Crush(ing)News :-))

Dear Guddams:
Lots of things happening in your life
New words, new sentences (full ones) ... and new friends ... well not exactly ..
It is a commonly known fact that you have found your crush - your first crush .. Arsh ...
Well, it is like this - when you see him, you run to him and are ready to play with him. You run with him, scream and screech, and have a good time.
The other day, you were sitting in the lobby of the neighbouring building- and refused to budge from your seat even when mamma pappa were pleading with you to play with them. Then came Arsh. He came on his cycle - the moment he saw you, he jumped off his cycle, while it was not yet stationery. And you jumped off from the chair - seeing him, you could not wait a minute. Then he came and took your bat and ball, so you went to his maid and took his bat and ball, and then the two of you took off, running and playing with each other.
You play with no other kiddie than Arsh and he plays with noone but you. And you guys get along really well ..
Mamma pappa are sure this relationship is just going to take off !!!
Love pappa

When Words became sentences ...

Dear Laddu,

You have started making such interesting sentences that well .. it makes us feel so amazed ..
Every parent must be seeing this happen and yet each i am sure finds it so amazing .. the process of the infant who could only cry to communicate to one who could pt and make wild gesterures for to a toddler who could say words to finally a toddler who could speak full blown sentences and recite rhymes !! Truly amazing.. Amazing the way kids of your age pick up language by just hearing stuff in context ..
You now say things like to cite a few examples

a) Duddhu peena hai
b) Thatha Patti dadar gaye
c) Patti kaise sulati hai? ( Question you pose to urself - followed by an answer) Patti Namo Namo gake sulati hai
d) Khujli - Macchar ne Katta

You recite the rhyme
a) Are you sleepy brother john almost fully
b) Nila Nila Va va
c) All the answer pieces of Johnny Johnny ..Yes papa ..
d) Round and Round the garden like a teddy bear !!
e) Chanda Mama Door ke ( This one you almost sing with the tune !!)

Wonderful phase .. its like music to hear you and at the same time spells trouble 'cos you can repeat any sentence we say clearly and sometimes a private conversation that Mamma Papa think they are having may become public ;-))

Luv
Mamma

Tit Bits :-)

Dear Gabdu,

The topmost thing on mammas mind is accomplishing night time weaning and getting down to max of 2 regulated feedings ( by regulated i mean quick and continuous 10-15 minute nursing session as opposed to how it is now with u taking breaks and coming back at ur ease and screaming murder if Mamma asks if u are done and she can shut shop :-)), a day.
As I sit thinking abt it, I am looking back fondly on the nursing sessions we have had in the past. Abt how you literally do a joy of dance if Mamma says Chalo Beta when you say "Diddhu" in ur cute baby voice with a question mark.You hold Mamma and lead her to the bedroom these days and say leti leti and do a "Hu Ha Hu Ha " with a naughty and happy glint in ur eyes if Mamma complies with ur wishes. And everytime Mamma asks u " Duddhu Bas?" you look up while drinking and briefly disengage and demand "Aur Chahiye " with all the "its my birthright" tone .. and then continue without waiting for my response...And if Pappa dares says "Guddu Duddhu Bas - papa Godi?" to start his process of putting you to sleep you kick him so badly - that ouch it hurts badly ( when U laugh;-))). Even his presence anywhere close by spells danger to you and you think his sole purpose is to take you away from ur milk ! You give him glares and often kick him very hard with the slightest hint of him opening his mouth assuming he is gonna try to disengage you. And sometimes , if and only if you decide ( YOU are the supreme authority) you will say "Mamma Bas" and then as if to ask Mamma to hurry up if Mama is continuing to lie down without shutting shop as we call it, you say "Bandh Kar Lo !".And you have learnt to say this side that side and flip your back and wait eagerly on the other side for Mamma !

And I also remember the number of times you have bitten me and when mamma said "No biting" you often did not understand said "No biting " and continued and when Mamma said Ouch you realised the pain and wud start wailing loudly saying "Mammma no biting" !! And when Mamma is in pain for any reason and Mamma asks you to disengage saying "Beta Nikalo" you promptly do that which is sooo sweet and understanding !

