15 Marbles

Oh my Ananya,
I cannot believe,you have been with us for only 3 months,so far 🙂 Gosh!it feels like forever,baby!
You are the cutest,funniest 3 month old..I mean it,really! You,have discovered your voice a couple days back and since then,our life has just become so musical. You spend every waking moment trying out your voice..and the sweetest part is when we go away from you and come back to you,you greet us with the most excited babble.
You are rolling over,every now and again and its really exciting for us to watch you like that. You used to hate tummy-time,but slowly,you are reaching the point when you lift your head for longer times and when we clap excitedly,it makes you very happy.
Anzie,you are happy in crowds.You love the sounds,the new faces,the activity and you don’t mind if new people hold you.But,you know what,Bubba, you now know your people from the other people.We recently took you to a party,where some of our friends,took turns holding you.You were fine for quite sometime,cooing and gurgling to them…and then suddenly for no apparent reason,you started fussing..Nothing they did seemed to calm you..Your Papa was summoned,because,I was eating..and as soon as he picked you up,you were happy.
When you see Mumma,you get so excited..you have the widest grin on your face,followed by a deep throated laugh and the whole-body-shaking excitement!!Aah,Bless!
While earlier,you were happy and content,to lie around in your crib,while I rushed through to finish the morning chores or get your big sister ready for school,those days are over.Now,you want to be in the middle of action.You hate being in a position,from where you can’t see whats happening.Even when we go out,you are no longer content,lying down in your stroller, you like to sit up and look around. And you stay away for as long as possible- you keep your eyes open till the very last minute!!
Even when we are nursing,if you hear anyone talking,you have to stop and listen.If I am the one that’s talking,then you want to join in and have your own little conversation:)
All this is a lot of fun..but you are turning into a little clingy baby..You just want mumma to carry you all the time..and I do..I feel bad for dragging you out all day long.. picking up and dropping your sister to her kinder and library and kumon.I totally get you,that we don’t get to spend enough face to face time.. but really,Bubba,Mumma can’t carry you all day long.
YOu know whats my favorite bit of you? You need some one-on-one time with mumma,everyday..really.. I figured it out,a few weeks back.And since I figured it out,I actually look forward to it.At the end of the day,you need Mumma to take you to another room,just you and mumma..and we have to spend some quiet time,that makes you so happy.
Your didi wants that kind of time too..and I feel like,I am constantly stretching myself…but God!I love it.. I love her..and I love you..and I love watching you both with each other…such fun..so much love and I can’t get over the fact,that I created you both.. that you came out of me..you precious little one!
I have to stop now..coz you are screaming…
Love you,always
Mumma

I think its pregnancy and baby season..So many of my friends and their friends and their friends’ friends are either pregnant or have newborns or babies:)Even in my immediate friend circle,4 of us had babies 20 days to a month apart and 3 others around the same date.
So,when Anne from Women’s Web,left me a comment asking me to participate in the Passport to a healthy pregnancy contest,I had to write this post.I have had two pregnancies so far and they were both poles apart.
During my first pregnancy,I did everything by the book.As soon as we found that I was pregnant,the husband went and bought “What to expect when you are expecting“gift pack and that book became our Bible for those 9 months.We religiously read the weekly fetal development chapters.Along with that I also signed up for Babycentre.com and received weekly updates in my inbox.I quite looked forward to it.The second time around,along with the weekly updates from Babycentre,being experienced,helped too.I didn’t panic at the drop of a hat and generally was more relaxed.
Finding a good Doctor..I found a great OB-GYN in my 4th month and she really guided me well through out the pregnancy.I realized its so important to find a Dr that you can talk to.I laughed with her,cried in front of her,asked her stupid questions,without any qualms. She laughed with me,scolded me,when I was careless and hugged me when I cried.The advice and care that she gave me four years back came in handy the second time around too.
Being active– is so important for your physical and emotional health. I started both my pregnancies at a higher weight.I did try to lose weight before getting pregnant,but couldn’t lose as much as I wanted to,because of various hormonal imbalances.So,I was adviced to gain not more than 5-6 kgs.I continued walking and every day activities until the very last day both the times.
Eating Healthy-I cannot stress anymore on this.Eating for two is a myth.As long as you eat a good well balanced diet you are good, you will be healthy and your baby will get enough nutrition.Ofcourse,if you are craving for that bar of chocolate,sitting in your refrigerator,then,you HAVE to eat it. What I found helpful was bulk cooking and freezing the food.I used to cook more or freeze the left-overs,so there was always ready to eat,preservative free food,in the house. In the last months of pregnancy,I started to cook food to freeze..that way,after the baby was born,we had ready food,for atleast the first month.
Rest,relax and Pamper yourself-Thats exactly what I did during my first pregancy..I rested,took naps,when I felt like.I listened to my favorite music all the time,read humor-filled books,talked to my favorite people,avoided those who stressed me out..and generally stayed happy.Oh and how can I forget,the spas..those trips were really a great blessing for a tired pregnant body.
During my second pregnancy,I didn’t get to rest/relax much,since I was sick most of the time and was caring for a very active 4 year old,but I was so happy because of her 🙂 Her excitement was contagious.
Pregnancy is my favorite topic and I could go on and on about it..but,I will stop with these two last points.
Plan and Prepare– If you have PLANS-yes multiple plans and prepare for them,you will be much for relaxed.Keeping your hospital bag ready as the time approaches,really comes in handy.
And lastly,Selective hearing..LOL!yes, you read it right.Pregnancy and motherhood attract unsolicited advice in huge amounts.Everyone,be it family or friend,neighbour or a random stranger you run into the super-market..or even your maid,won’t stop at dispensing advice…It can be really daunting..Listen to everyone,nod and smile..and then finally,do only what you feel is right!
Just remember, you know your body and your baby better than anybody else..just trust your gut feeling and do what you feel is right.
I am so thankful to Women’s Web for hosting this contest..I am glad,I could write this post.

Sorry,for updating late..I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.The girls are sick.First the baby came down with a horrible cough..its so painful to hear her cough..that hacking cough.
Then Babushka got allergic conjunctivitis..She is getting better.. but the baby woke up with sticky eyes today!! Phew!!
Anyway,as for my Dr. visit.. the Ultrasound was inconclusive and now I need to get a CT scan!So,the waiting game begins again..!!I am still freaking out.. but I guess,by the time I get the results,this time..I will be so over it!LOL!
On a positive note,I passed the GTT(post delivery Glucose tolerance test!) so YAYYYYYYYYY !
And have lost nearly 8 kgs,so far!!so yayyyyyyy yayyyyy yayyyy!!
Come join me for the happy dance..and we’ll worry about the results later!!
Thanks for sending me love and positive vibes!