First experiences

We all remember our first experiences. They are special. But when it comes to our children, it is our first time as much as it is theirs! Apprehension and excitement come together while experiencing their series of firsts.

About a month ago, we had our first movie trip with our little one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly a kid’s movie. He was a happy boy on our way to the theater and we hoped that this nice mood of his continued and he would let us watch at least part of the movie.
We picked our seats right next to the exit incase we had to rush out of there. And we would almost get halfway through the door even before he opened his mouth. The movie started and he started humming along the playback tune. Then he wanted to tell us about the stuff he could recognize “Eevi Manka” (TV, monkey and so much more). He was so cute but since it was a reflective movie for a fundraiser, we did get some glares from other patrons. After shushing him and rushing him out a couple of times, we did manage to be in our seats for more than 30 minutes – which wasn’t bad at all. Interesting!

And then there was his first fall! A couple of days back we experienced our peanut’s first fall. He fell off the picnic bench and got a nasty bump on his forehead. Within a couple of minutes, it changed from black-blue-green to blue! We were pretty anxious and took him to the hospital. But by the time we reached the place, he was back to his normal happy self. To assuage our fears, we still wanted to show him to the doctor. The 40 minutes waiting in the clinic, he almost got his second bump running around! Of course, the doc pronounced that he was okay. “Phew!” All is well that ends well but who can forget those nail biting moments?!

Here is the thing about first experiences: No matter how happy or difficult the incidents may have been, they are cherished and fondly remembered. To many more firsts of our children that we get to experience and treasure the memories!

Hawaii

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary in Hawaii, a couple of years ago and I absolutely loved the place. I was going through some of my old files and came across this recountal. And I thought I'd share it with you!

Hawaii - born of the sea, born of the fire: that’s what the saying goes when referred to the planet's youngest islands.

The way these islands were formed itself makes a fascinating story. Millions of years ago a hotspot (red hot material rising from the planet's core) was formed in the earth's crust. From beneath the bed of the Pacific Ocean, magma (lava under the earth's surface) started sprouting. But as soon as the magma hit water, it cooled down immediately hardening. Through the hardened lava, again the magma would sprout and cool down. This process would continue for thousands of years forming a mountain under the ocean and still rising. One day the pile of lava would jet out of the water creating an island. So, all the Hawaiian islands were formed by the action and reaction of volcanoes and ocean.

We know that Hawaii is a chain of islands, the main ones being Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Big Island. All of these islands are spread out in the Northwest-Southeast fashion. The most interesting part was that all these islands were formed by only one hotspot in the earth's crust. How did one hotspot create different islands miles away from each other? It is because the Pacific tectonic place which covers the hotspot is moving about 4 inches northeast every year.
So, Kauai (topmost of the islands) stood over the hotspot millions of years ago and the island was formed. Slowly as the tectonic plate moved upwards, so did the island making the volcanoes dormant. And a new island Oahu took its place and when it moved on. Then Maui happened. And now the hot spot in the Pacific Plate is feeding the active volcano Mt. Kilauea in Big Island. As the lava continues to spill out and the plate moving upwards, thousands of acres of land is being added to the Big Island. We were fortunate enough to actually see the lava streams flowing off the mountain into the sea.
And to witness the creation of what would be the newest addition of real estate to the planet was absolutely awe-inspiring experience!

As the Big Island is slowly moving away, another island is being born. The mountain of cooled lava about 20 miles southeast is yet to rise above the ocean. At present, it is about 3000 ft below the ocean surface and growing. So, after some thousands of years - one of our future generations would witness one more island added to the state of Hawaii and a brand new chunk of property to the earth..

Nightin-tale

I am not sure what time it is. Although it is dark, the light from the street is pouring through the half-opened blinds on the window. I look to my right and see my parents in deep torpor. There is no clock in the bedroom because the ticking disturbs my mom’s sleep. Not that it matters because I don’t know how to tell the time yet.

Today was unusually chilly for a Californian October. And sometimes the proximity to the beach does not help either. It looks gusty outside with the winds rustling the leaves on the tree. The heater is on tonight and probably feels cozy and nice inside the house had it not been for layers of clothing and blankets around me. But you know parents!! They think babies feel warm and comfortable when being baked in an oven; Of course, I don’t do anything about it because I don't talk yet.

Okay, coming back to the present – I kick my blanket off and it makes me feel better. But it is still too warm and I’m parched. I don’t think the heat in the room is bothering mom and dad because they look as if they are in a drugged coma. But a little sound from me and involuntarily mommy rolls to my side and pats me gently. Her eyes are still closed!

