Her entry into this world.

After 37 weeks of carrying our baby around, the day finally arrived when we had to welcome her into the world. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was pleasantly aware of all her different styles of punches, kicks and nudges. I would utter to myself "that must be her elbow" or "ooh that must be her feet" - it was as though I was already getting to know her as I carried her around. All the discomfort aside (from having blown up to twice my size), it was a beautiful feeling to be able to develop another human being within myself.

It was midnight on the 24th of November (which happens to be my birthday as well) when we rushed to the hospital. After a gruelling 14 hours of labour (I'll spare the details), our beautiful bundle of joy finally arrived. The moment the nurse placed her onto my body, she took my breath away and I was numb to the pain that I had just experienced. It was as though that moment lasted for a lifetime.

As I write this post today, our baby girl, Ananya, is almost 3 months old! She is full of curiosity about the world as well as thirsty for knowledge and understanding (apart from milk). She has started making all kinds of sounds and tries to communicate with my Husband and me in her own "language". She mimics our sounds and attempts to reply. Over the past 3 months, we have watched her grow and are filled with immense love for this tiny being. It has been tiring and exhilarating thus far and because of her we have been born and renewed as parents. 

All this aside, Ananya has been my strength and motivation even before her birth, when she was inside me. If not for her, I would have completely crumbled last year. Much has transpired last year with the passing of my Grandmother and my Father and Ananya is the one who (unknowingly) kept me strong and gave us all faith and hope for a new beginning. As I type this, my eyes may be tearing but my heart is filled with an immense sense of unconditional love for our beloved Daughter. I want to catch every moment of her growth and development and document and celebrate all her tiny achievements. If there's something that last year taught me it is this: life is too short - cherish every moment and live it to the fullest.