Hmm ... so feeding you has given me fond memories for life but at the same time I have many back breaking tales also which I wud reserve for some other letter to you

luv
Mamma

Parenting Choices & Dilemmas

Putting down some dilemmas and confusions and many of the disagreements say between me and my mom ( She feels I pbbly go too much by a rule book !)

Let the child taste variety of stuff - junk/chocolates/tea/sweets and so on
(or)
Ensure child has milk without sugar, don't let them taste tea or chocs 'cos they cud take to it - hoping that this is the mantra to ensure lifelong healthy food habits -

but the question if they can't eat now when can they? .... ? Tough Choices

Let the child co sleep and feed at will until he or she self weans, don't let them cry ever

(or)

Let them cry a little and so get them into the good habit of not feeding in the night which works well for everybody - better sleep for mother and child


Travel if u need to with the child , and let the schedules for sleeping etc go out of the window for a temporary period when you do this and don't worry as its just once in a while ...

(or)

Travel almost negligible as kiddo sleep getting affected and schedule of eating/playing also not kept

Wash every toy tonnes of time everytime it touches the floor

(or)

Wash occasionally when they are dirty and leave the rest to be taken care of by the improved immune system that is happening as they are at it


Boil water and keep separate spoons and utensils for the child that rewash everytime before you use it even if they are already washed

(or)

Let the child start having the aquaguard water all of you have...

Let the child try out shutting the closet and reopening and try to see the electrical switches that have been duly covered by putting on and off

(or)

Don't let ur child anywhere near anything even remotely dangerous and keep an eye all the time- every second .. don't let them play in the sand as they cud get infected ... and so on ...


Diapers

(or)

No diapers

Let them without their underwear for sometime

(or)

Let them be free for sometime at least as the grandparents say


TV - strictly no

(or)

Ok to use while feeding or ok for a short while

I could go on and on with the choices . I am not saying I have chosen one or the other in all these choices but don't you agree it often becomes difficult to make some choices and decide which end and exactly where on the spectrum you want to be given that there are as many opinions as the number of people and the feeling of gingerly holding responsibility of shaping a childs future always at the back of your mind ...

What are the choices you are still unclear on and keep changing .. what are the non-negotiable ones - do let me know in case you drop by

Higher Emotional Sensitivity?

Dear Guddams,

I guess kids of your age have not only a higher attention to detail and more observation but also higher emotional sensitivity. How else would one explain how easily you have grasped please and sorry ? How else would one explain the hugs I get from you and a gentle tap with a worried face asking me "Kya Hua Mamma"?
Nani was mentioning how you came to Nanu Nani and said Sorry Nanu Sorry Nani umpteen number of times and they were like its ok beta but what happened only to discover minutes later that you had dropped their ironed clothes that were to be worn for a reception on the floor !! Amazing grasp of the concept of sorry !
Mamma is trying to cut down on the night time feeds for the better interests of both of us and early last morning when I said no "Duddhu Bas", you said "Please Mamma" and melted my heart and got what you wanted ...
Nanu Nani got you a small pencil box to keep your color pencils that you have started scribbling in and you spent some time figuring out what it was and played and then suddenly said Nanu thank you !!
We saw this puppy at Bhandardhara and you said Mummy and cried and kept crying even as I held you and looked at the puppy and said Mamma Mamma - which I interpret as your realisation that the puppys mamma was nowhere to be seen
Patti was off to board the local train on July 7th - day of the blasts in local trains -when papa messaged mamma abt the incident and so Mamma tried frantically to reach Patti and then put on the television that showed the people crying etc while papa headed to the station to get Patti back - you wailed and wailed as the images on the screen flashed across - guess they were disturbing and you sensed the tension that was going on in mamma and papas minds .
You are the first one to feel Mammas mood changes and look and ask "Kya Hua " and the worried look on your face is amazing ! Of course there are times when we pretend to cry and u seem to understand and insist we do it again and again and laugh!
You sense the tension if papa and mamma have any arguments and well that kind of ensures our arguments are short because we can see you disturbed !
When Mamma walked away from the bedroom the other day to leave you to be put to sleep by papa but instead of wishing both of u good night or silently walking away , said "Good Night honey" ( to papa) and you cried loudly waving and saying good night honey to show your displeasure at being ignored !
Its amazing to see this and see how you grasp all these intangible concepts ..
How I wish all of us retained this till date and were not as insensitive as we are to various things that happen around us
Wishing you retain your senstivity/sixth sense/understanding or for the lack of better words whatever this is forever even as you grow up

