The first "real" outdoor outing!

Though Manya has been to the grocery stores, clinics, pharmacies, and even on a social visit and a long drive, she had her first "real" outdoor outing a couple of days back when we took her for a short visit to the East Potomac Park and the Tidal Basin in Washington DC to catch the last of the cherry blossoms.

We left the house at 6:15 AM. Yes, I got the AM bit right. Manya is the most active, cheerful and predictable in the mornings. So after a quick feed, we packed ourselves in the car to view the rising sun on the 267. We parked at the East Potomac Park - quite a prestigious spot :D. Though there were quite a few vacant lots, we were surprised at the number of early morning visitors. 

Her royal highness was very cooperative and supportive of our walk around the Tidal Basin, till the goddamn sun came out and hit her face. She lost all patience and howled. Oh, god, she must have really gone on me. I too so hate the sun on my face. So, we had to cut short our grand plans of the entire walk around and after soaking in the views for about 45 minutes, we were on our way back.

Most important lesson learnt:

• Expose Manya to bright light outings more often. We can't do without the sun now, can we?

All in all, I gave Manya a very high 9/10 for the trip, considering her sun-hating genes are not entirely her fault.

(P.S. Don't even ask about the pictures. No, don't you dare go there. The SD card ate them all up and I have still not gotten over the loss. Almost, as if Manya punished us for the sun :()

Goodbye to the "I am a new mommy" excuse!

Yes, I finally sat up this weekend and decided enough was enough. I had to snap out of the "just delivered"/ "have a new born"/ "am a new mommy" mould. I was beginning to feel old and decadent - and that is a very scary feeling. 

So here's what I need to do to "reinvent" myself, in the most cliched way: (I promise I will do a periodic analysis to see where I stand.)

• Get a hair cut: How simple is that! I read on a friend's FB status, "When a woman decides to change her lifestyle, she first gets a haircut." Very true. I was quick to act on this one and got some spring cleaning out of the way :D.

• Get back in shape: I am 3 massive kilos away from my pre-pregnancy weight (3 might seem a small number but those of have been there and done that know that it's the last couple of pounds that are the hardest to knock off). Not only do I need to shed those off, I need an intensive toning routine too. All the pregnancy and nursing curves and bags need to be tucked in!

• Get rid of my yoga pants: I need to just throw these away. My best friends during pregnancy, I have worn these everywhere: to the hospital, grocery stores, banks, restaurants, gym and to the bed! And now I have got so used to these shapeless comforting wonders, that these are the only clothes I reach out for in my closet every single day.

• Dust the cobwebs off the heels: Oh, how I loved wearing heels! It's been more than a year now. Wore them briefly once recently, and boy, it felt great.

• Get some paint on the nails: Ever since the 8th month of my pregnancy, when I no longer could see my toes, I stopped painting them. Trimming them was a huge exercise in itself, forget pedicures. While I still can't paint my finger nails (for obvious reasons of safety and hygiene for the little one), it's about time my toes got a makeover!

• Eat out atleast once a fortnight: This one depends a lot on Manya's comfort levels in restaurants  but we need to begin taking her out for the litmus test. I am really hoping for a nice wining and dining evening. Oops, wining can't happen cos I am nursing, but well, dining surely can!

• Blog regularly: And not just on this mommy blog, but my other one too!

• Resume reading: I seriously need to restart reading. And I mean proper adult reading, because all that I am reading these days (barring the few parenting magazines I received) is Sam and his little sister, Sleepy Owl, Goodnight Moon, Off we go to grandma's house, Bear on a trike, and the likes. You get the drift right?

• Call friends: I need to pick up the damn phone and make a few gazillion calls to all those patient friends, who have constantly kept in touch all this while, while getting a superfluous "Call you soon" in response from me!

Anything else that I am forgetting? Please feel free to use the comments section to remind me :)!

Bath Times = Fun Times

I don't know if it is the change in weather or our little babe has grown up, but for the past fortnight or so, our bath times have become a lot of fun. 

I remember mentioning in a previous post, how Manya has never ever fussed during the entire bath routine. From her very first bath, she has been the epitome of patience and good cheer, as mommy and daddy gingerly handled her during the oil massages and the actual bathing. However, her facial expression was always stoic - and I bet that if she could talk, she would tell us, "Guys, be careful and be done with this as soon as possible, I am not sure you really know what you are doing or how this feels like". It would melt my heart to see her nervously clutching the sides of the bath tub with both her hands, as she'd stare at our images in the mirror next to the tub. No cries, no complaints, very sober; at most she'd get distracted to admire her self :D.

