Hello, this is baby girl!

Hello all – You have seen my photographs, you have heard about me but mamma has never given a chance to let me talk to you all. Well, I grabbed the pen from her and decided I would write a few lines. Oh, well the keypad, let’s say.

I turned six months old on Dec 17.08 and mamma decided to wait till Dec 31.07 to give me my first taste of solid food. Hellou I hear that a lot of my pals out there got to taste solids when they were four months old. And she finally really got me started on two solid meals a day only on Jan 5.08! My brother seems to have instilled a dread of feeding solid meals in her that she postponed it until she couldn’t do it anymore without being struck by severe guilt. And she is not telling you this and let me tell you she is a paranoid believer in jinxing things even just by thinking about it. But I will tell you – pretend you didn’t hear it. She is secretly enjoying feeding me solids because this is an utterly new feeling for her. I mean, my brother took about half an hour for one tablespoon of solids when he was 6m old. Me on the other hand, I am taking pity on her and give her such joy when she turns around to see the time – only 15 min and I am done with two tablespoons of cereal! Mamma – don’t you just love me just for this?! Now, don’t take it too easy – I may suddenly decide to make your life difficult – so just keep on appreciating me for this!

I am only six months old and she has already dragged me on three different trips – that’s 6 flights to and fro in all. I sure hope she has no plans of dragging my brother and me on any more flights for a while. I have to say though – it’s nice and cozy since daddy always holds me even when I am napping when we are on the flight. I guess I should enjoy this until I turn two. Every one in the flight tells my mom that we are such good kids on the flight. People make a big deal of ear pressure but I don’t have a problem so far since I am always sucking on my thumb. I don’t feel too much of it.

I visited every one in my mom’s family during the New Year’s Eve holiday. It was great fun. I completely forgot that back home, I used to actually be let down on the floor on a blanket to play. At my mama’s place, there was so much competition to hold me that I was constantly in someone’s arms. Every one loved cuddling me. My brother on the other hand doesn’t like being cuddled by any one other than mom at most times. Not even dad. He only allows a few people that he is very fond of and knows well to carry him. He didn’t care at all that every one paid more attention to me. I don’t know why my mom worries about this and feels so bad about it. He really doesn’t care mom and it’s his own doing you know! He will play with people but not let any one touch him. Well anyone other than his mama, grandma and our cousin brother in that house full of people. Wonder if I too will become like him in a year’s time…mamma, you keep guessing. I am not going to tell you what my plans are.

My mom’s sister and my cousin (her daughter) told my mom that I am the happiest baby on earth! I did not cry and I kept smiling and was really enjoying myself amongst all that loving bunch of people – I earned my title you know! Mom doesn’t even want to hear it for fear of – yeah that same old thing! Jinx!

My brother and I interact and play with each other a lot these days. It seems like the most natural thing to do but mom and dad go nuts over this. Mom has begun to really make use of the fact that we have each other! When I am bored and whine a tiny bit asking for some entertainment, she asks my brother to ride his train in front of me. I quite enjoy this – he is so big – he can even ride trains you know! My brother is the best brother ever I think – he loves me so much. He is constantly pulling my hand and ramming his head on me when mamma is nursing me. I am so used to this now, if he is not around, I find it strange and keep looking around for him. My brother even gives “pet names” for me – he calls me “Guluvil” and just this morning he came up with this name “Lilibi” for me. Mom and dad think he has come up with perfect names for me. I too like those names.

I don’t sleep through the night – I do wake up to feed once – around 3.00 am but I go back to sleep soon after that. I wake up by 5.15 am every morning but it’s working out well because dad likes to wake up early and feels this is a good reason to do so. I am usually singing and cooing in the dark for some 10 –15 minutes before dad really gets out of bed and comes to get me. I give such a beaming smile and laugh when he takes me out of the crib – dad just delights in this, I can see. He just dotes on me mom, you better watch out – your position in the favorites list may be getting weaker! I am at my best in the morning – too bad mom misses all of this. She sleeps late and wakes up later along with my brother – around 7.00 am. She does wake up to feed me around 6.00 am but she goes back to sleep. Dad and I have our morning time – I watch him make his coffee and grab at every thing – the coffee filter, the mug, the spoon. But he is sweet; he still carries me around and does every thing with one hand. We then come upstairs and I sit on his lap while he reads the newspaper. I keep grabbing at it – so these days he gives me something to chew on – like the empty cereal bag - while he reads. It makes a lot of noise but it is too thick for me to really bite off it – so dad gives it to me while he peacefully reads.

My aunt – dad’s sister – has sent me the “Pack n play” that my cousins used when they were my age. I am not sure what to expect of this thing. Hope mom doesn’t put me in it too often – I like being free to roll around and wander and ingest all the random bits of stuff I come across on the rug. My brother often makes a mess of his “coco krispies” and some bits of it get left behind on the rug – I love discovering those and have my mom panic and run and grab it from my hand.

Mom cannot possibly leave me on the bed and go too far away from me since I roll around in a second and come to the edge of the bed. She tells my brother to keep a watch on me – he is pretty good at this – he actually goes and tells her “Mamma, kutti baby carpet’lendhu floor’ku vandhurthu” and she comes running and puts me back in the center of the rug. I now sit by supporting my hand on the floor – though mom doesn’t often let me do this. She should remember to do this more often.

Mom takes my brother and me for a walk in the double stroller. Let me tell you, I am glad Christmas is over! I now don’t have to listen to a running commentary from him as to which “Uncle” (he refers to all the neighbors as Uncle or Aunty!) has turned the Christmas lights on and whose inflatable Santa has lost air and so on. “Santa flat ayitar” he screams to mamma and she has to say, “Amam da kanna, Santa’ku air pump pannanum Aunty”. He will keep repeating this until she says that in response. Often times, it is close to my nap time when we are returning from our walk and I start to whine having to listen to all this when I would rather be sleeping cozily in the warmth of my crib! Mom then walks really fast with the stroller so she can get home soon and make me sleep in my crib. My poor mom having to please both me and my brother – me wanting to get home and my brother wanting to stay out longer!

Wow folks, I sure can talk about myself on and on! Look how long this has turned out to be already. I better stop here or you may fall asleep – if you even got this far in the first place!

Ba-bye! Take care. See you tomorrow – like my brother says!