Thursday, June 13, 2013

Letter to My Girls: Khayla (29 Months) & Khadeeja (5 months)

Dear sweethearts,

My apologies - I've been dawdling on this month's letter until it dawned on me that the next one is due in a couple of days! I have to whip my lazy bum bum and start writing because one day, when I'm old and wrinkled, and hardly able to feed myself, this letter will remind both of you that you owe me BIG time, girls! Khayla for the amount of time I chased you with a bowl of rice while you ran helter-skelter because you refused to eat. And Khadeeja - my sweet little Khadeeja, for the laborious effort I took to mash bananas, carrots and sweet potatoes, and mix it with breastmilk plus lots of love - because my 5 months old has decided to follow in her sister's footstep of starting solid early!

Let's start there, Khadeeja. The moment you tasted food, glorious food.

Sometime after turning 5 months old, I noticed that your drools have become more than just a passing hobby - something to pass the awfully slow time while you grow up. Whenever we all sat at the dining table, you watched with interest as we ate our meals. Then you drooled. And grabbed something - anything, to shove into your mouth.

My chubby, jolly baby early in the morning

You are no longer sleeping fitfully throughout the night as you did when you were four months old. Several times you woke up searching for my boob and the way you suckled so hungrily and so enthusiastically sent an alarm signal to my brains - this baby of mine is ready to be weaned! Where did those few months go, how fast time flies!

The first time we fed you mashed banana, you were so eager and leant forward with open mouth. The moment you realised that unlike other objects you kept trying to put in your mouth this one actually tasted nice and edible, you swallowed it like a pro. This was not in the case of your sister previously because her first meal ended up mostly on her bib. Not you though - most of your first meal safely ended up in your tummy and I had very little clean-up to do after that. Bravo, Khadeeja!

So far you have had a taste of banana (which you love), carrot (which you don't, and kept spitting it out with the most outrageous sound!), mango (you enjoy having it in the baby feeder, which you can hold yourself and shove in your mouth) and sweet potatoes. Occasionally I gave you baby cereal rice as well, which most of the time you eagerly finished without much complaints.

Someone's sitting in baby chair for the first time!

My super-adorable baby,

This month also marked another significant milestone - you could sit unassisted. This way, you enjoy your toys so much more because you can busy your hands pushing buttons and cranking sticks on the toys :) While you were on your front, you could also push yourself up in half-sitting position - almost like doing a one-hand pumping!

I can sit!

But sitting still and playing is not really your cup of tea. No-uh. You prefer to half-crawl, half-wiggle your way all over the living area, the dining area and even attempted to go down the hallway if we let you. If you must have a middle name, I am tempted to name you 'Makcik Kepoh-chi' for the ultra-curious nature that you show at this age.

Exploring the tea leaves at Cameron Highland

Yes, for a five months old baby, you love exploring every niche, nook, corner and whatnots of this house. Everything fascinate you even for just a short while. To make it worse, your hands are super-quick to grab at things - even your sister's hair and especially her favourite possessions. Then all hell break loose and I ended up having two babies bawling out their lungs!

Wanting to grab the lit birthday candle while your sister protested

Sadly to say, you hate travelling that the moment we buckle you up in the car seat you scream, twist your body in protest and cry big fat dramatic tears! It isn't the idea of motion-sickness that makes you miserable - no. It's the fact that you have to sit quietly in the car seat, or in our hands when your father grew tired of hearing you throwing fits in your car seat - that sent you to the edge. Being confined is a dreadful experience to you because you can't be mobile and explore your surrounding. Our recent trip to Cameron Highland was an excitement until the time we have to travel in the car - and then I wished that I have a time machine so that we could spent just a moment in the car on our way back to KL.

Not such a happy traveller

And then there is my other, adorable little toddler named Khayla.

Dear Khayla,

One day you came back from school and surprised me with the sweetest gift ever - Mother's Day gift! Whoa! I never dreamed that I would be celebrating Mother's Day before you could talk in proper sentences or narrating your day at the school, yet here you are handing me a bouquet of flowers and a big, heart-shaped card with your hands' prints on it! My heart was practically bursting from so much pride of being a mother to this wonderful little girl!

She made this Mother's Day card herself!

This month you are ultra-happy because two great things happened - one, you had 2 weeks school break and therefore did not have to battle it out with your father on having to wake up early and taking a shower to go to school (joy, joy!). Two, Mak Yeng is here and that means you can go for 'walk-walk' every day! Mak Yeng and you shared the same passion for car ride and window-shopping, so it is no surprise that you are her favourite granddaughter.

So many wonderful things happened this month as well - you've perfected the 'Gwiyomi' act, went swimming almost every day and you even surprised us when you sing the national anthem. You continued to add a lot of words in your expanding vocabulary, which you enjoyed pointing out and exclaiming them whenever we came across one.

You exclaimed, 'Aahh… Stobeli!' when you saw this replica of strawberries

Another notable development this month is you can already share some of your toys with Khadeeja without much coaxing. Like the other day you offered a rattle to her in exchange for the toy you want to play yourself. Mak Yeng said one day you came back from school and then sat with your sister with a book. Then you began pointing pictures in the book, asking her 'What's that, Khadeeja?' before answering your own question, 'Giraffe!' I guess you have been busy observing us as we read books to you and Khadeeja and even brought both of you to the children's library recently. You also offered to comfort your sister when she wailed in the car, shushing her and telling her, 'Look Khadeeja! Sky!' in your attempt to distract her. For that, I love you :)

You like the idea of blowing candles and singing 'Happy Birthday'

My darling daughters,

I just want to say that I don't regret my decision to get off work this year so I could spend my time being around you two. Every day you both came up with something new to make me fall even more deeply in love with you. Watching you both grow up in front of my eyes - are just too precious. If I could freeze time, I want this year to never end and you two stay the same - delightful, loveable and cuddlesome for as long as I live.

Sweet sisters sleep together

Love you both incessantly,

Mak