Girl.. a tall girl

Dear Amir,

A week ago, we found out that little adik is a girl. A tall girl according to the doc. Alhamdulillah the scan shows that all limbs and organs are normal... within the estimated age of 20 weeks old baby, except for her exceptionally long legs..

Leggy girl this one is..

We are ecstatic. Not that we mind if this little lady turn out to be a boy upon arrival. But it's definitely nice to relate to little adik as being a girl (or a boy), you know wat i mean? Apa2pun, she's healthy. That's all that counts.

This is the little buddy that you kissed (from the outside) everyday

A 20 wks old baby with a 21 wks+ long legs

An escapade and a growth spurt

Dear Amir,

Papa and I just got back from a short working weekend getaway in PD. We were helping a friend of me organising an event, for some extra bucks.. that i planned to spend on you, since we have to leave you behind with Tok Ma for the deal (can you sense the guilt already??) It was tiring. A lot of walking about, standing around. I'm still recovering and i guess this will take few more days. Even Papa kong-ed out. It's kinda weird cos I was eight mths preggy with you when I was organising a very much bigger international event, going through sleepless nights for at least 2 weeks, and yet i think i have more energy then! And i actually sat for an exam of 3 papers in the mid of the chaotic weeks (and, to my surprise, still, passed 2 of them!)

Well, i was telling Aunty Gja that i feel old simply due to this fact. But it's impossible la kan given that it was just slightly a year back.. hmm.. Anyway, it's also funny how history repeats itself, me, 5 mths with little adik now, going through another exam (yes, the paper that i failed and repeated again n again..this part not funny ek). Despite having to leave you behind and risking failing my paper again, i felt that it was a good trip. Managed to meet a lot of people (and business opportunities) and Papa and me got to spend some quality time alone chatting into late nights (just like masa bercinta gayut2 kat telefon dulu!).

As soon as we got back, i weighed myself and was shocked to see that I gained a full kilo just within a few days. I remember telling someone proudly just last week that I only gained 2 kg so far and since i've lost 5kg from the start, i still have lots of buffer kan? Well, sitting down to type this pun is getting very2 uncomfy for me now. Yes, little adik had a growth spurt over the weekend! How timely cos we're gonna see her/him soon, right after my exam tomorrow. Doc say we'll be able to know if it's gonna be blue or pink this time around. And unlike your case, I'm voting (or veto-ing) that we'll annouce the gender as soon as we know it. We've learned our lesson, and hopefully tokma/pa will be more generous with the prebaby gifts knowing wat colour to buy... wishful!

I think I havent been saying much about my pregnancy here, have i? Well, it's been good. No morning sickness. More or less like my first experience with you, which was all wonderful minus the millions toilet trips. With this one, everything is faster. My bumps started showing much faster. I can feel the kick much earlier. The toilet trips, it is already now at the rate of when i was carrying you in my 7th-8th mths. I havent experience the karpel tunnel thingy yet unlike when i was carrying you and i havent had that may leg cramps like before despite the fact that i now enjoy less frequent bedtime foot massage from Papa comparative to my first pregnancy. Hmm.. i guess that's oklah. Afterall i think i've learned to be less manja too. Afterall the pampering i get to de-stress now is in the form of a chuckling toddler, poking at my nostril and belly button, who by the way, have learned to give me a foot massage too, having watched Papa did it few times. But this champ has his own way of doign things, a much more professional way (sorry Pa!), almost spa like, complete with baby lotion smeared on my tired calves, in between my toes.. ohh.. how i love those tiny playful fingers. I wish i have a pic here to show how your face looks while doing it - in full concentration, pouty lips, tounge slightly sticking out, droopy cheeks n all.. ugly but adorable..haha

I really should be studying actually.

But thanks for the break!

p/s : Al Fatihah to arwah Mak Cik Som, my aunt who passed away last week. Hope she is in a better place now and semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya. It was my first time witnessing a jenazah, and the whole process of preparing for the funeral. It's a humbling experience, struck the very core of my being as a human, so I thought I just make a note of it here. Nothing in this world is permanent afterall.

