Being unwell

Having an unwell baby is tough...

Having an unwell hubby at the same time... Tougher..

You being unwell as well.. Priceless!!! 

I'm not a winter person at all. In fact I downright hate the cold season. I'm pure sunshine. 

So when the winter started settling into Jaipur I started getting upset. But not as much as till my little bumble bee's nose started to leak :( 

I had already started layering him good... But the maid's daughter had a cough and you know how quickly that can spread.

So poor little bumling was miserable because he had no idea why so much goo was coming out of his nose! It was just heartbreaking (and super cute) to hear his sneezes... But when the cough hit... The cuteness went out the window. 

I know I know that a baby's sickness is far worse on the parents but trust me this cough of his was just horrible. 

Then Aadi started sneezing the very next day. So bad that he set himself up in quarantine in the next bedroom...which left me and bumbling together all night. 

I had to keep him in bed with me, which meant loads of kicks and punches, but at least he was comforted... In fact it was so cute, he actually came cuddling up to me once or twice!!! 

Nights, the cough was bad... We gave him allopathy that his doc prescribed... But I really wanted to try some home remedies. So I put it out there on the first moms club on facebook, and got so many responses it was heart warming! 

I applied Vicks on his feet, put sarson ka oil on his chest and back and gave him ginger and tulsi water to drink. 

He's much much better now. 

It's taken a good five days for him to feel better. In the mean while I got sick... The cold and cough hit me as well :( it was pretty damn exhausting I have to admit. But super mommy that I am, I got some crazy energy from god knows where and looked after him non stop!!

Ma was a big big help.... I would do an all nighter with Sid and then pack him off to her at around seven in the morning so I could catch a quick nap! 

To top the cake, she caught the cold as well on sid's fifth day!!!! Luckily by then Aadi was better and he and I took turns!!!  

Ha ha ha!!! 

What was truly truly sad, was that we were to go to Delhi the day after he got sick. All plans had been made, Aadi's cousins were coming down from the US and Malaysia. One of them has a little baby girl, sid's little cousin!! And we were all soooooo looking forward to the two of them meeting up :( 

Till the last minute Ma and I were trying to figure ways to just push off... Since cousins from abroad come so rarely.... But when Aadi fell sick all plans just fell apart:( 

Hopefully next time!

So we are all much better now... 

The only thing I learnt is that when your baby isn't well, go to the doc immediately. I know most people will say wait, try home remedies first, maybe homeopathy or Ayurveda, but honestly, even though I did try a few things, I think it's better to give him medicines and let him suffer less you know. 

Do the home remedies, but a good medicine and you'll see him doing better sooner. 

Colds and coughs are tough on us, I personally hate hate hate having a cold, can't even imagine what this poor thing must have gone thru :( 

You me and us!!

There is no doubt that post a bumling the 'us' goes flying out the window!!!

It's hardly possible to be all romantic amidst a howling baby, with the smell of Johnson and Johnson surrounding your room!!! 

But it's so so important.

A baby can and will completely take over your every waking sleeping moment... 

Every thought will be about the baby. All your daily chores will be around his daily routine. Making time for you and your husband will be something you will have to really work on. 

Look, marriage with or without a kid needs constant work... Constant romance and planning. It's not really all magic!!! 

But post a baby you have to work at it a little bit more... 

It's easier if you have some help at home, parents in laws.... Brothers sisters.... Make full use of them:

1. Go out for a date: 

Dress up, go to a good restaurant, have a drink, some starters, a main course, some dessert!!! Steer the conversation away from all things baby related. 

Or Catch a movie....Take those three hours off! Watch a silly film something to take your mind off the baby. Eat lots of popcorn!! Feel like a couple! 

Or do something you'll used to do when it was just the two of you. Go for a long drive at night or meet up with friends... Cook together or spend an afternoon watching your favorite tv series non stop. 

Yes you can... Just make the effort. 

2. Have sex:

This is by far the most important thing to do I think. So send the baby to your in laws house or your mums place. Hide all toys and baby stuff... Wear something super sexy and seriously get it on!!! The sooner you get back to some good sex.. The happier you two will be!! Yes your body may not feel the same and you may feel like a lump, but trust me.. Forget it and just go for it!! 

