4 months old milestone

a very backdated post.



Weight: 6.6kg
Height: 63cm
Head Circumference: 40cm

Feedings:
- Still on 50% breastmilk (day) 50% Enfalac A+ (night)
- 3.5 to 4 oz per feeding
- every 3 to 4 hourly
- night time can even last from 4 to 9 hrs...depending...
- no more dancing while feeding style but has been wanted to hold the bottle. The hands are never free and always trying to catch hold of the bottle. Most of the time mommy will let her hold on to her fingers instead. It will take her a while before settle down and drink quietly. At times still need to walk around and feed.

Sleeping pattern:
- nap on bouncing net, night time sleep on baby cot
- always cat nap and need to be rock very frequent. Light sleeper.
- Night time sleeping routine. After changing and wiping, mommy will put her down on baby cot, give her pacifier and bolster. On the lullaby music and try to put her side way and pat her to sleep.
- Prefer to sleep on her left side now.

Others:
- Neck muscle getting stronger. Can hold her head though still wobbly a bit.
- Always try to get up, push herself up.
- Doesn't like to lie down, prefer sitting up position.
- Started to go out more (only weekends).
- Prefer car seat, not comfortable with stroller. Maybe too open, not secure.
- Coo a lot. Make a lot of noise.
- Like people to talk to.
- Easily smile, especially when talk to.
- Get ticklish on the chest area.
- Enjoy being kissed on the cheek.
- Kick and splash water during bathing time.

Overall, she is easier to take care as compared to 2 months back. Her behaviour is more predictable. I love you, baby! Happy 4 months old!!

Side note: On 13 July, you get infected by kor kor and started coughing and sneezing. First time taking medicine. You hate it. Poor baby!

I like to look around...

I am not so kampung girl anymore.
When mommy brings me out now,
I will look around and amazed by the colourful environment.
I am not as tensed as last time.

I even love to explore new places now.
I like mommy bring me to kitchen, garden and new places.
I feel so boring staying in the living hall and my room.

I also like people talking to me.
I feel bored easily when I left alone.
I will cry and scream for attention.

Mommy said take care of me very tiring.

Happy 4 months old!

Today you turned 4 months old.
Istead of celebrating it with everyone,
You and mommy are quarantine in the room.
As Kor kor is still sick,
Daddy is still coughing.

On your 4 months old,
you started coughing and sneezing today.
I'm sure you have get infected by the cold bug around the house.
Even mommy tried so hard to isolate you, you still cannot escape from it.

Kor kor asked kakak this evening,
"Where is mommy and Isabel?"
Kakak answered, " They are in the room."
"I want to see Isabel."
"Cannot. You are sick. You don't go into the room."
"I just want to see Isabel. a while only."
"Cannot"
"I won't touch Isabel. I just want to see her. A while only. PLEASE!"
Cannot is still the answer.
Mommy wanted you to know how much kor kor misses you.
I'm sure we miss kor kor too, right?

On this day,
I hope you will get well soon.
Hope the cough and sneezing are just a mild one.
Hope mommy's milk can help to build up your immune system.
You must be strong, Isabel.

Still, happy 4 months old to you.

How do you make your baby nap?

Mommy has a question to ask and she hope she can get some advice from all mommies out there too... Here she goes...

Isabel is a light sleeper. Little sound will wake her up. Her night time sleeping pattern has improved (hope I don't jinx it) since we sleep in separate room. I'm now having a problem with her nap time.

You see..if Darren did not fall sick so frequent, he will go to day care and I will take full charge of Isabel and my helper will do her housework. Perfect arrangement..though I need to be with Isabel full time because she wakes up from her nap very frequent. But since Darren falls sick so frequent and has been missing classes, his presence will always disturb Isabel's nap.

Isabel takes her nap in the bouncing chair in the living hall. I'll give her pacifier and her pillow and bounce her in the bouncing chair until she falls asleep. At times she wants us to carry her to sleep too. If so, we will carry and pat her to sleep, once she is asleep, we will put her down in her bouncing chair. Sometimes the minute we put her down, she will wake up immediately and demanded to be carried again. If I am free (which happened if Darren goes to day care), I will carry her to sleep on my arm while I am watching tv. This way, she won't wake up so easily by noise. But my arm gets numb though. Anyway, if she sleeps in the bouncing chair, she will wake up/move almost every 15 minutes (even no noise) and required to be bounce back to sleep. If there are noise, she will definitely wake up more often. If I put her in the bedroom, I still need to be with her even though it is quieter and I will bored to death in the room.

From the above scenerio, you can see that she needs a person almost 100% with her when she naps, so that she can continue sleeping. It is really not efficient as I cannot do anything while she sleeps. I believe when baby is sleeping, it is the best time for the adults to do work. This does not happen to us. I need to improve this situation as I felt so tied down by her.

