Wednesday, June 29, 2011

One Fish Two Fish - Red Fish Blue Fish

Today I turn 16 weeks and 2 days. I know its waaaayyy too early to introduce rhymes to the little one. Bah! he/she has not even born yet! But many people I know told me that a happy mom = a happy baby. One of the things which make me happy (these days) is listening to rhymes; and so I started listening to them. One of my favorites is by Dr. Seuss, One Fish Two Fish. Here goes the rhyme.

One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish
Three Fish Four Fish, Old Fish New Fish
Five Fish Six Fish, Here comes more fish...

what next?

Another close favorite is:

One two three four five
Once I caught a fish alive
Six seven eight nine ten
But I let it go again
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which one did it bite?
The little one upon the Right.

I went to my regular prenatal appointment last night. It went good. I have increased 1 KG in one month, my doctor was happy. We also heard the heart beat again. Awesome...

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Different ways of parenting...

I am sure every single parent under the sun have gone through what I am talking about. There are multiple ways of teaching, loving, disciplining (etc) a child. Just yesterday A and I were taking about a few baby-proofing-home things which we might consider doing for the benefit of the little one.
At the end of day, we all have nothing but the best interest of the child in our minds. So where do we draw the line when it comes to protecting a child vs letting him/her do what seems right to the child? Where does baby-proofing the home (inside AND immediate outside like backyard) start and ends? How to decide when is the right time to allow the kid to experiment and/or explore something which might potentially hurt him/her in the beginning but in the long run, perhaps its for the kid's good?

At 6 months? At 12 months? When?

How does all the new parents reach middle ground about parenting techniques? The stress...is this a common scenario amongst every new mom and dad? Is it common to doubt myself whether or not I will be a good mom?

I am feeling overwhelmed today. Is this emotional state common too and will this phase pass too?

Thursday, June 16, 2011

My First Yoga Lesson

Today I went to my first Prenatal Yoga session. It was nice. This is my first ever lesson in Yoga and I didnt know what to expect. I just vowed to myself that I will just go with an open mind...yeah that should do it. And it did!

Our instructor was sweet spoken and gentle. She assured me that most women start yoga for the first time only after they fall pregnant and that I should not worry. I guess yoga is one thing which is safe to start amidst all those "don't do this and don't do that's" during pregnancy.

The lesson started and we were asked to just lie down or sit in any position we are comfortable. I just sat and closed my eyes. While the instructor started on some gentle breathing lessons, I could actually feel myself relax. After that some stretching started. I have been having severe shoulder aches and I tried to relax them. Some of the stretching really helped. It lasted for 1 full hour and I think I can easily say that I like it!

I booked for 10 sessions, once a week. Once that is done, I am planning on taking more. That's all for now...too tired to write anything :)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Orange+Apple = Oraple

We went to our cottage last weekend and just like every day, A started making fresh fruit juice for me. Only after we started did we realize that we only had 2 oranges (he usually makes juice with 3). Now, in order to bridge the gap, he decided to mix 2 oranges and 1 apple and called it Oraple :)

It was awesome! If you have not tried it already, I suggest that everyone try Oraple!

We also had a chance to taste sugar cane juice (ganne ka ras) for the first time this year. But neither the taste nor the color were like what we get back home. Specially the ones which feel like 'Manna from Heaven' on a hot summer day.

Some interesting things this baby Reddiar would see here :)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Lets play the game!

We went for my regular doctors checkup yesterday and for the very first time heard our baby's heart beat! It was great...beating fast like a galloping horse. When the ultra sound was being done, I believe the heartbeat was 160. Even though many people write this off as an old wives tale, my doctor said that there is a high likelihood of a girl because the heart-rate is so high :)

We have recorded the heat-beat but I still have to figure out a way to upload that here.

I showed a 400 grams increase in my weight from my last doctors appointment.

So, whom do you think its going to be? Boy or a Girl? 

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Introducing Baby Reddiar

I had my second Ultra Sound yesterday, 31May2011. It was amazing to see the baby again! The first time we saw it, we could see only heart beat and little apple kinda thing, since it was done as early as 7 weeks. Now after completing 12 weeks, baby is looking more like a ...baby. Here is the First Ever picture of our baby.


It was awesome to see him/her. Yes, its still too early to know if its a boy or a girl. The technician commented that our baby is "very active" and that its moving so much :) It was swimming all over the place! It was so beautiful. One moment its here and the next moment its there...as if it is a rose petal, gently floating in the air.

This reminds me, when I was young, my mom had some trouble teaching me swimming in the pool. Looking at our baby swim so much, I bet it would be a pro in swimming, even before it ever entered a bath tub :)
A was all smiles looking at his baby.

Second Trimester Begins Today

Already 3 months have gone by and as of yesterday, 31May2011, I officially enter my second trimester. A few changes have started taking place in our lives so far. I bought maternity cloths and I just started wearing them. They feel far more comfortable than my regular trousers. I bought a few more books, as of now I have some 6 books on pregnancy and child birth :)
I believe there are a few ways of calculating trimesters and my doctor prefers to calculate it according to development stage. So today I enter 2nd trimester according to her.

1. What to expect when you are expecting
2. What to expect in the First year
3. Chicken Soup for the Expectant mom's soul
4. The little Baby Whispers
5. All you need to know about feeding...

OK, that makes it 5. I swear I bought 6 and I forgot the title of the last one! Talk about being pregnant and forgetful.

A few fun facts about the baby as of today and how its going to look this 13th week:
1. Fingerprints have formed on the tiny fingers