Dear Neil,
You turned one. A short simple statement, yet I feel a lump in my throat when I think that. You took your first steps independently 4 days ago. And I suddenly realized what a big boy you were getting to be. It feels to me that you have changed incredibly in the last month. You are much more independent and interactive. We are in India now with your grandparents. I feel they are spoiling you, but I guess it is their privilege. My dad thinks you are the best thing since sliced bread and talks about you to everyone. He is one proud grandpa. We celebrated your birthday by having a brief time of prayer, a message from the Bible and lots and lots of food and cake. You enjoyed the time and attention and was totally in your element. This month you got to travel in a plane, bus, autorickshaw, boat, got to see lions up close and personal, and had a ton of fun new experiences. I know you are not going to remember any of that, but it gives me great pleasure to do all these stuff with you. You have already logged about 10,000 airline miles and you just turned one. :)Since you started to walk, you had a couple of tumbles, but you bore it manfully. I am sure I would have yelled more. You don't cry when you wake up from your nap and although it is a good thing, it was so difficult here as you would wake up and just crawl away and fall off the bed (if I let you). Now we sleep on the floor and that works out great. TV doesn't captivate you so far, toys don't entice you, all you want to do is explore everywhere.
You are very adjusting and I thank my Lord every time for that. There are no cranky fits unless you are hungry or sleepy or sick. I am getting better at understanding you and I can figure out what is going on much better now. Now that you have a better understanding, I get to play a lot of games with you and that is so much fun. Your Daddy could not be with us the day you turned one as he is still in US, but we are having another party with friends when we get back home.
I love you so much and I consider it a huge blessing from God that he gave us you to raise. Being your momma has changed me a lot and I am so thankful for that. I am not a perfect mom, I lose my patience easily, and it is daily hard work, but there is nothing else I'd rather do. You are our NATHANIEL, gift from God, prayed for, and really longed for.
My hands and heart are full today. I pray that God will give you long life, good health, and all of the heavenly blessings and in turn make you a blessing to many. While I know I cannot protect you from the harshness of this world, you can be assured that my prayers will follow you all the days of your life.
Love,
Mama
Showing posts with label The Blue Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Blue Chronicles. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
11 months
Dear Neil,
You are 11 months old now. I refuse to believe you are almost a year old. It is just not possible. I have to speak with whoever is in charge of the calendar. There must be some mistake.
What are you up to now?
1. Well, for starters, everything. You are into absolutely everything. You want to pull this, push that, jump off, crawl away. There is just no stopping you. I put you down, and next thing I see is a flash of leg and you are off. You put absolutely everything into your mouth and you pick up the tiniest particles on the ground. One day, we had to retrieve paper, and another day some leaves from your mouth and you were hopping mad about that.
2. You had two ear infections this month, one single and another double. It upsets me that you get sick so often but unfortunately you seem to follow the same pattern as your mommy.
3. You visited Washington DC and NY this month and it was fun to take you there. You are a good traveler and we hope you continue to be one.
4. You have 6 teeth now and you eat mildly spicy Indian food, stuff I make and it makes me so glad that you are a good eater. You chew well too and you are having all kinds of fun stuff now.
5. You hold your own bottle and drink and that is helpful as I can give you the bottle to drink in the morning as I prepare your breakfast.
6. You cruise around a lot and one day you stood with no support for about 10 seconds before falling flat on your bottom. Cruising is with one hand in style, it is just hilarious to see.
7. You are 22 lbs now and close to 50th percentile for weight. You have lost some weight due to all the crawling and cruising. You were quite chubby for a while there, but you were never meant to be plump, you come from lean parents.
8. Swimming is not going swimmingly well. You are still quite upset when the instructor takes you. You only come with me and I don't know swimming myself, so it is not working very well. After meeting a lot of people in India, I am hoping that your stranger anxiety might reduce a little bit and things will improve.
8. Daddy has a game he plays with you and I am not sure who enjoys it more, you or Daddy.You laugh loudly , shriek, jump on the bed and just get hyper. You are so fun now we could play with you all day long. You are happiest when we both play with you and give you attention.
9. You give hugs now and that is just about the best part of my day.
Daddy and I love you a lot. Some days are rough when you get a little cranky and won't nap and then get crankier. Even with that, I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.
Love,
Mama
You are 11 months old now. I refuse to believe you are almost a year old. It is just not possible. I have to speak with whoever is in charge of the calendar. There must be some mistake.
What are you up to now?
1. Well, for starters, everything. You are into absolutely everything. You want to pull this, push that, jump off, crawl away. There is just no stopping you. I put you down, and next thing I see is a flash of leg and you are off. You put absolutely everything into your mouth and you pick up the tiniest particles on the ground. One day, we had to retrieve paper, and another day some leaves from your mouth and you were hopping mad about that.
2. You had two ear infections this month, one single and another double. It upsets me that you get sick so often but unfortunately you seem to follow the same pattern as your mommy.
3. You visited Washington DC and NY this month and it was fun to take you there. You are a good traveler and we hope you continue to be one.
4. You have 6 teeth now and you eat mildly spicy Indian food, stuff I make and it makes me so glad that you are a good eater. You chew well too and you are having all kinds of fun stuff now.
5. You hold your own bottle and drink and that is helpful as I can give you the bottle to drink in the morning as I prepare your breakfast.
6. You cruise around a lot and one day you stood with no support for about 10 seconds before falling flat on your bottom. Cruising is with one hand in style, it is just hilarious to see.
7. You are 22 lbs now and close to 50th percentile for weight. You have lost some weight due to all the crawling and cruising. You were quite chubby for a while there, but you were never meant to be plump, you come from lean parents.
8. Swimming is not going swimmingly well. You are still quite upset when the instructor takes you. You only come with me and I don't know swimming myself, so it is not working very well. After meeting a lot of people in India, I am hoping that your stranger anxiety might reduce a little bit and things will improve.
8. Daddy has a game he plays with you and I am not sure who enjoys it more, you or Daddy.You laugh loudly , shriek, jump on the bed and just get hyper. You are so fun now we could play with you all day long. You are happiest when we both play with you and give you attention.
9. You give hugs now and that is just about the best part of my day.
Daddy and I love you a lot. Some days are rough when you get a little cranky and won't nap and then get crankier. Even with that, I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.
Love,
Mama
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ten Months
Dear Neil,
You are 10 months today. Actually, that is not true. You are 10 months and 5 days today. We were traveling and I did not have computer access, so I am just posting it late. Right now you are playing inside your "prison" fence. You are doing good today. Usually you just cry for me to take you when you are there. Today I am surprised that you are sitting and playing. You are quite a big boy now! What is going on with you?
1. You have four big teeth and I think I can see two more coming. You drool incessantly which tells me that I might be right in my estimation. So far, by God's grace you never had any teething associated problems.
2. You don't like playing with your toys much. You prefer paper, plastic bottles, and stuff like that. What you like best doing when I put you in the fence is to stand there and bite the fence instead of playing with your truck or laptop or anything else. In a way it makes me feel glad we never bought you any toys. It would have just been a waste.
3. You are the funniest baby in the world! Two weeks before we were at Chilis and the music started playing and you started headbanging. It was the funniest thing ever and we took a video also. Also while we were at a bowling alley you started headbanging as well. We all had such a good laugh.
