Two Months ...and New Friends

Tara moved into her third month and she finally got new playmates this month - her rocker, and Bufo!She enjoys the rocker on her own for about half an hour, kicking emphatically and rocking herself - the excitement for which comes from the monkey and hippo that keep her very entertained. She seems to like it so far! 

  

Bufo, the frog is teaching Tara the croaking sound and she in return gives him shy gurgles and coos. Well! The ceiling fan is among the privileged who receives such affection as well. She, as all babies, loves the fan and can look at it for every cheerful waking moment.

The other thing that she loves at this stage is her mobile that we've fixed on the bed - she stares at it for a long time (even without the music and the rotating movement). 

So our little one is currently on track with her development milestones, including her height, weight and the circumference of her head - as per the doctor and our mentor the babycentre.co.uk. And as eager parents we await every significant and not so significant developmental update with great anticipation! And yes, each one of the updates will find its place here on TK's very own blog.

Chicken Pox?

This morning was probably the first test for us as parents! Woke up as usual wishing Tara a bright morning and a great day, and while doing so caressing her and looking at her limbs, her hair, her eyes, her skin and all, with endearment as we watch her grow every day. Suddenly I saw this little bubble like blister on her arm and my head spun. This little blister looked so much like what occurs with chicken pox that I screamed out to an unsuspecting Pravir who retorted with an, “I am getting late to work Lavi, what’s the matter!”.

But my blood curdling double scream managed to get him out of the bath to take a look at what by then were three, not one blister. I broke into tears convinced that this is chicken pox, and immediately like connected parents these days are wont to do, had the laptop open in front of me to go on with my first level of diagnosis. All the whys, hows, what not to dos were in front of me. And here I was already planning on pinging Ma who was to come in the next day to cancel her trip, tell all the people whom we met yesterday to get checked for chicken pox and to take a vaccination immediately, planning my week ahead on how I am going to keep this little infant as comfortable as possible given the nuisance that this disease is going to cause her in the peak of summer. Flashes of my childhood (I was of course much older – 7 or 8 maybe!) came to mind, and how traumatic it was. And here was an infant who had to go through the same. I was shaken and thought up the most morbid things at that time, details of which I’d rather not go into, else this blog would turn out to be more like ‘the paranoia that plagues recent mothers’, rather than sweet little milestone updates of Tara.

Next thing we were packing to take Tara to her pediatrician, Dr Raj Ganacharya at Jehangir Hospital to get her diagnosed. The three had multiplied to eight blisters, and counting until we reached the hospital. Morbidity mounting – the doctor’s first question as soon as he inspected the blisters, was whether we had exposed her to any chicken pox patient recently, and my knees went weak! All my fears culminated on that bed with the little Tara laid out there still cooing with happiness – until a minute later Pravir wisely asked the doctor if taking her out in the garden last evening could have any connection with this. The doctor’s eyes were agleam suddenly saying “Ah that’s what it is!” Apparently mosquitoes tend to bite on exposed areas, but these were bites planted by some garden insect that has managed to get into the poor girls clothes. He was then convinced that it was not chicken pox, especially since none of the other symptoms were there either.

She has been prescribed an ointment and even before the first application of the ointment, the blisters started fading out, and she seems much better now with no proliferation of these nasty boils. We are anyway expected to watch her another day and if they persist in any form even with the ointment application, then we might have to go through another round of fear – but now a little more confident that chicken pox this will not be. Welcome to the paranoia of parenthood is all I could say to myself, and a silent prayer to keep my little chipmunk healthy!   - April 25, 2011

Well – morning has broken and the boils have vanished – not a trace! Yayy! – April 26, 2011

Ref:
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_one-dose-of-chicken-pox-vaccine-may-be-enough-for-indian-kids_1492591 

Rattled!

