What young Indians can do!

In just three days, one of the biggest intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking meetings, is slated to start in Mysore. I am talking about the TED talks — that stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. One of the young speakers is Pranav Mistry, a PhD student at MIT. Among his inventions is a wearable device called sixth sense that lets its users use natural hand gestures to get information about all kinds of objects/people in front of them.  This is his amazing demo at the TED talks in Long Beach California.

The talks will be held in India from November 4 to 7 2009.

The recipe that saved my day

Since morning Cuddles was not eating, nor drinking anything except milk. He spat each spoon of oats I tried to feed him, didn’t eat any of the fruits I offered. Frustrated, at my wit’s end my desperate brain came up with this:

Onion ragi dosa

I finely grated half an onion, added one teaspoon of ragi powder, one teaspoon of atta (wheat flour), a pinch of pepper and salt. Made it into a smooth batter by adding some water to this mixture. Greased the pan with some ghee and just tossed off the dosa and kept my fingers crossed. The first bite went well, then the second and soon the entire dosa had landed in Cuddles little belly. He then guzzled down a whole bottle of buttermilk.

End result: A well-fed baby = a very happy mamma.

PS: Hope I am able to come up with such simple appetising recipes everyday and pray that Cuddles would oblige.

Now am asking for too much:)

Some milestones

There has been a lot happening in Cuddle land but tired overworked mamma has not found time to blog.  First it was the holiday to India then some work from home… and the blogging break just got dragged on and on. Not that I was ever a regular in the blogworld but even the occasional post did not seem to happen.

In the meanwhile Cuddles decided to be not so lazy about making the most of life…  walking, sprinting and galloping all around. It is a visual treat to see your baby finally on his two feet. The feat happened sometime in the 13^th month. And he did surprise us as he had seemed too comfortable on his fours and quite edgy while walking without support that we had in fact thought that this milestone will take long to achieve. Well, Cuddles did have the last word here.

When walking has been mastered it is eating and drinking that is taking the backseat these days. From the baby who ate bowlfuls of kichdi and mashed veggies it is a struggle to make him eat even spoonfuls. Water seems to be his biggest peeve. He hates drinking water, so dismal is the intake that it is really getting me worked up. Trying all drinks from chach to juice to nariyal pani.

Considering the fact that cats are the only animals spotted on UAE roads one of Cuddles’ first words happens to be taatt. He is totally fascinated by them and calls out to them as they sit staring back at him atop garbage cans and from alleyways. His vocabulary also includes aall for ball, mamama, papa and elllo with any object positioned near the ear. There is a lot more he understands though he is yet to speak those words. The other day he surprised us by pointing to his foot when mum said kaal (i.e Malayalam for leg).  That’s when I realised that my lil baby is observing and assimilating so many things that I am not even aware of.

The other really cute thing he does is an impromptu hands up, shake the head, turning in circles jig every time he hears even the faintest note of music.  Two funny incidents that happened with this were — when dad was sitting in the park with him, a car with a blaring horn passed by, next minute without fail Cuddles started the jig, leaving dad and some other passersby in splits. Then once Cuddles’ pa was switching on the radio with Cuddles standing just behind… again the first note of music and Cuddles lifts his tiny hands up in the air for the jig and whaaaacks his pa in the eye.

So, next time Cuddles and music are together the others beware.

He’s a charmer

This one particular image of my baby will remain with me forever. Playful, joyous and so pure. Most weekends we take the bus ride from Sharjah to Dubai to visit family. The bus is usually packed and Cuddles always finds many admirers. The friendly baby that he is most can’t escape his showtime charms. Usually his direct in the face toothless smile is enough to charm most people. But if that doesn’t work he claps or calls out to people sitting across, sometimes even craning his neck to make eye contact and basically keeps sending friendly feelers.

 Last week, we boarded the bus pretty late in the night, so it was quite empty. That meant Cuddles had fewer fans to attract. He was so restless that I made him stand on his seat. While I and his dad were busy chatting. We heard a squeal of laughter and just turned to see what was so interesting and what do I find, my charming boy was playing peek-a-boo on his own with some passengers seated at the back. The sight was so amusing. I guess some of them played along for a while and then got bored, but my boy was quite determined. In the end he did succeed in winning new fans, most of were seen waving at him while getting off from the bus.

