Pregnancies revisited.

To beat my bloggers block, Im taking up CA's tag.I altered the tag to include both my pregnancies. As a second born, I get mighty upset when people are partial to first borns!! Hmpf!

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED?
First - Yes. What was I thinking!!
Second - Yes. Boy, I don't learn a lesson easily do I?

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Fortuantely yes.
Still yes but unfortunately to the same guy.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Was happy that we succeeded in our attempt.
The second time, I used a pregnancy test which I had bought in India. On the cover, there was this woman with a red lipstick. She had this constipated look and it was completely hilarious to look at the pic. So I was rolling on the floor laughing and Hd was all impatient and asked, So? And I tried to give the same constipated look like the woman and he burst out laughing.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Yes if it were nt planned.
No.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
27
30

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
Home Pregnancy Test, Blood test, Urine test and a scan.
I knew it even before I took the pregnancy test. Human body is just amazing, is nt it?

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
My Sister.
My Sister.

8. DUE DATE?
30 April 2005
3 July 2008

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Nope.
Nope.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Baby cucumber, bhel puri, murungai keerai adai,...
Nothing. There was nt any time to think about my needs.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
Actually I was quite zen the first time.
The second time, everyone irritated me.

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

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No.
No.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
6 Kilos. (13 pounds)
4 kilos. (8 pounds)

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yup. Two.
Hee hee hee! Did I ever?

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
One was a surprise. By my friends. The other was a traditional ceremony celebrated with the family.
Total Surprise.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
No.
No.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Basel, Switzerland.
Zurich, Switzerland.

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
3 hours 40 minutes.
2 hours.

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL/BIRTH CENTER?
Taxi Driver.
Husband.

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Husband.
Husband.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural.
Natural.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
No. Was nt given even though I begged.
No. I decided not to.

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
2.720 kg (6 pounds)
2.950 kg (6+ pounds)

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
3 days before the due date on 27 Apr 2005 at 3.40 am
6 days before the due date on 27 June 2008 at 11 am

26. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY?
It was a total surprise as everyone had said it will be a boy and I had made up mind to welcome a boy. So it was a total lottery.
We found out earlier. So we knew. And I was ecstatic as I think sisters are the best thing in the whole wide world next to sliced bread.

27. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY?
I was seeing a new born baby for the first time in my life. And I was sure I ll never have a baby again(duh!) after the ordeal, so took a good look and tried to remember everything. And also made sure it was indeed a girl!
Took a good look to see if she was ok. Heaved a sigh of relief that I am done with this baby making business.

28. DID YOU CRY?
Nah!
Nah!

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Ashu
Antu

30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
3 years 11 months
9 months

Ups and downs.

Last Saturday, Hd said he had some work at office for an hour and left at 11 am. I was grudgingly making lunch while at 12.30, the door bell rang. I opened the door to see MY SISTER standing at the door step with a big grin on her face. Hd was standing behind her busy taking a video!!! I went speechless for a whole minute while Ashu screamed, ran and hugged my sis. Antu crawled super fast to see what all the noise was about! Apparently, Hd and Sis were in the loop for the past few weeks planning her trip. Hd even faked an impending trip to New Jersey in May and asked me what I wanted from the US so that my sister can do some shopping for me and the kids! Sweet, huh?

But then things soured in the next 24 hours. On Sunday we went to a friends sons birthday party. It was held in an indoor play park. Hd, Sis, another mom and I were jumping and goofing around in the inflatable area. Sis fell from the climbing structure and hurt her ankle. She could nt even put her foot down. Hd took her to the hospital after the party and the Xray result did nt show anything broken. But we got a call from the hospital the next day and they asked my sis to come back for a scan. It was a fracture, after all. In the Tibia. So she was given crutches and a huge cast. It might take 8 to 12 weeks to recover. Bil took the next available flight and reached here on Tuesday so that they can go back together next week as sis will need assistance while traveling. Tomorrow theres another test to see if she ll need surgery. Sis is planning to get it done in the US if necessary. But we are hoping and praying that she does nt need one.

Ashu is having a ball what with her uncle and aunt being here. Enjoying all the goodies, toys, clothes and on demand stories and books. Sis is upset that she cant dance around with Ashu and cant go out to parks, lakeside and on trips. But nevertheless, we are having fun indoors. I fee so guilty as if I pushed her myself. (I did nt, OK?) I mean, here she came to Zurich all the way from California to surprise me spending money, effort and all the planning and this had to happen. She has to go back and get adjusted to this condition for the next 2 months at least. Cant go to work, cant walk without crutches, cant sleep in a comfortable position, has to be dependent,... Sucks!

