Amsterdam update!!!

Its now been 5 months since we came to the Netherlands. Vihaan has now adjusted completely to the change in scenery and timing.

Every time on travelling to any place in Europe, the first thing that struck me has been the empty streets, the shops closing early, remaining closed on Sundays. But come to think of it, it is all designed so that people can spend more time with their families, so that they can relax and take a break from work. So it is actually a blessing.

Living in Netherlands has been a very different experience from staying in Switzerland a few years ago. Partly because of Vihaan's everyday schedule and partly because of the previous stay in Europe, we never felt like we moved to a different place. Our days are tightly packed with baby related activities, in fact we cant believe that it has already been 5 months!!!

We have already registered with a doctor, and have started going to a playgroup a couple of times in a week. The playgroup has brought about a noticeable change in Vihaan as he now has become more independent and also open towards other babies. Also the playgroup has helped me make many new friends  :)

There are quite a number of mother and baby sites which help new moms cope with the pressures of childbirth in an unknown place as well as with all sort of baby related questions. One of my favurite forums is Amsterdam Mamas. You can go to this site or follow them on Facebook. I prefer Facebook as the forum is really open.

The cost of living here is pretty high, so there is a big market for good quality secondhand goods. Marktplaats is a very well known site for trading second hand goods. also, market groups according to your region can be found on facebook too!!

All in all, living in Amsterdam has so far been great!!

Never travel without a laptop!!

Our old laptop was in horrible shape. The keys not working, the screen was busted, the battery no longer in use. For all purposes it was desktop. and we were already overloaded in the luggage department. So it made sense to leave it behind right? WRONG!!
Its been two months now, and i am actually missing that sorry excuse for a laptop!!

For those of you who think having an ipad is good enough, think again. the ipad is really good when u want to check your emails, facebook or play games. But once you are wholly dependent on it, you realise it not really all that they make it out to be.

Dont believe me? Try it out yourself.
No uploading pics, no going on flash sites, that means no watching movies unless they r on you tube, not working on resumes. Or doing anything work related, unless all you do is send and reply emails!! Blogger too does not have an ipad app. So i am using the iphone app to write this blog. Which is also why i have been MIA until now!!

Rant over!!!

A change in scenery!

It has been quite a while since my last post... But there was a very good reason for the delay. We have shifted!! Mumbai mom is now in Amsterdam!!

The past few months have been a series of chaotic, hectic and panicky days wherein a lot of packing and stuffing of suitcases was carried out. That was accompanied by completing documentation, visiting embassies and bringingthe paperwork up to order. Little wonderthat its been such a long time since my last post! But here I am now,and hopefully i will be able to post more frequently now.

Filing for netherlands visa is quite a lenghty process, but we had help from the hubster's HR dept. In addition one has to make sure that the birth and marraige certificates are firstly reissued and then legalised. This is more important for the application of work permit after you arrive in NL.

After all the documentation was ready, the three of us trooped to the Netherlands Embassy. I was a bit nervous because it wasthe first time I had to visit any embassy, but I didnt have to be so. The ladyat the embassy was really nice and it hardly took us 15minutes there.

That done, all that was left was packing and waiting for the passports to come back with the stamps from the embassy.

Somehow we managed to pack most of the things that we would require in NL in 2 measly suitcases and we were all ready to fly. 12 hrs later, we reached amsterdam.... The weather was awesome!! Very bright and cheerful as we arrived when the summer season was at its peak.

Since then, we have searched, found and shifted in our rented apartment in record breaking time. Time for some relaxation now.

Phew!!!!


Ps: No laptop here and unable to upload any pics on the blog..:( sob... Will try to work something out soon.

Vihaan turns one!!

Last month was a biiiig month for us..... we have turned one year old!!!

