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
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
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!
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!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
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
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
Sunday, October 08, 2006
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
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
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
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
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
Sunday, September 24, 2006
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
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
Friday, September 22, 2006
Vocab updates
Heres what u've been saying newly last week
Shriya ( for Shriya - ur friend who is abt 3 mnths younger to you)
Bead ( For Bread - actually u pbbly say bread but because I think its very difficult to say that I assume u missing the "r")
Pamana ( for Banana I think)
Papaya ( For papaya)
Bitta ( for Biscuit)
Botty ( for Bottle)
Potty ( For Potty)
Aappy ( For doing stuff on ur own - aaapi aapi)
Hot ( For hot stuff)
Nice ( For nice eatables - and u say it so selectively that I really think you know the concept of "Nice")
Monkey ( For Monkey from ur Animal Safari set)
Kangi( For Kanghi as in comb)
Shaow ( or smthng like that for Shadow - U just love Shadows of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Itty ( For Itsy from "Itsy Bitsy")
Eaa Eaa( You actually almost seem to know the complete rhyme - I mean u say Eaaa Boww Eaaa Moww ... :) - For the rhyme old man donald had a farm ...)
Can't recollect more but u speaking like tons of words !!!
Oh yes and Thanku ( For Thank you whenever u give some one anything)
You said Cut Cut today.. when u asked for the knife from Mamma
Also u said Pehno when u gave mamma the Apron to wear .. did u mean Pehno ( as in wear in Hindi)
To say the least I am thrilled to bits that u speak many words :)
Easier to understand u
luv
Mamma
Shriya ( for Shriya - ur friend who is abt 3 mnths younger to you)
Bead ( For Bread - actually u pbbly say bread but because I think its very difficult to say that I assume u missing the "r")
Pamana ( for Banana I think)
Papaya ( For papaya)
Bitta ( for Biscuit)
Botty ( for Bottle)
Potty ( For Potty)
Aappy ( For doing stuff on ur own - aaapi aapi)
Hot ( For hot stuff)
Nice ( For nice eatables - and u say it so selectively that I really think you know the concept of "Nice")
Monkey ( For Monkey from ur Animal Safari set)
Kangi( For Kanghi as in comb)
Shaow ( or smthng like that for Shadow - U just love Shadows of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Itty ( For Itsy from "Itsy Bitsy")
Eaa Eaa( You actually almost seem to know the complete rhyme - I mean u say Eaaa Boww Eaaa Moww ... :) - For the rhyme old man donald had a farm ...)
Can't recollect more but u speaking like tons of words !!!
Oh yes and Thanku ( For Thank you whenever u give some one anything)
You said Cut Cut today.. when u asked for the knife from Mamma
Also u said Pehno when u gave mamma the Apron to wear .. did u mean Pehno ( as in wear in Hindi)
To say the least I am thrilled to bits that u speak many words :)
Easier to understand u
luv
Mamma
Monday, September 18, 2006
Baby's Night Out
Dear Guddu:
Last weekend, you came with mamma pappa to Mulund, to mamma's colleague's (Archana) place. You slept well and we left cheerfully at 5:30 PM for a drive that would be around 45 minutes. Just when we left, Archana called and told us it had rained a lot at Mulund - we thought, ok, 45 minutes will become 60 minutes and went on. We drove and it started raining, it rained and drizzled and rained, we drove on and reached halfway by 6:15. And then the tarffic was jammed - it stayed jammed, and we had to turn back, take a fresh route and go on. We did not want to turn back as it would have been a painful trek back. We reached at 8:3PM - three hours for a 45 minute drive - amazing na ...
But what really was amazing was you - you were the best behaved baby ... no tanturm at all. Mamma and you in the back seat. You had a biscuit and some fruit - then you kept asking for biscuit calling it "bitta". You pottied also, and stayed put in your diaper without a murmur. Baby, you really showed us you knew that we were in the middle of nowhere - no cribs nor cries, just sat back and babbled, whimpered a bit, but overall ok. Then we reached Mulund.
Special concession for you because of your good behaviour - mamma pappa allowed you to stay up late .. really late ... Once we got to Arachana's flat, you settled down to doing masti - you looked around, were offered toys and started playing around. You happily began playing with Radha, even sometimes, pushing her. You walked around, had dal rice, played with Radha's toys as if those were yours, and tried to impress Archana ... And finally, after 11:45 we left.
At 11:50, the back seat of the car had one person awake (mamma) and one tiny occupant fast asleep (YOU !!!). We reached home by 12:30 - you slept throughout the drive, then through the rest of the night and, thankfully, some part of the morning ...
All in all, we saw you enjoyed the play session. And you behaved so well during the entire trip, mamma pappa thouroughly impressed with you.
Love
Pappa
Last weekend, you came with mamma pappa to Mulund, to mamma's colleague's (Archana) place. You slept well and we left cheerfully at 5:30 PM for a drive that would be around 45 minutes. Just when we left, Archana called and told us it had rained a lot at Mulund - we thought, ok, 45 minutes will become 60 minutes and went on. We drove and it started raining, it rained and drizzled and rained, we drove on and reached halfway by 6:15. And then the tarffic was jammed - it stayed jammed, and we had to turn back, take a fresh route and go on. We did not want to turn back as it would have been a painful trek back. We reached at 8:3PM - three hours for a 45 minute drive - amazing na ...