Some Humor in Fracture:
Ashu took the breakfast tray for my sis and said "Get some soon"! LOL! no wonder Bil took the next flight and arrived, huh? ;)

Any chance she gets, she tells people "Perimma bone broken".

Any chance I get, I sing "Satti suttadhadaa" a la Sivaji Ganesan(with crutches) in Aalayamani movie much to my sisters annoyance.

Sis is most upset that this had to happen at a kids play area of all places. She thinks a skiing accident would have been so cool!!

The other day my mom called and asked my how I am doing. "Oru nondi Akka. Oru kai kuzhandhai. Oru rendunketaan ponnu. Oru udhavaakarai purushan, eppadi iruppennu neeye sollu"*, I answered in an over dramatic way. Hd was nt happy about the sandhula sindhu.

*an invalid sister, a helpless baby, a neither here nor there little girl and a useless husband. How do you think I am doing?

Idukkan varungaal naguga(If troubles come, laugh), right?

Around the World in 80 clicks. (sounds cool, huh? ;)

Motherhood is the best thing that can happen to a person like me.

I have a slight complex that I am not good enough. But in the role of a mother, I feel the most superior. Indispensable, actually. And the power that comes with it. That if i dont cook, the kids are nt old enough to order a pizza and I love it!

I am also shy. So motherhood is the perfect remedy. I can talk about breast feeding to complete strangers effortlessly now.

I cant believe that I was self conscious once. From a person whose worst nightmare was a bra strap showing, I am a proud breast feeding in public mamma.

This motherhood is a certificate which says Im officially a grown up now. So ready or not, I have to be one. Believe me when I say that if not for the kids, I would nt even get out of the bed most days! And hey, thats a good thing for a lazy person like me.

I like the fact that once we are mothers, theres no getting out of it. That the kids put a smile in my face even in their absence. That I almost shout "Look! a doggie" even when I have left the kids at home. That I can relive my childhood along with them. More importantly, that its my chance to screw up!! :)

Thanks HBM for the tag. I loved your reasons. HBM has started off this tag hoping to connect blogging Mothers all over the world in 80 clicks.

I pass this tag to

The Mad Momma from Delhi
Kiran from Bombay
Sue from Calcutta
Art Navy from Madras
Mona from Dubai.

Here are the rules:
just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom) and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country (Google is a good resource if you don't know any; google any country name and 'mom' in their blog search function) (be sure to let them know that you've tagged them!) - and link back here and HBM and leave a comment.

Pink Horse and the Dragon.

Ashus school had a show today. The teachers thought it would be a good idea to show us a short video of the production rather than a stage as the kids might get stage fright and not perform. It was a fabulous idea as the parents got to see the kids in their element in the classroom. So they had sent us the invitation tickets and made it like a movie premiere. Since Antu was nt feeling too well, Hd stayed home with her while I went to Ashus school mid morning. It was snowing a little and was very windy, did nt get a parking and ran to the school just in time. Ashu was waiting for me and I got a seat in the front row while Ashu sat on my lap with a big cone of popcorn. They projected the movie on the screen. The titles rolled, some of the children came on screen, the audience were smiling and whispering when my little girl in her pink sweater came on the screen busy painting something. I yelled "Ashoooooo", whistled and said "yay"!!! The other parents looked at me as if I had gone crazy! Well, its not my fault if they ve nt watched a Rajinikanth movie first day first show, is it? Anyway, it was a short movie and we could see the kids dancing, playing music, singing, painting, enacting a story,... It was such fun. And Ashu appeared in quite a few scenes and I think she clearly deserves an Oscar nomination. Then they had exhibited some of the stuff the kids have made and also served cookies and biscuits. Thanked the teachers, picked up Ashu even though it was early and came back home with a huge grin on my face. Kids are such fun! You want to know why? A couple of boys sitting near me were going "booooo" during the movie and I was like "are they booing their own movie"? LOL! To be kids again, without a care in the world! Sigh!

