Category: Growing up

Yesterday Ira started rolling over on her own. She’s been trying to turn for a couple of weeks or so, and did lift her body a bit to turn to a side once in a while. But yesterday she rolled over all the way from being on her back to being on her tummy. Big sis Ria was of course the most excited person and the first one to notice!

Once she has started there is no stopping Ira, and she keeps practicing her new skill. Leave her on a mat or on the bed, and she promptly starts trying to turn, succeeds pretty soon, and then once on her tummy, starts shifting around (she manages to change position quite a bit lying on her tummy, even rotating 180 degrees), looking around, lifting her head, and looking pretty proud of herself. Keeps at it for quite a while and then tired with the whole exercise, turns to the side and dozes off to a long sleep session. This is keeping her pretty busy past couple of days. Didi too is usually by her side when she is home, talking to her, encouraging her.

Talking of Didi and her little sis, it feels so good to see these two bonding. They love being around each other. Most mornings they wake up with a bit of time to spare before Didi needs to get ready for school, and I take Ira out of her cot bed and put her down next to Ria. They happily lie there, talking and holding hands. Ria tells Ira stories, sings her songs, talks about stuff, while Ira listens attentively and coos back replies, reaches out and touches her, holds her finger. They do this till its time for Ria to get ready for school.

We got Iras’ pierced today. We wanted to get it done yesterday, which was when she turned 3 months old, but turned out it was a Monday, and the place where we wanted to get it done is closed on Monday. This is the same place we got her didi’s ears pierced about 4 years ago – Waman Hari Pethe jewellers, and we wanted to get it done there this time as well.

So today morning we were there, in fact, a few minutes before the opening time of 11 am. We hung around while they were finishing the shop opening processes. Then sharp at 11, we entered the shop, ready to get down to business. The earrings got selected, plain gold wire with a sharp point which would be used for the piercing and would then be twisted into a ring and locked with a loop, making the earrings. While IAK settled down on a chair with kiddo on his lap, at the same place where he sat with Ria on his lap 4 years ago, I got the guy to sterilize the earrings, his pliers and his hands.
Last time (with Ria) I had panicked, fled the scene and hid behind a pillar, not being able to bring myself to watch the process. This time I was determined to stick around, and I did, all thoughout. The guy put dots with a pen first, confirming with us that the location of the piercing on the earlobe was fine by us. Then, while IAK held Ira still, the guy quickly pierced one ear, and looped and locked the ring. She cried, not immediately, but after a second or two of delay. He then moved on to the other ear, and got that done as well. Nice and swift. Ira had pretty much calmed down by the time we were out of the shop, same as her didi.

Getting Ira’s ears pierced

Back in the car, we were on our way to pick up Ria from school, while kiddo sat on my lap for a while, looking like she was reflecting on what had just happened, and then dozed off peacefully. Woke up when we reached the school and parked, and was back to her usual smiley cooey self. Didi of course was very excited when she spotted the new earrings on her little sis.

Every weekday morning she wakes up and is all excited and happy, the event being the trip to Rias’ school to drop her off. We change her diaper give her a quick wipe with her wet wipes (nothing beats Johnsons on that front tried them all and sticking to Johnsons baby wipes), put her in the car seat and head off. But that’s not the end of madams morning adventures. When we get back I put her in the baby carrier and Sonali and I go for a walk (on days when it is not raining). She is super excited and keeps talking and making happy sounds for the first 500meters and then she falls into a contented sleep. Wakes up around 30 minutes later when we’re almost back after our ~3km walk and can’t stop beaming. This is what she looks like once we’re home:

 

From July 2012

 

On the weekends I try and take her out with me on my runs, give her a ~1km walk drop her off at home and then go complete a larger 10-13km run. Simple things to keep her in a good mood through the day. Thankfully so far both kids have been simple happy babies who love and value family time a lot.

Today mornings walk.

Every morning around 6AM, actually most mornings, she gets up ready to go. She’s figured out her vocabulary of grunts and squeals and uses it quite effectively to express what she needs done. She understands when I’m up and about and am getting ready to go for a walk with her. Didi comes along on her bicycle once in a while but mostly Ria wakes up and snuggles into mamma. Takes about 1.5km to satisfy Iras’ need for her morning outing. Once done I drop her off at home, asleep most of the times, and head off for my run.

Here’s a mix I was listening to that fits in so aptly to both the girls.
[8tracks width=”400″ height=”400″ playops=”shuffle” url=”http://8tracks.com/mixes/853650″]

So I was googling around doing some research for a review I had to write and thought of Angels and Demons (that book by Dan Brown). That led me to think of that gave me an idea>>>> Check it out

[nggallery id=4]

NEAT? check out the flip side of this image on didis’ site.

