Chubbiness

Want a great workout? How about carrying Raees up and down the stairs several times a day? It will definitely leave your arms aching, legs nicely toned and burn loads of calories!

We just got back from his 3rd-month appointment and get this...Raees' official weight is now 7.3kg! Oh, my boy is such a big boy! That's more that double his weight at birth.

His face is rounder, his cheeks are drooping lower, his pout goes further than his nose and his neck is covered by his double chin.

People say he's nice to hold coz he's tough all around. Just take a look at those thighs! The folds are getting deeper day by day.


See those blue booties? They are the new pair my mom made for her favourite (and only) grandson. Raees outgrew the earlier ones she made.

It's such an amazing feeling to see Raees growing so well, so healthy, so chubby and so handsome! Alhamdulillah :)

The Not-So-Sleepy Boy

Lately Raees has shown so much development! He squeals, laughs (more like a chuckle really) and very responsive too. Which is why I love my weekends and day offs when I get to spend time entertaining the little guy.

However one thing that concerns me is he doesn't sleep much in the day. Probably he gets a total of 3 hours sleep, at most. Usually it's only 1-2 hours. The rest of the time he prefers to sit up and hang out with the adults.

TV time!

Sometimes when I get tired, I lay him down in his crib with hope that he'll fall asleep on his own. But no can do. With his eyes wide open, he would stare at his mobile and talk to himself in the language that only he understands.


Usually when this happens, he would be tired by night time and sleep as early as 9pm, then wake up at 6am (of course he wakes up 2-3 times to feed). But last night he decided to sleep at midnight. So unpredictable, this boy.

How much sleep does a three-month-old need?

A three-month-old baby usually sleeps between 13 and 15 hours per day. Around five hours of this will be during the day and the rest at night.

Source: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/childrensleep.htm

So he's not getting the ideal amount of sleep he should be getting as a 3-month-old. Is this just a phase? I sure hope so.

Cheese And Budu

I thought cravings were only during pregnancy. Turns out I'm still craving now. Pizza Hut's garlic bread is one of em. Haven't got it yet though.

Daim Cake from Ikea is THE BEST tasting cake in its class. Crunchy, soft, chocolaty, tasty, delicious! I could easily finish 2 of em, but thinking of losing weight (still) so one slice is enough :)

Another one of my cravings was Kenny Rodgers' roasted chicken. So off I went to our next door neighbour, One Utama, during lunch break. My usual side dishes are mashed potatoes and 2 servings of mac & cheese (FYI i'm a very much into cheese).

I was SO looking forward to indulge and when the waiter finally came with my order, I went, "eh?"

Is that a chicken tak cukup makan or a chick, Mr. Rodgers?? What would usually leave me full and bloated, disappointed me.

Bad Mr. Rodgers.

As you can see, I'm very much a western chick when it comes to food. Spicy food is not my thing. Chocolates, icecreams and cakes...my favourite! Rice? I can do without it for a day.

They say opposite attracts and it's true in my case - food wise. Mer is very loyal to his rice and cili padi. His favourite? Nasi kerabu (with budu).

This got me thinking. Who will Raees follow? His mommy who is very western (again, food wise) or his daddy who is very much into local delicacies?

Flying Off (Updated)

Raees my dear,

As much as you don't like the idea of mommy going back to work, I have another thing to tell you that's even worse.

Mommy's going overseas for 6 days :(

When you ask? This coming Monday. Yeah, that's in 4 days time :((

That means we won't be spending Hari Raya Haji together :((((((

Of course Mommy loves traveling (especially when it's not on my own expense) but I didn't think it was gonna be so soon....and so long!

Don't wait for mommy to come home to get your fresh milk, OK? Be a good boy and drink from the bottle. Mommy hopes the stored milk is enough for 6 days.

Urgh....6 days!

How can I not hold you in my arms for 6 days? How can I not be around for your 3 month birthday? How can we not spend your first Hari Raya Haji together? How can I not wake up to feed you in the middle of the night? How can I wake up and not see you by my side? How can I not hear your squeals and cries for so many days? How can I not see your handsome smile and adore you while you play with your fingers?

How, Raees. How?? :(


Love,
Mommy

**************5 hours later***************

Raeeeeeesss!

Mommy's work is so unpredictable. First mommy was told to go to Abu Dhabi in such short notice. NOW the latest and confirmed news is...

...mommy's not going to Abu Dhabi after all. Phew!!

Can't imagine leaving you for so long, my bubbly chubby handsome boy. Til that day comes, you can look forward for mommy's BIG hug when I get back from work everyday :)


Love,
Mommy

Raees Gets His Hand Kissed

This is what I wake up to every morning. Oh, I love his squeals!

Super Pout

From the first few days after I delivered Raees, I knew my boy is very camera-friendly. How often do you see a baby boy pouting this way at 2-days-old?

One of my favourite pictures

Now after almost 3 months, he's still very much into taking pictures that he would pose every time I point the camera at him. Sometimes it gets quite difficult to capture his goo-goo's and ga-ga's on video coz he tends to quite down, stay still and stare at the camera instead.

Uh, his pout is still prominent too.

It is much more obvious when he's asleep.

Looking these picture as compared to the one at the top, I still couldn't believe Raees has grown that much in such short time! Heck, even nowadays I find myself just staring at him and I still find it hard to digest that this is MY son...and he's here because of me (and Mer contributed, of course :P).

And he's growing happy and healthy because of me too...

Alhamdulillah...

Weekday Wails & Weekend Squeals

My dear Raees,

I'm sorry I had to start work already. I know you don't like it when I'm not around to feed you. But mommy saved so much milk for you to make sure that you'll never be left starving.

Tok Mama has been feeding you with the bottle for about 2 weeks now. And have you been giving her a hard time! You REALLY don't like the bottle, eh? But if you don't drink from the bottle then you'll get hungry, sayang. Then how?

Well, at least you give in to the bottle eventually (when you're really2 hungry I suppose). By the time mommy gets back from work, you only get half your usual feeding while I was away. How are you gonna grow big, strong and more handsome if you don't drink enough, Raees?

It breaks mommy's heart to hear you cry on the phone. I feel like dropping everything I was doing and come running home to you. Kesian Tok Mama and kesian Raees too. How long do you think it will be til you're able to totally accept the bottle + expressed breast milk?

Apparently the milk supply has doubled in the past week. Good for you, eh, Raees? But if you don't drink as much then rugilah. So much milk went down the drain lately.

Mommy's happy to see your beautiful smile which you've been very generous with, especially on weekends. I love your squeals and laughter that simply lightens up the whole house. What do you say if you keep that up even on weekdays? No more refusing to drink, no more heart-breaking cries and no more tears. Deal?


Love,
Mommy

Got Milk?

Hey there milk,

Thanks for keeping Raees healthy and happy. Because of you, my boy has grown so much! He's getting quite heavy now and I'm not complaining (although my arms ache sometimes).

Being a fully breastfeeding working mom, I used to worry about your supply and storage, dear milk. That's why I started pumping you out about a month before I went back to work.

Storage began quite slow. Like they say, sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit (slowly but surely). Now there are many little bags/bottles of you in the freezer. That should be enough to keep my boy filled whenever there isn't enough supply or if I happen to go outstation for work.

As you know milk, it is now my routine to pump you out twice at work and once again at home. I'm afraid I might explode if I didn't! The 3 servings are just nice to keep my boy filled while I'm at work the following day.

Well, yeah...the handsome boy may protest sometimes coz he doesn't like drinking you from the bottle. I guess he needs to get used to it. Help him by keeping yourself as tasty as freshly squeezed :D

Thank you again, milk. Maintain your flow for about 2 years, OK? See ya later ;)

It's Payback Time!

Weeee...I'm so happy mommy has been home for the past 2 days!

Because she has been at work for so long, I didn't let her leave my side. I wanted feeding almost every hour, I didn't sleep much in the day AND I made her entertain me non-stop (well, almost).

She didn't step out of the house the whole weekend too. In fact, she didn't even have time to update this blog. But what matters is, I'm happy :D

The Desk And MyFridge

You've been lonely for too long, desk. So I brought a few of my friends to keep you company. Not too crowded I hope. Mind the grapes...I'm hungry.

Hey wait, what's that under you?

Desk, meet MyFridge.

It's here for Raees mostly. MyFridge is gonna help keep Raees' milk fresh and nice. I decided to bring it here after the drama that happened at home while I was at work...

Raees was at his moodiest and angriest yesterday as he refused to drink the milk that I pumped the day before (at work). He was crying on and off for many hours. Finally he drank the one I pumped in the morning before leaving for work. This led to shortage of milk supply at home, which forced me to leave work a lil bit early.

My theory is, the milk wasn't as fresh when it's with the icepack. So MyFridge, I hope the drama yesterday will not happen again now that you're here. Kesian my boy.