What would this make mamma ?

Taking up i2w tag-a very interesting one - I have taken a slightly humorous take on this and i guess speaks volumes abt my current state of mind :)

If I were an animal/ bird: A sparrow- small,active, able to fly and yet commonplace and bird-next-door types :)
If I were a vehicle: Bicycle (Gents ;-)- needing pump to fill air regularly ( or shud I say boost my ego), needing the right balance and effort to manouvere,needing enough effort to mount ( and if wrongly executed injuring the rider badly)
If I were a comic character: Hobbes :) Visible only to some ( Calvin) and so party to all the mischief and yet escaping punishment:-)
If I were a city: Calcutta- sleepy and unshakeable( from its slumber). Take it or leave it attitudeIf I were an art form : Painting - Open to interpretation and often admired without being understood :)
If I were a colour: Red - Bold, Assertive and Calling for attention ;-)
If I were a filmstar: Shahrukh - Popular, Witty and Sarcastic despite being slightly ugly and stammering my way thru interviews - shows the confidence :-)
If I were a vegetable: Karela (BitterGourd) - Selectively liked, Good for health despite the taste - appearances and experience with taste buds all deceptive - does real good to the system :-))
If I were a fabric: Cotton - Needing the ironing out ones in a while ;-)
If I were a gizmo: A waterproof watch - Strapped firmly to the user, and needing to be looked at and checked every now and then ;-))

Edited to Add : oopsie I guess I did not read the purpose of this tag and I copied ArtNavys If I were a.. thinking we were to complete each - nevermind - will put down my true style ( which is often none) soon again

Why Do You Breastfeed?

Why Do I breastfeed?
Time and again, friends and family have said various things abt continuing/discontinuing breastfeeding. Most people think the importance I attach to it is unnecessary and Nani thinks its become a little bit of an inconvinience for her daugther. Well I have been breastfeeding till now - ( Gabdu is almost 18 months old) and now its down to 2 -3 feeds in the day ( one in morn and one in late eve) and multiple comfort feeds in the night. I know I need to get the night weaning going soon - not because I think its wrong/or right but just because I feel both me and Gabdumms as well as papa need better sleep and I think it will help to night wean and only feed her first thing in the morn and last thing in the night. But as I get the process going for weaning in general by the time she is 2 years old, I feel the need to put down reasons why I breastfeed and the reasons that don't really figure in my list of why I do breastfeed
1. The foremost reason I have been breastfeeding is not because of all the gyaan on whether it makes the IQ of the kid better or how harmful formula is but because I believe that if breasts do produce milk they must do so for a good reason and I believe that nature shows us the way. All mammals feed their kids so why not human beings2. Because it gives me alone time with my daughter cuddling and being with her. So I just love doing it.. Being a working mother this is my opportunity for some me time with my daugther. I love the way her face lights up when I am ready to feed her "Leti Leti kar ke". How can I deny her smthng that makes her feel so thrilled !
The reasons that do not really contribute to my strong inclination to breastfeed but nevertheless are good brownie pts for breastfeeding
a) Its easy- less sterilisation and less headaches of packing n bottles on a trip.b) Its quick comfort for my daughter when she is in pain or angry or just plain needing mammac) It has helped me loose my post pregnancy weight pretty quickly
Anyways I do plan to wean by 2 years for primarily my own conveniece and I do not in any way look down upon anyone who does not breastfeed, breastfeeds for longer time or for that matter shorter ... i think each mom does whats best for her kids and family and its best to leave decisions to the mommy 'cos mommy knows best

I can take my shoes out

Well, for the past two days you have mastered the art of removing your shoes on your own..which is oh so cute but also is exasperating because I cannot make you walk no matter what because you simply remove your shoes on the way and just look at me and I have no choice but to carry you as I cannot imagine letting you walk barefeet ! Actually may be I shud let you ! Smartie pants that you are !