The only solution I can think of is to put her in "sarong" in her own room upstairs and get the auto rocker to rock her. I can monitor her through baby monitor. In this case, I can do my work/play with darren downstairs without being physically attached to her or afraid any noise will wake her up. But what I am afraid is...she will get addicted to the sarong and auto rocker and if we go outstation or anywhere, she will have problem taking her nap and will cry for it. (Tell me will they get addicted to it..). Also, I am also worried constantly rocking her will cause problem to her as nowadays many discourage rocking the baby up and down. (Btw, she is sleeping in her cot on her own at night, will this method disturb her night time sleeping pattern?)

What I've tried this 2 days when Darren is sick. Isabel and myself stayed in the room upstairs and I noticed her nap improved a bit but still I need to be by her side because she may just get up any time and required me to bounce her back to sleep. She is still sleeping in the bouncing chair. I tried on radio, instrumental soft music. This does not help too. She will just wake up on and off and required people to bounce her back her to sleep again.

Can anyone suggest to me another method besides the above, so that she can sleep on her own for a longer period? How do you make your baby nap? For those mothers who has 2 or more kids, how did you arrange their nap? How long does your baby nap?

Appreciate your reply.

You cry I cry, you smile I smile too

@ 3 mths 3 weeks and 6 days old

Lately I can feel what other people feel..
It started with one day when kor kor was crying,
I was drinking milk.
I felt upset too when hearing kor kor cry
and I started crying too...
When kor kor stopped,
I stopped too...

Another day in my bedroom,
I hear another baby crying at the back of the house.
I was sleeping actually.
I started crying after hearing the baby cry so loud.
When the baby stopped crying,
I stopped too...

One more incident when kor kor suddenly cry very loud,
I suddenly started crying too.
Mommy has to carry me away,
so that my mood will not get affected by kor kor's cries...

Not only cry,
Since 2 months old,
when people I familiar smile at me,
I'll definitely return them with my smile..

So, now if you smile at me,
I'll definitely smile back to you..
I'm that responsive..

Sign of turning over

@ 3 months 3 weeks and 4 days old.

I've showed sign of turning over this 2 days. I never discover that I can turn my body side way and with my head tiled right up until I saw the book above my head and I wanted to look at it. Now whenever I can, I'll do that but I still could not turn my body over. Mommy said, very soon I can turn over already...let's see then..

3rd month checkup

@ 3 months 3 weeks and 4 days old

Daddy and mommy have been delaying my 3rd month checkup and immunisation for weeks. Reason...daddy was pretty busy lately. Anyway, we went on Monday after 3 weeks of delayed.

Weight: 6.5kg (3 months and 3 weeks old)
Height: (need to check the baby book first)
Head Circumference: (need to check the baby book first)

Doctor said I am above average (slight) and of good size. Since everything is fine with me, doctor did not do much checking on me. He gave me something to eat (for rotavirus) and I started crying because it was cold. Then, the nurse stripped off my pants and doctor hold my thight...suddenly I felt poking pain at my leg. Of course I started crying loudly. It happened on another leg also. I was crying so pityfully. Then the nurse carried me up and I stopped crying not long after.

Doctor said I might developed slight fever but luckily I did not have any this time round. Mommy was relief. She was prepared for it because I've developed fever the first time.

Heard doctor said the next visit will be in August when I am 5 months old.

(Kor kor was with me for this visit and he was so scared seeing doctor poked me. He promised doctor he will take care of me, or else, doctor will poke him too. He dare not even looked at the doctor. Hahha..)

Oppsss..fall asleep by myself..

@3 months 2 weeks and 4 days old...(updated by mommy)

While I am typing this, Isabel is sleeping in the cot in her own room by herself.

She had her milk at 11.30am, then I brought her up to the room and played for a good 30mins. We had a good 30mins bonding time. Then I bathed her and while I needed to clear the room, I placed her in her cot with the musical mobile on.

She was watching the musical mobile and self entertained herself (by talking to the Pooh bear - the cot bumper). I took the short opportunity to go into my room and surf a little while. I leave the doors open, so that I can hear if she cries.

5 min passed, 10 min passed...12 min passed...I hear no sound from her, even though the musical mobile is still on..I went and peep on her and I found her...

already dozed off in her dreamland....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......


How to describe my feelings when I see this scene?? happy? delight? surprised? contented? Anyway, I immediately took out the camera and snap the photos. She woke up by the snapping sound and she opened her eyes a bit, yawned, rubbed her eyes and slowly her eyes closed again...

I was thinking should I bring her down and let her sleep in her bouncing net..but I decided to let her continue sleeping and I continue surfing and now I am blogging...

15 mins has passed...yeah..I've earned more than 20 mins of free time...

oppss..while I was waiting for the photos to be loaded to the computer, the musical mobile has stopped and I just let it be. 5 mins later, I heard her making some noise and I went over, she already woke up..cheh..so fast...checked on her, her nappy was wet..that causes her to wake up..i changed her..on the musical mobile back and I'm back here to load up my photos...and she is now playing by herself in the room..

Ok...got to go before she really kick up a fuss...I should be contented..earned my 30mins of ME time..thanks Isabel..:)