Baby D Meets Santa Claus

It all started with an activity book. Baby D is not old enough for those yet, this is me reminiscing about my childhood. When I was four, my mom and dad gave me a Santa Claus themed activity book, with a lot of colour me's and find your way through the maze. Then they built up the story about this jolly old man who goes around giving gifts to kids on Christmas eve if they have been good. They asked me what I wanted and quite inexplicably, I said I wanted a letter box, as in a post box. Presumably I was a model kid that year, for when Christmas eve rolled around, I found on my window sill a nice red package. Inside were a letter box shaped piggy bank, complete with silver lock and key, hot cross buns and other goodies.

And so, even though we don't officially celebrate Christmas, I was pretty excited about recreating the magic for Baby D. Daddy D donned a Santa beard and wig, his own specs and a Christmas hat. He wore a red shirt and jeans and did the ho ho ho act. Baby D doesn't yet know the concept of fear so he happily tugged away at Santa's beard and tried to eat it. We had "jingle bells" playing for the background score. Baby D had been grinning away at a YouTube video with Disney characters singing jingle bells, so we think he definitely enjoyed that part of it. He seized his gift, wouldn't wait for anyone to open it for him and tried to eat the wrapping paper.

Nani had done up a Christmas tree, which Baby D had been trying to eat for the previous couple of days. The "twinkle twinkle" stars and the cherub ornaments were too much for him to resist and excitement always ran high when he was anywhere in the vicinity. He found it near impossible to settle down to his nap if we were walking him and he happened to spot the tree. On Christmas day, he knew his instincts had been right when he was allowed to pick up his presents from underneath.

Baby D is now the proud owner of a baby piano, which he tries to shake like a rattle to get it to play, a Mickey mouse toy, a play mat and a singing monkey, besides a lot of gift wrapping papers. In short, there's plenty for Baby D to eat.

He's rather an excitable and energetic creature these days. Yesterday, he was in my arms, but wasn't quite content to remain still. He scrambled up, then grabbed a fistful of my face and champed away at my nose. To have a determined infant attached enthusiastically to my face rather took me aback. But hopefully this unprecedented show of affection puts me right up there in the same league as Mr. Spots and Mr. Rattlesworth!

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things

Two words - Apple Sauce. Baby D absolutely loves it.  He loves it so much, he doesn't want to wait for the spoon and would rather eat out of the bowl. Baby D hasn't yet lost his rooting instinct and so when he was first offered apple sauce, he rooted to the left and to the right and then had a go at the spoon. After about a couple of minutes of this, Baby D realised the good stuff on the spoon didn't flow continuously to him as would milk out of a bottle. Closer inspection revealed to him the cause of the delay - the spoon of course! And so he decided to put bowl to mouth. As he was in danger of spilling the contents all over his bib, Mommy D had to take the bowl away in a hurry. This upset Baby D so much  he refused bowl and spoon both. It took quite a lot of coaxing before he could be brought to eat again.

Baby D has now reasoned that spoons produce food (albeit in small quantities) and can be seen sucking at any cutlery he can reach. At first Mommy D took his enthusiasm for apple sauce as a compliment to her "cooking". But Baby D has been consuming rice water, which is after all pretty tasteless without any salt in it, with equal gusto. Mommy D now suspects he will eat just about anything, that is except for "daal ka pani". As Mommy and Daddy D are both daal lovers, she does wonder where that particular gene went missing!

We had a situation today - between this and that and the other, Mommy D forgot to pop his bottle into the steriliser until about fifteen minutes before Baby D was likely to ask for food. The steriliser takes about fifteen minutes to do its job too. The situation was quite tense at home and in the match. Mommy D has never before seen a test match get tense, but so it was. Even as she desperately entertained Baby D to keep his mind off milk for the next few minutes, over in South Africa, MSD was probably desperately thinking strategy.

South Africa choked yet again and we managed to draw. Baby D, however, didn't. The BIG news is that he managed to push himself up on his knees. We cheered and congratulated him and called his Daddy and messaged relatives. Crawling is now not too far away.

And we did manage to get the bottles sterilised before Baby D thought to ask for milk. 

The Young And The Restless

As Baby D inches close to the half year mark, he's in a big hurry to grow up. He's not changing his own diapers yet, but he's eager to be up and about. He's almost never content to lay still and fights more bitterly than ever against sleep engulfing him.

Baby D is trying very hard to crawl, thrashing about with his arms and legs the moment he's rolled over. When he doesn't make much progress, he dejectedly lays his head down on the bed or bursts into tears. Mommy D then has to pick him up, give him a hug and take him on a tour of the house.

In nani's house, where he is at currently, he has some favourite spots. The refrigerator with its colourful magnets has found mention on this blog a couple of times. There was trouble afoot when Baby D knocked off the porcelain Mme Tussaud's magnet and chipped it, fortunately not in a place that's visible. Since then, the fridge has been declared a "No Baby D" zone.

Baby D has developed a fascination for door handles. He likes to grab them and tug at them, irrespective of whether they belong to a closet or an actual door. Baby D has no interest in the "beyond". All he cares about is tugging at the handles and (discreetly aided by Mommy D or whosoever happens to be carrying him at the time) and watching the door swing open. There was this one time though when he opened the dresser closet and despite Mommy D's best precautions managed to knock nani's YSL lipstick right over. Fortunately, he's been prudent enough not to repeat this trick.

And then, there's this display of  soft toys which all belong to mausi. They are not exactly at  Baby D's eye level but he knows where to look up to find them. Then he gives this really wicked grin or speaks aggressively to them depending on his mood. Even though mausi has given her permission to play with 'em, we can't let Baby D do that unfortunately, as they are all fuzzy and that's not good considering they are bound to end up inside Baby D's mouth right away.

Baby D likes to be "stood up", (not as in a date, he is still not going on those, but actually standing  up ) and to "sit down" though he infinitely prefers being stood up. He loves to look out of the window as someone holds him and to comment on the going ons in the street. In summary, he'd rather do anything other than lying flat on the bed, unless it's to start turning immediately.

Of late, Baby D has started being more accepting of his bouncer. The elephant toy hanging in it catches his fancy as he tugs at it, chews at it and by and large ignores "Simba" ( the other toy hanging in the bouncer). The only catch is that he'd like Appu in his hands and not simply dangling by the bouncer bar. So he tugs hard at it, lifts up his bum and launches himself at it. As a result, Baby D has never quite spent more than five minutes at a time in the said bouncer. Perhaps if we were to clip on a toy, that would in fact come off in his hands, we might meet with great success.

With all this flurry of activity that keeps all those around him on their toes, Baby D has decided to do the mature thing. He's settled into an incredibly regular pattern of nine hour stretch at night and day time small and big regular naps. Mommy D has thus far managed to maintain a hold, however precarious, on her sanity. She fervently wishes she isn't speaking too soon.

Twenty Four

It's been a while since Baby D and Mommy D have hung out all by themselves, since Daddy D flew out of town (We miss him, both of us). And Mommy and Baby D have never yet spent twenty four hours all by themselves.

With nani and nana being out of town too, Baby D promised to take care of his momma. We got off to a great start, bright and early at seven. Baby D had his milk, and had his diaper changed with a minor mishap that necessitated a change of entire outfit. Once that was done, Baby D was happy to be entertained with "Johny Johny, Yes Papa",  twinkling stars and so forth. As the morning wore on, we watched "Two and a Half Men" together. It's not age appropriate, but Baby D did crack a smile at some of the jokes and loved the opening song.

Mommy D thought it best that Baby D received some informal education. As she very much hopes he will be a well travelled baby, she introduced to him the concept of continents and countries. We started with naming the five major continents. Going from east to west -  Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and finally on to Americas. We then realised we had left South America unaccounted for and remembered  there were seven continents , not five. Having mixed up Greenland and Antarctica (they are both cold) for the seventh continent, Mommy D decided to leave the oceans well alone.

We had our minor disagreements. Baby D wanted to be walked around. Mommy D incorrectly gauging his mood, plonked him into the bouncer. Baby D would have taken this in his stride, but then found an entire teaspoon of  "daal ka paani" in his mouth. It's not one of his favourite things to eat and he hates being surprised. Mommy D tried explaining that the spoon had somehow slipped and found itself pouring more than intended. It took a while and some cajoling, but Baby D did come around.

And then there was the time Baby D took Mommy for a long ride. He lay on the bed, rubbing his eyes, yawning and fidgeting,looking at Mommy D with sleepy eyes that said "please help me sleep". Mommy D has never been able to hold out for long against Baby D's requests. So she picked him up and started walking him, singing "soft kitty" as if her life depended on it. Baby D lay his head on her shoulder and seemed content enough, when Mommy D heard a sound. It was Baby D laughing! Naturally, she put him down to tell him what is what, but he only looked up innocently as if to say - "what? Aren't we doing this anymore? But I was having fun. You were doing so well, keep going"

The most trying times were when Baby D was hungry. He still hasn't realised that milk can't be had with the wave of a wand, it takes about three minutes of preparation. He also doesn't seem to have any intermediate, manageable stages of hunger. He's either not hungry at all or famished. When he's famished, he gets extremely upset and has to be held and soothed until food is ready. As both can't be done at the same time by the same person - we seemed to have reached an impasse.  Mommy D had no choice but to lay him down, screaming murder, in the calming company of Mr Spots and trot along at top speed.

