Sixth month

Mid June - Mid July

After the rice ceremony in Siliguri, we finally arrived in Bangalore. This time, Aarush was fine both on the train and the plane. We stayed in a service apartment for three nights until our belongings were moved to our rented apartment.

With the frequent changes in weather, locations, and a bit less care, Aarush got a high fever for the first time, and we had to rush him to Manipal. Once it settled, we started strolling within our apartment complex to familiarize ourselves with the neighborhood. Soon, I realized it was challenging for me to carry him in my arms when going out. We bought a stroller one weekend, and he started enjoying it a lot. I even made him sit in the stroller at times at home when I had to do household chores. Though he didn’t like sitting strapped in one place, I knew he was safe, secure, and watching me.

After a long time, it was just the three of us. Every activity with Aarush brought me excitement and satisfaction upon successfully accomplishing it. It might sound weird, but it’s true—like saying, “Yippee, I did it!” We had our first baby bath together, without anyone around. It was my first time giving our baby a bath alone. Usually, my maid and I used to do it together. I would prepare the bathroom, get warm water in his tub, set up the makeup room, and get his clothes ready. During bath time, my maid would be in charge of soaping and pat drying. Now, since it was just us, I didn’t want to have a maid for Aarush until I went back to work. So, there were many first attempts.

Regarding his eating habits, once he mastered fruits, I introduced him to cerelac and other new foods. His first taste of solid food was a puree of khichdi. Initially, he didn’t like it much, but slowly he started enjoying it. Mashed potatoes, carrots, beets, papaya, and peas were given along with khichdi. This month, we tried a new recipe—ragi porridge for breakfast—which he liked, although not in the first attempt, of course. Sometimes, Santanu would feed him before going to the office.

Dealing with the little ‘night owl’ was quite challenging and exhausting. He used to sleep right after dinner for an hour or so and then wake up as fresh as a daisy, staying awake until 1 AM, completely draining our energy. We consulted the doctor, who suggested keeping the lights subdued so that the baby’s sense of time is not disturbed, and recommended following a regular pattern. I massaged him twice daily, thinking it might relax him and serve as a good prelude to sleeping through the night. After the massage, I would feed him his dinner and then rock him to sleep with the lights off. It worked that way. Some days, Santanu would also put him to sleep, which was a big help.

I had been asking for a mattress for a long time so that I could put Aarush there and do household chores tension-free. However, it didn’t happen until one day when he fell from the bed while rolling. I told my hubby that I knew, oh, I certainly did know all about this, but… I learned a hard lesson this month—never leave a child unattended once they are mobile. Immediately, we got a mattress that evening.