Yuvadev

Yuvadev Vinayak Menon was born on the 29th of Nov at 1.51pm. He is everything I could possibly hope for...healthy and complete, strong, adorable, intelligent, very attentive and responsive, shows early signs of a wicked sense of humour and has a huge personality! I did not think I was going to be that lucky. For the entire 40 weeks of pregnancy I have been plagued and tormented by negative thoughts of every single thing that could possibly go wrong. I used to torture myself every night by reading medical articles on the Internet about birth defects and problems. When so many things could possibly go askew, what were the odds that I would have a healthy child?

When Dev was born, all my apprehensions vanished. The very moment I saw him, I knew that I was going to have little to worry about. At 3.7 kg, he was well-built (too big for the mother to have a natural delivery) and had an aura of self-confidence. I instinctively knew that he was a born fighter and survivor...just like his father and his father's mother.

It dawned on me that I had been blessed...again.

He has been a rather easy and straightforward baby. I'm glad that he is my first born since having a child of his disposition has boosted the confidence I have in my parenting skills. I never thought I would learn how to feed, change diapers, clean and comfort with such ease.

I'm also even more certain now that I would want to adopt in the near future. At first I was unsure how having a biological child would make me feel about adoption. I also had reservations as to how Saras would feel after the whole dynamics of carrying and bearing a child. Fortunately, nothing has changed. When we see Dev, admiring his divine slumber, we know that adopting is something we still definitely want to do. The thought that there may be another baby just like him out there who needs love and a home is suffice. We do not love Dev because he was born from our flesh and blood, we love him because of who he is and simply because he is ours. He could have been adopted and we would still love him all the same.

I'm thankful for this miracle. I love my new life and role as a father. I'm glad for the choices I've made and for the guidance I've received while making them. I would not want things any other way.

Kartik