First Steps

" A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"..... Lao Tzu

 Probably no milestone is as exciting and thrilling as baby's first steps.There has been lots of exercise for me ever since Anvesha started crawling. She can walk while holding onto furniture now and loves her walker (thanks Pavan & Ramya for this lovely gift :). Now that she can stand confidently, she is beginning to take few steps.  These magical first steps towards independence mean lots of more exercise for me :) These days all of Anvesha's energy is focused on taking these first unsupported steps. With an intent of motivating her to walk, I usually hold a toy at a distance. She lets go of whatever she is holding onto because she is so captivated by the toy and forgets she might fall.

So far she can take four or five steps forward. Never thought walking would be so hard but I guess it is... for a baby :) Just imagine, balancing on a tightrope which requires enormous complexity of balance and coordination.

Wanted to share this video of Anvesha's first steps.

The sequence from standing to cruising to walking is indeed magical. With walking comes independence- independence to make choices about where she wants to go and whole lot of challenges for both me and her. I guess its time now to revisit the childproofing so as to have a healthy and a safe environment for Anvesha.

While the rest of US is getting ready for the holidays, we are getting ready for Anvesha's first India trip. Iam super excited about it as this is one good time when she will meet her grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins who are eagerly waiting to see her. While I might not be regular in my posts, I will try my best to stay in sync with many exciting stories throughout our India trip :)

Till then Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New  Year 2014 :)

Sweet Nothings

When I Imagined my baby's first sound, it was always Mama, of course which mother wouldn't like to hear that ?

A couple of days ago me and Anvesha had a good 5 minute, back and forth conversation with each other.

Anvesha: Ba Ba
Me: Ba Ba
Anvesha : Ba Ba Ba Ba
Me: Ba Ba Ba Ba

This was such an emotional moment to hear the first sound of my angel and it came right when she hit the 10 month timeline. I would love to call these baffles as "sweet nothings" :) This milestone has delighted both me and Prateek. I guess she might be even beginning to understand simple phrases and the tone of our voice. So it becomes even more important to keep talking to her to enhance her conversational skills; and with this I mean real words and not baby talk. Baby talk indeed sounds cute, but Iam trying hard to avoid this tendency no matter how much ever cute or fun it may sound. No particular reason, but I just feel that the use of right words would be good for her development, though Prateek is still hung on the baby talk :)

Here's a video from today afternoon

Though it may sometime feel silly, especially if Iam in a park or grocery shopping, but I keep the conversation going with this cute little chatter box and what does she really talk? Well they are just "sweet nothings" :)

Learning to Self Feed

Its been almost 4 months now that we started with solid foods for Anvesha. So far she had been eating pureed fruits and veggies.Over the time I gradually thickened up the consistency of her baby food giving it more of a chunkier look.

Usually the babies let us know they are ready for finger foods by grabbing the spoon they are being fed with and/ or snatching food from your plate. These days Anvesha does exactly that. So, we are slowly introducing her to finger foods. Any food that a baby can pick up qualifies for a finger food. Not only is it fun for babies to eat finger food, it is also a first step towards independence. I know it does get messy and my carpet is full of stains of her baby food, but I let her enjoy this "hands on experience" :)

At first Anvesha would simply play around with the food, hold it with both her hands and try to bring it to her mouth.Slowly she is getting to a point what is called as the pincer grasp ( using thumb and forefinger to pick up food).  As for me, Iam learning to get more patient by letting her get messy with the food. But I can't bring  myself to let her have the spoon and waste the food that I have taken so much effort to prepare :( All I can do is LAUGH as she looks pretty cute with all that baby food attached to her chin and it makes for great blackmail photos when she turns 16 !!!! 

So let me get public with these great photo memories of her meal time fun :)

Happy Children's Day !!!!

January 28th 2013, 10.19 PM- a life defining moment.  Can't believe it's been close to 10 months now. It seems like it was just yesterday when I took Anvesha in my arms for the first time. As she cuddled close to me, I thought to myself, it was worth the pain and worth the wait !!!

