December 2021 felt eerily like a return to 2020. Covid’s latest variant, Omicron, spread like wildfire, threatening yet another cancelled Christmas. We managed to evade lockdown, but covid continued to wreak havoc and create disruptions. Social media blew up with stories of isolating individuals lamenting over another botched holiday season.
We were amongst the lucky ones who managed to dodge Omi (2 years into the pandemic, we are getting into nickname territory here!). With our maternity/paternity leave overlapping with the festive season, we got busy partaking in the merriment. Newborn Aydin went everywhere with us – from Legoland to Winter Wonderland to the Cinema (Spider-Man: No Way Home was exciting, Matrix Resurrections, not so much!). Every time someone caught sight of Aydin, there was inevitable interest. He is so cute. How old is he? Not even one month! Awwww.
The Millennial Baba and I hosted a Christmas Do at ours with some of our closest friends. We went all out with decor, festive jumpers and what have you. Right before the event, we were whatsapping each other our lateral flow test results. Because thats how we party post 2020!
Bangladesh celebrated its 50th year of Independence this December while Nizar and I celebrated our 7th year of marriage – with two kids! Alhamdulillah.
Currently Watching
We have started watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a comedy series on Netflix. God knows I need some humour after a long day of parenting. My one complaint though? For a show that is so recent, the fatphobic jokes feel very off. The script tries its utmost to tackle serious issues like homophobia and racism but constantly mocks the fat characters. How can they get it so wrong??
The A Team
We have really lucked out with Aydin. He is such a ‘lokhkhi‘ baby. He sleeps really well for a newborn, and seems relatively ‘easier’ to take care of, Alhamdulillah. He has started coming out of his newborn haze this month, interacting with us with the most adorable coos. He conveys his feelings by furiously pedalling his little feet, his hands splaying in every direction. These erratic bursts of movement when he goes into hyperactive mode is our favourite daily entertainment. His face lights up with the cutest eye-scrunching grin when he recognise us. Ah, yes, I know you people!
Aydin wasn’t born with a head full of hair like Aryan but he is finally showing some growth. I love the way the wispy tufts stick out at the back of his head. I am a smitten mom! Because so much of our observations of him is a direct comparison with Aryan (we just cant help it), Aydin does seem a lot more prone to reflux and spit up. And somehow his target is always Daddy’s clothes!
Aryan continues to be a remarkable big brother. I am really proud of him, but a part of me struggles to make peace with how much I am missing out on our regular interaction. When I poured my heart out about these feelings in an IG post, the comments section exploded with moms reaching out to share similar emotions.
What’s coming?
There is a lot of talk about ‘big school’ in our household as Aryan prepares to go to Reception next year, In Sha Allah. We are now looking to finalise our choices, while shaking our heads over the absurdity of time. HOW is Ary big enough to don a uniform???
And 2022? We NEED you to be kind!
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