Complimese

Ho trascurato i sei mesi purtroppo, quindi festeggiamo i sette.

Non c'e' molto da dire, tranne che Rohan e' un bimbo splendido, dolcissimo e molto intelligente. Gattona ormai con disinvoltura, ma sempre con cautela. La sua vera ambizione pero' e' camminare e si vede subito da come si destreggia a tirarsi in piedi aggrappato ai mobili e a riposizionarsi per terra senza farsi male che la stoffa del bipede c'e' tutta. Dovra' aspettare ancora qualche mese, ma non ho avuto il coraggio di dirglielo. Intanto la settimana scorsa io, Rajiv e Rohan abbiamo fatto un bel girotondo tutti insieme - Rohan tenendo me con una mano e Rajiv nell'altra, contentissimo. Niente male, eh?

E per dimostrarvi che mio figlio e' un genio (entrambi i figli, ma non divaghiamo), Rohan capisce quando dico "Batti batti le manine" e cerca di battere le mani. Sembra l'eroe di un film muto, povero, pero' il movimento c'e', il sonoro verra' con i mesi e la pratica.

Sotto ci sono tre foto: le prime due di circa un mese fa e l'ultima di oggi.

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Rohan is seven months old! I didn't make a big deal when he turned six months because I was on a blogging break, so let me make a big deal now :)

Rohan is an adorable baby, very sweet and very intelligent - always trust the mom on this. He is crawling very well now and he is pulling up to stand without many accidents at all - he is very careful and yet daring, because already he tries to hold on to the furniture only with one hand. He makes a lot of cute sounds, he likes people more than anything else and he is learning to clap. It's very early for this, but I told you he was a genius, no?

A few pictures.

About a month and a half ago.


About a month ago.


Today.

Week twenty four

This has been another horrible week for me, in so many ways. I will surely talk about it in future posts but right now I prefer not to talk about it, so please respect that in the comments.

So let's move on to the kids, which is why you are reading this anyway, right? :)

To start, Rajiv has been promoted from "butterfly" to "dragonfly". It's a big thing, it means he now gets to hang out with older children at daycare and I am sure he loves that.

The daycare sends a daily update by email, just a couple of sentences about something that the child did or said, or learned. Today's update says:

While playing a game, Rajiv heard the instruction that he had to touch something in black colour. Some of his friends touched their hair. Rajiv realised that he could not do that, so he ran after his friend to touch her black hair!

Sometimes these updates leave me speechless. Who is this amazing kid that pretends to be my son?? But seriously, fancy Appu knowing the color of his own hair... or Appu playing an organized game, for that matters! I am soooo proud of him!

In the meantime, Rohan's main occupations are drinking liters of toxic pink stuff (antibiotics, they tell me) and trying to crawl. The latter is a source of great frustration for him. He can position himself on hands and knees, but then no matter how hard he tries he is unable to move forward. He rocks on his knees trying to jump forward and a couple of times he actually managed to swing his legs ahead between his arms, like a gymnast. I don't see a future for that technique, though.

Another small but important milestone: I am now carrying Rohan mostly on the hip, like a big boy! And I do carry him a lot, because he is often crying these days. Part of it may be the frustration from his failed crawling efforts, sometimes the floor might be too hard for him, who knows. He also has a cold and an almost healed ear infection, and a tummy surely bothered by all the medicines. And he is also teething, but you knew that already...

Week twenty three

A few illnesses later, we are still here. Appu is better now and, even though his parents have taken turns feeling quite sick over the past three days, I think we can say that the virus has now been expelled from our household for good.
This is little Appu on Saturday morning, still feverish and weak :(


But no more!

Rohan however is not doing well at all, piccolo. Just when on Sunday night we thought the worst was over and we were ready to pass out go to sleep, the little one started to cry and we had another virtually sleepless night. It turns out that he has a quite bad ear infection. We had just given a course of antibiotics a week ago for a mild infection in his left year, but the doctor says that maybe the infection was resistant to that particular antibiotic, so we are trying another one now.

Thinking about it now, we probably should have checked his ears earlier. All the problem that we thought were due to mommy separation, like the fact that he had trouble drinking from the breast and wanted a bottle instead, were probably just due to pain swallowing and sucking.

