Week 15 - making her laugh coz crying..she can do that on her own.

Ilham...LOL! (Laughing Out Loud for those who don't speak tech).

I found out that I can make her laugh two ways :

1) Playing Peekaboo

2) Making funny faces like Mr. Bean

Playing Peekaboo is easy at this age. All I have to do is put up a barrier between me and her like a burp cloth so she can't see my face, then I pull down the cloth and say "peekaboo" in a high voice. Her eyes usually was not even looking at the cloth so when she sees my face, she smiles or laugh.  At this stage, she still hasn't learn about object permanence yet, so the theory is, she doesn't know I'm behind the cloth. I appear as if by "magic".  

Making funny faces employs a part of not being self conscious about our appearances. The more exaggerated my face is, the more she laughs. I'll try to get a video of her laughing coz she sounds so cute. They said that babies will lose that unique laughing sound after a year old so its best to record it now.  

I'm trying to teach her how to nap in her crib in the morning to not much success. She will nap on me though like if she's in the chunei or sling. But she hates napping in the crib by herself.  She will cry loudly if I leave her there. As per some of the books say, it's okay and necessary to leave the baby crying for up to 20 minutes. I break after 5 minutes of crying. It's hard and stressful for me. I also read that some kids will just naturally be able to nap on their own when they're older so I hope that will happen to her.  Whatever it is, most books say that we won't spoil the child within this age by holding her anyway.

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Just now, I swaddled her with a SwaddleMe blanket. It uses velcro to keep the blanket in place. Very easy to use. I kept her arms in it and velcro her up. She totally hates having her arms tied down though. I left her in the crib and sat down in the couch for a few minutes to see if she can settle down on her own then looked at her. She was smiling and looking at me with the most peculiar expression, it's like, "hah, I got the better of you", one of her arms is out waving about, and the other is half out.  That little Houdini.  :)  I just pulled her arms out at this point but she didn't want to be left in the crib so I "wear" her with my Slinglings.

I'm worried about her skin though. She has rashes on her body and face, she also have cradle cap all over her head and to the side of her forehead. I'm going to ask the doctor about this coz I I thought that all the skin issues should disappear by now. Since her back is fine, right now I assume that it's the almond oil we use for her massages. So, we're going to use the baby lotion for massaging and see if the rashes will go away.  Oh, and some parts of her skin is rough like the old skin is there.  I'm so confused. Other than that, she seems healthy but I'd rather be paranoid than not.

Oh, and this swine flu virus is just making me nuts. It's considered an epidemic in Mexico and there are people infected with it in California. I'm praying that we'll be okay coz we'll be flying off in a plane with re-circulated air.  

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Anyway..onto the best part (for me at least)...the many faces of Nurilham..

a little smile

a little cry

Kevin making her laugh

Having a little tantrum..

what color are my eyes?

Little Love Bug giving a small wink 

Week 14 - and we're all sick

Week 14, Kevin and I caught the cold bug. Kevin got it first and he transferred it to me, then LB got it. Luckily, her nasal passages are clear and she only caught a slight fever. The only other thing is that she's a bit more fussier than usual and poo'ed a lot more. But, man..we, the adults are just flopping around like fish out of water. It's so tough to take care of a young baby when we're sick. 

So, since her neck is getting stronger, we decided to bring out the Rainforest Jumperoo and put her in it.  I also put her on her beautiful Svann high chair just to see if she likes it (and to give my arms a rest).  She took to both very nicely, thank goodness. It gives us about 10-20 minutes of rest which is a lot in babyland and give her chubby legs some nice exercise.  

Anyway, less talk, more photos..so here goes : 

What am I supposed to do with that?

I best humor the adults. BTW, do you like my shirt?

Raarrgghhh.....

So many things to play with..which one first?

The blue frog is fun coz it makes noise when I turn it.

So, am I a Liberal or Conservative?

 

Voiceover for Google

I've always said, if I wanted to work in a corporate environment, my dream company would be Google. Why? Coz they have all these cool benefits and the employees look so driven and fun. And I love their crazy ideas.

Well, a few days ago I had a voiceover gig, and it was for Google Maps (My Maps).  Google Maps Malaysia to be exact. It looked like it's going to be a tutorial piece. They have one up already for Google Maps US.  They asked me coz they needed a person that speaks English with a Malay accent (no, I didn't use Manglish).