Now I am awake and the sweater over the night dress is making me really uncomfortable. I fuss a little more and make a louder noise. My mom picks me up tries to calm me. Poor thing, she still is in a daze. I am starting to get desperate and I know that something stronger is needed to make her understand.

With tears running down my cheeks, I cry out loud "Want water" and it translates into a coded bawl “Waaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh". aThe drama wakes my dad up and lights come on. And my parents start talking among themselves as to what is wrong.

After about 20 minutes of discussing the causes of my agitation and ways to calm me; finally the realization dawns onto them that it might be a little too warm. The layers of clothes are off me and that makes me feel a lot better. But there is still a little matter of the dryness in my mouth. Add another 15 minutes of singing lullabies and couple of rounds of coded cries, and ‘yippee’ they get it - My sippy cup!!

Slowly the excitement subsides and I calm down. And everything in the world is back to normal. Just before I space-out and continue on my dreams, I hear the soft sighs of relief in the background. And I know that mom and dad must have already lost their sleep and it is going to take them another hour to finally catch up!

Well, what can I say? I am a cute little kid and it is just another typical night in the baby household!!

Old world charm

I was watching one of the old Hindi movies a couple of days ago and got to thinking on how movies have always reflected on the pace of life in the society and of course how the good old stuff always brings back the pleasant memories.

While we were growing up, the pace of life was unhurried and everybody seemed to have all the time in the world. And it mirrored in the movies made then. I guess the reason we enjoy them even today because we knew and experienced the lifestyle.

Even though a there was a change from our parent’s generation to ours, it was a slow progression. Maybe that is why we do relate a little with our parent’s reminisces. Our childhood of 2 channel TV shows and our parent’s radio programs weren’t all that different in terms of the feeling and experience.

Since the turn of the century, the world has seen a tremendous change. In the last 7 years we seemed to have zoomed into the future at supersonic speed. Sometimes I feel a generation gap between me and the teens today and I’m still in my 20’s (although only for another 5 months!). So, it is probably going to be much more difficult for our children to relate to our memories.

One day our kids are going to grow up and look back on their childhood and reminisce about their good old days of John Abraham movies, theatres and probably cable TV with only 100 channels J

But what is definitely true is that the old world charm for each generation holds its own magic.
And here is to the ever green and favorite line of parents and grand parents "Hamare zamane mein!”

Mommy syndrome

Ah, the age old tradition of mommy mania. All of us have experienced that constant urging and cajoling about everything we do or don't from our dear mommies. Of course, when one is on the receiving end, it feels more of a nagging, especially those teenage years, where you hear the loudest. From waking up early on a holiday, watching TV, talking on phone to eating healthy and doing homework, sometimes made us wonder if they were born obsessed about everything.

And now that we are parents, the perspective takes a 180 degree turn. When it comes to us telling our kids, we want what is best for them. And suddenly nagging becomes worrying!! Interestingly, both words (nag and worry) have pretty much the same connotations. It just changes our perception depending on which side of the fence we are on. Our parents were probably right when they said; we would understand when we had our children.

Women seem to develop this syndrome the moment their baby is born. And as much as we are exasperated by our mothers and our children by us, it is something that makes us feel loved and cared for. And of course it amuses us too! We do sometimes make fun of them and would definitely miss it if moms weren’t the way they are supposed to be – all cute and quirky!

Well, mommy dearest know the best, always!!

Here is the link to a very funny video from Youtube, ‘A typical conversation with mom’ which says all about the ‘Mommy syndrome’. Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XmecyCCdknk&mode=related&search=

Diapering dramas

Toddler phase is a high energy period, not just for kids but for parents as well. Especially when it is the time to change their diapers - the toddlers try all they can to test the parent's patience. Parents who have experienced the phase know it is not easy to change the diaper of a toddler even though it takes just a few seconds. They squirm, struggle, roll, run and try to do everything except lying on their backs for those couple of minutes.

Sometimes I think if getting the toddler used to a changing table would make the process any smoother? After asking around, I gathered that some kids tend to be generally more calmer which makes it a little easier while the others are an excited bunch. I am not sure if there is an easy way out except waiting for them to be potty trained.

But here are some tricks I found in the Parenting magazine. Most of the parents naturally adopt these tricks but this is more of a guide.

To minimize the diapering dramas:

1. Taking a stand: Changing while standing! I know it sounds difficult, but after a few incidents you become an expert. Of course this is majorly not for potty episodes.

