AFTERMATH

I don’t know what did it. The rapid increase in my milk supply. Could it have been Nunu’s small appetite due to the flu, which made me able to pump out the remaining milk into the bottles? Or is it because my stress level has been brought down by the two well rested days of MC, triggering my prolactin to get on working? Or have I become an expert of the Marmet technique? Or are the beneficial properties of the Quaker oats and papaya diet kicking in at last?

Whatever it is, I don’t have to look for fenugreek anymore (thanks pinkyj) – or any other lactation booster for that matter – at least for now. I hope this very pleasing bodily function maintains its form. Perhaps I don’t hafta buy Nunu’s supplementing can of Nan for next month’s ration.

Some things have changed after the dreadful flu attack. The elders (MIL, Nanny, policlinic nurse) foretold that at Nunu’s age, a mild bout of illness will usually be accompanied by a new mark in her physical or mental development. “Nak pandai buat apa-apalah tu.” I looked at them in askance at first, after falling for the “milk-turn-to-blood” prank, I’m now more skeptical towards conservative hearsay.

Well, this time I believe them. Nunu is definitely more rambunctious. I can hardly change her diaper if I don’t pin her down with an elbow, or give her a bath without getting myself soaked too. She immediately turns on her belly when we put her down, and I even believe that she did some awkward caterpillar jigs to move about.

Other than that, Nunu doesn’t demand to be nursed to sleep any longer. If she’s very sleepy I can just place her in the cot, pat her bum or stroke her fine tufts of hair or simply cuddle her, sing some lullaby or nasyid or zikir. I hope this change of sleeping pattern lasts too. Except for last night, when she burst out probably from a nightmare – she slept pretty well. And there were numerous times when I just leave her on the playing mat and she dozed off afterwards. Could it be the drugs she’s been taking? Well, she hardly ingested any, coz I cleaned up a great deal of those dribbled medication off her lips, bibs and hankys.

But the biggest breakthrough, the one thing that I never thought she could get used to, is me bottlefeeding her. Yes, she took the bottle from me! Today. At work. I’m taking Nunu to work today. In fact, she’s right here on my lap, peering curiously at the keyboard and screen.

She’s getting restless now so I think I have to blog off for a moment now. Will update more after the long weekend holiday.

Oh darn, she barfed on my shirt.


Not kidding.

SUPERBABY VS SUPERFLU

I like to call her SuperNuha sometimes. Especially when she was still an infant, where she yawned and stretched with one arm higher than the other, like a caped crusader ready to take off. I even made up a song for her, that goes something like “SuperNuha, likes to mandi… SuperNuha likes to mandi….” while I bathe her.

She appears to be a superkid certainly, all in her 4 1/2 months of age, always unperturbed by the occasional head bonks and tumbles and the violently animated wriggles that resulted to some self-inflicted bodily scratches and scrapes. Most people we meet will say that she’s as tough as a baby boy, if not stronger, with her steady grip, straight back and deep, intense eyes.

Alas, every superbaby has his or her rough days.

After a few days of a full blown flu bug attack, Nunu and I (yes, even yours truly suffered from the ‘saloma’ virus) are on the road to recovery.

Caring for a sick child is a real scary experience. I wouldn’t want to describe how difficult it was, for fear of launching into another tirade of unnecessary grumbles.

Let’s just say it involved a lot of unclogging a severely runny nose (two actually) and snot chasing, cleaning up pukes that came out gushing like a broken pipe, forcing colorful and syrupy drugs upon the lil one’s throat, cleaning up the sputtering syrups, washing endless piles of dirty clothes and bibs and hankys and carpet and pillow cases and …..

This is considered as an outburst already, right?

Well, I’m entitled to rant in my own blog. The experience also includes a mad dash to 7-11 for bottles of clean and pure mineral water, two mad dashes to the clinic, mad phone calls made to Grandma Doc, and mad jumps-out-of-the-bed each time she coughs forcefully.