 There have been countless sweet memories that I would hold onto for life..... dancing around the house with Anvesha in my arms-I would call it  a rather innovative way to rock her to sleep :)..... the time when she passed that first social smile, my heart still melts to see that smile..... getting her ears pierced when she was still 4 month's old.... running around the house, coming up with funny ideas to make meal time fun for her.... play times at Wiggle Works, Kids' Cove and Gymboree play n learn....making silly poems and singing them out loud ( "Mamma mai to kitna pyara baby hu, kiska pyara baby hu... apka pyara baby hu".... I know this doesn't make sense at all :P ) or  the moment when she would crawl next to me to get my attention while I was busy in the kitchen.  I still dread the regular vaccinations- I rather have me go through all the pain than have her suffer.

Iam sorry for all the times Aanu when you wanted me to hold you, or play with you but I rather have few tasks done before I could give you the undivided attention. I know you are too small to understand all this right now, but over the years when you grow up and if you ever read my blog, I want to let you know that I'll always be right here for you. You are the most adorable daughter in the whole world and I can never thank God enough for this wonderful and cute little bundle of joy that He has given me.

A Very Happy Children's Day to you Aanu... This one's for you.

Happy Diwali

Diwali- the most awaited festival among the Hindus; a time for sweets, crackers, lights, good food and family reunion. This is one day  I feel really lonely in United States and miss home a lot. Three years in a row and we haven't celebrated Diwali with family. Well, this year we had all the plans but as luck ( or rather bad luck) would have it , Anvesha's PIO card did not reach on time. Funny, she needs an official document to travel to her home country.  Ya ya, I know she is American by birth, perhaps that's why it is called a PIO ( Person of Indian Origin).

Not being with family for Diwali was indeed a heart breaker, but we have to deal with what life gives us. We tried our best to get a feel of Diwali here. Here is my Diwali checklist :

• Diyas
• Mithai
• Crackers
• Candles
• Lights

Right on the day of Diwali, Anvesha stood up on her own without support !!!!!! Well, it was just for half a minute though.I guess this was her Diwali gift to us :) Here's her pic standing unassisted

I was curious to see her reaction to the crackers and to my surprise, she wasn't scared at all, in fact she wanted to catch the sparks of the fooljhadi and got really upset when we tried to stop her :) Here's our family pic

I know this wasn't the best Diwali, but this was certainly the best we could do to make it a little India :) 

Wishing everybody a very happy and a joyous Diwali!!!

Click Click Click

Babyhood seems to pass by so quickly and there are countless sweet times that we want to remember forever, not just in scrapbooks, but in the album of our minds. The first year is full of so many "firsts"-first stroller ride, first visit to the doctor, first vacation, first summer, first tooth, first steps, so on and so forth. We wish  to capture all of them and  I consider myself  lucky to witness them all first hand :)  In order to create these wonderful memories, we need to be immersed in the here and now. Well, this seems so much easier than done.

Clicking Anvesha's pictures was so much easier when she was a new born. But now it goes much beyond "say cheese",or the right amount of lighting, no wonder they have professional photographers for babies !!There goes in a lot of effort behind the scene in getting that picture perfect....whether its mimicking a particular sound, making funny faces or waving the hands madly to get her attention, we've done it all.

Its that time of the year... there are red, orange, yellow leaves everywhere.... Oh!!!  I love the fall season so much, something to look forward to before the long, dark and depressing winters. Like I said earlier, first year is full of so many firsts and this was Anvesha's first autumn, so this week was full of outdoor expeditions, in an endeavor to get some good pictures. Sharing few good ones here.... and in case you haven't noticed, I am flaunting the new photo editing software that I downloaded ;) Lol.

Oh, and I do want to share my version of  the step by step procedure of clicking baby pictures:

Step 1: Get her dressed in that super cute, super adorable, yet comfortable outfit
Step 2: Make sure the baby is well rested and well fed. Remember a happy baby = a good picture
Step 3: Get ready to make silly faces, act like a clown to get her attention and eventually that killer smile :)
Step 4:  Don't get disheartened if you don't make it. Remember patience and perseverance is the key
Step 5: Click click click...... you will at least get one good picture after all that hard work you put in. Lol

Happy Fall !!!!!

