21 October 2008

Back in Perth

We're all together again in Perth.

It has been great seeing Naina again. She's changed a lot in three weeks.

From the top, she's put on weight and height.

She's also become stronger. She's started flipping herself and reaching out for toys. She's also able to sit unaided (albeit at an awkward angle). And with a little assistance, she's able to lock her knees in place and stand unaided for about 5 seconds. She's also making some reasonable non-gaseous socially unawkward sounds, like da-da-da-da, and ab-a-ab-a. I'd like to think her first words were da-da, but somehow my rationalist inside says she thinks her milk bottle is da-da.

The most unexpected part of this is how quickly she's progressed in three weeks. I probably didn't see those changes - or it didn't feel like she progressed that quickly, whilst she was in Melbourne. Looking back, there was probably boswelling emotions of analysing each little step and forgetting about the gee-whiz factor of a baby going from a completely helpless position on her back to nearly being able to stand up by herself (with an brief explanation of some central tenants of gravity).

As you could probably tell, it felt like weeks and I needed Tom Waits to get me through it. But now back in Perth, with the gentle sounds of a screaming in excitement baby, everything seems ok with the world.

15 October 2008

E-gad moment

Babies sleep a lot. I think every picture I have taken in the last month of a baby under the age of 6 months, they're asleep.

Charlotte

Charlotte was born the day before we arrived in Perth. With Max and Isabelle providing inspiration, I'm sure she's gonna be asking the tough questions of Anna and Dan very soon.

Dan somehow forgot to install the baby capsule after Charlotte's birth so he had to carry her from SJOG is Leederville to their house in Wembley. Quite Dan like.

Isobelle has a full set of teeth now, which is very cute. We seem to only see Isabelle and Max at weddings; last time was at Ben's wedding, previous time at Bob and HyunJeong's wedding and the time before that at our wedding in India. Actually that probably reflects the fact that as a group, my school friends and I only get to meet up at wedding times due to locations of people - Melbourne, Perth and Victoria, Canada.

India wedding shot of Max and Isabelle in January 2007



Charlotte, Anna, Deepti and sleeping N

10 October 2008

Baby withdrawal symptoms - update

Find it is getting harder without baby and wife around.

Despite my allergy to MSG, had KFC again. And listening to Tom Waits. I actually now know, which KFC serves better chicken pieces - Oakleigh or Caufield.

It's Oakleigh if you wanted to know.

Reading Bob's blog and thought to myself, oh, to have baby induced embarrassment again. I wish I could rush N out of a restaurant that was a little underestimated in its snobbiness, thinking babies would be acceptable and forced to run out into the cold with a pram and a restless tot due to glaring looks and nervous waiters...

Now I sound like Dr Smith off Lost in Space... 'Oh the pain, the pain, save me William' etc etc. Ahem.

AFL Day

Green and Catherine invited us over for lunch on AFL Day. We're all looking forward to their wedding in January, which will definitely involve another trip over to Perth. Credit crisis, what credit crisis?

Catherine kindly cooked two quiches for us as we whiled away the afternoon watching the football, Youtube, discussing Daleks in Manhattan, playing Wii Tennis, being generally envious of the oversized television and oversized Mac computer and getting Naina to sleep, to play and to enjoy. Yeah, it was a full three hours.

Green and Catherine were going to a fancy dress party/masquerade party that night. At least that's their story.

Posed photography or is it modern art?


This one makes Green's beak look big

04 October 2008

Baby withdrawal symptoms

I'm definitely going into withdrawal.

On the upside, my productivity at work is up, I've got my tax return done and started booking our holiday in India. These are all good things.

On the downside, the sight of Naina's socks makes me feel down right sad. Coming home to an empty home, where nothing has moved all day, no little disasters, no cheerful laughing, is quite depressing. I listened to a Tom Waits album in the car today. I think that says it all.

I didn't expect myself to get so attached. I've always been the cynical unattached good looking type. I came back to Melbourne on Sunday and felt genuinely sad to see Naina's toys on the ground (and no Naina) and Deepti's things in the bedroom (and no Deepti). I think my sense of sadness is manifesting itself in going to bed hungry and then not being able to sleep till 1am.

