It's a Wonderful World of Sadia!

Taking care of a baby alone is no easy task. And this coming two weeks, starting yesterday, will attest to that.

Yes, after the last session in Paris, the time has come again for his classes to commence and for me to hold the fort on my own. Possible visit to (and counter-visit from) a Malaysian acquaintance with similar situation is in the works though.

At the risk of boring my readers to tears with my baby-centric postings, I will continue the trend and dedicate this one to yet another on Sadia.

Since I should get some shut-eye soon, I prefer to keep this one as short and sweet as I could possible conjure (can hear my husband snickering in the background now).

Milestones on Sadia:
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(1) When we refuse, forbid or disallow her from wanting, taking or basically doing something by uttering one of these three words interchangeably - 'Jangan', 'Tak Boleh' or 'No' - she will shake her head many a time too in response. It's been so conditioned now that she'd shake her head if she doesn't want to eat or to play with certain toys.
(2) She will say 'Ntak' repeatedly while pointing to the things that she wants to hold or get a grip on. (Ntak must be short for Mintak). This rudimentary communication works quite well with (1) by way of the process of elimination to ascertain which is the thing she really wants out of the ones strewn on the floor or piled up on the dining table.
(3) She's into classical music. We chanced upon this discovery on her newfound interest after seeing her engrossed by the classical music used during a figure skating championship on tv. She was full of glee! We have subsequently collated a number of classical tunes from the Net for her enjoyment during mealtimes. Played on the Mac's ITunes to a dazzling kaleidoscope of random 'Visualizer', it surely helps to calm her down and whet her fussy appetite! Talk about Fine Dining!

Apart from those, Sadia is quite clingy (sounds familiar ;) ) to us and especially to me. At times, when she's in the living room alone, I can't even go to the nearby kitchen for a brief moment without her screaming and scampering after me. And she's a screamer alright - a petite baby with a loud set of pipes! When either of us is standing, she'd walk to us and wrap our kneecaps with her arms as an indication that she demands to be picked up and walk around in Ayah's or Mama's taxi. Who could resist when she does that!

Or if she has a tummyache and wants to go poo-poo, she'll become antsy (codeword for crybaby) and search for her source of milk (me!). Somehow, the act of nursing allays her stomach discomfort and eventually aids in passing motion.

Oh, another thing, like karmic justice, Sadia simply adores The Teletubbies! Yes, I'm afraid I've come to terms with it and even hums the showtune at my own volition, while Sadia jiggles from side to side in her sleepsuit, not unlike one of them Teletubbies. The only slack is that it's dubbed in Dutch. But I'm not complaining since the Teletubbies talk gibberish anyway and their actions are quite self-explanatory. By the way, I'm partial to Po. Haha!

My twin sister's son, Numair, also goes zany over The Teletubbies. Hmmm, is it in the shared gene sequence?

Speaking of showtunes, Sadia also loves the jingles to any tv shows, most memorably re-runs 'The Nanny' and 'Dharma & Greg.' I guess, she has an ear for music.

And yesterday, while eating to the accompaniment of classical music, she slid out - as she usually does - the plastic measuring stick attached to a punchholder, and excitably waving the stick in the air as if she were conducting! A conductor prodigy with a million bucks? Oh wow!!!

On that note, I must say, watching your own kid grow and develop in front of your eyes has a profound effect on your well-being. A series of cathartic experiences never to be missed!