Ouch again

Fell down with  lips bleeding and chipped tooth. We drove down to Chennai after lunch, with the boy going “Bha bha” each time he saw a bus on the road. He did not want to get back in the car when we stopped for dinner.

Once we got there, he was cranky during night insisting on the wife rocking him to sleep and refused to come to me.

Movie time...flopped

We watched PK last night with the boy at the nearby mall. He was in awe of the lights, the big screen and the people. Initially he moved up and down to the music from the trailers before the movie, sitting in my lap. As the movie started, he got restless and I took him out. The rest of the movie was mostly that. I was out with him for the first half and the wife in the second half. He feasted on the pop corn. The boy showed no signs of sleeping. We got home and he was out in 2 minutes flat.

Shivers and tantrums

The wife woke up shivering yesterday. Surprising the boy seemed to understand that she was not well and was  quiet, opting to sit in the bouncer. The 5 year old Ah and the boy had a fight over a pencil. The boy can scream, scratch and can whack Ah on the head. In the night he wanted the glass water bottle, the bottle of cooking oil and when I said no, threw a tantrum and tossed the chapattis on the floor.

2 steps

The boy took 2 steps unassisted!

A the Nanny

bunked today. Thanks to B, who volunteered to take the boy with her for some time, I was able to finish making lunch. He threw a huge tantrum when I took the way the baby soap from him in the bath tub. Cried for nearly half an hour and he had forgotten why he was crying in the first place. It was a mix of sleep and hunger. The boy slept on the way to pick up the wife from the train station.

Food and football

The boy has learnt to pour the water from the feeding bottle into its cap and drink from it. We mostly let him eat on his own – seat him on the dining table with the plate in front of him. It is a mess with the food on him, around the plate and even in his shirt pocket. He can eat with both his hands but is so scared of biting his own finger that he puts the food deep in his mouth and immediately takes out his finger.

So we were in my wife’s cousin’s home last night watching the final of ISL and sipping Captain Morgan when the boy took a fancy to the glass and the color of its contents. I kept the glass away but his pestering increased. Eventually I caved in and gave him the last sip and he wanted more. Gave him one more drop and he wanted more. That night he got up only once for the feed! Good smooth stuff.

Surprisingly repeated what Ah and Aa’s father said – “You go”. It came in a flash.

Gooti Gooti Ga!

Something that the boy picked up. A major hit with Aa and Ah.

Ouch!

The boy was very excited crawling in the play area sand. Soon the excitement got the better of him, he slipped and went face first into the sand, hurting his lip. Wailed a bit and he was fine.

He can reach the TV now, grabbing the TV stand and standing up. The boy also figured out how to open the CD cupboard and pull the CD's out.  

Recently he has started disliking rice, eats only the vegetables. On the bright side he drinks milk (bottle-feed) daily in the morning. His patience is very low – when it comes to hunger, it has to be instant gratification. 

Metro ride and a birthday party

Last Saturday the boy went on his second Bangalore Metro ride to buy a birthday gift at TOYS N TOYS, Indira Nagar. He was curious and wide eyed. The huge station, the arriving train, and as we sat inside and the door closed he wanted to be taken outside. Once the train started moving, he stood on the seat and looked outside through the large glass window.

The birthday party was at 630 in the community hall. The children were running around screaming and when each of them were given a pipe, the noise levels increased. The boy ate pop-corn and munched on the Smiles. Once he saw a bunch of them, he wanted a new one after each bite. Put him down on the floor and he set about wiping it clean. The boy ate mostly junk and not much of it with the result that he ate 2 dosas for dinner and wanted more.

Standing on his own

It has been 8 years of married life and the boy chose this day to stand on his own, unassisted. He was in bed ready to sleep when he decided to be supremely active. He hunched and slowly got up, stood and fell backwards, all smiles! And when we clapped, he did it all over again, 5 to 6 times.

Of course, we had to clap each time.

Dine out

Last night we went to Daddy’s Deli / Red Fork for dinner with the sweet couple AA. The boy had a little bit of everything – Lassi, Mezze Platter, Rotlis, Dhai Beeda. The dessert kept him high for most of the night – Apricot Brandy Ice cream. A nice contemporary place with good food (including Parsi cuisine) and service.

Blanket and more words

For the first time the boy asked for a blanket. He has taken a major fascination to cleaning the floor and the clothesline clips . He does pronounce some of the words “potata”, “applaa”, “banana”, “bititha”, the last one for biscuit. There is this new word “kitha”, he keeps saying often, I am not able to figure it out. He knows where the moon is. Still very clingy to the wife in the nights and his patience is very thin when he is hungry.

Fall again

Last night’s the boy’s dinner of Dosa and chilly chutney powder was followed by licking the chilly chutney powder off the plate. He wanted more of it and ate 3/4th's of a Chocolate Mousse piece.

Today morning the boy woke up cranky. The wife had gone for her yoga class. I attempted to feed him oats and he struck the ceramic bowl angrily. Down it fell on the floor, the pieces scattered in all directions spilling the oats. The boy was quiet for a minute and continued his rant. While I was cleaning up, he buried his face in the pillow and continued sobbing. At one point he leaned backwards and fell on the floor with a thud, landing on his back. I rubbed the back of his head and he seemed fine. Took him out for a walk in the pram and he was quiet. Later we went to visit my parents and he climbed their steps to the first floor on all fours. He knows where the biscuits/snacks are kept .

Haircut and after

It is difficult getting used to the boy with his short trimmed hair. At times he reminds me of those terminally ill patients with shaved heads and a serious moody look. At times, I feel he requires a tight hug and lot of kisses. He hardly notices when I rub the palm of my hand over his prickly hair.

Haircut

Not a half done job like mine, rather a full professional haircut at a hair salon.

SIL was in town, we had got back last evening and met B and A in the basement parking. They were taking Ah for his haircut and he looked miserable. They asked me if I  wanted to come along to give the boy a haircut and I said no – tired and sick I was. They offered to take boy along on the scooter. I was very optimistic.  Done finally!

So while A held the boy facing inwards close to his chest, B held his hands from behind, and the barber used the hair clipper to give a super neat hair cut. His hair was becoming unmanageable. Add lice to it and he was constantly scratching his scalp. A big thanks to them.