Seriously, I have no idea what I did with my life before Deepti and Naina came along (I guess "the pub" filled aspects of the void). It used to take me ages to do my tax return, filling in all the forms, double checking, photocopying, sending off the accountant. It took me all of an hour and a half today, whilst I watched a movie in Hindi and tried to read subtitles. That also included time that a door-knocker selling cheap gas and electricity wasted my time. So I reckon it took me fourty five minutes. Either having a baby has made me more efficient or I was just a time waster before.

Being a dad is tough work.

Dan I think agrees with me there. Dan required more pain killers than Anna when Anna gave birth to Charlotte recently.

But being a dad without wife and baby around is even tougher. Not sure how I'll cope when Deepti's in India for Feb and March.

Benita and Eva

On the Friday afternoon, we dropped in to see Benita and Eva. Eva's start to life was a bit sudden, she was due around the same time as Naina, but decided that she'd arrive a month early. Being a bit premature, she had to stay in hospital a few weeks, but eventually came home.

The first few photos we had seen of Eva were of a tiny baby. How six months can change a life! Andrew and Benita are definitely doing good stuff, because Eva looks like a doll!


Eva having a meal

So, yeah, meeting Eva for the first time was a highlight of the trip for both of us. Picking up Eva also made me appreciate the difference between babies. Eva was happy sitting on my knee, smiling at her mum and us and generally being a great little kid.

Eva's got a pouch as well, which helps her rock to sleep. Interestingly Eva's pouch can be worn on mum's front or back (though maneuvering it to the back side is a bit of a logistical exercise). We'll be looking into one for Naina when we go off to India. Will make pushing luggage around an airport a lot easier.


Comparing pouch styles

01 October 2008

Naina's feet

Naina loves her feet. She's highly flexible and spends a lot of time playing with her feet. I don't know the exact time it happened; when my mum was here in June she said that she had noted how flexible N was and she'd be able to put her feet in her mouth. I never expected it to happen and for it to be continuing even now... surely she'd get bored of it, surely.

Her current favourite foot habit is putting them on her pram tray (perhaps in readiness for, I kid you not, the cappucino tray that is also attachable to the pram) whilst being wheeled around. Maybe she does it so she can check her toes are all there. I'll have to ask her one day.

A little bit like this:



Or this



Dad enjoys wheeling a pram around. Naina enjoys showing off her feet. To the gods included.



One for the cameras

James and Bronwyn and Hamish's house

On a tight schedule we visited James and Bron on Thursday afternoon. James was playing with Hamish, Bronwyn was out visiting Anna and Charlotte.

Hamish is a big boy! Hard to imagine he's only one and a half. Unfortunately he was a bit sad because his mum wasn't around, nor was his grandmother. He's a whiz in the kitchen, got the coffee machine down pat (assisted James in making Deepti's coffee). Very impressive.

The photos of the day are stuck on my mobile. I'll have to work out a way to get them off it before I can share them. Grr.

Day 2 - Orange-tastic

Mum cut some oranges up in the morning and was handing them around. Mmmm, orange.

Naina, as usual watched. Watched mum cutting, handing out and then eating.

Naina trying to psych out Mum into giving her some orange


Parent's ineffective protest of "No mum, don't do it, not the orange, the nurses said only apples and bananas".





Incriminating evidence was plastered on the scene


Grandmother and curious baby One.... Parents and nurses, Nil....

Actually, she was quite cute sucking on the orange and enjoyed it quite a lot. With the usual chorus of not more than a teaspoon, N spent the best part of ten minutes doing something with the orange. I probably should have taken a pic of the before and after. Perhaps her dental coordination will improve with age.

Introduction to Mountjoy Road.

The first evening, Mum and Dad got to know their long lost grandchild. This being the first one, they've really got a lot of love to give. Naina was quickly whisked out of our hands and into dadaji and dadiji's arms.

Naina, being a little uncertain, was crankier than usual. I think she's use to a little less attention. It was hard to work out what was going on; was it teething, gas, a combination of both, or just tired and cranky. Turns out it was usually all four.

I almost dropped Naina (again). She's a squirmer. With my general lack of coordination and her general lack of awareness of the laws of physics, we have the classic set-up for a screaming baby each time I pick her up.