What can you say about a three and a half month old girl ? That she’s cute, happy, beautiful and incredibly sweet-natured ? That at birth, she carried on her fragile shoulders the weight of the expectations of so many people who eagerly awaited her arrival ? That her parents are grateful everyday, nay every minute, for having been blessed with such a healthy and strong child ? That my heart overflows while I lie next to her every night and watch her little chest go up and down ? That she is calmed by Mark Knopfler’s Shangri-La, Van Morrison’s Hymns to the Silence and my voice as I sing Billy Joel’s Goodnight, My Angel ?
The third month is when they start to unclench their fists, when their fingers find their way to the mouth much more smoothly and precisely, when they start to look around and be more curious about their surroundings. Maya is doing all that and more. She had a strong neck and back at birth and that continues. When placed on her tummy, she holds her head and upper torso up completely, supporting most of her upper body on just her abdomen.
She’s starting to roll over, but it’s not very smooth yet and she doesn’t have the hang of how to do it precisely. She can also stand up for almost a minute with support. This is also the time infants are open and friendly to everyone, not just their primary caregivers and Maya is blowing away friends and strangers with her happy, 1000 watt smile.
We started toilet training her a little over a month back and it’s been a month at least that we haven’t had a soiled diaper. She took to peeing and pooping in the toilet quite easily. Even Shanthala’s mom, representing a generation that raised their children that way, was surprised by how early Maya began and how far she’s already come.
We started taking her out more often now, visiting the farmer’s market twice, visiting friends and even having lunch at a restaurant. Do it all now, we’re told, because they haven’t started to crawl yet. Once they start to crawl, they’ll hate being stuck in a chair and forget dining out then, our experienced friends tell us.
If Kitty’s last breath is the very symbol of death, of the end of life, for me, Maya’s turning her head to look at me from the OR table when I called out to her “Sunshine”, is the very symbol of birth, the beginning of life.
This is all the heaven we’ve got
Right here, where we are,
In our Shangri-La – Mark Knopfler
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