8 Months!

I know I know - I skipped 7 months completely - but time does fly with this lil one!! So let me give you a round up on what Lil Miss E has been upto!

Now that she is sleep trained - putting her down at night is SO much more easier.  She goes to sleep at around 7:30-8p and is up at 7-7:30a!  Magic!! She fusses sometimes when I put her down for the night but quickly adjusts to falling asleep on her own.  I think what helps the whole process is the bath routine that we have going and the predictability of the routine.  I give her her last feed of the night - let her play a little.  We follow that by oil massage by Daddy, bath by Mommy, pajamas and lotion time, good night kisses, white noise on, a few bhajans by mommy and night night!  It works!  And then Priyank and me watch her on the monitor for the next hour in admiration!  Sigh! :)

We all knew from her grunting newborn days that this one would be a chatterbox.  She doesn't seem to eager to crawl yet - but omg ... she wants to talk.  I have heard bababaa, dadadada, ammmaaa, ya ya, and blah blah (really!).  She is also learning to imitate us lots.  Shakes her head from left to right (the desi no) but I don't think she really means no (yet!).

Food wise - she is getting 3 solid meals and 4 bottles of formula per day.  The bottles vary from as low as 4 oz to 7 oz. 3 solid meals are around 4 oz each and are still pureed everything - zucchini, yellow squash, mung dal, masoor dal, peas, carrots, apples, mango, pears, sweet potato and all that good stuff. I can't tell anymore what she really likes.  Sometimes she eats really well opening her mouth wide and some other times she will seal her mouth at the first bite and it isn't related to the type of veggie we are feeding her.  Who knows!  Hopefully she starts liking her foods more and is a foodie like her mommy! :D

One of my most favorite developments is the ever on smile.  No matter what is going on - we can make her smile.  Even if she is in the middle of crying ... I do something funny or just show her the mirror and I can make her laugh!! Now that's just SO cute - wish I could have that effect for ever!  haha!

She plays more on her own now - doesn't need to have 24/7 attention .. but still cries if she sees us leave her .. like we are abandoning her or something! It's hilarious!

She is developing quite a personality.  Her daddy doesn't think she is stubborn ... but I do.  Her mamoma has classified her as a cuddly bear - ever willing to be cuddled and kissed!! Muah!

Here are some recent shots to wrap this month up:

Sleep Training!

Month 1:

When Esha was born - she started off in the pack and play next to the bed.  Friends warned me, once you bring her into bed, she never leaves till she is FIVE! So pack and play it was.  With nursing every 3 hours and countless waking moments, my broken back begged me to bring her into bed - night feeds would just be so much easier.  So the shift was made.  Esha got on my bed, Priyank got out of the bed, and the king bed search began. I would like to add - I would never recommend this on a spring mattress.  Our foam mattress allowed us to move without having her being affected.

Months 2-3: 

I thoroughly enjoyed co-sleeping.  I was all about the family bed - it just worked.  I could feed her without moving much .. she was next to me .. I could watch her all night long.  It was heaven. 

Month 4-5: 

Our king mattress/bed was ordered. I went back to work.  People started asking the annoying question - Is she sleeping through the night? At first, I was like - I hope so ...soon! And then as weeks went by and my work got crazy, instead of improvement, I noticed a sleep regression.  There was a week or two where I saw her sleep 6-7 hours at a stretch .. but not anymore. She was up every 3 hours and some times every 2 hours!  I was getting NO sleep. I was also using the boob to pacify (folks warned me about this) - but in the middle of the night and in the state of my extreme fatigue - it was my easiest option! 

Month 5: 

Sleep training reading begins.  Of course I couldn't bear to hear her cry for even a second.  So I read the No Cry Sleep solution. Then I got Healthy Sleep habits book. The books went on and on about suggestions - but couldnt find anything that I already wasn't doing.  I already had a bed time ritual set - feed, massage, warm bath, lullaby, cuddle time, bed time. Only issue was instead of putting her to bed awake, I was rocked her to sleep and then placed her quietly down and tippitoed out. I knew that was the issue - but the books provided me no solution.  Finally, I decided that a change needed to happen - So I read "Solve your child's sleep problems" by the defamed Dr. Ferber or commonly known as the Cry it out (CIO) guy!  This might be horrifying to many of you .. but P and I made the decision to Ferberize our lil baby! 

