You are about 16 inches long

I have a mix of feelings these days. A mix of happiness and anxiousness. And both because of the time that is left before your arrival :)

The newsletter tells me you are about 16 inches long and weight about 3.3 pounds. It also told me that you are heading into a growth spurt and you can turn your head from side to side. Your  arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath your skin. It also told me that you are probably moving a lot, too, so I may have trouble sleeping because of the kicks and somersaults. I would like to change the word "probably" to "definitely". I don't think you sleep for more than 8-9 hours in the whole day. Will you be like that once you are out too? If yes, I just shudder at the thought.

There are times when you kind of wedge yourself between my ribs/spine and front of my tummy and push hard. God!! It hurts so much then. And there are times when I feel you are trying to stretch to the max and your legs and arms poke at both the sides making me wince. All said and done, it also gives me the comfort that you are fine. :)

We bought some clothes for you this weekend. Some dresses, some nappies and a sweater for winters. Since it will start getting colder when you arrive, we have to buy full sleeved stuff for you. And it being summers right now we didn't get much options to choose from. So another round of shopping will be done in a months time.

I feel a wave of warmth enveloping me up when I think of holding you in my arms. I feel so happy when I imagine you and your bhaiyya bonding with each other.

Grow up well my bachha and come on time :)

(@31 Weeks 3 Days)

I saw you in my dream yesterday

Hi mumma shoncha.

I hope you are growing really well inside. I can feel you having a gala time by kicking/moving around a lot. Sometimes it makes me smile and sometimes it makes me wince in pain too.

My tummy jiggles so visibly and so many times your papa gets shocked when he feels you moving around and he asks me 'Itni zor se?!" And I just smile. Coz most of the time when he has felt you moving have been the not so strong movements. I wonder how will he react when you are really practicing kick-boxing :)

I saw you in the dream yesterday. I dreamt that I just gave birth to you and it was a very very easy birthing process. I was telling everyone, in my dream, that I had only an hour of labour pains. And how adorable you look. Either it was a very short dream or I don't remember what all I saw as this is all that I remember now. But I was happy when I woke up and thought what fun it would be if it really is a 1 hour show only :D

Your bhaiyya was doing countdown of months as to your arrival and his eyes really sparkled when he realized  its just 2 months away.

About myself, I'm feeling a lot more fatigued these days and that too with doing minimal chores/movements. Sleep cycle is varied..there are days when I sleep through whole night and there are days when I stay awake for 2 hours at a stretch right in the middle of the night.

I feel a lot hungrier these days too. But whenever I see the food I am not interested in eating that. I want to eat something "nice" and "tasty" but what I just don't know. And that really gets to your papa and you can almost see fumes coming out of his ears and nose :D

Your papa has been taking real good care of me...pampering me. He massages my back, rubs oil on the tummy and the stretch-marks, always asks me what I want to eat or do...trying to ensure that I do not have any kind of discomfort. He is so adorable. But trust me, he wasn't like this before you came in my tummy. So I tease him that you are doing all this for the baby and not for me. And then he will retort "Bhalai ka to zamana hi nahi hai!" (there is no value of good deeds these days).

(@29 Weeks 5 Days)

Going to be a big brother - 4

Little less than 3 months and you will be a big brother. And you have been waiting so eagerly for October to come.

I know I've said this million of times before and I say it again - You are such a sweetheart. The way you care for me, the way you talk to me..its just so touching and heartwarming.

You help me in cleaning the dining table after every meal. You take every one's plates and put them in the sink. You ensure no one disturbs me when I'm sleeping. You will talk in whispers with your papa unknowing of the fact that I can still hear you :)

There are days when you really act like a granny to me telling me what to do and what not to do. Other day I was talking to your papa about post baby stuff and in a very serious tone you told me to not get too exited about the baby. A little perplexed when I asked you why you said so, you told me earnestly that when the baby comes out it will be very painful and I would cry a lot. When I laughed hearing that you again remarked  that this is not a joke and I will realise when the baby comes out.

I just hugged you tight my jaan. I love you so much.

The "sleeping-in-your-own-bed" rendezvous has been going good. You sleep in it throughout however you want me close enough to be able to touch me. So for this purpose, we have put your bed at the foot of ours and I sleep with my head next to your bed. Its working good and I'm very proud of you. I realise its not easy for you to suddenly start sleeping separately when you had been sleeping snuggled with me for past 7 years.

You get amazed at the increasing size of my belly and ask in wonder how much more bigger is it going to get. And you roll your eyes when I show you approximately how big I will get. :)

You have already started making plans for me to lose weight once the baby comes out. And the plan is to play basketball with you and your papa and also to play football with you. And to start back my morning walks. I'm sure with such a strict health coach I will definitely lose this pregnancy weight soon.

You keep dangling between whether you want a brother or a sister but mostly you are inclined towards a brother. Your sole reason for wanting a brother is that you feel you will not be able to rough play with your sister. You will have to be gentle with her. You have even thought of the name for the baby in case its a boy and the name is "Arjun". When I asked you for name if its a girl, you told me that I may go ahead and decide that. Thanks for the permission baby :)

I love you my jaan.

You are about 15 inches long

Hi mera shona baby.

It been almost two weeks since I wrote to you. You would have really grown in these two weeks. You would have grown in length by 1 inch and in weight by 200gm. You can open your eyes as well as blink them. You now have eyelashes. And with your eyesight developing, you may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. The newsletter told me that I would be able to feel your hiccups. Well...I didn't need the newsletter to tell me that as I had long before started feeling your hiccups. Although they are not as pronounced as they were at your bhaiyya's time.

Your movements are going good and strong and you still do not like me to lie on my sides. Although the newsletter told me that I would be able to make out the knees from hands from head and from bums. However, at the max I can figure out your head and nothing else.

My hunger/cravings have started to increase day by day and so has my weight. I weighed myself yesterday and it showed me at 64 Kg. I was sure the scale has conked off till the time your papa stepped on it and it showed his correct weight. That means I have gained more than 2.5 Kg in the past 2 weeks :(

I've been able to eat little bit of milk products these days. Although they make me a little nauseated but at least I do not throw up unlike earlier. I've been gorging on a lot of paranthas and namkeens such as khakhra, namakpara and roasted namkeens.

Your bhaiyya has already decided a name for you in case you are a boy and that name is "Arjun". And in case you are a girl, he has given me the "permission" to decide your name :)

I have my next doc appointment on Aug 12 and I am so eager to hear your heartbeats :)

Grow well my bachha.

(@28 Weeks 5 Days)

You are such a brat already!

Do I sound like a meanie mommy? But that's how I feel you are :)

Two days back you were kicking around and moving so much and continued it over two days. I was hurting all over due to that. The ribs, the back, the pelvic area, the sides..you name it and it was hurting. It started on Sunday morning and continued till Monday night. Your papa told me that from the look on my face I was literally in tears. And you bet I was.

I got to you see you again on 11 Jul 2011. I had gone for an additional ultrasound to check if the placenta has moved up as my office is moving to Gurgaon which would mean about 2.5-3 hrs of traveling everyday. I had to check the placenta position and then decide how safe it is for me to travel so much. Since it hasn't moved much and is still quite low (2-3 cms from OS) I would be going to work 2-3 times a week and the rest I would work from home.

In the ultrasound the doc showed me your face in 3-D. You had your right hand on your head as if you were in a deep thought. I wonder if you were already thinking about your life outside? :D

My appetite has really increased in the past few days and I feel like eating every 2 hours. On the day of the ultrasound, my weight was 60.7 KGs at the docs clinic while at home scale it showed me at 61.3 KGs. I'm sure it has increased as the home scale showed me at 61.7 Kgs yesterday. So even if we look at the difference in scales at the hospital and at home, I would have still gained 1+ KGs so far. Your weight as per the ultrasound was 818 gms which is fine as per doc. So again no worries with respect to my low weight gain.

