My first letter to Maisarah: Your 18 Months Old!

Dear Maisarah,

Happy 18 Month Birthday! I can't believe that in 6 more months you'll turn two. My how time flies when your having fun. It seemed like yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital. You were weighing only 3 kgs compared to the 10 kgs you are now. The night we brought you home, you cried for almost 4 hours non-stop. You should have seen how crazy that made me and your Abah. We were pulling our hair trying to figure out how to sooth you. And during that night, it dawned on me how difficult it would be to raise a child. I wasn't sure if I could carry the huge task Allah had entrusted into our hands. Could we actually raising a child to be a caring, loving, thoughtful human being and devout Muslim? Well, that is too far to see but insyaAllah we hope to be able to do so. But at that point in time, I was thinking, could we survive the first month? or the first year?

Well, survive we did. After that first night, taking care of you was a breeze. You were not overly cranky and slept through most of the night during the first two months. You seldom cried for no apparent reason other that for food or sleep. Unfortunately, time passed by too quickly those two months. Before I knew it, I had to return to work. After that, spending time with you was limited to the few of hours in the early morning (you woke up as early as your abah and I did which is 5.30 am) and few more at night. But we made sure we spent as much time with you as possible on weekends. I made sure to minimise time away from you during weekends as I wanted to continue breastfeeding you for as long as I could. So wherever I went, you came along too!

Even though we were away from you during the day, we still managed to witness all the important developments in your life. We saw you roll and creep during your first six months. I also made sure I gave you your first spoon of solid food. Before that first spoon of rice puree you grew up healthily fed by my own breastmilk. I was so proud of you and of myself too! Then when you were seven months you started crawling and we just could not keep up! Your first tooth also made it's appearance around that time. Since then your tastebuds have experienced all kinds of fruits and vegetables. You were such a healthy little baby enjoying all the food. Even so, you breastmilk intake didn't reduce and Alhamdulillah I managed to supply enough milk for you.

When you turned eight months, you fell sick for the first time. Poor baby! You looked so tired and was slightly cranky. Your abah and I were so worried. We kept on checking your temperature and giving you sponge baths to lessen the fever. And luckily the fever subsided in a few days. As old folks say, 'demam tu mungkin sebab nak pandai buat benda baru' (the fever is a sign of you going to acquire a new skill), much to our suprise you started talking a few days later. Since then your vocabulary has grown and it may have doubled, tripled or even more now that you've turned 18 months. You are now constantly talking and we can strike conversations with you. THis has certainly amazed all family members and friends who've come to visit. You now like to tease Mommy. Whenever I ask you questions like 'What is your name?' or 'What diod you do today?', you reply by saying 'Tak nak cakap' (I don't want to say) and then giving me that cheeky smile of yours followed by the pharse 'Saje je' (I'm teasing you) indicating that you know the answer but you don't want to tell it to me. You are certanilybecoming bigger and brighter by the day and I pray to Allah the He will guide both me and your Abah in raising you and nurturing you to become a caring, loving, thoughtful human being and devout Muslim.

Alhamdulillah, we have come this far and may Allah bless our little family with health, long life and happiness for as long as possible. Also, praise to Allah that you are still fully drinking Mommy's milk and may this journey of ours continue for another six more months.

Love always,
Your Mommy

P.S: These are the important dates of your development throughout the first 18 months of your life...

Turn - 9 March '08
1st solid food - 20 May '08
Creep - 28 May '08
Crawl - 12 June '08
First tooth - June '08
Sit - 19 June '08
Sunat - 5 July '08
Fell Sick for 1st time (fever, cough) - 13 July '08
Fell off the bed for 1st time - 2 August '08
Took her first unaided
steps (5 to be exact) - 19 October '08
First family holiday (Langkawi) - 19 April '09
First time at the beach and in the swimming pool - April '09