Month 6:

So one fine week .. after she turned 6 months, and while Priyank was away at work, I decided to give it a go.  I had read that once you make the decision, you can't go back.  Cause then the baby learns your breaking point and knows how much to cry before you give in. I had to do it when Priyank was away as clearly, I am the stronger one and he is a total softy when it comes to the darling daughter. Night 1 was horrible - horrible horrible!! But it also was the 1st night she slept from 9p to 7a EVER! I blamed it on the fatigue from crying.  Night 2 .. was not half as bad .. but still more crying than I would ever have wanted.  Night 3 was pleasantly better.  By Night 4 .. I hardly heard a peep.  

It's now been nearly 4 weeks since we ferberized - and the girl still sleeps through the night!!!!! 

So yes - I will recommend this method to my friends if they say they have a similar issue, I will do this on my next child, and I don't have any regrets. I know there will be plenty more opps in the future where she will have to be retrained (vacations, sickness etc.) ... but hopefully it won't have to  be this bad! 

Half done!

Turning 6 months was a very exciting time for us!  I was finally ready to give Esha solids and also introduce formula!  The AAP recommends waiting till 6 months for solids and so I did.  I was in no hurry cause it adds it own set of work .. but now that it's begun, I love it!! 

Play time: 

Esha is still not rolling over - makes me thing she is going the lazy route like her sister, Shria. But she is babbling lots and definitely has a personality.  She is also teething like crazy so can have very fussy days. She is also biting everything in sight. She absolutely loves her jumperoo and gets even more excited if you jump in front of her while she jumps! We think she looks like a lil monkey in it. LOL! She is not a big fan of playing on her own - not good!! We are hoping once she learns to move - this will improve. She can sit now with support ... yay! No stranger anxiety yet - not looking forward to that phase! 

Mum-mum: 

1st foods she seems to love - Apples, pears, roasted sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash (basically all the sweet stuff - can she be more gujju?) 

Foods she seems to not be a big fan of - Carrots, Summer squash

We have also started her on oat and rice cereal which she doesn't seem to have much of an opinion of. 

I finally introduced formula.  Had a lot of fear of how her stomach would handle it - and if she would like the taste - but she seems to have adapted excellently.  

Sleep: 

For 6 long months, Mom and Dad have sacrificed their sleep.  I don't think I remember what 8 hours of sleep is .. or 6 hours or 4 for that matter!! But now is the time sleep training begins.  A lot of people begin sleep training at a younger age, but I was comfortable with doing it at 6 months esp. since her 6 month appointment told me that she is growing well and should have no need for a night feed. I will write another post on sleep training and my experience.  

Other happenings: 

Daadi left and Mamoma returned.  Esha is so blessed to have so much grandma love! Kum Mauu came to visit as well with Shria .. got some awesome picture of the girls. One for the frames! 

5 Months - Almost half way there!

I missed a month in the middle .. oh well .. here's an attempt to get back on track. :) She is 5 months old now and has changed tremendously over the last 2 months! She is such a smiley baby - every morning my last words to her before I head out to work is - Mommy is going to miss you baby! And I really do! With every passing day, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to experience motherhood.  The morning smiles, the curiosity, the wide eyes, the bonding - oh how I love it all! 

What's been happening in Esha world - well she has been sleeping better with just one nightly feed. She does wake up looking for her paci a few times but since she is tightly swaddled, mommy has to oblige. She is still in the family bed - mommy aims at getting her into the crib by 6 mos. (ha! Good luck, right?).  She seems to be teething - since drool and biting are a common occurrence. Tummy time is a lot more enjoyable. She can turn from tummy to back but prefers to scream for help instead of doing it herself. (Lazy!!) Her curiosity is just so fascinating.  She is constantly looking around to absorb everything in her surroundings. Colors, faces, smells, people, sounds .. everything. Swaddle helps her go down easy but Mama fears the swaddle weaning.  