11, so soon

How time flies? Literally at rocket speed.  I just can’t believe it that Cuddles is 11 months old (just another month away from reaching the landmark first b’day).  Wasn’t it just yesterday that I used to walk around with my big belly, anticipate the big day of delivery or think of holding my bundle of joy?

To say that the past 11 months have changed my life is an understatement.  Each day has brought a new challenge, a learning experience, some unforgettable moments and many cherished memories. Never do I tire of thanking God for this precious gift of motherhood, which has brought unique experiences into my life.

Before becoming a mother I never knew that a baby can bring so much joy into your life. All it takes is a small smile and tilt of his head to melt my heart.  His playful acts and baby talk are more entertainment than any happening sitcom on the television. His little gestures tug at my heart better than those tear-jerker sentimental books I have ever read.

At 11 months my little man is an accomplished crawler, moving around on his fours. He has managed to stand on his own without any support a couple of times.  He can open and shut drawers and doors with ease and these days is trying his hand on the fridge door. His baby talk takes on different tones at different times, some of it is even decipherable. He can pass the ball back and forth, open and shut boxes and still loves turning the pages of books. His favourite toy though remains all stringy things — wires or threads. A good way to make him eat his food is to give him a piece of long string or an entangled wire like that of an ear phone. He is so engrossed in untangling and pulling it that he does not even realise the spoonfuls of food being quietly tucked into his mouth. Wonder what’s so interesting about these threads.

In this month he also had an accident: a fall from his pram. Thankfully he did not get hurt badly except for a small cut on the inside of his lip, which healed with two applications of glycerin. He also fell ill for almost a week, refusing to eat anything including breastmilk, resulting in the loss of a few kilos evident from his now bony body.

10 likes and dislikes at 10 months

1. At 10 months Cuddles loves to stand. It’s been couple of weeks since he mastered this new feat and he never misses an opportunity to display it. The sofa, the cradle, a stool, Cuddles is forever trying to hold on to something to stand up. But now that he can sit and stand easily he hates lying down except if he is really very sleep, which means changing his clothes and diaper is a tough act.

2. From the beginning he loved his baths. He enjoys playing with water, splashing it all over and dipping his hands into buckets. But he loathes head baths. So, the moment I pour water on his head, it’s a loud war cry of lemmme go.

3. Like his mum and dad he has a sweet tooth. So, feeding him biscuits, cerelac, bread, halwa, anything sugary is a piece of cake. But getting him to eat salty food like dalia, upma or vegetables is quite a struggle with the end result being half eaten food and rest of it getting splattered on the feeding chair and on his clothes. Phew!

 4. Give him a folded piece of paper or a string of thread and I know I can catch my breath for a few minutes. Because these two things continue to fascinate him. He loves to just sit turning them upside down, exploring and sometimes even chewing them as well. Well, all those expensive toys can take a hike.

5. Turn the key to open the main door of the apartment and you just have to hear his squeals of glee. He is totally an outdoor person and loves his evening walks, trips to mall, bus rides.. just take him out.

6. Getting him into clothes is a herculean task. Cuddles likes it best to be in his birthday suit. He hates being dressed and is perpetually twisting, jumping and wriggling to avoid getting into any kind of clothing.

7. Just 10 months and he is already a brat. He pulls our hair and slaps our face and when we resist it he goes all strong with a wicked grin that says I will get you. Forget kid bashing its mamma and papa bashing that happens in his household and believe me the tiny slaps really hurt.

8. No soft quilts or fancy blankets for my baby. Cuddles likes to sleep without any covers. The secret of a good sleep for him includes raised legs under a pillow.

9. These days he loves to walk holding our hands. And mind you, so happy he is to take on this world that instead of tiny steps he takes big leaps. Haa ha, yes it’s a sight to watch him take those giant strides.

10. Shoes, he hates them. Like new parents we were excited when we bought him a pair of new shoes, but alas the chap does not like them. He has learnt to remove the welcrow strap on his shoes and within minutes throws them off. No chance yet of seeing two little naughty feet in a pair of cute shoes.

Five points of a mamma

I saw this tag on a lot of blogs and decided to pen my own thoughts on mommyhood.

 Here are the five things I love about being a mum:

The amazing confidence it has given me about my body. Going through nine months of pregnancy (the last two trimesters being very tricky), several hours of labour and a normal delivery without any pain medication made me believe in my body and the fact that my pain threshold is not so low really.

