Tag Archive | PG

then and now- motherhood after a year

my son came just when the new financial year started last year… its been one full year since then and so much has happened. so much usually happens in the initial year of a new born and then after it slows down and you get back on track to your old life and try to pick up from where you left before you had the kid … nice thought but again ; by the time u go and try to pick up things from where u left you are either too drained from all that mommy work you have done all these years or you are just too lost and all grown up and nothing fits in . i visited the radio station a few days back as a guest and recorded a 2 minute capsule for mother’s day.. i just wasn’t excited to see the studio, the console the mike and the wonderful always pumping energy in the orator- a playlist. nothing attracted me. which was quite a shock initially. but now i have grown out of the radio love i had worked for 5 years and my only world revolved around my son.

a lot has changed in this year. my romance with PG depends on what time D falls asleep in his crib rather then when we want it to happen. our sunday dinner dates have changed to ‘taking D out to a play area and toyrides gaming’ date. i am always into loose outfits even after a year because i feel D may need breastfeeding anytime. he is in his last stage of weaning but still the mother in me wants him to take feeds as long as he wants… psychology studies says a kid can take feeding until he is 5 years old and a mother should not be ashamed to do so… umm… yes; i am kinda ready but certainly not for 5 years. i am ready to take the challenge and test myself for the whole of this year! i plan to breastfeed D till he 18-19 months old and i am not ashamed to talk about it on a public front. why should i ?? its not a crime, is it? i am infact helping my kid grow up on the most nutritious food available for him and i am proud of the fact that i can BREASTFEED, unlike a lot of women i know who has hardly done do for a month or just until the child starts weaning because of their medical issues or career opportunities they don’t want to miss just because they have a child.

a lot has changed over the year. i know not what movies release every friday until and unless i get to peek into the sunday reviews section in the newspaper and that is only possible if he is playing away somewhere or sleeping that i get the chance to read through the daily rug-mug and headlines. but i do know the complete lyrics of atleast 30 odd poems/nursery rhymes. yes its true for all mothers across the country and around the globe. they suddenly fall in love with all animated cartoons and movies and seem to enjoy and understand it just as much as the kids do.

a lot has changed over the last year. i can now change a diaper and wipe a smelly bum at 1 30am. i can now cook 3 different meals at the same time while keeping one eye on the tv serial and another on my son playing with his piano loud and clear and yet smile at the joke jethalal cracks and perfectly add in the masala to the curry. i am no doubt the super mom in my life. the only thing i cannot do is fly up in the sky! who even wants to fly if they live in a polluted stuffy and hot environ of Ahmedabad??
yea. so to conclude. i am my own supermom. and i can clean a stain on the rug and differentiate between the yellow color on the bedspread being mango or potty! i was not born a genius but the moment i delivered in that labor room last year enlightened me with sudden and more wisdom than i ever thought i could have.

a lot more has changed since a year but i take rest now and end this blog for i wish to make sure he has his food right and he sleeps right and there is a good burp right before he dozes off for a few hours.

please share your feelings about your kid with me in the comment box below. or for daily updates/weaning foods/baby products/purchases etc you can like my facebook page- www.facebook.com/awomansays

thank you for listening to me. a mom always wants to be listened to than to be controlled or advised.. most of the times 🙂
cheers!

Kunj Ganatra

my birth story

had read and talked a lot about contractions and labor pains but until you don’t experience it you don’t understand it in real!
on march 31st while every office in town was working till late i was feeling uneasy in my tummy. my mother felt it must be acidity or indigestion so we went for a walk in the street lights walking on the footpath and watching every office building shining with lights. everyone was working, including my dad and husband. working on the last day tax papers and stuff! i took a pause every time i had a tummy pain while on the walk, and that time it clearly felt it was gas and nothing else.

