Weaning Baby

Weaning can be a simple or a struggle depending on how attached the baby is to breastfeeding. Generally speaking, it is recommended to nurse for at least an year or as long as it makes you and your child happy.  I feel it was the best thing I did for Anvesha as it not only help her build a strong immune system, but also strengthen the bonding between me and her. Though it was a bit challenging for me and I kept getting raised eyebrows in the past couple of months as though to suggest that its time to give up breastfeeding. I have realized over the time that people WILL have opinions and the rule of thumb is not to feel pressurized, after all,  she is getting the best nutrition which is from ME :)

Anvesha did not take the bottle quite well and so I thought it would be just fine to introduce her directly to a glass or a cup for milk when the time is just right.Now that she is an year old, Iam slowly introducing her to whole milk. The plan is to wean gradually and not go "cold turkey" so as to give her time to adjust. But it certainly isn't a cakewalk, some days are good while others are bad ( read frustrating ). Her pediatrician has suggested to give at least 20 oz of whole milk each day and it sure is challenging. A work around is to give her dairy products such as cheese, yogurt,and other milk products such as kheer. Within few months she will be weaned off completely and I will surely miss feeding her.

Anvesha is getting used to drinking milk from her cup and there are spills... lots of them. I don't care anymore how the carpet looks.... as long as she gets the milk :) There are so many phases in a child's life and each one is so special -before we realize it, the child steps into the next phase. Well, for Anvesha the next phase would be, "Food the world awaits" !!

Tell me a story

One of the best things we can do for our children is spending time with them as it tells the child that they are important to us. This can be difficult if you are tired, but it is important. Bedtime stories have been very effective in developing a strong reading habit. It can take a child to a new world of imaginative activity and also helps build a strong affectionate bond between the child and the parent. Going down the memory lane, I remember sneaking into my grand mom's bed and requesting her to tell me a story. She would tell me all sorts of different stories of Indian Gods and Godesses, panchatantra, fairies and I would go into my own dreamland. Every time I would visit my grandparents, this was my bedtime ritual. There are some family rituals you want to carry on and story time is one of them.

We've got Anvesha few fairy fables, which she loves. Though she doesn't understand a word of what is inside the book, but she enjoys flipping the pages. Her favorite character these days is Tinker Bell & Rosetta :) I try my best to make story times special and enjoyable for her by showing pictures from the book as I am reading, making sound effects with some unique voices and dramatic pause ;) Phew !!!!! so much for becoming a mom. But believe me, its all worth it !!!!

Luckily for us, we have our local library nearby and guess what? they have weekly story time sessions as well :) My next step is to get her enrolled in one such story time .... and I am very curious to see how she responds, I think she will love it :)

India Trip Highlights

I know this post should have come long back, but I had been busy preparing for Anvesha's birthday bash, fighting jetlag and settling down of course. Its always a delight to meet family after a long time, but this trip was extra special as Anvesha was exposed to so many wonderful things that we as kids were; and with this I mean playing with mud, collecting leaves, taking an oil massage in the sun followed by a sun bath :) not to forget going for regular walk with grandpa and meeting new faces on  the way, a ride on the cycle rickshaw........ the list is endless !!!!!

The first week in India was a bit rough as Anvesha was terribly jetlaged and so were we. Family and friends were thrilled to meet her and the house was decorated with balloons all over. It was a grand welcome indeed :) I have never seen her so happy and social on meeting new people. She just loved to watch the birds and pigeons and to my surprise, she laughed her heart out on seeing the street dogs approaching her.

As a part of Indian tradition a child's head is supposed to be shaved off within an year of birth. The ceremony is referred to as "mundan". Its a big ceremony and father's sister (bua) has a big role to play in it. Though we tried to keep Anvesha distracted, but she cried uncontrollably when her head was being shaved off. Here's her pic before and after the mundan.

We've been celebrating Anvesha's monthly birthdays but her 11th month birthday was different as we had a katha ceremony at home. The next day was followed by Anvesha's grand welcome party where everyone came to meet her. She wore a beautiful blue dress that we got from Delhi after days and days of survey to get the perfect dress for the big day !! We even got her a pair of matching sandals but they looked alien to her and she was so scared to put them on that we dropped the idea of having her wear those cute little sandals.

Winter was at its peak and the mercury level was dropping down. The latter part of the India trip was at Anvesha's naana- naani ( maternal side grandparents ). By that time she had learnt to walk confidently and my job was even tougher as I had to run around to watch her, while she played in the mud and collected leaves that had fallen off from the trees.

I can't help but think that its so so necessary to be amongst people, especially for a kid. They learn so many new things and everyone has their own unique way of handling kids. Anvesha waves goodbye, claps her hands and gives a big "high five". I think it was the best trip to India so far..... wish I could turn back time, but life must go on.........