August came with gusts of rain (why does it feel like the opening to every single digest I write?). There were lots of gloomy weather bringing forth pesky bugs that kids all over the country succumbed to. Ary wasn’t spared. He was sent back from nursery one day after contracting a high temp along with a cough. We rushed him to the nearest NHS centre for a PCR test (utter nightmare to administer on children) and were relieved when the results came back negative. It took a few days for him to recover fully, with the cough lingering on for days.
Summer was rapidly passing us by so we tried to make the most of it through fun family activities. Easier said than done with depleting third trimester energies and an inner body temperature that can rival a sauna’s. I was mighty pleased when we managed to trek through muddy trails full of dinosaurs at Jurassic Park Encounter and turned up at Mega Please Draw Freely at @Tate to unleash our inner artists. I want to make the most of this exclusive time with Ary before I get busy raising another littol human.
While we were fortunate enough to enjoy snatches of summer, people elsewhere were plunging into deep humanitarian crises. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August came at a steep price for the country, especially its women, as harrowing images of people trying to escape got seared into our brains.
Pregnancy
I officially started third trimester this month. My bump is getting bigger and so am I. The extra weight has started to stoke the fire from my back pain once again. Its peak season at Nizar’s workplace so we have had to send Ary for extra preschool sessions to paper over the cracks. I don’t have the capacity to juggle work, pregnancy and a 3 year old all on my own. Something’s gotta give.
Currently Watching
We watched a lot of male centric movies this month – The Gentlemen, Fight Club, Departed and Shershah.
Currently Reading
When my pre-ordered copy of The Underbelly arrived on a weekday, I dived into it immediately. Penned co-jointly by the Flex Appeal campaigner @mother_pukka and her husband Matt, its a fictional story diving into the dark underbelly of the mumfluencer world. Lo and Dylan pull you into their whirlwind world of single + working parenthood, recurring miscarriages and domestic abuse. The story darkens with uncomfortable strides, keeping it constantly uneasy, compelling the reader to keep turning the pages. I finished it within days. Read full review on my Instagram post.
Aryan Update
Aryan has stepped into his big brother shoes, excitedly so. His little sibling is already a part of his everyday life – invisible but firmly present. We have been going through a lot of his old baby videos which he loves to watch on repeat. We are covering baby basics to prepare him for what’s coming. Aryan knows that babies don’t have teeth and cannot have ice-cream, for example. They are small, so we need to be very gentle with them. We jokingly impose big bro duties on him, like cleaning baby’s poop, which he finds really amusing.
I have been trying to teach him the names of colours in Bengali – laal (red), shobuj (green), neel (blue) and holud (yellow). ‘Mummy, I am doing Bangla!’, he declares proudly, as soon as he successfully translates something.
When he is happy, he calls us his ‘best friend’. ‘You can have my chocolate, Mummy!’ he adds to underscore his fondness. This approval swiftly dissolves when we aren’t on the same page. ‘You are not my best friend, Mummy,’ he huffs, before stomping away. He pulls funny faces that has us in stitches and has mastered the art of fake crying down to a tee.
Recipe Highlight
My Gestational Diabetes has had a huge impact on our family meals. By now, I know my body is better at processing carbs like pasta and bread and not very good at handling rice. Its hard for a hardcore deshi food lover like me to go without bhaat but I try as much as I can. One of the meals I have been doing a lot lately is these Sticky Asian Chicken Wings which I pair with a veggie/salad and crusty garlic bread. Its become a favourite rotation meal for us.
What’s coming.
I am REALLY looking forward to Autumn. Like really, really. After a lukewarm summer of extreme heatwaves and thunderstorms, my pregnant body is craving some steady, albeit cooler weather. Autumn is one of the most exciting seasons of the year and harbinger of the celebrations to come! I am so ready for it.
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