Toddling around

Early morning with a bump on
his nose from when he fell
while trying to walk 

He's a toddler! Raghav is 15 months now and is well on his way to becoming a fiercely independent toddler who wants to do everything himself.

Eating
He eats only by himself now, even managing to use a spoon (somewhat). The most difficult thing to feed him is cous-cous, when he wants to eat it himself and it's just impossible for him to hold it in his hands. But he tries!

I usually give him some food on a plate, and have a bowl of the same food with me so that I can continue feeding him while he tries to feed himself simultaneously. But it's on very rare days that I get a couple of spoonfuls of food into his mouth. He usually catches on very quickly that his food is just a buffer, and the real thing is in my hands, and grabs the spoon away from me. No matter how many new spoons I get to feed him, they all end up with him, and soon enough on the floor.

He also takes the bowl away from me and then starts dumping his food from the plate to the bowl and then finally from his highchair table to the floor. He keeps experimenting with textures and the concept of putting in and taking out.

I get very angry when he throws food on the ground, sometimes for experimental purposes but mostly when he doesn't want it any more. I try to tell him he shouldn't do that and that mamma will get angry if he does, but he then looks to see if I'm looking and then when he sees that I'm looking drops the food on the floor.

He's also becoming very picky about his food. If he sees a new-looking product, he sticks his tongue out and tastes it. Only if it meets his approval does he proceed to eat it. There are times when just sees something coming towards his mouth and shakes his head to a "no" when he doesn't want it. Sometimes he just spends all his mealtimes playing with his food, and shakes his head vigorously when you try to put something in his mouth. But those are usually times when he's getting sick.

It's when he doesn't want to eat any more that his games start. He starts picking up the food and feeding us. He does the scooping and dumping, and finally starts quietly dropping it off to the floor.

I'll show you how it's done, daddy

Sometimes he's so involved in exploring or practicing his cruising, that he doesn't eat on the highchair, but is more amiable to it when I give him while he's exploring or practicing his cruising.

He still continues to put a big chunk of banana in his mouth, but has started taking smaller bites from a bun.
He also knows which one the snack cupboard is, and when Nalin gets back from work and opens the cupboard to take out something for himself, Raghav makes says a string of baby words spoken in such a manner that it appears he's scolding Nalin for not getting something for him, too. These are usually followed by agitated hand gestures, too. But he's happy when you give him his own biscuit and doesn't mostly insist on having exactly what we're having.

New-found independence
Since the last week, Raghav has even stopped lying down on the changing table for a change of diaper. So one has to literally run after him to change it. I have had to learn to clean his poop while he's standing and exploring the net bag that his hung on the wall behind his changing table. But he is cooperative in a bugged sort of way. He does keep offering his hand or leg when I demand it to put on a t-shirt or a sock. He mostly does it so that the whole thing is over and done with as quickly as possible and he can go back to exploring without mamma running behind him with a sock in hand.

Although he loves going for walks, he refuses to sit in the pram. He stiffens his body or just stands on the pram, refusing to be made to sit in it or be strapped in. Perhaps he wants to crawl all the way to the supermarket.

I usually have to give him a rice cake or a biscuit to keep him occupied till I strap him in. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes it works better if I take him outside and then put him down. But that too mostly depends on his mood at the time.

But once we're out, he just seems like in a trance. If he was having his biscuit/rice cake before getting out of the house, that too lies uneaten his hand. I have to check often if he hasn't gone off to sleep, but he never does. He just becomes very still and just gets busy taking in the world around him.

Even on the tram he's become very patient most of the time. Maybe it's because he suddenly finds more things to notice now. It's only when the tram stops that he makes a bit of a noise.

Sometimes he also waves his hand and says "bye" to everyone who's getting off.

Yet when you ask him to say "bye" at the end of a skype conversation, he gets shy and will often just say it quietly, or even sometime after the call has ended.

Meanwile, he's a perfect showoff on Skype. He understands that he's talking to someone as opposed to a TV which he doesn't try to interact with. He also knows when that someone is talking directly to him (because he smiles every time he's addressed, even though his name might not directly be taken).

Turning One

Cake shaped in the no. 1, made by James

Raghav enjoyed his First Birthday in London with family and friends. No sleep and super excitement was proof of it. Nalin and Nitin took him to the cricket, where (I'm told) he was more interested in watching the crowds and making friends than in anything going on on the field in front of him.

He had a small party at his playschool two days before, where they cut cake and wore party hats and sang "Happy Birthday" to Raghav.

In London we got together with friends at a very nice restaurant and Raghav enjoyed his number 1-shaped birthday cake.

More fascinated with Gergana than with Nitin initially, Raghav finally warmed up to Nitin as well, as the two of them constantly spoke to him in cute baby talk. He has also been quite obsessed with the tambourine that Nitin has bought him as a birthday gift. (He has developed a recent liking towards toys that make noise, or that play music.) Initially he tries to eat it, but now he usually shakes it and loves to make a big noise with it.

At Lords with daddy 

When we went for dinner to Nitin and Gergana's place, Raghav fell asleep on the walk to their place, but soon awoke and was instantly curious about the new place where we'd brought him. As I tried to put him back to sleep on the bed, he would constantly keep rolling around and trying to crawl about. Finally, I had to bring him out into the living room with us, because he just wouldn't sleep.

There, after crawling around everywhere, cruising about and sitting on Gergana's lap, I finally took him again to sleep and he slept after much crying and protesting in the pram.