on 1st april at 5am in the morning i felt a contraction and since i had studied magazines on the same and learnt it in my P101 class from Rita, i knew it was contraction!!! a 14 second contraction every 40 minutes. i had trouble having food and walking around. yet i made it a point not to rest. i could not sleep… every time my eyelids shed there was a contraction and i lost my sleep. i called my husband who was in ahmedabad at that time (and me at my mom’s place in rajkot) to come over, i told him its time now! i could catch on some sleep out of tiredness for 2 hours in the afternoon and spent the rest of the evening in pain… i did some squats and tried walking in my parking area.
by late night my husband arrived and i was still in pain. the contractions had reached 20seconds intensity with 20 minutes apart frequency.
i was awake the whole night, counting seconds and the minutes apart and while passing the time i was constantly in touch with my pregnancy mentor Rita. she told me to continue with squats and breathing exercises.
on april 2nd, i woke my mother up at 5am and told her i just could not sleep the whole night and my contractions were now 10 minutes apart…
at 7am, i puked out last night’s dinner and the contractions were 7 minutes apart… with 30 seconds intensity. i woke my husband up and told him we had to go to the hospital and my mum woke my dad up. by 8 am everyone was ready. i took a quick shower and took a few last snaps with my husband and my tummy showcasing in bonus my puffy eyes (due to sleeplessness and stress).
8 30am- my contractions were 40 seconds intensity with 6 mins of frequency. i had already prepared my hospital bag a week before and left with it immediately.
my doc’s hospital was not that far away… we reached there in 5 mins. my gynec at that time had just finished a caesarian delivery and was washing up before examining me.
the whole labor room was bloody and dirty!!!
she examined me and said i was 2 cms dilated! i could wait for a few more mins, she asked me to lay down on the bed next door and i was admitted at 8 45am.
by that time my in laws were informed and they were on their way to rajkot,
around 9 15 i was given enema and excess hair was shaved off, clothes were changed and i.v line was inserted on my right arm.
the frequency of contractions increased and so did the intensity, when i was at a 2mins apart contraction my doc Mamta Limbasiya pinched my insides and burst the water bag. i felt a lot of warm water like substance gushing out of my body… she asked me to make a squat like position while on my back on the bed and push…
i did it a few times and i was told i am now 7-8 cms dilated. i was taken to the next room- the labor room and was asked to place my feet up on the L shaped rods and just push… as if i want to push mucous out while constipated!
all this while my husband was on the phone and wats app with Rita and passed on her msgs to me.. and as per my request my mom and my husband were allowed to stay with me in the labor room.
the doc was all set and i could feel the local anesthesia being injected… i pushed pushed and pushed…
6 huge pushes and the little one was out… at 10 55am.
as already mentioned in my birth plan all the blood was first transfused in the baby from the cord before cutting it off.  i wanted to give my baby skin to skin hug but an over-enthusiastic ped.doc took him away and started cleaning it. i was told its a boy!!
though under anesthesia i could feel the stitches being sutured at the vagina and a pain killer was injected on the right side of my waist.
the over-enthusiastic ped.doc forgot to measure my baby’s height and only weighed him. he was wrapped in a cloth and given to my husband first. he was speechless with joy. i saw my darling little angel while the sutures n cleaning continued. the doc pressed my tummy and removed all excess stuff.
the baby made a showcase to the rest of the clan  while a tired new mommy was shifted to the resting room. the ped.doc who i was told would teach me how to make a contact with the kid and teach me the basic b.feeding techniques was so enthu that he took his fees and rushed out. the new mom was left unaware of what to do next. the nurses helped at this hour and by noon i had my first b.feed session. soon i was visited by my gynec, she told me a few do’s and don’t ; she gave me my meds and explained when to take which ones. she asked me to take some food and b.feed once again. Dr. Limbasiya was very kind and asked me to call her up anytime i had trouble with the baby. there were two nurses who were asked to make rounds every few mins to check if i needed a change or any help.
i had normal daal-chawal and some juice. and once the i.v line was called off i slept for a generous three hours in the afternoon next to my kiddo. i hadn’t slept the whole night and was tired of course.
Dr. made one more round in the evening and said i could be discharged.
by 7pm i was home and on the same bed with my newborn in my arms.
life had changed in a few hours. i was promoted and had a new status to flaunt ! well… now right now. as i needed rest but i could soon do the flaunting.