The Desk And I

Hello new desk. We finally meet. My, don't you look dull?

Hey, you didn't say you have a great view of boxes, pillars and partitions! I could just sit at this little corner the whole day and no one would know I was at work. What a way to practice my social skills, eh?

I SO look forward for lunch to get away from you, desk. And today, I ate BIG!

Banana leaf rice...yummy! What diet?

When I'm done, it's just you and me again, dear desk. You know, when I'm here, my mind wonders a lot towards the handsome boy at home. I wonder what he's doing right now. Could he be pouting like me?

*sigh* I wanna go home :(

My Boy's Out And About

My darling Raees,

I guess we've stayed home way too much. Although it's nice to spend so much quality time together, you needed to see the world and mommy needed a change of environment. So I brought you out over the weekend.

First stop, the light shop. Not the usual place for a day out but hey, I needed to get some lights urgently. Mommy was afraid of breaking something if I were to put you in the stroller. So I carried you in the carrier instead.

Mommy felt like a kangaroo carrying a very handsome baby kangaroo..hehe!

I was comfortable the whole time despite walking around the store for quite a while. And you looked like you were having a pleasant dream, probably about bubble bath in the sink?

Uh, carrying you around was good workout for mommy too :D

Next stop, we went out for our first family lunch. It was your first time to a shopping mall, Raees! You know, this is where mommy spend a lot of my free time. Once you're older, you and I can go shopping together ;)

It was the first time we used the stroller outdoors. See...even the handles are still covered in plastic. Hehe!

While we had our lunch, you were very obedient in your stroller...looking at us, then looking at the strange new surrounding.

You were getting bored and restless just sitting still. I guess you wanted to explore the shopping mall. Mommy and daddy took turns entertaining you but after some time you got bored with the toy too.

So Tok Mama and Tok Wan took over while mommy and daddy finished our lunch.

Mommy was glad you didn't let out a single cry. In fact, it seemed like you really enjoyed our family outing. We'll do it again soon, ok handsome boy? :)


Love,
Mommy

Mommy's Going To "Work"

Usually I wake up with mommy right beside me. I like it coz it's very easy access to my milk. But this morning was a lil bit different. She was getting herself ready to go out. Hmm...I wonder what's the rush?

I didn't like the change. That's why when mommy offered milk, I sulked and gave her a hard time. After a while I gave in and drank anyway. I was getting too hungry lah.

I laid on the nursing pillow while mommy supported my head with one hand. At the same time her other hand was "painting" her face. When I was done, I looked up at mommy and she was all made up and ready to go.

She laid me in my crib and softly said,"Mommy's going to work today. Be a good boy and stay with Tok Mama ok? Drink the milk that mommy pumped for you and I'll see you later this evening. I'm gonna miss you."

I smiled and I thought I saw her tearing up a little. After kissing me a dozen times, she left for this place called "work".

Not Your Typical Morning

One typical morning, Raees was wide awake and ready for his bath...

Oh look...he has started sucking his fingers :)

Wipes...check.
Diaper...check.
Clothes...check.
Towel...check.
Powder and other necessary things...check check.
Warm water filled with bubbles...check.

Looks like everything's set. Let's go, Raees!

Raees?

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Adoi...this boy! He actually fell asleep on the changing mat! And he wasn't wearing any clothes nor diaper. Thinking he was just taking a short nap, I put the towel on him to keep him warm and I waited.


Oh, I waited alright...for about 3 and a half hours! He woke up wet, hungry and unhappy. Hehe! Funny little boy.. It wasn't a typical morning after all.

Leia Smells A Handsome Baby

Raees is 2 months young already! However he has yet to meet our extended family...our cats.

I guess they noticed the lack of attention they were getting lately and have been hearing cries that sounded new to them. Curiosity got the best of Leia, the most manja of all our kitties.

One day, she snuck in to the house and waited patiently outside my bedroom. Sorry Leia, Raees isn't ready to meet you yet. Wait til he's a bit older ok?

She waited anyway...cross legged lagi. So ladylike, this cat. Meanwhile, Raees was dozing off in his crib.

Somehow, we don't know how, Leia managed to get into the room as quiet as a mouse and just sat there.

She was careful not to come too close to the crib. Good girl!

Her bell gave her away and she was shooed out of the room to join the rest of the cats. She seemed satisfied to smell the baby smell and come just a little bit closer to the mysterious new human being that we all call Raees The Handsome Boy :)