The next day we went out for dinner with them, and Raghav again refused to sleep in the pram. The main road where we were walking him was very noisy, and he would be quietly sucking his thumb till you patted him, but the moment you stopped he would start screaming. Every time I brought him inside, having given up, he jumped with triumphant excitement and stayed a bit more to eat something.

Watch me grow!

He has learned to climb on the centre coffee table in our living room in Geneva, but doesn't know how to climb down yet. So he sits there practicing his newly-acquired skills of clapping, flying-kissing and waving, and then crawls round all corners of the table feeling thrilled that he can do this.

Since the time I taught him to give flying kisses, he kisses with his palm on his mouth every time I kiss him. It's the most wonderful thing!

He has also developed an interest in his books, or any books or magazines lying around. Perhaps it is because he sees me read, or that he's practicing his skill of being able to flip the pages, but he is more fascinated with his books nowadays than with his toys, which he seems a bit bored of.

He has started sleeping only when I make him sleep in my arms. With Nalin, he just lies in his arms sucking his thumb but with his eyes open; sometimes even beginning to cry and search for me. With me, he finally manages to drift off, and only then can I put him in his cot.

I tried to give him regular cow's milk when we got back to Geneva, a little warmed up, but he didn't seem to like it. he would get excited seeing the cup, maybe because he likes drinking from a cup that resembles a grown-up's glass, or perhaps because he likes water and thought I was giving him water. But after a few sips of the milk he would run away from it. But I then gave him cold milk, which he seems to like better, but still only has about a couple of ounces before he wants to hold the cup himself and then it only goes downhill from there.

He has also started showing great interest at feeding himself, and when his initial hunger has been satiated, he tries to grab the spoon himself, and turns his face away when I feed him. Once he has the spoon, he throws it away pretty quickly and then continues to feed himself with his hands, rather, stuff his mouth with his palms.

At the Museum of Childhood with
Madelaine and Harry

His eagerness for food continues as he wants more and more when he sees us eat something, even if he's himself just finished his meal. And then he starts crying when our food gets over and when I say there isn't anything for him any more.

He has been fascinated with Rohitpal's son, Anant, while they're here for a few days. He keeps following him everywhere and laughs whenever he sees him. He tries to hold his hand and to generally keep poking his face like he does ours. He has to play with the same thing Anant is playing with, which usually means that if Anant has built a house of lego, Raghav breaks it apart and then continues to eat it. He also started having milk when he saw Anant drink milk.

We ordered a kid meal for him for the first time at a restaurant when we went to Yvoire the other day. A strawberry crepe, and he managed to polish it all off, and then kept calling out to be fed again while I ate.

Raghav tries to say a new word at least once when he hears it. He might not be good at it yet, but at least he gives it a go. So bath becomes "bth", banana is "anana", baba black sheep becomes "bship", fish becomes "ish" and so on.

He is also getting quite stubborn as he grows. When he doesn't want to do something, you can't make him. If he doesn't want to sit in his pram, he stiffens his body so that there's no way you can make him sit in it. Sometimes, he'd rather fall on the ground than sit in his pram. Also when he's having fun in the park, or in the big toy car at the supermarket, or even when he's having a bath; he resists as soon as you end the play and take him away. He cries till you offer a distraction, and at the lack of one, he just sulks and sucks his thumb.

Sad when we leave

Pick me up! Pick me up NOW daddy!

Raghav seems to be going through separation anxiety. We went to visit Pallavi and Frank over the weekend, and Raghav, who's usually very happy to meet new people and constantly keeps smiling at them and charming them, didn't want to go to anyone's arms. We thought he was getting a bit overwhelmed with all the new things happening around him -- new place, new people, new toys.

When Pallavi tried to get him interested in a push cart, he started crying even though Nalin and I were standing just in front of him.

He played a bit with Frank later, and was very thrilled sitting on Neel's bobby car. When Frank pushed the car, Raghav was very excited. But a little bit more contact with Frank and again he seemed upset. So he was fine as long as the other person was playing with him from a distance.

But he was very interested in little Pia and tried to climb on her as she sat on her bouncy chair. He tried to grab her face and eat her hands.

However, he was very happy sitting on Neel's high chair and play with his toys while we ate our lunch. For the first time he was not demanding for us to feed him as Neel's little toys kept him busy.

He was similarly irritated at Mahesh's place when we went the next afternoon. He was happy to play by himself there, and was even playing with Mahesh's daughter Vilsu, but as soon as someone tried to hold him or things got too overwhelming he'd look at us and start crying.

It was only today that we realised that it was really separation anxiety when Nalin took him to the playschool -- where he goes twice a week and is very happy and very friendly with everyone (they always say they wished every child was as non-fussy as Raghav) -- and he started crying as soon as Nalin handed him over to the carers there. He wanted to stay in Nalin's arms and probably realised that Nalin was going to leave him and go.

They advised Nalin however to leave and that he'd be fine after he left, which is what happened. He was happy, distracted and playing in a few minutes.

When he doesn't want to leave your arms, and you put him down on the floor he stretches his arm out really long and gestures for you to pick him up again. And when you still insist you can't pick him up, he sometimes grabs hold of your leg and pulls himself up, still wanting to be picked up.

11 months

Raghav has started bending and picking up things from the floor while he's standing. It's the cutest thing he does nowadays. He stands with one hand on the couch (or whichever furniture he's holding) and then bends gingerly to pick up something with his other hand. He even prances around, crawling with his toy (or pen, phone, remote..) in his mouth between his teeth.

He's become very quick on the uptake. After seeing us do something only once, he tries to copy us, and successfully -- unbuttoning the change pocket of a wallet, removing the battery cover of a remote...

