Our Happy place,filled with giggles,unicorns and Superheroes!
Here are Aadya’s pics.. as I have promising you all for such a long time..
Enjoy!!
Here’s Aadya playing with her Teddy
Here’s Madame enjoying a leisurely bath
Taking in all the beautiful sights
One does need a comfortable position to watch TV
And finally unwinding before bed-time –
Edited to Add- Yes… She is talking to the butterflies in the last picture!
Aadya turned 4 months old on 30th July and mommy still hasnt been able to update the blog about it and to think,Aadya is the star of the blog!So, today as Aadya is busy screaming with joy as Papa,plays with her, Mumma sits down to write about her 4-month old.
Screaming? you ask..Yes screaming.She is a screamer.She has learnt to squeal and scream.She squeals with joy,when her dad comes home. She squeals with joy when I go to pick her up after her alone time on the playmat .She squeals when talking to her butterflies.Its as if she is practicing the squeals..all the time.Sometimes she even tries to add a squeal or two when she is crying.That is so funny.She is quick to show her discomfort too.When she is mad,she turns red in her face and screams!
She has learned to sit up with support and if we give her our thumbs or fingers to hold, when she is lying down..she has to sit up on her own and not satisfied with that,she has learned to stand up! This is one determined little child.2 days after she turned 4 months old, she decided that she doesnt need our support to get up, and since then she has been trying to sit up on her own, supporting her upper body with her elbow and with sheer willpower,she raises her self to an almost sitting position,kinda like a scoop!
Aadya has 2 new friends now.The fan and the iron board. She favors the iron board over the fan and the butterflies over the iron board.
This little girl is a social bee..She loves to have people around her. We take her to the mall and she is so excited, refusing to sleep.. as if to take in all the pretty sights.
She is constantly babbling..constantly!And when she gets sleepy,she wants to sing herself to sleep too. Her nap routine is like this- Two yawns and rubbing eyes and mumma knows its nap time.and touch wood, its more or else the same time everyday.. just 10-15 minutes here and there. So, mumma wipes her face,puts her in the sleeper sack and takes her to the bedroom.We sit in the rocking chair and mumma rocks her to sleep,while humming to her. And then Aadya starts humming too.If mumma stops she stops..mumma starts n she starts too :)After around 15 mins, Mumma transfers her to the crib and baby opens her eyes, checks if everything is the same in her crib,cuddles up with Poochie and sleeps.( for an hour atleast.) Then mumma has to pat her to sleep again!
When she wakes up,she plays in her crib,waiting for us to get up..and then when she has waited long enough,she calls out to us in clear distinct,AYE..So sweetly called out, who can not answer her 🙂
Other sweet, happy times are bath times-Aadya loves to sit in her bath-tub and offlate has started to thrash her feet in the water and loves the resulting splash.A big grin lights up her face,when the water splashes!
Not one to stay in one spot,she has learned to kick the floor with her heels and move her body. So,there is no way, mumma can leave her on the bed or the couch. The only place for her is on the blanket spread out on the living room rug. I leave her at point A..and in no time she lands up at point B, defintely not on the blanket and at an angle of 90degrees from point A.The scene that typically greets me is my baby girl gazing up at the ceiling,with her hands clasped together,in a thinker pose!
After our early morning nursing sesssions,I bring Aadya to our bed and her favorite passtime is playing with mumma’s hair,touching mumma’s face,Papa’s face and finally falling asleep with one hand holding papa’s night shirt and other holding Mumma’s hair!
When Mumma wakes up and sees this beautiful sight,what more could she ask for 🙂
Happy 4 months,my love!
Last Sunday Aadya attended her first Social event.Nothing fancy,It was a 4 year old’s birthday party.
I was really excited to take Aadya to a social gathering for the first time.I was curious to watch her expressions and her interaction with people and kids.I already know she loves watching kids playing.When we take her to the mall, she goes crazy looking at all the kids playing in kids area or walking with the parents or sitting in their strollers!
The party was on Sunday,and we had already had a tiring day the previous day with our Grand Canyon Trip and so I didn’t know if she would be tired or fussy.Anyway,I gave her a bath and just put her down for her morning nap a little early .It was a lunch party. We got dressed and reached there.Aadya was wearing a red shirt,knotted at the waist and a denim skirt with red frills,matching her shirt
A group of 3 girls(H,A,J),(DH’s colleagues) started to fight for Aadya’s attention.They had seen her as a newborn and we had been planning to meet up for a long time after that,it just didn’t work out. And Aadya,the epitome of grace, smiled at all of them coyly;she didn’t even mind being traded from one person to another and if I can say so, basked in their combined appreciation.After that it was just one fan after other and Princess Aadya,graced them all with coy smiles, even showering a choice fan with her toothless grin. She didn’t even mind wearing the party hat!I was feeling a tad guilty about her stealing the thunder from the the birthday boy.Not that he seemed to mind it,he was too happy playing with his cute friend.