Baby D did what he could to ensure that each diaper change would entail an entire outfit change. Unfortunately, Mommy D's former ineptitude in this area has put him off changing clothes for good. In these days of multiple layers, Baby D's distaste was exacerbated and he fought hard at each outfit change, doing his best to slide away from his fresh shirt or onesie. Mommy D very much fears she has scarred him for life. She can see a sixteen year old Baby D gritting his teeth as he changes clothes!

After many singalongs, walks and talkathons, Baby D has fallen asleep. Mommy D devoutly wishes him a peaceful night's slumber.

The Pro Of Nebulizers

Baby D has been severely congested, with a blocked nosy so bad that he refused to eat for eight hours straight. Mommy D got extremely worried after his second missed feed and his hurling what he HAD managed to eat. So, to the doctor we rushed. The wait at the office was excruciating to all of us..with Baby D suffering and his mommy, nani and nana suffering alongside.

Finally the doctor saw him and pronounced the verdict right away - "he needs to be nebulized and if he misses another feed then hospitalisation it is". Mommy D had read up on the internet about nebulization - there needs to be a mask that goes over babies' mouth and nose and the medicine goes in a mist form directly to the lungs. With horrible visions assailing her mind, Mommy D bought the mask at the pharmacist's who did what she could to sympathise - "my kid has had it too. It made her better." It was something of a relief for mommy to know that what was being given to Baby D was just saline water after all.

A very worked up Baby D sat in momma's lap and held nani's finger for support as the mask was put on him. Mommy D was all but ready to weep herself, but within the first few seconds Baby D felt visibly relieved. He liked it so much, he drew in deep breaths, gulped in through his mouth, shut his eyes as if this was bliss. He then opened them wide and started taking stock of his surroundings. When he spotted the nebulization lady, he said to her these words "oo".

With a nose that had finally come unglued, Baby D devoured his milk with gusto and so we were all able to heave a sigh of relief. The following morning Baby D was called in again for another round of nebulization. This time he was not so impressed and seemed determined to dodge the mask. He even turned around 180 degrees in Momma's lap and looked up at her as if to say - "make her stop will ya, this is a waste of my time".

As the doctor examined him, Baby D said to him these words - "oo". I think this is turning out to be a child with his manners firmly in place. "Oo" is just his way of saying "thanks a lot". Just this morning Baby D was lying snuggled next to Mommy D, both in a semi sleepy state. Mommy D opened her eyes to find Baby D looking up at her with a smile. And then he said - "oo" before nodding off to sleep. This time he probably meant - "gee what a sleepy head you are mommy!"

Mommy D has gotten into the habit of bobbing Baby D up and down in her arms in a bid to soothe him when he's upset. This has gone to the extent that Mommy D bobs about on the balls of her feet even when she isn't holding Baby D. She really must get rid of this trick before returning to work. Who, after all would take seriously an employee who bobs around while holding a conversation.

This Week's Round Up

Baby D has been upto plenty this week past and that includes keeping his Mommy on her toes all day and night long. Which is why while Mommy D would have loved to regale blogosphere with a number of leisurely posts, she now has to be content with a single post of this week's  happenings.

So, first among the headlines - Baby D has visited the local Starbucks (the very first in his city) and has approved of it - strongly. Perhaps it was the smell of all the caffeine in the air, but Baby D seemd to have gotten a real high as soon as we entered. He talked at the top of his voice, which is nothing like his size, expressed his admiration of a poster of coffee beans on a weighing scale and was fairly bouncing off the walls. It was a while before he calmed down enough to settle down to his bottle (of milk) even as nani, nana and Mommy D tucked into their cookies and their coffee.

Baby D is learning new things - like the "brrm brrm brrm" sound indicative of a motorbike starting. Mommy D had been going "brrm brrm" in order to impress and entertain him. She of course hadn't dreamt that he'd not only learn to make the very same sound, but once learnt, he'd be unstoppable. Baby D now goes "brrm brrm brrm" all day long and honestly believes it is an important component of vocabulary. Mommy D can't bring herself to let him know otherwise - not until he's learnt some real words anyway.

There's this particular brand of wipes that Baby D likes to use - it has a bright pink coloured, noisy crinkly wrapper. Baby D is extremely attracted to the wrapper, and smiles in glee every time he espies it. When it's full of wipes, Mommy D has nothing to worry about because Baby D can't actually pick it up. But when it's not then Baby D likes to lift it up and chew at its crinkled edge, which in Mommy D's opinion is living dangerously. She's too weak to snatch it away when Baby D has made such valiant manoeuvres to get at it, so she desperately tries to hide away the packet while pulling out the wipes and generally keeping it out of Baby D's line of vision.

With regards to his gear, Baby D has now accepted his bouncer and is content enough to sit in it, listening to the music and tugging at Appu and Simba (the lion). Mommy D hasn't had much luck chosing him a car seat though. The car seat shopping didn't start on a very encouraging note, with Baby D yelling his disapproval in the first one he was strapped into. Since then Mommy D has been back and forth over different models and has been vacillating between convertible and an infant carrier. With Daddy D being in the land of "toys R us" at the moment and Baby D not offering any opinions, Mommy D has given up on reaching any sort of conclusion in the near future.

For entertainment, Baby D has really warmed to "Johny Johny, yes papa". Repeated renditions never fail to evoke a smile and Baby D laughs in anticipation of the concluding "open your mouth, ha ha ha". He's thus the subject of numerous videos and photos and is fast filling up all digital storage media around the house.

In the past, Mommy D has waxed eloquent about Baby D's growing independence and his need to hold his milk bottle on his own. Well now, not only can Baby D direct his bottle fairly quickly to his mouth but can also hold it steady for a couple of minutes as he eats. This evening, Baby D, wait for it, held his bottle with a single hand, and fed himself as he followed the state assembly election results on tv. Mommy D is already starting to suffer pangs of separation anxiety. The day is not far away when Baby D will be off to college!

Baby D Goes To The Mall

This post really should have come in the beginning of November, but events overtook and it's only now that I am getting a chance to document this rather important Baby D milestone - for we had never been out with Baby D before then (except to nana- nani's place and to the doctor's).

Mommy D was super excited about the outing, but we also had a specific reason for taking Baby D to the mall. We were buying Baby D a carrier and it was essential that he tried sitting in it and tell us whether he liked it and could stand being in it. We had thought the trip through and were prepared to handle most aspects of it - like feeding and entertaining him if he got cranky. For his milk, we planned on leaving soon after he had eaten so we would be good for a couple of hours or three. That meant we wouldn't have to make up his bottle in the middle of the drive and with some luck we might even get through the entire trip without Baby D getting hungry. What we weren't ready for was to change a poo'ed in diaper in a public rest room. We thought it best to wait until he had done the deed before we stepped out of the door.

And so we waited - for Baby D to poo. The morning passed and so did the afternoon and time began   creeping into the evening and yet Baby D would not poo. We waited and debated and twiddled our thumbs and finally came up with an alternate strategy. If he did need a change, we would retreat discreetly to the parking lot and change him on the back seat of the car.

With that, we went boldly forth. Baby D was sleeping peacefully at the beginning of the journey which we took to be a good omen. We were about twenty minutes short of destination when Baby D woke up and made it known in no uncertain terms that he was very hungry. Daddy D pulled over in a big hurry and made up his bottle even as Mommy D tried consoling him best as she could. We were on the point of abandoning "mission mall" but decided to carry on as we had already come this far.

We arrived without further incident and headed over to the Mother Care store, pointing out to Baby D  enroute all the sights we thought might interest him. It has to be admitted though, Mommy and Daddy D were more excited than Baby D, who simply looked bewildered. Perhaps the "Big Outside" was a little too big for him. We found him a nice carrier at the Mother Care store. Daddy D wore it and practiced toting around Baby D who seemed to be okay in it and kept his protests to a minimum once he was able to get his hand out and suck at his thumb.

The poo was still very much on our minds and so when we spotted a changing room in the store, we made for it like homing pigeons. Baby D consented to lay down on the changing table very agreeably and presented to us a diaper that was squeaky clean. We were obviously in luck.

We walked around the mall, Mommy D wearing Baby D in his brand new carrier and Daddy D looking at shirts and things. Baby D fell asleep again. We could only assume that he was either too comfortable in the carrier or that he was put off by all the crass consumerism around him. He only woke up to demand a meal just as we were making our way back to the parking lot. Thus he had his second meal in a moving car.

The drive back was a lot more livelier, with Baby D actually beckoning to his Daddy with his tiny little hands. Perhaps he wanted to check his driving credentials, perhaps he had something compelling to say that just couldn't wait. Daddy D tried his best to make conversation with Baby D and yet keep us reasonably safe on the road.

Baby D has been out walking in his carrier a bunch of times. For some reason he always does fall asleep. Mommy D is still hopeful - we'll go out walking one day and Baby D won't fall asleep and then the real adventures will begin!