3. Have a midnight snack!

If the baby is keeping you up, use that time to have a fun midnight snack... Chips and cheese spread and some coke is Aadi's and my absolute favorite home binge meal!!! And it's not just about the food... Talk.. Have conversations about everything under the sun! 

Being a couple is all about chatting nonstop for me at least... And Aadi too!! We love talking to each other for hours about everything.... 

Just remember to stay fully connected... Tell him how you feel share your thoughts your fears ... Talk about the baby... Involve your hubby... Also some days don't talk about the baby and make your hubby the center of your attention... 

I think a lot if relationships go down hill post a baby because the girl makes the guy the center of her world before the baby and totally sidelines him post...

Yes the baby needs you, yes he fully depends on you... But so did your hubby!!

I always tell Aadi ... As much as I love love love Sid... He will always be my first true love... He will always be that one percent more... 

There will be as much gap between you as a couple as you let there be... So don't let there be!!!! 

Sleep!

There was a time when I could sleep anywhere anytime!

I could sleep in a bus, I could sleep in a train, a plane, I could sleep in a car, i could sleep in a party with music, I could sleep with the tv on, I could sleep for twelve hours straight, I could wake up late and sleep again in the afternoon and sleep early at night… I could literally sleep thru a conversation with somebody!!

My capacity to sleep was incredible!!

My eyes just used to dose off at any odd hour... 

In fact I remember this one school trip we were in a forest resort in ranthambore and I was sharing my room with three other girls. Apparently at night a waiter has entered our room and crouched near our bed and upon being seen by one of the girls has taken a towel on his head and run out of the room... And I slept thru it all....!!!

That was how deep I slept!!

Today, the slightest cough bumling makes, every time he turns in his bed, a soft knock of his hand on the bars of his bed... And I'm up... At two, tree, four in the morning….

Heck sometimes even his baby snore wakes me up!!!

It's like I sleep semi awake... If that makes sense!! Ha ha! 

No seriously, I'm actually half awake thru the night... Or anytime bumble bee is sleeping next to me... 

Real sleep, that deep luxurious kind where  you wake feeling like a fresh daisy... Where every single muscle in your body is relaxed.. Hmmm..... Haven't had that since he was born!! 

What's worst is that the poor thing actually does sleep thru the night pretty much,  but even then I'm still awake and peeping into his bed!!! is his blanket on his nose, is is nose squashed because he's sleeping on his tummy, is his leg folded wrong….

That's what it is I guess, having a baby... Sleep is something that seems Iike a dream...  Some days when I'm completely zonked, Aadi tells me to take a nap and he looks after bumling.... Oh God, the blessing he gets from me those days are immeasurable!!! 

Just getting an hours nap minus a little thing trying to climb up on you… its an amazing feeling!

And in all this sleep deprivation, one of my biggest awwwww moments is watching him sleep!

Ironical? I know! But he sleeps so so beautifully, so gently he breathes and his eyelids are so pretty!!! And his tiny little lips pouting… oh and if he smiles in his sleep or frowns even…. my heart just melts!!

These are the few moments we slept together peacefully!!!!

At nine months..

Little bumling completes nine months today...

And as I look at him all I can think is how big he's grown. 

It's something I'll always and forever be amazed by. He was so tiny when he came into my world, that people who came to visit him called him a chuha!!! And that little thing is going to grow up as tall as his daddy!! 

So today I did a really fun thing... I measured the two of them!! 

Daddy and baby!

Height - 6' 0" and 32"

Arm - 25" and 9"

Palm - 8" and 3"

Little finger - 2.25" and 1.2"

Leg - 37" and 12"

Foot - 10" and 4"

Face - 9" and 6"

Ear 3" and 2" 

Nose 2" and .75"

Can you imagine these numbers?!! And in about 15 years I can't even imagine how big Sid is going to be. These numbers will be more or less similar!! 

And I'm going to miss this super tiny thing that crawls all over me!!! 

 

I'll miss his tiny socks, and tiny caps, I'll miss his tiny hands clapping mine... And the fact that he still fits in my lap... He struggles and goes all mad... But he fits!!! 

I'll cry the day his feet fit in his daddy's shoes!!!! 

Happy nine months my darling!!!

A day in the life of...

Banged his head into my nose.

Whacked his toy on my upper lip.

Twisted my ears like a school teacher.