Tara's first gift was a rattle that was chosen by her Disha-akka for her - yes it had to be pink for sure as ordered by Disha. Pravir loved it and played with it all through Tara's first month and wished to believe that he was calming her down every time he played with it.Tara's first focus game began with this rattle - it was bright and eye catching and it worked like a charm. So milestone # 1 for us. 

Grasping her silver rattle

The second rattle she got was from her Roopa-atha and Rasna-atha. A silver rattle, perfectly sized for the little one and with a beautiful jingle to it. Honestly I love it too and keep jingling it for Tara all the time. Her first grasp was with this rattle and i am fortunate enough to get a perfect timing pic - so this actually is the first ever grasp displayed by our Tara - March 28, 2011 - milestone # 2.

Naming Ceremony

On March 21, 2011 we had a small Naamkaran puja at home and loved the little ritual of whispering her name in her ear. Both Pravir and i took turns to let her know the little secret that was going to be announced to the world that day. Somu Mama of course rightfully did the honours of writing her name in wheat and inked it so to speak.

Tara Kumar arrives!
 
Pravir and I have spent more than ten years in Pune and ever since that milestone date we'd been wanting to call all our friends of the past decade meet as a mark of how much this City has added to our lives. Well, it has been nearly two years since that thought germinated, but we finally got near that only with Tara's arrival. 

So later that evening after the Puja we had a party for family and friends. It was an overwhelming moment for Pravir and I as we announced her name and had her placed in the cradle for the first time at the hands of Amma and Baba (Tara's great grandparents). Then we had volunteers come on stage rock the cradle (as long as the lady was willing to be left in it - which was less than a few seconds), and then sing songs for her. Tara being a name finding its place in many a Hindi film songs - there was a lot of enthusiastic participation. I wish we had video recorded that evening though. It was amazing to have four generations together that evening and different age groups of people singing for Tara. 

Family at the Naming Ceremony, March 21, 2011

Friends at the Naming Ceremony, March 21, 2011

We were touched with so many of our relatives coming in from various places to be here for Tara - it really meant a lot to us and I am sure Tara will glow with the thought when she sees this pic when she grows up, of so many people who were there for her. 
We missed many of our close friends at the occasion, who would surely be there if they could we know - but the party's just begun and we'll surely make enough opportunity to have Tara meet all of them.

The Beginning!

So here's beginning the blog of a nearly two month old Tara Kumar. I feel a sense of huge responsibility as i start documenting every wince and smile of our daughter. Tara, this little package that has come our way and consumed our lives so completely. She will grow up to read it one day, by which time the world would have read it too and she will want an explanation for everything that's in here. With a deep breath then i begin the saga and promise to keep going till Tara begins to write her own blogs.

Prenatally Tara has been most easy to manage, gave me a lot of cheer and joy - nothing seemed to worry me when i had her inside. I for the most by all the symptoms that 'old wives' noticed expected to have a boy - but strangely at the turn of the ninth month my instinct completely flipped to expecting a girl. And there she came on the 17th of February, 2011 at 1048 am - 19 days in advance - just as i was closing in on the team farewell lunch at work. There was so much excitement - with all my friends, family, colleagues - and i remember every minute from the water break at Chang's to, the cool first and then frantic call to Pravir - and then calls went all over the place that this 'just might be it'!! The scene was very much like 'Father of the Bride - II'. Well this flurry was in the afternoon on Feb 16, 2011 but Tara waited till the last one assembled at the hospital and came out at 1048 the next morning when folks from Hyderabad - Ammamma, Somu Mama and Aruna Atha also landed there.

She was brought to me wrapped in MIL's black and white dupatta, with her eyes wide open and that typical look sideways which she still has - she looked a mischievous imp zapped though in this new world. With no trace of familiar features in that one glance i inquired whether the baby was really mine - she was so utterly lovely that i'd have taken her anyway even if they had said not !!

Day 1 went by in a daze after that - so many people came visiting, and all i saw was a doting father proudly flaunting his latest acquisition to all who came in that day - all the time hugging baby tight. A beautiful day we will remember forever!