Baby D Gets First Taste Of Solids

Baby D has been getting increasingly vocal about his interest in foods other than his formula. He recognizes an apple slice and makes spirited swipes at it. Just yesterday he was champing so vigorously at his allotted apple slice, which he was basically meant to play with and have a lick at, that Mommy D had to take it away in a big hurry. Not knowing what else to do with it on the spur of the moment, she ate it herself, in full view of Baby D. Naturally he was hurt and upset and Mommy D heard about it for several minutes from him.

Fortunately the very same day it was his doctor's appointment and he was going to evaluate him and give the go or no go for starting solids. Once he said "yea", Mommy D came dancing out of his office full of plans while Daddy D was more quietly pleased. Baby D didn't know what the fuss was about.

Baby D's first food was to be a mashed slice of banana mixed with a bit of his formula. As Daddy D "sat" Baby D down on his lap and Mommy D, nani and nana all gathered around in anticipation, camera at the ready, he looked up mildly surprised. The attention was a little too much even by his standards. Mommy D then gave him a spoonful of his banana mash, which he took in without a fuss but looked puzzled all the same. He wanted to hold his spoon from his first official bite and so we let him feed his nose, chin and ears. Between the pictures, and all of us taking turns to feed Baby D, he might have had more than the doctor's strictly worded instructions of "just a taste, we don't want him filling up".

Next we offered him his bottle to get his first sip of water. Baby D grabbed at it with great gusto, as if to say - "finally, something familiar". Then he assumed an extremely surprised expression - "Have you changed this as well!" All said and done, Baby D was glad to have his familiar bottle of formula at long last.

Baby D's first day with solids has passed without incident although he does seem to have gotten an extra sugar kick soon after his banana mash. His particular coo after his "meal" sounds like he's saying "o good" which is repeated for the next half hour with vigorous arm wavings and leg kickings. Not so successful has been the savory side of things - "daal ka paani" without any salt. Baby D took in a spoon, made a face as if to say "Bleah! what's your point?" and then soon after spit it out. We are hoping for better luck with "chawal ka paani" and then next week we are to give him some apple sauce which is bound to please him.

Can't wind up this post without mentioning that Baby D has mastered the syllable "ma". With a little stretch of imagination it sounds like he's saying "mum mum" or if not, then a Scottish person thinking aloud "Emmm".

This Is How We Roll

Baby D nodded off at 9:30 after his usual 3 oz and Mommy D heaved a sigh of relief. He woke up fussing at 10:45, Mommy D wondered why. Turns out he wanted 3 oz more. He nodded off once more, Mommy D breathed out slo-w-l-y. Baby D was up again in fifteen minutes, he had forgotten to burp. At 11:30 pm he woke up again - just because. Then Daddy D settled him down for hopefully what is his seven hour stretch. Phewwww..and now the big news of the week can be told.

Baby D has achieved yet another milestone..drum rolls..he can now roll! The first time he did this, he was chasing Mr Rattlesworth and looked pretty pleased with himself on his tummy as we clapped and cheered. But rolling doesn't come as easily to him as does the sideways turn - not yet. And so Baby D practices. From the time he gets up in the morning to the time he's ready to go to bed at night. His nose is bright red from taking his weight as he first turns easily to his left, then buries his nose in the bed attempting to make the complete turn. This he does after a bit of a struggle but then gets his arm stuck underneath him, which we have to untangle, to keep him from getting too frustrated.

Baby D is enjoying his first views of the world from another angle as he lays on his tummy, smiles and turns his head around, generally shows off and thinks to himself - " a whole new world".

The other news is a degree of snobbishness that he's acquired, choosing to go to a specialist rather than his regular pediatrician. Baby D's eyes have been going pink despite a couple of different drops that were prescribed to him by two different pediatricians. So Mommy and Daddy D took him to see an eye specialist at a swish new hospital where Baby D charmed the receptionist with his well timed coos and babbles. The eye doctor says his infections are to do with a partially blocked tear duct, which Mommy D has a hard time believing given the copious amount of tears he's capable of producing when he's displeased.

Also, Baby D has decided to treat his cradle cap by his own simple method - he's scratching it out with his fingers. Mommy D has tried to prevent him, but finds that if stopped, he would pop both his hands into his mouth instead and make himself throw up. So she has decided to let him pick at his cradle cap, as the lesser of the two evils. As it turns out, Baby D's methods are proving to be more effective than his doctor's. So it's all for the best.

Baby D has discovered lately that he has ears, and naturally he tugs at them. Between his head scratching, ear tugging and lip chewing, Baby D is fast taking on the appearance of a somewhat eccentric pint sized scientist.

New Hobbies And Fresh Challenges

Baby D turned four months a couple of days ago. With that, he decided it was high time he tried a few new things. (I'm wondering what he'll decide to do on his sixteenth birthday!) He has been able to turn on his side for a while now, and rotate on his axis. But on his birthday, he decided he should do both of these things ALL the time.

So now, if one wishes to hold a conversation with Baby D, one must lie on their side. You can no longer talk down at him. This does pose something of a challenge while attempting to diaper him. Right at the point where you are about to heave a sigh of relief and fasten the last Velcro, Baby D decides to turn away, or even better, spin away. It's a bit like attempting to put a diaper on a swinging table fan.

Meal times too, got just that bit more "exciting". Baby D is no longer content to be just fed. No, he has made the discovery that milk comes out of a bottle. And so naturally, he has decided to take matters in his own hands. He'll clasp the bottle firmly between both of his hands and slowly and carefully guide the teat to his mouth, which he does successfully after a couple of misses - the teat first reaching his eyes, then his nose and finally his mouth.  Unfortunately he has not yet figured out the concept of holding at the correct angle, so he just lays there contentedly chewing away, quite oblivious to the fact that the milk in the bottle is by and large un-drunk. He resists any attempts on part of Mommy D to help him and so assistance has to be very discreet. And then he attempts to talk about the whole experience. Mommy D has had to admonish him quite a few times to not speak with his mouth full.

Baby D has had his first taste of solid food too. He was attempting to swipe at nani's fruit plate and so she let him hold a slice of an apple, which he enthusiastically sucked at. Hopefully this means a life time of good, healthy eating habits, unlike his parents who are averse to any form of greens or fruits.

Baby D's parents have had something of a conventional upbringing and accordingly are in conventional professions. And so they have impressed upon Baby D time and again that he can be what he wants - a cricketer, football player, musician, or a chef. With all of that, it is somewhat dampening to discover Baby D's interest in all things electrical. Switch boards make him smile and he  bats at them with a sense of purpose. The mosquito repellent attracts him strongly - is he going to be an engineer? Or perhaps it just proves that he is not repelled and hence not a mosquito. Mommy D has chosen not to over think this at the moment. If he wants to be an engineer, then so be it.

Meanwhile, Baby D's mixed feelings for the mirror have taken a definite turn for the positive. He never fails to smile at it, then turns away coyly, then smiles back again - my sweet little narcissist.

Sweet Reunion

Daddy D is back in town and Baby D is on the mend.

In the words of Bertie Wooster :


    The year's at the spring
    And day's at the morn;
    Morning's at seven;
    The hillside's dew-pearled;
    The lark's on the wing;
    The snail's on the thorn:
    God's in His heaven—
    All's right with the world!

Baby D woke up last night at 3 am just as Daddy D walked in the door. Without further ado, he requested that he should be picked up, walked around and put back to sleep as Daddy D was responsible for his waking up anyway. 

At a more reasonable hour, he brought his right arm over to his left side, torqued himself over to the left and finally succeeded in grabbing Daddy D's glasses right off his face without any help whatsoever. I'm sure that's some sort of a developmental mile stone.

He also expressed his delight at his new Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy and his sippy cup with two handles. Baby D will probably be ready to drink from it in a month's time or so but in the mean time it pleases his increasingly independent spirit as he pretend drinks from it. Baby D has taken to demanding that he be allowed to hold his bottle himself, swatting away at our supporting hands, so the sippy cup makes him happy.

This morning we took Baby D to the doctor because he was still not a 100% . We felt ourselves squirming as we stood under the "Silence Please" sign with an extremely upset Baby D. Really, why would a kid's doctor even think silence was feasible?! Mommy D didn't want to worsen matters for the general populace by singing " Raindrops on roses " or any other favourite Baby D ditties so she tried whispering them in his ears and Daddy D repeatedly tried to get him to read the sign. Luckily the doc took quick notice and prescribed him a bunch of meds, for his cold and his cough and even a mild soap for his skin, so we have no excuse to return any time soon. (Yay for Baby D.)

Baby D is a much happier baby as of this evening. He's taking an interest in his "twinkle twinkle" routine. If Mommy D (& nani) are to be believed, he's learnt to make the sign of diamond in "like a diamond in the sky". But it is true, he does make the perfect little diamond sign with his fingers!
He's even laughing at the antics of the singing Mr Rattlesworth - a short, gruff little sound that we figured is a laugh because it's accompanied by a smile. 

A little worrying is the fact that he is demanding repeated renditions of "soft kitty warm kitty". Mommy D very much hopes he will be nothing like Sheldon Cooper when he's a big boy.

But all in all, the outlook's definitely optimistic. Baby D is ready to drive us up the wall again.

Wish I Could Make It Better

Baby D is not coping too well with the advent of  winter, such as it is. For three days now, he's been listless and very very un-rambunctious. His blocked nose doesn't let him sleep comfortably and he has had to put up with saline nose drops. I try to pick gently at his tiny nosey in order to dislodge the "stuff" and give him some relief. I had never thought that successfully picking at another human being's nose could give me so much satisfaction! Oh grossness Baby D! What are you going to say when u grow up and read this?