But I don't want to write another health bulletin here, so let's move on to more cheerful stuff. Ear infection or not, little Rohan is becoming stronger every day. Look at these push-ups!



Look at this cuteness!



Rohan has also started to speak (if you know what I mean...). Earlier he used to say mostly "a" and occasionally some "m" sounds, but as of this week we have had an explosion of "ta ta ta" and even some "g", more rare.

Now let me conclude with a few pictures of Kunju with his acchamma, who has taken great care of him while mamma was out of commission.

Here Rohan is being shown pictures of his cousin Jaydev to inspire him to greatness.


"Aiyo! Both fists in the mouth?"


Achamma 1 - Rohan 0


Uhm... Achamma 1/2 - Rohan 1/2


Nothing tastes as good as a clean saree...


And the best picture, in my opinion, is this one.

What a week

Exactly one week ago we took Rohan to the doctor to check whether his cough would require antibiotics, and the doctor immediately checked his ears. This has always felt like an empty ritual to me, checking children's ears no matter what the initial complaint, probably because in Appu's case it never led to anything. However, to our great surprise, it turned out that Rohan indeed had an ear infection. It was even more of a surprise because he was as cheerful as usual and the doctor herself couldn't believe it.

We went home with our bottle of antibiotics, feeling that this continuous sequence of colds and fevers and the like was rather vexing. S himself was still suffering from a dragging mix of running nose, headaches and general feeling of having been run over by a truck. The late night spent with the jet-lagged kids had not helped.

In such spirits we still were when on Saturday morning Appu woke up with a fever. There had been some cases of Hand Foot And Mouth Disease at daycare, so I immediately looked it up online and found with a sinking heart that the virus could bring 7 to 14 days of vomiting, aches, intestinal problems and general misery. I was therefore almost happy when I realized that I wasn't feeling that good myself. Could Appu and I have something completely different from the dreaded HFM?

Then it turned out in an exciting twist that I had appendicitis. Appu's fever wasn't forgotten, but he seemed better the next day - albeit troubled by my hospitalization. I had surgery and it went well, so we were happy. We were still giving Rohan his antibiotics, but not quite remembering why anymore.

I had a hard time feeding Rohan and ended up pumping milk to be given to him in a bottle for most of his meals. The first two nights where rough, but after a couple days I was able to sleep next to the children again and this was a huge improvement for everybody. I am recovering very fast, although unfortunately I am still unable to care for Rohan by myself because I cannot lift him or hold him AND he has a habit of kicking my belly :) Thankfully acchamma is here.

Then, today morning Appu woke up and threw up yesterday's dinner. My first thought was: "Great, now he can't go to daycare and he will be miserable here at home". That's because a mamma unable to pick him up, roll with him on the bed and have random collision around the house has been a big challenge for Appu - and a big source of frustration for mamma. However, when he vomited again, and again and again, we started being a little more concerned.

We went to see the doctor and she concluded that scary things are to be ruled out. It is most likely food poisoning or a virus (probably the latter). We are to watch for changes though, because you never know. In the meantime we have an interesting night ahead - will the antiemetic work? - and we can look forward to a new wave of barfing flu - who is Appu going to give it to first?

Anyway, I don't really think we are unlucky. That would be insulting to people who have actual big health problems. But it's not fun either.

Week twenty one

Appu compie oggi due anni e mezzo. Aguri! Rohan purtroppo invece e' ammalato per la prima volta e continua a tossire, povero.

Today Appu is exactly two and a half! And quite appropriately I have a lot of things to say about him this week. Let me collect them in a list of

proud moments:

While I was packing on our last day in Paris, Rohan started to cry. I was folding some cothes so I tried to calm him down with my voice while I quickly finishing what I was doing, but to no avail. Appu, who was sitting nearby watching his cartoons (what's new) turned away from the screen (!!!) and gently patted Rohan on his back saying something mysterious in a soft voice. My boy...

He finally learned to sing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" with all the accompanying gymnastics. In fact as I was showing him the moves slowly repeating the words he said "sing song!". Hey, forget the song, HE TALKS!!!

