talk-about-babies [part 6]

It has been so long since t-a-b appears. Ummi has been busy writing other things ey? And maybe there's just too much to tell about my two lovely babies. I'm going to tell their story anyway, for my dearest family and friends.

For a start, let me tell you that I've been deprived of a good night sleep for more than 3 days now. I'm sleeping during the day, when the kids are finally asleep. That's about 3am-5am for the little girl and the latest 7am for the big boy. No, Fidaa' is not colicky and no, none of them are sick. It's just that somehow, for uncertain reasons I can't recall, handzalah is reluctant to go to bed at his usual 'late' sleeping time at about 11pm to 1am daily. And, Fidaa' happens to love his company that she has joined the late night party! Thanks to these little heroes, ummi has turned into a batwoman - with transformation incomplete though, am not going to wear the batsuit of course! ;)


Handzalah:

• is about to be 27months old on June 1st. He's babbling and blabbering around copying everything that gets to his ears so beware! Don't talk nonsense when you're with kids. Funny that docs say they have short-term memory when they remembers all the bad things :D. He plays football with abi nearly everyday and still love listening and dancing to the beat of the music. Any music will do but he loves songs with children's voices the most. He's even singing nowadays and he makes my heart melt!
  
• Tried teaching him the Arabic/Qur'anic alphabets with the Iqra' Opah sent us but he seems not very interested in anything but the last page. Can't expect too much from kids, they enjoy activity - that's active and interesting. Someone sent us a link to a Youtube video with kids singing the alphabets an dit was so funny. Handzalah loves it and he's been watching the Muslims kids' school series from Youtube since and Alhamdulillah now he knows a few of the alphabets already.
• We've just made ourselves a nice kilo of 'PlayDough' recently in red, yellow and green. This vege-lover boy will ask ummi to make him a 'broccoli' using the green dough other than 'nasi' (rice). Jazakillah Ako for the PlayDough recipe. She got it from Bengkel Asuh Bijak and it works well alhamdulillah. Will share it with you later inshaAllah :)
• He has his own trainer seat now for the potty. He can tell us when he needs to go, pull off his own pants and uses the toilet for the poo-poo whenever he 'has the time' or remembers. Ummi does try asking him if he needs to use it at the usual times of the day to help make the potty-training a success but he's yet to be able to tell us if he needs a wee. I did put the potty-training tips into practice to help him with it and one of them is by making him familiar with the toilet and the trainer seat, placing it on the toilet's lid everytime we take him for a wash in the bath and 'offering' him to use it.
• He calls himself his name "Handzayah" now. At last, he got it 99.9% right praise be to Allah :)
• There's one time Ummi felt unhappy and cried for sensible reasons and took the trouble to 'report' to Abi that "Ummi sedih" (Ummi is sad). Hehe, never let he sees you doing anything negative kay? Kantoi nanti! :)
  
• He lovessssss his sister though sometimes jealousy precedes and he doesn't know the limits. He's always the first to check things out hearing his sister cries. You should listen to him trying to calm her crying sister saying, "Fidaa' jangan 'ngis, abang ada ni" (Don't cry Fidaa', big brother is here). He's even very kind towards other 'babies'. Always offering a cuddle and 'looking after' role as if he's bigger and older.
• I'm not sure if he's an introvert as he's usually okay with adults but with kids his age, he has a certain 'time out' kinda thing. He'll play with them but he'll have a period where he'll do something else or find someone else - the adults I mean.
  
• His appetite has tremendously increased. Well, he needs all the energy to get him moving. He's the Jumping Bean - that's what our Health Visitor, Anne calls him because he's always jumping.
• If you love your techno-gadgets and the memories within, keep it 'far' from this little boy. He knows how to dig things only by seeing you click them once.
• His skin is greatly improving (he has eczema, if I've not mentioned it before). We've been prescribed with DoubleBase and it has done a good job keeping his skin moisturised for a longer period of time. Lesser complaints and better night sleep (if he sleeps ;))

Fidaa':

• is now 4 1/2 months old. She smiles and laughs and she has just started rolling. Her first successful attempt was yesterday when she was crying, asking her Ummi to pick her up while Ummi was busy in the kitchen. She was lying on her stomach then and I guess she can't wait any longer to get on her back.
• she loves interacting with people. She'll be making so much sound when you talk to her with cute expressions making you feel eeeeeeee geraaam! ;) She's very alert and strong according to the GP and the docs-to-be; my fellow Tafsir class students. Sarah even did a physical test ton confirm Azila's non-scientific yet observant assessment.
  
• she's still on breastmilk, fully and I don't think I'll start weaning until she's 6 months old if she doesn't show any signs of need before that.
• I think she's teething. She dribbles a lot, struggling to suck her thumbs and sometimes seem a bit unhappy though she has just finished a feed.
  
• Alhamdulillah up to this moment she doesn't have any problems with the skin except for the normal nappy rash that goes on and off.

We went to the Commons last weekend, all four of us! We used to take turns pushing Handzalah's pram or walk and chase him around but now we're both occupied with both lovely beings on their prams and Handzalah on his feet!

This is the funny alif baa taa clip from Youtube. Enjoy!