The other major milestone I think we are gonna hit very soon is potty training 'cos you promptly remove your undies or at least attempt when you need to go and then go on the floor ( I am talking abt potty here !) and as one lump touches the floor you stand and move to another place and squat while instructing mamma to "Saaf karo" . And did i mention we do have a potty where you could sit comfortably and go abt ur business ! Anyways its good to see you be aware of whats happening but I do dread being on the road - i mean imagine if you insist on taking off ur undies/diapers in public and going !!! :))

More milestones

Quick updates starting what you've learnt starting say Nov beginning(15-16 months)
a) you are easily able to extend your arms out of the arm holes of your clothes making it easier for all of us to dress you
b) You have begun to sometimes kind of sleep on your own ie if we give around an hr to blabber and climb all over us, with dim lights and mamma and papa lying next to you. In any case overall its much easier to put you to sleep as you sleep readily putting your head on shoulders of the person putting you to sleep. The memories of sit ups and much tougher times are fast fading away making a tough day when you refuse to sleep seem tougher.
c) You can technically drink off from a tumbler/glass/katori on your own but of course we don't let you do it too often as you promptly wet yourself
d) I've moved you to the sippy cup for milk too and there was practically no struggle theree) You can lift some food with the spoon but to feed others and not urself :)
f) Scribbling/Writing/Drawing has begun starting Nov. You have your own colour pencils and a book where you scribble and also ask people to draw various objects and subjects for youg)You speak the language quite well now- I mean sentences like Nanu Nani Aa gaye !! , Papa ka Pant ( grammatically incorrect:) , Guddu ka Bottle, Aur Chahiye, Woh Wala, Yeh Wala etc etc . You surprise us because most usages were never taught to you but you've just picked them up hearing others speakh) You hold the bat so well for batting ! its a diff issue that it hardly ever touches the ball
i) Running quite fast
j) Learning to Jump - almost
k) Starting Dec mid - you slide on the slide quite okayly, Finally hold the swing and are climbing the stairs ( crawling up) and have figured to some extent how to get down stairs too
This is like a long list but I think there are other milestones I've missed out, but will update those laterI need to be a little more regular in recording the happenings so that I can fondly look back on them without loss of detail :)
LuvMamma

Happy New Year

Well dear, Wish you a great year ahead and I hope its a great year ahead for us as a family. I think the year that went by was definitely a very happening,significant and happy year for us and most of it was because of you.Of course there were sleepless nights, hospital trips and meltdowns due to your quick temper( and mammas to match yours and make matters worse) and high needs but then there were milestones, growing together and watching you learn to communicate in a language we understood ! Well dear thanks for making our day every day of the last year and hope you do so in the years to come toBecause you happen to be wee bit small to make new year resolutions, here are a few I think you shud have
a) Stop being such a tantrum thrower ( if theres such a usage :))b) Stop being obsessed with Mammas milk and get weaned off completely by the time you are 2c) Stop being so stubborn and do my own thing person. Be stubborn abt doing what mamma tells you to will u?d) Sleep better or shud I say sleep ( and thru the night?). Also sleep on ur own without like a prolonged session that is makes me pull out my hair every single day?e) Continue to amaze us with what you can learn and how you love us unconditionallyWell , I've run out of stuff and so might as well spend some time making and breaking some resolutions for myselfSo heres wishing you a very happy new year yet againluvMumma

Talkathon Candidate:

Well kiddo I can see you participating in such events from whatever age you are legally allowed to do so :)Read in the papers that the average number of words women speak is 20,000 and the men about 7,000. Well seems like kids can surpass these and need to be given a separate category !You love to talk esp in front of other folks. And in the past two months you've picked up so many usages of the spoken language that well to put in short, its amazing !Previously it used to be one word or max two words in combination. And mostly nouns that we had taught you specifically. Now you pick up almost anything we speak and not only do u repeat it promptly in part or full, you internalize it too ! And end up using it in some context again! We need to be really careful abt what we speak and the language we use for anything we speak abtBut thankfully you've graduated from being an intensely negative person to a balanced one - lest you get angry abt how I look at u, lemme explain ! You were till may be oct primarily using nahi no etc for vehemently saying no when u wanted to and a vigorous nod when you wanted something. Now you say yes and no very clearly. You are able to communicate quite clearly. Its not yet fully formed sentences but mamma gets to know what happened during the day quite well from the conversation we have in the evening. Now if thats not communicating, what is ?The other day I asked you " Kaun kaun mila tha neeche khelne ke liye" you said "Mukund Shriya" the names of two toddlers a little younger than you. So I asked what Mukund and Shriya were doing. You said Walky Walky ( which means walking in ur language). I asked patti whether Mukund and Shriya had started walking ! She said yes ..Amazing isn't it !You know so many animals from their pics that it amazes me ! Panda, Kangaroo and pata nahi kya kya ! I can distinguish a Kangaroo and a dog and your dads taught you Okapi ! Now did u know thats an animal ! I didn't ! And to worsen matters he promises to show you Okapi in his kiddy book and gets u so desperate to see it that mamma has to frantically turn pages to find the darn animal she's never heard abt !You know two three words of most rhymes and can identify the page of the book they come on and in fact for some you know even the full line " Ringa Ringa roses !" and if prompted you continue tooIdhar, Udhar , yahaan , Wahaan , lo , do etc I thought were difficult words ( in terms of concepts) but you seem to be quite familar with them !You say stuff like Paani gir gaya ! Papa Office Gaya and pata nahi kya kya !And the best part is the hand action that goes with stuff like "Clip Kahan Gaya ?" you shake your hands so cutely. Also in the morn when you wake up and walk to the kitchen and don't find mamma there you put out both ur hands indicating where and its so cute !You've got a cap fetish as of now .. cappie or cap as you call it depending on ur mood . Its good for us as winter is in and we'd better keep u warm when you go downstairs Hmmm .. I've got sooo much to update on the so many amazing things u are upto but I guess I will continue laterAnd yes you do amzing dance moves now ... Sitting all the way down twisting as you move down and moving ur hands and then slowly twisting again and standing !And in between all these amazing growing up stuff mamma wonders why you refusing to grow beyond a 1 month old in the sleep department !!. It kind of averages out stuff does it not?
LuvMamma

Sums up what I am feeling now

Here are two quotes from articles from some blogs/or net - I forget the links that are so apt and exact in mirroring what I feel strongly at this pt in time

a) Parenting is a privilege not a sacrifice

b) Be involved in your work ( ie office work), and attached to your home.- Sums up the professional/personal life balance quite well don't you think so

Gabdu, my letters to you have not happened for a while now due to the thoughts that have been wreaking havoc in my mind :). Finally I however have made up my mind and there is much less of restlessness and uncertainity now that I know what I am doing ...and all I want to tell you till I elaborate more on this is that what I am going to do going fwd is my own decision, and its not for you but for my own happiness ( See you've got proof to ensure I do not land the blame on you later :)

Luv
mommy

Brave girls and copycats

Dear guddams:

Last week you were not well - doc told us it could be pneumonia. Mamma and pappa admit that you were really brave. You had medicines like some Expectorent even though it tasted awful. You did not crib when the X Ray was taken with you standing - I dont know why the Lab guy made you lie down , and upset you in the process, when mamma pappa told him he could take X Ray with you standing. You took Crocin even though it tasted sickeningly sweet. You really were a darling, you lost all your edge on Monday and Tuesday, but from Wednesday, with fever down you were quite cheerful ...