The blocked nose is cleared up now, but Baby D has a teeny little cough and a case of the sniffles. I can't quite  say what , but something tells me he has a sore throat too. Poor Baby D is still trying to play, but always ends up falling asleep instead. If  I talk to him, he still musters up his smile, before launching into a narrative of his troubles. How can I help you Baby D except by holding you and singing to you, which somehow seems to calm you down.

I wish I could make it better and soon. I wish the doctor would pay attention to your cold rather than dispense useless advice about your cradle cap and arbitrary directives on the state of your dry skin. I like my baby with a cradle cap if only he'd become his usual self and drive the household up the wall.

Get well soon Baby D.

Post pregnancy, momma has too much hair fall. So I thought this was as good  a time as any to get a more Baby D friendly haircut. It's shorter than it has been in the past ten years,  and the hair dresser has assured me that the messier I make it, the better it will suit the "look". So I don't need to waste any time at all with my hair. Besides it can be scooped and swept out of the way of Baby D's exploring fingers. This is so he doesn't get strands wrapped around his delicate little fingers.

Ready to play Baby D, just you kick that cold away for good.

Baby D Has A Blocked Nosy

The changing weather seems to have caught Baby D by surprise and given him a cold and a very uncomfortable blocked nose.

To start with Baby D was fine, just sleeping a little longer than usual, which in every one's opinion, is not a bad thing given his general aversion to the good ole shut eye. When he woke up and had had his    milk, he asked to be picked up and taken on a tour of the house. So Mommy D took him to the breakfast table where all were assembled for tea. Once there, he espied the refrigerator with its fascinating magnets. Baby D frantically began working his arms and legs, his face screwed in concentration. This melted Mommy D's heart and despite nani's concern about the safety of some of her more fragile magnets, she took Baby D to the fridge. Here Baby D made several attempts to tug away from the fridge, a colourful Disney magnet. Figuring that it was made of rubber and as such damage proof, Mommy D pulled it off handed it to him. Baby D immediately lost interest and took swipes at the not so damage proof Madame Tussaud's magnet. Here Nani firmly put her foot down and Mommy D fears very much that Baby D might grow into one of those men for whom the thrill is in the chase! <sigh>

Since that time though, Baby D has been pretty much sleeping and eating only, and not eating as much as he should. As the day wore on he has become progressively more troubled.  Really, a blocked nose can be no fun for a little baby. His mommy should know, she still gets very cranky when she has one.

We have been very liberal with his nose drops, so he gets whatever relief he can. As soon as he gets a brief respite, he's ready to play and that pretty much chokes up mommy. Together with his antibiotic eye drops thrice a day for an eye infection and his usual twice daily dose of calcium, Baby D has a lot of medication going on for him.

When on skype with Daddy D, Baby D lost his calm. He tried to grab his daddy's nose and specs and wondered why he couldn't. He managed to start skype recording and then did something that made the video disappear. Disappointed and broken hearted, he burst into tears. Baby D misses his daddy.

This poignant little scene had upset mommy and Baby D surely won't be skyping for a bit.

Baby D Goes A-Visiting

Daddy D is out of town and so Mommy and Baby D are visiting with nani and nana for a week. Naturally, the shift entailed  packing and moving of epic proportions. There was a small carry on suitcase,with a few of Mommy D's things (she couldn't find place to fit her brush and comb), and all of Baby D's personal effects. In addition, there were the two bags he usually gets along for his day long visits, a few shopping bags containing various odds and ends - baby detergent, Baby D's carrier ( he has one now, the kind that you wear him around in), laundry that had to be urgently handled. There was the whole business of dismantling his cradle and somehow fitting it in the back of the car along with everything else.

It took two trips to get everything and everyone to where they should be. The next day Mommy D had to return with Nana to get things she had forgotten, like Baby D's bathtub and his bouncer (more on that later) and her own brush and comb.

Baby D has now settled in and is doing what he does best - which is to throw the household in uproar and send people scurrying in all directions. He is being his usual rambunctious self, revelling in the fact that he now has a lot of options for entertainment. If he gets bored of one person, he simply ignores them, and goes on to the next and on again until he's run out of people to ignore.

He's also been expressing his approval or lack thereof of the decor in nani's house. The fridge door with its colourful magnets, nani's souvenirs from her holidays, has met with his enthusiastic approval and he smiles gleefully at them, trying to pluck them off, much to nani's trepidation. He gazes at the family portrait thoughtfully and listens with every appearance of interest when you explain who is who. When asked who is the prettier - mausi or Mommy D, he diplomatically refrains from comment. Baby D doesn't like the Paris corner - an arrangement of Paris sketches in black and white of the glass pyramid outside the Louvre, Arc De Triomphe at the head of Champs Elysee and the Pont Alexandre. Mommy D was hoping to instil in him a love for the elegant and the romantic by taking him to the Paris corner, but Baby D feels so strongly about it being a waste of perfectly good wall space (there could have been more magnets) that he bursts into tears!

Daddy D has been keeping in touch over skype and so it is that Baby D found himself online. He lost no time in making enthusiastic conversation with Daddy swiped vigorously at the ipad screen leading to all sorts of consequences. I wonder if Apple knew they were going so baby friendly with their products. Baby D has also made his debut on FaceTime. He really doesn't know his mausi well enough to make conversation, but does gaze intently at her face, thinking perhaps that he's met her before.

Ipads and FaceTime and this blog will be all too obsolete when Baby D becomes a teen, but he's well on his way to being a tech savvy kid.

Vaccination Time

It was that time of the month again, when we take Baby D to his doctor for his vaccination. We did explain to him enroute that there would be an injection and that it would hurt a bit. We don't want unpleasant things to come to him as a surprise as much as possible, but I don't think Baby D was paying much heed. He was far too busy looking at the view outside the car windows, twisting every way in momma's arms so as to be sure to not miss anything.

At the doctor's office, he made Mommy and Daddy D very proud weighing in at 5.1 kg and 58 cm - quite a big man! We then lay him down on the doctor's table and braced ourselves for what was to come. Baby D seemed unconcerned tugging at the large stuffed colourful caterpillar (no doubt due to his recent introduction to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar").

Then the doctor came along and Baby D felt he was a nice enough person, so he gave his stethoscope a friendly tug and attempted to play with him. It was then that poor poor Baby D had a needle stuck in each thigh by this very same individual. Even as mommy and daddy held each hand, he was administered some very unpleasant drops. Baby D, had to be carried howling away from the doctor's. He's a  much wiser baby now and has learnt to not take all things at face value. His grief was short lived though. Half  way to the car, he even found it in his heart to laugh at Mommy D pulling funny faces at him as Daddy D carried him.

Post vaccination, he has been very very sleepy, much to Mommy D's somewhat sheepish relief. Today though he's back to his usual "let's not sleep for more than ten hours" self and life is back to normal.

Some other Baby D tidbits -

He is now starting to lose patience with Mommy D's clumsy attempts at pulling a shirt over his head. "Come on lady. You have had almost four months of practice and I don't want to be half suffocated each time you change my clothes!"

Baby D is getting very good at picking things up and then right away putting them in his mouth. His blanket winds up there, as does his shirt (the one he is wearing and the one laid out for change), his burp cloth, his rattle, books, toys. If you take one item away, he doesn't seem to even notice, promptly replacing it with something else within his reach! In fact, he IS the very hungry baby.

I wash what I can, wipe what I can, but there's no way everything that finds its way into his mouth will fit into his compact steriliser. Mommy D is keeping fingers crossed his immune system has caught up with his appetite.

Baby D Celebrates Diwali

Well, not really. He couldn't see what all the fuss was about. After all there's little point to mutton curry and kaju katli when all you can have is milk. And he wouldn't understand why Daddy D must spend half an hour sprinkling colours on the floor when he might be better employed letting Baby D have a go at his glasses.

And so we tiptoed around Baby D's schedule, which he insisted go on as usual - eat, diaper change, play, wash & sterilise bottles, eat, diaper change, play and so on, in a loop. And then there were the episodes of extreme crankiness, which is Baby D doing his best to fend off sleep before finally succumbing. When this happened, we would breathe a deep sigh of relief  for a minute or two before jumping into the Diwali activities.

"Quick! We have twenty minutes, let's get the rangoli done." Or "Cover me for five minutes while I  light up the diyas". Needless to say, it was a rather abridged version of the usual Diwali festivities timed to coincide with Baby D's brief naps.

When we reached Nani's place in the evening, we lost no time in consigning Baby D to Nana - Nani's care and haring it away to set off a few firecrackers. ( Thirty years down the road, I hope Baby D doesn't expect the same of me for his kid!) After setting off some sufficiently noisy crackers that gladden Mommy D's heart, we were back to find that Baby D was taking things rather well given all the noise of the fireworks going around.

