And the baby is here!!

You may have guessed why I have been away from the blog for so long. Yes, you guessed it right the baby is finally here and has kept me on my toes since his arrival.

We welcomed our little rockstar on 28th October and its been one hell of a roller coaster ride since then :)

Our little Rockstar

One may have this false sense of comfort that you are adequately prepared to welcome the baby but you have absolutely no IDEA what is about to hit you. I mean seriously no clue. I don't no where the last two months have gone. YES my lil one is two months old and its only now that I have found one hour in my life to write this post :)

Life changes, it almost does a 180 degree flip.

Those nine months are all about you that is the mommy.

How you’re feeling?

What you would like to eat?

Are you getting adequate rest?

How do you look now? Is the bump visible yet?

But all that changes the minute your lil prince/ princess arrives.

Now its all about

Why is the baby crying?

Is he or she hungry? When was she last fed?

When was the diaper last changed?

Did she poop today? 

And the only way to cope with this change is to be somewhat prepared. Now when I look back, I would have done a few things differently to make life simpler for myself.

Get that baby bag ready: I wasn't due for another two weeks so I was sitting pretty and didn't have the baby bag ready until the very last minute. But it would really help if you have this one thing sorted at least a month in advance. Once you are in the ninth month you never know when the baby decides to say hello to you. So in a hurry I managed to pack a few things and I obviously missed a few. However here is a list of essentials that I feel one must have in the baby’s bag

• Sheets/ small blankets to swaddle the baby, I would suggest you pack at least two
• Clothes for the baby. Be careful with your choice of clothes since babies cant tolerate extreme cold or heat. I would recommend onesies as they keep the child comfortable and warm. You could go for cotton onesies in summers and fleece onesies in winters. 
• Mittens for the baby
• Cap for the baby 
• Bibs since you may not be able to feed the child immediately. So bibs come in handy when you wish to formula feed the baby
• Diapers or nappies (the choice is yours) I chose diapers since my little one was born in winters. If you choose nappies, I suggest you also get nappy liners.  
• Baby wipes ( I prefer Pigeon or Johnsons)
• Small napkins to wipe the baby after they burp or throw up 
• Burp towels (these are long napkins that you can keep on your shoulder when you burp the baby. It protects your clothes from getting soiled)
• Small pillow for the baby
• Blanket
• Bottle or Paladai to feed formula to the baby. I chose to use the paladai as my doctor recommended the same. My paediatrician was not in favour of a bottle as that can cause nipple confusion in infants. So if you want to breastfeed your child, he felt it was best to avoid a bottle
• A diaper changing sheet/ Macintosh

Apart from a baby bag, I suggest you also prepare a bag for yourself which must contain the following

• Maternity gowns: After spending a day in those hospital clothes you would want to change into your own clothes. Hence I suggest you carry a couple of nursing nightgowns, these would be comfortable for you and also allow you to feed the baby. I forgot to pack these and requested an aunt to purchase these for me when I was in the hospital.
• Cotton panties (one size bigger would be more comfortable) that you can use and throw since they may get soiled on account of bleeding during the initial days. You may not be comfortable in the disposable panties that the hospital provides hence it helps to carry your own. 
• Sanitary pads 
• Toileteries; Although most good hospitals provide this, it would help to carry your own to make you more comfortable
• Hairbrush and make up essentials to make you look presentable when you are discharged from the hospital
• Clothes to wear home when you get discharged. Choose something comfortable

Also don’t forget to pack that camera and mobile charger to capture the first few moments of your little one.

Get some help at home: I made the mistake of believing that I could do everything on my own. Please accept it that you are no superwoman. Although the baby is the centre of attention and needs all the care it can get, one must not forget that the mother’s body has also undergone significant wear and tear and is in the process of healing. So while it is important to look after the baby it is equally important that the mother looks after herself. So solicit the help of some family member. If it is not possible for the family members to help, hire domestic help. A newborn can be very demanding & hence it helps to have someone around to help. Even if they can help take care of the infant for a few hours which allows you to get the much needed rest or sleep, things would be a lot better for you as a new mom. Remember your baby would be happy and healthy only if you are happy and healthy.