Most spectacularly, he officially learned to count. Not always correctly, but he got the concept, which was of course the toughest part. I guess we can thank all his "educational" cartoons for this, so I can feel just a little less lousy for allowing him to watch them all day during our trip.

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Unfortunately we are all still a bit beaten up by the mixture of germs collected in France - in fact it seems nonna Laura can thank us for a nasty cough too - and Rohan is the one who is feeling the worst right now. He coughs and coughs, this is the first real illness and he has trouble lying down. Combine this with jet-lag and you have a recipe for kids awake at 3 AM, super cranky dad with running nose and headache and mom who honestly just doesn't know how to handle this. At least mom gets to sleep in with said jet-lagged kids in the morning. Yay! :)

Week twenty

(Am I counting right?)

Just because we are spending our days in a small badly lit flat watching Dora The Explorer all day, it doesn't mean the kids have stopped their growth. So here is the usual (bi-)weekly update.

Rohan is moving more and more and if I keep postponing writing about it soon I'll have to tell you that he is crawling! But not yet. He is trying to move forward, but he only manages to slide back farther and farther from the desired toy. He tries to push up his butt and then propel himself, like so,


but not much luck yet. He is however able to grab what he wants if given the chance. That has really just happened over the course of this trip, it is true that at this age in two weeks you might get a completely different baby. Look at him!




He has full workouts with frequent milk breaks and he is also trying to sit. He can sit for say one second, but he doesn't give up.



This is mostly a Rohan post, but I want to say something about Rajiv too. First, look at this picture:


When Appu saw it he saddened and said "he's crying", but actually our little hero was not crying at all when the picture was taken. He was saying "pasta!" with the attitude of a guy who is not going to wait one more minute for his food. And he is pointing at the plate, demanding to be fed.

But the proudest Appu moment was when I managed to teach him a very important physics lesson. There are in fact two kinds of magnets, even though they all look the same. Sometimes they attract and stick together ("tac!"), sometimes the repel. But if instead of screaming and smashing your toys on the floor you try both sides of a cart to see which one will stick, you might be able to make a train.

Week eighteen

Rohan turned four months, but most importantly, he is teething. Welcome to the latest episode of the long running show "The Menace Of The Phantom Tooth". This time, however, we have real evidence: loud screams, baby finally sleeps only after having been given Motrin, two white dots seem to be visible under the lower gum. And yet, this was yesterday, while today he seems to be doing much better. But I don't lower my guard: teeth have been known to try and fool me before :)

The week has been busy, even if we don't count yesterday's madness with Rohan screaming - because he is teething, right? - and Rajiv screaming louder to show who is boss around here. Dad is doing this tutoring thing that keeps him busy until about 6:30PM, you know, like a real job, and we are doing the best we can not to miss him too much. I go and pick up Appu from daycare in a rickshaw and he loves that. In fact when dad managed to go himself with the car last Friday Appu was heart broken.
I would have lots of rickshaw tales, including one that could be titled "The Creepy Driver From Hell". I will pass, but let me just mention the end when he said that it was 160 rupees, because it's 60 each way (and it's 40, anyway).

The tutoring ends on Friday, just in time to take Rohan to the doctor for his vaccinations before we fly to Paris on Saturday night. It is not really a vacation: dad will be working and mom will be mommying, but I promise at least one picture of Appu in front of the pyramid or the Louvre. I have bought a couple of guides to "Paris with Kids" and I am now under the illusion that it is possible to make Appu enjoy this trip and see something worthwhile at the same time. Only time will tell whether this is fantasy or reality. My mom will come and see us in Paris and Emiliano will drop by too, so that at least will be good.

By the way, the best thing that happened this week is the arrival of my new camera. So we are ready for Paris and the pictures of the fratellini will start flowing again very soon!

Week seventeen

The big news this week is that our little almost four month old baby has learned to roll from back to tummy. Yeah for Rohan!

Appu learned to roll at about the same age and this fundamental milestone opened up for him a new world of play and discovery. It also started our diaper change struggles, because our little guy could no longer bear to be on his back even for a second. The moment his shoulders touched a flat surface he would flip as if he had a spring under his butt. Our little Appu never seemed to do anything gradually - for example when he learned to crawl he was so taken with it that he would sometimes try to crawl over the pillow in his sleep at night.