Dear Antu,

Is this my first letter to you? I think so. Anyway, you know what happened today? So today morning your dad was planning to leave a little late for office. So I went to drop your sister at school without you. You were home with dad. I dropped Ashu at school and went to do some groceries from there. I parked the car in the underground garage, took a trolley, went into the store, picked up some vegetables and was walking towards the dairy section when my heart stopped for a second. Even though my brain was telling me, "Its OK. The baby is at home. You did nt forget her", my heart took a whole minute to start beating again. You know how they say our whole life flashes in a second just before we die? Well, you don't know that yet, but they do. That kind of happened. I visualised you in your car seat, forgotten in the car and crying and me running to you and picking you up. All in a fraction of a second. If someone noticed me then, I would ve been another normal person(well, as normal as I can get!) doing her shopping. But inside, I was badly shaken. I believe that a mother and her baby are connected through some invisible cord until the baby turns one and the bond slowly fades away once the child discovers TV! So it is nice to feel that you are still very much a part of me. But one day if I really forget you, you can always find me in the chocolate aisle. Kapeesh?

Your ever forgetful,
Amma.

Its My Birthday.

31st. And I am so happy. First things first - after a very bad viral infection, Ashu bounced back and is normal today. Such a relief. She told Hd today morning, "Amma does nt want a present, Appa. She said that if I get well and eat well, that is her present." Amen to that my dear girl. Un vaaku palikattum.

And another reason for my happiness - well, thankfully Hd did nt think like me and got me an actual present. He sneaked to the car after breakfast and came back with a huge bunch of flowers and a gift. I got my own docking station for my iPod, people! :)) Yippeee! Its the cool speakers from Logitech. Actually, my laptop died on me a few weeks back and Im sharing Hds these days. It was frustrating not to have music in the background all the time. I was mentioning how a docking station for my iPod would be cool. And whaddayaknow! The man actually listened! Have a chocolate for me, folks. My treat!

*goes away screaming Adiye kolluthe blasting from the speakers*

Faith, Fun and Food.

Quite an eventful weekend this. It was a temple visit on Friday, Kindercity on Saturday and an awesome brunch at Hiltl on Sunday. Let me elaborate on my favorite. The brunch of course. Hiltl is an old establishment(1898) and is pure vegetarian(oldest Vegi restaurant in Europe) at that. In the heart of Zurich, that too!(serves 1000+ guests per day) Though I ve been there before, today we decided to attack the Brunch Buffet. On Sundays, they have special Indian spread in addition and believe me when I say that the quality is out of the world. So there was the usual elaborate continental breakfast spread(think pancakes, eggs, breads, cereals, yogurts, fruits, juice...) and on top of that - pastas, salads, fruits, desserts, kachori, samosa, chilli poppers, pakoda, onion rings, some 4 types of potatoes, quiche, rice, paneer, dal, boiled veggies,... And not to mention the mango chutney, lemon pickle, date chutney, coconut chutney, sweet and sour dip, raita,... And a prosecco, coffee/tea is included too! Kids under 6 are not charged. So cool. Its not like they can charge anything for Ashu. She had half a papad and 2 spoons of rice. Actually they should ve charged Antu because she chewed and threw more bread than Ashu! I cant believe Hd and I sat for almost two and a half hours and ate. More importantly, ate together without having to take turns. Antu was happy in the high chair. (they ve such a cute wooden high chair and Antu was sitting like a chettiyar doll and gnawing away the bread and the papads Ashu sneaked to her). The waiters were so efficient with their headsets and gadgets. So friendly too. They gave a cute memory card game for Ashu. She found a 2 year old boy sitting near us and they both had a blast playing together. Poor guy cried his heart out while leaving because he wanted to play with Ashu! All in all, a fun weekend.

Sadly, Hd is traveling today and is back only on Wednesday. So expect a report from me similar to this one pretty soon. Wish me luck.

Picture courtesy www.hiltl.ch

Every move you make...

The other day Ashu was playing with her Soppu Saamaan. (The wooden toy kitchen set) I asked her what she was making and she said, "Im going to make Capsicum Sambar in this. Ghee in this. Rasam in that. Chutney in this. Idli, Dosai, Pasta,..." She went on and on. Then she mixed something with something and then told me, "One minute Amma. Wait, ok? I ll go see in my laptop how to make" and opened her laptop! Needless to say, I picked my jaw from the floor and went to my real kitchen to make some real dinner. My laptop was on the kitchen counter staring at me. My Paati will so not be pleased when she hears this.

This & That about Ashu & Antu.

Apart from going mine,mine,mine, Ashu really loves to play with Antu. But she has rules. The trouble is Antu does nt follow rules!

