Memoirs2Cherish

Mommy guilt of a new kind

2012-01-18T15:31:00.001+11:00

Background info:

(VK is allergic to mosquito bites. He starts scratching it and on repeatedly doing so, the bite gets infected and one after a dose of antibiotics, life gets back to normal.)

Last week the same thing happened and this time it was on the knee... Even after all our preventive measures, his knee was swollen and he was limping and finding hard to walk. I had to rush to the doctor and I was really sad making him walk even in that state but didn’t mention anything to him.

After the visit to doctor and pharmacist, when I put him in the car, he asked me or rather told me below.

In a totally matter of fact tone (with no emotion at all)

“Amma after the baby comes out of your tummy, you will carry me like before”

My heart broke a million times that moment and my eyes well up every time I think about it.

I still wonder if he actually read my mind because I was feeling totally guilty not able to carry him or if he was in pain and just saying it.

Whatever it was... I am carrying the guilt now and can’t wait to carry my first baby like before!

Letter to Santa

2011-12-19T15:31:00.000+11:00

All we want from Santa this year !!

Oops !! We did it again

2011-11-28T15:25:00.003+11:00

We will be a family of four very soon and No... we didn’t learn from our mistakes !!
We are expecting our second baby in April next year.
I was itching to post about it for a long time, however I wanted to make sure everything was fine before I let the world know.Now that the scans are done and it looks all good I am relieved.

VK has been super duper excited and can’t wait for April. I told him the news only after I completed 12 weeks and below are some memorable conversations.

Me: Amma has baby in tummy Kanna.
VK: What? What are you saying Amma?
Me: Yes Kanna.. There is a baby in my tummy?
VK: You are joking Amma!! (Said it with a cheeky smile and walked away.)

I didn’t push it too much and left it at that for few days.

Few days later,
Me: Kanna, so what are you going to name the baby?
VK: Is there really a baby in your tummy Amma?
Me: Yes Kanna
VK: You mean your tummy will become big and then u will go to hospital and baby will come (A close of friend of mine had just delivered, so he knew about the hospital bit)
Me: yup... You are right!
VK: I want to see the baby now... open your mouth Amma !! (He actually tried to peep in and see the baby)

Yesterday one of our friends told him, He is going to take the new baby to his place as he didn’t have one and VK wouldn’t accept. When my friend said he really wanted a baby, VK’s response was “You need to do whatever my mummy did to get a baby in your tummy “ I am still to recover from hearing that reply.

The boy turned 4…

2011-10-19T13:45:00.002+11:00

…Last weekend. I still can’t believe it. Where did the four years go? It has been a beautiful ride but when I think back, I can’t remember much.

He has wanted to turn four for last 6 months (his best friend is 6 months older than him). I was not game for a party this year. However VK had different plans. A month or so before his birthday, he announced that he is having a party and he wanted a Spiderman cake. After much deliberation (not much really... with me refusing to have a party and Hubby wanting to honour his son’s requests), the men of the house won. VK was super duper excited and every morning he would wake up and first thing out of his mouth “Amma is it my birthday today?” And every night before going to sleep “how many more sleeps to go Amma for my birthday?’.

Finally the day arrived and the party was in the afternoon. However my dear son couldn’t wait… All morning, he just asked the same question” Are they here yet?” I was tired of answering him that at one point I started to ignore him. Eventually friends and families started to arrive and my boy was super duper happy.Considering he wanted Spiderman cake, we made the theme to Spiderman party. (He didn’t ask for it... I think we just went overboard) No! We didn’t dress like Spiderman. The decoration was around the theme and the plates, spoons, cups, balloons, streamers etc were in red and blue. We had about 35 adults and 14 kids. I had a chaat theme for food and hence made bhel puri, pani puri (puris store bought), ragda patties, samosas (frozen ones fried in oil), mango lassi and sweet lassi. I made Indian version of pizzas for the kids and it was a big hit. The food turned out to be a hit as it was a warm afternoon and it was good to gulp down lassi and pani puri water. I had planned a few games but ended up playing only passing the parcel. The kids were too eager to open the parcel that the game was over in less than 5 minutes. All in all it was a good party and VK had a nice time. That’s all mattered.

Next morning, VK tells me “Amma I am not 4 years old, I am four and half”. Now how will I account for the 6 months of precious time I lost?

Its official...

2011-10-13T15:00:00.001+11:00

My son wants to be a garbage truck driver when he grows up.

Every Thursday the garbage truck comes to pickup the garbage and it usually comes at the time when we leave for school/work.VK has been so fascinated by the truck. He loves to see the truck automatically pickup the bin, tip the contents and put the bin back down.Two weeks ago, he goes “Amma I want to be a garbage truck when I grow up”. So I explain you can’t be truck as it a machine and you are human.
He took few minutes to digest it and goes “Ah well ... I will be that truck driver”

And just when I thought it was a passing phase and he had forgotten all about the garbage truck,This morning he heard the truck, ran out and waited till the truck finished its job for few houses and only then would he get into the car.
He sat down in the car and said” Amma can you get me a garbage truck toy”

Now where do I go find that?

Do I need these?

2011-07-05T15:00:00.000+10:00

Sleep time convo:

VK: Amma can you pat me?
Me: Okay. Take your McQueen... Let’s go to sleep
After we are all tucked and settled to sleep,
VK: Amma we need to buy Mater!
Me: You asked for McQueen, and we got it for you... We can’t buy another toy kanna
VK: but Amma, we need Mater. Otherwise who will play with McQueen?
Me: you can play with McQueen rite.
VK: No Amma, Just like I am D’s best friend, Mater is McQueen’s best friend. Only they can play... we can't separate them!

(I was not sure if I should be impressed by his understanding of friendships or be worried that he is already devising strategy to buy more toys)
Me: Ok kanna... no more talking, time to sleep... Good night baby!
VK: Good night Amma!
(After 10 secs of silence)
VK: Amma, can I say good night to McQueen?
Me: ok but make it fast!
VK: Good night McQueen
Me: (in a husky voice) Good night VK !
(did not want any more conversations... and hence thought a reply would make him happy)
VK: but Amma, McQueen doesn’t reply like that...
He would say Vroom Vvrrrrooom vvvvvrrrrrrrroooooommmmmmm!

Just when I thought it can’t get any worse, another slap in the face conversation

Break fast time:

Me: VK, its getting very late… it time for breakfast
VK: I don’t want to eat anything
Me: No! You have to eat something... Coco pops or rice bubbles?
VK: I don’t want anything
Me: (in a raised tone) you can’t go to day care without eating
VK: No... I don’t want anything.
(We continue this for about 5 mins)
Me: ok I am going to put coco pops in a cup... You need it eat it right now!
VK: No Amma
Me: you can’t say no.
Even before I finish my sentence
VK: Amma, you can’t put cereals in cup... you have to put in a bowl!

Egad! I have given birth to a walking talking English dictionary.

Not so fast VK!!! Please grow up slowly... Amma can’t take this pace.

VK Talk

2011-06-21T15:38:00.000+10:00

Conversations with the resident three and half year old!
VK: Appa, can you please read this book for me

Hubby: I am tired kanna... I just came from office... You read it now. I will read it for you later

VK: (with a serious look) I can’t read Appa

Hubby: Why kanna

VK: Because I don’t know all the words in the book!! (How true!!)

Hubby totally floored to say another word... Grabbed the book and read it for him the immediately

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Amma: VK, Can you please put the pillows in your room

VK: OK (takes and pillows and puts it on his bed and comes back

VK: I did it Amma

Amma: Thank you kanna... You are the best!!

VK: Yah I know!

Amma: (searching for the jaws that dropped on the floor)

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VK was in a whining, crying mood all day yesterday

Me: What’s wrong VK… why are you crying? Are you tired?

VK: I am very tired amma... I have no strenth (as pronounced by him)

That is why I am crying!!

(Oh baby! what more can I say)

Letter to Team India

2011-04-04T13:13:00.001+10:00

It’s not often in this life that you get a chance to achieve what you have missed out many times. But GOD has been kind to me and given me the opportunity to get what I missed out 6 times. Probably this is how my most beloved SACHIN would have felt after 2nd April 2011. At least, that is how I felt for my man SACHIN.
The day I have started seeing this man SACHIN play cricket for my country “India”, I have never had any second thoughts on who would be my most favourite cricketer. I am pretty sure this would remain the same way till I am alive. My fanaticism towards the man SACHIN has been so much over the years that I wanted to name my son SACHIN. My wife had to intervene and finally we agreed to have one of his 9 names (as per our tradition) as SACHIN. To see my man lift the world cup finally was a beautiful feeling. In the winning moments, I kept watching in every frame my man and see how he was feeling. Even more, I was brought down to tears when Virat Kohli said “We did it for SACHIN who has been carrying the burden of bringing the cup for India for 21 years”. That’s exactly how I felt. If I had a chance to achieve something for India, I would have wanted to do it for my man who has just kept performing for his country day in and day out from the moment he arrived into the cricketing arena. I could not withstand any more to see countrymen fail at World Cup after World Cup. I wanted to be the leader who would take the initiative to bring the Cup back home and make my man proud. This is exactly what Captain MS Dhoni did. He rose to occasion and won it for India, won it for SACHIN. I bow to your attitude Mr. Dhoni. When we won, I wanted to carry SACHIN on my shoulders and proudly say to the nation that we did it for him. That’s exactly what you did after winning.
I don’t remember how I felt when India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 as I was only 4 years old. However once I understood the game of cricket, every World cup & in fact every match India has played, I wanted India to win. Today, I am so happy and satisfied to see India lift the Cricket World Cup and to see SACHIN lift & kiss it. As people say, I am Thankful to the Almighty to have born & to have watched, played and lived Cricket during the era SACHIN played cricket for India.

Thank you Team India. Through you, you have allowed me to live and achieve what I wanted to for my country and for my man SACHIN.

Jai Ho!
P.S: If you haven’t guessed it yet... this is a guest post by Hubby who has been walking two feet above ground for the last couple of days. I was planning to write a post about the world cup but thought maybe it would be better for him to write as he lives, breathes and eats cricket.

Games we play !!!

2011-03-18T13:49:00.000+11:00

My baby has grown into a lovable alien (That’s what he wants to be - all because of Ben 10) and I haven’t had a chance to write any updates.Hopefully one day I will get to it before I forget.
Had to quickly jot this down though.

Yesterday evening, he was sitting on my lap and watching TV.
Me: Pattu, I am going to bite you and eat you up.
VK: No amma... No biting games ok!!
(Amma is already shocked as he usually giggles or cries when I say I want to bite him)
Me: ok then, I will kiss you.
VK: Nooooo amma… no kissing games too…
Me: why not? I want to kiss you…
VK: (sternly) AMMA... I said no kissing games!!!
Me: ok…you telling me what game can we play?
VK: you can touch me game but no pushing ok… or cuddle me slowly game.
Me: Ok... I will try baby !!

I was really happy that he is voicing his opinions and is also speaking up for himself.

One Minute

2011-03-04T13:12:00.000+11:00

Not so long ago, there lived a girl whose standard answer to any call would be “one minute ”.

It was used so often that she was called” One minute P” at home.

Now years later, history repeats itself and there is a little boy whose standard reply is quite similar.

“Vk Lets have bath” – “Just a minute amma”

“Vk finish your milk” – “Just a minute amma.”

“Lets go VK” – “Just a minute appa…I am playing.”

Didn’t know even “one minute” can be passed as part of the genes or is it karma?

All I Want..

2011-01-05T20:27:00.000+11:00

...For this year are

- good health for everyone in the family (loads and loads !! have had enough of health issues..cant take any more)
- heaps more patience with the kid.
- to remove the lazy bone in the body and replace it with the high energy one.
-to think and stay positive all the time.
-to step out of the comfortzone and venture into new beginnings.

This is just for me to come back to when I start losing focus.

Empty is the word…

2010-12-13T13:24:00.000+11:00

…Of the day.

VK: Amma look… It’s your phone and Appa’s phone (looking at the original packaging of the phone)

Me: Yes kanna... you are correct.

VK: Where are the phones Amma?

Me: it’s just the box it came in kanna…phones are not inside that box.

VK: what’s inside it?

Me: phone ithula first vandhuthu… ippo ithula onnum... (translated as intially the phone came in it and now…)
(Even before I could complete my sentence)

VK: oh it’s an empty box Amma!

Me: (yup baby... that’s the word I was searching for)

Perfect Morning

2010-12-09T16:14:00.000+11:00

I wake at a decent time and get ready for work with no stress at all. VK wakes with a smile. He happily jumps off the bed like Buzz light year shouting “to intomity and beyond”. He is more than happy to brush his teeth. No crying till this point. Scene moves to the living room and VK is not chanting his usual “iniku school iliye” every five minutes. Eats his breakfast by himself and and doesn’t forget to tell me how much he likes it. Still no sign of tears!!

Throughout this routine, I keep looking at the time every two minutes just to make sure we aren’t getting late. He finishes breakfast early, gets dressed up without cribbing and we are ready and there is still 10 minutes left to go!!
No crying and no rushing out of the house in hurry.

Wish all days were like this!

VK Talk

2010-12-08T12:00:00.000+11:00

We go to an Italian restaurant and like always VK wanted to use the restroom just when the food arrived.Anyways, we enter the restroom which looked more like a hotel lobby.

VK: Wow!! Mummy...Beautiful!!! This is lovely!

Me: Nodding Hmm..I was totally stumped. (Not for his language skills) more so that my little one understands the difference between a clean restroom and a beautiful one.

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VK playing with my mobile phone.

It was time for bed and I was asking for it to be returned.

Me: VK .. enough of mobile phone.. time to sleep
VK: Just a minute Amma

After about 10 secs,

Me: ok VK enough…
VK: Amma I said Just a minute.. Wait a minute ok !
Ok dear, if you say so !!