4. You are quite strong and this month you had a fall out of your crib. It made me feel like a horrible mama, but by God's grace you didn't even have a scrape. You go for Gymboree classes and the instructor said you have good upper body strength. I am really happy you are healthy, but that also means you are able to get out of everywhere and I have to watch you like a hawk all the time. There really are not a lot of safe places I can keep you.
5. When you are well rested in the mornings, you wake up and stand in your crib and smile and wave. It is the sweetest sight in the world. You have also returned to your snuggly self and wants to hug when you sleep.
6. You have also started expressing your personality and needs a little bit of disciplining. You understand NO very well and also are quite aware of things you should not be doing but do anyway.
7. You are learning swimming now and it is not going great. You do well in the water. The problem is that you are super attached to me and you will not go to the instructor. And since I don't know swimming, it is a problem and I am hoping that you will get used to sweet Miss Jill soon.
8. You traveled to NYC and DC this month. You are quite the traveler now. You did not do great on the flight there mainly because you were sick. All the travel made you worse and you developed an ear infection. You are doing much better now. I did not enjoy the trip to NY much since you were sick, but we had a blast with your aunt, uncle and cousins. They love you more than any baby should be loved and you were lapping up all the attention. Your cousins had bargaining every day on who gets to sit next to the car seat when we go out and you are a very blessed little boy!
9. Your grandparents also were there for a few days this month and you warmed up fast to them. You loved picking your granddad's glasses, and pulling his whiskers and nibbling his ear. He calls you his second son, the first being your dad.
10. It is a challenge changing your diaper and we are working on it. You and I are going on a very long flight in less than a month and it wouldn't do to have you trying to leap off the changing table and hanging upside down with me holding on to your leg when we are 32,000 feet in the air.
11. Your Appacha and Ammachy and uncle are waiting eagerly to see you. I can't wait to take you there as well. I just hope you don't get sick there. But I know that God is watching over you and takes better care of you than this mama ever could.
12. Mommy is planning your first birthday party. I should have you know that I have not one creative bone in my body, so it should be challenging. I just want to have fun doing it because I want to celebrate you.
Were you not always there with us? I can't imagine a time without you. Now since you are so interactive, it is just boatloads of fun having you around. You are just getting ridiculously cuter everyday. I have no idea how you manage to do that. Your Dada is going to miss you bad while we are in India.
Love,
Mamma
You are 10 months today. Actually, that is not true. You are 10 months and 5 days today. We were traveling and I did not have computer access, so I am just posting it late. Right now you are playing inside your "prison" fence. You are doing good today. Usually you just cry for me to take you when you are there. Today I am surprised that you are sitting and playing. You are quite a big boy now! What is going on with you?
1. You have four big teeth and I think I can see two more coming. You drool incessantly which tells me that I might be right in my estimation. So far, by God's grace you never had any teething associated problems.
2. You don't like playing with your toys much. You prefer paper, plastic bottles, and stuff like that. What you like best doing when I put you in the fence is to stand there and bite the fence instead of playing with your truck or laptop or anything else. In a way it makes me feel glad we never bought you any toys. It would have just been a waste.
3. You are the funniest baby in the world! Two weeks before we were at Chilis and the music started playing and you started headbanging. It was the funniest thing ever and we took a video also. Also while we were at a bowling alley you started headbanging as well. We all had such a good laugh.
4. You are quite strong and this month you had a fall out of your crib. It made me feel like a horrible mama, but by God's grace you didn't even have a scrape. You go for Gymboree classes and the instructor said you have good upper body strength. I am really happy you are healthy, but that also means you are able to get out of everywhere and I have to watch you like a hawk all the time. There really are not a lot of safe places I can keep you.
5. When you are well rested in the mornings, you wake up and stand in your crib and smile and wave. It is the sweetest sight in the world. You have also returned to your snuggly self and wants to hug when you sleep.
6. You have also started expressing your personality and needs a little bit of disciplining. You understand NO very well and also are quite aware of things you should not be doing but do anyway.
7. You are learning swimming now and it is not going great. You do well in the water. The problem is that you are super attached to me and you will not go to the instructor. And since I don't know swimming, it is a problem and I am hoping that you will get used to sweet Miss Jill soon.
8. You traveled to NYC and DC this month. You are quite the traveler now. You did not do great on the flight there mainly because you were sick. All the travel made you worse and you developed an ear infection. You are doing much better now. I did not enjoy the trip to NY much since you were sick, but we had a blast with your aunt, uncle and cousins. They love you more than any baby should be loved and you were lapping up all the attention. Your cousins had bargaining every day on who gets to sit next to the car seat when we go out and you are a very blessed little boy!
9. Your grandparents also were there for a few days this month and you warmed up fast to them. You loved picking your granddad's glasses, and pulling his whiskers and nibbling his ear. He calls you his second son, the first being your dad.
10. It is a challenge changing your diaper and we are working on it. You and I are going on a very long flight in less than a month and it wouldn't do to have you trying to leap off the changing table and hanging upside down with me holding on to your leg when we are 32,000 feet in the air.
11. Your Appacha and Ammachy and uncle are waiting eagerly to see you. I can't wait to take you there as well. I just hope you don't get sick there. But I know that God is watching over you and takes better care of you than this mama ever could.
12. Mommy is planning your first birthday party. I should have you know that I have not one creative bone in my body, so it should be challenging. I just want to have fun doing it because I want to celebrate you.
Were you not always there with us? I can't imagine a time without you. Now since you are so interactive, it is just boatloads of fun having you around. You are just getting ridiculously cuter everyday. I have no idea how you manage to do that. Your Dada is going to miss you bad while we are in India.
Love,
Mamma
Monday, May 24, 2010
Nine Months
Dear Neil,
You are 9 months old today! You have been outside my tummy for as long as you were inside!! In 3 months, you will be a year old. Where has the time gone? Your dad and I were looking at some of your older pictures and laughing and sighing. The sighing would be me, your dad can't wait for you to be 3 years old.
Look at this one. All the baby fat!!!
How much you have changed. And I know you will keep changing every day.
What are you upto now?
1) Today was as if you changed overnight. Till yesterday, you were content to sit at least for a few minutes and play with your toys. Today, as soon as I put you on the floor, you just started crawling like a man on a mission. The mission being our slippers, magazines under the table, laptop wires, and everything you could get your paws on. Nothing is safe in the house anymore! Crawling is not with your body completely off the floor, but is not scooting either. It is quite cute to see.
2) You had your first airplane ride to Portland, OR. That is where our family began. We took you to the place your dad and I got married, and you met a lot of friends there. You did great on the flight and it was a long flight too! It was such fun traveling with you. We had a bit of a misadventure coming back, but it was all fine and you were such a trooper through it all. It is a good thing because you are born into a family who loves to travel and God willing, there will be a lot of traveling in the future for you continuing with a trip to DC-NY followed by a 24 hour trip to India in July.
3) You have your third tooth (first upper) coming in. Your bottom two are nice and big now and it is so cute to see you smile.
4) You eat your food like the little man you are. You do not take kindly to store bought food since I started cooking for you. This was a struggle when we were in Portland and I am so glad that you got back to eating well again.