 cheers!
kunj 🙂

up above d world so high

 have been lost from the internet world for a long long time…
and i am perfectly happy with it.
a few weeks back we celebrated sankrant here… like last year this time too we camped at PG’s friend’s place for two days. eating, shouting and gossiping while the men flew on cloud 9 flying kites all day and night…

those aren’t stars.. they are tuggals… thai lamps… all over the sky making it all so beautiful. one has to be here and experience it in chilly winds !!

one of them taking off for a flight in the air,

and then comes spring… birds chirping in the sky flowers blooming..
i tried to capture three birds singing outside my window… i can only wish u can see them behind leaves! its always a beautiful morning hearing them.
 


so wat are u guys upto these days??
a glimpse of my next post… a recipe one indeed!

cheers!
aavjo 🙂
kohllined on fb- plz like the page

the missing week

 i have been away for a while. blame it on bigger belly, pregnancy cramps and fatigue!! 
but the kitchen has seen more of me recently, cooking the most wonderful dinner treats for PG and his gang… and eventually my P101 gang too! all the young ladies loved it.
starting with a delicious platter of 300 calories in every 5 bites!

my dietician calls it unhealthy sin but i call it samosa, like every other girl !
i am allowed some calories these days… its time to celebrate my entry into the third trimester. some more love flowed in last week… PG got these for me when i mentioned i can smell some muffins in the air! everything chocolate filled seems delicious these days! blame the hormonal changes 😛 i love them !
 

i had to balance the calories with more nutritious and good looking stuff! helped myself with a green snack in the evening.

 and a mug full of cocoa after dinner! this cocoa mug was a gift from me to PG when we were sorta dating each other! he never used it! he thinks the flowers make it look girly! wth!! nevermind, i have been using it ever since we married!


lot of love flowing in from all corners… have some great recipes and pics to share with u all… see u soonish 
cheers!
aavjo 🙂
kohllined on fb- plz like the page

mirchi afternoon

with the wedding season all over the country, we have been invited to a few. initially its fun, its all dressing up and meeting people- socializing and catching up on each other’s lives. after 2 events i was all drained… the baby bump is difficult to carry around everywhere and the caterer’s food is something i really wanted to avoid after 2 such meals!!
PG and I stayed home in pyjamas on one such day when the others went out looking their best !!
since it was just us two eating last afternoon I pulled out the package from the my anniversary parcel
and cooked this-

what i really liked about the sabzi packs is that they come in really good packages, no chance of food spoil, even the halwa was in such a thick silver pack.

 i will be very frank here… i initially didn’t like the taste.. since our taste buds are so much used to gujju spices and texture… i added in two spoon-ful of fresh cream, a little salt and a little red chilli powder and heated the pack.

and it tasted just perfectttt…. i made some rotis to along with it!
cheers to my culinary skills and a huge thank u to ITC for sending over the meal 🙂 you can go and purchase some here
we later indulged into something sweet… oh dear, i dont event remember the name but its was fruit custurd pastry or something like that. 
it tasted horrible! we both shared this piece and left it midway paying hefty for something that we could not even gulp down! call it falling for fancy names on the menu ! jeepers !!

 
have u even fallen for such fancy names and then regretted 😛
lets share a laugh.
cheers!
aavjo 🙂


kohllined on fb- plz join the page

rest assured!