For cake cutting,J offered to hold her and she didn’t fuss.She was so fascinated with the balloons and candles and kids! When it was time to sit down for lunch, DH strapped her in to her stroller and she sat there happily looking around,till she got sleepy.One of DH’s colleague’s wife offered to hold her,while i finished eating.And Aadya went to sleep , no fuss, no crying, just slept without any trouble.
She slept for 20-25 mins-Her Power nap!! and woke up fresh,to charm the crowd again. This time it was time for a photo session. H,A&J brought their cameras out and this time they were joined by another girl,K.They all took turns holding her and clicking snaps with her.Everyone promised to send me snaps,which I am still waiting for,by the way.So, you girls,if you are reading this,you know what to do.
At the end of the party,DH went to drop these girls home,while Aadya n mumma stayed back at the party. Aadya saw the birthday boy playing with his friends, and was suddenly attracted to him.Why you ask? Beacuse he had changed clothes and was wearing a nice red Kurta-suit.Did I mention,red is her favorite color 🙂
Then her eyes followed him wherever he went,occasionally even screaming,as if to call him.Unfortunately her advances were not answered.A four year old has more important things to do..like run around and jump on the couch,than look at a little baby. So, mumma just stood there with her, and let her watch their game to her heart.
It was a great party,we all enjoyed a lot, meeting new people and just relaxing.This was the first party,we attended in a long long time. But all the fun was possible only because of one little charmer,Aadya.She was such an angel(knock on the wood) We couldnt stop smiling when everyone came and told us how adorable she is..
Here’s my little party gal in her Party hat!
So, we came back from Grand Canyon! Reached home around 12.30am! All of us were dog-tired.You would think we would have crashed in immediately..Did we?? This is what the scene was..DH freshened up while I fed Aadya. Then DH rocked her to sleep while I freshened up.Then I took over and sang her to sleep.When she was peacefully sleeping,I went and put her in her crib.The moment her head hit the bed, she opened her eyes and saw her favorite friend-her butterfly. The excitement on her face was unbelieveable!She was so happy to see her friend and started talking to her excitedly. Yes,we think her butterfly is a SHE. Anyway,She was so excited and it seemed to us that she was gushing to her friend about her days adventure. We tried to pat her to sleep,but she still wanted to talk.I lay down on the bed with my book and DH sneaked off to the living room.I got up to get myself a drink and saw DH sitting on the couch with the remote in his hand.I was about to call him to bed,but then realised that we are all UNWINDING after the tiring day.. each doing his/her favorite thing!
I went back to my book..Aadya was still squealing with joy,rubbing her eyes, yawning, but still talking..it was like she had so much to catch up on. My eyes were burning but I was still reading.. and DH’s head was spinning from driving so much but he was still watching TV!!LOL!
Aadya dozed off in sometime,when I dont know..because she didnt cry to be picked up.When I woke up in the middle of the night..or do i say day?well whatever,my head was in my book and DH was not in bed.I found him fast asleep with the TV ON,remote in hand..
Unwinding….:)
I have been tagged by Ceekay,Mad Momma and Swati to do this tag.. and me the tag-sucker has to take it up!
So, here’s my list of things that I am judgemental about-
1. I judge people with double standards.They irk me to no end with their attitude-those who lead their life the way they want to.. but criticize others for doing the same..
Those with double standards for boys and girls!
Those with double standards for their kids and others kids.
2. I judge those women/men,who are great and experienced cooks but fish for compliments by asking innocently-“Ohh,I dunno how it turned out..Hope its edible!”
3.I judge those people who start talking in their language the moment they meet someone who speaks it,ignoring the big multilingual group they are part of.I find it very annoying and not because I dont like talking to others in Marathi..but because I find it rude to carry on conversation in a language which everyone in the group doesnt understand.
4. I judge people who are too sugar-coated-the syrup dripping variety.I am so wary of them.Its like they spell trouble.
5.I judge people who donot take the trouble to look up the correct pronounciation of words.I judge those who confuse their “there and their”,”live and leave” and the likes.
6.I judge people who fake a foreign accent in an attempt to look cool.