But what really was amazing was you - you were the best behaved baby ... no tanturm at all. Mamma and you in the back seat. You had a biscuit and some fruit - then you kept asking for biscuit calling it "bitta". You pottied also, and stayed put in your diaper without a murmur. Baby, you really showed us you knew that we were in the middle of nowhere - no cribs nor cries, just sat back and babbled, whimpered a bit, but overall ok. Then we reached Mulund.
Special concession for you because of your good behaviour - mamma pappa allowed you to stay up late .. really late ... Once we got to Arachana's flat, you settled down to doing masti - you looked around, were offered toys and started playing around. You happily began playing with Radha, even sometimes, pushing her. You walked around, had dal rice, played with Radha's toys as if those were yours, and tried to impress Archana ... And finally, after 11:45 we left.
At 11:50, the back seat of the car had one person awake (mamma) and one tiny occupant fast asleep (YOU !!!). We reached home by 12:30 - you slept throughout the drive, then through the rest of the night and, thankfully, some part of the morning ...
All in all, we saw you enjoyed the play session. And you behaved so well during the entire trip, mamma pappa thouroughly impressed with you.
Love
Pappa
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Jab main chotta baccha tha....
Last nite mamma was trying to remember the earliest memory she had of her childhood and was asking papa too. Ok ..in case you have doubts, mama papa were not always like this but grew up to be what we are today .. yes I know its difficult for you to fathom but we were infants, toddlers and tiny tots too. We cried too and we were naughty too ..I know u will take quite some time to come to terms with this truth and pbbly may not even come to terms with u. To tell u the truth I find it difficult to imagine nana nani or for that matter thatha patti as ever being little kids !! Nanu tells me he was so naughty that a scar on his head is because of some scuffle he had with his elder bro. He regales us with tales of his funny teachers and well frankly speaking to this day I think he is making it all up and he always was a papa and never went thru a childhood !!! :))
Anyways so coming back to the earliest memories we have. Well I remember coming back from LKG( lower Kindergarten as it was called then...and which was right below mamma's first home at 9, 1st Avenue- oh and its name was Shalimar if I remember right), and having chappatis with dollops of white butter which melted the moment it touched the mouth .. Yuummmm !!Also I remember a green water bottle ( that nanu nani had got from Delhi) that I took to standard 1,which some kid accidentally broke and I took her to nanu ( on a saturday) and told him that she broke my bottle ! I also remember it had a cute sticker of a rose on it ...So well I think the earliest I remember is at abt 3 -4 years old. Similarly papa also remembers his stay at Tanzania the best and he remembers it quite well actually. I will leave it to him to tell u abt it later .
But the pt is ... can I get away with anything right now because u will not really remember this later ? *wink* and *evil grin*
luv
mamma
p.s: the title of the post is a popular jingle from an ad in papa mammas times - Jab main chotta bachha tha badi shararat karta tha... phir bhi meri chori pakdi jaati, jab roshan hota bajaj :)
Anyways so coming back to the earliest memories we have. Well I remember coming back from LKG( lower Kindergarten as it was called then...and which was right below mamma's first home at 9, 1st Avenue- oh and its name was Shalimar if I remember right), and having chappatis with dollops of white butter which melted the moment it touched the mouth .. Yuummmm !!Also I remember a green water bottle ( that nanu nani had got from Delhi) that I took to standard 1,which some kid accidentally broke and I took her to nanu ( on a saturday) and told him that she broke my bottle ! I also remember it had a cute sticker of a rose on it ...So well I think the earliest I remember is at abt 3 -4 years old. Similarly papa also remembers his stay at Tanzania the best and he remembers it quite well actually. I will leave it to him to tell u abt it later .
But the pt is ... can I get away with anything right now because u will not really remember this later ? *wink* and *evil grin*
luv
mamma
p.s: the title of the post is a popular jingle from an ad in papa mammas times - Jab main chotta bachha tha badi shararat karta tha... phir bhi meri chori pakdi jaati, jab roshan hota bajaj :)
Monday, September 11, 2006
Drive Carefully: Bumps Ahead
Or shud I say watch what you speak because copying ahead... Gabdu, you can now say so many words and well on Saturday morn you actually made a quasi sentence or used a phrase- said "Bottle Ded0".You said it twice and did not repeat or make any more phrases later but its a milestone nevertheless ...You repeat everything mama papa say. You say "tee" for tv , "Bush" for "Books", "Moosh" for spoon, "Daaaddu" for Jhadu. You say "Aunty","teddy","Hanu" ( short for Hanuman) so clearly and now say "itsy" when u want us to sing itsy bitsy spider for u.You also say"two" quite often after mamma says "one" ... so seems like u are all set to count. Mamma papa really need to be careful abt how we behave and what we say in front of u. This morning u went around waving ur index finger and speaking gibberish with so much modulation like u were giving instructions or scolding some one. You went on and on for good 10 mins all over the house !!! This I guess u picked up from mamma scolding u many a time ... to sleep or not to do masti etc !! Instead of getting scared or correcting urself, you have started imitating mama :) Its very cute but mamma papa need to take this as a cue to be very careful abt what we say or do in front of u. We visited infinity mall on saturday eve and u had a blast at landmark bookstore which had a kiddy section with all toys. You went berserk in the soft toys section with all the teddys ... saying teddy teddy as u went around picking and examining several. You got ur first quasi lego ( read cheap) set too. In short u had a wonderful wonderful time at the mall ... and so did mama and papa ( u were ready to have milk from the bottle and also had something to eat so mama was not too worried for one...)