When did my little boy grow up???
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On that note, yes I am alive, doing well. Just busy with getting back to work fulltime. This time work is closer to home and has nice warm people. (This makes a lot of difference!)
I have been having guilty about my blog going through a slow death. However it was so hard to get back to regular blogging until recently I saw that my blog hasn’t been updated for last FOUR months!! The figure was too much for me to look. So yes, I am back again and have decided even if I don’t have anything to post, I am going to do picture posts to fill the void.

VK Talk

2010-07-22T12:42:00.000+10:00

Conversation from this morning while I was coaxing VK to drink his milk.

We were spelling words from the newspaper

Me: whats that?

VK: S. T. A. R. S.

Me: That's right . Stars. Where we do we see stars kanna?

VK: In the sky

Me: Right. What do we see with the stars?

Vk: Moon in the night

Me: (Elated with the response ) what do we see in sky during the day?

VK: Aeroplane !!!

Me : (completely bowled over while rest of the house had hearty laugh )

I am Alive

2010-07-09T12:02:00.004+10:00

It is now 2 months since I quit my job and became a complete SAHM.There was this nagging feeling to spend more time with VK and hence I took the plunge.These 2 months have been a roller coaster with loads of fun. There have been days when I want to pull my hair and scream, however they were only far and few.

From having sleep-ins in this cold weather, to be able to cuddle him as when I want, to impromptu shopping trips ,to getting to know cartoons other than Tom and Jerry and Wiggles, to hear him talk dime to dozen it has been totally worth it.

I have been reading blogs just when I could have that “My time”. There have been so many instances when I have wanted to write something but with him sitting on my lap and typing his ABCs, I couldn’t type even a sentence. And when I come back to write, the moment has passed.

I am finally making that much awaited India trip. VK and I will be in Chennai for 2 months. We leave next week and Hubby will join us for the second month. With a friend’s wedding, nephew’s upanayanam, and the usual temple visits it is going to be an action packed trip.

I have started losing sleep thinking about the flight journey. VK’s last flight experience was pretty bad and to think that I would have to handle him all by myself this time scares me totally. Considering he is a little older this time and with us talking to him about it, maybe it would be all ok. I just hope and pray so. I am completely excited by the fact that I don’t have to carry bottles and sterilizers and baby food this time. And yes we are now fully toilet trained and hence no more nappies. Yippee !!

Chennai here I come!!!

M.I.A.

2010-03-29T19:06:00.000+11:00

Few changes happened and hence blogging was pushed to backseat.
So what’s news from end?
Well I quit my work, was at home as SAHM mother for a week and even before I could set into a routine, got another job.

The Good: New domain of work, closer to home, driving to work which was a dream come true
The Bad: Life has become crazy again and I am on the run all the time
The Ugly: Conservative environment..so its work all the time and worst of all no internet at work.

Which means blogging and reading blogs is very hard. I still try and catch up on reading on my iphone(but don’t comment) as and when I find time. I just can’t seem to find time to write posts!
This post has been one month in the making.

VK has grown by leaps and bounds. He talks dime to a dozen now!!He understands Tamil but responds back only in English.
He has this sudden interest for puzzles and enjoys doing them... Starting from 10-15 piece puzzles He has now graduated to 50-60 piece ones. We have to sit with him for the first time and help him but after that he does it all by himself and he doesn’t mind repeating them all the time. He finishes the puzzle and shouts a triumphant “I did it Amma”!!!

We that’s all that I have for now. Shall come back with better posts soon.

VK Talk

2010-02-05T13:16:00.003+11:00

I usually pull VK’s nose and say “Chappa Mooka”. (Flat nosey)

This has been happening for a long time now.

Now that VK can talk the below occurred

VJ: (pulling his nose) Chappa Mooka! Chappa Mooka! Chappa Mooka!!

VK: (pulling my nose) Chakka Mooka!! Chakka Mooka!!

And then goes around the house repeating the same for everyone at home.

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Sunday Morning when the family was playing in the bed

Hubby: (just to annoy VK): My Amma and hugs me

VK: pushes Hubby and hugs me: My Amma

Hubby: My Amma

VK: Nooo…that’s My Amma

This went on for sometime and
.
.
.

Hubby: My Amma

VK: No! Not for you Appa!! My Amma!!

(Amma walks away shocked hearing full sentence !!)

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I was talking to my Mom last weekend over Skype.

Vk was on my lap

My Mom: where is Appa Vk?

VK: Appa doing match coming (meaning Appa has gone for match and will come in the evening)

there is only one verb in Vk's dictionary: DOING

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Yesterday Morning in the car
Our friend H to VK: I am going to ABC school VK. You can now go to another school

VK: No!! It’s my ABC school

H: No!! It my ABC school

And this continues for sometime…

H: it’s my school VK

VK: No!! I told you H Uncle!! It’s my ABC School!!

(Amma and Appa’s jawed dropped hearing him say it)

One Down...

2010-01-20T15:01:00.001+11:00

....and one more to go.

I am talking about milk bottles. We have finally got rid of them and its two weeks and officially we have forgotten the bottle and are more than happy to drink from the Mckeen (McQueen) cup. No more washing, sterilizing bottles routine. YAY!!!

Next is potty training. It’s a job in progress and we have a long way to go.With a little bit of patience and time we will achieve it too.

Holiday story -Part 1

2010-01-15T10:00:00.000+11:00

I am back!!!

Actually I came almost 2 weeks ago… first week went away in trying to settle in and fight jet lag, 2nd week was sheer laziness.
Well where do I begin?

It was an awesome awesome trip. We had a great time and was in true holidays mood. We didn’t even keep track of the day, date, month etc.

26th Nov dawned and we (Hubby & I) just couldn’t wait to check in and board the flight.Vk was excited as he knew something was happening but didn’t really understand. It didn’t last long though. He was totally intimidated by the interiors of an aeroplane . He wouldn’t wear his seat beat, wouldn’t sit down and was screaming his heart out. Most of the passengers gave us dirty looks. During take off, he was also in a take off position. We kept trying to pull him down and he would try to wriggle out from the seatbelt and get down from his seat. It was just not a good start for an exciting holiday. Eventually he cried himself to sleep and there we were thinking “Oh god!! What have we done?” How were we going to manage him for the next 1, 2…err 10 flight journeys.” I was actually praying to all my ishtadeivams (favorite Gods) to put some sense into the 2 yr olds’ mind. He woke up after 8 hours and again started crying. He kept repeating” lets go outside amma!!” Poor boy, he dint know the aftermath of walking outside plane straight into Pacific Ocean. We had tantrums again during landing and for the fear of someone yelling at me, I used an infant seatbelt and had him on my lap. He was a little bit better but was still crying.

We had 8 hours stopover in LA before our next flight. The first two hours was spent waiting for my entry approval. I had all the docs and dint need visa. Since my visa was refused eons ago, I had to be interviewed to get the entry stamp. I had to wait for 2 hours (and I was actually on priority as I went with Vk to the interviewing section. There were about 40-50 people waiting before me ). I felt really horrible for those 2 hours. A hungry, sleepy child crying on one hand and the visa officers taking their own sweet time to call me. Finally they did call me and asked me the history and in less than a minute I was granted entry.

Phew!!One less thing to worry about.

We still had a long wait before our next flight. We went to a terminal that was deserted and let VK to run, scream, and roll on the floor to his hearts’ content. The last I heard was the carpet in that terminal are pristine clean because of Vk’s help. We feared about the drama to unfold on the next flight and were keeping all our ammunition (books, chocolates, DVD player) ready. However Vk slept even before takeoff and during landing and hence all was good. One last flight before we get to meet the family and it went uneventful. By this time he had got used to flights, take -off and landing.
This trip was meant to be a surprise for my sister. She in turn surprised us by receiving us in the airport.I had a pre-monition that this would happen and hence wasn’t too worried. Yummy hot food was waiting for us at home and after catching up sleep for about 2 hours, we went for shopping on the first day itself and it didn’t stop till the last day. I Shopped till I dropped. I think it’s so unfair for just one country to have all good stuff at cheap prices. I walked into every store possible (the clothing ones) and walked out with atleast one bag. The next one week was just the family bonding time. We were royally pampered starting with steaming hot filter kaapis to yummy lunches and multi-cuisine dinners.We also made a quick visit to Atlanta and managed to see the fall colours. It was just too good to describe. (see below pic)

Ah Life was bliss!!

(To be continued)

Umrica -Here I come !!

2009-11-25T13:47:00.006+11:00

Once upon a time, there lived this little girl who had never heard about this country or knew nothing about it until her father went on an official trip. It was big thing those days and she would tell everyone that her father went to “foreign”. She was too small to understand the difference between foreign and the country’s name or what foreign meant. She was astonished by the gifts her Dad got her and had really painted a beautiful picture of the country based on her fathers’ stories and photos.

Years went by and all the dreams about going to this country were long forgotten. School, college and teenage years took over and life just revolved around friends. Her sister got married and settled down in the same country. Long forgotten dreams resurfaced back. Vision of living close to her sister was too hard to resist. And like every other college kid, she started her preparation for GRE, TOEFL and what not…She went through the complete rigmarole of studying, taking tests, applying for universities… yaada yaada.Anyways her visa got refused and dreams were shattered. She just thought it was not meant to be and forgot about it and moved on in life. The rest was history.

After so many years, suddenly there came an holiday that was too good to be missed. She just couldn’t resist and quickly grabbed it. This time though it’s not the country that’s the cause of the excitement.
It’s the opportunity
- To reconnect with her sister. Somewhere down the lane, the ties got slackened and both of them got busy with their own lives. She hopes that this trip would bring back the closeness they once shared.
- To see the next generation interact. As much as she wants to spend time with her sister, she can’t wait to see her little one have fun with her sisters’ kids. She hopes to see them bond from now and that which would last for a lifetime
- To meet good old friends from college. These were the people who once meant the world to her. They all moved on when she was left behind. She tried to be in touch for some years and eventually lost touch except for the yearly birthday, anniversary wishes. One of the reasons, she stopped talking to her friends was that she felt really upset after talking to them. They all were having a great life- a Master’s degree , good life, good job and what not… while she was struggling to come up and was facing heaps of problems. It seems totally trivial now when she has finally made it in life. She hopes this would bring a new beginning to old friendships.
- There was time when she created a wall around herself and decided that there wasn’t going to be anymore best friends as it broke her heart when they went away. Never did she realize that one more person would come and break the walls and get close to her. Her Friend V was a totally the opposite it of her- gregarious, loud, extrovert…but they got along like house on fire. Fate again played with her and V had to relocate to the country few years ago. She is hoping to start is all from where they left 3 years ago.
- To see the university that she one dreamt of studying in. To see this little town that she lived in through her friends’ words. To see the department building that she never stepped foot on.
- And finally to meet a few new friends who knowingly or unknowingly make a difference in her life everyday

With just one more day to go, she hopes everything goes fine and she does make this trip and comes back refreshed and rejuvenated. This holiday has been in the making for more than 6 months and finally the excitement is catching up now. She just can’t wait to knock the door and surprise her sister. (Or would it be a shock???)

Our days are numbered

2009-10-30T12:30:00.001+11:00

This incident happened this morning.
We were all getting ready and I was putting VK on his car seat in the car, while Hubby was locking the house door.VK asked for Rhines (rhymes) and I said it was inside the house and hence we can’t listen now.He kept quiet after that for sometime. Once Hubby started the car, some other song played in the car.
Vk then pointed in the front and said “that Appa”
We weren’t sure what he wanted and asked him what he wanted and he kept saying the same thing.
He pointed in front towards the dashboard and said “Want that Appa”
We could only see the CD case and hence passed it to him. (We were not even sure if this is what he wanted).
He grabbed it with all smiles and started flipping through each sleeve.
We still didn’t understand what was happening and suddenly the light bulb moment happened.
We both went “Aaha!!!!”
He was actually flipping through the CD case searching for his Rhines CD.
We have been tricking him for past few days. Every time he askes for it, we say its at home when we are in car and its in the car, when at home. He obviously didn’t buy it anymore and hence got the CD pouch to check by himself.

Looks like my days are really numbered. Can’t see myself giving him excuses for a long time.
My little one is growing up.
As much as it’s great to see him think and work on his own. Not soooo soon!!
I am not ready yet.

2nd Birthday Celebration

2009-10-23T12:46:00.008+11:00

Last weekend was a double celebration in our home. Friday was VK’s Birthday and we had the party on Saturday. It was a birthday party cum Diwali party. Originally meant to be only a birthday party. However with Diwali falling on the weekend just couldn’t contain our excitement.

I took a day off work on Friday to celebrate VK’s birthday in his daycare. I made cupcakes and took them for afternoon tea for the kids. It was my first time trying cupcakes from scratch and also the icing. It must have tasted good as all the children loved it except my little one. After all the time, I invested, he just ate the sprinkles and choco chips on the icing. Ah Well... atleast somebody enjoyed it. It was cathartic for me. It felt like one of the ways of getting rid of my guilt. What guilt you make ask? I don’t know myself... but that’s what I felt.

Last weekend also saw a new dimension to my personality. Everyone was quite surprised including me. I cooked for the party for about 30 people plus about 10 kids or so. I have always wanted to do large scale cooking all by myself for a long time. Yup Crazy me! This time I took up the challenge. I made paneer tikkas for starters, Dal makhni and Mirchi ka salan for sides, Pudina pulao, papads, raitha and rasmalai for dessert. Chapathis and birthday cake were ordered from outside. (I had to write the complete menu here... incase I forget, I need something to go back to when I am old). The food turned out good (I think!!) That’s what everyone said. Proper planning went a long way. And for once I wasn’t stressed about it all. My Mom really freaked out and wasn’t sure if I could handle it. Sole also joined her and was quite worried for me. I should also give credits to my friends who pitched in every possible way and it helped heaps. Ofcourse not to forget Hubby who made me believe I could do it with his constant encouraging words.

