गुलाबी थंडीच्या पांढार्या छटा

आज काय लिहावे सुचत नाही आहे. खूप खूप दिवस झाले काही लिहिले नाही. सध्या मौसम पण असा आहे की काहीच करवेसे वाटत नाही. थोडक्यात काय तर पाया पासून डोक्यापर्यंत आळस भरला आहे अंगात!
मला आठवत आहे, असे थन्डीचे दिवस असले की आई अंगात २ स्वेटर, कानात स्कार्फ आणि मफ्लर, पायात मोजे, अंगावर दोन पातळ चादरी, दोन ब्लॅंकेट्स आणि एक दुलई एवढे घेऊन झोपायची. एवढा पसारा तिला अंगावर ओढता येत नसल्याने ती आम्हाला चादरी, ब्लॅंकेट्स आणि दुलई अंगावर टाकून मागायची. आईची ही गंमत सगळ्यांना माहिती होती. थंडी सुरू झाली की आत्या, ताई, दादा सगळे चेष्टेने आई ला विचारायचे, 'ब्लॅंकेट्स, दुलया निघाल्या का?' आई पण मिस्कील हसत त्यांना उत्तर द्यायची.
इथे हिटर्स मुळे थंडी तेवढी जाणवत नाही पण बाहेर जायला लागल की वाट लागते. अश्या थंडीमधे गाडी बंद पडली तर देवच आठवतात. शिवाय बर्फ पडला असेल तर ज्या गाड्यान्ची टायर्स जुनी झाली आहेत किव्वा ज्या गाड्यान्चे ब्रेक्स चांगले नाही (दोन्ही मधे माझी गाडी येते) अश्यांचे हमखास आक्सिडेंट्स होतात (माझा इतक्यात झालेला आक्सिडेंट बर्फामुळे नव्हता). आक्सिडेंट मधे फसलेल्या लोकांची कीव यायच्या ऐवजी ऑफीस ला येताना किव्वा जाताना उशीर झाला म्हणून 'आताच धडपडायच होत!' अश्या अर्थाचे कटाक्ष दिल्या जातात. त्याशिवाय ऑफीस च्या वाटेवरून जाणार्या मोठ्मोठ्या कंटेनर्स च्या डोक्यावरचा साचलेला बर्फ नेमक आपण ओवर्टेक करत असतानाच आपल्या समोर धडामढुडुमपडल्याने जो चित्तथरारक अनुभव येतो तो निराळाच!
बर्फामधे चालत असताना कंप्यूटर माइन स्वीपर नावाचा गेम खेळल्यासारखे वाटते. गेम मधे कुठल्या टाइल खाली बॉम्ब सापडून धारतीर्थी पडू याची जशी खात्री नसते तशीच कुठल्या क्षणी बर्फावरुन निसटून हाड मोडून घेऊ याचीही खात्री नसते! दर हिवाळ्यात ऑफिस मधे, मॉल मधे नाही तर कुठे ना कुठे प्लास्टर मधे हात-पाय असलेले बर्फामुळे घायाळ झालेले लोक नक्कीच दिसतात.
इथे बर्फामुळे वेड लागणार्यांची संख्या काही कमी नाही. एखादे वर्षी बर्फ कमी झाला तर मनापासून हलहळणारे लोक इथे सापडतात. २ वर्षा आधी कोणी बर्फाच्या सौंदर्याचे वर्णन माझ्या पुढे केले असते तर मी पोट धरून हसले असते. पण मागच्या वार्षीच्या अनुभवाने माझे मत बदलले (एवढेही नाही की बर्फा ना झाल्याने मी हळ्हळीन पण बर्फ झाला म्हणून मला जे रडु यायचे ते आता येणार नाही). मागच्या वर्षी एका रात्रीत एवढा बर्फ झाला की गुडघयापर्यंतच्या उंचीची प्रत्येक वस्तू बर्फात झाकाल्या गेली. रस्त्यांवर त्या आधीच मीठ घालून ठेवल्याने आणि लागोलाग रात्रभारातूनच तो बर्फ रस्त्यावरून सॉफ केल्याने मला कामावर जावेच लागले. बाहेरचा बर्फ पाहून माझ्या अंगावर शहारा आला होता. जड पायानी आणि त्याहून जड अंत:करणानी मी गाडी काढून बाहेर पडले. बाहेर सगळीकडे पांढरी स्वच्छ चादर टाकल्या सारखे दिसत होते. बर्फाचा एक वेगळाच उजेड पडला होता. नीट पहिल्यावरच दिसतील अश्या प्रकारे चिमण्या खेटुन बसल्या होत्या. रस्त्याच्या दुतर्फा पांढर्या पेन्ढ्या टाकल्या सारख्या वाटत होत्या. वाटेत लागणारे गोल्फ कोर्स बर्फाने झाकाल्या गेले होते. इतर दिवशी ते विस्तीर्ण मैदान सुरेख त्याच्या नीटनेटक्या गवतामुळे, होल्स मधे लावलेल्या झेन्ड्यान्मुळे, मधेच असलेल्या वाळूच्या पॅचस मुळे सुंदर दिसते पण त्या दिवशी तिथे ना गावात दिसत होत, ना वाळू आणि नाही झेंडे पण त्या दिवशीचे त्याचे सौन्दर्य अवर्णनीय होते.
 दिवस काही औरच होता. सगळी कडे निरव शांतता होती (ऑफीस ला जाताना हा अनुभव येणे खरच दुर्मिळ!) साफ केलेल्या रस्त्यावरही मीठ टाकल्याने पांढरा थर साचला होता. ट्रॅफिक सिग्नल सुध्दा बर्फानी झाकाल्या गेले होते. त्यातले दिवे तेवढे लुकलुकत होते. त्यांच्या कडे पाहून मला आईची आठवण आली. २ स्कार्फ आणि अंगावरचे अवजड पांघरूण यात आईचा फक्त चेहरा जसा दिसतो तसे त्या सिग्नल चे झाले होते. जणू त्यानी पांढार्या स्कार्फ आणि पांढर्या पान्घरुणानी स्वत:ला झाकून घेतले होते. ऑफीस मधे पोहोचल्यावर मला फार च्ण वाटले. त्या दिवशी मला एक बाई म्हणाली, 'बाहेर किती सुंदर आहे सगळ!'. मी पण हसून, मनापासून 'हो' म्हटले.