Preparing your house for the newborn: Decide which room you are going to keep the baby in and clean and sanitise that room. Keep a bottle of hand sanitiser next to the bed and request anyone who comes to meet the baby to use the same before they touch the baby. This may seem rude to some but its better to be safe than sorry. Babies can catch infections easily hence its essential to be careful. In case any of your relatives or family members have a cold, ask them to stay out of the baby’s room (you don’t want your little one coming down with a cold). 

So work towards prepping for the baby and enjoy the little one’s company once he/ she decides to grace you with its presence :)

Planning a baby shower

One of the most exciting events to the run up of the D-day is the Baby shower. Back in January, I planned a baby shower for one of my closest friends. Little did we know that eight months down the line she would be returning the favour by helping hubby plan a baby shower for me :)

My husband planned and executed a brilliant baby shower for me recently (obviously with some help from my girlfriends and my darling sister). I was absolutely floored by the level of detailing and how well he had planned it. The event was a great success because the brilliant event planner had looked into every little detail. So I thought it may be a good idea to put together my thoughts on what made the baby shower a success. It may give you or your hubby or friends a few ideas for planning the next baby shower :)

Here is a sneak peek into how hubby made the party a grand success

Select a Theme: Setting a theme for the baby shower is a fun way to engage your guests even before the event. Gives them something to think about before the event. Hubby decided to go for the unheard of Purple Vs. Yellow. To further add a twist to this, he incorporated the Cat woman vs. Batman twist to the purple vs. yellow. So all those who felt it would be a girl (team Cat woman), were asked to dress in yellow and those who felt it was a baby boy  (team batman) were to dress in purple. 

Theme for our baby shower: Batman Vs. Catwoman 

The theme could be anything of your choice.

- Book themed baby shower: you could request guests to be dressed as characters from    their favourite books. You could have a corner lined with storybooks where the guests   could leave a message for your bundle of joy in the book of their choice. The decor could    be done up with some of your favourite childhood books and fairytales.

- Bows vs. Moustache baby shower: you could send out props (bows and moustache)   with the invite or have props lined up at the entrance & ask them to pick a prop of their   choice depending on whether they feel its a boy or girl. 

- Pink Vs. Blue: this is the simplest to implement & you can go for this if you are short of    time and ideas as all props and decorations for this one are readily available (an    observation to the mad caps store in Mumbai). We planned a baby shower around this    theme for my friend, shall do a post on this theme next to showcase how we went about    it.

-  Colour of your choice: you could choose to do up the place in colour of choice, the     decor, invites, some cupcakes.

The list is endless, you could come up with any theme based on your creativity & the time at hand. 

Decorations: Sky is the limit when it comes to decor and doing up the venue for the occasion. Following are some of the online stores where you can find decoration items for a baby shower: 

The venue was done up with purple and yellow gas balloons with baby pictures of mommy & daddy-to-be hung at the bottom of the balloons

www.partyhunterz.com : These guys have an outlet in Bandra in Mumbai which is pretty well stocked. In fact a walk around there store could also give you a few ideas on how you could do up the Decor. The website also lists other outlets across cities & gives you the option to shop online. My suggestion, be creative and don't restrict yourself to the goodies available for baby showers. Use various props available to create something of your own.

www.onlinestore.madcapspartyshop.com 

www.party-anthem.com

If you stay in Mumbai, you may want to check out some of the party shops in Crawford market. If you can brave the crowd & have the patience to look around a bit you may find some goodies. 

But most of the readily available decor adhere to the pink Vs. blue theme. So if you have some other theme in mind, you may have to be more creative by doing up the place with Balloons, flowers and mix and matching the various props and decoration material available at the store. My suggestion, be creative and don't restrict yourself to the goodies available at the stores for baby showers. Use various props available to create something of your own.

The pictures may give you an idea of how my husband went about decorating the place in line with his chosen theme.

Props for the Mom-to-be: Since the event is all about celebrating mommy & her bundle of joy, one should make her feel special. So it may be a good idea to get her a tiara or a headgear (could be made of fresh or plastic flowers or ready made one). Your local florist or an outlet like ferns N petals could help you customise one. You could also get her a sash (like the one beauty queens wear) which reads Mommy-to-be (these are available at some of the outlets I have mentioned above & could also be ordered online).

