My pillar of Strength

I think my husband also needs some space in this blog. He has undergone a major surgery recently and recovering. Strong medication is to be administered to him soon. Still he is the most sane person amongst us. And me... sometimes sane ... sometimes insane. Juggling with two small kids.. one of 3.5 months and the other of 1yr8.5 months and a husband in such state. I am worth a pat too ... aint I?

Words never sounded so sweet ever before

Om now speaks anything and everything. He uses the verbs appropriately. I wish I had some time to detail it. Storing them up offline so that I can post it when all this will be over.

Let me introduce you to Raya

Got very delayed to announce her birth but at last we are connected to the blog world.
The birth story was quite simple and straight. We waited till my due date and since nothing happened the doc decided on C-Section.

Om welcomed Raya as another family member, devotes some of his time from his busy schedule to snatch her hand, brushing his hand briskly on her head, kissing her legs putting them in his mouth too... Casualities till today: Raya got a bite on her hand from Om... What a nice gift.

Whenever others are busy to attend Raya's crying he comes to the side of the cradle, rocks it and says "Ei to" meaning "Here am I".




Raya is much easy going as a child than Om till now. But since I dont want get into comparison I am ending it right here.

They have taken all my space and time but we are enjoying our parenthood with our glorious children. Here are few snaps:Everyone who sees Raya comments that he looks like his brother. So here is Om's snap to satisfy yourself::

Om


Raya

No match for the stamina

Never at the same spot for more than 2 seconds... now his stepping being more stable..
Something is always running in his mind..
If he hears anything about something through his alert ears you be sure that he will run to fetch that from its specific place.

We are getting mad in order to control him... specially me, who is having a decreasing level of stamina by the day... Sweat running down my face in the simmering heat.

His feet and fingers are always dirty, even if we wash it several times.

Moreover, he protests if he is confronted with resistance in his track.

Takes off all the receivers of the phones off their cradles..
Picks up the handset of the phones, puts it on his ear and says "AAAAA.... Mammaaaa"...
Says "OFF" whenever he leaves the powder room showing the switches for the fan and light...
Whenever he finds the door of the powder room closed he bangs on the door and says "Mamma"...
Puts all his soiled clothes in the specified tumbler...
Brings out fresh clothes from its storage whenever asked to and even when not asked to...
Opens up the drawer to out his brush during bath time...
Helps me to put the washed clothes on the strings to dry after I come out of bath...
Heads towards the powder room when he is told that its time for a wash in the evening...
Opens and closes the cassette part of the music system which is within his reach...
Brings out his shoes and urges us to put it on his feet...
Goes on to open the door when the bell rings...
Takes out my hanky from my purse and cleans off my mouth...
Takes his father specs and tries it on himself...
When his Kamma comes he shows the fridge where she stalks her pan(betel leaves)...
Accompanies her when she prepares her pan...

And what not....

Yesterday my sister presented him a guitar with a mouth piece.. He is obsessed with all the musical instruments like drum, guitar, trumpet, etc. and music itself. So the guitar was a huge hit with him. He was really very excited to get that and kept himself busy with till his bedtime.

Babba ... Clap Clap

From the beginning whenever I had to make him do or show any of his small achievements I used to say "Do/Show this and Babba will clap".

This has become a custom now. Every time he thinks that he has achieved something he looks for his Babba and claps himself urging his father to do the same. Clapping hands of any other person including me is not enough. His Babba has to clap at each and every achievements of his.

Baa Baa Black Sheep....

...."Havuuuuuu"
Have you any wool... "yeeeeeeeeesssssss"

Twinkle twinkle little star.... "Howww"
How I wonder what you are.... "Uppppp"

...so this is it. I have been chanting these rhymes like mantras since his birth.... as lullaby, during his feedings...etc

Hence the result. Though he cannot speak properly but knows the rhymes by heart. He knows what comes after what.

I have never tried to force him anything.. I just used to chant on my own and let him take his own time for everything.

Recently I heard him saying "Daraaaooo" means Wait.. "Asssssssssssschi" means I am Coming..
He has picked it up from me.

Baby was born

.... No not the second one... I was talking of Om.

I have read in many of the blogs the details of the birth. So I thought since my second delivery is on its way I should jot down the first experience.


I had experienced both pains i.e., labor pain as well as after C-section pain.

On 23rd March, 2007, Friday I had an appointment with my doc who advised me to have Castor oil the following day. But I skipped as I had to visit the parlor before I am ready for the D'Day. So on Sunday 25th March I had Castor oil in the morning. The day went along normally. In the afternoon we made a plan to go to Nandan to watch "Namesake". Before going I had a hunch that it may be risky since I was already on Castor oil. But I discarded the thought as I was already on leave for one week and was up for entertainment.


One hour through the film I realized something gushing out. I ignored. After a few minutes it happened again. I became alert and consulted my husband. I went to the loo to check it out and got scared when I found out that I was leaking. Consulted the doc who advised to get admitted immediately.

All of the family got excited.. abandoned the movie then and there and whisked me away to the Woodlands Nursing Home where I was registered. Then started the wait. They examined me and told that I was 3 mm dilated. Far to go. The baby was monitored every 15 min. But other than periodic contractions nothing happened. My family left for the night. I could hardly get some sleep the whole night. Early in the morning I was put on the drip. Labor pain started and became severe by the minute. Along with that my back pain(which is of several years) got aggravated. The attendant I was provided was very inefficient. She just kept on saying "It happens" without extending any help... not even a few soothing words. My family reached the nursing home early.

The day drifted along . I continued to suffer the pain all day. By 5-00 it was unbearable. The doc checked and told that the baby's head was not engaged properly yet and until that nothing can be done for normal delivery. At 6-00 looking at my condition asked my family whether they want to go for the C-section. They had mercy on me and we all decide to go for it as I hardly could keep myself together by then.

So I was prepared for the operation and was wheeled towards the theater. I was stalled on the passage for about fifteen minutes. I could not figure out why it was taking up so much time since it was already decided. Then I was informed that the anaesthesiologist was caught in a traffic jam and was yet to arrive. I was furious as I could not keep myself on the narrow stretcher in that condition. A nurse came up beside me lest I should fall off.

At last the anaesthesiologist made his grand entry and I was relieved from the pain by the local anesthesia... Nothing mattered then. I had the bliss. After a few minutes at 6-45 p.m. Om was born. They put down the screen in front of me when his head was emerging out. Oh! what a feeling. The anaesthesiologist informed me that its "putra santan" (a boy) and was healthy.

No nature calls please

Now I cannot answer my nature calls.

Whenever I am out of sight, Om searches for me firstly in the bedroom, secondly in the kitchen and if I am still missing then he positions himself just outside the bathroom calling "Mamma... Mammma..." accompanied with banging on the door. Who can ignore such sweet calls ? So there goes my nature call stopped in its track and here I go to attend my sweetipie.


When will he understand that I too like him has some necessities of my own?

6 or 9

.. .. I Dont remember properly pointing them out to Om... may have mentioned it but without any stress on it

But yesterday I noticed that as he was playing with the loose pieces of alphabets and numbers on his own he got hold of '6' of red color . Then he kept on searching among the pieces lying on the floor. His eyes spotted it and his hands ducked in for '9' in yellow color.

He repeated the action again after sometime.

I dont think he knows anything about 6 or 9 but his mind must have noticed them as they look similar in shape....

Waiting for him to speak up his mind. Till then we remain in dark.


Edited to Add: We clarified the fact. Whenever I told him to get me 6 and 9 he sorted out exactly 6 and 9 in two different colors as mentioned earlier and handed over to me.

Unexpected two holy holy days

Kolkata is never out of Bandhs.

As the oil price is hiked the bandhs followed. This time in sequence from two parties. The maid cooked for the days before leaving... so relieved from that end.. only had to make dal and rice. Obviously Om's cooking was there as usual. Though I have to sacrifice the 2nd and 4th Satday for these days to compensate.

So jumped in to get the best of this time with Om. Had a gala time.. we Mom and Son. Clung to each other... played with each other and got exhausted.

At the end of the yesterday, my health got sucked up. I have a back problem beforehand and it got excelled after stepping into the third trimester. So today morning I could hardly get myself up from the bed.

Pregnancy hues

Got the inspiration for this post from here.


I find myself in a similar position... Seems to have lost all the lust of life. After our marriage I was busy studying and fulfilling the dreams of my father and my husband. After I finished it by 2006 and was getting geared up to enjoy life, my life seemed to have come to a halt after we get to know the worst tragedy of our life. I dont want to get into that topic as I want to maintain this blog strictly for my kids.

Pre-partum depression followed as I was pregnant with Om. Post-partum depression after Om's birth did not leave me before six months after I joined office. I hardly got it over when I started suffering from the pre-partum depression again in my second pregnancy. And I know that I wont be spared by the post-partum too.

I have forgot how life was to be as all my outings and entertainments have been replaced by responsibilities.

I hope to get back to the vibrant life I always vied for but my hormones make me feel that its the end of life.

Horrible sleeping habits

From the 5th day when I was entrusted with my baby.. got a discharge from the nursing home.. I have been an witness to a horrible sleeping habit.

Succumbed to sleep at a certain position at a certain place... but God knows where he will land up and how when he gets up. He turns and turns... this way and that way... over the pillow... over us. He is all over the bed making us squeeze to the edges.

Wont sleep the whole night in his crib as he bangs to the side bars whenever he moves which interrupts his sleep. We cant put away our blankets even in this heat as they serve as barricades on our bed when he sleeps. He had fallen out of bed four times .. twice at our residence and twice at his nanny's house.

Never slept through the night.. when breastfed he used get up at every two hours as day time. While feeding he would doze off but kept me awake for an hour or so each feeding. At about 3.00-4.00a.m he would insist to stay awake so that he could torture me further. After a lot of coaxing he would doze off after one hour... but only after ruining all my sleep.

Now when he is weaned, he still gets up at least once to have his only drink of the day.

He is an early riser. Never gave me the chance to enjoy the sweet morning sleep which I so savored.

So still lying at his mercy.

Thorough Observation

I talk less and observe more. Cant tell Om talks less but observes every single detail.

Incident 1:

Yesterday, when the water in his bottle was finished Kanak said to him :: "Water is finished.. Now you cant drink any more."

Om cant reply in words as yet but his actions say it all. He kept cool, led Kanak to the bedroom and showed her the the bottle where I stalk up more boiled water for later use.

So he must have noticed that I pour water from that bottle to his bottle at night when its content is exhausted.

**********************************************************************************
Incident 2:

Day before yesterday, Om urged Kanak towards the powder room to poop.

When asked whether he has finished his pooping he tilts his head to his right affirming it and points to the commode shower for washing.

After he is washed then he waits to see his poop flushed away.

This done he turns towards the basin as I always wash his hands with soap after using the pot.

**********************************************************************************
Incident 3:

One morning he had his slippers on. After sometime I took it off as he is yet not apt with it at home. As his slippers were taken off he carried the each slipper in each hand and went he off to put them in their position in the bedroom.

**********************************************************************************
Incident 4:

One morning the husband was doing his Pranayam (taught by Ramdev). As I had to go to the powder room and Om was still asleep I told the husband to do his Pranayam in the bedroom. When I came back I saw Om was already wide awake as he gets up when he doesnt get my smell and he was busy imitating his father doing "Anurom birom" that is inhaling from one nostril and exhaling from the other using his hand.

He copied the breathing actions correctly though his hand actions are yet to be refined.

**********************************************************************************

He never seems to miss any detail. Doesnt this prove he is my son?

I am dead

Kolkata is burning at 40 degree Celsius. I am burning with it...in this pregnancy which has added up 10 degrees more to my body heat... drenched with continuous sweat... the blazing sun is sipping up all the juice of my life.

Have to get up by 6.00 a.m. to prepare food for Om... whether I get some sleep at night or not is not an issue. Have to feed him his breakfast.. make his juice .. bathe him.. make him drink his juice... put back to his late morning nap.

Then run for office in this simmering heat..

Rain seems to be a far cry..

When I was pregnant with Om, the most of the period was spent in the winter and I didnt have to look after a child of 1yr 2 months, who was completely depended on me. Though I hardly got any pregnancy related problems this time like nausea, vomiting, etc. I am suffering from the heat and the weakness caused by that heat.

Perfect timing

I have always been proud of my apt time management. Om must have inherited that property from me. He is way away from getting to know to read the clock but something in him triggers off the actions at the right timing.

In his regular routine somehow around 4.00 - 5.00 a.m. he wriggles in his sleep which means that he wants his bottle of milk then. Though milk is his favourite he cannot digest lactose. So he has to be given "Zerolac" which is a substitute for lactose. In his half sleep he comes to me and embraces me from behind when I proceed to make his drink. He drinks down the milk in his sleep and gets up at about 5.00 - 6.00 a.m. in the morning. Good that he is an early riser. I hope this continues when his school begins.

I spend with him upto 6-30 a.m. after which I proceed to prepare his meals, boil his water, sterilize his bottles, etc. Obviously, he does not leave me alone for that. If no one is there to keep him away he assists me in the kitchen... takes down all the utensils... empties out all the potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger from their respective baskets and spread them out on the floor... Why?
b'cas he doesnot want me to have the trouble to get it from the basket. If his father is available he plays with him or rides his tricycle whimpering at the sight of me.

7.30-8.00 a.m.: he has his breakfast.. rice with butter and egg. sometimes cheese, bread with us on weekends. I would have liked him to have proper breakfast like bread butter, banana, milk, etc. But after his continuous stomach upset his doc prescribed him rice for all his meals. So here is Om having rice for his three meals like his Mom.

8.00-8.30 a.m.: I play with him and makes his juice. He sometimes goes out with his father or Tappu for car parking out of the garage.

8.30 a.m. I take my bath while his father keeps him busy.

After finishing my bath I prepare the tub for Om's bath with water. As Om sees me he comes running to help in putting out my washed clothes to dry. As I get his towel he gets out his tooth brush from the drawer by himself and starts brushing(not always in the right way though). I take off his clothes, get his fresh clothes on the bed, take his soap and bathing toys and head towards the powder room with Om following me. He finishes his bath by fifteen minutes. I take him to the bedroom for drying and get him on to his clothes. He knows its time for his juice which he loves like anything. He drinks his juice and dozes off to sleep after his thunderous morning session. By 9.00-10.00 a.m. his morning ritual ends. I finish off the rest of my jobs, have my breakfast and move on for my job.

He generally gets up around 12.00 p.m. and has his lunch. Then he starts his afternoon session... busy with his games and toys ... he has got lots of work on his hands each day... its pretty difficult to make him take his afternoon nap.

From 4.00-5.00 p.m. Om has his evening food.. that is banana, biscuits, puffed rice, etc.

He spends his time playing upto 6.00p.m. Then he realizes that it is almost time for his mom to arrive. He waits for me cooing "Mama" frequently from then till I arrive. As I get back he embraces me with a good hug as if he got all he wanted. I spend with him playing till 7.30-7.45 p.m. after which I start preparing for his dinner. He has dinner by 8.00 p.m. and mostly gets sleepy after the days ordeal.

Om freshens up and get ready for bed. But he does not succumbs to sleep immediately if not dead tired. Instead he wriggles from one side of the bed to the other over the pillows trying to take all the comfort of playing around with them. I continue to sing but dont force him to lie still. I give him his own space and time to finally doze off.

Being envious

Whenever I come across a post where it is mentioned that the blogger's mom is coming down to stay with them and to help them out during their post delivery stage, I become jealous. As mentioned in those posts that their mother travels miles to help their daughter out. Whereas me and mom stays in the same city, only 12 km apart, but I cant count on my mom to come over to my place during that period. It neither happened during Om's birth nor will it happen this time.


On both the sides our children are unfortunate in the case of grandparents. Om's paternal grand parents deceased when B was only 6 and 7 yrs old(within a yr) . The siblings helped themselves out from the tense situation. I lost my father when I was 18. So my mom is the only living grandparent of Om.

But even she is not well to give me a little support. She got blood sugar after the birth of my elder sister. So I was born in sugar hence my heavy weight at birth(9lb and 3 oz). And in due course she developed thyroid and high pressure. As a result she started suffering from frozen shoulder, arthritis, retinopathy in eyes, etc.. Last year just at the time of Om's Annaprasan(6 mth ritual) Mom lost her left eye with which she could view better than the right one. By an accident she fell on the floor and the left eye was smashed out with all its contents being emptied on the floor of the dinning room. She had a cataract operation on that eye several years ago and the stitch gave away at that sudden thrust. Not to mention the various trivial matters she suffers from. That was her physical part. Mentally she was completely dependant on my father for each and every respect. When my father died I tried to provide her all the mental and physical support I could.But now since the last year I am too busy with my pregnancy, motherhood and my job that I could hardly take care of her.

So her support is out question. After Om was brought home I had to handle situation myself and this time it wont be any exception. I remember the first night of Om at home. I was released on the 5th day and we were all alone with the baby after my sister left. That night Om wailed till 2.00a.m. after which he dozed off to sleep. We were at a fix... nobody to help.. nobody to look to... Docs at Kolkata will hardly bother to answer phones at that hour of the night. So we called up Rony at Ireland but he could hardly help without seeing the baby. At last when Om calmed down we were a bit relieved. The next morning we had to put him naked for the sun bath as he had jaundice when he was released. Didnt know what to have for our meals... my physic was not permitting at all. Ohhhhhhh what a time it was...

This time I will be much more organized as I have been through the situation once. I hope so...

Eventful Weekend

...for Om. It was all cloudy promising to pour down heavily. But maybe God understood that the weekend is the only time when I can take Om for entertainment.

On Saturday we took him to Oxford Junior store to get him some new books for near future as I am sure to loose my mobility soon.

He was as usual so excited and explored every niche of the shop without keeping any book or toy unturned. One of us had to keep him busy while the other searched for the appropriate book for him.

We got him an Alphabet and a Number book, a book for various body parts and another with activity. Though Om had more in mind.. that is the whole book store. But he had to be refrained.

After returning B went to explore the roof for the construction supervision and in the dark got hit by a pin which got deep into his feet through his shoe. So our fate for a few days was sealed. Though he did take a tetanus he didnt bothered for the painkiller. As a result the whole night he suffered pain, could not out his feet down.

On Sunday Om was up by 5.00 a.m. and started on his usual busy day. Didi, Tapanda, Buro, Rishika came to visit us in the afternoon, mainly to examine the hurt of B. Om enjoyed their company as Buro was carrying a deuce ball which is his favourite toy. Then we made our way for our evening stroll. We visited Big Bazaar which opened in our neighborhood this week. It was so crowded that I could not put down Om at all and had to carry him all the way. Got very tired in the way.

Later Bardi and her family came to visit us. Om was late for his dinner and very sleepy as he did not bother for his afternoon nap. Had a hard time feeding him dinner and was out to slumber land within seconds. They had dinner with us and left by 10.00p.m.

So the only job left for me was to put on Volini gel and get some sleep to get myself ready for next day, up and working.

So the only job left after that was to put volini gel and get some sleep to get myself ready for the next day, up and working.

A confession

During my first pregnancy I was alert for each and every difference that happened to me. I recorded everything and enjoyed and shared the information with my husband. Absolutely nothing missed my attention as it was my first baby that was going arrive.

Each and every movement within me was sure to fill me up with glee. I was welcome to my first child. Along with this I should mention that I got the time too to give attention to all these.

But now when I am due for my second child as are many of the blogging mommies I hardly get the time or opportunity to get note any difference in me. One of the reason behind it is that I have been exclusively breastfeeding and the proofs of my first pregnancy did not get the time to fade out. The age gap between my two kids will hardly 1yr 5 months. I got into my second pregnancy when Om was only seven months. And another reason is that my mind is bogged down with so many things to take care of that it could hardly accommodate the notings of the changes.

Many of who heard about the news stared at me in awe. They could hardly believe the news... got worried about Om that he wont be cared properly as I wont be in proper health. But I have not neglected Om till now except for the extreme stress periods which have been very few.

Instead I must admit that my second child got hardly any importance. All my attention is being occupied by my Om. Concerns of all was showered on Om.

In the process of taking care of Om I could hardly take care of myself which was very much needed for the my second child. When Om was due I restricted my diet to healthy food only ... taking great on the roads.. in transports... etc.

But this time it seems to be as if nothing will happen to my child. She will be alright in all conditions. Dont worry my second child, I will make it up to you after your birth. There wont be any difference between you two in my eyes. You are always welcome though I dont have the time to note down the changes in me due to your concept. B'cas i want you to be each others support all your life and make us parents proud and b'cas your father, whose wish I cant turn down, wanted you to be there beside Om.

An Afterthought

I started this blog keeping in mind that when my kids will grow up and will want to know about their childhood and the feelings of their parents then they may hop into this blog for reference.

But now my thought has changed. I think I have been blogging only for myself. Does it sounds selfish? May be. But when my kids will grow up will they have time to look back to the precious moments they gifted us in their childhood. I doubt. They will be too busy with themselves. Then we will be the idle ones longing for their company. And since we wont get their company we will try to glide by our past through this blog. We will try to get back this time when we could not provide proper time when they craved for our company. Then we may repent that we missed this valuable moments. But dear kids, believe me nothing is in our hands.... neither the situation now nor the situation you will be when you grow up. We just have to live the life we are destined to. I hope I could change this.. that is "be busy when your are busy and be free when you are free to spend the time with you".

I would love to have you around all the time.

Dont take it so fast....

.....Let us enjoy our childhood through yours.


While offering the evening ritual to God after returning from work I used to tell Om :"Cholo Sandhe debo". Sandhe means evening ritual. Since Om wont understand that I would rectify and say"thakur ke debo" as he is familiar with the word "thakur" which means GOD.

On last Sunday when I said "Sandhe" without using "Thakur" he understood it and headed towards the puja area.

On Monday after I returned from work and changed he ushered towards the puja area, putting his hand on his head, a posture resembling praying. So he knows that its time for the evening ritual.

I wish I could read a child's mind and know how it works.

But I dont want my child to grow up very fast. I want him to enjoy his free childhood in each and every bits.

Both of his parents have missed the colorful college life as we heard it from others. So we want our child to enjoy their life.

My father always wanted me to be a responsible, independent and successful woman and not like my mother who was solely dependent on my father.

Maybe today I have achieved his dream. I too want the same for my son but at the proper age.
If I can help I will try to provide my child all the opportunities of life until he reaches the proper age. It obviously doesnt mean that I will pamper him. He should be taught the bad along with the good so that he develops the ability to distinguish between them. He should hear "no" along with "yes" wherever applicable.

But nothing is in my hand. Everything depends on what God has in store for us or our destiny.

Growing up very fast indeed

I had written the earlier post day before yesterday and mentioned his walking in that.

That day I went home early from work as I have had to leave his governess Kanak early. That day I experienced few nice moments with the kid. Generally when I return from work he is already exhausted by his daily routine and is almost ready to call it a day.

But that he was in his full form. His walking is not steady yet and he is running.. Yes he is running.

While running he could not control his movements and tripping off every now and then. We were all watching in apprehension that he is going to get hurt every second. Well, he managed somehow.

So I think I need to speed up the frequency of my posts in order to track his daily developments.

Growing up at a great speed

After crossing one yr time is flying away.

I hope I could store all the memories in a jar just like Om does. Yes, he is great in putting the lid of any jar or his feeding bottle. Even if he has got the lid in an upturn position, he adjusts it with the help of his body (as the other hand is engaged in holding the bottle) and then puts it on the opening of the jar. He opens it again and commences with the same job all over again.

I had bought him a set of ABCs of which he recognizes the 'Zero' or 'O' and 'Red I' i.e., the I in red color.

When I bring the animal book and show the animals out there he points to the TV, walks up to the cabinet, get hold of the remote and directs it to the TV. What he means is "Open the TV and lets watch the animals in action on Animal Planet Channel". He knows that the TV is to be operated by the remote only. And as I show him the animals in action on the channel he has got used to it.

He loves his books though. He can point out to the various animals, can show their eyes, ears, tails , etc. He knows his gold fish book by every bit. He can show his own hands, legs, fingers, toes, tongue by moving his tongue from one end to other, teeth with an 'EEEEEE' sound, hair, ear. He knows how to comb his hair with the comb, can put the spoon into his mouth in the right way. Carries his soiled pants or dress to the bucket where they should be and then starts playing with the bucket and its contents with a cheeky smile.

He can recognize apple, mango, musambi(lemon), banana among fruits and potato , gourd among veggies.

He shows 'something finished' or 'something gone' with a mudra pattern of his hands. Says 'Hash Hash' when sees a lizard. Utters a "Meaaaao" sound when talked of pussy cats, "boooo" when talked of cows and "baaaaa" when asked about sheep. He can say : Mama, Baba, Pappu for Tappu, Babe foe Baby, Dade for dadu.



Now about his walking. His steps are becoming firm now. Follows everybody to every room, crosses the threshold with great care holding the door frame. After learning to walk, his hands and knees are a better off now and no nooks and corner of the house is untouched.

He has copied every action of puja. He nows how to blow the conch at the right place, bathes 'shivlinga' with the 'ghat' (empty) and then takes up unlit candle and moves it in the same fashion as we do and rings the bell too.

Getting more self sufficient, isn't it.

Poila Boishakh

Om celebrated his first Poila Boishakh by having lunch at Amber. Didi & Tapanda gave us a treat.
Though it was his first restaurant visit one can hardly make that out.

His seating posture was just right with the white napkin placed on his lap. He tasted Peas Pulao, Fish livergin, French fry, Nan.

But after he finished his savory he showed his own self. He started by cleaning all the mouldings on the wooden wall panel. At first he used the napkin of the restaurant. Then he reached to the conclusion that its not suitable for cleaning purpose. So he emptied his own bag, took out his own napkin and started using it. I dont mind if my son starts earning part time at such an early age... but am I to supply him all the ingredients for his job!!!!!

By this stage my son has become apt in sweeping, cleaning, cloths washing. One thing he hasnt tried yet is utensil cleaning. But I dont think that wont take much time too. So in future if any of you run out of your maids dont hesitate to call him up.

After 1 yr ...

..... Om resembles me mostly. It seems to me a few days back when I brought him from the nursing home.


From the very beginning the feature of Om that appealed to me was his bright eyes. They seemed very bright to me and implied more than that....

On the 3rd day of Om I decided that I had enough of bedtime and now I need to refresh myself as I had to take care of Om once I reach home. Still in pain I got out of bed and slowly walked down the corridor to visit the nursery of the nursing home (I was previously asked to visit the nursery to see the baby bathing). As I reached the nursery the bathing was already in process. But I was in awe. All the babies looked the same. I have seen and handled Om when he was brought to my room (No. 311) for feeding. And now in the nursery with all other babies I was at a loss in recognizing my own. I made up my mind that I need to sort him out here and here only among others. After the bath of two babies came my little one and I didnt miss to recognize him. I thanked god for giving me the insight of a mother.

He got bathed and was taken inside for dressing, where I was not allowed. I was permitted to stand at a distance and just watch - pathetic... As I was watching my baby he was wailing his hearts out. Suddenly his vision fell on me standing out there and his vision was stalled. He looked and looked at me stopping his crying until he was taken away from there. I could not read his mind... dont know what he felt when he saw me... or was it the bright colored housecoat that I was wearing that caught his eye. I wished God would have gifted me that insight too.

The feature of Om that appealed to his father was his smile which obviously he inherited from me. The smile mesmerized all who interacted with him.

Om has given me sleepless nights, painful tears while feeding, incessant crying in the first few months, continuous peeing and pooping, stomach trouble since his 5th month, rejection in each and every introduction, catching cold every now and then, skin rashes at any instant even when anybody touched his face or while putting mustard oil on his chest while having cold and so on... but with all these he has given us everything that a baby can gift to his parents. From the beginning he used to smile in his dreams. After crossing his first month he started giving meaningful smile.

He grew up to be a very interactive child, greeting everybody who comes his way. He is a relentless player.. goes on playing until he drops off to sleep. Whenever I am at home he leaves his play and cuddles up to me... brushing up his face with my tummy... resting his head on my lap.. as if this closeness gives him all the bliss in the world.

He is a very good student.. responds to every lesson that he is taught... like a keyed doll.. whatever and whenever asked he comes out with the right answer.

Having him means having the whole world in my arms.

I know as the bird flies out of their nest, he will spare no time in carrying on with his life and career. I wish him all the best for a lovely life of his own desire. I will never hold him back or have any expectation that he will be always by my side to keep me company.... So I am storing away each and every moment that I spend with him in my memory with the motive that I will cherish them when I wont have Om with me to cherish his company.

Many parents want their child to pursue the career of the parents choice but to me Om is free to choose his own world. We have brought him to this world so we have every responsibility towards him. But authority over him is that much that he allows us.

Now when he cant have his own choice I am guiding him my own way but once he has gained his self balance he will be on his own. If he comes back to me like he does now when I get back from work I will consider myself fortunate enough to be a mother of a gem-eyed son.

1st Birthday

Happy Birthday, My Dear

1 yr Update

One week left for Om to be year old. Cant imagine it passed away so fast. But it did. Still planning for the celebration. I would like invite kids on his birthday so that Om can feel the fun of his Red Letter Day.

One of his characteristics that all admires is his good nature and interactiveness. His Kakka is always appreciating his temperament but does not agree that Om has inherited it from me. My mother says I was always smiling even when mingled up with my bowels. I never whined even the bit Om does. Down the line my life did not provide me all the goodies to retain that smile. But I hope I can provide Om all the facilities so that he can carry it on till the end.

Yes, he is a very interactive child, very good with kids. Never misses to greet any guest. He sits in his high chair straight down the lobby for his meals and gives a warm welcome to whoever rings the bell. In the last 3 months he has become very close to his governess who always tries to keep the baby lively.

The house is full with his cooing, whenever he is awake. When I call up from my office and get to hear his BABA, MAMA, PAPA my heart skips a bit as I miss so much. But then that's life. You cant get everything at the same time. He responds to his names whatever he is called up and when asked to show, points his right first finger to his right cheek.

