The first 1 month and a half

I'm loosing track of all his milestones.. It's like there is always something new that's happening every day with him and every time I think I know what's happening with him, he surprises me with even more the next day.

So, this is what he can do know:
- Visual: He has progressively developed his eyesight & watching the progress is simply amazing! First it was now & then only that he would watch people moving. His first thing that fascinated him visually (that we know of) was probably the lamp crystals & the fans on the ceiling. Then few weeks ago, as I was walking in the dim light at night around him, I noticed his eyes could follow me as I walked around him (& I thought I sucessfully sneaked without him seeing me). Now, he definitely can see things clearly, he loves bright color such as the red bee on his crib mobile, he watches people moving intensely, he loves being brought to the balcony & see things outside, he was also so curious & looked around when we brought him to the mall last week.
- Breastfeeding: In his first 2 weeks, when he was hungry, he would cry all the way till he sucessfully latched. But now, as long as he's in my arms cradle position, he would turn quiet already knowing that he will get his milk soon :) But of course, he's giving me only less than 10 seconds to give him the breast otherwise he will cry again that spells out as 'Mummy, u're too slow, give me the milk already!' :). As for his length of time, at the beginning I used to closely watch the clock & breastfeed him each side for 20mins (as per the tip from one of the nurses in the hospital), but very often he's already asleep on the first side. Then I switched to just let him breastfeed on 1 side till as long as 45 mins or till he dropped the nipple/finished with feeding. I think this last method works better as he's getting more milk and they say the longer he drinks on one side, the more he gets the hindmilk, which is the milk with higher fat content (good for his weight gain).
- Sleeping: Well they say, babies start to sleep in longer stretch at night from 6weeks onwards. Currently Adam is still waking up on average of every 3 hours at night, but he has been an angel at night 95% of the time, always deep sleeping again after each night feeding.
- Bathing: He so enjoys bathing & loves being put in the warm water & having the water showered over his body using the mini cups we have :)
- Position: He loves being carried around, the presence of a warm body soothes him, like all babies. When he's got reflux, after we get out the trapped air in his oesophagus, he usually sleeps very well in upright position on our chest, and sometimes I put him in prone position on bed too. But this, I only found out recently, probably on his 6th week. Before that, mummy and daddy were almost clueless what to do with his reflux, except just keeping giving him the breastmilk as he never rejects it anyway & will keep him away from being awake & crying :). This was exhausting :)
- Activity: Now, he doesnt only sleep but also has more time awake (starting the past week/ wk7-8). And he loves being talked to & stimulated by music & colorful squeaky toys. Dont leave him alone as he will be bored & start crying :). He is also soothed when daddy brings him walking around up the condo stairs (ha, dont make me do this), this trick really works! He has also started giving deliberate smiles when we engage with him plus making some ooh/aah sound, but he must be in a happy state, ie. no reflux & stomach full of milk :).
- Measurement: He gained 1 kg after 1 month, and by now we know he's even heavier. We think we need an adjustable sling very soon otherwise he will be too heavy for me to carry just with hands :) We are also very happy that he gained weight at normal rate (doctor said range of 0.8 - 1.2 kg is good) 'cause I was a bit worried with his reflux/spit-ups. Anyway, he was measured 4.5kg & 56 cm, a long & lean baby :)

As for me - well, mum deserves a note as well & not just the baby right? :):
- I crave for food all the time. I'm superbly hungry, my appetite is nothing compared to when i was pregnant (actually i ate just normally during pregnancy). The breastfeeding obviously depletes my calories quickly.
- My tummy size has reduced substantially. I'm just 1 kg off my pre-pregnancy weight within 1 week after delivery, but I still cannot fit my jeans & buttoned pants :(. Doctor asked me whether I had used the traditional 'bengkung' to come to this size, which I said 'no, dont think that thing is working'. I guess i am just lucky genetically. Also, found no stretchmark, but still have the darkened skin on my tummy & spots of the dried eczema scars on my back... will take a slow time to disappear i guess.
- I'm getting used to what i call the staggered sleeping time, people say it's sleepless night :) At the beginning, it was so exhausting, especially the first 10 days when my episotomy stitches has not healed yet. Then, I would be so tired if I didnt get a one hour nap in the afternoon, especially when he got his reflux going on. But now, I can survive some nights without naps, especially that he can sleep longer in the afternoon, thanks to some more comfortable sleeping positions that we just found out.
- Domestic side: We got a nanny/helper coming in beginning of this month, yeay (ah, the benefit of living in a developing country) ! And thank God for mother & mother in laws! I've gotten so much help from these people (+hubby). Actually, I can now imagine how tiring it is for mums who do not have this kind of help, saluts to them!