasty as in Bangkok TomYam in Bangkok sangat berlemak and pedas. As a TomYam lover, I was quite frustrated la.

After a long rainy day, we finally out of our room and jalan-jalan around hotel and managed to shoot some pictures..

On the third day, the weather was excellently bright and sunny. We decided to check out Ao Nang beach. It took us around 15-20 minutes from hotel to Ao Nang beach. Ooh lupa nak cakap yang our hotel takde beach. Another down side of the hotel. That was the first and last time we all stay kat situ!

Oh boy..I was jawed down the moment we reached Ao Nang. Kept telling my husband why we didn't choose to stay in Ao Nang. Along Ao Nang beach there's a lot of hotels, restaurants, clubs and Spa. Memang ramai tourist dekat sini compared to our hotel area. Mainly because it much closer to the beach. Nak makan pon senang because you have a lot of options. There's a lot of activities that you can do in Krabi other than sunbathing like island-hopping, scuba diving, snorkeling or kayaking.

Okaylah, let's pictures do the talking now. *scroll down please*

On the way to Ao Nang. We rode a so call bus. It seems more like a lorry to me.

Ao Nang Beach

We decided to take a boat and island-hopping. There's few island around Ao Nang.

Emir's first experience ride on the boat! Minah Brazilian in front of us is so damn hot!

Emir's snagging Ayah's shirt all the way to the island maybe dia takut boat tu macam tak berapa nak stable sangat.

Emir's wailed his lung out sebab tak nak duduk atas pasir tu. On the other hand, Ibu sibuk nak buat pose gedik di situ..

Breath-taking scenery.. See the blue water and white sand. I will definitely visit Krabi again!!

My first attempt snorkeling. Hehehe. I almost drowned at first, then my hubby showed me the right way to paddle my feet..

Emir recharged his energy. He was such a sport and behaved very well.

Krabi was affected by tsunami. I saw few "Evacuation Site" sign along Ao Nang beach.

Our flight back to Kuala Lumpur was in the afternoon on the fourth day. So after breakfast, kami bawak Emir mandi in the swimming pool for his very first time. Emir really enjoyed it! Sampai tak nak keluar from swimming pool.




Eventhou the trip was not like we expected due to the weather and hotel condition, we somehow did enjoy our trip to Krabi. It was a great experience and looking forward to return back to Krabi. I would highly recommend Krabi to bakal pengantins yang tengah plan for honeymoon.

Some tips flying with a baby/ an infant (for 1-2 hours flight):

• Allow plenty of time at the airport for check-in. (Lesson learned!)
• Get on the plane first and off the plane last to get a better chance of assistance from cabin crew.
  
• Pack a small bag with just one diaper, a few wipes, a perfumed nappy sack and some rash cream if needed and place it in the seat pocket in front of you. Kalau boleh salin diaper siap2 before departure.
• Don't forget to bring finger food if the baby started eating solid food.
• Wrap toys to add to their entertainment value. Rattles or any kind of toys that is light and easy to carry or the last resort your phone also will do.
• Don't let your baby sleep right before departure, kalau boleh kasik baby penat betul2 and for sure baby will doze off on the plane.
• Travel light. Kalau boleh bawak apa yang perlu sahaja on the plane. Yang tak perlu sila letak dalam luggage and check in.
• Forget about style when choosing your traveling clothes - go for comfort, ease of wear.

Thank You for reading!

Baby Mya in the house!

Last night I visited one of my friend Azie yang baru delivered a baby girl at KPJ Shah Alam... I memang suka tengok baby ni especially bila dapat cium bau baby..memang priceless betul..Rindu nak bau baby lagi...

Okay back to story, so semalam I've got a call from Keynote asking whether I want to go visit Azie ke tak..Of course la nak!! Lepas dah mintak izin encik suamiku..malam tu kami pon pergi la..together with us is Alin..Actually tak berapa familiar dengan jalan dekat Shah Alam but awal-awal dah mintak bantuan Encik Suamiku setkan map dalam phone and Keynote pon siap bawak GPS dalam kereta so memang easy to find the way la..