On Sunday, before the illness came in, pappa saw you and your boy-friend (Arsh) cavort. It was too cute. First of all, when Arsh saw you, he came and greeted you with a smile. Then, you attacked his cycle and pulled out his bat and ball. When he protested you refused to ghive it to him, and if he snatched it, you created a ruckus. His maid gave him a ball for himself, which if he dropped you picked up and gave to him. And when you jumped and ran around, Arsh imitated you. When you screamed, so did he and when you babbled, he repeated what you babbled. When he sat on a chair, you also went to sit on the chair.You guys had a great time together - really made for each other ...

Love,
Pappa

Motherhood

Heres a nice fwd I saw in my mailbox a couple of days back. I can more than agree with most of these pts !
What changes when you have a baby? A better question may be: What doesn't change? Read mom Rebecca Woolf's list of post-baby differences:
1. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
2. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms. ( Ok I have not smelt roses yet but yes I've seen the birdies & the puppies)
3. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
4. You're less self-involved and more self-motivated.
5. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
6. You respect your body ... finally. (Hooray for baby-making!)
7. You have stronger opinions and are stronger willed.
8. You respect your parents and love them in a new way. (Hooray for grandparents!)
9. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
10. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child. (Hooray for the tooth fairy!)11. You lose touch with the people in your life that you should have banished years ago. ( well at least you stop caring abt how someone wud feel hurt if you don't call them & wish them on their birthday !)
12. Your heart breaks much more easily.
13. You think of your baby 234,836,178,976 times a day. In fact, you're so busy with this that you forget everything else.
14. Every day is a surprise.
15. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
16. You think before you speak.
17. You become a morning person. (Hooray for watching the sun rise!)
18. If you have a son, you no longer curse men. (Hooray for all men!).. ( Well dunno abt this one !)
19. If you have a daughter, you hope she won't endure your same heartaches
.20. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

Toddler Perceptions :)

You are right now in an interesting phase of learning and also more importantly figuring out stuff based on what you've learnt. Its really interesting to see your interpretation of stuff we say and things you see. Like your papa was mentioning that when you saw a long haired guy at Noida, you said Aunty but as he came closer you kinda seemed to realise and said Uncle :). Its really fun to see natures miracles at work. Wonder how the brain starts to intrepret & piece together information based on what the baby sees, hears, feels & senses ...Two days back, as you woke up & walked into the kitchen, mamma asked you to take off pyjamas - "Pyjama uttaro, papa se kaho pyjama uttaro" & the outcome was hilarious you looked straight, walked to mamma & started pulling down her pyjamas !! :). Need to specify the noun ( not even the pronoun ) for every action clearly to send the message across I guess. :). Also the same evening when mamma put on her spectacles,( which you insisted mamma put on because u knew we were likely to put on television & mamma does put on spectacles while watching tv), you exclaimed Nani :)) And looked again & yet again said Nani. I guess you meant mamma looked like Nani with spectacles on:).
I have many more interesting titbits( actually some of them really are tit-bits ;-)) to record but will sign off now .
Also Guddu, I think we need to ask papa to write more often . What say you?

