Teething or not?

I wonder if Megha is teething. This afternoon she slept for about 30 minutes and woke up. She is slightly more irritable. Her bowel movements are runny and she is biting on anything and everything.
Is she teething? I will let you know when I know!!
I should have given her Tylenol this afternoon :(. When she just wouldn't sleep, I thought she must be over exhausted but later this evening I decided she is in pain. Poor Megu :(

Dancing with the Moon-Part 2

Dancing on the moon part 2/ Final

Looks like I am a healthy baby after all; the doctors said I can 'go home' in 2 days. This is good news and bad; for one, I have to get used to something else besides this hospital room and for other, I am eager to see the 'home' they are all talking about. I sure do hope this is a permanent home.

Have I told you how I was named? Here is how: long before I was born, Maddy (mommy+daddy) decided that I would be named after the birth star I would be born under. 

"Let's see what names have we got under 'A'", said daddy.

"Angali", said mommy, "Aditi", added daddy.

"For 'B' we have got Brinda," said mommy

And likewise they had names from A-Z. According to the birth star, I was supposed to be named under M. 

Dad chose Megha and he keeps insisting that it was moms choice (maybe with all the drugs and excitement neither of them properly remember who chose it). 

Such a pretty name, I don't really care who chose it. It wasn't even there in the list of names they wrote and it wasn't even there in the list of names which grandma had brought. 

Ok, back to the present. The day I was being taken home it was snowing. Dad had a stork set up in the front yard announcing my birth and my moms momma (mommomma) had aarti ready.

"Welcome home baby", said Maddy. 

"This is the living room, this is the family room...." So on dad took me to every room.

When I was taken to my very own room, I was thrilled.

"Is this going to shrink like the old one?" I asked

No answer! 

"Hello, I am taking to you, is this going to shrink?" I repeated.

Can you believe how disappointed I was to know that I cannot be heard even in my new home? That's preposterous.

Days passed. 

"Mom, can you believe the color of Meg's poo today!!" Asked my mom over the phone. She was talking to grand ma. 

"What the hell is wrong with you woman! I am right here in the room and you are discussing the color of my poo with some one else?! Yukkky!" I screamed. She didn't understand why I screamed and gave me some milk. 

"No I don't want milk. I want you to stop discussing about me when I am in the same room." I pout.

"It's multi colored!" Mom continued.

"Hello, can't you understand that it's such an insult to simply talk about me when I can hear you. Is this the manners you are going to teach me?" I sigh.

Seriously, what can be worst than a discussion about the color of our poo? Oh, wait a minute, it's not as bad as dressing me up as a pumpkin during Halloween. 

Mom thinks its incredibly cute to dress me up as a pumpkin. 

"Pumpkin of all the things? Are you nuts? It's not helping my figure now. I am going to look fat!!" I moan

Mom isn't listening.

"It's orange, it's like being trapped in a ball. How can anyone look cute in this?" I try again in vain

Now You see, dressing up as pumpkin is worst than a discussion about poo.

Have I told you about how I started eating solids? It's kinda funny. Ok, not ha ha funny but still a little but funny.

Maddy were initially planning not to introduce salt to me. Apparently it's not good for babies; especially in cold places like Canada. 

"Just purée the food without salt Hun", dad said.

"Ya, lets try without salt. Its not good for her anyway", mom agreed.

Have you ever tasted dal or rasam rice without salt? No? Good! Don't even try!! 

"Mom, have you even tasted this before trying to feed me?" I ask

Of course she didn't taste it. I spit up right away. Did she learn a lesson? No. She tried again and I throw up again. 

She kept trying it for two full days before giving up. Then she added salt.

Phew! What a relief for both of us. 

She has this blender baby book from which she gets all the yummy recipes. Whatever happened to the old recipes from grand ma?

The other day a lady, who calls herself a friend of moms came over. First thing she did was pinch my cheeks saying they look yummy. 

"Owwww", I cried out! "You moron! Don't you know you should not pinch a baby's cheek?" I asked

Mom told her off immediately but the damage is done.