Apparently my great grandfather was a head cook in the Mysore Maharaja’s palace.My grandfather was a great cook and my mom should have the genes too as she cooks awesome food. . Every time my Mom cooked for a large crowd, or even when my sister cooked for parties, I would sincerely hope and pray, I could do the same too... but was not sure if I could pull it off. Last Saturday gave me the answer. Even though I may not be as good as my great grandfather or even my mother, I think this was good enough for a start.

I was originally planning of writing a 2 year Vk update, however due to lack of time, I am posting the invitation that Hubby made for his birthday. Considering I lack that creative bone, I passed on the task of making the invitation to Hubby. And I think he did a pretty good job. What do you think?

Palkova - Sweet or Sour ?

2009-10-15T17:48:00.002+11:00

Contined from here

Two years ago.
Amma in pattu saree, Appa in veshti and Ravi in kurta walk in for the girl seeing ceremony. Introductions and pleasantries exchanged. Anjali walks in an aqua blue salwar. Ravi is awestruck by her beauty. Both sides are impressed and ready to exchange thamboolam.
Anjali says “ I just have a request.”

Star Birthday

2009-09-25T14:11:00.006+10:00

I have been planning to write for a long time and have drafted heaps of posts in the mind. However just don’t get the time to jot it down and post. Suddenly life has become so hectic. Weekends are even more hectic and I am going crazy. I want to do lot of stuff for the house, for myself, for VK, Hubby...Etc, etc.But just don’t know how to work it all out... Maybe poor time management or poor planning!!! Am still thinking of ways to work it all out and hopefully everything will fall into place soon.

Today is Vk’s star birthday and like every other mom I am going to say I can’t believe how quickly the 2 years have passed. We are planning on a party for his date of birth. However I don’t want this day to go unnoticed. Below are the pictures taken this morning wearing his new clothes!!!

He is growing up really quickly now... I am not able to catch up to his speed. I keep planning to write VK updates and even before I start to type it out, he had outgrown it and has been replaced by something else.He now knows number from 1-50, A-Z, can identify colours, shapes and is starting to speak 2-3 word sentences. I might be sounding proud but genuinely I don’t know what next from here. I just keep thinking I need to feed his quest for knowledge but am not sure what to do. On the other hand I also keep telling myself that he is still a baby and I shouldn’t force him. Not that I do it now. (All that he has learnt is completely because of his interest). Reading books are not working out as he doesn’t seem to have the patience for it. Anyone with ideas please let me know.

VK has also been falling sick quite often. We have been visiting the doctor every week for the last 2 months. It was the cold, eye infection and fever going on in circles. We have broken this vicious cycle this week (anti-jinx!!! touch wood!!).I sincerely hope and pray that they don’t recur again as giving him medication is the hardest bit and I don’t have any more patience for it.

My Mom used to say “you will understand when you are a mother” in a lot of instances. I have always laughed it off! However I take it all back now. The last 2 years of motherhood has given a new meaning to this sentence and can completely relate to it. Thank you God for giving me the opportunity to be a mother and am more than happy to be the Amma to this cuddly, cute, loving, adorable, intelligent, happy toddler.

Happy Father's Day

2009-09-04T12:55:00.008+10:00

This is the first time that Hubby got a present for father’s day (See pic) .We are not too much into such occasions and we dint even notice it last year.
Few weeks ago, Vk’s Daycare had notices everywhere about their father’s day celebration on Fri 4th Dec and all Dads were welcome for afternoon tea at 2 pm (weird time Huh!). I read the notice and was quite excited. I so much wanted Hubby to attend it. We discussed about it and made necessary arrangements, so that Hubby could go for it.
Between then and now, Vk fell sick and we have had to take couple of days off here and there.Which means Hubby can’t make it this afternoon for the celebration. It breaks my heart to think how Vk would feel to see other kids with their Dads but not to find his father. He probably can’t express it and may not be vocal about it... but I am sure, he would feel disappointed and upset. This scenario has been running in my mind over and over again for last few days and as a mom, I feel totally helpless. Practically thinking about it, there probably is going to be heaps more of such occasions… but it’s his first today and unfortunately we can’t make it and that really saddens me. Sigh!
Wish someone had warned me about all these emotional stuff when preparing for new arrival.

Anyways, wishing all Dads a very Happy Father’s day and my special wishes to my Appa for being the best and to Hubby who is the best according to VK.

Happy Bye-Bye

2009-08-20T12:51:00.011+10:00

Before I come to the reason for this post, this is what has been happening in the Varnaalaya household and reason for my absence.(That’s the name we kept for our house when we moved but never had a chance to use it ... finally found a place to use it)

VK started day care
I have reduced hours at work
My Mom left to India about a month ago (this probably explains my absence from the blog for the last one month).

This morning was a perfect start to my day. VK didn’t cry when we dropped him in day care this morning and actually waved me bye happily. To understand why I am so excited, I need to explain the scenario for the last one and half months.

VK started his daycare just about a week before my mom left. He was excited and happy on the first day. He didn’t even notice me dropping him and going home. I rang the centre about 4 times on the same day and he seemed happy and dint cry. (This was on a Friday). Come Monday, the tables were turned and he knew the minute the car stopped in front of the centre. He screamed and wouldn’t let go of me. He actually wailed with all his might and threw up as well. I just had to shove him on the in charge lady’s hand and walk away with a very heavy heart and tears. When I rang up later, they told he was perfectly fine and was having fun. And the story continued to be the same for every single day. He would cry so much when we dropped him, but would be fine after that (I guess, he just accepted that we weren’t going to come).I sometimes felt selfish to be doing this to him. As much as I was convinced that it was important for him to attend daycare, there was guilt consuming me.

However things started to change last week. He would wave his Dad bye, when coming out of the car and would start to cry only when I leave him inside the centre and walk away. We (Hubby and I) were glad that at least there was one small change and were hoping things would get better...And today he didn’t cry on seeing the centre, waved his dad bye, walked to the centre picked a one, too, thee book and sat down with it. When I told him a bye, he looked up at me and waved a proper bye and went back to his book. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I just can’t explain in words how I felt… looks like finally God had heard my prayers.
I just hope and pray that it stays this way from now on.

Modern Day Krishna

2009-08-19T15:27:00.005+10:00

I have been looking forward to Krishna Jayanthi this year. I was hoping to dress up VK and also cook up some sumptuous food and snacks. I came home early from work and made avalpayasam and murukku along with a proper dinner. (Forgot to take pictures though!!). Couldn’t cook more as I thought the festival was on Friday and was only notified at last minute that it actually on Thursday.
Dressing up VK was the hardest part to put it simple words. He just wouldn’t allow us to dress him and screamed his heart out. He hated the chain on his neck and just kept pulling it off every 5 seconds. Typical boy I suppose. Didn’t like his attire either!!! Was ready to rip them and throw it all away.
Here are some pictures of our effort!!
We had to bribe him with my iphone to get these snaps.

Top 5 !!!

2009-07-21T12:48:00.014+10:00

Sole had tagged me ages ago to write about 5 things that Hubby had done for me and I have been sitting on it for a long time. It’s just that I have been quite busy lately due to several reasons and never got around to doing it.

Below are the points that makes me thank GOD everyday for making the right choice.

Trust and Encouragement
Hubby has always encouraged me with everything I do... Be it cooking to singing (nope I cant sing.. he thinks I can ) to writing. He appreciates every little thing and gives me positive feedback. Not just that, he pushes me to go that extra mile every time. He completely believes in what I do and give me the maximum freedom to pursue my interests. He checks my blog everyday and always has encouraging words about every post.
There has been a time when his trust on me and our relationship had been questioned and he had so much faith in me and stood up for me. As a matter of fact, he had had to lose a good friend in the process and never repented for it. I always have the guilt that I was the reason for a good friendship to be lost but not once has he pointed fingers at me or felt bad about losing a friend.

Approval for our wedding
I have spoken about this so many times and am still repeating it again.
The first thing I told him when he proposed to me was I just can’t go fight with my parents for Him or marry him without my parents consent. If our marriage was to take place, it had to happen with consent from both sides and there was no chance of eloping either. He promised me that he would take care of getting approval from both our parents and he kept up his promise. He just wanted me to initiate the talk and even for that, he drafted the mail that I was meant to send to my parents. After that, he completely took over and convinced both sides while I was far away in a foreign country.

Moving to Aussieland
Once the wedding date was fixed, everybody was curious to know whether I would relocate to India or if he was going to come to Australia. We both never thought about that point at all and didn’t much discuss about it either. As much as I would has loved to move to India, there were financial constraints as well. He just accepted that it was best to move to Sydney and the matter was closed… I was really worried that he or his family might think that I was taking him faraway but they were understanding about the decision and accepted it was for the good. He was probably one of the very few men who moved to his spouse's country on a dependent visa.

Surprise visit to India
All my friends and Hubby went to USA in 2001 for further studies. My visa was refused and I was the only one left behind. I was working for a call centre for about a year, meanwhile trying to work out the study option in Australia. In May 2002 Hubby took the time and effort and made a surprise visit to India. It was an absolute surprise. Planned and executed beautifully.
He had told me that he was going away to Las Vegas for holiday a few days and would not be reachable for a week. He also mentioned that one of our friends was having a problem and would come and meet me at work that night. (I used to work from 6:30pm to 4:30 am). I was not comfortable about meeting someone at 10 in the night but he convinced me that it was important. The friend did come and he asked me to come out for a minute and when I was walking out, there he was standing in front of me. It was truly awesome to see him... (It was a really hard time then with working night shift, marriage pressure at home, trying to sort visa to Australia and no friends to share the anxiety.) He was just a student with part time work and no assistantship etc... I will always be indebted to him for this visit. It meant so much to me at that time.

Son to my parents
I have always wanted my Husband to be son to my parents than a Son-in-law. This was even before meeting Hubby and it was a main factor that I wanted in my partner. My parents now really look at him like a son. My Mom and he share a relationship which is so beautiful and I don’t have a name for it. My parents think he is more open and shares everything with them as compared to a secretive me. I love the camaraderie that they share and glad that he treats them like his own.

I am truly proud of you Buddy!!! I have told you this many times before and probably will for a lifetime.

P.S: In the excitement of writing a post after a long time, forgot to tag and pass it on.
I tag Deeps, DC, Preethi,Lavanya and StrayGrey and anyone else who would like to take it up.

VK Talk

2009-06-24T14:26:00.003+10:00

I have been planning to write VK updates for a long time.., I was trying to align it with his monthly birthdays… but it never worked as I would get busy or completely forget about it. This has been happening for a few months now and have realized that if I just postponing it, I will never write. Due to my laziness, we were missing out his developments.

In the last month or so, he suddenly started talking heaps... it changed from gibberish talk to meaningful words. He has been showing so much interest in learning new things. He can count from one to ten and recognize them. He also can identify alphabets (not all the 26 yet). He has become so obsessed with alphabets and numbers that he blabbers them in his sleep too. Paati (my mom) should be given her due credit here. She has been the one to encourage him and teach him new things everyday.

Our contribution as parents has been minimal except for writing impositions .Yup... Impositions that I never wrote even when in school!!We have this doodle-pro board and he bring it to us and asks us to write from 1-10 and A-Z. He identifies each one of them and once done, he erases the board and we start afresh.He does this for about 10 times every evening with each adult. Beyond that, we get insane, refuse to write... And say “No Vk... we are done’... Boy !! He cries so much when we take the board away. Eventually we start feeling guilty that we are not helping him learn and hence we start the writing business again. And Nope he never gets bored or tired of it.

This is how our evenings were for a month and now its to the game where he utters one number and we the next and this goes on till ten and then we clap and start again. I really was hoping that he would move forward from these and just when we got tired of monosyllable words, out of the blue this weekend he utters “ Amma tha ma!!!” in a proper requesting mode when asking me for something.. YAY! Hopefully we will hear sentences from now on instead of the boring tvonne, thoo, thee, foe, fise, shish, savan, taight, nayan and then !

Letter to Myself

2009-06-19T15:15:00.010+10:00

Inspired by this post on this blog, wanted to try writing to the teenager VJ.

Dear Teenager Me,

All that time spent on studying in class XII is just not going to help in any way. (How encouraging am I?)Your biggest aim in life of going to your dream college/university will never happen and you will be shattered. Never mind though… you will bounce back and never until that day did I know that you had so much resilience. But the scar is buried deep within you which you can never come to terms with.

Nobody knows how it happened but after entering college, you will become a chatter box that the whole family will be in shock when they see you talking so much. You will have truck load of best friends as suppose to the 2 or 3 you have now. You will think the world revolves around them. Eventually everyone will go in different directions and life will still go on and you will grow up.

You know what... Sometimes God plays games with us.
I know how much you respect your parents, will never go against them and think love marriage is a taboo… all will change!!! You will fall for your best friend, be in a long distance relationship for 4 years, and fight with family to get acceptance. However all’s well ends well and you will eventually get their approval and live happily ever after. I can see you nodding your head in disapproval and thinking in your mind “ No way.. This will never happen”...Believe me girl!! I am old and have seen everything.

After your sister’s wedding, you are thinking that America is your dream destination. You will work towards that destination and in the process will have heartache. Most of your friends would fly while you wave good-bye. You will prove again that you are tough and hit back. You will go to this country that no-one had imagined and actually you will settle down there. Believe me when I say …it’s a beautiful country and you will fall in love with it.

All of the above that I have said is an insight on how your life will shape up...However I need to add one more thing which is just about you as a person. Somewhere down the lane, you change totally from a timid, introvert teenager to a fun-loving, independent woman and it will be the change for the better.

Blogger Problems

2009-06-16T15:00:00.006+10:00

This is what happened to me yesterday. I came to work yesterday morning and start my usual chores.Through the day, between work, is when I read blogs and comment. It might sound unethical and immoral to some... but this is the only time I have and I think it is fine so long as it doesn’t affect my work and all that needs to be done, gets done. Our laptop refused to work few months ago and we still haven’t replaced it... The computer we have at home is just a slow namesake desktop and VK won’t allow me to sit for even 2 minutes in front of it.Hence the only time I have is when at work.

