June 26, 2010

The Girl Who Rocks My World

Dearest Alva,

A year ago today, you came into the world. It was one of the happiest days of my life and I remember it so vividly as if it happened yesterday. Now before you roll your eyes and say "Come on mom, you said the same thing to Alden.." let me assure you I'm doing this for a good reason. It's my way of displaying fairness and equality in my affection. And writing a letter which closely resembles the one written for your brother is my clever way of doing that. It has nothing to do with my lack of creativity, okay?

Now where was I? Oh yes. The day you were born. The procedure was similar to the one I had for Alden's delivery so I was quite relaxed. Your dad was beside me looking all happy and excited, camera in hand. I told myself, "Be cool. No panicking this time!" and that's what I managed to do - the first 10 minutes. I don't know what got into me but as they started getting ready for the surgery, I got scared. The whir of the medical equipment on the operating table made me visualise how they were going to slice me open. So I panicked. I remember asking for the happy-gas but the nurses said NO. That completely disturbed my state of mind and freaked me out. OMG! OMG! No happy-gas? Matilah!!Your dad tried to calm me down by saying something nice but it didn't work. Then the anesthetist decided to try her mojo on me by saying "Is that your natural eye colour? They're beautiful!". I answered her with a curt "No". But she didn't give up and went on talking bout my lovely eyes or rather, my lenses. After a minute, I forgot all about the gas. I think this is what people call psychology.

So. Back to the story. After  I recovered from anxiety attack, the doctors sliced me open and gave me a little push on the abdomen. I know this sounds disgusting, but I could hear a gooey, slippery, wet sound when they pulled  you out from my womb (like something from Aliens 3). Soon afterward, I heard the sound of you crying - you were terrified to see the light! I got a glimpse of your face and said to your dad, "Eee...she looks like you". It's not that I wasn't happy. I was just erm, surprised. The nurses then took you to the cleaning table where they had you measured, cleaned and examined. To your dad's delight, they let him play doctor and gave him the privilege to cut your umbilical cord. It was your dad's proudest moment. After the cutting ceremony, the midwife wrapped you in a towel and put you on my chest for the skin-to-skin bonding. That's when we met  and fell in love with each other Alva :)

 

Today, you're a big bundle of joy. Twelve months old and officially a toddler. It's just amazing how much you've grown over the last couple of months. You were 2.6 kg when you were born. Now? You're 9kg! Amazing huh? In terms of physical development, you are right on par with other babies your age. You can stand unaided for more than five seconds and you have mastered the skills of baby-walker maneuvering. I reckon in less than a month, you'll be able to run.

Because of the vast development in your physical abilities, you've started to become more independent too. You like to do stuff on your own like brushing your teeth, (more like sucking the toothbrush), feeding yourself and drinking from the sipper bottle.

Unfortunately, at such a young age, you have experienced the negative effects of sibling rivalry. When I'm not looking, Alden tends to do some nasty stuff to you like slapping your face, grabbing your toy and biting your fingers. When this happens, you'd cry for mercy and these huge ginormous tears would trickle down your cheeks. A very pitiful sight. Because of the constant bullying, you are now very anxious around Alden and the slightest intimidation would send you scurrying like a rabbit. But it's no biggie. According to the book:  IT IS NORMAL. It's only temporary and your brother will grow out of it when he turns..I don't know, 18? By then you would've toughen up and gotten used to his bullying. Don't worry, your dad and I are working on this.
What do you like to play? Well. It's not like you have much of a choice since most of the toys you see are boy-oriented. Having said that, I have noticed that you have a deep interest in Alden's train sets. You love stacking up the train tracks and wooden blocks on the floor and watch them fall. This constantly upsets your brother because by doing so, you end up destroying his little Sodor town. To overcome this constant battle between you and your brother, your dad and I will get  you more girly toys okay? For the time being, you can play with mommy's makeup.