Cut to the present. We have a giddy cherub wriggling naked on the mat as mommy massages her hair and body with what mommy thinks to be the best oil ever (olive). Then, as the water is filled in the bath tub, the cub rolls and flips all over. And, then the real fun starts when she is in the tub. No more holding tight to the rim - we have her splashing her legs in the water, smiling, laughing, trying to catch hold of the mug and merrily  letting the water fall all over her hair, eyes, face. 

(P.S. I can swear by my life that Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo and Wash is indeed tear free!)

While I get to enjoy this everyday, Vish has only the weekends but the two of them, daddy and daughter, make quite an adorable sight playing with the water!

5 Month Milestone

Yes, yes, that time of the month again. The li'l darling is 5 months old and continues to rock (pun very much intended) our lives!

• She flips from her tummy to back, the minute I put her on her tummy for mandated tummy time or pre-bath oil massages! And on the other hand, she is so lazy to roll from her back to her tummy on her own. She seems to not have any motivation to do so. 

• She laughs ever so whole-heartedly with so much chuckling and chortling that you'll think she is surrounded by jokers all the time.

• Her vocalization is very good - lots of haaas, waana, maaas. At certain times, you'd almost thing she said something meaningful :D. Oh, and she talks to everyone and everything - fans, curtains, pillows, bulbs, doors, windows - I really mean every damn thing!

• Her night sleep has been quite a bit napish this whole month. Hoping for more "sleepful" times ahead!

• Her favorite sleeping positions are on her side and on her tummy! Trust her to just do the opposite of what is recommended (sleeping on the back, that is)!

• As I had mentioned before, she has started on cereal. We have begun alternating between rice and oats. She cheerfully sits through her eating time, irrespective of the fact that she opens her mouth or not! No clear like or dislike and no clear preferences between rice or oats. However, I have noticed that oats seems to suit her better in terms of efficient pooping though. (With all that fiber, what do you expect!)

And so we roll...

From the horse's mouth...

Had to put this on record. After getting fed up of my incessant cribbing on lack of sleep, my mommy finally conceded and gave me the true milestone. She says I will get to sleep for longer hours only when Manya is done with school. She talks out of her first hand experience at raising too hell-breakers for kids. Sigh. She never ever told me this before I got pregnant :D.

Looks like my sleep quota's exhausted!

Irrespective of whether you know the art of power nap or not, you will agree that atleast 6 hours of sleep at night remains non-negotiable. 6 hours! Damn! There was a time I needed 9 to 10 hours of sleep every night. I used to joke about it when people raised eyebrows - for all the energy I spent during the day, I had to have that 'recharge' time. 

So, very obviously, Sleep and I have shared a beautiful relationship since the longest I can remember. I could sleep anywhere, anytime, anyhow. I slept entire weekends with barely any wakeful time. Long, boring train journeys, bus rides, car rides, plane rides: I could and would sleep to my heart's content. 

Then 11/6 happened! 

It was like our relationship status went from 'happily married' to 'no longer see each other', overnight. They said at 6 weeks for sure I'd get atleast 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. No luck. 

Then, I was the told, at 3 months, life would magically change overnight and we both (mommy and baby) would be sleeping for longer stretches. Haa! 

We are reaching the 5-month mark now, and 2 hours of continuous sleep happens only on days I am very lucky. The pediatrician gave me some gyaan on 'sleep regression' in 4-month olds - emphasizing it was "all normal". So, that's the thing with parenthood, all you end up with is truckloads of jargon for all the annoying stuff and a mutated meaning of 'normalcy'. 

The verdict?

They say, the half year mark will be the turning point. 

Only for Bollywood buffs: I feel like the Sunny Deol of Damini. "Tareeq par tareeq par tareeq milti rahi hai, par insaaf nahin mila." (Translated as: All that was given was one date after the other. But, justice was never given).

Sigh.

Ask me again, "Is it really that bad"? 

I swear it is! I have slept for 3 hours at a go on exactly two nights. No, don't even begin to tell me babies have phases that come and go. Ofcourse I know that. All that I want to know is in exactly which phase do I get to sleep?

And thus, my latest theory: God has allotted a fixed number of sleep hours to everyone. Something like the limited quantity of the chocolate ice cream in your refrigerator. You can have it all at one go or have a little and make it last for a very long time. Looks like, I have exhausted my sleep quota! How else do you explain other mommas getting to sleep 4-6 hours already?

Special note to all the parents-to-be: Use your sleep quota very wisely. Someone up there is keeping an account!

Our in-house acrobat!

The chipmunk is pulling out new tricks from her sleeve every other day, much to the delight of eager spectators :D. Here are some of the acrobatics:

• Guess what's going in the mouth these days - madame's own toes! Yes, it's disgusting, but very funny too. The first instance was when I turned around to get a fresh diaper, only to turn back and see that Manya had her hand firmly grasping her leg and the toe steadily inside the mouth.

