Lil General turned 1 on 18th December. Strangely, that changed a lot of things for me. My attitude, my mindset towards him. He is still a baby to the world but to me he has grown up in ways only I can understand.
Let me explain. I don't panic at the drop of a hat. I'm cool if he has fallen down; if he is running temperature. Don't interpret that as being reckless or callousness towards him. I still take the precautions and necessary action when needed but don't raise hell and call every person in the family. I can handle stuff on my own. I've grown up with him; I treat him just like another human being who can understand me but can't communicate verbally yet. I am confident enough to take him to the Doctor alone. I don't rush to pick him or massage him when he falls. I stay close but I let him recover. He is growing and has to understand the consequences of actions, I tell myself.
His food has changed phenomenally too. As if it made a huge difference between 17th December and 19th December. On 17th December it was the same old Cerelac and mashed rice and dal. Suddenly, on 19th all that changed. He has tasted more vegetables/ fruits, more textures, more variety in the past week than all the months put together. He was all grown up in a week to be able to bite Pomegranate, grapes and musk melon - something that I had never tried before. I refrained from Honey for fear of botulism for a year. When he coughed a couple of days back, I felt honey would soothe his throat and it did. Cheese slices were hard on his digestive system, I perceived earlier. Now, it's ok to give even 2 slices in a day. A month before, when he would hang around us while we ate lunch. dinner with dropping tongues all he got was a hug / kiss and his bottle of water. Now, I treat him a with a bite from my plate that is met with a satisfied smile.
It's alright to venture out without wearing socks now while we protected him with socks, cap and jacket every time we went for a walk. How come it's alright to pick something from the floor and eat now? Ofcourse, we are quick to snatch it from his hands and throw it away.
Nothing has changed much. Only our mindset has. The difference a date makes, a milestone makes. He reminds us that he is still a baby when he falls asleep after every three hours and that his body can only take so much.
Getting over the 1 year mindset
Curiosity at its best
Kids are curious little creatures. I admire the vast reserves of energy and enthusiasm they carry - wonder where all that goes once we grow up! The one thing we were scared of in our house happened today. The entrance to our house does not have a wooden door, instead it is a large iron grill that opens to the drawing room on one side and a staircase on the other. Once LG learned how to crawl, we've ensured that the grill is always closed at all times of the day.
Our fear came true this morning. The Seniol had gone downstairs briefly after closing the grill to attend to some mechanical fault in our scooty while I was preparing tea in the kitchen. It's LG's habit to follow The Seniol on his way out. He usually stands by the grill until The Seniol returns. I assumed he did the same this morning too and continued with my chores. There was a loud sigh from The Seniol after a few minutes and I rushed to see with shock that LG was sitting at the top of flight of stairs. One wrong step and he would be rolling down.
The Seniol swore he had pulled the grill gate, so we recreated the scene to see what LG does and how he managed his way through. He stood on the extreme corner and mustered all his strength to slide the door wide enough to let his head through, then got down into crawling position and pushed his head out. Once the head was out, he pushed his body sideways and got himself out in a matter of seconds. That really was child's play. We've decided to secure it with a lock now and stay careful.
Lil General's First Birthday Party
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of that evening was the smile on LG's face and how happy he was in the company of some sane adults - such a welcome change than seeing his parents every minute of the year that just passed by.
We had a small gathering of about twenty odd friends on Saturday evening to celebrate the wonderful year we had with Lil General. I was all anxious this time round last year as to when he would cease to exist as a foetus and appear as a real person. Technically, it wasn't his birthday yet on Saturday - 15th December. We just planned the party for a Saturday so that there wouldn't be anything hush-hush about the evening and everyone could be relaxed without having to worry about getting back to work, school the next day which would eventually put the hosts at ease as well. (I know such a selfish thought!) I was against the idea of having it on a day that wasn't LG's birthday but sometimes being practical helps - he is at such a age that the celebration is more for the happiness of his parents and it doesn't matter to him if we celebrate it a day or two earlier or later. For that matter, he wouldn't mind such a gathering every day - for him life is a celebration everyday.
The party didn't have a theme. With the both the boys at home sick the past fortnight, all the time and effort was spent on feeding medicines and tending to them which left little room for anything else. Of the Ferrari and Orange theme, we had finally settled for the Orange color theme as LG can better relate to colors now than Grand Prix. Eventually, I had to drop the Orange theme as well, as I couldn't get customized invitations, orange colored balloons and collage of his pictures from every month, in place on time. The music we had initially chosen was classical masterpieces from Beethoven / Mozart. So, we kept it simple - few balloons around the room and a "1" shaped black forest/strawberry creme layered cake with a musical candle.
