The first few days

The wise men who seek salvation must see a baby smile. I wouldn't mind being born over and over again to live that single moment. 

This is a small snapshot of my journey as a mother....Thanks for walking by my side.

Jan 17th - I notice there is no marking on the calendar. Its been 4 days and nothing yet.

Jan 23rd - Hari gets me a home test and its comes positive. We are happy :) We are anxious the next moment. The next moment we are smiling and happy again :) The gravity of the plus mark on the small window of the test stick has not even started to sink in. We have no idea what we have gotten ourselves into. But we are sure its time to smile and be happy and hug and kiss. And that is what we did :) Somewhere deep inside there was a lot of joy. And it came out…all the way out.  The very same day we pass on the news to both sets of parents. Their joy and surprise knew no bounds :) It was our first anniversary and what a joyful gift to give our families! 

Feb 18th - First doctor appointment. Loads of smiles and wishes from every face in the clinic. My first taste of stardom! :) 

Feb 22nd - I am sooooooooo tired. And sooooooooooo hungry at the same time. I could eat and sleep all day. Its as though I am sedated 24 hours. So much so that even my blogging has come to a stand still. All I find time and energy for is to cook and eat.  This is how its been all month. I fall asleep after bfast, then wake up for lunch and sleep again. Its not nice. Its not funny. Its not great to have no control over yourself like this. Today I dreamt of food. I was so hungry that I wanted to get up and start munching on those biscuits…right there on the table. But I was so tired and sleepy that I couldn't get up. Man….what a weird feeling it was. Finally I got up and ate. And you know what? Food makes me hungrier! <wide eyed and baffled>  

Mar 4th - I am in mysore :) here for my sis-in-laws (Vinu's) wedding. Being home is great !!! Mom-in-law makes the most wonderful things to eat. I am still on jet lag and I sleep during the day. My eating marathon touches new heights today. I woke up at 12, 2.30 and again at 4 am to fill my gas tank. Phew! Its most annoying when you lose sleep over hunger. 

Mar 7th - Very very very busy days. Acidity is killing me. Liquid Digiene is a life saver. Constipation is not helping at all. Food at in-laws is a little more spicier than what I make. Wedding preps are running at top gear and it would be very inconsiderate of me not to adjust and eat what everybody else is eating. There is no time to be cooking special orders. Dad is so understanding. He brings tender coconut and watermelon home just for me. He knows I wont ask so he makes sure I eat these. 

Mar 11th - First doctor appointment in Mysore. It was a very sore experience. The hospital is not yet familiar with the concept of "appointments" and the queue is sooooooooooo long. Had to wait for 3 hours before I could get 'darshan' of the doctor. This is a place where pregnant ladies come. We get hungry, our tanks leak and we get tired soon. Shouldn't time sensitivity be of prime importance here? But then again, this is India my girl. Sometimes, shit happens. Anyways, she shoves into my hands prescriptions for iron and calcium supplements. That's it. 3 mins of interaction with the star after 3 hrs of waiting. 

Mar 13th - We collect the test reports. This also takes 2.5 hrs in the hospital. The tests come out in 5 mins but doc takes her own sweet time to come and have a look at it. Again, she spends 2 mins with me and says everything is fine. 

Mar 17th - Amma and appa have come to mysore to see me and take part in vinu's marriage. I am extremely happy :) :) :) Its the happiest moment in a girl's life to meet her parents when she is going to become one :) They have got so many goodies for me! Their happiness also knows no bounds. :) :) :)

Mar 19th - Wedding time!! I am tired and very sleepy most of the time. But I gather myself up for the evening reception and manage to stay on stage. But I missed the final family photo shoot :(. On the day of the wedding I spend most time in the bride's room. I know I am not gonna be any of the pictures. But cant help it. 

Mar 23rd - Sleeping on the left side is not my style. My left shoulder hurts a lot. It cannot take all my body weight (which is exponentially growing) all night. Today it hurt so bad that I woke up. I know there are many more such nights to come.

Mar 28th - We go shopping with Madhu in Bangalore. Road side shopping is the best therapy in the whole world. Its a wonder how all tiredness flies away. We bought loads of clothes for baby and madhu got me a green colored casual wear silk sari! 

Apr 3rd - Back in parsippany and straight to the doctor's clinic. I get to know that I have enough iron in my system and the extra supplement tablets given by doc in mysore is what is causing all the digestion issues. Turns out excessive dietary supplements are not good for health and I think doctors back home just give them to everyone assuming we are all deficient. Or maybe they just want to make more money for themselves and the medicine companies. 

May 5th - I had bought a Winnie the Pooh cap and booties kit. It had 2 sets - one piglet which was pink and the other was the donkey which was grey-blue (indicating one for a girl and one for a boy) . I did not know which one to keep. Today is the ultrasound test that will reveal the sex of the baby. I will get to know if I have to keep the ass or the pig :) Annnndddddd……. ITS A GIRL !!!!!!! :) Hari has his wish fulfilled. Though I had no strong preferences, he was really hoping for a daughter.

May 8th - I start feeling some movement in my tummy. Not sure if its the baby or just gas :| 

May 14th - We leave for SFO ! Its our babymoon and we going to Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley and Half Moon Bay. I am sure we will have a great time at the Ritz Carlton ;) 

May 17th - Ritz Carlton is amazing! Though its rainy and cloudy, we are put up in one of the best hotels in the country and I am thoroughly enjoying the stay. Spa, great food and driving along CA1.

May 23rd - The iPad fell off my lap, I bent down in a very fast jerky movement to catch it and I thought I heard a crunch on the right side bottom rib and that FREAKED ME OUT! I had no idea what broke. Was it my rib? Did I break one of my baby's bones? I was praying from the bottom of my heart that whatever it was; let it be me. I suddenly realized how much I loved my baby and how I was scared to death just thinking something could have wrong with her. I was praying and almost in tears, until she started moving. Ooooohhh…what a relief. I frantically started going through all websites and everybody assured me that the mother's womb was the safest place for a baby and I couldn't have possibly hurt her. I am not very sure, but I want to believe the experts. 

May 26th - The pain beneath my right rib is slowly beginning to fade. But baby girl keeps coming up to the same point and keeps kicking/pushing on my pain point. I have to pat her down to move away. Sorry sweetie… but it really hurts :(