For dinner the boy ate Panipuri. The nights are so cold, I wonder how the boy sleeps after kicking off the blankets. I just cannot do without them.

The boy has started calling biscuit “bititha” and he knows in which cupboard the biscuit is. His favorite pastime nowadays is to crawl to the balcony and stand holding the balcony grill. He calls out to whoever walks past the balcony if they don’t look at him. At times he climbs the balcony grill.

A the Nanny

was off yesterday and on Monday. I took Monday off. Looks like family issues for her.

The only time I get to get my done during these times is when the boy takes his nap. It is a rush then - make lunch, bath, eat lunch and be ready when the boy gets up.

One nap

We experimented with only one nap session for the boy during the day and it is helping him sleep longer in the night, till close to 4 AM, without waking up. Once he wakes up, he has to be rocked in his pillow or breast fed to sleep again. 

Right now he has a running nose and his incoherent words/screams are so high pitched that when outside, he can be heard in the 7^th floor of the apartment complex. He stands on his own more often now. The Walker helps him to pull out things – magazines, pens, creams, remote control, kitchen utensils, spoons etc. He is all over the place once in it.

New shoes and sleepless nights

On the first day of this month, we bought the boy a pair of squeaky shoes. He put them on eagerly and the more he heard the squeaking, the more he enjoyed stomping. Although by the 3^rd day, the shoes seemed to have hurt his feet. At times he was crying holding his feet.

The last few nights have been nights of crying. Even with the biscuits and water, the boy had to be rocked to sleep. On 2 consecutive days, his diaper loosened, leaked and we had to change the sheets. Now he wears pants/pajamas over his diapers. On the bright side, he started climbing up the stairs on all fours. His teeth is growing and the list of incoherent words ends with ‘ga ga’.

Biscuits and switching off

At B's suggestion, over the past 2 days we have been experimenting with switching off the night light, giving him biscuits and water when he wakes up in the middle of the night, hungry. It did work with the boy sleeping better. While he did not nag the wife to be breast fed, the boy was active and took quite some time to fall asleep.

Grandparents

Grandparents have a habit of spoiling grand children rotten and fussing over them. Yesterday we visited my parents and the boy took to eating vegetables at lunch. They were so concerned that he didn't eat ‘much’ that they continued to feed him at intervals. Result? We got home, he didn't have much of dinner, woke up hungry in the night and was eating cheese slices at morning 6 am. He slept for 3 and a half hours after that.

Diwali and growing up

It has been three days in a row since A the Nanny has shown up. First day, an unexpected visit to her sister’s house, second day phone switched off and the third day her sister’s husband sister passed away. I recollect hearing the story about her sister’s husband passing away 2 weeks back. I hope all is well.

There has been a spurt in the boy’s growth this month. He is at ease crawling and has shed some weight. He makes an effort to stand up on his own. In the bath tub, we cannot leave him to play on his own as he attempts to stand up in it. Earlier we used to soap him down before bed time but now insists on a full bath in the bath tub. When he wants to sleep, he points to the bouncer and in the bed to his favorite square pillow, so that we rock him in it. Unlike earlier, he does not resist the Walker and points to it when he wants to be in it. He has an affinity to climbing. Make him stand near the balcony rails and he starts climbing it.

It is Diwali! He loved the sparklers, chakras, firepots and jumped at the cracker sounds. We did not stay out much as the air was laden with smoke.

Once he starts getting bored while being fed, he has a habit of knocking down the plate. Yesterday he did that twice, I told him no sternly and he started wailing. Buried his face in the pillow and wailed loudly as if the biggest injustice in the world has been done to him. In the middle of it, he perked up when he saw the remote. Stopped wailing, asked for it, I said no, and he buried his face in the pillow and started wailing again. He has begun to sit on the merry-go-round and the swing unassisted.

Quaker Oats

The boy started on Quaker Oats Plus Multigrain Advantage today. I love oats and although I feel it is very bland, the boy loved it and ate 6 spoonfuls of it.

To prepare - microwave it for 3 minutes in water, add milk, get it down to room temperature and serve.

Diaper expiry date

2 kicks from the boy last night and I was woken up rudely.

We were out of diapers and on the way back from work today I stopped at a local pharmacy. I was surprised to find that Pampers does not specify an expiry date while Huggies does - best before 3 years. The gent at the pharmacy counter and I scanned the entire print on the Pampers packing, he even offered me a magnifying glass to check, but no mention of an expiry date.

My birthday

and the wife made a wonderful Kerala curry for lunch and home made Falafel, Pita Bread and Hummus for dinner. Yumm!

Trip to Chennai and shots

It has been an eventful week. We got back on Monday after another road trip to Chennai. The front facing car seat does not have good side padding near the head, the boy’s head droops when he sleeps. For most of the journey he was sitting in the wife’s lap, throwing around things, fiddling with the window controls and pulling my hair through the front seat headrest. On the bright side, the boy has started taking a liking to warm milk and drinks 4-6 ounces from the bottle every day.

He has picked up queer new habits – drinks water, grins and then spits it through the sides of his mouth and smiles widely as it trickles down his neck and falls on his dress. Initially we found it funny but did not react it to it later on. Result? He does not do it often.

Yesterday we went for his vaccination shots at Dr S - Hepatitis_A and MMR, due in the 15th month. When Dr S started examining him he got wary and the expression on his face changed when he saw the syringe being filled. We lay him on the observation table and he started screaming and opening out his hands wide, wanting to be carried. 1 shot on either thigh, cried louder, took him out and he became quiet. 

Look like Dr S has dropped out from his list of favorite people.

25 Secret Parenting Tips You Won’t Find in Conventional Parenting Books

Nice article from Lifehack

Weekend visits

My maternal aunt's family dropped in yesterday and the boy refused to go to her. She was upset and only when she picked up her handbag, slipped on her sandals and stepped out (the boy figured she was going out) he went to her. No such issues in going to her husband. My cousin was shocked as babies do not warm up to him.