He LOVES bath time and even said "bth" the other day when I asked him if he was ready for his bath. He could be wailing over something, but as soon as I take him into the bathroom and he sees his little bath tub getting filled, he gets very impatient and then immediately starts laughing as soon as he is placed in the tub.

He has a variety of bath time toys, from rubber balls to squeezy cars and boats and a watering can. He loves them all, and squeals with delight especially when water oozes out of them. He tries to "catch" the water when it comes out of the watering can. When at the hotel in Barcelona, when Nalin had him in his arms in the shower, he tried to "feel" the water with his hands as it came out from the shower head.

Raghav has started flipping pages of books. It lasts a few minutes before he tries to eat it. Even hardcovers and board books are now given to him only under supervision.

The first time he asked for something

We were in a mall one day and were passing an area for children that had those big cars which rock and roll if you put money in them. As we were passing that area with Raghav in my arms, for the first time he bent towards something he wanted (apart from wanting to be picked up). When I put him in the driver's seat, he steered the steering wheel like he was a natural.

I put him in the sandpit the other day at the park, and he played with the sand for a good 10 minutes, first digging in cautiously and then finally going at it with gusto. After about 10 minutes he grabbed some in his hand and was ready to put it into his mouth when I intervened timely.

While travelling

On the tour bus in Barcelona

Raghav is so excited when we visit another city. It is very difficult to get him to sleep in the hotel room, even when they provide him with a baby cot. Since the cot is also new to him, he first spends an awful lot of time exploring it. And even after he's done with that, he keeps standing till we're around. He might get really sleepy and not be able to stand any more holding his cot railings, but he still tries, resting for a bit to sometimes lie down and suck his thumb, but then climbing up again to see what the action is. I have had to cover his cot with cloth from the top so that he won't be able to see anything going on in the room that might interest him, but he can hear - so it never helps.

But while we're roaming a new city, he sleeps in his pram, either reclined or in the sitting position when he's really tired. We have to also cover the pram to prevent him seeing anything. Because as long as he can look, he will look and not fall asleep. Earlier we used to just put a cloth to cover his pram from the front and then put it in place with pegs. But he's recently started playing peek-a-boo with the cloth (you give him any damn cloth and he plays peek-a-boo with it), so you have to secure it from the bottom, so that he can't lift and start playing. But that too he has figured out how to foil. He peeks from the sides, or just pulls really hard at the cloth and the pegs then stand no chance. When we went to Barcelona recently he also started really resisting getting into the pram when he didn't want to. He would just stiffen his body and you couldn't get him to bend even a tiny bit in order to get into the pram.

Forced to sleep in the main city square. Do you blame
me for creating a fuss? 

He throws a similar tantrum sometimes when he doesn't want to sleep. He stiffens his whole body and throws his legs straight with great force and a big shout.


He tries every food that we do, scolding us if there's a delay and if he thinks we're not sharing enough with him.

But at the end of the day he gets really tired with all the touristing, and sometimes has a cry it out before he can fall asleep in his cot.

Growing up quickly

Raghav has become very engaged with his surroundings this month. He has finally started taking an interest in his toys, beyond trying to eat them. If you do the stacking for him, he unstacks. Which basically means he throws things about one at a time, with great nonchalance. When I try to teach him to put them back, he still thinks he's meant to throw them out.

He's started taking things out of the big box in which his toys are kept (albiet on his way to chewing the box).

Sense of humour
He's also started playing peek-a-boo in order to make us laugh. The first time he did it when we'd just given him a bath and were dressing him on the changing table. He was sleepy and therefore cranky, so I tried to distract him by lightly putting a towel on his face. And next thing I knew he was sweeping the towel off his face, again and again, and saying "aah!" every time he revealed his face. He would then stretch his little arms completely to cover his face again, and then throw the towel off with a jerk and an "aah!", like he'd seen us do all these months with him. It was like he'd been observing us all this while, and has finally decided to ingratiate us.

Soon enough, he realised we were laughing anyhow, and decided to just do a cursory job. He now mostly just does it lazily, sometimes not even waiting till his face is covered.

The other night I was putting him to sleep, patting him on his stomach and head, when he just took my hand and covered his eyes with it and started playing peek-a-boo!

He plays peek-a-boo almost anywhere and with anyone now. He always plays in the tram, sometimes even on his own when no one's paying attention.

I like it bare

He's most cheerful when looking at other people in the tram, and always tries to catch someone's attention, whether or not they're looking at him. And if they are, he will go all out to charm them, smiling and trying to play peek-a-boo with them constantly till they give up and move on.

He laughs now when you make funny faces at him. He especially laughs when you wear sunglasses, because he probably thinks they've been put on to make him laugh. When he's being most difficult at the changing table (it's almost impossible to change him alone now, he's constantly trying to get up and climb onto things) if I make the coooo-chook-chook train noise, he looks really interested and even laughs. He also loves when you blow bubbles at him. He's learned now how to look up at the ceiling (as in, that there can be something above his head also) and is constantly looking up at the bubbles and trying to grab them. And then he winces when they burst too close to his face.

The Foodie
Raghav is a big foodie as of now. Although his appetite for his own food has sort of settled down, he's still very interested in what the other person is eating. The moment he hears the rustling of a chips packet, or a biscuit bag, he gingerly sits down from wherever he's standing and then comes to you enthusiastically, smiling and trying to act all cute. He'll then standing holding on to your knee and keep trying to woo you with his cuteness into giving him a bite. He'll literally try to climb on you and grab the bag from your hands, all the while calling out to you to give him something.

Fascinated
He especially loves watching other children now. When I take him to the park, that's his most favourite activity. I'd have him on the swing, but he'd be looking at the kids next to him on the see-saw.

