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 :)