Dear Baby Z,

When did you learn how to fly? Cause it sure looks like you have taken off. Today marks 8 months of me as a mom and you as my little side plum.

Every month feels like the best month but this month was objectively the most exciting month till now.

Two weeks back we said bye bye to you dada/papa/uppa (yet to make up mind) and embarked on a solo trip to Uganda. It was your second flight, first to another continent. I was quite apprehensive about how you would take it but as always, you surprised me. You played with the air hostess, with copassengers, with the cleaners, the security… everyone. Which also meant I got to have interesting conversations with a lot of new people. I didn’t realize that babies emit magnetic waves that pull in even the most resistant of people.

You came from dry dusty Riyadh to cool, lush, and vibrantly green Uganda. And to say you love it here is an understatement. You sleep well and wake up to the sweet sounds of dozens of birds (and a couple of annoying storks), we then sit outside for sometime where you converse with the ants and the butterflies and try to sneakily put into your mouth flowers and grass and any insect that’s unlucky enough to catch your fancy.

You eat with us and enjoy your fava beans and yogurt. You are not a big fan of sweet stuff and fruits.

This month you learnt to sit up independently and since figuring it out you want to keep practicing it.

You also get up on your fours for a few seconds before tiring and keeping your head down.

Your likes and dislikes are more evident now. For instance, you don’t like any bedsheet or spread covering your feet when you are trying to sleep. You will flap about till your legs are free and a feet are nestled on top of the blanket. No matter how cold it is.

This month you also tried biting me a couple of times while feeding and found it very funny when I screamed in pain. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you of my sacrifices even when you have grandkids.

Speaking of grandkids, your grandpa and Grammy are spoiling you silly and you are soaking it all in. I’m still in awe of how well you have taken to them. It fills me heart with so much joy to see you seek them and love them in your own way. It also makes me sad because I know we have to leave soon and I don’t know how you (and I) will adjust to this new normal again. One thing though, having you has made me appreciate them more. So, thank you my lilsamosa!

I feel so blessed to watch you blossom, to see you spread joy among strangers with your sweet smiles and giggles, to have the opportunity to watch you wake up with excitement each day as you set out like a researcher on a field assignment, keenly observing anything and everything you come across, to be the one who gets to see you pull the strands of your hair as sleep slowly pulls your eyelids in, to hold you close to me and breathe in your littleness, for I know how quickly you will grow and go.

Love,

Mamma