Akif's first Year

Seeing him grow up is like seeing my mother raising me. Now I know how hard it is to raise a child. But every moment is worth it. Looking after a child doesn’t only mean feeding, bathing and putting to sleep. But we have to make sure that we lead them in the correct path so that they grow up as respected and responsible beings. I want him to have everything good. I want him to grow as a well educated and religious person. I want him to be someone who respects his elders. I have big dreams for him. Insha allah he will turn out just how we want him to be.

Akif on his very first day :)

Baby Akif at 1 month

This first year of Akif's life flew away so fast. I can’t even remember a day or even a second i got bored ever since. Like most of the babies even Akif was confused with day and night. He would always sleep except at midnight. Yes, you read it right. He would get up around 10.30pm and would sleep only at 2.00am or sometimes at 3.00am. I and Ahmed tried every way to make him sleep which resulted to his sleeping method now. We have to put him in a pillow and rock him to sleep. In the day time he would only wake up for his feeds. Even when his grandmother gave bath to him he still would be sleeping. He would open his eyes only when his head is massaged with oil after bath. He hates that. Even now he won’t let me massage his head with oil. For 1 month it was ahmeds mom who bathed to him and massaged. He was only 10days when we celebrated his first Eid.

Baby Akif at 2 months

When he was 1 and half he started to sleep at night. I made the lights off at night and at day time I put on all the lights so that he would know how to differentiate between day and night and it worked perfectly. One day when I woke up I saw him sleeping on his face down. I sat on the bed and took a picture and turned him to other side, scared that he might have difficulty in breathing. This month i got to celebrate my b' day with my angel for the very first time which made that day extra special. He started to make little noises and would stare at bright things. TV was one of his favorite things. I guess it’s the sounds and the color which made him stare to it.

Baby Akif at 3 months

He was growing so fast. The days seem like flying by while I spent every second of my time with him. Akif was not a very active boy back then. He couldn’t even hold his head up while all the other babies his age held their head up. I wasn't worried since I knew that different babies reach the milestones at different rate. So I just waited.

Baby Akif At 4 months

It amazes me to see Akif reaching each milestone. One by one. By 4 months he firmly held his head up. I used to keep him in his chair which was a gift from his thutthatha and Kudatha. He loved to lie on the chair and watch tv. Sometimes he would even cry when he want to sit on that.

Baby Akif at 5 months

I hardly could wait without giving him food when he turned 5 months. I even felt that he was hungry and he wanted food. But that was only because i so wanted to give him solid food. I even went to consult a doctor but he rejected. Every day I felt like I would feed him something solid but i just hanged on.

Baby Akif at 6 months

I was waiting for him to be 6 months so I could start giving him solid food. We gave him apple puree as his first food. I was so excited that morning. He didn't love it but he took what we gave him. Akif was not an easy boy to give food. He has a habit of keeping food in his mouth for long. He won’t swallow it no matter how much water we put in. I tried to show him TV, tried to show nursery rhymes, tried to make faces or dance but just nothing would make him swallow. Sometimes I just sit and stare hopeless. So many days I felt like crying. My mom said that I was just like him. Even I won’t swallow. So may be god made him like that for me to appreciate my mom I guess. My whole day goes with his meal time. He takes 2 to 3 hours to finish 1 bowl or sometimes more than that. Sometimes lunch time comes when he is still taking breakfast. Feeding him was the hardest thing for me and it still is.

Baby Akif at 7 months

Akif spoke his first words which was “Bappa”. He slept around 8pm as usual and woke up around 10pm. Then when I started rocking him to sleep he started calling bappa.bappa,bappa. As if he woke up only to call him bappa. Akif was starting to get very active by this month. One day when Ahmed went to work I took a nap with Akif. I woke up to the sound of his laughter but was shocked to see that he was not in our bed. I jumped out of bed and saw that he was lying on the floor and laughing at the tiles. I didn’t even feel sad that he fell because he looked so happy lying on the ground. I even felt like taking a picture. He pulls down everything down he could reach while he was in his walker. I always had to collect things from the floor. He would run from one corner to the next corner in his walker.

Baby Akif at 8 months

This month was very special in every way. First we celebrated our anniversary with Akif for the very first time. Secondly Akif did very special things for the very first time as if he knew how special the month was for us. My ears was eagerly waiting for him to call me mamma and it happened on 03^rd May 2010. I was waiting everyday for him to call me that since he started calling Ahmed, “Bappa”. Surprise after surprise was given to us this month as I have said it before. It was on 14^th May 2010 when I woke up he started giving me kisses. I was so happy to receive his first kiss. It was exceptional. Like a day similar to that would never happen again. But with a baby at home every day is the same. They will always amaze you .Everyday when I wake up I see him bigger than the previous day. I felt so proud and happy that my baby boy was growing up.

Baby Akif at 9 months

This month started me with the most difficult days of my time with Akif. He couldn’t walk properly but he won’t sit in one place. He tries to get up and walk but every time he falls so I had to be on 24 hours alert. I have to carry him all the time. By evening I’m dead tired. And it’s only a coffee that helps me to get through the rest of the day.

He got his first tooth this month. He got very sick and got very sick every-time a new tooth emerges. First I noticed that he lost his appetite but then I thought what is new about it, he never had an appetite. Then came the fever and vomiting. Then I thought it was some kind of a fever which is going on but then I noticed his swollen gums. Then I got very excited. Every morning first thing I do after waking up is checking if the tooth came or not. It was on 7^th June 2010 when I was giving him water from his little glass cup that I heard the clinking sound and I knew that it was his brand new tooth. But now I just hate when he is teething. He vomits, doesn’t sleep, and doesn’t eat, every time he is teething which leaves me a bit crazy. So, I m not a fan of teething anymore. No excitement for teething. I just want to get over it.

Baby Akif at 10 months

Akif started walking this month. He never crawled. Perhaps that’s the reason he started walking so soon. He looked so cute with two little teeth, walking like a little robot. One can tell while he walking that he is proud of himself. Though he has started walking I couldn’t leave him alone yet. I had to be around cause he wasn’t walking firmly yet.

Baby Akif at 11 month

By this month I noticed Akif getting skinny and why not? He didn’t eat and the teething has made the issue worse. I sit with his food for hours. He has started to be very very active. No one would say he would get so active looking into his previous behavior which also contributed to make him skinnier. All I think about is what food to give him. I hate it when people comment about him being skinny. Only I know how hard I try to feed him.

Baby Akif at 12 months

Akif was active in everyway. He has a big mouth, very long hand which reached everywhere and feets which never stay in one place. Yeah I was getting skinny running after him all the time. Which is good right? But every second was worth it. He is a sunny boy. He rarely cries. He will be smiling all the time. Akif is a very easy boy to look after insha Allah.