In the evening we went to Troika for an early dinner. Nice place and good food. I would highly recommend it. For family with children, inner seating is preferred as the music is a tad loud in the open area. The boy had few mouthfuls of Falafel and Spinach and Feta Cheese Briouat from the Veg Mezze Platter. From the main course he had mouthfuls of Potato and Red Onion Roesti and a dessert of Baked Blueberry Cheesecake. He did reach out for the dining mat, glasses, plates, fork, spoon, knives - all were kept away. 

The boy has started grinding his teeth.

Tantrums

The boy threw a big tantrum at 5am the day before yesterday. I thought he was done with his milk feed and when he started scratching the wife, I decided to rock him to sleep.

He screamed nonstop for a minute, rather screeched.

Didn't want me to touch him - when I lifted him he arched himself way backwards that I was forced him to put him back on the bed.

The wife woke up, took him in her arms and he was all smiles. Put him on the bed and she went to sleep. The boy decided it was time to play. First he was on his knees, sitting, bobbed up and down on his butt and dived forward. Next it was pulling on the head board to a standing position, followed by playing with my Aerocort Inhaler. He again pulled himself to stand and threw the Inhaler on the other side after dismantling it. Somewhere in the middle of all this, I feel asleep and when I got up, the boy was sleeping.

Two series of tantrums last night with nonstop screaming. He quieted down when he started suckling.

He has been resorting to screaming frequently when he does not get what he wants. 

Walker

MIL left on Saturday and the house has become quiet.

On Sunday we went to visit my parents who insisted on getting the boy a Walker - Mee Mee Baby Walker. They were concerned that even after 14 months the boy has not attempted to walk :-) The fact that he has started crawling is progress I believe.

Yesterday A the Nanny took the day off abruptly. Balancing act in the morning while making Dosas. I put the boy in the Walker and he promptly moved backwards. In fact in all directions except forward. Gave him a bath, rocked him to sleep, fed him lunch - I took the day off.

Last night we went out for dinner to Paranthas and Dosas. The boy was busy talking to the couple in the adjacent table and had some portion of the paneer parathas.

This and that

Over the past week the boy has added 'this' and 'that' to his vocabulary. His great indian headshake has become vigorous. Insists on opening the feeding bottle, drinking it on his own and unlike earlier he tilts it all the way up, and closes it. Occasionally he throws it on the floor and points to it with a 'thisss', wanting it back so that he can throw it again. 

On his birthday we had attempted to get him to wear the Orao Bearoo Child Sunglass. He had immediately pulled them off. Last Saturday he wore them. Thrilled initially, he later pulled them off.

He has started crawling although he tends to drag his right leg. In the mornings he gets hungry earlier than before. Gone are the days of eating oats. It was so easy to prepare. And with the boy insisting on being in the kitchen, it requires a balancing act with boy in one hand, taking out the Dosa batter from the refrigerator, making it and then putting him down and feeding him with butter/ghee. By the time A the Nanny comes in around 930, he is almost done with breakfast.


The boy has also started picking up corn flakes from a bowl and eating on his own. For the small pieces, he discards it as many a time he ends up biting his fingers. Green colored vegetables are his favorite, he prefers them to eating rice. He is in a phase of being curious about everything around him.

Onam

The IL’s are here are it is Onam time! Along came the chips. The boy insisted on eating only chips and papad, skipping rice and all delicacies of the Onam Sadya at the wife’s uncle’s house.

A the Nanny

Is off for 2 days. While the boy slept, I did the chores and got ready. The boy threw a tantrum as I did not leave him for long in the bathtub to play with the water. He was so thrilled to see B that he nearly fell off the Divan. He prefers to eat the ladies finger and beans to rice. I guess this is a phase where he is eating more vegetables and less rice.

Food and Ganesh Chaturthi

And the boy polished off an entire cheese parantha at Paranthas and Dosas last night. He also nibbled on the curd vada. Very nice place and good simple food.

Today morning he ate some Quaker Oats. The local community had put up a big statue of Ganesha in a huge pandal. There were drums and the boy was moving up and down to its beat.

The boy has entered a phase where he prefers vegetables to rice. After feeding him rice for lunch, he still wanted the cooked beetroot dish.

Da!

That is the boy's latest catchword to get attention. And he is pretty loud at it, many a time embarrassing us, as he calls out to people passing by our balcony. The moment somebody carries him, there are 2 places he points to - either to the front door or to the kitchen.

He has learnt to remove his shirt sleeve and his flying kisses have become louder. One new trait he has picked up is to repeatedly blink his eyes when asked. Thanks to A the Nanny.

Follow up visit

Came home early as Dr S wanted to see the boy. All is well although Dr S asked us to keep the medicines handy in case of a relapse.

And recovery...

On Wednesday we were on the verge on taking the boy to Manipal Hospital for a saline drip. The boy had stopped drinking milk on Sunday, and water, the previous day. Thankfully the antibiotic Augmentin DDS what we gave in the morning, kicked in. He started with water and soup. What a relief! My parents surprised us with a visit and the boy was cheerful after seeing my father. He seems to like older men. Didn’t pay much attention to my mother. Same with the wife’s parents. He slept well that night, drinking milk too.

On Thursday, FIL dropped in and the boy was happy to be in his arms. His appetite is improving, although he prefers soup most of the time, he has started eating rice as well.

And finally, I managed to cut the boy’s hair today when he was sleeping! Although it looks crude (only the front, sides, and rear length has been snipped), the hair no longer falls over his eyes and ears.

He got a front facing car sear thanks to B! No more struggle to look out of the window.

Sick

And the boy has got an infection.

I rushed home on Thursday to find him a wee bit warm. Late in the night he coughed so much that he threw up what he ate. We slept in the early hours. He felt better on Friday and after a warm water bath perked up. The wife’s cousin and her family dropped in and he was in his usual form. Towards night the boy dipped and his fever was back. His back was hot and the legs surprisingly cold.

On Saturday his appetite went for a toss. Except cheese, water and breast milk, the boy refused to eat anything. His eyes looked lifeless, face looked dull and he did to go to anybody including B. The boy became adept at saying no with a vigorous wave of his hand, shaking his head vigorously and throwing it back when we brought food close to his mouth. He was content lying on one of us. Called Dr S who asked us to give Crocin every 6 hours and if it did not work, asked us to bring him in on Sunday for examination. Another long night and the boy was whining most of the night, sleeping only on one if us, that too in the sitting position.

