Month 7 : I like to move it move it

Bouncing up and down
Your baby can now support some of his weight on his legs, and he loves to bounce. What's more, he's probably able to sit unsupported (which will free his hands for exploring), and he'll turn when sitting to reach a desired object. He may even be able to get into a sitting position from lying on his stomach by pushing up on his arms.
Oh yes, that’s the theme for this month. He’s very mobile now, and would not take sitting still for a long time. This means a lot of work for me during playtime.
I can no longer leave him under the pooh baby gym, coz he'd get bored instantly and roll over, try to get up by pulling on the arches and then yell and scream when he can't quite make it.
He wont roll around quitely on the floor because he's attracted to tables and chairs and would want to pull himself up. The thing is, he is still unable to balance himself well on his feet, so more often than not, he'd end up falling on his bum again, or worse falling back and banging his head. This means that I can't really leave him alone .. I have to monitor him constantly.

Learning to grab
Your baby's fine motor skills are coming along, too. By now he can probably scoop things up with just one little hand and transfer them from one hand to the other fairly easily. He may also be able to clasp his hands together and sip from a two-handled cup (with your assistance). Before long you'll probably notice the noise level increasing, not only because of your baby's babble, but also because he'll find out how much fun it is to bang objects together.
Izani can’t transfer things from one hand to the other yet, but he can sure grab things. Combine this with his crawling, and you can just imagine the things that he wants and is able to grab..

Teething
See for yourself:


Testing your authority
At this age your baby may begin testing your authority by refusing to follow your directions or entreaties. When he puhes back, he's not being disobedient or wilful - he's just curious and simply can't remember things for more than a couple of seconds at a time. The best tactic is to use a simple no, then distract him.
AHH! *rolleyes* You don't need to tell me this. After four kids, I had figured out how to handle tests on my authority. I think I've watched enough SuperNanny and Little Angels to have an idea of what to do.. :)
Thank God there are no BIG tests yet.

The beginnings of separation anxiety
Your baby's reluctance to be separated from you may delight you but may also frustrate you at times. In either case, it might help to load a laundry basket with his toys and move it - and him - from room to room so you can get the jobs that need doing around the house done while enjoying each other's company.
Izani is feeling this with both Taufik and me. Sometimes even when I'm in the room with him, he'd cry when he sees his dad get out of bed and leaving him, and it's vice versa. Again, we'd use the distraction method, coz really, babies have such short memory spans.
When it's just him and me in the house, I carry him around everywhere. If we're downstairs, then he'd be in his walker and can follow me around as I move from kitchen to living room to laundry to storeroom etc. For short amounts of time, I could keep him occupied with the knobs on the drawers of the cabinets in the living room, but usually he would push himself about the house to look for me.



Recognition skills
Your baby now actively engages in hiding games and can remember that the jack-in-the-box pops up at the end of the song. He's also able to recognise different tones and inflections and may burst into tears if you speak harshly.
'Ci-ku-cak' (also known as peek-a-boo) is his favourite game. His elder siblings could previously suprise him by popping up at different spots behind the sofa, but now that he is able to prop himself up against the back of the sofa, he is quite adept at listening for rustling noises and figuring out where his brother/sister is going to pop up next. It still delights him endlessly though.
I can't even scold his brothers now, without him feeling hurt by the tone of my voice.

Figuring out how objects relate
Your baby's beginning to understand how objects relate to one another in three-dimensional space. He may be able to sort toys, grouping items such as blocks by size. And if he admires his reflection in a window, and you suddenly appear behind his image, he's likely to turn and look for you instead of believing that you're in the mirror itself.
Ooohh i don't know about the sorting out toys part, but I do know that Izani just loves the mirror. Previously, he would look at his reflection curiously, thinking if it was a nother baby. But I think my constant kissing him in front of the mirror taught him that that baby is actually him. He would usually turn to look at me , and then turn to look at me in the mirror to check.

Stimulating toys and games
Your baby enjoys playing the same game over and over because he likes predictability. In addition to peekaboo (see above), try adding classics such as round and round the garden and patta-cake patta-cake to your repertoire.
I've modified "The Wheel on the bus" to play with him while he's sitting up instead of him lying down now. He seems to love it. He doesnt have that many toys at the moment and doesnt seem to mind it a bit. Even a tupperware filled with beans is a great joy to him. tee hee!

Is my baby developing normally?
I think he's doing splendidly!

Here's a treat for Izani's loyal readers:





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Month 6: Reach, Grab, Chew

Exploring with his hands
By the time he's about six months old (though sometimes it takes a little longer), your baby's hand control is developed enough that he can pull an object towards him.
Which seems to be the theme for the past month. He's done nothing but reach, grab and chew on stuff. You can't put him in your lap while you drink a glass of water, coz he will reach out and grab the glass from you (with his tongue sticking out in anticipation).
He has been chewing on my watch, my fingers, my new bracelet.. when I'm carrying him over my shoulder, he'd chew on my necklace, or my shoulder. I can't put anything within his reach, coz he'd grab it and would try to chew on it, even if it can't fit into his mouth (like the big talcum powder container). His gums are starting to be really hard and thick now, I have a suspicion that he might be teething.
He eats three spoons of baby cereal mixed with milk, 2 times a day now.


Left or right handed?
It's still too early to tell whether your baby is left- or right-handed.
But I think Izani is right handed. He seems to favor that side when grabbing. Furthermore, there are no lefties in my family nor Taufik’s

Learning to roll over
By this age, most babies have learned to roll over in each direction.
I can’t change him on his table anymore. I have to put him on the bed instead. I have started putting pillows around him when he sleeps, even when he’s on my King-sized bed, coz this boy can not only roll-over, he can move! He has started lifting his bottom when he is lying on his tummy. He cant pull himself forward yet but he could push himself backwards.
Oh, and he can also sit up on his own! yay!