This is how my vacation went with my baby

We went to Bahamas. But the vacation started with clouds of doubts. We went there right between two hurricanes. We thought we were going to get stuck in  bad weather and will spend all 4 days sitting in our rental apartment staring at each other with nothing to do (Even after this thought we decided not to carry our laptop!!!). We tried to cancel the trip but couldn't provide the required documents to the insurance agency ( we had an insurance just in case we had to cancel our plans...you never know when you are travelling with young ones!!). We decided to go with a heavy heart. Now I am so glad that we went there. It was perfect!!! Perfect weather, perfect sea, perfect apartment and even the rain was perfect. It use to rain once everyday. It actually helped with the hot and humid temperature.
How did my list work....just great!! When we reached there we were tired and were not in the mood to cook anything. The baby cereal was an easy meal to fix for my baby. We didn't know that our apartment was duplex. The baby monitor saved us from going upstairs every now and then to check on the lil one. And the snacks helped us to get through the shopping and sight seeing. With the variety of snacks to munch on, he was never bored when we wandered around the city. The umbrella stroller helped us a lot. It was easy to carry when we were hopping on and off the Bahamian jitneys. 
Stuff which I did not use was medicines (thankfully!), blanket, throw over sheet, disposable cup and bowl, cotton balls, extra sippy cup, sweater and bug repellent.
I am looking forward to another vacation without being nervous :)

Flying with a baby or toddler

Its vacation time and I have started making a list of things I will have to carry while I am flying and while I am at the destination again! Last time I travelled with my son when he was 6 months old. He was breast fed then. I had to travel alone. Since he wasn't crawling a lot, it was easier to carry him in my lap the whole 16 hours. So travelling with a baby, travelling alone with a baby, flying with a baby on very long flights, I have done it all. But now I have to remember all the things I carried and modify the list per his present needs. Its better to note it down somewhere so I won't have to start from scratch the next time and I won't miss anything from the last time. So here is the list:

Carry on luggage
  • Carry extra clothes (2 sets) for baby and an extra set for mom and dad (in case the baby gets sick on your lap)
  • Milk bottles are allowed on board (I carried a bag meant for keeping the bottles cold with couple of ice packs and 4 bottles of pumped milk). The cabin crew can warm the milk for you. Test the temperature of milk/food before giving it to baby.
  • Pack soothers/pacifiers or something to chew or suck on for the baby. Sucking action relieves the baby from air pressure during take off and landing. I gave my son a bottle (I timed his feeding such that he will have his milk during takeoff) while take off, landing and whenever I felt change in air pressure.
  • Carry a disposable bowl and some cotton balls. If the baby is in pain due to the air pressure, cotton balls soaked in warm water could make him feel better. Also, carry a disposable cup. If for some reason the crew refuse to warm the bottle, you could ask for hot water and keep the bottle in it to warm the milk.
  • Carry extra Sippy cups.
  • Keep the medicines (tylenol, motrin, thermometer, salin spray) handy.
  • Carrying bibs, burping clothes, wash clothes are recommended.
  • Wet wipes, diapers (I would suggest 4-5 diapers. You may need more diapers while travelling than usual) and diaper rash cream are must to carry.
  • Some moms have suggested carrying a back pack to keep your hands free for the kid and the stroller.
  • Empty plastic bags for soiled clothes/ diapers.
  • Extra zip lock bags.
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Take some snacks and toys (some moms suggest to wrap the toys in gift wrap and keep one end open if the security wants to check the wrapped toy. This creates an excitement for the kids).
  • Carry a bed sheet or something if you are changing the flight and have a long stop in between. Your baby will be able to sleep on the floor. He will get a nice space to take a nap and could use the space to stretch.
  • Sometimes it could be very cold inside the plane. Consider clothing your kid in layers. Layers could be removed depending on the inside temperature.
  • I am not sure about carrying a car seat. It could come handy when you don't have a bassinet. Baby will feel safe in the carseat with the harnesses. I did not carry it.
  • If the baby is breast fed, carry breast pump and accessories, nursing cloth, extra bottles and extra nipples
  • Depending on the weather, carry hats, mittens and socks
  • If the child is teething carry a teether
  • If the baby is very small (couldn't sit and crawl), you can carry a baby carrier.
  • Important: Consider a wheel chair option when traveling alone with a baby. It was a life saver for me! I cleared the check in lines, the security lines and the boarding lines in no time and I did not have to worry about carrying my son as he was on my lap the whole time. The wheel chair assistant carried and checked in the entire luggage for me. He also put the luggage on the security belt and brought it back to me. Easy!
  • Another thing to consider, while boarding a flight you have a choice to board before everyone. It helps if the child is 0-4 months old. It could irritate the child (5-6 months onwards) to not to move for a while. Consider boarding later in such case.
  • Also, keep the diaper bag (with extra set of clothes, extra set of bottles and extra diapers) under your seat. Do not put it in the over head compartment. While travelling alone, getting the stuff out of the bag could be a huge deal.
  • Try to fill in the custom form when the child is asleep.
  • Get the cabin crew's help (while eating lunch, while using bathroom etc.)
Other things to carry:
  • Baby cereal (its easy to make and is a good back in case of emergency)
  • Baby monitor
  • Child safe night lamp
  • Baby blanket
  • (if you get a kitchen) rice, lentils, cracked wheat, raagi, Rava and small utensils to cook these items
  • body wash, tooth paste, tooth brush, baby powder, lotion
  • Tissue paper
  • Cloth bandage, antiseptic cream, vicks vapor rub, nebulizer (my son needs this to keep his cough in check), hot pack, multi vitamin drops, orajel (since he is teething), and some other medicines
  • Cap, sun screen, swimmer diapers, bug repellent
  • feeding spoons
  • disposable bowls
I am trying to find out best toys to carry in the plane. Any suggestions?