I took him to Parc des Bastions the other day, and tried to put him on the ground next to the sand pit so that he would cruise holding a risen cemented platform if he wanted, but the ground was pebbled and dusty - he didn't like standing. So ,for the next half hour he just stood holding me, eating my t-shirt and looking around at the other kids playing.

When he goes to his playgroup, Fiona (the loud excited one who's his age, but still used to scare him at the beginning) flaps her hands and feet about when she sees him come in. They play together all day, and the other day when I went to pick him up she started crying when she saw him leave!

Don't "no" what you mean...
Raghav has started understanding what the word "no" means, but he doesn't necessarily obey it. There's a mesh of wires in the corridor, all kept in a basket, that Raghav tries to stand holding. Every time he leaves the room when you're still playing with him, he heads for the basket. It's the only thing I vehemently say "no" about for now.

His reaction to the "no" depends on his mood.

Sometimes he moves along as soon as he hears it.
Sometimes he moves away and then tries to get to it from another angle where he thinks you can't see him!
Sometimes he just smiles at you and goes for it anyway (he thinks it's all a big joke).
Sometimes when I jerk him away from it (just for impact, so that he gets the message) he lets out a short but sharp cry.

The other day I was working in the study room and he was playing there. I'd got all his toys there, so that he'd remain in that room. But he wanted to hang from the potted plant that was also kept in that room. I said "no" a few times, and he finally left it alone, giving me the impression that he wasn't interested in it any more. He played there in that room for a good hour or so (without once trying his hand at the plant again), before I decided to take him for a walk outside. I went to collect his things, when I distinctly heard chomping. I rushed to the study and caught him with mud from the plant all over his hands and mouth. He was chomping away noisily, and waiting to waiting to put some more in his mouth.

Getting friendly

I'm so happy to meet new friends

Raghav has really started communicating. Since we went to London in April, Raghav has been very friendly. He laughed and played with the ladies sitting behind us on the plane for the longest time. They played peek-a-boo with him, and he was thrilled, calling them with 'aye, aye' when they stopped.

Even on trams and in supermarkets when I'm buying the groceries he calls people out with 'aye, aye' sounds till they look at him.

On the tram he tries to catch the attention of any person who is in his vision, irrespective of whether that person is looking at him or not.

He's fascinated with dark sunglasses and probably thinks they're a game people are playing with him. When he first saw me wearing them he started laughing as if I'd cracked a joke. Now he laughs at random people wearing sunglasses in trams.

When we'd gone to Italy with him, we noticed that he suddenly wasn't too willing to give out precious smile to everyone. When we met people in the lift, he would look at them suspiciously and sometimes they'd have to work really hard to get a smile out of him. Perhaps he was just unfamiliar with his surroundings.

Back in Geneva, he has again started smiling at anyone who's within his vision.

When he fell ill with a viral fever and we had to take him to the hospital, he was really tired and very very sleepy by the time our turn came to see the doctor. In fact, he'd even fallen asleep several times in the pram and then in the doctor's room. But when the nurse finally came to weigh him and take his temperature, he immediately forgot about his bad mood at not being able to sleep in his cozy bed and started literally hankering for the lady's attention, calling her out with his 'aye, aye' whenever she looked away.

He did the same with the lady doctor. He was first very upset at being woken up and poked and prodded and started crying hysterically. But soon after he was calm, he again started trying to get the lady's attention by calling out to her and smiling cutely.

Open your mouth. Quick!

He also goes on diligently with his babbling, testing out every syllable he can. There's ba-ba, da-da, ta-ta, pa-pa, and other slightly indiscernible ones. He looks very carefully at your mouth when you make various noises, and sometimes then tries them out himself. He's currently fascinated with the existence of the tongue, and often reaches into your mouth to hold it.

He is often touching our faces to know what each part is. He's grabbing on to daddy's nose, or scratching daddy's eyes and inspecting the insides of daddy's mouth. He often holds on to my jaw while I'm talking, as if to see how I make that sound, and then to test whether he can make it himself.

The food monster

Mashed banana all over my face

Raghav has developed a roaring appetite, touch wood. He fell ill twice in a row and had almost stopped eating then, but since he's recovered, he has also more than recovered his appetite.

From the moment he sees his food being prepared, he starts getting excited. He will call out and utter sharp screams so that it's ample clear what he wants. When you sit him down in his high chair, he starts jumping excitedly and then banging his hands on the table; sometimes both hands for greater effect, and uttering his short sharp screams like he's scolding you to hurry with the food.

When he starts eating he continues with the jumping, banging fists and calling out between bites. Once he did that to Nalin even though he still had a mouthful of food.

When you go to get seconds, he starts crying and trying to get out of his highchair. Once Nalin was feeding him while I was preparing the second helping, and his first bowl got over but the second wasn't ready yet. Nalin hid the empty bowl from him and started feeding him with an almost empty spoon, with just wisps of food stuck to it. Raghav carried on eating for a couple of bites, but figured out quickly enough there was no actual food reaching his mouth. He then started trying to peep at his bowl which Nalin had hidden and calling out to Nalin for more actual food. Till then I arrived with a new bowl.

You can't eat any more with him around. He wants what you're eating. We've had to feed him everything from icecreams, to plain boiled rice, to shredded chicken and pastas... and then he cries when that gets over. You have to then divert his attention, which isn't too tough.

He doesn't stay quiet now if he sees anyone eat, whether it's on a train or in a restaurant. He makes his sharp calling sounds to show that he'd like to have what they're having, please.

