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 :)