What will you be when you grow up? Will you be pretty? Will you be rich? I know you'll definitely be beautiful cos in my eyes, you are perfect (I'm biased of course). It's the rich part that I'm not sure of. This is why I'm encouraging you to venture into the field of cosmetic surgery or a career related to health and beauty. That's where you get the big bucks. Ask your brother, he'll agree with me. I mean I'm not forcing you or anything. I'm just thinking what's best for you. For us. After all, you do seem to like cosmetic stuff. This is a good sign. Think about it Alva.

In terms speech development, you are doing superb. You say mmmmm when you see food and da when you see daddy. You pick up a car when I say car and you give me wet kisses when I say kiss. There are a few more words that you've come to understand but I don't think it's necessary to list them all out. Let's just say, your development is normal and mommy's doing a great job at teaching you. Hehe. We'll keep on working on other more important words like mommy okay?

In terms of socialisation, you are quite the social butterfly. You love smiling, laughing and baby-talking all the time. According to the  carers at daycare,  you are very friendly with other tots and you are by far one of the most well-behaved babies in the centre. You no longer cry when I leave you and even blow me kisses when I say goodbye. You've settled quite well and mommy's so proud of you!

Before you were born, I was really anxious about having you cos your brother has such a unique personality. So unique that it eats up 100% of my energy everyday. Because of this, I wasn't sure whether I could cope with two highly-unique babies at the same time. But a week after you were born, I realised that you are so different from your brother. You're easier to handle and you're more settled at night. Thank God for that. Because of your mild-temperament, I am able to bring you to the office 3 times a week and have you sit  there quietly while I work.  I know you hate it when strangers come in and pinch your cheeks or when some aunty tries to amuse you by talking your language. Believe me, I know how torturous it is. But darling,  for the time being, it's the only way we can make things work. Next time, we'll lock the door and do stuff that you enjoy doing okay? I Promise.


As I've said before, I'm not a perfect mommy yet. I'm still striving to be one and thanks to you, I've  learnt a  lot about mommyhood over the last 12 months.  It means watching a cartoon 1000 times, going  to the office wearing stained pantyhose and cleaning poop 24/7. At the same time, it also means unconditional love, unselfishness and getting heaps of cuddles and kisses at the end of a long, hard day. The cuddles make everything worthwhile. 

 

I think I've said it all Goliva. You are mommy's precious princess and second biggest achievement. Happy Birthday.


Love

Mommy 





14 comments:

charmie said...

Happy Birthday to your kiddo sis, Healthy years to come and may you have a lot of pleasure with her:)

Lizeewong said...

Thanks charmie :)

Amanda Christine Wong said...

i seriously love it when u write letters to ur babies! as usual, hinting that they should venture into cosmetics to help momma look young again... :D

Wiskies said...

sweet.. ^_^ happy birthday vava..

Mimi said...

That is so sweeeet! Happy belated birthday to baby Alva.. And errr.. you were wearing contact lenses when you delivered her? Boleh ka?

d1n0za said...

Love this post. Nicely done Lizee. :-) I wrote somewhat a similar post a year ago. - http://dinoza2.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-ring.html

CathJ said...

awww...so cute!!! Happy bday to your princess... ^_^

Enniebelle said...

that's so sweet!

Lizeewong said...

Manda - Glad you like the post! Ya bah...I really hope one of them gets to venture into that field..Watched too much Dr. 90210

Wiskies - Thanks :)

Mimi-Thanks moi :) Ya..I was wearing lenses for the c-sec. Nda juga kena suru buka.

Dino- Thanks :) Will hop over to your blog to read that special post!

Cath - Thanks for dropping by :)

Mandak - Thanks moi :)

Lyn said...

Coolest.mom.ever

Lizeewong said...

Thanks Debs. That's the best compliment ever :)

Miss Jess_Lyne said...

Alva is a lovely baby :) I feel all nice and warm inside after reading this, you are an awesome mum! :D

Lizeewong said...

Thanks Jessica! That compliment is so uplifting :)

carolchs said...

Awwww...happy birthday Goliva..eventho belated sdh.