Pinched my stomach... Yes my stomach.

Elbowed me.

Kicked me.

Bit me.

Climbed all over me. 

Drooled all over me. 

Stuck his finger into my nose and twisted it.....

All in a span of an afternoon!

You gotta love this kid!!! 

Sleeping with one eye open!

At almost nine months, Sid is all over the place! 

You leave him bang in the middle of the bed and in mili seconds he has reached the edge of it... Something about everything on the floor is suddenly super fascinating!! 

It's so scary when he reaches the edge of the bed and then hangs his head down to look at the hinges on the bed drawer... If I wasn't the super ninja mommy I am, he would be bouncing off the floor!!!!!!!! (Hawwwww parent!!) 

If I'm super ninja mommy in getting to him, he is super ninja baby in eating everything!!!

And he's no more interested in his teething toys... TV remote yes, mobile phones yes yes, random lint on bed spread ... Must taste!! 

Anything and everything must pass the tongue test.... I've heard it gets worse once they start walking around the house....but this fellow is already on a roll!! 

Gone are those days when he was rolled up in fabric and would lay absolutely straight, peacefully staring at the ceiling!!!! 

No no... Now mommy has to sleep with one eye open! Literally, my afternoon naps or those extra ten minutes in the morning when he's in bed with us, I have to keep one eye open... Because this little dude can suddenly decide to climb over me and fly off the bed like superman!!

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Being fit...it's important.

Being fit for and post pregnancy is super important. 

I have never been one to excersise or do any physical activity... Climbing down three flights, walking to the car, pressing buttons on my tv remote are all I could get my self to do!!!!! 

After meeting Aadi who was and is still very pro working out be it in a gym or some yoga or just going for a long walk, I started doing stuff... But never in a very disciplined way.

Today I regret it.

With my terrible consistent back aches, zero stamina levels, wrist ache, knee ache, head ache, exhaustion, I climb up our stairs and I'm huffing and puffing... It's embarrassing!!! 

I now wish I had taken better care of myself before I got pregnant even. And though the weight is one of the major issues, it's more about the stamina. 

So a really important tip I would give most mommies to be or girls planning on having babies is: 

1. Be extremely healthy first. Work out regularly eat well, do all it takes.

And 2. Try and have them young. I know today the age bar to get married only is getting so pushed back that most people end up having kids in their early thirties... While it may seem like a smart decision because you are able to give your work those many more years, but seriously your body is not exactly stopping from growing older. And recovery and loosing weight just gets more tough. It's not impossible.... Nothing is, but it's just tough. So if you have a choice I would strongly recommend going for it earlier. 

But seriously take this advice, today I know I am really facing a tough time especially with my back. Every time I put him in his cot or pick him up or change his clothes it takes a moment for my back to straighten.

Also the munchkin is getting bigger and heavier!! So carrying him around isn't that easy you know... 

Get back to your workout in three months... Well atleast start walking in 45 days, but it fully depends on your delivery. Don't push yourself but don't stall for too long either!! 

Also eat well post pregnancy, I'm not saying eat all those ghee laden laddoos everyone will try to give you, but don't completely cut out butter and ghee and oil fearing you're weight will go up, you need a certain amount of it in your diet... Have your calcium tablets, as big and uneasy as they seem!!! 

Well I better fix my back soon... Because this little bumling is fully ready to start running around... And that's when I'll need my stamina at its best!!! 

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Fun things to do when you know you're preggie!!

Pinterest has ruined me!!

I cannot do anything without first getting fantastic references or well atleast going thru Pinterest for about five hours!!!! 

When I got preggie I went and searched for some fun pics and things to do for, during the pregnancy and after the little toy was born!!

Here are some of my favorite things:

1. Take photos of your belly by the month.

I tried doing this... But couldn't complete it :( I took for a month or three properly but forgot for a month or two and next thing I knew the baby was out!!! Ha ha ha!! So plan these well... Maybe wear the same dress or use the same location..it's always great to see the belly increasing!! 

2. Make sure you get a baby book

This I did! I bought a adorable book to document his first year. And this I would recommend to everybody... His first bath, the first time he turned over, monthly birthdays!! And it's got this fun images where you can place pictures alongside each milestone... It's from the company fisher price. 