In fact, was he taking things a little too well for Diwali night? Shouldn't he have been panicking a bit? We forgot he had passed his newborn hearing screening test, all the times he had been scared by the sound of the pressure cooker or the way he tries to imitate our speech or a host of other indications that he is able to hear perfectly well, thanks very much. Mommy D did this desperate little jig to Sindbad the Sailor from "Rock On" at which Baby D laughed, but we couldn't say for sure whether it was the jigging or the music that amused him. Daddy D then tried speaking to him in different tones of voices from different corners of the room, but Baby D remained unimpressed. Finally a burst of a really loud and persistent sutli bomb from somewhere in the neighbourhood, broke Baby D's sang froid. He dissolved into tears much to the relief of Mommy and Daddy D.

Turns out our Baby D is a stoic little fella who believes in keeping a stiff upper lip. Since that day though, he's started taking a healthy interest in Indi Rock. "Sindbad the Sailor" is now a part of our daily morning play routine along with his sock puppets - Pluto and Tabitha the tiger, his book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and all time favourites Mr Rattlesworth and Mr Spots.

Pick Me Up

I have mentioned in passing a few times how Baby D loves being walked around. What I haven't managed to convey so far is just how favourite a hobby it is with him. If you were a baby that wanted to be up and about, exploring the world or at least all the spaces in your home, but hadn't quite learned to roll over yet, what do you do? You request someone to carry you around. Not just that, you make it explicitly clear that you don't want to be held horizontally like a new born babe, but that it's the view over the shoulder you are most interested in and that's how you'd like to be carried. That is Baby D's "pick me up" request.

"Pick me up" has quite a few flavours. There's the pretending to cry to "pick me up" when Baby D has had enough of the more sedentary forms of entertainment - such as his toys, his books, his chats with mommy or the sing alongs. He can be diverted sometimes from these if something sufficiently entertaining and novel is found. Mr. Rattlesworth serves the purpose admirably on these occasions.

And then there is the very forlorn "pick me up" when Baby D is not feeling too good and would like a burp. If  this request is correctly recognised for what it is, then there is no way Mommy D would have the heart to refuse or defer.

Sometimes when Baby D is put in his cradle he really doesn't demand much, but you can see that he is desperately trying to soothe himself sucking his thumb, eating his blanket and really trying to fall asleep on his own. It is at these times you can't help but pick him up and help him along. Baby D then falls asleep in a couple of minutes flat.

And then there is the extremely foolhardy choice of picking him up when there has been no request, just because you were feeling very lovingly towards him. Baby D when he gets a taste of a good thing, refuses to settle for anything less for a long time. So if you thought you were giving him a quick cuddle, you could very well end up walking him around and showing the sights for over half an  hour. Anything less would be met with annoyed protests.

At first, Baby D was content to lay his chin on the shoulder and gaze around listening to the songs and the conversation, and would invariable fall asleep. Over time, his participation has become more active. He tries to reach out to Daddy D's large punching bag and to the miniature figures on the table in the living room. He has been known to snatch at the singing bagpipes magnet on the fridge and gaze lovingly at the bottle of Scotch. (Perhaps he has the Scottish "spirit").

He dives from side to side, to make sure he's missing nothing and makes comments on all he sees. If you have complied with his request only after he has made his displeasure known strongly, then you'll hear from him in the form of very prolonged grumbling. These are short, sharp bass notes with a sort of nasal twang at the end, very expressive and very effective in conveying his thoughts, but they really make mommy and daddy D giggle.

Well, we try to entertain him best as we can, but are forced at times to curtail the excursions and convince him that it might not be such a bad idea to lay down for a bit. We look forward to the day he can crawl around to meet his travel needs. Then it would just be a simple matter of running around after him and ensure he stays out of trouble.

Speaking of Baby D's entertainment, turns out he's much more enthusiastic about "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book than "Goodnight Moon". I was being afraid for nothing. It's not like he's not a reader. He just prefers books with crinkling cellophane within the pages and tooting sounds.

Also, never thought that the innocent looking Mr Spots would be a source of yet another chore for me. Ever since Baby D has taken to eating him, I need to give Mr Spots regular baths.

Baby D Expands His Inner Circle

This post really was intended for right after the weekend, but Baby D believes his mommy is wasting time tapping away on a keyboard. I haven't yet broken it to him that tapping away on a keyboard is what I do for a living.

Anyway, for a long time now Baby D has firmly been momma's baby. He likes being sung to sleep by mommy, likes being in her arms the best, thinks she is the prettiest person on the planet and has eyes for no one else when mommy's around. All that has seemingly changed overnight as Daddy D has been admitted into his select circle, much to mommy's consternation but also relief at no longer being his sole entertainment in chief.

Baby D has discovered that his Daddy can sing rather delightful melodies - the love affair began with "zoobie zoobie" from 3 Idiots. Besides he has other features - a nose with a larger surface area than mommy's to grab, specs, so challenging, but he won't rest until he's snatched them right off. Baby D can't have enough of Daddy D, beckoning him with his tiny hands and even cooing to him when he's asleep - "Hey, let's play let's play". Daddy D is fast becoming putty in Baby D's hands.

As we were all getting along so fine, Daddy D decided to introduce him to Michael Jackson on Sunday evening. Baby D didn't approve or disapprove. He simply lay there snatching at a fistful of his own hair, which leads us to believe that he was really trying hard to make sense of  ole MJ's music. When Mommy D picked him up to jam along, he was content enough to let her and didn't raise any objections to doing the lambada either.

Happy ending to the weekend! Since then Baby D has had an attack of the loosies, although his doctor does say it's nothing to worry about. Aside from the  flowy consistency of his poop,  Baby D seems fairly happy, so we are not too worried. His conversation has taken on a musical tone - high pitched loud sing song sounds that he fully expects us to understand.

It's probably MJ's influence or perhaps Daddy D's. Either ways, I'm happy that his musical education is no longer being done only by his momma who pretty much loses it after "do Re mi" and fairly screeches at "ti".

Baby D, with the enthusiasm of the very young, is learning to run before he can walk.

Date Night ( Then And Now)

Pre-Baby D we didn't call movie and dinner date night. Of a weekend, we'd sit around wondering what movies were playing. If there was something we liked, we'd get dressed, get out and hope we could find tickets. As we wouldn't be inclined to cook once we returned, we'd end up eating out as well.

With Baby D amidst us, we plan "date night".
Step 1 Call Nani - Nana asking if they have any plans the following day and would they please baby sit.

Step 2 Once we get baby sitting clearance, we pre-book tickets online.

Step 3 We are now rather looking forward to tomorrow night. After Baby D falls asleep, Mommy D
picks out her outfit and accessories. (It's one in the night, but there would be no chance tomorrow when Baby D is up and about)

Step 4  It's Friday morning, Mommy D requests Daddy D to come home early so she can get a shower and put some make up on.

Step 5 Daddy D returns bright and early at 6 pm for a 10 pm show.

Step 6 We make Baby D look clean and nice for nani's place.

Step 7  Packing for Baby D begins. We need diapers, extra night outfit, couple of day outfits, bibs, burp cloths, feeding bottles, thermos of boiled water, his steriliser, calcium.
Did I forget something ? Oh yes! Changing mat, Mr Rattlesworth and Mr Spots (who can't be packed because Baby D won't be parted from him even for the short car ride to nani's place)

Step 8 Baby D is not looking too impressed with the going ons. So Daddy D picks him up
 & walks him around explaining things as best as he can given Baby D is in a none too receptive mood. Mommy D in the meantime, throws in some things for her and Daddy D in our overnight bag. It would be madness to try returning home in the "wee" hours and risk disturbing Baby D's six hour sleep stretch.

Step 9 Somehow, we find it's not so bright or early anymore. Mommy D rushes to get dressed and has all of five minutes for makeup. That's just about enough to swipe on some eye shadow and mascara. The eye liner on both eyes doesn't balance, but it'll have to do.

Step 10  7:40 p.m. It's mommy's turn to walk around a much annoyed Baby D who's feeling unsettled at all the activity as Daddy D rushes around smartening up. Luckily Baby D is being a gentleman. Despite his obvious annoyance, he refrains from spitting up all over mommy's outfit.


Step 11 8 p.m Somehow we are out the door. With us are Baby D,  sound asleep in mommy's arms, Mr Spots, tagging along for the ride, three bags. A neighbour who we have never seen goes "awwwww".  From somewhere deep inside one of the bags, Mr Rattlesworth sings at each bump in the road.

Finally, having dropped Baby D off, Date Night's  begun. Fifteen minutes away, Mommy D's maternal instincts are in high gear as she calls to check if she's being missed at all. Apparently not, Baby D to all appearances is having a great time answering questions on "Kaun Banega Crorepati".

Much relieved, the rest of the evening lives up to expectations. At 11 p.m., when it's interval in the movie, it's time for another "check on Baby D" call. A hassled sounding nani says "He's STILL playing", not quite so confident now in her ability to put Baby D to bed by 10:30 p.m. Mommy D doesn't dare call again.

At 1 a.m. we return feeling quite as nervous as a pair of teenagers who have stayed out beyond curfew hour. We hurriedly offer "But we did mention his most social hours were from 10 to 12:30 in the night". And we are relieved at not only having gotten away with staying out late but also having skipped the entire two hour long "put Baby D to sleep" routine.

Not related to this post - but Baby D has just sprung us a surprise. We lay him down to sleep on his back and the next moment we see he has turned on his side - the left side. (He also grabs with his left arm). Exciting times! Yay!