My sister got a beautiful headgear made from ferns n petals in the colour theme of the evening

And of course a sash which I wore with pride

Engage the audience

Yes, this event is all about mommy to be and her little bundle of joy, but there is go to be something to keep the guests engaged. Now there are multiple ways to doing this

Photo booth: Hubby created a fun photo booth with a backdrop of Cat woman Vs. Batman and placed loads of props in the corner. Props ranging from fun head gear, slates & chalk for people to write message for the mom & baby, wigs, posters which read “yummy mummy” to name a few. In this age of selfies, if you give people a backdrop and the props to pose with it is surely going to keep them happy and give you loads of images as memories for years to come.

Create a fun corner with a nice backdrop which depicts the theme of your party

Add some fun props for people to come and pose with & your photo booth is ready

Games: It’s good idea to arrange for a few games that could engage the guests and create a fun element in the party. For instance at my baby shower my friends had arranged for the following games

Pin the baby: similar to pin the donkey’s tail that we played as kids, in this case it was about pinning the baby on the mother’s belly (they had created a cut out for the same).

Plan some fun games for your guests. This is pin the baby to mom's belly that we had at the party

List the maximum number of baby items: The guests were divided in 4 groups and each group was asked to list down items that would be required for a baby. The team that listed the most won.

Guess Mom’s favourites: prepare a list of questions that judge guests on how well they know mom to be. The questions could range from Mom-to-be’s favourite cuisine, favourite holiday destination. the team that answers most correctly would win.

Capture those moments: engage a good photographer to capture those fun moments. In our case, hubby clubbed the maternity shoot with the baby shower. So an hour before the party started we had the photographer capture some fun images of the baby bump. Our event was captured by Vrutika Doshi, you can check out some of her other work here
https://www.facebook.com/vrutikadoshiphotography. All the pictures in this post have been captured by Vrutika. We loved her work, her non interfering style of working and would highly recommend her.

Some fun props for the family members 

Fun foods & cake:  you have a host of options available when it comes to decorative cakes & cupcakes. Depending on your choice, budget and theme you could get a cake and cup cakes customised for the event. 

You may choose to incorporate some or all of the above elements depending on the scale of event. The idea is to have fun and create some beautiful memories. And a note to the Mommy-to-be, don’t forget to give yourself a break and prop your feet up every once in a while during the party so that you don’t exhaust yourself (all that extra weight can really tire you out). 

Eggs Benedict : After all daddy-to-be needs some pampering too

While these nine months are all about the Mommy-to-be (that is you) and the little bundle of joy, everyone wants to make you more comfortable, cook meals that you crave for and in general work towards keeping you and your soon to be born baby happy. One must not forget about the poor daddy to be, who is having to cope with a new version of his better half (may or may not be an improved version :p) & with a whole lot of new emotions himself. Daddy to be deserves some pampering and attention too. After all men are kids too (well, thats a personal opinion :))

My hubby is as much a foodie as I am & we both love a hearty breakfast. So one sure shot way to make his day is whip up some delicious breakfast. When it comes to breakfast we both love eggs, eggs in all forms- poached, boiled, fried we love them all. Eggs qualify as super foods because of the nutrients they pack and hence are recommended as a part of diet for most pregnant women (unless you suffer from some allergies). Eggs are rich in Selenium, zinc and vitamins A, D and some B Complex which are required during pregnancy. 

However during pregnancy one must exercise caution when it comes to selecting and preparing eggs. Eggs must be fresh & must be stored well. If they emit a foul smell when you break one then discard it (not worth risking it). Also when it comes to egg preparations one must avoid raw or semi cooked eggs as it may carry salmonella bacteria. So during these nine months, it is recommended you cook eggs until both the yolk and white are solid (so its bye bye to the sunny side up fried egg with a runny yolk for a while). Completely cooking the egg destroys salmonella bacteria and makes the eggs safe to eat.

Salmonella poisoning may not harm your baby, but it can be very unpleasant for the mommy-to-be and lead to:

• severe vomiting and diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• headache & high temperature

See the topic again steered towards you i.e. Mommy-to-be, this post was supposed to be about showering some attention on hubby. Now coming back to the Daddy-to-be, if you were to ask hubby to pick his favourite egg preparation the clear winner would be the Eggs Benedict. So I thought why not give it a shot. I googled hollandaise sauce and referred to the first link that I came across & then I saw a video on you tube on how to to poach eggs and I was all set to whip up hubby’s favourite breakfast.