Aryan Invasion theory - Myths and facts

One day I had nothing to do. Without a TV and a computer and after a good two hour nap, I was out of options and there was this book, 'The Wonder that was India' by A.L Basham. I finished 50 pages of in one sitting, it was that interesting! Like all books on ancient history of India begin (I haven't read a single of them but have seen table of context for couple of them) with Harappa and Mohindo Jaro civilization and dedicates substantial part to the Aryan invasion theory, this book also has 30 good pages on it. Since I have heard many things about the theory I wanted to go deeper. This might cause a digression in my reading and I might not finish the book (there are very few books that I have completed. One of them is 'Animal Farm'. Its a tiny book and a must read!) but I think its worth it.
So per the book, the invasion happened somewhere around 2000 B.C. The invaders were from Europe (from Poland to be specific). They were nomads but were great warriors. (1#) They had tamed horses (no evidence of taming horses were found at Harappan civilization) and had invented two wheeled chariots. They had superior weapons (like an axe with shaft). Excavation of the Harappan civilization sites showed much inferior tools and absence of iron (It is hard to believe that the civilization who was connected to the world and who use to visit other parts of the world by sea and by road were not aware of chariots, iron and horses!). These invaders conquered the local population and imposed their rules (for example, caste system). (2#) They worshipped sky, sun, wind and other gods. Some of them later went to Europe to become ancestors of Greek, Latins, Celts and Teutons.This is how the similarities between the Iraninan names (Indra, Uruvna, Mitira and Nasaliya) and hindu names is explained. Further the invasion was described as an act occurred over the centuries and (3#) the invasion caused fall of great cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. The invaders brought in the priests who already had perfected a very advanced poetic technique, which they used for the composition of hymns to be sung in praise of their gods at sacrifices.(4#) The discovery of the Indus cities, which have nothing in common with the culture described in the Veda and are evidently pre-Vedic, proved that the hymns cannot have been composed before the end of Harappa. The great development in culture, religion and language which is evident in the later Vedic literature shows that a long period must have elapsed between the time of the composition of the last hymns of the Rg Veda and the days of the Buddha – perhaps as much as 500 years. (5#) It is therefore probable that most of the Rg Veda was composed between 1500 and 1000 B.C, though the composition of some of the most recent hymns and the collation of the whole collection may have taken place a century or two later.
The following passages speak about indigenous people of India:
The Vedic poets knew Himalayas, but not the land south of the Jamnaa, and they did not mention the Vindhyas. To the east the Aryans had not expanded far beyond the Jamnaa, and the Ganges is mentioned only in one late hymn.
Many hymns refer to the battles between one Aryan tribe and another, there is , (6#) underlying this intertribal rivalry, a sense of solidarity against the Daasas or Dasyus, who evidently represent the survivors of the Harappa Culture, and kindred peoples of the Panjab and North West. The Daasas are described as dark and ill-favored, bull-lipped, snub-nosed, worshipper of the phallus, and of hostile speech. They are rich in cattle, and dwell in the fortified places called pur, of which the Aryan war-god Indra has destroyed hundreds. The main work of destroying the settlements of the Daasas had been accomplished some time before the composition of the hymns, and the great battles which must then have taken place are already misted over the legend; but the daasas are still capable of massing armies of 10,000 men against the invaders.
When the Aryans entered India there was already a class division in their tribal structure. Even in the earliest hymns we read of the kshatra, the nobility, and the vish, the ordinary tribesmen, and the records of several other early Indo-European peoples suggest that a tribal aristocracy was a feature of Indo-European society even before the tribes migrated from their original home. (#7)As they settled among the darker aboriginals the Aryans seem to have laid greater stress that before on the purity of blood, and class division hardened, to exclude those Daasas who had found a place on the fringes of Aryan society, and those Aryans who had intermarried with the Daasas and adopted their ways. At the same time the priests, whose sacrificial lore was becoming more and more complicated, and who therefore required greater skills and training were arrogating higher privileges to themselves. By the end of the Rg Vedic period society was divided into four great classes and this fourfold division was given religious sanction and looked on as fundamental.