Maddy sent me to day care when I turned 7 months. It's only for 1.5 hours a day, twice a week. Not bad at all. Initially I was so scared with a few other kids but I go used to it. They are all a bit older to me and there is this one guy, Liam, he keeps taking all the toys I lay my hands on. What an idiot, there are so many other toys out there but no, he wants just the toys I want. Since I am not yet walking, I only crawl for now, and he can run...he takes my toys and run.

"Yo...I am not going to crawl forever. I will start walking soon. Count your trains, I mean toys."

Count your trains did I say? What's wrong with me? Mom should seriously not watch Big Bang Theory when I am in the same room as her. I am slowly started taking a liking to trains and perhaps physics? 

Have I told you about Jake? I have this huge crush on him. He is handsome, he is smart and guess what he is also a pirate. I met him on TV while watching Jake and the Never Land Pirates. 

When I grow up, I want to be a pirate. Maddy said I can be what ever I want to be when I grow up. I will be a great pirate ever (better than Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean) and make Maddy proud.  

So long maties. See you real soon.

Orange Sun Day

Orange Sun Day? Not as catchy as Blue Moon day :(
Two significant things happened today and I wanted to make sure that I log this down.  I had been trying to teach Megha to hold her own feeding bottle for a while now. Finally she is holding her bottle! Yippie! She still is lying down when holding the bottle but it sure is a Begening.

Second significant thing is that, today I fed Megu bottle gourd sambar rice without putting it in the grinder! This has happened once before but today she ate all if it!! What's more, I fed her with my hand upon Anands suggestion and am delighted that she had it. All these days I was spoon feeding her as its quite hard to feed puree's with hand but today was different.
Am so happy :)

Why is it an Orange Sun Day? Both these things happened in the evening when the sun today was unusually orange. I told ya! Not catchy as blue moon day.

A trip to Crawford Lake Park

Fall is here! I love this time of the year when the chill is just catching up in the air and the leaves are changing color. I took Megha to Crawford Lake Park in the Escarpment, conservation area in our town to get some good pictures when the leaves have not fallen yet. This is her first Fall. Some of them are here;

This one is infront of what they call as 'village' in the park.

 Since it was cold that day, they lit fire pits all over. Here, Megha is warming her hands.

 The actual lake; there is a trail which goes all around the lake. We can take strollers too but Megu was fussing already. So, we didnt go around the lake.

 She was much exited and was pulling her cap constantly. I kept putting it right back on her head.

 

Nice Colors eh?

Megha playing among the fallen leaves.

A long shot of the above picture

Its a shame dad couldnt make it; he was working. perhaps next year he will get to go with Megha.

Dancing with the Moon: part 1

I just woke up from a deep sleep. I could hear some muffled noises. I wonder what or who is making all these noises. I cannot clearly see or hear and I don't know where I am. It's kinda dark and wet here, but I think I like the cozy feeling in here. I fall asleep again.

I don't know for how long I have slept but this time too the same voices woke me up. 
"Give me a break alrighty! I just want to sleep; is it too much to ask? " With that thought I fell asleep again.

I woke up with the now familiar voices again, i think its been weeks since i woke up. One voice calls herself momma and the other voice calls himself daddy. 
It's still dark and wet where I am now.

"Baby, you are now 25 weeks old; we recently found out you are going to be a girl. Dad and I are thrilled; we can't wait for you to be born" Said momma.

"Momma, I have no idea what you are talking about." I said 
"Let me sing you some rhymes," said daddy

"I don't know, maybe I am awake for about 5'minutes and I have to sleep now again, good night mommy and daddy. " 

Of course they didn't stop the rhymes. From where I am, I don't think they are able to listen to me telling them to shut up and let me sleep. I let them sing and eventually they stopped and I fell asleep again.

I don't know for how long I have been here but I am making this my home. I love it here. It's as if mom can hear what I really want and she eats what I want! She calls them 'pregnancy cravings'. The other day I wanted to eat tuna salad badly and immediately I heard her say....

"Hun, I feel like Tuna salad", to dad
"Well you are not supposed to eat fish but let's see how much mercury content is there in this", after a bit if research, "I guess you can have a little", said dad and made her some to eat. 

"Aaahh thanks mom for eating this", I said to her but she was kinda rude, she didn't respond. Oh wait a minute! She is unable to hear me say anything.

