Snippets - 2

.... from the Little One's second month. [I can't believe how time flies when a baby is around. Both the hours in a day and the days in a month.]

* I finally relented and cut her hair. It was getting into her eyes and ears too much for comfort. I went snip-snip when she was asleep, but she woke up when I was cutting the hair on the base of her neck. So the hairline out there looks like India's coastline, but that's ok. She now looks fresh, clean, and much happier.

* People have started looking at her and saying, "Ahhh, NOW she looks beautiful". And I go, "Huh, excuse me? What do you mean "NOW"?" [Excuse a mother her indulgence. This mother thought that her child looked good even in the ultrasound images].

* She smiles and squeals and gurgles and talks non-stop. And she holds her head steady and turns it this way and that looking at anything and everything with big, wondering eyes. Curious kid, this.

* She recognizes me instantly - such a heady feeling :)

* She beats her limbs non-stop. I sometimes awaken at night not by her crying but because the bed is shaking from the force of her limb-flailing.

* S has suddenly graduated from she-is-too-small-i-am-afraid-to-carry-her to is-she-crying-give-her-to-me. When he carries her, she goes about with a everybody-tortures-me-look-how-happy-and-secure-i-am-in-papa's-arms look.

* She now has different signals for different needs. If she is hungry, she rams her fist down her throat. If she is sleepy, she rubs her ears and cheeks with the back of her hand. I am still learning to recognize the "I am wet" expression.

* Her boredom cries are so funny - it like she is pretending to cry, but she is not really crying!

* She now has a new cry - the protest cry.

* Take out a camera and she stops smiling. N, my little sis PeeVee's shutterbug friend came over with her fantastic camera and proceeded to click away at this kid as if she is a celebrity, and all she did was cry and be grumpy. The moment N left for the airport, she became her usual cheerful smiling self. Nevertheless, N got us some fab snaps. Thank you, N!

* She loves her bath and the massage preceding it. She ruins it all by screaming her lungs out when we wrap her up in the towel to bring her out of the bathroom.

* Let's face it - she likes men. She fixes her stare and talks excitedly to men - what does she see different in them? Can't be facial hair... none of the men who interact with her regularly have facial hair.... strange.

* My parents (I am staying with them now for a while) are besotted with her. They drop all their work and sit by her and watch and play with her for hours. Then they suddenly look at the clock and say, "Is THAT the time? Is the clock right? Are you sure?" Then they look at her and say, "You time waster!" She replies by smiling and batting her eyelashes at them, and that is enough - they settle down again to play with her - work be damned :)

Each day, there is something new, something to smile about, and something to look forward to! There are innumerable trying times too, but which path in life is smooth?

Oh man, there she is, she has woken up and is looking at objects on the wall and smiling at them, and waving her arms around and playing by herself. Ta-da for now!