This afternoon, I just had this sick feeling in my tummy that Nunu might still be sick, since her nappy wasn’t wet this morning when she awoke, and the nanny reported that her stool was watery yesterday. I looked up in the net and feared for the worst, that she could be dehydrated since she’s not feeding as often as she should. So we made another mad dash to the clinic, arrived at 12pm on the dot, when the doc was just about to go out for lunch.

Long story short, Nuha had a veeeery wet nappy by then, and the watery stool wasn’t a sign for diarrhea, the doc laughs. “It is diarrhea only if her bowels moved several times in a short period of time, and in her case, it was only once yesterday.”

“Then what on earth are those jelly-like substance in her poo?” I asked.

“Its her phlegm. She doesn’t know how to spit it out yet, so it comes out from the other end. Don’t worry so much, your child IS getting better. Her antibodies are fighting those viruses.”

I listened tentatively to the doc. Those magic words. She’s getting better. I imagine her fighting those supervillainous bugs, crushing them one by one under her foot. And I look down to Nunu, who’s happily playing with her socks and spit, not appearing sick at all.

My SuperNuha, indeed.

EXPERIMENT I

There is an old wives’ tale that seems to be passed around within the BF mummies circle – that if you boil EBM, it will turn into blood. Other versions of the dubious story is that it’ll turn pinkish, not bloody – even if it is exposed to direct sunlight for some time.

Due to the much hype and curiosity garnered from Hana’s blog, of the dynamic duo izadnhana fame (now trio) and fuelled by my own sick fascination for the macabre world, I conducted an experiment involving non-scientific methodology devoid of any chemical or biological hypotheses.

The mad scientist has no test tubes, so this empty jam jar is suffice to accommodate the meager amount of the aforementioned substance.


Note the colour of the white creamy substance.


Place the jar in a pot of boiling water with a pair of sterilized tongs.


Fiuh, fiuh – careful of the steam.

After an hour, the mad scientist had very little patience and decided to fire up the Bunsen burner to the max, and the RESULT:


White creamy substance has turned into ugly semi-liquidified goo of unidentified color.

Before y’all freak out, the milk didn’t become bloody or pinkish. It was just simply burnt, and smelt like crème brulèè.

It is questionable whether the experiment was a failure, or the story is just a fabrication of a wild belief, a gruesome myth, a non-sensical horror story people like to spread around for their own self-gratification (in my case, the nurse who dared me “Kalau tak percaya, cubalah”.

If anyone comes up with the same experiment and the outcome is positive, I’m sure it’s a hoax.

But until next time, when the mad scientist acquires more of the precious, ‘limited edition’ substance in subject, she has no misgivings of undertaking other methodologies for this particular experiment. Perhaps the direct sunlight will do it.

Any volunteers to partake in this experiment? Some BM samples, maybe?

BONKERS!

Boo hoo, Nunu has the sniffles!

Yesterday she woke up with a drippy nose and little coughs. This is the first time she gets sick, not including the one-day mandatory fever after she had her shots. But she looked fine and happy as a lark as usual and didn’t seem to have breathing difficulties, so I just dropped her at the babysitter’s place without much thought.

At 2 pm babysitter called and reported that Nunu refused the bottle and wouldn’t feed at all. And she has started her cranky-blardy-murder-cry until other flat-dweller neighbours got curious.

So I rushed to feed Nunu, and upon inspection, the new Doctor Baby teats that I just bought are slightly tougher than the previous ones. Nunu only accepts Doctor Baby teats (the yellow, rubbery, old-fashioned type) and spits out other silicone-based teats if they ever touches her mouth.

Sigh… so what to do? I hurried home, grabbed a plastic syringe and send it back to babysitter so that Nunu can feed temporarily with it as I scrambled downtown in search for the same pharmacy where I bought the 1st batch of soft Doctor Baby teats.

