Book lover

Did anyone disturb me from my reading?

Raghav has really started expressing himself. When he's awake he's constantly smiling at me or Nalin. When feeding too he keeps looking at me often and smiling, forgetting about the feed. The level of excitement is clear when he throws his hands and feet about and looks at us and does "heee!".

He's learned how to gurgle, and often gurgles when he's drinking milk or when he's excited. The gurgling is often followed by or in the middle of a big "heee!".

He continues to grab everything that his hands come in contact with, often lifting rugs and carpets with him when we pick him up. Once he was holding on to his bathtub and was ready to take it with him when I lifted him.

We have started introducing him to toys now. There is a wooden arch that hangs over his head when he's lying on the fur rug. It has things hanging from it. Earlier his hands used to coincidentally touch the things that hang over his face. But now one can see he's seen the purpose of those things, and he actually plays with them now. He can keep himself busy with it for at least 30 minutes.

Chatting with my furry friends

His bouncy chair too has an arch with some things hanging from it. Earlier he did not think they were of any use to him, but once when I showed him that the elephant's ear crinkles, he now does it himself and I often find him grabbing the elephant's tail or trunk.

Every time I give him a new toy he looks at it with such wonder and concentration you can really see he has never seen such a thing before and is trying to figure out its use in his life. Of course, everything goes straight into his mouth now.

But he's still not as interested in toys as he is in just talking to Mamma and Daddy and smiling at them.

I showed him a touch-and-feel book a couple of times and put his hand on the fur, or swede etc. for him to feel different textures. On the third day he was trying to touch the pages himself.

He's also fascinated when I show him his books, and stares long and hard at the pictures of animals in them. He also loves to hold his books with both his hands even though he doesn't know you have to keep them open in order to read them.

When I show him a rattle and shake it so he can hear the noise, I can see his little head also move with the same rhythm as the rattle.

Where's that sound coming from?

His latest fascination is with the television, as I'm sure he gets attracted to the light and sounds coming from it. It's a big challenge to keep him from staring at it. Even if the TV is kept exactly behind him, he cranes his head 180 degrees in order so he can see it.

He was lying on his furry rug the other day playing with the wooden arch when I noticed he'd managed to put the cloth that I use to wipe his mouth with over his face. He was really struggling to get it off his face, but while with one sweep of hand it would come off his face, just as soon as he would bring the hand back the cloth would cover his face again. He didn't understand that in order to remove the cloth permanently from his face he'd have to sweep it off with his hand and then let go of the cloth.

It finally took him a good 10 minutes to manage that.

When we're carrying him in his sling there are times when we feel he's vigorously shaking his head. When we look down we realise that his hat has covered his eyes, and that he hadn't been able to see anything. By shaking his head vigorously he was trying to get the hat off his eyes.

He blinks really cutely and vigorously when the sun is in his eyes. I think if the sun is in his eyes for a full five minutes he will continue to shut his eyes tightly, purse his lips and shake his head vigorously for all of those five minutes.

Playtime at 1am

Raghav was unusually naughty today. I took him to Pallavi's house for dinner. He slept only for a little bit and the rest of the time sat on my lap and observed things. He particularly observed her two-year-old Neel. When Neel was extra loud at times Raghav let out long wails, but because he was in my lap he calmed down pretty quickly.

I fed him around 9.30pm and put him down to sleep but he was up in half-an-hour and again sitting in the kitchen with me observing everything quietly.

When Pallavi and I went to sit in the living room I took him with me. Pallavi held him for a little bit but then he started crying and she gave him to me. I think he's started becoming a little wary of strangers now and was quiet only when he was with me. When I put him down in his pram so that he should sleep he started talking to me and giggling. The giggling continued till we called the cab to go home.

He fed when we reached home and I haven't seen him be so naughty while feeding before. It was almost 1am but Raghav continued to smile, giggle and try to initiate conversation with me all the while he was feeding. I tried to ignore him so that he understood this was not play time, but often gave in to his cooing.

After the feeding when I put him in his bouncy chair he was again super excited and had a naughty look in his eyes, kicking about his hands and feet in excitement.

But when I finally changed him and put on some music and put him down in his pram, he fell asleep immediately.