How I Prepared my Baby before Joining Back to Work

I joined work last month after 9 month long maternity break. And throughout my break I was sweating over— will I ever find myself working again QUESTION. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave my son even for a second. The thought of leaving him for 9 hours was incomprehensible. There were many moments where I felt like giving up on my work, instant where I thought I can live my life by just looking at him (my boy) and many such. So I started putting it off for as long as it was humanly possible with my manager, till I couldn’t do it anymore, and realized I have to FACE the music now. With my back against the wall I asked myself— do I want to quit Job? Hell NO— Do I love my job? Oh! Yes very much so— what is bothering me?—Leaving my baby behind—missing my baby—feeling this damn mother’s guilt.

These questions made me face the real situation and made me realize, that I have to do something about it. Quitting work was never a question—dealing with this helplessness was something I was unprepared for. After reading many stories of working women, I started preparing myself for the inevitable. And so began the journey of weaning— the hard process of weaning each other—him off me – & me off him. It wasn’t easy — I assure you, but it wasn’t that tough either.

Hence, I thought I’ll share it with all of you out there (new mommies, preggos or mothers) who are feeling or felt the same way at some point of time:

1.      Rehearse your dry runs— After sorting out who will be taking care of the baby—in my case it was my mum-in-law—my husband and I did “mock practice” of what our mornings would be like getting ready for work. What time we’ll get up? What will be the feeding schedule? When will we leave for work? Who was on baby-sitting duty? We tried the schedule regularly and tweaked what wasn’t working. There were many it’s- not-working moments, but after one week it all fell down on place. And by the time I returned for real, we were old pros!

2.       Feeding:  I strictly breastfeed Aurko for 6 months, which is why it was more difficult to start on the formulas. After 6 months, I started giving him NAN 1 once in a day, which I eventually increased. A month before joining, I started weaning him off breast milk in the morning, and restricted it only for nights. Surprisingly, it was not that difficult.

3.      Maintaining a Timetable

Babies love routines. For Aurko we have—Morning Feed time, bathing time, breakfast time, playtime, nap time, lunch time, tummy time so on and so forth. It has become a habit for Aurko to take a bath at 8.30 in the morning, and he almost pushes me towards the bathroom ones the clock ticks 8.30. What I mean is— kids have a mind of their own.

4.      Mat + Toys= Joy

I am sure there still be moments when the baby is too cranky to handle by the caregiver, in moments like this follow the thumb rule--throw a mat on the floor with some of his favourite toys and sit down with him for some play time. This tip always works with Aurko, and now when I am not there, my mum-in-law does the same.

There is no substitute for a mother. So, give your full attention when you’re there, snuggle them close, make them feel loved and you are good to go. Rest, your little monkey will cope up fine while mumma is away. It’s only a matter of time, few more months and then your monkey is off to school and his friends. Don’t be anxious! He misses her more when he sees her, than when he doesn’t.

First Book for my 9 months old

Price: Rs.200

I brought my son his first book "Now I am 1" from Limbooz.com the other day. And my little munchkin absolutely loved it. The sight of my little monkey being engrossed with the book is inexplicable. This touchy feely picture book is pretty interesting, with a no.1 written in the centre, engraved in fur in the book, which is quiet catchy for a 9 months old. The look of wonder and joy when he touches that furry one makes up my day. My tryst to inculcate reading habit has just taken off, and God willing he will pick it in his own good time. In the mean time we can buy more picture books to make reading more interesting. I guess it’s never too late— or for that matter— early to start reading. My little man is just getting started, he may or may not like it, that’s his choice, what I can do is try. Maybe I am a little biased but I think a gift of reading is one of the greatest gift you can give to a child, and I am trying my best.



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Third Trimester Ramblings

Whoa! These are the two things I feel everyday, oh and please add SEXY to it.

R.I.P: Mehandi Hassan

Ranjish hi sahi, dil hi dukhane
ke liye aa,
Aa phir se mujhe chhod ke jaane 
ke liye aa....

Mehdi Hassan, the famous ghazal singer passed away yesterday at the age of 84 and with him the curtain came down on the Dhrupad-style of ghazal gayaki. Though I don't claim to have heard him a lot, me being of an age where ghazal was a genre which was limited to sad, melancholic moments of hero, heroine of Bollywood. I know some of my colleagues and heard many celebrity claiming being obsessed by his songs. My knowledge of Ghazal has always remained limited to the likes of Jagjit Singh (another famous singer who passed away few months back) and Ghulam Ali, I can't help feeling sad about his demise and the void it created in Ghazal gayiki.


The heart rendering lyrics of the above lines are truly touching!





Tag: Songs, Singers, Maetros, Ghazal, India, Pakistan, Mehndi Hassan

Manali: The Switzerland of India!

Nestling in the foothills of Himalayas Manali lies in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the northern part of India.

Here are some pictures from our trips!

If you're planning for a trip to Manali, stay in Old Manali, it's by far better than the new town, the area around Mall Road is surrounded by loud-tourist-vacationing kinda crowd!

Enjoy a beautiful Manali sunset, while munching on some high tea and nice cakes from German Bakery in Mall Road!