Here are the links I referred to 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvpbSEboYI

So here is my version of the Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict ready to be devoured

Ingredients

For the Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice 

a pinch of Salt & pepper

1 teaspoon of butter

Poached Eggs

2 eggs

A large vessel 

1 teaspoon of Vinegar

a pinch of salt & pepper (to taste)

Assembling the eggs Benedict

2 slices of bread (ideally it is made with English muffins, I used bread since that is what was available at home at that point)

2 slices of Salami or Bacon 

Some butter

Method

Hollandaise Sauce

• Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. 
• Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water. One must ensure that the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. 
• Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk. remove from heat once the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
• Add the butter and some salt and pepper to taste. Cover & keep it aside until ready to use for the Eggs Benedict.

For the Poached eggs

• Gently break the egg in a small bowl so as to avoid breaking the yolk
• Take a large bowl of water & allow the water to come to a simmer
• As the water simmers, lower the heat & add the vinegar
• Now using the back of a spoon create a whirlpool in the water
• Gently slide the egg into this whirlpool 
• Allow the egg to cook for 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you like the yolk 

Assembling the Eggs Benedict

• While the eggs cook, toast a slice of bread on the pan with some butter
• Place a slice of salami or lightly fried Bacon on top of the bread
• Once cooked, scoop the egg out of the water, allowing all water to drain and then gently place it on top of the bacon or Salami
• Now drizzle poached egg with some of that yummy Hollandaise sauce

Its quite a simple recipe but really delicious. So go ahead & whip up some yummy breakfast. Happy Cooking :)

Coping with fatigue during the third trimester

As one progresses into the third trimester one actually begins to feel pregnant, I mean really pregnant. You are getting bigger by the day & carrying all the extra weight around can really pull you down, making you feel tired constantly.

Well, at least thats been the case with me. I can feel all that extra body weight now which was not the case earlier. The third trimester can be particularly tough if you have a full time job. My day involves at least 2.5- 3 hours of commute time, to & back from work (don’t be too surprised, that’s Mumbai for you). Working hours are from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, thus making my days pretty long. 

I am more conscious of the needs of my body these days & have incorporated a few simple changes to help tide over the constant feeling of fatigue and tiredness. Here are some things that have helped me

1. The best advise I got from my Mom was to listen to my body. Your body gives you the signs, listen to them, don’t ignore and keep pushing at it. Work can wait and so can chores. Nothing, absolutely nothing is worth risking the baby. If you are not feeling up to it, take the day off or exercise the option to work from home (if you have one)
2. I usually begin my day with a few gentle stretches in bed that helps mobilise the joints. Simple stretches like straighten the legs and rotate your feet clockwise and anti clockwise a few time. Rotate your neck clockwise and anti clockwise. Stretch your arms forward and rotate your hands clock wise and anti clock wise a few times
3. Then I try and do some simple breathing exercises. Both stretches and breathing exercises take me a total of 10 minutes in the morning
4. I try and begin my day with a breakfast that incorporates protein along with carbohydrates. It could mean eggs with toast or stuffed Paranthas (with paneer stuffing & very little oil). Something simple, filling but not very heavy so that I don't feel lethargic
5. At work I try and take frequent breaks and walk around a bit every one hour to keep myself going
6. I usually try and catch a small nap of 10-15 minutes at my desk post lunch
7. I try and catch up on my sleep during my long commute to and from work place 
8. I also try and keep my date with exercise on most days. That's because unlike what most people believe exercise gives you that extra boost of energy and makes you feel fresh. There are days when i just don’t feel like exercising that's when I allow myself a cheat workout of 20 minutes of slow paced walking. But I always go back to rule number 1 in case of any confusion, that is listen to the signals your body gives you. 
9. ALWAYS wear sports shoes when you go for a walk. I would strongly recommend you invest in good walking shoes because your ankles and feet have to carry around all that extra weight and they could really do with some support from good sports shoes.
10. I have also managed to get some extra help around the house because I don’t have as much energy for household chores. See if you can get a family member to help or if you could hire some additional domestic help to assist you with chores during this time period

I would love to hear from you on on how you coped in the third trimester. Are you experiencing the same or have experienced the same in the past?  Do you have any helpful tips that helped you tide over that constanly tired feeling? Till the next time, keep smiling and stay positive

Chicken Dum Biryani- to brighten up an otherwise dull weekend

The weekend that went by was a nice loooong one. Most of the people I know be it family or friends made the most of it by heading out for a small getaway or a refreshing minication or Mini Vacation :) My health didn't permit me to travel so I didn't have much of an option. I knew motherhood would change a lot of things for me but didn't anticipate the changes to step in so soon (even before the baby arrives).  