Everyday Ashu waves good bye to Antu before leaving for school. And I should wave Antus hand in return. Its a ritual now.

Sometimes Ashu says "Enna daa? Kutti payale" to Antu and its utterly cute. Translation: Whats up, Little Dude? (And the drawl she uses to say it is exactly like M R Radha!)

Ashu has started to pick up Antu off the floor and is giving me a heart attack. Though I want to scream every time she does that, I calmly tell Ashu never to do that again. But she does.

One day Ashu told me, "Amma I love Antu very much but I dont like her a little bit". Fair enough.

I would like to say Antu saves her best smiles for Ashu and her face lights up when she sees her big sis and she likes to spend time with her. But then I would be lying. Antu is a soul whose main motto in life is "Soru kanda idame sorgam". (Heaven is where the food is!) So she saves all things best only for two things er... for me! And to a certain extent, her dad because he carries her all the time. I think Antus wondering what the purpose of a big sis is. If shes anything like me, she ll know in about a decade or so when Ashu helps with her Physics record note book!

Ashu has a special language for Antu. It goes something like this, "lakkalokkadaaka? Kakkichikkimunni! Eemalaama?" Im scared Antu will pick it up too. When asked, Ashu says "Its Hindi". I did nt even know that she knew there is a language called Hindi. I suspect its her best friends influence. The said friend speaks Jewish Hebrew at home.

Antu loves to be in Ashus room. They both sit in two corners and do their own things for a long while. But whatever Ashu is doing, she always keeps an eye out for Antu. "Oh, Amma. She has reached for the paper. Take it away from her", "Is this toy too small for her amma? Can she play with this?",... The ever concerned sister!

I love the car rides with both of them in the back. Ashu gives me a running commentary of what Antu is doing. "Shes yawning, smiling, sleeping, staring, ..."

When we go to the play area in the evening, Antu loves to watch Ashu coming down the slide.

The other day I asked Ashu,
why do you love me?
Because you love me Amma.
Why do you love Antu?
She loves me too.
How do you know she loves you? She cant talk yet.
Because when I do something funny, she laughs. So I love her.

Oh Ashu! I just hope you love Antu even when she laughs at you when you are not being funny!

ps.
Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Love is...

I was busy as always with my laptop and Antu tried to touch the keypad and I was swatting her hand away. After a few minutes, I turned to see this. Ashu looked at me and said, "I will share my laptop, Amma". Don't know why my eyes brimmed over that very instant.

I take back my "Mine! Mine! Mine!" post, folks! :) Spread the love and have a super duper Valentines Day!

Take a view from our window.

Ashu has gone to school in this! I would nt even go to school when it rained in my times. I even gave her an option of staying home. Kids these days! Father and daughter are out to battle the bad world while Mother and daughter are cosily sitting on the couch and looking out of the window. Take your time, Antu. No hurry to grow up. Huh, who am I kidding!

Musical Bed.

Since we now live in a bigger place, we moved Antus crib to another room. So she has her own room now. So does Ashu. And to think I have never had my own room all my life. We have always lived in teeny tiny places and even my parents did nt have any privacy let alone us daughters. In college, shared room with as much as ten girls at one point of time. And of course once we women get married, we share our rooms with the resident gorillas! The end.

Anyway, this one room for each is nt working out too well in our current situation. Take last night. Ashu and Antu were sleeping in their respective rooms. Around midnight, Hd got up to take Ashu to the loo. Then she would nt let go of him, so he slept on a mattress on the floor in her room. A while later, Antu got up. Hd woke up, picked her up and put her near me and I fed her and went back to sleep. Hd also went to sleep in our bed. Around 3 am, Hd got up and took Ashu to the loo. I got up and put Antu back in her crib in her room. I came back to our room. He slept in Ashus room. Then at 6 am, Ashu came and lied down next to me. Antu got up and I brought her to me. Then Ashu went and switched on the light in her room and an annoyed Hd came to our room to sleep longer since it was a Sunday. But Antu began to cry. I changed Antus diaper and put her in the crib in her room with some toys. Ashu was shuttling between her room and Antus and playing. Hd and I caught some 15 mins of sleep before we had to get up. Phew.