• When being carried, she tries to crawl/climb up and down. Mind you, it's not slithering - she actually uses her legs in a walk-like fashion!

• She has developed a dance move that is somewhere between wriggling and twisting. She does it all the time - on her bouncer, on the bed, on the lap!

• Teething or not, she is a raging tiger at most times during the day - ready to pounce and bite on on anything and anyone - her favorites being mommy's jaw line and daddy's cheeks!

• 99% of the times, you will find her legs up in the air in a very neat gymnast posture - she can also sleep like that - Imagine my plight trying to cover her with a blanket in the nights!

• Another of her favorite pastimes is pulling her socks out and pulling her PJs up - using her hands!

• We also have a copycat in the making. During feeding her cereal, I often wipe around her mouth with a cloth. She has lately started doing that on her own during her cereal eating sessions - she picks up the cloth from her lap and wipes her mouth with it. It's all cute except for the fact that her entire attention is on wiping rather than eating!

Her Highness starts on cereal

As I mentioned in Manya's fourth month milestone post, the pediatrician recommended at her monthly checkup that I could start her on rice and/or oats cereal. And if you didn't already know, I could easily pass off as the poster girl for my doctors - I trust my docs implicitly and go by whatever they say. In the rare case, I am unable to place my faith in a doc, I find another one.

I am well aware of the ever changing first food trends and all the debates around "refined carbs" that make up baby cereal - also all the endless discussions on how introducing fruits or veggies is a better idea, or at what age to introduce solids etc. etc. Was I confused - well, Yes! But I was clear about one thing in my mind, I'd discuss with the doc and follow exactly what she said.

So, here's the game plan. I started her on rice cereal. In a couple of weeks, I plan to introduce oats. This will pretty much constitute her top feed till she is 6 months old. Except for the situation that she gets constipated - I then have been asked to give her diluted peach/prune/apple juice. At the half year mark, we start with fruits and vegetables - will post more when we reach there.

Meanwhile, the verdict on rice cereal. She has been tasting it without much fussing. Not sure if she likes it or not. Time shall tell how good or bad an eater the highness is.

Welcoming Spring...

The little lion is 4 months old. We celebrated (:D) the day by going out (in the thick of the storm) for her doctor's check-up and shots on what has been the worst snow day of the season. 

Here are other updates:

• Her smiles from morning to night are a source of constant joy to us. She is also usually in some euphoric giddiness with it taking very little to get a whole-hearted laugh out of her.
• She has started looking very intently at books that I read out to her (It's another matter that just when I am delighted at the sight of her holding a board book, she shuts it tight!). She reaches out for soft toys too now. Loves playing with small-sized balls. But of course, is most interested in faces and expressions and conversations.
• Like I mentioned in an earlier post, she has rolled over. However, the only time she loves to roll is when I am sleeping next to her - so that's during the afternoon naps and bedtime at night!
• Mommy and daughter have established a regular mirror routine to get over the crankier times.
• Mommy has become bolder and has upgraded to nail clippers from the filer. It's less time consuming but I have to be double cautious now.
• I have a feeling that our cub is teething - she has been gnawing at everything, quite ferociously, and makes those typical biting gestures. The doc says she won't cut teeth for another month or two, so meanwhile we are coping with her teething tantrums!
• On the ped's recommendation, I plan to start her on rice cereal and oatmeal in a day or two - so more updates coming up on that!

Meanwhile, this is how spring looks here:

Pregnancy Journal: Checked off my to-do!

Sometime during my first trimester, Vish and I bought a pregnancy journal from B&N - basically a scrapbook kind of structure with templates for information to fill in for each of the nine (very long) months, and also space for lots of pictures (of the parents-to-be and the trillion ultrasounds we went for). 

Given my acute morning sickness till the fourth month, I had hardly made progress on the journal. Then up-till the 9th month, I was very regular on the updates (after all I didn't want to forget small details). The journal ends with welcoming the baby, and it was that part that I hadn't been able to complete up until last night, when finally my last set of pics reached our mailbox.

The verdict: Ofcourse, I love it :D. Though, the one thing that I didn't like about the book is that it has everything from the mom-to-be's point of view. For example, details of my family, my pictures etc. - no space for daddy dear. So, we had to take extra effort to squeeze in pop-to-be's details. Everywhere I had to cut out Me etc. to Our, Us, and so on.

I am glad this one's off my checklist - I hope some day Manya has the time and the inclination to go through the journal, and appreciate the memories we have so carefully documented. (Now, would that be too much to ask from the Generation Z? :D

P.S. Have started on the next project: Our baby book. This one was gifted by a friend and it takes off from where the pregnancy journal ends. I am already mostly up-to-date with that one but the completion is going to take a while as it covers the first 5 years! That seems a long time considering our babe is not even 5 months old!