Open Letter to My Son – Rafa is One!

Dear Rafa,

Last Saturday, you turned one year old. That is just 12 months, just 365 day… and in comparison to mine, your life time is just like a sprinkle of icing sugar on a cake. While mine is all the sugar that make up that cake. Or Kardashian’s butt. Whichever bigger.
Yes, you have been on this planet for just a short time but I am telling you kid, your first 12 months of life totally kick ass! Totally awesome schmwesome… You are one lucky kid, Rafa!

You were born on 29 June 2012 in Bandar Baru Bangi, in the same hospital your brother Miki was delivered. He came home to a small and stuffy rented house that barely has space for him to play. But you came back to our very own house that has a garden and way more spacious. So spacious I can’t seem to tidy up all the rooms they ended up dusty. Sigh!

As a young baby you were really good and adorable. You had a bit of jaundice but didn’t even need to be hospitalized. You hardly cry and hardly fussy. You fell asleep on your own in your crib and you smiled. Yes your first year of life is full of smiles.

When you were about four to five months and ready to go on holidays, it was the raining seasons. And when the rain stopped the weather got really hot. But you were very strong. The bugs hardly left any effects on you and I didn’t even bother giving you antibiotics. In fact we hardly go to see your doctor other than for your scheduled immunisation jabs. Jimat duit Daddy… Alhamdulillah.

You were breastfed since birth and supplemented with formula at 5 months old. At 6 months you start eating solid food. By the time you were 10 months old you turned into a ferocious eating monster… now, you are eating a lot, you eat everything and anything. Sometimes you scream so hard asking for some food that we were having, so we picked a tiny bit of spicy bihun goreng and put in your inviting mouth. That’s when you eyes shine as you savour the taste before you scream for more. You don’t seem to mind the hot and spicy.. I think it is gonna be easier feeding you when you are a toddler insya Allah.

In the development department you are doing really well especially in speech. By 6 months you can already say your first word – MAMA! Which you still call me today although occasionally you do call me Danaaaa (Diyana). Amboih! Other words in the Rafactionary? Daddy, Abang, Cat, Flower, Nak, Thank you, Bye, Pandai, OK, Ball etc.. I think it’s pretty impressive for a 12 month old. I think you have a gift in repeating words . You know, like a parrot.

Remember what I said about your life being awesome schmawesome? Well, in April 2013, I was appointed as Play Ambassador for Fisher Price, international renown brand for highly educational, innovative and quality toys for children. I wouldn’t have been chosen if it wasn’t because of you and Miki.

Because of the Ambassador program also, you got to be on a cover of a magazine! Do you know how cool that is? Definitely not everybody gets a chance for that. You and me were on the cover of Parent Talk, May 2013 with a long cover story inside with Daddy and Miki’s pictures too. Sweet! On top of that we appeared on major newspapers like The Star and Berita Harian.

On the same month, on 23 May, you went on your first real vacation. You were just 10 months old and we took you on a tour to 4 European countries – Germany, France, Belgium and France for two weeks. You visited 4 capital cities Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels! Well, you can say you have been to 5 if you count Dubai where we stopped for several hours for a connecting flight to Frankfurt.

Another reason why your first year kick ass? You went to Disneyland Paris! You went to so many other great places in Europe and I am actually quite envious of you. You got to do all this FOC, with someone always carrying you or pushing you in a stroller. You just sit there and enjoy yourself and scream when you are hungry. While I had to pay and I had to walk myself but heyy….. I can remember what happened and you can’t recall a thing! Ha! ha!

Anyway…. The highlight of your first year must be your birthday party. We had one at Kizsport Bangsar Village II exactly on your birthday and it was a huge successful event. More than 50 parents, 30 kids not including babies were there at the Rockstar themed party. We had a yummy chocolate cake shaped like a electric guitar, another electric guitar shaped piñata, lotsa delicious food and super fun games… plus you played the drums in a band with Miki and your friend Farrell. For a one year old to sit behind the drum set and hit (with a lot of miss) the drums, to me is fantastic… I think other babies would cry or start crawling away but you didn’t!

Coz you are that awesome kid! That awesome Rafa! OUR AWESOME RAFA! Your Daddy, Miki and I love you to bits and we think you the best thing that has ever happened in our lives. You remind us daily on how blessed we are, by just looking up to us with those amazing big shiny eyes and flash your gorgeous smile at us. Thank you Rafa for making our lives complete.

Happy 1st Birthday to you…

Lots of love,
Mummy.