7.I judge those Indians who go back to India for a vacation,and crib about every single thing starting from the traffic to water to heat to pollution. They who would drink water straight from the tap ,while in US but will not drink anything which is not bottled when back home.(heat and pollution bother me too.. but its not as if the heat here doesnt bother me..and as for pollution,heck its a part of bombay and I love it!)
8. I judge those women who seem to talk ONLY about how great their husband or kids are! how everything and everyone in their famly is perfect.Come on! everyone has flaws..No offense to anyone,here we are all blogging mostly about our families.. but I mean the real extreme cases we all come across some time or the other,who seem to think that their husbands are GODs and their babies Super-babies!(though I do think my baby is a superbaby so I judge myself too!:)9.I judge those who claim to have no time to read anything other than Parenting MAgazines.
10.I judge those skinny girls,who are forever on a diet and fretting about how much weight they have to lose. I mean be realistic.I am by no means a skinny girl..if anything,I am a fat cow!! But I dont about it all the time! I am watch my diet,excercise to my best ability and am slowly losing the weight.But that doesnt mean that when I occasionally go out for a party,I just graze at the salad bar!
11.I judge those people who cannot mind their kids in a public place.Its not always possible to make kids sit quietly or behave like angels( trust me I know-My little brat throws a tantrum everytime i am in the middle of an interesting/important conversation)But atleast make an effort to mind them!
And lastly.. CLOTHES-
I judge those who turn up at Indian weddings wearing jeans!I mean come on! I was so mad when a family friend from DH’s side, turned up for my wedding wearing a white cotton salwar kameez,though neatly ironed.. but come on!! and had the nerve to sit on the stage,talking to DH!!!!!GRRR!
I also judge those who wear clothes that are not befitting to their body type.I mean its one thing not caring about your clothes and being casual but atleast look into the mirror,before you terrorise others with your freakshow!
And what do you say to those who go around announcing how they detest indian clothes be it a saree or a kurta..I am comfortable in a jeans but I am also equally comfortable in a saree.You dont wear it ok.but dont look down upon it.Its a part of our heritage!
I think I should stop here,even if my list doesnt end.. I am suddenly feeling so evil..after reading this post. But I am not going to delete anything..HEck thats what this tag is.. being honestly judgemental!
This tag is open to anyone and everyone who would like to take it up!
I finished reading the latest and the final book in the Harry Potter Series 2 days back.And I am still in the world of Wizards and magic.
The book is absolutely “unputdownable”.It is so fast paced,sometimes I felt that if i dont hurry I will never catch up! And the times that I did have to put the book down to look after Aadya or take care of other stuff..My mind was forever filled with thoughts of what was going on with Harry! At one time I even wished for a wand to take care of the rest of the chores!
After Dumbledore died in “half Blood Prince” I was sad..so sad But I kept hoping He would talk to Harry..just like I kept Hoping his Parents would or Sirius would.That was another thing that kept me turning pages..(like you need anything else to keep turning the pages.)
All I can say is “Its a brilliant Piece of Art” and I wish it didnt have to end here.Its like watching your dear friend move away.
Here’s To Ms.Rowling for giving us Harry,Ron and Hermione and Professor Dumbledore,everyone’s favorite headmaster and the Weasleys,the family next door and Sirius ,Mad-eye,Lupin and Tonks and last but not the least,Voldemort(yes, we all hate him but Harry Potter wouldnt have been the same without him)
Its like being transported to the world of Wizards!And I just dont want to leave.
Looking forward to more such great books…
And I would love to discuss more about the book and the end of the series..anyone game? mail me at menmysunshine@gmail.com
Hope to hear from you
I just bought my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
But I haven’t started reading it yet…Mainly because I wanted to write this post.
I saw a friend obsess over Harry in my final year of college..I borrowed the book and started to read. To be honest,I didn’t even finish it.I thought – Oh just another book. and left it at that.
About 2-3 years later,I was browsing a bookstore in Toronto and found it again.And Remembered how I had left it unfinished.And I have this rule about never leaving a book unfinished..And so I started reading it..I finished that and promptly went and bought the next one in the series. And since then I am hooked..Then I rented the movie and watched it again!
I remember fervently finishing all the previous 5 books in a quick succession,just so I can read the 6th one thus completing the whole series.And now finally the wait for the 7th one is over.
I am waiting to see if Dumbledore is really dead and if Snape killed him out of spite or mercy.
Is Harry going to be as angry as the last time? Well he is a teenager!