Rohan instead, doesn't seem to be in a hurry. He slowly moves one leg across his body and then from there keeps reaching until he finds himself on his side and then keeps working on it until, to his own great shock, his tummy touches the floor. At that point most of the times he cries and looks as if he is wondering who did that to him. He doesn't roll often, only a few times a day, but he is getting used to it. He seems to be a little more cautious than his older brother and maybe a little less independent, in the sense that he prefers to look at someone's face and smile back rather than go exploring around (not that he can explore much yet :) ). All he really seems to want is somebody's company and attention.

Week fifteen

Yes, I skipped week fourteen. And we are leaving tomorrow for a trip, so if I don't post something today chances are my usual laziness will take over and the blog will go into hibernation (right, we wish...).

What is new? Nothing very exciting, but I am slowly getting into a stay-at-home-mom routine. I say byebye to Appu in the morning and he goes to daycare with his dad. Then I pick up all Appu's puzzles from the floor and I play with my littlest one or read to him, or I put him down for his nap. Sometimes we work out together a little. I have one of those mom&baby dvds and he loves it, he smiles for the whole fifteen minutes (yes, I know, I won't be getting ready for the next chennai marathon with this :D ) Later in the day we might go out shopping, or if he is feeling sticky we might take a shower together. He really likes the sound and he seems to enjoy the water falling on his head, he never cries. Nothing much, but overall we have a good time and I am not going insane yet.

Today I took the perfect Rohan picture. There he is, our little boy, laughing like a maniac, as his dad would say.



In the last few days he has wanted to be on his tummy more and more and he is definitely becoming more active. He can roll from tummy to back and he is working on the way back, but so far he has only managed to turn on his side and that is a source of endless frustration to him.

In the afternoon we went to the doctor and it turns out Rohan is almost 7 kg now. He might get his BCG caccine tomorrow morning, but we are having a few doubts because he seemed a bit unwell in the last hours. Could he be teething? If you lived with us you would know that this is the million dollar question, the doubt that fills every day of our lives. We always think that our children are teething. I don't even know if Appu is supposed to have any more teeth coming any time soon, but we are still sure that teething explains why he drools over evrything, bites his dad's shoulder and chews on his puzzle cards.

By the way, let me conclude with this picture. This shows beyond any doubts that S is Appu's father. Just look at the family frown! You would think the little one is reading algebraic geometry, but in fact he is just watching Dora on tv ("'sioni!"). Rohan has the frown too, but it might take me a while to get it on camera, so please be patient.

Week thirteen

Rohan is three months old! And apparently today Appu entered his daycare place with a smile and just said byebye to dad before going to play! Lots to celebrate... Mom, however, is feeling very blog lazy, so this will be a random pictures post. The view from the new flat, plus a couple of pictures of Appu engaged in his favorite activities - doing puzzles and eating idlis. Rohan's pictures will come later, separately, as soon as mom finds the energy.

Mi devo scusare con i miei due lettori, questa settimana proprio non riuscivo a trovare le forze per scrivere sul blog. Vi mostro almeno qualche foto pero', tanto per non perdere l'abitudine.

Ancora nel vecchio appartamento: Appu fa la sua colazione preferita a base di Idli!



La vista dall'appartamento nuovo, in una giornata nuvolosa.





Appu fa i suoi puzzle sul pavimento del soggiorno. Bravo Appu che ha preso dalla mamma almeno nella scelta dei suoi passatempi piu' tranquilli :)

Week twelve

We are moving (or "shifting" like they say here) tomorrow morning, but if you could see our house now you wouldn't be able to tell. That is not good. However, I trust that everything is going to be fine and by tomorrow night everything is going to be magically arranged in our new flat - the team of movers being the essential ingredient of the magic :) . Too bad my optimism only extends to such small daily matters, but that would be the topic for a different and much darker post.