luv
Mamma

Long awaited post after a long vacation

Well, we celebrated diwali with Nana Nani at Noida and had loads of fun. You bonded instantly with Nani at the
airport where she was summoned urgently inside the terminal as you had pooped on board and the journey to Noida wud
take another 1-2 hrs and it would be complete torture to let you sit in ur poop till we got there. Actually you
were very well behaved on board - I mean you pooped and still stayed still and did not create a ruckus. Your dad
and me have come to a conclusion that you are the most well behaved child outside. Either you've set ur standards
real low by being a tantrum queen when with us at home or you really are a model child. I give you the benefit of
doubt and choose the latter ...Anyways ..so on board .. u were really good .. I mean all we had to do is to keep
asking the air hostess to give us some water in those cute little flight bottles like a thosand times. We looked
like we had a serious health problem or were stocking up for home as we did not have good water supply !You wud say
"OPEN" and we had to quickly guzzle the water down ( to prevent wet accidents when in flight and then leave a teeny
weeny bit at the bottom to satisfy you so that you cud drink and feel happy). And wonder whats so nice abt the
water or the container it was in on board that each time you had the water you said nice. Made us wonder if we were
not giving you enuff water.Eventually you tired off the game and started munching on the bottle itself !Also you
slept for abt an hr on flight so we cud quickly have our food in flight ( wud be pity to lose out on the free food
on board). Anyways so you bonded instantly with Nani at the airport and even asked her Nanu ? with that intonation
of a question ( or whatever the term is). It was very sweet and thrilled nani to bits !Well so we changed you and
walked out ( as in you walked too) so that Nanu cud see his granddaughter walking out, but we cud not find them .
So anyways when we found papa and nanu, you were quite silent and in Mammas arms so well I guess u missed making
the first impression on Nanu :). Once we reached Noida you were so excited with a new place that u kept walking up
and down and running for the next 2 hrs and slept eventually at 11 pm :).Basically you got adjusted to Noida pretty quickly and were comfy with Nanu Nani from the moment you saw them. No crying no nothing. That was nice. Diwali was good - we had the lashmi pujan and u had fun watching papa light the flowerpots, ground chakras and the sparklers. You loved watching them ...You were introduced to lots of new food like singhada, bathua,singra and lots of sweets . Also you loved eating at the dining table with the full family .. You learnt many many new words .. Bithao, Utaro, oopar, kholo, khao, chahiye and many others i am unable to recollect right now. We visted many of mammas relatives and you had great fun at every place esp with the kids !You loved the toys Nanu Nanis place had in each room and yet the kitchen was your favorite hang out place. You loved the swing downstairs and went on the merry go round, slides etc in the park. You got ur first set of proper shoes !Yippee! You had the fun of wearing the winter clothes ( not the real warm ones but at least the sweater, full sleeve tees and pyjamas/leggings) though winter hardly had arrived there ..You slept on the double bed with mamma papa but were always with Nanu Nani for the first 2-3 hrs of ur sleep as mamma papa wanted to watch tv :-)). Mamma papa got to go out 4 times !! We left you with Nanu Nani for abt 4-5 hrs and managed to catch 2 films in these 4 trips ( Don and Jaan-e-man). You learnt to stand on the stool and dance and kinda jump. Learnt 1-2-3-4-5 (almost).The only flip side was u fed like 100 times in a day when mamma was available :) and woke up like 20000 times each night :). You wud wake up every morning & say sweetly "Papa open door Nanu Nani" :). You met Mahi and Shreya and had great fun !Papa took great care of u thru the trip and mamma really had a great break. Pappa wud put u to sleep evryday, feed you many times and bathe u most of the times !You saw puppies with papa in ur morning jaunts with papa. You saw birdies and more dogs in the township and loved it. You even had a chance to see a puppy in the balcony next door :). Out trip to Meerut was good adventure as we were not allowed to take the vehicle inside and had to travel by bus and rickshaw and you enjoyed every moment of it !come to think of it , you were very very well behaved throughout !!I am running out of steam so closing this post here and will take it up some other time . All in all, all of us had a gr8888 time during the vacation!

Word Building :)-

Literally.. I mean u say like tons of words. babycenter July 05 board had a poll on how many words kiddos of ur age speaking and it ended at more than 20 words. So mamma thot she wud put down the various words u speak and see whats the count for ur vocab.Heres the list

Eatables& Related
Cheese, Dahi, Pappati(for Chappati), Appurr ( For apple), Juice, Duddhu ( for Milk), Aaaloo( for any veggie), Paneer, Daal, Rice,Cheeko,Paani,Khana, Bitta for Biscuit,Carrot,Sugar,Bottle,Bread. And the word Nice for anything thats tasty :) . Poon for spoon.Hot and Cold. The count is 21 words !

