Baby's first words , 'Maaaaa'. Homo Sapiens baby or a goat's kid ?

Maaaaa

Every hindi film buff will know these lines from Deewar (Amitabh Bachchan and Shahi Kapoor) :-

·        Vijay (AB): Aaj mere paas bangla hai, gadi hai, paisa hai.......tumhare paas kya hai?

·        Ravi (SK) : Mere paas Maa hai!

(Tacky interpretation in English :-

Vijay:Today I have a bungalow, car, lots of money.. what do you have?

Ravi: I have my mother!(and even after having everything you have lost her))

Why am I quoting this dialogue?  Because Vira now tries out a few variations of Ma now .

1.      Mamamamammmm

2.      Maaaaaaa

3.      Mehhhh mehh (like a goat)

4.      MAMMMMaAAAA

Yes, this is the first word she has spoken . I cannot tell you the immense sense of pride I feel . Incidentally, my elder daughter Reet started off with ‘DaDA da da da ‘  which clearly was an attempt at ‘Dad’ . I remember how thrilled Vikram (her pop) was !! These days I cannot help smiling grinning at the sounds that seem to be Vira’s version of ‘mother’ . J

PS :- The most interesting variant is the mehhh which is so much like a goat bleating that we can’t stop laughing when she starts off .

THE PHONE SAYS 'BHOW WOW'

The mobile phone is the most important tool for a mother with 2 kids in the nursery .It serves as a lifeline for so many of the hallmarks of sanity – advice from the doctor , connection to a career (and hoping that your colleagues can’t hear the baby noises ) , instant access to a source of food (despite having domestic help , you never know how much time will go managing the kids – and ofcourse, adult food requirements are a distinct second priority ) …. The list goes on .

It is also the most hated devise , especially as it will start ringing just when the baby starts dropping off the sleep – after you have spent hours rocking her and singing ‘old mcdonald had a farm …..’ . Tring !Tring! And by the time you press the ‘silent mode’button , the deed is done. Vira is awake and trying to get going … And you know how kids are ..they are wide awake in a minute and look at you with injured eyes – ‘how dare you mummy ! how could you put me to sleep when there are so many interesting activities to do out here , with you !? ‘

And if you keep your phone on silent mode, you end up missing all the phone calls that come in ..and misplace the phone too . Is there no way out of the dilemma ?

I had a eureka moment a couple of weeks back when I realised that Vira sleeps thru even if the dogs next door bark loudly . Yipeee !! I choose  a ring tone of a barking Labrador and its solved my problem. The child ignores it , assuming it’s a dog barking next door , and I can keep the ringer on ..
Remember the saying – Dog is a man’s best friend !!it takes on a whole new dimension J

 Combat techniques from the art of war –

a. Camouflage wins the day

(You can download barks from :-http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Barking_Sound_effects)

I'M HAPPY AND I KNOW IT......

Eek …yeeeek… ayeeeeee. I ran from my work desk to the child’s room . And found a very pleased infant and a giggling maid .Whaaat was that? It was Vira communicating .WOW !!this is big .  I just have to sit down and see her do it. Common baby one more time … Pleaseeeeeee .  But these are moments that define her existence. THE YELL, made with all her might, tight fists and stiff legs, all the concentration on the creation of a sound. It is definitely not very musical but it’s a start. ‘Kilkari’ is word in hindi which defines it – the unique sound of childhood. It’s a big upgrade from goooo, which she was using till date to denote positive emotions.

The surprising part is how fast her vocabulary seems to grow. And as she adds new sounds to her database, she also adds in emotions. So she actually frowns and her tone changes. I am able to differentiate between the ‘yeek when not pleased’ and ‘yeek when pleased’.

The biggest joy of parenthood is to be able to watch these self –learnings . I know that kids pick up cues from the environment around them and, at this stage, its mostly the house. But it will be extremely pompous for me to claim the credit for all her learnings. As I watch in amazement and happiness, I can only say a big ‘Thank you ‘to the almighty for giving me an opportunity to watch this evolution of Vira .

 

THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING! - WHAT NURSERY RHYMES SAY?

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.

Love this rhyme that my older child learns at school. It is the first rhyme in her book and a great way to instil the attitude of gratitude. If only we could say thank you more often, the world would be a better place.

You know how it is with a kid of 4 months. Constant demands, to be picked up, fed , burped , entertained, changing diapers – the list is endless .  Add to that the demands of your household chores and interaction with a 3 year old. And top it up with your work. It seems I am spinning like a wheel. And I’m doing nothing well – my house is rarely as clean as my friend's -  A stay at home yummy mummy with a toddler.

Combat techniques from the art of war –

          Keep an attitude of gratitude. It helps keep a sunny temperament and focus on the important things that are going right at the moment.  You are a more successful solider in this battle of sanity while managing kids. You hardly get overwhelmed with duties

I SPIN LIKE A TOP - MUMMY

At 4 months Vira has become quite a handful. She expresses herself freely – and when I say freely I mean FREELY – shout, squeal, purr… depending on the mood. Will she be a dictator? Scary prospect. A Singer? Hopefully. A Politician? My mum says so .Wow...That’s quite a handful of vocations for a 4 month old baby

But this is how we parents are .. Dreaming about what our kids will do, how they will look, behave and feel as ‘adults’. This day dreaming is a pleasure so specifically made for parents  J . It makes up for all the things we CANNOT do today – party for long hours, spend on our whims and oh! So much more on the material front.

 

AND I SAW HER SIT - I'M A BELIEVER

Then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
Now I'm a believer
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm a believer
Then I saw her face
I'm a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I'm a believer ….

A personal favourite J and it comes to my mind every time I see Vira doing ..oh ..so many of the million things she does … like the first time I saw her sit up . We generally put her in the pram and prop her up with cushions. She was in a reclining position and suddenly pushed herself up !!and was upright – for about 30 seconds J her first ‘sitting by herself’ . 

Wow !!a small push for Vira , a big WOW moment for me . By the time I shouted out and my mom and thr maid came running , she had managed to topple forward and bang her head on the play rings attached in the front of the pram .  Oops !

THE MYSTERY OF VIRA'S HAIR - THERE OR NOT THERE

Ms. Vira’s head is nice and soft and round and fairly ‘clean’ – not much hair to be seen. This is just the opposite of what my eldest child has – lovely , soft and plentiful hair . My mother ‘s solution to this is to massage in oil on her head twice every day . The result of this practice has been that the existing hair has grown longer  but I do not see any new hair coming out .

When we went to the pediatrician for her check-up , I brought this to his notice . What he said gave me a small heart attack – his words implied that the kid will ‘shed all her hair by the time she is 6 months old and regrow them by her first birthday ‘ . The colour drained from my mother’s face and I was staring at the doctor – aghast .

We walked home in silence ..wondering how Vira’s hair will grow going forward . ?

Any thoughts?Your experience with something similar? Do share