Instead, let's talk about children. I am typing with one hand while trying to nurse Rohan to sleep. He is not a newborn anymore and putting him to sleep is harder now, but then he stays asleep longer, so no complaints. He is almost three months old, we are almost through the dreaded "fourth trimester". We no longer swaddle him to sleep and the uncontrollable crying doesn't happen so much anymore. To be honest though, he really has been no trouble. As I was telling him earlier, he is a baby for beginners, no previous experience required. Somehow other parents have confirmed to me that you never seem to get one of these the first time around. Go figure.

Rajiv has started daycare again and is having a little bit of trouble adjusting, but at least he seems to remember having been there before. All this changes must be hard on him and he makes it clear by kicking a screaming furiously, until the desperate parents manage to find a suitable distraction. It would drive us insane, if he wasn't so sweet at the same time. Earlier we were on the bed trying to create a sleepy mood and he would just lie down next to me, looking at me with the smile of the toddler who is not fooled by his parents tricks, and then he would say "mamma?" and give me a kiss on my mouth. This went on over and over again, then he realized that dad wasn't there and we went looking for him for more hugs. And of course he didn't sleep, but so what?

Week eleven

We are in India! It is hot hot hot, but not as Hot as I remember it to be when we came here with newborn Appu in June 2007. So far so good...

I skipped the week ten update, sorry about that, but it has been a busy couple of weeks. We have traveled a lot and met friends and family, and we have only had the benefit of a slow and expensive internet connection during our stay in Italy.

Highlights of the trip:

• Appu was looking forward to seeing his nonna again and he was delighted to be reminded that she lives with three feline friends ("Nonna! Gatti!")
  
• Nonno was good company too and tried to impress Appu with his famous magic tricks, like the disappearance and reappearance of the ashtray.
• There is a nice playground next to our place in Torino. It used to be a bit too advanced for little Appu, but not anymore, now Appu can climb like a little monkey!
• We met Emiliano's father and his family, who as usual showered us with gifts and treated us to a delicious dinner too. Their dog Babette was interesting but a bit scary for our little hero. She has a few rubber toys in animal shapes and Appu would try and rescue them from her teeth, saying "stay there!" or "do that gaguga!" (meaning 'don't do that to the turtle (tartaruga in Italian)').
• We met Emiliano in Brussels and it was still love between him and Appu. I really wish we could live nearby, we will have to convince "Miano" to take a job in Chennai :) .
  
• In India we were welcomed by Achamma, who is now a favorite of Appu and Rohan had lots of smiles for her too. Appu also got to spend some time with Achachan, who is now known as "Chacha" or "UV" (from the alphabet song, I am guessing).
• Our first dinner in Chennai was at Fortune, for excellent Chinese food. I really wanted to go there, because last time we went I was expecting Rohan and I was feeling to sick to even try anything. Appu cheered "nunels! nunels!" for a while and when they finally came it was complete happiness. Go Singapore Noodles!

Throughout all this we have been missing our friends in Canada. S. says Appu is like a Bollywood hero going around the house and chanting the name of his loved one. "Koena, Koena...". We sent her a postcard from Torino and he scribbled something very sweet looking on it. It was also hard to say byebye to the people in Italy, but we are looking forward to some steadiness now, after we move to a new flat that is.

Week nine

Rohan has turned two (months) and I must say that the time seems to be going faster than I remember with Appu. It might also be all the stress and excitement about our incoming trip, which has taken a couple of months if not more of preparation - no kidding! Still not ready, but once the plane takes off what is done is done and the rest can be forgotten, for better or for worse. A comforting thought :) .

Yesterday Rohan met a doctor for the first time and received his first vaccination shots. I wasn't fun for anybody, but we also learned that he is a really big boy, as we already suspected. He is 60 cm and almost 6 kg, I think - it's incredible how fast I forget things this days.

We just came back from a really nice dinner at the institute with our neighbor Kyle (am I spelling this right?) and his parents. Rajiv and his friend ran around, screamed their lungs out and colored with crayons while being fed very unhealthy food. I think they can't complain and neither can I, since while all this was going on I still managed to have an amazing raspberry semifreddo, while bouncing up and down on my chair to keep Rohan asleep in the sling.

For the rest of the post the theme is going to be "things that made me happy this week" (apart from the semifreddo):

• Appu singing the alphabet song with his sweet baby voice.