Myth Buster!!!!
To discredit the theory that the Indus Valley never knew wheel, K. D. Sethna in his book cited that some seals depicting the wheel have indeed been discovered at the Harappan archeological sites. (1#)The wheel was known to the people of the Indus Valley (http://uwf.edu/lgoel/documents/AMythofAryanInvasionsofIndia.pdf). Also, terra-cota figurines and faunal remains of the horse were excavated from the sites at Lothal, Surkotda and Kalibangan. (http://www.fact-index.com/a/ar/aryan_invasion_theory.html#Evidence%20for%20and%20against%20an%20invasion).
The recent discovery of the dried-up Saraswati river further negates the Aryan invasion theory. Satellite photography from outer space shows the existence of a dried-up river bed in Northern India. (4#, 5#) The archeological evidence indicates that the river dried up several thousand years ago, much before 1,500 B.C., the date ascribed to Aryan invasions. Saraswati is mentioned numerous times in the Vedic scriptures of the Aryans, indicating that these people lived in India during very ancient times. (5#) The mention of Saraswati river in Rig Veda suggests that the vedas were written around 10,000-2000 BCE, which is long before the proposed Aryan invasion.
Francois Gautier cites recent research which indicates that the script on the Indus seals is of Sanskrit lineage. (2#) This proves that the people of Harappa belonged to a much older Vedic age. Hence, the resemblance in names could be because of invasion/ migration of people from Indus valley to outside world and not vice-versa.
Recent DNA evidence not only negates the Aryan invasion theory but proves that people from India migrated outside India and influenced their culture and language. Recent studies reveals the pattern of human population in India and sout east Asia. (http://www.vedanet.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=2) The development of agriculture and urban civilization in ancient India was based upon the geology of the Sarasvati River, which arose as a mighty river towards the later period of the last Ice Age over 10,000 years ago, and lost its perennial flow, owing to the later climate changes and the melting of the main glaciers in the 2200-1500 BCE era. This Vedic-Sarasvati culture, relative to its geology, lasted from around 10,000-2000 BCE, when the Sarasvati was the dominant river in North India. This perennial great Sarasvati defines the main period of the development of Vedic culture, Vedic kingdoms and the late Vedic era, when the Sarasvati began to decline. This is roughly the period from the older Rigvedic Hymns to the later four Vedas, Brahmanas and early Upanishads, though it is likely that the existent texts which we have were not entirely finalized until the end of this period.
Prior to the end of the last Ice Age, when sea levels were much lower, the most favorable part of the globe for human habitation was Southeast Asia, which included the region from South India to Indonesia. Indonesia was not a series of islands but was connected to Malaysia as part of a large subcontinent called Sunda Land. This region had the warmest and wettest climate of the Ice Age period and was the main center of human habitation and probably human culture as well. Regions to the north were not only colder but drier, including north India, with little monsoon developing in the summer and little melting of glacial ice from the winter to support much by way of great rivers.
This idea of Sunda Land has points in common with the idea of Kumari Kanda, of South India connecting to a larger continent to the south at a remote ancient period. It is also reflected in the maritime symbolism which pervades the Rig Veda and in the idea of pre-flood or pre-Manu kings and dynasties like that of Prithi Vainya, who is credited with first introducing agriculture to humanity, as well as in the idea of earlier kalpas or world-ages and earlier Manus that we find in the Puranas.

The end of the Ice Age released the waters to flow through the Sarasvati River and inundate the plains of North India, turning the area into an ideal region for habitation and agriculture. We can easily see this geological event in Vedic stories of the great Indra, slaying the dragon Vritra, who lay at the foot of the mountains holding back the waters, releasing the seven rivers to flow into the sea.
The end of the Ice Age caused a migration of peoples from Southeast Asia to the north and west, fleeing the rising waters that put much of the Indonesian area under sea and separated Sri Lanka from India. North India would have been one of the first and most accessible places of migration for those seeking to flee the end of the Ice Age floods, either by sea or by land routes. We see this in Hindu myths of Manu as a flood figure coming from Kerala in South India, as in the Matsya Purana, as well as in the underlying maritime symbolism and ocean worship in the Rig Veda itself.
According to the geneticist Stephen Oppenheimer, settlements in India appear about 90,000 years ago. From India there were later northeastern and northwestern migrations into Eurasia and the Far East. India has long been a focal point of this movement from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe.