You wore two ponytails yesterday with ur denim shirt and white skirt and looked so endearing. Mama papa did not take a snap but we will definitely take one the next time u are in that outfit
And yes, finally, you have ur upper middle incisors coming in ( sprouting ) !! Mama cud feel the sharp edges when mama touched that area ... wow my kiddo is finally gonna have two more teeth . Hopefully u can bite and eat more stuff now... ( but pls do not bite mamma when u drink milk ..ouch !! even the thought makes me wince !)
Thats my update for the weekend ..
Oh.. and yes u have started preening urself in the mirror .. and look so cute doing that :) . You have always admired urself in the mirror but now its like turning this way and that way to check urself out ... ooh fashion conscious !!
Okie more later
luv
mamma
You wore two ponytails yesterday with ur denim shirt and white skirt and looked so endearing. Mama papa did not take a snap but we will definitely take one the next time u are in that outfit
And yes, finally, you have ur upper middle incisors coming in ( sprouting ) !! Mama cud feel the sharp edges when mama touched that area ... wow my kiddo is finally gonna have two more teeth . Hopefully u can bite and eat more stuff now... ( but pls do not bite mamma when u drink milk ..ouch !! even the thought makes me wince !)
Thats my update for the weekend ..
Oh.. and yes u have started preening urself in the mirror .. and look so cute doing that :) . You have always admired urself in the mirror but now its like turning this way and that way to check urself out ... ooh fashion conscious !!
Okie more later
luv
mamma
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Until you came along....
I thought I was a career woman and very ambitious,
I never knew how to hold a little baby,
I never thought I wud luv to kiss and hug a baby with a runny nose,
I never thought I could do so many situps,
I never knew I cud manage to think, walk and work with such less sleep( 8 hrs + was the norm b4 that),
I never thought I wud not go mall hopping or movie watching because it wud ruin ur sleep or food timings,
I never was thankful to papa for anything( but he gave me his best gift ever with u),
I never observed dogs , birds, nature and everything else around me the way I do now,
I never thought that anything and everything around the house cud be used to play !,
I never thought I wud think twice b4 planning to visit Nana Nani when I needed to be there( but with you I chose not to go when nani nana left for Noida and are now having to setup everything on their own without the littlest of support from anyone :( ..),
I never thought I wud look at poop colour, smell and consistency and clean anyones butt !,
I thought the toughest part of being a parent was the pregnancy !,
I never appreciated my mom and other moms the way I do now,
I never thought I wud be so dependent on others,
I never thought I wud take to the kitchen so regularly and do so much housework while being a working mom,
I never knew the meaning of unconditional love as clearly as I do now ...,
I thought I was very modest and wud not dare to bare my breasts in front of anyone and everyone,
I never knew there is always so much to learn abt parenting ,
I never knew that parenting choices are dilemmas and have deep impact on how the child grows up to be...,
and
I thought I was "boss" at home :)
Ok guddus I am running out of stuff now, passing the ball to papa to play on ...
I never knew how to hold a little baby,
I never thought I wud luv to kiss and hug a baby with a runny nose,
I never thought I could do so many situps,
I never knew I cud manage to think, walk and work with such less sleep( 8 hrs + was the norm b4 that),
I never thought I wud not go mall hopping or movie watching because it wud ruin ur sleep or food timings,
I never was thankful to papa for anything( but he gave me his best gift ever with u),
I never observed dogs , birds, nature and everything else around me the way I do now,
I never thought that anything and everything around the house cud be used to play !,
I never thought I wud think twice b4 planning to visit Nana Nani when I needed to be there( but with you I chose not to go when nani nana left for Noida and are now having to setup everything on their own without the littlest of support from anyone :( ..),
I never thought I wud look at poop colour, smell and consistency and clean anyones butt !,
I thought the toughest part of being a parent was the pregnancy !,
I never appreciated my mom and other moms the way I do now,
I never thought I wud be so dependent on others,
I never thought I wud take to the kitchen so regularly and do so much housework while being a working mom,
I never knew the meaning of unconditional love as clearly as I do now ...,
I thought I was very modest and wud not dare to bare my breasts in front of anyone and everyone,
I never knew there is always so much to learn abt parenting ,
I never knew that parenting choices are dilemmas and have deep impact on how the child grows up to be...,
and
I thought I was "boss" at home :)
Ok guddus I am running out of stuff now, passing the ball to papa to play on ...
Monday, September 04, 2006
Ganapathi Bappa Morya
Gabdumms ,
This weekends highlight was pandal hopping. We( twice you went just with pappa) visited abt 7 pandals and you enjoyed urself thoroughly seeing Ganapathiji and saying Jai each time religiously. Did I tell you that we had our own gannoji also this time ( for the very first time)that papa brought home. This means that we will be getting Gannoji home every year during Ganesh Chaturthi. Apart from this new and nice beginning, the last week ( or may be last two weeks ) have seen many more new wonderful beginnings on various counts from you. You can now feed urself tukdas of chappati if given in a plate or given in ur hand. You have learnt to get off from the bed/sofa and any other high place. You have learnt to say "Auto" for the autorickshaw. You also say Aunty very clearly now . Uncle is still "Anna" though. Papa showed you all your toys and you could call each one ( almost) by name or at least first syllable of its name. You also learnt first syllables of urs,pappas and mammas names as well as the places where nana nani and thata patti stay.
