On Our Own

Today is the second day that Aakash and I have been on our own with little Laykha. We had a few days just the three of us when Laykha came home from the hospital, but being only a few days old, Laykha spent pretty much all day sleeping. Those days don't really count.

So far, we're doing really well. Naturally, household chores like dishes and laundry don't happen as quickly as they used to. But that's to be expected, and we just have to deal the best we can. For someone who doesn't like a messy kitchen, it takes some getting used to.

What I miss most are some of the things - the little habits and rituals - Aakash and I used to share together. It's funny - we're both home together all day, and yet I miss spending time with him. Little things like making meals and going to the gym together. I have faith, though, that we'll get this time back. When we get through the newborn stage and get settled into a routine, we'll be sharing these again. And, the time that we do get to spend together now is really great in its own way - even if it is over spit-up and dirty diapers.

Too Much Peace and Quiet?

It's Monday morning - just enjoying a little bit of peace and quiet while Aakash and Bebu still sleep. This morning, though, I find its a little bit too quiet. Earlier today, my parents started their journey back to the States. Normally, when I'd get up in the morning, I would find my parents sitting at the table enjoying their breakfast, or preparing for their morning walk and trip to FabMall. My Mom would already have a load of clothes going in the wash.

This morning, though, its just me. While I enjoy the additional solitude, I already miss having my parents here - having the extra life around the place. While my parents had been to India last year, this was a bit of a different trip for them - their time was more spent living the life of a local then as a tourist taking in all of the amazing sites. A bit of a different perspective for them from last time, and I think they really enjoyed it. Next to Laykha, I have a feeling what they'll miss most is the egg bhurji (scrambled egg masala) and paranthas.

Next week, it's Aakash's Mom's turn to meet her new granddaughter. I'm sure that time will fly as well.

Everyone's Got One

An opinion, that is. Actually, I really haven't been bombarded by unsolicited opinions and advice as many new mommies are. I really wouldn't mind - I like hearing other people's opinions, ideas and experiences (that's an open invitation to all you mommies who have already been through this). And, I know enough to take them with a grain of salt.

The one person who has been quite forthcoming with advice has been our housekeeper. The other day, I was carrying sweet little Laykha around in our baby carrier. When Manu saw this, she was not at all happy about it. She told me that the only time I should be holding the baby is when I'm feeding. Apart from that, I should put the baby down and leave her in her crib. She was concerned that the baby would get used to my body warmth, and then what would happen when I return back to work in a couple of months? Granted, she may have a valid concern, but there is no way on earth I am not going to hold my little girl. I honestly think I might wither up and die if I couldn't hold her. Yes, I am concerned about how its going to be when the dreaded day that I return to work comes, but in the meantime, I'm not going to short-change Laykha all of the love and affection I can give her. No thanks.

Today, little Laykha turns 3 weeks. All I can say is Wow. We've definitely been going through all of the ups and downs most new parents go through - peaceful times, fussy times, sleepless nights. As hard as the tough times get, the good times, and watching our daughter grow, outweighs it all. It really helps, too, that Laykha has such an awesome Dad. Aakash is so amazing with her - as I imagined he would be. And its so great that he's home during the day with her. We are fortunate to have so much time together to bond as a family.

Little Laykha had another doctor visit yesterday. When we got to the office, the place was jam packed with kids! Laykha, being pretty much the only newborn there generated a lot of curiosity. Despite having a small meltdown due to hunger, she took it all in stride. Other than a bit of a cold, she is doing well. She weighed in at a healthy 4.2 kg.

Hard to Believe...

...that Laykha is already over 2 weeks old. Honestly, I don't know where the time went! She's so amazing and such a joy. Yes, definitely a lot of tiring work, but all worth it. Just to give you an idea of what a day is like, here's an entry from our feeding and diapering log:

12:35 am	Feeding (40 min)
1:20 am	Diaper change
5:25 am	Feeding (30 min)
6:11 am	Diaper change
8:50 am	Feeding (15 min)
10:00 am	Diaper change
10:01 am	Feeding (25 min)
10:30 am	Diaper change
12:10 pm	Feeding (20 min)
12:30 pm	Diaper change
2:38 pm	Feeding (30 min)
3:10 pm	Diaper change
4:58 pm	Feeding (25 min)
5:30 pm	Diaper change
7:38 pm	Feeding (25 min)
8:10 pm	Diaper change
10:58 pm	Feeding (25 min)
11:48 pm	Diaper change

Like I said, though, it's all worth it!

It's really cool to see how much Laykha has changed and developed in such a short period of time. With each day, she seems more and more alert and so intrigued by her surroundings.

Slowly, we've been getting Laykha out for some small trips. A few days ago, we took a trip to the mall for some lunch at Shiv Sagar. Yesterday, we were back at the mall for lunch at McDonald's. Laykha does really well as long as we're not cutting in to her lunch time.

Here's a pic from 2 weeks (yet another shot sleeping):

Pics from Week 1

I've posted some pics of Laykha's first week. You can find them in the Little Baby Laykha (1 Week) album of my Yahoo! photos:

By the way, we have named our little girl Laykha, which means writing in Hindi. The true spelling of the word is Lekha, but we have chosen to spell it phonetically so that it is pronounced correctly. Still working on the middle name :-)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

So this time, my hiatus from posting is justified. One week ago today, Aakash and I delivered our first child - a baby girl:

I have so much to share about the whole experience - the delivery, our stay in the hospital, our new role as parents...wonder when I'll get to it all?

False Alarm
The morning of January 31st - our baby's estimated due date - I woke with some contractions and bleeding. The contractions were really mild - coming about 10 minutes apart and lasting for about 20 seconds. To be honest, it was kind of a cool experience - so hard to know what contractions actually feel like until you actually have them. I can easily say this was a cool experience because the contractions were so benign. If you ask me about the contractions I had when in true labor, you won't catch me describing them as cool.

Concerned about the bleeding, we called up the doc, and she told us to come in to the hospital. We were still a few hours away from getting our car, and would have to rely on public transportation. Fortunately, being 7 in the morning, getting a rickshaw was not a problem. We grabbed all of our hospital bags and headed out, both feeling a bit giddy about the thought of our baby finally being born.

We were monitored for a while at the hospital, and after about an hour, the doc said there was no point in us staying - it was just too soon and would be a long wait. We already had an ultrasound scheduled for that day, so on the way out, we stopped off at the scan room and got our scan taken care of.

Aakash and I headed back home and just hung out there, waiting to pick up our other new baby - our WagonR. Aakash had made a deal with baby to not come until we'd gotten a car, and although she gave us a scare that morning, looks like she was holding up her end of the bargain. The car would be ready for us after 5 that evening. Hard to believe the whole car saga was finally going to be over.

It's A Go
While relaxing at home, we got a call from our doctor. My scan had shown that my amniotic fluid levels had gone down, and she didn't want to wait to deliver the baby - I would need to be induced. At 8 pm that evening, Aakash and I were to go back to the hospital and have our baby.

For a long time, I've been saying what a strange feeling it is to not know just when the baby is going to come - to know that it could be any moment, but not know which moment. I found, though, it was just as strange to finally know when the baby would be coming. Knowing that at 8 pm we'd be starting the delivery of our baby, that was a little bit bizarre. So exciting, a bit scary and also bizarre.