Yesterday morning, I opened my blog and then from there started to blog-hop. I could read the blogs but the comment page wouldn’t open. Initially thought it was something to do with the speed of connection and tried again later. It still didn’t work and I couldn’t login as well. I tried word press and it worked... it was only blogger which was refusing to work. After several failed attempts and frantic phone call to Hubby to see if he can see the comments page, I came to the conclusion that our office had denied access to blogger. With my limited computer skills, tried all I could and nothing really worked.

I was completely shattered and upset! I gave up and decided to accept the fact that there was going to be no more blogging during work hours or rather during the week. It was then that I realized, how much addicted I was to blogging. (Not writing blogs. considering the number of posts I have written ... but reading other blogs.)

Blogging had become a part of my daily routine and I didn’t realize it had taken over me until yesterday.Eventually after some introspection I found the answer. What upset me so much was the fact of not being in contact with these people who have become part of my daily life. As much as blogging can be cathartic and a space to vent, for me it’s a journal or diary which I want to look back when I am old. At the same time, it is an avenue to know more people and make new friendships. Some of them if not all that I hope to be in contact with for a lifetime (sounds quite far-fetched but I can hope ...Cant I?)

I have totally digressed. Anyways I had decided that I would try and find some personal ME time and catch up over the weekend. I was not convinced but didn’t have an option. This morning I come to work and try to open blogger with fingers crossed and Voila!! It worked!! I was overjoyed and excited.
I am not sure if it will work tomorrow but I am happy for today.

My First Experiment

2009-06-11T14:49:00.006+10:00

Choc Chip Cookies

This was my first baking experiment and it came out really well and was easy with not much work to do as well. The best part of it was we didn’t use eggs and it was substituted with Milkmaid condensed milk.

Ingredients:
180g butter
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup Milkmaid condensed milk
1½ cup self-raising flour
250g choc chips

Preheat oven to 180C
Beat butter and sugar until creamy
Beat in condensed milk, add the flour and stir till all are combined
Add choc chips as well and mix.
Make small balls and place on baking tray.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden Brown

I should advise that this is not my recipe... it was on the condensed milk can and just thought would try it out. You could add white choc chips as well.Rest of my experiments was from food blogs and hence no point in copy-paste.

Meeting in a Bus !

2009-06-05T12:21:00.005+10:00

A couple of weeks ago…Actually I will date this back to a couple of months ago, I got a comment on one of my posts from this person. Her name was new and as always excited about a comment from a new person, I peeped into her blog to see who she was. She had just started writing and as I was busy that day I just mentally noted down to come back later. Again a week later there was another comment from her and this time I was determined to know more about her and hence read her posts. One of her posts kind of gave a hint that she might from the same geographical location as me. I tried searching her blog to see if it said anything about her location and couldn’t find any... I couldn’t find her email address either and hence asked her the question as a comment on the post. Bang! In 2 seconds came the reply that we do live in the same city. I was so excited to know there was a fellow blogger in the same city!

After this both of us fell silent and were just commenting on each other’s blogs. I have a reason for this... I was too scared to take it up any further. I have the biggest fear of rejection and was worried that I would get upset if she didn’t respond back and hence thought would get comfortable on blogs to start with and take it slow.. (Should ask her for her side of the story!!!!)

I commented on one of her posts recently and then in like 5 minutes I have an email from her. It was followed up by several emails of general questions and sharing info. Emails were flying every minute. Eventually we found out that we were actually neighbours (not literally)... But she lives like 10 minutes away from my place!! What a coincidence!!! Again the excited me took over and we talked about meeting. Actually I think I should give her the credit… She asked me first if we could meet. After few telephonic conversations it was decided that we meet at a specific bus stop in the city. Yup.. bus stop!!! And we have reasons for it. It was a Friday and both of us wanted to rush back home to be with our family and hence didn’t want to stay for long. A quick 10 minute meeting didn’t make much sense for both of us as both of us were going to take the effort to come to the common place... We then decided that if both of us travelled together we might get sometime to catch up. I took the plunge and was more than happy to travel in the bus with her. (I was way too excited and was ready to do anything to meet a new friend!).After deciding when and where to meet and a few more phone and email conversations, I left work and travelled towards that bus –stop!!

I should digress here and put in some details! I keep reading about these blogger meets and always wished, I could be there… would curse my luck that I live in one remote corner of the world. Eventually I would just cheer myself up saying maybe next time. As much as I had hoped to find a blogger friend in the same city never thought would bump into one so soon!!

Now to the meeting...Although we had spoken a bit over the phone by then, my heart was thumping and I had butterflies in my stomach!! Thousand thoughts on my mind!! She had already left an impression on me. Her voice was sweet and soft on the phone and she sounded warm and honest. I was worried about what she thought of me .I am obessesive compulsive worrier !! (worrier ? or worryer? is there a word.. couldnt think of any other.)

At the said time, we both reach the bus stop and she actually identified me with the description I had given her (grey jacket, two bags and a huge umbrella!!). The minute I saw her, calm set in me!! Her face matched my description and imagination .We clicked immediately and yapped like we had known each other for long. At the end of the meeting, our other half(s) met each other as well just for a minute in the middle of the road.
End of story of my first blogger meet (if we may call so!!)
Oh I forgot to mention who she is... Didn’t I?
Incase you haven’t guessed it yet… She is the Mommy of 2 cute little ones !

Baking Story : Part II

2009-05-25T12:42:00.005+10:00

My first attempt with baking went really well. Didnt think it would be this easy provided you have all the stuff handy.

We (as in Amma and I) made cookies and chocolate muffins. Amma is allergic to egg and hence both were without eggs. We actually got Milkmaid condensed milk for someother purpose but used it to make the cookies. It was so easy !!! and muffins came out well too.

I guess pictures speaks better than words !!!

P.S: I think I really need help with uploading pics. they dont seem to be placed the way I want it.

Weekend update

2009-05-20T13:21:00.004+10:00

We watched Angel and Demons on Friday night.
This is the first time Hubby and I were going to the theatre without VK. Amma was babysitting him. I was initially excited that we would be spending time as a couple after a long time. However on Friday, I actually started feeling tensed and guilty about leaving VK at home. I was hoping he wouldn’t cry when we left. If he had cried, it would have spoilt my whole evening. He was a darling and even waved bye to us. He didn’t trouble Amma afterwards... he just played and dozed off… How good is that :-)

About the movie, I think I liked the book better. They had made some changes in the movie for obvious reason like time constraints but I wish they had made it convincing. I read the book about 6 months back and loved it. I forced Hubby to read it. He is someone who would read 3 pages in 3 months type. He read it fully and was as excited as I was. We kept checking for release dates and we booked it early and watched it in Gold Class. (Which we have wanted to for long long time… and was just waiting for a good movie)
For so much excitement, I felt the movie was not great... You just watch the movie, you might like it... But after reading the book... It was just plain OK.

On other stuff, we painted one wall in our living room. It already had a feature wall in Blue. Me being a sucker for orange colour wanted to change it to orange and finally got around to doing it last weekend. I totally love it now. All it needs now is some decorations on the wall. I love tanjore paintings and have set sight on one. It’s absolutely beautiful. Just have to wait till my mom goes back and does it for me. Yup... she does Tanjore paintings (just gets an artist to draw and she does the rest.)
What do I do???
Bring them safely from India and hang them in my living room.

Baking Story : Part I

2009-05-14T11:25:00.007+10:00

When we moved to our not so new house, the oven left behind by previous owners didn't work.I have been pestering Hubby to get me new oven from then on.(I should let you know here that we had oven in all previous houses and I have never ever touched them.)

It was then decided if we are getting new oven, it has to be stainless steel.If buying new oven, might as well change the cook top and range hood as well.Just the oven in silver colour and cook top in black would horrible was the next argument.Hence after lots of discussion, it was decided to change everything to stainless steel.
When was the next question.
Obviously not immediately as we couldn’t afford it.Finally got around to it and bought them about 2 weeks back and got them installed yesterday.

Now the spotlight has shifted to me.My argument always was, if I had an oven, I’d make cakes, muffin, cookies and what not.(Which I didn’t bother about in all these years).
So Ladies and Gentleman !!! (I know of only one man who reads my blog.)

I have to perform now. I have to start baking and prove to myself that I didn’t buy it for the sake of it. By blogging about it, I have no escape.

Please forward all baking recipes to me. All those yummy websites!! Thinking about it, I think even getting the recipes are easy... It’s all about putting it in action. Send in all the motivation and positive attitude in my direction.

Only then can I buy my next kitchen gadget.(I do need something as an inspiration to work on...)

P.S: have just started collecting details about recipes and making list of what needs to be bought to bake over the weekend. Will update next week about my baking adventure.

Mera number kab aayega ?

2009-05-05T14:24:00.004+10:00

… Was probably what Hubby was thinking for a long time.
And it has finally come now.

Then: VK used to call out for Amma in his sleep and I just had to respond that “Amma ingha iruken kanna” (Amma is here dear) and he would then drift peacefully to sleep.
Now: These days Amma has been replaced by Appa.

Then: When we return from office, he would come screaming Amma, till my mom opens the door and would give me that beautiful smile.
Now: He calls for his Appa when my mom opens the door and runs behind his Appa and doesn’t even acknowledge a poor soul called Amma.*sob..sob*

The tables have turned and suddenly Amma doesn’t seem all that important in the little man’s life.Appa seems more fun and he plays with him all the time.
He has realized that Appa can bat with just his hands in response to his throwing aka Bowling. (Poor VK... doesn’t know yet that Appa will never pass the bat to him and so he has to bowl all his life).Appa is atleast not boring like Amma who ducks under the covers when balls are aimed at her.

If anyone out there is wondering how the poor Mom is coping with it, She is green with jealousy and is fretting and fuming inside while acting all normal outside. Nah!!!... She is not that bad… truly speaking… she is a little jealous however she is happy to see the two men of her life bond and is secretly planning what to do with all the free time.

Temple Visit

2009-04-24T09:09:00.004+10:00

Visit to temple had been long pending. We finally made it on Wednesday evening. From the minute we walked in, VK had a very worried look on his face. I was carrying him until then. Once inside the temple, I put him down and asked him to walk with me… he was walking slowly but looked petrified. The Aarthi was taking place and suddenly all the bells started ringing. VK totally freaked out and he ran and hugged my mom and asked her to lift him up. He also started to scream and cry.

Hubby just walked inside after parking the car and he was smiling at VK... But he was just crying Appa and demanded Hubby pick him up. We then took him to the side where there were not many people and was trying to tell him, it was just the temple bell ringing and were trying to distract him and also asking him to do Umachi kapathu (cant exactly translate this.. basically means to pray)..Usually when we say this, he immediately folds both his hand together but it didn’t work this time. He just kept shifting between Amma, Hubby and me and was still crying.I was totally embarrassed as the temple was silent and everyone could hear him cry… everyone was staring at us (or atleast I felt that way).If it was pre-VK days, and if I saw some child cry in the temple, I probably wouldn’t glare but would think to myself that maybe they should take the child outside and calm him. Yesterday that’s exactly I read from people’s eyes when they were glaring at us. However I didn’t want to go out and calm him. I wanted to stay inside and make him understand that it is just the bell ringing and there was nothing to fear. I wanted him to understand the concept of God and temple and enjoy the visit. I probably was selfish and was not allowing others to pray peacefully but I felt that if I walked out with him every time he cried, nothing would change and there is no chance of overcoming his fear… or whatever it was.

This is not the first time this has happened…And this was not VK’s first time to temple.We have been going to temples here every so often from he was almost a month old… (Actually even before that… used to be a weekly visitor when I was pregnant.)He used sulk even then... And gradually as he grew older, he started to show his discomfort. We usually associated with too much crowd in temple, or separation anxiety or any such reason we could come up with. However this time he was pretty vocal about it and just would not let go of us until we walked out. He felt completely at ease after walking out. But this is the child who obediently goes to Swami Room and folds his hand and stands before the idols after his shower and gets his forehead smeared with vibhuti and also repeats this ritual before going to sleep.

I am not sure what bothers him so much inside the temple. I really wish I could read his mind on this and help him deal with it. Its again one of those things that I don’t want to force, at the same time I don’t want to let go.

Connecting through 80 Clicks

2009-04-15T13:51:00.005+10:00

This is a tag from Art - who got it from Boo who got it from HBM who is hoping to connect blogging Mothers all over the world in 80 clicks.

Here are the rules:Just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom) and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country - and link back here and leave a comment

Things I love about being a MOM.

I love how motherhood has changed my perspective. Vk comes ahead of my preferences’ these days. Even when shopping, I first look around the kids section before looking for anything else. My eyes always wander for good deals and discounts. Now I still look for these but I look around for him than for myself.

I am too scared/ shy to sing or even hum lyrics when in a group. For a long time Hubby kept pestering me to sing but I never budged and he eventually gave up on me. However these days I don’t care if I am in a group or in a public place... If VK needs to be pacified I sing to him. Every night I sing rhymes to him loud enough for Hubby to hear and I don’t care that it sounds bad… as long as it puts my little one to sleep.There goes my shyness flying out of the window!!

Motherhood had made me a more tolerant person. I hated a messy house. These days my house is messy most times with balls of different shapes and sizes scattered all over. I now contribute to the mess with getting balls in every shopping trip and also throwing them around the house and playing with him.

I have loosened up and dont worry anymore about plan changes and being in control. I have learned to enjoy each moment as it comes.

I love the fact that I am the most important person in someone’s life.( I know its sounds selfish !!!!) . Its give me so much pride that this little human depends totally on me and it’s my responsibility to nurture and protect him.

I pass this Tag to

Preethi from USA
Nitya from Bombay
Deeps from Qatar
Nino’s mum From Ahmedabad

Sleep Deprived

2009-04-08T13:51:00.006+10:00

I was all proud about Our time and wrote about it!!
What now… we just don’t have our time anymore.
VK decided he is a big boy now and will not be submissive anymore.