5) You still don't sleep through the night and gets up at least once.
6) You haven't quite mastered the pincer grasp yet and so the couple of times that I tried to feed you finger foods didn't go over very well.
7) Shopping is still a no no, but walks are great.
8) Unless you are sleepy or hurt, you don't like to sit and cuddle as much. You squirm away and want to explore everything. You have such a lot of energy! I wish I had half as much!!!
9)Maybe because you are so mobile, you are not putting on as much weight, but you seem to be growing well. We are very thankful for that.
You bring so much joy to us. At the end of the day, I sometimes lay in bed and think about how much you have added to our lives with your sweet and vivid personality. It is hard for me to think of the time when you were not around. It is so wonderful to watch you grow and interact with the world around you and see your personality come out.
I love you.
Mama
You are 9 months old today! You have been outside my tummy for as long as you were inside!! In 3 months, you will be a year old. Where has the time gone? Your dad and I were looking at some of your older pictures and laughing and sighing. The sighing would be me, your dad can't wait for you to be 3 years old.
Look at this one. All the baby fat!!!
How much you have changed. And I know you will keep changing every day.
What are you upto now?
1) Today was as if you changed overnight. Till yesterday, you were content to sit at least for a few minutes and play with your toys. Today, as soon as I put you on the floor, you just started crawling like a man on a mission. The mission being our slippers, magazines under the table, laptop wires, and everything you could get your paws on. Nothing is safe in the house anymore! Crawling is not with your body completely off the floor, but is not scooting either. It is quite cute to see.
2) You had your first airplane ride to Portland, OR. That is where our family began. We took you to the place your dad and I got married, and you met a lot of friends there. You did great on the flight and it was a long flight too! It was such fun traveling with you. We had a bit of a misadventure coming back, but it was all fine and you were such a trooper through it all. It is a good thing because you are born into a family who loves to travel and God willing, there will be a lot of traveling in the future for you continuing with a trip to DC-NY followed by a 24 hour trip to India in July.
3) You have your third tooth (first upper) coming in. Your bottom two are nice and big now and it is so cute to see you smile.
4) You eat your food like the little man you are. You do not take kindly to store bought food since I started cooking for you. This was a struggle when we were in Portland and I am so glad that you got back to eating well again.
5) You still don't sleep through the night and gets up at least once.
6) You haven't quite mastered the pincer grasp yet and so the couple of times that I tried to feed you finger foods didn't go over very well.
7) Shopping is still a no no, but walks are great.
8) Unless you are sleepy or hurt, you don't like to sit and cuddle as much. You squirm away and want to explore everything. You have such a lot of energy! I wish I had half as much!!!
9)Maybe because you are so mobile, you are not putting on as much weight, but you seem to be growing well. We are very thankful for that.
You bring so much joy to us. At the end of the day, I sometimes lay in bed and think about how much you have added to our lives with your sweet and vivid personality. It is hard for me to think of the time when you were not around. It is so wonderful to watch you grow and interact with the world around you and see your personality come out.
I love you.
Mama
Saturday, April 24, 2010
8 months
Dear Neil,
You are eight months old today! You weigh 19 lb and 3 oz at the last doctors appointment. You are our little chunky monkey. You had a lots of firsts this month.
What is going on with you?
1. You said Amma for the first time. I am not sure you know it is me, but I am so excited. Then the next day you kept saying Baby. Your vocabulary is amazing or maybe I am just a proud mama. :)
2. You have TWO teeth now. And they are really sharp too. It is so fun to see those when you smile big. And you are smiling and laughing most of the time. You are a really happy baby.
3. You love us to shreds. Literally. You bite me which is actually kind of a really enthusiastic kiss or something which you have going on with you that leaves me with read marks. You are strong.
4. You have a tendency to jump out of my arms now when I am carrying you. Just so you don't miss anything. You are so alert and observant sometimes you have no idea where to look. Everything is so exciting, and new, and wonderful to you.
5. You used to sleep through the night, but don't anymore. I wish you would and I have to admit I am a little grouchy to be woken up at 3 am everyday. But as soon as I pick you up and calm you down (or feed you), you snuggle up real close with both arms around my neck. And then I am not so grouchy anymore. Just last week, one night when my sickness was at its worst, you were up at 3:30 am. I hardly had the energy to get out of bed to tend to you. I was breathing heavily and was picking you up and trying not to breathe in to you. That night as soon as I picked you up, you stopped crying, opened your eyes and looked at me. And you just kept looking with your eyes wide open. It was just like the day you were born and was placed in my arms for the first time. And without any more fuss you went back to sleep. I know that this memory will be etched in my heart.
6. You eat well, but you are not as excited about eating as you used to be. You go longer between bottles, but unfortunately your spitting up is just as before. We tried many things to help you with that, but nothing seems to be working.
7. We went out without you for one evening and left you with a baby sitter. I missed you most of the time. You put up a fight initially, but you did okay eventually and went to sleep.
8. You sit up for long time without flopping off and you are a rolling machine. You are not crawling yet, but you get everywhere you want by rolling and flipping. You try really hard to crawl by flapping your hands and feet and it looks remarkably like a fish and it is hilarious. Sorry baby, we do laugh at you.
9. You have a lot of separation anxiety now. Your mouth puckers and you start crying if someone tries to pick you up from me. But if you are in my arms and someone is entertaining you, you love it.
10. You love your ball and just laugh a lot if we roll the ball towards you or bounce it off the wall. You just look so cute then.
11. You have been really struggling with allergies and it is hard to see you sniffling and having a hard time. Just like your dad. I will be glad when all this pollen goes down.
I am so, so grateful I get to hang out with you all day. It is a little tiring to keep up with you since in a matter of seconds you are under tables, grabbing anything within your reach and just really active. Also, because of the separation anxiety, sometimes you just refuse to go to anyone but me. And I get weary at the end of the day. But I know I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
I love you.
Mamma
You are eight months old today! You weigh 19 lb and 3 oz at the last doctors appointment. You are our little chunky monkey. You had a lots of firsts this month.
What is going on with you?
1. You said Amma for the first time. I am not sure you know it is me, but I am so excited. Then the next day you kept saying Baby. Your vocabulary is amazing or maybe I am just a proud mama. :)
2. You have TWO teeth now. And they are really sharp too. It is so fun to see those when you smile big. And you are smiling and laughing most of the time. You are a really happy baby.
3. You love us to shreds. Literally. You bite me which is actually kind of a really enthusiastic kiss or something which you have going on with you that leaves me with read marks. You are strong.
4. You have a tendency to jump out of my arms now when I am carrying you. Just so you don't miss anything. You are so alert and observant sometimes you have no idea where to look. Everything is so exciting, and new, and wonderful to you.
5. You used to sleep through the night, but don't anymore. I wish you would and I have to admit I am a little grouchy to be woken up at 3 am everyday. But as soon as I pick you up and calm you down (or feed you), you snuggle up real close with both arms around my neck. And then I am not so grouchy anymore. Just last week, one night when my sickness was at its worst, you were up at 3:30 am. I hardly had the energy to get out of bed to tend to you. I was breathing heavily and was picking you up and trying not to breathe in to you. That night as soon as I picked you up, you stopped crying, opened your eyes and looked at me. And you just kept looking with your eyes wide open. It was just like the day you were born and was placed in my arms for the first time. And without any more fuss you went back to sleep. I know that this memory will be etched in my heart.