On Sunday, we took the boy to Dr S who prescribed Crocin DS for fever and Actifed DM/Dilo DX for cough. The side effect of the latter is ear pain and he prescribed Ibugesic Plus if the fever peaks or there is ear pain.  Thankfully there was neither but his cough become worse, he threw up again after excess coughing. 2 sheets change in the last 3 days. Although he seems to have lost taste, he does not mind drinking the medicine.

Yesterday I took the day off and the boy was dull most of the day, perking up a bit in the evening. The fever has subsided but the cough is still bad.

Rakhi!

No, not the actress!

Aa wanted to tie Rakhi but the boy refused to sit still and hold his wrist out. Eventually she tied it on his upper arm between his shoulder and elbow and he did not even notice :-)

Today we had lunch at AA's place. Good food, good time and although A attempted to put a pony tail for the boy he did not relent.

Another night of crying

The wife was so tired that she slept in the front room. I rocked him, he fell asleep but got up again. He had to be breast fed and slept at 4 am.

Aachoo!

The boy finds sneezing very funny. After every sneeze he smiles widely.

As we walk up from the basement car park to our apartment, he wants to switch on all the light switches. And once he switches them on, a wide smile!

His hair is growing and falls over his ears. I attempted to cut his hair and he refused to let me touch it. 

Another trip

A quick weekend road trip to Chennai for a family get together. The boy slept most of the way but started getting cranky when his breakfast was delayed. He ate Pongal and Vada and knocked over my coffee. Reached home and there were many people to pamper the boy. In the evening we went to Tryst Café with the boy in his diapers. He tasted different pastries, loved them all. This was followed by a family dinner at Mid-Waters, Madras Boat Club. He devoured the ice cream. I think it was the travel and the exhaustion – the boy slept soundly and woke up only once in the night.

The next day lunch was at the Madras Race Club, where he drank the bitter lemon juice after making faces. On the drive back, the boy threw a tantrum when we refused to let him stand in the rear seat and as the night fell, his crying increased. We stopped for dinner at my parents place, he quieted down when he saw the lights and ate a dinner of puttu kadla, papad and some dosa. The boy also ate pomegranate seeds!

Plums

He has started eating plums. The first bite, he made weird faces but loved it.

Throwing up

The boy threw up last night after we followed up dosas with curd.

He has also started biting things.

If we don’t move fast towards what he points, the boy does a giddy up with his legs.

He loves the kitchen. Even if there is nothing in the frying pan, he gets every excited when we stir it with a ladle.  

Gunda!

Woke up to a kick in my face, to be precise, in my eye – the boy was up.  The violence continued when I was hit by a VTech Crazy Colours Torch later.

He is beginning to resent the pram on some occasions. There was a time when the sight of it being steered towards the door excited him. He prefers being carried around now.

Difficult morning

A the Nanny called me in the middle of making lunch saying she will be late. It was a difficult morning, especially with a cut finger. I left it halfway, fed the boy and took him out for a walk. By the time I got back home he dozed off and that gave me time to finish up preparing lunch. Thankfully A the Nanny came at 12.

Another crying night

What a night. The boy woke up crying past midnight. He refused to be carried (pushing me away) and lie down (arching his back when I lay him on the bed). We removed his pajamas to check if it was an insect, checked his diapers, all fine. After sometime the wife carried him and he calmed down. At 130 , he went back to sleep. I wonder if it’s the rice and curd that we fed him for dinner. Must have been heavy.

The SIL left today morning and no the boy did not miss her either.

Lights and Bells

I woke up to the sounds of gibberish. To my shock the boy was awake and sitting up next to me. He was happy to see one of us awake and promptly started pulling my hair. Next was pulling the head board and standing up which he loves. Each time he stands up he looks at me or the wife and gives such a broad smile. I guess there is a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

He has learned to switch on a light and ring the door bell.

The moment I start putting on my shoes, he is alert. There is questioning grunt. The wife tells me that peek-a-boo exercise helps and touchwood the boy does not have separation anxiety yet.

Enfamil and throwing up

On Sunday, we made a visit to meet my parents. The boy started crying when he saw my father after a long time. My father was taken aback. I guess grandparents take rejection very personally. He warmed upto him after some time. He was introduced to Tea and Rusk dipped in it. And after getting home, to Pop Corn.

Last night the boy threw up after drinking Enfamil A+ Stage 2 (6-12 months):Follow-up Formula. The wife panicked, the boy even more as he didn’t know what was happening. Cleaning him up, changing bed sheets the wife did it all. He felt much better after throwing up. By the time I rushed home, he was sleeping.

Rains

The boy loves rains! Yesterday he was out when it started drizzling. He was beginning to enjoy it when A the Nanny brought him in. He reacted by protesting loudly and throwing a tantrum.

Fresh fruit with chocolate ice cream has been added to his food list. The boy loved it and wanted more.

We are working on weaning him away from comfort breast feeding but no luck. He cried for a long time and finally the wife gave in.

Jacket

The In-Laws left yesterday. The house is very quiet without them. I wonder whether the boy has reached the stage where he recognizes that people who have been around for sometime have suddenly left. He does not seem to. It is getting cold out here and I got him a jacket with a hood which he promptly pulled off.

One year old

And the boy officially turned an year old!  A lot has happened in his life and ours.

As they say in my favorite serial – Criminal Minds – “the Unsub is quickly evolving”

From a grape/blob who does not move to someone unpredictable as to what he will do next.

From grunts to protesting loudly and screaming.

From just lying on his back with his face towards his right always to a position where his feet is in my face when I wake up.

From someone who does not bother when I leave for work to someone who starts noticing when I wear my shoes, throws out his hands and expects to be carried. The most painful part of leaving for work – leaving behind that soulful expressive eyes.

From lying down quietly to sitting up and throwing tantrums. Rotating his wrists and pointing to things he wants, especially going outside and going to the kitchen.

From just looking blankly to keenly observing.

From drinking breast milk to eating strawberry ice cream.