If there is a day when I should fall victim to Murphy’s Law, it was yesterday. At 3 pm in the blardy Friday broad daylight, the pharmacy was closed, and a customer called me up to request some toners to be sent to their Penang office. Long story short, the goods were sent, a few pharmacies and baby shops were gatecrashed by a crazy lunatic (and she had time to purchase some bolster & pillow cases) and by 7 pm, the teats were finally found at the same blardy pharmacy that was closed at 3 pm before.
I picked up Nunu at 7.30 and she didn’t fall asleep until close to midnight. By that time, I was deadbeat. And Nunu kept waking up to snuggle close, searching for something under my shirt; she was practically an extension of me throughout the night, latching off to cough or whimper for all while, then she’d latch on again.

I’m all sore & aches, but when she woke up this morning brandishing a huge grin, all the craziness of yesterday & the night before just felt worth it. She’s still sniffling so maybe today after work we’ll go see a doctor.


tido terbongkang mcm ni takder rupa sakit pun???

PEEKABOO!

Not only does she enjoy playing peekaboo with us, cackling in delight each time we make funny faces that comes with funny sound effects, she also seems to enjoy her version of peekaboo, erm, the flesh baring kind.


with a notty-boy grin

I left her for only a minute and came back to find her, gasp! horror! flashing her pampers!

MARMET : THE BASICS

I cannot understand why my milk supply seems to be dwindling these few days, when I’m currently expressing 3 times a day and diligently stuffing myself with papayas & quaker oats every morning with supplements of Wyeth Mama, Elken’s Spirulina, Betathon and some makjuns, courtesy of Mum.
So yesterday evening, out of sheer frustration for having a measly 3 oz coming out of me, I tried this (warning! Graphic details inside)
I wasn’t really expecting it would work, when lo and behold, more milk came jetting out! With manual expression, I managed to get another ounce, which completes Nunu’s needs per feed (hey,sounds like a tongue twister). Sure, an ounce is pittance, but of course I need more practice in this area since this hopeless generic brand (read: cheap) pump I’m using looks like it’s wearing out.

I think I need some sort of lactation booster. I just finished a litre of soy bean drink at work today. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

POP SHUVIT

Shove deep, deep ok, then cough, cough, cough.

Apparently frazzled from having wet patches of drool & spit on me all the time, no thanks to Nunu, I've decided to upload this vid to humor myself and possibly Nunu too when she's old enuff to appreciate how embarrasingly she acts when she was four.

The incessant knuckle-sucks has graduated to suck-whatever-u-can-suck. Mak Tok's bouganvillas, pillows, diapers, Mr. Papadapolous -the odd-limbed rattle bear- salty, adult fingers and hairy arms, you name it. Whatever she gets her hands on, she wants it in her mouth, and she's quick at it too. Even Tok Wan's bare shoulders are not spared.

She's probably ready for semi-solids now. Babysitter and MIL have been hinting that she should start now, but I'm sticking to just plain ol' mummy's milk until she's five or six months old.

Chew on, buddy.

CRAZY ABOUT NAPPY

So it has come to this.



Apart from the hazards of shrinking brain cells that renders me a scatterbrain, motherhood has reduced me to a penny-pinching (or issit pennywise) female version of a scrooge. In my quest for the cheapest, best-bargain diapers available, I'd brave a thunderstorm and the maddening weekend crowd to get to Carrefour. I was lost for a while, drowned & jostled by other calculator-wielding mommies with their baby prams & shopping trolleys in the diaper aisle, and just my luck, I managed to grab the last, remaining M-size Pampers.
I wish there was someone there to take a pic of my satisfied grin (I'm sure I have that half-crazed look in my eyes), holding on to the bag of diaper like a precious loot.

At last, after stressing myself over the sale deadline, I can now sleep in peace.

True, I'm somewhat obsessed with diaper hunting. Pantang to see any catalogues with a diaper on sale, I'd whip out my trusted nokia with the modest calculator feature to see how much it costs per piece. If it's more than 38 cents, I'd click my tongue and complain "mahal nak mampos". Once I did this in front of MIL, and she immediately turn to Nunu and said in mirth"See, mama has to think of your 'jamban' all the time!".