We saw these guys enroute to Snow Point, Rohtang Pass, all set to clear the roads, if need be. The pass was closed due to bad weather when we went.

You will witness many such rustic looking bridges over Beas River. Jaw dropping view isn't it?

We were lucky to witness this typical Himachali Wedding procession! 

They have covered the bride as it was drizzling that day! 

We all are heading towards eternity.

Don't mind the spelling! We Indians just love Chinese cuisine, you can find a bowl of noodles even at 2050 meters above sea level.

A water fall in Snow Point.

The famous Yak of Manali. Disclaimer: They stink real bad!

The Johnsons Cafe, by far the best cafe I came across in the hills. Do try their Trout Fish, it scrumptious.

The famous Hidimba Temple. Remember Roja (the Movie), yep it is the same one.

The Buddhist Temple

On our way up for paragliding in Solang valley

I believe I can FLY!

Picturesque Manali

The Lazy Dog  Restaurant, Manali. Try their Donburi, it's yummilicious and with some beers.

Tags: India, Manali, Hills Station, The Lazy Dog, Restaurants, The Johnsons Cafe, Trout Fish, Travel, Himachal Pradesh, Himachali Marriage, Mall Road, Monastery, Rohtang Pass

Mommy to be!

And then I saw the two lines forming in front of my eyes!

Can you explain the feeling of love, exciting, fear, adrenaline all together? Is there a word for it. I don't think so. One can only feel it, and I had that moment on a Sunday afternoon, 18th December, 2011. In a span of few minutes my whole life changed. I took a deep breath, stared at my reflection on the mirror, and simply laughed inside the loo. Do I look any different? Have I changed? Does it show on my face.
OMG, I'm going to have a baby!
 
I can't believe it. I've never imagined myself as a MOMMA. Yes! I’ve a habit of creating hypothetical situations, and even dealing with it all in my mind. For instance, I’ve often imagined myself to be divorced from hubby, and living alone, somewhere far off in my own cloud cuckoo world with my parents. I imagined winning the KBCs and made plans about how I’ll spend the money and stuff like that. But, I have never considered myself as a mommy material. Never thought for a second, how will it feel to have a life growing inside you, to have the whole sole responsibility of a baby. The thought seemed alien to me a year back.
But from past 6 month, the idea of motherhood was tickling me really badly. Suddenly, I was desperate to have a baby. For reason unknown to me, I was almost wishing it happens every month. And it did. In the bathroom, I hugged myself almost clutching the news to myself and wondering how to break it to my man. I peeped through the bathroom door and saw him watching TV intently. I lay down next to him and hugged him close.
And I was about to say, when he asked:
"So", are you?
I said: "Yes"
After 4 and half years of marriage, I know petty "words" are never a means of communication between us. Hopefully, we'll sail through this in our own unique way.


P.S. I know I am too late in jotting down my pregnancy journey, I am almost 6 month pregnant now, and the baby belly is just about visible.
God, I can't wait to flaunt my belly.

Boss is always RIGHT. Boss is Never WRONG!

Ever been ambushed by your boss? Yes! You’re not alone. We professionals often go through kill-the-boss moments in life.

I have faced days when I was moved to tears, days when I gave right back, and on some I remained as calm as a cucumber. I’d say in this short span of professional life, I was pretty much able to hold the reins of integrity every time I faced this animal called boss. Virtually I guess we all accept that this animal will remain a part of our life for as long as we decide to work, or till we become a boss ourselves.

Remember that movie Yes Boss! How Shahrukh always agreed with whatever the boss’s said. That’s actually is a true mantra of leading a successful professional life.

1^st Mantra: Boss is always RIGHT
2^nd Mantra: Boss is never WRONG.

My journey, though short have been pretty much amazing. My first boss was Avinash Mudaliar, the quizzer who use to sport crazy long curls (now he has chopped it), and wear half sweaters in the chill of the air-conditioner during the summers. Impromptu, he’d call us in his cabin and ask us questions like, have you heard that no. from Billy Joel? In Times Internet Limited, I met some of the most talented people. I was completely awed by them. Maybe because I was a novice at the time.

If that was awesome, my stint with bestylish.com gave me a direction. Being a Junior Content Writer there, gave me an opportunity to work with two of the most endowed people: Jayashree Jayaraman and Kamal Krishna. If Jayashree is quiet, contended, and talented, KK was simply brilliant and inspiring. They both opened a window in my life which taught me so much about, my capability, work, and more. At that time, I didn’t knew how to cope with them, how to deal with the comments, the criticism, the craziness, the spur-of-the-moment retorts.

 “Hey listen, don’t teach your father how to fuck alright.”
Or
 Your copy lacks SEX, it's not seducing me at all.

That was how it was with them. Right in your face. No frills, no beating around the bush, simple, straightforward and damn hilarious. They sometimes made me feel inept, scared, lonely or even hateful, but they never BORED me. Not for a second. 

Now that I've left them behind, I realize that I've learned a lot from each one of them. I may not have the courage to tell them how impressed I was at the time. I was always aware. But I guess I was too busy trying to make an impression myself.