Your papa has been ensuring there are plenty of fruits at home all the time and also that there is lots of variety. I have been having mangoes, pomegranate, Pears, Plums, Apples and once a week coconut water too.

I love to eat Sabudana khichdi and make it almost 3-4 times a week. I also crave for Chinese cuisine but because of MSG I've to avoid it :(

The 26 week newsletter told me that you are about 14 inches long now. With the development of the network of nerves in your ears,  you may now be able to hear me and papa chat with each other. You have also started inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of your lungs. It also said that these so-called breathing movements are a good practice for you when you are born and take that first gulp of air. You continue to put on baby fat.

Your bhaiyya continues to talk to you often and always refer to you as "My Baby". He will ask "Mera baby kya kar raha hai? Ninnu kar raha hai?" (What is my baby doing? Are you sleeping?")

We moved your bhaiyya in a separate bed in our room itself so that he can get used to it before you arrive as you would need to sleep between me and your papa. It took some time but its all sorted out now. There are no tussles or fusses to handle.

Grow well my bachha. We all love you.

(@26 Weeks 5 Days)

I wonder

Hi Shonu bachha!

These days I wonder if you respond to me when I talk to you. Somehow it has happened way too many times when I talk to you, you start squirming or kicking inside. And then I feel as if you are responding to me.

And not just that, so many times when I'm talking about you to either your papa or bhaiyya, you start moving as if you know you are being talked about. I wonder if its just a coincidence or do you really respond to your name "Shona baby". I really wonder.

You are very very very chulbul. But then you are my baby and I was named chulbuli by my school friends and then by my college friends too. :) You have been very very active since yesterday. You were kicking away for good hour and a half at lunch time. Then in evening also you were pretty active for about 30 min. And then at night around 9:30 PM, it took about 2 hours for you to sleep. And then you woke up again around 1:30 AM at night and just wouldn't sleep and thus kept me awake till 3:30 AM.

And you have not slept for more than 1 hour at a stretch since I woke up at 6 AM. Even now as I'm writing this post, you seem to be practicing football and have been at it since the past 40 min at least. Tera kya karoon bachku ram. To kinna bammashu bachha hai!!

Lately your bhaiyya talks to you saying "My baby" and the love in his eyes is so evident. The way he smiles when he talks to you, the way he caresses you, the way he showers you with kisses, the way he tries to tickle you and I have to stop him as it tickles me a lot...it makes my heart smile.

The 24th week newsletter told me that you weigh around a pound (450 gm) and are about 12 inches long. Grow up well shoncha!

(@24 Weeks 5 Days)

You are about 14 inches long

Hi Shonu bachha!

These days I wonder if you respond to me when I talk to you. Somehow it has happened way too many times when I talk to you, you start squirming or kicking inside. And then I feel as if you are responding to me.

And not just that, so many times when I'm talking about you to either your papa or bhaiyya, you start moving as if you know you are being talked about. I wonder if its just a coincidence or do you really respond to your name "Shona baby". I really wonder.

You are very very very chulbul. But then you are my baby and I was named chulbuli by my school friends and then by my college friends too. :) You have been very very active since yesterday. You were kicking away for good hour and a half at lunch time. Then in evening also you were pretty active for about 30 min. And then at night around 9:30 PM, it took about 2 hours for you to sleep. And then you woke up again around 1:30 AM at night and just wouldn't sleep and thus kept me awake till 3:30 AM.

And you have not slept for more than 1 hour at a stretch since I woke up at 6 AM. Even now as I'm writing this post, you seem to be practicing football and have been at it since the past 40 min at least. Tera kya karoon bachku ram. To kinna bammashu bachha hai!!

Lately your bhaiyya talks to you saying "My baby" and the love in his eyes is so evident. The way he smiles when he talks to you, the way he caresses you, the way he showers you with kisses, the way he tries to tickle you and I have to stop him as it tickles me a lot...it makes my heart smile.

The 24th week newsletter told me that you weigh around a pound (450 gm) and are about 12 inches long. Grow up well shoncha!

(@24 Weeks 5 Days)