Esha also had lots and lots of family time in the last 2 months.  First Kum Mau visited at the end of Nov, then Daada - Daadi flew in early Dec., Mamoma left early Dec., houston trip with Jay fua-rusha bua, ruchik chaacha and anjali chaachi & badi bua followed by abhi bua and saurabh fua's visit. Phew! All that interaction definitely helped Esha grow ten fold! She definitely is a social bee and loves the company and the attention! She also loves to babble.  She is going to be a talker for sure. Cutie!! Can't wait! She definitely missed all the family when they left - but is totally enjoying day time with Daadi! Daadi wants to take her back with her in her purse.  Let's see her get past Daddy first!! 

Her face is still a 100% Daddy look alike but there have been times she has been suggested to look like Daada.  No Mommy in there yet! Sigh! Maybe eyes .. who knows! :) 


Round up: 

Food - still a 100% mama's milk and fattening up well with it! ;) 
Toys - Balls, rattles, anything with music, teether
Gadgets - none really 
Best times of the day - Morning time, evening massage, evening bath, looking in the mirror
Sounds - screams, screeches ,ayyyee (like a gunda), akhaa.  

And now a pic of how funny this munchkin's expressions can be: 

3 months new!

Has it been 1.5 months already since I last posted?? Wow!  Time does fly when you have a newborn!  Well, in the last month - Esha already completed her 1st domestic flight to Atlanta and 1st road trip to Dallas.  So we have all been keeping busy!

Personality changes - Esha is babbling away - knows most of the vowels - aa oo eee and says them out aloud with a whole lot of emotions and expressions. This little thing has a VERY loud voice and an even louder cry. Daddy is convinced that she has swallowed a loud speaker when we weren't looking.  Now we just need to get her to swallow a silencer! ;) She is being fed on demand - which means I get some nights with almost no sleep. But as always daddy and grandma are such big help and make sure they give mommy some rest! She has been learning to smile lots - lots and lots of social smiles.  And lots of playtime.  Another change is learning to realize that talking to people is SO  much more fun than being left alone on a play mat! Oh Boy! Tummy time is getting better - maybe tolerable for ~3-4 mins at a time now. One thing she loves is her crib mobile time! The moving animals definitely gets her squealing!

Big 3 month change - back to work for me!  Very depressing - very hard .. but so blessed to have grandma's that are giving up their precious time to make this transition easy!

Family time in Atlanta - 2 weeks of non-stop fun!  Esha seemed to have grown so much all of a sudden. Must be the constant interaction with the other kiddos making her eager to grow.  Oh time .. please stop and let me soak it all in!

The transition to the 3-6 months clothes have started.  SAD!!  I don't have a newborn in hand anymore! SIGH!

Now for some pics since I last left off!

1st outing - Aunty Sha's for pumpkin carving! 

MONKEY! 

Still very cute! 

Best pic to date! 

Aunty Diane visits! 

Bumble bee for halloween! 

Mommy's attempt on a photo booth shoot! ;) 

At Shria's Bday # 1!

We are bumble bees! 

With the sissy and the mauu!

At Reema's godh bharai

All smiles for Daddys funny faces! 

New outfit for Diwali! 

New outfits for Diwali! 

All ready for Diwali potluck at Anars

Modelling for mommy! 

How adorable is this?!?!?

At Reema's Godh Bharai in Dallas! 

Week 7 ...

Another week has gone by and I swear I have no idea where it's gone.  Everyone told me life would get better after 6 weeks .. and it most definitely did. She sleeps longer, sounder, feeding is going great, pumping isn't that scary, we have had the courage to go out with her!  All in all a great week.  Esha had quite a few fun visitors this week and she was as always in her best behavior!  I have a feeling she is going to be one social butterfly!  :( 

Future Leader of the pack!! Aadit the cutie! 