I've never done a voiceover before so it was pretty exciting but having to do this for Google just blows my mind.  I went there early, after trying out a couple of outfits.  I want to look nice and professional plus this is the first time I'm going out for a professional meeting after giving birth, I'm actually a bit nervous.  The client said that I can bring Brigitta coz they have a daycare there which is totally wonderful but Kevin said he'll work from home and take care of her. I think all companies should have access to daycare, it's so nice for the employees and freelance work at home Moms. :)

The place was a production house, fit with the biggest sound stage studio in the Bay Area. Sometimes when they interview the Silicon Valley companies to do a live broadcast they do it there.  When I was there, someone was setting up for a CNN interview.

Anyway, I went there early with my script.  The person who met me was a pleasant lady who made me feel at ease. She introduced me to the tech person and also another who is in charge of the scripts. That's when we found out that one of the scripts was not right and I had to learn a whole new script there and then. Luckily, I can read it out instead of memorizing it so it wasn't too bad. 

They put me in a small room tiled with black sponges. It has a desk, chair, podium and a big mic that has a nylon netting over it. They asked me to put on a headset and I could hear everything instantly. Every little rustle, my voice sounds amplified. I feel like having super hearing!  After they closed the door, I could hear them giving me instructions over the headset. They told me that I can just start reciting the script whenever and they will stop me if they need me to repeat or say something differently.

So, it all went without too much of a hiccup. I was so nervous and self conscious about my voice, but I pushed it all away.  I even saw some translation error in it so we recorded a couple of different ways so that if it is correct, the client can choose the right phrase. I was having such a good time!

At the end, the tech person said that I sound like a true professional with lots of experience. Yay!  And the lady who welcomed me even gave me a tour of the place. I love being there coz it reminds me of my late Mother. She worked in  the govt broadcasting station in Malaysia and I grew up amongst all that equipment, sound stage, etc. 

I wish I can have more voiceover gigs but not sure how many people want to hear a weird accent on the radio ads. :)   Google, if you're reading this..please pick me again for your other tutorials!  

Cheers

Haniza

13 weeks...Brigitta survived a party

Yesterday, we were invited to a party hosted by K. Ainal, her husband's the MIDA Director here in San Jose. It's a social event and it was a good time to introduce Brigitta to meeting lots of people at one time. There were tons of kids, and the women were having a ball chatting so the noise level were pretty high.  Brigitta was passed from one person to another, she just looked at them, didn't cry and even talked. She was a really good girl.  A couple of times, I breastfed her and she actually smiled at me. I think she was relieved to have some quiet moments with something familiar.

About 9pm, she started to cry so we decided to start back home soon after. Usually before, we were probably the last ones to leave a party so this is something new for us. But, we were tired out too so it's a good thing. We get tired easily at night now..ha ha!  Still, it was really, really nice to go out to a Malaysian gathering...the food is great of course but after being cooped up in the house for so long, it's so nice to see friendly faces.

The past week, Brigitta has smiled and laughed much more. She likes to look at her hands..sometimes cross eyed coz they're so close to her face. When, we put her in the car seat and put the muff on her, she will scratch the muff with her nails..so when we're in front, we hear scratch scratch at the back. I sometimes put the Lamaze panda there and she tries to grab at it which is a big step. On the playmat, she is learning cause and effect by the singing mirror. The mirror will only play the songs when she hits it, and when the song is played, she usually smiles.  

You can't believe how happy I am to see all these developments. I'm used to seeing bigger babies who are already good at social stuff so when I see she's starting to do all these things, I feel so relieved. But her smiles..I just live for those.  She has the cutest little dimple (just one..like me and Kevin) and her face just lights up.  I think smiles let us know that we are connecting and communicating.  So, in summary, there is something to be said about the 3-month magic mark after all.  

Sorry..no photos today at the moment.  Didn't take any at the party, I was just sitting there and enjoying the atmosphere.  But, will put up some soon...promise. :) 

Cheers

Haniza

Nothing is stirring..not even a mouse

It's nearly midnight, and as usual I'm up, waiting for Brigitta to fall in deep sleep. She usually does after her feeding but I will also rock with her in the rocking chair after she stops feeding. That helps too.