6. You eat well, but you are not as excited about eating as you used to be. You go longer between bottles, but unfortunately your spitting up is just as before. We tried many things to help you with that, but nothing seems to be working.
7. We went out without you for one evening and left you with a baby sitter. I missed you most of the time. You put up a fight initially, but you did okay eventually and went to sleep.
8. You sit up for long time without flopping off and you are a rolling machine. You are not crawling yet, but you get everywhere you want by rolling and flipping. You try really hard to crawl by flapping your hands and feet and it looks remarkably like a fish and it is hilarious. Sorry baby, we do laugh at you.
9. You have a lot of separation anxiety now. Your mouth puckers and you start crying if someone tries to pick you up from me. But if you are in my arms and someone is entertaining you, you love it.
10. You love your ball and just laugh a lot if we roll the ball towards you or bounce it off the wall. You just look so cute then.
11. You have been really struggling with allergies and it is hard to see you sniffling and having a hard time. Just like your dad. I will be glad when all this pollen goes down.
I am so, so grateful I get to hang out with you all day. It is a little tiring to keep up with you since in a matter of seconds you are under tables, grabbing anything within your reach and just really active. Also, because of the separation anxiety, sometimes you just refuse to go to anyone but me. And I get weary at the end of the day. But I know I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
I love you.
Mamma
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Seven Months
Dear Neil,
You are 7 months old today. At this time, 7 months ago, you were just a few minutes old. I think around this time I got to hold you for the first time. What a sweet precious bundle you were and I was sobbing with joy holding you close to me. Seven months later, you have tripled in size. What is going on with you now?
1. You almost sleep through the night now. Night meaning 10-5. It is okay though. I nurse you at 5am and you sleep in the bed with us till 7 am. When I think though that a routine has been established, you start waking up at 3 am again. Mornings are snuggle time. You gently swipe your hand against my face to wake me up and say ohhhhhh ooooohhh etc. Even though I am no early riser, it is just music to my ears. We then snuggle for a bit before you are ready to play. I put you in the bumbo while I brush teeth, get ready for the day and you just sit and watch and laugh.
2. In the night, I give you a bath, give you a lavendar oil massage, put your jammies, read to you, sing to you while you are nursing and when you are done, put you in bed. Even if you are not asleep, you just go to sleep by yourself in your crib. It seems like we are past the stage of "making you go to sleep." You seem to be creature of routine and I love that.
3. You are at an amazing, interactive age and I love, love being home with you. I take you for storytime at the library, walks, and meeting other moms and kids. You are so happy now to be with me and it is like we are BFF. I know it will change soon and I am glad I am getting to spend this time home with you. Some days are rough, but I know that there is no other place I would rather be. I am so thankful to your dad for letting me do this.
4. One of your favorite tricks is pulling clothes to your face and then pretending that you are choking and then pulling it off and smiling big. You just find ways to entertain yourself if I just leave you alone for a few minutes. Your chuckles are still so cute and it is so easy to elicit them. Except when I take a camera. Then you stop smiling and laughing. You got that from your dad. I smile too much for the camera.
5. You jerk loudly at sudden sounds. Like the pressure cooker or the garage door opening or any door hut loudly. You got that from me. I startle at unexpected sounds too. Nothing startles your dad.
6. We still have a rip roaring time in the kitchen. I sing "Old Mcdonald had a farm" and "What does the dog say?" and "Every Single cell" or just talk to you. You love all foods except rice cereal. You do NOT like that. You have the cutest expression of dislike when I feed you that. But I mix it with banana and you eat it now. When I feed you, I tell you stories. Today was that of the clever crow and Abraham, Sara and Isaac. You listen with your big, brown eyes wide open.
7. One morning you woke up, saw the milk bottle and said mummumm. Next day you did the same thing. I don't know if you recognize the milk bottle as mummmum. That is what I tell you when I feed you, so maybe you are associating it. I am not sure, but both your dad and I were really excited when you did that.
8. Your dad loves you to pieces and shows it by biting you. Your pain tolearnce is so high that it actually concerns me. You DEFINITELY DID NOT get that from me. Many instances when I would have yelped, you act as if nothing happened. You got that from your dad with an added measure thrown in.
9. You sit up now, but I am not very confident to leave you on the floor sitting up without me nearby. Just when I think you are sitting up nicely, you gently slide sideward or sometimes just fall backward and hit your head on the floor. Not that you ever cry for that. It just hurts me to watch that. :)
10. You hate wearing clothes. You are so happy if I leave you nangu or just with a diaper on. You love bath time and smile at your reflection in the mirror. Nowadays you are so squirmy diaper duty has become quite challenging. You flip back and forth with lightning speed and it is dangerous to leave you in the bed for a quick trip to the bathroom.
11. You put EVERYTHING into your mouth. This has been going on for 2 months now. I was thinking it was teething. I don't see any teeth yet, but the beeline to the mouth is still there.
12. I had to take you to the doctor for a rash and while you were there on the table, you flipped, tore up the paper on the table, tried to eat it and I actually got a small piece of paper from your mouth. I have to wrestle with you now, you are so strong. You are in the 60th percentile for weight, my pudgy little baby. You love to eat and eat well. I am super glad you are non fussy in that regard. You eat like the little man you are!
You have captured our heart and some nights when you are fast asleep, we stand over the crib and marvel at you. You truly are our sunshine and you bring so much love into our lives. When I go out even for a few hours without you, I think of you. Just thinking of you brings a smile into my face.
Love,
Mamma
You are 7 months old today. At this time, 7 months ago, you were just a few minutes old. I think around this time I got to hold you for the first time. What a sweet precious bundle you were and I was sobbing with joy holding you close to me. Seven months later, you have tripled in size. What is going on with you now?
1. You almost sleep through the night now. Night meaning 10-5. It is okay though. I nurse you at 5am and you sleep in the bed with us till 7 am. When I think though that a routine has been established, you start waking up at 3 am again. Mornings are snuggle time. You gently swipe your hand against my face to wake me up and say ohhhhhh ooooohhh etc. Even though I am no early riser, it is just music to my ears. We then snuggle for a bit before you are ready to play. I put you in the bumbo while I brush teeth, get ready for the day and you just sit and watch and laugh.
2. In the night, I give you a bath, give you a lavendar oil massage, put your jammies, read to you, sing to you while you are nursing and when you are done, put you in bed. Even if you are not asleep, you just go to sleep by yourself in your crib. It seems like we are past the stage of "making you go to sleep." You seem to be creature of routine and I love that.
3. You are at an amazing, interactive age and I love, love being home with you. I take you for storytime at the library, walks, and meeting other moms and kids. You are so happy now to be with me and it is like we are BFF. I know it will change soon and I am glad I am getting to spend this time home with you. Some days are rough, but I know that there is no other place I would rather be. I am so thankful to your dad for letting me do this.