I so want to spread a Bhavani Jamakkalam* in the hall and go to sleep with all of us close together. It ll solve so many issues. Ashu can wet the jamakkalam by all means. A jamakkalam is nt a jamakkalam if it has nt been slept on by bed wetting kids. There's no danger of Antu rolling over and falling down. Hd does nt have to get up to take Ashu to the bathroom. Antu sleeps through the night when she co sleeps with us so I don't have to get up either. A win-win on all accounts. Our grand parents were nt exactly the dumb sorts now, were they? And here I am reading Ferber and buying Ikea kiddie furniture. Sorry Thatha. Thappu dhaan.

*a popular brand of bed sheet in Tamil Nadu

Mine! Mine! Mine!

So here we are. The much dreaded phase(which will last all my lifetime) is already here. Antu crawling and showing interest in Ashus toys and Ashu screaming "Shes touching my stuff, MOM"!! Sigh! Ignoring all the rattles, board books and noisy toys, Antu goes for the very ones Ashu is playing with, the little devil. "Share Ashu" is answered with "But shes chewing on them Amma and making them dirty. Its yuck! She can chew only her rattles. Not my stuff". Now how can I argue with that? And yesterday I caught her lecturing Antu. "Look baby. You can chew the rattles. But not this elephant toy. Because it has wheels and it runs on the floor and if you chew on it, the dirt from the wheels will get into your tummy and it will hurt"! I swear she said all that. Today Ashu and I were playing Snakes and Ladders in her room. Antu was on the floor nearby and there were only a million things near her. But she came to us, plonked right in the middle of the board and tried to take the dice away. Ashu who was already pretty pissed off that I was ahead of her in the game chose the moment to move her coin a few places ahead when we rearranged the board! Not one dull moment in this house, I tell ya.

About favorite girls, new house and Ikea.

Boo : Ashu, you are my favorite girl!
Ashu : (smiles)
Boo : Who is your favorite girl, Ashu?
Ashu : Antu is my favorite girl, Amma.
Boo- Wow, thats nice. Who is Appas favorite girl?
Ashu - You, Amma!
Boo - (preens)

On that note, we are settling down in the new house in a very slow and a very steady phase. I think by 2010 I should ve emptied all the cartons! It was no fun when Hd could nt find his razor and we had to go through 20 odd boxes to find it. (and it was sitting in bathroom all along, the sneaky little thing!) My back is permanently bent these days. The only saving grace is the school run. Its a 10 mins scenic drive to Ashus school as opposed to the 45 mins horror route before. That's the reason we moved, by the way.

More later. Since we have so much stuff, we are off to Ikea to buy more stuff so that we can keep all the old stuff we have in the new stuff we buy. Makes sense?

Moving.

Last day in this house. The movers will be here at 9 am tomorrow. This time tomorrow, we would be sleeping at the new place. Sigh. Two years of our lives packed in boxes and bags. I was on my feet all day today packing. Phew. Why do we have so much stuff? Whats the point? As my sister had warned me, kitchen is the worst room. Shes sure a wise one! Packing away the kitchen stuff seemed like a never ending job. Even now, I'm waiting for the dishwasher to stop so that I can pack away the rest of the crockery. If only we did nt have a stomach to be fed. Life would be so much better and simpler. Indha oru jaan vayaru irukke...

Will surely miss this little flat. The awesome view of the city from the living room window. The fabulous typical Swiss view from the other side of the living room. Snowy mountains, a farm with cows with bells, horses, apple trees,... The small kindergarten below and how Ashu watches the kids play. How she spots the horses and cows and the rare fox that makes an appearance and squeals with delight. How I go to the balcony and look down to see if the car is parked and Hd has arrived home, the full moon nights where we switch off all the lights, cuddle in the sofa together and watch the moon rise while I hum "chandni raatein"...

This was Antus first home. Bye, bye Schulstrasse. You ll always be fondly remembered.

Hoping to get well soon.

So much to write but the entire household is down with the flu. It all started on Friday afternoon when Ashu threw up her lunch and started burning up with fever. She was worse on Saturday and we could nt even move out the house. On the same night, I started shivering with high fever and it was horrible. On Sunday, Antu fell sick and did nt sleep the whole night. Hd started popping pills afraid he ll be next. On Monday morning Ashu felt a little better and absolutely wanted to go to school (first day after the winter break) and Hd dropped and picked her up. While Antu and I slept the whole time. But I guess sending her to school was a bad decision as the fever came back and she had a nasty cough too. Rushed to the Doctor in the evening with the both the kids. As always, the Doctor did nt give any meds for Ashu. Asked to continue the inhaler for her and gave Antu Paracetamol after confirming with a blood test that it was indeed viral. Ashus whining was an all time high, Antu was in pain, I was tired and Hd could nt even attend an important phone call because Ashu decided to throw up just when I put her to bed! Oh man! Awful. Hd was the pillar of strength, poor thing. Cooking and cleaning and taking care of sickies but I could see he was losing it. Thankfully we are a little better today and he could go to office. Or you would ve read about us in today's headlines. "Husbands kills wife, kids and dies a slow and painful death by accidentally shooting himself in his toe instead of his head". What? You think I would want a quick and easy one for him after he does off me and my babies?