Mixed Bag

There's a lot of catching up to do on the growth updates of Anvesha, so here's a mixed bag of all the updates:

First Tooth: One day, when Anvesha was almost 8 months, I felt a hard spot: a tooth, Yayyy !!!! I used to check her gums occasionally with my index finger in anticipation of that first tooth. I could tell something was wrong with her excessive drooling, fussiness and wakeful nights. Yes, teething can be pretty painful for babies and they let us know ( pretty loudly) that they are on the verge. The bottom two center teeth tend to pop up first. The best I could do was offer her some chilled wash cloths to chew on, but that just gave her temporary relief. Teething  gels were the next ones, I really won't advocate on their effectiveness as they numb the gums and can be harmful if swallowed... My advise to new moms, please don't spend a lot on these products,a chilled washcloth works just fine :) I wish I had some pic of hers with that tiny winy first tooth, so far, no luck !!!!

 Standing Tall: Anvesha had been pulling herself to a standing position from the time she was 5 months old. Now she has taken a step further and is getting closer and closer to walking. She moves around upright while holding onto furniture or anything that she can hold onto :) She can also take a couple of steps, with support of course. She is learning to bend her knees and sitting after standing, which is harder to master than we may think. Working in the kitchen is becoming tougher now as Anvesha would just hold me for support. she seems to be enjoying the vertical position :)

Sippy Cup: Now that Anvesha has a good grasp and can move objects from one hand to another, we introduced her to sippy cup. This requires more skills than just picking objects and putting them in mouth, something that she has been doing for so many months. I first purchased Dr Brown's, but she didn't seem to like it at all because of the hard tip, so then got her an Avent that has a soft tip that she can sip onto. Honestly speaking, I haven't done much research on the brands. Sippy cup also turned out to be a good opportunity to introduce her to water. Yeah, she hasn't tasted a drop of water for the past 7 months, the only reason being that milk contains 80 % water and infants don't really need it, else, it kills their appetite. As of now it acts more like a toy for her and she sips a drop or two after meals :)

Transitioning into a big tub: Bathing an infant can be quite a task for an inexperienced first time mom like me. A big thanks to my mom who helped us during the initial few days of taking care of a new born. We initially had a small tub that would fit into the sink and was pretty convenient too. Now that Anvesha has outgrown it, we got her big inflatable tub ( pretty portable if you are travelling). The first few weeks were quite challenging as Anvesha would get  scared of the open space and the loud sound of the water gushing and bath time was no longer fun for her. But that was just a phase and now she enjoys to be in the tub with her bath toys, splashing water all over :)

I wish I had something to write on sleeping through the night..... Iam so jealous of the moms of my birth club whose babies are sleeping through the night :( Please God please, give me back those long peaceful nights... That day will hopefully come... someday....  when I can have at least 6 hrs of uninterrupted sleep; and when it does I would be shouting out loud and there will be a post dedicated especially for that, I promise ;) Until then, I have to follow the golden rule, "Sleep when the baby sleeps."

Shifting Apartments

I've been kind of quiet lately, had been busy shifting apartments. We lived in a beautiful vicinity, right in the heart of the Microsoft campuses, surrounded by cherry blossom trees- an eye candy during the spring. Just when the fall was beginning to spread its beautiful colors at my door step and beyond, we decided to change places. This was an unplanned move... our 3rd move in the last one year !!!! I like our new place for the main reason that its a single level apartment; saves me from the trouble to move up and down, plus handling the baby. Plus, we're back in Bellevue downtown, a place where I started my journey when I first came to US. I think Anvesha will like it here; we're just two blocks away from Bellevue Square Mall or the Kid's Cove I would say- her favorite hangout place :)

Shifting apartments is a physically exhausting job and it gets more challenging with a baby. To ease out the transition, we planned on putting Anvesha in day care till we settle down. Thanks to the backup care plan provided by Microsoft, it gives us the flexibility to put the child in a daycare at an affordable hourly basis and its completely need based :) Another reason why I like our new apartment is that her day care is right across the street :) Here's Anvesha having some fun while we were on top of our eyelids packing and moving stuff.

As I kissed my Burt's Bees scented baby and handed her to the lady at the day care, the mom's guilt in me creeped in. As I watched her go, I contemplated on the fact that I won't get to see her smiling face for the next 6 hrs. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of a stranger feeding my baby and putting her to sleep. Yes, I admit I am super protective about my daughter and super possessive too, doesn't this come as a part and parcel of motherhood ? But I was happy that she would get to play with kids of her age.