Yeah, come to think of it, it's just a jamban for Nunu. Why bother so much, right? Well, it does bother me. This madness started when I was ripped off by a baby shop salesgirl to get this Fitti brand at RM38.90 for a 66pc pack. I was being too polite do my math in front of of her and just said OK lah, whateverlah. Imagine my horror when I found out it's 58 cents per piece!!! Wetness indicator, my foot! That time, I was used to the very, very cheap brands that costs 35 cents per piece since Nunu poops like, every other hour. Since turning four, she pees more and poops less, so getting her a medium quality nappy like Pampers sounds like the right thing to do. The superduperdeluxe luxury brand like the friggin' Fitti is exclusively for bedtime only.

Scrooge or not, unnecessary baby-related items always find their way into my shopping basket. New additions to Nunu's hoard of treasure are another pair of socks (but this one's different kind so I dont mind spending 10 bux for it), a sunny yellow dress & a cornflower blue dress (each at a discounted price of RM7.45), some pretty panties and a costly Raimond Lap Sleepy Baby CD. First time I tried it, the music is sooooo relaxing I immediately zonked out while lil Nunu is still nursing and very much awake.

Well, at least it worked. For me.

FLOWER GIRL

Her Mak Tok often calls her "Mek Bunga".

FEELING FLABOULOUS

Just brought Nunu for her 4th month check-up. And my, my - she's 6.2kg now. And what about her mummy? Erm, truth is, I've lost track.

The baby tummy is still around, the big pants are getting tighter and I'm still wearing those baggy granny pantys which I had for maternity wear (hey, they're comfortable) . I should be freaking out. The last time I weighed myself is 3 months ago, at 60kg after a 10kg post-partum loss. However, in the abundance of good, fattening food around, it's easy to succumb to a voracious appetite.

OK, OK - this time I'm serious. Compulsory evening walks around the neighborhood with Nunu. Starting from today. And no more french fries or burgers or chicken nuggets (but that protein whattt??) for midnite snacks. No more Gardenia bread with butter or peanut butter (yeah, thnks a lot Claire). And only half-plate-full of rice. From now on, healthier snacking it is. Stock the fridge up on fruits and oats and cereals.

Note to self - better get that weighing scale.

On to other topics. Found this really useful website here for the La Leche League, (pronounced "la LAY-chay) an organization supporting breastfeeding mothers. So to those who are expecting, please give this site a visit coz it does help me understand a lot of things about breastfeeding and the challanges. Especially helpful is the FAQ page. This site tops my choice for best information source for BF mummies.

Since my mammary glands are working efficiently now (less of the painful lumps) and breastfeeding Nunu gives me immense sense of joy and pleasure, I've thought of being a BF crusader myself. Well, in my own way, at least. Joining an organization full of overzealous personalities (MLM orgs especially) is juz not my thang.

Anyway, it's easy for me to say since I have the time and luxury to stop at whatever I'm doing at work and juz pump, pump, pump away. What about mummies with a demanding deadlines and unsupportive working environments? How are they going to cope?

The trick is to just pump for a few minutes every time. It can even be done during those usually lazy tea-breaks and leisurely lunches most Malaysians are accustomed to . Keep the expressed milk in the fridge, or if a fridge is unavailable, a cooler, or in my case, a plastic container full of ice bought at the minimart next door.

Believe me, it's not a hassle at all if you think of the best for your baby. I keep hearing mothers whining that their milk dried up quickly when there are definite ways to maintain good supply. Can't blame them, really when they lack information. BF mummies need support and info just as much as they need, erm, nutritious food.

To me it boils down to only one thing, it's a matter of will, not wits.

PRIZED POSSESSIONS

This entry is solely dedicated to Nunu's latest collection of prized possessions.


Mr. Humfy, the jester look-alike (thnks Aunty Yani!)


The 7 bux baby pumps


The delightful (and cheap) rattle socks
















Sassy wrist rattles? RM 29.90 per pair.
Cuddles brand? 5 bux per piece. Talk about good bargain


The fresh-out-of-the-box (and dirt cheap)
Classic Pooh cot bumper

OF GRIEVING A FAMILY LOSS AND REJOICING LIFE

Last weekend was a mix of pleasant and terrible news.