So today Ira went out on her maiden car trip without mamma. We often wake up early morning and go down for a walk, Ira, Ria and I. Didi cycles while Ira watches from her perch. After our customary 4 rounds Ria wanted to go get some ice cream. So we came up got some cash, the driving license and the car seat for Ira and headed off. This was the first time that Ira travelled in her new car seat which Didi has so graciously given to her (it was earlier Rias’). We went to the Baskin Robins near home first as I wasn’t sure how long the peace in the rear seat would last. Then since it was closed we went to the next one about 7km away. Still no luck so we were heading off to Mac donalds when I spotted the Birdys’ shop which was open. Given a choice Ria wanted cake shop over MacD. Finished off a slice of pineapple pastry on her own (she does love a good bakery). By the time Ria was done Ira was getting cranky so we quickly paid the bill, picked up a couple of brownies for home and came back.

Looks like Ira will be comfortable in her car seat just like didi used to be and we can do this more often…. the trips without disturbing mamma when she’s sleeping in the morning.

From June 2012

 
The music was didis’ choice …very confidently madam settles into the passenger seat picks up the one CD that’s lying around and pops it into the player… “We be veterans, welcome to the ride Ira!”

 

Like Ria, Ira too is turning out to be an outdoors person. She wakes up every morning at 5AM sharp and then proceeds to wake me up. The plan is to go downstairs for a walk. I usually go to sleep around 4AM but then anything for the girls. So I get up, grab a quick shower, get dressed, put on my shoes…. and she is sitting patiently quietly all through this coz she knows “he’s up”. The we head out for a ~1-2km walk. The moment she is out of the building her face lights up and she starts looking around for pigeons and other stuff. By around 1km she is again sleepy and dozes off as I’m closing in on km 2.

Sometimes Ria comes along on her bicycle but mostly it’s just me and Ira. When I get back Ria is up and she wants to be taken out for a cycle trip or just a walk with her perched on my shoulders… so off we go again after settling Ira into her cot. Sometimes if both of them went with me I just tuck them back in and head out for a run.

Life is great with these two kids. It will only get better once they grow up enough to go running with me at 5 in the morning :))

Her cot is setup right next to my work desk and sometimes while working if I happen to look away from my screen this is what I get to see!

 

A pair of shiny gray brown eyes staring at me wondering what I’m up to….

Today we went to meet the docs for the one week, post discharge, checkups of the mom and the kid.

That’s the one who gave both of them an APGAR score of nine on ten respectively when they were born…. she’s always amused by the fact that we drive down 20km from home to meet her for anything that needs attention with the kids…. well she’s very good and she practically delivered the kids with the gynac so who else could be better?…. This pic was when we went to visit her for the first check up since Ira came home after the delivery….. very impressed with the progress so far, next we meet middle of May when Ira is a month old.

 

….and ofcourse the illustrious and much loved Dr. Anita Soni

…more friendly than any doctor you’ve ever met specially wonderful given her scary busy schedules…. though she did scare us by suggesting that “a third child is even less stressful than the second one”!!!! nooooooo…… noooooo….. no! Oh and she’s reversing the ageing process with all that weight loss compared to 4 years back… inspired.

 

Interesting incident at the hospital; we had checked out on the 20th after the delivery and post natal patch up. Once home we had realised that a usb drive containing some of Rias’ favourite cartoons was missing. I remembered having plugged it into the back of the TV at the hospital room we were in. So  a week later when we went for the check ups with the gynac and padiatrician I went up to the 11th floor with the kids while mamma waited outside the docs room. The nurses remembered team Ria and Ira and everyone latched on. I explained the reason I was back and they very helpfully took me to the room (another patient was checked in). I tiptoed in careful not to wake up the old lady and her attendant, located the drive exactly where I had left it connected to the TV, disconnected it and came back. That was a good experience considering I had already placed an order for another 8GB pen drive to put her cartoons on :D… guess this is why one chooses to drive down 20km to that hospital even though there are a few decent hospitals in Navi Mumbai as well…. it’s the overall experience.

 

So I was heading out for my daily run (wound it down to 7.5km from 10km owing to the bad summers… 36degree C in Mumbai now) yesterday. First Ria pounces on me as I was lacing up the shoes “kahaan jaa rahaa hai? mat jaa bhaago bhaago aaj!” (where are you off to? don’t go running today)….. while I was explaining to Ria Ira starts looking at me with puppy eyes through the bars of her cot and making squealing sounds….. daymn!! I am so stuffed!

When I got back and was taking time taking off my shoes in the room downstairs the littler one, who was in her room upstairs, starts bawling. Apparently she was quite all along and since I’d let myself in there was no doorbell to alert her to my being back (and come on this is day 5 of her life and day 2 at home there is no way she would be able to recognize the bell even if she is Einstein). But there she was bawling and not listening to her mom only to go completely calm and quite the moment I went up and picked her up. Phew kids!! Too cool.

Anyway, I did manage to run: http://goo.gl/OP2Ox but that was yesterday. Everyday it’s going to be extra difficult to tear away from the tag team and go out for my run. Aah well hopefully soon they’ll be big enough to go running with me.