Of Poo Poo diapers and pee pee diapers!

A few years back I used to hang out with a couple of women from our apartment complex. I overheard one asking the other "Was it a poo poo diaper?" It was the first time I had heard the term and it made me very amused. Today I can talk like that and not bat an eyelid even!

"Today was a good day. He went poo poo da!" so declared a close friend who has very recently become a dad. And I can totally relate to that. Most days when I leave for work at the crack of dawn (sounds dramatic right though dawn is 7 AM for me ;-)) RK is asleep. And when I make the first call home from work one of my standard questions to his grandma is "Nalla vishayam irrukkaa?" (Is there good news today?) And if the answer is no we go on to discuss how many days it has been and if RK should be given gripe water that day. Then we debate on his ability to poo with his dependency on gripe water.

At his 4 month checkup we asked the doc very concerned that RK does not seem to go potty every day and there sometimes is a gap of 4 days. His response - 'not to worry. Breastfed babies do not typically go poo poo every day'. But when they do after a gap it is usually a case of 'messy poo'!! If its been more than 6 days we were asked to send the doc an email. What good that will do I havent got a chance to try yet. Also for the very first few days after they are born breastfed babies pass more stools than babies who are not breastfed. This trend reverses apparently in the next months.

In the initial days after RK was born we would meticulously record every poo/pee. My mom was way too amused with this but seeing how serious we were she took it upon herself to remind us to mark every occasion of poo/pee. I remember her telling my dad about this on the phone and my dad was hysterical. He said "We didn't do all this with her (me) but tell her she turned out just fine!". Yeah, now I see that it was a way to keep us occupied and assure us that all was okay with the baby!

So yeah, those messy poo poo diapers are worth their weight in gold!

A big boy!

RK has grown! And so soon already! When I hold him to nurse, he no longer fits snugly in the space between my arms. His legs extend beyond my body and reach the bed even. His hands ...oh don't get me started! His nails they grow at such a rapid pace. Too much calcium in his diet I'm convinced ;-) And he has started grabbing/scratching any surface that his hands come across - the back of the chair, my arm, my shoulder, my nose, my mouth are all perennial targets! At this stage (5 months already, yeah!) he is exploring the textures of all these surfaces and it is very exciting to him. That is the same reason he gets distracted while nursing. Any sound that is a tad too loud is enough to get him to turn his head in the direction of the sound with a look on his face that I call - "Why, what, who, hmm?" Curious little bundle him! DT is just about banned from making any sound when he comes into the room if I am nursing Roshan.

RK laughs now...it started with a gurgle and now he laughs out loud, chuckles as DT calls it! Things that get him to laugh include --

• Rubbing his belly with our nose/lips
• Pretending to grab his face with my palms (works great for the car!)
• Blowing air on the back of his neck
  
• Playing peekaboo
• His grandparents telling him to say 'amma, appa, tatha, paati etc' with emphasis
  

Hmm... however much I love to see him grow, one part of me feels it is too fast. I want to enjoy every minute of it and yet every minute is new. I feel proud seeing him learn new skills and be able to do new things. Part of that pride definitely comes from knowing that I am providing for him and this is my doing; his 'meal ticket' :-)

He can also lift his neck very well and turn so he is on his tummy. He now effortlessly turns back to be on his back as well! He is a delight when he does this. I also think he is a cautious guy. Twice he turned on to his back on the hardwood floor downstairs and hit his head. From that time he will do it effortlessly on the bed or a blanket but not when he is on a mat on the floor. It amazes me that he has learnt to gauge where he is before trying out his skills.
Another new trick (about 3 weeks old now) is to grab his big toe and suck on that. What strong abs he must have to do that huh!? Its funniest when he tries to do this sitting in his car seat.
He also reacts so strongly to light or more like the absence of it. When we are driving and we pass under an over bridge (typically on the freeway) his eyes open so wide as though compensating for the lack of light. He is so funny! I wonder if he will pick up my poor eyesight and bad teeth. Hmm....he definitely has my hair - not very dark but fine and soft.

Those are my musings about my 5 month old RK. More to come...

Of oil baths and sunny days

I have no memories of being given an oil bath. That's probably because I feigned independence and didn't want my hair oiled from very early on! In fact, I'm sure that's why! And my mother is too sweet to force such things on me.

However with RK it is a weekly event if not biweekly. I wait for the weekend so me and RK can have our oil bath ritual. We typically wait for the sun to be sunny, and the deck to get warm. Then the oil needs to be warmed up. Well, though this is sunny California, most days the coconut oil in its signature blue bottle needs to be microwaved so it can be poured. Then the bath tub is set. The hooded towel (those are so so cute!) is spread on the changing table and another towel ready by the tub. Then RK gets butt naked! I sit on the deck legs straight out in front of me; the green premier sheet (as it it known in my maternal home) covering my legs. Then RK is placed on the green sheet. Oil on my palms and then on to his baby soft skin! Oh how I love exploring the curves on those sweet thighs. I love to rub the oil on those tiny pink feet. The oil glides on that sinewy back and over those strong shoulders full of character. Then some more to massage and shape the head. That is about the only time that hair stays put. I love exploring behind those tiny little ears; so perfectly shaped. I love rubbing that little belly that moves so sweetly when you sleep. I feel lucky to be able to have a deck to sit on and the sun warming us. The rose plants and apple tree in view, it is our very own world, you and me. You will not remember this I know but these oil baths have given me so many memories to cherish. I sometimes feel I know every nook of your tiny perfect body. And the love I feel for you overwhelms me. My baby you will always be.