Your little social animal
At this age babies not only tolerate attention from others, they often initiate it. Though you may soon notice the beginnings of stranger anxiety, six-month-olds are still fairly indiscriminate.
Ahh yess.. you should see him at fitar gatherings. He smiles at everyone who’s talking, even when they’re not really talking to him. Some makciks are luckier than others and might even illicit giggles from him.


Your baby the babbler
By six months your baby sees and hears the world almost as well as you do. Your baby can also recognise different tones and inflections and may cry now, if you speak to him harshly.
Yesterday I scolded him for scratching my face and tapped his hand in mock anger and he cried!! I laughed when he cried, coz I didnt expect him to feel hurt, and he laughed too.

Stimulating his senses
Your baby uses all of his senses to explore and learn about his world.
He really enjoys his pooh baby gym nowadays. He could stare at the patterns on the mat for minutes on end. I also try to make him smell things before I put it on him and tell him "mmmm... nice" or I pretend to smell his bum and say "eyeeewwwww!!!". He really gets a kick out of that.


Getting a kick out of story hour
Reading aloud to your child comes into its own now, as he will enjoy looking at bright pictures and having a quiet snuggle on your lap
Anis 'reads' to him whenever she has homework. (Anis brings home a picture book every few days, she looks at the pictures and makes up the stories). Izani would sit and look at the pictures, slapping the pages with his hands and occasionally trying to grab the edges and chew on them. That is usually my queue to exchange it to one of our own cardboard books.


Is my baby developing normally?
You know what, I'm not too stressed out about it. Last month I wrote that I was worried that he wasnt rolling over and the very afternoon he rolled over on his own. Now he's almost crawling. I actually have a video of him doing that but it took so long to upload to YouTube, i gave up.
I'm just gonna enjoy watching him grow up, coz it's seems like time is just zipping by..


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Month 5 : kicking and crying

Sitting up on his own
By now, your baby's physical developments are coming fast and furiously. If you place him on his stomach, he'll extend his arms and legs and arch his back.
We call this Izani’s “sky diving pose”, coz he looks like a sky diver during terminal velocity.
when on his back, he'll lift his head and shoulders.
Oh, he’ll do more than that.. he’d try to get out of his car seat and once when Ilham didn’t buckle him up, he actually got out ! on the carpet or any flat surface, he’d slowly edge himself upwards like a backward crawl. I don’t use his changing table aymore coz he almost wiggled himself off it too many times. I change him on the bed nowadays. Even then, I try not to take my eyes off him.
Ilham says sometimes Izani reminds him of a big fat maggot because he's always wriggling around.
He may even sit momentarily without assistance.
Yup, he can do that, but it wont be long before he’d slowly fall face down.
If you support him under the arms while letting him balance his feet on your thighs, he'll bounce up and down.
This is his favourte game!
He's capable of easily bringing an object to his mouth for oral exploration. And izani’s favourite object is his own hands.


Learning about cause and effect
Your baby's ability to interact with you, others, and his surroundings is growing daily. At this stage, he may start playing little games as he begins to understand that simple actions have results.
I notice that he has his favourite games, namely singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Pok Amai-Amai". He also can tell that a tickle is coming when I start singing "cup cup pin..."
He also enjoys playing with his siblings more and more. (Which is a blessing for me, coz that means I can let Ilham take care of him while I do other stuff *grin*)

Repeating his favourite sounds
Your baby is adding new sounds to his language repertoire, and his current favourite is probably blowing a raspberry or making bubbles.
When izani makes bubbles, his brothers would pop them! Izani’s favourite words now are “hmmmmmuh” and "aaaayyyyhhh".

Strong enough to feed himself
Though he may be able to hold his own bottle now, don't prop your baby up and let him feed himself just yet. Your baby's probably showing more signs that he's ready for solids -- from a lessened tongue-thrust reflex to a keener interest in the foods you and other people are eating.
Izani can hold his on bottle, but he can't hold it for long. He can hold his pacifier even though what he usually does is pull it out of his mouth. More often than not, he doesnt want the bottle, so i don't get the chance to see him demonstrate this that much.
I feed Izani organic fine rice cereal, mixed with milk, once a day. He seems to like it a lot. When he is sitting on my lap while I'm eating, I notice that his head would turn and follow my hand from the plate to my mouth, with his mouth gaping and drooling. Poor thing.. he so wants to eat!


Able to see small objects and subtle colours
Your baby's getting better at spotting very small objects and tracking moving things. Earlier your baby learned to distinguish between similar bold colours. Now he's beginning to sort out subtle differences in pastels.
I really don't know how to test this, but what I know is that he's getting to be really interested in his Pooh baby gym lately. I can put him in there and he can stay occupied looking at the objects for about 10 minutes. He'd swipe at them sometimes, I don't know on purpose or by accident.

Honing in on sounds
Your baby now realises where sounds come from, and he'll turn quickly toward a new one. Your baby may watch your mouth intently when you speak now, and try to imitate inflections and utter consonant sounds such as "m" and "b." Five-month-olds can recognise their own name now.
He would defintely turn his head when someone calls his name now.
I have tried to make Izani repeat "muh muh muh" or "buh buh buh" or "Puh puh puh" after me, but all he does now is watch my mouth and his would quiver abit, but he's not conciously attempting it yet. When I least expect it though, he'd accidently let out some audible m, b, p sounds.

Easily distractable now
Sometimes he is, sometimes he's not. I can't read a book while breastfeeding anymore, because he would stop and turn to look at my book. SOmetimes when he cries, I could cheer him up by playing a game, clapping my hands or jiggling the keys, but at other times, he'd just scream his head off more..

A growing range of emotions
By five months your baby shows a strong attachment to you by raising his arms when he wants to be picked up and crying when you leave the room. He'll laugh at funny expressions or positions and try to make you laugh, too.
Ah yes... at one minute Izani would be okay sitting on his dad's lap quietly, but the moment I walk into the room or he hears my voice, he'd call out for me. He wont raise his arms, but he would be jerking about excitedly.
His favourite joke now is sneezing. After he sneezes I would say "Alhamdulillah!" and give him a huge grin, and he thinks it's so funny. If I sneeze, I'd do the same and he'd give me a shocked expression at first, then he'd grin.
He also likes playing peek-a-boo, especially when I'm trying to slip a shirt over his head. He used to get really scared of the momentary loss of vision as the shirt goes over his face, but a "peek-a-boo!" would usually cheer him up.
And as his 5-month birthday present, I am presenting you with a video of him throwing a tantrum:



Is my baby developing normally?
I'm kinda dissapointed that he has not repeated flipping over his back/tummy. I am afraid if this is the side effect of my always picking him up and carying him around. But Taufik is not worried, because from Izani's active movements it's pretty obvious that his muscles are developing normally.
We're considering getting him a walker, because he seems to hate to be strapped into his carseat or stroller while I'm cooking.

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Till next month, see ya!
*waves*
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Month 4 : I am growing!

Izani is now 4 months !
A lot have been happening in the few weeks that I did not post anything here (for whatever reason), but here’s an update on his progress, based on the growth guidelines given by www.babycenter.com:

Feeding less frequently - Coz his stomach is bigger, and he is now easily distracted.
Hm.. I’m not sure about the feeding less frequently bit.. but he is drinking more at a time. But it’s true that he gets very easily distracted nowadays. His eyes would dart here and there and sometimes he’d turn his head while I’m still in his mouth to look at things or someone. *ouch*

A new talent for rolling over
Oh yes yes!! He has managed to roll over from his back to his tummy! But he can’t roll back yet, though. The kids and I have been cheering him on for weeks now, but he always had assistance before. This time he did it on his own. I had put him on the bed, turned my back to make milk, and the next thing I knew, he was on his tummy!


look at him trying to sit up

Time for solid foods? - They advise to not rush into solids to cut down on allergic reactions.
Actually, I have been putting half a scoop of baby cereal into 120mls (roughly 4 ounces) of his milk.. tee hee. I found that he got irritable though (maybe his tummy doesn’t feel right) so these past few days I stopped doing that. I’m gonna try to introduce cereal into his milk again in a few weeks, then maybe when he’s 5 months I’ll try and feed him.

Reaching out and mouthing objects - Your baby is now able to reach out and grab an object. He’ll study it for a moment and then try to put it in his mouth. You may also notice a lot more dribbling now.
There is A LOT of dribbling!! I use to carry a small towel or his flannel blankie around to wipe up his vomit, nowadays it’s more to wipe up his drool. He likes to make bubbles with them as well (his drool, not the blankie). I think he’s starting to be teething coz he bites his knuckles a lot and thrusts his fingers into his mouth, dribbling all over. We bought him a teether and he’s been chomping on that, even though he really prefers his fingers (or mine).
When I’m feeding him the bottle, he is now able to grip the bottle and either pull or push it as he pleases. I can’t wait till he could hold the bottle on his own! Heh heh.


chomp chomp chomp

Able to play alone now - Your baby can play with his hands and feet for a few minutes at a time.
I have caught him awake and sitting alone quietly just twiddling his thumbs and playing with his blankie. But most of the time he’d let out a “heyyyy” that is a cross between a sigh and a whine. He’d continue doing this till someone comes and plays with him , or if no one does, it will escalate to an angry cry. He can now stay longer in the carseat without crying, too. But ‘longer’ is not too long, because up to a certain point, he will scream to be let out and held in someone’s arms.


He’s starting to outgrow the carseat!

Beginning to understand the role of language -your baby understands all the basic sounds that make up his native language, he develops the ability to make some vocal sounds, he's also able to participate in back-and-forth imitation games . Because you react when he makes noises and tries to say something, your baby learns the importance of language and starts to understand cause and effect. He'll begin to realize that what he says makes a difference.
As I mentioned before, he knows that the different sounds that he makes will get different reactions from people around him. He really knows how to show his anger now. He will scream as loud as he can, and he’d continue till he thinks he’s had enough.
I tried playing imitation games with him, making “ba ba ba ba” (for “Bonda”) sounds to him, but he hasn’t imitated me yet, all he does is laugh, coz he thinks it’s funny.


excuse the hanging strap


Appreciation for a full range of colours - between your baby's second and fourth months, colour differences become clearer, and your baby starts to distinguish similar shades.
Really? I do not know how I could test this skill..


this is not his bed, by the way..

Getting more selective about people - By four months, your baby may respond to your presence, your voice, and even your facial expressions by kicking and waving his arms.
I notice that he would follow me around with his eyes and head when he is with his ayah, but he is still pretty okay with other people holding and carrying him. We had a gathering last weekend, and he was being passed around the room like a hot potato, except he wasn’t treated like a hot potato coz everyone wanted to kiss him and pinch his cheeks. I thought maybe that he would cry, but he didn’t. Until we put him in his car seat to go home…

I really can't wait to see what new things he'll learn next!

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Today is a double celebration, coz it’s also my 14th Wedding Anivessary :)


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Day 100 : No longer a 'newborn'

Today, Izani has passed his 100th day mark. He is officially 100 days old as of 10:36AM (GMT +3).

I am not really sure about the significance of the hundred days.
I think in traditional malay culture, a baby is no longer considered a 'newborn' once it has passed its 100 days mark. Therefore the baby is not susceptible to dangers that a newborn is thought to face.
It can now jijak tanah, which literally means 'step on dirt', basically the baby is allowed to go out of the house. I guess by 100 days, the old folks think that the baby's spirit is strong enough to withstand the disturbances caused by devils and spirits and such. *shrug*. Izani, of course, has gone out of the house months ago.. we've been dragging him along on shopping trips and such. Because we are not traditional malay parents.. heh heh.
The baby is also considered to be free from the threat of colic. It can now be free of it's barut, which is like a tiny soft cotton girdle that is said to keep the gasses out of the baby's tummy. Izani has been free of his barut for a few weeks now, because he had outgrown them! His tummy is so big, I can't even tie them up properly and his tummy would still be exposed. The bit about the baby being free from colic is not true either. I think all my other babies had colic till they were about 4 months, when they start eating solids.
I don't know what else is the significance of the 100 days, perhaps some of the other Malaysian mommies (who are more atuned to the malay culture, unlike me *shame*) can help elaborate.

Whatever it is, I'm just glad that Izani is now 100 days old!



Happy Hundred Baby Izani!!!

Month 3 : stay at home baby

Izani is three months old today!!

So here's a special treat for you guys, especially for his Ki and his cousins:


His progress so far:
. He can lift his head while he's lying on his back, and he'd push his elbows against the pillow or bed, as if he's trying to get up.
. If you hold his hands and help him get up, his legs are strong enough to push up and stand up! We always play "sit up, sit down" till he complains (of getting tired).
. If you lie him on his tummy, he can not only lift and hold his head up, he can also hold the upper half of his chest up off the ground with his elbows.
. We have started 'training' him for crawling. I would hold my palms against his feet to create resistance and he'd push against it and move forward, amidst the cheers of his elder siblings. "Go Izani, Go!"
. He has been coo-ing for a while now, but these days we can hold slightly longer 'conversations' with him before he gets tired or distracted by something else.
. He gave his first laugh the other day. It was a "gurh-arrrkh", but it was unmistakeably a laugh.
. He is grabbing at everything!! my shirt, my scarf.. I'm starting to look like a skewed slob thanx to him.
. He has his own mind, he knows when he wants the bottle, and when he wants it the natural way, and he'll accept no substitutes.
. His sleeping pattern has pretty much stabilized. He gets sleepy by 9, and he sleeps through the night. I'll hear a little bit of a whiny complain around 3 am, which means I need to feed him, but after that he'll fall asleep on me till 8am.
. He has learnt to watch TV, thanx to his siblings.
. We have also caught him watching his elder brothers and sister intently.. studying their every move.. committing them to memory so that he can repeat them later, I suppose.
. He now knows how to play with his siblings, grinning at their funny faces and laughing at their peek-a-boo games.

Comparing it with the guidelines on babycentre, he's pretty much on track! :)

Week 12: bath time

When Izani wakes up in the morning, he looks all crummy like you would expect any person would look first thing in the morning.
His jammies would have splashes of yellowed milk (coz sometimes he'd puke bits of milk and I'm too lazy to change his jammies in the middle of the night). His eyes would have bits of crud at the edges. His complexion would be blotchy coz he rubs his face during his sleep. His hair would be sticking out all over.
But that doesn't stop his siblings from cuddling him and think he's a cute little baby.


bathe me!!

He gets pretty uncomfortable if I leave him un-bathed for too long (*cough*unlike some people i know*cough*), so usually by 10am the latest, he would be all bathed and dressed.

He doesn't cry anymore when I undress him for his bath, maybe because I made sure the a/c is switched off and it's not too cold. He usually grins when I take off his clothes, as if he knows what is coming.
As I have mentioned before, I bathe him in the sink because standing by the sink is easier than squatting by the bath tub. I usually start by turning on the tap with the sink plug open till I get the right temperature. Then I put Izani's feet under the tap and splash water on his body and neck. Supporting his back with one hand, I use my other hand to use a cup to catch some water and wet his hair. I need to make sure that water doesnt run down his face coz he doesnt like that. I think he feels like he can't breathe when there's water on his face. So usually I just use a wet soapy hand to clean his face.
I don't usually catch water in the sink and let him soak in it because I'm afraid if he pee-ed in it, then he'd be bathing in his own pee. Furthermore, I think I read somewhere that soaking too long in shampoo filled water could cause urinary tract infection, so I try to avoid it as much as I can.
Once I've soaped and rinsed his front, I'd turn him over and do the same for his back. Then I turn the tap off and wrap him in a towel to dry him off.
This all takes only about 5 to 7 minutes. I talk to him while I bathe him, but we seldom play and splash around. There's not much space for toys in the sink anyways.. perhaps when he is older and can sit up on his own I'll let him play about in the bath for a bit.
The moment he gets out of the sink and goes on the changing table, the diaper is put on as quickly as possible. This is to avoid any "unfortunate incidents". So far it has happened only twice. Once he pee-ed in such an angle that he ended up pee-ing on his face! Suffice to say I had to wash him, and all the stuff on the changing table. The second time I was watching for 'signs' ( his little dicky would be stiff) and managed to cover him with his diaper in time.
After he's got he's diaper on though, I take my time to dress him up.

Week 11 : Who's The Boss?

Izani has come to the stage in his baby life which my in-laws would call "banyak akai", which literally means "alot of ideas".
Basically, at this stage, he is starting to be aware of different situations, and that he has choices, and that he has likes and dislikes. He knows what he wants and exactly how he wants it, but doesnt have the ability to tell you what it is, and he'll be damned if he doesnt get his way, so you have to constantly guess what his preferences are. Make the wrong guess and all hell breaks loose. Be prepared to lose an eardrum or two.

Take going to sleep, for instance. He used to be able to fall asleep just lying there on the bed, while I give him a few gentle pats.
Now?
No... he has to be carried over the shoulder, just so. I have to be standing up, not sitting down. I have to move around the room or create some sort of swaying motion. I have to stroke the back of his head, down to his back and end by patting his bottom (and lather, rinse, repeat). I have to hum this old classic malay lullaby that has been passed down so many generations to my mom (and now to me) that all the words are lost and all that's left for me is to hum the tune.
Only then would he fall asleep.

Izani has also gotten the idea that he has the ability, and the right, to sulk.
If we're slow in providing the milk, he'd wail even when the teat is in his mouth, and he'd push it away and purse his lips. He'd wail again and we'll try to put the teat back in and all we would get is a muffled wail.
We would have to calm him down first, (employing the same method to make him go to sleep) before we could even try to offer him his milk again.

(But when he finally accepts the milk, he'd look at you with these huge round doe eyes, as if saying I'm sorry and you can see that his vision is fleeting between looking you in the eye and watching the reaction on your mouth, you just can't help but smile, which he would translate as an acception of his apology and he would reward you with a dribbly grin.. *sigh*)

Oh he thinks he's got the upperhand, alright.

But i've done this three other times before, okay? I am no amateur.
Now that I know what calms him down and puts him to sleep, I can actually make him go to sleep faster and whenever I want.
Just put him over my shoulder, walk around the room a bit, hum that little lullaby..
and he'll be lulled and it's bye-bye Izani ... , sleep tight!
Bonda will go blog about you now..
*muahahahaha*

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Now let's see what the experts in Babycentre say about calming a crying baby.
Is it good for the baby?

"The brainstem (located at the top of the spinal cord near the neck) is the most highly developed area of the brain at birth. It controls all inborn reflexes such as crying, startling and suckling, and it regulates basic life functions such as breathing, blood pressure, heart rate and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

The brainstem also handles some components of your baby's emotions, especially anxiety or, on the flip side, calming down. The areas of the brain that control emotions mature early in life and are very sensitive to a parent's feedback. Your patience, attention and understanding are key to helping your baby develop a healthy way to handle emotions. Holding and comforting your child when he cries, especially in the first year of life, go a long way toward helping him develop the ability to calm himself later on. "

Yay!

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and this was all within 5 minutes ... !

Week 10 : Pooping and Drinking Patterns

Izani only poops once a day now.
He used to poop 2 or 3 times a day during the first few weeks, but lately it has been only once a day.
Last week I have been trying to fully breastfeed him (which I will write about later), so for a few days he didnt even poop at all. I didnt panic, coz I knew that was quite normal for breastfed babies, since the mommy's milk gets absorbed quite completely by the body.
He usually poops towards the evening, and most usually while we're having dinner. He'd be sitting there almost quietly, in his carseat by the dinner table while we eat, and we'd hear him grunt a few times, which is an indication that he had pooped.
It'll be just nice, coz right after dinner, I would pick him up and give him is evening bath.
I think because he poops only once a day, he poops quite a pile.
There are no tiny packages from this boy. His diapers would be so full, sometimes if you're not careful, it'd be overflowing! *eyewwwww*. I'd be carrying him around at an arm's length when I see that this is the case.
Anis would be the one who is most curious when I'm cleaning up Izani after he has done his business. She'd be hovering around the changing table, confirming for several times whether he had really pooped. She'd insist at looking at the poop, but when she does, she would go "eeeyyeeeewwww!!!! He berak!!" (berak=pooped) and then would go around the house announcing loudly to everybody that her baby brother had pooped.


"eeeyeeewwww" pun, cium jugakkk....

I have been trying to fully breastfeed Izani for the past week (because I was kinda challenged by the paeditrician's comment), but it's so tiring...
He seems to want it every hour.
He'd breastfeed on one side, then fall asleep. No amount of massaging his feet or his ears or taking off his clothes would wake him up to make him take the other side. So i would put him down on the bed and go do something else, but less than half an hour later, he'd wake up for more. I'd give him the other side, and the same thing would happen again..
In the afternoon when I have to prepare dinner, I had to resort to breastfeeding him in the kitchen.
By the end of the day, Izani would get so cranky and seems so hungry that Taufik would give him the bottle.
It would get better, right?
I am really trying my best...



awake, asleep, awake, asleep ... all in a day's work

Day 65 : doctor's visit

We went to see the paediatrician yesterday evening.
Izani got weighed and measured.
Then he got 2 vaccination injections: one on each thigh.
He was quiet throughout the check-up except for when he was injected. He screamed and cried and his face instantly grew red and the creases in between his eyebrows were almost green (like as if he was going to turn into incredible hulk), but as soon as the nurse and doctor rubbed alcohol on the sore spots, he calmed down completely. Alhamdulillah. He got rewarded with a kiss and a "good boy!" from me :), and he returned it with a coo and a happy shriek that made even the doctor laugh.

The doctor asked me why I needed to give Izani formula milk and why I couldnt fully breastfeed. I was flustered to give an answer. But she was nice actually.. she said don't feel bad about what I'm doing, she just believes in me that I can fully breastfeed my baby. Such a tactful and nice doctor.


Izani Mohamed Taufik, 18 June 2006
weight: 6.37kg, length: 57.5cm

Week 9 : panic and playful

For the past few days Izani has been acting really weird during bath-time, especially in the evenings.
He'd usually be okay when I put him on the changing mat, but as soon as I take his socks, mittens and clothes off, his hands would suddenly jerk upwards and he'd get all panicky. He'd clenched his fist so tight, wave his arms about and he'd scream his lungs out.
I would try to calm him down by calling his name and patting his chest to comfort him, but it doesnt work all the time. Sometimes his screams would continue till I finish bathing him, sometimes it would end as soon as he touches water.
Sometimes he'd continue screaming even after I've finished bathing him.
The first 2 times this happened, I had to breastfeed him in his diapers for a while, to calm him down enough to dress him.
I'm not sure what's wrong.. is he cold? (I'll switch off the AC next time), or did I undress him too quickly ? (I try to shorten his naked time as much as possible to avoid any 'accidents', so maybe he's shocked by the sudden nakedness?)
I don't remember if this has happened to my other kids .. but then again, my other kids were cranky at other times.
I talk to him while I bathe him, tell him how nice the water is, how sweet the soap smells, how nice and clean his skin would be, how fresh he feels afterwards.. he seemed to enjoy it before, but these past few days I don't know what happened.

At other times though, he's quite a happy, playful kid.


sharing a joke with his Ayah and Ihsan

Even a man can't resist those chubby cheeks!

the two month chunky hunky dory

So I guess I shouldnt be complaining about 5 minutes of crankiness...

Month 2 : Awake and Aware

Today Izani reached is 2-month mark.
Let's compare his progress with what Babycentre says:

This month all your efforts will be rewarded with beaming, toothless baby smiles
So true!! He smiles more nowadays and even gives a little happy shriek when i poke his tummy. Bath times are the best coz after putting on his diapers (which I always do first and very quickly to avoid 'accidents'), I'd blow raspberries on his tummy, gum his chin and shoulders and lookup to see whether he's smiling or not. I am seldom dissapointed. His mouth would usually be gaping wide in a soundless laugh. But sometimes he would also regurgitate his milk coz I had pressed his full tummy..

By two months of age, a baby begins to move beyond his early preferences for two-colour objects toward more detailed and complicated designs, colours, and shapes
Urm.. I wouldnt know.. I havent been dangling objects in front of him yet. But I see that he is looking at his siblings and surroundings more. And he also looks at them longer than he did before. Before he would just give things a passing glance, nowadays he would stare a bit longer.

He should be sleeping for longer stretches and staying awake for longer periods of time.
Oh yes. It's sorta like a nuisance (coz when he's awake, he demands attention, and it means I can't do anything else) but also a blessing (coz once he sleeps, he sleeps.. and I can go do other stuff for a longer period of time). His older siblings loves it when he's awake, coz they'd be playing with him, singing songs, poking him here and there to illicit a smile, showing him their toys or something they made at school. Sometimes when you leave him alone, he would let out a shriek , which is not quite a cry, not quite a laugh either.. sorta like calling you to pay some attention to him. He'd quiet down when I pick him up.
At night he would usually sleep from 9pm to around 3 or 4am, which is when he'd wake up for milk and I'd breastfeed him while I'm sleeping.
He's drinking more nowadays, so even though he's down to only 2 formula feeds a day, it's a 120mls of formula ... it's a lot.

You'll notice that the jerky arm and leg movements of his newborn days have given way to smoother, more circular motions.
No, I don't notice..! :P
He's less jerky, yes. He doesnt jerk himself to sudden wakefulness while he sleeps anymore, that I know.

They also say that this is when babies usually get colic.
We've gotten ready with a bottle of gripe water, and Izani is never without his minyak telon (baby ointment for the tummy) and barut (sorta like baby corset, except it's not so constraining). You'd think we'd get used to it after having 3 babies with colic, but it still scares the hell outta us.
So far so good, except that sometimes towards late evening, hed get very uncomfortable and cranky but will be better if we pick him up and hold him over the shoulder. He will definitely feel better after he poos (he poos only once a day nowadays), after which I would bathe him and feed him and he'd go to sleep.
Taufik would usually panic and go "kenapa ni? kenapa ni?" (what is this? what is this?) when the baby gets cranky and uncomfortable and I would be the one who would have to go and comfort the babies. *rolleyes*

I can also now tell difference between Izani's cries for milk, for relief (he wants to burp) and for some sleep.



oh, macamana nak selesaikan masalah dunia ni, ya?

Week 8 : Sibling Smooches

Since Izani can see now, he is interacting more with his siblings.
It's not unusual for me to hear squeals of "He's looking at me!" and "No, he's looking at me!" whenever the other kids are around Izani and he is awake.
They dote over Izani of course. When he's awake, they'd crowd around him, jostling each other to get the 'prime spot', which is right in front of the baby's face.
The first thing the boys do when they come home is ask "Where's the baby?" and they'd go and peer at the baby and kiss him until I shoo them away and ask them to change out of their school uniform.
Anis, of course, is the one who spends the most time with baby Izani. Sometimes when I come back from leaving them sleeping on the bed together, I'd find Anis had moved and was now sleeping while hugging the baby.
Izani don't always like it though. Sometimes he'd wiggle about and make complaining noises. I guess he feels stuffy with so many people hugging and kissing and crowding around him. But sometimes I find him making cooing noises as if he's trying to say something, and this would delight his siblings so much, they'd be giggling giggling giggling all around him.