Seronok bila pergi dengan geng-geng perempuan ni sebab banyak hot story yang boleh dikongsikan bersama..so along the way memang berborak jer..sebab theme malam ni nak pergi visit baby so memang our topic perbincangan ialah mengenai baby and pregnancy..FYI, Keynote and Alin pon sedang pregnant so memang in la topic kami pada malam itu yer...hehehe

Eh dah melalut-lalut pulak ni...back to Baby Mya Myiesha..Wahh sedap betul nama..easy to remember and senang nak menyebut nya..Baby Mya was delivered on 13th April 2010 at 0008 am..Baby Mya memang puntual..EDD (Expected Due Date) Mommy Mya was actually on 12th April 2010 but baby nak duduk lama sikit dalam perut mommy dia..hehehe..

Let's see how Mya Myiesha bergaya depan camera....

Introducing to you Baby Mya Myiesha!
Welcome to the world baby!

Mya and Mommy

Sedapnya baby Mya tidur kat situ..She feels warmth and comfortable..

With Aunty Keynote

Mya with Aunty Alin, Aunty Mira and Aunty Keynote

Comel nya Mya's feet!!

Congratulations Azie and husband!! Welcome to parenthood..

Visiting the twins!

Yesterday I've got an early message in the morning from one of my colleague..

"Alhamdulillah Ayu selamat melahirkan twins kami"

I was still in bed and I feel like I wanna jump and get ready to see the twins..hehe..I've been waiting so long to finally meet them!!..

Congratulations to Ayu and Ochee..I am so happy for both of you!

The happy new parents!!

Ochee was working in the company with me and he was assigned and still working in Libya..So basically we met in Libya not in Malaysia..Ohh yaa..Ochee ni Malaysian la..and he brought his wife to Libya too..So when I was in Libya I was quite close to them and always went to their house to get together with other Malaysian..and I know how hard Ayu was facing in early pregnancy stage when she was abroad..I mean walaupon her husband was with her all the time but sometimes I can see that she also needed her mom to be with her...to share the pregnancy story or sharing experiences...Plus I know how Libya's environment was treating her..Early pregnancy was the toughest time and I salute her that she went through it with patience..

Then today after I done with my facial, I went back home and get ready to go to the hospital..When we arrived Ayu was breastfeeding one of the twins and I was asking where is another one..So sad to hear that the other twins is still under observation because of low heart beat..I hope she will be okay anytime soon..my prayers is always with her..Sempat jugak tengok dia but tak boleh nak hold her and we all tengok dekat cermin jer..So cute!!

Emir was so excited to meet the baby..and each time he saw me hold the baby he will come close to me and showing his amaze-expression kind of face sambil cakap "eeiiiiiii" pointing at the baby...I don't know whether he understand that the baby that I'm holding is human being or toys..hehe..

I managed to take some pictures..

Let's meet Aleeya Adriana and Aleeya Amani..What a nice name..love it!

Hi!! my name is Aleeya Adriana...

Hi!! I am Aleeya Amani!!

Adriana: Aunty mira pegang saya kuat2 tau!
Aunty Mira: Don't worry aunty dah dilatih..Abang Emir dulu 3.4 kg tu aunty steady jer dukung..hehe

"Tuuuu..." said Emir pointing at the baby...



Emir yang dah tawaf ward bersalin berape kali pon ibu tak tau then masuk kereta terus doze off...

Rindu nya masa Emir baru lahir dulu...wangi bau baby tu memang priceless la..ni yang tak sabar ni nak ada our "second"...Encik suamiku......

Breast Feeding vs. Bottle Feeding

Ever since I was pregnant I already set my mind that I'm going to breastfeed my son as long as possible..well it's good enough if I could breastfeed him until he reaches 2 years old..but with my case that I'm working thousand miles from my son makes me feel down and sad when I think a bout it..yeaa I know I still can pump and store 'em for 6 weeks times but you know that babies can know his/her mother smell..how can I say it..it's like every individual has our own unique smell..I guess it's body odor..am I right?!

So last time during antenatal class I asked a question to the speaker which happen to be my O&G doctor..She said I still can continuously breastfeed my baby even thou I'm away from my baby for a long time..I don't really need to stop breastfeeding my son..how?! What I need to do is when I'm away I still need to stimulate my breast so that my breast can still produce milk by the time I meet my baby back..When I'm away my baby can still drink my breast milk but with a bottle (errmm..I need to train Emir from now!)..but she said this thing really needs patience to make it happen..I hope that my baby will be okay with this..sian anak ibu..

