Mary had a little lamb

Image source : Pantoufle Design

My Morning routine

Set the alarm for 5.00 AM.

Snooze it till 6.00 AM.

Walks like a zombie to the bathroom.

Splashes cold water to the face.

Still sleepy?

Pinches self.

Ouch.

Goes to kitchen.

Loads body with caffeine.

The never-ending “to do list”

Cook breakfast & lunch

Load/unload washing machine (Separate wash for baby clothes)

Put clothes out to dry

Brooming & Mopping

Clean Bathrooms

Put dried dishes to the respective cabinets

Fold dry clothes

Make healthy baby food

Wash / Disinfect Toys

Clean the high chair

Sterilisation of baby bottles/containers

Wash dishes

Hand-wash certain clothes

Finish this post

Make a list of groceries to be brought

Plan tomorrow’s meals

& the list is endless

Babies have a sixth sense

                Babies can read minds. Any attempt to eat in peace will have to wait. Ryan gets a signal alert every time his amma takes that very first bite. For mother’s ‘Lunch is best when served cold’

All things boy-ish

                My new gen baby is all about technology. He loves chargers, wires, remote, phones, plugs, switches& anything with lights.

                He is totally into automobiles just like his dad. He is fond of wheels and anything in motion.

Music is the way to his soul. It is by far the only means to tame him. Keeping that in mind I have learnt most of the nursery rhymes by heart. So much to the extent that I find myself humming to these rhymes while taking a bath

Naptime

                The real struggle sets in when he resist going to sleep. Why isn’t he sleeping? I would totally love to snuggle and sleep in those cosy baby blankets all day with no worries. After singing countless nursery rhymes (&making up some) he goes to sleep on my lap. The next herculean task is the transfer from lap to bed. This needs to be done with German precision and delicate handling like a dental surgeon in the middle of an instrument retrieval. Once that is done, get your pending work done as much as possible. I call this the “golden hour” (sometimes minutes)

                  Fifteen minutes later.

                  I hear Ryan’s cry again. It will be the most precious pathetic cry. I see his cute puppy eyes and immediately give in. I can’t let him cry. I comfort him singing a few lullabies only to find those big eyes staring back at me. He is probably thinking “ Amma , Why do you even bother? I have woken up. You can try your ”rock a bye baby” some other time

Waiting for hubby

                  When Rohit returns from work I pass our little king to him. I usually relax or take a nap. LOL. Just kidding . I so totally wish. Instead I go to the kitchen and cook dinner. After dinner hubs sing a few melodious songs to Ryan to which he immediately falls asleep. Relief flood both our faces when Ryan is out for the night.
....

Well, that’s where we are wrong.

Because.....

Ryan is UP AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

                  Rohit attempts to put baby to bed again. I will not see both of them emerge out of the room for another half an hour to one hour depending on the baby’s mood. I sneak into the room after washing dishes along with a final round of cleaning only to find both of them sound asleep.

                 Now the struggle of whether I should go to bed or actually do something for myself begins. Should I dip my feet in a bucket of water while listening to music and searching for baby food recipes or should I just sleep. I end up doing the latter.  I should be celebrating my freedom at this moment but nowadays sleep is a luxury. ( It was once taken for granted).

Trip to the mall.

                      We pack our bag as if we are going to Mars. Always over pack ‘cause you never know what you will need. Once you reach there then that’s when the tantrums begin.   Ryan  sees anything fluorescent& start screaming for it. You end up scolding your baby in public. After that you better be ready to face all those hawking eyes of people who are scoring your parenting skills.
                      Ryan knows the word "NO" . I think all babies do. NO will probably be his first word before saying " appa" or "amma". If I say NO  in a stern voice then the scream fest begins. His shrill piercing will burst open your ear drums Not only yours, whole of Bangalore and maybe whole of India.

BRUSH YOUR SHOULDERS OFF

                    The public will always have something to say.If you scold your child they call you strict. If you don’t scold they call him a brat.If you spend time with them they will say “let them be independent. Don’t be possessive”. If they are left alone then they call you careless.  

                    People will draw conclusions but don’t give ears to that. Brush your shoulders off to the dirt you just confronted.

                   You know you are a good  mother. You don’t need to prove it to anyone. All moms are wonderful . Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Parenting is done differently by everyone. There is no right way to do it. So ,do it your way.

Points to be noted

*Vomits can be projectile in nature. 

* Say good bye to long earrings, pretty necklace, long nails(hygiene) & open hair. 

 * You won't be able to engage in a phone conversation or video call for longer than 8-10 seconds without interruption.

*While putting on a diaper /clothes your wrestling skills will beat the Olympic winners.

* Babies send off gas bombs. Especially when there are guests around leaving them thinking you are the culprit.

*Glass showpieces in our house are framed to shatter all of my nerves leaving them in a state of anxiety

*I cannot remember what “ not tired” felt like.

*You can find ‘Fifty shades of grey’ under my eyes. 

*Feeding Ryan a meal takes eternity

*Sometimes I feel like I’m the one who needs a diaper and a stroller

I’m an octopus

This juggling act between baby, cooking & chores makes me feel like an octopus, I also came to the realisation that I can do almost everything with just one hand. My arms yelp from carrying him. Over the months  I might develop a few biceps without  hitting the gym.

Poverty stricken tummy

I can hear my stomach growl at regular intervals. Breastfeeding a baby makes me feel like the baby sucks out all the nutrients leaving me empty. This makes me want to eat everything yet I have no time to eat anything. I open the fridge. I see nothing interesting and instant. I close the fridge. I grab myself an apple. Yes I’m good to go for another five hours.

Eagle eyes

Babies have eyes with invisible magnifying lens around it. They can see that nano particle which you missed out to broom. The rate of speed at which it goes to their mouth is faster than the rate at which you come running.

What goes on inside my head

My baby is standing up. Yay! Another milestone. Wait will he fall and bump his head

Is he going to climb that chair?

He is about to throw a ball at the T.V

He didn’t eat much today. Isn’t he hungry.

He has grown up so fast. When did this happen. Soon he will start school. Will he have friends? ( I’m a hyperventilating OCD ridden mother .I need to stop panicking.)

Weird things friends say

1.      We never see you anymore

2.      Tried calling you

3.      You were a week late to reply to my texts

4.      You are not FUN anymore(Wait till you have a kid ; that’s when the FUN begins

Take away

For  the entire mom's out there I  know it’s hard but you will get through this period eventually and while at it share your adventures. It helps to laugh out the frustrations. I want all the mother’s out there to know that you are not alone. Once this stage is over you will miss it dearly.For me there is never a dull moment with baby Ryan.

Tiring ?

Yes.

Worth it?

Absolutely.

Being a mother is worth every stretchmark and sleepless night. When I look into the mirror I see a mother. It's the biggest honour, love and blessing.

P.S: My middle name is Mary and hence the title of this post.