A recent paper in the journal Science reporting on the analysis of the DNA of the Orang Asli, the original inhabitants of Malaysia, confirms this view. According to it a single migration out of Africa took the southern route to India, Southeast Asia and Australasia. At this time Europe was too cold for human habitation. (#6, #7) About 50,000 years ago, when deserts turned into grasslands, an "Out of India" migration populated the Near East and Europe, another migration went northeast through China and over the now submerged Bering Strait into the Americas. This agrees with the earliest known modern human sites of the Near East (45,000 years ago) and Europe (40,000 years ago). It is likely that the earliest sites on the coastline that were occupied by the first migrants are now under water, since sea level has risen more than sixty meters since the last Ice Age. This is the exact reverse of the various migration-invasion theories (like the Aryan invasion) advanced by linguists and anthropologists who sought to derive Indians and their civilization from Central Asia, Eurasia or even Europe.
The end of the Ice Age afforded the natural events to create widespread migrations from populated to unpopulated regions. The much later proposed migrations, like those speculated for the Aryans into India around 1500 BCE – which still has yet to be proved to have occurred at all – do not have this natural justification. They are proposed migrations from unpopulated to populated and from uncultured to cultured regions that could not count for so much in terms of cultural changes.
Yet even such shifts of people in the late ancient period appear to be related to climate changes and droughts that began around 2200 BCE, which also led to the drying up of the Sarasvati River in India, but this was another movement out of India or a relocation inside of India from the Sarasvati to the Ganga. (3#) This could be the reason behind fall of great cities of Harappa and Mohindo Jaro. During the excavations, researchers found no signs of struggle which were expected if the invasion and war had happened.
Other argument to falsify the invasion theory is based upon the astronomical clues mentioned in the Vedas. (http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/aryan/aryan_frawley.html). The Vedic calender was based upon astronomical sightings of the equinoxes and solstices. Such texts as 'Vedanga Jyotish' speak of a time when the vernal equinox was in the middle of the Nakshtra Aslesha (or about 23 degrees 20 minutes Cancer). This gives a date of 1300 BC. The 'Yajur Veda' and 'Atharva Veda' speak of the vernal equinox in the Krittikas (Pleiades; early Taurus) and the summer solstice (ayana) in Magha (early Leo). This gives a date about 2400 BC. Yet earlier eras are mentioned but these two have numerous references to substantiate them. They prove that the Vedic culture existed at these periods and already had a sophisticated system of astronomy.

I will keep posting if I find something more on this topic.