Baby D's Latest Shenanigans.

Baby D is learning new tricks with each passing day. Of considerable trepidation to his mommy is his latest skill - you leave him at a ninety degree angle for about a couple of minutes and rush off to make his milk bottle. By the time you return, he's managed to get himself to a hundred and eighty degrees and this when he's not yet learnt to roll! Mommy D can't sleep peacefully at  night wondering what will happen if he tries to pull this in his cradle which is much longer than it is wide!

There are boys that grow up into the strong silent types. Well, Baby D may grow up to be strong, but definitely not silent. To put it baldly, he's become an extremely garrulous baby. He talks to the TV, to Mr Spots, to the furniture, to himself, and to anyone who comes visiting. There's no situation in which Baby D is silent - ever. His decibel levels are becoming powerful by the day and he isn't afraid to voice his opinion in the strongest of terms.

Daddy D, as is his wont, was doing office stuff on his laptop late into the evening. Baby D waited patiently hoping that he'd be entertained shortly. After about five minutes he made his displeasure known in a few well chosen words ( very different from crying, these were more like annoyed babbles). When Daddy D thought he could get away with an absent minded pat and coo, Baby D decided to grab his sleeve, and tug hard, grumbling all the while, until Daddy D had no choice but to abandon the laptop. Round 2 to Baby D. (Baby D won the last round)

Baby D's interests are expanding too. He still loves his toys - Mr Rattlesworth, who has just had new batteries installed into him, has been greeted by loud happy gurgles of approval. Mr Spots has a rather special place in Baby D's heart - he manages to link his arm into Mr Spots', lift him right off the bed and then chew away at his feet. He now looks like he might take an interest in reading too. Previously, Mommy D had been quite in despair as her attempts to get him interested in his "Goodnight Moon" cloth book were met with nothing more than loud bored yawns. Thanks to nani, Baby D has paid the ultimate compliment to his book - he has tried to eat it!

And so Baby D marches on. Mommy D is meanwhile somewhat unnerved at being supplanted on the popularity charts by a stuffed toy giraffe.

And This Is How We Play

Mr Lion Rattlesworth

We have had some success with the clacking fish. Mommy spun a somewhat long and involved story (possibly Tom and Jerry inspired) about how the blue fish was swimming around in the ocean and then decided to hitch a ride on a bait and line to a wok where there was some delicious curry. The pink fish by unspecified means found a jar of mayo and jumped in and out of it, then took a salt n pepper shower and finally lay itself down between two slices of bread. After about twenty minutes of this, Baby D abandoned other pursuits and began looking at the fish with new eyes. Eventually when        Mommy D got him  to grip the rattle, he lifted it right up in the air much in the manner of a weight lifter and waved it around for good measure. Baby D is rather pleased when you clap and let him know that he's a very smart baby and is doing "very good"  and he loves to show off.  So the rattle waving went on for all of ten minutes and we were able to pronounce it a wild success!

Mr. Spots, on the other hand is stalking around in the jungle looking for new background stories.


Currently Baby D knows that Mr Spots makes the trip from the jungle each morning especially to say "hello" to him. Whilst in the jungle, he walks to the pond each morning, to have his drink, and his breakfast is plucked off the trees where he also says "hello" to the birds. Sometimes him and Mr Rattlesworth hang out together, but there we are stumped. Baby D is looking puzzled with each passing day wondering if that's all he ever does. So any ideas very much appreciated.

There was a rather awkward moment last night when Baby D was being walked around so he could fall asleep and he espied Mr Spots sitting in a chair. He turned to me immediately with a question - "If he still isn't in bed in the jungle, then are you sure I should be?" I had to cover Mr Spots in a big hurry with a jacket and assure Baby D that for tonight he was going to sleep here. But he was definitely asleep.

Oh and sadly, Mr Rattlesworth isn't keeping too well. He's been singing more and more feebly for the past couple of days enough for Baby D to notice. It's his batteries, one of those silver disk like things. Until Daddy D can find some new ones, Mr Rattlesworth would need to go hibernate deep in the jungle.

Quarter Of An Year Old

Baby D has turned three months old and is officially no longer a new born, although he has been behaving like a senior baby for a while now - sleeping long stretches, demanding more sophisticated entertainment than eat/sleep/poop.

His doting mommy, who feels he needs more variety by way of toys has got him this clacking fish rattle. The rationale was that since he has started his grabbing attempts he needs to have something around that he'd realistically be able to grab. Besides, he's bound to start teething in a month or two or three and then this would serve well as a teether. Baby D is reserving judgement on his new possession at the moment, but it's my belief he'll take to it once he's shown the full potential of his new toy.

In these three short months, Baby D has come a long way. His head doesn't wobble so much anymore and he's able to hold it quite high when there's something that catches his eye. He coos and babbles and his smile is as social as it gets. He looks like he might start rolling any time now, given that he's trying his best to lift himself up from the waist and change the way he is positioned. His kick is a powerful thing and leads me to believe that he might take to football (what a pity, cricket is so much more interesting. But you got to let kids do what they will do.)

He's something of an enigma still - squirming and crying when letting out "exhaust fumes". Yet when it comes to spitting up, he serenely lets the milk drip out of his mouth even as people all around him are frantically running around for burp cloth and wipes and poor babying him.

Baby D's parents have come a long way too, in they way they define a good time. Today, he was dropped of at his nani - nana's place for the better part of they day. Along went Mr. Spots, the new clacking fish and Mr Lion Rattlesworth (previously called Mr Lion Rattle on this blog). There was a moment, when saying bye, when Baby D grabbed momma's nose and mouth and smiled sweetly, obviously unaware that "Big Visit" meant visit without mommy. I was choked and Daddy D amused, but we got back home (3 kms away) and then there was this delicious sense of irresponsibility. We slept and watched the match and ate plenty of ice cream. We watched four brand new episodes of "Big Bang Theory" without interruptions from Baby D to explain to him something or the other. He doesn't really get it yet.

When we went to pick him up at around 9 in the p.m., Baby D was a litany of complaints though nani assured us he had been playing merrily up to that point. He was quite squirmy in the car continuing to chide us all the way home - what did we think we were playing at, where did we disappear to, who was supposed to sing him Rain drops on roses and so on.

Properly penitent, we made him a nice warm snack, rocked him too and fro, walked him around. After one last recital of Do Re Mi for the day, he has finally relented, bestowed a good night smile on Mommy and Daddy D and decided to call it a night.

The Things They Learn

As parents, we dream of passing on certain skills to our kids and hope they will take an interest in things close to our hearts.

Daddy D, I know, hopes Baby D would take to martial arts and video games. I hope very much that he'll some day lead his mommy in a brisk jive or the cha cha. I'd like him to develop a love for reading, but worry that the Enid Blytons I grew up on would introduce him to all the wrong stereotypes. On the other hand, can't wait for his eleventh birthday to roll around, so I can finally introduce him to Harry Potter.

Both mommy and daddy have set their hearts on him being a swimmer of some note - there should be at least one in a family of people who can't swim two strokes to save their lives.

But what of those things, that he must never learn, at least not from his parents. Well, we had anticipated before his arrival on the necessity of having to tone down our "language" or encode it so he doesn't catch on. We thought we might have to spell out the grown up stuff instead of saying it straight out in front of him. Still, there are things we never could have foreseen.

Baby D is a rather frowny baby, and we never really understood what his worries were that he must frown so. That was until I realized he takes after me. I am a frowner too, and not necessarily when I am angry, but when I'm thinking, which is most of the times. So Baby D now wears a pensive little frown way beyond his age and appears wiser than he really is.

Also, I am a knuckle cracker. I do it so often I don't even notice anymore. Baby D, these days finds his fingers fascinating! When he's not trying to eat them whole, he's flexing them and looking at them and getting ready for his first "grabs". So when I lay next to him, cracking away, it apparently piqued his interest. Luckily I noticed this fairly quickly and stopped myself, offering any excuses I could think of on why it was OK for me to crack, but not him. The last thing I want on my hands is a precocious little infant who cracks his knuckles!

Tricky times! Got to watch every step I take.

All In A Day's Work.

The routine Baby D has adopted these days is to sleep from 1 am to 5 am or so and then after a quick "mid-night" snack, he sleeps again until about 9:30 am. While this is not ideal from our perspective, it does have its merits. For one, we don't have to start entertaining him at the ungodly hour of 7 am or even earlier. In fact if we overlook the time from 11 p.m. to 1:00 a.m, where we are desperately walking around a grumbling, cranky little baby trying our best to get him to sleep, then this routine is really rather nice. By getting up reasonably early ourselves - say 7:30 am or 8:00, we get plenty of "me" time.

Today was one such day. We put baby back in his cradle at six o' clock, got up at eight and got plenty done - like morning tea and coffee, proper brushing of all thirty-two teeth and getting his milk bottles cleaned and sterilised. Daddy D then went off to office and Baby D was still asleep.

It was 9:00 am and I managed to get dressed, put the trash out (I didn't get dressed to put the trash out, it just happened in that order) and even brush my hair.

9:30 am and Baby D was still asleep. Oh good! Made myself an omelet and looked up the news forming my very own dark conjectures on the US govt shutdown.

