It’s been three weeks since Theo left for Hyderabad again, and Kara and I miss him terribly! The day before he went, he left one of his worn T-shirts for Kara (so that she can remember his smell), and somehow (although she also thinks nothing of throwing up on it!) she seems to be calmer when I put it in her bed.

He missed most of the pregnancy because of us being worlds apart. To contribute in his absence, he bought and studied a number of books on babies, raising girls and even sleep training.

It was great to have Theo a little to ourselves the month right after Kara’s birth. The little missy and her daddy bonded very well as she loved falling asleep on his broad chest, and it was beautiful to see the relationship between them unfold. He even looked after her wardrobe. Being a rather tiny baby, Kara drowned in her new-born clothes. Theo decided his baby needs something that fits properly and came home with a couple of vests and very cute babygrows for tiny babies, which she wore almost every other day until recently, when she finally fitted into her new-born and 0-3 months outfits.

Theo did an excellent job looking after his two women. The three of us moved into a cottage on a smallholding just outside Durbanville, and he made sure I always had plenty of healthy food to eat, he washed the dishes, cleaned the house and went shopping a few times a day so that we could have everything we might need.

His speciality was calming Kara down and rocking her to sleep – especially when I asked him to buy me 45 minutes or so to take a nap before feeding her. Again. With great patience he often had to endure a few minutes of violence from the hungry little miss, who would, in between her screams, get a firm grip on one of his nostrils or pull out his chest hair and keep them like souvenirs between her fingers for us to discover.
Even in the middle of the night, when Kara would be restless, Theo would sit with her, rocking her and watching TV from 2 - 4am so that I could get some sleep.

Bottles and dummies

I had a dentist appointment for a crown and Theo had to take some time off work to look after our little bundle. At that stage no-one but Theo and I had looked after her yet, so we didn’t trust anyone else with her! First, it was a given that hunger would strike, so Theo did some research and came home with a good (and extremely expensive!) breast pump (with accessories to make life as easy as possible). After that, I asked him to buy a few bottles (cheap ones, just to see whether or not she would be interested – although I should have known by then that he’s not interested in “cheap” when it comes to Kara). After some shopping around he decided that, since he would be the one operating the bottles, he could actually choose the bottle. He came back with bottles and teats that are “closer to nature” and made for babies that are being breastfed, and I started praying that she would reward her dad’s shopping spree and like them!

At the dentist, just before going back to the waiting room while the computer made my new tooth (didn’t know the dentist can make your crown these days in 30 minutes while you wait!), hunger struck and from the dentist’s chair I could hear Kara “calling”. Very nervous and curious I made my way to the waiting room – expecting to find a screaming child and a terrified dad. But I found Theo, Kara and the bottle – just as he was about to start feeding her. Worried about Kara’s possible reaction, I tried not to direct Theo in terms of how to hold her and the bottle, but couldn’t help myself! Theo asked me to give him some “room to work with”. And then a blissful picture unfolded as the little one started drinking, with both her and her daddy in a bubble of happiness and satisfaction, and Daddy nearly bursting with pride.

The dummy hunt also started. We started with a rather expensive dummy, given to her by her granny Wipplinger – but Kara wasn’t in the least interested. Then Theo bought dummies of the same brand as her bottle. Again she wasn’t amused. Just before he went back to India, he bought three old-fashioned rubber dummies, and lo and behold, although she’s not at all fond of them, she chose the cheapest one to occasionally sink her gums into (take note: she doesn’t suck).

Off to India

Kara and I are almost off to India. Although my biggest concern is her health there, I know she at least has a beautiful room (which I haven’t seen yet) waiting for her. As I wasn’t able to create a room for her here in SA, Theo did some “nesting” of his own. While alone in Hyderabad, he did some shopping and bought a wooden cot, matching furniture and a few toys to match.

Reminding me of my own dad and the huge role he played in our lives, I think Kara is the luckiest girl to have Theo as her daddy. I cannot wait for the three of us to really start our life together.

Here are a few pictures of Kara. (The grandparents are enjoying Kara’s presence in SA!)