6 Months Young!

Note: Blog entry saved in draft for almost a month, punyalah lama nak tunggu siapkan satu entry -.-

Darling Adeena,

I was browsing through my blog today when something caught my eyes.



Yes darling, you turned 6 months today! How time has passed! It feels like yesterday that I fought (with my life) to bring you to this world. You were so delicate and small when you first came out, but look at 'em drumsticks now! :)

Let's see how much you've progressed since the first day you were born. At 6 months,

1) You can now creep like a cute worm whenever you want to move from one place to another.
2) You already have 2 ADORABLE bottom teeth! :D

(Some say you cut your first teeth early. Yeah pretty early I'd say, but not quite as early as your brother! Your elder brother sprouted his first teeth at 3 months! I guess we family are loaded with good calcium in us eh! :P)

3) You can sit unsupported, but tumble over after a few seconds.
4) You babble so freaking much and keep repeating ba-ba-ba ma-ma-ma over and over. So cute!
5) You can lunge back and forth on all fours. Prepping yourself for crawling soon, eh sayang? ;)

6) You are stronger now too. If your head lagged behind your arms and shoulders when being pulled from a lying position a few months back, now, your head will follow right along with the rest of your body when being pulled!
7) You can recognize your name when being called now. You'd turn your head and try to look where the voice comes from. :) Clever girl!
8) You're starting to get stranger anxiety now too. You'd cry if I pass you to someone you don't know but get quite friendly after warming up to them.
9) You're such a BIG eater, you can finish 2 servings of purees sometimes!
10) You are still a very much booby baby, and a fully breastfed one at that, alhamdulillah.
11) You're a pretty clingy baby now too. I put you down for 3 secs, and you'll wailllll your heart out! -.-

Did you know?

1) Unlike your brother who only started flipping over at about 5 months, you mastered this skill rather early, when you were about 3+ months. Then, you started rolling at 4 months. You're so good at this, you almost fell off the bed! That almost got me a heart attack, that's why since then, we never sleep on the bed anymore.
2) You started giggling/laughing when you were 4 months.
3) You started to blow "raspberries" at about 5 months.
4) Before you started solids, you could take in 4oz of milk at each feeding, making it a total of 20oz daily. I was told it's a lot for a girl! Now that you've started solids, you don't take in as much milk anymore, and only take in 15oz daily. Still a lot for a girl considering you eat 3x a day!

5) You have big appetite for food, I even had to introduce solids to you slightly earlier; when you were 5 1/2 months. That makes you an exclusively breastfed baby for 5 1/2 months.
6) Despite having a big appetite for milk & food, you remain being a petite baby. Good thing you're a girl. This way you can chug down gas drinks, cakes and ice creams when you grow up without worrying about adding up that extra cm on your body! :P

Last but not least, happy 6 months birthday, Adeena darling. May you grow up to be the healthy, pretty and solehah girl that you are. Your little family loves you! :)




Love,

Mama.

30 Days Challenge

Eid Mubarak, everyone! While I'm sure all of you are happy celebrating the joys of Raya at this moment, I on the other hand, am still glowing with pride that I managed to fast for the whole 30 days last Ramadhan -- not a single day missed, alhamdulillah! :)

It was a challenging Ramadhan for me this year though. If previous years, not eating means weight loss. This year, not eating means milk loss -- something I cannot afford to let happen. But alhamdulillah, my milk supply sustained and I was able to bring back the same amount of milk (on average 15oz daily) just as how non-fasting month would. 

So.. how did I do it?

1. Read a lot.
Before Ramadhan starts, I already equipped myself with knowledge on breastfeeding during fasting month. I applied some of the tips and alhamdulillah it seems to work.

2. Drink a lot.
I keep myself hydrated as much as I could. During sahur, I would drink 2 glasses of plain water and 1 glass of Milo. Sometimes, I would add another glass of V-Soy Multigrain blended with dates. If time permits, I would drink yet another glass of plain water just before Subuh. During iftar, I would drink like there's no tomorrow and continuously take water whenever there's chance until right before I sleep.

3. Eat a lot.
Unlike previous years, this year I had to make sure I eat well during sahur & iftar. No skipping or skimping on meals. Rice and carbs are my new bestfriends. I didn't dare eating less because I didn't dare risking a drop in my milk. I take dates quite a bit too as sources said it is a natural milk booster + body energizer.

4. Pump a lot.
I would add extra sessions to my usual pumping time. If previously I don't get up in the wee hours in the morning to pump, during Ramadhan, I would get up to pump before/right after sahur. Then 2 to 3 more times at work, depending on my schedule.

5. Pray a lot.
Never have I missed asking from Allah since the first day I delivered Adeena to let me continue to breastfeed Adeena for at least 2 years, if not more. After all, this is all rizq from Him.

... And alhamdulillah, I did it. Was it all smooth and easy for me? No, not really. There were times especially at night when Adeena would fuss a bit during direct nursing, probably due to the slow milk flow. But I kept reminding myself, the milk is there, the milk is there. Worse come to worse, there's the EBM from work earlier on to supplement Adeena with. So I held on, and stayed strong. When Adeena fussed, I patted her gently, all the while convincing myself that the milk is there, and telling her to be patient. After a while, she would relax and go to sleep.

Oh, before I forget, I also applied this trick during this time -- As soon as I get home from work, I would pop Adeena on, making sure she's continuously getting milk from me. I won't wait till she gets hungry before feeding. I'll make sure she's latched on me as much as I can. After iftar, I would only direct feed on one side. That way, the other side would accumulate milk. By the time I get up for sahur, my other side would get engorged, and I would be able to yield 5oz pretty easily with just one side. I would pump and routine #4 as above continues.

So.. that's how I did it. I realize this entry came a bit too late, but I didn't want to blog this earlier on, afraid I couldn't achieve my aim. But alhamdulillah, with His grace, I did and was able to fully breastfeed while completing the 30 days of fasting, and I just knew I had to document this achievement for my (and other readers) reference in the future!

Raya Heat

I know all of you are (probably) still talking about the heat of the haze, but all I can think of (and feel) right now is the Raya heat! :D I mean, how can I not? All the newsletters I get reminds me of Raya shopping!

Usually, my little family would just buy ready made kurung & baju melayu for Raya (usually because all the tailors would not take any more orders lah haha). This time however, we wanted to look our best on our first Syawal morning, so we started scouting around for materials to send for tailoring as early as this month!

Adeena also gets to get her baju custom made this year! I can't wait to see how Adeena's little kurung would turn out to be like once it's ready. Misti. Cute. Gilaaaaa. :) :) :)

For those of you who have not sent your baju for tailoring yet, you'd better send them now, now, NOW! You'd be surprised to know that some tailors have even closed orders for Raya already! Crazy-mazy right?

If you're wondering where did we send our baju for tailoring, basically, Aien and Aydein get their baju tailored at Jakel, thinking that the tailoring would be cheaper since we got the material from there. It turns out that, Aien's baju melayu costs RM220 and Aydein's baju RM180 (tailoring ONLY!). Yes, tailoring ONLY; not inclusive of material charges! Super expensive for me ok; I definitely won't recommend this place for tailoring. *Tailoring are for men's attire only.

As for me and Adeena, we got our baju tailored at Sharifah Norizan Butik, at Medan Mara.

I have had one of my baju's tailored with Kak Sharifah, and I'm happy with her workmanship. Her price's a wee bit pricey though, but I find every dollar spent quite worth it. :)

So, what will our Raya theme be this year? You'll see! ;)

People Magnet

You know how magnet can pull metals to it, right? That's the same thing with Adeena, only she can pull people to her instead!

The first time it happened, we were at a kenduri at my husband's kampung when suddenly a lady came up to me and asked if she could carry Adeena.

I was in 2 minds; nak kasik ke tak? My first thought was NO, but then the other part of me felt like it would be a bit rude to do so, so cautiously, I handed Adeena to her, my eyes watching her like a hawk. And then, more and more people started to crowd her. She was handed from one person to another. They were even taking pictures with her! Mmmkay.

The second time it happened, I went to a clinic and carried her with me. Again, one of the nurses there suddenly asked to carry her and told me she would return Adeena to me when I wanted to make payment later. The moment I handed Adeena to the nurse (eyes watching the nurse like a hawk again), a couple more nurses came to crowd and hold her. Hmm, I thought. This girl is something.

And then one day, I went to a foodcourt in Giant. I was going to have my meal, so I put Adeena in her stroller, facing me. Then a Chinese uncle said to me from across the table, "Pusing sama dia, I mau tengok dia," I was like, errr ok bro. So I turned her stroller around to face the uncle. He said "Haa like that! Ok!" and continued to eat. Oooookay.

 

See that little legs that's facing the uncle now? :P Then suddenly, as soon as he finished eating, he came towards us and pat Adeena on the head. Then, after chit chatting with me a bit more, he bent down to even give Adeena...

an ang-pow! Goodness, I'm telling ya, this girl's got superpowers! O.O

After that episode, smiles, pats and pinches thrown at Adeena at random places have become a norm.

I still get paranoid about people touching her though. I'll tell you why in a different entry.

But.. sigh, Adeena. You're barely 5 months and already getting treatment like a superstar! I don't blame them for getting pulled to you, though. Somehow, I keep finding myself getting pulled to you and staring into those beautiful eyes of yours too. :)

Ok that's it. Definitely putting you on a curfew when you grow up, young lady. And no boys until you're 18, okay? I'm serious, Adeena! Ahem.

Oh Brother!

Before Adeena came into this world, I was a bit worried on how Aydein would react once his little sister finally joins this Little Family. Would he be jealous? Would he feel second? What if he goes under depression?

Okay, depression may be pushing it a bit too far lah hehe, but I really was concerned of how he would feel once his little sister comes out. That's why, I got him used to the idea of the new member of the family, ever since Adeena was still in the tummy. Surprisingly, he took the idea quite well. Very well, in fact. He'd talk to the unborn baby, give salaam, even kissed my tummy every now and then!



And alhamdulillah, this continued on almost immediately after Adeena was brought into this world. :) The first thing he asked when the baby was brought into the room was, "Pa, nak pegang baby?" :)



And this continues on till this very day! He would play with Adeena, ...

Pat Adeena if she starts to cry, ...

 Talk to Adeena eventhough she would only stare back at him in return,... :P

Shower Adeena with loads and loads of kisses...,

Request to hold Adeena every now and then...,

Sometimes, he would even lie beside Adeena just to watch her, while smiling tenderly at his little sister. :)

He looks so in love right? He's in love, alright; in love with his own baby sister! :)

Oh and he's also veryyyy protective of his baby sister. No one can take her away from him! One time, his Tok Ayah wanted to tease him and told him he was going to take his baby sister away while holding Adeena in his (Tok Ayah's) arms. Aydein actually leaped, stood in front of his Tok Ayah, and with arms wide open, shouted (while crying) at Tok Ayah and stopped Tok Ayah from moving an inch further! Hehe so cute!

Aydein sayang,

If you're reading this, I hope and pray that this bond between you two lasts forever. Should there be one day where mama and papa are no longer in this world to look after the both of you, be sure to be the big brother that you are, and protect your sister from any harm's way okay? :) Mama love both of you with all my heart. *feels a lump in throat*

I love you, my AA's! :')

The New Quest

Everywhere I go, I see people wearing their babies nowadays. Although I am considering to wear Adeena, I can't help to feel that it's also important to get a stroller for her. I mean, I've got to be fair kan? Her abang has his own 'ride', takkan his sister doesn't have her own! ;p

But the thing about strollers is, the good ones can cost quite a bomb. And if you've read this post, you'd know that I've got my eyes only for Maclaren strollers. In fact, I've got my eyes on this particular one..

