...And the journey continues... ~ Joys of motherhood

I still remember a couple of years back when my husband and I kept speculating over whether it would be a boy or a girl. And so was the world around us. Some said, it would be a girl and some said it would be a boy. Though I had recurring dreams of cradling a baby girl in my arms, deep inside I knew it was going to be a boy each time those erratic yet soft kicks woke me up from the irregular sleep cycles that I had. And then just a year back, all those thoughts vanished when a cuddly red bundle of joy was placed in my arms, a son! That was the time I realized I was in love all over again.....

With my son over an year old, the journey of motherhood has been tantalizing, crazy, hectic but most enjoyable. Each phase that has gone by in the last one year has given me those breath taking moments which I can now just enjoy by watching videos as to how my son used to cringe when someone picked him and pulled at his cheeks or how his toothless grin filled our home with giggles and genuine surprises. And time just flies.....my son now walks all by himself, has learned how to climb and get down the staircase (though his watchdog of a mom keeps an eye on him all the time), pulls out his building block set and scatters all the blocks and tries putting them back together or plays his toy xylophone with a renewed vigour after he sees me playing my keyboard. We play hide and seek, throwball and ‘chase the thief’ game most of the day (where I always end up being the thief) and then hear and recite rhymes together, have our lunch together (though these days he prefers eating from his father’s plate thinking I give his father something extra always) and then take long walks together in the evening enjoying bird music in nature’s lap. As I see my son grow, I know for a fact that this is the time and this will be the only time when we both shall remain inseparable buddies. Every expression he gives gets imprinted in my mind and there is no camera that can work like memory which brings out the most cherished moments that cannot be captured in a click. Just like the other day, with a sly smile he walked towards my husband and made gesture as if he was going to put that 'something' hidden in his clenched fist, into his mouth to which my husband immediately switched on to high alert mode by opening our son’s mouth wide to check what was it. In the mean time, our brat of a son put that crumbled piece of paper into his father's mouth and had a hearty laugh! And then the other day, he gestured me to come out of kitchen while I was cooking just to let me know that he was dipping my mobile in the water jug. And that naughty smile on his face made me wonder whether I should get angry or should I laugh my lungs out. May be he thought, my mobile should have a bath too. And there are many such AHA moments which make me rewind and enjoy the funny lovable incidents that have passed and the ones that keep happening every now and then. Not forgetting to mention, my son does give me tough time and always succeeds in driving me up to the wall. He makes use of every opportunity to drive me insane by getting me in situations where all I can do is fume over his actions but cannot react. Or in his most sober mood, he would be emptying a packet of mustard seeds on the dark flooring of our quarters where it is impossible to differentiate between an insect or a mustard seed. But all those crazy moments become insignificant at the end of each day when he comes to me with outstretched arms in the night, when he wants to hear my voice, stroke my cheeks with his tiny fingers and smile at me with a sense of security that I am always there for him, come what may.

As time shall pass, he will make new friends. His social circle will keep growing. School will become his second home. Although our relationship will remain the same, the equation is bound to change. Now is the time when I will be teaching him and then will come a time, when he says ‘Oh mom! You don’t know this. Ok, let me teach you.’ Well, there is still some time for that. So, I shall enjoy this period while it lasts. And for now, I have just two words - ‘Parenthood rocks!’