Some things I learned about being a parent

They say you learn only so much by reading. Anu is voracious reader and is typically more on top of things than I am. But when Gayatri was born, the little girl made me open baby care books too. But hands-on is what teaches you the most.

It is interesting for parents to watch their little one do different things. Mornings are a lot of fun when Gayatri wakes up. She wakes up with a smile and is super excited once she is cleaned.
The good thing about kids, they give signs which the parents should look out for. For example, I have come to realize that when Gayatri pulls at her ears, we know she is sleepy. With grandparents around, we learn these things by word of mouth, but without them, its all about observing and learning.

An interesting challenge during the first few months was taking Gayatri out in the car. Watching the traffic light turn red in front of you was a nightmare to the ears. Gayatri would start crying if the car stopped making driving a challenge at times. I've met many parents who had the similar experiences, though none of them had a solution and neither to I. As kids grow up they change. Now Gayatri does not cry when the car stops, which is a relief, but there are new challenges. We now need to figure out ways to keep her occupied, sitting in a car seat facing the other way can be quite boring -- picture yourself doing that :-).

As parents read more in books, the more paranoid they tend to be when their kid does not do something. You can hear people talk my kid is 4 months old and still does not turn on her side, does that mean her development is slow? My kid is still sleeps with her hands clasped, my neighbor's kid is younger and already has his hands open while sleeping :o. Each kid is different and they do things in their own time. They will do things when the time is right for them. Gayatri kept trying to turn on her back when she turned 4 months and succeeded a couple of times, but since then has never tried, I guess she will when she wants to. Long story short, read to learn but don't swear by the books.

Anu and I had challenges when the baby was a little over a month. Gayatri became allergic to foods Anu ate like wheat, nuts etc. We never really managed to figure out what caused the allergies, but over time as she grew to 4 months, her body started accepting foods she reacted to earlier. Now Anu is no more on a diet and Gayatri seems fine (touch wood). It was a good thing to stop all foods when she became allergic, though Anu took a beating in her health because of that. However, I believe one should however not avoid certain foods completely for a long time unless the allergy gets serious enough to warrant that. The only way to fight an allergy is head-on. We are glad Anu got back to eating everything, we don't potentially want the kid to have some allergy at a later age.

The joy of being a parent is going back home from work and seeing your kid smile at you when you enter the house. The sleepless nights, the frustration when she wakes up when you try to put her in the crib after spending an hour trying to put her to sleep are nothing when compared to the joy. We are now enjoying Gayatri's 6th month and I can say that these are the best times ever.