*As long as I’m living… my baby you’ll be

A few days ago, I was trying to find a picture of my mother and myself, and as always with pictures, it took me for a walk, way down nostalgia lane. I can spend hours there, rambling through long-forgotten memories… wistfully remembering times that went by far too soon!

With all the pictures and albums on the floor around me, I came across one of Becca holding Sol, our first grandchild, with me sitting beside her. It was labelled, “Two mothers and two babies.” Two babies? I had to look again. Yes. There were actually TWO babies in that picture. And that thought triggered a memory, from 36+ years ago… something that happened soon after Becca was born. Something I had long forgotten.

We lived in Bahrain, with my in-laws, during the time of my first pregnancy and delivery, and my parents had also come from India to visit and help out. There was great excitement in the house as this was the first grandchild, on both sides of the family. As per tradition, when the new mother and baby get home from the hospital, they are treated like royalty. And one of the daily rituals is an ayurvedic (herbal) oil massage late in the morning, a hot soaking bath, lunch brought to the bed, and then a good 4+ hours of sleep, for both mama and baby. This goes on for a couple of weeks, at least. And I can’t even begin to explain the bliss… especially for a bleary-eyed first-time mother!

One day, after the bath, I was all cozy in the bed, drowsy and resting against pillows, with a towel turban-style on my head, waiting for the elderly masseuse to finish clearing up the bedroom, when the lady said to me in our language, Malayalam, “Oh dear! I forgot the herbal powder. Please rub it quickly onto babygirl’s head so she doesn’t catch a cold.” And before she even finished her sentence, and before I could move, my mother who was entering my room, quickly leaned forward to pick up the box with the powder.

Oh good! I leaned back, content to leave the care of my babygirl in the hands of the new grandmother.

And then I watched sleepily as my mother walked over to my bed, took off my towel turban, and rubbed the powder very gently onto… my head! ❤

*I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living… my baby you’ll be.

Always and forever… my babygirls. ❤ ❤ ❤

*From “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch