Last day of the year

Today morning I made Ragi but added some jaggery (melted and filtered to remove impurities) and the boy liked it.

Last day of the year and when I look back, I cannot believe the boy has come into our lives. He is a joy to handle, has a nice demeanor and the moment you see him, you are totally in the present and forget about everything else. I wonder whether it is for this exact feeling that people have children. And when they grow up, they miss this feeling and have another one only to realize it is too much (or too many?) of a good thing!

A birthday party

The boy’s nails are sharp. I remember the first time I cut them, when he was a couple of months old. The skin bled and after that I have been very careful. I cut them today and enjoys when they are filed. I also trimmed his hair in the front.

He turned over 5 times today. Looked as if he wanted to reiterate that the first time he did was not a fluke!

The boy also attend his first birthday party. There were close to 50 children and majority of them were insistent on getting return gifts. I wonder where this culture came from? Back in my days, birthday party meant cutting a cake, eating a snack, some talk and back home. This party had a theme – spider man, there was a MC, games and return gifts.

Bouncer and Ragi

Back home and the boy has his Fisher Price bouncer set up. 

He was wide eyed initially but later adjusted to the lights and the jing bang on it.  
He started on Ragi (Manna Ragi Rich)  and finished it.

Boil one cup of water, add 2 table spoons of Ragi, keep stirring it till it is in a solid-liquid state. Cool it and feed. I tasted it and it is pretty tasteless. 

He has become restless after we got back. Whining and crying when being rocked to sleep. For the first time I had to use a pram in the night to pacify him.

Eating rice

The boy’s chooru oonu (first taste of solid food, rice in this case) in the Guruvayur temple. He was in a traditional outfit (with the diaper!) He sat through the heat and the countless people surrounding him. Towards the end of the ceremony, he started getting cranky and eventually slept. This was followed by a Thulabharam (an offering to Gods where the boy sits on one side of a giant weighing scale while the other side was loaded with ghee). The boy weighed 6 kgs.

Typically this ceremony means that the boy can get started on solid foods. He preferred the payasam (Kheer) to the rice though. My parents, after all the fuss they made when I got married, surprised us by turning up. All together it went well. 

Another trip and flip

His second car ride (closer to 550 km) all the way to mallu land (Kerala). He sat through it very well. The usual - eat, sleep, potty.  

The family house is more than 100 years old and is one of the few surviving nalukettu in the region. In its inner verandah, when all the family was watching, he flipped on his own - turned and lay on his belly when the whole family was watching!

A full apple

He ate a full apple!

Passport finally...

His eyes are glued shut in the morning because of the secretion from his eyes. It is a pitiful sight to watch. On the bright side his passport was delivered today.

Left handed

The boy was a bit moody yesterday. All smiles and he suddenly cried. Put him on my shoulder, rocked him and he was quiet. He looked cool in red round Tee and a red checked shirt. Trouble was when it was time to remove it – it just would not come off! We had to cut through the sleeve. 

He loves staring at his fingers. He was sucking my finger and at the same time admiring his own fingers on his left hand. He does it only with his left hand and not right. Is he going to grow up left handed?

Apple

The boy had his first solids - mashed apple. I was at work but he loved it.  The apple was peeled, cut into small pieces, boiled and after grinding was fed to him.

Police station

The boy’s first visit to the police station as a part of the wife’s passport verification :-)The cops were very helpful. We had to go come back with more documentation though.

He is outgrowing his clothes. Went and bought new ones.

Passport

The Passport Office website stated the minors could walk in anytime during the working hours. We went in person and found that option was only from 9 to 11. The boy’s appointment was 230. So after the wife went in at 1230 I sat with the boy from 1230 to 230 in the waiting area. The boy behaved very well. Sucked my fingers, slept. Finally his turn came, we got in and were at the token counter. The lady here does the initial scan of the documents. I was holding the boy and told her clearly that the mother has gone in for her passport but she still wanted the passport file number. I had go to in and get it. Handed over the boy to the wife. And then she wanted the wife’s old passport. I told her it had expired and now that she has the new passport file number why does she need it? Reluctantly she agreed.  First stage cleared. 

Then Counter A stage. The wife and the boy was nowhere to be seen. Feed and diaper change time. They did not have any changing area for the boy and the wife had to join 2 chairs and precariously balance hm. She almost missed her Counter A call. It was the boy’s turn and I sat in front of the next lady. She checked his documents, took his photo, made him do a fore finger ink impression(!) and off it went to Counter B and Counter C. 2 stages of verification and we were at the Exit. They wanted our feedback and handed us our acknowledgement forms. Finally out! My left forearm was paining. 

Sucker!

Give him finger/cloth and it goes straight to his mouth. He enjoys sucking other’s fingers. He has also started making owl like gurgling sounds. He grabs his left leg, only if he is in a diaper.

Yahoo!

And no, I did not get a job. We got a new nanny to look after the boy. A the Nanny joined today. The photos have been collected from the studio and it has come out very well. Adobe Photoshop is an amazing tool.

Doc visit and birthday blues

Took the boy to Dr S yesterday. He was so thrilled to see him. Dr S said he is perfectly fine and the cough is nothing to worry about.

The boy was so cranky and slept only at 230 am. The wife was so tired and frustrated that she went to sleep on the couch in the living room. What a start to her birthday.