Dearest Anya,
It has been 3 months & 4 days since you came into this world. Here's a little chronicle of the last few months:
You were 3.33kg and 50cm long at birth. You were able to latch on immediately and suckle strongly. During your first month, you were always sleepy (though at first it was difficult getting you to get some real sleep when it IS time to sleep) and often dozed off while latching on. You would have this contented expression on your face while dozing in my arms, often with your mouth wide open.
Unfortunately, we soon found that my milk supply was insufficient to meet your demands, thus we had to supplement you with formula. In fact, your milk intake has been increasing steadily while my milk supply is going down. I believe in the next fortnight or so, you will have to rely totally on formulas. Still, I am thankful that you were breastfed partially for the past few months.
Right from Day one that you went home, we knew that you were a screamer. Your hunger cries usually escalate from whiny sobs to high-pitched piercing screams within a span of 1 second! Because of this, Daddy & Mommy have learned to be quick on our toes when it comes to preparing your milk.
We had a confinement lady who took care of you while Daddy & Mommy were learning on the job and getting to know you. The biggest challenge we had with you in your first month was getting you to nap well & sleep well. You loved to wiggle and free your arms every time we swaddle you, as a result you kept startling yourself (usually 10-15 minutes into your sleep). It got to a point where even the confinement lady was very much tired out as the longest that you slept at one stretch was only 30 minutes!
Despite the higher incidence of Infant Death Syndrome associated with sleeping on the belly, I tried placing you on your belly during one nap time out of desperation. It was done, however, under watchful supervision. I ensured that your cot was cleared of everything except for a breathable blanket. Also, i was checking on you every 5-10 minutes to ensure your face was on either side and you could breathe with ease. And the result? You were able to nap for 2 hours straight! Mommy was dancing with joy while calling your Daddy at work to report about your little milestone.
The cute thing about you being a belly baby is that you would wiggle in your sleep. :) Usually, Daddy & Mommy will place you as close to the foot of the cot as possible and we usually find you at the head of the cot in the morning.
Daddy & Mommy has found that you generally enjoy bath-times.
Changing or dressing you, on the other hand, can be a daunting task as you will scream your head off. However, this has changed since we placed a colorful pinwheel right above your changing table. You never seem to get tired of staring at it and often greet it with a smile when we placed you on your changing table.
Still on the topic of physical development, you can now hold your head quite steadily. You can also hold your chest up when we put you on your belly these days. Mommy is looking forward to mark the day when you can flip over on your own!
The day you turned 1 month & 1 day was the days when we had a real proper outing as a family (visits to the doctors & polyclinics don't count!). We went to church in the morning and then adjourned to Parkway Parade for lunch. Parkway Parade turned out to be a bad place to be in with you as it was packed with people! Being over-stimulated and not having a proper nap in your pram as passer-by kept knocking into it, you howled & screamed while Daddy & Mommy got so upset that we lost our appetites too. It was a lesson learned through the hard way: Avoid bringing Anya to a overly crowded place. Thankfully, you have been such a dear during subsequent outings since!
While we managed to resolved your sleeping problem, we soon discovered that you sleep lesser as compared to most babies. Mommy was rather worried at the beginning as I read that babies need their sleep to grow! However, your first visit with the P.D. at 6 weeks helped to ease my worries as your P.D. confirmed that you were growing well and was generally a happy thriving baby. You sleep around 14 hours on average these days.
Still on the topic of sleeping, one of your biggest milestones so far was that you slept through the night at Week 7-8. This was something that Daddy & Mommy are so proud of, and thankful for. Usually, you will have your last feed at around 10pm and will be asleep by 1130pm. During Week 7-8, you would wake up crying for milk at around 5am. However, by Week 9, you would wake up at around 930am. Sometimes, Mommy even has to wake you up, fearing that you are starved / your diaper will burst!
You started to show a keener interest of your surroundings after you entered your second month. You would stared at the toys hanging right above you for ages when lying on your play gym, you even 'watched' TV with us occasionally!
At playtime lately, you would spend ages staring at your raised arm or trying to grasp your toys.You could track moving objects better these days, a evident sign whenever your fur-sister hovers near you.
Another milestone is that you can now grasp a handkerchief in your hand. Once you managed to hold the handkerchief, more often than not, you would put them into mouth and you will be sucking it happily. When a handkerchief is not in sight, your fingers or your wrist will be the object(s) in your mouth.In fact, I am certain that if you can grab anything & everything now, they are very likely to go into your mouth.
You have also started coo-ing and experimenting with pitches. Both Daddy & Mommy found your coos really endearing and very often, your face will scrunch up into all sorts of expressions as you responded to us as if we were having a sensible conversation!
Since you started having real smiles, we look forward to greeting you every morning. Your eyes will roam in search of us the moment we flipped you over on your back. Once you found us, your face will break into the most radiant smile. Occasionally, you even squeal in delight as you pump your legs excitedly.
As I'm penning down your progress in the last 3 months, I find myself smiling a lot. Indeed, you have brought much joy into our lives. Daddy & Mommy are so thankful to God for answering our prayers in the form of you. Do keep on growing and smiling, my baby!
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