The boy is growing…

We had a lunch get together with family and close friends. When the wife fed him lunch, he did not eat much instead preferring to eat from B. Ah and Aa were around as usual and the boy was thrilled. The cake was Chocolate Orange from Just Bakes. The boy did manage to eat one piece and I guess hit a sugar high, promptly fell asleep.

One of our close friends – AA – the sweet couple – presented him with a cute Orao Bearoo Child Sunglass. I didn’t know they made them in these sizes. We put it on the boy and he promptly yanked them off!

Aa's birthday party

It was Aa's in-house birthday party. She turned 8. The wife went up to their apartment on the 1^st floor to help after lunch, the boy was disappointed that he had to come back and protested loudly. I stayed with him and at 6 pm went up. It was a riot with children running around. Hats off to B for managing the whole party and preparing food for 25 children. She made mini pizzas and baked cakes for them. More guests dropped in and at one point the boy sitting in my lap was screaming loudly with 3 other older children. My ears were ringing. I have to get used to this!

Vaccination shots

The boy had his next shots of Peda-Typh today at Dr S today. He did cry and as he grows older he has become more aware and it is difficult to distract him from the pain. 

Today is Aa's birthday party. She has turned 8 and is very excited! When I look back, I have vague memories of my birthday during growing up years. A set of new clothes, visit to the temple and sumptuous home cooked lunch. With the culture of apartments coming in, things are so different nowadays.

The boy turns one year old tomorrow!

Pulling himself up

So the boy was sitting on the bed today and he decided to grab the head board, pull himself up and stand! He was so thrilled with himself. 

Diet

The boy switched to Idli yesterday and back to Oats today. I believe it makes sense to vary his breakfast diet everyday. On days when he eats very little oats, we supplement it with Dosa, Idli or biscuits.

IL's

The IL's are here and the boy is thrilled to see them. 2 more scapegoats to carry me around, he must be thinking :-)

Smoke House Deli

Dinner at Smoke House Deli last night. The boy ate the bread starters and mashed potato. And in the middle of dinner, his facial expression and color changed. Potty! Thankfully the car was parked just outside and we changed his diaper in it.

The boy is very cranky today. He was uncomfortable for most of the day and had a running nose. My parents wanted to see him and I brought them home, but he was reserved. On the way out, he wanted to get into the car with us. He looked so desperate but I had to turn him down as the wife was staying back at home. I dropped my parents, picked my car and got back home. 

Dosa

The boy has switched to dosa for breakfast. It is good bye to oats for now.

Leadership Lessons from Children’s Books

A good read courtesy LinkedIn.

Scary moment

B’s son Ah had a fall and hit the back of his head yesterday evening. He wanted to lie down and B was worried because if he becomes unconscious there was no way to know if he was sleeping or unconscious. After lying down for some time, he threw up. That was even more worrying. B and I took him to Dr S who informed us that he has to be taken to emergency if he throws up again. Once we got back home, Ah threw up again and off we went to Manipal Emergency with Aa joining us. B and Aa were tensed and we tried hard to keep Ah awake. We got him admitted to the emergency. Ak also reached meanwhile. After some tense moments, keeping him under observation, medications we were free to go and got home by midnight. No running around and playing for 48 hours. What a relief. 

Lesson learnt – Don’t let the child sleep if he/she has suffers a head injury.

Fathers Day

This Father's Day is different for me - this is the first time I am conscious of being a father. 

As I look back, the last 11 months have taught me. Patience is the first. The patience to go with the boy's moods, the patience to feed him while he messes up his face and clothes, the patience to collect his toys after he has thrown them around for the umpteenth time, the patience to rock him to sleep, the patience to rock him to sleep again after waking up from just having been rocked to sleep, the patience to hold him and stand in the balcony while he looks at the trees, the people passing by and the children running / pedaling their bicycles, the patience to put on his shorts - one leg would be in and by the time I put the other leg in, the boy would have kicked out the first leg. And all this while I would have something pressing that has to be done.

The last 11 months taught me to love unconditionally. Loving without a give and take policy, without attaching any meanings, love the person the way they are.

The last 11 months helped me appreciate my parents. I am able to visualize and feel the effort they took to bring up me and my brother to where we are today and I cannot thank them enough. Few months back, I called up and verbally thanked them, which was met with shock and questions of whether I was fine or under the influence of alcohol. My mother explained that they did the best what they could do and they don't expect to be thanked for it. It is their duty as she said.

The last 11 months taught me to be happy. Happy for no reason.

The last 11 months taught me to be grateful. Grateful for whatever I have.

Here is a wonderful post by Leo Babauta. I am sure you will learn from it. I did.

11 months

The past week had been a week of highs and lows. The boy has become increasingly cranky in the morning after the wife leaves for work. He refuses to drink milk and for breakfast, he hardly eat oats – 2 to 3 spoons. Banana and biscuit is his preferred food. Strangely he eats whatever is served in B's house.

On the bright side, his antics have increased. Actions with hands, raising his eye brows, a lot more words and he prefers going to men rather than women. He also “hides”, puts his forearm over his eyes. He has also started chipping away at biscuits, rather that we have to break it into pieces and feed him. On Saturday at my parents house, he ate a full small vada

Time to brush

With the boy's teeth growing (6 now) we figured it was time to start brushing. The fingers brushes are so tiny and cute! Also bought a Chicco Dentifricio Toothpaste - Strawberry (50 ml) toothpaste - a no fluoride toothpaste

One size up and feeding

The boy has moved one size up to Pampers Active Baby Diapers Taped XL Size Extra Large


He has also started drinking directly from a glass.

Feeding him is a challenge. Or I would say the whole process of clean feeding is a challenge. I start with the first step of putting food in the boy’s mouth. Now the stuff with oats is that it is thick and veers towards being a liquid rather than a solid. That would be splattered all across the boy’s mouth. He would then choose that moment to put his fingers in the mouth  - not one hand, fingers from both his hands. At this point, it is still ok for me, I need to clean only his hands and that is when he decides to run that same hands through his hair. And if that is not enough, he also has to put his foot in his mouth after that.

The boy is not taking well to formula milk - on some days he drinks an ounce and on other days none.

