I Ramble, Rant and Rave: May 2007

My baby is now 6 months old. I've come to realize that I have not written anything about her. Poor baby. Bad mommy!

B and I can really say that Zara is a spitting image of Zareef when he was a baby. Memang betul satu acuan. Recently, during a flurry of spring cleaning, I discovered my baby pictures. Lo and behold... my two kids look exactly like me when I was a baby especially Zara with her bald head and all. "Aduhhhss... kuat betul genetic you nih! Muka I sikit pun tak sangkut kat derang dua..." Hihihih... apo nak dikato la kan...

She's starting to form her own character, that little princess of mine. Very curious! I swear, if her head could do a 360 spin, then she'll be doing it again and again. If something catches her attention, she'd stare at it intently without batting an eyelid. She's scooting around now. Every now and then, she'd lift her butt way up high in her attempt to crawl. She's sprouted two tiny pearly white teeth on the bottom gum. A very deadly weapon especially when she's breastfeeding.

I started her on solid food when she was 4 months old. First it was just plain old baby rice. Took her a month to master the art of swallowing. Now she's a pro. Her favorite food of all would be chicken, potatoes, cauliflower with cheese. In fact, she loves anything that has cheese in it. Sebijik macam abang dia. Zareef's all time favorite was cauliflower and broccoli with cheese.

She's almost done with her immunization save for the last one. She's a strong one, this little girl of mine. Didn't cry when the sharp needle poke her heavenly soft and chubby bum. But I think this GP of mine tak pandai cucuk la because every single time, there would be a bruise on my baby's butt. Zareef dulu takde pun. Itu lagi la, nurse je yang cucuk.

The most dreaded part has begun. Her separation anxiety has rear its ugly head. She'll scream and wail if she doesn't see anyone in her line of sight. I have learnt to turn a deaf ear on so that my sanity remains intact for both of our sake. To overcome this, I'm trying the peek-a-boo approach. Every 5 minutes or so, I'll just show my face to her, talk to her and give her a hug and then get out of the room. This is just to comfort her and reassure her that mommy is still within reach but mommy has to do lots of work so will you please not cry, wail and shout.

Zareef has been a real good big brother to his little sister. Now that Zara is able to show emotions, laugh at Zareef's antics and watch in interest at everything that Zareef does, Zareef in return is having fun playing with her. The biggest change would be his lack of interest in watching cartoons when he gets back from school. He'd change his clothes and wash his hands (I'm very anal about this. Everyone must always have clean hands before holding my baby!) and then would start to talk to her while showing her his work from school. Masa ni, Zara will smile, laugh, coo, gaa gaa in response to her brother's storytelling. Then, both of them would play together (Zareef would do most of the playing while Zara would watch and scream in delight at every cars and robots and legos that comes within her reach). Memang la a picture perfect moment and really my definition of heaven on earth. Total bliss!

Come evening, I would prop Zara in her MacLaren and we'd make a trip to the playground. Every, single day without fail! While Zareef is busy playing with his friends, I would push Zara making a few loops around the playground. Must exercise too, right.

On good nights, Zara can sleep through till morning but most of the nights, it would just be wishful thinking. By 9 she's ready to sleep. She'll wake up once around 3 and then 5, then 7. Oh well, sleepless nights come in the package of having a baby. So, whether I like it or not, terima je la.

Here are some pictures of my baby...