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.