A Surprise Birthday Present... From You!

My dear little one,

At around 04:30 AM this morning, I was woken by a gentle tugging on my arm. It turned out that you had crawled next to me. You opened your eyes just a teeny bit and cooed softly, "Mamamaaa...," and went back to sleep with a smile.
So you've been saving that word for today, have you?

Thank you dear little Zee, that was THE BEST birthday present I ever got! Even better than I ever imagined!

And you can't stop repeating the word all day!

Zii - 8 months 3 weeks (Nov '08)

Oh my, how you've grown!!

You're in your most adventurous mood, exploring the room, picking up (and throwing) random objects.. Now that you're crawling, you don't really like to be carried and always wriggle, attempting to free yourself from the clutches of our worried arms (I wonder whether you're imagining elaborate escape plans, haha)

You now have 2 teeth and signs of sprouting a third (in the same row, in the middle of your lower gum). Your hair is thicker (some say I should shave you bald so you could grow fresh "better" hair, but I don't want to..), and curlier :> You show more of your neck now that you frequently stretch to see lamps, the ceiling fan, and other things above you.

You love getting behind the steering wheel when Papapa warms up the car, and wouldn't get out of the rides in the game center without a fight :p
When I wanted to buy you another stuffed animal (as a sub for poor Pak Buaya whom you throw around every day), you wont even touch the fluffy toys, and your little hands stray to little toy cars & trucks instead. You're much too young for matchbox cars, you'll have to wait another 2 years (and a half, at least, because the box says "over 3y")

Here's your current preferences:

• Food: anything others are eating :p
• Toy: your Monster Jr. mini trike (although you're still actually too young for it), Pak Buaya (your little trusty stuffed crocodile), si MonMon (stuffed monkey), rubber duckies, spoons, tins, anything you can make noise with.
• "Words": papa, apa, wah, wawa, buah (no actual words, just babbling really)

Teaching Sign Language?

I'm interested in teaching baby Zee some sign language, mainly because I'm interested in learning to sign myself, and also to ease communication while his speech skills are still developing. Might also come in handy when communicating in the midst of a crowd or in a concert, hehe

So far there are plenty of good references online, such as this site and it's simple signing baby dictionary.

I've started trying to teach Zee some signs but not regularly.
Now that he's 7 months old, he'll probably like an effective way to communicate what he wants to everybody.

Another collection of pics

Another collection of pics, starring Zii!

He HAS grown indeed! :)

You're growing too fast!

Dear little one,
You're now 64cm tall (long? hehe) already! You almost outgrown your little sleeping bag & the clothes you wear are almost too small, lengthwise.

I am taking pictures of you all the time so I don't miss every single change you're going through. Your face also changed from when you were a newborn. You now have a 'little boy face' :)

But you're cuter than ever!

is it strange....?

Is it strange if I...

• look at my baby and cry, because I’m overwhelmed by joy just by the mere sight of him...
• experience this fullness in my heart, and instantly feel blissful and content
• feel scared just by the thought of losing sight of him, and instantly miss him the moment I lose sight of him, even when it’s just the short trip to the bathroom
• smile and silently mouth “ka-wa-iiiiiiiiiiiii!!!” at every one of his expression, at every part of his tiny little self, every movement he makes
• constantly worry about his well-being, imagine unlikely situations which makes me paranoid
• get tearful at every touching scene in a movie
• get excited about every little baby fact I read, hear or discover
• enjoy ironing his tiny clothes and plant little kisses while doing the laundry
• cannot stop thinking about bubs 24/7...
• get scared of not having enough love to share if I were to have another baby

collection of pics

A collection of photos starring Zii!

...Just something I did in an attempt to procrastinate positively :)

Restless days..

Little Zii,

What's wrong, Sayang?
You can't be left alone, and cry more than usual since yesterday evening. Are you uncomfortable, too hot, too cold, in pain? Your daddy & I are worried.. If you just want to be close to us all the time, that's fine with us, but we're afraid you might be sick or something. We took your temperature & you're fine at 35.7 C, so that's a relief, but you're still so restless...

Here's hoping it's just one of those fussy phases babies go through..

A Visit from Friends, Sunday, 17 Feb 2008

It's you & me, baby!

This is a pic from Toto, from when my friends visited us in the hospital.

(L-R) Toto, Atri, Jati, Faye, your Papa, me, your Eyang Mama, mBak Mei,

and cute little you in the hospital bassinet.

That's my boy!

Welcome home, Zii!!