बालाचा आहार



  • चौथ्या महिन्यात वरणाचे पाणी थोड़े toop अणि थोड़े मीठ घालून देणे (सालीच्या लाह्यांचे पाणी पण देता येते. पण त्याला इथे काय म्हणतात ते माहिती नाही)
  • पाचव्या महिन्यात दूधामधे oatmeal cereal (rice cereal ने constipation होऊ शकते. बालाला वेलेवर BM (Bowel Movement होत नसेल तर oatmeal देणे)
  • paachawyaa - sahaawya mahinyaat toop, jeere pood, saakhar, va thode meeth ghaalun paale bhaajyanche sup pan mulaanna detaa yete. paalebhaajyan mule mulaanchee constipation chee takraar door hote
  • सातव्या महिन्यात तांदूल (१ वाटी) ,मुगाची दाळ (१/२ वाटी), व १ छोटा चमचा जीरे एकत्र करून भाजून बारीक करून शिजवून देणे
  • वरील मिश्रण पचायला त्रास ना झाल्यास फक्त मूगाच्या डालीच्या ऐवजी (१/४ वाटी) तूरीची दाळ व (१/४ वाटी) मुगाची दाळ देणे (इतक्यातच वाचनात आले: पोली व भात देताना त्यात थोड़े लिम्बू पिलावे)
  • सातव्या/ आठव्या महिन्यात फल (गरज असल्यास शिजवून) बारीक करून देणे. (फल देताना लक्षात ठेवणे: केल सर्दी असल्यास वा constipation असल्यास देऊ नये, सफरचंद सारक असते तेव्हा जुलाब होत असताना देऊ नये, बालाला सर्दी असल्यास ते शिजवून देणे, पपई व अम्बा गरम असतो)
  • या कालात उकडलेला बटाटा सुद्धा देता येतो
  • नवव्या- दहाव्या महिन्यात मऊ भात किव्वा बारीक करून पोली देता येते. भाज्या टाकुन सोजी किव्वा दूधातली सोजी पण देता येते.
  • या कालात नाचानीचे (इथे त्याला millet flour म्हणतात) पीठ/ सत्व लापशी सारखे देता येते (बाजारातील cereal पेक्षा हे पौष्टीक व स्वास्त पड़ते)
  • नवव्या- दहाव्या महिन्यात बाटली सोडवून  sippy cup ची सवय लावू शकतो. काही sippy cup सहा महिन्याच्या बालाला चालेल अशी टीप लिहिलेली असते, त्यावरून sippy कप लावाकरही देता येऊ shakato
  • बाराव्या महिन्यात वरचे दूध सुरु करणे.
  • उकडलेले अंडा देण्यासाठी पाहिले अन्द्याताले पिवले बालास द्यावे. त्यानी बालास allergy असेल तर पटकन बाधत नाही.
  • सध्या मी बालाला आधे मधे काय खायला देऊ शकते याचा विचार करते आहे. काही ठिकाणी इडली, मोड़ आलेले कदधान्ये टाकुन डोसा, भाज्या टाकुन उत्तपम, ढोकला द्यावा असे सुचवले आहे.  