No more sleep time routines...actually no more sleep time if you ask him.
We try to listen /sing rhymes... it doesn’t work.Hubby tries singing bhajans, and they don’t work either… He keeps jumping in the bed and eventually when we drag him to lie down he just tosses and turns.Through this whole tossing and turning routine, I am crushed on the side as he keeps kicking me through his routine.I try pushing him to his bed and eventually he rolls over to mine and cuddles next to me.Hoping this would be the end of the saga, we maintain pin-drop silence so he can gradually drift to sleep... Nah... He again starts his tossing and turning!!I give up after sometime and tired that I am... just doze off to sleep.Some days... I don’t even know when he sleeps as I am already in the La-La land.
VK was always a good sleeper ... However he wants to take revenge now.He keeps calling out “Amma” almost every 5-10 minutes. I actually have to respond with a touch and also say “Amma ingha thaan iruken kanna “(Amma is here only).This just appeases him for a few minutes and he starts again. If I ignore him, he just keeps calling me continuously till I reply back. So I am awake for most of the night responding to him. He also keeps mumbling words all through the night.He just randomly repeats these words Takel (circle) or baoon or puppies (tele-tubbies). Eventually he sleeps peacefully after I leave for work and its mommy who is cranky at work due to lack of sleep.

Now if you ask me why I am blogging about it …There is a reason.
Every time, I write something positive, I jinx myself and things take a downward path.I am hoping that by writing about our sleep problem, maybe it will take opposite turn and become good soon.
I know it sounds lame but anything is okay to get my full night sleep.

Jai Ho

2009-03-27T15:16:00.005+11:00

Aussie radio channel has played this song for about 4 times already from the morning !

I am all proud and excited !!

First time: I jumped up from my desk and exclaimed that it has music by Indian who has won Oscar for it.

Second time: jumped up and said... Music is composed by this person who hails from where I am.

Third time… jumped up (everyone was glaring at me with a now what look) and hence just smiled at everyone in the room and sat down.

Fourth time: even before I got up, everyone in the room were screaming in unison "VJ... Jai Ho!!”

Our Time

2009-03-25T15:14:00.004+11:00

There is this time of the day that I eagerly wait for.
It is when all the work is done, dinner served, lunch bags packed for next day, kitchen cleaned and the family ready to doze off. It’s at this time when my dear one goes around the house waving bye to everyone and then runs to the Swami room, ready to have his forehead smeared with Vibhuti. After a generous dose of huggas to everyone he runs to our room, climbs on the bed and grabs his bottle with a beautiful smile. I then climb on the bed after the routine of switching on the night lamp, setting my alarm on my mobile.VK waits patiently while I do the same and once I have completed them, he snuggles close to me and lies on my hand while he enjoys his bottle.
There is an unexplainable silence in the room until for the next 10 minutes or so.These are the moments that I treasure.Silence speaks more than words for me at that time… it says more about our mutual love for each other as both of are snuggled under the blanket.
It is eventually broken by Vk’s gibberish talk…which usually starts with him pointing to things around the room like fish, TV, phone etc.He then starts jumping on the bed, playing around, rolling all over me and smothering me with kisses and hugs.
In due course, it goes beyond control and then I have to drag him and put him to bed. We then start singing rhymes and it always has to be “Ba-Ba” (which is Baba black sheep). I finish it and start the next one but Vk reminds me that he doesn’t want to hear anything but Ba-Ba. Hence like an old tape, I keep repeating the same song for about 10 times. Meanwhile, my little man starts feeling sleepy. He pulls my hand and keeps it on his cheek and brings his head close to mine and then sings for himself and drifts off to sleep.
This whole sleep time affair takes about half hour, sometimes even an hour.It is the only time I have him completely for myself with no one disturbing us.It is when my love for him grows by leaps and bounds that words just can’t express.
I don’t know for how long we would continue this routine. Maybe few years down the lane, he would want a separate room and probably would not even want me inside the room but until such time,I truly intend to enjoy and relish “Our time”.

Strategies Needed

2009-03-19T15:28:00.008+11:00

I am upset with last night’s series of incidents that took place in our Home.
VK is usually the docile, silent, caring little one has turned into a rebel just like that, with snap of finger. He used to listen to all that I said and when he did anything wrong, a cold stare from me or just a few words saying,” No.. don’t do it VK” will stop him from all his mischief plans.
However one fine day, He has turned the plates and decided he doesn’t care about anything anymore.
We have heaps of balls in different sizes. He loves them and throws them round the house or in the backyard and plays with them most of the time. Well you think... there is no harm in it! Yup, I thought the same too (also with wild dreams that maybe we would have a bowler in future….)
Suddenly, yesterday my little man decided he got bored with balls and hence decided to throw the TV remote. He did it once and I said in a calm but stern tone
“VK... No!! Don’t do it”. He just looked at me and walked towards the remote.
I just gave him a stare and he picked it up and threw it again with all his might and our remote was broken to 4 pieces. All this while I was staring at him and he was looking at me while his hands were in action.
That’s it!! I completely lost it and screamed at him.
I was almost tempted to spank him, but controlled myself and said just hitting will not serve the purpose.
I then looked at him and said “What are you doing? It is not your toy”.
He refused to even look at him and had a very lackadaisical face. I tried to draw his attention and said “Look at me... I am talking to you” It still didn’t work.
I said ok you are going to a corner now and dragged him near our walkway and made him stand there.
I said "Stand here till I come back” but he walked before even I could even take a step.
I dragged him back and he tried running back again.
Every time I tried putting him back to his spot, he started crying... actually it was only crocodile tears and he would scream for a minute and then stop and see if I would let him go.. After a few minutes I let go of him and said don’t talkto us and no one will talk to you. He knew something was wrong as all of us were grim for sometime.
After that I fed him dinner and things returned to normal. However when I went inside to get something, he picked up his rubber duckie and threw it. I just looked at him. Five minutes later, he pushed another remote from the sofa to the floor and then got down and tried standing on the remote.
I just stood a silent spectator to all this while my Mom added,
"Don’t say anything. The more you tell him not to do, the more he is doing it”.
It was kind a true but I dint want my little one to turn into a rebel.
Amma also added that, "he is small and doesn’t understand what you say... Eventually he will".
I don’t accept this bit because, he understands everything that we talk and hence not grasping just this doesn’t make sense to me.
He actually kept throwing stuff in random till he went to sleep.

Any ways now I don’t know what I should do to make him understand that he is doing something wrong. Hubby thinks we need to change the strategy and try reducing the “NO” word. He thinks we need to deal with him in a softer way.
I am now feeling guilty that my screaming at him caused the adverse effect.
Are there any strategies that worked for you????

Down the Memory Lane !

2009-03-13T13:50:00.009+11:00

I saw this tag on Art’s blog. (Actually in heaps more of blogs... it is spreading quite rapidly).
She had passed it to anyone who wanted to do it.
I haven’t gotten around to writing VK birth story... and eventually if I don’t do it all, atleast this tag would help our memory when we look back years later.

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Definitely.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Felt numb... Didn’t really sink in for a long time!!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Why should I... When I had planned for it.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 27

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? My instincts had already told me... just needed it confirmed with the home pregnancy test.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Hubby

8. DUE DATE? 16th October 2007

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yup for the first 12 weeks and just vanished two days after week 12.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Nothing really … just didn’t like spicy masala stuff

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The fact that I couldn’t drink coffee for 9 months.

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Male

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? We have always wanted a girl... But I knew this would be a boy as my father-in-law had just passed away. I also had a dream where my father-in-law came and told me that he hasn’t gone anywhere and will be with us always.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? About 10kgs

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes. The traditional valakaapu and seemantham.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? We planned for it.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Touch wood... No!
18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Sydney

19 HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? About 10 hours

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Hubby along with my Mom.
One point here: It was quite ironical that the song Oru dheivam thanda poovae (from Kannathil Muthamittal) was playing on our car when we drove to the hospital. I was quite moved hearing it, even though I was in pain.

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Mid-wife, Hubby and Amma

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural. However had my own dose of complications.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Just laughing gas (which didn’t help much)

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 3.44Kgs

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? 16th October 2007 (Yup.. exactly on the due date)

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? He came as brightness into our life and his name actually means the same in Sanskrit.

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN? 3 days short of 17 months.

28. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY? I knew it (nope we didn’t find out... it was more an instinctive thing) and hence was ready for it. At that point, I was more worried about knowing the Apgar score

29. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY? How cute!!!!!

30. DID YOU CRY? Nope... was really happy with a sense of accomplishment. I was actually on high spirits for a long time courtesy the hormones and the laughing gas.

Now I pass it on to Deeps, Nitya, Choxbox and Preethi.

VK Talk

2009-03-12T14:01:00.003+11:00

VK will not repeat a word when we teach him. He actually would listen and look at us intently but will never repeat it straightaway... No matter how much we try.
However when we have completely forgotten about it, he would use them in the correct context. Below are the words that were mastered this week and have finally been uttered by our little man.

Tha: meaning Give.
He usually asks with his head nodding and hands in a asking gesture… its actually really cute when he does it... Hubby and I just love it and we try to imitate this much to the amusement of the rest of the passengers in the train.
I digress... Anyways I wanted him to start asking and hence when he asked me for something few days ago, I said VK Tha sollu (ask) and tried to do it several times.. He looked at me for long time but never repeated it. Eventually I gave up.
However next day, he came running to me and asked Tha. He voiced it as well as hand gestured... I didn’t realize it at that moment and gave him what he wanted... however couple of minutes later… I went oh my God. He said it.!!!
I tried asking him to repeat it... but he had long disappeared from the scene.

Tanum means Kanum (translated cant find or disappeared)
He actually also has his hand wriggled and says this when he can’t find what he wants.

Taashh and sometime Aashh meaning Aachu (translated as over)
He says this when he has finished his milk or when credits start rolling at the end of his Baby Einstein DVD.

Tish means fish
Bhavu mean Pal (translated Milk)
Baaoon means Balloon
Tee means Tree
Cheesh meaning Cheese

Earlier baa used to mean ball or milk or balloon but now he is kind a starting to understand the difference and tries to emulate what we say ... not too far away till he gets the syllables right !!!

Random Tag

2009-03-06T15:25:00.012+11:00

Deeps has tagged me to write 25 random things about myself.
The Rules are
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged.You have to link the person who tagged you.

This is my first ever Tag. It was easy to start with and then grew harder to get to the 25 count.

Anyways…. here are the facts that were hidden from blogging world till now.

I love sleeping. I can sleep anywhere and at any time …can just tuck in one corner and drift off to sleep.

I am petrified of snakes!!! I can’t even watch them on the telly!! I just shut my eyes and wait for hubby to give the ok to open my eyes again. It gives me the creeps... ( I am having the shivers just typing about it.

I love ironing clothes. Its kind a therapeutic for me!!! Can do it for hours!! Actually I like the whole washing, drying, folding, and ironing routine. I love the smell of clothes after a wash and also the crisp feeling of clothes after they have dried on a sunny day.

I am sucker for happily ever-after stories!!! In reel or real world. I don’t watch tragedy movies at all. My point… why pay and cry when you call it entertainment.

We got married on Valentine’s Day. Nope... it wasn’t planned… it was the auspicious date given by the astrologer based on our stars. And yes it was a love marriage.

I am a big time foodie. Lucky for me... Hubby loves to eat out too. .we try different cuisines and usually eat out on Saturday nights.

I totally lack self-confidence and very self-conscious Most times I am worried about what others think about me.

I am very particular about discipline and punctuality. I just hate being late and being made to wait. I used to be one of the first people to go to school. I used to be teased that I was the watchman in school to open the classrooms. My sister was just the opposite. She used to rush in just in time before the gates closed

I have 2 left foot. I just can’t Dance.

I hate confrontations and can never have one. I totally lack the ability to fight... If I am pulled into one, I just keep quiet or walk away from the scene .Even if I am right, I can’t speak it out at that moment. ( I just forget the points and start shivering)

I am a total outdoor person... And love travelling far or near. Mode of transport just doesn’t matter.

I have a bad habit of not closing lids (boxes, bottles... anything with lid) properly after use. Usually Hubby is the next person to use it and I would get an earful. I would be quite upset about it, but come next time and it is the same scenario... I don’t do it purposefully and just not able to break the habit either.

I listen to S.Ve.Sekhar and Crazy Mohan dramas before going to sleep. They are the best tranquilizers.

I am a multi-tasker. I just cannot do one job at a time. I try and combine as much s possible at one go.

I am scared of Death (of near and dear ones). I keep imagining the worst possible scenarios and worry myself. Also late night phone calls give me the shudder and my imagination goes haywire.

I love shopping (for self and others) but I can’t shop for long hours. Walk in... Buy … walk out type. I am not an impulse buyer. I think twice before I buy. Only if I am convinced that I really like it, I buy.

I met with an accident when in Class XII. I was on a TVS champ… hit a fish-cart (yup… of all vehicles on the road... I chose the fish cart) and broke my front two teeth. They have now been replaced with artificial tooth. (I can’t believe I said this!!)

I am scared of water and considering the fact that I don’t know to swim adds to my woes. I love beaches…but there is always a tiny bit of fear when near water.

I am typical Virgo… can be quite cynical (only to people I am really close to )but I am also a perfectionist.

I am good with remembering numbers... as in Birthdays, Anniversaries, phone numbers et cetera. I make the effort to wish people every year irrespective of whether I get a reply or not.

I have completely lost my reading habit. I just can’t find the time anymore.

I am sentimental about gifts. I cant throw them away even if they are totally worn out.

I admire my Mom as a person (not because she is my mother) She is a fierce, independent, strong woman. She is an amazing cook. I think she would have been a big entrepreneur if not for us.

In a room of people, you can see me sitting in one corner listening/enjoying others speak. I am the listener type.

And finally …….I truly believe in “Everything happens for a reason … and it is for the Good.”

I am yet to know 25 people in the blog world. Hence will take the first number 2 and tag Art and Nitya. (No compulsion... only if you want to do it.)