You cannot get away from him doing a wrong thing. He will correct you with a strong "POP" and a finger pointing at you.

He prays to God with both his hands pulled up together over his head, points to everything with his first finger whenever asked. Enjoys when his Baba is doing puja. He will not leave him for once and will accompany him in ringing the bell and the Sankha. He had already felt the heat of Agarbati but that cant put his hand away from it. He touches the Sikha of the candle and I let him do so as I want him to feel it through his skin than hear it from others.

Till now I have never discouraged him in his tracks. I want him to go all extents to learn it himself as I think that's the best way to learn. He is well with books too. Shows interest in going through the animal books he has got, points to the animals when asked to(not all though). He loves to do Horsey Horsey. Lately we have got him a DVD on nursery rhymes for his birthday. He loves to watch it too.

Since his hair is growing down his temples Kanakdi ties it up with rubber bands accompanied with girly clips.. looks so cute in it.

He is into fully solids now.. i.e. hand mashed rice, veg, chick or fish. The machine smashed is being stopped completely since the last week. After that I am noticing that his sleeping habit is also changing ... getting up less at nights which was a horror for me. After going to sleep at about 8.00-9.00 p.m. he used get up at about 12-00 am, 2-00 am, 4-00 am and finally greeted us Good morning at 6-00 am. Now it is getting lesser. He used to have three times milk feed in this span... or would cry if not given. He was weaned off by 10.5 months before which the nights were nightmare to me as he used to feed on for hours, being latched on for hours. It was so painful for me as I could not turn anyway and then getting up fresh in the morning was impossible.

On last Sunday we took him to the roof before the sunset. Whenever told to point out the sun he opened his mouth very wide as if he will eat it up. Nobody has showed him like that, so dont know where he picked it up from. It was just like Hanuman trying to have the sun.

Om is still Mama's boy, always clinging to me whenever I am there. I love to see him play while I sit nearby to guide him. It puts a smile on his lips as he looks at me and it puts a smile on my lips when I look at him. What a great feeling.

Yesterday, my hsbnd was taking out the things one by one out of his pouch after returning home. When he was taking out the last one he told me to guess what it can be and informed that seeing it will drive me crazy. I told him that I only go crazy by looking at Om. Can you guess what it can be. Well, it was the passport sized photograph of Om which we took on Sunday. He is looking at the camera with a perfect face for a passport photo. I guessed it right, isn'nt it.

Om loves banana and bell in fruits. Cant wait to make them ready for him to eat. He has got 6 teeth now, two in the lower jaw and four in the upper. Since the last two days he has learnt to push out the food he is not interested in. Instincts teach them all.

I think I can go on like this for ever. But its time for you all to have a break. So we will be back after a short KitKat break.

P.S. : Forgot to write that he has got a name to him now with a very much valid birth certificate.

The Namesake

I dont know whether this is fortunate or unfortunate. It was 25th March, 2007, afternoon. We went to Nandan to watch the movie -- The Namesake. I had castor oil in the morning and had a hunch that it may be The Day. Well, when we were half way through the movie I felt something wrong. I was getting wet and couldnt control getting wet further. I realized that I have lost my mucus plug and water was gushing out. After contacting the doctor I was admitted to the nursing home.

Om was born the next evening. I had a c-section after bearing the labour pain for a full day as the baby's head was not properly engaged.

Om is almost one year now, waiting for his first birthday on 26th March,2008. But still without a good name. His father is so choosy and wants the best name possible ever that he is still continuing with his nickname. Whenever we decided on a name somebody or the other placed their views against that. So we have ended up with a yr old baby without a proper name.

I desparetly want a name to my baby before he turns one. I hope the namesake will come to an end by one year.

A Step Forward

On Sunday, 24th February, he took his first independent trembling step. I was the only spectator and the act was of such a small duration that there was hardly any chance of taking a shot. So I patted myself and wished better luck next time.

The Great Great Bathroom Singer

If you dont get the autograph now then you miss the chance !!!!

Whenever he is in his bath, he incessantly composes fine tunes which is going to hit the music world pretty soon. So whoever is interested in getting the autograph of the future's most prominent musical maestro dont miss a second.

Now he can point to things and himself, can pray to God for everybody's wellbeing.

Oh!! I forgot to tell you that my boy is playing cricket now, pushing every ball to the boundary. None of his shots is less than any master stroke.

Mirror, Mirror, Who is the most Handsome?

Om loves to see himself in the mirror. The collage says it all.