Does Ron Finally get the nerve to ask Hermione out? With Sirius and dumbledore gone,who does Harry turn to for comfort?
And lastly ,what happens to Harry? Why is this the last book?
I certainly didn’t want any spoilers and so haven’t clicked on any links about Harry Potter..DH did spoil a little something..but i am just going to ignore that..(Yes, I yelled at him for telling me! and refused to listen to anything else-With a stern..Stop it..Mujhe mat batao!)hahha
So,now if I can get the baby to sleep… Harry Potter..here I come!
Ohhh That reminds me..the books stores are flooded with Harry Potter stuff.Barnes and Nobles has the entire 6 book series for $50,which is a good price considering individual books are being sold for $10-12 each.
More later!
Is Gloomy!!
We got back from a weekend road trip to LA last night.It was a fun trip and calls for another post..But right now,I feel so low and gloomy.Aadya has been fussy all day long,refusing to nurse and refusing to sleep on the bed or in her crib..And there is this crying every hour…
Throughout the trip, I would nurse her when she was awake and change her diaper,let her stretch and then put her in the car seat.DH feels that’s may be she thinks that i will strap her into the car seat again and so doesn’t want to nurse.May be it is true.
I thought she must be tired and tried to make her sleep and she was sleepy.. but refused to be put down. Now,its the end of the day and I am at my wits ends.I have never felt this way in the last 3 and a half month.
I was trying to wean her off the Paci(her Pacifier) butI postponed it to later,may be when she is not as stressed out as now.
The nursing has been better since around 8 pm..and now DH is putting her back to sleep.I just needed a breather..Suddenly,I am feeling sad for being alone here,away from family during my pregnancy and during the initial post-partum days.Is this post-partum depression? I just chatted with this friend who was pregnant around the same time as me and she spent most of her pregnancy and postpartum days with her parents..Her Baby is 5 months old now..and she is just going back to be with her hubby now..Could that have added to my depression?My dad was planning to visit us from August 1st and somehow that doesn’t seem to be materialising just yet..May be I am sad because of that.
I know,I would have never stayed away from DH for that long.I know he wanted to be involved every step of the way with my pregnancy and baby.But suddenly,it seems like he is always so busy,during my pregnancy he was trying to finish off his work to enjoy the baby’s arrival.And I know he is still trying his best to be as involved as possible..And upon the baby’s arrival,by a crazy twist of fate,his work increased ten-folds.Then he fell sick.He is taking it easy now..at least easier than he used to..but…Its not that he doesnt try..he does.But I dont know..I mean he is the one running around to grab a clean diaper or the baby oil or the towel,while I just hold the baby or bathe her or talk to her.He even takes her out for a walk..so that i can cook in peace!
And lastly(but in no way,least)the lack of friends around makes it harder.I have always been a very friendly,people’s person.And suddenly I find myself without anyone to talk to..Anyone other than DH..Sure I am still in touch with my some close friends over email and phone,I talk to my dad almost everyday and chat with sis every other day,but I so need a girlfriend HERE.The only thing that makes me feel like ME now is -Blogging..And all you blogging friends are more real to me than anyone else right now..Thanks for being there..And thanks for listening.I feel a little better after ranting!
Last couple of days have been really hectic. DH resumed work,i had my post-partum visit..Aadya was fussy( missing Papa I think).. MIL arrived on saturday..so i have just been busy with this and that..So many things happenning,so many things to blog about.. so little time..hope to be back to blogging soon.
Thanx for all the wishes, you guys.. and thanx for checking on us-Cee kay..:)
Thanx- Tins,Vidya, Praj,AW,VD…the list is never ending.. but..I just had to mention u guys.. 🙂 You all just make my life a lot sweeter 🙂 You guys rock!
And I have to mention my sister.. coz she will kill me if she reads this.
Be back soon 🙂
Last weekend I saw my worst nightmare come true.
I was up for our early morning nursing session.I woke up DH to pass me some water and the baby’s medicine.He did and was on his way to the restroom ,when I saw him stumble and fall down. I thought may be he was too sleepy or that he didn’t see the bed..BUT No! he just passed out. I kept calling his name, SS started to cry and spit up. I was holding her in hand and tried to help DH with the other.. but no luck. I grabbed the phone to call 911 and that’s when he got up. I helped him to bed and asked him what had happened. He had no clue. He thought he was sleeping. I suggested we go to the ER.He insisted that he was fine and may be was just too sleepy so he didn’t mind sleeping on the rug..huh?