• Appu playing in the bed early (very) in the morning.

• Rohan wearing his leg warmers.
  
  
  
• Appu discovering that stickers are fun.
  
  
  
• My attempts at learning to use a wrap seem to show more promise this time around. Look at me, all wrapped up with a sleeping Rohan and ready to fly away on my broom!
  
  
  
• Rohan wearing a pink baseball cap. This cap was originally bought by my aunt for a little dog called Lara (don't ask), but the dog never tried it on and so the cap has made its way to a new owner, who wears it with great dignity.
  
  
  
• Lots of packages in the mail. I love receiving packages above all else, even when they are the result of my online shopping: surprises are overrated.

• It seems that the trip to Paris in the fall might actually happen in the end, if we don't change our mind again.
  

And next week this time we will be in Italy and the next we will be in India and then we get to rest (or not?).

Week eight

Following the tradition initiated with Appu, we took baby Rohan to see the new Harry Potter movie today. And just like Appu two years ago, little one didn't let us down and slept through the whole thing - tightly wrapped in his sling and rocked back and forth, with a hand over his ear to cover the loud noises. Now we are home and Rohan is making up for all the milk he missed in the last four hours.

Appu is at daycare with his friend Kalena and last time we heard he was having a great time. When we called just before the movie he was apparently lying down on his cot and making sweet eyes to one of the teachers to try and avoid the nap. Now we are off to pick him up with Kalena's mom. More later!

Update: we are back and Appu has gone to Kalena's house to play with the water table in the backyard. They play completely naked because they get drenched, but somehow S. always seems to forget to remove Appu's sandals. We'll see this time. I am so sad for Appu, thinking that soon he will have to say goodbye to his best friend. Kalena's parents have just bought a new laptop mostly for the purpose of allowing the little ones to talk to each other through Skype. It should be an interesting experiments, I wonder if they will like that.

On a different note, it seems that Appu is having quite frequent nightmares. Sometimes he wakes up screaming at night and nothing except putting on the light and leaving the room seems to comfort him. If I try to hug him he kicks me very hard, he is like an animal caught in a trap. It apparently happened at daycare too today, but the room wasn't dark and he calmed down easily. How I wish he could tell us what the problem is... It will have to remain a mystery, but it is one more sign of the fact that our little one is growing up and guessing his thoughts and fears is becoming more and more difficult.

Week seven

OOOOPS, I did it again... Those curls on the floor broke my heart, but I must admit that the heat these days really made me long for an extreme haircut myself, so I hope Appu won't mind. Anyway, dad said the hair had to go before the trip to India, so theeee'yago! (like Appu would say)



My mom is still here, for one more week. She says Appu is so beautiful I can be allowed to cut his hair because it won't matter. I actually think I did an awesome job this time, except perhaps the usual problem with the sloped cut in the front. But my mom says that's good, we don't want him looking too orderly. No fears there, I would like to add.

Nonna Laura also says that Appu is a "disastro", in the sense of a natural disaster like a fire or a tornado. The parallel surely fits, so if you call him a disaster I won't be offended - I might even sigh and smile - but please don't say he is naughty, I really hate that word. We have a deal?

Let me just conclude with a brief Rohan update. He is making new cute sounds, he coos and says "a" and "g", but the best thing is this sound coming from the back of his throat, something in between a purr and a gurgle, that he makes while looking into your eyes and smiling. Priceless!

Week six

Little Rohan is getting not so little, he weighs around 5 kg and his thighs are getting chubby. He stays awake for longer stretches during the day now, especially in the morning, and he smiles much more too, but I haven't succeeded in capturing that on camera. Instead, look at this push-up!



Next, some family pictures: berry-full picnic on the living room floor.

Week five

One more week has gone by. Rohan's neck is getting stronger and so are his screams. He still doesn't care much for play, but he can now follow a moving object with his eyes so he is entertained by mobiles and S's juggling balls. We still haven't found a good pet name for him, so we just call him Rohan and his brother calls him "Roran". You would have to hear this to know how cute it is...

My mother arrived yesterday and she will stay with us until the middle of August, almost three weeks. I really hope that Appu can bond with her in this time, unfortunately he doesn't get to see her very often. He seems comfortable with her though and is already calling her "nonna".

