Aayesha turns ~ ONE ~

First birthdays are always memorable, not necessarily for the babies but certainly for the parents. Thats how my parents tell me without any difficulty in recollecting of how they celebrated mine. And in turn i too treasure the snaps of my first birthday.

When aayesha was about to turn one i use to plan for the Big day for days together. But then i finally zeroed in having a small get-together with close family members and neighbors. The smaller the crowd the more manageable it gets. Also aayesha had this people phobia. She was always scared of new faces. So i thought it was also better for her to have a small function.
We had purchased a cute pink frock for her. She had just started walking and she just looked great in it. I ordered a 1 shaped pineapple cake and the monginis guys did an awesome job.



I was prepared that the party would be a little mess with aayesha getting cranky on seeing not so familiar faces around. But to my surprise she enjoyed all the attention that she was getting. She did pose for the photos also. I think she realized that it was some special day and she should enjoy as well :)

The Flare Up Period.

I agree this post is due since long and even i am afraid i will miss on those precious moments with time if i don't pen it here.
Now when i look at the photos of aayesha when she was 8 months i actually wonder she has changed so much. :)
I remember how we were eagerly waiting for her first tooth, for her to sit on her own.
Everyday i use to check if the tooth has appeared. I had heard from my friends and cousins that the first tooth in a baby just pops up one fine morning.
Well actually the true story is that you keep noticing that there is some white layer on the lower gums and it just exists for days without any growth and one sudden day you see a 1/4th cm teeth come out. It is a memorable moment, believe me. For no other teeth you feel the same again.

Generally the babies develop teeth on the lower gums first and aayesha was no exception. I found it very funny that whenever anybody asked me aayesha's age and they knew she was 9 months the next question for sure was, how many teeth?

BTW be aware of the comparisons. Don't be surprised if you get to hear Oh! only one teeth; when our child was this age he/she had ..... teeths, or he did this/ that.
I just heard and ignored all such comments coming my way , though many times i resisted the urge to give back. :D. Don't worry with many such coming your way you will learn to laugh them off.

Next aayesha learned to sit. She did practice sitting for long. I use to surround her with cushions whenever she tried to sit and that really helped because she did fall in maximum of the attempts. But once she sat on her own for the first time she never fell again. And one amazing thing is no sooner that the babies sit on their own they also stand (with support of course). In aayesha's case it was just the next day. I have a video where i have shot her successful attempt to stand holding the bed. That was another feature in her cap.

So many things happened so quickly that our expectations from her started growing. Now we thought that she will start walking very soon. But no that doesnt happen. Babies take their own time. They will stand with support for days together trying to take one or 2 steps forward with the support of the furniture/wall. But they take quite a long time to master this art; probably a 1 and half to 2 months. So aayesha had learned to stand when she was 9 months and actually started walking independently when she was 11.

During that time we had bought one very nice walker for her. It was just like a mini car. It had nice rhymes on the click of a button near its steering and aayesha did like to press that button forever till my head pained and i could take it no longer. Thank God there was a facility to deattach the bonnet and keep aside. i did that when i needed some silence :) Walker was a good investment and it did help her to learn walking faster, also both my hands remained free as i didn't need to carry her as she was on her own now. She did take it everywhere including the bathroom.
In Aslam's free time he did take aayesha to the garden to give her some walking lessons. That helped too plus it was nice fun to see her fall on the soft grass rather than the hard flooring at home.
When she actually started walking she was so happy she clapped, smiled and laughed out loud and reached every nook and corner of the house.
Since then i have been promoted and a new role added to my kit "To follow aayesha everywhere so that she doesn't get into trouble" and i am enjoying it

The LULL Period

Lull Period ... lol ! i mean time when you just keep expecting that your little one does different things, but the little one does nothing more than lifting thy head and looking around.

So that was the time when aayesha was 4 months till she was 7 and half or probably 8. Everyday i wondered may be she will try to sit independently now or she will crawl all around. But for these very 3 months aayesha was happy laying down at one place examining and observing things. She hated strangers. So whenever she saw a new face especially the guys she would yell :) i mean cry out loud.

She also did not have persistence. Mom and dad were her world and she did not wish to go to anyone else. Though she occasionally did go to her nana and nani. However if she didnt see them for long then they were deleted from her database.

Also i recall that she had a very unique style those days of lying on her stomach and supporting her face with her hand that made her look so good :)

By the end of this period she did try to sit and also to crawl by pushing her body in the forward direction. But her speed was very slow. So when i had some work in the kitchen i used to put her on the bedroom floor, by the time she reached the kitchen i was done with my work. :)

But as days progressed and she entered her flare-up period (next post to come) she was so quick that she reached the kitchen with me. :)

In this period her rhymes were her favorite. she just loved listening to them and looking at the way they were animated. she loved the time we spend in the garden, she loved a trip to the nearby market that we made in her four wheeler (pram). Most of all she loved the 12 rupee kulfi that we ate in the market, she wanted more and more and for that moment i did forgot that i give her boiled water and outside food was strict no-no. ALL in all a very memorable period indeed!!!

