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..