Each child is different

GM is almost 35 month old or one month shy of turning 3 years old.  A lot has happened in the last 20 months.  I feel blessed that I am in the position to witness and participate in each milestone.
Being an active child, I enrolled him in baby gym class when he turned 2 years old which meant Mommy too had to attend his classes.  This class was very good for his motor development skills as well as his social development.  He got to learn to play with other children of his age in a safe environment.  He also got a "workout" appropriate for his age and I could see his self-confidence increasing as he progressed.  His physical development was also good - getting stronger and though he looked like he was slim, his weight hovered in the 15kg range of lots of muscle and little fat.  Often people mistake him for being around 5 years old and ask which kindergarten does he go to.  My standard reply is: " He still hasn't reached the minimum age" :).

His diet also began to change with more solid foods of mainly organic vegetables, proteins and less processed carbohydrates.  As far as possible, I aimed for a more natural diet using good fats such as butter and not margarine.  I would always have vegetables for lunch and dinner and fruit included in breakfast.  Since I am blessed to have my own organic farm, most of his vegetables came from the farm fresh.  Now, he eats vegetables without any problem something that I often see children avoid.  He also eats a variety of fruits - bananas are all from the farm, but the other fruits, I try to avoid genetically-modified varieties.  I always make it a point to know the source of the fruit and vegetables.  I avoid fruits from Thailand since most of it is grown in a high pesticide environment and with added hormones and preservatives.  I tend to avoid produce from China due to their high usage of pesticide and chemicals.  My aim was to make his "insides" strong with good development.

His verbal communications skills is still not very good but he can express what he wants or doesn't want.  Since he is tri-lingual - Malay, English and Spanish - he mixes all 3 languages when he speaks.  His vocabulary in all 3 languages is improving although his pronunciation is still not precise.  He understands more than he vocalises.  We avoid "baby-talk" and pronounce words normally.  Until he can express himself more, I do not intend to send him to nurseries or pre-kinder or daycare.  I worry about him not being able to voice himself should anything untoward happen so for the moment he is always with at least one of us.

As he approaches turning 3 years old, his speech development may not be as advanced as some other children but his physical and motor skills development are more advanced than others.  Each child develops at their own rate and all you can do is to support that development.  Hence I do not worry as to why he cannot speak fluently yet.  All in all, I am thankful that he is growing strong and healthy in a loving environment with strong familial ties.

First 16 months

I feel blessed and happy at seeing GM's development through his 16 months.  There have been many changes and he has grown.  The first month was spent more with ensuring that he was comfortable, well-fed and did not get colic.  Alhamdulillah, there was only two episodes and I put it to me forgetting to massaging the Telon oil or Yu Yee oil on his tummy, back and soles of his foot.  Poor baby, and poor Mommy cause it led to a few hours of pacing and consoling him till his tummy settled down.  Other than that, it also meant that Mommy had very few hours of sleep because he needed to be fed at least every four hours.  One of the practices that I attribute to his good body development, apart from ensuring healthy milk, was massaging him twice a day.  I would massage his total body and also laid him on his tummy. I was fortunate that he was not a crier, only crying when he wanted to be fed or changed.  He also preferred cooler temperature and would get fussy when it was warm or hot.  For travel, I place him in a car seat, a practice that I am thankful I started early because it became the norm for him and I can easily place him in the car seat without fuss.  My suggestion to every newborn mother is to start this practice for travelling in a car seat as soon as possible.  Not only is it a safe way, but also allows you to drive without distraction.

During the second month, I would lay him on his tummy for at least 5 minutes, 3-4 times a day, careful about his head placement.  He did not enjoy being bundled, wrapped in a cocoon so I acceded to his wishes.  I spent a few minutes after every meal, talking to him, making eye contact and exaggerated facial movements and voice intonations.  Being a Muslim, I also zikir and read Quranic verses to him as a lullaby.  This is a practice that I do until today and inshallah, will continue to do so.  The twice a day massages continued, after every bath time, as well as some simple arms and leg exercises.  He was also able to hold his head up and did not appreciate being carried horizontally when he was awake.  I guess he was eager to see what was going on around him and being carried vertically allowed him a better view.  He also outgrew his car seat so I got another car seat, one that advertised could be used until the age of 4.  We shall see.   I also have his travel bag ready all the time, equipped with his formula, diapers and toiletries as well as change of clothes and several bibs.

By the third month, he was already laying on his tummy, and able to rollover. I spent a lot of time engaging with him to encourage interaction.  I took him everywhere, carrying him in front, in a baby Bjorg that allowed my hands to be free so this meant that he often slept while being carried around.  One essential item that I invested in was an ear thermometer.  One of my major fears was high fever.

I adhered strictly to his shots and made sure that they were on time.  Prevention is always a thousand more times better than cure.

Nowadays, he is very active, preferring to run than walk.  All in all, Mommy has her work cut out for her, keeping out with her little man.