3. Make arrangements for foot and hand print. 

Lucky for me the baby book had a page for prints and I had two amazing nurses at the hospital who helped me get them! But you also get these clay sets and moulds at mom and me and mother care, which you can then frame. It's a great keepsake I think... And if you manage to get prints maybe on each birthday at least till he is ten... That would be fun no?!!! 

4. Make a cute announcement pic. 

So these days like a wedding announcement or save the date, announcing that you are preggie is super cool!!! Taking fun pics of the couple, the girl with her cute belly... You can hire a professional photographer if you like... These days a lot of people are opting or one.. Or like a school friend of mine announced on our group whatsapp with a really cute image :)

5. Baby announcement pics.

This is for when you want to let the world know that bumble bee is in the house!!! Of course you can get a professional photographer for some really great pics... Or if you are creative (read: too much time on my hands!!) do it yourself!! Scour the net for great images ( references for your photographer or you) borrow a great camera from a friend... I was lucky I got gifted one just before bumbling was born. And then shoot away!!! A little photoshop and ta-da!!

From the hospital we sent out this:

And when he was a month old... I wrapped him up and tied a little ribbon like he was a gift!!! Which he was and is in fact!!

6. Make sure someone takes a great pic of you and the baby on day one.

This is super duper important. You want your first picture with the new love of your life to be some thing frame worthy... Not oh my god I looked so bad!!! So (obviously depending on the kind of delivery) try to clean your face up a little, a bit of lipstick and blush never really hurt anyone... Tie your hair back or fluff it a little atleast... And smile... That big happy butterflies in your stomach smile!!! It will come naturally when you see that adorable little ET in your arms for the first time!!!! And tell your hubby or mum or someone you really trust to take the pic!! 

Luckily I managed to fix my hair a little!!! But oh my god... Just look how tiny he was... I can't believe he was such a small little thing!!!! Oh I just love him!!!

Well, start with these and if I remember more I'll come add them to this post!! 

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Diwali with the bumling!!

Diwali and Christmas are two of my favorite festivals.... One for all the emotional and sentimental attachments and the other for the magical feeling it brings about! 

This year Diwali was super special because I got to share it with my little bumling. 

I made him experience everything that Diwali is about... Some lights, a few mithais, a party, a puja and the traditional early morning bath!! 

We didn't do firecrackers because it was just too smoky and he's too little. 

So Aadi's parents threw the bash of the year on our terrace! We lit up the entire house with fairy lights, my favorite paper lanterns and so many diyas.... We placed a few urlis with flowers and floating candles... I did rangoli around them....I even made these adorable paper diyas with sid's pictures on them!!! 

We bought him adorable kurtas and pyjamas for the party! He looked so so so adorable in them! 

The party was amazing... So many people came to meet him... And our little party animal stayed up till two in the morning!!!! He caught a few cat naps.. But was up and about most of the night!!! 

The next evening we took him to see the city lit up... Unfortunately there were hardly any lights anywhere... And he knocked out anyways!!!! 

Diwali morning... My mum made me do the traditional oiling of the family with a perfumed paste... So hubby and baby were placed on a flat stool which I decorated... And I oiled them and sent them off for their baths!!! 

Sid looked so cute all thru!!!! I bet he was super confused as to why his maalish was happening like this today!!! 

Then I found those little cucumbers that we smash so I got those for the family. So what it is is that the Diwali day is also the day where the demons are destroyed.. As kids we were given these little cucumbers on which we drew angry faces on and then squashed!!! It was a fun tradition and finding them in Jaipur made me instantly nostalgic!!! 

I dressed little bumbling up for the puja... Oh god how many times will I say how cute he looked... But he really did!!!! 

Ha ha!!! 

He loves diyas... Super fascinated by fire!!! And he loves mithais!! We took him to the gurdwara later to light a candle. 

I really love mishmashing all cultures for him... Love the idea of making him a global baby!!! 

The only part of Diwali, apart from the firecracker, that we didn't let him experience was taash!!!! Ha ha!! Aadi played for a few nights till the wee hours of the morning.... But bumling and I just crashed!!! 

So while this year Diwali was even more amazing because of this pet of mine... It was also super exhausting!!! 

I'm going to need this whole next week to recover!!! 

That's us at the puja, praying for a wonderful new year for all of us!!!

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