The hardest blow is the demise of a family member last nite. Dear, lovely Aunty Nor. Mum called earlier last nite to tell me that she was very ill, and Mum had to catch a bus to KB fast. Abah wasn't available, he's either in Medan or Haadyai. Mum had initially wanted to drive there and asked if I could come along with her. But she changed her mind after thinking that bringing Nunu along wasnt such a great idea to visit a sickly person. Alas, Mum didnt reach KB in time, as arwah had succumbed to her illness and passed away while Mum was still on the bus.
Aunty Nor is the second child of Tok Kecik's six daughters and a son. All the six children are fair and pretty (thnks to Tok's chinese blood), but she was the most beautiful. Every time we visit her at her KB home, I always look at their family albums for old photos of her. Mum said the was a beauty queen once, and a cultural dancer for Kelantan before she met and married Uncle Di. I remember a lovely picture of her; smiling serenely, looking fetching in a slim sleveless gown and white gloves, complete with a delicate tiara on her chignon ala Audrey Hepburn with soft tendrils at the sides. Graceful.
In comparison to Mum, who is a strict disciplinarian, Aunty Nur was always the soft-spoken and kind one, and I think as a child i secretly wished she was my mother.
My cousins, Kak Ja, Kak Ra, Mek An and Erhu are pretty close with us. Eversince we were children, Aunty and Uncle would find time for us to spend together, even when they come to visit us in Penang. A picnic by the sea or a waterfall, a lunch spread at a canteen bench in between Kak Ra's swimming meets, or a trip to bird or butterfly park - Aunty Nur would surely cook up a feast for us. My first jungle experience was and adventurous hike up a small hill somewhere nearby their house. That was when Uncle, an English teacher, taught us how to appropriately jump down from a higher ground.
As we grow older, our closeness is futher bound by Kak Ja, who studied in USM Penang and later, based her career here too, and came to visit every now and then with her son, Shahmi. We never missed the girls weddings too, from K.Ja's well planned and lavish one, to K.Ra's overdued one (she got married in Australia, and had the wedding kenduri a few months later in KB), to Mek An's very unexpected and ad hoc one.
Aunty Nur had always been a diabetic, but even Mum being a doctor couldnt get her to keep her health in check until it was too late. She suffered a debilitating stroke that left her frail and had to be tended by Uncle most of the time. Her health deteriorated over the years, whilst Uncle, strong as a rod as he is, alhamdulillah had always been her rock, steadfastly caring for her when none of the children, due to commitments, could, and devoted to get Aunty to regain her health.

I has been a while since I lost a close family member. The last time should be the passing of my grandpa, Tok Aki and an uncle, Ayahcik when I was about 6 or 7. But I was too small to remember anything and this time, it's pretty shattering to me. I feel bad for not being able to be there to pay my last respects to her. She shall be laid to the ground by this afternoon, I reckon. I shall miss her terribly. May Allah bless her soul and be placed with the mukmins. Al-fatihah.

**************************************************************
Still on the topic of family tragedy, a fellow university friend whom I still keep in touch with sent an SMS last Saturday night, simply informing the recepient of the obviously general SMS that the news of his deceased brother's was all over the major papers the day after (Sunday). I didnt know what was going on, having missed my daily dosage of juicy scandalous tabloid for a few days then. The next day (tht means yesterday) after giving Nunu an early morning bath, I rushed to the in-laws place (which is conveniently only two doors down) looking for Harian Metro. And there it was, the news article, about the untimely demise of my friend's 18-year-old brother. Apparently, the boy (who bore a splitting image of his brother) was allegedly trying to escape a police roadblock at 3.50 in the morning and met with an accident. However, the accident is now in query since 2 witnesses came forth to claim that they saw an policeman beating the boy in the chest to stop him from running away.

I can't imagine the pain and sorrow they're going through. I've met them during my friend's wedding just after our graduation a few years ago, and they're a mighty close-knit family. The boy, fresh out of school, must have been at the wrong place and at a wrong time. The family is now not only seeking solace for his death but also, some form of justice they duly deserve.