Wanted to write about my first ever blog meet(yay!) and so much stuff about our India trip. Will do so soon. Meanwhile, you can read about the blog meet here, here and here.

Anniyan becomes Ambi!

We are back, Folks! And this happened on the last day of our India trip. :(

Where Did 2008 Go?

So we landed in Madras on 12th safe and sound. The girls were awesome in the flight. Antu was happy as long as she was glued to my chest, so all was well. The only time she cried was because the pillow I kept under her head came away and she bumped her head in the arm rest. Of course I let my dad believe that she was cranky. Was afraid he would push me from the plane if he knew I hurt her. The Qatar airways has some funny baby bassinets. It was so high that you have to throw the baby like a basketball for her to land on the bassinet!! There was no gap to even stand let alone with a baby. But the service was great and the staff were good. Spent a few days in Madras and then left for my parents place. My mom had arranged for a Thottil(cradle) ceremony for Antu just like the one we had for Ashu some 3 years back. I felt so nostalgic and choked back tears looking at such a grown up Ashu now. Then of course my dad had to give Ashu a PUPPY! She went ballistic and would nt come down at all and was with the Puppy 24/7 in the terrace. Theres nothing like seeing a little girl with a puppy, I tell ya. Such sweet creatures they make together. Then her neighborhood friends landed one by one and now after a week, I don't see her most of the day. She goes to their houses to play. I have nt seen their houses or met the kids parents! And to think that I have to go back to Zurich and "arrange" play dates for Ashu. Sigh!

Antu - Well, where do I begin? Shes growing up fast. Has a ready smile for everyone. Her smile is so catchy. Feels like seeing a flower bloom when she smiles. Poor thing though. Handling all the changes, mosquito bites, etc... like a pro and feeding and sleeping... Sometimes I get the feeling that shes minding her own business! Go figure. Happy 6 Months, Darling!

Hd arrives here tomorrow and we girls are eagerly looking forward. Then a week more in Madras and off we go back to Zurich. So see you all from there. Wishing everyone a Super Duper New Year. Good bye, 2008. You were very, very special! :)

We are going to India.

So we are leaving for India tomorrow. Hd joins us 2 weeks later. TWO WEEKS. Of no kids. Of no spouse. sigh! I am so jealous. I ve never been so jealous in my life! Hereby I declare that as soon as I wean Antu, Im taking off. At least for a weekend. Im telling this here because if I don't, please come back and beat me. With a chappal.

Leaving you with a photo.

Antu - So you really think Amma will leave us and go?

Ashu - She might. But just hold onto your chappal nevertheless.

Car conversations.

Ashu and I were in the car. Coming back from school. She was sleepy and started saying incoherent stuff like "I want Appa now. Why did nt you bring Antu to school? Where is Thatha?", etc... and was on the verge of bursting into tears and going to sleep. So to save the drama, I was trying to distract her.

Me - Look Ashu. I got a cut in my finger.

Ashu - A cut? Where?

Me - In my right index finger. Look. (Stretching my fingers to the back and showing her thinking it would ve been fun if it was the middle finger instead!)

Ashu - How did you get the owie, Amma?

Me - I was grating carrots and by accident, my finger rubbed against the grater and it got cut. It hurts, you know.

Ashu - (Making a sad face) But why did you grate your finger?

Me - It was an accident, Ashu.

Ashu - If it hurts, you should nt drive the car Amma.

Me - Its OK, Ashu. Its only in my finger. If I get hurt in my palm or hands, then I won't be able to drive. But now its OK.

Ashu - So who ll pick me up from school?

Me - What?

Ashu - If you get hurt in your hand and can't drive when I am in school, who will come to pick me up?

Me - !!!!!!

I should just put the quote "that that person, their their worry" in my blog header next to a photo of Ashu.