Every night mom sings me the rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little star and the days dad is working morning shift, he sings many more rhymes. I look forward for them. It has become a routine for me before momma goes to sleep. 

Of late I have learned that I can get attention by moving my hands and legs. Sometimes I poke momma. I discovered this new skill accidentally. One day....02nd sept 2011 to be specific....

"Hun! Keep your hands on my my tummy!" Cried my mom and dad obliged. 
"Not realizing that this is one of the best moments of dads life (or so I hope), I moved my legs. 
"Kick-Che! Kich-Che!" Dad said in tamil and almost started laughing loudly. 

"Calm down will ya! I only moved my legs!" I said, which of course he didn't hear. 
Some days, just to get momma in trouble I poke her hard. So hard that she gently pokes me back. Dad gets very upset and tells momma, "don't do that!"
I love it when that happens. It makes me feel very important.

It's funny how things are going forward. I wake up almost everyday now. Maddy's (mommy+daddy), voices are now very familiar. They arranged what they call as, seemantham. Some one came and chanted something.
There was a big feast! I got to taste so many things through momma.

"This is for your well being baby," Maddy said.
"This will help in safe delivery", said the priest.
"What delivery? are you sending me away?" I asked knowing very well Maddy will not send me away.

A few more weeks later I noticed something strange.

"Momma, why is the room I am in keeps shrinking? I don't have any more room to go around, why?" I asked one day
"You are almost here, soon you will be in my arms and I can't wait for that day. That and for the day I can finally sleep on my tummy and for the day I don't have to pee a 100 times a night", said momma. 

It's just so inconvenient here. I can't stand a single day of this confines any more. I need to move out.

"Knock knock", I tapped against mommas tummy.
I almost thought she was going to say, " who is there?" But instead she said, "ouch"
I kept quite for 20 minutes and repeated, "knock, knock".
"Ouch ouch!! I think I am in labor Hun!!" Momma cried.
I think Maddy never heard of knock knock jokes.

I don't want her to cry, yet, I cannot stay in here even for a moment.

"You will be ok, we will head to the hospital right away", dad said, "and we will have our kutty baby soon!"

After a lot of searching, I finally found an opening through which I can escape these confines. I hang on to that light and keep working towards the exit. Can you believe it? The exit was right under my nose! Quite literally and I was searching for this for a while now! Duh!!

"Aaaaggghhrrrttt", momma kept shouting.
"Oh really? That hurts? Ever tried to get through a donut without breaking it? No? That's what hurts. Not this." I said. 

I know, I was being unreasonable but hey, I need to get through what seems like a needle head! Give me some credit for gods sake! 

After a lot of trying, I simply got exhausted. I gave up.

"We need to do an emergency c section, right away", said someone who calls herself a doctor, "we need to get the baby out!" 

Did she say, "get the baby out?" 
Wow, it was music to my ears. Anything to get out of this dark, tight space, which once I was so proud to call a home. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice home but it kept shrinking. How I wish it reminded the way it was before. Well, I guess all good things come to an end at some point.

After a few minutes, suddenly I was being lifted by someone. Holy ****! Everything is so bright here!
I close my eyes and I am very scared. 

"Wyaaaaaan, wyaaaaaaan", I cried. 
I am so confused.  I wish I could go back to my old home. I know it was too small for me now and god knows it will keep shrinking, but anything is better than this sudden brightness and noise. It's getting unbearable. And cold. It's not cozy like old home.

Just as I was thinking about how cold it is here, someone said...

"Here dad, take and keep her close to your heart and give her your body warmth." Said someone.

I didn't hear anything after, "here dad", that's the first familiar word I am hearing! 

Someone held me close and I started feeling very secure, comfortable and warm again. Hmmmm this is not too bad. Just as I was dozing off, I realized I am in dads arms. I felt very safe again. I could recognize his voice! Yaaaay! I am happy, this is not bad at all so far.
 But I could not sleep yet.

"Here, take our kutty baby", said dad. 

"Hello baby," said momma. I was so happy to hear that voice. Some familiar things are coming my way. I recognize her heart beat, her smell and her touch. 

I lay back and start to doze off. I am hungry but that has to wait for at least a few more minutes. I really need some sleep! 

And thus, I said good bye to my old home and entered my new one.

To be continued.....