Saala main to baap ban gaya!
Baap ban ke kaisa tan gaya!
(with due apologies to the original lyricist).
Good news from my side – Rupali gave birth to a baby boy on April 20, 2010 (a Tuesday). Both mother and the baby are doing fine. The father, on the other hand, is terrified, petrified, scared at the prospect of raising a kid. Most of the people I meet have a serious opinion that I need raising myself!
I’ve never been more scared in my life. My wife doesn’t let me handle the china most of the times, lest I break it. And babies are infinitely more delicate and precious. How am I supposed to handle them? I am careless, lazy, and with an attention span of an amoeba. All these qualities make me the unlikeliest person to take care of a baby. But now I have a baby of my own. Any hints, advices, suggestions, tips and tricks to take care of a baby are welcome. The other day when I was in a grocery store, a lady with 4-5 yr old daughter was ahead of me at the checkout counter. Like all kids, the girl was throwing a tantrum. I mentioned to the lady, I’m just observing how you are handling the kid, as I have one on the way. All she said was “Best of luck!” Rupali, though, will make a great mom; she is full of love most of the time, and stern when needed to be. I can’t be stern. Whenever I try to be, I end up looking like a clown, and that encourages the kids to get into more trouble.
3 years ago, when I was getting married, I thought I was going into an unknown territory. But compared to what I feel now, that seems like a walk in the park. The baby looks small, but is more than a handful. A day earlier, he was bent on crying. And now matter what we tried, he just wouldn’t stop. I’m getting a taste of all the stories that my friends told me. One of them told me that I will keep wondering “how can such a small thing cry so much?”
I’m also at the other end of the spectrum at the same time. The lilies look whiter, bougainvillea look pinker, roses are more perfumed, birds are chirpier... The romance of taking care of the baby, observing him every minute I’m there with him, every little movement, every little sound from his small, pink lips, every furrowing of the eyebrows, everything is exciting. Even the way he cries is cute – no sound could be more melodious. (Of course, when the crying starts at 3am, I’ll probably feel a lot different).
I could’ve written a succinct blog, informing that I’ve become a father. But even this long post doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel. Every day I will discover something new; not all of it may be pleasant. But all of it is fun.
For more photos, check First Baby Pictures. Also check this video if you are interested in seeing the baby cry.