4. One of your favorite tricks is pulling clothes to your face and then pretending that you are choking and then pulling it off and smiling big. You just find ways to entertain yourself if I just leave you alone for a few minutes. Your chuckles are still so cute and it is so easy to elicit them. Except when I take a camera. Then you stop smiling and laughing. You got that from your dad. I smile too much for the camera.
5. You jerk loudly at sudden sounds. Like the pressure cooker or the garage door opening or any door hut loudly. You got that from me. I startle at unexpected sounds too. Nothing startles your dad.
6. We still have a rip roaring time in the kitchen. I sing "Old Mcdonald had a farm" and "What does the dog say?" and "Every Single cell" or just talk to you. You love all foods except rice cereal. You do NOT like that. You have the cutest expression of dislike when I feed you that. But I mix it with banana and you eat it now. When I feed you, I tell you stories. Today was that of the clever crow and Abraham, Sara and Isaac. You listen with your big, brown eyes wide open.
7. One morning you woke up, saw the milk bottle and said mummumm. Next day you did the same thing. I don't know if you recognize the milk bottle as mummmum. That is what I tell you when I feed you, so maybe you are associating it. I am not sure, but both your dad and I were really excited when you did that.
8. Your dad loves you to pieces and shows it by biting you. Your pain tolearnce is so high that it actually concerns me. You DEFINITELY DID NOT get that from me. Many instances when I would have yelped, you act as if nothing happened. You got that from your dad with an added measure thrown in.
9. You sit up now, but I am not very confident to leave you on the floor sitting up without me nearby. Just when I think you are sitting up nicely, you gently slide sideward or sometimes just fall backward and hit your head on the floor. Not that you ever cry for that. It just hurts me to watch that. :)
10. You hate wearing clothes. You are so happy if I leave you nangu or just with a diaper on. You love bath time and smile at your reflection in the mirror. Nowadays you are so squirmy diaper duty has become quite challenging. You flip back and forth with lightning speed and it is dangerous to leave you in the bed for a quick trip to the bathroom.
11. You put EVERYTHING into your mouth. This has been going on for 2 months now. I was thinking it was teething. I don't see any teeth yet, but the beeline to the mouth is still there.
12. I had to take you to the doctor for a rash and while you were there on the table, you flipped, tore up the paper on the table, tried to eat it and I actually got a small piece of paper from your mouth. I have to wrestle with you now, you are so strong. You are in the 60th percentile for weight, my pudgy little baby. You love to eat and eat well. I am super glad you are non fussy in that regard. You eat like the little man you are!
You have captured our heart and some nights when you are fast asleep, we stand over the crib and marvel at you. You truly are our sunshine and you bring so much love into our lives. When I go out even for a few hours without you, I think of you. Just thinking of you brings a smile into my face.
Love,
Mamma
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Six Months
Dear Neil,
You are six months old today! Half an year old. Someone, please stop the time!
What are you up to?
1. You are now eating solids. Two weeks after your 5 month birthday, we started you on solids. For a while, you have been focusing intently on our food and drooling and trying to grab stuff. Also, you started getting hungrier faster. We gave you carrots first and you just loved it. I tried to give you some oatmeal mixed in breastmilk and you hated it. Other than that, you eat everything. You are a chunky little monkey!
2. Your laugh! Oh my, your laugh! It is just the best medicine in the world. I can just listen to again and again and not get bored. I am so glad we caught that on video because you haven't laughed quite like that since.
3. You had an ear infection and we had to give you antibiotics. Your sound had all changed and you had a nasty cough. It was so hard for me to see you struggling so much. You had no issues taking the antibiotic and I am so happy you take after your dad in that regard.
4. It was too cold last month to take you out anywhere, but you attended your first birthday party. This time you were a sleepy observer, but I am sure in no time they will be your little playmates.
5. Your latest trick is eating your big toe. Your tummy gets in the way most of the time, but sometimes especially if you are nangu after a diaper change, you do that. It makes you so happy.
6. Another thing you love to do is spitting contests. Some days you sit an spit continuously for half an hour drenching your clothes. It is apparently great fun for you.
7. Your absolute favorite spot in the house is the kitchen. You will sit in your stroller and watch me cook. You don't need any toys to entertain you at all. You sit there and talk and spit and laugh and smile. Needless to say, cooking is a lot more fun for me now since I have such cute company. I continuously talk to you about what I am doing and play little games in the midst and its just a great time.
8. You get a little cranky in the evenings. We have not quite figured out what it is. Maybe you are afraid of the dark. Something causes you to be insecure and the only way to calm you is to carry you and walk you around.
9. We have so many pet names for you, we are afraid you will never respond to your real name. So we started calling you by name more. I am scared that otherwise you would think your real name is agooboo.
Your grandma left today and she misses you. Starting on your 6 month birthday, I am staying home full time. So we spend a lot of time together. It is a lot of work, but it is also a very precious time and I would not wish for anything else.
I love you.
Mama
You are six months old today! Half an year old. Someone, please stop the time!
What are you up to?
1. You are now eating solids. Two weeks after your 5 month birthday, we started you on solids. For a while, you have been focusing intently on our food and drooling and trying to grab stuff. Also, you started getting hungrier faster. We gave you carrots first and you just loved it. I tried to give you some oatmeal mixed in breastmilk and you hated it. Other than that, you eat everything. You are a chunky little monkey!
2. Your laugh! Oh my, your laugh! It is just the best medicine in the world. I can just listen to again and again and not get bored. I am so glad we caught that on video because you haven't laughed quite like that since.
3. You had an ear infection and we had to give you antibiotics. Your sound had all changed and you had a nasty cough. It was so hard for me to see you struggling so much. You had no issues taking the antibiotic and I am so happy you take after your dad in that regard.
4. It was too cold last month to take you out anywhere, but you attended your first birthday party. This time you were a sleepy observer, but I am sure in no time they will be your little playmates.
5. Your latest trick is eating your big toe. Your tummy gets in the way most of the time, but sometimes especially if you are nangu after a diaper change, you do that. It makes you so happy.
6. Another thing you love to do is spitting contests. Some days you sit an spit continuously for half an hour drenching your clothes. It is apparently great fun for you.
7. Your absolute favorite spot in the house is the kitchen. You will sit in your stroller and watch me cook. You don't need any toys to entertain you at all. You sit there and talk and spit and laugh and smile. Needless to say, cooking is a lot more fun for me now since I have such cute company. I continuously talk to you about what I am doing and play little games in the midst and its just a great time.
8. You get a little cranky in the evenings. We have not quite figured out what it is. Maybe you are afraid of the dark. Something causes you to be insecure and the only way to calm you is to carry you and walk you around.
9. We have so many pet names for you, we are afraid you will never respond to your real name. So we started calling you by name more. I am scared that otherwise you would think your real name is agooboo.
Your grandma left today and she misses you. Starting on your 6 month birthday, I am staying home full time. So we spend a lot of time together. It is a lot of work, but it is also a very precious time and I would not wish for anything else.
I love you.
Mama
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Five months
Dear Neil,
You are 5 months old today! Giminy crickets, at this rate, before I blink, you will be off to college!
But for today, you are still my small baby who I can cuddle and dress up (as you can see from the above photo). And YOU ROLLED OVER TODAY!!! I have been working on your rolling over for a few days now and today just like that you did it yourself.
And then you did it 2 more times. Your dad, grandmother and I cheered you as soon as you did it and there was the biggest smile on your face. We are so proud of you, baby!
So what is going on with you?
1. Your first Christmas: Our Christmas was infinitely sweeter having you around. You probably had no idea what in the world was going on. But we had the best time with you. Your aunt (my sister), uncle and cousins came over here for the holidays and baby, you were loved to bits.
Your cousins could not get enough of you and were kissing and hugging and playing with you and I could never tire of seeing the love.
2. We travelled to the Keys and rented a villa. Since your grandma had to leave to India in the middle of the vacation, there was quite a bit of traveling and you are the BEST TRAVELER EVER. You didn't make any fuss at all and was always smiling and laughing and playing with everyone.
3. Your grandma had to leave back home after Christmas. She helped me look after you for the first 4 months of your life and she missses you really badly.
4. Now your other grandma is here and she has some tricks up her sleeve to entertain you. She has also totally fallen under your spell. One of her tricks is to make an air bubble in the mouth and break it. You just find it highly entertaining and laugh loudly.
5. We took you to your first movie, "Where the Wild Things Are". We all went when your cousins were here and you slept through the entire thing. Actually, so did I. But everyone else enjoyed.
6. We also took you to putt-putt golf. You were in a sling on your Dad's back and you were awake and enjoying almost the entire time.
6. You also went bowling, and it was not even your first time! You also went for a Lion safari and we just scared you by all our yelling and excitement. We also took you on a glass bottomed boat tour while we were in the Keys.
We take you just about everywhere we go and you are so well behaved. Unlike some of the blessings we take for granted in life, in this case I well realize what a blessing it is that you have such a sweet, sunny personality.
The day your grandma arrived, I was walking towards the kitchen to meet her with you in my hand when I slipped and fell. I broke the fall with my knees and elbows and you were safe in my hands and did not even touch the floor. But that evening, you cried for almost 2 hours like you have never before. Later we found out that it was eczema, but we wondered if the fall had hurt you internally. I have never wondered about my love for you. But that evening, during the agonizing hours I spent wondering about the fall, I came face to face with the extent of how much you mean to me.
You are so interactive now, it is such a joy to be around you. I start every morning with "Good Morning Agooboo" and you give me the biggest smile. God knew that Mamma needed a Neil in her life and I thank God every day for the privilege he gave me of being your Mom. My hope and prayer for you is that you will grow into a man He wants you to be and that you will know Him early in life, the one who loves you more than I do.
Love,
Mamma
You are 5 months old today! Giminy crickets, at this rate, before I blink, you will be off to college!
But for today, you are still my small baby who I can cuddle and dress up (as you can see from the above photo). And YOU ROLLED OVER TODAY!!! I have been working on your rolling over for a few days now and today just like that you did it yourself.
And then you did it 2 more times. Your dad, grandmother and I cheered you as soon as you did it and there was the biggest smile on your face. We are so proud of you, baby!
So what is going on with you?
1. Your first Christmas: Our Christmas was infinitely sweeter having you around. You probably had no idea what in the world was going on. But we had the best time with you. Your aunt (my sister), uncle and cousins came over here for the holidays and baby, you were loved to bits.
Your cousins could not get enough of you and were kissing and hugging and playing with you and I could never tire of seeing the love.
2. We travelled to the Keys and rented a villa. Since your grandma had to leave to India in the middle of the vacation, there was quite a bit of traveling and you are the BEST TRAVELER EVER. You didn't make any fuss at all and was always smiling and laughing and playing with everyone.
3. Your grandma had to leave back home after Christmas. She helped me look after you for the first 4 months of your life and she missses you really badly.
4. Now your other grandma is here and she has some tricks up her sleeve to entertain you. She has also totally fallen under your spell. One of her tricks is to make an air bubble in the mouth and break it. You just find it highly entertaining and laugh loudly.
5. We took you to your first movie, "Where the Wild Things Are". We all went when your cousins were here and you slept through the entire thing. Actually, so did I. But everyone else enjoyed.
6. We also took you to putt-putt golf. You were in a sling on your Dad's back and you were awake and enjoying almost the entire time.
6. You also went bowling, and it was not even your first time! You also went for a Lion safari and we just scared you by all our yelling and excitement. We also took you on a glass bottomed boat tour while we were in the Keys.
We take you just about everywhere we go and you are so well behaved. Unlike some of the blessings we take for granted in life, in this case I well realize what a blessing it is that you have such a sweet, sunny personality.
The day your grandma arrived, I was walking towards the kitchen to meet her with you in my hand when I slipped and fell. I broke the fall with my knees and elbows and you were safe in my hands and did not even touch the floor. But that evening, you cried for almost 2 hours like you have never before. Later we found out that it was eczema, but we wondered if the fall had hurt you internally. I have never wondered about my love for you. But that evening, during the agonizing hours I spent wondering about the fall, I came face to face with the extent of how much you mean to me.
You are so interactive now, it is such a joy to be around you. I start every morning with "Good Morning Agooboo" and you give me the biggest smile. God knew that Mamma needed a Neil in her life and I thank God every day for the privilege he gave me of being your Mom. My hope and prayer for you is that you will grow into a man He wants you to be and that you will know Him early in life, the one who loves you more than I do.
Love,
Mamma
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Four months
Dear Neil,
You are four months today! Today your dad and I celebrated 4 years of marriage. One year ago we found out I was pregnant with you. It was the best anniversary gift ever. You are an even 15 pounds. Dr. C says you are growing according to the textbook :) Right now you are suffering from a cold and slight cough and that about kills this mamma's heart. It is so difficult to watch you being sick. I am just loving on you extra to make up for that.
1. You smile and laugh a lot now. Early morning your biggest laughs are enough to light up my entire day.
2. You love playing peek-a-boo. I had dreamt for years of being able to play peek-a-boo with my own baby and it was so sweet to do that.
3. You are improving your vocabulary every day and it is so fun to listen to you. Plus, you have expressions to go with it.
4. Now you don't seem interested in rolling over at all. You had put in a lot more effort last month. Now you just lay on your back and cycle hard. It is okay with me. I don't want you to grow up too fast anyway. I am just savouring each day with you.
5. If I call you sweetheart (or rather sweetheart in my mother tongue) you will smile just at the sound even if you are not looking at me. That is the sweetest.
6. We have a ton of fun with you. Since you are American by birth and me, your dad and grandma are taking care of you all the time, we say you are a Sheikh with three Indian slaves. So we call you Sheikh Agooboo, agooboo being what you say a lot.
7. You attended the Christmas banquet at the chapel and the ladies went ga ga for you. I was not sure if I would be able to get you back. You were being passed around like a parcel. All of them asked me if I was sure I wanted to take you back home :) You had on a bib which said flirt and you totally lived up to that :)
We love you so much and it upsets me to see you being sick or in discomfort. Your first Christmas is tomorrow and I have bought some special things for you. I know you won't remember any of it, but I love making memories with you. I know time is passing by and I won't get back any of these special times with you. Sweetheart, you bring so much joy in my life.