We had a small get together with our friends and family. Vihaan was pretty chilled out during the first half of the party. But after the cake cutting ceremony, everyone crowded around him and that freaked him out. He became really cranky (which is really expected). I was so focussed on Vihaan that I even forgot to give some of the kids their return gifts!! I had to feed him to calm him down and he actually fell asleep for the rest of the party!!

Vihaan can now:
Stand without support
Cruise holding onto furniture
Has become a big time crawler
Say baba, mama, tata, dada and a lot more

He has six teeth in total, four on top and two at the bottom.

I can sense his personality developing slowly. He has his preferences while playing, eating and sleeping.
He also points at objects which he wants, and loves grooving to the latest music :P

His sleep pattern has also changed. He now hardly sleeps for 2-3 hours during the day. He used to be a good sleeper at night, but now a days, he tends to wake up for feeds.

I havent stopped feeding yet... some people have been telling me this is the best time to start weaning the baby off breast milk. But over the last year, I have realised the most simple thing: every baby is different..
If something works with one baby, the same thing may not work with another baby. So i am taking it easy atleast with weaning, I feed only when he himself asks for it. Otherwise, Vihaan has three proper meals in a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and also has midday and evening snacks if he is in the mood.

Climate in Mumbai has been fluctuating like crazy... somedays are too hot, and somedays it pours!! That sorta has been affecting Vihaan's health, he has a cold that just wont go!!

The entry into the second year has been good :) My little man is growing up fast!!

DIY- Toy Guitar

It is becoming more and more difficult to keep Vihaan interested in any particular toy. Good toys are extremely costly and V gets more interested in the boxes rather than the toys itself. I bought him a fisher price toy hammer (price INR600) only to find that he doesnt like playing with it :P

V has more fun with the random things lying about in the house like his spoons, or utensils. The other day, when I was doing a bit of summer cleaning, I found this box which was in pretty good shape. With some paints and rubber bands, it was transformed into a colourful toy guitar.

V loves to play with it, and since I made it, its even more fun to see him enjoying the toy :) I have made a tutorial on how to make this Toy guitar. Check out the link for more info.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Diy-Toy-Guitar-Box/

Tenth Month Update

We are beginning to enter the toddler years :) This month gave me a taste of what the coming months will bring. And boy was it fun!!

The Milestones :

V has become an expert crawler. He pulls himself up to the standing position. He also walks a little while holding on to the furniture. However he sometimes just lets go of his support and than falls :P Little man still has to learn to balance himself and stand without holding onto something.

V has become really vocal. He does not really say words, but the babababa is non stop.

We have teeth!! Four to be precise. The teeth were on their way for quite a while, but finally made their appearance on the 1st of April :)  Now to buy the toothbrush.

V got his Measles shot this month. He got it a little late as he was unwell previously.

Signing off with a pic :)

Its just a phase!!

Everyone goes through a lot of different phases in life. So why should baby be any different. One day everything is normal, and suddenly the next day, baby doesnt like something that he was used to or liked before.

The first time this happened with Vihaan was when we stepped inside a mall and he started bawling loudly. Now it was strange because usually he would love the noise and the lights and the sounds in the mall. He loved looking at the other babies and interacting with them. So we thought that maybe it wasnt a good time and left the mall immediately. The same thing happened next time we went to a mall (after around a week or two). We beat a hasty retreat within 5 minutes of entering the mall :P So afterwards we thought that it would be best to avoid malls for a while. We went back after almost a month, and voila!! he didnt cry anymore :D

At 4-5 months, most babies do not have any mobility. The most they can do is turn over on their stomach. So they seek movement in the only way they know how, they cry to be picked up. I used to pick up V alot. I was always admonished by the "elders" saying that he will get to used to being carried around. But then, how can u deny that angel face and the toothless smile? Now at 9 months, V does not like to be picked up. He wants to explore everything on his own (he can now crawl). He prefers walking to being held :) Guess the picking up was a phase too.

Most recently, V had started crying on hearing other babies cry or on hearing some loud sounds. It was a huge problem, because there were children everywhere we went. Thankfully, now he has gotten over some part of this phase.