Brown & pink combo! Who would say no to that?! So you can imagine my joy when my brother in law called to inform that Littlewhiz.com was putting up a sale for Maclaren Quest 2012 strollers, and what would normally sell at RM1299, was only selling at RM799! Crazy cheap, right! Of course we had to check it out. We'd be crazy not to!

But as soon as we reach there, I was a tad bit disappointed because the color that I wanted was not available. All of the colors were a bit too boyish for Adeena, so after doing a bit of thinking, we thought, if we can't have a girly girl color, might as well get the same color as her brother's. Comel jugak adik beradik pakai stroller sama kaler kan. :P So Black/Champagne it is. :)

The "champagne" color is a wee bit different from the old Quest though. It's somehow a little.. browner. Checkout the picture below. The new Quest is the one on the right.

Hehe can you spot the difference? :P

Oh and the best thing about this new Quest that I absolutely love as compared to the old Quest, is the fact that we can recline the seat till about 180°. It's perfect for newborns because they can lie flat and you don't have to worry about them being uncomfortable and such. So practical kan! This way, Adeena can use the stroller from now until.. Well, until she's too big for strollers lah! :P

So what are other features of the new Maclaren Quest Sport 2012 that's different from the old one? Let's have a look at them!

The recliner.

The new Quest's recliner is placed at the back of the seat, as opposed to the old one which is placed at the side of the seat. This way, reclining is made so much easier as all you have to do is press the 2 "knobs" and pull the seat to the level that you want.

The handles.

The new Quest's handle is the one on the right. Notice that the new design no longer has the "stripes", and replaced with one straight line instead. Honestly, I'd prefer the old design, but the problem with the old design is that the "stripes" has the tendency to tear, so, I get why the engineers decided to change it.

The legs rester.

Checkout the new Quest on the right. See how the legs rester can be adjusted? Isn't it just loveeee? :D I just like the idea that our kids can stretch their legs whenever they sit for too long and feel like stretching out a bit. More comfortable this way!

The wheels.

As you  can see, the new wheels are almost all back, except for one silver lining circling the wheels, as compared to the old one that has chrome on the wheels. I personally like the new wheels because it's simpler & more stylish to me. :)

Now what about Adeena? Does she like her new ride? I think she does, because she was very well behaved when we put her in the stroller on an outing last week. A bit too excited, even! :P

See? Macam nak terbang dah pon ada :P Oh wait, look who just decided to join the Maclaren family recently?

Ooh it's abang long Wildan! :D Sorry, as I mentioned before, we family are just biased like that when it comes strollers! No Stokke, no Bugaboo, no Phil & Teds, just Maclaren! ;)

Kate Meets Autumnz

Hey Kate,

Thanks for being an awesome companion whenever I'm out and about. You're really something that I hold close to my heart.. literally!



I know you've been lonely just sitting there, watching me do my work while I'm at the office, so I got you a friend! Kate, meet Autumnz. Your new bestfriend.



Isn't she adorably chic? :) :) :) No I'm not saying that she's more chic than you, but I've always loved polka dots, you know that! :) :) :)

Just to let you know though, you and her will be spending a whole lot of time together after this! In the car, in the office, in the mall.., basically anywhere and everywhere I go without Adeena with me!



Kate, you must know by now that it is my routine to pump 4 times (3 times when time doesn't permit) at the office.




Since my office doesn't have a fridge, it is Autumnz's responsibility now to keep my milk cold & fresh until I get home. You know, just like how you keep my phone & purse safe from the naughty eyes.



It's a tough job since she'll have to carry 4 ice packs + 4 bottles full of milk and making sure she keeps all of them cold until I get home, so be sure to be nice to her, unless you want to lose all your 'chic-ness' and carry all those in you pulak lah. ;p

Anyway, she's going to be with us for another 2 years or so, so umm, unless you can miraculously turn into a cooler bag like she is, I think you're pretty much stuck with her, whether you like it or not lah. Hehehe. I love you, Kate. You know that! <3