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 !!!!!