 We had a long day ahead of us. The first thing we did was arrange Anvesha's stuff, so that things don't look alien to her in the new place and life doesn't stop for her. Little did I know that I had to get her back so soon. We got a call from her day care saying that she is refusing to eat and has been crying ever since we left. I got her home only to find out that she was feverish and has got a bad flue. As first time parents this was certainly a big deal for both of us and we rushed her to urgent care. She did have a bad flu, plus a mild ear infection. On top of all this, she was also coping with the pain of cutting tooth. Too much for a tiny soul.... wish I could take away some of her pain. Her refusing food was another heartbreak :(

 Life has finally settled down in the new apartment and Anvesha is fine now. She enjoys cruising around and exploring her new home. As for me, I enjoy the view of downtown from my window, sipping my hot cup of tea :)

Summer of '13

We always wanted Anvesha to be an outdoor person and not be confined at home. Although she is a winter baby, she had been out and about  right from the time she was a week old :). In many cultures including ours, a newborn is confined at home for at least  a month, but that didn't stop us from taking her out. From Mt Rainer  to Olympic National Park, she had been everywhere :) Thanks to the Seattle weather, we didn't have those many opportunities to go out during winters and so I had been really looking forward to summers this year.A time where I could dress her in super adorable outfits. This summer was extra special as it was Anvesha's first and we wanted to introduce her to all the wonderful things that summer had to offer.

Here are the highlights of the summer of 2013 !!!!!

Every afternoon after lunch I  take Anvesha out for a stroller ride.. We live across the street from   Microsoft main campus and I must say its a beautiful place . I never knew where we were heading to, or where we will end up.  I call it the nature walk. Doesn't matter what the nature of the walk is, just walk, walk,walk !!  Whether this nature walk happened on a trail, or around the row houses, shopping malls or even the busy streets of the 156th Avenue :) The fresh air not only helped me destress, but it also sparked Anvesha's curiosity about environment, soak some vitamin D and stimulate her senses. Plus, a little exercise is always helpful  in getting rid of those stubborn  pregnancy pounds; added bonus: its absolutely free !!!

Anvesha's first official vacation was a 15 day long trip to the East Coast. She was still a tiny winy 5 month old baby at that time. Though we had our own set of  challenges travelling with a 5 month old, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the 4th of July fireworks at D.C, feeling the water gush through our faces at Maid of the Mist @ Niagara Falls or roaming aimlessly in the  night bedazzled by the lights of The Time Square, NYC.

We also took multiple day trips amongst the local getaways such as the cascade loop, lavender fest, skagit river trail, to name a few .  This bonding and closeness from just doing simple things together is great for future relation with the child.

Partner Support

One of the nicest, yet most difficult word to say is "Thank You" I know its not thanksgiving yet, but I want to take a moment to thank my husband, Prateek for all the love and support that he has offered in the last 7 months. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have even started this blog. I  remember the  night of 27th January ( yeah !!! the night before Anvesha was born ) that he suggested I start a blog to share my experiences as a new mom. I had always loved to pen down my thoughts on paper, something that I used to do when in college. I somehow almost forgot about it over the years. After much persuasion I at least started the template. We had almost finalized on the name so naming the blog was somehow easy. For those who know me well would know its such a big deal for a lazy person like me to start something new ;)

The kind of mom I wanted to be was a lot like June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver whose house was always neat, laundry done on time, still having time for a a girl's night out and a perfectly done hair and makeup. But my house is more like Debra's from Everybody loves Raymond :) Domestic duties have doubled. Of course, before the baby there were still dishes & laundry and other loathsome household chores, but there were never so many things that had to be done so quickly. I know I haven't been able to make exotic meals ( at least I would call them so :P) ), but he has been absolutely non fussy about the mess in the house these days and helps around a lot when at home. From taking care of me during the initial days post delivery to staying awake with me at 2 in the morning when Anvesha was colicky, or running errands for me and babysitting Anvesha when I had to go attend my SGI meetings,  or for that matter even promoting this blog, he has been a true support system when I needed it most.

Taking care of a baby is a physically & mentally exhausting job.My experience as a mom might be relatively new  but I know what Iam doing. I might not be a perfect mother and  I may have made mistakes in the past, but their onus rests on me; plus, don't we learn from our mistakes? All said and done, Iam confident about my parenting style, something that I wasn't few months back. Thanks Prateek, for making me realize what Iam worth doing !!