Truthfully, I didn't feel a strong bonding right after she was born. But, like people said, it will come and it goes both ways. She has to learn how to trust us too while we have to learn how to trust ourselves with her.  Now, as I hold her in my arms, rocking her to sleep, I feel this overwhelming love for this small being.  And an overwhelming urge to protect her from all the bad things in this world.

Mother's day is coming and for the first time, I'm qualified and it is still surreal. I don't know if Motherhood is for everyone and I won't push people to be a parent, but for me it's a humbling experience and oh so wonderful, and I feel blessed.  I wish there's no wars, that the world is not having pressures on its current ecosystem, that all humans are equipped with a healthy dose of self worth and self esteem, and that there's no poverty, hunger, crime. 

I have always wondered what do I tell my child on why I brought her to such a crazy world. But, it's this joy, those sparks of joy in life that sometimes is so hard to acquire but when we have it, it just fills us up, it makes us feel alive.  Plus, I want her to feel the love in this world, the happiness, and to learn the knowledge that feeds our thirst of curiosity.  To look at the beauty of nature and thank the Creator. To have friends that are loyal to the end, and learn about family ties that are so hard to break.  The struggle of life is also part of the joy in life. It's such an ironic, oxymoronic thing. 

So, in this quiet night as I feel her breathing, seeing her laugh in her dreams at goodness knows what in her young age,  I had to write this, of how much I feel and care for her and that I understand what Kevin had realized way before I did, he said he can't imagine life without her. I can't imagine that either.

May Allah Bless my Auntie

I just got word from my sister that my Auntie had passed away from a tragic accident. She is my Aunt by marriage on my father's side. I remember her as a happy person, always smiling for her family, even when her loving husband had passed away some years back and she had to become the head of the family. She lives in Seremban and the last time I saw her was with my late Mom. May Allah bless her soul and to her surviving children.

For the past 8 years, there's been a lot of deaths in the family.  It's really heartbreaking.  The rain is aptly falling right now. Just melancholy.

12 weeks...am exhausted!

I'm so tired out today. Ilham slept at about 12++ am, and then woke up about 4:++am and again at 6am.  That's actually pretty normal but usually she will sleep again till 10 but not today. So, I'm forced to take a shower and face the day with her.  

She had learnt this new cry which is closer to a scream this last week. If I believe what my late Mother said about Bugis having a bad temper, then Ilham definitely inherited that.  I would have to teach her patience when she grows up. :)

So, her new scream..opps ...cry almost turns me deaf.  This morning she did that when I want to doze off but as soon as I woke up, and walk her around, she was all smiles. That little minx! :)

Her biggest development this week is her poop frequency. Unlike before, where she poops everyday and almost every hour, now, she only does it once every 2 days. It seems to be normal especially for kids who are breast fed.  One article says that only if the kid doesn't poop after a week, to notify the doctor. 

I'm also better in realizing when she needs her naps.  She will actually cries when she's tired out.  Oh, the other thing is that she seemed to stop crying over pooping or farting which is good coz I get worried about that.

One time this week she actually laughed at me or at zips. I'm not sure what. I was getting ready her diaper bag to bring her out, and stressed out as usual. The diaper bag is quite big with lots of zippers. So, I was zipping here and there, trying to organize it. I propped her up on the sofa facing me. Then, as I was zipping away, looking at the bags, I heard her laugh. I looked up and she was looking at me, with a huge smile on her face. I watched her while playing with the zip and she laughed again.  It was really gratifying, unfortunately, I wasn't able to make her laugh again with zips after that so as I said, I wasn't sure what triggered it.  

We had a couple of big trips out together this week. The first was to a mall with my friend, Sheilla and her son. The second was to the Gilroy outlet.  That was a nerve wracking trip coz I was on my own, and it's a very far drive, about an hour each way but she was really good, and slept most of the time esp when I strolled her around. I got a mirror in the car so can see her while I drive. That is definitely useful.

Am a bit worried about her skin, it's splotchy, lots of red bumps like acne and dry. I'm hoping that it will be better in the next few weeks...hopefully before we go back to Malaysia in May.

Anyway, here's the latest photo of Brigitta. She's with Kevin in bed. She was busy talking and waving her arms around.