Mak Yang and Ayah Li

This overdue entry is especially for my dear sister, Imah and her hubster, Li. Congratulations from the 3 of us! They just tied the knot on 24th January 2009; HnyB was 8 days old then. The nikah ceremony was held together with HnyB's Aqiqah.

HnyB and Mummy didn't witness the nikah because it was done at the surau nearby. Insya-Allah the kenduri will be in August this year. They both are now residing happily in Kuching :-)

Here are some pictures from the nikah ceremony.

Kusyuk dgr taklimat Pakya

Selesai diijabkabul...

Bonda2 tersayang..kanan Bonda Kelate, kiri Bonda Perak

Bonda dunia akhirat...

Ha Haziq biler pulak nak kawen ni?

And below is Mummy and Abi, almost 2 yearssss ago. Phewittt!

Haku x muat baju nikahhku lagi.. aaaa..diet2!

Love you so much dear hubby! :*

Almost 8 week-old!

I am a big girl now. Opah said I look like Abi but Wan said I'm so like Mummy. I'm not sure which one is right but of course I look like both; I am their cute-little-princess!

Mummy wants me to list down what I can do now after almost 8 weeks living in this world:

• I can stare into Mummy's eyes, smile and laugh looking at Mummy's funny face
• I love watching Mummy's facial expression. She's sooOoo expressive.
  
• I can entertain myself in the morning while Mummy having her breakfast (provided I can see Mummy from my bed)
• I sleep less during the day, normally after 3pm and stay awake till 7.
  
• I will refuse EBM if it's given by my Mummy.
• My EBM intake during the day is about 15 oz. 3 oz per feeding.
• Mummy's B is the best pacifier in the world, but I still can't tolerate forceful let-down. Pity Mummy, she has to pump every night before going to bed, else I will be very fussy; gag, choke, strangle, gulp, gasp, cough while nursing
• My tummy is huge! I cant hardly fit in the 'barut' that my Moyang made for Mummy when she was a baby, but Opah always makes sure that I wear one 24/7.
• Mummy's warm arms and b's are the best place to sleep!
• I am a bit impatient. I always want my feeding to be ready on time (day time feeding) else I'll cry like crazy and it's really hard to calm me down! Gosshh.
• I'm still sleeping using PakPoi's pillow set tho I have a brand new set. PakPoi's pillows are 20-year-old already and full of world map, but I just love 'em! Mummy is so worried with germs etc and bought me a Latex pillow but I refused.
• My EBM stock is a lot! I'm not sure how Mummy & Abi are going to transport my precious milk to KL.
• The longest hair that I have is 1cm long I think. Not sure why the hair didn't grow rapidly. Many tots that I'm a baby boy!
• To date, I'm still using disposable diapers. (Huggies and PetPet) Not sure when Mummy will start using cloth diapers that she bought when I was in her tummy. My Mummy is a super-shopaholic. She shops a lot from baby's online store. SHhhhHH.. don't tell Abi.
• Mummy has lost almost 17kilos already but still as huge as tapir. She has no idea why! Mummy still can't fit nicely into her fav maroon jubah. Pity Mummy. I know it is my fault. ;-)
• During the span of 8 weeks, I only spent 21 days with Mummy and Abi. The rest, all alone with Mummy :-( I miss Abi already. He's in a faraway land with Wan, Ayah Teh and Mak Teh. Abi balik laa cepat!

"If You Hold That Baby All The Time..."

Angel Pack Buckle Carrier

Ahaaa.. another evidence why I should have a sling!

"The single most important child rearing practice to be adopted for the development of emotional and social healthy infants and children is to carry the newborn/infant on the body of the mother/caretaker all day long..."

- James Prescott, Ph.D.

See, clingy is not the problem, it's natural! AND it's the long term solution to all other problems that may crop up if we didn't hold our baby now!

Now slings could hardly be called "new baby gadgets," since they have been used in many other cultures around the world for millions for years. However, in North America, they are something new. Whenever one of us was wearing my granddaughter in a public place, people would always stop to ask us about the sling and marvel at this great "new" way of carrying babies. Babies want and need to be "in arms" and they let us know that. A baby crying in a stroller usually becomes content as soon as he or she is picked up and held. I often see parents carrying a baby in one arm and struggling to push an empty stroller with the other!

Ha Abi, pengagihan budget utk stroller mungkin boleh digunakan utk membeli cool retro chic sling! *wink* erm, tapi stroller pun nak jugak.. hohoho

Below para is so familiar!

Contrary to what we have been taught to believe, research shows that babies who are held and carried all the time and get their need for touch well-met in their first year do not become clingy and overly dependent. They cry much less and they grow to become happier, more intelligent, more independent, more loving and more social than babies who spend much of their infancy in infant seats, swings, cribs, and all the other plastic baby-holding gadgets that don't provide babies with human contact. We had all those baby-holders for my granddaughter and she spent a little time in all of them, but she spent most of her infancy in her sling because she was happiest there, and we loved carrying her and being close to her.

More ..

Slings are different than front carriers. A sling is like a hammock. From newborn to the sitting-up stage, babies' spines are best supported in slings because their weight is distributed along the length of the spine. Front carriers that hold the infant upright with their legs hanging down, can stress the spine because they put all the baby's weight at the base of the spine.

