Only a couple of weeks have passed since my last post, but enough has happened in that time to warrant a new post.
Turning 8 Months Old
First of all, Avyaan turned 8 months old on Sunday, October 11th, 2020 and we baked a cake at home to celebrate. We didn't have any eggs on hand and since we were still tired from the road trip to Big Bear Lake the day before, didn't feel like venturing out to the grocery store just for eggs. So we searched for eggless cake recipes, liked one for a vanilla cake, had all the ingredients for it so decided to try it. Prajakta did a fantastic job of baking it as it turned out delicious and we promptly devoured half of it immediately after the cake cutting. Pictured here is the cake, with vanilla whipped cream frosting and sliced dates for decoration.
The cake took much longer to bake than indicated in the recipe, which meant it took that much longer to cool and decorate. By the time we were ready, it was almost his bedtime and we had to struggle to get a few good shots and quickly wrap up before he got cranky.
Some new observations:
- He has mastered moving around on the bed. Though not yet a proper crawl, he has his own technique and can go from one end of the bed to the other in a couple of seconds. This now means that the moment he learns to sit up on his own from a lying down position, it will be time for him to move out of our bed into a crib.
- He continues to discover new, more complex sounds and you can now pretend to have a conversation with him. We can't wait till he starts speaking real words!
- He loves being outside! If the front door is open, you can bet that he will constantly keep looking towards it and glance suggestively at you, till you pick him up and take him for a quick round outside.
- If he wants your attention and you're occupied elsewhere, in your laptop, phone, whatever, he will yell at you till you give him the attention he deserves. On the contrary, if he sees a phone or a laptop around, he will try with all his might to get to it.
- He has no interest in playing with his dozen or so toys. He is more interested in mobiles, laptops, remotes, cardboard boxes, clothing labels, or even utensils. Anything is a toy for him, except an actual toy.
A Visit to the ER
A week ago, Sunday, October 3rd, 2020, we got one of the biggest scares in recent history. We had been cooped up at home for a few days and were getting antsy. We had woken up early for a Sunday and on a whim decided to drive up to Santa Barbara for a quick road trip. However, while we were setting things up to leave in a few minutes, Prajakta came out with Avyaan wailing inconsolably. When it comes to crying, Avyaan, thankfully, is a very good child. He doesn't usually cry and when he does it is less of crying and more of an attention-drawing tactic which promptly goes away when he gets what he wants - his bottle, or picking him up to play or other such things. However, there are rare occasions when he truly does cry - getting stomach ache due to gas, getting night terrors, taking a little too long to feed him when he is really hungry. Even on these occasions he usually calms down within a couple of minutes of soothing.
This crying was different.
No amount of consoling would calm him down. I took him in my arms and started looking for any signs of physical injury. I noticed he wasn't moving his left arm. Turns out he was rolling around in bed - something he likes to do a lot these days, and during one of these rolls, when turning from his tummy onto his back, his arm got stuck and must have gotten twisted/pulled the wrong way. Though he is too young to be fracturing bones, we didn't want to take any chances and rushed him to the ER of the same hospital where he was born. I heard my car tires screeching for the first time in a long, long time. We reached the ER around 10 am.
Though COVID-19 protocols allow only one person inside with the child, Prajakta and her mom came along - Prajakta, to calm Avyaan down in the car seat, and Prajakta's mom, to calm Prajakta down while she was panicking.
Once done with the triaging, and a very painful diaper change, I waited, pacing around in the waiting room while Prajakta and her mom stood outside, visibly anxious. The nurse reassured me that I could wait outside and she would call me in when they were ready for us. All this while Avyaan continued to sob on and off, more so every time his arm moved accidentally. Being a curious child - something we agree he got from me - there were moments when he would calm down, lift his head up to look at the new surroundings, and then drop back on my shoulder, in pain.
A few minutes later we were ushered in and a nurse told us that they had ordered X-rays and gave him baby Ibuprofen orally to help with the pain. It was also his feeding time so I gave him the bottle. By the time he was done with his bottle, the pain killer must have started to kick in as he started to calm down and drifted towards sleep. Any accidental arm movement would still result in pain and crying, so even at the risk of a sore arm, I constantly held him in a position that kept him comfortable.
Around noon Avyaan and I were ushered into the room while the ladies continued to wait outside. In the morning panic, Prajakta had forgotten her phone at home, so now there was no way I could keep her updated. I continued to focus on the task at hand - keeping Avyaan as steady as possible, singing to him to keep him calm, and possibly get him to sleep, while waiting for the X-ray. A couple of nurses came and took my statement on what happened, checked his vitals, and went away.
At about 1 pm the X-ray technicians wheeled in the portable X-ray machine, put me in a radiation shield and asked me to hold his arm in position while they took the exposures. Those who know me would be aware that I am no stranger to pain. However, everything I have been through pales in comparison to the blood-curdling scream that Avyaan let out on positioning his arm for the X-ray. The only thing that probably comes close is the pain of seeing my child writhing and the helplessness of being powerless to do anything about it. It must not have taken more than 5 minutes for the whole process, but it seemed like hours.
Avyaan calmed down pretty quickly once the X-ray was done and, almost magically, became perfectly normal, his usual chirpy, playful self, moving both his arms as if nothing had happened. Soon he was observing the room and our surroundings, babbling constantly, as if dictating notes for me to take down. This of course brought a smile on everyone's face in an otherwise gloomy atmosphere of an ER.
A nurse came in a few minutes later to check in on us and informed us that on a preliminary look the X-rays looked fine, but they were waiting for the radiologist to give the final all-clear. She also did a full body check-up for Avyaan, moving all joints, just to make sure we weren't missing anything and left after a couple of minutes.