P.S: Edited to add: I am adding DC as well to my list of people to tag. I wasnt sure if I should , since I know only for a few days... but on thinking about it.. this seems a nice way to know her.

Am I Selfish ?

2009-03-03T14:15:00.002+11:00

How do I explain a 16 month old toddler that

- He will not have his most favorite person come and pick him up from bed every morning.
- His job of putting milk cas in recycle bin has been made redundant as his co-worker has gone.
- His 24 hour playmate has work to do and hence has left him.
- His partner in crime wont be part of his pranks anymore.
- His TV companion wont be back to recite rhymes with him.
- He will not get any more leg massages.
- He will not be able to hear bhajans or rhymes to drift to sleep.

My father adorned many more such roles in his life for past 6 months.
He was with VK from morning to night, all day everyday.
He left to India on Sunday.
We tried telling VK about it...but I don’t know how much he understood.
He was playing in the airport and didn’t realize anything when we came back.
Yesterday was the D-Day that we dreaded.
We didn’t know what to expect… but we were ready for the worst.
We expected tears and tantrums. But he proved he was way ahead of his years through his stoic silence.
He hid his emotions and acted as if everything was normal through the day...but all through the night he kept mumbling “Thatha…. Thatha”.
Last night we were chatting on the internet with Appa and VK refused to even acknowledge him.
When finally appa said Bye... he immediately looked at the computer screen.
Then in about a minute he came to me and started to cry…It was truly heart-breaking!!

Moments like these, make me wonder if I am selfish.
Just for a comfortable life, am I depriving my son of the love of his grandparents???

Tennis

2009-02-25T14:18:00.004+11:00

Why is that I don’t like the words ‘Am going for Tennis tonight”
I am the one who keeps chiding him that he need to be fit and hence ask to go out and play.
However, I don’t like it when he goes for a game.
It actually doesn’t affect any of my or our schedules at all.
He goes to play from 8pm to 10pm on a couple of week nights and from 7-9 on Sunday mornings.
The said times are when I am getting ready to put VK to sleep or are fast asleep.
I should mention that even when he sleeps late at night after his game, he is still the first to get up in the morning.
(Nah… me not a morning person at all:-)

Truly speaking I know and understand it’s good for him and would love to see him play.
At the same time, I hate it when he does the same.
I fume, fret, throw tantrums, even make a big scene and fight about it (yup.. I can be nasty!!!)
I just don’t know why I detest it though.
I jump with joy when he says “Tennis cancelled"

Am I worried, bored, insecure?
But no one of these can be the answer as I am in deep slumber at those times.
And I love tennis too!! So nothing to do with the game as such!

Seems quite weird and just can’t orient my thoughts on this issue.

16 Months old !

2009-02-13T15:30:00.011+11:00

I have never done VK updates on the exact day. Either I don’t post it in time or I am too busy stuck with other things, (basically meaning I am lazy) that I don’t get around to doing the update. Following the tradition, I am few days late this month too.
The last few months haven’t been very kind to him. He has been battling bacterias and viruses which seem to love him so much and keep recurring.We are still working on them and hope by the next month, I don’t have to write about them.He also had his first physical injury. I don’t go into specifics because we still don’t where exactly he was injured. The good thing however is he has recovered and is almost back to his normal self.
Eating good food has reduced drastically. Eating junk has increased tremendously .He needs to taste everything that we eat... no matter, how spicy or how hot it is.
He has become a big time Mamma's pet. Hubby can’t touch me or hold my hands. VK thinks he is doing something to me and comes screaming and running and pushes Hubby away. Well... He truly is my knight in shining armor trying to protect me. (I know ... I know I should be the one protecting him but it’s sometimes ok to have reversal of roles...)
Can add few more words to VK dictionary

Tan (Fan)
Tar (star)
Car
Amma
Appa
Thaatha
Paa (paati)
Moo (Moon)
Pappel (apple)
Bamama (Banana)
Poo (flower)
Ba Ba (bye-bye)
Pa (with different tone - meaning Milk)

(Cant remember the rest now.. shall keep them updated as and when I remember)

This kid already knows his priorities He opens the cupboard where keep the snacks but can’t see or reach it. Hence drags one of us to it and points to the cupboard and taps his chest (meaning he wants something for himself).We ask him what he wants he just point up to the cupboard again. When we offer a biscuit and if it’s not his choice, he will shake his head for about 4-5 times to say, that’s not what he wants. We then try all options possible till he gets what he had on his mind. He knows to say yes or No in sign language. If it’s a yes, he nods his head, up and down and if it’s a no, shakes his left to right and he uses them correctly.
Father-Son bonding has finally kicked in and VK is starting to enjoy spending time with his Dad. (Good for me... I get to relax now)

He can identify few body parts and when we ask him where eyes are, he would point to our eyes and when we are glad he pointed it correctly, he would make sure our eyes are poked atleast once making us repent for our question in the first place.

He knows when we go to work and behaves and showers hugs and say bye with all smiles. It’s us who leave with a heavy heart leaving the little one behind.Similarly when we come back from work, its feels so good to see his beautiful cherubic smile.Though he is a Mamma's pet, when we come back from work, he just acknowledges me with a smile. Even when I pick him up, he pulls himself away and runs towards his Dad. He waits patiently till Hubby removes his shoes and asks him to be picked up and gets his shares of kisses for the day. If Hubby just acknowledges him and walks away, he goes behind him, all around the house till he is picked up and kissed.

He has started developing a liking for books and can sit with them for quite a sometime. Will go about point all the objects he knows in the book. When he see something he doesn’t know, just flips pages and go to the page where he knows the object and just keeps repeating it.
(Yup.. truly is a cheeky monkey !)

He has become a big time drama queen and screams his heart out when things don’t go his way. Throws big tantrums but when he realizes we don’t bother, just stops screaming or crying and shifts his attention to the next thing.

He loves the kitchen (maybe a chef???). He meddles with the pots, pan, spoons etc and most times half the stuff go missing only to be found under the bed or somewhere totally inconceivable. There are always plastic containers and boxes on our kitchen floor now. I try my best to clear them up only to see them strewn on the floor five minutes later. Child-locks don’t work anymore as he drags the doors with force that they just fling open.

I can also see a future mechanical engineer.(I already have so many dreams for him) He loves to work with screw-drivers or anything from the tool kit. He generally is quite observant and when he sees us doing something with screw-driver, he imitates the same thing after sometime.
When bored or if the house is in perfect silence, you can see that VK would most likely be busy with his toy tool set or has turned his cycle upside down and his trying to screw something on the wheel. He can do this for hours together.
When we try to distract him, he just smiles and gets back to his work.
At times like this I just remember the old Horlicks ad, where the kid would say
“Amma...Na rumba busyyyyy”
We are counting our days to hear the same or similar line from him.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall !

2009-02-03T15:28:00.009+11:00

One hectic weekend it was.
We were having Homam in our new place on Sunday and hence had major cleaning, shopping and cooking to do. (Of course Amma took care of the last one!)
Our Saturday started with going to Farmers market for veges and flower shopping, then had to rush to friend's place to get some big utensils followed by swimming which had VK cry for the full session. Back home, had lunch and started our cleaning spree. Amma was having VK in one of the bedrooms while I was washing the floor (We have tiled areas in some parts and it gets quite slippery with water on it.)
Vk just can’t be confined to one room for long period of time (15-20 mins isn’t actually long but he just can’t stay!!)
He came running out of the room and the floor was wet and
BANG!!!!!!!! .He fell down. He slipped and fell. He actually sat and then hit his head on the floor.
It didn’t look very bad and he has fallen heaps before... We just picked him up, consoled him, rubbed his head and were trying to put him down but he was crying quite badly.We assumed he was just cranky as he hadn’t slept the whole afternoon.
I then tried to put him to sleep and he dozed off after crying for sometime.
He woke up and was crying again.Only then it struck us that maybe he was hurt due to the fall… But we couldn’t find out if it was his head, hip, leg or hands!!
He was clingy the whole evening and then gradually drifted to sleep.
Woke up midnight crying again.
By this time we were quite worried but nothing seemed wrong.Hubby tried moving his legs, arms and it all seemed OK.We didn’t know if we should call the after hours doctor or go to emergency.
Hubby and I couldn’t take see him cry like that and I lost it and was crying too..the fact that we didn’t know where he was hurt and he couldn’t express it made me breakdown. We knew if we went to emergency we won’t be treated straightaway and with Homam early next morning, we probably won’t make it back on time and hence that planned was dropped. After hours doctor can’t prescribe much and hence we decided to give him some Panedol and let him sleep and decide in the morning.He did sleep peacefully after that till about 7:30 when the homam was taking place.
He tried to walk and his legs shivered and he couldn’t stand... that’s when we thought it was either his hip or legs. Through the day his calf muscle and feet started to swell. Apart from consoling him and engaging him, we had guests to entertain as well and kind a managed with it.. However none of us were happy and it definitely didn’t go the way I wanted it to !
After hours Doctor eventually came after about 6 hours and dint do much.. Just said if he is too much pain to go to hospital or wait and see his GP the next day.
Phew... it was one of those days that I felt physically and emotionally drained.
Next morning we rushed to the doctor and as usual he started screaming the minute we walked in. She examined him and couldn’t find anything seriously wrong. (By this time, he was trying to stand and also walk a couple of steps at a time with someone holding his hand.)She just asked us to apply some balm or gel externally and see how it goes. We have been doing the same and things haven’t changed much. but it hasn’t got worse either.
It feels like back tot the time when we helping Vk to walk for the first time.
Holding his hands and walking few steps with him every time.
Hubby jokes that he is like Vijayashanti in Vyjanthi IPS movie and we are helping him to recover.
Jokes apart, I just hope he recover ASAP. Can’t bear to see him sit in one place and play with his toys. He is getting frustrated as well as he is not able to move and is upset and grumpy most of the time.

Swimming

2009-01-28T13:01:00.009+11:00

Vk started his swimming lessons 2 weeks back. He was screaming and wasn’t very happy in the first session. Hubby got into the water with him and just let him play with balls and few other toys.
He gradually got used it to it... However wanted to protest and hence would cry in bits.
We were hoping he would start enjoying the water and swimming as early as possible.
Living in a country where the main attractions are beaches, if you don’t like water, there is nothing much to do. Hence sooner the better.

There is a TV advertisement for swimming, which says
"Knowing to swim is an asset for life"
Which I think is so true.

I am digressing!

Anyways, the second week came. All of us were keeping fingers crossed.
I grabbed the bags and moved to a farthest location possible.
(I knew, he would start crying, if he saw me and would try his best to come out of the water. hence wanted to stay away from his line of sight)
Hubby and VK entered the pool and I was waiting for him to start screaming...
And we did not even hear a whimper.
He started tapping the water and enjoyed it. Played with the other kids...was even ok when the instructor poured a bucket of water on his head!!!
Next step was to walk on the floating board and I thought he wouldn’t do it as he would not let go of hubby. But he was perfectly fine when the instructor held him while hubby came in front of him to hold him when he jumped into the water!!!(He of course walked on the board but refused to jump.. that’s ok.. we shall tackle one at a time !)

This is the first step..
Hope every week be like this one or better for the weeks to come.

Yummy !!!

2009-01-23T13:28:00.011+11:00

It was steaming hot yesterday.. decided to have an icecream when I was back from work..
I just had the first few bites and then VK wanted to taste it..(he was trying it for the first time.)after 2 mins, actually grabbed the whole icecream and ate it all by himself.
Did he like it??
Pictures speak more than words I suppose !

Villu - the Movie

2009-01-21T14:50:00.003+11:00

We went to this movie last Friday. Repent it now.
Actually I was all excited. We were going to movie after a long long time…
Read the review in sify.com which said, the movie was awesome. Not sure who did the review or if the person was paid for it. I forced some our friends to join us and we were around 13 of us who watched this crap (apart from the 100 in the theatre).

I like only jolly, feel-good movies. I don’t care about the logic or story.
I just need to walk out of the theatre with a smile. Just not the tear-jerkers type.
Actor Vijay's movies usually defy logic... however they don’t make you cry.
He used to act in crappy movies when he started and I completely detested him.The trend gradually changed and his movies were the jolly types.
He does have some comic sense and is a great dancer and has improved heaps in terms of dress sense. Even though he doesn’t have great looks he at least carries himself well.I started enjoying his movies and loved Ghilli and Thirumalai.He seemed a safe bet compared to the gory action movies or the psycho ones.At least he seemed better than his counterparts.

Now... Why these statements full of Vijay praises you may ask.
A good blogger friend was appalled that I could call myself Vijay fan.
Hence thought would clear it up for her and rest of the visitors (not that I have many!!)
Back to this movie..
Villu proved me completely wrong.
Just couldn’t stand it at all... First half was ok.
Comedy was crude and just not funny at all.
Second half was a drag...Too many songs... actually at one point, there was a song after every 2 minutes.
Worst part... none of the songs was watchable or hummable.
Nayanthara looked completely out of place.
Her costumes were outrageous and makeup unbearable.
I am not sure if I am over-reacting or girls in India do actually wear that stuff in day to day lives.
I guess, if she was just her natural self, she would look quite good...(Instead of the layers of paint that she adorns in every movie).
Was expecting heaps more from Prabhudeva after Pokkiri and few of his Telugu flicks.
Was a total let down.
Walked out the theatre completely dejected.

Only good thing was Vk slept through the movie like a darling... which means I can go for more movies from now on.. I mean the good ones!!!

Reason to Smile

2009-01-19T14:25:00.003+11:00

I am a proud woman today... why you ask...need to read the long post!

Let me start with a small background.
My parents are staying with us now... Basically to take care of VK while we are off to work.
They (should probably add us as well) couldn’t bear the sight of him going to child -care so soon and hence came to our rescue.
We were worried that Appa would get bored just staying at home after being busy in India.
(He has retired and does some consultancy stuff that keeps him busy).Appa has been having so much fun with VK and he just doesn’t have time for anything else let alone getting bored.
Anyways ,Appa is going for Perth for some official work. He has been busy all of last week trying to do his presentations and other stuff. VK just dint allow him to do anything through the day.. However Appa finally had everything done.