I was planning to go out this weekend… just a chotta honeymoon before our anniversary next week which apprantely is on a week day and i am sure none of us will be free for mushy love. yaa… maybe a romantic dinner that night! but we are very practical when it comes to work and reserve weekends rather than waste a working day to hold hands and talk like teenagers. hahaha probably god wanted us to stay together on a working day missing work, the only sad part is it came as a tragedy!on wednesday! and had to forcefully spend 2 days outta home in a luxurious maternity hospital with my husband holding my hands and giving me encouraging hugs… waking upin the middle of the night to and day to help me out …. 

we even watched a film together to kill time- baby’s day out!
and yea… quite true! we were there for the baby! so it was literally my baby’s first stay at a hospital even though i still have a lot of time before it comes into the world.

drank lots of cranberry juice… plain/just/only cranberry juice 😛
with a baby around next year we cannot no mixing ppl 🙂
 

… i found some love in cooking channels.

i even had appliances in my room and was tempted to bake something… only if the needle wasnt into my right hand. 
it was a surprise to see such a fancy hospital… probably all hospitals are… it was my first time in here so it was surprising for me. 
 

also i wasnt allowed to eat anything! had to stay fruitilicious…
 

though the tragedy or the location wasn’t perfect but PG and i had a lovely 2 day holiday together. forced to stay away from work/office calls and being pampered by him day and night 😉 now that the pain has gone, i love every part of it.cheers to love , life n good health!aavjo 🙂  

kohllined on fb- plz like d page

post honey singh evening

Guess who we met last evening?

honey

it certainly has been a while since Ganu last

honey

people gave him money and he let them touch him, i touched his trunk… so strong n rough! it sure was a cute experience though…

singh


we were at a Honey Singh concert that turned out to be a flop show!! i pity those who paid a huge amount for the passes which was tuned off within 20 mins of its beginning! 
anyways, it was still nice catching up with a few of PG’s friends and hogging on these mini wheels of dough veggies and cheeeeeese 

post


and a mid night snack!!! 
i am not surprised at myself to have started mid night snacks since past whole week 🙂

evening
this sweet fellow is often called as buddha fruit or sharifa! and many other names in different places. mo matter what it’s name… it manages to satisfy the human hunger and the happiness quotient !
and …. that’s what really matters, right? oh yes !! 

what are your fav mid night snacks?

cheers!
aavjo 🙂


Craving Mexican- a review

Had been craving for some red beans n salsa sauce since Saturday…
but PG n I vowed we would only eat out once a week and mostly that is Sunday evening. 
so i asked for restaurant suggestions on Facebook on Saturday evening and reached ‘Just Mexican’ on Sunday evening.

 Craving


 we found the seating soon and definitely there was a queue for ordering and a long wait before the order arrived.

Craving
waiting wasn’t boring as we had pretty people around, tv tuned to VH1, nice music and lots of talks to share. plus an interesting menu to look at. 
Craving

lots to order from- tacos, nachos, rice plates, burritos, quesadilla, wraps and extras.

Mexican
the self service counter is a good way to save some waiter clutter on the already small aisle of the restaurant. i appreciated it. 
10 minutes later the food arrived. 🙂

Mexican
the quality did match my high expectations, but the quantity did not. i ordered bean tacos and did not expect only one taco shell 🙁 
PG ordered chili n cheese quesadilla which looked thin like a fashion week ramp model . no doubt they both tasted excellent but we didn’t expect such a small quantity… we never hog during dinner but this still wasn’t sufficient. 
they had lots of varieties for soft drinks too (including the new starbucks coffee bottles- a new trend among ahmedabad restaurants).
totally loved the food!! i was craving for Mexican and my taste buds gave it full marks 🙂 yay!

things that disappointed me – 
i was not happy with the quantity they served. specially not when u are left hungry and u gotta wait 10 more minutes for another tacos to arrive.
they did not have  a soft drinks menu/rate on the card. 
carlos did not serve me 🙁 the food was mexican but no mexican flavor in the atmosphere once you enter the restaurant. 
no sweet side kicks! i am sure mexican cuisine too has some ice cream o sweet flavors to it. and i am still unaware of the what they eat! they cant live on only cheese and chili fo-sure!!

i would definitely go back once more for the lovely taste it serves… maybe not on sunday evenings and rush hours. 

are sunday dinners complete without a sweetdish?? def. not !!! 
we drove across the road to meet mr muffin at ccd.