Under regular circumstances I would have sulked through the long weekend with an equally long face but these days I find myself a little more happy & cheerful than usual. I guess just the mere thought of the little one brings a smile to my face and makes it all worth it. So honestly I didn't mind chilling at home with hubby dear. 

In fact I decided to make the most of it by continuing with some of my cooking experiments. Now Hubby and I spent the first year of our careers in Andhra Pradesh. And a lot of that time was spent eating out, I would be busy gorging on the awesome Hyderabadi Biryani and hubby was busy wooing me :) So just the thought of Biryani transports us back in time. I thought why not try my hand at it.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I like cooking stuff that is quick to prep and easy to make. Hence the thought of making Biryani never really crossed my mind earlier because it felt like too tedious a process. But given the long weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands so Biryani it was.

Now here is the link that I referred to for my inspiration.

http://www.manusmenu.com/hyderabadi-chicken-biryani

As always, I did make a few tweaks to the Biryani I cooked. And I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that cooking Biryani wasn't all that difficult. Time consuming- YES, Difficult- NO. In fact its only the preparation which is a little time consuming so if you prep for it a day in advance the next day its only half an hour’s job.

So here’s my version of the Chicken Dum Biryani

Chicken Dum Biryani served with Raita and a salad of finely chopped onions & tomatoes on the side

Ingredients

Marinade 1

800 gms – chicken (I used the Zorabian Pre cut Skinless chicken with Bones)

1 small raw Papaya 

Marinade 2

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

2-3 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

2-3  green chilli (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

1 tsp red chilli powder (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 onions chopped fine & long and then fried golden brown

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pepper corns

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 ½ cup yoghurt

Salt to taste

For the Biryani

300 gms – 2 ½ cup basmati rice (make sure you get the best rice because this can really change the whole dish)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Layers

3 fried onions (preparation similar to the marinade)

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

2 pinch saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water

2-3 tsp of ghee

Instructions

Marinade 1

The first marinade is simply to tenderise the meat. Cut the raw papaya and puree it. Now add the pureed papaya to the chicken pieces and set aside for 30-45 minutes. 

Then rinse the papaya off the chicken.

Marinade 2

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl, add the chicken pieces to it, mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight).

Note: For the fried onions, simply chop the onions fine and long. Heat 2-3  tsp of oil in a wok and fry the onions till golden brown. Then drain them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. 

Assembling the Biryani

When you are ready to cook your biryani, prepare the rice. Wash it and soak it in cool water for 30 minutes. Fill a big pot with water (take more than the required quantity of water like in the case of pasta),  add salt and oil and bring it to a boil. Cook the rice in it for 4 or 5 minutes. The rice should be about 3/4th Cooked. Now drain the excess water and set aside the rice.

Now take a heavy bottomed pot (a heavy bottomed pot prevents the chicken from burning), spray it with some oil and add the chicken and its marinade to the bottom. Make sure to spread it all around. Now spread the rice on top of the chicken.

Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves, the fried onions and the saffron water. Now pour the ghee over the rice.

Put a tight lid on & seal it with the help of some atta (wheat flour dough). Then put the pot on the fire, on top of a tawa or flat pan (this will help the heat to spread uniformly).

I cooked the Biryani in two batches since I wasn't too sure of the cooking time and was afraid to spoil the whole thing. So in case you are an amateur like me, I suggest you do the same.

Put the fire on high for the 3-4 minutes, then keep cooking the biryani on a medium fire for 15 minutes and on low for the remaining 5 minutes (it did not take more than 25 minutes for my Biryani to cook).

Serve warm with some raita & a salad of finely chopped onions and tomatoes on the side!

All cooked and ready to be devoured

These days I avoid heavily spiced food to avoid acidity & heartburn. The above recipe as it is would give you a mildly spiced, well flavoured Biryani.  In case you are one of those who love their spices you may want to increase the green chilli and red chill powder content in the Biryani. Happy cooking :)

Aah! the aromas of freshly cooked Biryani
( I had to hold my hubby back to get this shot because he couldn't wait to dig into the Biryani )