Both kids are sleeping now and if I stay up to blog instead of going to bed I will deserve what I get... so goodnight!

Week four

We almost made it to a month. I would say this with more enthusiasm if I weren't so tired and sleepy, but overall things are still going quite well.

Noteworthy events include:

• We got the PIO cards that we had applied for in October!
  
• And I just received a few minutes ago Rohan's birth certificate (which could have taken several more weeks to come, so this is close to a miracle)...
• ... so it seems we are actually going to be able to leave the country at the end of August. Yay!
• We found some daycare for Appu in a really nice place, with his friend Kalena, and it is likely that the same center will accept him when we come back after my maternity leave. It is walkable from both home and the office and it is the most peaceful daycare center I have seen in my short but intense career as childcare seeker. What else could we ask for?
• In the meantime, while Appu starts transitioning to the new center, we keep taking advantage of all the summer activities that Waterloo has to offer to desperate moms with toddlers. Last week it was the music class, this week it is the swimming class. He was scared of the water at first, but we already made a bit of progress, so perhaps he will not be stapled to me like a clam for the next two weeks... The high point of the class: we learnt the "fishy" version of the Boogie Woogie song. "Put your left fin in, put your left fin out...

My favorite photos from the past week:


Appu trying to pretend he doesn't care about the camera while keeping a dignified silence and a very serious expression. This was some sort of protest, but unfortunately for him I have no idea what the problem was.



This instead is a variation of the classic measurement problem, aka "you cannot capture on camera a peacefully sleeping baby - especially if you are using a flash".

Week three

We just came back from Rohan's three week appointment. The midwife said the jaundice seems to be almost gone and the weight is good: 9 lbs 2 oz, about 4.1 Kg. The little one is beginning to cry a little more, but we are not scared yet. Mostly he moans a lot, especially in his sleep, which is annoying but harmless. Today he lifted his head for a couple of seconds during tummy time and if that had not been exciting enough, he also sucked his fist (yes, the whole little fist) for the first time.




Appu is still being quite nice to him and he is being very patient about the constant noises that disturb his sleep in bed at night. In an unexpected twist, he has developed somewhat of an obsession for Rohan's socks. He tries every trick to convince us to put them on him. The words "too little" still don't ring a bell, I'm afraid.

Today it was the second day of Appu's music camp. We go for an hour in the morning to sing and make noise with a few other kids, then we have some coloring and some music listening and play to do at home. Rohan comes to class with us in the sling and so far he has slept through it all. I'm quite happy with the whole experience so far and Appu seems to enjoy it. He has fun with the musical instruments (today we got to use a really cool drum with beads inside) and he is very interactive. The only part he doesn't like is when everybody gets up to dance holding some colorful scarves. Somehow that scares him and I end up having to carry two kids in my arms, while waving the scarves around, so that is now also my least favorite part... :)

Week two

Rohan is two weeks old. He is drinking and growing well - he now weighs 8 lbs 4 oz (about 3.7 kg), so his older brother is not drinking all his milk after all... He had his hearing test today and everything seems normal, no worries so far.

Little Rohan is still a very quiet baby, but the combined efforts of the two brothers keep mom awake a lot at night nevertheless. Still, I am able to almost never leave the bed and that helps a lot in feeling more rested. I thought it was going to be much worse and I am very grateful for how things are going.

Yesterday we went to take Rohan's passport pictures. It was very stressful for him, but somehow in the end we succeeded in achieving the perfect combination of open eyes, mouth not too open, straight head looking ahead and no parts of mommy's hand visible. Appu needed to have a picture taken too and of course he loved it. I think "photo" is one of his favorite words, he will pose forever as long as he is allowed to see the result afterward. We will go back for a more relaxed photographic session at the end of the month, that should be a lot of fun.

Appu has still not fully adjusted to the new situation, but he rarely seems to be annoyed by his brother. In fact often he seems amused. Sometimes he brings a blanket for him, or wants to put on his socks, and if he is crying a little he "sings" (in his own Appu way) "the baby on the bus goes uah uah uah...". That was our idea of course, but Appu found it hilarious. One point for us!