"Baby makes three" is exciting, exhilarating & wonderful. It is also exhausting, exasperating & worrisome. Having a partner support can make life so much simpler and at the same time helps preserve your sanity :)

Thanks for being there !!!!

Going Traditional

The best part about having daughters I feel is you can dress them up and accessorize them with clips, bands, ear rings and so on and so forth. Indian festivals give us one platform to be all decked up in our traditional best :) This was Anvesha's first  Janamashtmi ( Indian festival celebrating birth of Lord Krishna) and so  I dressed her in a traditional attire (lehanga choli). She looked so cute in the Radha Raani get up :) Festivals are one way of meeting friends and relatives too. We took her to  Bellevue Hindu Temple on the eve of Janamashtmi and the place was over crowded !!!! I have never seen such a crowd in Seattle :) We couldn't stay for long as it was way past bed time for Anvesha and she was getting cranky with the loud noise and the crowd.

Here's our Radha Raani waiting for her Kanha :)

And this one is from her 7th month birthday on the day of Janamashtmi.This month's theme was traditional attire !!! I would call ourselves as super excited and wonder struck parents as we celebrate her birthday every month, though this time we wanted to have a quiet affair. We headed straight to ISKCON after this.

While I was getting Anvesha ready for the temple, I was wondering, will she be able to understand our culture, our Indian society, relations, the way we do? In order to raise kids, we need a society & people where our kids can talk to & learn from. This gives them a chance to understand the way of society & life.We miss our daughter playing with her grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. Having said that, I also feel that it is in the hands of parents & their values that their children's lives depend.Children form their values, personalities etc irrespective of where they live, just by following their parents.

Phew !!!! too much of serious thinking. Just hope to give best of both the worlds to Anvesha !!

Baby on the move

Its hard to believe that in just a matter of 7 months ( well !! almost ) Anvesha has gone from an immobile, curled-up little hamster to a toddling (or nearly so) tot! It all began after Anvesha started rolling over , though a bit late. She started scooting, then sitting up by herself from a lying down position and then taking strides towards mobility :) She had her own style though, which was backward crawling. Yeah !! I know it sounds weird, but believe me she looked cute even then :)

She can now connect with us in many new ways. As she explores her new found world, childproofing the house becomes all the more important. Although I do keep a constant eye on her, but as Murphy's law states, anything that can go wrong DOES go wrong sooner or later. We have already removed the coffee table so that it gives her extra room to move around. Anything with sharp edges is gone too. Electric sockets, kitchen drawers, cabinets, wires come next. She cruises from one corner of the room to another,although it does require some motivation, like her favorite doll or something else that appeals to her. We put things on the floor to help her crawl and sometimes I too get down on my knees to motivate her to crawl !!! Fun isn't it ? Well, I am reliving my childhood 

Here's a video from today

I happened to come across some crawling toys on amazon, like a ball that moves around automatically so that the baby chases it. My first instinct was to hit the "add to cart" icon, but after giving it a thought I wondered do we really need it? All the baby stuff is as it is overly hyped. and overly priced !! I mean, any other toy or even mom/ dad lying down on the floor to motivate her to crawl  would be equally good right? But they don't sell toys, they sell emotions !!!! We as parents want to give best of both the worlds to our kids and would go to any extent for that and they know that pretty well. I am sure half of the stuff that we have purchased for Anvesha so far would be useless after some time, but that does not stop us from exploring the baby segment, does it ?

My advise for new parents or soon to be parents when going baby shopping, apply the K.I.S.S principle- Keep it Small & Simple :)

Fun Times !!!!

Anvesha has been thoroughly enjoying her gym sessions at WiggleWorks & the play and learn classes at Gymboree. Today was her last day in Level 1. Yeah !!! my cute little button has graduated !!! I will soon get her enrolled in a class which  is focused more on babies with a little mobility.Hope this  gives her time to release some energy while learning to play with other babies in an interactive set up.

These play and learn classes are a great way to encourage development through various play methods such as tummy time  (Anvesha has started enjoying her tummy time, something that she hated initially ), playing with Gymbo ( the puppet), exposing the child to an array of different shapes and textures, catching the bubbles, while at the same time mingling with the other kids. Babies are accompanied with their care takers, usually moms. Though once in a while dads do pitch in :)  This also serves as a platform for moms to interact with each other, thus building their own network. This, by the way can be very useful later on while arranging for play dates for their kids :) 

Here are few snapshots from  last month.