You give him a tough piece of bread and he can occupy himself with eating it for 20 minutes.

It was when he was sick and not eating much that he started wanting to hold the spoon and feed himself. Although I wanted to encourage him to feed himself, I didn't want to do it then because he was hardly eating anyway. But I think he also tried to do that then because he was sick and didn't want to eat much and just wanted to play around with his food.

Nalin let him feed himself once and he pasted his whole face, head and ears with mashed bananas!

Standing baby

Let me see how I can get closer to the TV

Raghav has been trying to stand holding on to things. He started with pushing up with his legs when I propped him on Nalin. The next day he held himself up holding a drawer handle in the bathroom while I was there, and tried to eat the handle. By the evening he was trying to get inside the dishwasher, holding on to its door which lay open.

When I put him in his cot that day as soon, as I turned away he was holding on to the railing and lifting himself up on his knees. I had to immediately take him out of the cot and lower it to its lowest level.

And today when I looked up from the computer, he was standing on both his feet holding on to the TV cabinet, looking into the TV. 

Cute as a button!

Thrilled that he's sitting

Raghav the traveller

Eating bread, yes papa!

Taking to Dadaji

On holidays

At our hotel in Nice, Raghav is frolicking at 10pm.

Raghav has become incredibly curious. He doesn't rest his curiosity a second when he's awake. That obviously interferes with his sleep when he's outside of his usual routine. When we went to London a couple of weeks ago, Raghav refused to sleep whenever we were outside. He was just busy taking everything in.

When I knew he was really really tired, but still refusing to sleep in his stroller, I had to carry him in the sling and block his view by putting my stole on his head and over his eyes, so that he wouldn't be able to see everything and then just get bored and sleep. It worked each time.

We were staying at Divya's house in West Hampstead, and I had carried a travelling cot for Raghav to sleep in. We put in on the floor next to our bed and I put him to sleep and went outside into the livingroom where we were having beers. Before I knew it, Raghav was in the corridor, gleefully creeping towards us. He was so full of energy at 11pm, it was as if his day had just begun.

I tried to put him down to sleep two-three more times after that, but once he knew how to climb out of the cot, there was no stopping him. We finally decided to eat our dinner quickly and take him to bed with us.

He also became so social during the trip to London, calling everyone out "ae" "ae" and then smiling at them. He was super friendly with Divya's son, Neev, holding out his hand to touch his face. One time when Raghav tried to do that, Neev cried out to his mum, "Baby attack!"

With Madelaine in London, that's Raghav sleeping under the stole.

He was also super social on our flight back to Geneva. He was standing in Nalin's lap and kept calling out to the ladies who sat behind us. They played peek-a-boo with him, and he smiled and laughed throughout. When the flight took off, the ladies went back to their music or their books, but Raghav still wanted to play. He still kept calling out to them and trying to catch their attention. Nalin had to tell him not to disturb the nice ladies.

He was super curious even during our trip to Nice and to the French Riviera. We had a cot for him in the hotel room, but he thought it was a play pen, he kept turning round and round in it exploring everything. We had to finally put him to sleep in the bed between us, literally forcing him down so that he wouldn't start crawling away.

Twice, in fact, we thought he was finally fast asleep when he woke up and just started crawling again, trying to eat the computer I was working on next to him or creeping up to feel the bed headboard above his head.

He slept for two straight days when we got back from our holidays.

Raghav goes "heeee!"

Two shiny teeth.

There is nothing Raghav likes more than crawling and getting anywhere he wants. When you hold him in your lap, he's always trying to get away. Gone are the days when he used to put his head on your chest and be content with that. Now it's impossible to get him to stay still even for a second.

His creeping has really improved. He's been so thrilled since that he can get anywhere he wants so quickly that he creeps about making gleeful noises. He comes creeping behind you as soon as you leave the room, and then more often than not gets distracted with wires or shoes on his way there. You can keep calling him from the other room, but he will not leave those shoes/wires alone.

We have also started putting him in the stroller, as opposed to the pram with the bassinet where he could only lie down. When he used to be the bassinet, after five minutes of being outside he would start calling out, or sometimes even get very upset and you had to pick him up and carry him in the sling. He loved to watch all the activities happening around him, and would get upset because he wasn't able to see anything if he was lying down in the bassinet.

Chilling out in his stroller

But now with the stroller he can see as much as want, and really really enjoys it. Earlier I had to give him a rattle or a teething ring to keep him occupied in the bassinet, but now he plays with his toy for just two minutes before he casts it aside and starts looking around at the world passing by, both his tiny feet up on the bar in front of him.

In fact, he's so quiet when he's in the stroller that we have to keep checking to see if he's asleep. But he's usually just transfixed, watching the world go by.

He used to gnaw at this small bookshelf in the living room, till I started feeling it's going to come crashing down on him one day. So I moved it behind some furniture. Sure enough, Raghav spotted it first thing the next day and tried to squeeze into the gap between the furniture to get to the bookshelf. He even got stuck between the two couches, but still kept going, determined not to call for help.

He got his Tetanus shot the other day, cried loudly but briefly, and then got distracted when the doctor and the nurse started clapping and cheering after it was done.

The doctor wanted to see how he crawls, and as soon as I turned him around on his stomach, he bolted towards the doctor's pad and paper. Even when I massage him on the changing table, as soon as I turn him around to massage his back, he's off, trying to jump off the table and into the tub of water.

We left him for a little while longer in his tub yesterday, and he tried to hold his feet through the water. He was a little confused at how his foot was appearing closer than it was, but he kept exploring. But as soon as I got his bath toys in, all the exploration went out the window and he picked up one toy and started chewing it immediately.