Love,
Mamma
You are four months today! Today your dad and I celebrated 4 years of marriage. One year ago we found out I was pregnant with you. It was the best anniversary gift ever. You are an even 15 pounds. Dr. C says you are growing according to the textbook :) Right now you are suffering from a cold and slight cough and that about kills this mamma's heart. It is so difficult to watch you being sick. I am just loving on you extra to make up for that.
1. You smile and laugh a lot now. Early morning your biggest laughs are enough to light up my entire day.
2. You love playing peek-a-boo. I had dreamt for years of being able to play peek-a-boo with my own baby and it was so sweet to do that.
3. You are improving your vocabulary every day and it is so fun to listen to you. Plus, you have expressions to go with it.
4. Now you don't seem interested in rolling over at all. You had put in a lot more effort last month. Now you just lay on your back and cycle hard. It is okay with me. I don't want you to grow up too fast anyway. I am just savouring each day with you.
5. If I call you sweetheart (or rather sweetheart in my mother tongue) you will smile just at the sound even if you are not looking at me. That is the sweetest.
6. We have a ton of fun with you. Since you are American by birth and me, your dad and grandma are taking care of you all the time, we say you are a Sheikh with three Indian slaves. So we call you Sheikh Agooboo, agooboo being what you say a lot.
7. You attended the Christmas banquet at the chapel and the ladies went ga ga for you. I was not sure if I would be able to get you back. You were being passed around like a parcel. All of them asked me if I was sure I wanted to take you back home :) You had on a bib which said flirt and you totally lived up to that :)
We love you so much and it upsets me to see you being sick or in discomfort. Your first Christmas is tomorrow and I have bought some special things for you. I know you won't remember any of it, but I love making memories with you. I know time is passing by and I won't get back any of these special times with you. Sweetheart, you bring so much joy in my life.
Love,
Mamma
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Three Months
Dear Neil,
You are 3 months old today! Quarter of an year old!! The time is just flying by. You are getting ridiculously cute by the day and your Daddy and I just want to eat you up. You are just surviving by the skin of your teeth, baby.
What are you upto these days?
1. You are growing well, you are at the 50th percentile for your weight and 10th percentile for height. But we are not worried because you are not a white, midwestern, formula fed baby and it is not right to compare you to such babies. You got 3 of your vaccinations and you were such a good boy about it. You only cried a little for the shots.
2. You put your whole fist into the mouth and suck on it while you play by yourself on the mat. It is the cutest thing ever.
3. One day while you were nursing, you stopped right in the middle and looked at me and smiled. You just couldn't stop smiling. And I started crying. I know, it wasn't a fair exchange.
4. You smile a lot more these days. And you have the biggest smiles when I talk to you or when you see me. I am selfishly very pleased about that. It is impossible to get a smiling picture of you though.
5. You and Daddy spent a day together while I took Ammachy to Universal.Daddy has his own games that he plays with you and you two have the best time together.
6. You still sleep sandwiched between us and you nurse throughout the night on and off.
7. You had your first trip to the zoo and first stroller walk this month.
8. You lie on your mat and coo and we talk back to you. A goo goo is what you say mostly. Is that baby talk for More milk please? If then, I am sorry I say a goo goo back to you. It must be very confusing for you. If we talk back in your language you get louder and more animated. It is WAY TOO MUCH FUN.
9. You almost rolled over and with a little help you turned your head. You have been holding up your head during tummy time for a while now, but it was exciting to see the whole thing anyway.
10. I make up the most ridiculous songs for you and when it is just the two of us in the car and you can't see me and start crying, I sing these to you and you calm down. I think you recognize the sound of my voice.
You are so lovable and squooshable and so much fun to be with. Your eyes are beautiful, so expressive and full of wonder. We look at you and wonder how we created someone as cute as you! It is so much fun to see you grow up and see you interact with your world.
I love you.
Mamma
You are 3 months old today! Quarter of an year old!! The time is just flying by. You are getting ridiculously cute by the day and your Daddy and I just want to eat you up. You are just surviving by the skin of your teeth, baby.
What are you upto these days?
1. You are growing well, you are at the 50th percentile for your weight and 10th percentile for height. But we are not worried because you are not a white, midwestern, formula fed baby and it is not right to compare you to such babies. You got 3 of your vaccinations and you were such a good boy about it. You only cried a little for the shots.
2. You put your whole fist into the mouth and suck on it while you play by yourself on the mat. It is the cutest thing ever.
3. One day while you were nursing, you stopped right in the middle and looked at me and smiled. You just couldn't stop smiling. And I started crying. I know, it wasn't a fair exchange.
4. You smile a lot more these days. And you have the biggest smiles when I talk to you or when you see me. I am selfishly very pleased about that. It is impossible to get a smiling picture of you though.
5. You and Daddy spent a day together while I took Ammachy to Universal.Daddy has his own games that he plays with you and you two have the best time together.
6. You still sleep sandwiched between us and you nurse throughout the night on and off.
7. You had your first trip to the zoo and first stroller walk this month.
8. You lie on your mat and coo and we talk back to you. A goo goo is what you say mostly. Is that baby talk for More milk please? If then, I am sorry I say a goo goo back to you. It must be very confusing for you. If we talk back in your language you get louder and more animated. It is WAY TOO MUCH FUN.
9. You almost rolled over and with a little help you turned your head. You have been holding up your head during tummy time for a while now, but it was exciting to see the whole thing anyway.
10. I make up the most ridiculous songs for you and when it is just the two of us in the car and you can't see me and start crying, I sing these to you and you calm down. I think you recognize the sound of my voice.
You are so lovable and squooshable and so much fun to be with. Your eyes are beautiful, so expressive and full of wonder. We look at you and wonder how we created someone as cute as you! It is so much fun to see you grow up and see you interact with your world.
I love you.
Mamma
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Two Months
Dear Neil,
You are two months old today! I was looking at your older pictures and how tiny you were! At the most recent appointment you tipped the scale at 10 pounds! You have put on 4 pounds since birth. The doctor showed us some charts and said you were off the charts in growth. We are so thankful to hear that because we were a little worried about you. When I was at the doctors office, I saw another new born baby and I missed that stage of yours and wanted to have you all over again. Daddy thinks I am crazy and asks me if I don't want you to grow up. I do of course, but yet it is so bittersweet to see you grow and change everyday.
This is what is going on with you now.
1) You absolutely love playing in a mat on the ground. You just lie down there for upto an hour. You make little whimpering noises if no one is talking to you. But you are so happy if someone talks to you.
2) You smiled for the first time this month and we do anything and everything to elicit that sweet smile again. You are not very generous with your smiles at this point, so it is a huge treat to see you smile. It happens usually in the morning and it is a good incentive for me to wake up early enough :)
3) You sleep in the swing also, but only after you have already gone to sleep. We can't put you there hoping you would go to sleep yourself.
4) But you love your mei tai the best, except that you hate it when I take you out of it.
5) You still don't fuss a lot, although you are way more aware and sensitive to sounds and lights. It amazes me though that you fall fast asleep when we are out with you.
6) You attended the Ode to Joy concert and you slept through the entire thing. You have been to almost all of your parents' favorite restaurants.
7) You are really quiet and good at church. Right when the service is ending, you call out ingaaaa (milk) and you make everyone look at you. That was hilarious.
