Party girl

It is odd, how easy it is to change one's mind about a thing. Poopy diapers are not high on my list of desirable items. But after more than 2 days of no poopy diapers, and a baby constantly fussy and crying, suddenly they are as fervently wished for as a glass of cold water on a boiling Delhi day. Now she acts much more like a normal baby: playing, giggling, and only occasionally crying. Mommy is starting to teach her sign language to improve communication and reduce the crying further. We've seen this work well in other young children not yet able to speak.

They told us at the orphanage that her normal bedtime was around 11:00pm. Last night proved it. We laid down around 8:45 and put her on the floor (it has proved impossible to get a crib in Indian hotels) to sleep. Soon we heard quiet knocking sounds and then suddenly the television was on! She had pulled herself upright and found the remote and turned it on. This was the most we had seen her move around on her own. We quickly realized we needed some type of enclosure, and built one with the bed, the wall, and an upended ottoman. This contained her safely, and after 20 minutes of attempted jailbreak, she succumbed to sweet slumber.

Breakfast was great this morning. When we first arrived we all had spicy Indian food for breakfast. Now no one is eating spicy food for breakfast, only Western food. I don't know what they do when they get sick--the thought of greasy or spicy just turned my stomach. Still, I'm feeling very close to normal. We're going out for the morning, so I hope this feeling holds.

After breakfast an outing to Connaught Place, a shopping district surrounding a circular park. Asha Saloni did very well, riding along contentedly with Mommy in the Baby Bjorn carrier. Jia was our tour guide, using the tour book to show us where to go. The rickshaw rides were short, and the prices easily negotiated by Kim.

Just a note regarding photos--they take a bit more work to get uploaded to the blog, so they occasionally get added late, after the text has been posted. So you may want to check older posts in order to make sure you don't miss any pictures.

Kim here-it's nap time and everyone is out, except for me. I just returned from a quick swim, where my conscience wouldn't let me remain in the water. They are preparing for a big party tonight. In doing so, they are stringing electric wire all around the pool to hang lights. In India, electricity is a bit scary - frayed wires, down lines, etc. When I saw a man struggling in one corner with old wires, and another unaware getting ready to split some wires and attach the cord to the circuit breaker, while another man was trying to get the lights as close to the water and sometmes in the water-my more adventurous side lost out to all the stories I've heard of electrocution. I climbed out. Ah India!

Random thoughts over the days. Stacy is God in disguise. When Troy was really sick, she took care of all of us, as I was held down by a grumpy baby. She ground up food for the baby, entertained Jia, helped me at the consulate, then in scouting out food, etc. And funny Stacy found the lounge with complementary drinks that night. She felt soo refreshed after 2 glasses of wine ;). Our first few days here she had us all sore with the exercise routine she takes us through, stretching, swimming for hours per day, speed walking, stretching. And she's worried that she's not getting enough exercise here. We have nick-named her Scary Stacy because Asha Saloni has been terrified of her, even if Stacy just looks at her across the room. Today we need to change the name because Stacy is making her smile and laugh (as long as she is securely in my arms). Likewise, Asha is also terrified of Troy. She does her best with him in the morning after a good sleep. Then she tolerates him gently playing with her.

Jia is amazing me with how well she is allowing mommy to be consumed by the baby. She braved about 1/2 hour of crying/screaming last night as the baby fought me, fought sleeping, and fought anything else. Poor Jia was shaken, but worked hard on being brave. When Stacy returned from the lounge ;), Jia went straight back to her room.

Asha Saloni seems more like a 6 month old rather than almost a one year old baby - the number and lengths of her naps, playing with her feet when she's on her back, eating completely pureed food, etc. But then again, she stands up and turns the tv on with a remote when we're all tying to be quiet for her sake. Twice in the last 2 days she has found a place to bang her head when she's tired and does it over and over until we stop her. Poor baby. She is stressed, I hope. She grinds her 4 little teeth so loud and constantly it is unnerving. As each day passes it is a little less, but I think I want her to see a dentist - Uncle Q? Today she was spitting to figure out how to make more noises with her mouth, standing up, balancing on her own, sitting down, baby talking-gaga.

Tonight we are going to visit my friends Aisha and Michelle. Everyone's long naps I hope will resort in cheery dispositions this afternoon!