New Range of Foods

As a child I had always been a fussy eater. I hated vegetables and ate only rice and daal. I remember my mom running after me so that I would finish my meals. As I grew up to go to the hostel, I realized the worth of mom made food and stopped making a fuss. I learnt to respect the effort that went into making food, the love that every meal was made with and started eating practically everything without wasting (yeah!! even karela which apparently is  now one of the vegetables that I enjoy eating).

This maybe one of the reasons why I am slightly pushy when it comes to feeding Anvesha. Veggies always come first and we are going the organic way !! Wish we had the organic options while I was a kid !!! I just want to make sure she gets complete nutrition and gets a taste of veggies right from start so that she doesn't turn out to be a picky eater like me ;)

Oh!! and did I mention about the new blender that I got for making baby food ? We didn't want to spend a lot of money on commercial baby blenders like baby bullet or  Beaba, so got a Hamilton Beach baby blender from amazon and it works just as fine. I can use it to make a single serve smoothie for myself too :)

So far I have given her avocados, green peas & carrots amongst the veggies. These come as a welcome change from the rice cereals that she had been eating all this while. Iam not sure if its the nursery rhymes that she watches while having food or the food itself that she enjoys ;) I guess it doesn't matter all that much as long as she finishes her meals !!! She seems to be liking peas a lot.

I hope Anvesha enjoys the new range of food that I give her, although it does make her messy !!. Oh !! and I want to take a moment to thank Microsoft for sending in a hamper of baby goodies. The waterproof bib is a great savior these days.  Here are few recent pics

Life as a full time mother

I must admit, I have nothing to crib presently. Last year this time, I had all the time in the world with not much to do and this year same time, I crave for some quiet time, not to forget an uninterrupted sleep which I have not had since the last 6 months.Yes, being a full time, stay at home mom is hard and this wasn't even a subject I ever studied :) Its a 24 X 7 job with no paid/ unpaid leaves, no tangible benefits.  I, nevertheless look forward with my day with Anvesha. Whether its playing peek-a-boo with her or taking her out for a stroller ride, every day is a new and a rewarding experience. The natural state of motherhood is selflessness. Iam no longer the center of my own universe. My world revolves around Anvesha now.

Thanks to Pandora, I never fall short of nursery rhymes."Wheels on the bus go round and round ", "itsy bitsy spider" is all on my mind these days. My favorite one is " pop goes the weasel".  Anvesha laughs uncontrollably at the sound of "pop".My priorities have definitely changed. Goodbye thriller movies.... hello cartoon network !!!! Places of hanging out have shifted to family malls, parks, kids play areas like "Wiggle Works" and so have the TV shows. I find myself watching "mother goose club" all day. This also helps Anvesha finish her meals :)

It does get a bit overwhelming at times but no matter how tired I get by the end of the day, Anvesha's smile is a sheer stress-buster for me and makes my day. Its a sheer delight to see your little miracle grow in front of you. Everyday I notice some new activity in her. Whether its being able to roll over, sit up straight, giggles and smiles, or even watching her play with the new toy that her Dad got the other day, Iam loving every bit of it :)

Me and Anvesha go out together almost everywhere.... whether its grocery shopping, sipping coffee at Starbucks or even window shopping :) She is my new shopping buddy !!!! Grow up fast kiddo.... I want to chit chat with you endlessly :)

My mood today... Enjoying being a Mom !!!!!

Introducing Solids

Introducing solids in one of the greatest milestones !!! As a part of the Indian tradition, there is a ritual that marks an infant's first intake of food other than milk and is called "Annaprashan"( eating food ). It is usually done at 6 months of age. As a part of the tradition we offered "kheer" ( rice pudding) to her. The sweet taste of kheer appealed to her taste buds :)
Today we started rice cereals for her. She seems to be liking the taste as she was asking for more and more..... :) Here's Miss Messy after her meal this morning

Baby's first foods are usually rice cereals here in the United States, although back home in India we generally give daal or rice water ( "daal ka paani" or "chawal ka paani" ). Anvesha enjoyed her meal thoroughly. We gave her Gerber rice cereals. Iam too excited for her and have done a whole lot of research already for what foods to introduce and when. Here's a website that has a whole lot of information on baby foods that I referred to http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/. We do get ready- to- eat baby foods in the market but I want to stick to homemade variety since they are fresh and economical too. 