10:00 am and I am starting to get lonely as Baby D sleeps on. Still, this seemed like a good time to organise all the zillion photographs accumulating since his arrival.

11:00 am and I am desperate! I can't remember the last time he had his diaper changed. It couldn't be very pleasant for him. And so, still asleep, I carried him over to his changing mat. Despite yesterday's gross abuse of air time (He pooped where he shouldn't have and I can't even begin naming the things I had to clean) and at great risk to personal safety and sanity, I got him diaper free, wrapped him up in a thick towel and gave him his first dose of calcium and then his milk.  

Baby D was still sleepy through all of this, but as if lazily waking up from a pleasant dream. He smiled plenty and let me move his arms around as we waltzed to "What will you do if I sang out of tune". This leads me to believe he's going to be a morning person.

Most uncharacteristically, after his milk, Baby D decided to take another small nap - ideal for me to pay some bills online. He woke up then and we had one of our long cooing chats which looked like it might go on for some time. Nani - Nana came in at this point and while they entertained him, I managed to heat my frozen parathas in preparation for lunch.

It was just us again after a bit and Baby D looked like he might want another diaper change. To my dismay, as soon as I had the diaper off, Baby D decided it was a good time too poop. Really?! On two consecutive days! Fortunately there was a fresh diaper at close quarters and so I was able to direct most of the stuff to where it should have rightfully gone. Through all of this Baby D refused to even acknowledge the proceedings. He simply lay there zen like and detached even smiling at some secret thought of his own. I couldn't have thought this possible three months ago, but I have reached such a state of immunity at bodily functions that I found myself humming Jagjit Singh's "Kal chaudavi ki raat thi" once things were relatively under control and I was simply de-pooing him.

Unbelievably,  Baby D drops off again! Fell asleep almost as soon as the fresh diaper was on. I wasn't hungry but this was the perfect opportunity to have lunch and so I did. Next, it was time to purchase some of his staples online, wash his bottles (clean bottles run out before you know where they went) and get some rest for my aching back. Instead, I got lost looking at rattles, which when all has been said and done are not really his staples that needed immediate purchase. Literally at least a hundred of them to choose from, where does one even begin(!).

Realising that I was courting danger in other higher priority areas - I scrambled to get his bottles cleaned and finally lay down for some "flat time" for my back - the ache is probably just a sign that I am walking around an increasingly healthy baby for a large part of the day.  Well, flat time had just begun when Baby D gave a loud cry. I got up to ask him what it was and he looked confused for a while - not knowing what it was either. But then he improvised quickly asking why he had been put down in the first place when he really should have been up in my arms all this while. He insisted on this being remedied and I pleaded with him to let me off the hook for just this once. This went on for a bit and then Baby D, with his good nature relented, settling instead on another long heart to heart chat.

We waited for Daddy D to come home and give Baby D his massage and bath. As of 10 p.m. Daddy D was seen carrying a cranky but freshly laundered Baby D around whistling the theme tune from Titanic while Mommy D ironed Baby D's clothes (just the new cute ones).

..The things people do for their kids..

Friday's Child is Loving and Giving

I hadn't anticipated running into this situation at this stage or anytime soon, but Baby D is showing an inordinate amount of interest in TV. He's been watching the India - Australia ODI series. Had it stopped there, I'd have assumed he's just like a billion other Indians. But no, his eyes stay fixed on musicals such as "Fiddler on the Roof". I'm not sure I have a solution, but he'll hopefully grow out of it with time rather than into it.

Then, there's his swift changes of mood that I am sweating to keep up with. The other day, he's having his usual massage, his singing penguin belting out familiar melodies and I am massaging him with his usual baby oil. All was going well - business as usual - Baby D like a true connoisseur of massages basically ignoring the masseuse and letting his thoughts drift with the music, soaking up the ambiance. Then, suddenly, all hell breaks lose. Without any warning at all, Baby D burst into tears. Perplexed, I could only lift him up and soothe him till he calmed down. I checked my nails, all good, no rough edges. I asked him if I had hurt him, but got no definite answer, and honestly couldn't see how I could have! He didn't want to be fed or any of his basic complaints. To this day, I don't know what caused the sudden outburst and can only surmise he was very suddenly bored!

There's this thing we do, Baby D and I. We lie down together and do "Twinkle Twinkle", i.e I sing it and sign with my hands and that pleases Baby D. So when I found this cellophane wrapping paper with a bright stars pattern, I thought we could play with it and it would add a new twist to our twinkle twinkle routine. Not so! Baby D, while content enough to gaze at the stars didn't like the crackling cellophane sound at all. He burst into tears promptly and I had to abandon that prop in a big hurry.

When all's said and done though, Baby D is a very loving and giving child (as are Friday borns from the poem). His thumb sucking has reached extreme proportions. He tries to stuff all of his fingers and sometimes both hands into his mouth and sucks away with loud smacking sounds, drool all over his mouth and fingers and in a one foot radius around him. At times I get the feeling he'll eat his hand away and so I gently try to dissuade him. It is at this moment that he offers me his thumb to suck - "Here, you join in the fun too". Naturally, I politely decline his offer taking care not to hurt his feelings. He'll then tell me how much he loves me by grabbing my nose or any other part of my face with his drool ridden fingers.

Let's just say, it warms my heart, but his love at the moment, is a messy thing.

Baby D's First Dussehra

Well, I had been giving him the story behind the celebrations for a while now. Mainly that there was one Lord Ram whose mommy was nothing like Baby D's mommy and so she sent him off to the jungle (bigger than the big outside and with more trees)..and then the whole bit about Ravana, omitting the ten heads (why confuse Baby D). Naturally there was no killing..Lord Ram simply "defeated" Ravana and that's why we celebrate Dussehra.

Baby D, while feigning polite interest into the "why" is really more interested in the "how", i.e how we celebrate Dussehra. So all this while he's been looking forward to wearing new clothes and eating mutton and pua. Due to circumstances outside of our control, all he can have is milk for Dussehra. And so his mommy has over compensated on the wearing new clothes bit. He has a new set for every day of the week this week. Mommy D hasn't had a chance to shop for baby clothes yet other than some basics bought online in preparation for his arrival. Since then Baby D has been gifted so many clothes that there just wasn't any excuse to get any more. And then along came Dussehra , plus his doctor's advice that he should be wearing full sleeved things into the night given his determination to throw off the covers.

Long story short, the local Mother Care store was duly raided. Baby D has shown a keen interest in his shopping, smiling gleefully every time he was shown something new and told it was his. His favourite is a romper that says "I'm small and very loud", for Baby D does appreciate the truth.

He also has a swank new thermometer that will read out the temperature in 15 seconds flat, in Celsius or Fahrenheit. The screen also changes colour to indicate when there's a fever, making it absolutely dummy proof. Now, I'm not hoping for a chance to use it any time soon! But kids do..run a temperature sometimes? In any case he needs to be carefully monitored post his next vaccination..so this was definitely not a splurge.

On a completely different note, Baby D has been getting increasingly social. He's taken to having conversations with the TV. Someone on the TV picked up the phone and said "Hello" and promptly comes Baby D's response - " 'lo ". Of course! The "Don't talk to strangers" rule will have to be taught - sooner than later!

We Are In a Different Time Zone

Baby D is at a stage where he's learning new things everyday. He's already cooing an impressive array of sounds and has recently picked up two new coo "words". The first is "Aao". He's been practicing it until he can get it out two or three times in quick succession and he's pretty pleased with himself when he does that. The second coo word is "'lo' which of course means "Hello". Now I had been trying to teach him that and with a little attention and maternal bias you can see how he touches his tongue to his top palette followed by the "o" sound. Even I am not carried away into thinking he knows what it means. Though his timing might lead you to believe he does know, saying " 'lo " when nani comes visiting. No, in all probability he's just showing off his newly acquired addition to vocabulary.

The other thing he's learning, is to grab - he can work his arms up and down and out, but not inwards yet and he doesn't know the concept of bending at the elbow. So his success in this area is fairly limited at the moment. He manages to grab my face regularly and chortles delightedly at his feat. He attempts to grab with both hands "Mr Lion Rattle", but presently looks like he might be trying to give him a bear hug.

He's also beginning to show an interest in "Mr Spots", the stuffed toy giraffe with a wide smile that's been handing around his cradle patiently for a while now.
(He's got the biggest limbs you ever did see
And the tiniest tail you ever did see
He's got little ears and little horns
And he eats leaves all day long)

Well, with all the playing and learning, Baby D forgot to sleep last night. Try resisting a newborn who wrinkles his nose and gives a toothless grin and brightly indicates that he's willing to party. And so we partied..all night long, Baby D drinking copious amounts of milk and me fighting to keep my eyes open all the way up to 3 am when he suddenly nodded off.

He's now in a state of jet lag (as am I), sleeping throughout the day and being generally cranky during his waking intervals. He's been asking to be walked around and then trying to bungee jump off my arms ( I skipped two beats).

When you don't have any expectations of sleeping through the better part of the night, then it doesn't hurt so much. And so I am game for anything Baby D is. That coffee machine will be earning it's counter space tonight.

Hopefully, after a few lunar cycles we'll be back at the good place we were until last night..

