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 ... !