And the best new thing that u surprised mamma was with almost sleeping on ur own ! True you have not done a repeat performance on that again, but there is still a glimmer of hope that sleep and nap times will no longer be wrestling matches and exercise sessions. On Friday, ie on the Sept 1st, mamma kept patting you and singing to you as you lay next to her and you drifted into dreamland in a matter of minutes.
You are surprising mamma and pappa with newer and newer words that you learn ... these are words we have mentioned only in passing and not revised /revisited with you but u still seem to know them very well . We are still to figure out why you call the spoon "mosh" though. You love saying "car" and making mamma race up the car on the tough terrain of ur arms and legs :)
Its so much fun to watch u play with the other kiddies downstairs. You seem to have the right amt of aggression as well as friendliness :). All of you seem to want each others balls and bats and don't seem to care if someone takes away urs . Also all of you are nakalchi bandars ( copy cats) reaffirming that the monkeys and apes are top floor residents of the family tree of human beings :)
Well seems like my lunch time is running out, so I shall update u a little more some other time
luv
mamma
This weekends highlight was pandal hopping. We( twice you went just with pappa) visited abt 7 pandals and you enjoyed urself thoroughly seeing Ganapathiji and saying Jai each time religiously. Did I tell you that we had our own gannoji also this time ( for the very first time)that papa brought home. This means that we will be getting Gannoji home every year during Ganesh Chaturthi. Apart from this new and nice beginning, the last week ( or may be last two weeks ) have seen many more new wonderful beginnings on various counts from you. You can now feed urself tukdas of chappati if given in a plate or given in ur hand. You have learnt to get off from the bed/sofa and any other high place. You have learnt to say "Auto" for the autorickshaw. You also say Aunty very clearly now . Uncle is still "Anna" though. Papa showed you all your toys and you could call each one ( almost) by name or at least first syllable of its name. You also learnt first syllables of urs,pappas and mammas names as well as the places where nana nani and thata patti stay.
And the best new thing that u surprised mamma was with almost sleeping on ur own ! True you have not done a repeat performance on that again, but there is still a glimmer of hope that sleep and nap times will no longer be wrestling matches and exercise sessions. On Friday, ie on the Sept 1st, mamma kept patting you and singing to you as you lay next to her and you drifted into dreamland in a matter of minutes.
You are surprising mamma and pappa with newer and newer words that you learn ... these are words we have mentioned only in passing and not revised /revisited with you but u still seem to know them very well . We are still to figure out why you call the spoon "mosh" though. You love saying "car" and making mamma race up the car on the tough terrain of ur arms and legs :)
Its so much fun to watch u play with the other kiddies downstairs. You seem to have the right amt of aggression as well as friendliness :). All of you seem to want each others balls and bats and don't seem to care if someone takes away urs . Also all of you are nakalchi bandars ( copy cats) reaffirming that the monkeys and apes are top floor residents of the family tree of human beings :)
Well seems like my lunch time is running out, so I shall update u a little more some other time
luv
mamma
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
doll names
Guddu:
These are your doll names - no doll goes nameless - of course, apart from a mass of balls which can only be called balls :-)
Soft toys
a. Reindeer is Rudolph
b. Plump rainbow coloured bear is Kaloo
c. Bear that nani nanu got from USA is Teddy
d. Chubby Baby Doll that nani nanu got from USA is Baby - you gave this name
e. Barbie-like Doll that nani nanu got from USA is Anupama !! (mamma is the culprit)
f. Tall ragamuffin doll Doll that nani nanu got is Candy
g. The other tall ragamuffin doll gift is Noorie (mamma again the culprit)
h. The gift dog is BowBow - you gave this name
i. Singing doll is Angelica
j. The penguin is only called Penguin
k. Two squeaky baby toys are Bebo and Booboo
You know all these by their name and even call for some of them (Moo for Noorie, Anu for Anupama, Bowbow for Bowbow, Baby for Baby) by their name
You love them all, and love beating them up also ...
More dolls to come, baby and i am sure, lots more names also ...
Pappa
These are your doll names - no doll goes nameless - of course, apart from a mass of balls which can only be called balls :-)
Soft toys
a. Reindeer is Rudolph
b. Plump rainbow coloured bear is Kaloo
c. Bear that nani nanu got from USA is Teddy
d. Chubby Baby Doll that nani nanu got from USA is Baby - you gave this name
e. Barbie-like Doll that nani nanu got from USA is Anupama !! (mamma is the culprit)
f. Tall ragamuffin doll Doll that nani nanu got is Candy
g. The other tall ragamuffin doll gift is Noorie (mamma again the culprit)
h. The gift dog is BowBow - you gave this name
i. Singing doll is Angelica
j. The penguin is only called Penguin
k. Two squeaky baby toys are Bebo and Booboo
You know all these by their name and even call for some of them (Moo for Noorie, Anu for Anupama, Bowbow for Bowbow, Baby for Baby) by their name
You love them all, and love beating them up also ...
More dolls to come, baby and i am sure, lots more names also ...