Relieved that he was feeling fine, I pulled out my phone to see several missed calls from Prajakta's dad, who was alone at home, anxious, and in the dark about everything. I shot him off a quick update and then called up Avyaan's मॉसी (maternal aunt), Aishwarya who talked to him for a few minutes while nurses continued to periodically come in for follow up questions.
In the meantime, Prajakta had figured out a way to reach the nurses' station via the hospital's board line and had sent the ER reception nurse to request for my phone that she could use to call. We spoke on the phone every 30-40 mins while waiting for the X-ray report and Avyaan continued to jump around, excitedly looking at all the machinery in the room.
At about 2 pm it was time for his feed again, so Prajakta sent in a bottle through a nurse. He finished his bottle and, exhausted from all the play, drifted off to sleep in a few minutes. I had barely put him down on the bed, after holding him almost continuously for 4 hours, that a nurse came in, told us everything looked good on the X-ray and since he was no longer in pain, we could leave. The hospital suspected that it was a sprain and the combined effect of the pain meds and rest was making him feel better. As a precaution, they did ask us to schedule a follow up with his pediatrician the next day.
Finally, with the drama over, relieved, we took a shower on getting home. Lots of hugs and kisses later, exhausted, we all took a big nap after some lunch!
The next day, the pediatrician inspected him and told us that, not a sprain, but looking at the report and my description of events, she suspected it was a condition called a Nursemaid's Elbow. Apparently, it is very common in kids as their joints have not fully set, and a slight nudge, twist, pull in the wrong direction can dislocate them, resulting in severe pain. She suspected that all the twisting and turning of the arm during the X-ray may have reset the joint, which is in line with what I observed too at the hospital.
Thankfully nothing major was wrong, but even the mere act of having to go to the ER with an inconsolable infant in your arms is stressful enough and I will not wish it upon anyone.
Chasing Fall Colours
October means fall has started and we were getting jealous of seeing everyone posting their photos of the fall foliage on the US East Coast, Pacific North West, and Canada. Southern California has a lot going for it, but brilliant fall colors are not one of those things. Back in 2018, we had visited the Mammoth Lakes area with a group of friends. We were thinking fo doing a trip with Avyaan too but with COVID-19 around, we don't want to risk a hotel stay, and a day trip to Mammoth Lakes is all but impossible even at ideal times, more so with an infant in tow. So we went in research mode and came to know that Big Bear Lake does offer some fall foliage and we decided to visit on Saturday, October 10th, 2020.
After our failed attempt at visiting Big Bear on Christmas last year, when we had to return from within 10 miles of Big Bear, and the scare of the previous weekend, we were a little skeptical of planning anything, but things turned out well and we reached Boulder Bay Park at about 2 pm. Considering we had started around 11 am after breakfast at Panera Bread, only to use the $3 coupon that we received as a T-Mobile Tuesday promotion. It was time for Avyaan's feed, so did that in the car and then took him out for a stroll at the lakefront. We must have spent about 30 mins there before we drove off further towards the city. We didn't have any set plan so just wandered around when we saw a turn ging in towards the hill with a glimpse of red-yellow fall foliage. On a whim, we turned and drove till we reached the end of the paved road and parked there to take in views of the lake.
While there, we also saw a pigeon-like bird perched upon a dried-up tree. I'm not sure what bird it is, but I'm sure it wasn't a pigeon as I believe pigeons reside only in urban areas. I don't have a long enough lens to get a close up of the bird and this is the best I could get from the longest my 55-200mm lens would go.If anyone reading this can figure out what bird it is, do let me know. I tried searching but couldn't find any useful info with photos on birds in the Big Bear Lake area.
On our way down, saw a brilliantly red tree in one of the houses and we stopped outside for a few pictures. Though the house looked locked, we were careful not to enter the property and stayed outside. We did get some good shots, even though Avyaan was rarely being cooperative with the photos.
A couple of hundred yards ahead, there was also a patch of yellow leafed trees and I pulled over in an empty-looking yard. However, just as I grabbed my camera to go click a few shots, I heard someone yelling. On turning, I saw a topless, jeans-clad man coming towards me, shouting at me to get off his front yard. I tried explaining that I was going to be only a couple of minutes, he was insistent, so I left because, in Trump country (we saw at least 3 pro-Trump rallies that day), you don't want to argue with random people on the street. Strictly speaking, he was right. Even though unintentional, I had parked over his property, but there has to be a civilized way of letting me know that doesn't involve yelling. Anyway, we had better things to do and pretty trees to look at, so we drove off and decided to a loop of the lake.
I was craving a coffee, and while driving, crossed a shopping complex that was bound to have a coffee shop. However, what compelled me to take a U-turn was a row of brilliantly colored red trees, perfect for a fall photo-op. Driving around the lot to find a coffee shop, we came across another row of bright yellow trees, glowing in the evening light. Coffee could wait!
We took a few photos before we headed towards the red trees witnessed earlier, stopping at a Vons for a restroom break and grabbing a coffee from the Starbucks inside it.
More photos followed with the red trees before we made our way back to our parked car.
It had started to get cold and not wanting to drive in the mountains after dark, we quickly completed the loop and headed back, stopping only for a couple of shots when the view was really pretty.
We knew we would be too tired to cook on getting home and since Artesia was on the way, we called up Bheema's and ordered dinner to-go.
After a hectic, but fun day, we reached home by a little after 9pm, had our dinner, and crashed, in anticipation of celebrating our little one's 8 months completion the next day.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!MAY YOU ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST!
ReplyDelete