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.

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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!!!

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*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!!

Week 4 : Chubby Cheeks

Wow, is it 4 weeks already?
Izani is growing fatter and heavier. His cheeks are now so puffy, he looks like a chipmunk sometimes. I can't carry him around with one hand like I used to in the first few weeks coz I find that my arms get tired easily.
We'll find out how much weight he has gained when we go to see the paed for his one month check-up and vaccination this Monday/Tuesday.



He's also getting abit wriggly nowadays. He is not all quiet and docile like he was a few weeks ago. When I put him over my shoulder, his head would be going this way and that (one time he almost smashed my nose!), and his legs would be kicking like he wants to go somewhere.
I don't swaddle him as much as I used to as well, so his arms are starting to flail here and there. When I'm breastfeeding him, he would be clutching at my bra. The other day I was giving him a bath and he was grabbing my t-shirt as if in panic, like I was going to drop him or something.
His neck is definitely stronger, so I have started putting him to sleep on his stomach. See, my babies tend to get colic, coz I tend to get a lot of gas as well (so even if I breastfeed, they still get colic), and from experience I found that sleeping them on their tummy helps. Somehow it makes it easier for them to fart... tee hee.



Before I get lectured about SIDS (go g00gle it), let me assure you that I make sure that the surface is firm, there are no pillows that could fall on him, there are no loose cloths lying around and I only do this when I am sure that the baby have sufficiently strong neck muscles and is smart enough to move his head when he can't get air. On top of that, I also go check on him often, or have him sleep nearby. Like, at the moment, Izani is sleeping on Ilham's bed which is right beside the computer.

All my previous 3 babies sleep this way, and I also find that this has resulted in perfectly round back-of-the-heads. (As opposed to a flat back-of-the-head).

I am also proud to annouce that Izani is breastfeeding 75% of the time now. He only takes the bottle about 3-4 times a day, and only during the day time. I am ashamed to report that I give him the bottle out of convenience, coz then I won't be occupied with him, someone else could feed him and I could go and take a shower or cook or eat or do laundry, etc. Oh, and I also bottle feed him when we're in the car or when we are out, coz I have not yet figured out how to breastfeed in my abaya. I think I need to buy new abaya, ones that are more baby-friendly (.. which means more shopping! yay! tee hee).

Yes, we have been out several times, despite the fact that I am supposed to be confined inside the house for at least 40 days..
Once for the doctors appointment. Last two weekends we went to the kids' favourite Mughal restaurant (where I tried Palak Paneer for the first time. Yummeh!). The next day we went for a drive coz my mom wanted to see what Al-Kh0bar is like (I didnt get out of the car). Last weekend we went to the fish market and the indian shop for grocery shopping (I went to choose fish and vegetables with my mom, baby stayed in the car with Taufik+kids).
Selagi mama tak marah, kira okay lah dak?
I think I'm going to shorten my confinement period to just 30 days.. heh heh. I need to go to R1yadh, I need to bring my mom shopping.. I need socializing!!
Anyways, I remember how one of my sisters went shopping at Jalan TAR during her confinement.. ans she seems to be okay.. nothing bad has befallen her so far.. ;) (insya-Allah.. kan?)

Well, come back to read more in 2 days time!

Day 23 : Last Chance

Taufik was sitting up in bed with baby Izani wriggling on his tummy yesterday. Izani couldn't decide whether he wanted to sleep or he wanted milk, so Taufik stroked the baby's head and back to calm him down.
Taufik commented on how soft Izani's hair is and how tiny and chubby his hands are.
Then he grew quiet for a while before I hear him say softly, almost to the baby or himself,
"Last Chance.
No more babies after this.
No more holding babies in my arms"
I tried to detect a note of relief or something.. as in "no more babies, therefore, no more problems".
But then I heard
"I will never get to experience this again after this, so this is my last chance."

It just brought tears to my eyes.
Sometimes he can be so sweet.

Week 3 : Izani and Ayah

Izani is starting to be more alert nowadays. He is awake more often than not (which explains why you don't see me blogging as much as I used to). When he's awake and not hungry (read: not crying), he will be looking around taking in the environment. I think he still can't focus his eyesight properly yet, but he'll follow your hand if you move it around in front of his face.
He is still alternating between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. When it's the bottle's turn, his Ayah ( "are-yah", father) would volunteer to feed and burp him. It's fun to watch them together.. somehow watching a grown man do baby talk turns me on.. ha ha.


Taufik has always been very hands-on with his kids. He has no qualms about taking care of our babies, except when it comes to bathing them when they're still new, and when it comes to changing diapers. If I'm not around, he'd change the diapers of course, but if I'm around, I'm on poop patrol.
But he would gladly bathe them and toilet train them when they're old enough and feed them. In fact, I can't remember with who, there was a period when I was so busy with work (like I would get calls in the middle of the night and had to log on to work), and he was the one who would wake up, make milk and feed the baby for me.
He is also very concerned about the baby's appearances as well. If he doesnt like an outfit, he'd be the one who'd ask it be changed. Izani had developed red splotches on his face this past week. I think it's probably due to the barrage of smooches and cheek pinching that he gets from his elder siblings (especially Anis), or maybe due to the detergent or softener on our clothes or something (His clothes are washed with special baby detergent). Taufik tried everything on Izani's face to make the splotches go away. He tried baby oil, then washing it with just water without soap, then just baby lotion, lastly we tried putting on drap0lene (lotion for diaper rash). It's been working so far, alhamdulillah, and Taufik makes sure that Izani's face gets its daily does of Drap0lene.

I think Izani has gained a bit of weight, but I wouldnt know how much till we bring him to see the paediatrician for his first month's visit. His newborn clothes are getting a bit tighter and he has now got a double chin. He still can't fit into most of the clothes that he currently has, though. So if you don't see him in the outfit you bought for him, rest assured that it's not that he doesnt like it, it's just that he can't fit into them yet. I am now making him wear all of the clothes that he can fit into first so that I dont feel so bad when he can't wear them coz he can't fit into them anymore.
Hm.. maybe I should take more pictures of him in all the different outfits so that those of you who gave him that outfit can see how he looks in them.
(as if I don't take enough pictures of the baby!).
Till next week.. !