The days may seem routine and without much fanfare, but before I realized, time is flying and we have an active 4.5month old babbler who loves to roll, crawl, sing and generally smiles at everything and everyone.
- Baby Rao is now a busy boy and his daily schedule ( oh yes he has one!) is quite interesting.
- Wake up anywhere between 7-9 and sometimes greet us with an ‘aguuuu’ or try to sneakily open the curtains so that light streams in. I love how he wakes up in a lovely mood and gives us bright happy smiles.
- A morning walk where we say Hi to Security Akka, Bowwie, Snowy, Foxie and any doctors who see us in the morning. We see and touch the flowers and leaves and sometimes listen to the birds chirping.
- Back home, there is some kitchen rounds where he discusses meal plan with N aunty and then does Home Tour with Annamma.
- After one feed and nap, it’s time for massage and then a nice bath followed by some wrestling to put him in his clothes and another feed.
- It’s time for some play on the mat and he goes around trying to chase small toys and to put everything in his mouth ultimately.
- Noon is feed + sleep and we wake up anywhere between 4-5pm and it’s time for another walk. We also go to the canteen where he watches me eat my snack and tries to grab it unsuccessfully. After another round of saying hi and bye to campus dogs, we head back home.
- Sometimes we go out for a drive with Aanu and have tender coconut breaks or else have Tea and Bun Maska at a local shop. After this, its time for an evening nap.
- We start winding down for bedtime pretty early and we have our music sessions during this time or else we have guitar classes which he is eager to attend these days. Soon, he is all set for bedtime and after some dilly-dallying finally he is fast asleep. Until the next feed in 2hours. And so on…
Of course, there is no guarantee that we can stick to the routine on all days but we try to maintain it to some extent. A schedule can make a lot of things smooth for him and for me. Babies love routines and the sooner we get them hooked onto a routine, better for both baby and mom. :)
While my maternity leave shall end soon, I am somewhere between wanting to get back to my OPD, doing rounds and seeing patients and also wanting to spend as much time as possible with my little one, watching every little milestone and bonding with him. I know there is nothing new about what I’m feeling, millions of women deal with this phase, however that doesn’t mean these emotions aren’t valid.. Hopefully we will find a way to work with a balance with time..
To a very large extent, my thoughts keep rewinding to my childhood. One of the bittersweet blessings of parenting is it brings back such achingly beautiful memories of my childhood in Koramangala, my weekends at Vasanthnagar with Ajji Thatha and Atthe Mama Nidhi, the quality time my parents would give me as we did art, went on walks, played lots of games, solved puzzles, read books and so many many things. Such a simple, uncomplicated existence that was.
Another joy has been watching my husband transform from not just a loving and caring partner but also an intuitive father who understands both mom and son and makes time for both. It’s a learning curve for all three of us.
Growing up with a grandparent is a special privilege and Babba is lucky to be pampered by Anamma who adores him. Her presence brings out his naughtiness and his playfulness is hopefully going to keep her active and cheerful.
A lot is happening in the world at this moment and it makes one wonder, what sort of world are we really in.. What is going to happen to the world in future.. There are no answers... We can only hope.. :)