The fall

The boy fell off the bed today :-( We heard sounds of him waking up and I was sure A the Nanny had kept pillows around him. The next we heard is a thud sound and loud sobbing. He sobbed for sometime, examined him no bumps or bruises and he quieted down once he saw B, Aa and Ah from the balcony.

Bath

I gave the boy a bath after a long time. Usually the wife bathes him once she is back from work. He barely fit on the bath mat! He did turn and lie on his belly which made it easier for me to wash his back.

Moved to Pristine - 1stBites Wheat and Mixed Vegetables from Pristine - 1stBites Rice & Dal

Next vaccination

Time to visit Dr S for the 10 month timeline shots and we were the first ones. The boy was cheerful, cried for 10 seconds when he got the typhoid and measles shots on his either thigh, and stopped it when he saw a 5sh year old girl waiting outside. Aha!

He is nearly 11.5 kgs now and his head circumference is 45 cm. Typically babies gain 3 times their birth weight before they turn a year old. The boy is smashing records.

We went out for dinner to Subz. Nice vegetarian place. The boy sat at the head of the table (literally on the table) and devoured the mango ice cream. No fuss. Touchwood. 

Hunger pangs

"Maamam...!" 

...and whenever the boy is hungry or thirsty he mouths these words. Easiest way to find if he is hungry is to bring my fingers to his mouth and make a feeding motion – the boy opens his mouth to eat from it if he is hungry.

Chennai trip

A trip to Chennai for I and R’s daughter I’s first birthday. The temperature was high, the boy was very cranky and I have not seen him sweat so much. We had a party at the Fishermans Cove by the beach and there was zero breeze. Ran a hand through the boy’s hair and it was wet. For the first time I saw him bending his knees, keeping them stiff and resisting when we had to change his diaper / clothes. We stayed over and thanks to the air conditioning in our room, slept well. On Saturday we got back to the wife’s parents place and an hour of no electricity made the boy cranky again. The temperature was above 35 degrees C. Thankfully we had power all through the night. The next day (Monday) after a late breakfast, we drove back with MIL accompanying us.

Sitting up

The boy sat up on his own today. He fell asleep and we lay him on the bed. After some time, heard sounds of him waking up, Aa went to look and she screamed saying the boy was sitting up!

Centre point

Today morning was a bit stressful. I had a 4 hour conference call that started at 730 am. The wife had to be dropped at the station. Thankfully the boy slept on the way back in the car. A the Nanny called and said she will be late. The boy got up crying and hungry in the middle of the call. I fed him and he was quiet mostly, lying on the mat and playing without making any fuss. 

B's daughter Aa dropped in and so did A the Nanny.

The boy went potty 3 times today morning. As he was being changed for the third time, his hand went between his legs...

B's daughter (all of 8 years) to me "He is catching his centre point!"

And after sometime she tells the boy "It is going to break one day if you keep pulling like this!" 

"Ooooo..." cooed the boy with a wide smile. Children...

Sleep over

The boy got a sleep over(!) invite from B's children Aa & Ah. It was a cute handwritten letter in red crayon. As an afterthought, the wife got an invite as well.
And me? I do not figure in the scheme of things. I get the whole bed to myself and can sleep without the night lamp switched on.

His latest fad? Grabbing my hair with both hands and pulling it.

10 months

old the boy is today.

Last weekend we spent some time with my parents and the boy has taken a fascination to drumming on the table. Although he does not crawl, he has picked up the concept of leverage. Props his leg on a wall or a cupboard and pushes, propelling himself forward. 

At Fava, the boy expanded his diet to include pita bread and bread stick. Good food and ambience. The place did start getting warm as the crowd started coming in.

On Saturday he attempted to address me - "Athan" - for the first time much to the irritation of the wife. What he meant was Achan (Father).

Throwing things

The boy likes grabbing things are throwing them down. Last night he threw down 3 chapatis.

I cut the boy's hair today and his nails. It is not a perfect job but his hair is not falling over his eyes and ears. The ideal thing to do would have been to shave his head but at this tender age, it is risky.

Clapping

The boy started clapping today!!!

We also switched to MeeMee Baby Wet Wipes from Pigeon

Sleep positions

Nowadays the boy is all over the bed after he falls asleep. Sometimes his legs are on me and at times he ends up lying close to the wife's legs. He starts sleeping in parallel to us and eventually ends up perpendicular.

On the crawling front, the boy is comfortable lying where he is without moving. When on the mat he stretches for an object if he wants it. If he is able to reach it great, else he ends up pulling the mat or the sheet towards him so that the object moves towards him. Lazy or smart? It is funny to watch him on lie on his belly, resting his face on his hand when tired from stretching and reaching for an object.

Road Trip

Another road trip to Chennai. Despite the heat and humidity, the boy did manage well. He slept for most of the onward journey in the car.

The occasion was the first birthday party of his cousin. I think the boy follows certain face patterns when warming to strangers the first time. Mostly he does not go to them and the IL's got to hold him only on the second day. This time around he ate chocolate cake, corn flakes, chapati, drank some juice.The moment the camera is out and flash goes off, he shows his teeth!

On the way dropped in at my parents place and my father was thrilled that the boy smiled at him. 5th day and counting - the tear duct problem seems to have disappeared!

Today morning I took the boy to the nearby parlor to cut his hair. He did sit quiet initially but then threw up a fuss. We managed to trim a portion of one side. I have to take the boy back when he is asleep.

6 spoons

of tea the boy drank last weekend and he wanted more from my mother. We refused as we did not want to him to start him on sugar, non breast milk yet. My father was happy that the boy did not cry at all when he saw him. They also had a drumming session on the table. 

The tear duct blockage in his left eye has eased off, with the tear duct opening up. 

Yesterday we celebrated Vishu The boy gawked at the Vishukkani. In the afternoon feast, he ate a bit of everything from the feast. 

He has become strong enough to pull Ellie the Elephant (musical) hanging in his car seat.

Pristine - 1st Bites Rice & Dal continues. We also started the boy on Pristine - 1st Bites - Ragi & Mixed Fruits. 

The next challenge is to cut his hair which has started falling over his eyes.

Fan

He looks up when we ask him where the fan is!