Aayesha: The initial days

The initial days with a new born at home were very difficult. Aayesha being the first child in my maternal family tree we had no idea what it takes to look after a new born.
People say babies who are born during the day sleep during the day and keep awake during nights. I never actually thought that would be the case in reality till i experienced it myself.
Aayesha had this unbearable cycle of sleep. she just kept awake till dawn and we ( mom and me ) went mad deprived of our sleeps. Though Mom made sure i compensated for my lost sleep during the day while she took care of aayesha and also entertained visitors who dropped in to meet the new born.
I believe my delivery was a big challenge for mom as she was the one who took care of everything. I underwent a C-section which meant i needed a good amount of rest and a good diet to recover well and soon. My mom knew this very well and she was all prepared to get me in good shape again. She put in so many sleepless nights for me and my baby while i slept under the pretext that i was unwell. She chalked a diet plan for me and made sure i ate on time and enough of eggs, fibre, fruits for myself and for the baby. She always remained patient to my and aayesha's needs and not even did once she lose her temper on my tantrums :(. I owe my mom for all the emotional and moral support that she gave me when i needed it the most.
Dad had to be away on job so it was me, mom and aayesha here in pune. When aayesha turned 2 months we decided that we would go over and stay with dad at chiplun. We had our best time there. Days there were relaxed. Aayesha's sleep pattern had now changed a little and by now she went to bed by 12:00 :). Also there we three (Dad, mom and me) had shared responsibilites. Dad use to take turn to baby sit aayesha after he returned from work while and i and mom arranged for dinner. Also if aayesha got up during the night dad lovingly put her back to sleep :) so me and mom now started getting enough of sleep. I guess even aayesha enjoyed her time there because she realised all our time and energy was directed towards her. We set up a timetable for her meals and sleep which thankfully she followed very well :)
Days just flew, aayesha was 3 and half and i decided to return back to our home. Aslam was very happy that we were finally coming back. He had been awaiting impatiently to get the little one home and rejoicing each and every growing day with her :)
When i came back i couldnt believe my eyes, the house was so well kept. Every thing so neat and tidy and well kept. I felt so good to be returning home though i was bit scared of losing out on mom and dad's support in taking care of aayesha. However aslam very quicly got friendly with aayesha and helped me in essentials like bathing, cleaning and changing clothes for aayesha.
In no time it became his duty to cut aayesha's nails, fold and arrange heclothes for the day, put her to sleep. I must say he did it very well.

The day aayesha was born.

It was thursday 7th May 09 8:00 in the morning i performed my prayers and left for the hospital. My delivery was scheduled for 10:00 am. To be honest i was a bit nervous but also very much excited about what the baby would be like! I had mixed reactions going on in my mind, i knew this new born would change my life for ever for good.
I could clearly see the tension on my mom dad's face. Aslam also looked a bit tired and nervous may be he couldnt sleep well the previous night. I was taken to the room and made ready for the operation. The operation dress code was scary, i felt my heart beat sank and i kept praying.
That is when i saw Dr Mallika, she was as cheerful as ever. She is my gynac. She was absolutely calm, composed and confident. I recovered my confidence soon. It was already 10:00 am and everyone was waiting for Dr Alka to arrive, she is the anasthesist. Dr Alka arrived; i was seeing her for the first time. she is a very simple woman. she smiled at me and i smiled back. She told me about how i would feel after i was injected with anasthesia. she said you will feel a prick but no cuts and also that i would be able to see, hear and understand what all is going around. she said ready and i just noded, tears rolling down my cheeks. she gave me a friendly pat as if to tell me that things will be just fine and i need not worry. :)
She injected me the anasthesia in my spine and it pained a little lesser than i had imagined.
And to no surprise i had lost all the sense of touch below my stomach though i could hear and understand what the doctors said. I could see Dr alka moved and make room for Dr Mallika to start with the procedure. I didnt know when the cut was made. I could only feel the pulling sensation that Dr Mallika was applying.
While all this was on the doctors were busy discussing their personal matters. i was very offended to hear the lady doctors discuss about how their maides were not honest with the household chores and thst they had to keep reminding them of their duties. "For GOD sake please concentrate" whispered my mind :(
After 25 mins of efforts i saw Dr Mallika had successfully pulled the baby out and put her in a tray. The baby didnt cry much to my surprise. I had always read and heard that babies cry after they come out of the cosy womb, but aayesha didnt. All those present in the operation theatre ran outside taking the baby along. May be they wanted to give her an artificial respiration. i didnt know what to do. i enquired with the ward boy about whether the baby was ok and he replied in positive. In next 5 to 7 mins, the doctors and nurses returned. i looked at them with a question on my face. But i guess they wanted to test my patience and so Dr Mallika just resumed her work. I was so eager to know what it was, whether the baby was good ? I kept staring at the doctor, she happened to look at me and soon realised that she still had to give me the news. "Its a baby girl" said she and i just said "wow" not knowing what i really wanted to say! In next couple of seconds i grew drowsy and i dont know what happened next.
An hour later i was brought out of the operation theatre and put in my room, i was eager to see the baby. I could see all the relatives around but aayesha wasnt their. Everyone was worried for me an enquired about how i felt. i was still drowsy and didnt understand much of what was going around, i just kept looking around for someone to tell me how the baby is. I saw aslam and he looked happy. She is so lovely signalled his hands and i smiled back :)
Then came the nurse with the baby in her hand and she gave her to me. she seemed so small and delicate, i feared whether i could handle her well. My body language was enough for theh nurse to understand my concern she assured me that i was the best person to care for the baby. I took her in my hand and i felt a sense of happiness all through my body. she was such a cute and lovely baby. i have fixed that snapshot deep in my heart. I thought to myself this is my AAYESHA