Now coming to the main story..
The hero of this story... yup... that’s rite... Hubby has been so good for the past few days.
He helped Appa with the tickets, accommodation bit sorted.
Yesterday we went to a get-together and came back only around 7pm. I straightaway crashed on the couch. (Actually dint even bother about packing or helping Appa ...yaya! selfish me!!!)
Well hubby took over...
He took the ticket printouts from my bag... (Hey!!! I can take credit for it... I got the printouts from work.)
Checked Appa's wardrobe and realized he didn’t have much formal clothes as he was on a vacation. Hubby offered Appa his shirts, pants, tie, blazer and even his brand new shoes and sandals. Though Appa refused it initially, Hubby convinced him to wear them.

Honestly I really don’t know if I would do the same if there was a reversal of roles.
I am fine with sharing wardrobe, shoes etc with my sister and a few selected friends but not sure if I can do it with my mother-in-law. Of course I would share it with her.. But will be too worried about if anything would happen to my expensive saree.

At around 9PM, I was tired and dozed off to sleep with VK.
Appa was taking my mobile phone for the trip. My phone is an iPhone and Appa hadn’t used it before. Hubby took all pains to show Appa how to call, lock the phone and also to put it on silent during a meeting and didn’t forget to pack the charger.
(With iPhone, if you forget to lock it after you use it, even slightest touch dials outgoing calls .I had this problem initially)

This morning, Hubby then took pains to look for the bus timetables, train timetable etc and briefed Appa as to when to leave, where to catch bus, where to change for trains etc.
And just sometime back, Hubby rang me and asked if I spoke with my Dad. I said no.
He said, "I have tried the home number and mobile and no one is picking up."
He sounded worried and I nowhere close to it.
He then convinced himself that maybe they (appa, Amma and Vk) have gone to the bus-stop.I said maybe and hung up.
After hanging up, all I could do was smile...

Whatever I was meant to do, he had done.

From planning to packing... and I was proud of him.

I know this is no big thing and maybe there are heaps of men around who do this and maybe more for their in-laws... At the same time, there are heaps of guys who just act arrogant and walk 2 feet above air when in in-laws presence.
He addresses my Dad as Appa and he really proved it this week that it is just not a word from the lips but he means it from the heart...and he acted like a responsible son than a son-in-law.

Thank you Dear for proving again that indeed I did make the right choice and I am swelling with pride at this moment.

Strange but true !

2009-01-16T11:09:00.006+11:00

(pic courtesy:www.pbase.com/talentsbiz/sachin_tendulkar)

Hubby told me this morning in the train about this article.
I don’t know much about cricket or the statistics.
I do enjoy the game, especially if India plays.
Even to me this sounded quite bizarre.
Ok this is what the article is about... ICC all time best Test player rankings.
Sachin is not ranked anywhere in Top 20.
He has the highest no. of test centuries (41 if I am right) and is considered the best even batsmen by all cricketers (even his peers) all around the world.

There has been an explanation from ICC today about the ranking system and they said ranks were not based on true greatness (whatever that means!)

I really didn’t understand the ranking system, but only think that came to mind was why they called the ranking as all time best” players if they considered just how the players peaked during their career and not about consistency.

Even though I am not a big Sachin fan/fanatic like Hubby, I just think this is ridiculous.Hubby has told me heaps of stories about him (about his humbleness)...and I have watched few of his interviews and truly respect him for who he is and what he does.
Even when everyone in India is complaining about this ranking, I am sure he would be totally unperturbed and will continue his journey in true Sachin style.

Weekend it was !

2009-01-12T15:27:00.004+11:00

After a long long time watched two movies over the weekend.

Slumdog Millionaire
Though not my type of movie it was quite nice... was almost on the verge of quitting halfway through...
Couldn’t stand the hardship the kids go through. Covered myself with blanket and was trying to doze... but the movie got interesting after that and just couldn’t resist.
The hero has resemblance to Siddharth(hero of movie-boys).Heroine looked awesome. Kids’ parts were acted beautifully.
Music was great... A R Rahman has been nominated for Golden Globe for this movie.
Let’s hope he wins it.

Started watching it with negative attitude... Didn’t think I would like it.
I prefer movies which are light and the ones you can laugh about and forget... Just can’t watch any tragedies/sorrows/hardship on screen.
My reasoning.. Why pay money and cry !
Though this movie started on a tragic genre.. Finished off with a happy ending.. Hence gets my vote!

Abhiyum Nanum
This movie was awesome!!!
I really think there is no one in Indian cinema to match Prakashraj's acting skills.
He doesn’t have to speak to prove it... Just his facial expressions!! Wow!!!
Used to like his acting before... became a big fan after movies like Ghilli and Mozhi..
Irrespective of it being comedy/ tragedy/emotional scene... He does it with ease!!
He makes the other actors sharing screen space completely inconspicuous..
There was a bit too of senti scenes in the movie... but considering comedy supersedes it.. Could let it pass!!

P.S: Just read A R Rahman has won the golden globe for Slumdog Millionaire.
How exciting... another Indian making India proud.

Illness Saga

2009-01-09T15:13:00.004+11:00

I am kind a starting to lose it...
Vk's illness list doesn’t seem to end... every time its a new one..
Tonsillitis it was during Christmas... and now it is UTI (urinary tract infection)
Just after New Year, he fell sick again. He had high temperature but no cold or cough! We gave him Panadol every 4 hours and just dint seem to help... would reduce once he had the medicine and then increase again in about 4 hours time..
(I should say here that, even though Panadol tastes great, Vk just screams and starts crying the minute he sees the bottle...and a big drama unfolds !..Deserves a separate post)
We took him to the Doctor again on Monday and she said maybe we should try urine and blood test to find the real problem.
We just couldn’t do the blood test at all...
The minute we entered the Doctors office, Vk started screaming and just wouldn’t stop.
I was sitting and holding his upper part of the body... Hubby was holding his legs and the doctor was holding his hand... even after all that. He was wriggling so much and the nurse just couldn’t find the vein and put the needle in. After sometime the doctor gave up and said we shall do the urine test and take it from there...
He was still sick and on Panadol for every 4 hours. I took the next day off and we tried collecting his urine sample...
Gees... never knew this would be so hard and would take almost half day.
He woke up next morning and we left his diaper free. Assumed we should get the sample very soon...
"Haha... Not so soon Amma" thinks Vk.
He sensed something was wrong. He actually would sit down and play but cover himself with his hands!!! He seriously knew we were doing something! and just wouldn’t pee !
After 3 hours of tailgating him for every sec... I think he couldn’t control it any further and it happened and we had the sample for testing!! YAYYYYYYYY!!
His temperature has come down since then and he has become active again and have been without Panadol for 2 days.
When we thought it was all over, his results have come and he has UTI... Need to meet the doctor again tomorrow...which means more drugs and the drama continues!!

Holidays !

2009-01-08T15:08:00.006+11:00

Had one week off from work.. Combining with the public holidays it summed up to 10 days!!!
10 days of Bliss!!!!
(haha.. I wish!!!... I was hoping it would be that... and it never works the way we want... does it ?)

Vk was sick from the 23rd.Hubby was already on holidays and hence took him to the doctor!!!Well...the doctor declared Vk had tonsillitis...(another to his list of illnesses)...and prescribed some antibiotics.
Came home early on 24th and he was starting to recover. Then we noticed that he had developed some rashes. We had to call an after-hours doctor to our house on Christmas day. The doctor must have really cursed us for doing this to her. However we really dint have an option. We were planning to travel the next day and hence weren't sure if we should proceed with the trip or back-out.Doctor said he should be OK and gave us green signal for the trip!

Went to Port Macquarie for a couple of days.. We were 15 of us with 4 kids. Was pretty good!
Hubby couldn't join us as one of his cousin was coming to Sydney exactly on the same 2 days!!!!!! (I know ... how sad!!!......Missed him heaps!!)
Anyways...it was great to unwind and relax.. Dint do much!
Played cricket... gossiped... played cards...went to a koala breeding center nearby... and of course did some shopping !
Amma and Appa enjoyed it too... glad they did!!
For the first time I drove on highways and motorways at 110km speed!!!
Hubby wanted me to drive for the full trip but Vk decided otherwise!!!
After about 160k.. He probably realized amma(me) was having too much fun and hence threw tantrums and screamed his heart out !!! I had no other option but to pass the steering wheel to our friend A.
Was hoping to drive on our way back... again Vk dint want anyone other than me next to him and hence A came to our rescue.

Just went for a small party on New Year's Eve!!
Amma and Appa went to watch the fireworks... I wish I could have joined them...
Just Love the feel of it and the New Year Spirit !
(but that’s ok considering I have seen it 5 times already.)
Returned home just in time to watch it on TV.
It was beautiful !!
Went to temple on Jan 1st and then headed to Avalon Beach (actually we drove to Palm Beach but it was packed and couldn’t find parking...hence moved to a quieter beach)

And that’s it.. Holidays over... back to work again :-(
Can’t wait for the next holiday season!

GoodBye 2008 !

2008-12-24T11:07:00.006+11:00

2008 started as weak cloud .. ended like a hurricane .. !!!(good one though...without much damages !!)

It has been one of my best years !!!!!!!

Even though VK was born in 2007, we started having fun with him only this year.
He rolled over,crawled and started walking all in this year !

Had a great first half with 3 months in Chennai (well I had an excuse !!! I cant go for another year, when I start work)
Got back to work in July..
VK went to child-care for about 3 months... couldnt bear to see him and hence called paati and thata to take care of him.
Bid a tearful good-bye to my first car.. well she was getting too old and expensive to maintain. CRV has now replaced her...
Hubby changed jobs... 3rd in three years.. !!!
Celebrated VK's first birthday with great pomp and fair.
Hubby's Mom stayed with us for 6 months.
My parents joined us in September and will be with us for a few more months!!! (boo..hoo... !!!!)
Started reading blogs one day when was too bored at work.. loved them all.. couldnt resist the temptation and started one and joined the Mum's gang !

and finally to top it all.. we bought our first Home !!!
after years of me cajoling Hubby to do it, we ventured this year and were successful in about 4 weeks.!

2007 was quite a bad year for us with lot of tragedies, emotional turmoil and financial crisis. Nothing was good except for Vk's entry !

Looks like 2008 was here to wipe the bitter memories of 2007.
Thank God for that and hope it stays this way for many many more years to come !!!

On a final note...
Wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and a Funtastic year ahead !!!
May God Bless us all and make all our dreams come true !

2008-12-22T14:28:00.004+11:00

Dear Hubby,

If someone had told me nine years ago,

That my best friend would be my better half, I would have shrugged it off...
That I would have a love marriage... I would have laughed it off...
That I would break all barriers and fight it out with my parents to be with you..."No Way...Stop that crap!" would have been my response..

Well as destiny would have it, all of this did happen.

Yup...Same day, nine years ago you walked into my life!!
( I know.. I know! You are bad with dates and can’t remember... hence this post!!!)

So much has happened in these nine years...you have had heaps of promotions from a stranger to acquaintance to a best friend to life-long companion!

You turned my life topsy-turvy....you changed me from a docile, silent girl to a rebel! (At least according to my family)

On the positive side, you have supported and encouraged me even when I was not sure and doubted myself...stood by me and for me through thick and thin.

As much as I hate to admit it, I really don’t know how my life would have been if not for you!!!

Happy Anniversary Buddy!

Happy Karthigai

2008-12-13T13:29:00.002+11:00

Had a nice time last evening... after a long time, lighted lots of candles around the house.. dint have to worry about the carpet !!!!

This is one of my favourite festivals... was more fun when we were young.. My sis and me used to have a routine... wash the agal vilakus (this was done in morning by Paati when we were ate school.)We used to come home ,quickly freshen up then start the job...keep kumgumam and manjal for each one of vilakus... then had to put thiri and oil .. we had to hurry as well.. Amma used to say.. Goddess Lakshmi will come to the house where the velakus were lighted.. hence earlier the better..after the basic routine of placing agals in all rooms, used to decorate our balcony which has a criss-cross grill !! and then go downstairs (we used to live in 1st floor ) and enjoy the beauty of our decoration !!

I really miss those days.... dint have to worry about agal and thiris last night.. candles were handy and with no carpets in this house, lighted candles to my heart's content...
though couldn't match the beauty of agal vilakus..But I guess cant complain... something is better than nothing !

Confused !!!

2008-12-11T13:46:00.002+11:00

Amma and Appa take care of VK all day.. and ofcourse all the daily routine which includes washing, cooking , cleaning etc.

I am really in a dilemma.

Should I come home everyday from work and take everything over from them and let them to rest? (they really need it after a full-on day with VK)
Wouldn't it be rude to do it.. as if saying, thanks but I shall take care of my house and my son from now on..

Or Should I sit back and relax when I come home and let them do what they were doing.
That's rude too and just not fair..they would be tired too !! (and they are not here just to work for me !)

Either way, I know they would be OK about it ... However this has got me thinking for quite sometime now....don't want to be a nasty person letting parents work while I sit back and relax, at the same time don't want to be rude and ask them to mind their business while I take over..

First Award !

2008-12-10T10:48:00.006+11:00

Proximity Award

I have been awarded by Art.
I am new to the blogging world and to get an award in 2 months feel great !!!
Thanks Art.

This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.
I have to pass it to 8 people (not sure if I will have 8)

The people/blogs I read have all been writing for a long time and are good at it.
I am not even sure If I am good enough to pass iton..
However the people below make my day and hence passing it to them.(some of them dont even know me.. However I enjoy their blogs and they perfectly fit the bill.)

Tharini
Boo
Nitya
Mumbaigirl

and ofcourse Art
She is a real darling and one of my biggest inspirations !

Thank again !!! I am truly honored !