Watching a recipe show with Mamma

We were talking to Nitin the other day on Skype, and for the first time Raghav responded to him despite the laptop, which he's always mystified with (Why are Mamma-Daddy telling me to smile at the computer? And how is Dada-ji's voice coming out of this machine?). I had made him stand on his feet, holding him with both my legs. He was constantly trying to jump and is always thrilled when he's standing. Then Nitin whistled to him, and he went "heeeee!" Every time Nitin whistled, he jumped a little and went "heeeee!"

He also did this whole lap after the computer, chasing it while we kept moving it further and further away from him.

Creeping all round the house

That's his favourite place

Till the beginning of this week Raghav was just curious about Nalin's books lying under the TV cabinet. He would creep up to them and pull them down to the floor. But once they were down, he'd creep away, having spotted something else. But two days ago, he pulled one of the books down, flipped the pages and then tore off the first page! He was really going at it when I grabbed it away from him.

I have had to baby proof the house a little bit now.

He seems to like room corners and also loves to creep under the table. Sometimes he gets under a table and then lies there thumb in mouth, tired with the effort that has taken him to get under the table.

He's been chewing bookshelves and creeping behind tables to get at TV wires.

I took him with me to the kitchen today (because he can't be left alone in a room anymore) and he crept straight to the radiator and started chewing the radiator pipe. Thankfully the heating is off nowadays, and the radiator isn't hot.

Rolling around in the cot

I also leave him on our bedroom floor in front of the mirror when I'm getting dressed in the morning, and he gets very excited looking at himself in the mirror. But that excitement lasts a second, as he moves away quickly, trying to chew my boots that lie there or towards the bookshelf and starts pulling down papers from it.

He crept out of the living room the other day. He's never left the room on his own before. I guess he came looking for me. But then got distracted with the landline wires lying near the door. (I really must baby-proof soon.)

Whenever I lie him down in his cot, I go to check on him after five minutes and he's in the exact opposite direction, playing with his cot bumpers. They've been a waste. Most times when Nalin goes to get him in the morning, he's bumping his head on the cot wall, trying to go forward. Or he's playing peek-a-book with the cot bumpers. Or having a meaningful conversation with his blanket in hand.

I had washed his sleeping bag (which he always wears to sleep) one day, and while it was drying I was just putting a blanket on him while he slept in his cot. But every time he'd wake up, and I'd go to pick him up, the blanket would be off and he would be trying to literally climb out of the cot.

Raghav seems to have sworn never to sleep when he's out of the house. He screams and gets very high-pitched and hysterical, indicating strongly (and very loudly) that he's sleepy, but the moment I try to put him to sleep his cries and screams increase 10-fold.

We'd gone to Rebecca's place for drinks and dinner, and he refused to sleep even though his screeches told me he wanted to. But we went for dinner to an Indian restaurant the other day, and he was happy just sitting in my lap the entire time. Even on our walk back, we could tell he was really tired, but refused to lie in his pram and wanted to be carried back. Finally, he was so tired that he did ultimately nod off in the pram.

"I love it here!"

He also refuses to sleep on his back, like a regular person. Even though he knows how to turn and lie on his stomach (which is the most comfortable position for him to sleep), he doesn't know why he's getting irritated and keeps screeching and calling me so that I would put him on his stomach. The moment I do, it takes him two seconds to fall asleep.

Raghav gets so excited seeing his bowls and his food now. While I'm warming his food in the microwave and mixing his rice cereal and water in it, he's already banging his table and calling out. And when I do sit to feed him, his mouth is already open before I can scoop out a spoonful.

He always gets very upset when the food gets over, no matter how much he's eaten. I have come to a solution of handing him the spoon after his food is over, so that he thinks he's still eating.

He ate a biscuit all on his own yesterday, although I constantly worry that he's going to take a big bite and then not be able to swallow it.

Missing Daddy

Raghav had a very tough time when Nalin was away in Bangladesh for work all of last week. After coming back from India, he was still getting used to not having so many people around all the time, playing with him and giving him their undivided attention, when Nalin also left and he was left with just me. Plus, he must have also been having trouble getting back to Geneva time.

So he would sometimes cry and cry without reason. After playing for a bit he would start getting screechy and hysterical as he does when he's sleepy but when I'd put him in his cot, he would start crying inconsolably. It would take me sometimes 30-40 minutes to get him to sleep, and then he would be up again in about 5 minutes.

I finally realised he was just missing his Daddy and also needed to see people other than me. So I started taking him out to the park, or just for a walk down the street. The weather has been great, too. But Raghav doesn't like lying in the pram any more; he likes to watch as the world goes by. Which means I have to carry him in his sling and only then he's happy. 

Chomp, chomp

Eating the table at Montreux

Raghav had his first fall today. He was playing on the bed in the morning, chewing something or the other, when what he was chewing must have fallen on the ground and he went to check on it.

I was in the other room and heard a big thud and then his loud cry. But I ran and picked him up. He was quiet in a few seconds, looking at himself in the mirror and smiling while eating his hand.

He creeps about the whole living room, ignoring all his toys, chasing slippers and trying to eat wires and gets very perturbed when you take it away from him because he would have just spent all his energy getting to it. He does like his grey elephant, whose trunk and tail he likes to chew, and also sometimes his pink truck which breaks into a tune every time he presses a button on it. He's always very surprised to hear it go off.

Solid determination at Vikaspuri

He also loves to chew tags on clothes, on his stuff toys, and his pram. He goes about exploring the TV shelf, often pulling down the two DVDs that are kept there, and then getting startled when they come crashing down. When the first comes down he just gets startled, when the next falls, he looks at me with his weepy face to see if he should cry or not.