It never once occurred to us that he would be uncomfortable amidst strangers. He has received unknown faces quite well in the past without being a clingy child in public. The only thought racing my mind that evening before we started was his crankiness due to lack of / disturbed sleep in the afternoon. The thoughtful Seniol made it easy for us by asking us to come in a lil late that gave me a good 30 minutes to put him to sleep. LG was still asleep when I picked him up to leave for the venue. Once we were there, he was all fresh and chirpy eager to go to others - enjoying the antics and the warmth of everyone's shoulders.
Posing for the camera comes naturally to him but I regret not having enough and good pictures of the evening. There were a bunch of eight kids of all ages who had a great time running around in circles and their moms found the evening opportune enough to let their hair down without worrying about what their kids were upto.
I was told the food - (regular North Indian cusine with Chilli Paneer and Veg Manchurian for starters and Carrot Halwa, Gulab Jamun for Dessert ) and service was good.
I know some of you stop by here regularly. Thank you for coming and making the evening special for us. I hope you enjoyed as much as we did.
Happy Moment : Every minute of the evening
Sad Moment : Both set of Grandparents' absence.
Naughty Moment : LG picking on Nidhi's mask during the kids' photo shoot
Carefree Moment : Seeing the lil' girls run tirelessly around the hall through the evening
LG turns one on 18th December.
LG's mom : You should be more patient
So said the Pediatrician, during our last visit. There was no concrete reason for that visit; just to satisfy my whims and fancies and get a reason for the sudden fussiness in eating. I knew the answer all along but nothing is more comforting than hearing it from the Doc's mouth. The cough was troubling LG because of which he switched to pursed lips at the sight of food. Doc had one sane advice : don't force feed him until he comes crying to you to be fed. I didn't have to take that path and LG was back to his normal food habits within a day or two.
It was perhaps my over-description of how resistant he was to food that put off the Doc, or was it to know what I should be feeding a 10 month old baby. He went off to rattle a whole list of food that put my cooking skills to shame. Wow, I thought - a 10 month old could actually eat all these (on a serious retrospection note, most of this was already on his diet). After listening to my rants until I stopped, he finally remarked, "you have to be more patient." Naturally, he was on Lil General's side. And, I can't blame the Doc - he is the most coolest, non-hassled docs I've ever seen. Never promises that his medicines will cure the child immediately though it always does in a day, never creates anxiety or alarms you unnecessarily; what is amazing is he tells the truth as it is in a way you are not worried too much; always answers his phone and never bothers the child with the weighing machine. I am always adamant on knowing how much he weighs - to satisfy mine and my mom's curiosity if I am doing a good job - yea I know a child being active is more important than his chubbiness, but still. The Doc does weigh after that but shrugs my question if he is normal that he is above average. All in all, he is a great Doc and I better be patient with LG.
Reason for this post is LG has fallen sick again. Yes, the cold demons are visiting him again. I started on his usual medication of Sinarest syrup and Mox 125 mg tablets and he has shown improvement. But every time I feed him, he thinks its medicine on its way and is stubborn that he doesn't even look at me anymore. I've given up on feeding him and was so wild this afternoon that I felt like shouting at him and smacking him. He is too young and as a parent I would never hit a child - not my style. Got to be patient, I told my self. But believe me, a toddler can really drive one up the wall.
List of baby products I use
People usually don't tag me, so I am voluntarily picking this one so that it becomes a reference point for me in the future, just in case.
Nappies and Diapers:
Nappy Pad - Actifit until 5 months. Later either Johnson and Johnson or Huggies, as they are thick.
Diapers - Pampers
Nappy liner - Mothercare (Junior's)
Diaper rash cream - Palmer's or Vaseline
Clothes
Mostly gifts from friends and family.
When we shop, it is the local brand for home as thy are the most comfortable without any jazzy accessories and Lilliput. Outside wear is Gini and Jony.
Woolen wear is from Liliput and Mothercare.
Socks and Mittens - Juniors
Receiving sheet and blanket - Juniors
Toiletries
I don't use baby powder or baby lotion.
Soap - Johnson's
Baby shampoo - Johnson's
Baby oil and baby hair oil - Johnson's
Olive oil for kids - Dabur
Baby comb and brush - Chicco
Lotion for head scales - Elocon
Wet wipes - Mee / Chicco / Johnson's / Pigeon
Bath foam - Chicco
Feeding Accessories
Bottle - Mother's, Junior's
Water Kettle - Black and Decker
Bottle Brush -
Formula - Nan - stage 1 and Nan - stage 2
Cereal - Nestum - Rice (4-6 months), Nestum - stage 2 (8-10 months) and Cerelac - stage 1 (6-8 months) and Nestum stage 3 and Cerelac - stage 3 (after 10 months).
Only flavor I've not tried is the one with honey. Cerelac is wheat based and hard to digest. Nestum is rice based and easily digestible.
