Almost been a week since little munchkin Suraya was born. Hmmmm...how has it been? I can't give the amswer in just one sentence. Maybe in a thousand words and million words, it still will not be enough. Let me think...

Its different...having another kid while my other beloved kid is at the other end of the world. I wish my son was here so that I could do a complete kid count. My kids...3 in front of me, not 2 and one far away. I get to talk to my son when I was at the hospital. How I miss him. How I wish he was here ...don't know if he feels the same.

Anyway, back to the happy part. Having a baby is a re-live of 12 years ago, when Mas was born. But 12 years ago means that I was 12 years younger. Whats the difference?

The down side is that I am not as energetic and 'painless' as oppose to 12 years back. I had tonnes of energy and would still be able to clean the house and care for the baby when the baby was only 5 days old. And I do not hear the 'clinking' sound of my slightly arthritic knees when I climb up the stairs, while trying to bear with my healing loins. So in short, physical factor, habis aku kalah this time!

The upside? I am calmer and have more patience when the baby is fussy every night for 2-3 hours. My breastfeeding has been a success! Thanks to my patience of sometimes having to feed this hungry little monster every hour during the day. Thank goodness she feeds only every 4 hourly during the night which means that I did not really lose much sleep. One trick, she sleeps with me, hanging on to my breast till 2am, then she sleeps in her crib till her next feed and for the rest of the day. I try not to think of my messy kitchen and living room and even the bedroom and be ambitious to clean them cos I know that my body can't handle too any things at a time. I am also able to tolerate the stinking jamu 2x a day and swallow 15 of them in one gulp with no problem cos I know that if I don't take them jamu, my tulang reput will take me nowhere to recovery. I have not gotten post partum depression. Alhamdulillah, I think I am too old to get too worked up over the baby's fuss or maybe I have already gone through a great depression in the summer.

Okay lets talk about the baby. Suraya has been such a good baby so far. A good traveller, she doesn't cry in the car to and from the Dr's except for her 'udder'. She could recognize my voice very very well. She stops crying when she hears my voice and starts staring at me. She still does not fit most of her newborn clothes. She is so adorable, noones can resist her. Oh and she has grown 1.5 inches in length and gained a few ounces since born.

How aboout her older sister Mas? She is so happy to have a baby sister. This stops her misery of being the 'only' child which took months for her to re-adjust without her brother being with her. She loves carrying Suraya, but the problem is, every night Suraya has her fussy time and that makes it impossible for her sister to carry her. So Mas gets to kiss and smother the baby instead. Mas has been and will be a great big sister and her help around the house as lessen alot of burden on me and paps...thank you Mas for being a great daughter!

The daddy/paps? He is an emotional daddy. Very eager to do stuff, irritating the heck out of the baby with the flash of his camera. He has been by my side since the day the baby was born and will start working tomorrow. Before I gave birth, he promised that he would not spend that much time in front of the computer and would be by my side all the time and help with the housework...if only I could make turn his 'commitment' in writing. BUT but but...the husband has been a good help in keeping me sane by getting me stuff when I am rooted on the bed with the baby, help cook dinner, carry the baby when needed and alot of other stuff which I am not able to do. I really do appreciate his company for the past week and his attention for me and my needs. Thank you husband!

Eh, how about me? I am tired, with sore breasts with either a baby hanging onto one breast or have the electric breasts pumps on both breasts...not the most attractive scenario to think about eh? The husband dared not say anything when I was pumping for fear that he would get a semi permanent hand print on his cheek hehehe. My stitch has completely healed but my body still feel sore from the labor. Its amazing how you feel like crap days after labor. I am enjoying the baby and our newly expanded family. It was nice to see us rebond again with this bundle of joy.