Mexican
i have always loved their hot split muffin with chocolate sauce and the fragrance it oozes in my nostrils… incomparable !

the puppies were asleep when i reached home, but it was sweet to see these twins curl up in a heart shape… 
a review
a late night snack before the beautiful sunday bids a good night and a tyrant monday begins… btw, sweet melons are very juicy and healthy for body! lots of vitamins and fibre. 

and the monday morning has been crazyyyy…
wish mondays would just skip and never trouble me again . 

any mexican recipe u can share with me?? have been in love with it lately…

cheers!
aavjo 🙂



indulges

Spend the beginning of this week at my parent’s place. there’s nothing more wonderful than spending time with mum dad and the most cutest nephew in the world! i can give up anything to see him smile 🙂

before i left on Sunday evening… my Sunday morning began with making coriander Khichu payal style but it didnt really look or taste the same…

indulges

and i indulged on a pop-sickle candy to make up for the amazing taste i was craving at the navratri festival that evening… no! i wasnt allowed to play this year (health issues) , i simply watched, ate and enjoyed 🙂

indulges
the most wonderful three days of fun and comfort followed after that evening, a short visit to my parents place…
and the things i poked my teeth into-
vegetable hakka noodles- indian style !  the way i demanded it.
thanks to my closest girl friend VT. i had requested her to make these splly for me. 
indulges

they were piping hot and i had two plate-full of it… craving to have more of it the next time i am there…

indulges

a tall glass of what i would call as… fererro rocher sin! a ferrero thick shake at 2am in the night with my love- PG. 


and the most awaited thing : mango pulp! awwwww…. this tastes so yummy even after season.


the trip was over even before i could fully enjoy it.
by the way, guess who greeted me in the parking area when we were back?

yay! three of them.. cute puppies for everyone in the building to play with. hahah…

so how was ur week? what all marvelous things u ate/drank?

cheers!
aavjo 🙂

divine Ganesha

Last evening was probably the best one ever! PG and i had a chance to conduct the Ganesh pooja at our place with Ganu’s entry to our flats early last week. the whole charismatic feeling was so good and so difficult to describe. the huge idol with beautiful grey eyes staring at you feels gigantic yet magnificent.

the aarti playing loudly on speakers for the entire mohalla to join in. these are the days when i actually see everyone who lives there in the same building. and its a pity i only know a bunch full of them :/

ganesha

how can i miss blogging about the food!! the sweetmeats and fruits offered to Ganu. he sure enjoys a lot of delicacies twice a day loaded with ghee and calories. 

divine

we even have a chottu Ganu enjoying the same pomp and care.

divine

no doubt he has a huge belly. and lucky HIM everyone only praises His weight and huge round belly! 

divine ganesha

my current bbm picture! it was nice hearing the story of why is fresh fodder also served to Him along with sweets and fruits from M-I-L. for the elephant in Him. heard the entire story last evening. 

divine

my entry to please Him… no they aren’t modaks. they are momos. they are from an eatery called Momoman dedicated to Asian cuisine,. they were steamed (in my rice cooker)… with lots of veggies… Ganu needs some nutrition and veggies too. 🙂 yet nothing compared to the ones i had in udaipur. i will crave for them till i find better momos in Ahmedabad. and my search will continue…

divine
the lights, the colors, the crowd, the happy faces, lots of sweets to savor in the end (new ones everyday).
this surely is a festival to enjoy the best sweets and meeting happy faces. its ALWAYS great to meet a few neighbors of mine who are just adorable aunties. i love talking to them. and they always give me good beauty advises 😉
are you celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi too ? post me your links and tell me about it. would love to stop by your blogs/picasa albums to see the celebrations.
cheers!
aavjo 🙂