So if your baby suddenly shows some change in his routine, of dislikes what he used to like before.. relax, its just a phase!! And it will be over before you know it :) 

Vihaan's favorite Videos

As V is growing up it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep him happily engrossed in any single activity. Unlike a couple of months before when he would play with his numerous rattles for hours, now he plays with them for maybe 15- 20 mins before moving on to do something else.

One of the things that we do is see different videos, of nursery rhymes or cartoons. I had some Noddy Cds at home, but he doesn't find them very interesting yet. Probably he will like to watch them when he is a little older.  

I came across these videos when I was looking for nursery rhymes. The name "Giggle Bellies" itself makes you laugh. V usually freaks out at certain animated videos, some are of really poor quality, and the animation looks scary rather than cute.. but he loved the Giggle Bellies rhymes since the first time he saw them. His most favorite is Twinkle twinkle, followed by Old MacDonald's Farm.

The songs are very catchy and the animation is funny. However, I would have preferred the colours to be a little less bright. But V loves the colours, so who am I to judge!! Now to just see where in India is it available :)

I would love some suggestions about more videos for babies.

9th month update

Yaaayyyy tenth month has already begun.....
Here is an update on what V has been up to in the ninth month.

A lot of V's mile stones were due to be completed, babies take their own time exploring and trying out new things. You cant really hurry them. And this was the "catching up on the milestone" month :)

V learnt to turn over a little late (almost in the end of the sixth month). And even then he would turn only from his left side. I think that was because I have always slept on that side. Now in the ninth month, he can turnover from both sides and also go from tummy to back position.

He has just started going from the tummy position to sitting position, though it is yet to be perfected.

V can crawl, but doesn't really like it. He started of with crawling in a butterfly stroke style. It was more like dragging, hehehe. But now he can properly crawl and go a ahead a few step at a time. He crawls on the bed, but hates crawling on the floor probably cos its too cold.

He would walk if he could, but its a little too early for that. He loves standing up with the support of my hands and roaming about in the house, but this was giving me a back ache :P So I have bought a simple walker for him. He loves zooming about in the house and I get a little break :)

V still likes pureed food more than chunky foods. He prefers the home made rice cereal to Dal chawal. And at the moment he loves soups. I am in a fix though about breakfast. He doesn't like suji kheer or Dalia and I cannot keep giving soups to him all day long :P So I still have to explore on that front.

I changed V's pediatrician after the recent experience and am pretty happy with her at the moment. She has prescribed vitamin, iron and calcium drops for the next three months to help build his immunity. Will be starting those from today.

So that's about it.. looking forward to the next month  :)

Damn you Mumbai Weather!!

The weather in mumbai has been fluctuating like crazy... one day its really cold and the next day so hot that u have to turn on the air conditioner.Vihaan caught his first ever viral infection and it took two whole weeks for him to recover, which is why I wasn't posting new blogs.

V's infection started out as simple cold and cough, but the cough then became worse. We had to take him for a chest x-ray first. The x-ray ruled out the possibility of any major problem but showed a very congested chest. A blood test further confirmed a viral infection. I hate needles and tend to burst out in tears at the sight of any, so seeing V being injected was the worse experience possible.

Treatment was a three day course of nebulization and 7 day course of antibiotics. During Nebulization, medicine is converted into vapour form with a device called the nebuliser and the child is made to inhale these vapours through an oxygen mask. It looks worse than it is though, because of the mask on the baby. But it is the fastest and most effective way for medicine to reach a baby's chest. So it provided instant relief (at least for a while).

Almost every other child is suffering from the same problem because of the extreme weather change. So there were always 2-3 kids waiting in line for the nebulisation. V hated it (he doesn't let me touch his face even during a bath) and his crying scared the other kids in the room :P When he was not screaming he tried to lick the inside of the mask (i have no idea why) So it was a good thing that we bought a separate mask for him.

For now the meds are done, and he is doing well. We will be going for a follow up visit to the doc today, so I have my fingers crossed :)

Some Important websites and links

Some links that I find very useful :

Pregnancy/ Childbirth/ Baby related

www.babycenter.in

www.whattoexpect.com

www.indiaparenting.com

 

 

Online Shopping

www.firstcry.com/

www.babyoye.com

www.smartbaby.in

 

Baby Food

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/

 

I will be updating this post as and when I find more sites :)

 

 

 

 

Starting Solids- Part2

Feeding accessories

High Chair

It was extremely difficult to feed V while he was playing with his toys. Making him sit on my lap created more of a mess with most of the food ending up on my clothes!! I have seen too many friends run behind their kids for hours while trying to feed them. Also its best to develop the habit of sitting at one place while eating food from now itself. After comparing different brands, we decided to buy the Chicco High Chair. Its very comfortable and can be used upto 3 yrs. Its also easy to install and clean. V loved it instantly!!

Spoons and Bowls:

You can either go with the regular steel bowl and spoons that we use, or buy the colourful variety which is now available for kids. Just make sure that they are sterilisation and microwave safe. I have tried a variety of spoons and my favourite is the pigeon weaning spoon (the red one in the pic above). The design makes it easier to feed. 

Bibs:

V is quite a messy eater!! Sometimes he decides he has had enough to eat but still takes food in his mouth and then sprays it all over me/ highchair/clothes. So bibs are an absolute necessity for me. I prefer plastic bibs with crumb catchers because they are easier to clean and leave no stains.   

Though its been two months since I started introducing solids to Vihaan, I have not stopped breastfeeding because right now, the portions are quite small. Also, since he has no teeth yet, I am giving him mushy food as he cant chew.

I am trying to inculcate healthy eating habits from the start by introducing steamed veges and fruits and also by avoiding sugar in meals. So far, its been good!! :)

Starting Solids - Part I

I started introducing solids to Vihaan after he completed 6 month, though some people start solids as early as 3 months. The first month was pure eyewash!! He refused to try out anything.. or eat more than a couple spoonfuls at a time. But than gradually started accepting and sometimes even enjoying the new tastes and textures.

Here are some of the foods that we started with:
Pureed fruits/ Vegetables
I started by giving steamed and mashed apple/carrot. V has developed quite a taste for it. I do not add extra sugar to either carrot or apple as they are sweet enough naturally. Peel, core and cube apple/ carrot. Give it a couple of whistles in the pressure cooker. Or steam it. Serve it. Easy Peasy. I cook an entire apple at a time and then divide it into 3-4 portions. Then I freeze the portions in separate containers. Defrost them whenever you want to serve them and viola!! instant baby chow :) You can do the same with other vegetables/ fruits too. This is also a good way to teach the baby the different fruit and veg flavours without the distraction of spices.

Home-made cerelac
V doesn't really like this, though I try to make him eat at least a little cos its healthier!!
Take one part split moong Dal and one part rice. Wash and dry them. Roast in a pan. Grind and store in an airtight container. At the time of serving you can add water and cook the mixture and serve. Adding Salt/ sugar is optional.

Store Cerelac
Though most people frown upon giving kids the store bought variety, it is definitely an easy to prepare food. Its pretty useful especially when you might have to go on a trip with the baby because all one has to do is add warm water. V lapped it up the first few days, but now refuses to eat more than a few spoonfuls.

Chapati/ Bread butter
I feed V chapati while I have food. This ways I hope he will get used to the idea of having lunch and dinner.
Chapati is harder to chew, Brown bread with butter is better to swallow. However I give V sips of water between spoonfuls because otherwise its too dry. Some people mash the chapati with milk and then serve it to the baby. 

Dal
Cooked split moong Dal with a pinch of salt. The other day, I added spinach to the dal and fed it to Vihaan. Tricked him into eating spinach... muahahahaha!!