Pappa
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
This day, last week...
Dear Gabdu,
Last week mamma was to attend meetings at the client site. It was sudden and unplanned .. And well at the customer site mamma cud not pump as the meetings were all day long , mamma cud not leave them and moreover I am sure it wud not have been very easy to ask the client who met me for the first time for a secluded room where mamma cud pump. Well... so it finally happened...mamma has stopped pumping ... In a way it was good that it happened suddenly and in an unplanned fashion, as that way mamma did not feel too bad.. Also it expedited what was gonna happen 2 -3 mnths down the line anyways ... But somewhere mamma feels bad too for substituting the nourishing and protecting mammas milk for the cows milk ( which I am sure is best for the calf but not so sure if it can be anywhere close to mothers milk for human babies).
You have adapted beautifully and its been a relatively hassle free transition to cows milk for the 4 pm feed u usually have ( abt 5-6 oz). So to that extent u have not contributed to additional guilt around this. However , like I always feel weaning is more for the mom than for the kid .. so somewhere there is a feeling of sadness and loss for mamma ..
To transition to cows milk and to wean is a very personal decision for each mother but it is a very big and not so easy decision as such ..I mean I know for sure that mothers milk is the best ... I don't need scientific evidence and books to tell me that simply because I know that it is there in the first place for this purpose and every mammal nourishes its little ones with its own milk and its only in humans that a substitute comes up.At the same time there is a nagging fear that a mother may be making the child too dependent on her by not letting the child have an alternative source... so what happens if the milk dries up and so on .... The questions are endless and the social pressures on this count also are immense .. most people seem to think its boorish to be nursing ur child esp beyong 1st year. I plan to continue till u self wean or till 2 yrs, whichever is earlier ... So lets see how it goes ...
Anyways the upshot of this post is to tell u that mamma has hung up the pump and so u now take one substitute feed whereas the rest are still mammas duddhu :). So the nice thing abt this is no more sterlisation of pump and bottles giving mamma a good additional 15-30 mins with u and pappa . Also mamma can spend the 30 mins at work actually working instead of pumping which means the late hrs at work if any can be avoided ... so yippppeee :)
Don't ya worry ... I will get over my sadness over this by loooking at these positive things !Meanwhile I shall let ur patti have a blast at feeling less dependent on mamma and having her way in feeding u cows milk :))
luv
mamma
Last week mamma was to attend meetings at the client site. It was sudden and unplanned .. And well at the customer site mamma cud not pump as the meetings were all day long , mamma cud not leave them and moreover I am sure it wud not have been very easy to ask the client who met me for the first time for a secluded room where mamma cud pump. Well... so it finally happened...mamma has stopped pumping ... In a way it was good that it happened suddenly and in an unplanned fashion, as that way mamma did not feel too bad.. Also it expedited what was gonna happen 2 -3 mnths down the line anyways ... But somewhere mamma feels bad too for substituting the nourishing and protecting mammas milk for the cows milk ( which I am sure is best for the calf but not so sure if it can be anywhere close to mothers milk for human babies).
You have adapted beautifully and its been a relatively hassle free transition to cows milk for the 4 pm feed u usually have ( abt 5-6 oz). So to that extent u have not contributed to additional guilt around this. However , like I always feel weaning is more for the mom than for the kid .. so somewhere there is a feeling of sadness and loss for mamma ..
To transition to cows milk and to wean is a very personal decision for each mother but it is a very big and not so easy decision as such ..I mean I know for sure that mothers milk is the best ... I don't need scientific evidence and books to tell me that simply because I know that it is there in the first place for this purpose and every mammal nourishes its little ones with its own milk and its only in humans that a substitute comes up.At the same time there is a nagging fear that a mother may be making the child too dependent on her by not letting the child have an alternative source... so what happens if the milk dries up and so on .... The questions are endless and the social pressures on this count also are immense .. most people seem to think its boorish to be nursing ur child esp beyong 1st year. I plan to continue till u self wean or till 2 yrs, whichever is earlier ... So lets see how it goes ...
Anyways the upshot of this post is to tell u that mamma has hung up the pump and so u now take one substitute feed whereas the rest are still mammas duddhu :). So the nice thing abt this is no more sterlisation of pump and bottles giving mamma a good additional 15-30 mins with u and pappa . Also mamma can spend the 30 mins at work actually working instead of pumping which means the late hrs at work if any can be avoided ... so yippppeee :)
Don't ya worry ... I will get over my sadness over this by loooking at these positive things !Meanwhile I shall let ur patti have a blast at feeling less dependent on mamma and having her way in feeding u cows milk :))
luv
mamma
Monday, August 28, 2006
Milky Ways :)
Dear Duddhuobsessed,
You have learnt to say "duddhu" since the 26th Aug and you say duddhu so cutely ..sometimes uttering diddhu sometimes duddu :). And you have taken this as an opportunity to ask for it every now and then . So on Saturday and Sunday you must have been nursed at least 8-10
times ( ok may be a little less than than say 7-8 times!). Also for quite sometime now you've taken to pulling up mammas clothing in ur desperation to get to ur milk :). Hopefully with the word to communicate that , mammas vastraharans wud be minimised but the downside is that u wud just say diddhu whenever u feel like and mamma wud find it so cute and be totally disarmed with ur cute look when u say that and be ready to give u ur favorite natural pacifier that u cud get more dependent on it !