Here I want to share with all new mothers what I found something interesting from the internet while I was googled about breastfeeding..(taken from here)

To breastfeed your baby or not. Most women probably have very definitive views on the merits and benefits of breast feeding a baby vs bottle feeding, and many women will likely have been influenced by what they have seen and read, by their culture and undoubtedly by their family and friends. The breast feeding vs bottle feeding debate is a very emotive topic with advocates on both sides of the fence vehemently defending their positions. One thing is clear however and that is that, in the majority of cases, health professionals the world over would recommend breast feeding over formula feeding where ever possible.

Of course, not all women will be able to breast feed their baby, and so the decision will have been made already for them, and some women may find that although they started out breast feeding their baby, they are unable to continue to do so for any number of reasons (chronic discomfort, lack of milk etc.).

At the end of the day, despite the protestations from either side of the fence, there is no right way or wrong way when it comes to the breast feeding vs bottle feeding debate as both have their advantages and disadvantages, some of which we’ll explore now:

Advantages of breast feeding:

• Undoubtedly mankind has found it difficult, if not impossible, to improve on Mother Nature in many facets of our lives, and breast milk is no different. A mother’s breast milk therefore has all the nutrients, vitamins, and, probably most importantly, the anti-infection antibodies that the newborn baby requires to get a good start in life.

• Breast fed babies have fewer infections and illnesses according to a whole host of studies that have been published. This is not to say of course that all breast fed babies are healthy, and that all formula fed babies are at an obvious disadvantage, but, taken as a group, breast fed babies tend to suffer from fewer medical problems than their formula-fed counterparts.

• There is also an acknowledged closer bond between the baby and the mother when breast feeding. The warmth of the mother’s breast coupled with the skin to skin contact helps to provide a comfortable and safe environment for the child that is simply impossible to replicate with a bottle.

• There are a number of studies that suggest that breast feeding is beneficial for the mother in the areas of weight control and even as a cancer preventative.

• While formula milk certainly provides the infant with a good range of necessary vitamins and other nutrients that are needed for the infant’s development, a mother’s breast milk simply has everything that the child needs in one convenient package.

• Mother’s milk is more easily digested by the infant than formula milk. Remember that a baby’s digestive system is still somewhat immature, so it is much easier for the baby to break down and absorb the minerals and nutrients contained in mother’s milk over formula milk. Because breast milk is easier to digest, your baby will suffer less from constipation and diarrhoea.

• Mother’s breast milk reflects what the mother eats, and the taste of breast milk is often affected by the types of foods that the mother has recently eaten. This provides the baby with subtle differences in the taste of the breast milk and, as they say, variety is the spice of life.

• Breast feeding is free and the milk comes in a convenient, easy to carry, container! While saving money should not in any way solely influence your decision to breast feed or not, there’s no escaping the fact that breast feeding can save parents significant amounts of money over the first few months of a baby’s life, and is infinitely more convenient. Breast feeding is also much more convenient insofar as there is no need to clean bottles, warm the milk or any of the other activities associated with bottle feeding and there is very little danger of the food running out.

Disadvantages of breast feeding:

• Not all mothers feel comfortable with the concept of breast feeding from the start. Many mothers need time to grow into the role and to master the techniques for comfortable breast feeding. As a side note, there is nothing wrong with this, and it is important that mothers who aren’t comfortable breast feeding take their time and go at their own pace. Bottle feeding will provide a good alternative until the mother is ready to breast feed.

• Undoubtedly breast feeding is more demanding physically for the mother than bottle feeding. Factor in to this that the baby may require feeding every two or three hours and for some women the physical effort can take a toll on their own well-being.

• Pain. Small babies have an astonishing ability to suck with great force which can take many mothers by surprise. This can lead to sore breasts (in some cases bleeding) and a great deal of discomfort for the mother.

• Because breast milk is easier to digest for the baby, it is often the case that the baby will want (or need) to eat more frequently than if they were bottle fed. In turn this can lead to more diaper

• Self-consciousness. While some mothers have absolutely no problem with breast feeding in public, or semi-public, places others are not so comfortable with the idea. The decision to breast feed will often mean that both mother and baby will have to ‘dine out’ in some less-than-ideal locations and it might take a while for some women to overcome any embarrassment or self-consciousness.