8) You look at the light for a long time and are fascinated by it. But we are very happy that you now know the difference between night and day and you sleep much longer during the night. That is just a great blessing.
9) I read children's bible stories to you every morning during mat time and it is such a fun time!
10) Oh, and you outgrew all your newborn outfits and even the 3 months one are getting snug! You are growing fast.
You are so loved baby, and you were so longed for! I look forward every morning to spending time with you and seeing what new thing you would do. I thank God every day for giving you to us.
Love,
Mama
You are two months old today! I was looking at your older pictures and how tiny you were! At the most recent appointment you tipped the scale at 10 pounds! You have put on 4 pounds since birth. The doctor showed us some charts and said you were off the charts in growth. We are so thankful to hear that because we were a little worried about you. When I was at the doctors office, I saw another new born baby and I missed that stage of yours and wanted to have you all over again. Daddy thinks I am crazy and asks me if I don't want you to grow up. I do of course, but yet it is so bittersweet to see you grow and change everyday.
This is what is going on with you now.
1) You absolutely love playing in a mat on the ground. You just lie down there for upto an hour. You make little whimpering noises if no one is talking to you. But you are so happy if someone talks to you.
2) You smiled for the first time this month and we do anything and everything to elicit that sweet smile again. You are not very generous with your smiles at this point, so it is a huge treat to see you smile. It happens usually in the morning and it is a good incentive for me to wake up early enough :)
3) You sleep in the swing also, but only after you have already gone to sleep. We can't put you there hoping you would go to sleep yourself.
4) But you love your mei tai the best, except that you hate it when I take you out of it.
5) You still don't fuss a lot, although you are way more aware and sensitive to sounds and lights. It amazes me though that you fall fast asleep when we are out with you.
6) You attended the Ode to Joy concert and you slept through the entire thing. You have been to almost all of your parents' favorite restaurants.
7) You are really quiet and good at church. Right when the service is ending, you call out ingaaaa (milk) and you make everyone look at you. That was hilarious.
8) You look at the light for a long time and are fascinated by it. But we are very happy that you now know the difference between night and day and you sleep much longer during the night. That is just a great blessing.
9) I read children's bible stories to you every morning during mat time and it is such a fun time!
10) Oh, and you outgrew all your newborn outfits and even the 3 months one are getting snug! You are growing fast.
You are so loved baby, and you were so longed for! I look forward every morning to spending time with you and seeing what new thing you would do. I thank God every day for giving you to us.
Love,
Mama
Thursday, September 24, 2009
One Month
Dear Neil,
You are one month old today. How fast the time went! When they brought you to me after cleaning and wrapping you, they placed you in the crook of my arm, and you were facing away from me. I could not speak for a few seconds because I was all choked up from holding you for the first time. Then I called your name and you turned around and looked at me. You were a few minutes old at that time. I firmly believe you recognized my voice. That fills me with awe even now.
But now you are a month old! And this is what is going on with you.
1. Your Appacha and Ammachy (grandpa, grandma) are here now. All of us have different names for you. Your dad thinks that the name I call you is feminine and he is right. But I don't think you mind now. I know that the time will come soon enough when I can't call you that anymore. Appacha calls you Neil Armstrong and he talks to you a lot. It makes me smile to hear that.
2. You are a small guy especially compared to your American peers and if I had a dime for every time someone says what a tiny guy you are, I will have a lot of dimes. Your Mama has heard how tiny she is all her life, so you come by it honestly.
3. You have a bassinet next to our bed, but you sleep on our cot between us from the day you came home from the hospital. Before you were born, I vehemently told your grandma that you will be in the bassinet, but once you were here, I realized that I sleep better having you next to me. I like having you really close to me.
4. You love looking at the light and when you are fussy your daddy can calm you down by taking you to look at the light.
5. You love music and you go to sleep soon when the music is turned on.
6. You love car rides and you hardly make a fuss when strapped in the car seat.
7. You love it when I sing to you and if your little tummy is full, and I sing You are my sunshine you are out like a light. You sleep 3-4 hours continuously and that is such a blessing.
8. You have such a pleasant personality. You only cry when you are hungry. You don't even make any fuss for wet and dirty diapers.
9. You smile the sweetest smiles while sleeping and it melts my heart. My dad says it is because you see angels in your sleep.
10. It is hilarious how you make complaining sounds when you nurse and doesn't get enough milk. You look at me out of the corner of your eye, forehead wrinkled with worry and drink and complain at the same time. I feel bad that I am unable to provide enough milk for you, but your complaining is still very funny to listen to. Although it took me a while to smile about that.
11. You sometimes get nightmares and cry out loud suddenly in your sleep. I pick you up and hold you close and you go right back to sleep. I know that later in the years I will look back to this time and sigh about how easy it was to comfort you.
You come up with new things to capture my heart everyday. You are such a blessing in our lives.
Love,
Mama
You are one month old today. How fast the time went! When they brought you to me after cleaning and wrapping you, they placed you in the crook of my arm, and you were facing away from me. I could not speak for a few seconds because I was all choked up from holding you for the first time. Then I called your name and you turned around and looked at me. You were a few minutes old at that time. I firmly believe you recognized my voice. That fills me with awe even now.
But now you are a month old! And this is what is going on with you.
1. Your Appacha and Ammachy (grandpa, grandma) are here now. All of us have different names for you. Your dad thinks that the name I call you is feminine and he is right. But I don't think you mind now. I know that the time will come soon enough when I can't call you that anymore. Appacha calls you Neil Armstrong and he talks to you a lot. It makes me smile to hear that.
2. You are a small guy especially compared to your American peers and if I had a dime for every time someone says what a tiny guy you are, I will have a lot of dimes. Your Mama has heard how tiny she is all her life, so you come by it honestly.
3. You have a bassinet next to our bed, but you sleep on our cot between us from the day you came home from the hospital. Before you were born, I vehemently told your grandma that you will be in the bassinet, but once you were here, I realized that I sleep better having you next to me. I like having you really close to me.
4. You love looking at the light and when you are fussy your daddy can calm you down by taking you to look at the light.
5. You love music and you go to sleep soon when the music is turned on.
6. You love car rides and you hardly make a fuss when strapped in the car seat.
7. You love it when I sing to you and if your little tummy is full, and I sing You are my sunshine you are out like a light. You sleep 3-4 hours continuously and that is such a blessing.
8. You have such a pleasant personality. You only cry when you are hungry. You don't even make any fuss for wet and dirty diapers.
9. You smile the sweetest smiles while sleeping and it melts my heart. My dad says it is because you see angels in your sleep.
10. It is hilarious how you make complaining sounds when you nurse and doesn't get enough milk. You look at me out of the corner of your eye, forehead wrinkled with worry and drink and complain at the same time. I feel bad that I am unable to provide enough milk for you, but your complaining is still very funny to listen to. Although it took me a while to smile about that.
11. You sometimes get nightmares and cry out loud suddenly in your sleep. I pick you up and hold you close and you go right back to sleep. I know that later in the years I will look back to this time and sigh about how easy it was to comfort you.
You come up with new things to capture my heart everyday. You are such a blessing in our lives.
Love,
Mama
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