Brief history
Adhit, I am inspired to write my, as well as your mom's experiences with you, because we are new parents and everyday, rather every moment we have a new experience, sometimes new learning. I don't want to miss these moments, uncaptured. I hope and wish that this becomes a lovely treasure after a long time, when you are grown up. I will put my fullest effort to capture every detail like our emotion, learning, conflicts, day by day. I had missed the first three months of your life's journey in this beautiful world, as you were at Valsad accompanied only by your mom and maternal grandparents.
6 April 2009
Today is your longest journey ever. You are travelling from Valsad, where you are born, to Bangalore (Bengaluru), where you are destined to grow. I came to Valsad on 4 April 2009 midnight, to accompany you and Mom back till Bangalore. Your journey required a lot of preparation and packaging. The entire day of 5th April, was spent in packing, and attending relatives and friends, who came to visit you. Myself and your mom had lot of arguments in packing things. I wanted to minimize the luggage, while your mom didn't even want to leave a small piece of cloth which would be useful to you. At the end of the day, we had packed 5 baggage, with one more anticipated baggage. The temperature at Valsad was too very high (41c), for a person like me from Bangalore. Also I had a tough day on 4th, as I travelled from Bangalore to Mumbai in second class train coach. It was unbearable for me due to humid, high temperature conditions. I had severe headache and neck pain, while packing. I asked your mom to help me with some hot water to drink, which she did too. We left packing half way, and slept. You were so kind not to get up and disturb us in the night, as you did during my last visit to Valsad at the end of January.
We got up fresh on 6th, did the left over packing. The total had gone up to 6 baggage. Yet, we had one more handbag for your napkins and accessories. Also there was a Fisher-price baby-bouncer (easy chair like instrument gifted by Ramesh mama, Naniji's elder brother). That was
not fitting into any bag and had to be carried separately. At the last moment, I worked out an idea of dismantling the already dismantled instrument and packed them in different bags. I was finally happy to have reduced the number of bags by one count. Everyone was set to go. Nanaji and I were watching India-New Zealand 3rd test cricket match, in between the preparation. Nanaji and Naniji were sad, though not apparently, as they would miss you a lot. Toyota Innova (Mom's favourite vehicle) was booked for the trip from Valsad to Mumbai. It was to come at 10 o'clock. We carried the luggage from 2nd floor to ground floor and were waiting for the vehicle, along with Rameshmama, mami, Vijaynana and nani (all these relation terms are with respect to your mom). There was some last minute hick up and vehicle got delayed. Your nanaji and mom's nana got restless and started dialling various numbers and finally Chevrolet Travera came at 10:30 AM instead of Innova. All were little sad that you, rather your mom is leaving Valsad after 5 long month's stay. Even the sky God was sad and dristled (hahaha, I use rain for both happiness and sadness, Don't mind). I sat in the front seat comfortably as Gujarathi damat. You, mom and naniji were in the middle, while nanaji and luggage were in the last seat.
You did not trouble us much on the way. You were comfortably lying on the bedding which we brought from home. You were watching the trees and other vehicles on the road very carefully, as they were new to you. You were fed twice, but unsatisfactorily. Mom and you were not used to feeding on the move, with Indian road jerks. We reached a restaurant named Galaxy, just before Borivili in Mumbai. That was the first time we had lunch outside along with you. You were kept on the sofa between mom and I. You were playing, as we started eating. Half way through, you became restless, and started crying. This is the first time we experienced such interruption during food. I left eating and started tapping, soothing and talking to you, while your mom completed food in hurry. Then she took you out, while we three completed our lunch and proceeded further towards airport.
We reached airport at 2:30 PM for the flight at 4:15 PM. While waiting for mom's friend Shachi and newly married cousin sister Bhumi along with her husband Bhushan, I accompanied your mom and you to the restroom, downstairs, where you were fed a little. You were new to the outside environment, which was very hot and humid (around 40c). You were sweating a lot and crying. So, we removed all your wrappings and I was strolling with you to get you some breeze. My first experience to stroll with my son to sooth him. Then we spend time with above visitors, before entering the airport for check-in at 3:15 PM. First time we realised the advantage of carrying you. There was a queue at the entrance. The security guarding the entrance, noticed mom carrying you and allowed us to bye-pass the other people. Fortunately, our luggage was only 43Kg compared to the limit of 50Kg for 2 person. Mom was not comfortable to carry you, as you were slipping from her grip. So, after security check, I took charge of you, while mom carried the hand baggage. After reaching the departure gate, mom took you to the rest room again to feed before entering the flight. She could not feed properly, as the height of seat was not comfortable and also we were in hurry. All along the path till we sat in the flight, your mom was feeling uncomfortable to carry you in bus, enter the seat and sit. She was blaming her lack of height. Then I helped her adjust and sit with you in the flight. As soon as we sat, an air-hostess came and instructed us on how to carry an infant on-board. She asked mom to feed you while flight taking off and landing, so that you don't feel the pressure difference. We had fed you intermittently, well enough because Hema (my sister) had earlier informed us that we should not feed during take off and landing. Now we were worried how to feed you again, when you were already full stomach. Also, after your tough experience with weather in Mumbai, you were peacefully sleeping after entering the air-conditioned premises of airport and flight. With no other go, as soon as the flight started approaching towards the run-away, we woke you up to feed you. Mom was not comfortable to feed you sitting in the crampy seat. Somehow she managed, but you so fast asleep, that you did not respond. One of the air-hostess offered a blanket to cover and feed, which your mom is not comfortable with. So, we refused. The sad thing was that the flight was stopped near the runway, waiting for its turn, due to heavy air traffic, with-in which we had fed you quite a little. Again we stopped feeding until the flight would take off. Your mom scolded me, that its because of my hurry, that you were fed early and now while take off you would not feed again. I apologised. While taking off, it was really difficult to feed you as you were sleeping well. You mom tapped you to wake up, with no response from you. I kept moving my fingers over your tender feet to keep you awake. The moment flight took off, you started crying. I guess that you felt the pressure difference. Mom started talking to you, while I was tapping on your forehead, as instructed by your mom. Within sometime, you slept again. Then we had snacks offered in flight. I helped your mom by opening wrappers, serving and cutting big paneer pieces, as she could not eat comfortably with you in her hand. Immediately after snacks she also slept. I kept tapping your forehead for almost 40 minutes till the flight landed at Bangalore airport. I was actually afraid, if you would start crying again and other passengers would get disturbed.
After landing in Bangalore, mom and I changed roles, as mom's hand was paining. I carried you and mom carried the luggage. As I was getting out of the flight, one of the air-hostess who was rushing to help mom to carry the luggage, exclaimed by seeing you, "Oh! such a tiny life". You know what Adhit, she actually meant to say, "such a tiny body, not life". How does her life or my life differ from yours, hai na bath?
After getting all our luggage from the conveyor, we hired a taxi to our house. Mom initially wanted to go by volvo, then by a non-air conditioned car etc to reduce the expenditure. But I preferred a air-conditioned car and hired a Tata Indigo. I told her that when I am capable of affording these for our son, let me do it, because I dont know for how long can I afford him such things. It took us around 1 hour 40 mins to reach our house, in which you were sleeping for more than half the time. Mom was even joking that by travelling from Valsad to Bangalore you were experiencing jet-lag. You just got up and started crying out of hunger when we were near Army Command hospital in airport road. Again you were fed in the car itself.
After reaching home, we did a few rearrangements to accommodate you, by bringing the cradle to drawing room. I was telling mom that our house is small to accommodate so many things. Mom was making fun by saying that entry of 5 Kg baby has made me feel that house is small. You were such a nice guy, that you did Chhi after reaching home. Until then your napkin was clean. While your mom was cleaning you and getting you ready, I swept and mopped the drawing room for you to sleep. After you slept, mom and I had dinner which we had got packed from valsad and started unpacking baggage. Halfway through unpacking, I was feeling very tired, with headache and neck pain (hang-over from yesterday's pain :)). I slept earlier than mom. Mom is so capable to handle you and other household chores. Even you are really good not to trouble us unnecessarily. Though it was a tough day, you adjusted yourself well, today.
Some coincidences that came to my mind today, which I discussed with your mom too, was that the flight number in which we travelled from Mumbai to Bangalore was 107, the taxi number with which we travelled from airport to our house was 2591. Sum of digits in both numbers is 8, which your birth date :). I had shortened the phrase "As I see you Adhit" and named this blog as "asicuadhit". After writing the first few paragraphs, I saw its preview as web page and noticed that first four letters of the URL forms ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), which is my domain of work.
Some details about our house arrangements for you. You are so used to sleep in cradle, rather you are intoxicated to sleep in cradle. Without cradle, you don't sleep. While I was preparing our home to receive you both, I told mom that we will adjust without cradle and let us bring him out of this addiction. But mom was very stubborn to get one, before you come here. Otherwise it will be very difficult for you on the first day, as would have gone through lot of changes, in addition to missing your cradle. So, mom suggested that we will ask Sweetyben as they had 2 kids, who are grown up now. She talked to them from Valsad, and got to know that they don't have one. But they helped us in getting a cradle from one of their friend's house. I brought it from their house in our car. I had a tough fight for 3 days to assemble it again, as a pair of customised nut / bolt (square nut) had impaired thread. I repaired the bolt, purchased a new normal round nut and managed to assemble it. Also I had purchased a stand where wet dress (basically your cloth diapers) can be dried inside our house. Now the cradle is kept temporarily in the drawing room. The stand (lets call it diaper stand) is also kept in the drawing room. A plastic chair that was in the drawing room which was my permanent seat while watching TV, writing accounts, reading newspaper or letters and whatsoever I did, was moved to pooja room. Two out of three shelves in the cupboard of mine, was afforded to you. I had moved all my dresses into one shelf. Arrangements were made in the bedroom, to accommodate your bedrolls (many small beds were made by folding old cloths and stitching), Saree cloth covers etc..,. Mom arranged the beds and pillows in such a way that it is comfortable for her to lean by the wall and feed you. The digital clock from pooja room was moved to bedroom, for calculating the time while feeding. With this new arrangement the drawing room looked too small for navigating. We were thinking of reorganising / rearranging the entire setup. Lets see how it goes.