And for some reason diddhu also equates with soyi soyi .. so sleep and milk are like bundled products for u that go hand in hand
Sigh ! Just when we thot communication wud make life simpler, we realise that it wud never be that life wud get simpler .. it wud only get more complicated .. and thankfully more exciting and adventurous and wonderful with u
luv u
mamma
You have learnt to say "duddhu" since the 26th Aug and you say duddhu so cutely ..sometimes uttering diddhu sometimes duddu :). And you have taken this as an opportunity to ask for it every now and then . So on Saturday and Sunday you must have been nursed at least 8-10
times ( ok may be a little less than than say 7-8 times!). Also for quite sometime now you've taken to pulling up mammas clothing in ur desperation to get to ur milk :). Hopefully with the word to communicate that , mammas vastraharans wud be minimised but the downside is that u wud just say diddhu whenever u feel like and mamma wud find it so cute and be totally disarmed with ur cute look when u say that and be ready to give u ur favorite natural pacifier that u cud get more dependent on it !
And for some reason diddhu also equates with soyi soyi .. so sleep and milk are like bundled products for u that go hand in hand
Sigh ! Just when we thot communication wud make life simpler, we realise that it wud never be that life wud get simpler .. it wud only get more complicated .. and thankfully more exciting and adventurous and wonderful with u
luv u
mamma
Saturday, August 26, 2006
play time folks
Dear gabdu:
You have begun playing big time ... you love going down and running around. Today pappa and mamma took you down, with your bat and ball. You held the bat in your hand and brandished it at all and sundry ... and even whacked mamma with it ...
You love looking at the bigger kids playing - esp. football. And when they play, you stand and shout at them.
You also love seeing the doggies and you shout at the dogs too.
And you hate coming back home after you finsih playing.
Today, pappa took you in for a bath and while you did not mind being bathed by pappa, you became hazaar upset once pappa removed his glasses and poured water over himself. You cried and looked betrayed. Even after pappa came out of the bathroom, you pointed out the action of pouring water over one's head and thulped pappa properly :-)
Nowadays, Arsh is your dream boy - you wake up saying Arsh and sleep saying Arsh. You can be silenced with the word Arsh. But when Arsh comes face to face, no reaction ... is it shyness ? (wink wink) ... Whatever it be, it is very cute ...
Love you,
Pappa
You have begun playing big time ... you love going down and running around. Today pappa and mamma took you down, with your bat and ball. You held the bat in your hand and brandished it at all and sundry ... and even whacked mamma with it ...
You love looking at the bigger kids playing - esp. football. And when they play, you stand and shout at them.
You also love seeing the doggies and you shout at the dogs too.
And you hate coming back home after you finsih playing.
Today, pappa took you in for a bath and while you did not mind being bathed by pappa, you became hazaar upset once pappa removed his glasses and poured water over himself. You cried and looked betrayed. Even after pappa came out of the bathroom, you pointed out the action of pouring water over one's head and thulped pappa properly :-)
Nowadays, Arsh is your dream boy - you wake up saying Arsh and sleep saying Arsh. You can be silenced with the word Arsh. But when Arsh comes face to face, no reaction ... is it shyness ? (wink wink) ... Whatever it be, it is very cute ...
Love you,
Pappa
Friday, August 18, 2006
Babys Day out :)
Kuttu,
There is one thing you always love ( apart from "appur " or apple of course ;-), and that is being out and watching the world go by :) . You love being downstairs esp when there are like dozens of kiddies playing. You love the attention the grandmas and mommies or other kiddos give u and you love to "speak" to them at the the top of ur voice in Tanvispeak (copyright :) - language that you speak in). You are ready to leave mammas hands and run behind a much bigger childs cycle as u try and explain to mamma that u want to ride that one. You love the balls other kids play with ... and your ball .. well it is of least importance to u and you let the other kiddos play happily with it ...
You fall many a time but u are so excited when u are downstairs that you don't really care .. you hold mamma only to get up and then run away in the opposite direction.. we have a good tug of war .. and u cry when mamma takes u back home as if u are gonna be jailed !! You don't even seem to get hungry as such !
Its fun to watch u mingle with the other kids.. yesterday u admired a talisman "Jijju" or someone was wearing and u spoke to a "biya" on the cycle ! And not to mention the fact that u like boys more than girls ( I did not know that this happens so early on !!)
You smile at strangers knowingly and as if they are ur long lost friends ! I am sure u bring a cheer to many a dull evening of the oldies downstairs ...
Its fun to watch u become independent and deciding where u are headed on ur own but it tough too for mamma to see her little one who was once attached to her womb with an umbilical cord now heading out in the big bad world without as much as the support of a hand !! Ok thats mamma going overboard .. but it is really interesting to see how my completely dependent infant is now becoming an independent toddler
Luv
mamma
There is one thing you always love ( apart from "appur " or apple of course ;-), and that is being out and watching the world go by :) . You love being downstairs esp when there are like dozens of kiddies playing. You love the attention the grandmas and mommies or other kiddos give u and you love to "speak" to them at the the top of ur voice in Tanvispeak (copyright :) - language that you speak in). You are ready to leave mammas hands and run behind a much bigger childs cycle as u try and explain to mamma that u want to ride that one. You love the balls other kids play with ... and your ball .. well it is of least importance to u and you let the other kiddos play happily with it ...