Ilham has learnt how to carry him and I let him do it over short distances, but not on the stairs. He also agrees that the baby has become heavier.
Everyone wants to take turns feeding him the bottle. I usually make them sit up in bed or at the sofa, then prop Izani on their laps. After the feed, they'd ask me to put Izani over their shoulders so that they can pat the baby's back and burp him, just like they see me doing. Sometimes they'll get rewarded with a huge burp from the baby, but sometimes it's some puke over their shoulders. They would then usually scream for me, but they will laugh it off and go change their clothes.
The other day Ilham was kissing Izani on the lips when Izani decided to puke out some of his milk... heh heh . Ilham had to go wash his face and gargle after that.

I am enjoying the sibling smooches while it lasts. Coz once Izani is big enough, I'm sure they'll be squabbling over toys instead.

Day 53 : "grandad loves me"

well, I thought it'd take a few weeks, but I was wrong.. it took only a few days.



Oh my, he's gonna grow out of this one pretty soon, too.

Day 50 : A Captured Smile

At last!!



I managed to capture a smile.
:)

I had a picture of Ilham with the same exact expression when he was a baby too.

Week 7: Growth

I wrote about Izani being able to see here.



Last Thursday I went to visit a friend who just gave birth to a baby girl earlier this week. The baby was born 2.85kg. She was sooooo tiny!!! Izani was like a huge giant beside her. The baby couldnt even fill out newborn clothes.
Izani on the otherhand, could not fit into his newborn clothes anymore. The onesies that he got from his Che'Su make him look really fat, like a wrapped up jackfruit (sarung nangka), and one of his closed toed jammies keep popping its buttons when I put them on.
So I've started putting him into the bigger outfits.. I think we'll see him in his "i love grandad' jammies in a few more weeks.
He is almost as big as Ihsan:



He is breastfeeding more and more nowadays. He doesnt take the bottle at all at night. He only takes it in the morning, and in the evening before our daily walk.
*yay for me*
His feet and arms are getting much stronger too. Last night he was sleeping on his tummy about a feet away from me (on the bed), the next thing I knew, his fluffy hair was tickling my arms! He had managed to push himself forward. I have to make sure there is enough room between him and the edge of the bed now..

I have to breastfeed him with a mask for the next few days, coz I have a nasty throat infection. Which is why this post will end here.
tak larat.. nak tidor..

Week 6 : Out and about

Izani has been out and about more nowadays.
So I have utilized all sorts of 'modes of transportation' for him.



There's the natural 'hand-carry', which I prefer to use around the house. When he was a few weeks old, I could carry him around with one hand, but now that he's 5kgs+, I have to use both hands.
Sometimes I put him over my shoulder when he's a little bit cranky due to gas. It's not unusual to hear him belch out a big one while I'm doing this. More often than not, he would also suprise me with something warm and runny sliding down my back.. *eyewww*.



If we're travelling in the car to someone's house and especially if the travel is long-distance, of course the best method is to use the carseat.
The other day I was invited over to Sharlee's house. I put the car seat (with him in it, of course) on the bus on the way over, then also on the taxi on the way back. He stayed in the car seat for most parts of the visit coz he was sleeping sleeping sleeping. It wasn't as much of hassle to carry as I thought it would be.
Furthermore, it is SAFE! (make sure you've buckled the baby in properly though, coz or else, it'd be useless).



If we're going somewhere which requires a lot of walking, then we take the stroller along. When we went to the mall, we attach the carseat to the stroller and push him around like that. That way I don't have take him out of the carseat and risk waking him up. The stroller would also hold our shopping, of course.. tee hee!
When we're walking around our housing compound though, we just put him directly in the stroller. Usually he would doze off, but sometimes he would be awake and he'd look around. Anis likes to walk beside the stroller when I push him so that she can keep an eye on him.



Last but not least, we have the baby carrier.
This is very useful when I'm going somewhere where the 'terrain' is not stroller friendly and/or I'm going without Taufik, who usually carries and folds/unfolds the stroller for me.
The one that I have is suprisingly very comfortable. I wore it when we went to watch Ihsan's shadow puppet show in school the other day, and as usual, Izani slept through out the whole thing.
Walking about with him in the carrier was not a problem and I like not having to worry about wheels getting caught and whether I could fit through doorways. When we walked outside, I would put a thin blanket to protect Izani from the sun, and passers-by would often stop and ask "Is there a baby under there?".
I also like the extra bit of 'exercise' it gives me :)
Here's a link to what my baby-carrier looks like: Mothercare 3-way carrier

So there you go, the different methods of carrying your baby around when you're out and about.

---

Note:
I know it seems like we spent lots of money on these 'gadgets', but the car-seat and stroller was bought as one 'travel-system' second-hand from one of the other Melayus whose daughter has outgrown it, the baby carrier was a baby-gift from a friend, and my hands were gifts from God. :)

Week 5 : First Road Trip

Izani went on his first road trip on Friday. We went on a four-hour drive to Riyadh, so that we can register him with the embassy and apply for his passport.


Let's Go!

I made sure I breastfed him before we left our house at 2:30pm, so that i could feed him using the bottle in the car. He slept for most of the journey, waking up only once to feed. He was such a good boy.

We arrived at Sunflora's place at 6pm in the evening. O boy, her daughter has more toys than all my 4 kids combined! And you could tell that they are new parents because they have all the baby gadgets imaginable (I think the fact that both of them are tech-freaks also helped). They have them electric steam sterilizers, while I only used a tupperware *malu*... heh heh.
They even have a baby scale! So we weighed izani, and he was 5kgs, which means he had gained 1.5kgs within 1 month. Not bad, huh?


Are you ready for Five kilos of Fun?