Oh my God .. how adorable are these munchkins - Selin and Sera  visit! 

Work BFF, Leyla - the baby whisperer!

Now my baby is a wubbanub addict! 

Ellie the elephant! 

Aunty Girja flies in all the way from SEA!!

Anuj kaaka needs lot more pics!!  He has seen Esha the most and has the least # of pics with her :( 

How the Texans brave a mild cold front!! Ridiculous! 

Mommy's FAV cupcake! 

Eeek smiles!  

More smiles!!  SIGH! 

My lil doll!  Can't get enough of this one! **MELT**

Adios all! See you in Week 8! 

Half way point!

Baby Esha turned is SIX weeks old!  Which means BOO! Half my maternity leave is over!  I am NOT looking forward to going back as of now. I feel like I have *just* started getting the hang of motherhood.  And Gosh!  every minute she seems to just grow and learn something new.  I am sooo fascinated by nature. So amused that WebMD baby tells me my baby is supposed to do this and that this week and she does just that!  How interesting that no matter what culture and background and financial status you have, all babies around the world develop pretty much the same! God, Nature, all of it .. is just so mesmerizing and beautiful! 

Now for some Esha updates: 

Personality: We are doing lots of new things this week!  Like 'playing'!  Our alert time has increased exponentially!  We are getting lots of alert spurts throughout the day and we are also seeing signs of a schedule happening! YAY! Lots of Cooing and talking happening. I still desperately try to get a real smile happening - but for now it's just mommy flashing her 32 teeth and BabyE looking very confused!  :D 

Sleep: Tend to have a 4 hour cycle at night (yay for more than 2 hrs of sleep).  Sleep is getting better and deeper.  Naps are happening, but are very swing dependent.  Need to figure out how that's going to move to the crib! Night sleep has finally moved to the pack n play (from co-sleeping with me on the bed)!  Woo hoo! Now that Esha is off in her own space at night, Daddy gets to move back into the room! PDaddy used to be a really slight sleeper, but Daddyhood has definitely changed that! ;-) 

Feeds: MUCH better!  6 weeks is really the turning point.  If you are a new mom or mom to be and are thinking of breastfeeding, the important thing is to stick it out for 6 weeks and you will pass through the hump! Both baby and you need those weeks to understand and learn each other.  It might happen even sooner for you ... so just be patient. :)  BIG accomplishment of this week - Bottle feeding has begun.  To get BabyE to not reject bottles later (which is apparently very common), the docs recommend giving her one bottle feed per day or every 2 days.  So we are doing just that.  (Which also means mommyG has finally overcome her fear of 'the pump'! ugh!) 

Accomplishments of the week: 
1. Bottle feeding - piece of cake! 
2. 1st official outing to the temple followed by lunch at Swad - slept through it all and so again, piece of cake!
3. Officially not a newborn anymore.  BabyE has transitioned to 0-3 mos. clothing and No. 1 diapers!  (Sniff!)
4. Pooped on Daddy and Peed on Mamoma! Woot woot!

Now for some fun pics: 

Temple Outing with Mamoma

Temple Outing with Daddy! 

Check out my smile ... only for Mamoma! 

Mommy dresses me Govinda style! 

Thank you Aunty Diane for the wonderful headband and booties! 

Daddy loves talking to me about his day and I love listening! 

How cute is this outfit?  Thank goodness for sisters like Shria!

I am So playful now that I am 6 whole weeks old! 

My sexy look! ;) 

Check out that tongue ... MELT! 

Daddy pretending to read! 

My Bed hair look! 

YAY!  Daddy gets to enjoy a feed session with me!! 

Self-Soothing ... means Mommy Melting! 

Neighbor Grandma Shelley pays me a visit and I listened to her very attentively the whole while!

Daddy doesn't clean my poopy diapers .. so I pooped on him!  Didn't want him to miss out! ;-) 

Adios World.  See you in Week 7!