Yukti couldn't sleep and so could the man beside her. She knew he was awake.

She turned and looked at the baby between them. He was sleeping peacefully and God! He was the cutest baby she had ever seen. His cheeks were so squeeshy that she wanted to squeeze them but alas! That would disturb his sleep and his father would then scold her.

"He's really cute. And pretty."

She couldn't help but whisper and Ritvik smiled. His son was the cutest.

"He doesn't look like you."

She observed aloud and his jaw clenched. Yaksh had taken up entirely after his mother. She didn't notice the change in his expressions and continued to admire the baby.

Yukti didn't realise when she slept admiring the little one but she was woken up by the shrill voice of his crying.

She sat up with a jerk and saw Ritvik get up and take him in his arms. But instead of pacifying him, he started to walk towards the door.

"Kaha le jaa rhe hai?"

"Roz raat ko aise hi uthta hai. Only mumma can calm him down."

"Mujhe dijiye."

She said, making him stop and turn to look at her. She saw the baby trying to grab on Ritvik's chest and smiled.

"Isse kabhi kisi ne breastfeed kia tha kya?"

Ritvik frowned at the question but nodded nonetheless.

"My sister had a 4 months old when Yaksh was born. Doctors ne uss cross-feeding recommend kri thi. You know any relative of one of the parents can breastfeed the baby. She fed him for a few weeks but it didn't suit him. He got diarrhoea. Uske baad we shifted to formula milk."

He said and she nodded.

"He's hungry."

She said and he raised his eyebrow.

"How do you know?"

"He's trying to grab your chest. Baby ko shuru ke time mai jaha se food milta hai wo usse apna food source maan leta hai. He thinks he gets his food from chests. Aap isse mujhe dijiye."

Ritvik nodded and carefully handed his crying son to her.

"Hi baby!"

She whispered and he sniffed silently looking at her with his doe eyes. She snuggled him to her chest and he latched his lips on her nipples over her nightdress.

Ritvik, who was observing her movements with his son, looked away and quickly mumbled.

"Mai iska dudh laata hu."

With that he ran out of the room while Yukti sat there holding the baby who was suckling on her chest trying to extract milk. She patted his back and hummed softly. His eyes slowly closed but he still kept sniffing and whimpering in hunger.

Ritvik came back 10 minutes later and Yukti took the milk bottle from him. He latched Yaksh on the bottle who immediately gulped the milk and slowly started slipping into slumber.

"How did you know what he wanted? I was never successful in calming him down in all these months."

"Bacho ko chup karana mushkil nhi hai, bas ye samajh aa jaaye ki usse chahiye kya."

She said smiling at the now sleeping baby. Ritvik looked at her and observed how she patted his back after taking him on her shoulder until he burped.

She then carefully laid him down and covered him with the duvet.

"Ab aaram se soyega."

She said and he nodded laying down beside Yaksh. Yukti looked at her nightdress and it had dried from the area which was wet with his saliva so she also laid down and the two of them were also off in no time.

It's been almost two weeks that Yukti had married Ritvik and she and Yaksh have started bonding really well. Initially, he would only stay with his grandmother but now he had started seeking Yukti's company too.

"Ritvik? Yaksh ki vaccine lagwani hai."

His mother told him over breakfast and he looked at his son who was in Yukti's lap eating his cerelac.

"Kaunsi vaccine?"

He asked his mother who made a 'Really' face.

"Birth ke baad teen doses lagti hai beta ji. Third dose ka time shuru ho gaya."

"Kab tak lagwa sakte hai?"

"Waise toh dedh saal tak lagwa sakte ho lekin-"

"Hey bhagwaan! Kya hoga tumhara Sanskruti? Dedh saal tak lagwana hai. Abhi 6 mahine ka hua hai Yakshu."

Ritvik's father told his wife who glared at him.

"Maine kab kaha kuch. Yaad dilaya hai bas. Aur time se lagwa lo toh behtar hai. Baad mai bhul mai padh jaati hai."

"Next month lagwa aaunga mumma. Iss mahine kaafi tight schedule hai."

Ritvik said biting into his toast. Yukti bit her lip contemplating whether she should intervene or not.

"Umm-agar aapko sahi lage toh mai-mai lagwa aaungi."

She said and then bowed her head when all three pairs of eyes fell on her.

"Ye bhi sahi hai. Mai aur Yukti chale jaayenge."

His mother spoke up and Yukti looked at her. She blinked at her in affirmation and Yukti smiled.

"Bas phir sorted. Aap dono dekh lena jo bhi krna hai."

Ritvik said and took his stuff. He kissed his son's head and rushed to the office.

That very week, Yukti and her mother-in-law went to Yaksh's doctor and got him vaccinated. The boy cried buckets but the ladies managed to calm him somehow. While Yaksh was playing with his dadi, Yukti asked the doctor about his diet and all the things she should expect in the upcoming months.

Yaksh was now 7 months old and Yukti was married since a month. The interaction between her and Ritvik was very limited.

From the past few weeks Yukti had been teaching Yaksh to sit without support. And she had finally achieved it. She was so excited to show Ritvik and Yaksh could sit without support and so when he entered the room after dinner to spend his time with Yaksh before sleeping, she chirped excitedly.

"Yakshu! Papa ko baith kr dikhao."

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