And then he dozed off again on the bed.By then,SS was sleeping too. But I couldn’t sleep.I started looking for a General Physician online. OK, now here is the deal.We moved to Phoenix around 6 months back,when I was just stepping into my 2nd trimester. So, along with finding a new OB-GYN,we also had to find a GP and I did find one.But they require new patients to visit for a well check up.And that can take anywhere from half an hour to 1 hour..sometimes even longer depending on when you had your last well-check or physical. The workaholic that my husband is didn’t think that was worth wasting the time when he could well be working. His logic being that his non-pregnant self didn’t need a doctor.
In the last 6 months, he has been losing weight progressively, getting irritable, looking paler.. but he always shushed my worries and complains as fussing of a loving wife. I am your man ..I am strong enough to take care of you and me! I still went ahead and booked appointments for him with the GP, but he made me cancel them.Once because he was too busy at work, and another time because that very day, we found out that my amniotic fluid was dangerously low and I was put on bed rest. There were days when he would come home from work and doze off on the couch..I would be worried at times and irritated at others, depending on how I was feeling that day.And every time I said something about it, he would just say that he was over worked.he didn’t want to take a day off .. because what about work?!!!?? and then I also stopped telling him.. thinking that he would slow down once the baby is here.
So, the baby came 15 days early. She was born on a Friday and he took Monday and Tuesday off.The plan was that he takes the next 10 days- 2weeks off,to help me with the baby. But his team couldn’t do without him and kept calling him ..Again he decided to finish “this task” and then take it easy. There were more “this task”s to follow…some days he was up till 5 am n then go to office at 9.00.
So,back to Saturday morning, I called up the GP’s office and they were closed.I tried 2 more and they wouldn’t take him and asked us to go to the ER and then call them in the following week. He still insisted rather vehemently that he was fine. I was still not convinced and called his friends. Asked them if they could take us to the ER!I decided to get a licence ASAP that day. We went to the ER, after waiting for 3 hours, they finally took him in and started the tests.To begin with, he was under-weight.They monitored his heart by an EKG and found something irregular there. That alone meant that he was staying for the next couple of hours.They hooked him up on IV, ran some blood tests . They found out he had DIABETES.His blood glucose level was so high, the doctor was surprised ,when we said, we didn’t know about it. HE thought that may be DH had forgotten his medication or gone off the diet!
And,that’s not all.. he had high blood pressure.He had to stay overnight in the hospital. His B.glucose and B.pressure were being checked every 6 hours. And his heart was constantly being monitored.Thank goodness, his heart checked out fine.Blood pressure also stabilised with medication. But the diabetes is something that we have to deal with and work to control.
But there are no words to describe the helplessness I felt….seeing your loved one sick in a hospital bed, hooked on to a heart monitor really breaks your heart. I remember feeling the same helplessness when my dad suffered his first heart attack almost 10 years back. He was also over-worked, over-stressed; my mom had passed away about an year back.. and though he didn’t say anything to us, i know it must be on his mind..
I remember feeling the same way at both the times-the feeling of extreme anxiety… like there is a fist grasping your heart and you are choking. Both the times I was brave ..handled everything calmly but couldn’t stop crying when I was alone.I cried so much even this time that at the end of the day, i don’t think i had any tears left. The only difference was when my dad was sick,I was in India,surrounded by family .I had my sister by my side, who had the same feelings for that person lying in the hospital room .She knew exactly how I was feeling.. and likewise I was the only one who could console her, give her courage.. because I was going through the same hell.Here I had friends, who were great.. They were a great support to me …despite our short acquaintance.
Thanks Hetal and Jerry.. you guys are really great. I really appreciate all the help,especially the way you took care of me n my baby girl. It really means a lot to me. Hetal is this quiet girl, always soft spoken.. she tried her best to distract me in the waiting room and even later.. kept lending her silent support. Jerry,on the other hand , has this calm cool way of speaking..its just so reassuring to talk to him.And though it was just the second time I was meeting him.. still his presence had a calming affect on me.
Thankfully the whole episode is behind us.. and diabetes is something that we have to deal with and adapt our lifestyle accordingly.DH did take a week off and is feeling far more refreshed now than ever before. There is something therapeutic about babies.. they just have a healing influence and a great mood boosters.. I think SS has played a great role in calming her dad down.
If you are still reading, I would just like to say- Don’t neglect your work, but don’t neglect your health either.Don’t put your health on the back seat. And if you cannot remember when you had your last physical or if it has been more than a year,its time to schedule one.
Take care and God bless…
15 Marbles 