Vk 13-14 month update

2008-12-09T16:05:00.000+11:00

I was planning to write about Vk 13 month update and then got completely stuck with work and the moving didn’t help much either. He is going to be 14 months old (young!!) quite soon, hence decided shall do a combined update...

Well where do I start??
He has become so naughty these days and we have 4 adults in our home and we still can’t seem to stop him!!!I was worried with the house moving and thought maybe he would have trouble adjusting to the new place... well... he proved me wrong..
He loves the new house... I think it was love at first sight for him... he was so happy and excited... the reason for his happiness...more room to move around as compared to a 2 bedroom unit and more stuff he can keep his hands on. !!

He probably will become a marathon walker when he grows up (no pun intended!!!)
He walks so much all day everyday!!
From the minute he wakes up to the minute he sleeps.
And runs out of the house, once the door is opened... he is quite cheeky though...he makes sure (by turning back every few seconds) someone is after him while running out and give his famous smirk!!

He needs everyone near him and no one can go the rest room... The minute someone goes to the rest room or even in that direction, he runs behind them. When the door is shut, he gives a big wail!! Sits near the door and cries till the person comes out and lifts him up... Other people in the house can’t lift him... just slips from their grip and keeps crying. (I guess all kids do this at some stage... read in a few blogs)

Everything just drops (thadaaar!!!) from his hand. Nothing is placed down in a soft manner. When he find something interesting, the stuff which was on his hand, cease to exist. They are either thrown or dropped with a “Do I care attitude"

L, my friend got him a nursery rhymes CD and he never had inkling for it.
However suddenly he seems to love it and that is all we get to see all day, everyday!!(Pity amma and appa!)

Will do what we ask him not to do... very clear on that... the minute we say "No... Don’t do it "... he decides he has to do it ... no matter what!
One observation though... if we try it politely, he sometimes (yes sometimes) listens and lets the TV, TV remotes, toys rest for sometime.
Most times though, wants to touch the TV, throw the remote or the toys.

Kitchen seems to be his favorite place... withers wants to meddle with the boxes of pulses and dals or wants to see what’s cooking. Well, half of my box of kidney beans went missing and when we cleaned the house over the weekend, found them under the fridge, tea table, entertainment unit and where not!!!

On the brighter side, he has started talking. Rather jabbering heaps now...
Loves the Christmas lights and keeps says "taith" for light!
Can point at moon and say "Moo". Can shake hands and give Hi-If
Says Ba-ba (interpreted as Bye-bye) and waves bye when going out or when he decide he wants to go out.

Last update said he ate well and loved fruits... its all changed now!!
Big tantrums during eating time!!!!

He already is an individual. Has his own opinions and ideas!
very clear on what he wants.. even if he cant say, he will point to it and make sure he gets it !
This post sounds more like a rant than an update... Cant do much though... this is how he is at this stage!!!

Conversation !

2008-12-05T15:23:00.011+11:00

We went out shopping last nite..On our way back, hubby decided he wanted to eat some spicy food and hence drove the car to the new Indian restaurant in our area.
It was past 9 pm and all of us were sleepy and Vk was quite tired and half asleep. Still was naughty trying to stand on the high-chair and was reaching for our food.
I am digressing..
Anyways halfway through our dinner Amma announces, I am going to ask these people if they want some one to do Dosas for them (this was a north indian restaurant which was quite big).
"I shall take a corner and just do dosas".. I start smiling as I always hear this from her.She has this great aspiration to do some business. Being a great cook, obviously Dosas seemed a viable option to her and she always keep telling me that I should open one and she can help me.
Below is our conversation after that

Me:nee nirutha maata ila ma !!(translated ..You will never stop isnt it...)
Amma: ila.. kandippa ethavathu pannanum ( No.. should definitely do something)
then looks at hubby and goes..
Amma: (hurriedly)..Yaarumae enna entertain pannala .. ilana na periya aala vandhurpen .. (No one entertained me .. otherwise I would have become a big Businesswoman)
Me(calmly):It is " No one encouraged you ma.."
Naanga unna romba naala entertain pannindu thaan irukom( We have been entertaining you ).. Appa for so long.. paati for 33 years and Vk for a year now.(by this time we were laughing loudly)
Amma : understood only after minute and then goes.. you know what I mean !!(Still with quite a serious look!)

Busy ! Busy ! Busy !

2008-11-21T14:26:00.006+11:00

It has been hectic for quite sometime now.
One of my dreams came true!!
Became proud owner of a house (not completely there yet...there is definitely mortgage attached to it )
However I still am happy to have reached this milestone.
Viewing properties every weekend, then deciding on THE ONE and then moving, packing, unpacking ........It’s been crazy! Still enjoyed and relished every moment.
My parents and hubby's mom were with us when all this happened!
Have wanted this to happen for a looongggggggg time and really glad they could be with us during this landmark.

Kangal Irandaal !!

2008-11-11T15:51:00.004+11:00

I have been completely smitten by this song " Kangal Irandaal" from the movie Subramaniapuram.I liked it the first time I heard it but dint worry too much about it(meaning dint take the effort to download it). Hubby actually liked the hero's acting in the song and kept talking about it and watched the video umpteen no. of times on YouTube. I actually started to have a love-hate feeling towards the song by this time.

Ofcourse he forgot about it after a few weeks (like every other song) and we didn’t hear this song for a long time.
I recently got an iPhone (courtesy: Hubby) and all I want to listen to, is this song.

All day, everyday!!!

There is a really mushy feeling about it and I am all smiles after listening to it.

The lyrics are beautiful and the singers Belly Raj and Deepa though new, have done a great job!
So has James Vasanthan as music director.

I also got to know from MIL that is Reethi Gowlai raagam.
(I have no clue about raagams, but being married to a music family helps I suppose. However I can take credit for the fact that I felt it sounded similar to “Chinna kannan azhaikiran”from the movie Kavikuyil. Found that Chinnakannan was also on Reethi Gowlai raagam. (Courtesy: Google)
I think my musical family In-laws should be proud of my achievement….forget them!!
I am really proud of my finding.

Dentist Appointment

2008-11-05T16:01:00.000+11:00

I am terrified!!!
I have a dentist appointment this afternoon - I really hate these visits!
I am not sure if its just me but I get really worked up when going the dentist.
I dont like any kind of doctor or hospital or needles for that matter.
Dentist tops the list though !
I find it too embarrassing to let a stranger examine my teeth and clean it.
I am paranoid about bad breath (which is good in a way) but I am scared that my dentist has to live with it when examining me.(not that I have BB)
Hubby thinks I am weird and its just normal to go get teeth cleaned.
I just shriek at the thought of cleaning.
The sounds from those equipment make me wince.

Are there more people like me in this world or is it just me???

Comedy of Errors

2008-11-03T15:57:00.000+11:00

Sunday was one such day when everything was going wrong.

It started off with amma mopping kitchen floor and Vk playing with water in the bucket.(its tiled floor in the kitchen and rest of the area is carpeted)
We were in some conversation and in a fraction of second, VK moved the bucket from kitchen to the lounge walkway and poured the water on the carpet.we tried to use some paper towels to suck the water and didnt help much and we realised, we just had to keep the pedestal fans on for next two days for it to dry.
Five minutes later hubby took the vacuum cleaner out and tried to suck water from it.(we have done this before when we use some carpet cleaners).
Suddenly I had a engineer moment(which I couldnt believe myself) asked hubby "Wouldnt the water go into the motor and cause breakdown?
he said it should be ok and I wasnt quite convinced and was trying to argue when Vk was demanding my attention in the next room and went to look for him.In a few minutes I hear a THUD sound.I run to the lounge and see hubby grin with a sheepish face ! I could smell a burnt motor.
I immediately go" See I told you ! (I was actually not upset that the vacuum cleaner broke down.. I was proud that my engineering brain did work for that fraction a minute). Hubby then tried to fiddle with the cleaner and all the dirty water started to drip. I didnt want the carpet to get any more damage and hence ask him to take it to the balcony. by this time water was pouring out of the clearner by a substantial amount and hence he rushed to the balcony.the balcony door was open however we have like a mesh door which was closed.In a hurry, hubby pushed the mesh door and it acutally fell apart.(not completely broken but it was out of the hinge position and it took quite bit of time to set that properly )We were all completely in shock with the things happening, however in about 5 minutes time all we could do was laugh about it and blame one another for the situation.

Few hours later I was doing something in the kitchen (cant remember what!!... considering all this happened only 2 days ago, I really think I have memory of Goldfish)VK wanted to be only in the kitchen and was crying.Me trying to be a good Momma thought I shall give him a spoon and tumbler and he can play with it sitting in the kitchen while I finish my work.
I gave him the tumbler and was just trying to grab the spoon when it slipped from my hand and fell right on VK's head !!!
Ouch !!... He didnt know what happened for a minute and then burst into tears !!I grabbed him immediately and changed his attention to something else.
(obviously the something was his favorite ball-poor thing, he stopped crying after few secs)
By this time, we were convinced that the day was not really good for any of us and we were hoping to end the day ASAP to avert any more disasters happening.
and and this was not the end....

Sometime later H, our friend came home and were briefing of our day's achievements when Appa got all excited and started shaking H's hand (to grab his attention) not realising he had a hot cup of coffee in his hand.
Obviously the expected happened !!!! coffee stain on carpet !
I would usually get upset when something happens to the carpet, however with this day becoming a comedy of errors, all we could do was laugh about it and ofcourse blame Amma as the root cause.
I thought I just cant take any more of this and quickly had dinner and hit the bed.

Ahah ! what a day !

P.S: I actually forgot to add one more to the list.
After VK poured water in carpet we let him play in the balcony with a new bucket of water. Appa thought it was cold outside and got him a small stool to sit on and play.
As fate would have it, Vivash tripped from the stool and fell almost into the bucket and got hurt!

VK 1 Year Update!

2008-10-29T12:06:00.000+11:00

Vk started to walk(without any help)just before he turned a year old.
He was struggling intially with few steps at a time.
He has mastered the art now and walk through the whole house with ease.
Actually now that he knows to walk.. he is starting to run now.

He has started to jabber a lot these days.
some words make sense and some dont
says amma,abba, thatha (most used word)
ba(for ball or balloon)

On that note he loves the ball!!! and can play with it anytime for however long.
I jut love the smile he has when he sees the ball.

he actually throws ball with a spin.
DO(dear one - Husband) being a cricket fanatic thinks that he could be world class spinner soon!
and we keep commenting that if he does become one then we can say that he has always
loved and has been playing with ball since he was 6 months old.

when someone knock on the door, he says "yaa athu" (yaar athu-meaning who is it)
when he hears noise outside he runs to the door and says it.
even when he wants to ask what it is (ennathu ithu) he uses yaar athu as well.
It is so cute the ways he says it !!!!!!
when thatha comes into the room in the morning.. he immediately says "yaar athu" and even before we can answer he answers it with THATHA.

Loves oranges.. only the sweet ones !
not much inclination to other fruits.

Like peas, carrots, beans, cabbage ..actually quite liberal with vegetables...!
(hope it stays this way always !)

Pleasant Surprise

2008-10-22T13:38:00.000+11:00

It was yet another morning for me.. Got down from the train and was running to catch the bus. I come out of the subway and see the bus on other side of the road.there is on-coming traffic and I am not able to cross the road... I am hoping that there are a few other passengers who are still boarding the bus and hence the bus should be waiting for few more minutes or atleast till I cross the road.I am trying to look inside the bus.It is at the same moment that the bus driver turns to my side and looks at me.(atleast thats what i think). By this time the traffic has eased and I quickly cross the road and board the bus.
I get into the bus and like usual greeted the Driver.He replied back and said "I was just looking for you and was thinking that maybe you are not coming today. I just thought I would give it a few more minutes and then glanced to the other side of the road and just saw you."
I was really surprised and overwhelmed. Firstly,I never thought he would recognise me. Obviously he sees hundreds of passengers everyday and to remember me was amazing.
and even if he remembered me (just because I greet him every morning), to wait for just a few more moments was so thoughtful.
I really felt special and he had made my day and was all smiles on my way to work.

I really wanted to pen this down as it was a nice gesture from a stranger who I never saw again.

First Birthday !!

2008-10-16T13:06:00.000+11:00

Little VK celebrates his first birthday today. We arent doing anything special today!!!
Not because we are bad parents --- We actually celebrated it last weekend itself. His star birthday was on Oct 5th and we did Ayush Homam at home and also had a big party after that.

Its only going to be family affair today with a small cake.
VK probably doesnt understand birthdays now, However I was all excited and I got up at 5:30 am this morning (ofcourse because of his cry).Wished him and then played till 6 am. Had to get ready to leave to work after that.Mum was surprised that he woke up at 5:30 and she did mention that he probably knows its his Birthday and hence woke up early. I thought "maybe possible being my son".
I remembered my childhood days when I would be all excited for the full week leading up to my Birthday. Especially on that day... wakeup early and get dressed in new clothes and matching accessories to leave all pretty to School.I remember getting up quite early (I mean really early early)but didnt want anyone to know about my excitement and hence would try and tone it down. I still remember feeling "alpa santhosham"(translated verbatim -petty happiness) of wearing colour dress to School.***Sigh***
Wish could go back to those days !!!

Anyways back VK's birthday post... I am sure he is enjoying it at home with his grandparents with good food, pal paayasam ,new dress and the Trike. ( we got this as a Birthday present)

Finally got to write the second post... was thinking that maybe my blog would just have one post.
Just cant find time but have heaps to write and cherish before I forget them all.

First Script for the Blogosphere !

2008-10-08T13:41:00.000+11:00

I have never done this before... not sure If I will in the future.. however after reading heaps and heaps of fantastic blogs, really felt the urge to start writing one.
As much as I would love to say that this would be a great space to enjoy.. not sure if it would be.
(I have my doubts.. but atleast I can look at this space 30-40 years down the lane and laugh at my attempt)
I dont want to forget all that I want to remember.Not sure if I can though.. hence my new venture!