The long journey home...

8th July: Wake up in the morning at 4.00 a.m.. Feed Button. Start packing large suitcase with baby clothes, baby toys, diapers, nappies, liners, rubber sheet, plastic sheet, burp cloths, towels, brush, baby oil, top-to-toe wash, lotion, powder, medicines, medical records... etc. Rush to doc to check if am back to normal, a month after delivery. Run to the baby shop to buy baby items of next size(forgot am going home for two months!) Run back. Feed baby. Start clearing cupboards (When the lady of the house is away, the maids will play!). Talk to boss about where to ship my stuff. (Another mail on story of my job follows in a few days). Try to get Button to adapt to bottle-with-a-liner. Surprised that he adapted in a few seconds!! Talk to husband endlessly about handover-of-household-routines (never believing he would stick to even one of 'em, but what the heck, we live on hope!) Finally sleep for a few hours after the first feed in the night.

9th July: Barely make it to the airport in time. Mom has one suitcase (medium) with her stuff. I have one suitcase (small) with my stuff. My husband has a laptop and a small bag. Button has two large suitcases, one medium suitcase, one diaper bag, one feeding bottle backpack and a carseat (all for a 300 rupee infant ticket!) My husband in all his wisdom had bought full fare tickets on Jet Airways for us and managed to get 3 upgrade vouchers to get us to the "royal" business class on an all-economy flight (men, sigh!)

In-flight we were instructed a few million times to feed the baby during ascent and descent, as infants do not know how to yawn (nonsense!). Also to bundle him up as he may feel cold and to plug in cotton wool into his ears. Button had other plans though. He managed to shake his head violently enough to get the cotton wool out each of the 20 times that we tried. Also hated the blanket. Refused to suckle. Instead yawned copiously during both ascent and descent. Babies sure have the own minds!

10th July Mom and dad worked overtime to set up a system for clothes and diaper changes. Button refuses to come to mom except for 'Inga'(food in his language). Prefers trusted maid K over me. Likes his great granddad's Shakespeare declamations (wonder why at 91 years of age he chose to recite Mark Antony's speech to Button who is barely 5 weeks old!). Also likes his grandpa's nonsensical babble. A typical example is "Kanna, mokutickinal, grahhy, peetombom, ffaffa, jikoko, wednomini!!" (perhaps it makes perfect sense to the little one!)

My mom calls Button "Pattaani" meaning 'green pea' in Tamizh. My dad has begun calling him "Takkali" (Tomato), "Muttakos" (Cabbage) and "Tarboojini" (Water melon)

Button loves the sound that a friendly lizard makes in our bedroom (strange tastes!)

He loves the sounds of birds chirping in the garden too (Help, we only have crows and pigeons in Bombay!)

Cries if people talk to each other and stop fussing over him for more than 5 minutes at a time. A typical conversation between my parents goes like this -
Mom: "R, we must finish our pending bank work soon enough.My sweetheart, my little darling, my pot of gold, apple of my eye. We only have three months. Honey, sweetie pie"
Dad: "Nimponsui, jijiloti,hugijoti.Yes, I have processed my papers. polikutti, kotiharra, biscofoji, wawarani. Am waiting for your signatures only. jugijugi, kohimera"
Wah, what a lovey-dovey couple!

11th JulyAm luvving it now. No worries of how to dry my clothes, maid worries or cook problems. Am more relaxed and able to bond with Button better. He is growing up to show his own tiny spirit and mind now. Am looking forward to seeing his personality grow.