I feel really awful now coz just a few days ago, I called him up to follow up on a few unpaid invoices meant for his company (they've been a year overdue). Of course I didnt know about the tragedy at that time, and he sounded somewhat distracted over the phone. He was really professional, and requested a statement of account to be sent to his office.

I pray that these two families stay strong.

***********************************************************************

On another note, amidst the tragic deaths, I'm also praying for Abg Razak's 8-month-old baby who underwent a hole-in-the heart surgery last week. She's doing pretty OK when I checked with him just now.

Good news also come in a form of a new bundle of joy and another two coming soon this June.
Farah, my room mate during a year in USM matriculation, just delivered a healthy 3.36kg baby boy. When I received her SMS, it always strike me how fast time flies for I can still remember ever so vividly how resplendant she looks at her wedding which is almost a year ago.

In more good news, Yani, my room mate during my SSP years came to visit yesterday with a becoming tummy and her hubby in tow. They've been trying to conceive for a few years, and alhamdulillah, God grants their prayers and she's 7 1/2 months along now. Its soooo good to see her glowing and basking in expectant happiness.

In addition to that, Insya-Allah, somewhere in August, another SSP soulmate Lynn, will bring another bundle of joy to this world.

Nunu will have more real frens to play with now.

Alhamdulillah, Ya Allah, for all the joy you bestowed to us.

YOU HAD A GOOD DAY....

These were taken last weekend, at Mak Baik's new abode. T'was a joyful affair.


Nunu, putting on her blasé face


Nana, Nenek, Nunu, Ahmad, Syamin and dear Bibi holding darling Lukman


Mak Yuh holding shy lil' Aufa


Don't be fooled by Nana's very 'ustazah' facade. She's a seksi-meksi girl by heart.


See this 'anak ustad' pose??? Very Miss Monroe.


Mak Baik with an awfully sleepy Nunu


And Dear Bibi, who's somewhere in Medan now.
I shall miss her terribly. We all will.

Luv you Bibi, for all the love, sincerity & loyalty you have shown us.

BEDTIME BEDLAM, MIDNITE MAYHEM

Overwrought. I'm in dire need of a shut-eye. My head hurts. My tummy's growling. But I'm too upset to eat.

Nunu was being impossible last nite. She was too sleepy after the long trip to Alor Setar to visit my yet unnamed, newborn cousin.



At 9.30 pm, I tried putting her down to sleep after feeding her, but she kept waking up as soon as her head hits the pillow. After the third try, she dozed off, for only 10 minutes! I found her bawling and her head had rolled off the pillow to the far side of the cot, and I think she had bumped her head.
I let her suckle for a while and she dozed off again. Until Daddy came home an hour later and she must have awaken by the sound of the car engine. She was practically screaming bloody murder and this time, there was a deep imprint of the cot's bar at the side of her head.
I wanted to scream at him too, for so many reasons other than coming home so late, but I decided to say nothing, and kept holding sobbing Nunu and let her fall back to sleep. It wasn't anyone's fault other than mine, for not barricading the cot with enuff pillows (I was too worried the pillows would fall on her face and she might suffocate).
By that time, Nunu wouldnt let me go and I had no choice but to let her suckle in bed with me until she's in deep slumber. I wouldnt complain that I'm tired, but my head hurts, afflicted from so many things.
I'm in no position of changing how things are, but I can surely get that cot bumper now.

PROJECT RUN AWAY

Introducing, Nunu's new friends, whom I stumbled upon while wandering through the Tesco jungle. I think they might need some rescuing from all the hullabaloo of a modern superstore.



From left: Jay, Kara Saun & Austin (yeah, Austin. Cuz I seriously think he's waaaaay more talented than that twit Wendy Pepper).

Yeah, seriously. No! Kidding! It's Elfie, Cyber and Giffy (Cyber for Siberian tiger.) I know, I'm soooo unoriginal. That's why I'm tempted to name them after the designers

Well, what's important is that Nunu loves them to bits. No matter what their names are.

