Whose idea was it to have a baby? I mean seriously. What was I thinking? Most days I'm happy to have Lil' General in my life but then there are days like today when he drives me nuts, up the wall call it whatever you like.
Till he was 11 months old, he took about 3 naps during the day each spanning between 1 hour and 2 hours. This gradually gave way to 2 naps each spanning between 2 and 3 hours until yesterday and I hope that continues. He naps between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and again in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. There ought to be something externally disturbing that will not put him to sleep. Else it is a pretty much fixed routine - sleep time, happy play time, feed time followed by nap time.
I've no idea what got him so excited this morning that he has been 10 times more active than he usually which by itself is a handful. Climbing over the sofas, turning on the TV, pulling down the curtains, scattering his toys around the living room, pulling his neatly folded clothes from the closet, jumping on the tummy of his very tired mommy, tasting garam masala in the kitchen and rolling the utensils - there is never a moment of rest and at times I just feel like jumping out of the window. Imagine staying up matching his energy levels without a break from 7:00 a.m. Thank GOG..he is asleep now and that interferes with his park time. Anyways so long he gets rest he will wake up charged and not cranky which means a good happy evening lies ahead of us. Time to recharge myself. Over and out!
Sleep patterns of my 17 month old toddler
The involvement of The Seniol in LG's daily activities is worth mentioning and the benefits show up in all spheres. Ever since the day he was born until now, not a day has passed when he hasn't played with him or changed his diapers atleast once a day. They bond so well and I suspect LG is this naughty and active because of The Seniol's enthusiasm which has just rubbed off onto him. It would have been difficult if we had a not so sociable clingy kid who required my presence at all times during the day. That would have just driven me up the wall. As it is with such a easy going kid, I have trouble staying home all day.
But you know what, come to think of it - it's a lot of fun. And their enthusiasm for life has rubbed of on me that we shake a leg now every time "Mauja hi mauja" plays or some crappy song with beats to which LG initiates his moves and we follow soon after. Just when you'd think the chips are down and LG can't stay awake even a minute longer he'll surprise you by doing this favorite pillow thing - putting the pillow on our face and shouting "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" from the other end. Silly games but great stress busters just the kind we need at the end of the day. Because of Lil' Genera; I know a lot of people around the neighborhood now. He waves at every stranger and persuades them to until they give in. The tough nuts who don't give in disappoint him but that doesn't kill his spirit to try again.
I doubt very much if it were not for The Seniol's coming home early every evening and spending adequate time in the mornings and religiously taking him for a morning walk day after day and with just my involvement LG would have been the same. Mothers who complain about clingy and not so sociable kids often have husbands who work late leading to a lesser interaction time for the kids with their fathers. This leads to more stress for the mothers as they don't get a break even when the husband is home as the child is clingy for one and requires to be attended to even if the mother is busy cooking. So all you fathers, if you are reading this maybe it's time to get more involved!
Reference article : The Hidden Benefits of Being an Involved Father
Nursing the extended family
We have a bunch of soft toys that have stayed with us for over six years now - long before Lil' General came in to our lives. These toys are like real people to The Seniol and I. I mean we used to get up and greet "Good Morning" to them and they would watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S with us every evening after work. We had real conversations with them and sometimes they served us mediators in the conflicts that The Seniol and I had. It was a perfect arrangement to keep us entertained and amused all these years. They are all of different ages, some related to each other and they come in different sizes, shapes and colors and have fancy names such as BK - The trader, Polu - the fisher, Stuart - the scientist, King Kid00 - the peacemaker, FU - the cook, granny, mbki, pilu-molu - the twins, buco - the actor etc.
They continue to be a part of our lives even after Lil' General came along and we interact them as much as we did before. LG likes some of them more than the others. He has got some of his own now that we are not quite fond of - there is no connection you see. Anyways, so all the members of this extended family are now being fed food - real food at regular intervals by LG. Every time he has porridge, granny takes a sip too. It is funny how he sights the bottle in my hand, first walks up to the bed where granny sleeps all day, picks her up places her on my lap and feeds her first and then goes on to finish his bottle :) I believe it is a part of his growing up...we are one big happy family now.
When mom turned into a barber
About 3 weeks back, Lil' General was sleeping rather restless. He would sleep for 30 minutes and then wake up cranky from deep sleep for no apparent reason. That's when I found what was bothering him. He would sweat profusely on the head and would soon be found to lie in a pool of water under his head - the sweat irritated him causing him to wake up. No amount of air and cooler gave him any relief. Which is when I took it upon me to cut some thick growth of hair on his sides - he sleeps mostly on his sides. I got a little adventurous and one thing led to another and before I know I had made a mess. Damage control just got worse. Being a Friday, The Seniol had to go into work and didn't have the time to take him to the saloon. A day had to pass this way and I was ashamed to take him to the park that evening. I mustered the courage and eventually did take him only to be reprimanded by his huge fan followers of the neighborhood. My attempts of passing it as a footballer cut didn't work. Anyways, the barber hesitantly cropped it close to make it a bit decent...now the growth is back and it's time for another cut. Should I get adventurous or take him to a professional? 
Should you get a nursing pillow or a breastfeeding cushion?
Of all the baby accessories, a nursing pillow is one thing that would have helped me the most. Seriously. I wish I had known something like this existed. I struggled hard every time I fed Lil' General at the hospital trying hard to latch him on right. I just couldn't get it right and it was so tough the first few days that I invariably sent someone to get me the nurse who would help me with the position - she would prop up an ordinary pillow, help me sit right etc and this whole exercise lasted 10 minutes every two hours or so until I got the hang of it after a few times. And, there was so much drama around the whole thing. The doctors at the hospital apparently discouraged the use of pillows so the nurse would close the door and help me with it all the time keeping an eye for an unforeseen visit by the Doc.
This is one useful thing that every MTB should posses to overcome latching problems. It comes in so many shapes so choosing one for your size shouldn't be difficult.
Related sites:
Top 7 Breastfeeding Pillows
Best Breastfeeding Support Pillows