Baby D Doesn't Approve of These

Well, he doesn't approve of being kept waiting for his milk bottle for anything over 30 seconds. After this time he lets his displeasure know by loud angry complaints. As it takes a minimum of 3 minutes to get his bottle ready, this is a source of considerable stress to his harried parents.

Baby D hates being surprised. Any sudden movements or sounds annoy him and he cries as if the world has personally conspired against him. For instance, his beloved "Mr. Lion" rattle once sneaked upon him suddenly only to be greeted by a very rude yell. He was asleep in my lap and I happened to choke on my food and cough..the same indignant yell. On the other hand, in the run up to Diwali,  a very huge and noisy "chatai" was set off right below our window. All Baby D did was to appear mildly puzzled, frown in concentration and then shrug it off. So I'm not really sure where he stands on this at present.

The other thing he most disapproves of is TV shows or movies with "language" and content that a mildly conservative person might consider inappropriate. He's been known to sit through episodes of "Big Bang Theory" or "Master Chef", but he wouldn't let me watch the weekly "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps".

The last weekend we found a movie called "We are the Millers",  hooked up the good ole "home theatre", made sure that Baby D was fast asleep, broke out our very own pints and crisps and settled down on the bean bags. Well, Baby D broke that party within the first fifteen minutes. His excuses were plenty - diaper, milk, cranky, etc. Point is he disapproved of the content. He didn't want us getting corrupted.

And so today, spotting a clandestine opportunity, we thought we would try to see it again starting at the very beginning - a very good place to start. Bad move, we should have started where we left off. Soon enough Baby D was up and protesting. He wanted to be fed. So we did, and then too he looked haughtily disapproving. So to cheer him up we walked him around at which he continued to grumble but protested even more loudly at being put down. Finally putting his bad mood down to the wrong clothing for the weather, we gave him a complete makeover.

He came around at this, flashing his smile and wanting to forget past differences and have a heart to heart chat. Daddy D wanted to continue the movie right then and Baby D insisted we spend some quality time at baby talk. Baby D of course won that round. And so it went on...Baby D slept in brief spurts where we grabbed our dinner, caught snatches of the movie, finished other chores, shushed Baby D again.

It took our determination and diplomacy and the better part of four hours, but we have now seen "We are the Millers". Will probably need to have our entertainment pre-approved in the future.   

Things I Wish Baby D Wouldn't Do ( Not for the Squeamish or Those Who Have Never Changed a Diaper)

Baby D is convalescing, he doesn't have fever anymore but is still fairly quiet. It was during one of these peaceful intervals that I decided to give him a diaper change. Now, diaper changes are of two kinds - the scheduled change that happens anyway at fixed intervals and the on demand change that usually indicates stinky poo.

For the first kind I really come prepared with very limited supplies - wipes and a fresh diaper. The second sort , on the other hand, calls for more extensive equipment - cotton and water, wipes, some old newspaper to contain the mess and so forth. 

And so I went in thinking this was a scheduled change, only to discover that Baby D had forgotten to apprise me of the true state of affairs. Imagine my panic then, hampered by limited supplies and somehow restraining Baby D from putting his feet into the muck (Here's the first of things I wish he wouldn't do! Why does he have to and Daddy D doesn't approve at all). After using up a week's worth of wipes we were finally clean and I started to powder him up when he, as always decides it's a good time to pee. It's something he does fairly regularly and his powder puff has come to grief. I have decided that using cotton wool for the purpose is a more prudent idea. It's more disposable and hence fewer tears (mine) shed.

The other thing that amazes me is the speed at which his nails grow and are they sharp! And of course he needs to be a scratcher - angry red scratch marks appearing on his face regularly. He doesn't like being "mittened" as it hampers the thumb sucking. I have cut his nails a few times, still it scares me and I need to wait until they have grown quite a bit to handle the task with any degree of confidence. As they haven't and are quite scratchy nevertheless, I have settled for giving him a good file with baby emery boards. Hopefully it's a win win situation for everyone!

Between the manicure, the extreme diapering, all the nursery rhymes and the rattle game, quite an intense day!

First Fever

Baby D is a little under the weather. He returned from his vaccination last evening in a fairly merry mood, to the extent that he didn't even object to being soaped up in his bath and before bedtime he was extremely chatty, cooing a wide array of sounds.

 Then somewhere in the middle of the night, his cry seemed a little different. Early this morning it was the same. It wasn't his imperious cry - "Milk! Now! Right Now!" Or "Pick me up! Now! Right Now!". It wasn't his frustrated cry either - "How do I explain it to you". It sounded more like "I don't like this , I don't". So Daddy D lay Baby D on his lap and pulled a few funny faces at which he did work up a few wan smiles. It was then we discovered he had his very first fever brought on no doubt on account of the vaccines.

After frantic attempts to reach his doctor and a few drops of paracetamol, Baby D settled down to sleep only waking up to suck on his thumb and to take tentative sips of food. By afternoon he was feeling much better and got up to play and talk. He gave me his brightest smile yet and cycled his arms and legs vigorously, stating in no uncertain terms that he was extremely pleased I was there.

He's the only person in this world that smiles and cycles to show me his appreciation (not even his dad does that). I'm basking in the adulation, because I very much doubt he'll be as expressive at sixteen or at  six for that matter.

Baby D is doing okay though not quite himself yet. It's a long vigil through the night - make sure that temperature isn't sneaking up again...

Look Who's All Official Now

Baby D of course. His birth has been formally registered and he has a birth certificate. He's officially a little person now with an official name. I'd say what the name is, but twenty years down the line I don't want his potential employers googling him only to discover an obscure blog that describes his diaper habits.

A happening day for Baby D - after persistent attempts over the last few days to get his thumb into his mouth he's managed to get it there and is merrily sucking away. At this point though, sometimes his pinkie, the index finger or the entire fist finds its way into his mouth. I have been watching his determined struggles and haven't had the heart to discourage him. In fact I have been actively helping him, guiding his lil hands in the correct direction and even demonstrating with some thumb sucking myself. I'm not sure what sort of a mother that makes me, but I really wanted to see him succeed!

Now that Baby D has learnt to suck his thumb, he's quickly put it to good use. It's his new sign for milk. He doesn't do anything as unsophisticated as yelling or crying anymore (unless mommy is being incredibly obtuse). He just looks me in the eye and puts his thumb into his mouth - "Alright, look here lady, I'm hungry now".

The day had its fair share of trials too. He was dozing off in the waiting room at the doctor's and woke up on the pleasant little examination table to stare at the colourful stuffed toys. Before he could make any overtures in that direction, he felt two sharp little pricks that were his vaccines. He took it like the brave man he is just offering a short indignant protest before dozing off again.

He gave us his sweetest smile before falling asleep - and we are at peace with this world. 

I Can't Believe You Don't Get Me Yet!

We like to believe that a large part of our settling in and getting to know each other period is well behind us. At 2.5 months, Baby D no longer feels the need to cry inconsolably into the night. No..like a senior baby, he fusses around from about 10 to 11 trying his best to fend off sleep. And then, he decides he had better get that shut eye after all.

So he nods off for his 4 hour stretch, wakes up at the very reasonable hour of 2 am, politely requests for milk and then goes right back to sleep. Baby D likes to play in the day, he likes his "lion rattle" but his favourite activity really is to "talk". He loves it when we are having our little chats, showing his enthusiasm by vigorously waving around his arms and legs. Ever so often he throws in a coo or two wanting to repeat all the words he hears. He does get frustrated when he can't say as many things as he'd like and then it's time to pick him up, walk him around and sing a few songs. Anything goes and he's discovering new musical tastes every day, but  "Insy Winsy Spider" and "Twinkle Twinkle" are favourites so far.

Like I said, we know each other pretty well now. I know what makes him angry and what makes him happy, when he's hungry and when he simply needs a cuddle because he's had a bad dream. He knows when it's time to go on and let me do some chores for him and so he obligingly takes his naps when he judges it necessary. Then every once in a while - there's this whole misunderstanding and we're both sad.


Take today - Baby D starts crying, so I break out his cot mobile. He takes a cursory interest in it but his mind is obviously on other things. He's had his milk, so he can't be hungry. He's had his burp, so he can't be uncomfortable. So I hold him vertically (his ONLY accepted method of being held) and start walking him. Usually this mollifies him without fail, this time it doesn't. So I start singing to him but he's positively indignant at Insy Winsy spider climbing stray water spouts.

So then I put him down and start asking him to explain himself better. He looks very hurt, looks deep into my eyes and cries with an expression that says "You! I can't believe you won't help me." And then Daddy D walks in to investigate matters, smells the ....he desperately wanted a diaper change and I was singing him "Raindrops on roses"

Sigh! Tomorrow is another day.

In the Beginning ....

..There was me and him. We met, got married, set up home. That home shifted around - we lived in 3 different cities in five years, some longer than the others. We went through all the couple rites of passage - took holidays, went adventuring, fought and made up, watched silly movies late into the night and celebrated our weekly "God's days" (Friday nights).

And then eventually and perhaps inevitably, we decided we would make Baby D. (The baby, not the blog.)

This blog chronicles our days together i.e. Baby D and me as we hang out together. I'm on my maternity leave learning the ropes of being a mommy and Baby D today is 2.5 months old. He's in a hurry to learn to talk, but sleeping, eating, being cranky, pooping and other activities often get in the way.