• Lifestyle. For many women, getting pregnant in the first place meant a change of lifestyle and the imposition of restrictions (limited tea or coffee, no smoking, no alcohol etc.). If you decide to breast feed then these restrictions should remain in place as long as the baby is breast fed.

The day I was in labor room..

Everything happened on 21st January 2009...

10:00 a.m. : As usual I went to Pusrawi for weekly check up since I am 37++ weeks pregnancy that requires me to come every week.

10:30 a.m. : I did urine test and the nurse took my BP reading. My BP reading is suddenly went high. I asked the nurse to take my BP reading like three times and it turned to be the same!! Ermmm...

11:00 a.m. : My turn finally has come, the nurse called up my name and I entered the doctor's room.

11:05 a.m. : Doctor did an ultrasound as usual and checked whether I've already dilated or not. I am 1 cm dilated!!

11:15 a.m. : Doctor said that I need to be admitted today and I need to be induced because of my BP is high..Doctor asked me whether I'm nervous or what...but to be honest I'm away too fine today..

11.20 a.m. : I went to labor room and waited for the doctor to come.

12.15 p.m. : Nurse came in and checked my condition.

2.00 p.m. : Doctor finally came and induced me.

3.00 p.m. : Nurse attached CTG to me to check my baby heart beat and contraction.

3.15 p.m. : I started to feel a little bit pain but still I can control it.

4.40 p.m. : After Solat Asar, terase macam ade cecair mengalir from my VJJ*. The pain started to be more intense like every 20 minutes.

7.45 p.m. : Right after solat Maghrib my water broke. Nurse told me that I've already 3cm dilated.

9.00 p.m. : The contraction started to come and the pain are more intense and I could feel it like every 2-3 minutes.

11.00 p.m. : I could not hold it anymore and I asked my husband to call up the nurse. The nurse came in and checked on me. Surprisingly I am fully dilated. The nurse started to get me ready for labor and call up the doctor.

11.20 p.m. : The doctor finally came in. I've waited like 20 minutes for the doctor to come because she was expecting that I was gonna deliver on the next day. She even said that my contraction progression is very good.

11.28 p.m. : After three times pushing, my baby finally came out to the real world!! Alhamdulillah...

The baby named as Emir Faiz bin Luqman Hakeem..

Emir Faiz

VJJ* = Vagina

BIG things happened in one short time..

It has been a longggggg time since my last entry..Now I'm back!! There's so many things happening to me..When I said thing means BIG thing really happened!!

Pemergian Arwah Mak

On 27th of December 2008, I lost my lovely grandma whom I called mak...She passed away on that day during Azan Zohor...It happened really fast..The story begin when she was fainted at Surau after recited Yassin...As she was walking out from Surau she suddenly fainted and fell down..She woke up when she arrived at the hospital..Doctor said she had a small stroke..Then the next day, she's getting better..Her BP is normal and doctor even said she could go home the next day..Just doctor needed to monitor her heart beat..

The next day on 27th December 2008, when she's ready to go home and just wait for doctor to confirm it, she's suddenly fainted again..The BP suddenly went up higher and doctor was trying to help her breathing but it was so late..Only with one stroke she's came back to Allah..What made me feel so sad is that I was planning to visit her at the hospital after Zohor but I was too late...Allah permudahkan segalanya bagi arwah mak...Arwah mak tak pernah sakit2 teruk sebelum ni..Arwah tak pernah masuk hospital before kecuali mase bersalin..Tapi ajal maut di tangan Allah..Kita semua tak tau bile mase kite betul2 ready untuk meninggalkan dunia ini..To be truth, until now I still don't feel that arwah mak has passed away..macam arwah pegi jenjalan for the short time..Each time when I think about her I will cry..Sampai sekarang I can't look at her picture..lagi membuatkan I feel so sad when arwah tak sempat nak tengok cicit die..

Kami semua doakan arwah mak sentiasa dicucuri rahmat Allah dan ditempatkan di kalangan ahli syurga..InsyaAllah..

Me and Arwah Mak during Hari Raya 2007...

New Baby is coming!!

On 21st of January 2009, I was safely delivered a cute little baby boy at Pusat Rawatan Islam Kuala Lumpur..There will be more story about my little baby in new upcoming post!!
.....and....I will revealed his name too!!

Tadaaa...My cute little Prince has arrived!!