He likes to get under tables and sofas, and probably gets a sense of achievement; when he gets there he just stays put for a while, feeling thrilled that he's made it.

He now sprouts two bottom teeth, and looks extremely cute when he smiles. 

Raghav's debut in Indian society

With Nihal and Tanvi, trying to figure out everyone

Raghav is just back from his first trip to India, and now back in familiar surroundings, I can actually see how much he has grown in the past month. He constantly practices crawling when he's lying on his stomach, now moving very quickly. When I put him down to change his diaper, by the time I collect all the things he's turned over onto his stomach and is already sliding away (bums up) towards something attractive he's seen.

It was a struggle in India to put him to sleep. Since there was no cot or other enclosed area, we had to put him down on the regular bed, from where he constantly, diligently tried to creep/turn/crawl out of. Even when we put pillows around him, we often found him lying on top of the pillow, trying to push forward. When you entered the bedroom and caught him that way, he'd give you a quick smile and continue pushing forward.

I had to lie next to him on the bed and pretend to be asleep as well. Even then he would without a minute's notice lift his bum up and start pushing forward. I would then have to literally force him to sleep by holding him down with relative force.

He has also started expressing his opinions very strongly. From happiness at seeing us, to displeasure at his food being over, to squealing when he wants to be put to bed. Often he would be playing happily with other people till he would spot me and then immediately start his complaining calls that he wanted me to put him down to sleep.

The squealing has become his favourite sound to express displeasure, and it's loud, too, and because one just wants him to stop screaming, one usually gives in fairly quickly. Currently, he usually just squeals when he's sleepy or hungry or generally irritated and tired.

What? No more food for me!?

Raghav has become very fond of eating regular food twice a day. Whenever his mashed banana finishes, and I wipe his face, he knows he's not getting any more and starts protesting. If another bowl of mashed banana doesn't appear immediately, the protests turn into tearful crying.

India was a revelation for Raghav; he saw so many people, all of them showering their attention on him. I was apprehensive that he would soon get overwhelmed and start crying but he took everything in his stride. Even on our way to Delhi, when in our 12-hour journey, Raghav hardly got to sleep for 2 hours and was so exhausted he couldn't even protest any more, I was in tears thinking this was how it was going to be in India -- he would be so exhausted with meeting people and not getting his usual sleep that he would fall in. But the boy took everything in his stride, once again, and slept when he wanted and played when he wanted.

At the party we held at DSOI for all the close relatives to come and meet him, Raghav was truly social, hardly needing me or Nalin till the end when he was exhausted with all the attention and just wanted to be put to bed.

Suddenly one day he started looking big to both Nalin and me. His hands and feet have grown, and there's so much more strength now in his feet. When you put him on your lap he pushes himself up to a standing position, and can stay up for quite a long time.

A bit confused at this other little person 

We can tell he's still trying to figure out other kids. Whether they're his age or older than him, he looks at them with a look that is both puzzled and curious at the same time. When Sanjeev's daughter Shambhavi touched him on his cheek, Raghav was startled because this was only the second time he was seeing another kid, but the next time Nalin and Sanjeev held the two kids close together, it was Raghav who made the move. Even when Nihal and Tanvi are being wild and naughty around him, Raghav watches with a puzzled, curious and startled expression. But usually, once very little kids have gauged each other adequately, they go back to doing their own thing.

He still gets startled by little things, like when my dad sneezed very loudly twice sitting next to him, Raghav was startled both times, but the third time it happened he started crying. He also started crying when Nalin's dad made him ring the temple bell. It's almost like the first time he hears something loud, he tries to gauge what it is, but then the next time when he can't figure out the purpose of the loud noise, he starts crying. Even now, sometimes when he's in Nalin's lap he still gets startled by Nalin's voice.

His communication skills also have greatly improved in this last month. He has started saying distinct syllables like ba-ba-ba. And you can tell he's making a lot of effort as each syllable leaves his mouth. If you talk to him very slowly, he closely notices how your mouth moves and how the sound comes out and then sometimes makes an effort himself. Many of the times you can tell he's probably replying to you. On the flight back to Geneva, every time an air-hostess spoke to him he replied with his own sounds.

When Sankar and Suman had come to see him in Sid Ex on the day that we were leaving, Nalin and I went upstairs with them. When I returned Raghav was sitting on Mamiji's lap busy practicing his vowels. He didn't notice me till I called out his name and put my hand on his stomach. He then looked at me and gave me his noisy sheep-laugh.

Catching Nihal's glasses

He was also fascinated with Shankar's beard and kept touching it. While he were still in Geneva, he also started eating my chin. I think he does it when he's hungry. He constantly tries to explore the other person's face. He holds Nalin's nose and twists it like a doorknob, or sucks his own hand and then puts it in my mouth. He also tries to hang from our jaw. Specs always come off first thing as they're the first he grabs as soon as he gets within reach.

Exploring and getting stronger

What's more tastier than my own hand?

Raghav has finally discovered his hands and now they're always in his mouth. Sometimes he holds them together like he's going to recite poetry at an elocution. When he's not doing that he's constantly munching on them, sometimes with both in his mouth, pulling his jaws apart like Joker. Sometimes he's got two fingers in, like he's trying to whistle. He brings has hands together and sometimes tries to take them above his head.

When he notices someone else's hand he looks at it real close, and then tries to grab it and put their finger in his mouth. His motor skills are still not perfect, but he does manage to hold your finger and guide it towards his mouth; and doesn't like it if you cheat him and put his finger in his mouth instead.