Growing up fast !!!!

Anvesha will be 6 months in 2 days !!! Every month is a new milestone achieved. She has started making an effort to crawl and is showing signs of teething as well. These days all she does is put anything and everything in her mouth. I got her few teethers from babiesRus the other day, hope this gives her some comfort. I was told to offer her when they are chilled :) Its amazing how kids grow up so fast. Last month she started to sit on her own and in just a matter of one month she is making an effort to stand up as well :) Rolling is still some way to go as of now. While I am typing Anvesha is trying to hold my hand in order to get up :) Here's a pic of hers from yesterday.

While I am finding it difficult to keep Anvesha engaged throughout the day, we explored a couple of options including daycare . After much research, we got her enrolled in the Gymboree play and music classes so that she may learn socializing skills and does not have stranger anxiety. I know this is a big word with respect to an infant, but it is equally important to shape a child's personality during the formative years. She gets to meet other babies of her age and play with them. At the end of the day its a win win situation for both me and her. Happy baby = Happy parents !!!!!

Another Milestone Achieved !!!!!

Anvesha is now 5 months old and it was a miracle to see her sit on her own without support the other day ( though she can sit without support for only a couple of minutes at a time ). This is a big milestone in itself. Every child is different and reaches those milestones at different times and it was a sheer delight to see her sit on her own especially when she is hardly able to roll over properly. I guess it has a lot to do with the Bumbo seats :)It allowed her to sit upright before she had the strength to do so herself. Anvesha loves to be off the floor and see whats going on around the room. Plus I can always place her on the seat for some time while I do my household chores :) She joyfully plays with her toys on her playmat ( we have made a small corner dedicated to Anvesha where she can play around )while I admire her at arms' reach.

 We started using the Bumbo seat when Anvesha started having some head control. The seat looks funny though, but provides a simple way for baby to interact with their surroundings. Anvesha hated tummy time and the Bumbo seat is a more pleasant way to keep her from laying on her back too much. A word of caution: do not use these seats on high surfaces such as tables or counter tops!

New friends... thanks to Anvesha!!!

I must admit that I have been a loner and an introvert by nature... Iam unable to initiate a conversation or keep it going... Thats how I have been all my life. When I take Anvesha out for a walk or in the park, there are so many people who come up to me (the population mainly comprises of moms :))I have made few friends, thanks to Anvesha :) I like to call them , "park friends". There is a common topic to talk about... "our little ones". It gives me some time out from home and talk to new faces. Like i said earlier in my posts life is beginning to settle down and its time for me to reconnect with my friends, I would also like to add here its also a good time to make new friends, meet new moms. Parks, play areas, online communities are a good way to meet new people. Being a stay at home mom does get frustrating at times. Everyone needs change and going out to socialise surely makes life easy. Also, it is a win win situation for both me and Anvesha :)

Breastfeeding- An emotional affair

It has been almost 5 months that I have been breastfeeding Anvesha exclusively. There were times when people around me suggested to start formula milk for her, but I decided to stick to breastfeeding. There is absolutely no substitute for breast milk and it helps build a strong immune system for the baby too. Besides the benefits of breastfeeding, it is more of an emotional affair for me :) It has helped build a strong bond between me and Anvesha and it feels heaven when I hold her in my arms.

Reconnecting with friends

I had been out of touch from practically everyone ever since Anvesha was born.  life is beginning to settle down a little with Anvesha following a fixed pattern of schedule. I remember initially for the first few months all I did was fed her, changed diapers while still recovering myself. Now is the time for me to reconnect with my friends and concentrate on few other things ...that reminds me I have to complete my pregnancy journal as well.... (ya ya I know im too late). Sorry friends.... I know I have been underground all this while... I assure you, you will see me more often now or atleast hear my voice :)

Rolled Over !!!!!!!

Today Anvesha rolled over for the first time. She hates tummy time and I have to make a persistent effort to lay her down on her tummy several times a day. She has started observing and trying to reach out to her toys. So today evening while giving her tummy time, I placed a mirror in front of her (she loves to see her own face) and placed few toys out of her reach. In an effort to reach out to her toys, she rolled over!!!! I screamed in excitement....Iam proud to be the first one to observe this happen. Prateek just missed it from a fraction of second. After this we tried that she rolls over again, Prateek jumped to get the handycam, but as they say.... this one was a "limited time offer".

