It’s a PLUS - 19/9/2012

It was time to do the Clear Blue! A week had lapsed and still no sign, so doubt was beginning to eat me up in side.

My husband and I stopped by the local pharmacy and bought two Clear Blue tests; apparently there are two kinds, one that can tell if you’re “prego” even before you miss your period and is more expensive, and another than can tell on the same day! How lame! (12,000 L.L. v/s 6,000 L.L.)

Anyway, I bought both, took them home, and put them on my bedside cabinet for next morning! As if they need to be there in my face for me to remember!

The next morning, I got up, took one of the tests from the bag and went to the bathroom to do my business. I waited patiently for the result…

Two lines, a.k.a. (||).

Suddenly I became blind and illiterate. Seriously, it’s like you’re reading the results to an exam you want to pass so desperately! No matter how many times you read “Pass” it still reads gibberish!

Not convinced, I left the bathroom and went back into my bedroom to get the other, more expensive thus more accurate, test and tried again.

A Plus sign, a.k.a  (+).

Hmm, I swear I knew what a plus sign looked like before that day!

I called my husband, who came running into the bathroom, and asked him what he saw. Naturally he said two lines and a plus sign and grinned so deeply!

Still not entirely convinced, I called my Dr. and told him about the test. After saying those early congratulations, he told me to do the Beta HCG blood test.

 I admit, I’m usually a calm person, who takes things easy, but they say when you’re pregnant things change; and I guess calling the lab 3 times in an hour counts.

Mr. Lab Man: “Your HCG level is 3,300.”

Me: “Soo what? What does that mean? Positive or Negative?”

Mr. Lab Man: “It’s a Positive, Congratulations!”

Me: “Ok, Ok, Ok, positive, Ok, Ok.”

And I closed the line in the poor man’s face!

What came after were a bunch of tear filled phone calls, congratulations, and a new sense of serenity and content I had never felt before. May God bless every woman (who wants children) with such a feeling!

Ladies and Gentlemen, yes!

Me.be.mama.9 months! 

Is it too early for “Mommy Blues”?

I’m as blue as a Crayola Crayon, and I’m only in the 20^th week of my pregnancy!

If you’ve been reading my blog, you’d know that I’m very self conscious about my weight and looks. I really care about being fashionable and keeping a fit figure (meaning slightly under weight). So naturally, the pregnancy figure is bothering me.

I don’t know how many moms or moms-to-be can relate with me, but this is really a dilemma. One minute you’re enjoying the changes and thinking about what an amazing thing my body is doing; then you feel so fat, round, heavy and big that you wonder if you’ll still fit through the doorway.

Your inner demon keeps twisting your mood, and external factor don’t help. I mean I’m lucky to have a support system made up of my husband, my friends and family, but there is still the mirror, the skinny jeans that won’t buckle and the high heals that kill your back.

I did some research of the acceptable weight gains during pregnancy and found that I’m well under the threshold…feeling better.

Part	In Pounds	In Kilograms
Blood	3	1.4
Breasts	2	1
Womb	2	1
Baby	7.5	3.4
Placenta	1.5	0.6
Amniotic Fluid	2	1
Fat & Protein	7	3
Retained Water	4	1.8
Total	29	13.2

I’m late, I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date! - 17/9/2012

I suppose you can guess what I’m talking about from the title! And I don’t intend to be quoting the bunny from Alice in Wonderland.

When we got married, exactly 1 year and 7 days ago, my husband and I decided to put off having kids for about a year just to get used to the new “Married” life style and the responsibilities. I wonder if the doors to heaven were open back then and God heard our plans and approved.

I don’t want to rush things and start planning the baby shower and college applications but things are happening to me that have never happened to me before. Such as:

1.       Late… I’m never late… I mean there could be an entire calendar made based on my cycle. Figuratively speaking!

2.       Weird cramps… it feels like your gut is being grabbed tightly for a new seconds and then nothing.

3.       Acute sense of smell… I mean I usually have a good sense of smell but this is ridiculous, bloody hell! I can smell my husband a mile away, I can smell the cotton that my shirt is made of and I can smell the papers on my desk… you know those very discrete smells that aren’t usually there!

4.       Acute sense of hearing… I can hear each one of my colleagues’ key board typing, and their breathing, and whispers of people talking from other offices.

5.       A little light headedness and an unprecedented disgust for the taste of toothpaste in the morning.

I suppose a quick Clear Blue test wouldn’t hurt.   

PreVue - Wearable Pregnancy Ultrasound Belt

I came across this while trying to get an idea of what my 3D ultrasould scan will look like through google images.

What do you think?

http://www.adesignaward.com/design.php?ID=23800

Exploitation

In a country where labor laws are passed to exploit workers rather than protect their rights, you would hope that institutions take it upon themselves to support their employees, especially those who have fought tooth and nail for years on end to bring them growth and prosperity.

Unfortunately, the opposite is true.

I have heard of an institution; let’s call it “Bank Cheap” where employees are treated as worthless laborers through out the beginning, middle, and advanced level of their careers.

Below are just some of the cases at Bank Cheap I’ve heard about.

Case 1:

“Employee 70”, who has been working at Bank Cheap for a little over 14 years, has a masters degree from a prestigious French University, has single handedly built the base for one of the Bank’s indispensible control and reporting functions by gathering information from half the departments at Bank Cheap, has been in the same middle management position for the past 6 years with no promotion, and still makes about US$ 10 an hour.

Bullshit

Case 2:

“Employee 86”, who has been working at Bank Cheap for 3 years, spent half those 3 years working double shifts, taking on extra loads, and developing an entirely new program that automates all the monitoring and reporting process of one of the Bank’s key control functions. “Employee 86” still holds the same entry level position, with the same entry level salary of about UD$ 3.8 an hour.

Ridiculous

Case 3:

“Employee 88, who also has been working for Bank Cheap for 3 years, has graduated as an honors student from one of the country’s top universities with a Masters Degree in Business Administration, has an internationally recognized certificate in Valuation Analysis, and is currently working for a certificate in Financial Analysis. “Employee 88” is considered to be a key player in one of the Bank’s control functions, carries on extra loads and sometimes for other departments as well, and still holds the same entry level position, with the same entry level salary of about US$ 4 an hour.

No Comment

Bank Cheap is filled with similar cases of hardworking, well educated, and innovative employees who I consider to be exploited.

Disgusting!

I couldn't help but share what I read on msn.com regarding this Iranian blogger.

http://arabia.msn.com/news/middle-east/956526/bloggers-death-stirs-political-hornets-nest-in-iran/

I Haven’t Forgotten My Blog!

For those of you who were used to reading a new post on my Blog every other week or so, you might have started to wonder why I have been away for a little over 3 months.

Well, the truth is, I haven’t been away at all! As much as I would have loved to be on some long vacation, I have been here, on the other side of the screen but over occupied with thinking of the situation I’m in.

And the situation is: I’m Pregnant!

What will follow is stuff I wrote during this period, but never had the guts to publish before now!

Enjoy!