2. Enlist their help: The magazine talks about taking their help with holding pants/diapers and narrating the process enthusiastically. Talking to them probably works for older toddlers because the with Tarush it only lasts for a couple of seconds and then his attention shifts to something far end of the room!!!

3. Offer a treasured toy - a favorite book or stuffed animal. And rotate the items so he doesn't feel bored. This does help a lot in the beginning. But soon they start to recognize the toys and that doesnt interest them anymore.

4. Try a high-tech tactic: Giving watch, cell phone, calculator or anything little shiny with lots of buttons. This trick is still working for me. But be sure to remember to take it off their hands after the work is done. Otherwise, your expensive gadget will become non-functional in the matter of minutes!

5. Hold on tight: Ah, the last resort!! All else fails, pin them down and change it fast. Toddlers have more strength than they let on especially when they don't want to do something. Sometimes, it takes one to pin them down and another to change the diaper.

Thankfully, the saga of the toddler diaper change is a passing phase. I am still waiting for Tarush to outgrow the phase. Meantime, all tricks in full throttle!!

FYI, Parenting magazine is a pretty good source for advice and helpful tips for all ages and stages of kids. It also has lots of information for parents from health & fitness to recipes etc.

Hot yoga

Hot yoga/Bikram yoga is one of the many styles of yoga that have cropped up in the recent times and gained popularity especially outside India. It was started/innovated in Los Angeles by Bikram Chaudhury in the 1970's.
It is a series of 26 poses done in a heated room with a temperature about 110 degrees F. It is a 90 minute session with designated water breaks. It promotes profuse sweating to remove toxins from the body. It is also designed to make the body warm and flexible.

I recently signed up for 20-day introductory session but managed to attend about 8 days. The first day was a total burn-out! I had to rest one out of every 10 minutes in the last half-hour. But the second day was much better. It definitely gives the feeling of an intense workout, partly because of the heat that tires you easily. I liked the postures and but somehow did not really connect with heat part. I felt it was too exhausting and found myself dreading the class even a couple of hours before. I feel more comfortable with my usual strength training at the gym. But it does work for some people like my friend who attended the classes with me. She likes it and knows a couple of people who have actually lost weight with hot yoga. For those who would like to give it a try, here is the link to more information:

http://www.bikramyoga.com/

Fading traditions

Most of us have spent our childhoods in families with a lot of traditions and rituals associated with them. As we grow up, we seem to become less emotional and more resigned to many aspects of our lives. We try hard to give the same kind of traditional experiences to our children that we have had. But somehow each generation seem to be less involved with rituals and customs. We are not probably as traditional as our parents and our children may be less so. And we are worried about the culture gap that will eventually develop between us and our children. I wonder if that is something to be seen as a disappointment?

Our great-grand parents probably did not have the same exact way of celebrating a festival as we did when we were young. For example, the practice of Ganesh immersion started only in the late 1800's in Maharashtra. Ever wondered how the festival was celebrated before the time and in the rest of the country? It is interesting how the rituals and customs morph over time and each generation create their unique footprints defined by the individual experiences and values passed on by the parents. So, even though the way our children may not exactly celebrate the festivals as we did which again may differ from our parents, I guess the spirit is the same!

Newborn feelings

Someone said - "Making a decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body"

A couple of days ago, one of my friends had a baby girl. I was looking at the pictures of the newborn and it is amazing how these cute little doodlebugs can make you feel the same wonderful way everytime!
Sometimes, I wonder what might be going on in the tiny head of theirs! Those 9 months in the tummy, it must have been so cozy and comfortable with all the warmth and suddenly they are out in the open! The confusion, curiosity and the awe - watching everything and taking all in with their wide little eyes.

There is something about these newborns - whenever I look at them just out in the world, unconsciously I remember Tarush when he was born, what the day was like, the first sight of him just popped out and those 10 little fingers and 10 little toes curled up tight.. Then ofcourse, I open his first year album, refresh my memories of the past year and reminisce those mini milestones of their series of firsts - first smile, first bath, first word, frist step... And I look at him now grown up doing new things everyday and realize how fast time has flown by.

Napping glory

Every morning as soon as I finish feeding him breakfast, I wait for Tarush's nap time. As a stay-at-home mommy, there is this anticipation of the baby's nap time even before the day starts!
As the child falls into the daily routine, mommies count on those peaceful and quiet moments to gather thoughts, get a shut-eye, maybe finish off the chores without disruptions, or simply unwind..