Swimming Diapers

The boy's swimming diapers are finally here. Huggies Little Swimmers Disposable Swimpants, Size 3-4 (7kg-15kg/15lb-34lb). 



Picked them up from I and R today. It was nice to meet them and their daughter Ia who is older than the boy by a couple of months. 

Also ordered the Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar books for the boy.

Fish face

The boy started banging his face on the bed while lying face down. He did the same thing when lying on the floor mat, that hurt and waah! He stopped after that.

He sits up more often and yesterday he started making fish face! Sucks his cheeks in and lips in a O formation.

My turn

And the boy started turning to my side during sleep. That does not mean the wife is ignored. She still gets the kicks, pulls and scratches when he wants to drink milk.

Another road trip

This time it was a 1 week, 600 km round trip to Sakleshpur, Coorg and Mysore. The boy's diet went for a toss in Sakleshpur with 5 children and many adults to distract and entertain him. On the bright side, he started eating whatever we adults ate. We made sure his food was not spicy or had salt added. Technically he uttered his first word - akka (meaning elder sister) - and B's daughter A was so thrilled! The stay at Sakleshpur was at Nyrit Villa. A relaxed, wonderful stay with very helpful staff and good food. The temptation to build a home and settle down there was high. 

From Sakleshpur we drove to Coorg, the stay being at Old Kent Estate. Another fabulous place, tucked away in the coffee estate, from the maddening crowd. The staff at Old Kent were highly helpful and considerate. The boy's Khichdi was always ready at lunch time and they made extra sure that we were comfortable. I would highly recommend the above 2 places of stay.

Windflower was our place stay in Mysore and I must say that the staff did not pay special attention to children unless we requested. The boy had a tough time in the Mysore Zoo with the heat and the sun beating down. The zoo is very child friendly and we took him around in his pram. The staff is helpful and so far this has been the most well maintained zoo I have been to in India. Only the while peacock caught the boy's attention, he was gaping at it! Otherwise he braved the zoo visit and we were very glad that he was taking it well. We skipped the Mysore Palace.

The car seat is getting small for the boy but he sat happily throughout the whole trip. He is getting used to sleeping in new places. He also ate bits of whatever we ate - Idly, Dosa, Rice, Chapati, drank juices and a lot of water. One thing the wife and I noticed is that any trip - the moment we are on our way back and nearing home he starts going waaaah!

Food habits and going Organic

My father was relieved as the boy did not cry, unlike earlier when he saw him yesterday. The boy started at him and there was a faint smile.

He prefers Idli to Dosa. Last week B gave the boy a piece of Dosa and he did not like it. Yesterday he ate half an Idli and he kept asking for more.

We also started going the organic way. Detergent has been replaced by Soap Nuts for laundry.

To quote Daily Dump "They are actually the fruits of the soap nut tree and contain ‘Saponin’, which is a 100% natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and cleansers. When in contact with water, it creates mild suds, which is similar to soap.
Soapnuts are highly-effective and gentle at the same time. It will leave your laundry fresh and clean and compared to other detergents, its mildness will keep colours bright, maintaining fabric structure of your clothes for longer periods. It can be used on all fabrics and at all temperatures. It is a 100% substitute to normal detergents."

Diet change and position swap

Last week we started on Heinz - BabyDinners - Cheesy Vegetable Pasta for the boy. 

He loved the change. Also switched to Pristine - 1stBites Rice & Dal from Ragi and Daal

On Friday night, the wife and I swapped our sleeping positions as the boy was constantly reaching out to her in the night and we felt he should not get used to it.  I decided to pacify and rock the boy in case he cries. He created a ruckus and did not drink milk as my wife was on the wrong side. We had to come back to our original positions. I was of the opinion that babies adapted easily to change.

Saturday night the boy cried non-stop for 20 minutes. We did not know why. He eventually feel asleep. 

He enjoys picking and dropping things, especially phones. On Sunday, the lunch was a traditional feast and he ate a bit of everything without complaining. We went out for dinner with him and he was squealing in the restaurant. I took him outside to rock and he was staring at the bright lights and biting my shoulder.

Lesson learnt

The boy was on the verge of falling off the divan and off the bed. If we are not sleeping with him, we have decided to let him sleep on the floor on a mat with a thick cloth for the cushion effect. The stress is way less this way.

8 months old

Another month older he turned yesterday. It seems that the boy did tell the words "abba" and later changed it to "amma" (mother). His crankiness during the day continues.
B came in the morning and the boy was hoping to go out with her when she left. The dejected look on his face was evident.

Monkey face

I don't know where the boy learnt to show such a face. He scrunches his eyes, shapes his mouth in the form of a O and makes noises. He started doing this in the last 2 days.

He also jerks occasionally when he is carried.On the bright side his cough seems to have vanished. No more fake coughs also for now.

Cut his nails today. He loves it when they are filed along with a "chikky chikky" noise.

Pick and drop

I saw the boy doing this for the first time last night. Give him a towel and he immediately drops it on the floor. Pick it up, give it to him and he does it again!

 

Apart from that he has been generally cranky for the past 3 days. He has to be carried most of the time. We went to see my parents over the weekend. One look at my father and he started crying. Although he did warm up to him later.

Trick feeding!

We started out on Pristine - 1st Bites Ragi & Dal  organic food supplement yesterday. 


4 spoons in 100 ml of boiled and cooled water. Not tasty at all! The trick has been to show him the feeding bottle having water and when he opens his mouth, feed him a mouthful. 3/4th of the bowl finished. The rest? After a walk.

The IL's left yesterday and we are back on our own. Miss them.

Cake time

The wife's cousin celebrated his birthday last night and the boy was given a bit of the cream from the chocolate cake and he relished it!

At the same time he refused to eat carrot and on another occasion, beetroot, preferring the sweet tasting banana. I wonder whether I should add some jaggery to the mashed carrot / beetroot.

Cough and cold

The boy's cough and cold continues. It is worse during the night. 5 days of Mucolite has not helped. He sounds a grown up when he coughs and it is painful to watch and hear. I have to get in touch with Dr S.

At the same time it is amazing to see how much he has grown. There was a time when you could hold him in the palm of your hand.