माझे 'गेलेले' दिवस

Break च नाव घेतला आणि जोराताच ब्रेक लागला. परवा एकदम blog बद्दल अठावल. गोखले बाई चा कुठल्यातरी टेस्ट साठी फ़ोन आला होता. मी साफ़ 'येत नाही' म्हणून सांगितले.
माझ्या 2nd Trimester च्या सुरवातीला आम्ही Miami ला गेलो. खुप मजा आली. माझ्या नवार्यानीही खुप enjoy केला. शिवाय त्या वेळाचा हिवाला इतका बेकार होता की तो change आम्हा दोघांनाही आवडला. ते दोन महीने खुप छान गेले. पण त्याची भरपाई नंतर च्या महिन्यात करावी लागली. दर गुरुवारी बाई  आमची वरात hospital ला घेउन जायच्या. पहिल्या वेळेस नुसतच रात्रभर राहून आलो. दुसर्या वेळेस दोन तासातच सोडले. मात्र तिसरी चांगलीच लक्षात राहील. दोन painful tests, एक ultra sound, अणि एक dozen injections नी ती रात्र गाजवली. एक कुठला तरी औषध IV तुन दर दोन तासाला द्यायचे. त्या औषाधानी palpitation वाढायाचा, एकदम थंडी वाजायची आणि हृदय घशात आल्यासारख वाटायचा. रात्रभर त्या डोस चा भिडीमार झाला. सकाळी उठून पुन्हा आदल्यादिवाशी सारखेच मांडीत injection खुपसले. ते injection तसेच द्यायचे असते म्हणे. ही सगली तयारी बाल लवकर झाल तर lungs नीट develop झालेले असावे म्हणून होती.
माझ्या या 'गुरुवार' प्रकारनी माझ्या कमावाराच्या लोकांना tension आले. अर्थात माझे नाही तर काम कसे होईल याचे ! त्याच  दरम्यान माझी एका परिक्षेची तयारी चाललेली होती. classes साठी एका ठिकाणी ५ तास बसायला लागायचे. या hospitalization मूले अभ्यासही होत नव्हता. कामात मागे पडू नये म्हणून कामही जोरात चालले होते. शेवटी कामावाराच्या लोकांनी मला जून पासून घरी बसवायचे ठरवले. मला थोड़े वाईट वाटले. पण मी जुलाई पासून सुट्टी काढानाराच होते. एक महिना आधीच घरी बसावे लागले. पहिला आठवडा परिक्षेची तयारी आणि परिक्षेतच गेला. अभ्यासाला एक आठवडा मिलाल्याने मलाही बरे वाटले. नंतरचे ३ आठवडे internet वरून बालासाठी लागणार्या वस्तुंची यादी बनवून खरेदी करण्यात गेला. मी हे सगळ जुलाई मधे आई-बाबा आल्यावर करणार होते. जुलाई चा पहिला आठवडा आई-बाबांसाठी घर नीटनेटक करण्यात गेला. ७ जुलाई ला आई-बाबा आले. सकाली त्यांना घ्यायला गेलो. त्यांना jet lag येऊ नये म्हणून गोखले बाईनचया सांगण्याप्रमाणे ultra sound ला गेलो. तिथून सरळ बाईंच्या clinic मधे  नस्त करायला गेलो. दोन तास झाले तरी बाई सोडेना म्हणून बाबा आणि नवरा घरी निघून गेले. मग बाई म्हणाल्या की काहीही ना खाता hospital ला जा. पण आमचा hospital शी बराच सम्बन्ध आल्याने मी जेवून जायचे ठरवले. जेवून मी लगेच hospital ला गेले. आम्हाला खात्री होती की लगेच discharge मिळेल. पण बाई बराच वेळ hospital ला आल्याच नाहीत. रात्री १२ च्या सुमारास आल्या नंतर sakaalee ५ वाजता त्या म्हणाल्या की आता तुला admit करून labor रूम मधे shift करू. तिकडे आई-बाबा नुकतेच आलेले. त्यांना घरातल काहीच माहिती नाही. hospital मधे काय चालला आहे हेही माहिती नाही. हे सगळ माहिती असल्याने माझा नवरा शाक्य तितक्या घर- hospital चकरा मारत होता.
बाइन्ना १२ तासात ५ वेळा contraction होत असताना heart beat खाली गेलेलेल्या दिसल्या. Nurse चे म्हानाने होते की त्यात   अब्नोर्मल काहीही नाही. पण बाई ऐकायला टायर नाही. त्यांना इतकी घाई झाली की room available असती तर त्यांनी लगेच   ऑपरेशन केले असते. माझ्या सुदैवाने ७ ला गुरु पौर्णिमा असल्याने टेकलेल्या सगळ्या बायका त्याच दिवशी hospital ला आल्या आणि सगळ्या रूम्स आणि staff busy होता. आम्ही risk घेउन घरी जायची तयारी दाखवली तर त्यावर त्या म्हणाल्या की माझी मुलगी असती तरी मी हेच decision घेतले असते. तुम्ही घरी जाल आणि heart beat नाही म्हणून परत याल तर वेळ निघून गेलेली असेल. पण असेच काही होइल याचीही त्या guarantee देत नव्हत्या. कधी कधी बाळ नालेशी खेलत म्हानुनाही असा होऊ शकता असा त्या म्हणाल्या. आम्ही त्यांना Ultra sound करा असा म्हटल्या वरही एरवी काहीही नसताना १० वेळा Ultra sound ला पठावनार्या बाई नी Ultra sound केले नाही. असे असल्यावर आमच्या पुढे कसलाही उपाय नव्हता. आम्ही 'हो' म्हणताच बाइन्नी तयारीला सुरुवात केली. पण स्टाफ इतका busy  होता की त्यांना सगळ्याननी थाम्बायाला सांगितले. मी त्यांना ठणकावून सांगितले की मला monitor ला कितीही वेळ बांधून ठेवा पण सगळ normal असताना  operation करू नका.
तिकडे आई-बाबानवर काय बितली असेल त्यांनाच माहिती.

क्रमश: