A whole new episode

Kavya & Oviya became a big babbler at this stage. They seemed to be in their own world babbling and kicking their arms & legs. By now, they turned and responded when their names were called. 'Peek-a-boo' became their favourite game. They laughed when my hidden face came out of the blanket.

Slowly, both were able to play with teethers and toys by switching from one hand to the other. They seemed confident about staying for a long time on their tummies. They rolled on their tummies back and forth and tried to reach for the toys seen before them. Now, they weren't staying at one place. They moved, rolled, made a circle by kicking their legs. To avoid falling from the bed, we placed pillows around them. Sometimes, they were caught kicking each other too :-)

               

They also developed something new & strange, the one I wasn't expecting at this time, the one which seemed uneasy. Oh, yeah! They got this 'stranger anxiety'. They found some faces appealing and some not. There were so many visitors to whom they smiled at few, cried at few and bewildered at few :-). I was able to take a pic with some of the family members and friends.

Silly babies

When Kavya & Oviya stepped into the 4th month, there were numerous transformations in them. Their birth weight had doubled by then. They were able to play solo with their hands and feet for a few minutes at a time. They were fond of doing one action over and over again :-). Both were trying to imitate our sounds and expressions and were delighted to see bright colors.

They laughed, giggled, smiled & made funny faces and it felt like their silliness was worth more than million bucks. I was lucky enough to capture the priceless moments.

 

I don't have to watch a feel-good movie or listen to melodies during bedtime. I don't even have to drink a cup of coffee while raining near the window & I don't have to go for an evening walk in the beach during sunset. Watching the babies grow was the whole package of entertainment :-)

Both rolled over on their tummies as an initial step for crawling. It meant that their spine was straightening and their neck muscles were strengthening. Yippee, their heads didn't needed support anymore! :-)
They started watching each other closely and they were amused to see another baby nearby ;-) 

Finally, there was a night-time routine ; making the bed, diaper change, feeding, burping, singing the rhymes/rocking, a big good night hug. Now their eyes get heavy with sleep and prepare for a night long sweet dreams :-)
And Ssshhh... Only whispers allowed after that.

Precious Zzzz!

Now that the jet lag is over, Kavya & Oviya got into a sleep routine and started sleeping a little longer during nights in the 3rd & 4th months. The sleepless nights got upgraded to 6 hours of a continuous sleep. It felt too good to have precious sleep :-)

While Oviya felt comfortable sleeping in the bed, Kavya wanted only her swing. The swing has to be in motion until she falls asleep (that was the tough part). They also took 4-5 naps during the day time. To think of it, babies do have the gift of sleep :-)

Meanwhile, their kicks were getting stronger and their understanding of the world was broadening. To make the perception of surrounding more lively and different, we would make them sit in upright position propped up with pillows around them. They enjoyed this view of looking in another dimension apart from the view of lying down all the time.

It was tough taking a picture without shakes as they were waving & kicking their arms and legs all the time  :-).

Adventurous newborn days

When Kavya & Oviya were two months old, they had their first adventurous flight trip from United States to India. The trip with both of them was quite a distress. Both were crying most of the time and carrying them in the infant carrier along with carry ons became a big deal in the long transits. I took a deep breath of exhaustment when we finally landed.

The next 4 months were spent in India. The fully covered winter costumes were gone & the babies got ready for the sizzling summer costumes. At this stage, they started responding with smiles & coos to voices and sounds in the environment. Their eyes would follow a rattle or toy when shook from random directions. I would even dance for them to provide a different kind of entertainment :-P. The good part is, when placed in one place they remain in the same place :-) 

Later, both started searching for me when I left the room. It was a good feeling when I became the most important person to be missed in two tiny lives :-)
Both were showing lot of movements with hands & legs. They were also exploring their fingers by doing a lot of licking. 

 

The first 3 months as a newborn had so many admiring moments and precious memories.