Last weekend I participated in the Landmark Forum. I had been to their introduction seminar 20 years ago but never got around to take the forum. Was it transforming? Yes. Although I had read some of the concepts they taught in the literary works of eminent authors. At the end of the forum, I felt lighter and my anxiety was gone. The challenge now is to sustain it.

I was worried that the boy will not recognize me. For 3 days when I left home he was sleeping and when I walked in after midnight he was sleeping. Thankfully he did recognize me :)

There was a time in the nights when the boy used to only cry if he was hungry. Recently, I have noticed that he turns to his side and starts scratching and kicking the wife for milk! 

He has started recognizing people. A the Nanny has started getting a wide smile when she walks in. And when one eats or talks in his vicinity he stares at their mouth which sometimes can be embarrassing.

Haircut and fever

The boy's hair has grown and is falling over his eyes and ears. We trimmed it on Sunday. The wife made him sit in her lap and although he was squirming, we managed to do it painlessly. This was followed by a nice family get together and the boy was well behaved.

He has cold, slight fever in the night and a cough. Texted Dr S and he has prescribed 6 drops of Mucolite 3 times a day. His breathing is labored and sometimes he breathes through his mouth. The humidifier is on in the night and it does help a bit. He is fine during the day.

The frustrating part is there is no way for him to spit out the mucus he coughs up in the night. As long as he is active during the day (which he is), we are putting off the visit to Dr S. Baby Center has been very helpful.

Once in a while he does admire the fingers on his left hand :) Orange lights fascinate him. He literally falls on the laptop keyboard when powered on!

ILs are here!

The ILs (In-Laws) are here! The boy first cried on seeing them but later warmed up. I am glad that they are here and it is a blessing.

 

A the Nanny called in sick. The boy slept after the wife left for work today. Once he was up, fed him oats. The oats ratio has changed since the last time I fed him. It is 4 scoops of Gerber Oatmeal Baby Cereal now. As usual he was thrilled when I seated him in the stroller and took him for a walk.

 

The boy has started reaching out to the bowl and the spoon as he is fed. His dolphin squeals are very common. Lazy he is though! Refuses to crawl if we put him on the floor. He is content lying on his back and turning over. Occassionally he coughs - his fake cough. It is hilarious and cute! And if I follow it up a fake cough the session goes on for sometime. And times when I carry the boy and naturally cough, he is shocked and looks at me closely with a "what is this sound" look!

Ouch, my toe!

Another dinner outing to a quaint place called Cafe Telhado on Saturday. We had the whole place to ourselves. The boy looked in awe at the lighting from his car seat and settled down to his usual blabber. He did start whining later and the wife, having finished her dinner carried him around. We wanted to go for a drive to start his sleep process but he was asleep before we reached the car :-)

The boy's 9 month old cousin and his family came visiting yesterday. The boy's interest in him was limited as he could only crawl. There was a brief combat when he held on to the boy's leg (who was sitting in his bouncer) and the boy kicked out!

I have been told that the babies start biting their toe when they are around 4 months. Sir Cranky Pants decided to do it last evening. So while we were watching a dance number on TV, the boy who usually holds his leg, decided to bite his toe! Yes, I did get it on the video the next time and the time after that!

The boy has also started holding my head with both his hands when I nuzzle his tummy.

Bananas!

And he ate a whole one! I hope he still eats the Ragi though.

7 months

The boy is 7 months young (or should I say old?) today and he marked it by waking up 6 times last night. Just as we thought he is back to his pleasant disposition and regular routine...

On the brighter side he no longer throws up the milk after a feed. He has become more expressive, babbles a lot and is choosy of the people to smile at. He still has to be feed every 2-3 hours except traveling, which he enjoys so much that hunger is forgotten.

Gaa maa

The boy has added more sounds/words to his vocabulary. His daily breast milk feed has been reduced to only nightly feeds. Bed time is 830. Once fed he lies on the bed, plays for an hour and then falls asleep. He has lost interest in the mobile.

Front tooth

We finally figured why the boy was crying his guts out sometimes. His top tooth is emerging!

How did I find out?

The boy caught my finger to chew and I felt a prick on the bottom and top of my finger. He is very smart when it comes to his finger. Puts it in his mouth, sucks it or moves it from left to right of his mouth but never bites it :)

The boy has also started holding things on his own. When the feeding bottle having water slipped from his hand, he picked it up on his own, held it with both hands and put it back in his mouth! 

Another morning with just the boy and me. A the Nanny informed that she is tired from her travel but we asked her to be in after lunch.

Nanny holiday and developmental milestone

Last week, on Monday, A the Nanny announced that she is off for 3 days - Wed, Thu, Fri. That was a major blow for the wife as she works from home once she gets back and her most important call, the status call, is on Friday. A said she had to go.

On Thursday I got up at 6 am and finished cooking. We were good for 2 days. Once the wife left, the boy slept and that gave me time to do my chores - breakfast, watering the plants, preparing his food, cleaning up the house. Once he woke up, I fed him, placed him in the stroller and he was so excited when he saw the door open. First day went fine except that past 7 in the evening, the boy cried his guts out. I was at work and could not help. I got back home and at around midnight he had another session of crying that lasted 30 minutes. Tired he feel asleep.

I had to skip my Friday morning call and the wife surprisingly came back at 12. She told her bosses she could not take the weekly call and thankfully they agreed. I left for work and nearing 8 pm, just before my call started, the wife called, saying that the boy is crying his guts out again. I felt frustrated and helpless. Rushed home as soon as possible and he was quiet and asleep when I got in.

Saturday was the day of his vaccination - Hepatitis B. In the morning, he shocked us by flipping from front to his back after rolling over. First time and I got it on video! At the clinic, the boy was cheerful, smiled at the other children. Smiled at older children I may add - the ones that can walk. He is not interested in the ones that cannot move. One "waaaaaah" when the shot was given and he was done with crying. We weighed him and he is all of 9.5 kgs now. Dr S also told us that his crying his normal at his current 7 months, which was a relief.

Update - I forgot to mention the lunch we had at South Indies. Another place which is baby friendly. The staff were so helpful. And they refused to accept tips, including the valet. The boy also got new jumpsuits meant for 1 year old. He will outgrow them anyway. Might as well buy big!