Today, as soon as Tarush's eyes closed, I started my daily routine of stuff that I'd rather do without his interruptions. I finished all the work and gave a sigh of relief that he didn't even budge from his sleep position. Then I switched on the TV and fixed myself some lunch and ate at leisure watching one of my favorite programs. Later I did some browsing on the web and found myself getting a little restless. I went in to check on Tarush again and he was in still in such a deep sleep. I managed to read few pages of a long pending book. As time passed by, I started to feel bored. I wasn't much interested in reading anymore, nor watching TV.. or even browsing the net. All I wanted then was for Tarush to wake up and go about his happy running around business and to play with him. . I even gently nudged him couple of times to awaken him.

Ofcourse, he did wake up a happy boy in the next 5 minutes and after a few hours, I again started to wait for his second nap of the day.
Then I thought that we as parents don't give the poor little things a break at all. If they don't sleep, we are troubled and if they sleep too much we are anxious..
Well, guess parents never change and napping glory is just temporary!!

Carseat cum Stroller - Product review

Carseat is one of the most important things for a baby. We can't even bring the newborn home without one! Despite the costs, we have to buy a rear-facing and front-facing carseats. Here is a product (Sit n Stroll) that can be used as:
1. Rear-facing carseat
2. Forward-facing carseat
3. Stroller
4. Flight seat

We were using this old carseat from our friends that we wanted to dispose off and were looking for a new one but weren't sure what kind to buy. We came across this Carseat cum stroller "Sit n Stroll" in some baby magazine and I decided to check it out. I went through the reviews online and most of them had positive feedback.

So, we bought one a month ago and have been using it as a carseat since. Last weekend we tried it as a stroller/flight seat in our trip to Chicago. I must say, we were pretty happy.

The Sit n Stroll is a 5-point harness and FAA certified flight seat (which the airlines require). It is little on the expensive side though - $220 (online price includes shade but store prices do not).
Even though it can also be used as stroller, I don't recommend it for everyday use. I find it a little inconvenient to unbuckle the carseat everytime we need a stroller. To use as a rear-facing carseat, the only problem I find is that it doesn't have a base. You can't just unhook the top part and carry it as a basket like a traditional infant carseat. But we had already progressed to a front-facing one! So, it was an easy decision for us.

But it is great for travel purpose. If you are going to travel a couple of times a year or more, this is of a great help. Instead of lugging around the huge/heavy carseat in an airport, this sit n stroll is transformed into a stroller just by the push of a lever.

Pros: Very convenient, comfortable for the baby, great for travel.

Cons: Flimsy handle, no storage space, Seat belt over the carseat (optional but recommended) which might make the baby uncomfortable.

We fount Sit n Stroll very helpful in our trip. All we had to do was take the carseat out of the car (with Tarush in it!), push down the lever and to convert it into a stroller..

For more information about this product - http://sitnstroll.com/

-Shalini.

Postpartum weight loss

Here is a million dollar issue - Postpartum weight loss!!! Mommies who have gone through the phase can understand. And I do envy those, who look exactly as they were before the baby without the hard work!!

Pregnancy is such a wonderful experience. And to top that, I had no morning sickness. We have all those food cravings and no one to stop you from eating and with no guilt whatsoever. We don't give a second thought to all that weight gain (shouldn't too, I suppose!) and put on the ideal pregnancy weight (25-35 pounds). After the delivery it strikes us that the baby weighs about 8 pounds and the rest of the weight is still in us!

The first 6 months you are too busy adjusting to the little peanut and the crazy routine. Then the struggle begins. I never realized it would be so hard to lose all that baby weight. I guess it also depends on the body constitution of the individual. Some take more time than others. I do try and workout about 2-3 times a week but diet is as important and definitely the tougher end of the bargain.

My battle for the weight loss is still on, so any suggestions are welcome.

-Shalini.

Perfect or just kids?!

In today's world, parenting has become more challenging than ever. Sometimes, I think our lives when we were young were so much easier than kids today. Maybe because we grew up in a much simpler world which did not have as many opportunities or the overwhelming information as children do these days. No matter the age, the kids are more aware of what is going on around them than we ever were. Most of the times we are unsure of what information should reach them and the right manner. With that kind of pressure comes a great deal of responsibility especially for parents and we tend to become less tolerant and over protective.

Often, we tend to forget they are kids and put too many restrictions on them. We are scared of them getting hyper with a bowl of dessert, of becoming dirty by jumping in a puddle, of making too much noise..

Sometimes, I wonder if we are missing out on the fact they are kids and are supposed to act like them and involuntarily start to expect this model perfect behaviour.


Shalini.