Names(friends, toys, dolls)/Relations:
Mummy,papa,Patti,thatha, Nannu,Nani, Mami, Aunty,Uncle, Atta( for Athai),Arsh, Arnav, Sheeya for Shriya, Aarhi ( for Aarohi), Didi, Baby, Bhaiya,Ishaan, Utsa, Bai,Dolls& Toys- Noorie, Candy, Teddy, Munny( for bunny), Monkey,Mbo( for Jumbo), Meow, Bowwow,Mickey, Minnie,Boat,Babusha for Babushka,Anu,Birdy,Ball,Bat,Ananya That makes like 37 in this category !!

Other stuff
Do (for give), No, Nahi, Addu ( for lifting u up), Godi, oopar for up, Gaya for gone, Bye, Allo for hello, Phone, Soi for sleeping, Kaun for who, Sha(d)ow,Itty ( for Itsy Bitsy),TV,Car,Book,Eyes,Nose,Bus for enuff, Susu , Potty,Towel,Shoes,Open,Car,Auto, Office, Dadar,Noiaaa(for Noida),Aapi, Kangi, Bib, Abba for Dabba,Dhoi,Cheddi( for underwear), Dress, Saree,Pant,Brush 39 words!!


Wowowowow !! You say abt 97 words and I am sure I have missed many !! Also u do try to say sentences like papa office gaya!! Bottle dedo etc !!
Go Girl !!! U have hit the centuryin terms of number of words

More later

luv
Mamma

more words ... and some showing off

Dear Guddams:
You have progressed in your vocab.
Now you know how to recognise clothing: "Pant", "Cheddi" (for your underwear), "Papa" for pappa's stuff and "Mama" for mamma's stuff.
Of course, you havent moved out of old stuff either - Nonia for Noida, Daaaaada for Dadar and Aw-ficcce for Office.
You are getting off beds and sofas with ease - now the next thing we are awaiting is your getting on to them.
Last week, actually last weekend, was the second Dandiya downstairs - you enjoyed yourself ok'ish. But then the mext day you got fever, which went away, only to come back two days later. Some worry for mamma and pappa as you went on a hunger strike with liquid diet (dudhu diet) only ...
Thankfully, fever, weakness and lack of appetite are away, and you are coming back.

Last night was your first night a a good restaurant - we went to Hyatt Regency Stacks, the Italian eatery. You sat i your high chair and had carrot and breadsticks while mamma pappa had the starteres. Once the starters and soup were alsmot done, you erupted and insisted on roaming all around the place. Not even sitting on mamma's lap. Net net, you had an hyperactive sesison, while mamma pappa ate alternately. Once we returned home, you went to sleep almost immediately. One thing is certain - you are a SHOW OFF ...

Love you
Pappa

When Poosh became Spoon

Well , so u said spoon instead of poosh .. and guess what mamma told u while handing it over - here take the poosh :)) . So looks like u'll be speaking our language and we urs in a few days and hence still have a communication gap . Ah yes ! before i forget a critical milestone u achieved .. well u picked ur nose yesterday and well no furtive "teerithumulli" looks yet from u but soon u shall find that its a gaffe to pick ur nose in public and u shall do it only when u think no ones watching :))
Other new stuff
Clearly saying Thank you
Saying Ayesha for the husha busha or whatever portion of Ring-a-ringa roses !
Bib
Badda has now become abba ( for Dabba)

Interesting to watch u learn the language we speak :)

luv
mamma

Dandia beats

Guddu:

Today you went for your first dandiya - and you enjoyed yourself.
First of all, you wore a ghaghraa choli that nana nani had got - u looked very cute in it.
It rained and delayed your entry, but once you landed there, you started enjoying.

But all the fun started after Arsh came. You started going to Pooja aunty and dancing with her. You danced with Arsh, pushed him and shoved him, and even treaded his toes. Of course, he was dancing on his own, with no concern. But if you fell or bent or did anything whacky (which you did off and on), he did the same.
You two formed a comic pair - and we enjoyed seeing you two interact, and dance. Arsh was clealr spending time wooing you and you were behaving pricey.
Next week is the main dandia - and we will be ready for that too!

Pappa