Multitasking

Motherhood brings out the best in you. You discover a new you. There are some traits of my personality that I have just discovered !!!!! Patience, perseverance, multitasking.... to name a few. Being a stay at home mom makes life challenging, especially with no domestic help here in the United States. I have evolved from doing one thing at a time to multitasking now. With a little bit of planning and multitasking, life can be a lot simpler. Even while typing.... Iam feeding Anvesha, having my evening tea and writing my blog :) So much for motherhood....Phew!!!

Baby Carriers- My Saviour

Anvesha needs constant attention these days. Her daily routine includes a walk in the park atleast 2 times a day. There are times when she gets restless in her stroller and wants to be held. Baby carriers are my saviour in times like these. I carry Anvesha practically everywhere ( even at home when she is cranky ). Amongst baby carriers we had a couple of options. When Anvesha was 2 months old she enjoyed being on Baby Bjorn. She quickly outgrew it and we got her an Ergobaby carrier. It took a while for her to get adjusted to it and now she loves it !!! Some advantages of a baby carrier, esp Ergobaby is that I have my hands free and it doesn't strain my back or shoulders. The weight is concentrated on the belt provided around the waist so that the shoulders and back do not get the load. Another plus point about Ergobaby carrier is that once the baby is asleep, I can easily get her off the carrier, without disturbing her :)I can enjoy my bus ride too with Anvesha in the carrier ( saves me from the hassle of folding the stroller and carrying the extra load. Though it is slightly heavy on the pocket, but its a good investment nevertheless. There are a couple of positions you could try too !!!

Travelling with the baby

Travelling with the baby can be quite stressful and tiring for both the baby and the mother. Iam still breastfeeding Anvesha, she hates formula food and these days she is transitioning to being bottle fed. We had gone to ocean shores today which is around 2 hours drive from Redmond.It was a long drive for Anvesha. I had made all the arrangements before hand- pumped the milk first thing in the morning, fed her just before leaving, changed her diaper too. But she was too restless the entire trip and I couldnt enjoy either :( Its stressful to see your baby whining and crying uncontrollably. Feeding would not help, swaddling would not help, rocking would not help. We were in a rush to just reach home and i could comfort her in my arms.When we reached home i rushed to our room ( she sleeps in our room in pack n play ) and tried to make her sleep, but she was too cranky to settle down easily. After hours of patience I finally managed to calm her down. Lesson learnt, never go on a long drive again. We will make short trips so that they are enjoyable for both Anvesha and us.

Chit Chat with Anvesha

Now is the time to hone up the communication skills. These days I spend as much time possible talking with Anvesha. Though I must admit that it does get frustrating at times trying to make her sleep and holding her ( she is more than double than what she was when she was born. Today was one such day when i was too tired to hold her and she would want no one else except me. Too tired to hold her, I decided to talk to her instead and like a mature adult tried to explain why I cannot hold her. She listened quietly as though she understood everything and started "cooing". I lay her down and she started smiling at me as though she wanted to console me that all is well and she would cooperate. This is my version of our little tete a tete :P Anvesha might have a different version though... :) Suggestions for new moms: Keep talking with your little angel. This is how you would help them communicate and strengthen your bond with them. Happy chatting !!!!!

4 months just flew past...

Alright, i know Iam too late to share a post on my experience as a new mom. From the time I first held her to the coos and cuddles of my newly gifted angel,every experience has indeed been a rewarding one. My heart just melts when i see her smile. Anvesha is almost 4 months now and I can feel the bond between her and me. She has started holding her head up straight and responding too :) Things are moving fast and I step back and wonder its been 4 great months of my life indeed. She looks out for me and it sure is an ego booster when no one else can calm her when she is cranky except me :P From the time i held her first, I felt she knew me already..... afterall Iam 9 months senior than her dad ;)Every day is a new milestone achieved. She enjoys being out and observes everything and everyone. Today I saw her grabbing her toys and trying to hold them tight. Anvesha started holding her head up straight and smiling socially when she hit the 3 months' mark. The Goo-Goo's, Gaa-Gaa's and Giggles is what I hear each day. Trying to learn my baby's new language and enjoying it thoroughly. There is more to come and I will be more regular publishing my posts. Till then, take care!!!