You fall many a time but u are so excited when u are downstairs that you don't really care .. you hold mamma only to get up and then run away in the opposite direction.. we have a good tug of war .. and u cry when mamma takes u back home as if u are gonna be jailed !! You don't even seem to get hungry as such !
Its fun to watch u mingle with the other kids.. yesterday u admired a talisman "Jijju" or someone was wearing and u spoke to a "biya" on the cycle ! And not to mention the fact that u like boys more than girls ( I did not know that this happens so early on !!)
You smile at strangers knowingly and as if they are ur long lost friends ! I am sure u bring a cheer to many a dull evening of the oldies downstairs ...
Its fun to watch u become independent and deciding where u are headed on ur own but it tough too for mamma to see her little one who was once attached to her womb with an umbilical cord now heading out in the big bad world without as much as the support of a hand !! Ok thats mamma going overboard .. but it is really interesting to see how my completely dependent infant is now becoming an independent toddler
Luv
mamma
An Eye for Detail
Dear Gabdumms,
As grown ups we often lose the curiosity to explore and forget to enjoy simple things by viewing them in a different light. With you we are getting to explore the world anew and learn things afresh. You hold the caterpillar that sings the numbers and colours upside down and turn the wheels and bang the battery cover in an attempt to open it ... unlike us who try to press the shoes on the caterpillar to make it sing ... You find the objects you know even if we do not spot them .. for example you find babies even if they are in the faded background of a picture ...You say "Biya" and mommy looks like .. now where is biya beta .. there is no biya ...I ask you to pt to the biya u are talking abt and there u pt me to the corner of the newspaper where there is a child in the faded background of a picture showing something else. You spot balls even if they are say spheres forming some other design ... its amazing to see how you identify stuff and the eye for detail that you have. Its so amazing to see you do "Jai" to any God /Goddess even if mamma papa do not explicitly tell you that there is an idol there... You spot a bow bow even in a moving car and say excitedly bow bow bow bow .. and I look at u like u are crazy and then see a dog thats somewhere on the sidewalk way behind ! I let u taste cheese just once and I think you saw me take it out of the side shelf of the refrigerator just once and the next day patti told me you were asking for something from the fridge from the very same rack ! ( patti thought you were asking for honey as she did not know abt the cheese) ... Also you don't forget even if u've been told something weeks back .. I mean we think kids need repitition to learn but I think we are a little mistaken on that count...
You open and close the lid of a bottle and can go on endlessly as it is so fascinating for you to see that ... oh such joy in simple things in life that we elders take for granted ..
You were so scared of the bowbow when it started yelping ... you asked mamma to put it off .. but then few seconds later you asked mamma to put it on again ... and got scared yet again and asked her to put it out .. Its amazing to see you wanting to know what happens each time and slowly overcome ur fear ...
We watched birdie everyday to show you birdie... I mean I don't think I have noticed a bird sit and then fly away in a long time and now with you mamma gets to watch all these things long forgotten
You practice your words every night even ur sleeep and make combinations and extensions of words to hear how they sound...
You notice mammas changed earrings even if no one else notices ... mamma gets all the attention that she craves for from you ..
You give mamma her dupatta in case its lying on the bed ...
You help mamma dry the cothes ...
Well the list is endless and darling you fill up every big void and the tiniest of crevices ( or shud it be chinks) in mammas and papas life ....
Its a pleasure to see u discover and learn and grow ...
Its a self discovery for us too in some sense ...
luv
mamma
As grown ups we often lose the curiosity to explore and forget to enjoy simple things by viewing them in a different light. With you we are getting to explore the world anew and learn things afresh. You hold the caterpillar that sings the numbers and colours upside down and turn the wheels and bang the battery cover in an attempt to open it ... unlike us who try to press the shoes on the caterpillar to make it sing ... You find the objects you know even if we do not spot them .. for example you find babies even if they are in the faded background of a picture ...You say "Biya" and mommy looks like .. now where is biya beta .. there is no biya ...I ask you to pt to the biya u are talking abt and there u pt me to the corner of the newspaper where there is a child in the faded background of a picture showing something else. You spot balls even if they are say spheres forming some other design ... its amazing to see how you identify stuff and the eye for detail that you have. Its so amazing to see you do "Jai" to any God /Goddess even if mamma papa do not explicitly tell you that there is an idol there... You spot a bow bow even in a moving car and say excitedly bow bow bow bow .. and I look at u like u are crazy and then see a dog thats somewhere on the sidewalk way behind ! I let u taste cheese just once and I think you saw me take it out of the side shelf of the refrigerator just once and the next day patti told me you were asking for something from the fridge from the very same rack ! ( patti thought you were asking for honey as she did not know abt the cheese) ... Also you don't forget even if u've been told something weeks back .. I mean we think kids need repitition to learn but I think we are a little mistaken on that count...
You open and close the lid of a bottle and can go on endlessly as it is so fascinating for you to see that ... oh such joy in simple things in life that we elders take for granted ..
You were so scared of the bowbow when it started yelping ... you asked mamma to put it off .. but then few seconds later you asked mamma to put it on again ... and got scared yet again and asked her to put it out .. Its amazing to see you wanting to know what happens each time and slowly overcome ur fear ...