Little Zii,

Finally we're discharged from the hospital. We came home today, Tuesday (19/02) afternoon.
We actually WALKED home from the hospital, because it's just a short five minutes away from home. You looked bewildered sitting in your new stroller, but still cute! ;)

When we arrived, you looked confused with the new surroundings. I was too.. It's something that you feel after getting used to one place and having to move to another. I rather miss the comfort of the hospital and the assurance of immediate availability of medical attention, not to mention the great help of the midwives and staff.

You looked around, seemed more anxious and wary...

I hope you'll get used to your new home soon, Precious Zii.

We finally meet, little one!!

Here you are, Zee!

Zyad Wystan Valerian

Born 15 Feb 2008 at 23:20

w: 3,675kg; h: 51cm

My precious little miracle, you didn't wait for the induction process and after almost 24 hrs of contractions (it started midnight the previous day, and I got admitted into the delivery ward at 15:30 the next day).

When doctor Frida called about the induction schedule I was already in the delivery room!

Mama sayang banget sama Zi, korekara mo yoroshiku ne! Mama masih amatir soalnya ;p

Kita belajar sama-sama ya Zi!

Zyad Wystan Valerian's Birthday: February 15

(from the babycenter website)

Famous Birthdays:
1564 Galileo Galilei
1820 Susan B. Anthony
1951 Jane Seymour
1976 Brandon Boyd

Birthstone: Amethyst

Sign: Aquarius

Notable Events:
1965 Canada adopts its maple leaf flag

Fun Facts:
1903 First teddy bear (named after President Teddy Roosevelt) goes on sale
1950 Walt Disney's Cinderella premieres

Come on, little one

My precious little one,

It's Valentine's day!!

You're a week and a day overdue now, and the doctor said that an induction might be in order.
She'll be calling in tomorrow to let us know when the induction process is booked.
I'm a little nervous honey, but I'm also excited because I'll get to meet you soon!

Due date: 6 Feb 2008

My little Zii,

Your due date came and went but you decided not to come yet.

When will you be ready to meet us, Dear?

I'll be waiting, Sayang! We can't wait to see your angelic face
(I'm pretty sure we can't take our eyes off you once you're here, so be ready!) ;)

Your Stroller Came!! (for REAL this time!!)

Yes, now it's official: you have a brand new DENIM & GREEN benetton luce stroller!!

It's PERFECT!

Now all that's missing in this home is YOU, little darling!

Jane called this morning, and I was going to pick it up tomorrow, but I simply CAN'T WAIT! So, of we went to Hornsby this afternoon to get your stroller and just now your Papa assembled it in the living room. Oh, I can only imagine how cute you'll look in it!

..Well, I imagine you'll look cute in anything anyway ;)

Your Stroller Came!! (well, almost..)

Hi little bubsy,

How're you doing?
Yesterday (19 Jan) your mummy, daddy & grandma came to the Babies Galore store in Hornsby (a bit far from where we usually go, but it was an okay place, the mall's nice & big.. in ordinary circumstances I'd take hours wandering and shopping there).

We got news that the stroller we wanted is available at that branch so we went all the way there instead of someplace nearer.
But when we went home and opened the box, it was a different colour (chili red)! And to top it off, a wheel was broken! Oh I was disappointed because it seemed we traveled all the way there for nothing.

So we called the store to complain and went today (20 Jan) to return the broken pram. And Jane from the store said she'd call once the right colour is available, but since other stores also didn't have the colour we wanted (denim/green), she also said not to get our hopes up yet.

Okay, so you cross your tiny little fingers too in there, I sure hope we'll get the one we want!! ;)

Boy or Girl? Does it Matter??

Dear little one,

Just got caught off guard a bit: after all this time relying on the 20 week ultrasound result which says you're a boy, a friend of an aunt commented that you're surely gonna be a girl.

hmm...

I really don't mind you being a boy or a girl, but I imagined you as a boy for all this time, even only thinking up boys' names & getting clothes for baby boys... so, if you turn out to be a girl, you're gonna have to wear onesies with firetrucks and racecar motifs, hehe

But I was really offended by the way that person commented, as if accusing me of wanting only a boy, and she sounded all triumphant-like, as if she succeeded in 'bringing rain on to my parade' if you know what I mean..

Oh well, wont dwell on it. What's the use anyways.

The main thing is I'm gonna concentrate on welcoming you into this world my precious.
Be you boy or girl, it doesn't and wont make any difference to me, you're still my little miracle.

I love you!!