I love the fact that being a mother gets you your own special ‘soft toy’ to cuddle, hug, kiss, love and play with anytime anywhere J. 

Motherhood has given me a chance to know and experience so much about the world of babies. So many facets of infant life I would have missed out on otherwise.

It has brought me closer to my own mother, both geographically and emotionally. I bow humbly to her for what she has done for us and continues to do even today. Not to forget the times when she raised us without diapers or maids at a young age when I was still carefree and not even married.

And lastly it has got me an unlimited licence to shop for kiddie stuff. Having my own baby means I don’t have to look for excuses to buy all those lovely lil outfits, toys, story books, lotions, bibs and what not.

The ninth month update

 

At nine months my Cuddles is a crawler par excellence. He is most happy when left on the floor – leaping with joy, exploring the house, picking up and analysing the tiniest dirt particle from the floor, pulling and shutting drawers, chasing chappals and grabbing any loose wires.

 

Yes, there is a lot of activity in our little house these days, which also means that I am on my toes a lot more. Developmentally, floor crawling (an activity that had been greatly restricted for Cuddles because of my high hygiene parameters, which have now been toned down) has done him a lot of good. I can see him trying to get up on all fours, lifting his torso high up, trying to hold onto the sofa or floor cushion and making an attempt to stand.  In his cradle he likes to hold on to the side bars to stand on his knees.   

 

My little angel has also learnt his first social greeting, yes if you offer him a hand for a handshake and say a loud hello, he will lift his tiny hand to shake yours in return. He picked it up instantly and made me really proud with his tiny feat.

UAE: A baby friendly country

Wherever I go — from malls to hotels – I am so impressed with the baby-friendly facilities in this country. I have easily found baby changing rooms, changing stations and feeding rooms in most places. Just yesterday we went to the Radisson SAS hotel in Sharjah and bingo! what do I find in the ladies toilet ­­­­– a foldable baby changing station. Very thoughtful indeed.

 

I remember a few months back when we were planning to visit the Global Village, part of the Dubai Shopping Festival, I was pretty anxious about whether I would be able to breastfeed Cuddles. He was mainly on breastmilk then and I knew it would be a long journey and would require at least one feed in between. And as the Global Village is basically spread across a large open area I had my doubts about finding a feeding room. Well, I was surprised and relieved when I found a separate spacious tent with a toilet where mothers could feed and change babies.

 

I have found baby rooms in all the malls that I have visited till now. I remember going to Ikea in Dubai Festival city when Cuddles was just two months old. Right next to the store café was a small neat baby room with a chair and a changing board. Then again I was quite impressed with the large baby room in Burjuman Centre in Bur Dubai. It was very spacious, could accommodate several mothers and had toilets inside. The Babyshop, a kiddie store with several chains, has very thoughtfully created a mothers room inside the store with a comfortable rocking chair for mothers to feed babies.

 

I don’t know how the facilities are in the west. But back home in India they are quite non-existent.

Cuddles is 8 months old

On March 13, my baby completed 8 months in this world.  It being a Friday (a holiday in this part of the world) I was too preoccupied to blog. Also as Cuddles’ pa is on an India trip we are staying back at my parent’s place, so that means a lot of activity and less personal time for the blog world.

Developmentally, Cuddles reached a new milestone on that day. He managed to sit on his own for the first time. He was lying in his pram and I had accidentally kept a small piece of paper on the dashboard of the pram. Cuddles, who is very fond of chewing such new objects, otherwise denied to him, soon laid eyes on it. Next moment we saw, he was holding on to the sides of the pram, trying to lift his torso and soon he pulled himself up into a sitting position and grabbed the paper. Of course then he aimed it straight to his mouth. I managed to pull it away just in time before it could be squashed by his tiny gums. And as I was so excited seeing him sit on his own that I kept the piece of paper as a bait again at the same spot on the pram. Well, he obliged once more by repeating the feat. Over-ambitious me did try the trick a few more times to see him sit but I guess Cuddles was too smart to do it again.

These days he is a busy man, jumping, rolling, grabbing, chewing and generally discovering the world ar0und him. Being at grandparents’ means a lot of extra pampering. He loves playing merry go round in our arms — jumping from one to the other.  They love his presence too. Dad and sis especially look forward to the evenings after work to play with him. The only sour point is when he does not sleep till 12 am. By then everybody is drained of all energies and amidst simultaneous yawns are praying for Cuddles to get into bed.