He's started wanting to grab everything that comes close to him; whether it's the balloons hanging from his door, or the paintings in our hallway, when he goes close to these things while he's in our lap he bends to touch them with his hand and feel them. (He's probably wondering how he can put these things in his mouth, too.)

When we put our face close to him, he grabs it too. With Nalin he grabs his nose and tries to twist it, or tries to hang on from his mouth. With me he grabs my hair or my glasses. Once when I was kissing him on his cheeks, he tried to eat my chin.

His latest form of communication: "razzing", when he blows out spit and makes little bubbles with it. He has a razzing competition with Nalin on who can do it better -- Raghav wins hands down. Sometimes I hear him razzing away from his cot when he's just woken up.

He rubs his feet vigorously, making it very difficult to make him wear pajamas; he also manages to rub his socks away, even if they're the long ones that come up to his knees.

He has immense strength now; he's constantly creeping up and down. Earlier he had been mostly creeping down; we would put him at the top of his cot and by the time he fell asleep he would be curled up at the bottom corner of it.

Loves his Ikea arch

I found him hanging off his cot the other day. He'd been sleeping when I heard him call out to me. It's usually his way of telling me that he's up now and that he wants to be picked up or fed etc. I was still in the loo when I heard him call me. By the time I reached his cot he was hanging from it, holding the sheet with his hands, half his body up on the cot, and half hanging from it.

We put up the fourth side in his cot that very night.

He also keeps rotating, usually in a clockwise circle, when he's lying down. So, soon enough his head was hitting the bars on his cot. We had to put the cot bumpers to prevent that.

He has now started creeping up, too. When I put him on the fur rug with the Ikea arch over him to play with, soon enough he's crept up and off the fur rug and onto the carpet. He also tries to push up with his foot, one bum at a time. He almost turns, and has turned a couple of times randomly, but doesn't do it regularly yet.

Mash for lunch

Raghav had his first solid meal today - mashed potatoes.

When Nalin sat him down on the couch while holding him and put the bib around him, Raghav was quite confused about what was happening. Plus, his grandparents and Nitin were on a video call, and were talking through the laptop (which already confuses him quite a bit and he always looks at it curiously, not sure why he's been asked to smile at the computer or talk to it).

I gave him a little bit through a spoon, and as is now his habit with anything he sees coming towards him, he extended his hand to hold the spoon. He wanted to probably put it in his mouth and chew it a little. Which is exactly what he did throughout the meal.

I thought he won't have more than half a spoon or so of the potatoes, but either he liked his meal or just wanted to keep chewing on the spoon, he had more than a few spoons of the mash.

We knew he was ready for solids as he'd been paying much more attention to what we're eating or drinking. He's been looking curiously at our plates and then at our faces.

Holidaying in Gran Canaria

First time on a train -- to Zurich airport

Raghav had an exciting first holiday in Gran Canaria. We took the train to Zurich from where we were to catch a flight the next morning to Las Palmas. Raghav was very curious during the train ride -- looking at his reflection in the train window, looking outside at the lights or, finally, feeding and sleeping.

We had dinner at the Radisson's resto-pub, and Raghav was fascinated by the big orange chandeliers. He slept in his pram soon after, and slept through the night at the airport, even though we had an unusually tough night trying to find a place to sleep at the airport.

During check-in he was up again when we put him in the sling and checked in his pram; slightly irritated at being woken up for nothing at 5am, but quickly became alert and curious as to where he was.

He was perfect during the flight, feeding and sleeping and playing with Daddy a little bit before sleeping and waking up to feed again.

Throughout our stay in Gran Canaria, Raghav was perfectly curious and alert, sleeping whenever he felt tired and not once being difficult. He could sleep in his pram at the very noisy hotel dining room, of course after a little bit of cursory crying that he still does to lodge his protest about not wanting to sleep.

The sun's in my eye!

Raghav hates the sun, but is very cute while hating it. As soon as the sun comes in his eyes, no matter whether he's in the car seat, or his pram, or even in our laps, he wriggles and winces and frowns and moves his whole body in order to get away from the sun. A tunnel would come and his eyes would be wide open in "night vision" as we call it, and then as soon as the tunnel would end he would be wriggling his body again trying to get away from the sun.

We had him wear only onesies during the holiday because it was pretty warm there, and he looked awfully cute and chubby. We don't often get to see him like this in Geneva where he mostly wears long-sleeved onesie as well as pants, which hide his chubbiness.

But one day we started calling him Chubrinder Singh Plumpy, nicknamed Chubby, and both Nalin and I bent over backwards laughing at his new nickname, while Raghav looked at us suspiciously and probably thought his parents had gone crazy.

Holding on for dear life. God knows what they're up to now.

We would give him a bath in the bathroom sink at the hotel during our stay. It was quite small for him. Throughout his bath he would have a very suspicious and wary look on his face, and he probably wondered what his parents were up to now, dipping him in this godawful washbasin. For safety from his side he would hold on to the ledge where all the toiletries were kept. "Let me arrange for my own protection; these people can't be trusted."

Every morning instead of letting him sleep after his morning feedings, we'd pack him up and spend our day outdoors on a beach or shopping. He must have thought we'd gone crazy driving him around like that everyday: "And where's my damn bed?"

He did sleep a lot less because as soon as he was outside, in the sling or in the pram, he was looking around curiously, forgetting about eating or sleeping, till we forced him to take a break.

We'd taken all these books and toys for him to feel a sense of familiarity while on the holiday, but he didn't need anything or anyone more than his Mamma and Daddy.