We watched birdie everyday to show you birdie... I mean I don't think I have noticed a bird sit and then fly away in a long time and now with you mamma gets to watch all these things long forgotten
You practice your words every night even ur sleeep and make combinations and extensions of words to hear how they sound...
You notice mammas changed earrings even if no one else notices ... mamma gets all the attention that she craves for from you ..
You give mamma her dupatta in case its lying on the bed ...
You help mamma dry the cothes ...
Well the list is endless and darling you fill up every big void and the tiniest of crevices ( or shud it be chinks) in mammas and papas life ....
Its a pleasure to see u discover and learn and grow ...
Its a self discovery for us too in some sense ...
luv
mamma
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Tough Choices
Mamma read an interesting article on overprotective parenting. We need to ensure as parents that we do not unknowingly and unwittingly hinder ur development by being overprotective and extra careful. How else would we see u walk with complete confidence? True, you would pbbly have a few falls and even hurt urself ... but that does not mean we kind of hold your hands at every step and don't allow you to walk independently right?That wud stifle ur development. We need to ensure that while we try to protect u from falls by being alert, we shud let u walk and do stuff on ur own.For example if you are working on replacing the lid of a bottle , unsuccessful though you may be couple of times, we shud not immediately get down to helping you for there is no pleasure greater than discovering things on ur own... thats the joy of learning .
In fact seeing Shriya on ur birthday party made me feel like its not merely genetics that manifests itself in the behaviour of the child but its the behaviour and attitude in parenting that shows up in the attitude of the child.Shriya was as bindaas as her mom was ... to put it simply. Her mom was not too concerned when she fell off and said "Oh well .. this happens all the time" and Shriya reflected her moms attitude by giving a damn to the fall ..
Mama and pappa need to loosen up definitely... but its so difficult to draw a line .. I mean how cautious is too cautious and how cautious is overprotective ? Who decides this? I guess this is something that is subjective but what the results are in terms of the childs learning and ability to cope with life and its vagaries will definitely vary depending on the choices ...
Thats the crux of parenting ... tough choices ... and choices that wil shape and mould the childs future .. as good or bad ..
In fact seeing Shriya on ur birthday party made me feel like its not merely genetics that manifests itself in the behaviour of the child but its the behaviour and attitude in parenting that shows up in the attitude of the child.Shriya was as bindaas as her mom was ... to put it simply. Her mom was not too concerned when she fell off and said "Oh well .. this happens all the time" and Shriya reflected her moms attitude by giving a damn to the fall ..
Mama and pappa need to loosen up definitely... but its so difficult to draw a line .. I mean how cautious is too cautious and how cautious is overprotective ? Who decides this? I guess this is something that is subjective but what the results are in terms of the childs learning and ability to cope with life and its vagaries will definitely vary depending on the choices ...
Thats the crux of parenting ... tough choices ... and choices that wil shape and mould the childs future .. as good or bad ..
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
stranger anxiety - 15 steps to overcome it
Guddu:
Yesterday was Independence Day - and we all stayed home. Amita aunty came home to visit you - she was seeing you for the first time ... Here is how it went:
1. You wake up and come out
2. You see aunty and she sees you
3. Three people laugh in the room, one cries aloud - no points for guessing who cried
4. Aunty tries telling hello to you from a distance - only glares from your side
5. Pappa moves guddu to the same sofa as aunty
6. Guddu continues to glare
7. Guddu sees gift - well wrapped nice item - some curiosity but lots of caution - still no overtures
8. Aunty offers the gift paper (and the gift) to guddu - no response
9. Aunty removes cellotape on one side of the gift paper - some interest from guddu
10. Demand by guddu for gift paper to be removed - demand complied
11. Gift opened - pretty set of four cars
12. Lots of interest, gist and also Aunty look interesting
13. Aunty allowed to touch guddu and show the cars
14. Aunty accepted as "aankh" and bonding starts
15. Full fledged bonding
Total time from step 1 to step 15 = 30 minutes
After that you were inseparable from Aunty and you asked for her even in your half sleep state
It was nice seeing you first scared, then cautious, then bindaas and finally enjoying ...
That is for this posting, more later ...
Pappa
Yesterday was Independence Day - and we all stayed home. Amita aunty came home to visit you - she was seeing you for the first time ... Here is how it went:
1. You wake up and come out
2. You see aunty and she sees you
3. Three people laugh in the room, one cries aloud - no points for guessing who cried
4. Aunty tries telling hello to you from a distance - only glares from your side
5. Pappa moves guddu to the same sofa as aunty
6. Guddu continues to glare
7. Guddu sees gift - well wrapped nice item - some curiosity but lots of caution - still no overtures
8. Aunty offers the gift paper (and the gift) to guddu - no response
9. Aunty removes cellotape on one side of the gift paper - some interest from guddu
10. Demand by guddu for gift paper to be removed - demand complied
11. Gift opened - pretty set of four cars
12. Lots of interest, gist and also Aunty look interesting
13. Aunty allowed to touch guddu and show the cars
14. Aunty accepted as "aankh" and bonding starts
15. Full fledged bonding
Total time from step 1 to step 15 = 30 minutes
After that you were inseparable from Aunty and you asked for her even in your half sleep state
It was nice seeing you first scared, then cautious, then bindaas and finally enjoying ...
That is for this posting, more later ...
Pappa
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