When we wear/carry a baby, we are providing more than the comfort of the sound of our heartbeat and voice and the touch and warmth of our body. According to research by James Prescott, a developmental neuropsychologist and cross cultural psychologist, "vestibular-cerebellar stimulation (which happens when we carry our babies) is the most important sensory system for the development of "basic trust" in the affectional bonding between mother and infant. It establishes the biological and psychological foundations for all other human relationships." We have learned that carrying infants is a vital part of nature's biological plan for mother-infant bonding, and that it is critical to the development of trust, empathy, compassion and conscience.

Final bomb..

Carrying or wearing an infant in a sling, keeping the infant in constant human contact, and breast feeding on demand are the biological design for optimal physical, intellectual and emotional human development. Research confirms that carrying human infants develops their intelligence and their capacity for trust, affection, intimacy, and love and happiness. Anthropologist Ashley Montagu refers to this carrying stage, or "in arms" period, as the "external gestation period" the infant needs to complete his/her development.

Meeting our infant's biological need for human contact is not about following a particular parenting philosophy. It is about honoring and adhering to nature's biological plan for optimum human development. Keeping our infants in almost constant human contact for nine to twelve months may sound like an impossible goal in modern society. Sleeping with our infants provides that contact at night. Holding them or wearing them in a sling will give them more of the human contact they need. Now that research has shown that holding babies does not "spoil" them, but is, in fact, what they need most, we would be wise to listen to our hearts and "hold that baby all the time."

Wallaaaaa! Another reasons to carry your baby from Sleepywrap:

Carried Babies...

• Cry Less! (43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours)¹
  
• Are Healthier! (gain weight faster, have better motor skills, coordination, increased muscle tone, and sense of balance)²
• Get a better view of the world! (babies pushed in strollers or lugged around in car seats only get to see the adult world at knee-level)
• Become Independent Faster! (making them more confident and less clingy)³
• Sleep Better! (they fall asleep quicker and sleep for longer periods of time)
• Learn More! (not overstimulated, but calm and alert, observing the world around them)
• And are just plain Happier!⁴

Product from SleepyWrap

Ok, wanna cuddle my sleeping dahling. I rest my case :-)

I need a sling!

HnyB is super-cling-y! (but i truly love it!) She only sleeps when mummy/opah cuddle her, tepuk2 sikit, dendang selawat munif ahmad/akil hayy, then only she dozesss of to dreamland. But watch out! Once you put her down on the bed/toto, she'll open her eyes and started to cry. Hohoho. Back to square one! I have to add this in the 'Manual Penjagaan Nadirah' which will be given to the baby-sitter:

Peringatan: Bayi ini akan membuka matanya semula jika anda hanya mendodoi/memegangnye kurang dari 15 minit.

At nite, she rather sleeps on my super-fat arm than on the baby pillow. Lenguhhh tangan den! During her first month, she's ok sleeping in the mini cot below. Now she has outgrown the cot, (height and width!) kesian pulak tgk anak Mummy tersepit dalam tu. To all Mummies/future mummies out there, I don't recommend this to be in your shopping list, trust me. It has now become tpt letak baju. Hoho. Abi cakap, 'Mahal btol tpt letak baju Nadirah ni..'.
She sleeps less now during the day, but she needs to be cuddled all the time when she's awake (Opah cakap suke 'memerap'). In the end, Mummy and Opah have to take turns holding her until she feels like sleeping. Due to that, I knew I need a sling. Abi, dah justifiedkan Mummy nak shopping sling? :-)

They are many types of baby carriers in the market. Some are super-trendy and irresistible (specially those retro design fabrics) like this one from Kozy, which is known as mei-tai. Cute isn't it?

My research on baby carriers has started long before HnyB was born. Being a pregnant momma who constantly travel on bus and lrt, I am a strong believer of wearing a baby is the only solution to move around. And now, at 4.2kg(HnyB's weight, not mine!) I'm starting back searching for a comfy carrier.

Last time I was eye-ing on Aidafiqs's Mei Tai but she has stopped producing one after moving to London. Then, Snuggbaby comes into the picture. I really really love the selection of fabrics they offer, but I'm not sure whether it's the one for my baby.

This fabric is my favourite! Ala2 All Blacks gitu..

After reading few mommas blogs and forums, I think I wanna start my baby wearing journey with baby-pouch. Many(from forum) recommended Peek-a-Pouch from Peekaroo. The price is not bad! Barangan Buatan Malaysia ni, jgn main2! Aku salute btol org2 yg reti menjahit. I am so hampagas with sewing machine! My Form3 PMR sewing project was done by Makcik Ani d tailor @ taiping! Hoho. Selamberrrr.

I like stripy peek-a-pouch!

If hubster luluskan budget, I would go for Hotslings which is available at ThelilCaliph, but budget is not approved. Economy injection of RM10b by MOF doesn't include a Hotslings. Too bad!

Design Everyday : Tokyo - shweeettttt!

Last but not least, Littlepods also offers comfy slings at an affordable price, RM85 each. I think I loike this one.

Red is my colour. True assie-ness!

Ok, that's all. It took more than 5 hours to finish this entry. Why? Because I don't have a sling!

^_^

Animal Instinct

Both Mummy Ass1e and baby Nadirah were sleeping side by side. Suddenly...

Baby : ek..ek..ek.. (mula nk nangis)
Mummy : (terjage and mamai, terus pandang baby) Miowwwww!
Baby : (x paham ape mummy cakap) ek.. ek.. ek..

Animal instinct eh? Haha. MrJ LOL when I told him bout dis. Hahahaha.

Day-45 and counting...

Day-44!

Yeehuuuuuu!

Alhamdulillah.. :-)