15th months and counting

Dear Amir,

There's so much I want to update but the lack of photo collection these days kinda put it off a little. Aaanyway, I wont hold it any longer and here goes, you in your 15th month.

• Ever since Raya, you have started to gain weight abruptly, now standing at almost 12kg, a kg heavier than your weight during Raya. You normally take 7 bottles of 7oz milk per day now, and that means you're back to nite feeds which can be once or twice a nite. But that's Papa's job so i dont really mind.. heh! Foodwise, everything also can and everything also we give! Especially when you're with Tok Ma. spoilt spoilt spoilt.

• You like to immitate ppl these days. You will try to say selective words that we utter and you will try to immitate sounds of the weirdest thing. Your favourite now is to immitate papa snoring when you wake up next to him every morning. Tok Ma said, over at her house, when you're doing something wrong and were told off, you'll do a low humming sound complete with a frown, immitating how Tok Pa normally scare/scold you. But of course, you wont do it when Tok Pa is around..tau takut! The other day, while walking about in Subang Parade, an old chinese man walk pass and wave to you. He had his hands crossed behind him and was slightly slouching forward. You looked at him, smiled then walked away with your hands crossed at the back, body slouched forward, exactly like him. It was hilarious and made me blush. Haha

• Socially, I would expect you to become more apprehensive towards strangers now that you understand more. But noooo... you became more friendlylah these days, much to my worry, with all the horror happenings with little kids and strangers. Paranoid mom, i know. You get along well with kids at the playground. You dont mind sharing your toys. You like to smile and wave at strangers when we're out. You've also got along very well with 'kakak' and didnt fuss much when left alone to play with her while i do something else.

• But of course, you've got your days and on those days that you decide to wake up a fussy boy you will do your best to make our life difficult. Especially insisting us to carry you everywhere.. Tok Ma usually fall victim to this cos she just hate to run around after you so she will just obey. You've also learned to try to delay your bedtime. You will normally jump around on the bed, take out all your toys and mess the room, provoke us to play chase etc. But of course it backfired cos it made you extra tired and made putting you to bed, when you decide to, normally just a little later anyway, a much easier job. Hah!

• For some reason, we purposely started you off on Barney recently. But those blaring nursery rhymes and jovial kids dancing around is just not for youlah (yet.. i think). Instead you enjoy dancing to random music especially from tv commercials. And as narcisistic as it may sound, the only thing that you will sit still to watch is video clips of you on my handphone.. i bet my friends will tell me that you're trully a Mama's boy. Hey, wateva it is, there's no harm in loving yourself that much huh kid?

There's a whole lot of other development that i've noticed these days. One thing for sure, you're getting more active and noticeably smarter that it amazed me sometimes. I know it could be standard development milestone for toddlers your age but that doesnt stop me from feeling kembang and full of pride.

Anyway, a couple of nites ago, you were trying to climb on me as I was lying down. Something that is very normal (me - forever on my sedentary lazybum back, and you - forever trying to climb over stuff) So i thought i try to tell you about little adik. I rub my tummy and said "Baby sleeping, pity baby. Abang sayang baby". Then you start to gently stroke my tummy and plant a kiss there. I melt inside. You were such a darling and as i told you more about little adik, you listened attentively as if you understand. Then you lay your head on my tummy and nearly doze off there. Little adik also reacted by giving a little kick. Yes, I can feel little adik kick now, i think starting from last weekend. Quite fast this time around. Anyway, now, every nite, you will stroke my tummy and kiss it everytime i say "Sayang baby". One of my happiest moments these days..

Amir, you know it's getting harder for me to not think of what will be when adik arrives. But sometimes, all these development you showed gave me some confidence that things will just be alright and that you will be just a great brother as how you've been a great baby/toddler till now.

Wateva it is, we'll deal with it a day at a time huh? But for now, happy 15th months dear and mama loves you veryvery much!

My 15 mths old rockstar putting up a show for his obviously very amused mom!

(Guitar courtesy of Uncle Cho, thanks Cho!)