My kids just lurrrrved staying at Sunflora's house, because the house is so cozy and warm (just like the hearts of the owners *grin*) and they go to eat lotsa stuff like buttered toast before dinner, munch on almonds, eat filipino nangka flavoured candy.. Ihsan even got to eat ice-cream for lunch! At bedtime they got to sleep in sleeping bags, which made them feel like they were on a camping adventure.
But back to Izani...
Izani slept in a moses' basket (which Sunflora's daughter has outgrown) for the earlier part of the night, but ended up sleeping in bed with me for most part of the night coz he was breastfeeding and I was too lazy to put him back into the basket.
The next morning I got him ready quite early (I was glad to find out that I wasnt the only one who bathe my baby in the sink) coz we had an appointment with the embassy at 10am. Izani fell asleep just in time for me to have my breakfast and get ready to leave. He slept the whole time we were in the Dipl0matic Qu@rters in Riy@dh, even when we thought we were lost* and spent almost an hour driving around and waiting for the officer from the embassy to come and show us the way.
He slept the whole time we were at the embassy and only woke up when the officer had to take his thumbprint. His thumprint looked like just a tiny blob coz his thumbs are so tiny!
Izani only woke up when we had finished having lunch back at Sunflora's house and I had to change his diaper before we left for home. Just in time too, coz this allowed us to take pictures of the two mommies with their respective babies, and also a few with my mom included. (Sorry.. can't display them here without Sunflora's permission!)
On the way back, Izani was quite alert and I had to take him out of the carseat a few times to feed and burp him.
All in all it was a fun journey!

A few days before, we also bought Izani his first pacifier.
I was reluctant to buy it at first, but Taufik kept on suggesting that the baby seems to need one because he kept wanting to suck on something (which I would interpret as wanting milk) even when his tummy is all full and he's been burping and puking out milk a few times.
So we bought a pacifier for Izani (the cheapest one). I found that there are times when Izani really do just want to suck on something, and when he's genuinely hungry and wants milk, he would actually reject the pacifier. In the case when he just wants to suck, I would rather that he suck on a pacifier than his thumb, because you can always throw away the pacifier, but you can't throw away his thumb..
I surely hope it doesn't become a habit though.. So far, with my 3 other kids, Ilham used the pacifier till he was about 1 year old. Ihsan didnt want it at all. Anis used it till she was about 6 months. My kids don't seem to miss it when we threw their pacifier away. I hope it'll be the same with Izani.
Insya-Allah..


Pacify me!!!

---

*We got directions on how to get to the embassy from the officer, but when we got to the last junction, there was a guard that didnt allow us to take that junction. We told them we were headed for the M@laysian Embassy, but he insisted that we drive on.
We thought we could drive around and go another way, so we drove around abit but couldnt find another way in. So we thought maybe we got the directions wrong or something and drove around some more to try to look for the embassy. (No, there were no signs!!!).
So we finally called the officer and told him our predicament and he said he'll come out and get us and he/we got confused between the 'Embassy of Nigeri@' and the 'Embassy of Nigeri@ Residence' (Yes, it's 2 different things, I don't know why they dont just call it the 'Residence for the Ambassador of Nigeri@' instead). We finally met him at one of the banks in there and we followed him back to the embassy, which was really in that junction that we weren't allowed to go in at first.
So we wasted about an hour just driving around thinking we were lost, or getting ourselves lost, whichever you wanna look at it, just because of one mangkuk pak guard.
And why weren't allowed to go into that junction in the first place? Because it leads to the Americ@n embassy...
mangkuk betul lah mat salleh ni.. tahu lah takut kena bom.. janganlah menyusahkan negara lain... !

Month 1: Full Moon Rising

I was on my computer at work, watching a japanese video clip. I said something like "These Japanese are really weird" or something. Then suddenly the audio of something that was between a moan, a whimper and a wheeze came on. Something that went like "hmpf hmpf hmpf ..." and my first thought was of course, that a sex scene was gonna come up or something. I got embarassed , coz the people around me was starting to snicker.
So I tried closing the window. The noise didnt stop. "hmpf hmpf hmpf" it kept going.
I fiddled with the audio controls, clicked on mute.
"hmpf hmpf hmpf"
I pressed the 'reduce volume' button on my monitor.
But the noise won't go away.. "hmpf hmpf hmpf"
And there's also an irritating tug at one of my nipples.
I woke up and remembered that I was breastfeeding Izani.

I started noticing these noises Izani makes while feeding, whether au naturel or via the bottle, when we brought him home for the first time. I didn't hear it when I fed him before, so I thought maybe it's something he developed when he was put under the light therapy to treat his jaundice. I figured it would go away sooner or later.
But it has not gone away. And since he doesnt make the wheezing sound at other times (which would have indicated phlegm in his lung or something), we arent too worried about it. Somehow we've accepted it as his trademark.
Sometimes he makes these tiny whimpering noises while he's sleeping as well.. and it's so cute!


cute little butter ball

His cradle cap are starting to come off. But it's not like crusty or anything.. it's sorta like flaky, almost like dandruff. That's good coz I can't stand seeing my babies get a crusty scalp.. i just wanna scratch it!! and we're not supposed to do that.. so it requires a lot of restraint on my part. So his coming off like dandruff is a huge relief for me.

We're not gonna see the paeditricion yet, afterall. Coz he actually does not have any vaccinations due in the first month. So I don't know how much weight he has gained, since I don't have a weighing scale. I'm trying to see if I can weigh him in other ways.. maybe bring him to the supermarket's fruit section.. heh heh. Just kidding.
But I think you can tell that he has gained quite a bit of weight.
I have decided to call him "My little sumo wrestler", as a tribute to AfdlinShauki and all the proud-to-be-boyot people I know.. tee hee.


My Little Sumo Wrestler

HAPPY ONE MONTH BIRTHDAY, IZANI!!