My cousin Melissa was spending a coupla days with me. It was November 1994. "Debs, why you eating so much? You pregnant or what?" "I don't know," I replied. Actually I was. Pregnant with my first child and bursting with so much excitement I could hardly withstand it. The only problem was, Sunny and I couldn't tell anyone about it yet because Mums and Pops were vacationing in Perth and I wanted them to be the first to know that they were going to be Grandparents really soon.
Boy, I was gonna be a Mom. And so I ate. And I ate. For a while there, I put Melvin to shame with the amount of food that I could consume. And yes, I grew and blossomed into something that I couldn't recognise whenever I looked into the mirror. A funny thing about my first pregnancy, was that my nose was bloody red. A 'Rudolph' lookalike. This happened from my 5th month onwards. Everywhere I went, people kept staring at me. It was pretty annoying at first but I got used it somehow...
My expected date of delivery was 22nd July 1995. At my 9-month appointment with my gynaecologist, I told her that I wished my baby would be born a little earlier, on the 14th July - my Grandmother's birthday. Is that possible, Doc? She said 'yes, it could be' and I was optimistic. Even my Parents and Aunts were hoping for a July 14th delivery. The following week after my check-up, Datuk Nora told me "Your BP is running a little too high, I think the baby will have to be induced soon". Will July 14th be too early, I asked her hopefully.."No dear, it has to be done way before that..it's too risky".
Dissapointed, by left without a choice thanks to my blood pressure, I checked in at Pantai Medical Centre on July 10th and was given an oxytoxin shot to initiate the labour in the early hours of the morning. (I'm gonna cut a very long story short, which I will elaborate in greater detail in a future post) At precisely 12.03am on the 12th of July, (after close to 65 hours of labour) I heard the most wonderful sound in my life - the FIRST cries of my FIRST born ! At that point, I was beyond tired but still couldn't believe that I was now a Mommy. And when I heard the doctor saying "It's a girl," I could've just jumped up and hugged my Doctor. (A unique thing with this pregnancy was that my gynaecologist, Datuk Norashikin and I were pregnant at the same time..she gave birth 3 weeks before me and the poor lady had to come back from her maternity leave to deliver my baby)
My baby was placed in my arms and her proud daddy, my beloved hubby was given the scissors the snip off the umbilical cord. That was indeed THE ultimate happiest moment in my life. Today, my heart still skips a beat whenever I think of that precious moment in the delivery room.
We named her Kelly (I loved that name ever since Charlie's Angels' days) and her middle name - Anissa - was suggested by my Aunt Norma. I held her, I smelled her, hug her like there was no tomorrow. I just couldn't get enough of my little infant.
Kelly was a wonderful baby. But getting her to drink her milk was another story. Curiosity came to her at a very early age. Whenever she drank her milk, no one around could talk or move, else her head would turn in that direction to see what was going on and after that, the interest in drinking would disappear. It happened all the time and coax her I did, but it never worked. Since it was only she and me at home alone, with Daddy at work most of the time, she was my constant companion. I talked to her from sunrise to sunset. That would probably explain why she's a smart 'talker' today. With baby number 2 (Daniel) on the way when Kelly was only 8 months old, she automatically started getting cranky. And mischievous too. She probably sensed that the attention that was being showered upon her was going to be divided soon..She was at her most mischievous point when Daniel was born. Goodness! Whatever happened to my little angel, I wondered.
She started walking at 9 months..It was hillarious to see someone so tiny walking around here and there. And I just loved it whenever anyone asked what her name was, she would go "My name is Kelly, K.E.L.L.Y", she'd spell it out.
From the time she was young, she spoke her mind. There was a point where I used to get nervous being in the company of friends, afraid of what she might say. And yeah, how could I forget? She went through a period where she enjoyed calling anyone that she liked, 'roast beef'. "Hi Roast Beef, Bye Roast Beef"...How cute:)
That small tiny infant who weighed 6.3 kgs at birth is now a beautiful teenager. She's gonna be 15 years old in a few minutes time and has grown up to be a wonderful girl. She loves her brother to bits, (nevermind the frequent quarrels they have) dotes on her grandparents calling them cutie-pie and incredibly protective over me and Sunny. When at one time I used to worry about her mischievous ways, it's put to rest now. I'm so proud of her in so many ways I can't even list it down here. She knows what she wants in life and I know she'll achieve it through her intelligence and perseverence. She's compassionate about people and I love that quality in her. And her favourite passtime is telling me that she loves me - at least 20 times a day. I'm so blessed. She's way better than what I was at 15 years old.
Today, on the eve of her birthday as I write this, emotions set in. And I go through this every year since her 1st birthday. I reminisce that cherished moment when Datuk Nora said "one last push, girl" and then... the cryings of my newborn.
I'll put it this way. I've always dreamed of having a daughter whom I could treat as a trusted best friend and share secrets and jokes and laughter with. God has granted my prayers.
The minute you came into my life, it was automatically enriched in so many ways
You are the reason I feel so proud to say the word 'my daughter'
I love you so much my little princess, and may Allah grant you only the best in life.