As I am still in the introduction phase, would love to know your favourite baby recipes.

Seventh Month Milestones

V completed 7 months on the 11th of this month. Wow, time sure is flying by. Thought that I will jot down the milestones he achieved in the past month. So here goes:

Turns over and raises a bit of his stomach with his hands.

Sits unsupported, though I still keep him surrounded by pillows.

Tries to stand up with support (slow down buddy, u have to start sitting up on your own yet :P )

Says bababababababa

Turns when someone calls him

Does not like it when I take a toy aways from him

Likes playing peek-a-boo

Passes an object from one hand to another.

He is developing a personality of his own with his own likes and dislikes :P He selects the toys he wants to play with. its fun watching this cuddly little bundle you got home from the hospital turn into a little person :)

I have also started feeding him with solids (he was breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months) But that's a topic for a different blog.

Leaving you guys with his seventh month pic :)

Vaccination Schedule

I just dread the days when I have to take Vihaan for his Vaccination :( But then vaccines are important in our country where you can easily catch an infection before you can say "Achoo" :-/ So I have uploaded Vihaan's vaccination schedule. The Doctor gave me this file on his birth and it has a list of all vaccines required till Vihaan turns 15!! Also listed are some optional vaccines which you may or may not give the child.

Painless Vaccines:

Now a days, a painless vaccine is available for DPT (Diphtheria+Pertussis+Tetanus). It is called Dtap. Although it is not totally painless, it reduces the pain and swelling at the point of injection and also reduces the chances of developing a fever. However, some children show the usual fever and swelling symptoms even after taking this vaccine. It is best if you apply a little ice at the point of injection to prevent swelling.

Optional Vaccines:
The Doctor till date has recommended Rota virus and Vaxigrip. Check out the links below for more info:

General Info about Vaccines: http://www.allforkidsindia.com/allforkids/Resources/VaccineOptions.aspx
Rota virus: http://www.rotavirusvaccine.org/
Vaxigrip: http://www.prajishsankar.com/blog/health-and-fitness/vaxigrip-get-influenza-vaccine-to-protect-yourself-from-flu-influenza-a-and-influenza-b-virus/

New Baby Essentials

Mental preparations aside, here are a few tips on how to be prepared for your new arrival :)

In India, it is customary not to shop for you unborn child. The clothes for the newborn child would be provided mostly by other relatives who would have preserved the clothes of when their children were new born. But now there are a wide variety of choices available. So its better to make your own choices and be prepared with the things you need for the baby. These are a few things that you can decide on before your baby arrives.

Crib/ Baby Cot

Will the baby sleep in your bed or in a separate cot. If you are planning to keep the baby in the cot, then it is better to get the baby habituated to sleeping in the cot from day 1. So its good to have the crib ready. If you are planning to have the baby sleep in your bed, then there are some baby cushions available for that too. Don't forget your mosquito nets too.   

 

Disposable Diapers/ Cloth Diapers

A large variety of diapers are now available, whether they are cloth diapers or disposable. If you are cloth diapering with langots, then you need at least 12-18 in a day, and that's if you plan to use disposables in the night. I always keep a pack of disposable diapers ready in case of emergencies :P I use Pampers Active baby.

Clothes

Some basics that you'll need:
3 Cotton shirts for daytime wear
Leggings in case of cold climates
Onesies which cover the whole body for night time.
Socks/ mittens for daytime.
Swaddling Clothes (If you plan to swaddle the baby)

Bath Time Accessories

You can buy a proper baby bath tub if you are planning to bathe the baby yourself. If you have a dai coming in for massaging and bathing the baby, then all you will need is

Towel

Baby Soap

Baby powder

New Born Toys

Thought the baby is going to spend most of its time sleeping over the next few months, its good to have some bright colourful musical toys to entertain the baby with when he is awake.