On another note, I'm glad Jay won, coz his designs are juz as outrageous and uber-cool as he is. Though I was rooting for Kara Saun (love that name, spells DESIGNER all over it) I'm sure she'll do OK without the winning title. She' s famous already.

WITH A HUFF AND A PUFF....

Finally it's been done. The minor cosmetic modification.


before


After

You get a funny-lookin' bear from a piggy in just a stroke of the permanent marker. Not that anyone questions what would a bear be doing in Ol' McDonalds farm. I'd say the 'bear' is spying on the McChickens and the Big Macs, obviously.

I even added a few more toys on the playgym to make it more, erm.. festive. Nunu likes it much better this way.





It's such a pleasure to see her play nowadays. She seemed to have grasped the concept of playing now, and she'll be contented to be left alone while she tugged and kicked and gurgled happily with the mooing cow. She recognizes her own reflection on the small mirror and she can be pretty fixated to the spinning ball on the left handside of the playmate. She even grabbed at the rabbit's ears which feels plasticky and listens intently to the funny sound.

Having said that, apart from feeling a tad regretful for not checking the playgym for "offending farm animals/ images) the 200 bux spent on it is VERY worth it.

Now, what should i do with this lil feller?


Turn it into a mouse? Mum said a piggy will always be a piggy. Well, any ideas, anyone?

TURNING FOUR

In a few days, the lil one will turn four. It's amazing to see how fast she's grown. So far her development has been smooth-sailing. Let's see, I'd note them down right here - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

1. I'm sure she's hit the 6kg mark. The last check-up she was close - 5.8kg. Hey, that's hefty enuff for me. She's been feeding well - I suspect she preferred the bottle coz babysitter kept marvelling at how frequent she wants to feed and how fast she finishes a bottle.
2. Her limbs are all chubby-wubby now. Not only has she outgrown her supposedly for 3-month-olds clothes, she's outgrown all her booties too , and I desperately need to get 'em new booties/socks, like , right now. Yeah, another reason to visit that popular baby shop later.
3. She's beginning to focus her attention to an object in front of her, i.e toy, flower, fish, TV, dangly stuff animals on the mobile & playgym, and reaches for them too! Usually they end up in her mouth. That's also when she discovered that her fingers can touch and hold things. The other day while driving her to the babysitter's place, I tried to entertain her with a cow rattle. She never paid the cow any attention before that, but that day she coolly plucked it from my hand and bit it!
4. She prefers to stand, not lie down, while someone holds her. She can stand longer than we can hold her, y'know. Ah, and most of the time, she'd jump, squirm and flap her hands.
5. She'd learn how to vocalise - ehem, pretty effectively. Yup, effectively LOUD. If she's pleased, she'd gurgle and shriek. If she's angry, tired, hungry, sleepy, she can scream bloody murder. All in all, she likes the sound of her voice now, and is experimenting with new sounds every day.
6. She's responsive to colours, sounds, music, smell and erm- sports. She's higly excited over football, hockey and rhythmic gimnastics during the recent Commonwealth Games. She even watches those cross country events on StarSports.
7. She clearly recognise my face, as well as her daddy's, Mak Tok's, Wan's and the babysitter's. And she'd flash that heart-melting smile once she sees us.
8. Sleeping pattern is some clear-cut now, especially in the morning. But it peeves me when she'd behave and sleep throughout her daytime naps, but fret and fuss at night. If I'm lucky, she'd wake up just once at night. If I'm not, she'll decide to have a playtime at 3 am!
9. She's beginning to poo less frequently now, about once a day. But my, does she REALLY poo. Hubby was aghast at how much a baby's small tummy can expel that much waste.
10. And I guess the most significant one is her ability to ROll OVER from side to side now. YEAY! Though she can pretty much be stubborn and just lie helplessly there, hoping we'd pick her up.

That's it. 10 major physical, mental, and behavioral progress of Nunu, the effervescent kiddo.